Wednesday January 9, 2008
Custom truck(s?), Hollywood. The left side is a GMC, the right side is a Chevy. I have no idea if both sides have operational engines, but the cockpit on each side sure looked complete.
Thursday December 13, 2007
On Miami Beach, hybrids will soon have designated spaces in some parking lots, and 25% discounts on parking fees.
Monday November 19, 2007
A very cute original Fiat 500 in good shape, for sale. See here for the revamped version, which will officially arrive in the United States ‘sooner or later.’
Thursday June 7, 2007
The going-rate for a jump start
A couple of weeks ago I was left needing a jump-start in front of my apartment on South Beach. I don’t have jumper cables anymore. I asked a few people, and they were all very sympathetic but nobody has jumper cables anymore, so I marched down to a busier street to find a cab (cabbies will sometimes jump you, but they charge). Against all odds, I spotted a tow-truck from one of the two great towing companies we have down here before a cab. I flagged him down. How much for a jump?
“If you’d called the station and they dispatched me, it would have been $75, that’s how much we’re supposed to charge,” he said. “I’ll do it for twenty bucks.” And sure enough.; I got a ride the two blocks back to my car, and in another minute I was on my way.
Reflecting on this, the $20 seems like a perfectly reasonable and appropriate fee, consider the inconvenience caused the jumper and the benefit to the jumpee. And so I propose that the $20 be formalized as the informal going rate for a jump with someone else’s cables. Henceforth, if somebody gives you a jump with their jumper cables, hand them a twenty. If it’s a private citizen, they’ll be grateful, and the price is commensurate with the help they afforded you. If a cabbie asks you for $40 for a jump, wave an Andrew Jackson in his face, proclaim loudly, “I’ve got twenty bucks,” and watch him melt. On the other hand, if someone gives you a jump and you’ve used your own cables, I say all they get is a friendly handshake and a sincere thank-you. After all, this is still a society, and we’re all helping each other out here.
Permalink · Comment [41] · Tags: cars, transportation · Post to del.icio.us, digg, reddit
Friday January 26, 2007
Miami-Dade County is opening a brand new 1/8 mile drag strip. Here’s the crappy flyer.
