hustler

iTrader: (6)

I know a couple small shops that close down for NASA races 'round these parts.

Rennkafer

iTrader: (3)

I leased a place up here that's 1200sq ft, 2br/2ba 2 car garage and relatively recent construction for $950, about 25% less than the last place I lived in the Bay, which was built in 1940, 2br/1ba, less than 1000sq ft, and had a good sized 2 car garage.

Your house prices there sound about like a lot of the Bay area excluding SF and San Jose metro areas.

Here in my local PNW area I've been watching home prices for about the last year. Typical of what I've seen in the $300k range are 3-4 br houses well over 2000sq ft with an attached garage and/or detached shop. Saw one sit on the market for about 6 months going from $315k down to $289K before it finally disappeared. Was a 2700sq ft 4 br with a detached 40x46 shop with an office, and shower (in the shop). Sadly it sold before I had a firm commitment to move back up here or I'd have figured some method to make that it mine.

CA prices are still nuts despite the bubble bursting...

Ok back to your regularly scheduled topic.

Faeflora

iTrader: (2)

Career change to what? I'm hiring. Your CV goes to the top of the stack if you can write a script that randomly bans Pushy for 2 days each month.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

It would be a job in TX in boostology.

Faeflora

iTrader: (2)

Oh ok nevermind. I'm only hiring the social-elite-to-be.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

While I'm sure you were just using this as an example, I wouldn't bother taking a mortgage out on a little house if I had an entry-level job (likely <$30k annually). That mentality is partially to blame for the housing bubble; people working at Panera thought they could afford a $300k house.

What's important though is the cost of living. How much does it cost to eat, drive, etc?

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

I did the opposite. I have worked for an open-wheel spec series (Barber Dodge Pro Series) and an "import-oriented" retail/wholesale shop (in sales). Both were incredible experiences that I am glad I got, but - at least at the time - they did not seem to have the potential for growth I was looking for. I felt the incomes would be capped well below what I ultimately wanted.

With the racecars, the travel was killer. During the race season, we were probably on the road 2 weeks per month. That could have been more fun as a single guy, I suppose, but wrecked lots of relationships. I did get to see a ton of great North American race tracks, though: everything from the Streets of Vancouver to Laguna Seca, Road America, Road Atlanta, home base of Sebring, etc.

With the "import shop," it was a case of the owners still working through the growing process. There was a lot of competition for the jobs so it seemed like they figured most people were easily replaceable. At a shop like that, you also have to consider that the President/CEO/CFO spot is filled and will be (by the owner). At most, there might be room for some sort of sales or office manager position and if that is filled by someone else, it's a big waiting game.


Ultimately, a lot of it comes down to the individual owner. I definitely miss going to work in shorts and a t-shirt and hanging out with car buddies all day, but I don't miss the pay or some of the clients/customers I had to deal with.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

im wearing a purple dress shirt. it's pretty classy.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

pics

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

k.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Yes, I was using this merely as a barometer, to illustrate that Lake Forest is less expensive than some of the parts of SoCal you hear about in the news stories. Here in CLD, a typical 3/2 home would be $600-$800k, and that's post-bubble pricing. However, you drive 40 minutes north and inland to Temecula, and that same house is $180-$200.

While rental prices have not been affected much by the up-and-down in home pricing, they follow the same general trend by area.


Like everywhere else, it depends.

Gas has been relatively stable around $4 for a while. And we saw far less inflation in gasoline than everyone else over the past few years (it peaked around $5 for 91 octane) so that's not really a major concern.

Food prices just don't vary much by area. You might pay an extra 10c for a can of tabasco-flavored SPAM in order to cover the health benefits and retirement plan for the girl bagging your groceries, but the non-unionized big box stores like MegaTarget and HellaWalMart are starting to encroach, providing some downward price pressure.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

1. Do you presently work in IT in some form?
2. Is that a European manbag strap?

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

1. no.
2. no.



now my question: when you look at no. do you see a dog sniffing poo?

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

1. Embrace the v-neck undershirt.
2. Just a regular purse, then?
3. YES!

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

With my underdeveloped chest I refuse to wear a v-neck. I wear undershirts under t-shirts even.

it my pouch of cat nip.


AHHA

jacob300zx

I'm assuming its a large pay cut. Will you be building MS for them and tuning or something else? If your wife can make decent pay in that area then you might be set. The Canyon Lake area is really nice. The nice thing would be that if you settle in and find its not working you're close enough to San Antonio or Austin to snag a job in either.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

we'll get you there.

but you must EAT MORE PROTEIN.

MartinezA92

iTrader: (4)

A job like this would be awesome right now.

I'm still in that awkward stage at 21 where I have no idea what I really want to do later in life.

I've decided I need to stack paper like its going out of style because I want to support my hobbies, and working on cars doesn't seem like it will do that for me.

flounder

You'd be surprised what a good master mechanic can make at a busy shop.

chpmnsws6

iTrader: (12)

And every old tech has at least a fen patch on, if not a running order for Morphine or Dilaudid.

I do agree that a good tech can make decent money. Around here a senior tech can bring in 60-85k (low end for auto dealers, higher end for road tractors and ag equipment).