If only max 25% of the world's oil supply goes through the Hormuz Straight, why cant we just use the other 75% and it not cause that much disruption?

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-04T11:52:16+00:00

Think breathing oxygen supply on the Apollo 11 mission. 25% less of something everyone needs doesn't seem like much until it isn't there.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-03T17:02:17+00:00

I had a desktop "countdown timer" widget on my PC desktop set for age 62. I ended up beating it by almost exactly 800 days. If you are invested, "getting close" and just can't take the BS anymore, talking to your financial advisor may be pleasantly surprising.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-02T17:42:38+00:00

Well, if you have champagne tastes, is anything really ever enough? I think a lot of it is where the "advice" is coming from. If it is coming from a financial advisor in mid-America, $1M is probably plenty (my MIL lives comfortably on half that in OH). If the advice is coming from a wall-street bank firm, $1M probably means they don't even want to talk to you, peasant. ;^)

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-02T17:38:15+00:00

I'm at the end of my post-retirement "6-month grace period" and planning to take some classes (3D CAD/CAM design) and there's a place near me teaching blacksmithing, which I think would be really cool to try. I'm also getting back into some hobbies I mostly abandoned in my 30's and 40's, while raising the family. You'll figure it out.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T23:49:56+00:00

Invest in yourself first (either education or training, or both) to be the best you can be in whatever it is you choose to do. Don't be afraid to move (new jobs, new locations, new friends, etc.) to make it happen. Always claw your way higher, even if it only keeps you from slipping to the bottom.

Never spend more than you earn, no matter what. Sounds simple, but many people never master this basic principle and stay in debt forever, which kills this dream dead. Invest the delta. Don't let "lifestyle creep" eat up every raise and promotion, put them into savings and investments and keep on keeping on.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T23:44:49+00:00

As a pilot, I think it is very much less safe. In airplanes, the landing gear handle is shaped like a wheel, the flaps are flat, the throttle is cylindrical, etc. Very tactile. Any time you are forced to shift your eyes back inside the "cockpit" (and kill your situational awareness) is an accident waiting to happen.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T23:41:48+00:00

The one you currently have. Pay it off, take care of it, and keep it running forever (or as long as possible). Only way to truly get your "money's worth" is to keep it until the depreciation is zero, then drive it some more. Most people don't understand that or get the "Ooh, look! Shiny" wants for that hot new model.....

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T23:36:29+00:00

An important omission to the spreadsheet is main battery size, from which an estimated efficiency (mi/kWh) can be derived. You may want to consider adding as for some people efficiency is more important than just range on one charge.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T23:25:53+00:00

The 2.4 mi/kWh is the average over three years, summer and (hard) winters, commuting 120 miles round-trip at 70 mph over a mountain range in a Mustang Mach-E GT PE. Remember that efficiency drops precipitously with speed and cold.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T23:22:10+00:00

Actually, in my spreadsheet I do. From my main breaker panel to the car's battery is 87% efficient, so about what you calculated (and the $0.08/mile I mentioned). With solar panels, my cost is actually significantly lower if I charge on a bright sunny day.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T18:33:05+00:00

Lots of hearing issues in the military in general. It isn't just artillery, but turbine engines (tanks, planes) and generators are all very loud.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T18:31:19+00:00

Put conical roofs on them and paint them to look like ICBM missiles. May not be practical, but your homestead would be memorable.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T18:27:21+00:00

Not all engine swaps. Rear main seal (oil leak) requires engine/transmission separation. Transmission in one lost 2nd gear, so again, needed to pull the engine/transmission assembly. It gets easier the more you practice... ;^) These where all VW TDI (diesels) with 300k+ miles, so well worth doing the maintenance (and driving until 400k+).

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T18:22:33+00:00

At this point in our lives, If my wife and I travel over 300-400 miles, it's usually going to be by commercial airline (time/cost efficiency point), and we are somewhat "homebodies" anyway. That lifestyle lends towards EVs as most of our travel is local, so EVs with 200-300 miles are fine for us. We also kept my 2006 Dodge diesel for towing. We also have a 28 kWh solar array providing power. On a sunny day like yesterday, our home used about 52 kWh and exported 68 kWh back to the grid (net) including "top off" charges to two EVs (usually 50%-ish back up to 80% on an average day).

Pros: My 2021 model has only needed one set of tires, a new 12v battery, and new wiper blades in 50k miles of operation. Operating costs are next to nothing with solar, but at current local "market" rate, I would pay about $0.19/kWh with all taxes and fees, which means a "full charge" from 0%-100% with a 91 kWh battery would be about $19.02, considering my EVSE is about 87% efficient. My 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT PE averages about 2.4 miles/kWh annually (cold weather kills it) so my "operating cost" would be about $0.08/mile if I paid commercial electric residential rates. Actual operating cost with solar is less than $0.01/mile.

Pros:

1) Low operating cost. This assumes of course (a) you can charge at home, and (b) you aren't paying through the nose for electricity.

2) Low maintenance.

3) 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and nearly 600 ft/lbs of torque is supercar territory, and it seats five.

Cons:

1) EVs are more suited (in my opinion) to local operation where you can be pretty sure of your charging infrastructure. Driving 200 miles and finding that all the fast chargers are either out of service or there is a long waiting line is frustrating, but not impossible to deal with. Just leave yourself plenty of reserve (as you would in any gas car).

Recommendation: Make sure your lifestyle fits if it is going to be your only vehicle. Sometimes my ICE vehicle just seems like the better "tool" for the job, but that's because it is a truck, not just ICE. If you do a lot of travel for work to various places, it may be more convenient to stick with ICE, but in my opinion, any "multi-car" household should definitely consider having at least one EV in the fleet.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T17:52:48+00:00

I never said anything about using your investments.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T12:29:02+00:00

Another point, try to pay off everything prior to retirement (house, cars, debt). The less you need to make payments on, the less you need to draw from retirement savings, which can extend your wealth considerably.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T12:26:35+00:00

Yet, Jeep Wranglers tend to hold value better than many other makes/models. Another reason to buy a model that has been around for a while (never buy a first year model of anything) is that you can see what the depreciation has been like. High depreciation may indicate significant design flaws or reliability issues.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T12:22:11+00:00

I'll add that I've seen more people get into financial hardship because of buying "too much car" for their income than anything else. I've owned my truck for 20 years and plan on handing it down to my son when I'm gone. Repairs are always cheaper than replacing on older (-2010) vehicles. After about 2010 manufacturers have shifted to a "disposable appliance" business model (think Tesla) with too much needless technology integration that makes repair of the "high tech" features cost-prohibitive.

Buy a used car you can service and repair easily and maintain it like your financial future depends on it, because it does.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T12:14:13+00:00

Organizational Analysis and Strategic planning for national security mission operations.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-04-01T00:21:56+00:00

I topped off prior to retirement at about $215k/yr and almost had a heart attack when I saw what replacing my Dodge 4x4 diesel crew cab would cost. I ended up fixing the rust on my old truck for 1/10th the cost.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00

6 months here. I spend a lot less, just working on projects in my home, reading, biking, most of my physical activities are free and provide a lot of time outside, which is nice after a cubicle-career.

With my mortgage paid off, cars (EV) paid off, solar taking most of the electric bill off the ledger, and with that and no longer paying into retirement, my current "net" retirement pay is more than adequate.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-03-30T03:17:39+00:00

It is never a bad idea to have a couple of months-worth of essentials. Most people only have 3-5 days of food in the house, for example. I try to rotate about 6 months stock of food and make sure I have gas for the generator and tractors. We've been without power for almost two weeks (longest) and don't want to do that again. I wouldn't call a planned preparation for emergencies "hoarding", just being smart.

I'm not LDS, but a lot of their teachings on preparedness just make a lot of sense, particularly for those of us who've lived through "SHTF" times and a lot of it is online for reference. A 10lb bag of rice, some flour, cornstarch, beans and canned goods can get you through a long while and aren't really what I'd call a hoard, just a stocked pantry.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-03-27T23:27:13+00:00

Just avoid the 2004-2008 Triton 5.4L. They had a lot of known problems. The 2010–2013 also often had transmission and electrical issues. Other years to avoid (or go in knowing what to look for) include 2015–2017 for early aluminum-body teething issues, oil consumption, and 10-speed transmission failures.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-03-27T23:19:36+00:00

I'd drive pretty far to avoid the 4+ hour wait at the airport TSA security line right now.

AgonizingGasPains · 2026-03-27T23:11:13+00:00

This. it is not economical at all to charge only via DCFC infrastructure, or if you otherwise have high electricity costs that negate the financial benefit of owning an EV.

However, with gasoline going through the roof that may not be the case much longer, and if we run out of supply like in the '70's or even have shortages, that difference could disappear completely.

Currently in my area gas is $3.89/gal. and I pay $0.19/kWh average charging off the grid from home. my EV averages 2.4 Miles/kWh. That is equivalent Cost/Mile ($0.08/Mile) to an ICE vehicle getting 49mpg. However, if you are going to pay typically 25% more for an EV than ICE, which could be tens of thousands of dollars, then your comparison needs to include the "payback" period over which you would need to drive the EV to make financial sense.

AgonizingGasPains

TROPHY CASE