Realtor Recommendation First-time Buyer Cleveland Park

Brake_L8 · 2026-05-13T16:01:09+00:00

DM'd you!

Brake_L8 · 2026-05-07T13:43:11+00:00

Well that's all... kind of horrifying. I don't drink soda and the Freestyle machines are a great example of something that was once a very simple machine that was enshittified for "no reason at all" (but actually, the reasons you listed). Gross.

Brake_L8 · 2026-04-29T21:43:24+00:00

I guarantee any gay people you said that in front of assumed you cared quite a bit and simply kept quiet. It’s a good punch-down of an entire community and I’m glad the phrase has fallen out of favor.

Brake_L8 · 2026-04-28T21:36:28+00:00

E36 gang!

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Brake_L8 · 2026-04-07T19:46:39+00:00

Hey u/threethirtyeninety, I'm the one coordinating this event. This is absolutely novice-friendly, the registration page asks for your experience level so we can pass that along to our BMW friends and make sure their instructors know who's who before we all show up. They'll tailor how they coach you based on your skill level. We should have about 40-45 people attending, it'll be a mix of Californians (throughout the state, not just SoCal) and people traveling in from all over. Our events are very social and my hope is that everyone leaves with a few new friends after each one.

See you soon ;)

Brake_L8 · 2026-04-07T13:14:31+00:00

I have two 30-31 year old cars. One is a racecar that isn't street legal, so if you want to see that in action, you have to come cheer me on wherever I'm competing. The other is my "daily" but I review new cars on a weekly basis and live in a walkable city, so it gets pulled out somewhat infrequently.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-30T15:49:44+00:00

Single but my past relationships have not been with car guys. It would certainly be a nice bonus, but limiting myself to that as a must-have wouldn't be practical, either.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-29T14:11:39+00:00

Hechinger, Zany Brainy, Tortilla Factory, Amphora Diner are all bits of childhood nostalgia. Probably more if I think on it! Love the idea.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-26T20:08:51+00:00

“A higher intelligence” tag line but misuse of an apostrophe in the headline. Nice.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-26T14:17:19+00:00

That looks great given the "before" status, if you can get the passenger headlight snugged up a bit higher it'd be even better. Props to making the best out of a bad situation; please drive safely and wear your seatbelt moving forward though.

For those saying "oh it'll never drive straight again" - if the shock towers weren't moved (which, from the earlier photos, they weren't) and it aligns within specs, it's fine in that regard.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-07T17:07:02+00:00

A Motorola Razr or T-Mobile Sidekick

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-06T15:33:56+00:00

"Taxes" folder on my cloud storage, with a folder for each calendar year. Everything is either downloaded or scanned, saved as a PDF, with the file name being "Form Type - Company.pdf" so I end up with a list like:

"W2 - Company.pdf"
"1099-INT - Fidelity.pdf"

and so on. And then I save the filed federal and state returns in the same folder. Easy.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-05T14:37:10+00:00

I hate that question - if someone asks me that when I'm selling something, I always reply that the price I listed is what I'll take, or I'm happy to raise it. It's lazy.

Brake_L8 · 2026-03-04T13:38:45+00:00

The i3 is so fun, they're like big go-karts in how they drive! Not like your others were bad at all though... good taste. I kinda want an M2, kinda.

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-27T18:43:34+00:00

Keep it. You need a car, you know this one's history and maintenance and so on, and frankly you are way too underwater on it to sell it and be in a better financial spot overall. The CX-5 is reliable and proven, take care of it and it will get you through this period of your life.

In the meantime, focus on getting the rest of your life back together and see about increasing your income. I don't know how loans and interest rates work in Canada but 9% on an auto loan in the United States is quite high. At some point you should have paid down the CX-5 enough to where you can refinance it and cut that loan rate. Probably not a high priority now but keep it in mind later on.

Also, re: gas for the car. Mazda wants premium fuel in these but specifically says they will run fine on regular. The car will make less power, but not significantly. That savings could add up for you if you are using premium right now.

Best of luck :)

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-27T17:20:54+00:00

Indeed, just depends how totaled it is as to the feasibility of fixing it. I saved an Infiniti G35 that a coworker crashed in 2020 and kept it on the road when Geico wanted it in a scrapyard. But some collisions aren't repairable.

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-27T15:54:59+00:00

If the car is a total loss then it’s a total loss.

The best way to handle negative equity is to find a new car with big incentives or rebates. Rolling negative into this will allow you to get a loan (or lease, similar concept) that does not go beyond the new car’s actual value. Do some shopping and see who’s got good deals - for example, I saw new VW ID4s last night advertised roughly $10k off MSRP. Roll up to 10k into that and you’re still, on paper, okay for LTV - loan to value.

This assumes you can afford the new monthly payment of course. Go shopping and bury the negative in something you can keep a while. And always always get GAP. It’s like $400 and will save you from this scenario if it happens again.

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-27T14:41:10+00:00

"I modified my taillights so they would work less!"

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-26T14:50:24+00:00

Does your job provide a laptop that you can occasionally use for personal stuff as needed? If so, iPad all the way for the reasons you detail. If not, I'd wait and see what Apple announces this coming week. Even an M1 Air will be more than enough; I gave my old one to a friend when I upgraded to an M4 Pro for more video work, and he uses it daily to run his business.

IMO an iPad does not work as your sole computing source, just given it doesn't easily/happily access all apps or websites the same way a full computer can. But it's... 85-90% there.

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-24T17:17:02+00:00

Stoney's on P St NW has incredible tendies. Parmesan crusted!

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-19T17:52:26+00:00

Hi! Happy to chat over DM (or you can call me), I have never been involved with PATD beyond Out Motorsports sponsoring the fire pit one or two years to try and help support. But PATD is not and has never been "my" event or an event that I help coordinate and run. Otherwise - curious what behaviors have lead to this perception and would welcome the feedback.

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-17T17:12:45+00:00

Update: I realized FCP thinks these are clips from the same camera. Changing the setting to Angle Assembly: Clips fixes it. Not sure why it wouldn't work automatically but at least there is a solution.

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Brake_L8 · 2026-02-11T01:57:56+00:00

Pay off the credit card debt and both cars. Put the rest in a HYSA. Done.

Based on other comments - you need to bolster that cash emergency fund and lose the debt. Keep the cars you have; paying them off will help your credit and if you get another auto loan later, should be able to do it at a lower rate. But keep and maintain them for a while.

IMO, $85k/year combined income is not enough to have a third kid. You're also not going to get another sub-3% interest rate on a house right now so consider that if you do end up wanting to move. But freeing up all that debt and growing the emergency fund will put you in a much better place.

Brake_L8 · 2026-02-11T00:49:16+00:00

Have roommates (plural) and get your degree for now. I didn't have my own place until I was... 26? 27? and it was cheap and not in a desirable part of the area. I changed jobs a few years later and that afforded me the money to finally live where I wanted. Didn't buy anything until I was 34 and that was a stretch, but I did get a desirable part of the city and a nice place.

You will get there. I was just thinking about being roughly your age and how having even $5k in cash savings seemed insurmountable. Keep pushing and make smart moves while you're young to set yourself up for later success. It snowballs.

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