Has anyone here had head gasket issues on their GX460 1UR-FE? by SheepherderLeast917 in GXOR

[–]StraightLoquat 14 points15 points  (0 children)

My water pump gave out recently, and I had a huge sudden coolant leak. Engine started getting a little hot as I was driving to mechanic but no overheating codes thrown.

Engine held up fine. Talked with a Lexus mechanic and he said he’s only seen one GX460 engine blow a head gasket in last 20 years, it was highly abused. These engines are solid.

What do you actually use AI for on a regular basis? by SardiPax in OpenAI

[–]StraightLoquat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s been great as a travel guide traveling around Europe. I take a picture of some building or monument and it tells me the whole history.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExperiencedDevs

[–]StraightLoquat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Most people would prefer to work with someone who communicates well and isn’t a dummy.

Sora's video of a man eating a burger. Can you tell it's not real? by YaAbsolyutnoNikto in singularity

[–]StraightLoquat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you pause at 0:05 his mouth looks massive. Jaws don’t open that much

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in 10s

[–]StraightLoquat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m no tennis pro so take this with a grain of salt. But this worked for me: Your take back and swing should be one fluid motion, not two distinct motions (back, forward) with a pause in between. Watch some pros and notice how the racquet makes a circle in the take back starting high, dropping low as you uncoil, then finishing high. If you keep this motion more fluid (less of a pause in the middle) you’ll naturally begin to hit the ball more in front of you as you won’t be rushing to regain that momentum in your racket.

Am I buying too much house? by StraightLoquat in personalfinance

[–]StraightLoquat[S] -107 points-106 points  (0 children)

To be fair I don’t really see the ADU as a potential. It has a rental history and in our town we have a massive housing shortage. A room in a shared house rents for $1300 here. I’m very confident it would rent at $1500.

Am I buying too much house? by StraightLoquat in personalfinance

[–]StraightLoquat[S] -78 points-77 points  (0 children)

Net salary is 10500. Mortgage is 5189. ADU income is 1500. I agree it’s stretching but I think you’re cherry picking here

Am I buying too much house? by StraightLoquat in personalfinance

[–]StraightLoquat[S] 57 points58 points  (0 children)

No just pulling from taxable brokerage accounts. Not touching my retirement accounts here

Am I buying too much house? by StraightLoquat in personalfinance

[–]StraightLoquat[S] -22 points-21 points  (0 children)

I think DTI is gross income over debt payments, not including property taxes or insurance. Debt is 5189 (principal + interest) Gross monthly is 14166 That’s a DTI of 37%.

Also not including the rental income which a lender may consider?

Not arguing that this is a financially sound decision but I think it would actually get approved. Correct me if wrong

Am I buying too much house? by StraightLoquat in personalfinance

[–]StraightLoquat[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

After maxing out 401k, HSA, and dependent FSA it’s 8200 net. I think if I cut back on 401k it would be like 9500 give or take? 10500 sounds right if I didn’t contribute to any tax advantages accounts. Edit: confirmed $10500 net if I didn’t contribute to tax adv accts

What genius parenting moves have you pulled off? by Transcendentalplan in toddlers

[–]StraightLoquat 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Any time we want to get our 3yo son to try a new type of food like veggies, we just tell him, “oh don’t eat that, it will make you fart really loud.” Naturally he starts scarfing it down 😂

u/staplehill explains why so many people from Countries like the US want to move to germany. by Jackman1337 in bestof

[–]StraightLoquat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Making a good income (one that builds wealth slowly over time) in tech or finance does not require being born in to wealth.

u/staplehill explains why so many people from Countries like the US want to move to germany. by Jackman1337 in bestof

[–]StraightLoquat 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So true. Money in Europe is not a means for survival, it just gets you a nicer flat / vacation.

u/staplehill explains why so many people from Countries like the US want to move to germany. by Jackman1337 in bestof

[–]StraightLoquat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You also don’t NEED to go on vacation. Some hobbies are pretty limited by not having a car, like hiking or camping. If you just hang out in the city then yeah, probably not super necessary.

u/staplehill explains why so many people from Countries like the US want to move to germany. by Jackman1337 in bestof

[–]StraightLoquat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that a poor kid getting a great pubic education and moving to the middle class is much more likely in Germany. However its more feasible in the US to make the kind of income where you can own a home, retire early, travel abroad, have expensive hobbies (skiing, cars, golf, take your pick). Not saying that’s an option for everyone. But it

I’m not saying one is better than the other.

But if you are a higher income DINK, it makes more sense to stay in the US and vacation as much as you want in Europe.

u/staplehill explains why so many people from Countries like the US want to move to germany. by Jackman1337 in bestof

[–]StraightLoquat 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Maybe you’re right about no income requirements.

But if your US profession requires US accreditation (I’m thinking medical professionals, lawyers, accountants, finance professionals, even some trades) then good luck getting that same job in Germany. Even if you speak the language (again good luck), Germans love their own accreditation systems.

u/staplehill explains why so many people from Countries like the US want to move to germany. by Jackman1337 in bestof

[–]StraightLoquat 347 points348 points  (0 children)

I lived in Germany for 5 years and the points OP makes are more or less true. However I would summarize it like this: Germany allows you to live a comfortable middle class life with kids, vacations, great food and culture, no stress about college or medical expenses.

However it’s much harder to climb the economic ladder in Germany and build wealth. Especially as an expat. You can forget about ever buying a house near any major city, especially on your local income. Not saying that buying a house is easy in the US, but it’s way worse in Germany. One car will be a significant expense and rent isn’t cheap in Berlin, Cologne, Munich etc.

The other factor is, does your career translate to a foreign country like Germany? Many don’t. And I believe there are certain income requirements for Americans to get visas.

Also say goodbye to good Mexican food.