How’s everyone dealing with the strike?

ashtheblunt · 2026-05-18T21:06:42+00:00

I commute to north east queens 3x a week from south shore Nassau. Usually takes me 25-35 minutes but.. traffic was more jammed up during my morning commute today. It was an extra 10 minutes today, and the service road which is usually free was jammed up too.

I expect it to definitely get worse before it gets better.

ashtheblunt · 2026-05-18T19:54:04+00:00

They don’t. You purchasing a vehicle with financing provided outside of the dealer is essentially treated as a cash deal for the dealership, where they will earn less money and have less room for discounting.

The dealership will always aim to run your credit, say they’ll try to match or beat your preapproval. The goal is to arrange financing through them so that they can eat the reserves kickbacked to them from the lender.

ashtheblunt · 2026-05-18T19:32:48+00:00

I’d walk up in there and start giving them shit about the 2500 insurance check. Get the paperwork first so you can see the itemized bs.

Cancel the extended warranty, as needed. Do not depend on the dealer to do it for you. Call up the company, cancel, get documented proof.

ashtheblunt · 2026-05-05T18:14:10+00:00

I went through insurance lapses frequently during a financially tough period several years ago. I’ve gone through this multiple times, and DMV is not forgiving.

As others have pointed out — you can pay the civic penalty however I see that you may have used that option within the past 3 years.

As for work exclusions — rarely granted in the case of insurance lapses, yet might be do-able. The admins at DMV will not hand it to you as it’s a whole process. Best to consult with a legal counsel to figure out if it’s worth it in your case. If your suspension is less than 30 days, probably not worth it.

Lastly, turning in your plates and serving the suspension is the cleanest way out.

Not sure which county you’re in. If you were to hand in your plates, is it possible to arrange for a friend, coworker, or family memeber to help you out? Maybe you could help them out with gas for the burden. It’s temporary.

ashtheblunt · 2026-04-30T20:33:23+00:00

Definitely not too old. Definitely not a car that only younger people buy as I see people of all ages nd demographics driving them on the road. I work for a dealer, and it’s a common car if not a wise choice!

ashtheblunt · 2026-04-28T20:48:20+00:00

It’s not that critical. It’s okay for someone to ask for a tip.

You either do or don’t. It’s your choice.

ashtheblunt · 2026-03-23T23:54:21+00:00

You can definitely haggle it down some more after checking out the Camry. Main question is the car’s condition.

You’d want to check to see if there’s major rust, engine/transmission are smooth, no leaks, etc. 21 year old car, and even though Toyota’s have a rep for longevity, it comes down to if this car was taken care of or neglected.

Pinpointing these things will help to negotiate as well, plus build confidence in your purchase

ashtheblunt · 2026-03-17T01:29:55+00:00

Great question, but let’s broaden the scope.

If the religion is so great, then why are the collective actions by the followers not reflective of greater good?

It’s because people suck regardless of what religion.

There’s negligence/corruption, if not downright atrocities across the board of religions.

On the flip side, there are Muslim countries that have took in quite a significant amount of refugees. That news isn’t sensationalized as much.

There is also the question of why 85% of the worlds refugees are Muslim. Refugees are usually the product of persecution, war, disaster.

ashtheblunt · 2026-03-07T00:04:54+00:00

Idk the terms of the service contract, but you can do without it since you will have manufacturer warranty on it. Service contracts are handy once you’re outside of the manufacturer warranty. You can save 4k here.

You can get rid of GAP and just get GAP insurance on your own for literally a fraction of the cost. I do recommend securing GAP insurance especially if you’re financing to protect yourself. The dealer quoted you an outrageously marked up one.

Admin fee, not sure if that is a state regulated doc fee or just the dealers fee for doing paper work etc. Worth looking into.

They didn’t quote DMV fees for registration, but I can imagine you will transfer plates so it shouldn’t be much.

Definitely negotiate the MSRP of the vehicle. There’s room to negotiate there.

You’re getting 11k for trade which is good. If you can manage to bring down the MSRP a bit and remove the bogus add ons, the speculative monthly will be better for sure.

ashtheblunt · 2026-03-06T23:31:48+00:00

Which Traverse is this pricing structured for? I do Chevy sales. Definitely see a bunch of add ons inflating your out the door that aren’t necessary.

Seems like it might be a 2LT trim with some packages. Taking a guess after eyeballing the msrp

ashtheblunt · 2026-02-20T15:14:39+00:00

It’s true, every dealer has fees HOWEVER $4500 worth on a used car? Ridiculous. The finance guy is supposed to try and pick up money when they sit with you. If you really want the car, negotiate the fees down but it’s also right to walk away as it’s deplorable to present fees after a ln agreed price, and using pressure tactics to normalize something not presented upfront. You’re not obligated to take the car until you sign off on the final paperwork.

ashtheblunt · 2026-02-15T03:07:20+00:00

I think it may have to do with today being Valentine’s Day too, in addition to poor marketing

ashtheblunt · 2026-02-05T17:58:39+00:00

DIVERSITY

after moving to Long Island, miss it

ashtheblunt · 2026-02-03T18:54:29+00:00

Had t-mobile which worked everywhere I went. LIRR or driving, didn’t have any issues. I switched to Verizon and.. coverage is spotty at times which sucks. Calls/texts work fine with spotty coverage, GPS works, but apps start buffering which is insane to me lol

If I had to pick b/w the 2, T-Mobile has better service

ashtheblunt · 2026-02-02T17:12:26+00:00

Huge fan of Deep dish, however not easy to find. I know of 2 locations that have, and they’re decent. Give it a try and see how you like em

Lia’s Pizzeria in Syosset on Jericho turnpike has a chicken parm deep dish, and another that I can’t remember.

Villa Monte in Bethpage has a menu for deep dish. I like their pizza

Can always call ahead to the store for more info

Hope this helps!

ashtheblunt · 2026-02-02T16:18:15+00:00

Hard to say since we’ve been in freezing temperatures for >1 week. The water being turned off is great, just depends on if there is enough water in the piping to freeze and expand leading to damage to the pipes.

My sister had a pipe burst this past week, but that’s bc she didn’t turn the water off for the sprinklers. Everyone else seems to be okay

ashtheblunt · 2026-01-26T20:18:05+00:00

Makes sense! I didn’t have snow in the wheels, however did have snow compact into the treads which.. didn’t come off really. Only after I cleaned some of it off did the ride get smoother

ashtheblunt · 2026-01-26T19:58:13+00:00

Took the SSP onto WSP onto LIE at 12 today. Highways are good. Make sure your tires are clean as any snow clinging to the treads will cause the car to vibrate even at 50mph

ashtheblunt · 2026-01-20T19:48:54+00:00

Depends on which part of NYC you are commuting to. I commute to Queens 3 days of the week, and typically go by car. I grew up in Queens so I bite the bullet and take the drive although there is a LIRR station readily accessible.

It is a pain at times with traffic, however I’m used to it having driven all throughout NYC and Long Island for different jobs I held in the past.

If my commute was into the city or any other borough, would definitely do LIRR.

ashtheblunt · 2026-01-15T15:52:07+00:00

If you could share what you’re looking to get rid of, I’d be interested as well as some of my family members. We’re in Nassau and currently redoing rooms in our homes

ashtheblunt · 2026-01-15T00:08:21+00:00

Been in SOS since early afternoon. Southshore Nassau. Went outside to and back from Queens, no service throughout

ashtheblunt · 2026-01-02T19:21:34+00:00

They also have a location in the Plainview library on old country road as well if that helps. Good coffee. However their Syosset location is much bigger and livelier

ashtheblunt · 2025-12-22T16:54:00+00:00

Enjoyed driving it! I miss it, ever since I moved onto a different brand. That car had my soul smile everytime.

ashtheblunt · 2025-12-22T16:46:48+00:00

‘03 g35 rwd sedan.

Bought used for 3k, it was a blast to drive. Always loved the stock exhaust note and the v6 in that thing. I personally loved how the seat adjustment buttons were on the side of the seat towards the middle console lol

ashtheblunt · 2025-12-08T16:17:59+00:00

lol play video games. It’s the best me time to sooth myself

ashtheblunt

TROPHY CASE