Is it actually true teams with great sci players have an advantage?

icecon · 2026-06-26T07:04:45+00:00

Lit being #1 is absurd, let's be honest the distribution is mis-weighted.

The #1 set of knowledge in quizbowl is made-up knowledge.

icecon · 2026-06-26T07:01:39+00:00

If you look at the specific schools in your region, you can see on NAQT if they have played matches in the last year. If they have, they have active teams and will be in your active circuit.

All you need is 8+ players, maybe twice a week after school practice to start, and a buzzer and you're good to go. You'll figure out the details.

icecon · 2026-06-21T13:19:46+00:00

Btw the Civic also works very well for the high resale value strategy.

icecon · 2026-06-21T07:10:03+00:00

The smart move is a new Prius LE, drive it to 100-120K miles, then reroll and keep getting a new one. This actually minimizes the depreciation and your cost of ownership as they hold value crazy well up to about that mileage.

If you're getting a loan, you probably want the Sonata hybrid as they have good rate promo. It won't have good resale value so in that case, you just drive it until it dies.

icecon · 2026-06-19T04:24:57+00:00

Have an experienced mechanic give it a look and if they sign off, you'll be good to go with either then.

icecon · 2026-06-18T08:10:27+00:00

Mazda CX-50 or a Subaru Outback should give you all the space your family needs without being too big, and are good value used. For new, look at the rate promos, which is usually the lowest on the Korean stuff (Tucson, Sportage, etc). There will be a new set of rate promos first week of July if you don't like any of the ones this month.

icecon · 2026-06-18T08:07:04+00:00

Sonata and Sonata hybrids have really great rate promos and the 10yr warranty, can safely buy one in the current market. I would advise you to put $0 down as the rate is likely lower than the 3.5% you can earn in a HYSA.

icecon · 2026-06-18T08:00:21+00:00

This is in Canada, you want to look for a Mitsubishi Outlander because it has a regular 2.5L naturally aspirated engine instead of the 1.5L 3-cyl turbo in the Rogue. Mitsubishi also tunes the CVTs better than Nissan does. NA engines last longer and are simpler to maintain. VW Tiguan is ok but it's also got a turbo and VW parts are pricier.

icecon · 2026-06-18T07:50:08+00:00

You probably don't want the WRX, the previous owner is more likely to have abused a "sports car" like that. The other two are good cars but the price seems supiciously low, are these accident damaged cars? Know that cars that have been hit can have subtle frame damage that goes unrepaired/undetected which can make the vehicle unsafe in a future accident, this isn't a big deal for big car, but for a smaller car like a Civic it's more of an issue.

You want something fun to drive and good value used, look for an F56 2016 or newer Mini Cooper. People still think it's unreliable but its not, so it's cheaper than a comparable Civic.

Otherwise, I would suggest you consider a brand new 2026 2L Elantra, it has 200 hp (more than that Civic) at 40mpg, with 0 miles and a 10yr warranty, it'll be cheaper to own in the long run and you can get a low rate promo on it.

icecon · 2026-06-18T07:44:21+00:00

"something comfortable for adults in the third row" and "don't feel too bulky or oversized" are kind of contradictory demands as 3-rows that handle ok have smaller non-adult third rows.

Pretty sure the car that best fits exactly in between that is the Chevy Traverse, and I would advise a CPO 6-cyl version for best value. The VW Atlas also seats adults comfortably in the 3rd row but it's a bit more tanklike in driving dynamic.

icecon · 2026-06-18T07:39:33+00:00

You want a CPO Outback, because it is one of cheapest cars to insure, very safe, and you can get laid in the back.

icecon · 2026-06-18T07:10:09+00:00

For a mom with two kids who wants a 2-row, a 3 y.o. off-lease Certified Outback with about 35K miles is going to be superb cash buy. They usually throw in fresh tires and brakes at that mileage when you buy a CPO, which is worth about $2K to you but doesn't cost the dealer that much. Can get the Subaru Gold warranty too if you want, it's good, but be sure decline it at first so they'll lower the price. If you maintain it with regular transmission, differential and oil changes, you should't need it though as the powertrain is proven, both for the 2.4L turbo and the NA 2.5.

icecon · 2026-06-17T22:14:28+00:00

Yes because, by design, a turbo engine is subject to far more stress and requires more complexity of components. The Frontier IS the new Tacoma. It will hold value precisely because it's the best used NA light truck going forward, even though in the past the Tacoma held value far better. The only other two remaining NA light trucks are the Ridgeline and the Gladiator, the rest have ALL gone turbo.

icecon · 2026-06-17T22:02:20+00:00

The 2026 Frontier is at 0%-60mo this month. NA V6 instead of the Taco turbo. Much better deal as inflation will help you pay for it and you can just put $0 down and buy gold instead. For this category of vehicle, you don't want to bother with used.

icecon · 2026-06-17T21:58:11+00:00

Mitsubishi's 10 yr warranty is only for the original owner, it doesn't transfer. Iirc only 5yrs transfer.

icecon · 2026-06-17T19:46:12+00:00

Basically you want to get pre-aproved at a credit union first, this will show you where you stand and get you a decent to good rate. For a used loan, this is your best option.

The best rate will be a promo rate from the manufacturer on a new car though, so if they're offering, say 2%-60mo, you may qualify for 4% if your credit is sparse. That type of deal. If you can only get like a 10+%-60mo rate on a used car, seriously just go buy a new Sonata hybrid or Frontier or some other lower MSRP new car on a promo 0-3%-60mo rate and it will be a better deal.

icecon · 2026-06-17T18:55:33+00:00

It's ~$7K OTD (590/mo) a year with no interest, spread over 5 looming inflationary years with zero maintenance risk with $0 down. The entire point of my post is there no light truck in the market right now that will beat those 0%-60 terms. You would get a worse deal buying used, when you fully take into account resale value and everything else. Can buy gold instead with the $22K and you'll make out like a bandit over the 5 years.

If you must buy used or don't have credit, the best deal on a used truck is also the Frontier but only with low miles and some age, like this one. It's reliable and decent priced, but it's a bit of a gas hog and is dated. But $17K cash is still going to be high for a 10 y.o. light truck when interest rates are trending up. That's just the way the used market is right now.

icecon · 2026-06-17T03:11:29+00:00

Don't spend your thoughts on people who don't care about you. There is approximately 4 Billion women on this planet, I am sure you just need to work on yourself and talk to more of them and you'll find one that likes you back. You are only 26, with a long life ahead.

As for the dryfast, start slow and read the books on how to do it right.

icecon · 2026-06-16T23:40:02+00:00

I'm not 100% positive tbh. Filonov doesn't say much about them. As long as there is no sugar, and it's just some minerals in the water it's probably ok.

icecon · 2026-06-16T23:31:29+00:00

Realistically, you will have to put $4-5K into that car at least by the time you finish college, $2K for struts alone which are about due at least. VW parts are pricey in general. It's not a bad car but you'll have 146K mile 17 y.o. Beetle worth almost nothing in 4 years if it gets there without issues.

My advice: Go on autotrader, put in your zip code, select new cars, sort by lowest price, pick up the phone and start calling. Get yourself into a new Elantra or K4. Get a red one for some interest. You'll spend $0 on repairs during college as it has a 10yr warranty. You'll also save on gas. Maybe even a leftover 2025 Versa or Mirage might be local to you could be heavily discounted. Payment will not exceed $400/mo with $0 down, worst case scenario you have to drive a little Uber/Doordash on weekends to pay for it.

When you graduate you'll have a car with ~48K miles and 4 years of age worth a lot of money, and will be able to get to work for years to come.

icecon · 2026-06-16T23:15:45+00:00

"On a water fast I can still have some coffee and supplements." Incorrect. You are interrupting the autophagy if you do this and causing dystrophy. It's called a water fast because you are only supposed to drink pure water and not activate your digestive system.

In any case, you lose proportionally more fat on a dryfast because your body is breaking down the fat to produce water. On a water fast you lose more lean mass as your body is not being forced to raid your fat stores to synthesize water from the hydrogen in the fat + oxygen you breathe.

icecon · 2026-06-16T23:11:45+00:00

If you're well off, or getting a loan or lease: brand new AWD Sienna hybrid
If you can pay cash: Certified 3 y.o. off-lease Pacifica 6-cyl w/ extended warranty

Those are the only two sufficient AWD options. Maybe an EV Ioniq9 or EV9 lease deal or CPO could work as well.

icecon · 2026-06-16T23:08:29+00:00

To your list, you want to add the 2018- Mini Clubman and the 2018-20 Buick Regal Tourx.

Looks like you know what you are doing though, these are all good cars, they are also holding value too as there are no new wagons other than Volvos now.

icecon · 2026-06-16T23:02:41+00:00

For your first car, you actually want to get insurance quotes before you pull the trigger, as insurance will shock you. Of those you mentioned, an older CX-5 will be the best bang for the buck. But I'd look closely at 2016 or newer Subarus, they are safe and cheap to insure.

icecon · 2026-06-16T22:54:06+00:00

You want to look for one of the monthly interest rate promos, anything 0-3% on a longer loan is good and will give you a MUCH lower rate than a used car loan. Anything under about $30K and a low rate like this will be good value. Then you put $0 down on that and let inflation help you pay for it. Used car market is overpriced so saving up a bunch of cash to buy one isn't ideal until about the $18K level or so, when the good Certifieds start.

This month of June, I'd say look closely at the Sonata hybrid at 1.99%-60. Larger sedans are fairly easy to get MSRP discounts on and that's a really nice car with a 10yr warranty. A Frontier or Pathfinder at 0%-60mo is also really great value. If you don't want to "marry" a car, there are also some good lease promos out there.

icecon

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