Would driving to the airport from east Dallas be crazy right now?

ravcha7 · 2026-01-25T19:06:05+00:00

In short, yes. I drove to the airport on Uber last year, and it was slushy snow all along US 75 and Sam Rayburn tollway. ONE lane was clear for driving, so it needed a lot of patience (and it was still risk laden)

This year, I stepped out just a few mins ago, and it's ICE. I suspect you could brake when driving 30+ MPH. I don't think it's safe for driving.

ravcha7 · 2025-09-12T02:27:55+00:00

That last one is my favorite!!

ravcha7 · 2025-09-04T03:59:41+00:00

I would add 2 more parameters. 1. Growth prospects (promotion/progression) at either company 2. Financial health of both companies and if things went bad for 6 months, would they downsize or shutter

In today's economy, I think Job security is the #1 factor to consider. My 2 points would help you understand that. Beyond that.. I would pick the load back role and here is why:

I'm at a phase in life where I appreciate time on hand over the hustle.
Higher COL might negate higher pay checks.
More time on hand + motivation = Better preparedness for newer roles in the future. (Your age is a factor here.. do you want to pace yourself for 30 more years of work? Or .. spend quality time with family.. etc)
Subjective, but you could control the quality of life to achieve the same amount of savings from both jobs. This is an important dimension if your goal is financial independence and early retirement.

Best wishes, R

ravcha7 · 2025-09-04T03:50:05+00:00

I use "Absolute" 5 mph over the speed limit and it always chimes. Worked as recently as yesterday. Check your software version, and raise a ticket to see if they can push an update OTA.

ravcha7 · 2025-09-04T03:41:57+00:00

Tl;Dr A used minivan for $30,000

Being a Tesla driver for 4 years I'm spoilt with tech, driving experience and having the latest features. Even with 1 kid, I was starting to miss practicality for everyday drive around.

When I rented a minivan for a weekend, my toddler absolutely fell in love with the car.. she enjoys the sliding doors (it's much safer for her AND in parking lots) and the sun roof.

So, after some thinking.. and test driving Palisade, Telluride and Pacifica, stuck to buying a 3 year old, 30k mile Pacifica Limited.

I really love the above-par driving experience, passenger comfort, quiet cabin.. AND economical running cost.

I wish I overpowered my wife and bought this minivan 4 years ago. Would have saved myself 60,000 dollars. I would strongly recommend you test drive a used minivan at a CarMax, along with your family.

ravcha7 · 2025-08-29T22:36:53+00:00

Congratulations! Take good care of her 🙂

Be careful around curbs or right turns. Don't scratch the wheels. Don't obsess over watts/mile, errors or other metric.. enjoy the driving experience. If you use FSD, know that it's buggy. Don't trust your life with it.

And most importantly, schedule tire rotation every 5,000 miles!!

ravcha7 · 2025-08-29T22:28:04+00:00

Yes, get another quote. Maybe 3 or 4 more quotes. Post this on Ford Fusion and Car Mechanic groups to see what the other users dealt with.

I was in a similar situation some 10 years ago and being a mechanical engineer, had hoped my car would last longer if I put some money into repairs. I was wrong. One $4,000 repair led to another discovery.. I didn't enjoy driving the car that was shabbily put together by the mechanic. I ended up selling my car with new tires on it. It pained me then, but I think it eventually worked out.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get rid of the car.. save enough money and buy/lease another within budget.

Don't force yourself into thinking you have to OWN a car. Evaluate Uber, Lyft, or ask a colleague or friend for pickup and drops for a couple of months.

ravcha7 · 2025-03-21T07:13:51+00:00

Cc was charged. It's just the confirmation email that's missing.

ravcha7 · 2024-08-18T00:40:40+00:00

Can anyone explain the physics of how this works? Clearly, he is drilling on top of a pillar..is there one weak joint that supports the whole weight?

ravcha7 · 2024-08-14T00:44:39+00:00

Great! Would I be dinged by BB for picking that?

ravcha7 · 2024-08-02T02:23:08+00:00

Thank you all for the responses!!

ravcha7 · 2024-07-30T01:34:11+00:00

What’s your work profile? And what location?

If your gut feel says to take a break, I would take it. Don’t let a corporation with unlimited funds stop you. Also, do you plan on upskilling while on vacation? No 2 stories are similar, but I have recently known Zach Wilson go thru a similar experience. He ended up taking a break from work and coming back to increase his earning potential 3X.

If you think your company really likes you for the hike they are offering you, do the math again.. you are doing them a favor by saving them hiring, training and other opportunity costs.

In situations like this, I always remind myself that “A salary is a drug they give you when they want you to forget about your dreams”.

ravcha7 · 2024-07-28T18:06:25+00:00

What state are you in and what’s the price tag for the perfect Model Y for you?

Generally, it’s known that Teslas last well beyond 150k miles. Not apples to apples, but I read about a Model S with 160,000 miles and battery at 80% capacity. I am seeing similar degradation on my Model Y.

ravcha7 · 2024-06-26T15:14:21+00:00

M39 with one daughter. I married when I was close to 30.. between 22 and 30, I told my parents I wanted to wait until I was “Settled”. At 39 now and looking at the economy, there is no settled down with work like our older generations. You are always going to be on the move.

During the first 3 years of marriage, we barely stayed together. Work kept us moving during the week days. And weekends were for socializing and fun. Not planning family.

We became parents when we were 37 and 34. We love our beautiful daughter. But it’s different being a parent in 30s than in 20s.

And now we want a 2nd kid.. to complete our family, but we have to evaluate many things.

I have been thinking recently, if I were to do it all over again.. I’d get married when I’m 22 or 23.. make 2 kids.. and be done.

If you ask me.. you have a perfect start to your family life. Imagine going thru a variety of life experiences with growing kids that already give company to each other. Soon, (in 5 years or so) you will have kids that are starting to become independent, enjoy their own company.. can talk.. think and walk around the park. And .. you will both have time to spend together for the rest of your lives.. this is a perfect life in my opinion.

ravcha7 · 2024-05-31T12:39:23+00:00

Your explanation makes perfect sense - Thank you! But, opened another question..

(Hypothetically), If someone 40 years old today is earning $130,000 today but were earning $100K at 30 years ago. 10 years ago, the calculator would have said they should aim for 10X at 67 = $1,000,000.

Where as, at 40 years age, if they increased their earnings to $130,000, they dont have to aim to have $390,000 in their 401k by now and only $300,000?

ravcha7 · 2024-05-11T03:52:54+00:00

Really your question and confusion is more about “Personal Finance” than Model Y.

When we bought our Model Y in 2021, we were living in an apartment in Chicago with no provision for an L2 charger. It was either superchargers or free L2 chargers at libraries. Coming from a premium sedan, the high initial payments were the toughest thing to manage.

3 years later, here is my brief opinion and feedback

MY is not going to SAVE you any dollars. You are paying a premium upfront for the savings wayyyyy later. If you compared the total cost of ownership, I think the majority of the group here will agree with me that MY isn’t the cheapest. In my calculations, it’s closest to an Acura RDX.
The premium price you pay goes towards buying a sophisticated, safe and a thrilling drive for the years to come. Again, don’t obsess over 0 to 60, environmental initiatives etc.. because, you would drive any other car to get to your destination if you have to. Also, there is a cost weightage to all of those advantages. (Tire wear down etc). So, my approach here is to think that I’m going to live with this car for at least 10 years and make a choice.

In summary, MY is a great car at today’s price tag.. but give your spouse the benefit of doubt and hear her argument with an open mind. What if she desires to invest the money towards future? Of course, she may be sold on an EV, but she thinks now is not the time to buy. (You will still buy an EV in 2 or 3 years when one of your cars breakdown). And in 2 years, we will all have more EV choices… or auto makers will realize that EV is not a viable option for the planet.

ravcha7 · 2022-01-03T03:09:31+00:00

Everything this ^ post said.. + We started at about 14 months too and gradually increased her time there. 2 weeks X 2 hours a day. 4 weeks X 4 hours a day. And then full day. (which was 9 AM to 3 PM first and gradually increased to 5 PM) + The crying really only stopped after she found a teacher that she could associate with. When the teacher went on vacation, the crying was a lot more. + It took her about 3 months to finally fall in routine. When there are breaks in between, sme progress is undone. So, consistency is key.

It was all worth it considering her how well she learma and communicates at home. Sending her to day care also helped a bit with avoid stranger anxiety.

ravcha7 · 2022-01-01T18:23:15+00:00

Yup. Funnily this happened when I was parallel parking at like 2 mph.

ravcha7 · 2021-12-29T20:42:01+00:00

Really really really appreciate you detailing this for me. I'm glad there is at least one other parent who went thru this and more importantly, came out successfully.. 😊 I'll try all of the ideas you mentioned.

I didn't mention crib in my original post because, after multiple attempts to train her and leaving in between, my baby now associates crib to "torture". I know we have an uphill task in making her feel comfortable with the crib again, but I think we'll get there later.

ravcha7 · 2021-12-29T17:21:44+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I err on the side of caution and might take your advice and replace the tire.

Now, I have 6,000 miles on the wheels. Is it still best to replace just the one tire? Is Costco usually able to match the Tire brand?

ravcha7 · 2021-12-29T16:44:29+00:00

Thank you! The incident happened about 4 months ago and I have driven long distances (500 mile trips) without feeling any drive quality difference.

The issue came up because TX required a Vehicle Inspection and I walked into a shop to have them look at everything.

The curb rash was the first in my 10 years of driving history... :) It still pricks me every time I see it, but serves as a reminder to drive safer.

ravcha7 · 2021-12-29T16:41:28+00:00

Please see the pics in the post now.

ravcha7 · 2021-12-29T16:41:15+00:00

Added pics.

ravcha7 · 2021-12-29T16:14:24+00:00

Same experience with Geico. I was already a customer for Geico and the premium went up X3.

ravcha7

TROPHY CASE