Tires

Name brands are 10 to 20 percent higher than generics. Half of that goes to advertising to keep their name in front of you. Generics are generally just as good, and you are not supporting the advertising industry.

We have a chain of tire stores out here: "Les Schwab" and they have a devoted following. I used to futz with tires and prices and what not. Eventually I went to Les and was so pleased with service I have not been anywhere else since. I don't even look at tire ads anymore. Last set of tires I bought were the economy versions for my truck. Schwab had 3 or four grades of tires from $350 to $600+ for a set of four, installed. I bought the cheap ones and they have lasted about 20,000 miles and it is time for a new ones. The original Goodyear tires last 70,000 miles, more or less.

The truck is going to need new tires before next fall, and so is the Sebring. I sold the van, so no tire problems there. The Mitsubishi is still new, should not need tires for years.

Of course, if we don't buy brand names, that is going to put people in the advertising business out of work, which means they will be turning into crack dealers, getting arrested and we are going to be paying taxes to keep them locked up in jail.

So maybe buying the brand name tires is a good idea.

In my experience warranty's are pretty much worthless except as a guide to how well the product is made. If a product turns out to be junk and wears out in short order and you go back to the store to make a claim, they give you a prorated discount off the retail price of whatever it is, which turns out to be more than you paid for it in the first place. Not to mention all the hassle of filing a warranty claim in the first place. Throw the worn out piece of junk away and go buy a new one somewhere else.

Coniving over dribs and drabs is a waste of time. If you like coniving, do it on something worthwhile, like a skyscraper, or ten million dollar IPO. Not on a set of tires for crissakes.

Everyone has their own comfort level, and mine does not involve searching out "big kills". And that IPO thing, that requires a lot of promotion. Say you want to raise 10 million dollars. You have to convince 3,162 people to each invest $3,163 in your scheme. To do that you have to convince them you are going to make money. When you have the whole world convinced you are going to make a ton of money, then you issue the IPO, pocket the loot and head for the hills.

How many people are smart enough to pull off a big deal? How many people have the energy and drive? How many people have both?

I suspect there are more big deals out there than there are people who can pull them off. Even if you meet the rough qualifications for being able to work the deal, you still need to find or invent a deal to work. That can be difficult.