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We just had an A-Mazing XI Fest 2022, and we cannot wait until the next one! Here's a suggestion on how to be sure you can attend Open a savings account at a bank you don't have any other accounts with. Do not get a debit card for this account. This will prevent you from being able to transfer money to other accounts or to easily withdraw money. There are approximately 46 weeks until the next XI Fest. Think of all the things you spend $ on, on a weekly basis like Starbucks, pizza, drive-thru's, etc. and add that all up. If you choose instead to put some or all of that money into that savings account I mentioned, then by Fest time next year you should have quite a chunk of change set aside for this event. If you put $25/week in, you'll have about $1,150; $20/week - $920, and even $10/week will give you $460 toward your trip. Most of us can't come up with all of the money at once, but by saving these smaller amounts regularly, you'll just forego those incidental purchases throughout the year and can look forward to an amazing time no matter where the next XI Fest is held. Now I know this will not work out for every person, but it's just one option of handling the finances for planning a trip with a bunch of idiots Location should become less of an issue if you've prepared yourself to have enough funds to get to wherever the next one is held. Heck, we came from Minnesota, Kentucky, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, South Carolina, and even the UK to be at this one, so don't let that stop you from showing up next year Let's make 2023's Fest the most attended of all time!

Damn accountants! They have an answer for everything!

@RobMc tuned it up good!

Which is why everyone needs a good one

Here’s some more pics

Keep this in mind

My mechanic always told me to look under the "hood"

Just wait for my post on how to turn your vacation into a tax deduction if you own a business

Just so there is no misunderstanding. There is something wrong with a governor, or higher, owning multiple mansions, jets, or vast amounts or property. Funny how people complain about rich politicians... except the ones they like.

Damn...I wanna be here so bad. Love a good fire! Hopefully I can make it next year. I wanna sip bourbon and be regaled with war stories from @ANGU5

That was the most entertaining waste of 3 minutes and 45 seconds of my life. Now can I get it back?

Some pix of our fest this weekend, great folks and great times!

I have always worked on motorcycles, a bit on cars and at times in my life been responsible for the maintenance of dozens of large diesel engines (I love diesels), and following @TheLastColdBeer's refusal to buy a new car in a recent post, am interested in how many think like me and Beer, repair not renew? Horrifically it occurred to me that we might be considered 'green' God forbid. Now I know that there are different attitudes and needs in different countries, but in my entire lifetime I have only bought one new car, and that was a present for my wife, anyone else the same? This is not because of cost, but because I refuse to be ripped off with depreciation etc, but a problem is now appearing, I am no longer capable of doing some of the jobs, despite having thousands of pounds of tools, makes me sad. I now have to hand over the work to garages at great expense, or is it? You can keep any machine running forever against the two main enemies wear and rust, it gets more expensive the older they get, but generally this is due to parts availability. So heres my example of cheap? luxury motoring, not in the same league as @monkie's Porsche which will never be cheap, but it is nice, btw we have 3 cars between 2 people, works for us. We'll work in pounds but you can easily convert, that is if the UK is not insolvent by the time I press submit. Firstly your 'mindset' do you consider any car to be just a means of transport or do you wish to display your wealth or big balls to the ladies/neighbours?, if the latter skip this post. We are talking paying the least you can, for the best you can, it has it's risks but if you're the gambling type or the practical type you can save many thousands and still have reliable transport. By the way, because it's new does not mean it's reliable, that is why manufacturers are reluctant to issue warranties over 3 years with a couple of exceptions. I will ignore the cost of services and tyres etc as these vary widely. So here's my latest example of the many cars I've owned, supplied by a friend who owned a garage, I cannot fully bend my left leg and this car had a wide opening door and electric seats, a 2004 Mercedes S Class (facelift, important for paint reasons) 3.2 cdi straight six, so how have I done over 5 years and how much has it cost? It does not have a trace of rust on it, and I live by the sea. Purchase price (141,000 miles on the clock ) £2500 I immediately bit the bullet and did the following Refurbished set of wheels (on offer Ebay new) £400 All fluids changed, gearbox, diff, steering, brakes etc, new brakes all round, New heater matrix and Rad, and pipes, plus other work £2500 2 new level sensors at front £200 New air compressor (suspension) £300 PSE pump (central locking) £400 Total spent £6300 i.e. £1260 per year for luxury motoring, my kids are paying that in 3 months for rubbish, perhaps lucky but in my mind that's the 'way to go' PS parts for these cars are horrific, for instance being old fashioned I like a dipstick for the oil, they have a sensor no dipstick, incredibly I was quoted £150 for an OEM one, got one off Ebay for £30. The PSE pump was anything from £3000 to £1000, if you could get one, I did the job myself and had mine rebuilt for £400 with a lifetime guarantee then it doesn't need recoding. Moral of the story hunt around, it's out there. Oh by the way the car is currently valued at £2500, so if I sold it now even those costs would plummet, and no post is now complete without mentioning @Majbasil

just hooked up 2 computers to keyboard,mouse and monitor via KVM switch.works great.

If your going to go that way might as well show the only Honda I might consider riding

You really should,, When i am done with you, you will wonder how did you live life so long without me ..:P

If people want to make it they will.. It's worth the effort . I pray we never go three years again in between..

Looks like there's a lot of us thinking the same? good to hear bds, doesn't surprise me about not flushing the engine. The great thing about keeping and maintaining is that you know exactly what has been done. I've took 3 cars to 200,000 miles in 3 years and 3 to 150,000 miles in 3 years, now I only do about 2000 miles a year but am hoping I live long enough to take this one to 250,000. Now back to women

I have always kept my cars till they became more of a pain to keep them going and being dependable. I have always had a job that required a lot of wheel time. I am in my 6th car since I started driving 45 years ago. In that time the lowest mileage any of the cars I got rid of was at 90,000 miles. The rest where in the 250,000 to 320,000 range. Only got rid of the one with the low mileage one was when the dealership had to replace a cam shaft that the engine decided it didn’t like ( was under warranty). They did the replacement with the engine still installed in the car. All the metal from the camshaft and lifters that was ground up over the year as it slowly went out was left in the engine. They never cleaned it out. After a huge fight I was given a huge discount on a new car. Otherwise all my cars are driven till the time and cost of it being down isn’t worth it

I would hope all the equipment behaves as OEM designed. Never take anything for granted these days.

That's my wife driving, you know you're getting near the docks when you start knocking down more sailors than ordinary pedestrians.

Yup - unfortunately he can see himself in the mirror when he drives

Try it - you'll like it!!!

You cross dressing again??

If you had a life you wouldn't be an >IDIOT< like the rest of us

Some words of wisdom from Babyback. Bless.

Never click a link with 'fb.' on it, and you will never have to worry about wasted time.

Oh no Rob, we're taking this thread by the helm. Check out the tires on this chassis.

I guess an issue, if you only do something when everyone agrees, those that say ‘no’ control everyone else. I guess it can be compared to having a house in a run down neighborhood. Do you fix up your own house even though others don’t? Knowing that it won’t make your neighborhood any better? Or do you throw your hands up? Or maybe try and sell at a discount. Maybe we should ask the martians if they want to pick up earth for cheap. As-is of course.

Aww - come on - I've got plenty of spare screens

I feel a tangent swing coming for this thread, the winds are changing.

That's fine my dear, we all know you love tractors though (ploughing?), and this is the perfect place as most of us boys hate greens too, and liberals. Good to have you back and someone I know for definite is not a snowflake, make me blush gal.

Here's a little diddy I wrote. Bombshell did some proof reading and gets co-writing credit for coming up with the best line of the song when she asked, "What about..." You'll just have to watch it to the end to see/ hear her line. *** After trying to upload, compress and re-upload, etc. I gave up and hopefully the link will work. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a_F0FzD0V03mBdIEMr7PqSgYBUC-oRV4/view?usp=sharing

The electronics on the new cars make them difficult to fix yourself and it is never cheap. Not like it used to be if you were handy mechanically.

Left to Right: LilAcorn Timinator Bombshell YACCster and myself ScRiPt3r Wildthing Rugger WildPenguin GatorGirl and PigMo and Lil’GG ANGU5 Bama and BurnBright MotoDude Destructo BobBarker GhostfaceJim SittingDuc Syckle

In my 44 years of driving I have only purchased two new vehicles. We buy 2 to 3 year old vehicles. Let someone else take the depreciation hit. As far as repairs I do them myself when I can. I put in a car lift a few years back and it didn't take long to pay for itself in labor savings. But I drive them till they fall apart from the rust !!

My friend once owned a triumph trident and I was fortunate enough to get to ride it. Loved the bike. Was a lot faster than my 71 sportster. Learned to ride on my first bike , a stock 1970 BSA Thunderbolt that I got for a trade for my 1967 triumph TR4A car.

About the same as me, I used to keep 4 bikes and replace one a year, the one I truly regret selling was my T160 Triumph trident, a beautiful machine.

My wife bought this car off the showroom floor in 2011. GM 0% financing, but we paid it off before Lori's passing away in 2016. I keep it because my lust for cars has dwindled to nothing, they're just a necessary nuisance. I used to love motorcycles, owning over 40 of them during my lifetime, but they don't thrill me anymore either.

Bloody limey-flasher - If you don't know by now - aint gonna tell you

Where does the dipstick go??

You did but unlike you I use the female ones to get fucked