The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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caseydog said:
The Freelander flopped in the US. I had one from the press fleet to take to Port Arthur one week. By then, it was in it's second generation and renamed the LR2, trying to draw on the LR3 (Disco 3 for you Brits) reputation.

Funny thing... I had an early LR3 which had a voice activated NAV system. It took me about an hour to figure out that it only recognized British English. I finally got it after asking it to find the nearest gas station about ten times, then asking it to find the nearest petrol station. That worked.

BTW, I absolutely loved the LR3, and Land Rover invited me to their off-road driving school at the Biltmore Estate. It was quite fun. :wink:

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And a press fleet LR3 that I had fun with, too. Yes, I drove it onto that rock. No jacks, no ramps, no photoshop.

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CD
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That's pretty cool. I loved that Freelander (technically my wife's vehicle), simply because it was so quirky. It had cup holders in the most random of places. The sales guy, when we were test driving it, told us that the American focus groups, time and again, pointed out that it didn't have enough cup holders, and the ones it did have weren't big enough to hold a Big Gulp, so LR tried to just cram them in anywhere they could find them.
 
My wife had a Freelander, and loved it. I've had several Disco's and Rangies; not the most reliable vehicles and not financially sensible buys, but great cars. The driving seat of a Rangie is one of finest places to be. I got rid of my last one a couple of years ago and now drive a Volvo SUV. Sensible, economical, reliable and just a tad dull.
 
We brought over my wife's car as mine was not suitable. The turbo is remapped to give 160 bhp. The body is light so it goes like hell. This is
me with my home made Convid 19 mask.

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Good news... I booked two days of work, shooting cars for a super nice guy. And, his cars, all classic Porsches and Mercedes, are bare metal restorations to 100-percent original specs.

Bad new... They are about an hour North of Tulsa. So, I have a five hour drive, each way. But, I bill for that travel time, so its all good, I guess.

They are at his "Farm." I'll stay the night at his "farmhouse." The house would easily list for 3 to 4 million on a postage stamp lot in Dallas. You can't see the ends of his property from the ground. You would have to fly over it. Plus, his wife is a dealer for British Antique furniture, so their homes are have stunning furnishings. British antiques sell for good money here.

Plus, he and I have some good conversations at the end of the day. I'll have to participate without the premium whiskey, though.

So, all-in-all, good news.

If I can book five days a month like these two days, I can pay all my bills -- at least break even. The little work I've gotten in the last four months has be stuff I would normally be "too busy" to take.

CD
 
caseydog said:
Good news... I booked two days of work, shooting cars for a super nice guy. And, his cars, all classic Porsches and Mercedes, are bare metal restorations to 100-percent original specs.

Bad new... They are about an hour North of Tulsa. So, I have a five hour drive, each way. But, I bill for that travel time, so its all good, I guess.

They are at his "Farm." I'll stay the night at his "farmhouse." The house would easily list for 3 to 4 million on a postage stamp lot in Dallas. You can't see the ends of his property from the ground. You would have to fly over it. Plus, his wife is a dealer for British Antique furniture, so their homes are have stunning furnishings. British antiques sell for good money here.

Plus, he and I have some good conversations at the end of the day. I'll have to participate without the premium whiskey, though.

So, all-in-all, good news.

If I can book five days a month like these two days, I can pay all my bills -- at least break even. The little work I've gotten in the last four months has be stuff I would normally be "too busy" to take.

CD
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You obviously have a good client base. And good at what you do. I worked for a big nz company before going out on my own at 34 years old. I too had a good bunch of clients, some I'm still very good friends with today. I still remember I photocopied my best clients monthly cheque I got from his company, $37,000 . It hung on the wall for years.

Russ
 
rascal said:
You obviously have a good client base. And good at what you do. I worked for a big nz company before going out on my own at 34 years old. I too had a good bunch of clients, some I'm still very good friends with today. I still remember I photocopied my best clients monthly cheque I got from his company, $37,000 . It hung on the wall for years.

Russ
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My best clients are have always been the ones who don't challenge my prices, and pay my invoices on time and without question. They know I am giving them good value, and pay within 30 days. One of my best customers went through a cash flow situation, and had the decency to call me. I worked out a three month payment agreement (verbal, not written) that they could handle, and they paid on time. They have been a customer for about 12 years now. I'm doing work for them this weekend, and they didn't even ask about price or expenses.

Bad customers are the ones who always want a lower price, then take forever to pay. I'd like to name some names, but that would be pretty stupid on my part. But, if other people I know are looking at doing business with them, I do tell them what to expect. We creatives do talk to each other, and tell each other the truth about customers. We have all been screwed. So, we tell each other what's what.

CD
 
caseydog said:
My best clients are have always been the ones who don't challenge my prices, and pay my invoices on time and without question. They know I am giving them good value, and pay within 30 days. One of my best customers went through a cash flow situation, and had the decency to call me. I worked out a three month payment agreement (verbal, not written) that they could handle, and they paid on time. They have been a customer for about 12 years now. I'm doing work for them this weekend, and they didn't even ask about price or expenses.

Bad customers are the ones who always want a lower price, then take forever to pay. I'd like to name some names, but that would be pretty stupid on my part. But, if other people I know are looking at doing business with them, I do tell them what to expect. We creatives do talk to each other, and tell each other the truth about customers. We have all been screwed. So, we tell each other what's what.

CD
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Gentlemen I am really glad I am retired at this moment. Doing business is never easy but in this environment it must be terrible. Best wishes for the future
 
Burt Blank said:
We brought over my wife's car as mine was not suitable. The turbo is remapped to give 160 bhp. The body is light so it goes like hell. This is
me with my home made Convid 19 mask.

View attachment 42483
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Are you sure that is BHP? That's a Saab, right? A real Saab, not a Chevy Saab. It should be a 2.0 Turbo. You should be able to get well over 200 BHP from that engine with the right tune.

Sorry, I'm a car guy. I make my living as a car guy with an art degree and a good camera, basically.

CD
 
caseydog said:
My best clients are have always been the ones who don't challenge my prices, and pay my invoices on time and without question. They know I am giving them good value, and pay within 30 days. One of my best customers went through a cash flow situation, and had the decency to call me. I worked out a three month payment agreement (verbal, not written) that they could handle, and they paid on time. They have been a customer for about 12 years now. I'm doing work for them this weekend, and they didn't even ask about price or expenses.

Bad customers are the ones who always want a lower price, then take forever to pay. I'd like to name some names, but that would be pretty stupid on my part. But, if other people I know are looking at doing business with them, I do tell them what to expect. We creatives do talk to each other, and tell each other the truth about customers. We have all been screwed. So, we tell each other what's what.

CD
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Ditto here as well.

Russ
 
caseydog said:
Good news... I booked two days of work, shooting cars for a super nice guy. And, his cars, all classic Porsches and Mercedes, are bare metal restorations to 100-percent original specs.

Bad new... They are about an hour North of Tulsa. So, I have a five hour drive, each way. But, I bill for that travel time, so its all good, I guess.

They are at his "Farm." I'll stay the night at his "farmhouse." The house would easily list for 3 to 4 million on a postage stamp lot in Dallas. You can't see the ends of his property from the ground. You would have to fly over it. Plus, his wife is a dealer for British Antique furniture, so their homes are have stunning furnishings. British antiques sell for good money here.

Plus, he and I have some good conversations at the end of the day. I'll have to participate without the premium whiskey, though.

So, all-in-all, good news.

If I can book five days a month like these two days, I can pay all my bills -- at least break even. The little work I've gotten in the last four months has be stuff I would normally be "too busy" to take.

CD
Click to expand...
Congratulations, sounds like a good gig. Your clients wife must be making a good profit then - British antiques can be had for peanuts over here at the moment.
 
caseydog said:
Are you sure that is BHP? That's a Saab, right? A real Saab, not a Chevy Saab. It should be a 2.0 Turbo. You should be able to get well over 200 BHP from that engine with the right tune.

Sorry, I'm a car guy. I make my living as a car guy with an art degree and a good camera, basically.

CD
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I assumed it was a typo, and that he meant 260 bhp. It looks like a GM Saab. Even the hotter diesel models turned out 190 bhp.
 
epicuric said:
Congratulations, sounds like a good gig. Your clients wife must be making a good profit then - British antiques can be had for peanuts over here at the moment.
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If it is readily available, and people are used to it, it's not going to sell with the locals. But, if it is scarce, and people love it, you can name your price. Simple supply and demand.

My house is mostly furnished with American antiques that are beautiful, but not rare. They still fetch good prices. I inherited them, so I have a lot of furniture I couldn't afford to buy.

CD
 
epicuric said:
I assumed it was a typo, and that he meant 260 bhp. It looks like a GM Saab. Even the hotter diesel models turned out 190 bhp.
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It may have been built when GM owned Saab, but the Chevy rebadged Saabs never included a convertible. That looks like a 9.5 Saab -- a real Saab.

CD
 
caseydog said:
It may have been built when GM owned Saab, but the Chevy rebadged Saabs never included a convertible. That looks like a 9.5 Saab -- a real Saab.

CD
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Maybe it's a badging difference. I'm not aware that Saab ever made a 9-5 convertible, certainly not for the UK market, just a saloon and estate model. Pretty sure the one in the picture is known here as a 9-3, and is based on GM's Vectra platform. Either way, a nice looking motor
 
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