Which is better, a pellet stove insert or a gas insert fireplace?

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Admin
dms180 asked:


I went to the local stove/fireplace shop in town. I was intent on buying a pellet stove insert for my single story 1600 sq. ft. home. The owner of the shop, a nice guy, showed me a pellet stove that he stated was one of the top of the line models. The price tag was $3300. The the store owner asked me if I had thought about a gas insert, which was almost $1000 cheaper! Kind of bizarre a a store owner in CA would try to save a customer money.

I’m curious with any of those out there that know anything about stoves or fireplaces, which one would be better and more efficient? Thank you.

Posted in Decorating & Remodeling | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

What are the advantages and disadvantages of scooters?

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Admin
S asked:


My boyfriend doesn’r drive, and has a bit of a complex on autos. Also, gas and insurance are skyrocketing, and we are but humble college students. We live in KC, so I thought getting a scooter might be a cheap and fun way to get around town. He’s still not 100% convinced… can anyone on here share their thoughts?

Posted in Commuting | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Who else besides me is fed up with the ever increasing gas prices? Around the Seattle, WA area where I live?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Admin
Chris34 asked:


it’s over $4 a gallon and rising, and that’s for the cheapest Unleaded, the 87 Octane. When is enough…enough????

Who else is fed up? When will this stop? When will it go back to “normal” ? And don’t tell me that they pay $10 a gallon in Europe. If that’s the case, then why are the oil companies making RECORD profits? They are price gauging us. I am purposely not going out much anymore. I’m walking a lot more, riding my bike, and thinking about getting a hybrid car or even a moped. I can’t sit around and wait for the prices to go down, because they simply aren’t. I drive a 1995 Honda Civic Hatchback, which has 200,000 miles on it, but still gets 35 miles to the gallon, that’s nice, but not good enough. I clearly remember an AM/PM gas station/mini mart here in the town I live in, 20 miles north of Seattle, in the summer of 2001 just before 9/11 happened, I remember when gas was .98 a gallon, and now it’s over $4 and rising. This is hyper-inflation. You agree?

Posted in Elections | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

what is a good car , for just going around town in?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Admin
Sie. asked:


my mom wants a car just to go around town in, so she doesnt have to waste gas in her suburban, what is a good car, thats cheap, reliable, stuff like that.

Posted in Buying & Selling | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Why is gas 10 cents cheaper only 10 miles away?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Admin
Jon asked:


In my town, gas is $4.24. Ridiculous. But when I drive 10 miles into the next town, it is usually 10 cents or so cheaper. Still ridiculous. But what the hell? Are my local gas stations screwing us because they think we won’t shop around? Shouldn’t it be at a set price, especially with these ridiculous prices?

UGGGGGGGGHHHH!
A frustrated commuter.

Posted in Commuting | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

150cc or 250cc moped gas scooter? And, how to take a training course with no license?

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Admin
iceytina asked:


Hello everyone,

I posted this query yesterday: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110630005826AAcAKTV and received some very good answers. Thanks! But such good answers gave way for more questions… hah… so… this is a post in sequel to that one.

First, recap of me and my environment:
117lb, 5’4″
Average round trip: 15 miles
Average city speed: 45mph
Speed looking for: 45-60mph (do not mind if highway inaccessible)
Budget: $2,000 or less
I live in a middle-sized city. Mostly flat with slight inclines. Few half-considerable hills that take a few seconds to master at around ~35-45 degree inclines.
This vehicle for me would be primarily for work: making meetings, social calls in and around the city… I just need to keep up with in-town traffic.

Here’s what I gleaned from the previous answers:
– Avoid 50cc ANYTHING (weak, slow)
– Have a proper helmet (check, from Pro Caliber, white)
– Buy a noticeable color (oh indeed, I’m thinking white/silver of whatever I buy)
– Have proper clothing (In-progress. Waterproof, durable jacket + gloves check. Boots and leg gear, hm)
– 150cc is decent, maybe slows a little uphill though not too slow (non highway legal from what I gather).
– 250cc is optimal+highway legal if I can get it (on my budget)
– Avoid Asian brands because of cheap parts (are there any reliable Asian brands, or am I looking at USA-only manufactured?)
– Check the papers and Craig’s List for used deals (Thanks. I have been on a regular basis =])

I know I’m interested in gas-powered moped scooters 150cc to 250cc like these:

http://www.extreme-scooters.com/metroDuo.htm

http://www.extreme-scooters.com/roketa-Bali-150scooter.htm

http://www.extreme-scooters.com/roketaMC54-250cc.htm

(How do I know if it’s half-reliable just because it’s in the USA? Are the parts from untrustworthy sources?)

For my city conditions, I’m thinking 150cc is good to start with. I really do wish to keep driving it simple (clutch please, no foot brakes) and mopeds seem to offer that.
Is a 150cc moped a decent idea for me right now?
What under 2k 150cc brands are economical for repair and buying parts in the USA?

I’m checking into motorcycle courses though they seem to require a driver’s license and that the owner have a vehicle already.
I do not have a driver’s license. Just a state ID card.
And I do not own a good moped yet… how do I go about doing this? Buy the moped first, then go to a training course without a license?

There are not many motor vehicle shops where I live. Pro Caliber is one… is it a good idea to check their inventory to gauge sizes of mopeds? I’m leery of that store since, at least for me, when I go in, the sales reps are *incredibly* interested to make a sale than to simply aid a customer.

Oh and one last Q for curiosity’s sake — what do people use pocket bikes / super pocket bikes for, if they’re not street legal? Back-road fun?

Posted in Motorcycles | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seriously.how are we going to get gas prices down?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Admin
KC asked:


Boycotts on certain days dont work, cause no one does it. Eliminateling specific brands (ie ExxonMobile) probably wont work. What are we going to do.?? For washington state residents i found washingtongasprices.com it lists the cheapest gas in the state, and also the cheapest per area code or town. For other states there is a link for the remaining states. maybe this can help. i dont know. But somethings gotta give!!!!!

Posted in Other - Politics & Government | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Has BP lost a lot of customers and money at their gas stations in the states?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Admin
ICH8TE asked:


Due to the oil spill, and people being very upset with them for screwing up the ecology, and Tony Hayward talking that crap about wanting HIS “life back”. Wrong thing to say, and on national TV. (I see that he finally got the boot. Good.) I pass by this BP station often, (I don’t use BP) that used to be really busy with customers. Now days you can get right in and get right out quick because not many people are ever there. I see that their gas prices are about average. One would think that they’d have the lowest gas price in town after their gigantic disaster. Like having gas at $1.10 a gallon or something lol. People would flock to them in a heartbeat then, and they’d put those angry feelings for BP on the back burner for a minute. Or at least until BP raised it’s prices up again. People love cheap gas.
I’m not boycotting BP, I didn’t even go to their stations before or after the spill. But I have thought about how people’s jobs are affected whenever people boycott the company that they happen to work for. And I do realize that this is a problem for those employees. But such is life.

Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

While the big oil companies are making obscene profits, why does the government still take our money to?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Admin
Red Rooster asked:


Subsidize them? They are not allowed too much exploration because of environmental whaco’s whining about drilling,so where do they use that subsidy? They have capped wells, and inefficient refineries,some with varied formulars. Is the administration main concern big business, and under the table money? If it was about the war, we would have increased energy production, that’s one reason ****** could not sail his ships near the invasion, low fuel reserve and supply cut off. does anybody recall back when gas was cheaper,and Texas, and Oklahoma oil people cried,and layed off people, because they complained about competing with Opec? that was friendly and up in production, That’s when they decided to bail them out with further increase in susidies? We need to do something to bring back sanity to what’s going on here, maybe big multitudes in town hall meetings, and marches on DC with semi’s blocking all DC traffic. WE have to wake up Joe sixpack! Hello! justice branch, investigation please!

Posted in Law & Ethics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Would making gasoline cheaper for travelers be a good idea?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Admin
Eric S asked:


This would increase consumer spending and tourism.

Airlines and rental car companies can offer discount coupons on certain gasoline stations only. Therefore tourists to exercise the coupons would have to travel to the locations where those gasoline stations are located. Otherwise, the coupons expire and it’s profit split between the gasoline station and the rental car company. It’s a money-maker.

If the tourist takes advantage of the coupons, then those towns near those gas stations will profit from anything those tourists buy in those towns.

This scheme can be used to help a lot of towns in the Midwest. It would be like you rent a car in Cleveland. The Alamo Rental car in Cleveland includes a free coupon if you meet certain timeframes. The coupon value is 50% off any BP gas station in Akron.

Now you can save money on a trip to Akron and if you don’t, you end up paying a barely noticeable fee split between Akron’s BP gas station and Alamo. And they’d make money.

If you buy gas in Akron, the town of Akron may see an increase in consumer spending, so it becomes a win win.
The industry would profit because significant numbers of travelers would wind up not redeeming the coupon because of inconvenience, and they probably wouldn’t care.
Edit: but this isn’t a deviation from supply and demand. This is a promotional coupon!

It’s like when you have a call option on a stock or a buy one get one free. It’s purely a business friendly idea.

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments