SouthernMan

Let me make this clear. I am not an auto dealer. Just a guy who was selling my wife's car because she wanted a new one. We put it on the corner with a sign. The buyer was the first (and last) person to look at it.

We recently sold a car to a private party who is now threatening to sue, because, they say, we sold them a lemon under false pretenses. It was in excellent running condition, interior and exterior both very good for a 5 year old car with 106,000+ miles. The transmission was beginning to slip a little and the timing belt was due to be replaced. The buyer asked about the timing belt and we told them it had not been replaced yet. They took their "mechanic" for a drive in the car who told them it was a great deal. The buyer, concerned about the occasional slippage/hesitation, was told by the mechanic that it was common with the V-Tec engine. Nothing to be concerned about. Somewhat concerned, the buyer had wanted us to meet them at AAMCO for an inspection, but we told her we were not going to take the time to go to various garages for every interested buyer. We really didn't want to take the time. I also said to the prospective buyer that of course the transmission place is going to say you need a new one - that's what they do! They drove it, had their mechanic's opinion - take it or leave it was our position. BTW - we've also got the 4-door model of the exact same car. Same year and everything. It's ALSO had the transmission slippage problem. I've put about 40,000 miles on it since the problem began. When it goes, it goes. Now, 5 days after the sale, the buyer has left a message that the transmission will cost $2,400 to replace and were threatening to sue us. In my opinion, they shouldn't have bought the car if they didn't feel good about the deal. There were no warranties. We suspected the transmission might be in need of attention, but it's not as if we thought that would be a good selling point, so we didn't make an issue of it. We're we morally in the wrong? We're we wrong not to give every detail? I don't think the buyer has a legal leg to stand on. What do you think? What would you have done? Thanks for giving your view of this.

Here's a novel idea....get a life away from the boob tube and your computer monitor!! How about actually doing something - say a hobby - or go somewhere and do something interesting. Read a book, play guitar, karate instruction, excersize, cooking, meet some people, take a continuing ed. class. Damn - there's a million things to do besides watching the dopey crap that's on TV. Network broadcast TV has all but run out of original ideas for fictional stories, so they come up with 'reality shows', top 100 lists, the making of..., award shows, various takes on makeovers (people, houses, cars, etc.), or an instant made for TV movie/miniseries about some news event we recently got sick of hearing about(see: Jon Benet, OJ, Mary Beth Laturno, Elizabeth Smart, etc) If for some reason I couldn't watch TV again until football season, I'd be just fine with that. There are so many other things to do. Best of luck in the outside world.

As much as I had to perpetuate this stupid cowbell thing (what's that all about anyway? - don't answer) Honky Tonk Woman, American Band, and Mississippi Queen are probably 'The Big Three'. It's pretty sad if you need a silly in-joke about cowbells to make you think you're part of some elite TBD fraternity. Does it make you feel like you're part of the cool all-knowing crowd? Don't the work week pocket protectors and the gameday face paint make a loud enough statement on their own?

Excellent point!! A lot of Bills fans and non-Bills fans have possibly forgetten the 1998 season when the Bills started out the season with a 0-3 record. Johnson had a decent enough game in the fourth week, beating the 49'ers. In week five he was injured early on, and Flutie stepped in, leading the team to a 8-2 record in weeks five through fourteen. The slow start and sudden explosion was really similar to this past season. Flutie was to 1998 what McGahee has been to 2004. 1998 was a critical year for the Bills as the fear of losing the team to another city was a very real possibility. The team had put in a mandate to sell a set amount of club seats, private boxes, or personal seat licenses in order to renovate the stadium so they could compete with other NFL teams which already had (or were in the process of building) newer stadiums having these existing amenities. Things were not looking good at first. Sales were lagging in early 1998 until the Bills, with Flutie under center, suddenly caught fire on their way to a playoff berth. The fans became excited again. Businesses and individuals started buying up the required seats that led to the renovation project at the Ralph. It can be debated how much of an effect Flutie's presence made, but I firmly believe that had Rob Johnson stayed healthy (fat chance) and remained the starter, the rash of Bills fever that sparked the seat sales would never have happened. It's a very real possibility that the Bills would be going year to year on a lease in Orchard Park, just waiting for the right offer from another city. Or worse, have already moved on to some other venue. As it now stands, the Bills have the private boxes, fan support, great local TV ratings, and sold out games. What other non-NFL city could possibly do better with this team? Yeah, I think Flutie played a huge role in the history of the Bills. I'll always be grateful for the two years ('98 & '99) that he spent guiding the Bills to the playoffs.

Hey, I thought that was my line! Bob- left you a message on your cell an hour or two ago. Talk to you later. Peace, Love, & Flowers

You are not alone. I'm also on day 5, as is a co-worker. Quitting is easy. I've done it a thousand times! Piece of advise (for both of us). DON'T THINK YOU CAN HAVE JUST ONE! If you're with a smoker, don't think, "oh I'll just have one, and that's it". You may only have THAT one - for now. Then, you'll feel strong and think you can just bum one here and there. Before long you'll find yourself bumming a few more. And since you don't want to be a pain in the ass, you'll eventually pick up a pack. We'll, i guess you can see where this is going. Before long, you'll be back into it. I KNOW. Been there many times. I really don't seem to have too much trouble quitting. I've had a pack last me for 4 or 5 days when I wasn't in a smoking mood. Usually, I averaged a little less than a pack a day. The key for both of us will be to not have "that ONE little cigarette". It starts the whole cycle up all over again. Good luck and be strong.

If I'd had my way, the divisions would have been lined up something like this, making it likely to have a lot of visiting team rivalries (as seen in in NCAA rivalries) Eastern Conference: Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland New England, NY Jets, Philadelphia, NY Giants Washington, Carolina, Baltimore, Tennessee Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Atlanta Western Conference: Cincinatti, Indianapolis, Chicago, Green Bay New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Arizona Kansas City, St Louis, Denver, Minnesota, Oakland, San Diego, San Franciso, Seattle In the proposed Bills' division, all teams would have been within a 5 hour drive or less of each other. Think how great this would be for filling seats and the tourist dollars. I believe that within a decade, everyone would forget about the stupid Washington/Dallas and Buffalo/Miami rivalries. The only thing fueling the Miami rivalry was the 0-20 decade of the 70's, followed immediately by a turn around in the 80's, and the Marino/Kelly and Levy /Shula matchups. That continuity is gone and the bi-annual Dolphins/Bills matches are no more meaningful than any other division game. Besides, the only Dolphins fans you see at the Ralph are a few bandwagon jumpers from Ontario and some half-retarded kids who happen to like aqua and orange. Wouldn't it be more fun if there was the annaul home and awy series with folks from Pitt, Cleve, & Detroit - cities with similar blue-collar people and ethnic origins? Another bonus - I think it would have made it a lot harder to move a team like Buffalo to another city, far from the division. Man, the NFL missed the boat on making the best divisions possible. There could have been some great fist fights in the stadiums of the Great Lakes division!

I think the starting QB job is Losman's to lose next season. If he doesn't do everything to prepare for a starting job, he may find himself behind Bledsoe again. Otherwise, I think the personnel people in Buffalo may have already penciled JP in as next year's starter. Even if it's a close battle in training camp with JPL a little behind, he's going to get the nod, considering he'll continue to improve. Bledsoe had his chance this year, and despite all the coaching, alarm clocks, etc., still reverts to the same bad habits at the most inopportune times. His passes are frequently off target, he can't smell pressure, he gets butter-fingers when D-tackles are in spitting distance. What better time to get Losman into the lineup than now, with a feature running back who can take the pressure off of the pass game and keep the sticks moving. His passes are more on targetand he has mobility. He might not have the experience in reading defenses, but geez, he's got an earphone in his ear from the guys upstairs! Even in a worse case scenerio, how could he possibly do worse against the blitz? He can only get better while Bledsoe can only get worse or maybe stay the same. The Bills gave up a 1st round draft pick last year for JPL. Don't you think that JUST MAYBE they were having doubts about Bledsoe when they made that move? Bledsoe has done little this year to change anyone's mind that he's the guy to take this team to the next level. I admire Bledsoe's durabilty, character, and leadership. I just don't think he's the one to lead us the next level. Time to build the team around the new blood.