Pack Rat Confessional

"Theropod" (theropod)
03/18/2017 at 18:02 • Filed to: None

I bought this about 1986 and have been carrying it around from home to home ever since. It has survived five moves and still works but I think it’s time to get rid of the box. Maybe. Should I keep it?

Please don’t ask about the shop manuals and parts I have for cars I no longer own.

DISCUSSION (15)

Frank Grimes > Theropod
03/18/2017 at 18:09

I was at a thrift store and actually had to tell myself not to buy these three chilton repair manuals for cars I don’t own. Like one for an s10 one for a mazda 626 and one for a honda prelude. I wanted them to just read them and learn about repairing cars I don’t own and see how those cars are built.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Theropod
03/18/2017 at 18:11

I’m also having this problem. Found out I was moving two provinces away less than two weeks ago. I start a new job a week from Monday. There’s no way I’m getting all this crap packed up...

Theropod > Frank Grimes
03/18/2017 at 18:11

Kudos for your self discipline

CB > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
03/18/2017 at 18:12

Burn your old place down and start fresh.

ToyotaFamily > Frank Grimes
03/18/2017 at 18:18

I’ve done the same, it’s hard to resist. But one time, I found a Bentley manual for older Golf’s. Paid $5, sold for around $40. Pays off sometimes.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Theropod
03/18/2017 at 18:18

I still have a VHS VCR but I do use it about once every 3 years or so to watch the wizard of oz or similar movie that we have on VHS. Shit my TV is getting on 7 or 8 years old now. I would rather spend my money on recreational items like bicycles, running shoes, and skis.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > CB
03/18/2017 at 19:04

Considering it’s a federal property that’s had 60 grand invested in it in the last two years I’ll call that a bad idea. They don’t take too kindly to people who break their things. It also would very much cost me my job.

It’s still tempting.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Frank Grimes
03/18/2017 at 19:27

I have the same problem. At the Goodwill Outlet they sell books by the inch ($0.15/inch), so if I found find a Bentley manual, for example, it might cost me $0.45 if it was less than 3" thick. I’ve seen plenty of Chilton and Haynes manuals, and even though they would cost just pocket change, I have resisted, at least so far.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Theropod
03/18/2017 at 19:33

I did see a very nice high-end SuperBetamax over at a thrift store and almost picked it up for my side business, converting tapes of various formats to DVD. But I realized that in all of the years I’ve been doing this, absolutely nobody has asked for a Beta conversion.

I did pick up a very nice JVC HR-S5800U SuperVHS deck, which is probably as good as non-professional VHS decks ever got. That being said, it’s still VHS, so it’s still crap. It’s in the equipment rack and all hooked up but hasn’t been used in a couple of years when I did a conversion for a friend.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Theropod
03/18/2017 at 19:56

My old roommate did that with condiments, including mayonnaise. Hope that makes you feel better.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
03/18/2017 at 19:58

I finally bought a USB video capture card on Amazon for like $30 and spent a weekend getting all of my VHS tapes into my iTunes. Feela good to no longer worry about the VCR potentially eating a tape because the kids stuck something in it.

Frank Grimes > Theropod
03/18/2017 at 21:24

thank you, but to be honest i still think i probably should have bought them!

Frank Grimes > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
03/18/2017 at 21:26

wow thats some cheap books. the cheapness makes it much harder.

Frank Grimes > ToyotaFamily
03/18/2017 at 21:26

that is a very good point some manuals really hold their value. if i ever find some factory manuals you know I am gonna buy those.

Theropod > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
03/19/2017 at 01:15

um, not so much.