SteveS

I guess it is in the perspective. About 1980 I worked at a Honda car dealership when just about every car they imported needed a headgasket. We'd leave the intake and exhaust manifolds, carburator (remember those?) and the emission control box attached, yank it off and flip it over on the bench to clean it for the new gasket. I was next to a customer that commented that the mechanic "just ripped out half the engine!" when he saw the head come out of the car. To us a head as long as the bench looks gigantic, to the ship mechanic.... It sounds like a good class despite the poor presentation; always interesting to see how the other half lives, isn't it?

When I owned a ZF6 I changed the fluid with synthetic (was probably Amsoil) and notice a considerable improvment in the shifting ease and smoothness.

OUCH! OK, our taxes aren't that bad compared to that situation. We had a similar thing happen here with the nearest race track. They had developed it into a pretty nice facility over the years, with drag and road courses and some off-road tracks (moto-X and I think maybe an oval). Of course urban sprawl finally surrounded it and the newer residents started to think about how annoying that racing noise was on the weekends. So they started a movement to stop the racing that gained enough momentum to be a real threat to the track. That's when the track owners said "OK, this property is actually licensed as a mine, and as it happens there is enough demand for gravel that we could be mining and running trucks out of here 24/7. Do you still want us to stop racing?"... We still have a race track.

Here in Western Washington the economy is fairly strong, so it seems like jobs are relatively plentiful. Shops still get slow periods but for the most part work is pretty steady. However, depending on who is calculating, we are supposed to be between the third and sixth highest taxed state. We don't have income tax but sales tax is near 9% (varies by locality), fuel tax third highest (as I recall) and property taxes high. Depending on which "expert" is talking we either have over-valued property that is going to crash with any small hiccup in the local economy, or real estate is a great investment and will keep increasing no matter what. I grew up in central PA but have lived on the west coast for 30+ years. I love seeing the farms and woods when I go back to visit but I sure do not miss the hot humid summers and cold snowy winters. Although we get a fair amount of rain I have never been bothered by the weather here. Everything stays green, lots of trees and streams. If you are a "sun person" it would probably not be for you. If I didn't need to make money I would consider the Idaho pan-handle. I believe the taxes are fair, people leave you alone, and the scenery is beautiful. But I think it's a bit harder to make good money there. Good luck!