Saturday, May 08, 2004
More moving and living info...
Mad props to Brad for finding out that Budget has a great deal on trucks. If we choose our dates right, we can move from Houston to Boston, with 2200 included miles and a car carrier, for only $1150. That's a sweet deal.
I have previous history with a Budget rental truck, though, and it isn't pretty. The one I rented was for a move within Houston and it was only like $100 for the day. In the end it turned out to be about a $2000 move. I got a 15' truck made by Isuzu, and the cab was designed so that you were basically sitting slightly forward of the front wheels, which gives the truck a much tighter turning radius than you would think possible. Anyway, I recruited friends and family to help load and unload. We get everything loaded up and we all start caravaning to the new apartment. I pull in the complex, and I decide that I am going to pull up parallel to the closest entrance to my apartment. The only problem is that there is a car parked slightly behind the entrance, so I have to wedge in infront of it. Apparently, with the tighter turning radius, I misjudged by about an inch, cause the corner of the cargo portion of the truck scraped all the way down that Chrysler Sebring. Ouch. I ripped the panel over the gas cap right off but didn't even touch the cap itself. All in all I suppose I was lucky because another inch or so would have meant a lot more damage. I already had a total loss on my record, so I paid the lady's damage out of pocket to avoid another insurance claim. Although it probably was a wash versus reporting it to insurance, I just didn't want to go down that road. Anyway, I hope this upcoming rental through Budget goes more smoothly.
On the living situation, Jie and I are thinking about waiting to see if we get offered a 3 bedroom apartment in One Western or SFP. We could then pick up a roommate (hopefully), to reduce the cost. We both really want to live on campus, so we may hold out for that option. So many choices...
I have previous history with a Budget rental truck, though, and it isn't pretty. The one I rented was for a move within Houston and it was only like $100 for the day. In the end it turned out to be about a $2000 move. I got a 15' truck made by Isuzu, and the cab was designed so that you were basically sitting slightly forward of the front wheels, which gives the truck a much tighter turning radius than you would think possible. Anyway, I recruited friends and family to help load and unload. We get everything loaded up and we all start caravaning to the new apartment. I pull in the complex, and I decide that I am going to pull up parallel to the closest entrance to my apartment. The only problem is that there is a car parked slightly behind the entrance, so I have to wedge in infront of it. Apparently, with the tighter turning radius, I misjudged by about an inch, cause the corner of the cargo portion of the truck scraped all the way down that Chrysler Sebring. Ouch. I ripped the panel over the gas cap right off but didn't even touch the cap itself. All in all I suppose I was lucky because another inch or so would have meant a lot more damage. I already had a total loss on my record, so I paid the lady's damage out of pocket to avoid another insurance claim. Although it probably was a wash versus reporting it to insurance, I just didn't want to go down that road. Anyway, I hope this upcoming rental through Budget goes more smoothly.
On the living situation, Jie and I are thinking about waiting to see if we get offered a 3 bedroom apartment in One Western or SFP. We could then pick up a roommate (hopefully), to reduce the cost. We both really want to live on campus, so we may hold out for that option. So many choices...
