Locate an Auto Repair Shop in bakersfield, California

Yes, BHO felt rushed, etc. and YES, I did and am buying hand over fist, even before it was known that we are the middle east (far better actually) of natural gas. In a real sense of irony, CA environmentalists years ago help to mandate CA LAWS for the states power plants to use natural gas. Also there are laws to force all other than natural gas power plants to convert. (religious conversion? or face the equivalent of DEATH) (albeit economic). Natural gas is at literally historic record LOWS. ( $2.42/mmbtu) Now years ago, this was NOT the writing on the wall, even as the perceptive deduced it so. IT was and remains BILLBOARD sized advertising. It is an environmental John Cougar Mellancamp's "Hurts So Good". Warren Buffet knows we are the middle east (FAR better actually) of COAL. He has long since bought rail road interests. The Clinton Administration secretly and not so secretly paved the way. As "the great one" has said, skate to where the puck will BE. (not to where it has gone) I still want to own that McDonald's in (Bakersfield or Fresno?) with working oil derrick pump in the McDonalds parking lot next to the garbage cans.

I bought a 2012 Subaru Outback last week and got a great deal at Barber Subaru of Ventura. When I started looking for an Outback about 3 weeks ago I was hoping to scoop up a 2011 and cash in on the year end deals. However, there was not that much inventory in S. California, and I while I was offered some great deals via True Car,they were in Bakersfield, Long Beach and Sherman Oaks and I did not really want to drive up to 200 miles to look at a car that may have been bought by someone else by the time I got there. I went into Barber Subaru with my price quotes and John French, the dealer I spoke with, stated "We will not lose a sale due to price" and then gave me a quote that was about $400 less than one of my True Car estimates. The 2011 was not on the lot, so he located one in the color I wanted and had it brought up here (the deep ruby pearl color) and gave me a price of $24,000 for a really basic 2011 model (I decided not to go for all of the bells and whistles so we could pay cash). Later that evening he called and said "That car sold, but I can give you a 2012 with Bluetooth for the same price. We immediately said "Yes!". The next day our new, gorgeous car was on the lot. We got out the door with taxes, registration and everything for around $25,700. I am not so sure that we would have gotten such a great deal if we had been originally looking for a 2012, but I thought it was wonderful that even though we got a newer car than we were originally hoping for, he stuck to the agreed upon price. It was a pleasure working with that Dealer from start to finish, I must say. I LOVE this car. It is so comfortable and looks so sharp. My friends have a 14 year old Outback with 150,000 mi. on it and have had very little trouble with it (no major mechanical issues), so I hope to be driving this gorgeous car for a long time. I was really glad that I did not have to drive all over Southern California in my 11 year old Nissan Altima looking at cars and risking a breakdown, as it has also been very sound mechanically but is probably nearing the end of it's perfect mechanical record at 120,000 mi.

We left San Diego yesterday on a road trip. Spent the night in Simi Valley with family. Left this morning for Bakersfield. Took more family out to eat. Had great Wet carne asada Burritos at La Villa in Bakersfield. Left there and stooped for the night in Merced. We are headed early in the AM to Redding, CA then over to the Coast. Looking for cooler weather. High 90s all day today. The current plan is to drive the Coast of Oregon up to Southern Washington. I will keep you posted. Paid $3.79 for gas in Tulare, CA. First tank average 17.1 MPG. Driving mostly 75 MPH on Interstates. I will be glad to get out of the traffic further North.

Ah. Nothing like a nice vacation in Bakersfield. Steve - what's your airport? Marquette or some such place?

Although Haines Jct. is always a lot cooler than Bakersfield. Yes it was summer and we were headed up into the Sierras for the week cut short by that stinking Toyota. My only time in Haines was 1974. Bought a new Dodge Van in Seattle and put it on the ferry to Haines. It was nothing but sunshine the whole trip. A very, very rare occurrence. I met 3 nurses headed to Anchorage and we had a grand time on that trip. 37 years in Alaska and my only time to Ketchikan, Juneau, Petersburg and Haines.