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Garibaldi, OR Car Consumer Discussions

Tower of Power

by mackabee on Sat Apr 05 21:07:06 PDT 2008

Tuesday evening I had the distinct pleasure of meeting one of my favorite drummers and bass players. From Oakland California and going on strong for forty years, David Garibaldi the funky drummer and his bass player Francis "Rocco" Prestia. I met Dave before the concert while they were doing a sound check. I went up to the stage as he was heading for the dressing room. I called out to him "Dave!" and he turned around and smiled and walked over to where I was. He shook my hand and suddenly tongue tied. I mumbled something about being one of his biggest fans and trying to play some of the syncopated beats his known for. He just smiled and said. "Thank you. Enjoy the show." I met Rocco after the show as some of the band members like to meet their fans. I was hoping Dave would come out so I could get some pointers and ask him a few questions but only Rocco and the singer Larry Braggs (whom I also talked to) and a few of the horn players came out. I took a picture of Rocco and me with my cell phone camera as my digital cam ran out of batteries. Didn't get to take a picture of Garibaldi, but at least I got to meet the man. Had a great time at the concert. Mack. P.S. Here's the picture of me and Rocco. He was trying to take my hat off and asked "What's with the hat?" I told him my hair fell off due to chemo and then I asked about his liver since he had a transplant some years ago. He replied; "My liver is ok, I'm working on my kidneys now." :shades:

Re: know it all customers [jipster]

by mackabee on Tue Apr 01 22:25:09 PDT 2008

You got it Jip! That's my way of doing business. I give a little and the customer gives a little and we agree to disagree without getting upset. I do have my loyal following because of what I do. I don't try to rip off anybody as it is against my principles. I give everyone a fair deal to both us and we end up friends. The referrals usually follow. Once in a while I will sell one at full pop based on the demand for the vehicle. I just got back from a Tower of Power concert at one of our local school of higher learning. The Average White Band opened for them but I didn't leave the dealership until around concert time so by the time I got there they were getting back on stage for an encore. Didn't bother me, as I was there for the main event. A couple of things happened before and after the concert. Before the concert I went up to the stage and met one of my favorite drummers of all time! Mr. David Garibaldi The Funky Drummer himself. It's funny though because he was about to walk off the stage to get ready for the show and I called him Dave and he came back. I was speechless and didn't know what to say. Finally I blurted something like "I used to play your songs in high school but I still can get the beats down. You are the man!" He smiled and shook my hand. :blush: I didn't take a picture. :sick: At the end of the concert some of the band members came out to mingle with the fans. They always do this. My man Dave was not out there. His bass player Rocco Prestia was and I chatted with him for a bit and also took a cell phone picture. Very personable guys not like the typical arrogant rock stars. I also got my tickets autographed by Rocco and the singer Larry Brags, I'll just add them to my collection which now consists of three autographed tickets! Yey! The first one is Bernie..heck I can't remember his name now. Played for the Browns and also the Cowboys. Nice guy too! Anyway, time for beddy bye. It's been a long day! Mack

Re: BUMPY RIDE ! [campdrafty]

by norwoodsmn on Wed Jun 28 11:13:04 PDT 2006

God luv ya campdrafty!, at last a [fellow] poster with a long time Suzuki ownership perspective! Are we really the only ones out there? Re: Bumpy ride, try 32-36lbs in those tires. Zuke shocks are, as you may recall from past "rigs"?, lacking in sophistication/durability, especially if you're out there in the Outback "givin 'er" with all but the kitchen sink onboard, (take note xostnot, and hi again). For instance, we replaced our Sidekick shocks fairly early on with aftermarket ones, and they reamain out there on "Rusty" even today as he nears his 200,000 MILE birthday. Ditto the Suzuki Esteem wagon. The blog site for same recommends KYB shocks which are available to we Canucks via US mail order sources. I need them NOW. So, replace your new ones on your new GV's with upscale aftermarket ones?, of course not. But just another attempt here to advise all who might be interested in knowing, there's ample room for the maturation of Suzuki's offerings, in a number of areas. But is it a "SIN" to say so, here on this site? Totally negative on the new GV?, nothing could be farther from the truth. It reamains a quantum leap forward for the brand. Yet, as I've stated before, by raising the bar so high [themselves] with this new model, owners' expectations, (expecially we long time owners' expectations), re: features and quality issues, likewise has every reason to move FAR up the scale as well... Got it Bud? As an esoteric, likely fruitless excercise, to try to understand Bud3's perspective, I'd have to take myself all the way back to my Whistler days with the Samurai, (1988). Incidentally, dinner on the restaurant patio atop the Gondola, was great/spectacular this past Monday evening! Good to revisit our 2010 Winter Olympics venue locale, and test neighborhood for the new GV! Sorry to digress. I guess I'd have to go back to when Consumer Reports (was it?) mounted those 40 or 80? pound weights on the end of long outriggers attached to the sides of the Samurai, to help "prove" it was susceptible to rollovers, to recall as being so upset at anyone criticizing my beloved Zuke of the day, as Bud seems to be now when I say something he finds [personally] "disparaging" about HIS new GV. LORD dude, rub mesquite bush on you're skin there twice a day, maybe it might thicken it up a bit?! But so few people had a Zuke back then, that I thought why even bother explaining that, well, "it", (Sammy), also could get you up right onto the side of the volcanic cone of Mount Garibaldi there at Whistler, (in 4wd, low range 1st, with it's 5 speed manual box), and really, that that was what the little bugger was designed for. So ya, I WAS PO'ED, (deeply), that anyone would criticize my [personal] choice to have bought that particular model. But it didn't go quite so far as "Bud's" level of misunderstanding as to what lies at the root of some items on my personal "wish list" for the new GV. So a quid pro quo, proprietary interest in Suzuki's [here], (do I have that feeling?), and what I want [from them] NOW in return for retention my long time brand loyalty, are those items loomin' large on my personal radar screen?.... Ya got it mates, and I make no apologies for same, (even to you, Budman3), just kidding of course, as so many times you've reconfirmed we'll never ever see eye to eye on certain points. Again ones seemingly attacking your personal credibility, since you've bought one, while I of course who haven't [yet] therefore have little business even presuming to bang the keys here on this site, right? Sorry, [almost], you just don't get it Bud, and never will. But I've belabored alot of dark horse points here, (like the preceeding), it seems. Soul searchin' really, trying to understand where Suzuki wants to take us on down the road [together] with it's one remaining OR capable 4wd product, (sold here in North America), the new GV.... To me, it reamains true, the world can potentially be Zuke's proverbial Oyster, should it show a willingness to begin to embrace, for instance, CONCEPTS GREEN in future products development process. Instead, (to me), where did on hell of alot of their, (our), money go concurrent with the intro of the new GV? What about all those concept idea vehicles? Just what did that cost, and what pray tell my buds, did any of that have to do with the [once] true mission of these vehicles, namely performance in all conditions out there in our respective "Outbacks"? I resent that, and I further resent, (and am worried by), this aparent demphasis of the OR 4wd performance abilities of the new GV, vs. this incongruous "tuner crowd" marketing glitz. You too? I hope so. Quirks with Zukes?, you bet, but we still love them. It's just that "in this day and age" we need to demand more, not the least of which being MORE from our fave auto maker of choice. So I remain, hopefully not TOO un-intelligently awaiting further developments along with EVERYONE else on this site, it seems, to see what's up Suzuki's sleeves next for it's 4wd SUV, the new GV. But on the other hand, if a majority of folks choose to just sit on 'em, raise the flag on high and therreby fail to demand MORE, well get used to what you've got, long term, as with those new model sales figures, from one perspective, why should Suzuki do ANYTHING at all to expedite the evoloution of this [mostly] fine new model? A squeaky wheel here, you got it Bud.... Norwoodsmn.