Maxx's Relocation to Tbilisi, Georgia.

[Maxx]

As way of reference the car as described by Maxx would retail in lower Connecticut for between $4,899 up to 5,999.=

On E.Bay nationwide with the defects it would be around $4,000.= give or take 20%

On Copart the car would go for between $1,800 to 2,400 on a good day. I can mention the Copart price because a friend bought the exact same car for his wife on Copart, he has a dealer plate. The biggest issue the car seems to have are the engine mounts.

There is a 25% import tax into Georgia. Georgia is not the best place to buy a car however some of this is offset by the low cost of repairs. However you are more likely to ripped there on unnecessary repairs.

[2tallbill]

Have fun with the new toy. Perhaps it can be your very own pussy magnet?

Not biting.    It's more of a fancy PT Cruiser.

I think you'll find it to be far hardier, reliable and better built than a PT Cruiser.

[el_guero]

Have fun with the new toy. Perhaps it can be your very own pussy magnet?

Not biting.    It's more of a fancy PT Cruiser.

I think you'll find it to be far hardier, reliable and better built than a PT Cruiser.

Weren't they the same company.

 

[Maxx]

Have fun with the new toy. Perhaps it can be your very own pussy magnet?

Not biting.    It's more of a fancy PT Cruiser.

I think you'll find it to be far hardier, reliable and better built than a PT Cruiser.

I said that to throw Andrew off his objective 

Yes, it is MUCH more solid than the PT Cruiser. Much bigger, rides smoother and sits high off the ground almost like a truck. My mother had a '03 PT Cruiser when she had her stroke in October 2011. After that I pretty much drove it. A friend of mine called it a "$hitbox" which it pretty much was. It did last until almost 400K in miles when the timing belt broke. At a cost of over a $1000 to put on a new belt it was scrapped for $200.

I went for a drive yesterday. Explored the neighborhood. Some of the scary intersections didn't seem so scary after driving them. Today I plan on getting some auto insurance. I'll drive over to the place and walk in and ask. I can't imagine trying to do that on the phone here.

After I get insurance I plan on really getting out there.

I was asked by a tour company to fix their English text. They provide something called "Pilgrimage Tours" for the religious. One of the places they visit is in Borgomi region where the famous Borgomi spring and mineral water is from. It is about 150 miles West of Tbilisi.

Borjomi Resort is located in the gorge of the Kura River in the southeastern part of Georgia. It is at an altitude of 810-850 meters. Borjomi belongs to a group of lower Caucasian mountain resorts. It is surrounded by mountain ranges covered with coniferous and broad-leaved forests. The climate is temperate in both summer and winter. Borjomi is famous for its therapeutic mineral water. It is used as a drinking water for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, biliary tract, the metabolism and kidneys. When used in the form of a bath it has a claimed benefit with cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the nervous system and respiratory organs.

The monastery of St. George in Chitaеevi is called the ”Green Monastery.” It is located in the Borjomi gorge in the most beautiful of places. It is the Chitaевevsky Monastery of St. George. People affectionately call it the ”Green Monastery" because of all the trees and the moss in the gorge that differ in shades of green like the stones from which the monastery was built they are all green. But some are dark, others are light in shade. Under the assumption of scientists the church was built by the students of the famous Georgian St. Grigol Khantztel - Christopher and Theodore. In the 16th century, during the invasion of Shah Tamaz, the monastery was plundered. Dozens of monks were killed or tortured. The blood spilled by the monks was absorbed by stones as they were thrown into the river Chitahevi. These bloodstones lay almost along the entire length of the river running through the territory of the monastery.
Dinner in Mtskheta. Return to Tbilisi.

I thought it funny after describing a blood bath of terror it is casually mentioned that dinner is at Mtsketa.

[Maxx]

There is a 25% import tax into Georgia. Georgia is not the best place to buy a car however some of this is offset by the low cost of repairs. However you are more likely to ripped there on unnecessary repairs.

I was told my power steering needed some repair. It seemed fine too me. So after I posted yesterday I went out and drove the car over to clean dry piece of pavement. I ran the engine for a timed 10 minutes turning the wheel back and forth over its entire range of 3 complete turns. I backed the car up and observed not one drop of power steering fluid leaked on to the pavement. 

[msmoby]

Maxx,

Glad to hear that you've got wheels, but I'd be paranoid about driving it without insurance - even if it isn't a legal requirement

What's the score if someone uninsured hits you when you ARE insured ?  Can you get cover to repair YOUR car ?  I'm guessing that isn't cheap  

[Maxx]

What's the score if someone uninsured hits you when you ARE insured ?  Can you get cover to repair YOUR car ?  I'm guessing that isn't cheap

I'll find out and let you know. I plan on getting to the insurance company today about mid-afternoon. The in's and out's of auto insurance is unknown for me here. My taxi driver aid said most people just work it out between themselves and most are responsible for their own repairs. The idea of pissing off a Georgian in an accident is not too appealing to me. These people YELL and scream and they can get REALLY emotional. I've seen it. My feeling repairs in Georgia are like medical/dental costs, a fraction of what they cost in the States. Of course if a car is totaled it is totaled. Georgians must be good drivers as I've seen very few accidents here. Probably the lack of insurance may have something to do with it. I have lived here more than a year and have seen only 3 or 4 accidents counting the one where someone drove into the river and it took weeks to find the body.

[andrewfi]

Moby is right. You are the rich foreigner and, as such, a target, especially given your 'extensive language skills'. You really need insurance 3rd party as a minimum. Fully comprehensive may be impossible in an environment where insurance of any kind is not mandatory but I'd get it I'd possible given that you have purchased a car that is not, for you, disposable.

With regard to costs, what you will probably find is that stuff that costs will cost. Labour is cheap and can be saved on, but parts, assuming that you use proper parts, will be much the same as anywhere else.

This is a thing I came to understand when I was in Moldova. There's two kind of costs. The first is local costs which depend on local labour and local resources. That's going to include food, rent, some clothing and locally made consumer goods. Then there's what I call world costs. World costs are the same almost anywhere because the goods are made in other countries and imported so, apart from taxes, the prices will be almost the same around the world.

Mercedes does not run a charity so they won't be giving away their parts just because folks in Georgia are less rich than Germany. However, you might find plenty of poor quality parts that seem to be cheap but that you'd be foolhardy to use.

[AvHdB]

Moby is right. You are the rich foreigner and, as such, a target, especially given your 'extensive language skills'. You really need insurance 3rd party as a minimum. Fully comprehensive may be impossible in an environment where insurance of any kind is not mandatory but I'd get it I'd possible given that you have purchased a car that is not, for you, disposable.

With regard to costs, what you will probably find is that stuff that costs will cost. Labour is cheap and can be saved on, but parts, assuming that you use proper parts, will be much the same as anywhere else.

This is a thing I came to understand when I was in Moldova. There's two kind of costs. The first is local costs which depend on local labour and local resources. That's going to include food, rent, some clothing and locally made consumer goods. Then there's what I call world costs. World costs are the same almost anywhere because the goods are made in other countries and imported so, apart from taxes, the prices will be almost the same around the world.

Mercedes does not run a charity so they won't be giving away their parts just because folks in Georgia are less rich than Germany. However, you might find plenty of poor quality parts that seem to be cheap but that you'd be foolhardy to use.

Moby and Andrew point to an issue that exists. You can if you go to eBay find the exact same part for your vehicle for wildly different prices. Some might be Bosch and some a cheap knock off from say China. In some cases you can use the China product.

In your situation I would learn the online help resources for your vehicle. Since the Merceds model is popular in North America you will find English You Tube sources for simple and not so simple repairs.

If you can find a local person (woman) to partner with you can have the best of all worlds.

[Maxx]

From Ana my Georgian connection.

[6/26/17, 2:15:03 PM] Ana: By the way, I wanted to ask you about car insurance. Would not you like to insure your car?
[6/26/17, 2:15:18 PM] Ana: If you want, just let me know.
[6/26/17, 2:16:39 PM] Maxx: I was planning going to Aldagi in about an hour
[6/26/17, 2:17:24 PM] Maxx: Do you have advice about auto insurance?
[6/26/17, 2:17:29 PM] Ana: You have choosen the best company for insuring your car
[6/26/17, 2:17:43 PM] Maxx: I see it was rated the best
[6/26/17, 2:17:51 PM] Maxx: And it is the biggest
[6/26/17, 2:18:25 PM] Ana: And one of my best friends works there
[6/26/17, 2:18:37 PM] Maxx: That is good
[6/26/17, 2:18:47 PM] Ana: I will give her your mobile phone number, she will call you and give you offer.
[6/26/17, 2:18:52 PM] Ana: Is that ok for you?
[6/26/17, 2:18:55 PM] Maxx: OK
[6/26/17, 2:18:59 PM] Maxx: Great!
[6/26/17, 2:19:14 PM] Ana: I will tell her that you are my friend so she will try to offer you the best package
[6/26/17, 2:19:32 PM] Maxx: OK  that will be much appreciated
[6/26/17, 2:23:54 PM] Ana: I've already sent her a message, she might be at the meeting in this moment, once she is free she will call you or she will ask her colleague to call you.
[6/26/17, 2:24:11 PM] Ana: Please wait first for the call from Aldagi

[6/26/17, 3:19:19 PM] Ana: Hi Dave
[6/26/17, 3:19:31 PM] Ana: I was right, she was at the meeting
[6/26/17, 3:19:40 PM] Maxx: Hi
[6/26/17, 3:20:00 PM] Ana: She said she will prepare all the neccessary documents and send them to me , so I will forward them to you.
[6/26/17, 3:20:10 PM] Maxx: Ok
[6/26/17, 3:20:14 PM] Ana: Is that ok for you?
[6/26/17, 3:20:19 PM] Maxx: Good
[6/26/17, 3:20:27 PM] Ana: Ok ))

[6/26/17, 4:15:55 PM] Ana: To calculate insurance fee, they need the following info:
[6/26/17, 4:18:56 PM] Ana:

 Vehicle make/model:

 Production year: 200X Year

 Vehicle current market price:         USD

 Insurer/Owner: 

 Authorized drivers Sex/Age:

 Driving experience more than 1 year:

 porpose of use: private or commercial

 TPL Limit/Premium: 5000$ 10000$ 25000$ 50000$ (it's about compensation that you'd like insuarance company to pay the other party you might damage)

 MPA limit/Premium: passanger insurance 20000$ 40000$?

[Maxx]

Since the Merceds model is popular in North America you will find English You Tube sources for simple and not so simple repairs.

It is extremely popular here also. I see Mercedes and Mercedes ML series everywhere. My guess is there is no lack of used parts for body repair.

[Olga_Mouse]

This is a thing I came to understand when I was in Moldova.

Moldova?    What did I miss? 

[andrewfi]

This is a thing I came to understand when I was in Moldova.

Moldova?    What did I miss? 

Nothing much,I was there for a while a few years ago.

[Maxx]

For one year's Aldagi insurance, $455.00
I get:
$10,000 for damages to the other person's car
$7,875 for damages to my car (full replacement cost plus license and transfer fees)
$20,000 for medical for injured drivers and passengers

My insurance card will get me 5 tetre per liter discount at Wissol Petroleum. Wissol and Lukoil are the two biggest fuel companies in Georgia.

[Maxx]

I am working on getting an increase in the amount for damage to the other person's car. There are three rates for $10K, $20K and $25K.

[Maxx]

I am working on getting an increase in the amount for damage to the other person's car. There are three rates for $10K, $20K and $25K.

I got the payout to $25,000 for the other person's car repair, $20,000 for medical (which is a LOT here) and $7,875 for repair or replacement of my vehicle. This covers the cost of my car and the 25% transfer tax. This is the super dooper deluxe maxi plan.

The cost of one year's insurance on the older quote for $10,000 for the others person's repairs was $455. For the new quote for $25,000 of coverage it is $489 a year. That is about $40 a month.

My car was photographed by the young woman of the agency. The best friend of a young Georgian woman I know. She came to my apartment by taxi cab and photographed my car in the parking lot. Afterwards she road along with me to show me where her office is. It is really difficult to find places here. There are almost ZERO street signs except the big highway signs on the outskirts of the city telling you which way to go to get to Istanbul, Baku, Erevan or Tehran. Tbilisi has some pretty wild roads that twist all over the place. 

All the documents I needed to get the auto insurance was my passport, the card I got at the Georgian DMV for my car ownership and a current US driver's license.

My car is insured for Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. The insurance takes effect midnight tonight. 

[andrewfi]

With that tiny price difference it isn't worth even considering the cheaper cover. The last thing you need is having a crash that wipes out the rest of your money. On strange roads and at your age these things need to be considered.

[Maxx]

With that tiny price difference it isn't worth even considering the cheaper cover. The last thing you need is having a crash that wipes out the rest of your money. On strange roads and at your age these things need to be considered.

Everything is a risk and the possibility of death is everywhere.

[andrewfi]

Yeah, and while it might not matter to you whether you live or die, if you go and run into a family on their weekend shopping trip wiping out their dad and mum, the kids left behind might well be less insouciant than you.

That's why we make sure that we have adequate cover; not so much for ourselves but for those we might harm.

Spending those few extra dollars protects other people while going some way to protecting you from the effect of a driving mistake of the type that folks entering old age tend to make more frequently than they did when younger.

[Maxx]

Yeah, and while it might not matter to you whether you live or die, if you go and run into a family on their weekend shopping trip wiping out their dad and mum, the kids left behind might well be less insouciant than you.

That's why we make sure that we have adequate cover; not so much for ourselves but for those we might harm.

Spending those few extra dollars protects other people while going some way to protecting you from the effect of a driving mistake of the type that folks entering old age tend to make more frequently than they did when younger.

I have the MAXIMUM Georgian insurance provides. What MORE can I do? Tell me should I kill myself? Should I remove myself from causing a risk to these poor people you so claim to care about? Andrew, within a blink of an eye you will be my age. Soon you will lie on your death bed staring at eternity. Maybe you should join me NOW and give up on life? I know Andrew you are a mind Phucker and that is what you do but couldn't you please put a stop to it if not for my sake but yours??

[2tallbill]

I have the MAXIMUM Georgian insurance provides. What MORE can I do?

You are in a beautiful country, with great food, amazing mountains,
that is filled with beautiful women. Life is good. Isiamovne! which is
Georgian for "enjoy it"

[andrewfi]

I was not being critical, just noting that the price difference between the lowest cost option and what you purchased was negligible.

I would have been very critical if you had purchased only basic 3rd party insurance because that's daft as well as selfish. But you didn't, so I wasn't.

[el_guero]

With that tiny price difference it isn't worth even considering the cheaper cover. The last thing you need is having a crash that wipes out the rest of your money. On strange roads and at your age these things need to be considered.

Everything is a risk and the possibility of death is everywhere.

Uh-oh.

[Maxx]

Old age and death is something we all try and push out of our mind. We think of it as being years and years off, decades and decades and we'll think about it later.

At age 45 I stood next to my mother in the hospital and watched my father take his last breath. Life support had kept him 'alive' as the body poisons bloated his body and pinched his face until he no longer looked human. He looked like a grey gargoyle and the sight of him terrified my mother. 

Years later approaching the age sixty I am told my mother has 6 months to a year to live. Her aorta valves were shutting down. Since she lived alone and was one of those "I've fallen and I can't get up" people I went and lived with her. Frankly being around someone that old and limited with all the reminders of old age was very depressing. Hearing aids on the table, dentures in a cup of water, stainless steel safety rails in the bathroom, walk-in shower with a sit down seat, an elevated toilet, a lift chair which she slept in. I slept in her hospital bed, the one later she died in, a picker upper and a power scooter. Being reminded by her that the receipt for her cremation was wrapped in aluminum foil, placed on a plastic bag and put in the freezer. On the door of that freezer was a note with a telephone number to call for someone who will come and take care of her body when she dies. Then there was my accident that almost killed me. Living in a nursing home with dying people. The octogenarian at my table was in chemo ate almost nothing and often rested his head on the table. The other guy Roy to my left said almost nothing and Maurice a sailor from World War 2 age 92 kept repeating his stories. Then I go back to living with my mother and I find myself using those same things for the elderly to get around. Then I come to this place and am reminded I am old and life is short. That I better hurry and find someone. Yes, I should. She should be a nurse or doctor in her 50s who is well past any mid-life criseses (is there such a word?).

The driving factor of seeking younger women is to avoid all those reminders of old age and death in the above paragraph. 

I shouldn't have snapped at you Andrew. 

[yankee]

My wife is leaving tomorrow to go to Russia for a few weeks.  She just found out that her best girl friend has only two months to live.  Ovarian cancer. not a fun trip for her