A.I.M. Users Bulletin Board

[Bob Zumbrunnen]

I see that none other than the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, is paraphrasing you, Tom. "I'm fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."

BTW, got the Mustang running again a few days ago and drove it to the office yesterday on year-old Hoosiers. Soooo nice to have that car not only running again, but a fresh motor that feels like a huge upgrade making just over stock horsepower. And it IS a huge upgrade. It's probably making around 240 and the old engine dyno'd last year at 160. 27k track miles will do that to a motor.

To delve even further off-topic, I'm in a serious state of agitation right now because I really do have a full plate at work (Talkzilla stuff) but if I loaded up the cars and headed to Topeka right now, I could spend 3 days playing on the racetrack, which I've only done 3 or 4 times this year. "I wanna go fast", Tom. I was already jonesing when I got pulled over in the STi for doing 72 in a 55 and started paying attention and found out how difficult and miserable it is forcing myself to do the posted speed limit in that car. Driving the Mustang yesterday poured fuel all over that fire!

3 or 4 weekends (one of which was only a 1-day outing sponsored by iHub/Talkzilla) is abusive to a guy who's accustomed to doing 12-16 weekends a year.

And I can't wait to do BIR and RA in the Stang. I decided to throw a spare/fresh racing tranny in the Stang while I had it apart, and it turns out it's got a MUCH shorter 5th gear. I think it's like .85 to 1 vs the stock .65 or thereabouts. A real usable 5th. With that gearing, I think 150-160 should be doable on either of those tracks. With the stock 2.73 rearend (I'm at 3.55), the car supposedly topped out at 146 mph stock and you had to use 4th gear for that. I'm thinking that at BIR, I might even be able to reach peak hp rpm in 5th now.

I probably should take this elsewhere, but this is the easiest place to find you. Are you using a T5 in the Pumpkin and, if so, is it the stock 5th gear, and if so, is 5th a usable/non-punishing cog given that car's aerodynamics and light weight? I had to use 5th at BIR and RA on my previous visits and it was hugely punishing everywhere but that downhill run to T5 at RA and even there it definitely wasn't ideal. And aren't you using something like a 3.08 rear because of the light weight?

Should be a huge difference between the stock cog on 160 horses and the new cog on ~240.

Come hell or high water, I'm doing RA next year. Have only 5 or 6 days on that track and it's easily my favorite, with MAM a close 2nd (and I'm going to get more insistent about you flying down and using the Mustang there next year -- I still owe you big for your generosity on my RA visit). The hugeness of BIR, but the technical appeal of MAM and elevation changes unlike any track I've been on.

To get back on-topic, though I try not to have a "favorite" stock (it implies an emotional aspect to a position), but do you or anyone else have an opinion regarding ACAS? I've been seriously loading up on it at prices that give an effective dividend yield darned close to 30%. Though I haven't been using strict A.I.M rules with that position, I've been using the philosophy in general. Adding on weakness, lightening up on strength. It's gradually become my largest (dollar-wise) holding by a substantial margin.

And I'm at the lowest cash level (as a % of worth) I can ever remember being at, as I've been buying solid companies lately with dividend yield being a secondary decisive factor, but an absolute rule that all of my new purchases and additions do pay at least 4% based on my purchase price. Though my expectation of capital appreciation has been the most important buy/don't buy criterium, I'm not even looking at anything that doesn't pay at least 4% dividends based on current prices.

Bush talking BEFORE the market open for a change this morning. Will be watching futures and see if he tanks them as much as he typically tanks the market whenever he gets CNBC airtime.


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