XPost: or.politics, or.general   
   From: seniorr@aracnet.com   
      
   >>>>> "Bill" == Bill Shatzer  writes:   
      
   Bill> Still, might I suggest an AAA membership?  You're both going to   
   Bill> be hauling around that little bundle of joy shortly and AAA is   
   Bill> useful for more than just flat tires.   
      
   >> My parents used to have a AAA membership.  That is, until we needed   
   >> some roadside assistance and were told that it would be 8 hours   
   >> before they could arrive.  In central Seattle.  That was the end of   
   >> that.  Admittedly "some time ago", but still.   
      
   Bill> [...] But it's still gonna be shorter than if you called a tow   
   Bill> company direct yourself.   
      
   It wasn't that one time.  And that pretty much spelled the end of our   
   faith in the benefits of AAA.  The impression we got then was that   
   they had N (such that N was a small integer) sources of towing, and   
   they were backed up for no obvious reason.  Weather was fine.  We were   
   in the center of a large metropolis.  Someone walked a couple blocks   
   to a phone booth and got a non-AAA tow in about 30 minutes.  AAA   
   arrived 7.5 hours later to find the shredded remains of our AAA card   
   drifting along the pavement.   
      
   For what it's worth, I haven't really needed roadside assistance since   
   I sold the 1969 BMW 2002 with 200k miles on it, about 20 years ago.   
   Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe I chose reliable cars (thereafter) to   
   drive.   
      
      
   --   
   Russell Senior         ``I have nine fingers; you have ten.''   
   seniorr@aracnet.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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