From: harry@delwatergap.com   
      
   Xeno said:   
      
   > If it has an immobiliser, it will likely have a chip in the fob. I'm   
   > pretty sure immobilisers have been in vogue since the 2000ish.   
      
   What would I look for in his truck to know if it has an immobilizer?   
   I've driven it myself.   
   a. You unlock the doors with the fob.   
   b. You start the ignition with the ignition key.   
      
   Where's the immobilizer coming into play?   
   How do I know if it's coming into play?   
      
      
   > If he's running a business, why does he not buy a new or newer more   
   > reliable vehicle rather than one that has had the life beaten out of in   
   > a *commercial endeavour*?? All the people I know who run a business put   
   > a *reliable* vehicle above a *cheap* vehicle. It is why the Toyota Hilux   
   > is the most popular ute out there in *industry*. As a business, you're   
   > not earning money when your vehicle is off the road getting fixed. The   
   > older and more clapped out that vehicle is, the more downtime you accrue   
   > - and the more *customers* lose faith in you. I thought this was a   
   > common sense thing but it appears common sense might not be as common as   
   > I thought.   
      
   You say the vehicle is unreliable. I asked him how many times it has broken   
   down in the past few months he has had it and he said a tire blew out once.   
      
   That's it.   
   How unreliable is that?   
      
   > There are times when you need concern yourself with the concept of   
   > throwing good money after bad. If you're running a business, ROI is a   
   > critical aspect.   
      
   For decades I've heard people making decisions that are just not sensible   
   such as doing something so that a vehicle when sold has extra value.   
      
   It's a depreciating asset.   
   It makes no sense to do anything to a depreciating asset simply for the   
   purpose of maintaining it's resale value in my humblest of opinions.   
      
   At least that is what I was taught when I last took economics decades ago.   
      
   > You are displaying a clear ignorance of *residual value* so pointless   
   > discussing this particular issue further with you.   
      
   Maybe. But it's a used vehicle. A used vehicle is cheaper BECAUSE it's   
   used. You take some risk when you buy a used vehicle.   
      
   That's how it works.   
   You can lecture me all you want about how you would have bought a brand new   
   vehicle but that doesn't help to answer the questions posed.   
      
   > If you don't have infinite money, and you need a *reliable* vehicle for   
   > a business, then you *borrow* the money for the purchase and claim the   
   > repayments against your tax. That's the way all the business people   
   > operate that I know, to the extent they *lease* their vehicles.   
      
   There is no evidence the vehicle isn't reliable enough for his needs.   
   If you have infinite money, I get it that you'd buy a new vehicle.   
   But he doesn't have infinite money. He's barely breaking even.   
      
   Anyway, lectures don't help solve the questions asked, do they?   
      
   I'm hoping the key isn't chipped (as I don't see evidence that it is).   
   I'm also hoping that if it is chipped, that programming can be done by the   
   individual like it is with many cars (I've done it for a Toyota).   
      
   I've even removed the immobilizer for a toyota (which was as simple as   
   pulling out the ignition relay and replacing it with the stock relay).   
      
   But I don't see any overt evidence that it even has an immobilizer.   
   How would I know?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)