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Hot Rods I'm in California

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by hemiwheelstand, Aug 31, 2018.

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  1. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    Hi eveyone,as the title says that is where I am. By the way if you don't know I'm the guy on here with the wheelstander. I came for an interview at a Escondido hot rod shop. All went very well and the job is mine to take,housing is the big issue!!!!!!! I really,really like Valley Center,but we shall see. I need space , but I don't know if I can swing it. That will ultimately determine if I take the job. Anybody in the Escondido area? I leave for PA Tuesday morning.
     
    chryslerfan55 likes this.
  2. lumpy 63
    Joined: Aug 2, 2010
    Posts: 2,603

    lumpy 63
    Member

    Hot Rods and Custom stuff?
     
    chryslerfan55 likes this.
  3. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    Yep
     
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  4. lumpy 63
    Joined: Aug 2, 2010
    Posts: 2,603

    lumpy 63
    Member

    Please check the cost of living in Ca verses Pa . I'm pretty sure you will see a big difference. Crunch the numbers hard . Not trying to discourage you but make sure you have all the facts before you decide. I've lived here my whole life but come retirement ...Az is looking pretty good.
     
    czuch, 31hotrodguy, loudbang and 7 others like this.

  5. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    I understand your concern and have been looking at tons of info
    But I had to come to see for myself and talk with real people. And you just can't compare PA to CA they are just too different! I've tried and it doesn't work. Randy told me to take time to ultimately decide if this place is right for me and that the job can be mine if I would like. The thing is I have lived my entire life in the country in the same house I grew up in which I now own. I am willing to bend quite a bit but i do have lines i will not cross like city/urban living I have only known
    country life and city life is too different. So we will see.......
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2018
  6. Sky Six
    Joined: Mar 15, 2018
    Posts: 9,480

    Sky Six
    Member
    from Arizona

    Lumpy 63 is correct. I lived in California all my life until retirement. The cost of living, the traffic, housing costs, basically everything is off the chart. Escondido is a beautiful little city but you will be paying up the nose to exist. The purchase price of a home there will make you pass out.
    Best of luck to you though.
     
    czuch, 31hotrodguy, loudbang and 2 others like this.
  7. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    That's why I am here now to really see if it is even possible . My dreams have always been beyond my grasp.......I at least have

    to try or I believe I just might regret not seeing for my own eyes what it would take to actually do this
    Do you remember what it is like to dream big?
     
    egads, Baumi, clunker and 1 other person like this.
  8. firingorder1
    Joined: Dec 15, 2006
    Posts: 2,147

    firingorder1
    Member

    I've lived here most of my life. My house is paid off but looking at some of the house prices I can tell you I won't be moving anytime soon. If you don't try it you'll be like the virgin spinster. You'll die wondering. My Dad used to tell me if you don't try, you can't fail. Equally you can't succeed. The best of luck in whatever direction choose.
     
  9. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    Thank you
    If it isn't right then that is the reality but if it is how would I know if i don't try.
     
    chryslerfan55 likes this.
  10. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,143

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    Welcome to the West Coast or as we call it up here "the wet coast"
    Are you still planning on doing some exhibition bookings with the wheelstander when it's finished?
    Wonder what the rent is in TJ.;)
     
  11. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    Yes I have more years of work in the dodge than most people stay married for. I didn't build it to look at and tell people look what I built. The only reason to built it was to drive it and yes maybe make a little money and make people smile with it.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  12. deucemac
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 1,483

    deucemac
    Member

    San Diego will kill you. Look at north county inland.
     
  13. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,264

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Yup. Up, and in.
     
    Darryl Deir likes this.
  14. exterminator
    Joined: Apr 21, 2006
    Posts: 1,695

    exterminator
    Member

    Check out areas like Perris, Ramona, maybe Hemet for cheaper houses.You would be a little commute but I believe I might be more affordable. Or ask for a pay raise. LOL
     
    51 mercules likes this.
  15. catdad49
    Joined: Sep 25, 2005
    Posts: 6,401

    catdad49
    Member

    All Dreams come at a price. Hope you can swing it without compromise. Best of Luck, Carp.
     
    INVISIBLEKID and lothiandon1940 like this.
  16. Congrats on the job offer. Hope it all works out for you. Just curious, and maybe I'm getting too personal, but how old is Randy now? He's been building great hot-rods for what seems like forever. I understand if that's too sensitive a question to even ask.
     
  17. I can only give you my experience..wanted to move there since I was around 10 yo..grew up racing BMX, skateboarding, and bought surfer magazines all through my teen years...to me it was like heaven on earth. I graduated in the mid 80’s and worked while going to colllege because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. In 92 I went out there for a try to find a job, place to live, and see if it was possible trip. I quickly found out I didn’t have the skills to get a job that paid me enough to live out there and survive. I also wondered “how do the folks at Vons live” I came back to Michigan and put my head down and got to work...also got serious with a girl..that was it...I have a great life now and I’m blessed with a great family, a nice home, a couple nice old cars.....but I still love to talk about my trip to So Cal....I still have the home buying books..coulda bought a nice little ranch home in HB off the 405 and Beach Blvd for 175,000 back then....I’m sure that’s a 700K home now.
    Sounds like you’ve got a solid skill set, there’s a ton of places to work in the industry out there, and it sounds like your fine living inland...you also know it will never be PA from a cost of living standpoint...but man those east coast winters will be a thing of the past...to me that’s pricelsss. My Wife and I have our plan to retire somewhere with palm trees and no snow..I’ll live out my childhood dreams in my late 50’s early 60’s I guess..you have the opportunity to do it now...go for it!!! As you get older and time goes by faster you start to realize you only have one life, so make the most of every day. Good Luck to you!
     
    czuch and INVISIBLEKID like this.
  18. To the OP; I’m curious; male or female? How old are you? Are you married? Do you have kids? Are you leaving a career?

    Before I chime in with mho, I would like to understand your situation. I’m assuming you don’t mind sharing with hambers since your posting about this.

    Sounds like a great opportunity. Give So Cal a chance, just because rents are high don’t pass on a really good opportunity, everything else is more or less the same price as anywhere else. Good luck.


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  19. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    If you are young then I say go for it! If you are older there are many things to condier as stated by many already.

    I lived in Wildomar, about 40 minutes north and my ex worked in Escondido. I had a one acre lot on a private road so it wasn't bad and I bought it from the bank after the crash and got a good deal on it. Valley Center is really nice and as mentioned, other areas like Ramona are a little cheaper (don't even think about Hemet! :eek:Very bad area now). Wildomar, Murrieta, Temecula may still have some deals and I think prices are stabilizing now.

    I moved to SoCal from NH in 1988 and it was quite nice then and a hot rodding paradise. Things just went downhill over the years and it ain't what it used to be. The Pomona swap meet sucks now and look at what the LARS has become. :( And then the traffic, cost of gas, cost of everything, taxes, ever increasing heat and humidity, screwed up state politics (do some research on current prop 6), and lastly the abundance of messed up people. For me, the negatives overwhelmed the positives and "I caught the midnight train to Georgia" and got the hell out.

    You may have a different perspective as a new arrival and not knowing how nice it used to be. Just do your research on cost of living and taxes. Drive around the area as much as possible. Go to stores and do day to day living stuff to get a better feel of things (every place is nice when you are on vacation or just visiting).

    Another big difference from the east is people drive a lot. It can take a couple hours to go 30 miles, sometimes way longer. The West is big too so people tend to go many miles on weekend trips (to Bay Area and north, Havasu and the River, Vegas, etc. 400+ miles one way is nothing).

    If you have a family that is another consideration. Good luck with whatever you do.
     
  20. Special Ed
    Joined: Nov 1, 2007
    Posts: 7,967

    Special Ed
    Member

    I live about 6 or 7 miles from Randy's shop. Don't let these guys scare you. California is the 5th largest economy in the world. It doesn't matter where you live, everything is relative. If California is so unaffordable, as some are suggesting, forty million people couldn't afford to be living here.
    If you want it, go for it. Nobody ever got ahead by listening to naysayers. Follow your dreams.
     
    Darryl Deir, czuch, wingnutz and 11 others like this.
  21. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,198

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    Compare the price of flip-flops to the cost of a pair of Sorrel snow boots. Or a Northface parka to a hoodie. We’re fortunate to be able to spend winters in San Diego and have first hand experience on the differences with other areas. Yes, traffic is a bitch unless you can set your work schedule or live in an area that allows you to commute against the traffic flow. On the other hand, you don’t have to find storage for mounted mud and snow tires. As Special Ed said, ignore the naysayers and make the decision based on your own findings. BTW, it’s less that a 30 minute drive from Escondido to the beach on the Del Dios Highway.
     
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  22. Sean Harris
    Joined: Sep 1, 2018
    Posts: 1

    Sean Harris
    Member

    Myself, and about a hundred other people have worked at HRCS over the years and left. It is a place you will stay for about a max of two years unless you are a glutton for punishment. If you need experience it would be a good jumper, just a heads up before you move your entire life around.
     
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  23. 51504bat
    Joined: May 22, 2010
    Posts: 4,755

    51504bat
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Stay away from Temecula -traffic sucks in town and the commute south towards San Diego is brutal during rush hour. I moved from PA to SoCal in 1966. Big culture shock for a guy just starting high school. After a brief but tough period of adjustment California was where I wanted to be but things have really gone down hill in the last 10 years or so IMHO. That said Northern San Diego County is a nice area but as others have said, pricey. Good luck with whatever you decide.
     
  24. hemiwheelstand
    Joined: Sep 29, 2012
    Posts: 101

    hemiwheelstand
    Member

    Hello again. Just for the record a brief who I am. I am a 37 year old man,with no kids,no wife,no girlfriend, no personal baggage. I don't drink,smoke,no drugs of any sort. Not a tattoo,piercing,or any thing that would deter somebody from shaking my hand with a smile. I really started this journey over a year and a half ago,with a "wake up stupid moment" what are you doing,why are you still here,where did everyone go in my life? I have all my stuff cars,bikes , trucks, and even guitars, and a few friends,but I built a box for my self around the age of 16 and didn't come out until over a year ago and really found a different world than the one I remember. I'll just finish my siliaque buy saying that if cars are what I am clearly good at, and PA no longer feels like home to me for many reasons. I have to find out if being here actually is right for me. I would also like to thank everybody for advice,personal stories ,and in site on maybe what will be to this point the biggest choice I have ever had to make in my life. Keep posting.
     
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  25. scrap_metal
    Joined: Sep 26, 2017
    Posts: 182

    scrap_metal
    Member

    Coming from the country I would look more inland Like some have said. Any were in the foothills and desert areas especially if your look for space. One thing is hope traffic is not a issue for you. You will send 3-4 hour driving a day. Yesterday it took me 2 hours to drive 35 miles in the middle of the day and 3 to get back. This was LA traffic not as bad in san Diego. Maybe try renting a room for a couple of months to see if it will work out for you. Best of luck.
     
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  26. MAN, I miss San Diego....
     
  27. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,179

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    like trying to buy a home anywhere, depends on your budget/credit rating, etc -hope that you have looked at sites like Zillow, etc for buying or maybe leasing/renting - good luck
     
  28. thirtytwo
    Joined: Dec 19, 2003
    Posts: 2,639

    thirtytwo
    Member

    I’ve found blue collar type work here is not paid very well and most people here view you as second class citizens ....
    Women here don’t like guys with greasy hands and make less than six figures

    .hot rod shops seem to pay better than any factory or machine shop wage here which seems to be comparable to rest of the country ,BUT a shitty little 1,000 sq ft house in a decent neighborhood is close to 400k right now , even if you paid for it in cash your looking at $500 a month to the tax man just to live there... that’s rent in most states

    Average wages here hover around $25 hr some more and most a lot less (I got offered $12 an hr to be a Cnc machinist)...and if a hotrod shop tries to do salary..... tell them to shove it up their ass .. you’ll be working 10-12 hr days and Saturday... there is always going to be a show or some reason to work extra time “ to make sure it gets done” ....when you actually figure your hourly then it will be more like 15$ No vacation pay, no holiday pay , maybe a couple sick days if your lucky... of coarse all the rich guys will come in and tell you you have their dream job as your working on their car... all perspective I guess

    California will squeeze you on restrictions and fees.... I know a guy that put a 30x30 pole building up in valley center ......permits and everything was over 100k before it was done, what’s that cost in PA?

    North County SD is a awesome place ,if your rich.... if not ....it’s a nail biter if your gonna be able to pay the bills every month

    It seems to me a lot of the automotive industry has shifted to the Carolinas , even California business have moved there, lot closer to PA!

    If it’s your dream to move here try it temporarily see what shakes out, when the novelty wears off you may find yourself home sick

    If you got hustle you can make it work... but it will age you fast! Of coarse won’t be a lot of extra time to actually enjoy California
     
  29. If you don't try, you'll never know.
     
    wingnutz and Special Ed like this.
  30. I have a friend who moved from the LeHigh Valley. He keeps a snow shovel above his mantle to remind him of the winters there.
     
    wingnutz and Russ B like this.
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