Parts and Ammo

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Some people are stocking up on ammunition, which is never a bad idea as ammo retains its value better than gold or silver and – unlike gold and silver- is actually useful in and of itself.

Another item of similar usefulness to consider stocking up on is service/replacement parts for your car, which may become hard-to-get in the weeks and months and (god help us) years ahead as well as more expensive to get.

And not just in terms of money.

Things like engine oil and filters, tune-up parts (e.g., spark plugs, spare spark plug wires, coils, distributor caps, brake pads) and the other items that need to be periodically replaced to keep the wheels turning. You may want to have them stocked up before they are no longer stocked.

And before youā€™re forced to join the Sickness Cult as the condition of being allowed to buy them. Not just at the store, either.

What if – and these what ifs are no longer extreme scenarios – it becomes a Bidenite ā€œmandateā€ that in order to buy – even online – you must produce evidence of The Jab having been received? Pope Fauci XVII has already been so intimating and in a week or so theĀ  Jehovah’s Witness of Sickness will no longer be constrained to merely intimate. It is expected that, once anointed, the new Defender of the Faith, Joe Biden, will decree the universal wearing of the Holy Rag and it is likely he will follow up with a requirement for a more permanent induction into the Sickness Cult via the ministrations of the Holy Jab.

This will not be enforced by law, probably. Religious movements donā€™t need laws when they have the power of excommunication.

Apostates and heretics will simply be cast out. Excluded from life, shunned. The Holy will turn their backs on them – and close their doors to them.

They are not ā€œof the body.ā€

Some kind of digital certificate of baptism may become the prerequisite not only to enter an establishment but to buy online as well. Bear in mind who owns Amazon and what Amazon has already shown it is more than willing to do to those who donā€™t think – donā€™t beeelieve – correctly.

What then?

Another possibility is that parts for non-electric cars will be made massively more expensive, so as to create an incentive to get rid of non-electric cars by making it too expensive to “cling” to them.

Bear in mind the Green New Deal and the open promise to “electrify” the country by 2030. This will not happen by asking.

There will be telling.

It could come in the form of taxes applied to anything having to do with the upkeep of a non-electric car, such as a 50 percent applied to every quart of oil. That is probably not high enough, of course, to “nudge” people away from oil changes. It will take something analogous to the way Freon – remember Freon? – was made (via taxes) massively more expensive than it once was, from about $5 per can to about $100 per can today.

This technique has already been applied to guns. Without ammo, a gun is as useful as a car without gas. But there is resistance to gun bans. Instead, just make ammo more and more expensive, such that it becomes too expensive to shoot. Or require that gun owners pay an annual exorbitant fee to retain legal possession of the gun. Better yet, do that and tax the ammo.

Or the oil. Or the tires.

Soon, very few people will be “clinging.”

Such a thing could be coming with regard to cars that aren’t electric. The same mentality is behind both things, remember. It is a mentality that brooks no dissent even as it mouths pieties about “tolerance” and “diversity” . . . provided one agrees and obeys.

Otherwise, it becomes very intolerant indeed.

There is compromising with these people; no live – and let live. Make no mistake. They are going for broke and will do anything and everything necessary to shut down opposition. This will include shutting down the opposition’s ability to get around.

Getting through the next several weeks, months and (god help us) years may come down to having everything we need to get through them on hand rather than out of our hands.

Buy now, while you still can.

. . . .

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38 COMMENTS

  1. I just had to order a replacement spare tire carrier hoist for the Lexus. Apparently, the tire shop in Texas 4 years ago used an air wrench on it, and cranked it so hard to where it won’t drop the spare anymore (found out when I bought new tires). It’s taken over a week to arrive (COVID supply chain issues), and I feel lucky that it’s even available for a 16 year old SUV. I think that because they’re commonly damaged/destroyed in rear-end crashes, they have stayed in production.

    So far as having a stockpile of parts for your older vehicle – what do you pick to stash away? I can see having one or two coilpacks, an exhaust manifold, or maybe a catalytic converter because an EV won’t have any of those. The aftermarket can supply parts like radiators, and differentials/transfer cases are very rebuildable. But would you plan to have a spare tire hoist on hand? Probably not.

  2. LOLOLOLOL…………………..and practically “everyone” in the good ‘ole USA was laughing at people stocking up for Y2K………………………

  3. FWIW, saw a guy today at the oil change/tire shop I go to buying four new tires for his truck (to take away) even though he was only down half tread on his. Not saying it never happened but I never saw that before today. Mentioned it to another customer who dismissed my suggestion that it was the guy ā€œgetting ahead of things like scarcity or inflationā€ and the guy said ā€œnah, he probably just got them cheaper here in NC (guy had VA plates).

  4. One thing to keep in mind if you try to stock up on motor oil is that it doesn’t last forever. According to this – https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/what-is-the-shelf-life-of-motor-oil – you can expect to have to use it or lose it in 2-5 years, depending on the brand, additives, synthetic/non, etc. Of course, I’m not exactly a real big car guy, so perhaps Eric can shed some light on this. But if it does indeed have a shelf life, then rotating stock would be a wise idea.

  5. Yes.

    It is easy to imagine a time in the not-too-distant future when Amazon and ebay refuse to sell any parts for internal combustion vehicles (like the already refuse to sell Confederate flags) and banks and credit cards refuse to process business related to ICE vehicles.

    Did you see how Government Motors just changed it’s logo to represent the “electric vehicle future”?

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/cars/new-gm-logo/index.html

    • Don’t forget that you will have to prove you are not, and never have been, involved in or supporting anything to the right of Pelosi ideals.

      Otherwise, “No Parts For You!”

      Republicans need not apply.

  6. Hell, how about the emissions tests, such as the one which keeps me from driving my reasonably fuel-efficient S-10, and forces me to drive my 350-powered Chevy truck instead?
    Of course, I could always gamble and drive without the Sticker of Automotive Anointment, but that could quickly get expensive.

  7. “The hardest, most powerful 3 words any English speaker can say is ā€œI. Was. Wrong.ā€”

    It is easier to fool a man than to convince him that he was fooled. -Twain

    Twain got it wrong though.

    It is easier to fool a man than to have him ADMIT he was fooled. They know they were fooled, but fools think denial trumps reality.

  8. eric “remember Freon? ā€“ was made literally 100 times as expensive as it once was, from about $5 per can to about $100 per can today.”

    Just nitpicking but, you really have to work on your math skills.

  9. A friend of mine got the holy jab and she posted a picture on facebook of her vaccination card. If all that’s needed to remain a bona fide member of society is this paper card, that’s easy enough to remedy. The worry from a practical standpoint is if there’s some sort of chipping technology or electronic signature or something that makes it impossible to copy, but I bet some techo geek can figure that one out too.
    Philosophically, I believe it’s beneath the dignity of Americans to be required to display a card to participate in American society, which belongs to all of us, not just virus experts. It seems like a copout to just get a fake card so you can appear sheeplike, even though you know in your heart – or at least hope, anyway – that you are not a sheep.
    But it might be a solution if you don’t want the fight, but also don’t want the shot. It’s overt rabble rousing and fighting vs. Irish Democracy.
    Speaking of ammo, I just saw two instances of it being used as currency. My husband won a TV at work that we don’t want or need. He traded it to a coworker for $100 and 100 rounds of 9mm, which I’m told is the hardest one to get right now. A few days later, the two of them traded a piece of earth moving machinery for $200 and 1,000 rounds of 9mm. Interesting to see this happening.

    • Hi Amy,

      I see a new industry arising over fake vac cards. God bless the Black Market. I never appreciated what they did until it was needed. Of course, there is also the opportunity to “hire” someone with a vaccine card to get what you need. This could be a lucrative business. I would pay handsomely (not with my ammo though). šŸ™‚

    • We are going to have to relearn how to trade and barter too. Especially if paper cash goes the way of the dodo.

      All things will be tracked, and bartering will be about the only way to buck that.

    • I get what you mean about not being a sheep, certainly my position with the diaper. I have to fly for work and to see the family. You already cede your rights to fly, and pay the AGWs $100 every 5 years to get a few back. I’m not defending it, but personally I’m not at a point to go scorched earth just yet. At some point we’re all going to have to provide at least some appearance of compliance or we’re going to be sent to the camps.

      I’ve said this before, but my grandfather spent 13 years as a political prisoner in communist labor camps in communist Czechoslovakia. Was it worth it for him to stand up and watch everyone else ignore you anyway? I can’t answer that. I’m just getting to the point where I don’t see enough liberty minded people in this country to justify the effort anymore. There aren’t enough people who give a damn anymore. You mention rights and they state back at you with this blank confused stare. They think you’re the crazy one for even suggesting anything besides conformity with the sickness cult. “We have to stay safe.”

      Look at the DC protests. The elites had to fabricate “an attack on the capitol” because to many conservatives and libertarians won’t stand up for themselves. Clearly they want a fight, but no one wants to join. I’m certainly not saying I’m any better, because I certainly am not joining any fight right now.

      Sorry for the rambling, but we’re basically screwed either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Hopefully there’s a place to go in the SHTF scenario that appears to be appon us.

      • My wifeā€™s family has Czech ancestry and the stories of the communist takeover are chilling, especially in light of whatā€™s going on now. Back then, there were those who escaped to the US somehow, those who fought and perished, and those who were imprisoned and worse. This is a great interview with former PM of Czech Rep and a survivor of the communist era, where he compares to the world of today to his experiences with communism.

        https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/01/no_author/vaclav-klaus-interview/

      • Hi Mattacks,

        I understand trying to just get by but the problem is they will demand more and more – until there is nothing left. This is not ’80s or ’90s-era East Bloc communism, which by then had become a tired faith. This is 1920s Soviet communism – and it’s murderously rabid.

        • Eric, I definitely agree with you that it’s 20s-50s communism at the least, and will probably be even worse this time around. I just don’t see us having the numbers to do anything about it. It seems like there just aren’t any good options.

          The ministry of truthiness is out in force silencing the dissenters like us. If something like Parker can be shut down, what’s going to keep little bugs like us from being squashed? I wonder how long it will be before your site is taken offline by your host. Hopefully you have a few overseas backups planned.

          It just seems like there are no good options left. The time to act was before all this sickness cult ideology was ingrained in everyone. I know those of us here tried, but today’s safety mindset won. Personal responsibility is gone, and the citizenry is programmed to want big daddy government to tuck them in at night and kiss them on the forehead. People aren’t worried about privacy anymore. For the most part, they will welcome the government into their lives and homes with open arms. That leaves plenty of AGWs to deal with us.

        • well the problem is theres nowhere to go. i know in mexico mask enforcement is -ahem- uneven and i could drive there from where I live. Soon the holy jab will be required to fly anywhere. But yes we have lost the communists won. Thanks to OM and his wormtongued son in law and gross daughter. Any resistance will get you in a pine box underground or a concrete box above ground.

        • The communist takeover in Czechoslovakia after WWII was no joke. Comparable to 20s Soviet Union. Same tactics. Same devastation. Attempts to moderate in ā€˜68 were put down ruthlessly.

        • eric, thanks for the reminder. That made me realize I only have about 3 gallons of Amsoil motor oil and one filter left and 24 qts. of transmission fluid and enough 80-90 W to completely replace all on my truck with some extra. That reminds me, I need to order some new valve cover gaskets. I already knew I was going to buy everything knew for the front steering and have replaced the front bearings.

  10. ‘There is no compromising with these people; no live and let live. Make no mistake.’ — EP

    ‘Conciliation is not an option,’ as the WaPo’s angry harpy Megan Kate Nelson announced in advocating 1871-style Reconstruction at federal gunpoint for recalcitrant red states and their citizen-deplorables.

    Predictably, the New York Slimes ā€“ another key propaganda organ of the United Socialist Front along with Bezos’s extremist WaPo ā€“ features a slimy editorial this morning headlined Impeach Trump Again.

    As the US constitution lies prostrate in a dark morgue, filthy media cockroaches noisily gnaw away its tattered parchment.

    Smash the Lugenpresse. Strip and whip the Tech Lords. We are ungovernable.

    • “As the US constitution lies prostrate in a dark morgue, filthy media cockroaches noisily gnaw away its tattered parchment.”

      How morosely graphic, Jim. I’m impressed! EPAutos draws the finest people. šŸ™‚

  11. Well, I haven’t bought any car parts yet but I did pick up a single burner butane/propane camp stove, a lantern, and a gallon of lamp oil. Instead of buying single cans of things like beans, tomatoes, and soup, I buy an entire skid of them. I’m thinking in terms of months and not days or weeks any more.

    • Hi PappaS,

      If you don’t mind me asking where are you able to purchase an entire skid of canned goods? You may not want to share, but I did want to inquire if you were in a giving mood. šŸ˜‰

      I do have a pretty good prepper pantry going, but I have been buying items four at a time or covertly. The last thing I want is someone coming to my home and demand me to hand over my 40 cans of black beans.

  12. Good morning Eric,

    Good advice on stocking up on car parts. I actually did not think of that and it never hurts to have a few fuel filters, a few gallons of oil, and a couple of brake pads laying around.

    Us, apostates have already been cast out. We have been scorned since the beginning and it is becoming more prevalent in our daily lives. Curbside pick up and sneaking onto backwoods farms has become my life. I have visited more battlefields in the last year than I have in the last 20 combined. The beach and hiking trails have become the only two places I feel that the world isnā€™t off their rocker. Fortunately, it still seems taboo to wear a mask on a beach, very few do, so it is quite literally, a breath of fresh air.

    Just as they donā€™t mandate the flu shot or how you can skirt the system around other ā€œrequiredā€ vaccines, I believe the jab wonā€™t be required except by air travel, some employers, and school districts. It is likely air travel may renege on this once they realize they are no longer profitable, but it will probably be a sticking point for a few years.

    At the end of the day money is the only think that still talks.

    • Air travel has not been profitable for a very long time. Some say The airline industry has never turned a profit.
      Money talks is a huge problem when it’s been usurped by government. Since they pipeline it out to connected statist and dribble out enough to keep the kulaks compliant until they can implement their final solution.
      The only answer I have is to pray and have faith that this won’t go on too long.

      • Hi Ernie,

        I don’t think this will last too much longer. The Dem governors coffers are running dry. It must be hard to be NY: $15 billion in the hole and half of your millionaires have left. Who is going to buy those big homes in the Hamptons and the NYC penthouses? They may even lose a house seat….hopefully, it is AOC’s.

        • I don’t know about the Hamptons, but NYC real estate has taken a SWAN DIVE in to the toilet! The last time I checked, rents are down like 30%. Moreover, it shows no sign of bottoming out yet…

          • Hi MM,

            Karma, it is all karma. šŸ™‚ If I had a few million laying around I may actually purchase a few lofts and just sit and wait for about 10 years. I could probably make a pretty good ROI.

          • See Catherine Austin Fitts website for her take on disaster capitalism and the real reason for the riots in the summer and how it plays out for those billionaires who buy up these properties at fire sale prices. Also, how close much of this real estate is to Fed Reserve districts. A real eye opener.

    • The fact that the hiking trails and beaches are the places you find peace is a good thing. It’s evident that, truly in nature, all is well. It’s men and women’s inner dis-ease that is bubbling over and producing this fevered state.

      And God help us trying to get them to change. The hardest, most powerful 3 words any English speaker can say is “I. Was. Wrong.”

      • Hi Michael,

        True, the great outdoors is the last semblance of sanity left. The maskholes are becoming more radical and unjustifiably insane. My parents (who are almost 70) left a nice dinner the other night and was walking through an alley where a few tables with restaurant goers were dining. My parents were not masked, since they were outside and walking to their car. A woman (younger than them) made a rude under the breath comment about my mother to her sissy ass party of three about her being selfish and not protecting others. My mother (who has more decorum than her daughter) ignored the woman and kept walking. Thankfully, her eldest daughter was not with her, because I guarantee a commotion would have taken place.

        • Indeed, civilization began to expire when duels of honor were banned. It’s a shame Aaron Burr got Hamilton too late. Things are much more civilized when there is an immediate and obvious penalty for being rude and stupid. The same goes for “organized” crime and gangs. They have an important place and when government usurped it very bad things have happened.

      • Around me, the guv diaper ā€œmandatesā€ have really twisted people up. Itā€™s a tourist area in season and itā€™s not always easy to tell where people stand (an insidious stated goal of aforementioned mandates). When folks are in an unfamiliar place they tend to not want to anger the ā€œlocalsā€, some of whom, I am sorry to admit, are rabid diaperers. Even in nature. I live near a very unpopulated beach and, even here, during the past year have encountered diaperers at the beach. A handful took it real serious, even in 100 degree heat with 100% humidity. They know they look foolish but they act like hardened cadres or die hard cultists. Maybe heavy anti-Trump virtue signaling as well. We point and snicker at them behind their backs. Others halfhearedly pull their scarf or gaiter up as they approach you on the trail to the beach and elsewhere around town. To them, I loudly declare ā€œI donā€™t believe in that, you can uncover your face around me, and face masks represent communism.ā€ Every single person (maybe 6/7) Iā€™ve said that to has dropped the charade immediately and carried on as a normal person.

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