There are definitely tons of awesome cars coming out in the next few years. I actually sold IC two summers ago to one of our good customers and he is the one currently running the operation. Christian and I are now in the middle of building websites and hoping for one to gain some traction. It's definitely cool to see importconcern is a recognized company!
I started and ran an import company for 7 years up in Canada, importconcern.ca, and we imported cars and parts from Japan. All of the cars were typically quite cheap at auction, except for one specific model of the Hilux - the Pick-up model. The regular Hilux Surf would cost anywhere from $4,000-$6,000 in total (very cheap), but the Hilux Pick-ups would run $10,000+ for one in somewhat decent condition.
We could never pinpoint exactly the reason for the higher Pick-up prices but we long suspected it was likely due to their possible use in war environments. And this article was interesting to read because it somewhat confirms our suspicion. Thanks for the post!
Turned out for the worst. This wasn't someone working their end of the system. This is an actual practice of their because of fraud in the past. Supposedly this confirmation allows them to sleep better at night.
Not very impressed. I thought companies were not allowed to keep records of a customer's credit card number? Wouldn't this be breaking that very rule and than some?
I am mostly an on-looker during these discussions, however I had somewhat of a similar situation myself awhile back. I've ran a company for several years now, and although I am still in my early 20s, I hit somewhat of a similar hurdle. At the time, nothing seemed to really interest me within my everyday life, but along came something that would change my entire life thereafter - KITESURFING.
One of the common quirks of a kitesurfer is their passion and "stoke" for the sport. And today, I would probably be that same kiter, setting up at the local spot grinning like an idiot just waiting to get out on the water or snow. My life took a complete 180 when it came to what I thought was important in life - going from always concerned about work and the future to just living in the moment and enjoying myself now. I literally plan my weeks around the wind forecast now, but as far as right now, I wouldn't want it any other way. I understand that my attitude might be a typical phase coming from a young guy, however, the fellow kiters that I've met over the years who are all 40+ usually share this same attitude and most of them couldn't be happier. Today, this entire experience has taught just to do things that I enjoy and not worry so much. Although somewhat hippyish, it does not mean you can't be successful and live like this - I still have strong ambitions to get my startups off the ground among other things - I just sneak out when the wind picks up :)
Kiting will never be the right sport for anyone and maybe not the answer to your situation. But if anything else, I would recommend you figure out your safe-zone, define it, and than, take a step outside it just to see what happens. And even if that first step doesn't change your situation, it will at least provide the grit to take another. I would recommend kitesurfing being your first step, but that might be a bit biased :P
And I guess that concludes my first post on HN. Hope it helped!