The Chronic Consumer

I’m not the kind of person to buy aftermarket auto parts for my vehicles, but my husband is. He doesn’t go crazy and put chrome on everything or modify the engine to get additional horsepower. He just sticks to the basics like rear spoilers, mufflers, and wheels.

He’s currently working on setting up his new van, and I have to say that it actually looks a lot better with these changes. The best part are the black wheels that offset the silver body. Sure, we spent $1200 on the wheels, but now our ride looks very cool!

Anyway, for those of you that do indulge in aftermarket auto parts, where do you usually get them from? Is there a shop near you that you frequent? Do you order them from a catalog? From a website?

Let me know!

Earlier today, I mentioned how my husband wanted some new Xbox 360 games for Father’s Day. Well, I did some more research this afternoon to find out what the most popular titles currently are.

As expected, Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City tops the list. There has been so much hype about GTA IV that the only surprise would be if it didn’t sell well. Next up at No.2 was something called Assassin’s Creed, which I’d never even heard of. The publisher promotes the game by saying, “Be an assassin!” Hmm, what does that say about our society these days? The third best-selling game was Halo 3, and fourth was something that hasn’t even been released yet, Ninja Gaiden 2.

I think the only one my husband would truly be interested in is GTA IV, so I’m now looking around for good deals on that title. Maybe by the time Father’s Day gets here, there will be used copies available.

My husband spends a lot of time in the garage working on his motocross bikes and our son’s ATV. Over the course of the years, he has amassed a pretty impressive collection of hand tools that allow him to make minor repairs and adjustments.

Recently, however, he’s been thinking about buying some air tools so he can tackle a few bigger jobs instead of having to take the bikes to the dealer for expensive overhauls. These tools would be a big investment at the start, but I think we’d end up saving money in the long run. It’s worth a shot, at any rate, so I’m going to give my husband the green light on this idea!

My husband has been riding motocross for 17 years now, and has tried every brand of equipment at one point or other. Some brands have produced absolute garbage, but others put out quality products that my husband buys over and over again. Thor is one of the better manufacturers out there, which is why my husband prefers their Core line of MX gloves over all others.

Thor Core MX Gloves do a great job of providing protection against blisters after a long day of riding. They fit well, look good, and last more than one season. These are just basic qualities, I know — but apparently, some companies still can’t get them right.

Motocross gear companies put out new designs each year, so the price that you pay for your Thor Core MX gloves will depend on which year you purchase. The brand-new 2008 line will run about $35 per pair, but if you can find 2007 gloves (or older), you would most likely only pay $20-$25 for them, which is not bad at all, considering the quality.

We’re going to take delivery of our new van in just a couple of weeks, and my husband is understandably excited by that. In fact, he has been checking out ways to customize his new ride, and ended up convincing me that we needed to spend $600 on black wheels to replace the stock ones.

He’s now talking about maybe getting a billet grille as well, but I think I’m going to draw the line right there. After all, this is a family van, not a rock star’s ride!

We’re big motocross and supercross fans in this household, so a lot of our casual clothes feature logos from brands that are popular in those sports. Jerry in particular wears a lot of MX-related shirts, jackets, and hats, and One Industries is his favorite brand by far.

The latest item that Jerry wants is this One Industries Monster Energy Hoody (pictured above). It’s a very cool looking hoody, and has the following features:

• Embroidered logos
• Heavyweight fleece
• 100% cotton
• Full front zipper
• Chest and side pockets

Unfortunately, as with most One Industries Monster Energy products, this hoody is extremely overpriced. The MSRP is $60, and I’ve seen it at some places for as low as $53 and some change. However, that’s still way too expensive for a hooded sweatshirt, IMO.

I’m going to keep an eye on this hoody and will likely buy it for Jerry if the price dips down into the $40 range; but as of now, we simply can’t justify the expense.

Wine is definitely “in” right now, as more and more people are becoming interested in tastings and vineyard tours. Plus, I’ve noticed that even good wines are pretty affordable these days, which makes them accessible to the general public as well as to hardcore aficionados.

In addition, wine of the month clubs are becoming a very popular way for people to sample choice wines that they might not otherwise come across. For example, members of the Gold Medal Wine Club receive two bottles of small-production, award-winning wines from premium family-owned California vineyards every single month. These are the kinds of wines that you wouldn’t typically find at the local liquor store, so that definitely makes club membership worthwhile.

Don’t forget that a wine of the month club membership makes a great gift, so keep Gold Medal Wine in mind for that next special occasion!

Although we have every major gaming console available on the market today (except for the PS3), my husband most definitely prefers the Xbox 360. He feels the graphics, titles, and seamless online playing features elevate this system heads and shoulders above the rest, so it’s no surprise that whenever he buys a new game, he buys one for this platform.

His most recent acquisition was a game called Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, the sixth installment of the celebrated Ace Combat series, but the first that my husband has ever played. He purchased this game mostly because of recommendations from friends and the extremely high review scores that the title received from respected websites like GameSpot. My husband likes war/fighting games anyway, so I was expecting him to get into this series at some point. I’m just surprised it took this long!

Backstory: From what I gather, two fictional countries, Emmeria and Estovakia, are at war with each other. The player is on the Emmerian side, and is a fighter pilot for that air force. The war begins because the Estovakian Air Force invaded the Emmerian capital city, so the Emmerians have no choice to retaliate and defend themselves. The player is a squadron leader (callsign “Talisman”) and has a wingman who flies under the callsign “Shamrock”.

As gameplay progresses, there are transitional scenes that provide additional backstories about what’s happening to some random Emmerian civilians while the war is going on. For example, there’s a mother searching for a lost child, a young woman searching for a missing boyfriend, etc. My husband felt these scenes added a lot to the game; but from an observer’s perspective (mine) they seemed kind of cheesy.

Gameplay: The gameplay is the strongest part of Ace Combat 6. The flight controls are very easy to get used to, and can even be changed to a “novice” setting for those who have trouble with the default arrangement. There’s a nice variety of aircraft for the player to choose from (including several real models), and the planes are very responsive to the controls.

The first part of the game is relatively easy, so my husband was able to cruise through the early levels without any problems even though he’d never played any of the previous Ace Combat games before. However, the levels do get progressively more difficult, and by the final stages, things looked and sounded pretty hectic during the combat scenes.

The background scenery and peripherals are fantastic, which just serves to round out the whole experience. Moreover, there’s a constant stream of radio chatter that helps make it sound like the player is really in a wartime combat situation.

Reaction: My husband thinks that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation rates as one of the best games he’s ever played. The makers thought of every facet of the gaming experience, and have really put a fantastic product out there. This title is highly recommended for anyone who likes realistic war/flying/fighting games!