AMA sticker

[speedog]

Hey, like if you're an AMA member you then get those most desirable stickers you can put on your vehicle - yeah, yeah, I know there's many a beyond member who think the whole AMA deal is a waste of money but they have served me well over the years and I truly believe I've gotten my money's worth out of it.

Now I've never glorified any of my vehicles with those AMA stickers but just now I got my illustrious 35 year sticker in the mail - so stick it on or put it up on beyond for the highest bidder? It is very, very shiny and would be a great compliment to any beyond member's vehicle and especially lowered ones with stretched tires and a staggered stance.

[Thaco]

wow, you should be so proud, bent over for 35 years and counting

[EK 2.0]

Well, along with the sticker, you would need to be a subscriber to the service to be able to use it's towing services no??....

[speedog]

Originally posted by Thaco
wow, you should be so proud, bent over for 35 years and counting

I am a very flexible guy, want to bend me over and have a turn?

[speedog]

Originally posted by EK 2.0
Well, along with the sticker, you would need to be a subscriber to the service to be able to use it's towing services no??....

Yupp, tows, boosts, getting a vehicle unlocked, lubing up for people like thaco - all part of the deal.

Seem to regularly use a number of their services except for thaco - gonna have to swing his way now too.

[Christian@IE]

Originally posted by speedog


I am a very flexible guy, want to bend me over and have a turn?
It's probably your age more than your gender he may have a problem with. He may be apprehensive about breaking such a longstanding and respected member of our beyond community.

[Thaco]

i guess if your cars are that unreliable it might be worth it...

Me personally, i just own tools, a booster pack, know how to change my own tire (isn't this a car forum?)... and don't lock my keys in the car (how do you even do that with modern cars and keyless entry?)

once in my driving career of 15+ years have i needed a tow, i think i can pay for that with all the money i didn't throw away at ama...


Originally posted by Christian@IE

It's probably your age more than your gender he may have a problem with. He may be apprehensive about breaking such a longstanding and respected member of our beyond community.

lol, i've been a member a lot longer than he has...

[speedog]

Originally posted by Thaco
i guess if your cars are that unreliable it might be worth it...

Me personally, i just own tools, a booster pack, know how to change my own tire (isn't this a car forum?)... and don't lock my keys in the car (how do you even do that with modern cars and keyless entry?)

once in my driving career of 15+ years have i needed a tow, i think i can pay for that with all the money i didn't throw away at ama...



lol, i've been a member a lot longer than he has...

Gots my own tools as well, change my own tires, don't have keyless entry, kids sometimes drain the battery do due to something dumb and an don't expect my wife to change a flat tire in the rain at night in her business clothes while out of town.

Like I said, I've got what I think is good value out of what others may scoff at. One can never predict when an alternator or something may conk out - had one some 20 years ago give up the ghost on the Coquihalla west of Kelowna. Eventually we were dead and AMA paid for the tow. Each to their own, eh, and yeah, you're part of the whole sweet deal too, Thaco - Vasoline, KY, you name it.

[ricosuave]

Pretty strange subject to be getting into a pissing contest about...

[speedog]

It's all about the love.

[MR2-3SGTE]

Ive gotten wayyyy more back than ive paid after only 2 years.
Once was a 150km tow when my mr2 had a headgasket failure in Fort McLeod. Would've cost me $300 otherwise. Had 2 other big tows done with other cars. It's good to have if you have project/modded cars. Even without the services, I've gotten my moneys worth through various discounts at Napa, banff parks etc.

[16hypen3sp]

My mother buys her kids AMA Plus memberships every Christmas... so I got mine for free. I've used the roadside assistance once every year for a tow, or a boost. Ran out of gas once.

But the real deal on it is showing it at places that give discounts for being a member. I've saved a lot of money at Mongolie Grill and Cineplex!

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by MR2-3SGTE
Ive gotten wayyyy more back than ive paid after only 2 years.
Once was a 150km tow when my mr2 had a headgasket failure in Fort McLeod. Would've cost me $300 otherwise. Had 2 other big tows done with other cars. It's good to have if you have project/modded cars. Even without the services, I've gotten my moneys worth through various discounts at Napa, banff parks etc.

As someone who owns a classic mini, having a 160km tow range (for free) is well worth it. Just having that in my back pocket, knowing that I can get the car home all the way from Red Deer or Ft Mcleod is a huge weight off my shoulders.

[Hallowed_point]

I had AMA for a couple of years, didn't use it once. Drive a reliable car and save the money. But I understand the peace of mind if you have some old carbed brit car ;)

[rage2]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
But I understand the peace of mind if you have some old carbed brit car ;)
Pretty much. My 944 Turbo broke so much they changed the rules on me to 2 tows a year. After blowing up one last time, I sold the car and haven't used AMA since. My peace of mind is driving new cars that don't break lol.

[cet]

I use AMA more for the travel discounts than the car stuff. I travel for work quite a bit. Work pays for the hotel but place a limit on the amount per night. So, I don't save any money myself on the hotel stay it can open up more/better options for where I stay. There can be some pretty big discounts as well. I took my daughter to the Banff Springs for Easter and the AMA rate was $150/night cheaper than the non-AMA rate.

They also have some other decent discounts such as: 15% off Canadian GP tickets, 20% off Cirque du Soleil, Cineplex, restaurants etc.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
I had AMA for a couple of years, didn't use it once. Drive a reliable car and save the money. But I understand the peace of mind if you have some old carbed brit car ;)

Drive a reliable car?

So you're able to predict when an alternator might fail or a tire might pick up a nail while your wife is using it while dressed in her business attire or a myriad of other unexpected things like kids getting something out of the vehicle and leaving the interior lights on.

Shit happens and I am not critical by any means of those who don't have an AMA membership but it has served me very well over the years even with reliable vehicles. My last call, probably a month ago when I had a brain fart and locked my keys in my work truck, both sets too - AMA guy was at my front step within 10 minutes and had me on my way.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by speedog
Drive a reliable car?

So you're able to predict when an alternator might fail or a tire might pick up a nail while your wife is using it while dressed in her business attire or a myriad of other unexpected things like kids getting something out of the vehicle and leaving the interior lights on.

Shit happens and I am not critical by any means of those who don't have an AMA membership but it has served me very well over the years even with reliable vehicles. My last call, probably a month ago when I had a brain fart and locked my keys in my work truck, both sets too - AMA guy was at my front step within 10 minutes and had me on my way.

Well of course not , but I don't find it to be good value for how much they charge annually. I don't have a wife and kids to worry about so I can eliminate that issue. In your case - it's worth it. In my case - it's not.

[Christian@IE]

Dropped my S4 keys at Sunshine 5 years ago on a snowboarding trip. AMA towed the car back to Calgary to retrieve the spare key. The driver said it would have been an $800 tow since it was a flatbed.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
I had AMA for a couple of years, didn't use it once. Drive a reliable car and save the money. But I understand the peace of mind if you have some old carbed brit car ;)

It's fuel injected! It also covers bike towing. I've also successfully used it to have my mom's civic towed to a shop after the timing belt snapped on deerfoot.

[NoPulp]

Pictures of this prestigious sticker or it didnt happen.

[RealJimmyJames]

Originally posted by NoPulp
Pictures of this old guy sticker or it didnt happen. FTFY

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf
It's fuel injected! It also covers bike towing. I've also successfully used it to have my mom's civic towed to a shop after the timing belt snapped on deerfoot. Whenever I think of brit cars here I think of the maniac I saw on Stony being towed by a Jeep with a tow strap in his mgb :eek: Looked really sketchy.

Although, you bring up a great + for having an AMA card. Being able to help out a friend or stranger :thumbsup:

[max_boost]

haha yea. new cars have roadside. Also TD elite with auto club. i looked into AMA doesn't seem worth it to me.

35 years though, props lol

[speedog]

Originally posted by NoPulp
Pictures of this prestigious sticker or it didnt happen.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5040260/pics/20160407_134647.jpg

Probably been driving longer them some of you pups have been alive.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by speedog


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5040260/pics/20160407_134647.jpg

Probably been driving longer them some of you pups have been alive.

Not going to lie, that's an awesome decal Speedog. And Yup haha

[speedog]

See, I'm valued.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by speedog

Probably been driving longer them some of you pups have been alive.

It's true. I'm not even 35 years old.


Originally posted by Hallowed_point
Although, you bring up a great + for having an AMA card. Being able to help out a friend or stranger :thumbsup:

I've also used it to buy non-running cars and have AMA tow them home for me.

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf
I've also used it to buy non-running cars and have AMA tow them home for me. Wow, how do you manage to get them to do that? I guess you could say.. "oh, my car won't start" ;)

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by speedog

Probably been driving longer them some of you pups have been alive.


Werrrd...I just turned 36 this year hahaha....

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by Hallowed_point
Wow, how do you manage to get them to do that? I guess you could say.. "oh, my car won't start" ;)

"Hey, I have a car, and I need it towed home. Yeah, it won't start, but I know what the issue is."

The caveat is that they won't tow the same vehicle twice (during the same breakdown), and the only locations they'll tow to are your home (address on file), or a licensed mechanic. So you can't tow it home, then to a shop, or to a shop then home (or another shop).

If they tow it home, and then you breakdown a second time, they'll tow it again.

[oilerfan4lyfe]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf


The caveat is that they won't tow the same vehicle twice (during the same breakdown), and the only locations they'll tow to are your home (address on file), or a licensed mechanic. So you can't tow it home, then to a shop, or to a shop then home (or another shop).

If they tow it home, and then you breakdown a second time, they'll tow it again.

They seem to have rules like this only to prevent abusing the system. In reality they're pretty easy going about this stuff.

A friend of mine had her car die on her a couple of weeks ago. They towed it to her house and then the next day towed from her house to an alternator place to get it fixed. Both tows included as part of her annual dues and they didn't give her any issues about it at all.

People can laugh about an AMA membership all they want, when you're in a bind it's pretty sweet to have them as a backup. I had battery issues a few times while I was in the States and was able to have someone come out and give me a jump start...and I didn't have to pay any extra. Considering the amount of money people blow on other useless shit ($5 lattes), the peace of mind is well worth the expense.

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by speedog
Probably been driving longer them some of you pups have been alive.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from a AMA sticker, but I'm honestly disappointed. A bit fugly, even more so than the "average joe" sticker. The sticker itself appears to be 35years old too.

And yes, yes you are old :)

[blairtruck]

i save hundreds a month driving a truck that is almost 15 years old. still very reliable. but things could break.

ill save easily $6000 a year from what a new car payment would cost. for the $125 a year AMA costs.

lets see ama for 10 years $1250
new reliable car payments of $500 a month times 12 months x10 years = 60,000

only saved $58,750 or so but not driving a new vehicle. not including depreciation in said reliable vehicles. and trade in losses and all that fun stuff.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by blairtruck
i save hundreds a month driving a truck that is almost 15 years old. still very reliable. but things could break.

ill save easily $6000 a year from what a new car payment would cost. for the $125 a year AMA costs.

lets see ama for 10 years $1250
new reliable car payments of $500 a month times 12 months x10 years = 60,000

only saved $58,750 or so but not driving a new vehicle. not including depreciation in said reliable vehicles. and trade in losses and all that fun stuff.
i never said it had to be new to be reliable... (others may have)


a lot of these posts are all about conveninece, not necessity, 150km tow, typically not necessary... i am sure there's a parts store or shop a lot closer than that to wherever you break down... also the whole "wife in her business suit" is BS, if you cant change a tire you shouldnt be driving. if its worth the convenience for you (or if you own a BMW or Porsche which is in the shop more than in your garage), then fine, but for me its not, the only time i could have used it in my whole driving career was when the alternator in my truck shit on me while going camping, but i just used my ol noodle, hooked my booster pack to the battery cables, and drove it in to the next town, half hour later in the napa parking lot, alternator swapped and on my way..


(also, i second the ugly sticker comment, i'd sport it if you drive an old man golden colour Buick, but anything else, no thanks... at 35 years, they should give you a free lifetime membership, not some ugly sticker.)

[blairtruck]

Originally posted by Thaco

i never said it had to be new to be reliable... (others may have)


a lot of these posts are all about conveninece, not necessity, 150km tow, typically not necessary... i am sure there's a parts store or shop a lot closer than that to wherever you break down... also the whole "wife in her business suit" is BS, if you cant change a tire you shouldnt be driving. if its worth the convenience for you (or if you own a BMW or Porsche which is in the shop more than in your garage), then fine, but for me its not, the only time i could have used it in my whole driving career was when the alternator in my truck shit on me while going camping, but i just used my ol noodle, hooked my booster pack to the battery cables, and drove it in to the next town, half hour later in the napa parking lot, alternator swapped and on my way..


(also, i second the ugly sticker comment, i'd sport it if you drive an old man golden colour Buick, but anything else, no thanks... at 35 years, they should give you a free lifetime membership, not some ugly sticker.)

ya wife got screwed last year while at a dr appt with toddler. Alternator died. She uber'd home and phoned ama. waited the multiple hours it always takes ama in the winter. then uber'd back when the tow truck was actually on the way.

Towed to my house garage where i changed the alternator the next day.

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by blairtruck
i save hundreds a month driving a truck that is almost 15 years old. still very reliable. but things could break.

ill save easily $6000 a year from what a new car payment would cost. for the $125 a year AMA costs.

lets see ama for 10 years $1250
new reliable car payments of $500 a month times 12 months x10 years = 60,000

only saved $58,750 or so but not driving a new vehicle. not including depreciation in said reliable vehicles. and trade in losses and all that fun stuff.
Marth..
You are including everything with that payment. Basically you said that the entire payment was wasted but in reality your vehicle is worth something