Seattle area work/living

[84ptype]

Hey PACNW'ers,

Lately I have been seriously considering making the move to the other side of the state.

Primarily for job/career reasons, but also living in general.

Just wanted to get some opinions and talk to some people from that area that know it better than I, and know the job and housing situations.


As for work,
Looking for auto tech work, but really to any degree, which should open up the possibilities significantly.
Currently working for the local Lexus dealership, and to be blunt, it sucks ass. Not the job, not the people who I work with, but the management, facilities, and amount of work (Spokane doesnt have a high lexus population). Have my Toyota T-Ten (dealership training) certification, 7 of 8 (should have the last one in august) ASEs, and 5 years or so of formal automotive training/experience.

Have also done a fair share of custom work (stereos, fiberglassing, engine tuning, turbos, etc) but all as hobby/private stuff so it can be difficult to get that to show on a resume.

Dont think getting a job turning a wrench somewhere should be too difficult until I can get settled in and start looking for something more permanent.

Now for housing...
This I am pretty lax on. I have a roommate so the bills are split which is really nice. Not looking for anything big or fancy.
Simple, 2 bedroom, 1 bath will do. It MUST have a garage (cause the supra is coming with), and must be dog friendly as I have one. Not too many requirements.

would ideally like to be somewhere between seattle and everette/marysville area..but I know it can get kinda spendy. But this is why im coming to you guys who know this area better than I.
Like most people would like a decent area. Having cars as my hobby and both me and my roommate having fairly nice ones that will end up parked in a driveway/on the street, dont want to have to constantly worry about that.
Very open to ideas here, so you guys who know the area best fire away, speak your mind.

So thats pretty much my rant/vent for a while, and just wanna know what living is like over there before I fully commit. Talk with some people who are similar to me and have been over there long enough to give me some decent input.

Thanks community!

[SSSupra]

I can't speak for the line of work you're in, as I'm an aircraft mechanic for the Air Force on the weekends, and I work for Boeing in Everett on the weekdays. And, I do all my own work on all my own vehicles. I've never taken my cars (or trucks) to a dealership for work.

Now, for your living. I've lived in this region for over 30 years (less 3 years of Active Duty time out of the state in the early 90's), so I know a little about a lot. My advice is to line up work first. Once you've done that, find living conditions relatively close to your work. Traffic in this area is (as I've heard) 4th worst in the country, so be prepared. Planning ahead could be the key to your sanity.

A quick search of Google shows 3 Lexus dealerships in the Puget Sound area. Lexus of Seattle (in Edmonds) up north, Lexus of Bellevue on the east side, and Lexus of Tacoma (in Fife) down south. Seems to me that there should be more, but whatever.

To break it down... If you're looking for the best place for Lexus owners, I'd have to go with Bellevue. Problem is that Bellevue SUCKS ASS for traffic. It's flat out awful. If I remember correctly "SNAFU BOHICA" works for Toyota in Bellevue and lives in Issaquah (East by 15 minutes or so) but I can't comment on his commute. I know that Issaquah is a nice area to live though. Somewhat rural, but growing. Fairly high rent district. Other places around Bellevue worth looking at would be: Crossroads and Factoria. It's all a pretty congested area though.

Next would be the north end. Edmonds. Overall, a pretty decent area. I've lived in the south end since I was 8 years old (I'm now 40), and just last year moved up to the north end (Everett area) because of work. Honestly, I like it better. There's still a lot of traffic up here, but it's not nearly as bad as Bellevue and Seattle. *blech* Places to consider in the north end: Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Alderwood. All of these are in close proximity to the dealership and are pretty good areas.

Lastly, down south. Lexus of Tacoma in Fife. The area is overall, the lower end of the middle-class scale. I'm not saying it's a bad area, but Tacoma itself has a bad reputation for crime. I think it's gotten better over the past few years though. Places to consider for living: Edgewood and Puyallup (don't try to say it yet).

If I had to pick an area, I'd go north. The traffic is easier and the area is nice. But, in today's economy, you go where the work is. Frankly, the rest can be worked around and dealt with.

Good luck in whatever you decide. And, it'll be nice to have ANOTHER Supra in the area.

-Brian

[SuperSubs]

Don't be hesitant to show your "personal hobby" work as part of your background/experience when looking for a new job. It went a HUGE way for me when applying for jobs, and it is most likely what let me step my foot in the door where I work now. Many companies and businesses can read down your resume and see that you are just as qualified as the next joe-shmo that walks in, but having details that show you have the street smarts, common sense, sense of accomplishment, and ingenuity to solve problems can make all the difference.

Best luck,

-Mike

[alfun]

I think this website is a good site to research about your question:
http://www.city-data.com/

Also check out the forums:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/

[Rich64N]

Tech26 (Dave) is at Lexus of Bellevue. Snafu (Tyler) is at Michael's Toyota (of Bellevue). +1 on the traffic discussion.
The Tacoma area is much improved (entire South End) - Crime rates in Seattle are actually higher today (um, Rainier Valley). In the rural areas of King County, you'll often have a McMansion next to a moss-covered single-wide

[84ptype]

Actually both Lexus of Bellevue and Lexus of Seattle (along with a few more toyota dealerships in the area) are hiring for my current position. Sent in my application/resume and hoping to hear back and possibly work something out.
The job situation seems pretty good. Just on craigslist alone I have applied for nearly 20 jobs in the area and had quick and eager responses to 5 or so of them.

So what the best first step is going to be is to probably get my roommate to head over with me and do some house hunting and try and get that situated/sorted, then work on a job for the area...both online and "cold calling" to some shops in the area where we are looking for our house.

Another option would possibly be temp. work with my uncles company until I can get a job. He is always in the need for a good laborer, he knows my work ethic and skill set. A couple weeks/a month could possibly be worked out to help out until I can get a job situated.

[Tech26]

Lexus of Bellevue is the best Lexus dealership in the state to work for when it's busy. It's been a slow year so far and a few guys have left for Boeing. We currently have 36 technicians and I know Derrick is looking for an hourly (lube rack) technician and maybe a flat rate guy too. You'll want a flat rate position of course.

Have you been breaking 40 flat rate hours per week at Lexus of Spokane? Even though we've lost some guys it can still be hard to break 40 when you're on the wait list for the next car to come in.

[84ptype]

Lexus of Bellevue is the best Lexus dealership in the state to work for when it's busy. It's been a slow year so far and a few guys have left for Boeing. We currently have 36 technicians and I know Derrick is looking for an hourly (lube rack) technician and maybe a flat rate guy too. You'll want a flat rate position of course.

Have you been breaking 40 flat rate hours per week at Lexus of Spokane? Even though we've lost some guys it can still be hard to break 40 when you're on the wait list for the next car to come in.

Ive only been at lexus of spokane for 2 months and am actually still hourly, tho I would be perfectly comfortable going flat rate. We dont have much of a "lube rack" simply because of how little work we have. I mean christ, our Master Diag. Tech has been taking oil changes and tire rotates...Its bad over here.

And our dealership here is soooo ridiculously slow right now its a fricken joke. On saturday..we had 2 appointments... maybe 3-5 walk ins.
I cant even begin to express how slow it really is over here (hence my wanting to leave).

Im sooo bored at work. I get maybe 3-5 flat rate hours thrown at me per day and get it done in less than 1.


I still have some hours I have to rack up at a Toyota/Lexus/Scion for the last couple hoops to jump through for the T-Ten program thats why I would ideally like to stay at a Lexus dealership. Im also very familiar with the cars and already have the swing of things.

Another reason for my wanting to move to another lexus dealership is there is NO upward movement for me in spokane. We have a "Lexus Certified Tech" who has been there for 5 years, and they wont send him through his last course to be Master certified....The dealership is cheap and spares every expense possible. Our facility sucks (shared shop with Toyota Detail shop) and have leaking ceilings, shotty lifts, horrible arrangement, etc....All things I would love to get out of and really let my potential, experience, and knowledge shine in a "real" dealership.

[Tech26]

You'd love it at Lexus of Bellevue then. I've been there exactly 5 years and just got my Master Lexus Technician title. The first two years I was in T-TEN. The building is second to none. Go to the website and take the online tour. I think it was $37M to build back in 2007. If you put in the effort to finish T-TEN and get all your ASE's they move you up the ladder at a sensible pace.

-Dave

[84ptype]

You'd love it at Lexus of Bellevue then. I've been there exactly 5 years and just got my Master Lexus Technician title. The first two years I was in T-TEN. The building is second to none. Go to the website and take the online tour. I think it was $37M to build back in 2007. If you put in the effort to finish T-TEN and get all your ASE's they move you up the ladder at a sensible pace.

-Dave

Done with the T-ten program...only working on the "internship hours". Graduated with honors, top of my class (student technician of the year) and already have 7 of 8 ASEs. Should have all of them but missed auto trans. by 1 question. Taking again in august.

I just need somewhere to keep me busy and put me to use, and Lexus Spokane is NOT that place. I spend most of the day twiddling my thumbs or watching/helping the other techs...

Have taken the tour and the dealership looks phenomenal...Ill snap some pictures of the "establishment" I work at...looks more like a small aftermarket shop than a dealership...absolutely pathetic.