Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

nyccarguy

Toyota is hitting it right. They've got the reputation for being literally bulletproof. The Prius that gets an honest 50 mpg which helps them immensely with their CAFE standards. The Camry which gets the best selling car title every year. A large percentage of Lexus sales are ES350s and RX350s which Toyota makes a big profit on. They sell trucks that have old school powertrain technology like the Tundra, Sequoia 4Runner, Lexus GX, Land Cruiser, & LX570 and get horrible gas mileage, but they make a ton of money on these. Toyota is the largest investor of Subaru's parent company which has posted month over month sales gains for quote some time now. Does anybody here own their stock?

houdini1

Their stock price (TM) has grown steadily over the last 5 years. From about $70. to around $130. Good long termer.

qbrozen

GG ... you were driving the caddy? Aren't you worried?

I have had zero problems with my iphone6+ and CUE cooperating, so I have doubts about their "solution."

I still like CUE. No problems with it personally. I mean, nothing enduring, anyway. It does, on occasion at startup, not have sound. I toggle the mute on and off and it works. I fail to understand why all the reviewers find it so frustrating to use. Wish they would go into a bit more detail as to what exactly they are trying to do with it. Granted, there are many buttons on the screen I never touch, so maybe its just the fact that I only ask my nav/stereo unit to play music and give me directions (GASP!).

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

GG ... you were driving the caddy? Aren't you worried?

I have had zero problems with my iphone6+ and CUE cooperating, so I have doubts about their "solution."

I still like CUE. No problems with it personally. I mean, nothing enduring, anyway. It does, on occasion at startup, not have sound. I toggle the mute on and off and it works. I fail to understand why all the reviewers find it so frustrating to use. Wish they would go into a bit more detail as to what exactly they are trying to do with it. Granted, there are many buttons on the screen I never touch, so maybe its just the fact that I only ask my nav/stereo unit to play music and give me directions (GASP!).

Q...that's what frustrates me. I know you've loved yours and have had few, if any, problems. Caddy seems to be going out of their way to irritate and frustrate me, at not just one dealership, but two dealerships.

Sometimes I don't have a choice but to drive the CTS. Wife is going back to school and I'm going to have to use it more. I guess I should just be thankful it hasn't left me stranded. Yes, the power steering goes out every week or two, Yes, it stalls repeatedly every week or two (but starts up after a lot of cranking). Yes, now CUE has gone bonkers. But no! I have yet to be totally stranded. Thank the Deity for small favors I suppose.

I just wonder if it's a different assembly process and/or parts differences (aside from the obvious drivetrain differences) that could account for my "lemon" Cadillac?

I even asked the service writer if it's possible that CUE has some sort of "cache" that could be causing the operating system to crash? He looked at me like I was some sort of 3 eyed alien and had no idea what I was saying. I asked if they would "reflash" the CUE OS to see if that helped.

Guess what answer I got? Yep..."we can't do any work if we don't have a code".

driver100

qbrozen said:

GG ... you were driving the caddy? Aren't you worried?

I have had zero problems with my iphone6+ and CUE cooperating, so I have doubts about their "solution."

I still like CUE. No problems with it personally. I mean, nothing enduring, anyway. It does, on occasion at startup, not have sound. I toggle the mute on and off and it works. I fail to understand why all the reviewers find it so frustrating to use. Wish they would go into a bit more detail as to what exactly they are trying to do with it. Granted, there are many buttons on the screen I never touch, so maybe its just the fact that I only ask my nav/stereo unit to play music and give me directions (GASP!).

This review from our friends at Edmunds may help explain a bit:

The Cadillac User Experience (CUE) infotainment system consists of configurable displays on the main touchscreen and can leverage connected smartphones with app integration easily enough. We appreciate the display screen's large icons and crisp graphics, as well as its mostly intuitive operation, but CUE's reliance on touchscreen and peripheral touch-panel inputs can be frustrating, as the system's response times are sometimes sluggish or missed entirely

I have read some reviews that say the buttons are slow to react, and then you press it again but by then you are pressing on the next screen, and so you have to start over again.

This is just from what I have read...I have never used it personally.

qbrozen

Huh. Maybe I'm just more patient than most reviewers or 5-year-olds, as my 5-yr-old will go nuts pushing a button if the reaction is not IMMEDIATE. Also, the only other touchscreen I have experience with is Chrysler's, and that is slower to respond than my caddy... yet that system is touted as one of the better ones. hmmmm

dino001

Guess what answer I got? Yep..."we can't do any work if we don't have a code".

I have to tell you, man. This is even hard to imagine to me. The level of indifference seems to be matching Comcast, the most hated company by its own customers (by a long shot, BTW).

qbrozen

graphicguy said:

Guess what answer I got? Yep..."we can't do any work if we don't have a code".

That's pretty crazy. I think I asked before, but you have tried more than 1 dealer, right?

graphicguy

dino001 said:

Guess what answer I got? Yep..."we can't do any work if we don't have a code".

I have to tell you, man. This is even hard to imagine to me. The level of indifference seems to be matching Comcast, the most hated company by its own customers (by a long shot, BTW).

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

Guess what answer I got? Yep..."we can't do any work if we don't have a code".

That's pretty crazy. I think I asked before, but you have tried more than 1 dealer, right?

Crazy....I know!

Q....Yeah...I've had it to my selling dealer and the Caddy dealer closest to me. Have thought about taking it to the other Caddy dealer in the city, but why? That dealer is in the middle of a heavily congested area and a pain to get to.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

btw........Mission Impossible is a great action movie...that would be impossible to sleep through.

That brings up the question: how many things did Tom Cruises character survive that should have killed him? seems like every Mission Impossible movie he survives more things that should have killed him than in the previous movie.

snakeweasel

mako1a said:

As long as the gun stays in FL (especially in your home) you're fine. Just don't take it to NJ,NY,MD or IL.
Better to have one and not need it than need it and not have one.

I see no reason why you couldn't bring it here in IL.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Dad was a member of the Auxilary Police in New York and this was the gun issued to him my the 108th precinct in Queens.

Now that's a pipe of a different color (bonus points if you can name the movie that's from), if it was issued by a police department it might still be considered their property.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

Respected indeed. Guns like many potentially lethal objects should only be handled by well trained people.

That would mean we would have to get rid of most of the drivers on the road.

Funny we should start talking about this, my son-in-law makes some extra money by dealing guns (legally of course) and he offered me a 9mm pistol. I, however, prefer revolvers and declined the offer. Still he left the offer open.

stever

wlbrown9 said:

Where did you get the Datsun? I bought a '74 1/2 260Z from Whitehaven Datsun in 1975. Traded it in about 10 years later.

Man, I don't even remember. It was a "family" car so maybe I was just the one driving it for a year there and didn't do the deal. A good friend of mine moved to the burbs around Olive Branch around '77 when I was in Memphis and was driving a yellow Z. Could have sworn his was a 240Z and could have sworn it was bought new. But it's been too many decades now. I do know he would have been flat broke until '77 when he got his first real job and that would have ruled out a new 240Z.

In other news, tested an HR-V and Encore this morning.

fezo

Isn't that the Cadillac User Experiments (CUE)?

mako1a

I'm usually the one to push car buying back into the topic from dishwashers etc here, but if I could give Mr Snake one more bit of info on IL gun laws I'll stop off topic posting.
https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/

ps, Oldfarmer, I wasn't crazy about the black flames on that Mustang, but they should peel right off. You want to see some good color schemes, look at the Dazzle paint on WW 2 Battleships.

oldfarmer50

mako1a said:

I'm usually the one to push car buying back into the topic from dishwashers etc here, but if I could give Mr Snake one more bit of info on IL gun laws I'll stop off topic posting.
https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/

ps, Oldfarmer, I wasn't crazy about the black flames on that Mustang, but they should peel right off. You want to see some good color schemes, look at the Dazzle paint on WW 2 Battleships.

Didn't dazzle originate with an idea by an avant gard abstract artist?

Here's my dad's ship from WWII:

stever

I love those camo schemes. There's some out there that look like cityscapes.

The HR-V was great, except the AC was inadequate.

suydam

So the HRV didn't wow you. What are your thoughts for an alternative?

snakeweasel

dino001 said:

Guess what answer I got? Yep..."we can't do any work if we don't have a code".

I have to tell you, man. This is even hard to imagine to me. The level of indifference seems to be matching Comcast, the most hated company by its own customers (by a long shot, BTW).

My guess is that they may have been able to do it under warranty but with manufacturers being the way they are if they find out any major work (maybe like replacing the CUE) would have to have some documentation regarding the issue, that would be a code from the diagnoses system. Without that the manufacturer might not cover the warranty repair. So without some sort of code their hands may be tied.

abacomike

Just finished downloading Windows 10 from the Microsoft site. It seems to work quite well on this 6 year old HP computer. I have not run into any problems as yet, but knowing Microsoft and previous problems with their upgrades, I expect to have some difficulties. Will let you know if there are any complications.

snakeweasel

mako1a said:

I'm usually the one to push car buying back into the topic from dishwashers etc here, but if I could give Mr Snake one more bit of info on IL gun laws I'll stop off topic posting.
https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/.

I am familiar with IL gun laws. Illinois requires a Firearms Owners Identification car to be in possession of a firearm, however the courts have stated that out of state people traveling through or temporarily in the state only need to be in compliance with their home state laws. I could see if I can fine the court case.

stever

suydam said:

So the HRV didn't wow you. What are your thoughts for an alternative?

I think it's more fair to say the HR-V didn't wow my wife. But that AC - kind of a show stopper. It really went south when I briefly pressed the Eco button. I liked most everything else about it.

My wife likes Buicks and liked the Encore. I'm less enthused about it (will try to detail that later as I catch up around here).

Otherwise, the Soul and the Prius V are still leading the running. Swung by the Toyota dealer and they were a bit indifferent. Didn't have the energy to do the Kia dealer but they aren't an impressive operation. The Buick dealer may just be worse though - they put a $1,400 mop and glow on every car. I literally laughed in the guy's face when he said that (the tint was too dark to read the Monroney so he ran down the numbers on it for me).

Also sat in a C-Max this morning but it just feels cramped to me.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Just finished downloading Windows 10 from the Microsoft site. It seems to work quite well on this 6 year old HP computer. I have not run into any problems as yet, but knowing Microsoft and previous problems with their upgrades, I expect to have some difficulties. Will let you know if there are any complications.

Keep us updated, I have gotten some popups reminding me about Windows 10 and I am sort of thinking about it.

Mr_Shiftright

HR-V didn't do so great in the recent Car and Driver comparo.

stever

lol, yeah, but I think we can all agree I'm not the typical C&D driver. At the Buick dealer I cut the guy short and cut right to the chase - how many USB ports this thing got?

(btw, we've had some glitches tonight off and on - apologies if you've had trouble posting).

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

Just finished downloading Windows 10 from the Microsoft site. It seems to work quite well on this 6 year old HP computer. I have not run into any problems as yet, but knowing Microsoft and previous problems with their upgrades, I expect to have some difficulties. Will let you know if there are any complications.

Keep us updated, I have gotten some popups reminding me about Windows 10 and I am sort of thinking about it.

One of the first things I noticed about Windows 10 is that it runs three to four times faster than Windows 7 did. My computer used to run a bit slow - but I thought it was due to the age of the computer. But I was wrong, it was the operating system.

The first problem I encountered was with my Norton Symantec Virus protection. The Norton 360 I was using with Windows 7 is not compatible with Windows 10. It took me a long time to rectify the problem, but I am now running Norton 360 for Windows 10.

It takes a lot of getting used to. But if my computer continues to operate as quickly as it is now, I will be quite satisfied.

I haven't started surfing the web very much, which is the next process I have to initiate. I'll let you know how it surfs, etc.

suydam

I will say the AC on the Encore is terrific! But it should be in a small car. I'm surprised the HRV's isn't so good, as the one on the Accord is fine.

abacomike

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

Just finished downloading Windows 10 from the Microsoft site. It seems to work quite well on this 6 year old HP computer. I have not run into any problems as yet, but knowing Microsoft and previous problems with their upgrades, I expect to have some difficulties. Will let you know if there are any complications.

Keep us updated, I have gotten some popups reminding me about Windows 10 and I am sort of thinking about it.

One of the first things I noticed about Windows 10 is that it runs three to four times faster than Windows 7 did. My computer used to run a bit slow - but I thought it was due to the age of the computer. But I was wrong, it was the operating system.

The first problem I encountered was with my Norton Symantec Virus protection. The Norton 360 I was using with Windows 7 is not compatible with Windows 10. It took me a long time to rectify the problem, but I am now running Norton 360 for Windows 10.

It takes a lot of getting used to. But if my computer continues to operate as quickly as it is now, I will be quite satisfied.

I haven't started surfing the web very much, which is the next process I have to initiate. I'll let you know how it surfs, etc.

Well, I have been using Internet Explorer to surf and browse the web. Since I am having carpeting laid tomorrow morning for the entire Condo (Master Bedroom, Master Bedroom Walk in Closet, 2 additional Master Bedroom closet floors (2), Living Room, Dining Room, Front Bedroom (my bedroom) + full length wall closet), I decided to look up the type of Mohawk Carpet I ordered. The site came up like a flash and I was able to find and look at the carpet color and texture I am getting. It's a very light beige and should make the entire apartment look brighter and softer, not to mention bigger since I am going from medium gray to very light beige.

So, using the browser is much faster than when I had Windows 7. My assessment of the new operating system is a 10 out of a possible 10 due to the clarity, sharpness and speed.

Definitely worth the wait, not to mention the hour+ it took to download and another hour or two to straighten out my anti-virus software. But it's working great now!

stever

suydam said:

I will say the AC on the Encore is terrific! But it should be in a small car. I'm surprised the HRV's isn't so good, as the one on the Accord is fine.

Me too, I mean, the van gets cooler and the cabin in it must be three or four times bigger than the HR-V. And yes, no issue staying cool in the Encore, although my shirt did get a bit sticky on those leather seats.

I have noticed that the exploding CR-V air conditioner compressor posts are way down.

stickguy

I am fine with the windows 7 on my laptop (must be about 3 YO now? Maybe a little more). Afraid to do the free upgrade, until I at least get to try it out.

I base that on having tried to get my dad up and running on a new PC (laptop) running windows 8. I despise that with a passion, and refuse to go near it. if 10 is just a polished up 8, I'll pass!

Michaell

stickguy said:

I am fine with the windows 7 on my laptop (must be about 3 YO now? Maybe a little more). Afraid to do the free upgrade, until I at least get to try it out.

I base that on having tried to get my dad up and running on a new PC (laptop) running windows 8. I despise that with a passion, and refuse to go near it. if 10 is just a polished up 8, I'll pass!

When I bought this laptop 2 years ago, it had Windows 8 on it. The laptop is also a touchscreen, so I can navigate either through the keyboard or by touching (smudging) my finger on the screen. Works fine either way.

I decided to upgrade to 10 given the reviews I read. I too find it a bit faster all around, and some of the navigation stuff is easier now - there's a start button (sort of) again, making it easier to shut down or restart the system.

verdugo

snakeweasel said:

Keep us updated, I have gotten some popups reminding me about Windows 10 and I am sort of thinking about it.

I've upgraded 2 laptops and 1 desktop without any problems. My brother upgraded 1 laptop and he didn't have any problems either.

It took me a few minutes to get used to things, but so far I'm really liking it.

stever

I put Win10 on my old laptop a couple of months ago. It seems a bit faster (Win8 helped a lot there as it was). But I really don't use that one much to really say, and it's still running one of the betas. I always update anyway and a free OS is nice. Unfortunately I'm stuck with 7 Enterprise on the newer laptop for a while.

Got my Encore review up. I wasn't as wild about it as my wife, but it's certainly a nice rig and I could live with it just fine.

ab348

I have Win7 running on two laptops. The second one I purchased as one of the last OEM Win7 machines I could find after the disastrous early reviews of Win8. My only experience with it was playing with a Win8 machine in a store and I absolutely hated it, especially the "tiles" or "Metro" interface. I'm happy with both of my machines currently and am a bit nervous about any Microsoft upgrade given how badly they botched Win8. But the early reviews of Win10 are encouraging.

driver100

stever said:

I put Win10 on my old laptop a couple of months ago. It seems a bit faster (Win8 helped a lot there as it was). But I really don't use that one much to really say, and it's still running one of the betas. I always update anyway and a free OS is nice. Unfortunately I'm stuck with 7 Enterprise on the newer laptop for a while.

Got my Encore review up. I wasn't as wild about it as my wife, but it's certainly a nice rig and I could live with it just fine.

Good review stever. Those are hard choices, each of those cars has positives and negatives depending on your preference. Be sure to give us your impressions of the Mazdas....people seem to really like them.

driver100

abacomike said:

Just finished downloading Windows 10 from the Microsoft site. It seems to work quite well on this 6 year old HP computer. I have not run into any problems as yet, but knowing Microsoft and previous problems with their upgrades, I expect to have some difficulties. Will let you know if there are any complications.

Glad you mentioned Windows 10. Our IT guy is coming today and I was thinking of asking him to put it on our computers. Faster would be good, my 6 year old Toshiba is really acting slow.

Got some good information today, and it is only 8 a.m.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

I am fine with the windows 7 on my laptop (must be about 3 YO now? Maybe a little more). Afraid to do the free upgrade, until I at least get to try it out.

I base that on having tried to get my dad up and running on a new PC (laptop) running windows 8. I despise that with a passion, and refuse to go near it. if 10 is just a polished up 8, I'll pass!

You could always do a complete backup of your computer, upgrade to windows 10 and if you don't like it restore your system and reload the backup.

snakeweasel

Great Sid Caesar's Salad ghost, I just found out I am once again a grand-pappy. My new granddaughter came into this world early this morning (the same as her two older siblings, what is with my daughter having kids in the wee early hours of the morning? Doesn't she know that people like to sleep? There are other times of the day she can have a kid.). Two weeks from tomorrow I will be driving out there to see her.

graphicguy

abacomike...I know you and I both share an interest in oil supply, demand and eventually pricing.

Just received an analysis today about this. Lots of charts and graphs which, unless you really want back up info, is pretty boring. But, two "blurbs" stood out in the report....

"The mention of a deal with Iran over ending nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions earlier this month spooked the oil futures by recording close to $10/barrel drop in price. Further news of slowing China demand and Iran’s determination to gain crude market share has since kept the price of crude depressed."

They went on to say they expect that prices will stay right around low $2/gal (maybe breaking that barrier) for a long time. Other reasons they gave....China pulling in the reins on their economy, U.S. demand falling, move to alternate fuels and gains in fuel efficiency, efficiency in finding and refining oil, etc.

This is good news and will be a boon to our economy.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

HR-V didn't do so great in the recent Car and Driver comparo.

Hell, I'll go one further and say it did pretty damned poorly. I don't have it in front of me, but it was something like 7th place out of 8 vehicles? Maybe 6th?

Michaell

@stever - hoping you get a chance to drive the CX-3 when it hits the lots in a few weeks. Seems to be a nice combination of functionality and sportiness.

roadburner

snakeweasel said:

Great Sid Caesar's Salad ghost, I just found out I am once again a grand-pappy. My new granddaughter came into this world early this morning (the same as her two older siblings, what is with my daughter having kids in the wee early hours of the morning? Doesn't she know that people like to sleep? There are other times of the day she can have a kid.). Two weeks from tomorrow I will be driving out there to see her.

Congrats!!!

stever

Michaell said:

@stever - hoping you get a chance to drive the CX-3 when it hits the lots in a few weeks. Seems to be a nice combination of functionality and sportiness.

The interior volume size is a concern, but shoot, we've downsized nicely around here. Thanks for the feedback everyone. And without having read the article, C&D must be off their rocker if they think the HR-V is "bad".

Mr_Shiftright

It placed 5th out of 6, and was even beaten by the Fiat 500X (how humiliating is that?) . They found the engine/CVT combination anemic and unresponsive (they used the term, the "mooing" of the CVT), and the driving position torturous. C&D wondered why anyone would choose the HR-V over the Fit, which has similar underpinnings and performs better. I've only driven the Fit, so I can't say.

No #1? No surprise really---the Mazda CX-3.

Dead Last? No surprise really---Chevy Trax. While they praised driver and passenger comfort, they found interior materials cheesy and the engine the weakest of the bunch.

Mazda is turning into a little powerhouse with its overall lineup. Competition beware.

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

HR-V didn't do so great in the recent Car and Driver comparo.

Hell, I'll go one further and say it did pretty damned poorly. I don't have it in front of me, but it was something like 7th place out of 8 vehicles? Maybe 6th?

stever

Well, it was back in 2009 or 2010 when we had a Fit overnight. The HR-V was much more impressive.

I thought the Trax and the Encore used the same 1.4l engine in the US? Did they complain about the Encore engine too?

Part of the "default" test drive around here is I-10 heading toward Deming. Right past the Rio Grande you go up the big giant chicken hill. I had no trouble stomping from 60 to 70+ to pop around a semi going up that grade.

Mr_Shiftright

They didn't test the Encore far as I know. The Trax was rated at 138HP, lowest of the entire group tested, and it barely broke 0-60 in 10 secs. Also noisiest at full throttle. The HR-V just couldn't pull a gold star in anything. C&D found it uncomfortable to drive, and lacked any road feel. There was no fun to be had anywhere. As for comparison to the Fit, it is slower, gets worse MPG and has less useful space....well gee, that's not so good.

houdini1

snakeweasel said:

Great Sid Caesar's Salad ghost, I just found out I am once again a grand-pappy. My new granddaughter came into this world early this morning (the same as her two older siblings, what is with my daughter having kids in the wee early hours of the morning? Doesn't she know that people like to sleep? There are other times of the day she can have a kid.). Two weeks from tomorrow I will be driving out there to see her.

Wonderful news snake. Congrats.

houdini1

In todays autos most ACs will freeze you to death. I wonder if something was wrong with the HRVs AC.

stever

Mr_Shiftright said:

They didn't test the Encore far as I know. The Trax was rated at 138HP, lowest of the entire group tested, and it barely broke 0-60 in 10 secs.

Zero to 60 is just such a meaningless number to me. Some torque off the line for the stop light races is nice and at speed, I want that 30 to 60 response (really 50 to 70).

What else did they test? The Soul?

Let me guess, it was VW all the way?

@houdini you could be right, maybe this one wasn't fully charged or something. I don't think it was operator error - the salesperson knew his cars inside and out. Will be curious to read the reviews as people buy them and get some drive time on them.