Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

oldfarmer50

@imidazol97 said:
Orange that looks nice. I could taste an orange when near the car.

That actually looks good.

I almost got this color Eclipse.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/2006_Mitsubishi_Eclipse.jpg

driver100

@houdini1 said:

2005 Lexus 430.

I like these, nice big windows and squared off. They did their homework well copying a 2000 Mercedes.

oldfarmer50

Driver100 said:
Just two different ways of thinking.

Did he grow up poor? That's typical thinking of someone who comes from an impoverished background.

I never had much money and it killed me to give up a car until it was total trash.

driver100

@bwia said:Mike, for a minute there I thought you were the next Larz Anderson who reportedly bought a new car every year.

It seems Larse kept every car he bought....Mike at least trades his in.

oldfarmer50

@henryn said:
1970 Challenger 340 convertible.

Can you imagine what that car would be worth today?

imidazol97

@explorerx4 said:
imidazol97. Is that picture from the Woodward Dream Cruise? The Edge is probably a lost tourist.

Yes. 3 sets of pictures on this WXYZ link. http://www.wxyz.com/news/photos-check-out-scenes-from-the-2014-woodward-dream-cruise

Lots of complaining about anyone's being able to drive up and down Woodward among the true classic cars. The regular folks like the Edge clog up the scenery. You can only see
a few classics in this shot, e.g..

I'd always had Woodward Cruise on my bucket list. After seeing these pictures--not so much.

abacomike

@driver100 said:

"It seems Larse kept every car he bought....Mike at least trades his in."

You can only drive one car at a time!

oldfarmer50

@henryn said:
driver100 said:

4 decades ago I was the guy behind you trying to pass.

Mr_Shiftright

"Can you imagine what that car would be worth today?"

A '70 Challenger Convert with the small block V8/340?----maybe $50--$60K for a show car. Lotta Mopars have gone flat lately.

graphicguy

Sales story (kind of). Was cutting grass this a.m. Hit what appeared to be a steel cable. Don't know where it cme from, nor what it would be used for. It was braided with a vinyl cover. Anyway, it wrapped around the shaft and bent it. Tried to balance it. Tried to pound it straight. No dice.

So, figuring new blades, new deck, new shaft, new belt....about $700....give or take.

Off to Lowes.

They seem to always have mowers lined up in front of their stores. Looking cheap, figuring if that's all it takes to cause $700 in damage, better buy the cheapest mower amnd hope for 5 years of service.

Looking for a $900 special, don't care about brand.

There was a Deere in front with a $1,100 price tag....cheap for a Deere (retail $1,899). It wasn't the base model. It wasn't entry level either. It was a D130....42", 22HP, automatic.

Grtting to the point, it was a return (looked new to me). Had 4 hiurs on the meter. Guy couldn't fit in the seat (YIKES).

They waved the delivery charge. 5% off if I opened a Lowes charge card.

Done deal.

We'll see if John Deere mowers live up to their farm equipment reputation.

abacomike

@graphicguy said:

"We'll see if John Deere mowers live up to their farm equipment reputation."

Some people buy appliances, others buy cars. Then there's GG who buys a John Deere for his grass cutting like I did years ago when I had an acre of property to cut.

Smart move GG. My Deere was a blessing to me and my lawns. After 5 years, still like new - never a problem. Sold it when I sold the house and for all I know, the guy is still cutting his lawn with it.

Lots of luck with it - it will serve you well.

oldfarmer50

@graphicguy said:

We'll see if John Deere mowers live up to their farm equipment reputation.

Hate to tell you but almost all cheap mowers sold at big box stores regardless of brand are made by MTD in Michigan. Only difference is the paint.

The good John Deere mowers are at the John Deere dealer. They don't cost a 1000 bucks.

I have a Bolens paint job and it has mowed 5 acres for about 5 years now which is a surprise to me. Got off to a slow start because Lowe's delivered it without blades.

houdini1

@driver100 said: They did their homework well copying a 2000 Mercedes.

They must have copied it very well and made some improvements. A 2005 base Mercedes 430 S class had an MSRP of about $92,000. A 2005 base Lexus LS 430 had a MSRP of about $56,000.

Today, according to Edmunds, that 2005 S class has a retail value of $10,663. and the 2005 Lexus LS 430 has a retail value of $15,769. Now that's incredible !!

I assumed 90,000 miles on each vehicle.

nyccarguy

@roadburner‌

There is something about those. Just the V8 burble when cruising around with the windows open on a summer night is worth the price of admission;)

driver100

@houdini1 said:They must have copied it very well and made some improvements. A 2005 base Mercedes 430 S **class had an MSRP of about $92,000. A **2005 base Lexus LS 430 had a MSRP of about $56,000.

Geez, they even copied the name!

It is a big difference in price difference, but, that is probably the nicest looking Lexus ever made.

driver100

@graphicguy said:We'll see if John Deere mowers live up to their farm equipment reputation

GG congratualations on the new set of wheels.

Also, I think it is the first time we have talked about riding mowers....so double congrats.

Don't worry about what the others say, if it says John Deere on it it should ride like a deer.

abacomike

@houdini1‌ said:

"Today, according to Edmunds, that 2005 S class has a retail value of $10,663. and the 2005 Lexus LS 430 has a retail value of $15,769. Now that's incredible !!"

Actually, I am not surprised at all. But I can guarantee that the newer model LS460 will not hold that same proportional value because of the major changes Lexus made in manufacturing - not the same quality car as it used to be.

On the other hand, the 2014/2015 S Class will hold a bit more proportional value than in past years because of the "Maybach" influence in quality.

Has anyone driven the new S Class? I have and it is essentially a Maybach in disguise - smooth, elegant and an interior that rivals a Rolls. What amazes me is that the pricing on a nicely equipped S Class remains the same as it was 4 years ago +/- $1000.

But those 2001-2006 LS 430's were truly amazing vehicles.

mako1a

What amazes me is that the pricing on a nicely equipped S Class remains the same as it was 4 years ago +/- $1000.
Stop teasing please. What is the price +_$1000?

abacomike

@mako1a‌ said:

"Stop teasing please. What is the price +_$1000?"

You can get one for around $100,000! About the same price as 2010.

houdini1

@oldfarmer50 said:

The John Deere riding mowers sold at HD and Lowe's are made by John Deere at their plant in Tenn. Always have been. John Deere dealers sell the exact same mowers plus more expensive ones as well. If you ever have to have it serviced you will have to take it to a JD dealer.

MTD most likely makes some of the others but not John Deere.

Congrats JJ, you got yourself a great deal and a real JD. If you buy this tractor new from a JD dealer it will cost you $1900.

graphicguy

Houdini....yeah, it said right on the mower "built by John Deere in TN". I have heard MTD makes a lot of mowers for different brands, but Deere does their own.

Mike....I had a Wheelhorse for about 15 years. Served me well. 3 years ago I bought a Husqvarna because of the reputation of their power tools. It was never the equal of my Wheehorse. But Toro consumer riding mowers abre tough to find around here these days. Today was just icing on the cake.

I hope the Deere is better.

sterlingdog

@graphicguy said:
Houdini....yeah, it said right on the mower "built by John Deere in TN". I have heard MTD makes a lot of mowers for different brands, but Deere does their own.

Mike....I had a Wheelhorse for about 15 years. Served me well. 3 years ago I bought a Husqvarna because of the reputation of their power tools. It was never the equal of my Wheehorse. But Toro consumer riding mowers abre tough to find around here these days. Today was just icing on the cake.

I hope the Deere is better.

Since I can't decide what I want in a new car, perhaps I should buy a John Deere and ride it around town. Would they give me a discount if I ordered one without blades? If they still come in two tone green and yellow, I would be a happy camper. I like those colors together. I could buy a matching umbrella to use when it rains. Wonder what the gas mileage is?

Richard

henryn

John Deere makes good equipment, no question about that. I have owned a couple of their riding mowers / garden tractors. But if you're buying something just to cut large amounts of grass, you really, really, really should look into a ZTR. You will be amazed at how much quicker you will get the job done. Truly amazed.

henryn

re: 1970 Challenger 340 convertible

@oldfarmer50 said:

>

Can you imagine what that car would be worth today?

Yes, I can imagine. And believe it or not, the car was given to me. A man I worked with had it stored in his garage, in non-running condition. He had paid some amateur mechanic to rebuild the engine. My co-worker wanted his garage space back, and I offered to pay him a few hundred. He told me I could have it for free if I promised to "fix it up nice", as it was the first car that he ever owned.

The passenger side head was cracked. When I tore the engine down, I found where the amateur mechanic had installed a freeze plug in one of the water passages directly behind the water pump. I rebuilt the engine, bought a new set of tires and mag wheels, and was saving up for a new paint job when some idiot ran over me and totaled the car.

Oh, well.

graphicguy

@henryn said:
John Deere makes good equipment, no question about that. I have owned a couple of their riding mowers / garden tractors. But if you're buying something just to cut large amounts of grass, you really, really, really should look into a ZTR. You will be amazed at how much quicker you will get the job done. Truly amazed.

I don't have quite an acre. Plus, the ZTRs cost more than I'm willing to spend. Appreciate the advice, though!

imidazol97

@sterlingdog said:

I could buy a matching umbrella to use when it rains.

OR

venture

I am the groundskeeper at a baseball field and we use only John Deere tractors. We currently have an X300 ($3000) and an X730 ($11,000).

The X300 we use to mow in tight areas like the bull pens and around the buildings. The X730 is used to mow the outfield and sidelines.

Of course, they are both used to pull things such as a de-thatcher, spreader, field drag, and various trailers.

We look hard when buying new equipment and have found the best value by using John Deere. The initial cost is a little higher, but overall we feel we are saving money. We use them hard and need the dependability also.

bwia

Very nice green and yellow combo, does it come with a GPS? My neighbor has a riding mover but has a small yard, perhaps no more than a tenth of acre. Does not make much economic sense, but who knows, it probably was a gift.

For me, those days are long gone. I have a guy who does my lawn and plow the snow and I am happy for that.

oldfarmer50

After research I withdraw my comment about John Deere tractors. Turns out they are the only one who still make their own. MTD makes most of the rest, however.

Switching topics, have any of you looked at this "active under steer control" that Nissan touts? It seems to apply the inboard brake in turns to increase yaw and thus rotate the car through turns.

Fascinating concept if it works. Is Nissan the only one that does this?

driver100

Randon Thoughts;

*BMW sent me a 1 minute video of the new M4. Quite the color...quite the driving. They were 3 days too late! (1 minute)
New bmw M4

*John Deere X300, X730,ZTR etc. Why don't they use real names so it will be less confusing, Like the Mulcher, The Rabbit, The Goat, the Grass Buster......

*GG, this could make lawn cutting more fun. This John Deere has a Ford 302 engine and Corvette steering wheel.

*
My riding mower:

bwia

*Mike and *Driver, as a follow-up to the Larz Anderson Museum in Boston (http://www.larzanderson.org/about/history/the-collection/) I was just joking.

Some people buy cars regularly (every year as the Anderson's) and keep them as part of a collection. Others, on the hand, buy a new car because they get bored with the old or they are just after the next new thing.

If I had the money I would definitely buy a collection of eclectic cars. My collection would include a representative sample of vehicles from every continent and every propulsion system. Nothing as elaborate as Jay Leno but something closer to Jay-Z.

By the way, if you are in Boston set aside some time for a tour of the Larz Anderson Museum and the beautiful estate surroundings. It's a must see for auto enthusiasts.

houdini1

@abacomike said:
houdini1‌ said:

"Today, according to Edmunds, that 2005 S class has a retail value of $10,663. and the 2005 Lexus LS 430 has a retail value of $15,769. Now that's incredible !!"

Actually, I am not surprised at all. But I can guarantee that the newer model LS460 will not hold that same proportional value because of the major changes Lexus made in manufacturing - not the same quality car as it used to be.

Just for fun I checked resale values on Edmund's of the first year (2007) of the Lexus LS 460 and the 2007 Mercedes S model. The S cost about $100,000. new and in 2014 has a retail value of $23,000. The LS 460 cost about $65,000. new and in 2014 has a retail value of about $20,500. At that rate the LS will be worth more in a couple of years.

graphicguy

@venture said:
I am the groundskeeper at a baseball field and we use only John Deere tractors. We currently have an X300 ($3000) and an X730 ($11,000).

The X300 we use to mow in tight areas like the bull pens and around the buildings. The X730 is used to mow the outfield and sidelines.

Of course, they are both used to pull things such as a de-thatcher, spreader, field drag, and various trailers.

We look hard when buying new equipment and have found the best value by using John Deere. The initial cost is a little higher, but overall we feel we are saving money. We use them hard and need the dependability also.

Venture....glad to hear I've made a good decision. Thanks for the input.

Imid....I'm betting that if I cut my grass while sporting that umbrella, they'd quadruple my HOA fees....

Richard....I wonder what the MPG is on one of those Deere lawn tractors? You might want to see what the trade-in value is on the SRX.

Driver...V8? In a Lawn tractor? I'd be game. At least I'd have fun doing wheelies.

driver100

@bwia said:By the way, if you are in Boston set aside some time for a tour of the Larz Anderson Museum and

I will definitely keep that in mind. We love going to Boston. We really enjoyed the DUCK tour, amphibian vehicle that shows the sites in the city and then goes into the water, and the guide is hilarious.

Not to mention great restaurants and nightlife areas.

bwia

For some reason I cannot get this song out of my head.

"Hey Joe"...what you gonna do with that gun in your hand. This Jimmy Hendrix version is the best I believe. Any thoughts on Hendrix and his music?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VxMDwYfxvQ&list=RD4VxMDwYfxvQ

stever

Jimi is the best way to close out the 4th of July, preferably at midnight in Seward AK.

There was a 93 Camaro commercial using Hendrix's "Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire", one for Audi and probably some others..

fezo

OK, I'm getting the picture thing wrong but here's an unmistakably orange car.

Mr_Shiftright

Hell I just built my own:

stickguy

No way I stand behind that beast

Mr_Shiftright

I've contracted with TESLA to construct a safer version However, if you have a gopher problem....

graphicguy

@Mr_Shiftright said:
Hell I just built my own:

Now THAT's a mower. I need a pipe, though.

oldfarmer50

Ok, explain this to me.

My credit union will lend me car money for 5 years @ 1.99%. The 5 year treasury is paying about 1.6%.

How can they make any money?

snakeweasel

To add to the John Deere conversation, if you're ever in the western part of Northern Illinois something good to see is the John Deere homesite in Grand Detour and the John Deere Pavilion in Moline at their headquarters.

The homesite is John Deere's home and a rebuilt blacksmith shop that was the beginning of the John Deere company. And for you driving enthusiasts the drive the drive from Rockford along the Rock river is one of the best in Northern Illinois. The pavilion has interactive exhibits and a lot of equipment on display, some new some old. Both are well worth a stop.

ab348

@oldfarmer50 said:
Ok, explain this to me.

My credit union will lend me car money for 5 years @ 1.99%. The 5 year treasury is paying about 1.6%.

How can they make any money?

By paying 0.1% on the deposits made by their customers on their passbook savings accounts.

abacomike

@oldfarmer50 said:
Ok, explain this to me.

My credit union will lend me car money for 5 years @ 1.99%. The 5 year treasury is paying about 1.6%.

How can they make any money?

Interesting question, oldfarmer. So I called my USAA bank because they advertise special rates if you buy a new car and are a member of USAA. Their 36 month loan rate on $15,000+ is 1.38% "less" .8% as a discount at the end of the loan if you use their buying service, or a "net" APR of .58% (less than 1%).

So I asked them how could they possibly do that and lose money on these loans. The guy responded that their buying service (Tru-Car) makes up the difference.

I don't use their buying service because the dealer then has to sell me the car for $1000 over invoice, less the discounts which he recovers from Mercedes USA. So it does not pay for me to use their buying service. So if I borrow $15,000 for 36 months, I would pay an APR of 1.38%. That is a phenominal rate.

I just don't know how they do it, to be honest with you.

The guy said I have been pre-approved for a loan for 36 months for up to $60,000. All I have to do is call them a few days before the car is to be delivered to the dealership, give them the VIN, electronically sign the loan papers, and they will send me an electronic check for the total amount of the loan which I turn over to the dealership, and which they will accept.

Amazing!!!

abacomike

@oldfarmer50 said:
Ok, explain this to me.

My credit union will lend me car money for 5 years @ 1.99%. The 5 year treasury is paying about 1.6%.

How can they make any money?

As a postscript to my previous post, I do not intend to take out a loan at this time because I own my current car outright. It has a value of about $62,000 in mid October when I will be trading it. The invoice of the new car will be about $64,990 including transportation.

Subtract, on average $2500 for the USAA fleet incentive that Mercedes Benz Sponsors and another $500 for the Mercedes Benz Club of America incentive, or at total of $3000, and you end up with an even trade, give or take $500.

It is nice finally not having car payments to worry about, even at those low rates, especially with the expenses I have incurred out here in California with outrageous air fare, food, rental car, etc.

robr2

@ab348 said:
By paying 0.1% on the deposits made by their customers on their passbook savings accounts.

Also credit unions are non-profit so they don't have to charge as much of a spread.

henryn

My credit union is at 1.59%, up to 60 months, with 20% down. They pay something like 1.1% on their savings accounts.

imidazol97

More orange:

laurasdada

On my most recent purchase, (12/31/13) I went in armed with what I thought was a good Credit Union rate of 2.24% (and no first payment for 90 days). Dealer got me 1.84% from a major bank. Woo Hoo!