Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

js06gv

imidazol97 said:

abacomike said:

Congratulations Imid!  I hope the almost-new Cruze gives you many enjoyable and trouble-free driving years of pleasure!

Thank you! For the first time in 35 years or so there's no Buick in our fleet.

I was amazing how hard it was to keep from speeding in the Cruze. It is really nice driving.

Imid Jr now has a car to last for several years after we purchase a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty for it. And he has instructions on replacing it in the future in the event I'm not around to guide him. He's not into cars other than whether they run nicely or not, LOL. He was planning to purchase in a couple years after more pay raises and time in his Cobalt but I was ready to replace the leSabre.

I traded the Buick while it was running well although with 210 K miles. It owed me nothing. I always have liked the Cobalt. I'll get it fixed up as much as I can after the OSU college parking bruises to the plastic bumpers and probably sell it myself to a new driver and replace it with a new '17 or '18 Malibu or Cruze.

I have to keep my wife away from the Buick Encore because she will want one of those especially since her long time friend is leasing one in a few months when she turns in her Equinox lease.

@imidazol97, I saw you mentioned OSU. Assuming that's Oklahoma State? How did your son like it there? My daughter has decided on OSU and will be starting there this August.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

So, anyone who has a recent vintage GM vehicle knows you get reports (I get emails) from OnStar once/mo telling you the condition of the car. OnStar monitors the Odometer reading, oil level/condition, coolant level/condition, tire air pressure, emissions, MPG, etc, etc.

Anyway, my old '14 CTS OnStar just sent me a report. Seems hardly anyone has driven it. It only has a couple hundred miles from when I turned it in. Report says everything is fine, except the rear two tires are underinflated. So, it's still being monitored, wherever it is. And, no one is really driving it.

Sounds like it misses you. After all you two went through so much together.

berri

I saw you mentioned OSU. Assuming that's Oklahoma State?

I believe Imid is from Ohio, so he won't be pleased that you disparaged his Ohio State Buckeyes

abacomike

berri said:

Jim Moran the Courtesy Man. Now there's an interesting and maybe controversial figure. Depending on what you article you read about him, he was either a genius or a crook.

I knew Jim very well.  His Lexus dealership was open for business 365 days a year.  I always made sure I was working Christmas Day because he would come into the showroom and hand out Christmas Cards to all the sales people - a brand new $100 bill inside each card.  Interestingly enough, he knew my first and last name as well.

suydam

Oklahoma State? Perish the thought! OSU can ONLY mean THE Ohio State University to us Ohioans! Go Bucks!

abacomike

Jim Moran owned one of the biggest yachts in south Florida - Lady Luck - and it was an amazing boat.  I was invited aboard a couple of times for fundraisers.  The Moran Family is behind the Make A Wish Foundation - they donate millions upon millions of dollars every year to worthy charitable organizations.  At Holy Cross Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, they built the Jim Moran Heart Wing back in the early 2000's.

stickguy

TY. seems like a good price for sure. Barely broken in! Really starting to think that in 1.5 years when I get my next car, I will go for a low-mile off lease if I decide to get something fancier (MB, Audi, etc.). Let the leaser (or company!) eat all that depreciation.

something like a Subaru or Honda, would buy that new.

nyccarguy

@tyguy - Mazel-Tov & congrats on the A4!  Sharp looking in the black/black with sport suspension & stick!  You got a great car at a great price!  You got a great story to go with it too!

Michaell

My father passed away earlier this evening. While he wasn't much of a car guy, he did manage to own a few decent cars over the years (before they were classics).

Before I was born, I know he and my mom had a '57 Chevy. No idea of trim level, but I think it was yellow and while. Might have been a convertible - this was Southern California, after all. Apparently, he was involved in an accident on the 101 near Santa Barbara with a cement truck. Goodbye, Chevy.

I do remember him owning a '53 or '54 Ford pickup. This would have been in the late 60's. It was a run down piece of junk that he used to get back and forth to work at the Fire Department and for his other jobs as a free lance carpenter. Might be worth something today, if it were fixed up.

After the Ford, he bought a '70 Chevy C-10. 350 with 3-speed automatic. New off the showroom floor. Mom told him it would be the 'last truck he ever bought'. Well, 46 years later, it's still in the driveway. My son and nephew are gonna have a battle over who gets it.

My mom had a couple of VW's in the 60's - one Beetle, one Squareback - and a new '73 Toyota Corona that they bought on my dad's birthday. Sadly, I totaled the Toyota in '81 driving to school one morning.

It was replaced with a series of used cars - '72 MB 220D (vanity plate: REAL SLO), an '84 Toyota Celica hatchback and a '91 Camry - before they splurged one last time on a new car. My mom still drives it - a 2003 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6, which probably has about 45,000 miles on it.

He did not pass along good driving skills to his oldest, however. Through bad luck and poor attention, I was involved in a number of accidents in my first few years of driving. So much so that my folks got me a trophy with a gorilla wearing a crash helmet, holding a steering wheel. That trophy might still be in the attic at my mom and dad's house to this day.

I was set to fly out to California later this week to visit, but now it will be to attend the services. My son, sister and cousin are there taking care of my mom.

He was a great guy. He's gonna be missed.

abacomike

@Michaell:

My sincerest condolences, Michael.  I know you had expected this based on your planned trip to CA this coming week.  May he rest in peace in God's kingdom.

suydam

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. May his memory always be for a blessing.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

My father passed away earlier this evening. While he wasn't much of a car guy, he did manage to own a few decent cars over the years (before they were classics).

Before I was born, I know he and my mom had a '57 Chevy. No idea of trim level, but I think it was yellow and while. Might have been a convertible - this was Southern California, after all. Apparently, he was involved in an accident on the 101 near Santa Barbara with a cement truck. Goodbye, Chevy.

I do remember him owning a '53 or '54 Ford pickup. This would have been in the late 60's. It was a run down piece of junk that he used to get back and forth to work at the Fire Department and for his other jobs as a free lance carpenter. Might be worth something today, if it were fixed up.

After the Ford, he bought a '70 Chevy C-10. 350 with 3-speed automatic. New off the showroom floor. Mom told him it would be the 'last truck he ever bought'. Well, 46 years later, it's still in the driveway. My son and nephew are gonna have a battle over who gets it.

My mom had a couple of VW's in the 60's - one Beetle, one Squareback - and a new '73 Toyota Corona that they bought on my dad's birthday. Sadly, I totaled the Toyota in '81 driving to school one morning.

It was replaced with a series of used cars - '72 MB 220D (vanity plate: REAL SLO), an '84 Toyota Celica hatchback and a '91 Camry - before they splurged one last time on a new car. My mom still drives it - a 2003 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6, which probably has about 45,000 miles on it.

He did not pass along good driving skills to his oldest, however. Through bad luck and poor attention, I was involved in a number of accidents in my first few years of driving. So much so that my folks got me a trophy with a gorilla wearing a crash helmet, holding a steering wheel. That trophy might still be in the attic at my mom and dad's house to this day.

I was set to fly out to California later this week to visit, but now it will be to attend the services. My son, sister and cousin are there taking care of my mom.

He was a great guy. He's gonna be missed.

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like your dad had a good sense of humor with the gorilla trophy.

Michaell

abacomike said:

@Michaell:

My sincerest condolences, Michael.  I know you had expected this based on your planned trip to CA this coming week.  May he rest in peace in God's kingdom.

Thanks, Mike. Yeah, he'd been in hospital for a couple of weeks, and his passing was peaceful. Which is all we can hope for.

Michaell

suydam said:

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. May his memory always be for a blessing.

Thanks for the kind words, suydam.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

My father passed away earlier this evening. While he wasn't much of a car guy, he did manage to own a few decent cars over the years (before they were classics).

Before I was born, I know he and my mom had a '57 Chevy. No idea of trim level, but I think it was yellow and while. Might have been a convertible - this was Southern California, after all. Apparently, he was involved in an accident on the 101 near Santa Barbara with a cement truck. Goodbye, Chevy.

I do remember him owning a '53 or '54 Ford pickup. This would have been in the late 60's. It was a run down piece of junk that he used to get back and forth to work at the Fire Department and for his other jobs as a free lance carpenter. Might be worth something today, if it were fixed up.

After the Ford, he bought a '70 Chevy C-10. 350 with 3-speed automatic. New off the showroom floor. Mom told him it would be the 'last truck he ever bought'. Well, 46 years later, it's still in the driveway. My son and nephew are gonna have a battle over who gets it.

My mom had a couple of VW's in the 60's - one Beetle, one Squareback - and a new '73 Toyota Corona that they bought on my dad's birthday. Sadly, I totaled the Toyota in '81 driving to school one morning.

It was replaced with a series of used cars - '72 MB 220D (vanity plate: REAL SLO), an '84 Toyota Celica hatchback and a '91 Camry - before they splurged one last time on a new car. My mom still drives it - a 2003 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6, which probably has about 45,000 miles on it.

He did not pass along good driving skills to his oldest, however. Through bad luck and poor attention, I was involved in a number of accidents in my first few years of driving. So much so that my folks got me a trophy with a gorilla wearing a crash helmet, holding a steering wheel. That trophy might still be in the attic at my mom and dad's house to this day.

I was set to fly out to California later this week to visit, but now it will be to attend the services. My son, sister and cousin are there taking care of my mom.

He was a great guy. He's gonna be missed.

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like your dad had a good sense of humor with the gorilla trophy.

Lots and lots of stories about him .. here's another one, not car related.

He was a career firefighter, but after 20 years on the line he started to have issues with his breathing. Saw lots of doctors, trying to figure out if he was healthy enough to continue working or retire on medical disability. He was on workman's comp for over a year. During that time, he had to spend a few days in the hospital for tests. They put him in a newly opened wing, and was there when the local newspaper came through to do an article on it.

So, a couple weeks later, a big Sunday article was published about the new wing - the hospice wing. With prominent pictures of my dad laughing and joking it up with the nurses.

Of course, everyone wanted to know what was wrong with him, was he really that sick, etc. At the time, I was a freshman in a Catholic High School, and the principal called me into his office to ask about him. I couldn't help but laugh and explain the situation to him - no, he wasn't sick.

IIRC, I think he got the doctors to prescribe him beer during his visit.

ab348

@Michaell - My most sincere sympathies. I'm glad you have good memories to rely upon.

Michaell

ab348 said:

@Michaell - My most sincere sympathies. I'm glad you have good memories to rely upon.

Thanks, ab!

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Getting all payments caught up so you never have to make a payment again is like reading everything on the internet, and not having to go on it again.

I think catching up on car payments is great, but, it just prolongs the need for a newer car sometime down the road. It may even make it harder to come up with the difference!

Todays new cars can easily do 150K miles with little, if ant, major maintenance. So lets say that Joe graduates from college with his masters at 24 and buys a modestly priced car and takes a 5 year loan. He keeps the car for ten years and after it's paid off he keeps making the payments into special account. at the end of ten years he would have more than the cost of his original car in funds for a new one. Now taking into account inflation and that Joe gets a better car than his first, after using what he saved he can get a much nicer car and keep the payments the same for maybe 2 or 3 years. After another 10 years with say 8 years or saving those car payments Joe will be 44 and buying cars for cash.

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

Getting all payments caught up so you never have to make a payment again is like reading everything on the internet, and not having to go on it again.

I think catching up on car payments is great, but, it just prolongs the need for a newer car sometime down the road. It may even make it harder to come up with the difference!

Todays new cars can easily do 150K miles with little, if ant, major maintenance. So lets say that Joe graduates from college with his masters at 24 and buys a modestly priced car and takes a 5 year loan. He keeps the car for ten years and after it's paid off he keeps making the payments into special account. at the end of ten years he would have more than the cost of his original car in funds for a new one. Now taking into account inflation and that Joe gets a better car than his first, after using what he saved he can get a much nicer car and keep the payments the same for maybe 2 or 3 years. After another 10 years with say 8 years or saving those car payments Joe will be 44 and buying cars for cash.

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

That might be possible with this group but the typical 24yo Joe is more likely to buy a car well beyond his means and trade it underwater 3 times in that 10 year period. Toss in a few trips to Ft. Lauderdale on the credit card and an unpaid phone bill or two and he's paying 22% interest on his 490 credit score. He assumes the government will bail him out. He twitters that life is unfair.

suydam

I know a few people like that but I hardly think they're typical.

dino001

suydam said:

I know a few people like that but I hardly think they're typical.

But many more than should. We all make mistakes, from my experience, everybody I know has made one serious money mistake (including yours truly). The issue is some learned from it and are making smaller and smaller mistakes ever since, and others don't even understand what happened.

imidazol97

snakeweasel said:

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

I think that kind of young person is rare. The car ads, Honda especially, in this area always talk payments, never talk about total purchase price and there's a reason for that. It's to draw in those who probably can't really afford the car in the ad but want to spend the money anyhow from their future.

We are a nation of low information buyers, economically speaking. Most people cannot understand the leases and the various factors in the cost of the leases nor can most understand the idea of paying a huge amount in interest over 84 months (or is it 96 months now for loans?) vs living more carefully. /Too many feel as oldfarmer50 says, "He assumes the government will bail him out. He twitters that life is unfair."

dino001

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

I think that kind of young person is rare. The car ads, Honda especially, in this area always talk payments, never talk about total purchase price and there's a reason for that. It's to draw in those who probably can't really afford the car in the ad but want to spend the money anyhow from their future.

Funny, how these dealers are so geared toward that type of buyers. When a non-payment person shows up, they often don't know how to act and need to be shaken somehow to snap out of it. I Hate those places, rare visits I made in them, I want to leave 2 minutes after I come.

driver100

We were playing tennis near a boat ramp this morning and noticed a lot of guys with diesel trucks. This is also in a big community with lots of residential homes. I know diesels make sense for towing and unloading boats, but some of them are extremely noisy. I am sure some of these guys make their trucks even noisier than they are - one guy had the large wheels and it was jacked up and I think he drove around in lower gears the whole time.

I know there are advantages to diesel pick ups, but they sure can be noisey, and I wonder how much is necessary and how much is macho stuff.

driver100

Michaell said:

My father passed away earlier this evening. While he wasn't much of a car guy, he did manage to own a few decent cars over the years (before they were classics).

Before I was born, I know he and my mom had a '57 Chevy. No idea of trim level, but I think it was yellow and while. Might have been a convertible - this was Southern California, after all. Apparently, he was involved in an accident on the 101 near Santa Barbara with a cement truck. Goodbye, Chevy.
He was a great guy. He's gonna be missed.

My condolences Michael, I know you were expecting it somewhat, but, still, never easy.

stickguy

not sure if my son is part of the "silent majority" or is just an outlier. He graduated, was careful with money, and even while he was moving out on his own, he paid off his student loans already (in less than 3 years from graduation). though he is Jonesing bad for his next car, he resisted temptation to trade out of his Jetta lease.

The lease was an intentional financial decision. Typical new grad/1st job. Income, but not much in savings. So, a S&D lease to give him 3 years of reliable, cost certain transportation while he got established. Now that loans are paying off, that money is going into savings each month. Not sure what the next car will be, but he intends to buy. Hopefully something he likes enough to keep for a while! I expect will go with the 2/1 plan (1 year payments for each 2 years intending to keep)/

he does have a love of the Audi A3 (among a few others, including Mustang) but his latest thought is a nicely equipped Mazda 3. That would be an easy buy on a 3 year loan with a modest DP.

berri

Sorry about your father's passing. But as you've already demonstrated - the memories never fade. I have the utmost respect for firefighters and police. They put their life on the line for us everyday. God bless.

cdnpinhead

driver100 said:

. . . and I wonder how much is necessary and how much is macho stuff.

I don't.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

We were playing tennis near a boat ramp this morning and noticed a lot of guys with diesel trucks. This is also in a big community with lots of residential homes. I know diesels make sense for towing and unloading boats, but some of them are extremely noisy. I am sure some of these guys make their trucks even noisier than they are - one guy had the large wheels and it was jacked up and I think he drove around in lower gears the whole time.

I know there are advantages to diesel pick ups, but they sure can be noisey, and I wonder how much is necessary and how much is macho stuff.

Anything beyond a Prius is macho stuff.

berri

Diesel pickup perhaps make the truck driving more realistic. I believe those diesel options are pretty expensive. But heck, people should buy whatever they personally like.

Michaell

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

My father passed away earlier this evening. While he wasn't much of a car guy, he did manage to own a few decent cars over the years (before they were classics).

Before I was born, I know he and my mom had a '57 Chevy. No idea of trim level, but I think it was yellow and while. Might have been a convertible - this was Southern California, after all. Apparently, he was involved in an accident on the 101 near Santa Barbara with a cement truck. Goodbye, Chevy.
He was a great guy. He's gonna be missed.

My condolences Michael, I know you were expecting it somewhat, but, still, never easy.

Thanks, driver.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

I think that kind of young person is rare. The car ads, Honda especially, in this area always talk payments, never talk about total purchase price and there's a reason for that. It's to draw in those who probably can't really afford the car in the ad but want to spend the money anyhow from their future.

We are a nation of low information buyers, economically speaking. Most people cannot understand the leases and the various factors in the cost of the leases nor can most understand the idea of paying a huge amount in interest over 84 months (or is it 96 months now for loans?) vs living more carefully. /Too many feel as oldfarmer50 says, "He assumes the government will bail him out. He twitters that life is unfair."

While we're bashing youngsters I'm watching a South Park episode about bad senior drivers. Very funny.

Michaell

berri said:

Sorry about your father's passing. But as you've already demonstrated - the memories never fade. I have the utmost respect for firefighters and police. They put their life on the line for us everyday. God bless.

Thanks for the kind words, berri. My dad worked hard his whole career.

Another car-related story from him.

Late in his career, he switched jobs .. he went from being a Captain to being an Investigator - think of the Robert De Niro character in "Backdraft". He would investigate the causes of fires, then had arrest authority once he made the case if it was arson.

One of his cases took him to Banff, BC. Someone torched their garage with a classic Corvette in it, then filed for insurance. The perp took his other vehicle (Ford Bronco, IIRC) and fled to Canada, where he was picked up by the RCMP. Dad had to fly to Banff, retrieve the Bronco, and drive it back to Southern California.

Except my dad absolutely hated long distance driving. I remember him bitching and moaning for two weeks once he got home about how uncomfortable it was on the highway.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

not sure if my son is part of the "silent majority" or is just an outlier. He graduated, was careful with money, and even while he was moving out on his own, he paid off his student loans already (in less than 3 years from graduation). though he is Jonesing bad for his next car, he resisted temptation to trade out of his Jetta lease. The lease was an intentional financial decision. Typical new grad/1st job. Income, but not much in savings. So, a S&D lease to give him 3 years of reliable, cost certain transportation while he got established. Now that loans are paying off, that money is going into savings each month. Not sure what the next car will be, but he intends to buy. Hopefully something he likes enough to keep for a while! I expect will go with the 2/1 plan (1 year payments for each 2 years intending to keep)/ he does have a love of the Audi A3 (among a few others, including Mustang) but his latest thought is a nicely equipped Mazda 3. That would be an easy buy on a 3 year loan with a modest DP.

He is an outlier for sure. I was in a similar position when I finished grad school and paid everything off as quickly as possible.

Many of my colleagues took their first high paying jobs to live big instead of smart. Most regretted that decision once their loans came out of deferment. 

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

Monday our appliances from Whirlpool/Lowes were delivered and installed. 13 out of 10 for the installers; 7 out of 10 for the salesman at Lowes.

Then after putting things back in place in the hallways that had been moved, we headed for Chick Fil A and on to a car dealer to see about a slightly used Cruze that I liked. Negotiated a deal for it. Salesman must get a bonus for delivering the same day..., talked us into waiting on it. At 4:30 we headed home in a slightly used 2LT Cruze 2015 for our son to replace his Cobalt he had driven since high school.

Great car. Peppy.

Today I investigated the rattle in the front of the Cobalt at low speeds on manhole covers. I found the axle's CV inner joint seems worn. So it's off to the dealer for a replacement. I hope it's covered under the extended warranty I had bought! No wonder Imid Jr said the new Cruze was really 'quiet' compared to the Cobalt. I hadn't driven the Cobalt for quite a while and I should have taken it for an extended drive. I assumed he would notice anything that wasn't quite right. LOL.

Congrats on the new (for you) car. I have a coworker who got one and he loves it, his only issue is that he says he doesn't get anywhere near what the EPA est. is, but he does offer the disclaimer that it is winter and he mostly drives under 5 miles at a time (less than 3 miles to work). So he is not to distraught by that.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Whatever you do, the bit between Thunder Bay and the Rockies isn't especially noteworthy. Rogers Pass (Calgary, Banff) is the more scenic route the rest of the way through the Rockies. I drove my 240-Z and my MGB alongside both rail lines -- good times. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I should have never left.

cdnpinhead - would you recommend an MGB that's in good shape for fun in the 2016/and on era?

True, not much to see between Rockies and Niagara Falls/Toronto in the East.

You're not looking hard enough.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

So the wife killed a deer last night with the new-to-us Rover. She says it was a big fella, and considering she killed it, the damage isn't all that bad. Still, though, you know how things are these days, so it is probably a good $3k or more repair bill. Front bumper is destroyed, which is all one piece including the grille surround on that vehicle, along with the driver's fog light, headlight housing, and headlight washer. Front fender is ever so slightly misaligned but appeared damage free at first. Upon closer inspection, I found some hairline cracks in the paint where it appears the headlight impacted it.

After thinking about it for a little while, I decided to have her call the insurance company. They said it falls under our Comprehensive, which has $100 deductible, and because its a no-fault incident, it won't affect our rates at all. So that's all good news. I do cringe at thinking what might need to be done on this previously pristine truck. I'm wondering if the whole fender needs to be repainted. That would suck.

I think it is lucky she was driving a big strong Rover. Could have been much worse in an Accent or Smart Car!

Looking at that picture it looks like a glancing blow with the deer. Adult deer will do considerable damage in a direct hit and higher speeds. An accent or Smart car would have held up pretty well in a similar glancing blow.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

I hit a deer about 25 years ago. Dumb thing ran right out in front of me. Almost stopped. But, not quite.

apparently did not kill him, because when I went back that way (before animal control would have gotten there) he was gone. Though maybe a local came for the meat!

lucky I was driving my Nissam PU. Hit him flush and bounced him back in front of me. Slightly dented the front lip of the hood, and cracked a bar in the grill. Might have made a minor dent in the front bumper? Had to buy a couple of trim pieces I put on myself.

Pretty sure if we had been driving the 323 instead, it would have flipped him up and rolled over the hood. Though given how close I came to stopping, I may have stopped before hitting him, given how crappy the stopping distance in an unloaded 1991 Nissan PU was!

Depending on the age of the deer it takes a bit of force to kill one. If you almost stopped and it did little damage the deer likely wasn't killed.

snakeweasel

Michaell,

My sympathies on your loss. Looks like you have many good memories of him. I am sure he is living on through them.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

Getting all payments caught up so you never have to make a payment again is like reading everything on the internet, and not having to go on it again.

I think catching up on car payments is great, but, it just prolongs the need for a newer car sometime down the road. It may even make it harder to come up with the difference!

Todays new cars can easily do 150K miles with little, if ant, major maintenance. So lets say that Joe graduates from college with his masters at 24 and buys a modestly priced car and takes a 5 year loan. He keeps the car for ten years and after it's paid off he keeps making the payments into special account. at the end of ten years he would have more than the cost of his original car in funds for a new one. Now taking into account inflation and that Joe gets a better car than his first, after using what he saved he can get a much nicer car and keep the payments the same for maybe 2 or 3 years. After another 10 years with say 8 years or saving those car payments Joe will be 44 and buying cars for cash.

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

That might be possible with this group but the typical 24yo Joe is more likely to buy a car well beyond his means and trade it underwater 3 times in that 10 year period. Toss in a few trips to Ft. Lauderdale on the credit card and an unpaid phone bill or two and he's paying 22% interest on his 490 credit score. He assumes the government will bail him out. He twitters that life is unfair.

There are a few people like that, but not everyone is like that. I would think that fiscally responsible people do outnumber the bad ones.

Michaell

snakeweasel said:

Michaell, My sympathies on your loss. Looks like you have many good memories of him. I am sure he is living on through them.

Thanks snake. 

suydam

"Looking at that picture it looks like a glancing blow with the deer. Adult deer will do considerable damage in a direct hit and higher speeds. An accent or Smart car would have held up pretty well in a similar glancing blow."

My first deer hit was in a '95 Civic. Very similar damage. Had to replace fender, headlight, and maybe the hood, but not totaled. Second one was an '04 Mazda wagon. This one bounced off the hood. Again, a hefty insurance tally but not totaled.

Both cars looked great after the repair and it didn't affect resale at all.

snakeweasel

Saw an interesting thing on the way home from work yesterday. I saw a Jimmy Johns delivery vehicle parked in a McDonald's parking lot. This brings up a question, were the McDonald's employees getting Jimmy Johns or the other way around?

imidazol97

snakeweasel said:

Saw an interesting thing on the way home from work yesterday. I saw a Jimmy Johns delivery vehicle parked in a McDonald's parking lot. This brings up a question, were the McDonald's employees getting Jimmy Johns or the other way around?

Hot Head Burrito, a regional competitor to Chipotle, in the drive through at Chick Fil A.

Michaell

snakeweasel said:

Saw an interesting thing on the way home from work yesterday. I saw a Jimmy Johns delivery vehicle parked in a McDonald's parking lot. This brings up a question, were the McDonald's employees getting Jimmy Johns or the other way around?

 Does it matter? In my travels as a pizza delivery guy part time, I have delivered to quite a number of restaurants over the years. 

 I've actually delivered to another pizza store. 

imidazol97

Michaell said:

I have delivered to quite a number of restaurants over the years. 

 I've actually delivered to another pizza store. 

LOL

[Deleted User]

I'm catching up on posts and just saw yours about your dad, Michaell. I'm very sorry about the loss and appreciate the stories you've shared that have given us some insight into him. He lives on in the family he helped raise, and from what I can tell on these boards, he did a pretty good job. I hope you and your family find peace and comfort in celebrating the life he lived.

[Deleted User]

Stick and NYC, thanks for the positive comments. Stick, you and I think very alike. A Subaru holds its value too well to buy used after just a couple of years, but the depreciation on the premium brands makes a used purchase sensible. NYC, when I was setting up the purchase I originally thought of reaching out and seeing if I could meet you at your store. Unfortunately the delays in the delivery made that impossible.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

Getting all payments caught up so you never have to make a payment again is like reading everything on the internet, and not having to go on it again.

I think catching up on car payments is great, but, it just prolongs the need for a newer car sometime down the road. It may even make it harder to come up with the difference!

Todays new cars can easily do 150K miles with little, if ant, major maintenance. So lets say that Joe graduates from college with his masters at 24 and buys a modestly priced car and takes a 5 year loan. He keeps the car for ten years and after it's paid off he keeps making the payments into special account. at the end of ten years he would have more than the cost of his original car in funds for a new one. Now taking into account inflation and that Joe gets a better car than his first, after using what he saved he can get a much nicer car and keep the payments the same for maybe 2 or 3 years. After another 10 years with say 8 years or saving those car payments Joe will be 44 and buying cars for cash.

Of course this takes a willingness to drive the same car well past paying it off and the discipline to make those payments to yourself, but it can be done.

That might be possible with this group but the typical 24yo Joe is more likely to buy a car well beyond his means and trade it underwater 3 times in that 10 year period. Toss in a few trips to Ft. Lauderdale on the credit card and an unpaid phone bill or two and he's paying 22% interest on his 490 credit score. He assumes the government will bail him out. He twitters that life is unfair.

There are a few people like that, but not everyone is like that. I would think that fiscally responsible people do outnumber the bad ones.

For all our sakes I hope so.

Michaell

tyguy said:

I'm catching up on posts and just saw yours about your dad, Michaell. I'm very sorry about the loss and appreciate the stories you've shared that have given us some insight into him. He lives on in the family he helped raise, and from what I can tell on these boards, he did a pretty good job. I hope you and your family find peace and comfort in celebrating the life he lived.

 There are so many stories I can share  about my dad. 

 As I mentioned earlier, I had a pretty checkered driving history when I was a teenager. I do remember one time when we went to a dodger game – about 50 miles from where I lived. My first foray onto the LA freeway system. My dad allowed me to drive, my grandmothers 1967  Mercury Monterey coupe with the 390 V8 engine. 

Apparently, I could never be in the right lane, according to my dad. "Don't go too fast". "Don't go too slow ".  Even in his later years, he was always a backseat driver