Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

stickguy

ab, maybe I am missing something. If you want to buy the car, you will. If you think you want something else, why aren't you just out there looking, including maybe at the Buick store? Not sure why you have to wait to be invited, or stalked, to go in.

explorerx4

@Abacomike, I know you are not supposed to be able to petition the Lord with prayer, but if you will let me know your son's first name, I will do my best on Sunday.

roadburner

isellhondas said:

You go right ahead and vent. We are pulling for you and your son!

I think I can speak for all of us that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time!

Ditto!!!

ab348

stickguy said:

ab, maybe I am missing something. If you want to buy the car, you will. If you think you want something else, why aren't you just out there looking, including maybe at the Buick store? Not sure why you have to wait to be invited, or stalked, to go in.

I have been looking. Right now I do not want to buy something brand-new unless the deal is great. Maybe next spring, who knows. Unless: the GM dealer wants to do a deal to keep me in the family. I figure this is the best time for that to happen, right? In 3 weeks I'm going to be walking in there with a checkbook. I can either leave with ownership of this car, or in something brand-new from them that they made me a deal on to keep me. I am having a hard time understanding why they don't seem interested.

This dealer currently has 2 ATS in stock, one CTS, 2 Lacrosses, and one Regal. I have seen them all. Don't care for the Caddys they have in inventory, like one of the 2 Lacrosses (though I don't think I want a Lacrosse) and like the 2015 Regal they have a lot.

explorerx4

@ab348, The dealer is not going to make anything from your lease turn in. We only leased once, and the dealer did at least ask me why I was turning it in. BTW, the buyout was a bit over 19k, and I was willing to offer 17k. I called GMAC and they said they don't negotiate lease turn in. Almost a year later, I got a letter from them stating they got 15k for the car. I found it strange that they sent me that information.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348, The dealer is not going to make anything from your lease turn in. We only leased once, and the dealer did at least ask me why I was turning it in. BTW, the buyout was a bit over 19k, and I was willing to offer 17k. I called GMAC and they said they don't negotiate lease turn in. Almost a year later, I got a letter from them stating they got 15k for the car. I found it strange that they sent me that information.

But they could make money from selling me something new and reselling my trade-in. I know that the residual price is the price. However, there are ways around that. A couple of years back my brother's lease on a Ford truck ended, and he didn't want to buy it for the residual amount. The dealer and he worked a deal on it for when it went to auction - basically they would bid on it up to his drop-dead price and then if they won it, sell it to him for that plus a couple of hundred. They ended up getting it for a couple of thousand less than his max so he bought it and was happy with the deal. I'm not looking for anything like that. It just seems odd to me that they are not interested in selling me something.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

@Abacomike, I know you are not supposed to be able to petition the Lord with prayer, but if you will let me know your son's first name, I will do my best on Sunday.

Thanks so much explorer.  His name is Justin.

explorerx4

@abacomike‌, Hoping for the best, no matter what.

houdini1

roadburner said:

isellhondas said:

You go right ahead and vent. We are pulling for you and your son!

I think I can speak for all of us that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time!

Ditto!!!

Justin will be in my prayers Mike. Keep your chin up, miracles do happen.

explorerx4

@ab348. The dealer does not have that opportunity anymore. The dealers were 'cherry picking' the good lease turn in vehicles.

abacomike

houdini1 said:

You go right ahead and vent. We are pulling for you and your son! I think I can speak for all of us that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time!

Ditto!!!

Justin will be in my prayers Mike. Keep your chin up, miracles do happen.

Thanks, Houdini.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

@abacomike‌, Hoping for the best, no matter what.

Thanks, explorer.

abacomike

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for my son, Justin.  Every little bit helps, believe me.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Also, interesting article on buyers remorse. In Ontario Canada a survey stated 1/2 of car buyers will be buying another make next time. And 1/3 of new car buyers surveyed were not thrilled with their purchase.

Lots to consider and look at before commiting to a new car. Keep all this in mind oldfarmer.

I was surprised at those statistics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to Fezo RE: You guys that are always buying new every few years (or in Mike's case every few months) miss all this fun.

I have experienced all that fun for many years. I probably spent 1/4 of my younger days trying to get cars repaired. That's why I really don't want to have to do it again,

Yeah but you'll never know the thrill of getting an old car fixed on the cheap.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@ab348, The dealer is not going to make anything from your lease turn in. We only leased once, and the dealer did at least ask me why I was turning it in. BTW, the buyout was a bit over 19k, and I was willing to offer 17k. I called GMAC and they said they don't negotiate lease turn in. Almost a year later, I got a letter from them stating they got 15k for the car. I found it strange that they sent me that information.

Because they're STOOPID! Any business that would blow off $17k for $15k doesn't deserve to be in business.

stickguy

on the leases, the dealer has no say on the price.

fezo

We're all in there for Justin. Get on as many prayer chains going as you can. That was do e for me and again for my daughter. The more the better. We have started up more for my niece who may well have MS. Not definitive yet. Justin will be o. There, too.

Driver - all I need is someone to spot me the first car...

Actually I've got a friend who essentially leases to himself. It's always an Outback which makes sense. Holds value. He bought the first one and takes impeccable care of it and at three years traded it in for a new one. Always puts a little aside each month and takes a tiny three year loan.

I'm toying with that approach. I've got a car fund pretty well established. In three more months I have no car payments so can grow the account. Right now the thought is trying that when my wife's Camry goes and if there's not enough when the Mazda gives up I'll try the same approach of a fun used car and keep building the fund.

nyccarguy

@tyguy‌

I love the White Outback! Looks great normally & sparkling in the sun too;)

stickguy

well, the new car fund for most people is whatever their trade is worth. So if you are going to drive it into the ground, you really better be disciplined enough to pay yourself each month to build up a fund. Or just lease when you have no cash!

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for my son, Justin.  Every little bit helps, believe me.

That proton treatment is less debilitating than traditional x-rays but radiation is radiation. Hope you see some improvement soon.

nyccarguy

I also got my 1st official accessory for my Legacy. 1 of the port options my car came with is the Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror with Compass. I use the garage door as my "front door (even though the Pilot gets the garage)," so I ordered an above mentioned Mirror with Homelink from subaruonlineparts.com.

driver100

tyguy said:

Thanks Driver! Have you made it back to Florida for the winter? The temperatures are cooling down in Colorado and the leaves dropping, so I was thinking you'd be getting close to your trek south. My parents just started their drive from California to Florida with their diesel pusher RV with plans to spend a few months on the road.

Our target date for leaving is Fri Nov 7th or Sat 8th, if I-75 looks like it is going to be clear. Actually, October is usually pretty nice here, and the leaves are just starting to change colors.
Temp has only been around 58F these days, bhut that's OK.

We should be on the way in 4 weeks. Oh, and the new E400 has to come in by then too.

imidazol97

tyguy said:

This shot shows how the paint sparkles in the sun. I love that

Oh, these pics were taken after the clear bra was installed and the paint coating applied.

That does look good.

The "diamond" sparkle whites are nice. The only one I don't like is the "gold flash" that was used by Buick on some leSabres. It gives a golden tone with varied directions of light scatter. I prefer the crisp white sparkle.

T

imidazol97

tyguy said:

<
This shot shows how the paint sparkles in the sun. I love that

Oh, these pics were taken after the clear bra was installed and the paint coating applied.

That does look good.

The "diamond" sparkle whites are nice. The only one I don't like is the "gold flash" that was used by Buick on some leSabres. It gives a golden tone with varied directions of light scatter. I prefer the crisp white sparkle.

T

abacomike

@driver100

I was told today that my E400 will remain at the port until they launch the 2015 E Class in 1-2 weeks.  So it will be a while for me down here in Florida.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Also, interesting article on buyers remorse. In Ontario Canada a survey stated 1/2 of car buyers will be buying another make next time. And 1/3 of new car buyers surveyed were not thrilled with their purchase.

Lots to consider and look at before commiting to a new car. Keep all this in mind oldfarmer.

I was surprised at those statistics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to Fezo RE: You guys that are always buying new every few years (or in Mike's case every few months) miss all this fun.

I have experienced all that fun for many years. I probably spent 1/4 of my younger days trying to get cars repaired. That's why I really don't want to have to do it again,

Yeah but you'll never know the thrill of getting an old car fixed on the cheap.

Like $0 to fix your suspension...that's like winning the jackpot!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Our target date for leaving is Fri Nov 7th or Sat 8th, if I-75 looks like it is going to be clear.

The Ohio Dept of Transp has hurried and opened the smooth southbound lanes for the Florida migration. We have opened up the new lanes of I-75 through Dayton after 3-4 years of repairs and moving the roadbed. You will be on the new 6 lanes or whatever that will end up being the southbound side. Part of it is being shared with the northbound giving them 2 lanes. But southbound you'll have 3 smooth lanes that will be the new I-75 through Dayton--at least until the next reconstruction starts. Probably 2 years after they finish this one.

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100

I was told today that my E400 will remain at the port until they launch the 2015 E Class in 1-2 weeks.  So it will be a while for me down here in Florida.

First they told me the middle of October, and now the end of October. It sounds like we'll get our cars at about the same time. It will be interesting to see whose is ready first, but you have more pull with the dealer than I do.

It will be interesting to see if you like the E enough to actually take it. I can see reasons why you might - and reasons why you may not. That will be a hard choice...I think we should place bets.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Our target date for leaving is Fri Nov 7th or Sat 8th, if I-75 looks like it is going to be clear.

The Ohio Dept of Transp has hurried and opened the smooth southbound lanes for the Florida migration. We have opened up the new lanes of I-75 through Dayton after 3-4 years of repairs and moving the roadbed. You will be on the new 6 lanes or whatever that will end up being the southbound side. Part of it is being shared with the northbound giving them 2 lanes. But southbound you'll have 3 smooth lanes that will be the new I-75 through Dayton--at least until the next reconstruction starts. Probably 2 years after they finish this one.

That sounds great....I remember Dayton was a bit tricky getting through with all the lane switching. Maybe Northbound will be ready by the end of March for the trip back.

stickguy

I will put my money on pulling the trigger.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

That sounds great....I remember Dayton was a bit tricky getting through with all the lane switching. Maybe Northbound will be ready by the end of March for the trip back.

...northbound will be ready by March! Just as likely as the Cubs winning the World Series next year. :grin

But the northbound is now on the new pavement and route, but is choked into the two lanes and concrete barriers temporarily put in place. It was on the old berm and broken concrete areas for the last 3 years.

Amazing, the day they opened the new straight in approach and the three lanes southbound, they had 3 accidents from people who couldn't handle it. The old south 3 lanes wiggled and were narrowed by concrete barriers and bad pavement with temporary patches to swing over to share the old northbound side. Go figure about the accidents.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348. The dealer does not have that opportunity anymore. The dealers were 'cherry picking' the good lease turn in vehicles.

Oh, I know that, and I am not looking for that. I have a great boyout number, which makes me wonder why they aren't wanting to use that to their advantage. The dealer could probably has $5K to play with between the buyout and retail on my car. I would have thought they would want to take advantage of that.

graphicguy

ab348 said:

explorerx4 said:

@ab348. The dealer does not have that opportunity anymore. The dealers were 'cherry picking' the good lease turn in vehicles.

Oh, I know that, and I am not looking for that. I have a great boyout number, which makes me wonder why they aren't wanting to use that to their advantage. The dealer could probably has $5K to play with between the buyout and retail on my car. I would have thought they would want to take advantage of that.

Just call and ask them to work out a deal between your turn in and the car you said you wanted? That will take this stress out of it for you.

ab348

But I have nobody to deal with there.

stickguy

any sales manager can do.

28firefighter

Hang in there, Mike. Prayers are with you and your family. 

driver100

stickguy said:

I will put my money on pulling the trigger.

I am not so sure. I have a feeling the E400 will actually suit Mike better, but I think he will find it hard going to a what is considered moving down a notch.

I think, if he can get his mind around that, he'll actually like the higher doors for ease of entry/exit, more room inside, larger windows, higher seats. But, the 550 stands out, and really looks special.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

That sounds great....I remember Dayton was a bit tricky getting through with all the lane switching. Maybe Northbound will be ready by the end of March for the trip back.

...northbound will be ready by March! Just as likely as the Cubs winning the World Series next year. :grin

But the northbound is now on the new pavement and route, but is choked into the two lanes and concrete barriers temporarily put in place. It was on the old berm and broken concrete areas for the last 3 years.

Amazing, the day they opened the new straight in approach and the three lanes southbound, they had 3 accidents from people who couldn't handle it. The old south 3 lanes wiggled and were narrowed by concrete barriers and bad pavement with temporary patches to swing over to share the old northbound side. Go figure about the accidents.

Thanks for the info...that was like an slalom test getting through Dayton while I-75 was under construction. Coming back, just North of Dayton we came upon a fairly new Cadillac going the wrong way on our side of the highway.
Before we got to him, he veared off and drove straight into the cement median. I swerved around him and called the police..... I called 911 and they sure took their time answering. They said they would check, but, didn't seem too concerned, said they had a few calls about that car.

Now, if they could build a big wide bridge to get you through Cincinnati, that would help. What a bottleneck that is.

I was looking for a picture but found an article that says the bridge would cost $750M to fix, but there are other huge problems.....like it would take 15 years, moving landmarks and getting around historical stuff. Maybe a by-pass would be better?

Part of an Article:
Engineers and public officials all say a new bridge is desperately needed to carry Interstates 75 and 71 over the Ohio River. An Enquirer report on Sunday found that the Brent Spence ranks No. 7 for highest accident rate among 15 major U.S. bridges labeled "functionally obsolete." Drivers are five times more likely to have an accident on the bridge than on the interstate systems in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

abacomike

driver100 said:

I will put my money on pulling the trigger.

I am not so sure. I have a feeling the E400 will actually suit Mike better, but I think he will find it hard going to a what is considered moving down a notch. I think, if he can get his mind around that, he'll actually like the higher doors for ease of entry/exit, more room inside, larger windows, higher seats. But, the 550 stands out, and really looks special.

I agree with you driver.  I have no problem going from a CLS to an E400 in terms of "stepping down" a notch in prestige or styling.  What matters most to me are:

Visibility

Comfort

Handling

Power

When the new E400 arrives at the dealership, I will drive it first to make sure all of the above variables are acceptable.  If so, I will definitely buy the car.  Remember, I have already owned a 2014 E350 in April, 2013, when the new body style first arrived.  It's the new engine I am concerned about and the ease of getting in and out of the car.  

I'll Know for sure by the end of the month.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

I was looking for a picture but found an article that says the bridge would cost $750M to fix, but there are other huge problems.....like it would take 15 years, moving landmarks and getting around historical stuff. Maybe a by-pass would be better?

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/10/10/opinion-brent-spence-danger-lies-size/17040037/

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

I was looking for a picture but found an article that says the bridge would cost $750M to fix, but there are other huge problems.....like it would take 15 years, moving landmarks and getting around historical stuff. Maybe a by-pass would be better?

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/10/10/opinion-brent-spence-danger-lies-size/17040037/

It looks better in the pictures than it does actually crossing it. That article mentioned these points as making the driving conditions difficult.....and I would agree.

That is distinct from the driving conditions that have evolved on the Brent Spence Bridge and which too often, at predictable points of every day, make driving unsafe.

Reduced-width lanes to accommodate more traffic is an unsafe condition.

Absence of emergency shoulders is an unsafe condition.

A traffic load nearly double the designed capacity, when combined with narrowed lanes and no shoulders, is an unsafe condition.

I am trying to remember, does that bridge have one of those wire mesh surfaces that get slippery, and your car kind of slides sideways as you drive across?

driver100

abacomike said:

I agree with you driver.  I have no problem going from a CLS to an E400 in terms of "stepping down" a notch in prestige or styling.  What matters most to me are:

Visibility

Comfort

Handling

Power

When the new E400 arrives at the dealership, I will drive it first to make sure all of the above variables are acceptable.  If so, I will definitely buy the car.  Remember, I have already owned a 2014 E350 in April, 2013, when the new body style first arrived.  It's the new engine I am concerned about and the ease of getting in and out of the car.  

I'll Know for sure by the end of the month.

Mike, it's going to be interesting to see what you decide on? For me, I will be going from 300 hp to 330.
I will be sacrificing a bit of handling and possibly performance...I don't think the E400 has as many settings for Sport and Super Sport. The Sport makes a difference in the E but not as much. My wife really likes the seating in the E, even as a passenger (since no one else gets to drive it...well, she can if she really has to). Seats are more comfortable, but also go much higher and so vision is better, especially to the front. Ride is smoother and quieter in the E.

But, that article I read said 1/3 of new car purchasers get didssatisfied with their new cars....so, I am hoping I like the E better....but, there is a bit of an unknown to all of this.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Also, interesting article on buyers remorse. In Ontario Canada a survey stated 1/2 of car buyers will be buying another make next time. And 1/3 of new car buyers surveyed were not thrilled with their purchase.

Lots to consider and look at before commiting to a new car. Keep all this in mind oldfarmer.

I was surprised at those statistics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to Fezo RE: You guys that are always buying new every few years (or in Mike's case every few months) miss all this fun.

I have experienced all that fun for many years. I probably spent 1/4 of my younger days trying to get cars repaired. That's why I really don't want to have to do it again,

Yeah but you'll never know the thrill of getting an old car fixed on the cheap.

The thing is, in my experience at least, if you maintain a car properly you will have few unscheduled surprises. I budget less than the average American's car payment each month for repairs and maintenance on all of my cars and my bike.

Mr_Shiftright

Well it depends on the car---some cars have inherent defects that you cannot escape.

bwia

I posted this on the Tesla thread but thought I'd share with the regulars here.

The Tesla Model S with dual motor all wheel drive P85D Autopilot test flight. Impressive neck-snapping acceleration, hands-free driving and hands free parking coming later this year or early next year.
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7quu551ehc0

driver100

bwia said:

I posted this on the Tesla thread but thought I'd share with the regulars here.

The Tesla Model S with dual motor all wheel drive P85D Autopilot test flight. Impressive neck-snapping acceleration, hands-free driving and hands free parking coming later this year or early next year.
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7quu551ehc0

That was cool. I don't know if I would trust my car enough to let it drive itself.

The other thing is...now that I have mastered the links...how do you imbed the video?

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well it depends on the car---some cars have inherent defects that you cannot escape.

I have a feeling my SIL's son who has the 1999 Volvo with over 200K miles may have some of those, no matter how much maintenance he does.

bwia

abacomike said:

I wish I could trade places with him and take his suffering so he won't have to deal with the painful headaches.

Thanks for letting me vent a little.

Mike, be a little more positive and upbeat. While it is true that your son is in agonizing pain, do not give up hope as modern medicine and treatments work miracles. I have every confidence in the new protocol and it won't be long before your son is restored to good health.

We all are praying for you. Cheers!

bwia

driver100 said:

bwia said:

I posted this on the Tesla thread but thought I'd share with the regulars here.

The Tesla Model S with dual motor all wheel drive P85D Autopilot test flight. Impressive neck-snapping acceleration, hands-free driving and hands free parking coming later this year or early next year.
Enjoy!


That was cool. I don't know if I would trust my car enough to let it drive itself.

The other thing is...now that I have mastered the links...how do you imbed the video?

Not sure if it works the same for all videos, but for YouTube videos, simply cut and paste the URL, and the video is imbedded automatically.

abacomike

BWIA said:

"Mike, be a little more positive and upbeat. While it is true that your son is in agonizing pain, do not give up hope as modern medicine and treatments work miracles. I have every confidence in the new protocol and it won't be long before your son is restored to good health.  We all are praying for you. Cheers!"

Thanks for your encouraging words, bwia. It's very hard to be upbeat under these circumstances, but I appreciate your optimism.  The toughest aspect of this situation is that I feel helpless.  I decided not to go out there as I will only provide him with an additional stress - worrying about me and my well-being.

We discussed that if these treatments are effective in ridding him of the cancer, he will fly here for a short time so we can spend some quality time together.  If not, I will go out there to be with him.  Very difficult bwia, very difficult and I don't wish this on anyone.

Thanks again.