Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

snakeweasel · July 2014

@imidazol97 said:
I'd like to have a dashboard camera, especially if it can be moved from car to car and isn't tied to one car because of the way it's installed.

I do believe that there are apps for smart phones that turn the smart phone to a dash cam.

snakeweasel · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
Hey, I have a great idea. Bump someone off as you drive through a red light camera and you'll skate!

I rather not drive through a red light camera as they tend to dent your front end when you hit them.

snakeweasel · July 2014

@driver100 said:
The average new vehicle now goes for $32,086, according to Interest.com – which works out to a typical monthly payment of $633.

I would wonder how that stat would be if you removed all the $75K BMW's, MB's and the like.

driver100 · July 2014

@abacomike said: Let us know how thinks come out for you, driver.

Mike, you won't really want to know the answer to that. But, I know what you mean and I will let you know if I survive. If I don't, you'll hear about it on CNN or FOX News anyway.

henryn · July 2014

There are sure a lot of Craigslist flakes out there!

Agreed, 100%. Buyers AND sellers. I just sold my Passat on Craigslist, and I did get it sold, but man did I have to deal with some strange people!

Still looking for a cheap hooptie for my 73 year old friend who has had 17 operations for bone cancer. I'll be the one paying and hoping maybe she can pay me 100.00 a week or whatever.

This was "reliable transportation for $2k", right? Hard to do, I would imagine. Somewhere around $3500 you cross a threshold, but for $2000, you're going to need a lot of luck.

But his best trick is putting phony license plates on his cars when he takes photos. The plate on this car also was seen in different ads on a Hyundai, a Kia and a Saturn. None of them trace back to any of those cars. http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/4522469517.html I can only suppose that he's trying to make people think the cars are on the road and ready to test drive.

I haven't encountered that one yet. And I always look for an actual license plate in the photos. One of the best ways (up till now) to weed out the dealers and curbstoners who are too cheap to pay the $5 for a dealer ad. I always ask, right off the bat, whether I start in email or on the phone, my first question: "How long have you owned the car/ truck?"

Then we have the Salvage Titled cars

I would think for $2k that you would be chasing "salvage titled" cars? Sometimes those are real bargains. The insurance companies write off some decent cars with very little damage.

roadburner · July 2014

@snakeweasel said:
Speeding tickets are not truly criminal offenses. except for very specific instances.

Wrong. It depends on the state- as I mentioned earlier, moving violations in KY are considered criminal offenses, which means all the constitutional safeguards apply.

Much to the chagrin of the Safety [non-permissible content removed] who want to make speeding tickets virtually impossible to defend against.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2014

RE: Craigslist. When I was helping a friend find a replacement Porsche Boxster we contact 5 sellers. We had cash in hand. First 4 people refused to respond in any way shape or form to e-mails and phone messages---and we bought #5 that very morning (contingent on pre-purchase inspection, which worked out fine, except for $500 deduct for serpentine belt).

why bother to place an ad? I don't get it.

henryn · July 2014

RE: Craigslist.

First 4 people refused to respond in any way shape or form to e-mails and phone messages

why bother to place an ad? I don't get it.

Many people do not bother to delete their ads when the car sells. They just ignore any contacts. Certainly not very considerate of others, but the world is full of _____.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2014

You know, I thought that but these were fresh ads (since I monitored CL every day looking for the latest postings). Oh, there was one other seller who DID respond by phone, and when we told him we'd like to take the car to a Porsche repair shop (highly rated on YELP) about 10 miles from his house, he refused. His response: "Oh they'll just find a million things wrong and then you'll try to beat me up on the price...no thanks"

Well, no, THANK YOU for saving us $150 bucks for a PPI. I hope you and your Porsche enjoy next year's birthday party in your garage.

roadburner · July 2014

@Mr_Shiftright said:
You know, I thought that but these were fresh ads (since I monitored CL every day looking for the latest postings). Oh, there was one other seller who DID respond by phone, and when we told him we'd like to take the car to a Porsche repair shop (highly rated on YELP) about 10 miles from his house, he refused. His response: "Oh they'll just find a million things wrong and then you'll try to beat me up on the price...no thanks"

Well, no, THANK YOU for saving us $150 bucks for a PPI. I hope you and your Porsche enjoy next year's birthday party in your garage.

Yeah, that would be a red flag right there. I always tell people they are welcome to have a PPI performed on any car I'm selling- although no one ever has; my reputation as an extremely OCD car geek precedes me...

mako1a · July 2014

Car that changes color> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=390541741082179
I like that being able to change body color since Mustang already has "my colors" inside.
https://facebook.com/photo.php?v=390541741082179

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@mako1a said:
Car that changes color> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=390541741082179
I like that being able to change body color since Mustang already has "my colors" inside.
https://facebook.com/photo.php?v=390541741082179

That's pretty cool but wouldn't you grow tired of it after awhile and just keep your favorite color? Do you have the color change feature for your dash lights? If so did you change the colors often after you got done impressing your friends?

driver100 · July 2014

@mako1a said:
Car that changes color> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=390541741082179
I like that being able to change body color since Mustang already has "my colors" inside.
https://facebook.com/photo.php?v=390541741082179

That would be useless for me. I would park the car on a lot and then forget what color it was when I left it......may never find it again.

imidazol97 · July 2014

@driver100 said:
That would be useless for me. I would park the car on a lot and then forget what color it was when I left it......may never find it again.

My laugh for the day. I can just hear the phone call home: "Honey, what color did I make the Mercedes yesterday?"

jwilliams2 · July 2014

"Car that changes color"

This would be great if real. Dealers wouldn't have to stock different colors. But actually it's done with Adobe After Effects software......

youtube.com/watch?v=v9L226SGxL8

mako1a · July 2014

farmer, You're correct. When the Mustang was new I played with my colors a lot. Tried orange, then blue, then made my own color from the palette. Now I have it set to red and that's where it will likely stay unless I get really bored one day.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

Ever see anything like this?

A local car dealer has a half hour show on Sunday where they showcase their used cars. They tell you the original MSRP and then the price they are asking used. So it goes something like "This 2011 Mini's MSRP was $22,000, now only $18,000. You save $4,000."

This doesn't seem quite honest. You aren't "saving" anything. The car depreciated.

BTW, knocking $4k off an almost 4 year old car seems like a rip off.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2014

Well I suppose if the 2011 had zero miles on it, he'd have a point.

driver100 · July 2014

I was checking out some things and came across this list of the best luxury cars in order according to US News. The list surprised me, Cadillac CTS was 1st, Audi A6 2nd, Mercedes E 3rd, Lexus 4th, up to 13.
usnews.rankings/Luxury-Large-Cars/

I like the way they even include reliability as well as other categories. Some reasons they choose one car over another may not apply in some cases (for example not everyone needs lots of headroom for rear seat passengers), but, facts are facts and the list is worth considering.
I'll be looking at an A6 more closely, the 535 was 8th after Genesis and Kia.

If you look up Sports cars the Mustang is ranked number 4, not too far behind 1,2,and 3. Camaro and Challenger follow. There is some good information, and of course I always check Edmunds too;
usnews rankings/Affordable-Sports-Cars/

driver100 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:This doesn't seem quite honest. You aren't "saving" anything. The car depreciated.

Youo are right. I have a feeling 75% of the car buyers don't have a clue what they are doing!

dino001 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
Ever see anything like this?

"This 2011 Mini's MSRP was $22,000, now only $18,000. You save $4,000."

Quite common here. However it is used most often for nearly new cars, with few thousand miles, like demos and such. Using it for three, almost four year old car is ridiculous, not to mention price itself is beyond ripoff.

jayrider · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
Ever see anything like this?

This doesn't seem quite honest. You aren't "saving" anything. The car depreciated.

>
Dishonesty is the engine that runs our economy. Just think about all those lies for weight loss miracles and male performance enhancers. Advertising distorts everything and guess what ? It works. Most of the human race are idiots and fall for this stuff over and over.

henryn · July 2014

oldfarmer50

They tell you the original MSRP and then the price they are asking used. So it goes something like "This 2011 Mini's MSRP was $22,000, now only $18,000. You save $4,000."

This doesn't seem quite honest. You aren't "saving" anything. The car depreciated.

That also doesn't allow for the discount off MSRP. Let's face it, when was the last time you or anyone you knew paid MSRP? My last new car purchase (truck actually) was right at 25% off of MSRP, thanks to rebates, incentives, and discounts.

driver100

I have a feeling 75% of the car buyers don't have a clue what they are doing!

Some days I think that number (75%) is too low.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

Almost next door to driver100's Florida house. If I could get it for under $4k I'd bite.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/4557574635.html

driver100 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
Almost next door to driver100's Florida house. If I could get it for under $4k I'd bite.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/4557574635.html

That car is a cutey, and it is right near us....btw, $130K Florida house. Just 27K miles, and you want to beat him down to $4K from $5200!

If it is still on the market in November I can check it out for you.

Would this be instead of the Mustang or in addition to?

roadburner · July 2014

@dino001 said:
Quite common here. However it is used most often for nearly new cars, with few thousand miles, like demos and such.

The Lincoln dealers around here used to advertise one or two year old Town Cars at 50% OFF MSRP!!!

I always wondered how completely stupid someone would have to be to walk into one of those dealers and pay anywhere close to MSRP for a new TC- knowing that their resale prices dropped like a rock...

driver100 · July 2014

@jayrider said:Dishonesty is the engine that runs our economy. Just think about all those lies for weight loss miracles and male performance enhancers. Advertising distorts everything and guess what ? It works. Most of the human race are idiots and fall for this stuff over and over.

Unfortunately you could be right....don't forget to add emails from the ex-president of Nigeria. It is sad that people can believe advertisements and politicians. I can listen to an ad and filter it to dig out some facts. 2 Fibre Well Gummies have 10 calories, 5 grams of fibre, 20% of my daily requirements....will it make me "more" handsome, taller, wealthier, smarter, popular.....I doubt it.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@jayrider said:
Just think about all those lies for weight loss miracles and male performance enhancers.

You mean those enhancers don't work?

driver100 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:You mean those enhancers don't work?

2009 PT Cruiser, 2008 Eclipse, 1995 Mark VIII, 1988 GMC Van
>

lol....that was good! Have you ever talked about your 95 Mark VIII? What is the story about it or is it one a son has taken off your hands?

I love the interiors;

93 and 97 shown;

I think it would be so cool to drive one of those around....cool. Hope you have a big cigar to go with it, and maybe a cowboy hat.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@driver100 said:
Would this be instead of the Mustang or in addition to?

Oh, in addition to, for sure. When I'm buying cars in my imagination there is no limit to the available parking spaces.

The Mustang would be for thrills, the Lebaron would be for leisurely cruising.

In my imagination I'm still 25 and have all my hair too.

imidazol97 · July 2014

@driver100 said:
I was checking out some things and came across this list of the best luxury cars in order according to US News. The list surprised me, Cadillac CTS was 1st, Audi A6 2nd, Mercedes E 3rd, Lexus 4th, up to 13.
usnews.rankings/Luxury-Large-Cars/

An interesting magazine article using other people's reviews and test drives to surmise what they might have found were they to have
actually looked at the various cars and models themselves at USA Today.

I looked for their
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/Affordable-Midsize-Cars/
and found their ranking of the 2014 Malibu at #14, behind even the Chrysler 200. The review incuded
all the other reviewers' prejudices and preconceived notions. I often wonder if some of the reviewers
actually drove the car. There are 3 different interior levels from what I can tell. The suspension
also varies from the LS to the LT, and then the LT2 into the LTZ group. Add the variations with
the turbo motor in the LT3 and the LTZ for suspension, and I don't thin some of the reviewers
actually tried to understand the vehicle. They aren't driving the same one I have.

Further proof is that they rate the Passat at #15.

I think they just dummied up results from whatever they thought would sell the most papers
or get the most clicks online.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

Found a Craigslist car for Isell.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4567294220.html

I hear it was only driven to church on Sunday by a little old Nigerian prince.

And a few legit possibilities:
Might be comfortable for someone with bone issues.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/4567216702.html

And this:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4567069950.html

Good luck. You're a nice person to be doing this.

stickguy · July 2014

the cutlass looks OK. But man, if you are going to bother to take and post pictures, why 3 shots of the passenger side, and nothing else? My assumption is that the driver's side and interior are trashed, but I might just be a skeptic.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@driver100 said:
Mark VIII

I think I told the story of how I was looking at Florida Craigslist ads for 90s Cougars and Tbirds to feed my low-mile rust free fetish with cars whose style I liked. Then I saw an ad that mentioned the 32 valve 4.6L engine that came in the Marks. I researched the car and found that all three cars were essentially the same except for the engine.

Then lo and behold I saw a local CL ads for a 1995 Mark VIII from Florida with only 67,000 miles. It was just what I wanted, rust free, low miles and relatively cheap. After some encouragement by my Edmunds buddies I bought it as my winter beater. Definitely a step up from the horrid junk I usually sacrifice to the salt gods. 280hp makes that boat fly. It's no Mustang but it'll do.

That interior photo you posted is pretty close to mine.

ab348 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
Almost next door to driver100's Florida house. If I could get it for under $4k I'd bite.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/4557574635.html

I like it, and I'm not one to usually complain about colorful interiors, but what was Chrysler thinking with that terrible cloth they used?

imidazol97 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
Found a Craigslist car for Isell.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4567294220.html

I hear it was only driven to church on Sunday by a little old Nigerian prince.

I googled the email address for this puppy:

reportcraigslistscams.com
Report Craigslist Scams Easily & Anonymously
martha56b@gmail.com

This scam has been posted before.

This SAME SCAM is posted across the USA!! Once you dial this number, you will be directed to an Email account where the scammers get to work with the lies.

Just take a look at the other reported car frauds posted, they ALL have the same scam! ALWAYS, with minor changes, but ALWAYS the same....!

THIS DAILY CRIME ON C/L originates from organized criminals that operate from Romania!! I HAVE VERIFIED THIS 100% and there is information about this crime (GOOGLE to learn). This is a country we send our tax dollars for aid that hides these crooks due to massive corruption. This is the definition of what massive corruption is and continues without intervention.

Posting:
1. Is a stolen photo. The scammers troll he internet stealing pictures daily that they use
2. Number is a proxy where you will be directed to an email address, They do this to hide their tracks
3, You will get a "story" why car is cheap because of death in family brings bad memories, or military person needs to sell, or both, ALL LIES!
4, Offer to ship
5. They will NEVER speak in person (because their English is very poor) and give excuses why not. The "at sea" or "can't use phone...in training" stories are common, the latest is they are deaf. THESE ARE EXPERTS at STORYTELLING!!
6. Will direct you to an "escrow" service such as Ebay, Google wallet, Amazon or other phony page. These are FAKE pages they have made to make it look real
7. Your will be directed to send a CASH TRANSFER to an "agent" who is a middleman or mule based in the US that skims a cut then sends the rest to the boss back in the Fatherland, Romania
8. You will NEVER hear from these well organized crooks again and kiss your cash Bye Bye
9, You will contact the FBI and they will tell you sorry, we can't help (they are USELESS in stopping this SCAM, they have allowed the SAME crime group to operate this crime for almost SEVEN YEARS now!!)
10. Now you feel stupid, as you lost cash, but you SHOULD feel mad that despite the fact that this crime has been presented IN MASS to law enforcement, they allow this crime to rip-off Americans DAILY! OUR FBI HAS ALLOWED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BE STOLEN FROM AMERICANS DESPITE HAVING ALL THE TOOLS TO LOCATE AND STOP THESE CROOKS!

28firefighter · July 2014

I've really been enjoying catching up and reading the Colonoscopy stories. Unfortunately due to health issues, at the age of 27, I've had to have a scope once a year for the last 9 years.

The worst part and most entertaining part, as everyone has said, is the prep. I've had all of them over the years. This year was the best as they gave me pills instead of liquid -- 32 pills spread out over 2 hours. Side effects also seemed reduced and you feel far better going in and coming out after.

I've never had an issue eating whatever I wanted as soon I was up after the procedure.

driver100 · July 2014

@imidazol97 said:
or get the most clicks online.

I went back and looked at US News reviews of mid size affordable cars and I think you made some good points Imid. They don't seem to test the cars themselves but award points based on reviews and owners comments. I can still learn a lot from those reviews, there is some good information in them. It is up to the individual to decide if it matters to them. The top car, the Accordhad 8.7 out of 10. The Malibu at 14 had 8 and the Passat #15 had 7.9 points. Not a huge spread, but a few points here and there in different categories.

The Malibu lost points to the others because they say, many reviewers point out that there are several affordable midsize cars on the market that are more fun to drive, such as the Mazda6 and the Ford Fusion. And they say Reviewers say that while the updated 2014 Chevrolet Malibu has improved, it still doesn’t stack up well against competitors that offer more refinement, flashier styling or better fuel economy.

I think most list the Accord as #1 for overall value. The Passat gives up points because it is slow, but they say people who want some fun choose the Passat.

I really think the list gives you a fair and accurate review of each car. The information has to be digested to see if it matters. The Malibu lost points because there was less legroom in the rear seat.....if that is not an issue then you can still go with the Malibu...they do give you all the info you need to make a pretty good decision.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@28firefighter said:
I've really been enjoying catching up and reading the Colonoscopy stories. Unfortunately due to health issues, at the age of 27, I've had to have a scope once a year for the last 9 years.

I feel so sorry for you. Dear lord!

driver100 · July 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:. After some encouragement by my Edmunds buddies I bought it as my winter beater.

Thanks for sharing the story....I enjoyed reading the background behind the purchase of the car. I'd love to have a place to keep an old beauty like that.

There's a little Cadillac I go buy a few times a week and it is for sale at a body shop. I am so tempted to buy it...but, I don't have the room or time for it. Looks something like this;
(not a great picture but you get the idea)

isellhondas · July 2014

@imidazol97 said:
10. Now you feel stupid, as you lost cash, but you SHOULD feel mad that despite the fact that this crime has been presented IN MASS to law enforcement, they allow this crime to rip-off Americans DAILY! OUR FBI HAS ALLOWED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BE STOLEN FROM AMERICANS DESPITE HAVING ALL THE TOOLS TO LOCATE AND STOP THESE CROOKS!

Very interesting. Had that been real, I would have been on that Corolla like a duck on a June Bug! So many scams!

Anyway, I found my hooptie and delivered it to a tearful, more than excited woman!

1996 Taurus. One family owned. 164,000 miles. The owner is a just retired dealership technician who kept it in perfect shape mechanically for his kids to drive across the state to WSU.

Scrape on one side, needs an interior detail. Ice Cold A/C. Always synthetic oil, new tires, brakes and rotors. Radio works but has one volume setting LOUD! What did I pay? 800.00 in hundred dollar bills. If we never get paid back, who cares?

Amazing how a stack of 100's gets a sellers attention!

Nice guy, a former customer of one of my Tool Distributors. A perfectionist! Yu should see his garage! Two immaculate motorcycles that he races every Weds. night. One does the quarter mile in 9.7 seconds at 147 MPH!

driver100 · July 2014

@28firefighter said:his year was the best as they gave me pills instead of liquid -- 32 pills spread out over 2 hours. Side effects also seemed reduced and you feel far better going in and coming out after.

I think you are my hero - every year for 9 years! I wish those pills were more widely available, seems a lot better than drinking 4 gallons of water. I feel like one of those statues near the water fountain, only malfunctioning............

cdnpinhead · July 2014

@isellhondas said: I found my hooptie and delivered it to a tearful, more than excited woman!

Well done! I've had very little to do with Craigslist, but what little I have has been marginal. I got one bite on my Lincoln LS and very little else. Either way, I'm glad you were able to get a decent vehicle. There really are lots out there.

Sad that you share your name with the funky list.

nyccarguy · July 2014

Excellent Job Craig! Good man!

imidazol97 · July 2014

@driver100 said:
The Malibu lost points because there was less legroom in the rear seat.

That's an example of why I don't think many actually tried the sit test. They just
perpetuate the anti-GM thinking without facts.

Match the car for 2014 with its rear seat leg room measurement vs media reportage:

Accord

Passat
Sonata
Camry
Malibu

34.6 in.

39.1 in.
36.8 in.
38.9 in.
38.5 in.

As for " more fun to drive," "more refinement, flashier styling," or better fuel economy--two out of 3 are subjective, hence the comment about different suspensions on low models as compared to higher models making a difference. How many reviews of a Cruze with a noisy (1.8L) engine in the LS have been printed and very few pointed out the 1.4 L turbo engine is much sweeter to drive.

For even more subjective fun with facts, match the same 5 cars above with gas mileage figures for city/highway:

27/36

25/36
25/35
24/35
24/35

driver100 · July 2014

@imidazol97 said:This SAME SCAM is posted across the USA!! Once you dial this number, you will be directed to an Email account where the scammers get to work with the lies.

Fascinating. I love a good scam story, there are lots of them out there. Thanks for taking the time to explain it all so well.

When I was selling my snow tires 3 years ago on CL a guy called who was on a ship out at sea. He wanted me to open a Paypal account, he would pay, and his friend would come by and pick up the snow tires. I called CL to see if this sounded good to them, and they say never do it. Only pay if you have the money in your hands. I couldn't figure out how they would pull off the scam but I am sure where money is involved, they will find a way - they are out there.

graphicguy · July 2014

@isellhondas said:

Craig....well done! You're a good soul!

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@ab348 said:
that terrible cloth they used

I know, looks like burlap or something but it must wear well because I've seen it in more miled up cars and it's not all ripped or worn.

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@driver100 said:
There's a little Cadillac I go buy a few times a week and it is for sale at a body shop.

If you want old Caddys like that wait until you go back down south. They're falling out of the trees down there:

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/4510325310.html

Although I like the next generation before they put the Northstars in them:

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/cto/4524425012.html

oldfarmer50 · July 2014

@isellhondas said:
Anyway, I found my hooptie and delivered it to a tearful, more than excited woman!

Like I said, you are a good person.

Interesting deal, I would run from that milage but you judged the owner not just the car. Smart.
Did he have the records to back up his claims?

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