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Comments
Previous Amigo - I too am a CPA and I'm glad to hear you are taking care of your future.
My whole point was and is a very general statement about a very SPECIFIC thing. That specific thing is purchasing "stuff" for a vehcile for the comfort and/or pleasure of the owner vs. purchasing "stuff" for a vehicle for the benefit of impressing others. No one, other than my passengers, see and know what options I have on my vehicle and I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of it.
I guess I'm just really sick of seeing folks feed their insecurities by "tricking" out their vehicles. I know that one's vehicle is very much related to the person they are and that is what scares me. I live in a market where you go into the worst parts of town and the most expensive vehicles with the most expensive wheels and lighting and grill work, etc. Meanwhile I'm paying for their children to go to school and to eat and subsidizing their electric and gas bill.
I just wonder how many people could do better for their families and themselves if there were no such things as "car accessories" and the implication of one's "wealth" being translated into what car they drive and how "tricked out" it is.
Just a thought.
I too am very glad that we live in a country where everyone is free to do what they like with their money and their personal items.
The only law I'd like to see is one that addresses the problem of people driving with their seat in the full recline position. I guess they would rather spend the money on huge brush guards so that when they wreck because they can't see out the windshield they will be protected.
Sorry for the ravings. I was not and am not judging anyone. Just bringing what I feel is a bit of reason to the conversation.
Who said accountants are boring?
While on the way to work this morning, the Service Engine Soon (or whatever it says) light came on. It so happened that I was already talking to the folks at OnStar about the Virtual Adviser being down for the second morning in a row. So, I asked them to run diagnostics. (Which I admit is pretty cool.)
The representative came back on the line and told me that the diagnostics indicate that the vehicle was reporting, "a fuel delivery, speed sensing error." She also stated that they, "recommend that the vehicle be taken back to the dealer within seven days."
I have to say that this sets a very negative tone with me. I've owned several vehicles over the past five years, and I've never had something happen so soon.
Now I get the joy of moving my life around a vehicle problem. Fun stuff.
Anyone know what this error means?
FWIW I'm a Design Engineer, and make decent money, have (or should i say had) a nice 401k and have a nice home and family that are well taken care of. In reality my car has held its value bettter than my 401k over the last year! I ALSO have a '92 mustang that has lots of mods to it, wheels being one of them. They are not strictly visual as you assume most are, they added a enorous amount of performance enhancement to the car, its hard to hook 300HP to the track on stock wheels and tires. I'm by no means the "insecure person" as you have generalized me as since i have "tricked out" my car. Cars have always been a hobby of mine. I helped my Mom and Dad restore several old hotrods when i was a kid. My car hobbies (along with racing motorcycles) have taught me a lot of skills that have come in handy over the years.
While i too have also seen the neighborhoods you speak of, getting rid of car accesories has nothing to do with their standard of living. Unfortunately most of that money comes from drugs and stealing and other illegal activity, and those type of people take the system for whatever they can regardless of their weekly take. I know some people who are less fortunate than i am in the financial department and live in areas like you describe, the honest people with real jobs that do not pay well are not the ones with the fancy rims ETC, its the hoodlems that are most of the time. You need to be careful when you start to generalize people into catergories, not everything is as black and white as it seems on the outside.
Check your gas cap!
I can see getting taller tires for more clearance, but come on people!
I have to agree with you and disagree with you about my options. Yes, not only do I get it for the comfort but I'm also very impressed at the lengths people have gone through to make our lives easier (when they work, of course. But we won't get into that!). Although, and since I hardly ever have new passengers in my cars I think this is true, I'm not trying to impress anyone with the inside or outside of my vehicle. I'm impressed with how good this vehicle looks and how good it feels behind the wheel. If only I was as happy with the vehicle.
That said, I'll sort of recant my ravings. I can see how it may look like I think I'm better than someone else because I choose to do things diffent. In reality I just don't understand the desire and, unfortunately, that sometimes comes out as "knocking" those who do. For that, I apologize.
Leasing is perfect for me. Being from a "dealer family", I grew up driving demo cars. When I moved away from my family, having never OWNED a vehicle and being used to having new vehicles every few thousand miles, I chose leasing as being best for me.
Keeping a two year lease (that is through my company so therefore never shows up as a liability for me) keeps my personal balance sheet clean while it keeps me in a new car every two years (or three in the case of the Bravada - bad decision).
Actually, if you look at the raw numbers of how much you pay if you finance a car and sell it in two years or if you lease it comes out pretty close to a wash. The only real factor on whether to lease or to purchase (ONLY if you turn your cars around every two or three years) is whether or not you like the idea of OWNING a vehicle and having the asset and liability on your personal balance sheet or whether you couldn't care less about who owns the vehicle you drive.
Personally, leasing is almost the ONLY plan that is right for me. I do a lot of real estate investing (personal) and, since I am self employed, my personal balance sheet is heavily scrutinized the 5 or 6 times a year I seek financing. Not having that [heavily depreciated] asset and slowly moving liability on my Balance Sheet has saved me thousands in lower interest rates on my investment properties.
The only car that I actually OWN is a '99 MB 500SL that I purchased with cash. It's the first car I've ever OWNED and I find I'm very stressed out about everything concerning it. Although I have to say I'm happy with it.
I hope you're speaking based on experience and not speculation. I, for one, own a Subaru Impreza and have driven the Forester, Legacy Outback and Legacy station wagon. I can agree on one thing only... the 4 cyl. for the Forester is not bad but for the Legacy, yes. It's heavier and if you like quirkiness, then get the H6. Much better HP and TQ.
And about the space.... it's not an SUV but you're kidding me about the dog not being able to stand right??? Do you by any chance have a Great Dane on steriods...?
Leasing is certainly a no-brainer way to go when you own your own business, most owners i know do the same thing. I always wanted to check out leasing because of the fact i only keep cars 4-5 years and i perpetually have payments, but i can not stay within the mileage constraints. And even if i could I'm not real sure how far ahead i would be or not be?
I should have done what I originally was going to do and gotten 12k allowance but purchased the extra miles as at the end of the lease any purchased miles [that you haven't used] get refunded to you.
Regarding the SL500, I really didn't get it to impress people (at least I don't think so). When I was in CA with my family I always kept an SL from their MB dealership. After I moved to ATL I went without one for about 9 months before I couldn't stand it any more and just bought one. IMHO it is probably the best convertible car ever made. In any case, with the extreme weather here in GA, it only gets out of the garage maybe 40 times a year now so no one gets to see it anyway.
My mother was aghast when she found out I wanted an STS (because I'm always talking about people with chromed wheels and such) but the only reason I really wanted it was that it was the only way I could get the wood steering wheel (which, although is hardly necessary, I like very much) in the Seville and I wasn't going to splurge enough to get an S class MB.
Now I'm really in a pickle because I really like the power folding rear seat of the new Expedition to replace my Bravada but my mother only owns GM and MB dealerships for my discount. I'm really tempted though because I hate that you have to schlep that big seat around in the Tahoe.
I guess I could have worse dilemas.
Love,
Jeff
Do your own thing dude,
Michael
(get the wheels)
Can't remember who asked about if i could use GMS pricing on saturns, Yes it can be used on them, however the percentage is Much lower due to no haggle sticker pricing on Saturns. Its only 7.5% off sticker, compared to about 15-16% on GM products.
"Where all men think alike, few men think at all."
(Sorry to be sexist, but the quote is from the 1800's and by a man!)
Please notice my nickname and recognize that I speak from experience.
I frequently put my twin rotts, all 240 pounds worth in the back of my 96 Legacy Wagon.
By the way, did I metion the 65 pound lab mutt alpha male that is the first to jump in
obtain their data? Consumers? Automobile manufacturers? Where? I've never subscribed to
the publication myself--although I have browsed
through a couple of issues over the years.
Ron M.
In fact, the Legacy's and Outback's are very popular here in the metro-Denver area. They make great commuter cars for our unpredictable weather and hilly surface streets. Never seen one stranded at the bottom of an icy hill during rush hour.
However, if you use the utility of your SUV as an enclosed pickup truck like I do, hauling 10 to 12 bags of deco bark for the wife's landscaping in summer. Then you need something larger than a Subaru. I moved up to the size of the triplets from an S-10 Blazer because of my sporting activities, camping and skiing. With the wife, 2 dogs, and all our gear, we required more room for everyone to be comfortable on long rides (up to 1,000 miles one way). The data I saw showed the Forrester with a minimum of 3" less height in the cargo area than any other "compact" sport ute. I couldn't find the numbers on the Outback, but I'm sure it has less height than the Forrester.
As to power, I have a bias there due to driving in the Rocky Mountain west. Inter-state highways w/ steep grades and 60 to 75 mph speed limits. Not a place for a 4-banger if you want to stay in the left lane and stay w/ the traffic.
So, Subaru folks, I'm sorry if I offended you. I said the Subarus had their place. But, if you plan to drive up I-70 to ski Colorado this winter, as they say in Consumer Reports, there are better choices.
Ah yes, Consumer Reports. I'm a subscriber and I bought a triplet anyway. I find their magazine entertaining and quite valuable for information about a whole lot of stuff that costs less than $1K that I don't have the time to research otherwise. As to their automotive evaluations, I use their data as another source in decision making. Their criticisms are based on what is important to them, which isn't usually what is important to me, so we reach different conclusions.
Regarding where CR gets their data, it depends on which data you mean. They actually buy products, including cars, and test them at their own facilities.
For the reliability data and auto system breakdown data, it comes from their readers. I get surveys every year to fill out. This is the data that is most questionable. CR won't reveal their sample size when they report reliability data, but, in some cases, it is certainly suspect. I can't prove it, but I believe I single-handedly influenced them to make the Chrysler 300M a "Recommended" car by giving ours a rave review on their survey. Something certainly changed their mind after they ripped it in their road test months earlier.
Gas mileage. Someone mentioned the oxygenated fuels that some areas have to use in winter affecting gas mileage. Metro-Denver is one of those areas and they started dispensing it about the time I bought my Bravada. Probably having a negative effect like it has on all my other vehicles past and present. Good catch!
Octane at altitude. The local paper ran a story recently that said that the auto engineers and the oil engineers disagreed about lowered octane at altitude in the newest vehicles. Seems the auto engineers believe that the control systems already compensate for the altitude and the vehicles should use the octane they are rated for, not 2 points lower. Not surprisingly, the gasoline folks say 85 octane a mile high burns like 97 octane at sea level. Of course it costs more to produce 87 versus 85 octane, but we don't get regular unleaded any cheaper than the flat-landers next door in Kansas.
Second (cebteb)... nobody's touchy... just trying to clear any misunderstandings about the Subaru. Please remember everyone... obviously Subaru is not an SUV... it's more than a car but less then an SUV. So.. you get alittle bit of both without sacrificing alot of $$$ and mileage ;-)
Oh, that is a major exaggeration! Just because others correct the frequent error of your ways in I don't like SUVs, why do you? does not make it harassment! ;-)
tidester, host
I had the TSB service for the wheel binding. But from what I remember, that was the rear wheels when turning.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I hate to go to the dealer with such vagueness only to be told that they could not duplicate the problem!
Thanks!
Your best bet, so that you have some peace of mind, is to take your kids and dog (or a box(es) that represent it's size) and do a test drive. It's the only way you'll know for sure. Who cares if people think you're crazy, it's your investment, not theirs!!!
Trust me, I know people who have used crates to test sizing ;-)
I'd rather have a car based SUV, but they just haven't perfected the crossover vehicle yet.
It is, however a REAL SUV, not a car looking like an SUV.
Usually, the gas formulations make gas mileage in the winter worse. Well, gas formulations and a longer warm up time.
By the by, anyone know if they have switched over to winter gas yet?
problem.
Models:
All 2002 Triplets
Condition:
Some customers may comment that at times all the IPC gauges are inoperative or read zero
Cause:
The IPC cluster module receives information to position the gauges when the key is turned OFF to ON/START. Random electrical interference with this data line may interrupt the receipt of the information by the IPC. When the IPC data information signal is compromised, the IPC will set the gauges to zero for that complete ignition cycle. The gauges may work properly on the next ignition cycle, if the ignition was off for approximately five minutes to the next ignition cycle.
The Fix:
Technician needs to use Tech 2 to check software part number and
re-program the IPC
I see that the gap between the Grille and
Fascia (bumper)is gone. But this is not a production model so we'll have to wait to see what it looks like off the assembly line.
I like the tailgate and the tent's pretty cool.
thanks for the response.
Yes, my 4WD crapped out on me again for the 3rd time. This time it's exhibiting the same symptoms as it did the first time--turn the dial, the light blinks and blinks and blinks but no 4WD. After a while, the light goes out on the 4WD switch all together. The switch seems dead.
When I took it to the dealer the first time, I assumed the switch had gone bad--not so. The computer said the 4WD Control Module was bad. The funny thing is when they pulled it out and plugged it back in everything worked again! That's exactly what I need to do now but I don't know where it is! Can anybody help?
I made the dealer replace the module last time but I don't have that luxury right now. It just crapped out tonight. My wife will be working double shifts Saturday and Sunday (driving the TB) while I'm trapped at home with the kids. Monday we take off to Montana, driving over mountain passes of nearly 7000 feet where it will be snowing and I will be hunting with the thing where I WILL need the damn 4WD! No time for a dealer!
I'm about 50% confident this will get the 4WD working again. I just need to know where the damn thing is....
Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.
There is still plenty of room for the BIG DOGS with the rear seat up; Subaru also offers a dog gate accesory. There is just as much room as my O2 Bravada if not more. Plus, if you need to put the rear seats down, in the Subaru they will go flat. In the Bravada they would go down partially flat and with a nasty metal pole in the floor. A misery if you car camp and try to sleep in the rear. I am 6'4": I can stretch out in the Outback; I could not do that with the Bravada.
There is also the new Baja...a truck?
Good luck hunting!
Tim
Subject:Inoperative 4WD/AWD Lamps, Inoperative 4WD/AWD System
(Reprogram Transfer Case Control Module)
Models:
2002-2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer EXT 2003 ,Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche
2002-2003 GMC Envoy, Envoy XL
2003 GMC Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL
2002-2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
with Electronic Shift or ActiveTransfer Case (RPO NP1, NP4 or NP8)
This bulletin revises bulletin 022-04-21-006 to add Models
Information and provide software availability information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number
02-04-21-006(Section 04 - Driveline Axle).
Condition:
Some customers may comment that the 4WD/AWD
indicator lights on the selector switch do not work, or the 4VVD/AWD system may be inoperative and/or the service 4VVD light illuminated.
Cause:
The Transfer Case Control Module (TCCM) has not received the wake-up call during Key-Up and has remained in the -sieep mode".
When the TCCM 'is in the "sleep mode" it will not communicate with the class II bus or the Tech 2
Correction:
1.Remove the underhood (ATCM or TREC)TCCM fuse.
2.Wait 30 seconds.
3.Reinstall the fuse The module should
"wake up" and communicate with the Tech 2.
4.Reprogram the TCCM using normal SPS
procedures, using TIS software version 11
released late October2002 or newer
The Transfer Case Control Module (TCCM) has not received the wake-up call during Key-Up and has remained in the -sieep mode".
When the TCCM 'is in the "sleep mode" it will not communicate with the class II bus or the Tech 2
is this a serious condition that must be fixed ASAP or could i wait for my next service?
thanks