Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe

pensfan83 said:

Catching up from a week traveling for work and a weekend of traveling LL games.

@houdini1 - Great looking car, congratulations on the punch...that's a very elegant and clean car.

@28firefighter - Now that they have a diagnosis hopefully you start the road to recovery. Hang in there and know that we're all pulling for you.

@jmonroe - congrats on the milestone! Just noticed your from Pittsburgh..if you like Italian I'd recommend Alla Familgia for your next special occasion. Well worth it.

Thanks for the tip.

Mrs. j has a birthday next month so Alla Familgia might be a good change of pace. Italian is ALWAYS good for me. She likes it too but not quite like I do.

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

isellhondas said:

Michaell said:

Every time I see one of those Rivs, I think of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze.

His character owned a Mercedes SEC-class, but he'd always buy and drive that vintage Riv with the clamshell headlights when he got to a new town. Much easier to repair, given that his car was vandalized almost every night.

The 65 Riviera's were wonderful cars! The Gran Sports would outrun just about anything but they sucked premium gas like nobody would believe!

yeh, but who cared back then.

Oldfarmer wanted to see my "old man's car" for some reason....I think so he can feel like a young man with his Mustang. I am posting mine, so you have to post yours OF.



Note....NO STRIPES!

I remember your car. Are you afraid of stripes now?

Is there any hair under that cap?

jmonroe

iluvmysephia1

Guys, thanks for your comments about my latest tale (except you, @iluvmysephia1 :@ ).

Huh? What did I do ta deserve all that, jmonroe? Just kidding, if it takes you more real estate ta spin a tale, or to tell a true story, so be it. I'll just call up my inner Evelyn Woodhead Spedreader course and deal wid it accordingly if I have to!

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

isellhondas said:

Michaell said:

Every time I see one of those Rivs, I think of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze.

His character owned a Mercedes SEC-class, but he'd always buy and drive that vintage Riv with the clamshell headlights when he got to a new town. Much easier to repair, given that his car was vandalized almost every night.

The 65 Riviera's were wonderful cars! The Gran Sports would outrun just about anything but they sucked premium gas like nobody would believe!

yeh, but who cared back then.

Oldfarmer wanted to see my "old man's car" for some reason....I think so he can feel like a young man with his Mustang. I am posting mine, so you have to post yours OF.



Note....NO STRIPES!

That's a handsome car as are you driver100. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I was calling your car an old man's car. I was responding to houdini1's comment about HIS car being for an old man's. Your car looks very much like a sports car. Nice.

Oh you wanted a picture of MY white car? Here you go:

OF, What yo actually said was Houdini's car was definitely NOT an old man's car. I was just joking with you that by not saying that about my car you were implying mine was an old man's car....which is a stretch but I did it. I know you wouldn't say that I had an OMC, because you are hoping to stay at our Florida place one day.

Now show us your real young man's car. That hooptie doesn't do it......even if it is white.

houdini1

Very nice driver. MB's have a timeless beauty. Yours looks great in white.

cdnpinhead

driver100 said:

He should write his regular version and then the Readers Digest version for people who actually have a life.

I wonder, how many people under 40 have ever heard of Readers' Digest?

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

isellhondas said:

Michaell said:

Every time I see one of those Rivs, I think of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze.

His character owned a Mercedes SEC-class, but he'd always buy and drive that vintage Riv with the clamshell headlights when he got to a new town. Much easier to repair, given that his car was vandalized almost every night.

The 65 Riviera's were wonderful cars! The Gran Sports would outrun just about anything but they sucked premium gas like nobody would believe!

yeh, but who cared back then.

Oldfarmer wanted to see my "old man's car" for some reason....I think so he can feel like a young man with his Mustang. I am posting mine, so you have to post yours OF.



Note....NO STRIPES!

That's a handsome car as are you driver100. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I was calling your car an old man's car. I was responding to houdini1's comment about HIS car being for an old man's. Your car looks very much like a sports car. Nice.

Oh you wanted a picture of MY white car? Here you go:

OF, What yo actually said was Houdini's car was definitely NOT an old man's car. I was just joking with you that by not saying that about my car you were implying mine was an old man's car....which is a stretch but I did it. I know you wouldn't say that I had an OMC, because you are hoping to stay at our Florida place one day.

Now show us your real young man's car. That hooptie doesn't do it......even if it is white.

Oh you mean this one:

carnaught

ab348 said:

Nice C-Series there, @driver100.

Actually driver's Benz is an E400.

driver100

carnaught said:

ab348 said:

Nice C-Series there, @driver100.

Actually driver's Benz is an E400.

I think ab was giving me a dig.
It's abs way of saying you wasted $20000 getting an E when the C looks the same.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

isellhondas said:

Michaell said:

Every time I see one of those Rivs, I think of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze.

His character owned a Mercedes SEC-class, but he'd always buy and drive that vintage Riv with the clamshell headlights when he got to a new town. Much easier to repair, given that his car was vandalized almost every night.

The 65 Riviera's were wonderful cars! The Gran Sports would outrun just about anything but they sucked premium gas like nobody would believe!

yeh, but who cared back then.

Oldfarmer wanted to see my "old man's car" for some reason....I think so he can feel like a young man with his Mustang. I am posting mine, so you have to post yours OF.



Note....NO STRIPES!

That's a handsome car as are you driver100. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I was calling your car an old man's car. I was responding to houdini1's comment about HIS car being for an old man's. Your car looks very much like a sports car. Nice.

Oh you wanted a picture of MY white car? Here you go:

OF, What yo actually said was Houdini's car was definitely NOT an old man's car. I was just joking with you that by not saying that about my car you were implying mine was an old man's car....which is a stretch but I did it. I know you wouldn't say that I had an OMC, because you are hoping to stay at our Florida place one day.

Now show us your real young man's car. That hooptie doesn't do it......even if it is white.

Oh you mean this one:

Cute. Actually, I think the white van is the real young guys vehicle....especially if you drive it with your baseball cap on sideways.

carnaught

"It's abs way of saying you wasted $20000 getting an E when the C looks the same. "

...which also looks like an S-Class .

fintail

Or maybe even better euphemisms: "previously enjoyed", "previously loved" etc

abacomike said:

Fintail, when a "used" car costs that much to own, it's really a "preowned" car. 

fintail

As we both know, sit in the cars, and you won't get them confused.

I am seeing more and more W213 E lately, so they are selling, maybe some more favorable lease terms out there.

You have a great color combo, but I think I would want these wheels - a pain to clean no doubt, but they look cool:

driver100 said:

I think ab was giving me a dig.
It's abs way of saying you wasted $20000 getting an E when the C looks the same.

ab348

I was cruising a few lots today trying to see of anything jumped out at me. Didn't come across the perfect car unfortunately. Still like the GTI but the color selection is poor and every one I find locally has black leather inside, which I'm not crazy about. I find VW's paint colors generally are pretty limited and somewhat dull. They had a Beetle hardtop on the lot here in Bottle Green, which I hadn't seen before, with @breld's "Gingham" cloth upholstery, which was a bit different. This was the Classic model with the retro wheels and hubcaps. It even had some silver racing stripes on it. Would be unique for sure, but not my cup of tea.

The Lexus dealer had something that intrigued me. They had 4 or 5 cars, all different models (NX, IS, RX, RC, ES) all painted Atomic Silver, lined up next to each other. That is perhaps my favorite paint color by any automaker right now, and with the sun starting to drop around 5PM it absolutely was dazzling, just a gorgeous shade. Again, all of these had black leather inside, which I get, but Lexus does offer other interiors with this paint and it would sure be nice to see them. Ah well. I must be getting used to the spindle grill because I didn't find any of them too offensive and quite liked the NX despite its lantern-jaw front end.

Stopped at the Hyundai dealer and saw a couple of base model Elantra GT models. Based solely on what I saw they were a bit disappointing and didn't do much for me. Maybe the hopped-up model would make a better impression. Unfortunately none of those were in sight. Cruised the Chrysler dealer lot, nada. Same with the Nissan dealer, though they did have a white Maxima demo sitting out front that I stopped to look at. Big car but you probably wouldn't see yourself coming and going all the time.

Still looking...

abacomike

fintail said:

As we both know, sit in the cars, and you won't get them confused. I am seeing more and more W213 E lately, so they are selling, maybe some more favorable lease terms out there. You have a great color combo, but I think I would want these wheels - a pain to clean no doubt, but they look cool:

I think ab was giving me a dig. It's abs way of saying you wasted $20000 getting an E when the C looks the same.

Those are the wheels I had on my CLS400.  They are really sharp!

abacomike

ab348 said:

I was cruising a few lots today trying to see of anything jumped out at me. Didn't come across the perfect car unfortunately. Still like the GTI but the color selection is poor and every one I find locally has black leather inside, which I'm not crazy about. I find VW's paint colors generally are pretty limited and somewhat dull. They had a Beetle hardtop on the lot here in Bottle Green, which I hadn't seen before, with @breld's "Gingham" cloth upholstery, which was a bit different. This was the Classic model with the retro wheels and hubcaps. It even had some silver racing stripes on it. Would be unique for sure, but not my cup of tea. The Lexus dealer had something that intrigued me. They had 4 or 5 cars, all different models (NX, IS, RX, RC, ES) all painted Atomic Silver, lined up next to each other. That is perhaps my favorite paint color by any automaker right now, and with the sun starting to drop around 5PM it absolutely was dazzling, just a gorgeous shade. Again, all of these had black leather inside, which I get, but Lexus does offer other interiors with this paint and it would sure be nice to see them. Ah well. I must be getting used to the spindle grill because I didn't find any of them too offensive and quite liked the NX despite its lantern-jaw front end. Stopped at the Hyundai dealer and saw a couple of base model Elantra GT models. Based solely on what I saw they were a bit disappointing and didn't do much for me. Maybe the hopped-up model would make a better impression. Unfortunately none of those were in sight. Cruised the Chrysler dealer lot, nada. Same with the Nissan dealer, though they did have a white Maxima demo sitting out front that I stopped to look at. Big car but you probably wouldn't see yourself coming and going all the time. Still looking...

I agree, Atomic Silver is currently the sharpest paint color available out there in The marketplace.  One of my neighbors upstairs has a GS350 in Atomic Silver.  Rich looking, to be sure.

stickguy

ab, I sat in a Maxima recently at the dealer (the top of the line model, Platinum? something like that). Styling of course is YMMV, and it is on the large side, but I was really impressed by all the stuff on it, and the overall interior and seats. I could probably live with one, for the right price.

stickguy

Mike, those wheels would not last a week around here with the bombed out condition of our roads.

sda

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

isellhondas said:

Michaell said:

Every time I see one of those Rivs, I think of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze.

His character owned a Mercedes SEC-class, but he'd always buy and drive that vintage Riv with the clamshell headlights when he got to a new town. Much easier to repair, given that his car was vandalized almost every night.

The 65 Riviera's were wonderful cars! The Gran Sports would outrun just about anything but they sucked premium gas like nobody would believe!

yeh, but who cared back then.

Oldfarmer wanted to see my "old man's car" for some reason....I think so he can feel like a young man with his Mustang. I am posting mine, so you have to post yours OF.



Note....NO STRIPES!

That's a handsome car as are you driver100. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I was calling your car an old man's car. I was responding to houdini1's comment about HIS car being for an old man's. Your car looks very much like a sports car. Nice.

Oh you wanted a picture of MY white car? Here you go:

OF, What yo actually said was Houdini's car was definitely NOT an old man's car. I was just joking with you that by not saying that about my car you were implying mine was an old man's car....which is a stretch but I did it. I know you wouldn't say that I had an OMC, because you are hoping to stay at our Florida place one day.

Now show us your real young man's car. That hooptie doesn't do it......even if it is white.

Oh you mean this one:

I love that series of commercials.

driver100

fintail said:

As we both know, sit in the cars, and you won't get them confused.

I am seeing more and more W213 E lately, so they are selling, maybe some more favorable lease terms out there.

You have a great color combo, but I think I would want these wheels - a pain to clean no doubt, but they look cool:

driver100 said:

I think ab was giving me a dig.
It's abs way of saying you wasted $20000 getting an E when the C looks the same.

I think you will see a lot more 6 cylinder E400s once the 2018s start rolling in which should be soon. I like those wheels, but they look like low profile summer tires. I want all season tires and AWD, so I can't get too fancy.
I wanted Diamond White but the paint wasn't made yet. My second choice would be light silver. I actually cleaned my wheels today....I am glad they don't have all those spokes!

explorerx4

Just got back from vacation at the Outer Banks.
Haven't had time to go through all 500 posts since I left.

Who says there is no room under the hood of modern cars?
This little guy came back 3 other times after being evicted.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

I was cruising a few lots today trying to see of anything jumped out at me. Didn't come across the perfect car unfortunately. Still like the GTI but the color selection is poor and every one I find locally has black leather inside, which I'm not crazy about. I find VW's paint colors generally are pretty limited and somewhat dull. They had a Beetle hardtop on the lot here in Bottle Green, which I hadn't seen before, with @breld's "Gingham" cloth upholstery, which was a bit different. This was the Classic model with the retro wheels and hubcaps. It even had some silver racing stripes on it. Would be unique for sure, but not my cup of tea.

The Lexus dealer had something that intrigued me. They had 4 or 5 cars, all different models (NX, IS, RX, RC, ES) all painted Atomic Silver, lined up next to each other. That is perhaps my favorite paint color by any automaker right now, and with the sun starting to drop around 5PM it absolutely was dazzling, just a gorgeous shade. Again, all of these had black leather inside, which I get, but Lexus does offer other interiors with this paint and it would sure be nice to see them. Ah well. I must be getting used to the spindle grill because I didn't find any of them too offensive and quite liked the NX despite its lantern-jaw front end.

Stopped at the Hyundai dealer and saw a couple of base model Elantra GT models. Based solely on what I saw they were a bit disappointing and didn't do much for me. Maybe the hopped-up model would make a better impression. Unfortunately none of those were in sight. Cruised the Chrysler dealer lot, nada. Same with the Nissan dealer, though they did have a white Maxima demo sitting out front that I stopped to look at. Big car but you probably wouldn't see yourself coming and going all the time.

Still looking...

Might I suggest a Ford Fusion? I understand some of them come with a unique option that makes the new owners very happy....and gives them the munchies.

http://www.thedrive.com/news/9664/marijuana-is-being-smuggled-into-the-us-in-ford-fusions

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Just got back from vacation at the Outer Banks.
Haven't had time to go through all 500 posts since I left.

Who says there is no room under the hood of modern cars?
This little guy came back 3 other times after being evicted.

Ha ha, a real Ford fan. I can understand that. Usually you find cats in that position. Some of them met a bad end in the old days when the fans didn't have shrouds.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

isellhondas said:

Michaell said:

Every time I see one of those Rivs, I think of the movie "Road House" with Patrick Swayze.

His character owned a Mercedes SEC-class, but he'd always buy and drive that vintage Riv with the clamshell headlights when he got to a new town. Much easier to repair, given that his car was vandalized almost every night.

The 65 Riviera's were wonderful cars! The Gran Sports would outrun just about anything but they sucked premium gas like nobody would believe!

yeh, but who cared back then.

Oldfarmer wanted to see my "old man's car" for some reason....I think so he can feel like a young man with his Mustang. I am posting mine, so you have to post yours OF.



Note....NO STRIPES!

That's a handsome car as are you driver100. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I was calling your car an old man's car. I was responding to houdini1's comment about HIS car being for an old man's. Your car looks very much like a sports car. Nice.

Oh you wanted a picture of MY white car? Here you go:

OF, What yo actually said was Houdini's car was definitely NOT an old man's car. I was just joking with you that by not saying that about my car you were implying mine was an old man's car....which is a stretch but I did it. I know you wouldn't say that I had an OMC, because you are hoping to stay at our Florida place one day.

Now show us your real young man's car. That hooptie doesn't do it......even if it is white.

Oh you mean this one:

I love that series of commercials.

I think I mentioned before that I liked that commercial because the car that the baby morphs into is a Mustang. My son saw this and had the picture made into a framed poster as a Christmas present.

Great kid but he has absolutely no interest in cars. Takes after his mother I guess.

oldfarmer50

We were talking about bad drivers a while back. I think this one comes in first place.



http://www.kmov.com/story/35896007/fire-crews-respond-to-car-trapped-in-roof-of-st-louis-home

bwia

ab348 said:

I was cruising a few lots today trying to see of anything jumped out at me. Didn't come across the perfect car unfortunately.
Stopped at the Hyundai dealer and saw a couple of base model Elantra GT models. Based solely on what I saw they were a bit disappointing and didn't do much for me.  Still looking...

Not sure if the 2018 Sonata 2.0 turbo is out yet but it deserves a fresh look. Edit: I'll try to post a pic later. Here it is, clean and elegant interior design.

bwia

2018 Sonata 2.0 turbo

dino001

Guys, I have a sad buying story for you. My young coworker, a recent hire of our company's, capable engineer with graduate degree from the best state school in Florida, just bought a Honda CRV. Nice car and all, but the experience he described was just like from those horror story articles of things that we all thought are no longer happening anymore. BTW, he is Chinese by origin, which I'm totally convinced compounded the issue, as I remember similar attitudes toward me, when I was out of school fifteen years ago.

In one place the sales manager tries to threaten him into buy a car (you know classic I'm your elder, do as I say or else attitude), but he walks from there. But it looks that at the place he bought it from, they pulled a big fast one on him, totally deliberately. So they negotiate the price with salesman asserting that the car has one of those "magical" packages, worth 2 grand in it. He never fully describes the package, but assures him it's there. Then the car is in and the magical package is not there. Of course the young man in his inexperience assumes they'd make good on the promise to deliver the magical package (still not fully described). They won't, as suddenly the price as signed no longer included the package. Mind you, we still don't know exact content of the package (some floor mats and other mop and glo, I suspect). He is still trying to get it and the salesman flat out refuses even to describe the package to him. Wow.

Of course, one can say, the young man is at fault, as he doesn't walk at first sign of trouble - and it's true to some degree. But it is blaming the victim. The slime factor is absolutely incredible here. This is one of the reasons why I was so glad I bought Subaru and then BMW, cause such shenanigans don't happen as often there. You can believe what the salesman tells you, or at least that was my experience.

Michaell

@dino001 - With all the stories I read from folks looking for lease numbers, I'm becoming convinced that Florida is the worst place in the country to buy a new car.

fintail

I am waiting to see the I6 that I read about some time ago finally making production. That's the best midsized engine configuration, always so smooth. Not sure about any news on it, however.

I would like the car in "Diamond Silver" (a hint of blue), a color that is always pretty rare. I'd probably have to order a car to get it - that color with a light interior.

I wipe my wheels down at least weekly. But yeah, those might end up damaged on the sometimes Beirut-quality roads here, too, not to mention harming ride quality - I'd definitely be dodging all of the grates and covers that the skilled "engineers" always seem to either raise 3" off the road, sink 6" below the road, and put in the path of wheels.

driver100 said:

I think you will see a lot more 6 cylinder E400s once the 2018s start rolling in which should be soon. I like those wheels, but they look like low profile summer tires. I want all season tires and AWD, so I can't get too fancy.
I wanted Diamond White but the paint wasn't made yet. My second choice would be light silver. I actually cleaned my wheels today....I am glad they don't have all those spokes!

stickguy

I checked my local dealers last night, and they have 2.4 2018s in stock, but saw no listings for 2.0ts. If I re-up for another Hyundai lease, would probably be one of those so I get some more power this time! Though the Elantra sport was fun.

abacomike

driver100 said:

Nice C-Series there, @driver100.

Actually driver's Benz is an E400.

I think ab was giving me a dig. It's abs way of saying you wasted $20000 getting an E when the C looks the same.

Ya think? 

fintail

I can believe it. Reminds me of an incident when I was a student, and a Taiwanese friend had effectively a blank check (within reason) from home to buy a car. I went with him, as because I drove an unusual old car, he thought I knew everything, and wanted me to make sure he wasn't being taken for a ride. Upon deciding on a car, I told the salesman why I was with him, and that I wasn't there to go crazy for every last dollar, just there for my friend's peace of mind - in other words, telling the salesman this would be easy for him. There was still some difference between the delivered car and the car on paper, that I had to bring up and have settled - this was also about accessories.

dino001 said:

Guys, I have a sad buying story for you. My young coworker, a recent hire of our company's, capable engineer with graduate degree from the best state school in Florida, just bought a Honda CRV. You can believe what the salesman tells you, or at least that was my experience.

andres3

28firefighter said:

Thanks everyone. This community really does mean a lot. 

As far as all the tests and having my parents weigh in, absolutely done. My Mom flew out when I was admitted and my Dad flew out when I had my downward spiral that took me to the ICU. Someone has been with me in the hospital at all hours. 

What they're telling me now is that things were dicey. Every time the body experienced a fever north of 104/105 and specially once you start hitting 106, it's like repeated body blows. Eventually you can't tolerate it anymore. This last one yesterday was scary for everyone as I was basically unresponsive and do not remember most of it. 

In any case I seem to be on the mend, fingers crossed. My wife did say I could buy a Porsche if I wanted. I suspect that will turn into a Porsche miniature once I'm discharged. 

Ha! Get it in writing; make her sign before your discharge!

Curious, when you get that high of a fever do they put you in a cold bath, put on ice packs, or something to cool the body, or is that ineffective?

roadburner

dino001 said:

Guys, I have a sad buying story for you. My young coworker, a recent hire of our company's, capable engineer with graduate degree from the best state school in Florida, just bought a Honda CRV. Nice car and all, but the experience he described was just like from those horror story articles of things that we all thought are no longer happening anymore. BTW, he is Chinese by origin, which I'm totally convinced compounded the issue, as I remember similar attitudes toward me, when I was out of school fifteen years ago.

In one place the sales manager tries to threaten him into buy a car (you know classic I'm your elder, do as I say or else attitude), but he walks from there. But it looks that at the place he bought it from, they pulled a big fast one on him, totally deliberately. So they negotiate the price with salesman asserting that the car has one of those "magical" packages, worth 2 grand in it. He never fully describes the package, but assures him it's there. Then the car is in and the magical package is not there. Of course the young man in his inexperience assumes they'd make good on the promise to deliver the magical package (still not fully described). They won't, as suddenly the price as signed no longer included the package. Mind you, we still don't know exact content of the package (some floor mats and other mop and glo, I suspect). He is still trying to get it and the salesman flat out refuses even to describe the package to him. Wow.

Of course, one can say, the young man is at fault, as he doesn't walk at first sign of trouble - and it's true to some degree. But it is blaming the victim. The slime factor is absolutely incredible here. This is one of the reasons why I was so glad I bought Subaru and then BMW, cause such shenanigans don't happen as often there. You can believe what the salesman tells you, or at least that was my experience.

I believe I've mentioned this before, but in 1984 my soon-to-be wife was interested in buying a new Honda Accord coupe. This was during the dark days of the voluntary import quotas so Accords of any flavor were in very short supply. EVERY Honda dealer in Cincinnati tried to play games with us, and the experience left such a bad taste in her mouth that she never looked at a Honda product again.

andres3

imidazol97 said:

Is the CarFax and individual buys on a car and pays for themself the same as the CarFax that dealers pay for and link from their listings for used cars? A friend is looking at Mustangs for the kid in GA and the CarFax shows rear end damage from a collision. I wondered if a paid CarFax gave a dollar value on repair to get more info about the "collision."

I wonder how much one of those paint thickness devices that appraisers use to tell if a panel has been repainted cost? Seems it would be worth it to get one of those (if not too expensive) and use it on cars like these. Review it the same as Carmax does; they told me two painted panels or more = wholesale. I have a feeling sometimes they cheat up to 3 or more rather than two. Of course, if the panel has been completely replaced this won't work, but most body shops paint edges and corners like Kindergartners, so a close inspection will reveal much.

andres3

stickguy said:

I checked my local dealers last night, and they have 2.4 2018s in stock, but saw no listings for 2.0ts. If I re-up for another Hyundai lease, would probably be one of those so I get some more power this time! Though the Elantra sport was fun.

This surprised me. I expected the IS250 (or now IS 200T) to IS350 ratio to be like 2:1 or 3:1 . In CA right now, it is more like 10:1.

Lexus is very expensive; I guess they can mark-up the badge since they have a great reputation.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

Is the CarFax and individual buys on a car and pays for themself the same as the CarFax that dealers pay for and link from their listings for used cars? A friend is looking at Mustangs for the kid in GA and the CarFax shows rear end damage from a collision. I wondered if a paid CarFax gave a dollar value on repair to get more info about the "collision."

I wonder how much one of those paint thickness devices that appraisers use to tell if a panel has been repainted cost? Seems it would be worth it to get one of those (if not too expensive) and use it on cars like these. Review it the same as Carmax does; they told me two painted panels or more = wholesale. I have a feeling sometimes they cheat up to 3 or more rather than two. Of course, if the panel has been completely replaced this won't work, but most body shops paint edges and corners like Kindergartners, so a close inspection will reveal much.

It works on replaced panels because factory paint is uniform while the replaced panel will have a different thickness than the surrounding panels.

$20:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1PVMSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6KnBzbP1JF2EX

andres3

fordfool said:

andres3 said:

suydam said:

Some interesting stats on age and accidents. There's a reason insurance rates are so high for teenagers.

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810853

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/gender

Odd charts. Everyone I've seen before has another uphill spike at around
age 70 as people lose their skills.

What you want is "Accidents per 100,000 miles by Age. Seniors drive a lot less
than do teenagers. Oldsters also drive less at night due to vision problems.

Yes, charts like the above reminded me of this old classic from the NMA President in 1996:

http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/a-point.html

dino001

Michaell said:

@dino001 - With all the stories I read from folks looking for lease numbers, I'm becoming convinced that Florida is the worst place in the country to buy a new car.

I think this is especially true for popular Asian brands, Kiyunday and Honyota I've been in those stores couple of times in last few years and every single time I felt I needed a hot shower. To my suprise, domestic brand places seem to be a little less slimey. But my last four purchases, two Subarus and two BMWs are completely different. I think I'll be sticking to those.

Mr_Shiftright

andres3 said:

imidazol97 said:

Is the CarFax and individual buys on a car and pays for themself the same as the CarFax that dealers pay for and link from their listings for used cars? A friend is looking at Mustangs for the kid in GA and the CarFax shows rear end damage from a collision. I wondered if a paid CarFax gave a dollar value on repair to get more info about the "collision."

I wonder how much one of those paint thickness devices that appraisers use to tell if a panel has been repainted cost? Seems it would be worth it to get one of those (if not too expensive) and use it on cars like these. Review it the same as Carmax does; they told me two painted panels or more = wholesale. I have a feeling sometimes they cheat up to 3 or more rather than two. Of course, if the panel has been completely replaced this won't work, but most body shops paint edges and corners like Kindergartners, so a close inspection will reveal much.

The really good ones are a bit pricey, in the few hundreds. I don't use one because I appraise mostly older cars, and the likelihood that they've been smacked a few times in their lives is pretty high. I use a good magnet which isn't a precise tool, but it can spot body filler at least.

My feeling is that if with a trained eye you can't be sure if I car has ever been in an accident, then the repair is of a high quality and won't affect value very much if at all. So you look for overspray and bad panel alignment, check the CARFAX, run a magnet and you're done.

stickguy

Andre, my guess, the vast majority of buyers in that class find the base engine to be more Than plenty fast enough.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

dino001 said:

Guys, I have a sad buying story for you. My young coworker, a recent hire of our company's, capable engineer with graduate degree from the best state school in Florida, just bought a Honda CRV. Nice car and all, but the experience he described was just like from those horror story articles of things that we all thought are no longer happening anymore. BTW, he is Chinese by origin, which I'm totally convinced compounded the issue, as I remember similar attitudes toward me, when I was out of school fifteen years ago.

In one place the sales manager tries to threaten him into buy a car (you know classic I'm your elder, do as I say or else attitude), but he walks from there. But it looks that at the place he bought it from, they pulled a big fast one on him, totally deliberately. So they negotiate the price with salesman asserting that the car has one of those "magical" packages, worth 2 grand in it. He never fully describes the package, but assures him it's there. Then the car is in and the magical package is not there. Of course the young man in his inexperience assumes they'd make good on the promise to deliver the magical package (still not fully described). They won't, as suddenly the price as signed no longer included the package. Mind you, we still don't know exact content of the package (some floor mats and other mop and glo, I suspect). He is still trying to get it and the salesman flat out refuses even to describe the package to him. Wow.

Of course, one can say, the young man is at fault, as he doesn't walk at first sign of trouble - and it's true to some degree. But it is blaming the victim. The slime factor is absolutely incredible here. This is one of the reasons why I was so glad I bought Subaru and then BMW, cause such shenanigans don't happen as often there. You can believe what the salesman tells you, or at least that was my experience.

I believe I've mentioned this before, but in 1984 my soon-to-be wife was interested in buying a new Honda Accord coupe. This was during the dark days of the voluntary import quotas so Accords of any flavor were in very short supply. EVERY Honda dealer in Cincinnati tried to play games with us, and the experience left such a bad taste in her mouth that she never looked at a Honda product again.

Remember that time well. Fresh out of college, got my first "REAL" job. Went looking at every Honda dealer in the Cincinnati area (Mike Dever, Jeff Wyler, Mike Albers). There were all the same. MSRP + a dealer pac. Take it or leave it. They lines of people ready to take it.

That said, at the time, it was becoming clear that Hondas and Toyotas surpassed not only the MPG of the day, but also quality and reliability compared to Ford, GM, Chryco. It really was no contest. I ended up with a Pontiac Grand Prix, which was part of GM's newly "shrunk" coupes. It had T-Tops that leaked like a sieve. The paint started flaking after the first year. Trim pieces started falling off like it was raining parts.

The Hondas of the time were getting great MPG with little muss or fuss of warranty work.

andres3

fintail said:

Nice, used car bargain. I think these might be something to pick up in a couple more years when depreciation has more of an effect. As many will be used by older drivers who don't abuse their cars

houdini1 said:

Farmer

Here is a pic of my 2016 Lexus LS 460.

I think in cars like Lexus, it doesn't matter if they are "abused" as long as they were properly maintained. They will be rock-solid reliable regardless of the manner driven.

On the other hand, you can baby 0-10% throttle a car its whole life, and you'll still get this:

http://jalopnik.com/the-alfa-romeo-giulia-is-the-perfect-unreliable-italian-1796883384

PF_Flyer

Saw an interesting accident on I-80 near the Poconos on Sunday. On a long uphill stretch heading west, apparently someone didn't see the fully loaded new car carrier grinding up the grade in the right lane. I didn't get a pic of it, but the rear end of the brand new SUV in the last spot on the bottom level was caved in well into the rear doors. Might be an interesting insurance equation!

andres3

stickguy said:

Andre, my guess, the vast majority of buyers in that class find the base engine to be more Than plenty fast enough.

I suppose thats it. I always found the 2.5 V6 to be a dog in the Lexus lineup. Slower, weaker, and barely more fuel efficient than the flagship 3.5 V6. With the new turbo, power is up, but in a sample of 1 older driver, my mother has a "thing" against turbos.

She's going to look at the rarest of IS350; here's her search criteria:

1. No black, no white, no red exterior. Leaves a litany of grey choices (silver being best) along with blue (her least favorite).
2. No black nor red interiors. That leaves beige and grey which are very rare in the IS 350.
3. 2014-2016 model year with less than 30K miles (maybe 40K top).
4. Has the safety nannies (which sticking to 2014+ should provide almost every time).

Anyone want to help her out? She's in Sacramento and would prefer something local (<100 miles) of course.

Last week, Carmax had one that met this criteria perfectly in Florida, for $39,998, but that's a $1,000 shipment. I told her if Carmax lowers the price a grand, she might want to jump on it (only had 1K miles).

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:

dino001 said:

Guys, I have a sad buying story for you. My young coworker, a recent hire of our company's, capable engineer with graduate degree from the best state school in Florida, just bought a Honda CRV. Nice car and all, but the experience he described was just like from those horror story articles of things that we all thought are no longer happening anymore. BTW, he is Chinese by origin, which I'm totally convinced compounded the issue, as I remember similar attitudes toward me, when I was out of school fifteen years ago.

In one place the sales manager tries to threaten him into buy a car (you know classic I'm your elder, do as I say or else attitude), but he walks from there. But it looks that at the place he bought it from, they pulled a big fast one on him, totally deliberately. So they negotiate the price with salesman asserting that the car has one of those "magical" packages, worth 2 grand in it. He never fully describes the package, but assures him it's there. Then the car is in and the magical package is not there. Of course the young man in his inexperience assumes they'd make good on the promise to deliver the magical package (still not fully described). They won't, as suddenly the price as signed no longer included the package. Mind you, we still don't know exact content of the package (some floor mats and other mop and glo, I suspect). He is still trying to get it and the salesman flat out refuses even to describe the package to him. Wow.

Of course, one can say, the young man is at fault, as he doesn't walk at first sign of trouble - and it's true to some degree. But it is blaming the victim. The slime factor is absolutely incredible here. This is one of the reasons why I was so glad I bought Subaru and then BMW, cause such shenanigans don't happen as often there. You can believe what the salesman tells you, or at least that was my experience.

I believe I've mentioned this before, but in 1984 my soon-to-be wife was interested in buying a new Honda Accord coupe. This was during the dark days of the voluntary import quotas so Accords of any flavor were in very short supply. EVERY Honda dealer in Cincinnati tried to play games with us, and the experience left such a bad taste in her mouth that she never looked at a Honda product again.

Remember that time well. Fresh out of college, got my first "REAL" job. Went looking at every Honda dealer in the Cincinnati area (Mike Dever, Jeff Wyler, Mike Albers). There were all the same. MSRP + a dealer pac. Take it or leave it. They lines of people ready to take it.

That said, at the time, it was becoming clear that Hondas and Toyotas surpassed not only the MPG of the day, but also quality and reliability compared to Ford, GM, Chryco. It really was no contest. I ended up with a Pontiac Grand Prix, which was part of GM's newly "shrunk" coupes. It had T-Tops that leaked like a sieve. The paint started flaking after the first year. Trim pieces started falling off like it was raining parts.

The Hondas of the time were getting great MPG with little muss or fuss of warranty work.

The 80s were a horrible time to be a car nut. My two worst cars were an 82' Olds 88 and an 86' Toyota pick up. Both horrible. Both literally fell apart. The Japanese may have beat Detroit for quality but not by much.

oldfarmer50

PF_Flyer said:

Saw an interesting accident on I-80 near the Poconos on Sunday. On a long uphill stretch heading west, apparently someone didn't see the fully loaded new car carrier grinding up the grade in the right lane. I didn't get a pic of it, but the rear end of the brand new SUV in the last spot on the bottom level was caved in well into the rear doors. Might be an interesting insurance equation!

Was just talking to my BIL and he told me his daughter (my niece) was recently rear ended by a garbage truck down in Florida while stopped for a light at the end of the interstate ramp. 2014 Sentra totalled. She banged up pretty good but no broken bones that they can tell.

So what's the deal with garbage trucks. One gets driver100 and another gets my niece. Who the heck are they hiring? That's a CDL position so there must be some training.

More infuriating was that after she called 911 multiple sheriffs and town cops drove right by as she sat in the wreck. Evidently in Florida if an accident happens on the interstate it can only be investigated by the state police who took 45 minutes to get there.

andres3

bwia said:

2018 Sonata 2.0 turbo

Ford Fusion front end, Malibu rear end.

andres3

bwia said:

2018 Sonata 2.0 turbo

Ford Fusion front end, Malibu rear end.