Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

I'm glad I am no where near those areas, In terms of shopping now

driver100

fintail said:

Some might not like the generalization, but overall, it isn't incorrect. Everyone has made overstyled cars in the past several years, but some of the most egregious seem to hail from certain areas. It might not be a new thing, either, Japanese cars of the 70s could be pretty wacky, too. Now they are seen as goofy and fun. I don't know if modern overstyling will be seen the same, probably because most of the 70s era Japanese cars didn't try to look bold and menacing.

The latest generation of MB has a lot less clutter, and it seems that brand reached peak styling volume (in the modern era) around 2010. As Europe is usually the design leader these days, we will see/hope this trickles down.

driver100 said:

Not to overgeneralize, but my impressions are that the Japanese go over the top a bit with the techno look. Probably does appeal to young people and computer people.
The Koreans are similar, but bring it down a notch.
American cars are made to look solid and fast.....sometimes aggressive especially in the grill area.
European usually keeps some of the old world flavor....simple lines, usually carried over from the past.

Very general and only my impressions.

Talk about edgy. This Prius is very techno looking, I can't imagine any American or European car maker coming out with a design like this;

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Another favorite trick was to tell them he was sending them a check that week. Then the supplier would call me on Tuesday or Wednesday and say he promised to send a check last week and it didn't arrive. I found out later that he would go to the post office at 5 minutes to five, get a post mark for Friday, then put it in the mail to stretch the delivery time.

. Then he would get a cheque produced (which of course had not been sent in the first place), get an envelope addressed, and run it through the postage meter after he had gone in and changed the dates to roll it back to the stated day in order to cover his lie. He was just a miserable person and everybody who worked there had stories to tell about how terribly he treated them.

And, these people will never change. They will get caught and promise it won't happen again.....but, it will. It is best just to avoid these people, they aren't worth the time or trouble.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Looks like Aztek styling. If it were a GM product, folks would ridicule it openly and widely. LOL

suydam

And here's the Chevy Volt.

Sandman6472

I know rentals are really hard to get right now. Our State Farm folks get taken care of first but many walk-ins now are just being told to check back with us later in the day. Between Harvey and Irma, we're stretched to the limit! Heck, we're paying an obscene price for our one way rental soon but going from airport to airport was just bat [non-permissible content removed] crazy! My employee discount does really help but the one way part is about a few weeks to early it seems. Checking with other rental companies just in case.

andres3

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

Not being truthful is a lie even if you cover it up with a nice word like "recommend".

A synonym for recommend is suggest. A suggestion, by definition, can't be a lie.

Now, the service advisor who was making up stories about what would happen if they did not perform the recommended service? She was just chock full of lies.

I suppose then all recommendation and suggestions should be put under cross examination to see if they would still make the recommended suggestion if the car was their own, or their mother's. That should put an end to false recommendations. Shouldn't they be treating others how they would want to be treated?

suydam

Are you a Costco member? Try going through them.

andres3

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey, anyone have a source for car residual values? I know there are some sites that dealers subscribe to but a quick google search didn't lead to anything helpful. Just articles about "the top ten high residuals" etc.

Gee, I think I can help you here. 

What'cha need?

Nothing specific, just wanted to poke around and compare various cars. I know dealers use ALG but I believe that's a subscription service.

Edit: found this site which is interesting:

http://residuals.cula.com/vehicleresidualcalculator/consumer-lease.aspx

Well, I've got access to more reliable information, so if you've got a make and model you're curious about, let me know.

2014 XTS....fully loaded!

Oh, wait.

I've got new car residuals. Nothing on used vehicle values.

Apologies.

Can you go back in time and find what the residuals were for the '14 XTS 3 years ago when they first leased them out?

fintail

It looks to have better visibility than most CUV type things, yeah. Too bad those quarter windows on the Subaru are fixed, not tiltable like an old "wing window" (or retractable, like in 70s Lincolns).

iluvmysephia1 said:

In contrast, outward visibility is pretty good on the '17 and/on Subaru Impreza. It has those little slant windows connecting up to the A-pillars, like my first car, the lovable 1965 Ford Mustang.

fintail

At least the illusion of tech. Local experience has many of the fans of those being the same people who had a VCR and microwave blinking 12:00 in 1985

The Prius is at least memorable from the rear, in the dark. The front end design of most new generation Toyotas is just silly me, leering frowny faces suggesting aggression, when the cars and usually the drivers are anything but. Might be a safety feeling thing.

driver100 said:

Talk about edgy. This Prius is very techno looking, I can't imagine any American or European car maker coming out with a design like this;

driver100

suydam said:

Are you a Costco member? Try going through them.

Last year we rented a car using Costco to get from Tampa airport to our place in Florida 24 hr rental -$65!
This year, it would be $140!
Might use a limo service....$50!

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Looks like Aztek styling. If it were a GM product, folks would ridicule it openly and widely. LOL

Guess the Aztek was ahead of it's time!

Someone copied the Aztek

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sx7lGAlw0u4

andres3

fintail said:

At least the illusion of tech. Local experience has many of the fans of those being the same people who had a VCR and microwave blinking 12:00 in 1985

The Prius is at least memorable from the rear, in the dark. The front end design of most new generation Toyotas is just silly me, leering frowny faces suggesting aggression, when the cars and usually the drivers are anything but. Might be a safety feeling thing.

driver100 said:

Talk about edgy. This Prius is very techno looking, I can't imagine any American or European car maker coming out with a design like this;

I see Prius as rolling blockades, rolling pylons, rolling cones, you get the picture.

andres3

What are the residual values on an Aztek? maybe someone in CCBA can get one!

fintail

I believe the Aztek was ahead of its time. Had it been introduced 10-15 years later, I bet it would have sold much better, even with the odd looks. It's an awkward thing, but I respect it for being ahead of its time. Same for the Isuzu Vehicross of the same era - just too far ahead of the curve.

driver100 said:

Guess the Aztek was ahead of it's time!

Someone copied the Aztek

fintail

Ha, I have called them pylons too. I don't have an issue with them if they are in the right lane, as intended

Typical Seattle hilarity is a Prius in the Carpool lane going 5 under as everyone zips by.

andres3 said:

I see Prius as rolling blockades, rolling pylons, rolling cones, you get the picture.

berri

I see Prius as rolling blockades, rolling pylons, rolling cones, you get the picture
Yeah, as in after they got hit by a vehicle and are flying all over the place

suydam

I personally don't care for the Prius but I don't really think much about them more than any other car I'm not interested in. There are many here. They don't seem any different than any other car on the road.

driver100

suydam said:

I personally don't care for the Prius but I don't really think much about them more than any other car I'm not interested in. There are many here. They don't seem any different than any other car on the road.

When I see one I think it is just weird.......it looks like it was designed by about 12 different designers....who never coordinated their efforts.

graphicguy

Never been a Prius lover...even when they first hit the market. I had ridden in one as a rental while doing business in AZ a couple of years ago. I think it was from Enterprise as I don’t remember ever seeing any at Hertz or Avis.

Just weird....not in a good way. Weird looking...weird driving.

When I test drove a Volt several months back when I was looking for the Caddy replacement, I felt it was revolutionary.....instead of weird, like the Prius was.

I think the Aztec had more than just weird looks going against it. I remember the interior looking like it was assembled with legos, except Legos had better build quality.

driver100

I read a review on the Volt from a guy who loves gasoline pwered cars.
Loved driving the Volt, but, it doesn't make sense to him
Cost was $44000 CDN but he gets a $14000 subsidy from the government
Electricity is expensive in Ontario Canada but it cost him $7 to go charge the car, $11 if he did it at peak hours.
Gas to go the same distance would have cost $17, but 1/3rd of the gas was taxes which he wouldn't have paid for the electricity used.
He says it is a great car to drive if you like being subsidized by the government and don't want to contribute taxes which help pay for roads etc...and the government will need to find that money anyway.
If we all converted to e-cars we would need 100s of nuclear reactors or something to supply enough electricity. :@

ab348

I remember getting an Aztek as a rental years ago, back around 2001 or so for a couple of days to do a long road trip work assignment. If you recall, after introduction when they were universally mocked by just about everyone for their looks, they were stacking up like cordwood on dealer and GM holding lots. GM assigned a bunch to Detroit staff to drive, and they unloaded many more onto rental fleets. I got one of those.

It was painted white, so at least it wasn't one of those eye-popping green or yellow shades they came in. I recall sitting in traffic in it and having kids in other cars nearby pointing and looking askance at it. But remarkably, I actually really liked how it drove. It was a nice size, not too big nor too small, had tons of room inside, and the road dynamics were not bad at all. The interior was OK for GM at the time though it was one of their "sea of grey" designs. Had more than adequate power, comfortable seats, and a good sound system. I remember thinking if only it had different styling it wouldn't be a bad choice. I guess that what led to the Buick Rendezvous.

fintail

Interior quality was a big issue on Azteks no doubt, and GMs of the era in general - Pontiac seemed to get the worst of it, with brash design and acres of hard plastic. Eventually, GM learned this needed to change, and newer cars have more competitive interiors. Don't cut corners on what the driver is looking at 98% of the time.

berri

Prius and Aztec have one thing in common, they both look like Lego blocks were used in designing them

driver100

ab348 said:

I remember getting an Aztek as a rental years ago, back around 2001 or so for a couple of days to do a long road trip work assignment.
I guess that what led to the Buick Rendezvous.

People loved their Rendezvouz and it was actually a pretty nice looking car. I remember Tim Hortons had a roll up the rim contest and some of the prizes were Azteks....I guess they got them for a really low price.

One more thing that guy found with the Volt. It said it had 60 miles left of electric power, but, because the a/c was on high he only got 40 miles out of it. He said it would be the same if he had the heat on full, I am not so sure since I don't think heat uses nearly as much power.

andres3

2005 Aztek, Averages about $3,400 retail. Who's lining up first?

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

I read a review on the Volt from a guy who loves gasoline pwered cars.
Loved driving the Volt, but, it doesn't make sense to him
Cost was $44000 CDN but he gets a $14000 subsidy from the government
Electricity is expensive in Ontario Canada but it cost him $7 to go charge the car, $11 if he did it at peak hours.
Gas to go the same distance would have cost $17, but 1/3rd of the gas was taxes which he wouldn't have paid for the electricity used.
He says it is a great car to drive if you like being subsidized by the government and don't want to contribute taxes which help pay for roads etc...and the government will need to find that money anyway.
If we all converted to e-cars we would need 100s of nuclear reactors or something to supply enough electricity. :@

Nah, just put a windmill on the roof and make some rich guy pay for it.

iluvmysephia1

Count me out on that. I'm focusing on Subaru only these days. Tractor beam. Sucked me right in. 

ab348

andres3 said:

2005 Aztek, Averages about $3,400 retail. Who's lining up first?

Maybe all those folks who are paying $3200 for a good condition 2005 A4 according to KBB could use some more space.

driver100

You mean, this:

Compared to:

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

Which one would break down more and which would cost more to fix?

oldfarmer50

Just thinking about residuals and resale value and was wondering why certain domestics are always higher priced as used cars. Corvettes and other halo types I can see but prices for old Jeep Wranglers and any pickup are much higher than a similar aged car. I'm talking pretty miled up vehicles (150k miles +). I've got my own theories but why do you folks think that is?

explorerx4

One of my credit cards has a bonus if you transfer your rewards earnings into one of the bank or brokerage accounts.
The bonus is denoted as .75.
I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I transferred $350 into another account.
Turns out the .75 meant 75%, so my $350 turned into over $600.
Not bad, although I'm assuming I will get a 1099 for it.

abacomike

Don’t forget - premiere of “Wheeler Dealers” starts at 9:00 PM EDT on the Velocity Channel TONIGHT!

Hope the new guy is good!

dino001

explorerx4 said:

One of my credit cards has a bonus if you transfer your rewards earnings into one of the bank or brokerage accounts.
The bonus is denoted as .75.
I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I transferred $350 into another account.
Turns out the .75 meant 75%, so my $350 turned into over $600.
Not bad, although I'm assuming I will get a 1099 for it.

I have the same bonus with Bank of America credit card. The condition is a transfer to my BoA checking. What's really nice (almost crazy), it compounds with bonus categories, like gas (3%), or warehouse/supermarket (2%). In other words, the final rebate on some of the spending may be as high as 1.75*3% = 5.25%!

No, you should not get 1099 for it. It is a rebate, on items you already purchased, not income, so it is not taxable. If that were the case, you'd need to get 1099 for every manufacturer's rebate coupon you ever used. At least that's my story I've had my rewards card for several years, just like other cash cards before and never got a 1099 for any of those realized bonus reward checks or direct bank transfers.

dino001

Aztek was so hideus, it was almost beautiful. Another big plus is Walter White owned one, and as we all know, he was quite smart, so he wouldn't buy one without reason.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

Which one would break down more and which would cost more to fix?

Doesn't matter......it is worth the extra cost and inconvenience.

Interesting...I actually saw an Aztek today.....and it was ugly!!!!!!

I think they are around, out of mind out of sight kind of thing.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Just thinking about residuals and resale value and was wondering why certain domestics are always higher priced as used cars. Corvettes and other halo types I can see but prices for old Jeep Wranglers and any pickup are much higher than a similar aged car. I'm talking pretty miled up vehicles (150k miles +). I've got my own theories but why do you folks think that is?

Trucks are always useful....even older one's....cars not so much.
There are always people who can use a truck to haul stuff around....some want a cheap one some a newer more expensive one....but, always a demand.
One friend wants an older 50s type truck with the 3 windows in the back...middle one straight, side ones curve around the sides of the roof.
Also, trucks are tough....frame body and higher up, not as prone to rust......last longer and hold up better.

explorerx4

@dino001,
Yes, gas works out to 5.25%! It just seems too good to be true.
What am I going to do with it? I'm sure I'll think of something.

venture

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

Which one would break down more and which would cost more to fix?

Doesn't matter......it is worth the extra cost and inconvenience.

Interesting...I actually saw an Aztek today.....and it was ugly!!!!!!

I think they are around, out of mind out of sight kind of thing.

As amazing as it seems, I saw a yellow one, like the one in the previous picture, backing out of a garage down the street from me this morning. I never knew they had one - or never noticed before. I tried to get a picture, but was unsuccessful.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

Which one would break down more and which would cost more to fix?

Doesn't matter......it is worth the extra cost and inconvenience.

Interesting...I actually saw an Aztek today.....and it was ugly!!!!!!

I think they are around, out of mind out of sight kind of thing.

As amazing as it seems, I saw a yellow one, like the one in the previous picture, backing out of a garage down the street from me this morning. I never knew they had one - or never noticed before. I tried to get a picture, but was unsuccessful.

I floated the idea some time ago of buying up every Aztec you could find and storing them until the world changed enough to appreciate them. Sort of like the Edsel or the Cord which were not popular in their day.

I was roundly poo pooed by less forward thinking minds but just for refference, consider that this is the second time the Aztec has come up for discussion.

dino001

explorerx4 said:

@dino001,
Yes, gas works out to 5.25%! It just seems too good to be true.
What am I going to do with it? I'm sure I'll think of something.

It’s legit. You need to remember there is a limit, but it’s quite big, a few thousands per quarter. I have continuous $25 trigger set up, i.e. when I collect $25 on the reward account, $43.75 is deposited on my checking the same cycle.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Just thinking about residuals and resale value and was wondering why certain domestics are always higher priced as used cars. Corvettes and other halo types I can see but prices for old Jeep Wranglers and any pickup are much higher than a similar aged car. I'm talking pretty miled up vehicles (150k miles +). I've got my own theories but why do you folks think that is?

As driver stated, trucks serve a larger purpose. Commercial users are always in need of them. I can't explain Wranglers. It baffles me.

sda

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

driver100 said:

You mean, this:

Compared to:

Which one would break down more and which would cost more to fix?

Doesn't matter......it is worth the extra cost and inconvenience.

Interesting...I actually saw an Aztek today.....and it was ugly!!!!!!

I think they are around, out of mind out of sight kind of thing.

As amazing as it seems, I saw a yellow one, like the one in the previous picture, backing out of a garage down the street from me this morning. I never knew they had one - or never noticed before. I tried to get a picture, but was unsuccessful.

I floated the idea some time ago of buying up every Aztec you could find and storing them until the world changed enough to appreciate them. Sort of like the Edsel or the Cord which were not popular in their day.

I was roundly poo pooed by less forward thinking minds but just for refference, consider that this is the second time the Aztec has come up for discussion.

Styling aside, the Aztec had some neat optional features such as a beverage cooler, camping tent, party stereo, etc. I think dual sunroofs were available too.

explorerx4

@dino001,
That's a great idea. No need to wait as long as I did to make some money on money.

ab348

What kind of rewards card is that and what are the usual rewards if you don't take this special deal? Never heard of such a thing before.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5fKCAKTHJ_M

explorerx4

@ab348.
A bank credit card that gives 1 or 2(restaurants) or 3%(gas) back, plus the bonus.
You have to be a top tier customer. Can't remember what the criteria for that is.

I can send you the after I'm done reading it.