Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

dino001

Michaell said:

dino001 said:

Yes. Oops. How long did I have that and where was my mind?

Well, it doesn't look like it's been fixed, yet, based on your most recent post.

I've been scrutinizing signature blocks recently - found one in a lease thread from a salesman who posted both his phone number and email address.

That's a big no-no.

I tried to fix it right away. Even though it was showing 430i in my "settings", the signature is still showing 330.

Edit: OK, got it. I changed the "vehicles I own", not the signature, which was in a different place. Now it's done.

28firefighter

We know we are making the right change and I have no concerns about whether we are doing the right thing. I'm just nervous because the whole process has been going entirely too smoothly, so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

We are listing the home for about $50k less than what Redfin has it estimated at, mostly because I don't think Redfin has taken into account the market slowing down a bit here.

andres3

28firefighter said:

We know we are making the right change and I have no concerns about whether we are doing the right thing. I'm just nervous because the whole process has been going entirely too smoothly, so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

We are listing the home for about $50k less than what Redfin has it estimated at, mostly because I don't think Redfin has taken into account the market slowing down a bit here.

I wouldn't worry much about under pricing real estate. If it is truly under-priced, you'll get multiple over ask offers.

I feel we may have undersold our condo, but we had received 3 offers, and it was the best one, and the market doesn't lie.

jmonroe

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

Haven't driven an ‘18 Accord, yet! But, when I drove the ‘17 Accord Touring, I came “oh so close” to buying it. So, if the the ‘17 was really good, I suspect the ‘18 is better. Compared to Altimas, Camries, Fusions, Malibus, the kind of cars I’ve driven (mostly as rentals), I’d take the Accord, without much thought.

I’d be interested in test driving the 6-speed 2.0T. I expect those would be quite hard to fine, but would like to test one out.

Hondas/Acuras have a well deserved reputation for making high quality and sporty vehicles that last a long time. So, I understand the Accord’s appeal to the trade rags.

I'm surprised Honda would offer a 6 speed turbo. They should have learned their lesson that sticks simply don't sell!

Well, Craig - I had a six years old manual BMW 328 wagon. Got two offers near the asking price after two days on Autotrader. Actually, three, third one was a $3k lowball. After I sold it, I had to contend with at least ten more phone calls inquiring about the car. People called from across the country (Virginia, California) or even abroad Canada. You could hear that disappointment when I said it was already sold.

So perhaps it's more about the dealers and manufacturers no longer knowing how to sell them - by that I mean how to properly configure them for current market and get people excited. I made peace with the automatics and my current 430i is one, first AT in 15 years (as a poor grad student I owned an AT 1997 Ford Escort for 3 years, bought used of course - my first and only AT till now), cause they don't even sell one with manual, but in the past I have cross-shopped multiple vehicles. The story was always the same - a manual transmission was either not stocked at all, or when it was, it was a low end trim, which was a no-go from the start. Sometimes it was restricted already by the manufacturer, (case in point - Civic "Sport Touring" or EX, EX-L you get only CVT), sometimes it was the dealer getting unwanted "stripper" loss leader. That's why they wouldn't sell.

Both manufacturers and dealers treat MT cars as only ones for "economy customer", which is exactly wrong target today. Those people moved on to ATs long time ago - ATs are more economical, more convenient, easier to use, not requiring additional skills. MTs are now for enthusiasts. It's admittedly a small market, but one that creates some decent brand awareness buzz and I would risk to say, it's much bigger that anybody gives them credit, but it's suffering from chicken and egg problem (no cars available, if available at all, they are scant and have wrong configurations, so they of course "don't sell"). Today's MTs should be attempted to be sold as top trims, not bottom trims. It's no longer a value proposition, it's a "luxury" item. You can actually see it in real high end sports cars, where MTs are still alive and well. I would not be surprised if Honda would sell more Civic manuals if they restricted them to the top trims, not bottom trims (mind that they probably sell many more low trim overall than EX, or Sport Touring). You're right - in current setup they won't sell, indeed.

I agree with this. The reason red cars don't sell is because there are none on the lot as well, and most don't want to order a car and wait 3 months.

There is a market for sporty manual transmission cars! Some people just really love their manual transmissions.

In fact, one guy in the Audi Club has a license plate for his modded S4 that reads "3PDLAUD"

Not being a peddle masher, or a lover of stick shifts, what does "3PDLAUD" mean? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Audi.

Oh wait, I just noticed this...3 pedal Audi. Right?

I never was good with made up acronyms, especially the ones on vanity plates.

jmonroe

qbrozen

you beat me to the ask, jmonroe. That plate probably never gets figured out without an explanation.

jmonroe

28firefighter said:

Sorry for being so MIA folks. We were getting the current house prepped for sale and going through the inspection process for the new house. So far, so good.

Our home gets listed today - I'm slightly terrified that we will be the only house in Seattle that gets no interest and no offers...

Don't worry. If it is a nice house and is priced right, it will sell for what you want.

Some day I'll have to tell you about the house I sold in SC after living in it for only 5 years. Nobody would believe it. Even I can't believe it and I was involved.

It's a pretty lengthy tale.

Good luck.

jmonroe

28firefighter

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

Sorry for being so MIA folks. We were getting the current house prepped for sale and going through the inspection process for the new house. So far, so good.

Our home gets listed today - I'm slightly terrified that we will be the only house in Seattle that gets no interest and no offers...

Don't worry. If it is a nice house and is priced right, it will sell for what you want.

Some day I'll have to tell you about the house I sold in SC after living in it for only 5 years. Nobody would believe it. Even I can't believe it and I was involved.

It's a pretty lengthy tale.

Good luck.

jmonroe

We have only been in our house for 3.5 years. But we've amassed enough equity (in theory) to net us about a 40% gain on our original investment.

I know everyone here loves your stories, @jmonroe, so don't hold back on us!

jmonroe

28firefighter said:

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

Sorry for being so MIA folks. We were getting the current house prepped for sale and going through the inspection process for the new house. So far, so good.

Our home gets listed today - I'm slightly terrified that we will be the only house in Seattle that gets no interest and no offers...

Don't worry. If it is a nice house and is priced right, it will sell for what you want.

Some day I'll have to tell you about the house I sold in SC after living in it for only 5 years. Nobody would believe it. Even I can't believe it and I was involved.

It's a pretty lengthy tale.

Good luck.

jmonroe

We have only been in our house for 3.5 years. But we've amassed enough equity (in theory) to net us about a 40% gain on our original investment.

I know everyone here loves your stories, @jmonroe, so don't hold back on us!

And I thought I was doing well getting around 25% in 5 years for my SC house. 40% beats the hell out of that.

However, making about 25% was not the tale I was going to tell. If I don't get too many "oh please don't tell us that tale jmonroe" in a few hours, I'll tell my tale but I warn you it's more than @driver100's 150 word limit.

Maybe I'll post it after he goes to bed at 10 tonight.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

Thinking of buying a Hyundai? Might want to wait a few months until this program rolls out across the country.

Hyundai will take back car for 3 days after purchase in future.

Also might be a good opportunity to buy a slightly used vehicle with CPO warranty with under 300 miles.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/cars/2017/10/10/hyundai-shopper-assurance/749759001/

With the new program, dubbed Hyundai Shopper Assurance, customers will be allowed to return their vehicles for any reason for a full refund as long as there's no damage and the vehicle hasn't accumulated more than 300 miles.

Unless somebody decides to return it after 3 days of off road racing in Baja. I assume that the deal has a lot of qualifiers to prevent that so it might be a potential bargain. How much would you expect them to discount a return? If you sold it back to the dealer the next day I'm sure they'd argue it lost 20% as soon as it left the lot.

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

This in my opinion is a crime against nature:



Slapping a Continental kit on a Continental AND a vinyl roof?

Oh, the Full Florida with oak leaf clusters!

OF, when you are that owners age and living in FL., they will be saying that about your Stang.

Not once I get my new wheels and paint job.




Maybe some mud flaps too?

stickguy

Farmer, maybe they treat it like an extended test drive? Seems odd though.

And I will move many places. Florida is not one of them.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

I like the looks of the camaro but pretty sure I could not live with the awful visibility and seating position.

How could they design a car.....and not think anyone cared about those features?

They designed it for kids who don't care but forgot that only old farts with bad backs can afford them.

Funny, the old guy at work that traded in his fun looking Mustang GT for a Ford Edge blamed the move on his bad back.

I can understand that, the current Mustang seats aren't the most comfortable. I liked the seats in my old Lincoln or even in the van better.

roadburner

andres3 said:

stickguy said:

It's been a long time (20 years) for us. But I'm still looking looking forward to the next excitement of a change.

Oh I hate moving. Each time I do it I outsource and pay for more "help."

I think I've said it before, but someone will have to offer me an obscene amount of money for me to even consider selling and moving...

suydam

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

Haven't driven an ‘18 Accord, yet! But, when I drove the ‘17 Accord Touring, I came “oh so close” to buying it. So, if the the ‘17 was really good, I suspect the ‘18 is better. Compared to Altimas, Camries, Fusions, Malibus, the kind of cars I’ve driven (mostly as rentals), I’d take the Accord, without much thought.

I’d be interested in test driving the 6-speed 2.0T. I expect those would be quite hard to fine, but would like to test one out.

Hondas/Acuras have a well deserved reputation for making high quality and sporty vehicles that last a long time. So, I understand the Accord’s appeal to the trade rags.

I'm surprised Honda would offer a 6 speed turbo. They should have learned their lesson that sticks simply don't sell!

Well, Craig - I had a six years old manual BMW 328 wagon. Got two offers near the asking price after two days on Autotrader. Actually, three, third one was a $3k lowball. After I sold it, I had to contend with at least ten more phone calls inquiring about the car. People called from across the country (Virginia, California) or even abroad Canada. You could hear that disappointment when I said it was already sold.

So perhaps it's more about the dealers and manufacturers no longer knowing how to sell them - by that I mean how to properly configure them for current market and get people excited. I made peace with the automatics and my current 430i is one, first AT in 15 years (as a poor grad student I owned an AT 1997 Ford Escort for 3 years, bought used of course - my first and only AT till now), cause they don't even sell one with manual, but in the past I have cross-shopped multiple vehicles. The story was always the same - a manual transmission was either not stocked at all, or when it was, it was a low end trim, which was a no-go from the start. Sometimes it was restricted already by the manufacturer, (case in point - Civic "Sport Touring" or EX, EX-L you get only CVT), sometimes it was the dealer getting unwanted "stripper" loss leader. That's why they wouldn't sell.

Both manufacturers and dealers treat MT cars as only ones for "economy customer", which is exactly wrong target today. Those people moved on to ATs long time ago - ATs are more economical, more convenient, easier to use, not requiring additional skills. MTs are now for enthusiasts. It's admittedly a small market, but one that creates some decent brand awareness buzz and I would risk to say, it's much bigger that anybody gives them credit, but it's suffering from chicken and egg problem (no cars available, if available at all, they are scant and have wrong configurations, so they of course "don't sell"). Today's MTs should be attempted to be sold as top trims, not bottom trims. It's no longer a value proposition, it's a "luxury" item. You can actually see it in real high end sports cars, where MTs are still alive and well. I would not be surprised if Honda would sell more Civic manuals if they restricted them to the top trims, not bottom trims (mind that they probably sell many more low trim overall than EX, or Sport Touring). You're right - in current setup they won't sell, indeed.

I agree with this. The reason red cars don't sell is because there are none on the lot as well, and most don't want to order a car and wait 3 months.

There is a market for sporty manual transmission cars! Some people just really love their manual transmissions.

In fact, one guy in the Audi Club has a license plate for his modded S4 that reads "3PDLAUD"

Not being a peddle masher, or a lover of stick shifts, what does "3PDLAUD" mean? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Audi.

Oh wait, I just noticed this...3 pedal Audi. Right?

I never was good with made up acronyms, especially the ones on vanity plates.

jmonroe

Funny. I was thinking Park Drive Low? Like on an AT, but then it's a Manual???
Another reason that when I see a vanity plate, I think "jerk".

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

you beat me to the ask, jmonroe. That plate probably never gets figured out without an explanation.

This AM I saw "TI - 3VOM" obviously it says MOVE IT in the rear view mirror. Interesting enough it was on a Subaru Crosstrek.

ab348

Question for the group about something that just occurred to me:

When the retro-styled 2005 Mustang came out, I saw a lot of them on the roads, and it seemed what I saw the most were models in 2 retro paint colors, the light metallic green called Legend Lime (though it really wasn't a lime green) and the light Windveil Blue metallic.

Last night I read an old article about the design of that car, and it struck me that I don't see many '05 Mustangs here lately, and especially not in those two colors, which seemed everywhere for the first few years after going on sale. Are we reaching the point where these are going to the big junkyard in the sky already?

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

Question for the group about something that just occurred to me:

When the retro-styled 2005 Mustang came out, I saw a lot of them on the roads, and it seemed what I saw the most were models in 2 retro paint colors, the light metallic green called Legend Lime (though it really wasn't a lime green) and the light Windveil Blue metallic.

Last night I read an old article about the design of that car, and it struck me that I don't see many '05 Mustangs here lately, and especially not in those two colors, which seemed everywhere for the first few years after going on sale. Are we reaching the point where these are going to the big junkyard in the sky already?

Not if you believe Ford advertising. Maybe some get smashed into the junk yard. I can't imagine they would die of rust since they usually wouldn't be used as winter cars in the snow belt. The 4.0L and 4.6L motors in that vintage were pretty good. Transmissions?

Lot of them in Florida.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/search/cta?searchNearby=2&nearbyArea=125&nearbyArea=639&nearbyArea=376&nearbyArea=333&nearbyArea=39&nearbyArea=237&auto_make_model=Ford+Mustang&min_auto_year=2005&max_auto_year=2009

andres3

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

Haven't driven an ‘18 Accord, yet! But, when I drove the ‘17 Accord Touring, I came “oh so close” to buying it. So, if the the ‘17 was really good, I suspect the ‘18 is better. Compared to Altimas, Camries, Fusions, Malibus, the kind of cars I’ve driven (mostly as rentals), I’d take the Accord, without much thought.

I’d be interested in test driving the 6-speed 2.0T. I expect those would be quite hard to fine, but would like to test one out.

Hondas/Acuras have a well deserved reputation for making high quality and sporty vehicles that last a long time. So, I understand the Accord’s appeal to the trade rags.

I'm surprised Honda would offer a 6 speed turbo. They should have learned their lesson that sticks simply don't sell!

Well, Craig - I had a six years old manual BMW 328 wagon. Got two offers near the asking price after two days on Autotrader. Actually, three, third one was a $3k lowball. After I sold it, I had to contend with at least ten more phone calls inquiring about the car. People called from across the country (Virginia, California) or even abroad Canada. You could hear that disappointment when I said it was already sold.

So perhaps it's more about the dealers and manufacturers no longer knowing how to sell them - by that I mean how to properly configure them for current market and get people excited. I made peace with the automatics and my current 430i is one, first AT in 15 years (as a poor grad student I owned an AT 1997 Ford Escort for 3 years, bought used of course - my first and only AT till now), cause they don't even sell one with manual, but in the past I have cross-shopped multiple vehicles. The story was always the same - a manual transmission was either not stocked at all, or when it was, it was a low end trim, which was a no-go from the start. Sometimes it was restricted already by the manufacturer, (case in point - Civic "Sport Touring" or EX, EX-L you get only CVT), sometimes it was the dealer getting unwanted "stripper" loss leader. That's why they wouldn't sell.

Both manufacturers and dealers treat MT cars as only ones for "economy customer", which is exactly wrong target today. Those people moved on to ATs long time ago - ATs are more economical, more convenient, easier to use, not requiring additional skills. MTs are now for enthusiasts. It's admittedly a small market, but one that creates some decent brand awareness buzz and I would risk to say, it's much bigger that anybody gives them credit, but it's suffering from chicken and egg problem (no cars available, if available at all, they are scant and have wrong configurations, so they of course "don't sell"). Today's MTs should be attempted to be sold as top trims, not bottom trims. It's no longer a value proposition, it's a "luxury" item. You can actually see it in real high end sports cars, where MTs are still alive and well. I would not be surprised if Honda would sell more Civic manuals if they restricted them to the top trims, not bottom trims (mind that they probably sell many more low trim overall than EX, or Sport Touring). You're right - in current setup they won't sell, indeed.

I agree with this. The reason red cars don't sell is because there are none on the lot as well, and most don't want to order a car and wait 3 months.

There is a market for sporty manual transmission cars! Some people just really love their manual transmissions.

In fact, one guy in the Audi Club has a license plate for his modded S4 that reads "3PDLAUD"

Not being a peddle masher, or a lover of stick shifts, what does "3PDLAUD" mean? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Audi.

Oh wait, I just noticed this...3 pedal Audi. Right?

I never was good with made up acronyms, especially the ones on vanity plates.

jmonroe

you got it!

I think he was able to make it look like this "3PDL AUD" The spacing probably helps. I'll have to look again more closely.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

Question for the group about something that just occurred to me:

When the retro-styled 2005 Mustang came out, I saw a lot of them on the roads, and it seemed what I saw the most were models in 2 retro paint colors, the light metallic green called Legend Lime (though it really wasn't a lime green) and the light Windveil Blue metallic.

Last night I read an old article about the design of that car, and it struck me that I don't see many '05 Mustangs here lately, and especially not in those two colors, which seemed everywhere for the first few years after going on sale. Are we reaching the point where these are going to the big junkyard in the sky already?

Not if you believe Ford advertising. Maybe some get smashed into the junk yard. I can't imagine they would die of rust since they usually wouldn't be used as winter cars in the snow belt. The 4.0L and 4.6L motors in that vintage were pretty good. Transmissions?

Lot of them in Florida.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/search/cta?searchNearby=2&nearbyArea=125&nearbyArea=639&nearbyArea=376&nearbyArea=333&nearbyArea=39&nearbyArea=237&auto_make_model=Ford+Mustang&min_auto_year=2005&max_auto_year=2009

Did you just say the old 4.0L V6 Mustang engine was good?

andres3

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

Haven't driven an ‘18 Accord, yet! But, when I drove the ‘17 Accord Touring, I came “oh so close” to buying it. So, if the the ‘17 was really good, I suspect the ‘18 is better. Compared to Altimas, Camries, Fusions, Malibus, the kind of cars I’ve driven (mostly as rentals), I’d take the Accord, without much thought.

I’d be interested in test driving the 6-speed 2.0T. I expect those would be quite hard to fine, but would like to test one out.

Hondas/Acuras have a well deserved reputation for making high quality and sporty vehicles that last a long time. So, I understand the Accord’s appeal to the trade rags.

I'm surprised Honda would offer a 6 speed turbo. They should have learned their lesson that sticks simply don't sell!

Well, Craig - I had a six years old manual BMW 328 wagon. Got two offers near the asking price after two days on Autotrader. Actually, three, third one was a $3k lowball. After I sold it, I had to contend with at least ten more phone calls inquiring about the car. People called from across the country (Virginia, California) or even abroad Canada. You could hear that disappointment when I said it was already sold.

So perhaps it's more about the dealers and manufacturers no longer knowing how to sell them - by that I mean how to properly configure them for current market and get people excited. I made peace with the automatics and my current 430i is one, first AT in 15 years (as a poor grad student I owned an AT 1997 Ford Escort for 3 years, bought used of course - my first and only AT till now), cause they don't even sell one with manual, but in the past I have cross-shopped multiple vehicles. The story was always the same - a manual transmission was either not stocked at all, or when it was, it was a low end trim, which was a no-go from the start. Sometimes it was restricted already by the manufacturer, (case in point - Civic "Sport Touring" or EX, EX-L you get only CVT), sometimes it was the dealer getting unwanted "stripper" loss leader. That's why they wouldn't sell.

Both manufacturers and dealers treat MT cars as only ones for "economy customer", which is exactly wrong target today. Those people moved on to ATs long time ago - ATs are more economical, more convenient, easier to use, not requiring additional skills. MTs are now for enthusiasts. It's admittedly a small market, but one that creates some decent brand awareness buzz and I would risk to say, it's much bigger that anybody gives them credit, but it's suffering from chicken and egg problem (no cars available, if available at all, they are scant and have wrong configurations, so they of course "don't sell"). Today's MTs should be attempted to be sold as top trims, not bottom trims. It's no longer a value proposition, it's a "luxury" item. You can actually see it in real high end sports cars, where MTs are still alive and well. I would not be surprised if Honda would sell more Civic manuals if they restricted them to the top trims, not bottom trims (mind that they probably sell many more low trim overall than EX, or Sport Touring). You're right - in current setup they won't sell, indeed.

I agree with this. The reason red cars don't sell is because there are none on the lot as well, and most don't want to order a car and wait 3 months.

There is a market for sporty manual transmission cars! Some people just really love their manual transmissions.

In fact, one guy in the Audi Club has a license plate for his modded S4 that reads "3PDLAUD"

Not being a peddle masher, or a lover of stick shifts, what does "3PDLAUD" mean? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Audi.

Oh wait, I just noticed this...3 pedal Audi. Right?

I never was good with made up acronyms, especially the ones on vanity plates.

jmonroe

you got it!

I think he was able to make it look like this "3PDL AUD" The spacing probably helps. I'll have to look again more closely.

jmonroe

andres3 said:

jmonroe said:

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

Haven't driven an ‘18 Accord, yet! But, when I drove the ‘17 Accord Touring, I came “oh so close” to buying it. So, if the the ‘17 was really good, I suspect the ‘18 is better. Compared to Altimas, Camries, Fusions, Malibus, the kind of cars I’ve driven (mostly as rentals), I’d take the Accord, without much thought.

I’d be interested in test driving the 6-speed 2.0T. I expect those would be quite hard to fine, but would like to test one out.

Hondas/Acuras have a well deserved reputation for making high quality and sporty vehicles that last a long time. So, I understand the Accord’s appeal to the trade rags.

I'm surprised Honda would offer a 6 speed turbo. They should have learned their lesson that sticks simply don't sell!

Well, Craig - I had a six years old manual BMW 328 wagon. Got two offers near the asking price after two days on Autotrader. Actually, three, third one was a $3k lowball. After I sold it, I had to contend with at least ten more phone calls inquiring about the car. People called from across the country (Virginia, California) or even abroad Canada. You could hear that disappointment when I said it was already sold.

So perhaps it's more about the dealers and manufacturers no longer knowing how to sell them - by that I mean how to properly configure them for current market and get people excited. I made peace with the automatics and my current 430i is one, first AT in 15 years (as a poor grad student I owned an AT 1997 Ford Escort for 3 years, bought used of course - my first and only AT till now), cause they don't even sell one with manual, but in the past I have cross-shopped multiple vehicles. The story was always the same - a manual transmission was either not stocked at all, or when it was, it was a low end trim, which was a no-go from the start. Sometimes it was restricted already by the manufacturer, (case in point - Civic "Sport Touring" or EX, EX-L you get only CVT), sometimes it was the dealer getting unwanted "stripper" loss leader. That's why they wouldn't sell.

Both manufacturers and dealers treat MT cars as only ones for "economy customer", which is exactly wrong target today. Those people moved on to ATs long time ago - ATs are more economical, more convenient, easier to use, not requiring additional skills. MTs are now for enthusiasts. It's admittedly a small market, but one that creates some decent brand awareness buzz and I would risk to say, it's much bigger that anybody gives them credit, but it's suffering from chicken and egg problem (no cars available, if available at all, they are scant and have wrong configurations, so they of course "don't sell"). Today's MTs should be attempted to be sold as top trims, not bottom trims. It's no longer a value proposition, it's a "luxury" item. You can actually see it in real high end sports cars, where MTs are still alive and well. I would not be surprised if Honda would sell more Civic manuals if they restricted them to the top trims, not bottom trims (mind that they probably sell many more low trim overall than EX, or Sport Touring). You're right - in current setup they won't sell, indeed.

I agree with this. The reason red cars don't sell is because there are none on the lot as well, and most don't want to order a car and wait 3 months.

There is a market for sporty manual transmission cars! Some people just really love their manual transmissions.

In fact, one guy in the Audi Club has a license plate for his modded S4 that reads "3PDLAUD"

Not being a peddle masher, or a lover of stick shifts, what does "3PDLAUD" mean? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Audi.

Oh wait, I just noticed this...3 pedal Audi. Right?

I never was good with made up acronyms, especially the ones on vanity plates.

jmonroe

you got it!

I think he was able to make it look like this "3PDL AUD" The spacing probably helps. I'll have to look again more closely.

Thanks, I needed a boost of confidence.

Lately I've been told I ain't as sharp a I look.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

Question for the group about something that just occurred to me:

When the retro-styled 2005 Mustang came out, I saw a lot of them on the roads, and it seemed what I saw the most were models in 2 retro paint colors, the light metallic green called Legend Lime (though it really wasn't a lime green) and the light Windveil Blue metallic.

Last night I read an old article about the design of that car, and it struck me that I don't see many '05 Mustangs here lately, and especially not in those two colors, which seemed everywhere for the first few years after going on sale. Are we reaching the point where these are going to the big junkyard in the sky already?

Not if you believe Ford advertising. Maybe some get smashed into the junk yard. I can't imagine they would die of rust since they usually wouldn't be used as winter cars in the snow belt. The 4.0L and 4.6L motors in that vintage were pretty good. Transmissions?

Lot of them in Florida.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/search/cta?searchNearby=2&nearbyArea=125&nearbyArea=639&nearbyArea=376&nearbyArea=333&nearbyArea=39&nearbyArea=237&auto_make_model=Ford+Mustang&min_auto_year=2005&max_auto_year=2009

Did you just say the old 4.0L V6 Mustang engine was good?

Certainly not in a performance way. It was a truck engine after all but it was fairly reliable and if you look at those CL ads I posted it could pile up some high miles. The question was are the 2005 vintage Mustangs in the junk yard. That's more a longevity issue.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ilf-pDhciCs

fintail

The rate of growth slowing, I assume? I think as long as the place remains trendy for Californians and midwest millennials, and there's dirty foreign money to invest, the market itself won't go down.

28firefighter said:

We know we are making the right change and I have no concerns about whether we are doing the right thing. I'm just nervous because the whole process has been going entirely too smoothly, so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

We are listing the home for about $50k less than what Redfin has it estimated at, mostly because I don't think Redfin has taken into account the market slowing down a bit here.

imidazol97

Motorcycle plates in Ohio are small. I don't usually notice vanity plates.

Saw a fancy paint job in a diamond pearl color with wheel and saddlebag housings flared toward rear.
No idea on brand.
Plate?

$ PIT

Mr_Shiftright

I've seen Harley's decked out to around $75,000 with various custom touches, and I'm sure there are more out there with an even bigger pile of receipts.

fintail

I call the big Harleys "showboats".

imidazol97

I don't know how to describe the 3 rear fenders on this cycle, but they looked like fenders on some old cars with a tapering toward the rear of the car instead of just being an arc of a circle.

driver100

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

Sorry for being so MIA folks. We were getting the current house prepped for sale and going through the inspection process for the new house. So far, so good.

Our home gets listed today - I'm slightly terrified that we will be the only house in Seattle that gets no interest and no offers...

Don't worry. If it is a nice house and is priced right, it will sell for what you want.

Some day I'll have to tell you about the house I sold in SC after living in it for only 5 years. Nobody would believe it. Even I can't believe it and I was involved.

It's a pretty lengthy tale.

Good luck.

jmonroe

We have only been in our house for 3.5 years. But we've amassed enough equity (in theory) to net us about a 40% gain on our original investment.

I know everyone here loves your stories, @jmonroe, so don't hold back on us!

And I thought I was doing well getting around 25% in 5 years for my SC house. 40% beats the hell out of that.

However, making about 25% was not the tale I was going to tell. If I don't get too many "oh please don't tell us that tale jmonroe" in a few hours, I'll tell my tale but I warn you it's more than @driver100's 150 word limit.

Maybe I'll post it after he goes to bed at 10 tonight.

jmonroe

I am going to bed at 10.....in 15 minutes. Write away.........I might even read it.....tomorrow!

berri

Tired, or just feelin' a little spunky tonight

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

This in my opinion is a crime against nature:



Slapping a Continental kit on a Continental AND a vinyl roof?

Oh, the Full Florida with oak leaf clusters!

OF, when you are that owners age and living in FL., they will be saying that about your Stang.

Not once I get my new wheels and paint job.




Maybe some mud flaps too?

Sharp!

driver100

OK JMonroe....start your story.
Good night all.......

driver100

berri said:

Tired, or just feelin' a little spunky tonight

lol....no it is bedtime....I get up at 6 a.m., not like the rest of you lazy --------.

explorerx4

6am? I'm up at 5am to get to work before 6am every day. Usually leave between 3 and 5 pm.

jmonroe

28firefighter said:

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

Sorry for being so MIA folks. We were getting the current house prepped for sale and going through the inspection process for the new house. So far, so good.

Our home gets listed today - I'm slightly terrified that we will be the only house in Seattle that gets no interest and no offers...

Don't worry. If it is a nice house and is priced right, it will sell for what you want.

Some day I'll have to tell you about the house I sold in SC after living in it for only 5 years. Nobody would believe it. Even I can't believe it and I was involved.

It's a pretty lengthy tale.

Good luck.

jmonroe

We have only been in our house for 3.5 years. But we've amassed enough equity (in theory) to net us about a 40% gain on our original investment.

I know everyone here loves your stories, @jmonroe, so don't hold back on us!

OK, I think @driver100 is in bed now.

This is what happens when you guys don't discourage my story telling.

As I said I sold my house in SC after living in it for only 5 years and I made a nice profit (about 25%). This was due to an unbelievable early retirement package that I was offered at the end of 1996. Anyway, it was now time to put our house on the market but there was a catch. I didn't want to close on my house before I turned 55 at the end of July 1997 because I did not want to pay capital gains tax on the sale of the house (that was the law back then). Just for your info, the law was changed in early August of 1997 and was made retroactive for the entire year of 1997 that would then not require the age being a minimum of 55 to avoid having to pay a capital gains tax. I was told by my realtor that the law was "sure to pass" in 1997 and would be made retroactive, it turned out she was right, but I wasn't going to take any chances, so I told her that I would not sell before my birthday at the end of July. FWIW, I closed on August 1, 1997 which was before the new capital gains tax was passed.

I put the house up for sale at the end of February 1997 and got a few offers but the prospective buyers did not want to wait until the end of July because they did not want to take the chance of interest rates going up which I figured would happen. Then in very early May of 1997, while back in the Burgh working as a consultant for the same company that retired me, I got a call from the realtor and she was all excited that she found a buyer that would wait until the end of July but the buyers could not make it to SC to see the house in person until the middle of June. They had only seen many pictures taken by my realtor but she was sure they would buy the house based on her pictures. Now another catch. I didn't want to take the house off the market and possibly lose a local buyer while waiting to see if the out of town buyers would actually want my house when they saw it. The realtor again assured me that they REALLY wanted the house and that she could still show it while it was under agreement but with a clause stating the "knowledge of a strong offer from an out of town buyer". I told her that would very much limit any other buyers and that if I was looking to buy a house I would not want to see something I more than likely wouldn't get. Mrs. j agreed saying most women would not want to be set up for a disappointment.

With that the realtor said, "I don't know what else to do at this time". I came up with a plan that would surely discourage the prospective buyers but I ran it past the realtor any way. I told her that if the buyers agreed to put down $5500 that was non-refundable if they didn't want the house, I would allow her to take my house off the market until the buyers showed up in the middle June 1997. Believe it or not the buyers agreed to this one sided deal. When they looked at the house they wanted it so all that remained was for us to hammer out a final selling price. To make this long story short, I lowered my price only $1500 when it was all said and done.You gotta admit, even I couldn't make up a tale like this.

I can only imagine how this couple has been taken to the cleaners over the years when they bought cars.

jmonroe

thebean

There's five minutes of my life I'll never get back. I should have gone to bed like driver.

jmonroe

thebean said:

There's five minutes of my life I'll never get back. I should have gone to bed like driver.

Maybe this is a case of when you snooze you don't lose.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

thebean said:

There's five minutes of my life I'll never get back. I should have gone to bed like driver.

We keep warning you but you keep coming back!

qbrozen

thebean said:

There's five minutes of my life I'll never get back. I should have gone to bed like driver.

You need better glasses. Took me less than a minute. ;b

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

Sorry for being so MIA folks. We were getting the current house prepped for sale and going through the inspection process for the new house. So far, so good.

Our home gets listed today - I'm slightly terrified that we will be the only house in Seattle that gets no interest and no offers...

Don't worry. If it is a nice house and is priced right, it will sell for what you want.

Some day I'll have to tell you about the house I sold in SC after living in it for only 5 years. Nobody would believe it. Even I can't believe it and I was involved.

It's a pretty lengthy tale.

Good luck.

jmonroe

We have only been in our house for 3.5 years. But we've amassed enough equity (in theory) to net us about a 40% gain on our original investment.

I know everyone here loves your stories, @jmonroe, so don't hold back on us!

OK, I think @driver100 is in bed now.

This is what happens when you guys don't discourage my story telling.

As I said I sold my house in SC after living in it for only 5 years and I made a nice profit (about 25%). This was due to an unbelievable early retirement package that I was offered at the end of 1996. Anyway, it was now time to put our house on the market but there was a catch. I didn't want to close on my house before I turned 55 at the end of July 1997 because I did not want to pay capital gains tax on the sale of the house (that was the law back then). Just for your info, the law was changed in early August of 1997 and was made retroactive for the entire year of 1997 that would then not require the age being a minimum of 55 to avoid having to pay a capital gains tax. I was told by my realtor that the law was "sure to pass" in 1997 and would be made retroactive, it turned out she was right, but I wasn't going to take any chances, so I told her that I would not sell before my birthday at the end of July. FWIW, I closed on August 1, 1997 which was before the new capital gains tax was passed.

I put the house up for sale at the end of February 1997 and got a few offers but the prospective buyers did not want to wait until the end of July because they did not want to take the chance of interest rates going up which I figured would happen. Then in very early May of 1997, while back in the Burgh working as a consultant for the same company that retired me, I got a call from the realtor and she was all excited that she found a buyer that would wait until the end of July but the buyers could not make it to SC to see the house in person until the middle of June. They had only seen many pictures taken by my realtor but she was sure they would buy the house based on her pictures. Now another catch. I didn't want to take the house off the market and possibly lose a local buyer while waiting to see if the out of town buyers would actually want my house when they saw it. The realtor again assured me that they REALLY wanted the house and that she could still show it while it was under agreement but with a clause stating the "knowledge of a strong offer from an out of town buyer". I told her that would very much limit any other buyers and that if I was looking to buy a house I would not want to see something I more than likely wouldn't get. Mrs. j agreed saying most women would not want to be set up for a disappointment.

With that the realtor said, "I don't know what else to do at this time". I came up with a plan that would surely discourage the prospective buyers but I ran it past the realtor any way. I told her that if the buyers agreed to put down $5500 that was non-refundable if they didn't want the house, I would allow her to take my house off the market until the buyers showed up in the middle June 1997. Believe it or not the buyers agreed to this one sided deal. When they looked at the house they wanted it so all that remained was for us to hammer out a final selling price. To make this long story short, I lowered my price only $1500 when it was all said and done.You gotta admit, even I couldn't make up a tale like this.

I can only imagine how this couple has been taken to the cleaners over the years when they bought cars.

jmonroe

You missed your calling selling cars at the buy here pay here.

You were 55 in 1997? Wow, you are really old!

isellhondas

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

graphicguy said:

Haven't driven an ‘18 Accord, yet! But, when I drove the ‘17 Accord Touring, I came “oh so close” to buying it. So, if the the ‘17 was really good, I suspect the ‘18 is better. Compared to Altimas, Camries, Fusions, Malibus, the kind of cars I’ve driven (mostly as rentals), I’d take the Accord, without much thought.

I’d be interested in test driving the 6-speed 2.0T. I expect those would be quite hard to fine, but would like to test one out.

Hondas/Acuras have a well deserved reputation for making high quality and sporty vehicles that last a long time. So, I understand the Accord’s appeal to the trade rags.

I'm surprised Honda would offer a 6 speed turbo. They should have learned their lesson that sticks simply don't sell!

Well, Craig - I had a six years old manual BMW 328 wagon. Got two offers near the asking price after two days on Autotrader. Actually, three, third one was a $3k lowball. After I sold it, I had to contend with at least ten more phone calls inquiring about the car. People called from across the country (Virginia, California) or even abroad Canada. You could hear that disappointment when I said it was already sold.

So perhaps it's more about the dealers and manufacturers no longer knowing how to sell them - by that I mean how to properly configure them for current market and get people excited. I made peace with the automatics and my current 430i is one, first AT in 15 years (as a poor grad student I owned an AT 1997 Ford Escort for 3 years, bought used of course - my first and only AT till now), cause they don't even sell one with manual, but in the past I have cross-shopped multiple vehicles. The story was always the same - a manual transmission was either not stocked at all, or when it was, it was a low end trim, which was a no-go from the start. Sometimes it was restricted already by the manufacturer, (case in point - Civic "Sport Touring" or EX, EX-L you get only CVT), sometimes it was the dealer getting unwanted "stripper" loss leader. That's why they wouldn't sell.

Both manufacturers and dealers treat MT cars as only ones for "economy customer", which is exactly wrong target today. Those people moved on to ATs long time ago - ATs are more economical, more convenient, easier to use, not requiring additional skills. MTs are now for enthusiasts. It's admittedly a small market, but one that creates some decent brand awareness buzz and I would risk to say, it's much bigger that anybody gives them credit, but it's suffering from chicken and egg problem (no cars available, if available at all, they are scant and have wrong configurations, so they of course "don't sell"). Today's MTs should be attempted to be sold as top trims, not bottom trims. It's no longer a value proposition, it's a "luxury" item. You can actually see it in real high end sports cars, where MTs are still alive and well. I would not be surprised if Honda would sell more Civic manuals if they restricted them to the top trims, not bottom trims (mind that they probably sell many more low trim overall than EX, or Sport Touring). You're right - in current setup they won't sell, indeed.

Of course, BMW would have more manual buyers than Honda would. Manuals will always have their fans and if a shopper is dead set on a manual they may have to enlarge their search area, be open on color and willing to perhaps pay a higher price especially when a dealer knows they have the only one in the area.

Location is also important. Here in the Seattle area we have miserable traffic and a lot of hills. nobody wants to sit in bumper to bumper traffic with a stick!

isellhondas

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

I like the looks of the camaro but pretty sure I could not live with the awful visibility and seating position.

How could they design a car.....and not think anyone cared about those features?

They designed it for kids who don't care but forgot that only old farts with bad backs can afford them.

A lot of new cars have poor visibility. My wife hates driving our 2017 Civic for that reason and it is far better than a lot of other cars. The manufactures all want five star crash and rollover tests and this is one of the ways they achieve this!

isellhondas

fintail said:

The rate of growth slowing, I assume? I think as long as the place remains trendy for Californians and midwest millennials, and there's dirty foreign money to invest, the market itself won't go down.

28firefighter said:

We know we are making the right change and I have no concerns about whether we are doing the right thing. I'm just nervous because the whole process has been going entirely too smoothly, so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

We are listing the home for about $50k less than what Redfin has it estimated at, mostly because I don't think Redfin has taken into account the market slowing down a bit here.

Fintail, did you read the front page article in the Seattle Times this morning? A family of four needs an income of 76,000/yr to BARELY scrap by in the Seattle market and even more than that on the Eastside where you and I live! Yikes! BTW, the market has not slowed! We get constant phone calls!

houdini1

roadburner said:

andres3 said:

stickguy said:

It's been a long time (20 years) for us. But I'm still looking looking forward to the next excitement of a change.

Oh I hate moving. Each time I do it I outsource and pay for more "help."

I think I've said it before, but someone will have to offer me an obscene amount of money for me to even consider selling and moving...

roadburner said:

andres3 said:

stickguy said:

It's been a long time (20 years) for us. But I'm still looking looking forward to the next excitement of a change.

Oh I hate moving. Each time I do it I outsource and pay for more "help."

I think I've said it before, but someone will have to offer me an obscene amount of money for me to even consider selling and moving...

Speaking of moving, when do you head back to the courthouse?

driver100

thebean said:

There's five minutes of my life I'll never get back. I should have gone to bed like driver.

I wish I had read your post first bean, it would have saved me 5 minutes of my life too!

JMonroe said:

I can only imagine how this couple has been taken to the cleaners over the years when they bought cars

They probably do fine in life.....they made a good decision somehow. The house probably went up a lot since they bought it, they got you to lower your price by $1500 which is no easy feat, and whatever they paid for the house is immaterial these days.

houdini1

To my eye the 2018 Sonata beats the 2018 Accord and the 2018 Camry in the styling and looks dept. Primarily due to the front end (grill, etc.) looks.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

6am? I'm up at 5am to get to work before 6am every day. Usually leave between 3 and 5 pm.

There was a time I got up at 5 to be at work by 8:30, had to commute about 60 miles on Canada's busiest highway. Then, I would leave work at 5 p.m., get home at 7:30, have dinner, glance at the paper, watch 30 minutes of TV, and drop into bed. Mercifully, they canned me after 10 months of that. I was ready to quit because my body couldn't take it anymore.....but, since they fired me, I got a fairly decent severance payment, and since I was covered until the end of the month my daughter got $2000 worth of dental work done. They were pretty mad when I brought that bill in!

nyccarguy

@driver100 - you are retired. Why do you get up at 6:00 AM?

qbrozen

jnathan427 said:

Hello I am a student from Delaware Valley High School and I am working on a group project where we must develop a new product. As our product relates directly to cars I am posting on this forum in hopes that we can collect data via the survey link below. It should only take a few minutes at most. If you have a recommendation or suggestion that could not be input into the survey feel free to put it in a response to this thread.
https://surveymonkey.com/r/D26JPHJ

I looked at it but did not answer the questions because you forgot to ask the most important one: "do you want such a product?" Or at least add "I would not buy it" as a choice on the pricing question. I know it has "$0-$20" there but that obviously doesn't answer the question of demand.

oldfarmer50

I've been seeing commercials on different cars promoting the auto braking feature. On one the car brakes for a guy who runs into the street chasing his briefcase full of papers blowing down the road. The driver smirks at the situation and then drives away scattering the man's papers even more. Why didn't he bother to help the paper chaser out?

The second one is a Camry ad where the family is following a large RV that brakes suddenly for deer in the road. The Camry brakes automaticlly and then the driver guns it around the RV and tears down the road at what sounds like full throttle. What about the deer standing there?

Are they marketing this tech for clueless uncaring people or what?