Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

cdnpinhead

driver100 said:

Better talk to JMonroe about changing your own 've oil.

Why? I've been doing it for well over 50 years on every vehicle I've ever owned, from a Honda 150 to a Kenworth 350 Cummins (44 quarts, BTW). Three out of four of my kids change their own oil as well.

stickguy

you might not know the JMonroe, Hyundai story. Where a DIY oil change led to them denying a warranty claim when his engine failed prematurely.

Having the dealer on record for all the service while under warranty can be a good thing.

murphydog

LOL - now that I have a truck, It feels like I can walk under it to change the oil. That said I likely will go to the dealer with a coupon ($40, semi-synthentic, tire rotation,) for the first few changes. After that I will do it myself. I did look and while accessible the filter is in an awkward spot - I will have to be clever to avoid making an mess.

Oil change interval in determined by the truck, though it does state to no go longer than 10,000 miles. So far it says I have 50% oil life left at ~4,600 miles. I am going to do the first one early - likely this month.

qbrozen

I go to the dealer while under warranty. After that, I do it myself. The Land Rover has yet to visit a shop. Of course, neither has the Coronet. The Chrysler will always be dealer only, as will the Ford through the lease period. 6k miles on that now and it has yet to show me any service indication. No idea when it will.

explorerx4

By choice, I would never buy a Mercedes or any other car the cost that much for an oil change.
I just had the oil changed and tires rotated on my F150 for $46, plus they put 5% in my owner account that I can use at the dealer for anything.
They also dropped me off at work and picked back up when the service was complete.

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

They still got you for $160 for an oil change.

Once a year........synthetic. And a full inspection, everything checked out 100%.

On the inspection, did you get the worksheet with red / yellow / green columns? If you did, how 1990's. For $160 I'd expect more.

I got a video of the tech performing the inspection on my Jetta when I took it to the dealer. Was texted right to my phone. Oil change and tire rotation, in addition to the inspection, for under $100. I put about 5-6K on the Jetta the first year. Still under 7000 as of today.

Yes, has the yellow, red, green columns....looks impressive. They did a lube and changed filter too, if that means anything. No video to my phone, wouldn't do me much good since I only have a pay as you go phone - no data, but they probably have a prerecorded video and make you think it is your car....

Does the Jetta waiting room have about 6 computers, nice coffee, and a choice of large soft cookies?

nyccarguy

As long as it is cost effective, I see no reason to change my own oil.  For the Pilot & Prelude, I drop them off at the mechanic in the AM & take a $12 cab ride to work, then a $15 cab ride back to the mechanic on the way home.  Right now the Infiniti is under warranty and I get the 1st 2 services free.  

Now Infiniti will pay for Dino oil, I insisted on full synthetic & they gave it to me for $59.99 (normally $89.99) plus $20 for a tire rotation.  They provide me with a loaner car & im happy.  Once the Infiniti is out of warranty, I will look into having my mechanic do some of the service on the vehicle.

driver100

cdnpinhead said:

driver100 said:

Better talk to JMonroe about changing your own 've oil.

Why? I've been doing it for well over 50 years on every vehicle I've ever owned, from a Honda 150 to a Kenworth 350 Cummins (44 quarts, BTW). Three out of four of my kids change their own oil as well.

My father told me when I got my first car it wasn't worth it to do my own oil changes. I don't know if it is any different now, but, back then a can of oil cost about the same, whether I put it in or whether they put it in. Then there is the time, getting rid of the old oil, and the chance something could go wrong. Not too mention getting it off your hands and clothes.

No thanks, besides, it costs me nothing, it comes out of the kids inheritance.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

isellhondas said:

I have wonder if you had told him " Go ahead and do the work" if you would have ended up with new tires and motor mounts?

Frankly, with the image folks want to portray about MB's being special, that kind of error of talking to the wrong customer should never have happened.

It shouldn't happen but this dealer is a little informal.....loosey goosey but very friendly. I think it was an honest mistake and he was extremely apologetic and it all got straightened out...these things happen. He asked me to give him a good report and I will.......he replaced the batteries in our FOBs too.

stickguy

I am not interested in spending a lot more money so I can spend an hour in a fancy waiting room. Heck, I usually spend most of the time wandering around looking at cars on the lot anyway. But if not, as long as it has a chair and a TV, and free water bottles, good enough for me. If it was going to be more than an hour I probably wouldn't hang around anyway.

the dealer I just got the Elantra from is comping the first visit, to get you used to going there. Then they have a program where every 4th one is free. I think the standard oil filter lube and multi point inspection, express 1 hour or less service, is regular priced at $29.95 (I think, or at least that is their normal coupon price). Only hassle is, it isn't the most convenient dealer to me. But, only about 1/2 hour away, so not a big deal. Just gotta eat the $5 bridge toll!

iluvmysephia1

Driver - yes, my job in Wenatchee, WA, is coming along well. There is a learning curve with a new and different lab, I am picking up more and more of the enormous amount of technical details they request be done with each study. I am impressed with the crew at the hospital and we're getting along well. 

And the 2011 Kia Soul did not make it back to our Lake Chelan rental Sunday morning. I started sliding down a hill that had compact snow on it and I'll had to inch it along and turn around to go back the way I came down the hill. I parked at the Manson Red Apple store parking lot and walked home. All of my driving west of the Cascades I managed to stay safe and never got stuck in winter driving. But this place we're renting is on a hill. Slippery icy snow and hills combined to cause beacoup problems. 

I'll need to head to Discount Tire in Wenatchee as soon as they can fit me in to get snow tires. Or, Parker Subaru in Coeur d'Alene, ID, has two 5-speed 2018 Subaru Impreza 2.0i's in stock, both selling for $19,400. That's right in my sweet spot. One is black on black, the other is white with a white and grey cloth interior. Both are hatchbacks. These Impreza's might have slipped a titch going up and around that Manson, WA, corner, but they would have made it. I still want an Impreza. And I confirmed with my boss that they're still considering me for transfer to their new Lab in Moses Lake. So I am thrilled to hear that. Even though I'm underwater on my '11 Kia Soul loan I still have 3 years to pay. I think I could negotiate a deal for an Impreza, and the Impreza's value would hold while I throw an extra $50 towards the principal every month to help it meet equivalency with the loan balance eventually. 

iluvmysephia1

Here's a black '18 Impreza hatchback for sale at Cascade Subaru I stopped to look at on my way home from work this morning.

It has a rear view camera and Android Auto, which I would love for Google Maps and audio for YouTube videos, too.

dino001

oldfarmer50 said:

If there as any miscommunication it was on her part. During our initial phone conversation she quoted the lower rate based on 36 months. I sai I only had 33 months left and wouldn't want to extend the term. She said no problems, same rate. The monthly was quoed on that basis.

So then help me understand how it came to equivalent less than dollar per month, something like $25 over the lifetime of the loan. This would only be possible if the rate was just about the same as your current loan (but why refinance then at all), or the rate was lower, but eaten by fees and doc stamps, which again means it wasn’t low enough. I just don’t understand why would you intitiate the process. Something simply doesn’t add up. Either you didn’t understand, or she changed your rate, or I don’t know.

Mr_Shiftright

isellhondas said:

explorerx4 said:

They still got you for $160 for an oil change.

Would you take a Mercedes to a Quickie Lube for an oil change?

I see that all the time. I cringe. Those guys could screw up a paper clip.

stickguy

you certainly have a valid reason to move to the Subaru. Though a set of good snow tires should make a world of difference on the Kia. If you want to go that way. Or flip side, consider the cost of the snows as part of the down payment on the Sube!

Michaell

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:

They still got you for $160 for an oil change.

Once a year........synthetic. And a full inspection, everything checked out 100%.

On the inspection, did you get the worksheet with red / yellow / green columns? If you did, how 1990's. For $160 I'd expect more.

I got a video of the tech performing the inspection on my Jetta when I took it to the dealer. Was texted right to my phone. Oil change and tire rotation, in addition to the inspection, for under $100. I put about 5-6K on the Jetta the first year. Still under 7000 as of today.

Yes, has the yellow, red, green columns....looks impressive. They did a lube and changed filter too, if that means anything. No video to my phone, wouldn't do me much good since I only have a pay as you go phone - no data, but they probably have a prerecorded video and make you think it is your car....

Does the Jetta waiting room have about 6 computers, nice coffee, and a choice of large soft cookies?

No on the computers; yes to the drink and snacks.

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

driver100 said:

Took the C250 in for the yearly oil change. We got it with 12500 miles on it....now has 18000, about 1100 a month when we are here for 5 months.

We sat in a newer C300 with the redesign, just to plan for the future. My wife didn't like the new one, seat won't go high enough, dash is higher, hood is raised up more, windows are narrower all around - and she doesn't like the GPS/media thing sticking up.

Salesman couldn't answer any questions, he was new and said he didn't know much about MBs. They must be desparate down here for salesman, because this guy isn't going to make it, guaranteed.

After an hour the service rep came in and said I needed $500 worth of tires - 2 backs had 2/32nds tread, wiper blades - $60, the motor mounts had hardened $1400....a total of $2600! I almost had a heart attack. Then he said well it does have 59000 miles on it. I said last I checked it had 18000 miles on it. He said oh, I guess you're not Lisa? I said no, so he said sorry, I got the wrong bill. He got the right one....$160 for the oil change and everything checked out perfectly.

I told him he does that so I will be happy when I get the lower bill.....but, I feel very sorry for Lisa.

Hardened motor mounts at 59,000 miles?  I think I'd better pull up m' boots!

Exactly what I was thinking. What the hell are the motor mounts made of in a Mercedes, anyway? Wrigleys?

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

I go to the dealer while under warranty. After that, I do it myself. The Land Rover has yet to visit a shop. Of course, neither has the Coronet. The Chrysler will always be dealer only, as will the Ford through the lease period. 6k miles on that now and it has yet to show me any service indication. No idea when it will.

Your Coronet is like my Plymouth, enough room in the engine bay to bring in a lawn chair to sit on while you change the oil.

graphicguy

isellhondas said:

I changed my own oil for years. One day I decided I was tired of getting out the ramps lying on my back and having oil drip down my wrists. Then the hassle of disposing of the old oil? I use the dealer or a trusted independent now!

Oil change on my TLX=$30. $19.99 with a coupon. Another $25 for tire rotation, and I’m out of there for $55 or less, including all inspections.

oldfarmer50

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

If there as any miscommunication it was on her part. During our initial phone conversation she quoted the lower rate based on 36 months. I sai I only had 33 months left and wouldn't want to extend the term. She said no problems, same rate. The monthly was quoed on that basis.

So then help me understand how it came to equivalent less than dollar per month, something like $25 over the lifetime of the loan. This would only be possible if the rate was just about the same as your current loan (but why refinance then at all), or the rate was lower, but eaten by fees and doc stamps, which again means it wasn’t low enough. I just don’t understand why would you intitiate the process. Something simply doesn’t add up. Either you didn’t understand, or she changed your rate, or I don’t know.

Guess you're right, I didn't understand. During our phone conversation (which the CU initiated) they claimed they would save me about $12/mo by reducing the rate from current 1.89% to 1.74%. I should have run those numbers but figured she knew what she was taking about. If this had been a bank I would have been more circumspect.

The only fee was $25 or about 75 cents a month. Worth it for a $12 savings but not for 64 cents. The lesson here was that there is no free lunch.

No loss though, I gave me a chance to get the Mustang out on the road to my favorite discount gas station for a pre winter fill up.

venture

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

isellhondas said:

I have wonder if you had told him " Go ahead and do the work" if you would have ended up with new tires and motor mounts?

Frankly, with the image folks want to portray about MB's being special, that kind of error of talking to the wrong customer should never have happened.

It shouldn't happen but this dealer is a little informal.....loosey goosey but very friendly. I think it was an honest mistake and he was extremely apologetic and it all got straightened out...these things happen. He asked me to give him a good report and I will.......he replaced the batteries in our FOBs too.

I remember your picture. You don't look like a Lisa.

dino001

oldfarmer50 said:

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

If there as any miscommunication it was on her part. During our initial phone conversation she quoted the lower rate based on 36 months. I sai I only had 33 months left and wouldn't want to extend the term. She said no problems, same rate. The monthly was quoed on that basis.

So then help me understand how it came to equivalent less than dollar per month, something like $25 over the lifetime of the loan. This would only be possible if the rate was just about the same as your current loan (but why refinance then at all), or the rate was lower, but eaten by fees and doc stamps, which again means it wasn’t low enough. I just don’t understand why would you intitiate the process. Something simply doesn’t add up. Either you didn’t understand, or she changed your rate, or I don’t know.

Guess you're right, I didn't understand. During our phone conversation (which the CU initiated) they claimed they would save me about $12/mo by reducing the rate from current 1.89% to 1.74%. I should have run those numbers but figured she knew what she was taking about. If this had been a bank I would have been more circumspect.

The only fee was $25 or about 75 cents a month. Worth it for a $12 savings but not for 64 cents. The lesson here was that there is no free lunch.

No loss though, I gave me a chance to get the Mustang out on the road to my favorite discount gas station for a pre winter fill up.

OK, now it makes sense. What you should have done right before doing anything, is to realize that 0.15% APR translates to 30 bucks per year for $20K constant balance, so for a loan that is a sinking balance, if you start at said 20 grand, the total savings is whopping $45 for 3 years. Take out $25 fee and you get $20 lifetime 3-year savings. In Florida you'd have ended up paying more than your original loan, as it has stamps, charged on all loans, don't remember exact rate, but it goes into couple hundred bucks on 20-30K loans.

I can see clearly now how it became 64 cents equivalent per month. Man - you had it at 1.89% APR, should have known it can't get much better than that. You got a little greedy or the lady was way too persuasive and you lost perspective on the actual amounts for those few minutes. But not much harm, you just lost time in this endeavor. Bottom line lesson is: don't lift a finger for anything less than 0.75 to 1 percentage point on APR on balances around 20-30 grand. Anything less is not even worth time you spend on the phone and signing papers. My bank currently would offer easily me a car refinancing at around 0.5% less than my current rate. I'm not doing a thing about it for reasons stated above. I would take 1.74%, if it was offered, but all I can get with them is around 2.6%.

Correction: Florida Stamps fee is $35 for each 10,000 of borrowed money, or 0.35 percent. If you roll it into the loan, it translates into increasing the effective APR by about 0.2 percent on 3 year loan, so it's not completely trivial. So just to break even on refinancing in Florida, you need around a quarter percentage point better APR, if no other fees are charged.

stickguy

I need to refi the Elantra in a few months. To get the cash rebates, and avoid turn in fee, I financed at market rate through Hyundai finance. Should be able to drop .50-.75% going to a bank ( sadly I don't have a CU). Or AAA, but they charge a fee I think. Assuming the $6/month is worth it to get me motivated!

I do need to pay this one off a couple years early. Done in 3, max. But shooting for 2!

stickguy

Speaking of purchases, we got our new stove finally last Friday. Mid level Samsung. 5 burner gas (center oval, complete with removable griddle), with convection. Only $599 from lowes. Man, what an improvement. No more dead burners, and we realized how weak the other ones were getting. Stove heats much quicker, and not all grungy.

I hate spending money to replace stuff, but man, this was worth it. If nothing else, won't have to listen to my wife stressing out about the old one when she is cooking turkey for a house full of relatives in 2 weeks.

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Just came back from the Credit Union which had offered me a lower rate on my car loan. The monthly figures the hey quoted indicated a savings of about $12 a month. I was half way through signing the papers when I noticed the term was for 36 months not the 33 months I had left on the old loan. When i had her recalculate the figures it turned out they were saving me 64 cents a month. She had almost pulled the old F & I trick of lowering the monthly by extending the term. You can't trust anyone any more.

36 months is a standard term for loans. Unless you specifically asked for 33 months, she said yes than sent you papers for 36 month loan, I cannot see a malintent here, more like honest lack of communication.

You should have known better to look at total figures and make sure you both spoke same "languague" - how many payments, what is the aggregate amount of interest. In Florida there is also stamps fee - not very high, but it can kill the refinancing deal, if your rate is already low and your savings marginal. If you say your CU offered "lower rate", what did it mean? 64 cents per month "equivalent" sounds like the same "rate" to me, in terms of interest rate (within 0.1%), or fees/stamps "ate" the difference, if it was bigger.

I never look at payments - they are what they are, whatever the assumptions are plugged. Payment can be anything (i.e. you can make it anything you want, just change the length of the loan). What counts is rate, fees and totals. If any salesman, F&I starts talking to me in terms "per month", I shut it down right away. If they avoid speaking about actual terms in a plain languague, I'm no longer interested in doing business with them.

I don't think she'd lie about your score. You get it on paper with your loan docs. Congrats, anyway. BTW, you are sure it's 850/850, not 850/900? Just saying that cause many car loans today are based on 900 scale, not 850 (there are gazillion different scoring formulas, 900 scale became popular in that particular area). Don't know why. Anyway, even if it's 850/900, it's still top 99% percentile, or so.

If there as any miscommunication it was on her part. During our initial phone conversation she quoted the lower rate based on 36 months. I sai I only had 33 months left and wouldn't want to extend the term. She said no problems, same rate. The monthly was quoed on that basis. I was only after i started reading he documents on her computer screen that I noticed it was for 36. I'mglad that I always read before I sign.

I asked about the score and she said it was base on an 850 scale.

Pretty good for a poor dirt farmer.

Our score bounces between 825 and 835, so looks like you set the curve for everyone. If a bunch of us ever do get together at a meet, we will probably work you over for making it tough on the rest of us.

imidazol97

venture said:

I remember your picture. You don't look like a Lisa.

I thought about posting a picture of me at a car show with a car that matched but I had a striped shirt. I remember how much ribbing Mr. driver100 took about his. I'd have to photoshop out the stripes. LOL
And then everyone would know what I look like--there's a downside to that.

houdini1

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

I remember your picture. You don't look like a Lisa.

I thought about posting a picture of me at a car show with a car that matched but I had a striped shirt. I remember how much ribbing Mr. driver100 took about his. I'd have to photoshop out the stripes. LOL
And then everyone would know what I look like--there's a downside to that.

Downside is then we would all be able to hunt you down and be sure we got the right man. But don't worry, that credit score curve setting OF is the only one on my radar.

dino001

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Just came back from the Credit Union which had offered me a lower rate on my car loan. The monthly figures the hey quoted indicated a savings of about $12 a month. I was half way through signing the papers when I noticed the term was for 36 months not the 33 months I had left on the old loan. When i had her recalculate the figures it turned out they were saving me 64 cents a month. She had almost pulled the old F & I trick of lowering the monthly by extending the term. You can't trust anyone any more.

36 months is a standard term for loans. Unless you specifically asked for 33 months, she said yes than sent you papers for 36 month loan, I cannot see a malintent here, more like honest lack of communication.

You should have known better to look at total figures and make sure you both spoke same "languague" - how many payments, what is the aggregate amount of interest. In Florida there is also stamps fee - not very high, but it can kill the refinancing deal, if your rate is already low and your savings marginal. If you say your CU offered "lower rate", what did it mean? 64 cents per month "equivalent" sounds like the same "rate" to me, in terms of interest rate (within 0.1%), or fees/stamps "ate" the difference, if it was bigger.

I never look at payments - they are what they are, whatever the assumptions are plugged. Payment can be anything (i.e. you can make it anything you want, just change the length of the loan). What counts is rate, fees and totals. If any salesman, F&I starts talking to me in terms "per month", I shut it down right away. If they avoid speaking about actual terms in a plain languague, I'm no longer interested in doing business with them.

I don't think she'd lie about your score. You get it on paper with your loan docs. Congrats, anyway. BTW, you are sure it's 850/850, not 850/900? Just saying that cause many car loans today are based on 900 scale, not 850 (there are gazillion different scoring formulas, 900 scale became popular in that particular area). Don't know why. Anyway, even if it's 850/900, it's still top 99% percentile, or so.

If there as any miscommunication it was on her part. During our initial phone conversation she quoted the lower rate based on 36 months. I sai I only had 33 months left and wouldn't want to extend the term. She said no problems, same rate. The monthly was quoed on that basis. I was only after i started reading he documents on her computer screen that I noticed it was for 36. I'mglad that I always read before I sign.

I asked about the score and she said it was base on an 850 scale.

Pretty good for a poor dirt farmer.

Our score bounces between 825 and 835, so looks like you set the curve for everyone. If a bunch of us ever do get together at a meet, we will probably work you over for making it tough on the rest of us.

There is no appreciable difference in offered terms between 780 and 850 scores. Anything above 800 is essentially bragging right. I can brag, too BTW - depending on the source (credit agency, or algorithm), my scores are between 840 and 850 these days. I think one of my credit cards recently showed 850 score, too. Most others show 84x. One source (Transunion-based Chase) clearly "doesn't like" me, giving me only 827. I think I will complain to the President and the Minority Leader on this outrage. :laughing:

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I need to refi the Elantra in a few months. To get the cash rebates, and avoid turn in fee, I financed at market rate through Hyundai finance. Should be able to drop .50-.75% going to a bank ( sadly I don't have a CU). Or AAA, but they charge a fee I think. Assuming the $6/month is worth it to get me motivated!

I do need to pay this one off a couple years early. Done in 3, max. But shooting for 2!

When it is time, check out lightstream.com. Easiest financing I've ever done, and at rates even a CU wouldn't touch.

stickguy

Thanks. But he rates I just saw were nothing special. Only a few tenths lower than HFS.

I think PNC was the lowest I found, pretty sure no fees. AAA was good too, but they may charge a fee.

qbrozen

Interesting. Seems they went up a little. I believe both of mine with them are 2.29-2.49.

dino001

qbrozen said:

Interesting. Seems they went up a little. I believe both of mine with them are 2.29-2.49.

The rates have been slowly ticking up in last 12 months.

qbrozen

just checked. I have one at 2.49x60mos and the other is 2.89x48.

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Just came back from the Credit Union which had offered me a lower rate on my car loan. The monthly figures the hey quoted indicated a savings of about $12 a month. I was half way through signing the papers when I noticed the term was for 36 months not the 33 months I had left on the old loan. When i had her recalculate the figures it turned out they were saving me 64 cents a month. She had almost pulled the old F & I trick of lowering the monthly by extending the term. You can't trust anyone any more.

36 months is a standard term for loans. Unless you specifically asked for 33 months, she said yes than sent you papers for 36 month loan, I cannot see a malintent here, more like honest lack of communication.

You should have known better to look at total figures and make sure you both spoke same "languague" - how many payments, what is the aggregate amount of interest. In Florida there is also stamps fee - not very high, but it can kill the refinancing deal, if your rate is already low and your savings marginal. If you say your CU offered "lower rate", what did it mean? 64 cents per month "equivalent" sounds like the same "rate" to me, in terms of interest rate (within 0.1%), or fees/stamps "ate" the difference, if it was bigger.

I never look at payments - they are what they are, whatever the assumptions are plugged. Payment can be anything (i.e. you can make it anything you want, just change the length of the loan). What counts is rate, fees and totals. If any salesman, F&I starts talking to me in terms "per month", I shut it down right away. If they avoid speaking about actual terms in a plain languague, I'm no longer interested in doing business with them.

I don't think she'd lie about your score. You get it on paper with your loan docs. Congrats, anyway. BTW, you are sure it's 850/850, not 850/900? Just saying that cause many car loans today are based on 900 scale, not 850 (there are gazillion different scoring formulas, 900 scale became popular in that particular area). Don't know why. Anyway, even if it's 850/900, it's still top 99% percentile, or so.

If there as any miscommunication it was on her part. During our initial phone conversation she quoted the lower rate based on 36 months. I sai I only had 33 months left and wouldn't want to extend the term. She said no problems, same rate. The monthly was quoed on that basis. I was only after i started reading he documents on her computer screen that I noticed it was for 36. I'mglad that I always read before I sign.

I asked about the score and she said it was base on an 850 scale.

Pretty good for a poor dirt farmer.

Our score bounces between 825 and 835, so looks like you set the curve for everyone. If a bunch of us ever do get together at a meet, we will probably work you over for making it tough on the rest of us.

I think those credit scores are sometimes just for bragging rights. My wife hasn't worked outside the home since 1981, none of the cars or bills are in her name and by herself she'd be eligible for welfare but according to her Discover Card her score is the same as mine.

oldfarmer50

I'm watching a movie called Getaway with Ethan Hawke kind of over my shoulder only because it features a recent vintage Shelby Mustang. Hawke is smashing into police cars and trucks as well as running through shopping malls hitting all sorts of things. Not a scatch on the car so far.

Boy, Ford builds 'em tough.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

I remember your picture. You don't look like a Lisa.

I thought about posting a picture of me at a car show with a car that matched but I had a striped shirt. I remember how much ribbing Mr. driver100 took about his. I'd have to photoshop out the stripes. LOL
And then everyone would know what I look like--there's a downside to that.

Take it from me....it is better to stay anonymous.

stickguy

Looking around, at best I might be able to shave $5/month off the payment. So most likely I won't bother with the hassle to refi. Just look to pay off early instead.

driver100

iluv, glad you are liking the new job and new home.

If you were to get an Imprezza, will it be able to get you through the snow with just the AWD or will you have to put snow tires on it to get up that hill and a heavy snowfall?

The $19k+ could grow quite a bit if you have to get tires, rims, transportation, DOC fee, taxes, higher insurance etc. On the other hand, you could buy snow tires for the Soul then run into a big repair bill, then actually owe more.

You may actually be better biting the bullet now, getting the new Subie, pay extra per month to get the cost down so you can have a 5 year plan to pay it off....or something like that. Just thinking out loud...no real words of wisdom there. One thing I would be concerned about is how reliable is your Soul for getting you to work?

oldfarmer50

This caught my eye until I realized the seller wants way over what the books say it's worth. Edmunds$2600 KBB $3600. Are these sellers swinging for the fence or are Hondas really that popular?



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/2000-honda-accord-ex-with/6378525150.html

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Take it from me....it is better to stay anonymous.

I thought if maybe I got rid of the horizontal stripes in my shirt making me look heavier....

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

This caught my eye until I realized the seller wants way over what the books say it's worth. Edmunds$2600 KBB $3600. Are these sellers swinging for the fence or are Hondas really that popular?

It's the low, low miles. Car was used on average 1500 miles a year. I'd be afraid of lots of short trips and sludging.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

This caught my eye until I realized the seller wants way over what the books say it's worth. Edmunds$2600 KBB $3600. Are these sellers swinging for the fence or are Hondas really that popular?



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/2000-honda-accord-ex-with/6378525150.html

I’m always amazed at the resale values of Honda/Acura products. That one looks super nice and with those low miles, you could probably drive it until you are firmly entrenched in the nursing home with little to no major service issues.

$3K sounds like a good round number.

suydam

@iluvmysephia1 — Things to ponder.
How often will you get a snow like that?
In Ohio I lived in the country on a very steep, curved hill. I had a front wheel drive vehicle (even, for several years, a Toyota Previa minivan). Maybe 2-3 times a winter we would get an ice storm that made getting up the hill difficult. I did have a little turnout just past the entry a ways and I could always manage to get to that. But 90% of the time we had no problems at all. The key is good tires. I never used snows, but always had good all seasons that worked well in snow.

OTOH, if this is a weekly occurrence, I’d seriously consider getting snow tires for the Soul. it seems taking on a lot of debt at this point in your life (new job, thinking of buying a house), might stretch your family budget past the comfort level. Unless the Soul doesn’t have the oomph to make it up a slippery hill on a regular basis.

You also said you might not be at this location long. So this may be a temporary, if aggravating, problem. But buying a new car, especially upside down on your current one, is a long term solution. So I’d try and figure out if this a long term problem.

stickguy

Maybe both. Premium for low miles if legit, but wrinkly leather doesn't look like it. That's the top end car too, so price probably not out of range if it checks out

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

venture said:

I remember your picture. You don't look like a Lisa.

I thought about posting a picture of me at a car show with a car that matched but I had a striped shirt. I remember how much ribbing Mr. driver100 took about his. I'd have to photoshop out the stripes. LOL
And then everyone would know what I look like--there's a downside to that.

Take it from me....it is better to stay anonymous.

I don't mind anyone knowing what I look like.

driver100

Price sounds a little high but you are getting a Honda that is in good shape and you will probably easily get 5 to 10 more years out of it...so even at $4000 it could be worth it. But $3000 would seem to be more realistic. And why do these people not just put a piece of cardboard over the license plate....this looks stupid!

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

Just came back from the Credit Union which had offered me a lower rate on my car loan. The monthly figures the hey quoted indicated a savings of about $12 a month. I was half way through signing the papers when I noticed the term was for 36 months not the 33 months I had left on the old loan. When i had her recalculate the figures it turned out they were saving me 64 cents a month. She had almost pulled the old F & I trick of lowering the monthly by extending the term.

You can't trust anyone any more.

We had a dimwit come in with a pre-approved CU loan; the CU loan had a prepayment penalty AND charged a $199 "origination fee." We offered her a loan with no fees or penalties with a lower APR than the CU and she still insisted on using he CU.
You can't fix stupid.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

driver100 said:

Took the C250 in for the yearly oil change. We got it with 12500 miles on it....now has 18000, about 1100 a month when we are here for 5 months.

We sat in a newer C300 with the redesign, just to plan for the future. My wife didn't like the new one, seat won't go high enough, dash is higher, hood is raised up more, windows are narrower all around - and she doesn't like the GPS/media thing sticking up.

Salesman couldn't answer any questions, he was new and said he didn't know much about MBs. They must be desparate down here for salesman, because this guy isn't going to make it, guaranteed.

After an hour the service rep came in and said I needed $500 worth of tires - 2 backs had 2/32nds tread, wiper blades - $60, the motor mounts had hardened $1400....a total of $2600! I almost had a heart attack. Then he said well it does have 59000 miles on it. I said last I checked it had 18000 miles on it. He said oh, I guess you're not Lisa? I said no, so he said sorry, I got the wrong bill. He got the right one....$160 for the oil change and everything checked out perfectly.

I told him he does that so I will be happy when I get the lower bill.....but, I feel very sorry for Lisa.

Hardened motor mounts at 59,000 miles?  I think I'd better pull up m' boots!

That's a new one on me...

roadburner

dino001 said:

isellhondas said:

explorerx4 said:

They still got you for $160 for an oil change.

Would you take a Mercedes to a Quickie Lube for an oil change?

He shouldn't, if he wanted to, unless they provide a specific oil from the manufacturer's approved list. German cars generally require a specific spec oil to be put in. They test their vehicles with those specific oil brands and models. So you can use off-dealer place, but you'd lose warranty coverage, if they used an oil that's not on the list. If you did that, you'd quickly find out that even Quicky Lube change may cost you 50-80 bucks. 160 bucks covers the loaner, the "free" cappuccino machine and chef pastries in the customer lounge. And the "service adviser" commission. And profits for the owner.

I love this this story; an idiot takes his S4 to a quick-lube emporium- the non-sentient "techs" hacksaw a hole in the undertray. The imbeciles compound that malpractice by draining the transmission instead of the engine and then overfilling the engine with oil.

ab348

driver100 said:

Price sounds a little high but you are getting a Honda that is in good shape and you will probably easily get 5 to 10 more years out of it...so even at $4000 it could be worth it. But $3000 would seem to be more realistic. And why do these people not just put a piece of cardboard over the license plate....this looks stupid!

The seller just wanted you to know it came with the original key.