Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

You guys wanting to get out of the snow belt areas.....ever consider North/South Carolina? Quite a few snowbirds first try Florida, find it is great in the winter but too hot in the summer, and they go back north a bit. I understand the panhandle is the same.

I was reading the population is exploding in Florida, especially because of retired people who have some money and want to leave the heavily taxed states, like New Jersey, New York and Illinois.

People fleeing to ......the South

stickguy

half of long island and NJ ends up in Florida at some point. I won't be one of them.

And those people that end up in the Carolinas I believe are called "quarterbacks".

Actually, my plan was to go to N. Carolina (though I do like parts of S. Carolina too). I figured when my daughter went to school there, and pretty much turned into a southern girl, she would stay after graduation and I would have my excuse to relo down there. Was going to save a fortune on housing costs. Sadly, she ended up getting a job lined up where she will be working in Deleware. Still south of NJ, just not quite as far!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

You guys wanting to get out of the snow belt areas.....ever consider North/South Carolina? Quite a few snowbirds first try Florida, find it is great in the winter but too hot in the summer, and they go back north a bit. I understand the panhandle is the same.

I was reading the population is exploding in Florida, especially because of retired people who have some money and want to leave the heavily taxed states, like New Jersey, New York and Illinois.

People fleeing to ......the South

My friends who moved to upstate South Carolina, somewhat near Clemson, got 4 inches of snow Friday and Saturday. Ashville (NC) got 10, according to my friend who called yesterday!

We got 3/4 inch here in beautiful Southwestern Ohio.

ab348

Michaell said:

thebean said:

Army/Navy football game being played in Philly on the snow.  No better TV watching this afternoon for me.  I love this game.  

I have a HS friend who's son is attending the naval academy. He posted pictures from the game, and was complaining that the Army uniforms made them harder to see.

After seeing it mentioned on here I tuned in and watched the 4th quarter. Excellent game and surprisingly the snow didn't seem to affect things too much.

stickguy

I visited Clemson once, when my daughter was looking at schools. Pretty area, but man it is out in the middle of nowhere. I did love Greenville though. And close to BMW factory! Asheville, we spent a weekend there last year. Fabulous area. I could happily retire there.

ab348

driver100 said:

You guys wanting to get out of the snow belt areas.....ever consider North/South Carolina?

Yeah, I've spent enough time in Florida to know I would not want to live there year-round. I spent a week on the coast of NC back in the '90s, in Southport and a place called Oak Island, just north of the border with SC. I loved it there and being on the coast it reminded me a lot of home. Bad place to be in hurricane season but otherwise not bad at all. I understand that if you go inland to the "mountains" of NC the climate can be quite pleasant.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

You guys wanting to get out of the snow belt areas.....ever consider North/South Carolina? Quite a few snowbirds first try Florida, find it is great in the winter but too hot in the summer, and they go back north a bit. I understand the panhandle is the same.

I was reading the population is exploding in Florida, especially because of retired people who have some money and want to leave the heavily taxed states, like New Jersey, New York and Illinois.

People fleeing to ......the South

My friends who moved to upstate South Carolina, somewhat near Clemson, got 4 inches of snow Friday and Saturday. Ashville (NC) got 10, according to my friend who called yesterday!

We got 3/4 inch here in beautiful Southwestern Ohio.

Man, 4 inches of snow in S.C., but at least it only happens occasionally, and not a big problem if you are retired and don't have a doctors appointment that day. It is freezing cold in Tampa Bay area....just 50F right now, and I have agreed to play singles tennis in 20 minutes. The fellow I am playing is a native Floridian...I didn't think there was such a thing as a "native Floridian". He says it sure has changed since he was a kid, and he agrees the driving has become crazy here. He is used to hunting and fishing and eating all kinds of things he has caugh t.

I say I only eat things that come in a package and come from Publix or Wynne Dixie.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

And close to BMW factory!

LOL

stickguy

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

You guys wanting to get out of the snow belt areas.....ever consider North/South Carolina?

Yeah, I've spent enough time in Florida to know I would not want to live there year-round. I spent a week on the coast of NC back in the '90s, in Southport and a place called Oak Island, just north of the border with SC. I loved it there and being on the coast it reminded me a lot of home. Bad place to be in hurricane season but otherwise not bad at all. I understand that if you go inland to the "mountains" of NC the climate can be quite pleasant.

yes, up around Asheville in the Blue Ridge mountains the weather is quite nice. 4 seasons, and winter and summer are not at all bad.

imidazol97

ab348 said:

I understand that if you go inland to the "mountains" of NC the climate can be quite pleasant.

The upstate SC and NC inland are much the same. The lakes region is a much lower cost of living than the NC, according to my friend. He had vacationed at parks in the upstate SC when he was in Charleston long ago after getting out of the Navy and liked it. I haven't been there to visit yet. There are no roads for getting there directly because of the Smokey Mountains and adjacent forest areas. Have to go around the east and circle back. Can't convince my wife to take that longer drive.

imidazol97

This discussion has covered getting new teen drivers nicer cars as their first. We've debated getting durable tanks for first year as opposed to newer which may have more safety features and nannies.

Same friend in SC has adopted son who was 17 and first wanted a pickup truck. Then decided he had to have a Mustang, based on what sounds like peer influence of a best friend who is an aficionado of Mustangs. So some money the son had in his account was spent on a 2014/5 Mustang, because older ones didn't have this or that and weren't suitable.

I'll let the parents in here decide what the status of the Mustang is after 4 or so months of ownership, replacing brakes, replacing tires, etc., to make it "better." (I did those things with my 67 and 70 Mustangs.)
Pick A, B, C.

A. Car is safe and secure having been driven only to job at grocery store and football practice.
B. Car was hit by another driver in Publix supermarket lot.
C. Car has been totaled because 18-year old was driving where he wasn't supposed to be on
snow-covered back road while most roads were clear due to warm ground temperatures.

ab348

I'll take "C".

roadburner

I think I've mentioned this before, but If we ever did sell our home we would almost certainly move to SC- probably somewhere around Kiawah.
Unless I could get a job instructing at the Performance Center...

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

This discussion has covered getting new teen drivers nicer cars as their first. We've debated getting durable tanks for first year as opposed to newer which may have more safety features and nannies.

Same friend in SC has adopted son who was 17 and first wanted a pickup truck. Then decided he had to have a Mustang, based on what sounds like peer influence of a best friend who is an aficionado of Mustangs. So some money the son had in his account was spent on a 2014/5 Mustang, because older ones didn't have this or that and weren't suitable.

I'll let the parents in here decide what the status of the Mustang is after 4 or so months of ownership, replacing brakes, replacing tires, etc., to make it "better." (I did those things with my 67 and 70 Mustangs.)
Pick A, B, C.

A. Car is safe and secure having been driven only to job at grocery store and football practice.
B. Car was hit by another driver in Publix supermarket lot.
C. Car has been totaled because 18-year old was driving where he wasn't supposed to be on
snow-covered back road while most roads were clear due to warm ground temperatures.

What is a 2014/5 Mustang?

Giving a kid a RWD car especially a Mustang anywhere it snows is just asking for trouble.

Giving him a GT is suicide.

Even giving him a 6 with over 300hp is dumb.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

What is a 2014/5 Mustang?

It was either a 2014 or 2015 Mustang. 6 cylinder...

oldfarmer50 said:

Giving a kid a RWD car especially a Mustang anywhere it snows is just asking for trouble.
Giving him a GT is suicide.
Even giving him a 6 with over 300hp is dumb.

Those were my words exactly when they were car shopping.

I recommended a used Buick leSabre or Park Avenue, e.g..

Mr_Shiftright

It's odd, isn't it? Parents wouldn't take their 16 year old skiing for the first time and shove him down a double diamond, but some folks seem to think that a new driver doesn't need to practice on the bunny slope for a little while. "Here--give him a chain saw--he'll figure it out".

oldfarmer50

Nooooooooooo!



The mark of the Devil!

qbrozen

I tried to get a job in Atlanta a couple of years ago before we bought our current home. Just didn't happen, unfortunately.

today, we are at my 7-yr-old's first BJJ tournament. He has only been doing Jujitsu for 3 mos now but has competed in Karate tournaments the past 3 yrs. Anyhoo, won 1st place in his division by armbar submission. Pretty awesome. Real proud of him for breaking out of his shell and flipping on the switch when needed. His sensai said "who the hell is THAT kid?!" I joked with him that my son has been holding back all this time in class so he wouldn't tip his hand.

Mr_Shiftright

Well, when he asks for a new toy next week, you'd better give it to him if you know what's good for you.

graphicguy

OF...I blame parents for buying their teen something like a Mustang, regardless of peer pressure. PArents are doing their children an extreme disservice for all the reasons mentioned here. It’s parental irresponsibility in the extreme.

Switching topics.....saw the biggest fuel price discrepancy I’ve ever seen today. Filled up at Costco for $2.49/gal for Premium. Drove by my nearest Krogers who was advertising $3.99/gal for Premium. WHAT?

qbrozen

2.49 is cheap but 3.99 had to be a mistake.

I filled up the Rover this morn for 2.79/gal premium.

isellhondas

Fintail, I was at work once and it started snowing like mad. I was working the early shift and leaving early isn't an option at that store. so, it's 9:00 and I had to unbury my beater, a 1993 Oldsmobile 88 that I was driving at the time. Knowing there are several options I weighed all of them. Newport? Certainly not the freeway! so, I went through the tunnel that go's under I-90 and decided to go down "the hill" to Lake Samm. and head home. I had forgotton just how steep that hill is! I had a string of cars ahead of me and I watched as one by one, they went sideways! An Explorer crashed into another car ahead of me but at that point, I was committed. I stood on the brake and drove through and around the crashed cars while my ABS chattered loudly. Somehow I made it home. I slid into our driveway and one by one, I pried my fingers loose from the steering wheel.

that was the worst drive I have ever made and it was a total of five miles! I hate winter!

isellhondas

driver100 said:

You guys wanting to get out of the snow belt areas.....ever consider North/South Carolina? Quite a few snowbirds first try Florida, find it is great in the winter but too hot in the summer, and they go back north a bit. I understand the panhandle is the same.

I was reading the population is exploding in Florida, especially because of retired people who have some money and want to leave the heavily taxed states, like New Jersey, New York and Illinois.

People fleeing to ......the South

Yeah, but the mosquitos and other bugs will eat you alive! Wherever you live there is always "something"!

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Nooooooooooo!



The mark of the Devil!

Oh geez.....you should have had a warning....I didn't want to see any of that white stuff this year.

fintail

15 year old Buick, Camry, Avalon etc is the perfect choice. Safe, cheap, doesn't encourage hooning, etc.

imidazol97 said:

Those were my words exactly when they were car shopping.

I recommended a used Buick leSabre or Park Avenue, e.g..

fintail

We all know the answer to that one

I wonder how or why the kid was allowed access to that kind of money at that age. There's some kind of parenting fail in the story too, unless the kid was emancipated or something.

imidazol97 said:

This discussion has covered getting new teen drivers nicer cars as their first. We've debated getting durable tanks for first year as opposed to newer which may have more safety features and nannies.

Same friend in SC has adopted son who was 17 and first wanted a pickup truck. Then decided he had to have a Mustang, based on what sounds like peer influence of a best friend who is an aficionado of Mustangs. So some money the son had in his account was spent on a 2014/5 Mustang, because older ones didn't have this or that and weren't suitable.

I'll let the parents in here decide what the status of the Mustang is after 4 or so months of ownership, replacing brakes, replacing tires, etc., to make it "better." (I did those things with my 67 and 70 Mustangs.)
Pick A, B, C.

A. Car is safe and secure having been driven only to job at grocery store and football practice.
B. Car was hit by another driver in Publix supermarket lot.
C. Car has been totaled because 18-year old was driving where he wasn't supposed to be on
snow-covered back road while most roads were clear due to warm ground temperatures.

fintail

Sounds like the 2008 event, or maybe some others in the 2004-10 era, which I remember had a number of ice and snow squalls that hit around rush hour, but only stuck around for a few days.

I remember in the 2010 pre-Thanksgiving event, I got stuck in Vancouver due to Seatac being closed, and came back a day late, the Tuesday before the holiday. The taxi I took home (as my ride chickened out) crashed on icy 405. It was a memorable trip, and the last time we had snow at Thanksgiving.

A good one I remember is 1998, just before Christmas. I was a student, in Bellingham, and one Saturday morning I was going to my mom's, about a 4 hour driven in good weather. It was quite cold up north, but clear, so I set off (in the fintail). By the time I got to just north of Everett, it was cloudy, with light precip, I assumed rain as there was no snow on the ground. I later found out the sheen was ice, and there was a 30 car pileup about half an hour after I passed through. Smooth sailing til Olympia, then snow snow snow. I averaged about 30 mph from there, and saw countless cars in the ditch. But I took it easy in the old car, and made it to my destination without issue (just a very dirty car). I thanked my lucky stars.

isellhondas said:

Fintail, I was at work once and it started snowing like mad. I was working the early shift and leaving early isn't an option at that store. so, it's 9:00 and I had to unbury my beater, a 1993 Oldsmobile 88 that I was driving at the time. Knowing there are several options I weighed all of them. Newport? Certainly not the freeway! so, I went through the tunnel that go's under I-90 and decided to go down "the hill" to Lake Samm. and head home. I had forgotton just how steep that hill is! I had a string of cars ahead of me and I watched as one by one, they went sideways! An Explorer crashed into another car ahead of me but at that point, I was committed. I stood on the brake and drove through and around the crashed cars while my ABS chattered loudly. Somehow I made it home. I slid into our driveway and one by one, I pried my fingers loose from the steering wheel.

that was the worst drive I have ever made and it was a total of five miles! I hate winter!

explorerx4

Yesterday, it snowed from 10 am to midnight and we ended up with about 6 inches.
Today, the road are now dry, sidewalk dry, driveway dry, garage floor dry.
No big deal.

suydam

imidazol97 said:

This discussion has covered getting new teen drivers nicer cars as their first. We've debated getting durable tanks for first year as opposed to newer which may have more safety features and nannies.

Same friend in SC has adopted son who was 17 and first wanted a pickup truck. Then decided he had to have a Mustang, based on what sounds like peer influence of a best friend who is an aficionado of Mustangs. So some money the son had in his account was spent on a 2014/5 Mustang, because older ones didn't have this or that and weren't suitable.

I'll let the parents in here decide what the status of the Mustang is after 4 or so months of ownership, replacing brakes, replacing tires, etc., to make it "better." (I did those things with my 67 and 70 Mustangs.)
Pick A, B, C.

A. Car is safe and secure having been driven only to job at grocery store and football practice.
B. Car was hit by another driver in Publix supermarket lot.
C. Car has been totaled because 18-year old was driving where he wasn't supposed to be on
snow-covered back road while most roads were clear due to warm ground temperatures.

Or
D. Car is hit in the high school/college parking lot by someone practicing donuts.
E. Car is totaled when inexperienced driver misjudged speed of oncoming car when making a left turn.
F. Car is totaled when the oil drain plug falls out and the new driver never bothers to look at the oil warning light for 50+ miles.

All real life experiences in our family.

driver100

G. Driver is backing out of a parking space and scrapes a yellow pole!

ab348

There's a NAPA commercial running up here right now (not sure if it is also in the USA) that makes use of this very issue, with dad giving newly-licensed kid use of the old whale-style Accord, who then goes on to have numerous incidents with it because of his being irresponsibly idiotic. I actually found the ad rather irritating because all they do is go to NAPA for the necessary things to repair it.

EDIT: Found it, looks like it is also in the USA.

imidazol97

suydam said:

A. Car is safe and secure having been driven only to job at grocery store and football practice.
B. Car was hit by another driver in Publix supermarket lot.
C. Car has been totaled because 18-year old was driving where he wasn't supposed to be on
snow-covered back road while most roads were clear due to warm ground temperatures.

Or
D. Car is hit in the high school/college parking lot by someone practicing donuts.
E. Car is totaled when inexperienced driver misjudged speed of oncoming car when making a left turn.
F. Car is totaled when the oil drain plug falls out and the new driver never bothers to look at the oil warning light for 50+ miles.

All real life experiences in our family.

OMG!

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

Giving a kid a RWD car especially a Mustang anywhere it snows is just asking for trouble.

Giving him a GT is suicide.

Even giving him a 6 with over 300hp is dumb.

It was a 6 cylinder. I do not recall seeing it was a GT. But the tires the kid had put on were

NT 555 by Nitto. They are ultra high performance SUMMER tires. Pure negligence, IMHO, in an area that some snow, sleet, and RAIN.

http://www.nittotire.com/passenger-tires/nt555-summer-ultra-high-performance-tire/

tjc78

The carnage: Trim is damaged, lots of scratches and a dent.   Poor car hasn’t even had its first oil change.  

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

There's a NAPA commercial running up here right now (not sure if it is also in the USA) that makes use of this very issue, with dad giving newly-licensed kid use of the old whale-style Accord, who then goes on to have numerous incidents with it because of his being irresponsibly idiotic. I actually found the ad rather irritating because all they do is go to NAPA for the necessary things to repair it.

EDIT: Found it, looks like it is also in the USA.

See if you can find the commercial I saw today where Vin Diesel is out racing Dodge Chargers and Challangers in the snow.

I can't begin to list everything wrong with that.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

The carnage: Trim is damaged, lots of scratches and a dent.   Poor car hasn’t even had its first oil change.  

Looks like a new skin for the rear door and sand & repainted on the front. $1000 minimum.

Coal in her stocking for sure.

tjc78

oldfarmer50 said:

Wife tore the side of the new Enclave up in a parking lot. Yellow pole paint on both doors and all the trim. Can’t tell if it’s gonna buff out or if there are deep scratches that will have to be sanded, painted and blended. 

Its snowing now so I’ll check it out tomorrow 

Merry Christmas to me!!

Sorry to hear that. Did she slide on snow? Around here we got a few more inches than they predicted and it's bedlam.

It wasn’t snowing yet.  She just cut too close to a concrete pole.  

tjc78

oldfarmer50 said:

The carnage: Trim is damaged, lots of scratches and a dent.   Poor car hasn’t even had its first oil change.  

Looks like a new skin for the rear door and sand & repainted on the front. $1000 minimum. Coal in her stocking for sure.

Yep, this one is going to insurance. 

isellhondas

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:

The carnage: Trim is damaged, lots of scratches and a dent.   Poor car hasn’t even had its first oil change.  

Looks like a new skin for the rear door and sand & repainted on the front. $1000 minimum.

Coal in her stocking for sure.

I would guess closer to 2000.00! Body work is nuts now!

stickguy

on that car, minimum if it needs a new skin. Hard to really tell from that picture. Good thing it is a lease!

I do love that color though.

oldfarmer50

Tell me this isn't true, the 2018 Mustang hp is under rated by Ford and the GT is really pushing 490+hp. This has to be a plot to make me jealous, right?

stickguy

time to trade in your car! They should be happy to get a nice, clean low mileage unit.

ab348

A little bondo and rattle-can the thing, good as new.

ab348

When you're a young buck and make too much money too fast, this sort of thing can really make you lose a lot of street cred.

https://youtu.be/RsMXDxXlvmY

qbrozen

ab348 said:

When you're a young buck and make too much money too fast, this sort of thing can really make you lose a lot of street cred. https://youtu.be/RsMXDxXlvmY

The blue GTS at the 1:35 mark is the one I want.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Tell me this isn't true, the 2018 Mustang hp is under rated by Ford and the GT is really pushing 490+hp. This has to be a plot to make me jealous, right?

Ok, it isn't true.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2018-ford-mustang-gt-dyno-pull-reveals-coyote-v8-produces-415-rwhp-121385.html

driver100

tjc78 said:

The carnage: Trim is damaged, lots of scratches and a dent.   Poor car hasn’t even had its first oil change.  

I think it could happen easier than it may seem. You park in the space, you can't see the pole, you turn your wheels a bit as you back out, you scrape the side. A lot of the new cars have sensors that ring when you get close to something...but, sometimes you may not react fast enough.

I am used to the sensors and the noises they make. Now, when I back the C250 into a spot, I expect the sensor to make a noise when I get to close to the car behind me...but, I really have to think and remind myself...this car doesn't have a sensor, and the only sound I am going to hear is crashing metal.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

When you're a young buck and make too much money too fast, this sort of thing can really make you lose a lot of street cred.

https://youtu.be/RsMXDxXlvmY

I don't get it, do those drivers just freeze when the car starts fishtailing? There are numerous videos of Mustang crashes just like that where you scream at the screen to let off the gas and counter steer. Even slamming on the brakes would be better. Do today's drivers have so little experience with RWD?

As kids we learned control in snowy parking lots and had fun.

abacomike

It’s 46 degrees right now and the low of 42 is slowly nearing my condo.  I haven’t had to turn on the heat for many years - but I did pull out a few comforters to keep me warm and toasty through the night.  In other words, “...I’m freezing my derrière off!”

ab348

Sending thoughts and prayers to you in this difficult time, Mike.