Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

isellhondas

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driver100

tbirdmarco said:

all this is still marco using my phone now and computer if I want combo of boath! old and new accounts are now one

I thought it was you Marco....could tell by the nice T-Bird. Good disguise though.

driver100

ab348 said:

@driver100 - if they built one of those here they probably wouldn't include the traffic signals for the crossover parts just to tie things up further, or replace them with roundabouts which are their current favorite toy and which seem to confuse people most of the time. The traffic engineers here seem to believe their job is to make traffic worse. Most everything they do here now is making fewer and smaller traffic lanes to slow down vehicles and make space for bike lanes that are apparently used by invisible cyclists. It is just nuts.

We have the same problem in Hamilton Ontario. We try to avoid downtown Hamilton, everything is designed for bikes and to frustrate car drivers. No, on some one way streets, they have parking down the middle of some streets, cars go around, and bikes can go either way in a lane at the side.

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

Yesterday I picked up my wife at Sarasota Airport. On the way home I had to take University Avenue and then go on I-75 North. I experienced driving through a Diverging Diamond Interchange......you actually switch over and drive on the left side of the road. As if driving isn't crazy enough around here, wait until you try one of these (watch up to 3/33 at least)
https://youtu.be/24jMVZszPTY

Those are quite cool, but still pretty scarce in the US. Anything to prevent accidents and keep traffic flowing is a good thing in my book. 

It seems they have studied it and it does speed the flow of traffic, but, it is tricky knowing which lane to be in to turn off....if you don't know it in time it will take a long time before you can get another chance at it.

oldfarmer50

Here's a question. What value would you put on a private party used car having complete maintaince records.? I don't think I'd go over asking price but a clean maintaince history would be reassuring. I might offer 10% more for one with records than one without.

What say you guys? PP is such a crap shoot.

isellhondas

oldfarmer50 said:

Here's a question. What value would you put on a private party used car having complete maintaince records.? I don't think I'd go over asking price but a clean maintaince history would be reassuring. I might offer 10% more for one with records than one without.

What say you guys? PP is such a crap shoot.

Some buyers will care and others won't care at all. Some prospective buyers could spot something that could "queer" the sale too!

I used to get people trading in cars that proudly would hand me a folder of maintenance receipts. I would politely decline and offer to shred them. Too much personal information in this day and age.

I once lost a sale on a used Odyssey. Our detailers had neglected to clean out the glove box. On the demo drive the guys wife spotted a handful of receipts and found a body shop receipt for a 1200.00 repair! Didn't hit the Car Fax and 1200.00 fixes very little still...THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN A WRECK! That was the end of that sale!

28firefighter

isellhondas said:

I once lost a sale on a used Odyssey. Our detailers had neglected to clean out the glove box. On the demo drive the guys wife spotted a handful of receipts and found a body shop receipt for a 1200.00 repair! Didn't hit the Car Fax and 1200.00 fixes very little still...THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN A WRECK! That was the end of that sale!

Guess what happened to that receipt after they left?

Out of curiosity, in that case, do you as the dealer have to disclose the damage to anyone else who looks?

isellhondas

Not unless it's a new car that sustained damage in transit or afterwards. That 1200.00 was to replace a rear bumper cover and match the paint. It wouldn't have bothered me a bit if I were interested in the car.

nyccarguy

Thanks guys for your kind words about my new Pilot.  Without further Aden, here is is:

28firefighter

isellhondas said:

Not unless it's a new car that sustained damage in transit or afterwards. That 1200.00 was to replace a rear bumper cover and match the paint. It wouldn't have bothered me a bit if I were interested in the car.

Oh. Yeah. That’s ridiculous. 

isellhondas

Now it looks HUGE! You'll love it!

houdini1

We have a couple of those diverging diamonds in the KC area. The first time you use one it is sort of disconcerting, and certainly not intuitive. It gets easier with time. You just have to be mindful that some of your fellow drivers might be first timers.

bwia

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys for your kind words about my new Pilot.  Without further Aden, here is is:

Nice Christmas present. It couldn't fit under the tree but it looks cozy in the garage. Congrats and enjoy. 

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys for your kind words about my new Pilot.  Without further Aden, here is is:

Beautiful. And it looks like you were driving it around in that freezing mess yesterday. Very gutsy.

driver100

houdini1 said:

We have a couple of those diverging diamonds in the KC area. The first time you use one it is sort of disconcerting, and certainly not intuitive. It gets easier with time. You just have to be mindful that some of your fellow drivers might be first timers.

That is what my thoughts are too. Probably 95% of the people who use it use it daily or at least regularly. If you are a tourist or rare user you really have to be on guard. I saw cars trying to change lanes at the last minute, or trying to squeeze into another lane, and if you miss your lane it will take a long time to come around again.

oldfarmer50

isellhondas said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Here's a question. What value would you put on a private party used car having complete maintaince records.? I don't think I'd go over asking price but a clean maintaince history would be reassuring. I might offer 10% more for one with records than one without.

What say you guys? PP is such a crap shoot.

Some buyers will care and others won't care at all. Some prospective buyers could spot something that could "queer" the sale too!

I used to get people trading in cars that proudly would hand me a folder of maintenance receipts. I would politely decline and offer to shred them. Too much personal information in this day and age.

I once lost a sale on a used Odyssey. Our detailers had neglected to clean out the glove box. On the demo drive the guys wife spotted a handful of receipts and found a body shop receipt for a 1200.00 repair! Didn't hit the Car Fax and 1200.00 fixes very little still...THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN A WRECK! That was the end of that sale!

LOL. Yeah I guess if the seller was dumb enough to leave negative records it could have a bad effect but then again it would be good to have specific details on the accident repairs in case it did make it to CarFax. CF is often vague .

The records I'd want to see would be for oil changes and regular repairs like timing belts and brakes.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys for your kind words about my new Pilot.  Without further Aden, here is is:

Beautiful. And it looks like you were driving it around in that freezing mess yesterday. Very gutsy.

The new Pilot looks great and the color suits it. How does it go through the snow?
I liked the old boxy Pilots too, but they really made it look sleeker with the flowing lines.

We were stopped at a light on the way back from Sarasota airport...I counted 14 cars in the 3 lanes waiting for the light. We made the observation that only 2 were sedans, all the rest were SUVs or Crossovers.

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys for your kind words about my new Pilot.  Without further Aden, here is is:

I like it! Again, congrats!

imidazol97

isellhondas said:

That looks similar to a SPUI that we have near me. Quite an adventure if you are unfamiliar with them.

I despise roundabouts and now THIS? Roundabouts work IF people use them properly and around here that isn't the case! I'll go out of my way to avoid one. Now, THIS??

I'll take these switchover interchanges. The requirement is you have to read the signs carefully if you're new to them. My concern is that someone does NOT go the right way and I'll have to try to avoid an errant vehicle.

These are safer than the roundabouts. I've found those scary because different ones have different rules as to whether the cars in the circle have the right of way or cars entering have the right of way.

driver100

Wouldn't the cars in the roundabout have the right of way, and cars entering must yield to those already in? At St Armands Circle in Sarasota it gets complicated by crosswalks as cars leave the circle...and those cars have to stop for pedestrians.

I think it could be easier for cars to end up going the wrong way on the Divergent Diamond......we get quite a few drivers who do that on I-75 and other highways now.

A lot of people here in Florida, us included, try to do as little driving as possible in the night time hours.

ab348

imidazol97 said:

I'll take these switchover interchanges. The requirement is you have to read the signs carefully if you're new to them. My concern is that someone does NOT go the right way and I'll have to try to avoid an errant vehicle.

These are safer than the roundabouts. I've found those scary because different ones have different rules as to whether the cars in the circle have the right of way or cars entering have the right of way.

They built a bunch of roundabouts here to replace signalized intersections and they are terrible. Part of it may be due to their design but the biggest part of the problem is the lack of useful signage. They really need some large, preferably overhead signs indicating lane use for a given exit. Unfortunately in general our city does road signs very poorly if at all so they usually do not have those, or in the few cases where they do, the signs are too small and are positioned right where you enter the circle making them useless. The only signs they typically have are small pictograms of a 270 degree exit or a straight-on exit without any street names attached, which makes them not helpful. And as you say, once you are in the circle, you better hope the other drivers know and follow the same rules you are using.

cdnpinhead

imidazol97 said:

I've found those scary because different ones have different rules as to whether the cars in the circle have the right of way or cars entering have the right of way.

Hmmm -- this is interesting. I get around quite a bit and, barring the five-lane monstrosities that are traffic light controlled in the UK, every traffic circle/rotary/roundabout I've encountered involves yielding to the traffic already in the circle. Can you tell me where that's not the case, so I can stay away?

nyccarguy

I for one LOVE traffic circles, roundabouts, & rotaries.  It's a simple concept (cars inside have the right of way) that works well in theory.  In today's day and age of "me first," it doesn't work so well.  Too many people just don't have the patience or knowledge that "yield" means "stop if possible."  Some do the same thing when merging onto the highway.  They just go and let the people already barreling down the highway honk and try to avoid them.

abacomike

No one has worse luck than I do! I went downstairs this morning to go up to Boca Raton to do some last minute shopping and I found a crack in my front windshield on the right passenger side. I noticed a couple of very small paint chips in my right windshield wiper arm and a bit of a glass residue on the windshield. I called Geico and they stated that no Mercedes dealerships in my area will bill the insurance - I have to pay up front. So, since this is a leased car, I'll let SafeLite replace the windshield. They will come to my condo to do it.

There is one problem, the windshield is not readily available because it is a new model. Could have to wait a long time to get this glass replaced. They have to use OEM parts due to the adaptive cruise control cameras, pedestrian cross traffic cameras, etc. Then, when they are finished, I have to take it to Mercedes to have the sensors recalibrated - which I have to pay for and then send the paid receipt to Geico.

What a mess. I just can't get a month without something happening. Very depressing!

suydam

What a bummer that is. Hope your luck turns around real soon.

carnaught

@abacomike, sorry to hear about an aggravating issue, but better your windshield than your health.

bwia

Anybody remember Scheme Z.

That was a design plan proposed by Fred Salvucci, an MIT trained engineer and genius, behind the $24 billion, 20-year Big Dig project to ease the Boston traffic congestion. Here is a rendering. Thank godnes that plan was not adopted.
https://books.google.com/books/content?id=KZs2AQAAMAAJ&pg=SA4-PA37&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U0ZDFV9vX_eLZ1hJR1LSmZs1H76Kw&ci=137,52,727,1111&edge=0

isellhondas

nyccarguy said:

I for one LOVE traffic circles, roundabouts, & rotaries.  It's a simple concept (cars inside have the right of way) that works well in theory.  In today's day and age of "me first," it doesn't work so well.  Too many people just don't have the patience or knowledge that "yield" means "stop if possible."  Some do the same thing when merging onto the highway.  They just go and let the people already barreling down the highway honk and try to avoid them.

I'll try to choose my words carefully.....Around these parts we have a lot of newcomers to our country that have "challenging" driving skills at best. The LAST thing these folks need is a roundabout or that backwards lane changing thing. Trust me, I have been scared by the best! Reading signs in english isn't always easy either for many!

suydam

Roundabouts are very common in many countries. I think it’s us Americans who do t know how to deal with them! I like them especially compared to a traffic light. Traffic flows more efficiently.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys for your kind words about my new Pilot.  Without further Aden, here is is:

Very nice! You might check in the owners manual to see if you can program the rear hatch to open a bit less to avoid it hitting the roof.

houdini1

cdnpinhead said:

imidazol97 said:

I've found those scary because different ones have different rules as to whether the cars in the circle have the right of way or cars entering have the right of way.

Hmmm -- this is interesting. I get around quite a bit and, barring the five-lane monstrosities that are traffic light controlled in the UK, every traffic circle/rotary/roundabout I've encountered involves yielding to the traffic already in the circle. Can you tell me where that's not the case, so I can stay away?

Ditto

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

imidazol97 said:

I've found those scary because different ones have different rules as to whether the cars in the circle have the right of way or cars entering have the right of way.

Hmmm -- this is interesting. I get around quite a bit and, barring the five-lane monstrosities that are traffic light controlled in the UK, every traffic circle/rotary/roundabout I've encountered involves yielding to the traffic already in the circle. Can you tell me where that's not the case, so I can stay away?

MA used to be a state where those in the circle had to yield but that was changed some time ago.

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

Roundabouts are very common in many countries. I think it’s us Americans who do t know how to deal with them! I like them especially compared to a traffic light. Traffic flows more efficiently.

I've found that roundabouts work well with low and moderate traffic volume but less well in heavy traffic.

houdini1

We have a couple of local roundabouts (wife calls them roustabouts) on streets just running north and south or east and west with no other side streets. Doesn't seem to make much sense unless expecting side streets in the future. I guess they could be to just slow traffic down, but speed bumps would work better and be a lot cheaper.

explorerx4

I really dislike roundabouts and 4 way stops. They allow for a lot of random behavior.
A nearby town just built a new roundabout. I couldn't believe how small the circle is.
Can't wait until they have to plow it. Not sure the big plow trucks will even be able get into the circle.

venture

Good grief

ab348

cdnpinhead said:

imidazol97 said:

I've found those scary because different ones have different rules as to whether the cars in the circle have the right of way or cars entering have the right of way.

Hmmm -- this is interesting. I get around quite a bit and, barring the five-lane monstrosities that are traffic light controlled in the UK, every traffic circle/rotary/roundabout I've encountered involves yielding to the traffic already in the circle. Can you tell me where that's not the case, so I can stay away?

This may be helpful:

http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/round/Differences_between_Modern_Roundabouts_and_Old_Traffic_Circles.pdf


We had/have one of the old style large rotaries here and unfortunately it controls one of the 3 entry/exit routes into the city. It used to be governed by the dreaded "one on one" convention where every car wanting to enter the circle took turns in conjunction with those already in it. Needless to say it was a traffic disaster for years and since this was a "local rule" not posted anywhere, visitors had a terrible time with it. A few years ago they tried to make it into a roundabout but many still try to do the one-on-one, with predictable results.

I have a theory that older drivers like myself have a hard time with the newer style roundabouts because they did not exist until recently and our driving technques that we learned years ago did not cover them. Our municipality has done a very poor job of educating people about them and as I said, the signage they installed is useless.

Someone else mentioned 4-way stops. I hate these almost as much as roundabouts. You either have people acting too timidly or too aggressively at them and either way it causes problems. Incredibly, over the last 15 years a large big-box "shopping park" was constructed near me that draws people from far and wide, and while the roadways within it are all multi-lane, many of the intersections are 4-way stops. You have not lived until you experienced the behavior of drivers (especially those from rural areas who visit) this and other times of year when the shopping frenzy hits, trying to execute a multi-lane 4-way stop intersection.

ab348

I just got back from running to a few stores to pick up some last-minute things. Not really all that busy and it is a gorgeous day here, sunny and mild. I was enjoying the SXM holiday Channel 4 in the car. As I got close to home I stopped at the community mailbox to pick up my mail. When I got back into the car the SXM service was no longer authorized. I suppose that is all automated as I can't imagine they have someone working on Christmas Eve to disconnect accounts whose free trials have expired, But knowing what a crummy company they are and their shoddy business practices it would not surprise me either.

jwm40517

Imid, I believe you are in Lexington sometimes. Have you seen our double crossover at the intersection of Harrodsburg Rd and New Circle Rd. It is smaller than the one posted a few pages back at 3 lanes per side. I live about a mile from it and go through from 2-6 times a day.
I like it because you never have to turn left in front of oncoming traffic. A left turn works the same as a normal right. Have never seen anyone go the wrong way, but some look puzzled .

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

@driver100 - if they built one of those here they probably wouldn't include the traffic signals for the crossover parts just to tie things up further, or replace them with roundabouts which are their current favorite toy and which seem to confuse people most of the time. The traffic engineers here seem to believe their job is to make traffic worse. Most everything they do here now is making fewer and smaller traffic lanes to slow down vehicles and make space for bike lanes that are apparently used by invisible cyclists. It is just nuts.

Let's just do away with the traffic signals and build them as Figure-8s---let the drivers work it out. Through attrition, only the smartest will survive; furthermore, it will increase the local economy by building collision shops along the service roads.

Driver Education. More Local Jobs. It Makes Sense. Vote Shiftright for Traffic Coordinator 2018. (My name is Mr Shiftright and I approved this message).

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

Here's a question. What value would you put on a private party used car having complete maintaince records.? I don't think I'd go over asking price but a clean maintaince history would be reassuring. I might offer 10% more for one with records than one without.

What say you guys? PP is such a crap shoot.

I have always viewed maintenance records as a "selling tool", of benefit to the seller, but not the buyer in the sense of requiring him to pay a premium for such records. One expects any decent car to have service records. IMO it's not an add-on.

If it were a "classic car", then such things as one-owner, or the car's "provenance" does add value, but not on modern used cars.

driver100

bwia said:

Anybody remember Scheme Z.

That was a design plan proposed by Fred Salvucci, an MIT trained engineer and genius, behind the $24 billion, 20-year Big Dig project to ease the Boston traffic congestion. Here is a rendering. Thank godnes that plan was not adopted.
https://books.google.com/books/content?id=KZs2AQAAMAAJ&pg=SA4-PA37&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U0ZDFV9vX_eLZ1hJR1LSmZs1H76Kw&ci=137,52,727,1111&edge=0

What a mess. I showed my brother the DDI and he said they have one in Calgary that he drove on for the first time the other day. He said now they have a new interchange planned that looks pretty scary.


I think they are trying to make driving into an IQ contest all in one - if you can get through to the right destination you can keep your license.

driver100

suydam said:

Roundabouts are very common in many countries. I think it’s us Americans who do t know how to deal with them! I like them especially compared to a traffic light. Traffic flows more efficiently.

Except, I have seen people come in, not slow down....they just enter at full speed and get off at full speed, I don't think they understand the concept.

driver100

jwm40517 said:

Imid, I believe you are in Lexington sometimes. Have you seen our double crossover at the intersection of Harrodsburg Rd and New Circle Rd. It is smaller than the one posted a few pages back at 3 lanes per side. I live about a mile from it and go through from 2-6 times a day.
I like it because you never have to turn left in front of oncoming traffic. A left turn works the same as a normal right. Have never seen anyone go the wrong way, but some look puzzled .

The old entrance from University Ave onto I-75 North had 2 left turning lanes and an arrow.....you had to turn left across traffic but that traffic had a red light when turning. This lane weave is slick, but, I think a lot more things can go wrong. I noticed cars not realizing they were in the turning lane and trying to get out and visa versa.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

ab348 said:

@driver100 - if they built one of those here they probably wouldn't include the traffic signals for the crossover parts just to tie things up further, or replace them with roundabouts which are their current favorite toy and which seem to confuse people most of the time. The traffic engineers here seem to believe their job is to make traffic worse. Most everything they do here now is making fewer and smaller traffic lanes to slow down vehicles and make space for bike lanes that are apparently used by invisible cyclists. It is just nuts.

Let's just do away with the traffic signals and build them as Figure-8s---let the drivers work it out. Through attrition, only the smartest will survive; furthermore, it will increase the local economy by building collision shops along the service roads.

Driver Education. More Local Jobs. It Makes Sense. Vote Shiftright for Traffic Coordinator 2018. (My name is Mr Shiftright and I approved this message).

I like it! Great idea....maybe have the body shop right in the middle of the circle....also coffee shops and barber/hairdresser so you can get things done while waiting for your repair.

driver100

Mike.....I was hoping for some good news from you today...or even no news would probably have been good. What a thing to happen. How do you suspect it happened, someone throwing a bottle at the windshield? How does the paint come into it? I thought your place had only seniors...they don't do that do they? Are there any security cameras around?
Sorry to hear....something no one needs to happen....especially you.

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

ab348 said:

@driver100 - if they built one of those here they probably wouldn't include the traffic signals for the crossover parts just to tie things up further, or replace them with roundabouts which are their current favorite toy and which seem to confuse people most of the time. The traffic engineers here seem to believe their job is to make traffic worse. Most everything they do here now is making fewer and smaller traffic lanes to slow down vehicles and make space for bike lanes that are apparently used by invisible cyclists. It is just nuts.

Let's just do away with the traffic signals and build them as Figure-8s---let the drivers work it out. Through attrition, only the smartest will survive; furthermore, it will increase the local economy by building collision shops along the service roads.

Driver Education. More Local Jobs. It Makes Sense. Vote Shiftright for Traffic Coordinator 2018. (My name is Mr Shiftright and I approved this message).

I like it! Great idea....maybe have the body shop right in the middle of the circle....also coffee shops and barber/hairdresser so you can get things done while waiting for your repair.

Yeah, sort of a Carnage Mall---I like it.

cdnpinhead

ab348 said:

This may be helpful:
http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/round/Differences_between_Modern_Roundabouts_and_Old_Traffic_Circles.pdf

Interesting, indeed. When I lived in Edmonton in the early '70s, where there are traffic circles all over the place, I recall them being operated in the "modern" fashion. Also in the Boston area, where they call them rotaries. Anyway, a nice presentation of days gone by, or at least I hope it's all gone by now everywhere.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Let's just do away with the traffic signals and build them as Figure-8s---let the drivers work it out. Through attrition, only the smartest will survive; furthermore, it will increase the local economy by building collision shops along the service roads.

Driver Education. More Local Jobs. It Makes Sense. Vote Shiftright for Traffic Coordinator 2018. (My name is Mr Shiftright and I approved this message).

Great idea. You could probably make a reality TV series out of it for Velocity or one of the other nets. Just like the old ABC Wide World of Sports coverage of the figure-8 races from Islip, Long Island back in the '60s.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Yesterday I picked up my wife at Sarasota Airport. On the way home I had to take University Avenue and then go on I-75 North. I experienced driving through a Diverging Diamond Interchange......you actually switch over and drive on the left side of the road. As if driving isn't crazy enough around here, wait until you try one of these (watch up to 3/33 at least) https://youtu.be/24jMVZszPTY

We have one of those near here. I can't see a purpose for it, yeah I know it eliminates crossing traffic making a left turn at the ramps but you create an instance where you cross over oncoming traffic. doesn't make sense to me.