Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

andres3

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

1. Banks, including leasing banks like GMAC for GM aka Ally Bank.
   
2. 
   
3. Insurers, including AIG.
   
4. 
   
5. And of course, GM & Chrysler.
   
6. 
   

You need to add the UAW to that list. They benefited greatly from the largess.

They sure did. That's why I left spots open on my bullet list Everyone was fighting over every penny and how it would be split up to the point there would be nothing left to split. It was a lose-lose negotiation tactic, and it ended up being a win-win thanks to the bailouts.

andres3

cdnpinhead said:

OF -- So far as I know, you and I are among the few on this board who have actually been paid to drive, in my case for over two years and $160K (the truck had to be paid from that). Either way, I'll be very interested in hearing how it goes with Enterprise (part of the same company that runs National, BTW). Moving cars around and getting paid for it would work for me in a few years.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Being from Arizona, does it makes sense to you why a rental car from the Phoenix airport might cost 15% more in taxes, concessions, and fees than one from LAX in CA?

andres3

roadburner said:

BMW NA was kind enough to provide us with an entertaining loaner:

The big sled repeals the laws of physics- it weighs 5300 pounds yet it runs from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds, takes only 153 feet to stop from 70 mph, and pulls 0.98 g. I floored it to merge onto an interstate, looked down and was already doing 100 mph.
Way too much fun...

you can bed the laws of physics, but you can't stop the wear and tear driving 5,300 pounds fast will create on the tires and brake pads.

Seems like a good candidate for seeing if you can boil your brake fluid or catch your brakes on fire.

andres3

roadburner said:

BMW NA was kind enough to provide us with an entertaining loaner:

The big sled repeals the laws of physics- it weighs 5300 pounds yet it runs from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds, takes only 153 feet to stop from 70 mph, and pulls 0.98 g. I floored it to merge onto an interstate, looked down and was already doing 100 mph.
Way too much fun...

you can bend the laws of physics, but you can't stop the wear and tear driving 5,300 pounds fast will create on the tires and brake pads.

Seems like a good candidate for seeing if you can boil your brake fluid or catch your brakes on fire.

andres3

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tbirdmarco said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=huFo6dVj318

A car without steering wheel or pedals is a crime against nature. Why not just call Uber?

I believe that's the first step in the target market IIRC the story I read a few days ago.

GM deserves accolades for being the FIRST of those to actually do what the autonomous cheering section claims is their goal--no driver. So why keep the extra parts for a driver if the vehicle if there is not to be a driver?

Like a couple others on here, I recall the Popular Science mags and others in the 50s and 60s who promised flying cars, self-driving cars, cars that washed themselves, repaired their own engines, etc., from decades ago. Still waitin'. I'll believe it when I see it.

As to the video's fawning over which vehicles will get the awards at the Detroit International Auto Show, that's a bunch of self-serving folks like the west coast Hollywood types picking awards for themselves and their friends. Who cares which pickup truck gets the award. Or which car?--they predict the Accord. Odd, though, I'm hearing advertisements for Accords on the radio. Honda in the past always self-righteously pointed out how their products were so wonderful when introduced that they didn't have to promote them, rather they had people waiting in line because they started production slowly for some reason making them hard-to-get for the fans. Just my opinion.

I love Honda but they've always been a commodity product to me. I can't understand the craze with the Type R Civic, although at sticker it seems to be a pretty good deal.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tbirdmarco said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=huFo6dVj318

A car without steering wheel or pedals is a crime against nature. Why not just call Uber?

I believe that's the first step in the target market IIRC the story I read a few days ago.

GM deserves accolades for being the FIRST of those to actually do what the autonomous cheering section claims is their goal--no driver. So why keep the extra parts for a driver if the vehicle if there is not to be a driver?

Like a couple others on here, I recall the Popular Science mags and others in the 50s and 60s who promised flying cars, self-driving cars, cars that washed themselves, repaired their own engines, etc., from decades ago. Still waitin'. I'll believe it when I see it.

As to the video's fawning over which vehicles will get the awards at the Detroit International Auto Show, that's a bunch of self-serving folks like the west coast Hollywood types picking awards for themselves and their friends. Who cares which pickup truck gets the award. Or which car?--they predict the Accord. Odd, though, I'm hearing advertisements for Accords on the radio. Honda in the past always self-righteously pointed out how their products were so wonderful when introduced that they didn't have to promote them, rather they had people waiting in line because they started production slowly for some reason making them hard-to-get for the fans. Just my opinion.

I love Honda but they've always been a commodity product to me. I can't understand the craze with the Type R Civic, although at sticker it seems to be a pretty good deal.

My nephew just got a 17 Civic and told me he might get a job in NYC and if he does he'll have to sell it. It's only got 5500 miles. When I heard 5500 miles my knees got weak and things got a little fuzzy.

He say he still owes about $17k. Compareable retail locally ranges from $18-22.

I must be strong.

ab348

abacomike said:

Just got Hep C blood test results - “NO VIRUS DETECTED!”  So that’s two consecutive test results showing no virus.  St the 6-month and one year mark, if no virus detected I am considered cured.

"There's GOOD NEWS tonight!"

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

BMW NA was kind enough to provide us with an entertaining loaner: The big sled repeals the laws of physics- it weighs 5300 pounds yet it runs from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds, takes only 153 feet to stop from 70 mph, and pulls 0.98 g. I floored it to merge onto an interstate, looked down and was already doing 100 mph. Way too much fun...

you can bed the laws of physics, but you can't stop the wear and tear driving 5,300 pounds fast will create on the tires and brake pads. Seems like a good candidate for seeing if you can boil your brake fluid or catch your brakes on fire.

I would think that the engineers would be aware of the forces that the braking system would have to handle and design a system that can handle it. 

imidazol97

abacomike said:

Just got Hep C blood test results - “NO VIRUS DETECTED!”  So that’s two consecutive test results showing no virus.  St the 6-month and one year mark, if no virus detected I am considered cured.

Good news. I think you should celebrate. Maybe a new car? LOL

abacomike

stickguy said:

With the lease he signed up for, even mike might be too buried to get out of this one. A 3 year relationship finally! Well, minus however many months MB offers a pull ahead program for.

Exactly, stick!  Buried is the exact term I’d use to describe my car situation.  The lease was the only way I could drive this car without taking money out of the bank.  I had to do something to stop trading cars every year and this seemed to be the best way to do it.

But the car is totally magnificent. 

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Just got Hep C blood test results - “NO VIRUS DETECTED!”  So that’s two consecutive test results showing no virus.  St the 6-month and one year mark, if no virus detected I am considered cured.

Good news. I think you should celebrate. Maybe a new car? LOL

And what on earth would/should I buy?  There is nothing - I mean nothing - out there that I would lust for after sinking my derrière into the driver’s seat of this S450.  

tbirdmarco

@imidazol97 thanks for the description did not realize!

venture

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

With the lease he signed up for, even mike might be too buried to get out of this one. A 3 year relationship finally! Well, minus however many months MB offers a pull ahead program for.

Exactly, stick!  Buried is the exact term I’d use to describe my car situation.  The lease was the only way I could drive this car without taking money out of the bank.  I had to do something to stop trading cars every year and this seemed to be the best way to do it.

But the car is totally magnificent. 

Very glad to hear about your Hep C results. Great news. I was wondering how it was going.

roadburner

abacomike said:

imidazol97 said:

abacomike said:

Just got Hep C blood test results - “NO VIRUS DETECTED!”  So that’s two consecutive test results showing no virus.  St the 6-month and one year mark, if no virus detected I am considered cured.

Good news. I think you should celebrate. Maybe a new car? LOL

And what on earth would/should I buy?  There is nothing - I mean nothing - out there that I would lust for after sinking my derrière into the driver’s seat of this S450.  

I feel the same way about my M235i; I really can't think of another car that ticks all the boxes for me- except possibly an M2.

tbirdmarco

@abacomike man sorry to hear about the bad news did injoy reading the good news tho! hoping all the best for you man!

cdnpinhead

andres3 said:

Being from Arizona, does it makes sense to you why a rental car from the Phoenix airport might cost 15% more in taxes, concessions, and fees than one from LAX in CA?

Well, LAX is considered one of the least user-friendly airports in the U.S., if not the world, so maybe they're trying to soften that blow. Arizona in general and Phoenix in particular loves to soak tourists, so I'm pretty sure that that's the majority of it.

It's gotten to the point where the charge for the car itself is sometimes less than all the junk charges (concession recovery fee, rental car tax [over and above the sales tax, which is charged separately], rental auto facility charge, state registration fee, and on and on), and every state/city has their own. These examples are from a Twin Cities rental, and as I recall, Chicago's are at least as creative and expensive.

explorerx4

I rented a car a few months ago for a few days and turned down the daily CDW. I think they charged $25 to not take it.

cdnpinhead

Oh yeah, the insurance -- my company has a contract with National that waives all the insurance charges. In the real world the insurance can, and often does, cost more than the daily rental fee, plus all that other stuff I mentioned earlier.

Renting a car often makes sense, but the charge that's listed in the internet page often doesn't look much like what you end up paying when you turn the thing in.

Caveat emptor.

driver100

About car rentals:
Does anyone do that deal where you pay for the gas up front so you don't have to try and find a gas station and then fill the car up with gas before you turn it in.
Has anyone ever come out ahead in that scam?
I guess it works well if you are on a company expense plan and you are in a rush to get to the airport.
I mean. how do you bring the car back on an empty tank to actually come out ahead?

driver100

bwia said:

Perhaps Ghana is not known for its affluence and car culture but I was awestruck by the number of high end luxury automobiles at the parking lot at the Accra Polo Club. To the best of my knowledge, Ghana is not an oil producing state but that opulent lifestyle rivals even the oil barons on Banana Island in neighboring Nigeria.

That is probably foreign aid money at work.

Surprising how many luxury cars you see in St Petersburg Russia....I would say 1/3, the rest are Ladas. Corrupt governments make sure they pay themselves first and well (probably almost all government).

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

About car rentals:
Does anyone do that deal where you pay for the gas up front so you don't have to try and find a gas station and then fill the car up with gas before you turn it in.
Has anyone ever come out ahead in that scam?
I guess it works well if you are on a company expense plan and you are in a rush to get to the airport.
I mean. how do you bring the car back on an empty tank to actually come out ahead?

In my limited experience renting cars in Florida I always note the first gas station I see on the way out from the airport and then stop there on the way back. Gassing yourself cost half as much.

If you're spending the company's money...who cares?

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

Oh yeah, the insurance -- my company has a contract with National that waives all the insurance charges. In the real world the insurance can, and often does, cost more than the daily rental fee, plus all that other stuff I mentioned earlier.

Renting a car often makes sense, but the charge that's listed in the internet page often doesn't look much like what you end up paying when you turn the thing in.

Caveat emptor.

Don't most credit cards have insurance to cover that? Anybody ever have to use that feature? Did it pay for everything?

houdini1

andres3 said:

cdnpinhead said:

OF -- So far as I know, you and I are among the few on this board who have actually been paid to drive, in my case for over two years and $160K (the truck had to be paid from that). Either way, I'll be very interested in hearing how it goes with Enterprise (part of the same company that runs National, BTW). Moving cars around and getting paid for it would work for me in a few years.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Being from Arizona, does it makes sense to you why a rental car from the Phoenix airport might cost 15% more in taxes, concessions, and fees than one from LAX in CA?

It is easier for the politicians to get the voters to approve tax increases that are primarily paid by someone who is not a resident. Very insidious.

houdini1

driver100 said:

bwia said:

Perhaps Ghana is not known for its affluence and car culture but I was awestruck by the number of high end luxury automobiles at the parking lot at the Accra Polo Club. To the best of my knowledge, Ghana is not an oil producing state but that opulent lifestyle rivals even the oil barons on Banana Island in neighboring Nigeria.

That is probably foreign aid money at work.

Surprising how many luxury cars you see in St Petersburg Russia....I would say 1/3, the rest are Ladas. Corrupt governments make sure they pay themselves first and well (probably almost all government).

Foreign aid--Where the poor people in a rich country send money to the rich people in a poor country.

fintail

I've never prepaid for fuel in a rental car, but when in Europe I buy the insurance - peace of mind for driving someone else's expensive car 5000 miles from home - I don't want the hassle of a claims issue from such a distance, and I know they are much more particular about damage there than here. It was around $20/day - the car I ended up with was around $100K, so I didn't mind.

I've had one incident in a rental where I had credit card insurance, but nothing happened. In Atlanta, I had a rental Impala (lowest mileage rental I've ever had, 4 miles on the clock when I picked it up). That night, it received a hit and run scrape in the hotel parking lot - no serious damage, but a visible mark on the fender, and the inner fender was a little loose. I called the credit card and notified the rental agency (I think it was Thrifty) when I turned it in. I never heard a word back.

fintail

Reminds me of our tax breaks for 100K EVs.

In my area we have plenty of rich people from less developed areas, as residency in Murka can be bought like (as a) house.

houdini1 said:

Foreign aid--Where the poor people in a rich country send money to the rich people in a poor country.

graphicguy

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

We had a normal winter storm blow into SW Ohio. The media, like they do everything, over hyped it for days. Some folks were actually scared this could be the blizzard of 2018. We got 2 inches. 20 miles SE of here on the other side
of Dayton got maybe 3. So tired of the over hyping by the weather folks.

Some icing under the snow freezing as the temps dropped had a lot of the speeding semis heading for Columbus which won't slow down for anything on I70 ending up jack knifing. At least that slowed them down. LOL

I hesitate to even complain with the wild fires in CA and the resultant mudslides. I would just like to see realistic forecasts without the tight excited voices pitching how awful it's going to be.

Now back to cars.

Haven’t had to charge my wireless electric snow blower in over 90 minutes of use. Powerful, too. This is the future of my yard tools. No gas. No cords. No maintenance.

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

We had a normal winter storm blow into SW Ohio. The media, like they do everything, over hyped it for days. Some folks were actually scared this could be the blizzard of 2018. We got 2 inches. 20 miles SE of here on the other side
of Dayton got maybe 3. So tired of the over hyping by the weather folks.

Some icing under the snow freezing as the temps dropped had a lot of the speeding semis heading for Columbus which won't slow down for anything on I70 ending up jack knifing. At least that slowed them down. LOL

I hesitate to even complain with the wild fires in CA and the resultant mudslides. I would just like to see realistic forecasts without the tight excited voices pitching how awful it's going to be.

Now back to cars.

Haven’t had to charge my wireless electric snow blower in over 90 minutes of use. Powerful, too. This is the future of my yard tools. No gas. No cords. No maintenance.

How many inches of snow can it handle?

How much snow can it handle? Not sure. So far, it’s handled about 3 inches. Got hit again last night. Off work today, so will tackle it here in a little bit as there’s about 5 inches on the ground. Will let you know.

3 in. is not bad for battery power.

Houdini.....used the electric snow blower yesterday for about 45 minutes. Snow was around 5”. No issues at all. So, I’ve used it for about 90 mins total and still have not recharged it.

It threw the snow a good 6-7 feet. Didn’t bog....at all.

It’s made mostly of plastic vs metal, which I’m sure was done to save weight. So, I’m curious about it being as durable as my old all metal Toro snow blower (which lasted a dozen years).

Aside from that, so far-so good!

graphicguy

Acura fan WEB Sites were all over that RDX video. What really has their hearts a-flutter is the return of both A Spec and S-Type models, presumably for the TLX. And, their hope/belief that the new V6 Turbo will be available in one, or both.

I like that RDX. Stick, as you say, wondering what pricing will look like. That’s a pretty big jump in technology from where the current RDX resides. That all has to cost something.

Also, looks like the RDX “stole” the sport seats from the TLX A-Spec. They are indeed, excellent.

graphicguy

I was impressed by the Avalon I drove last year. I thought for the money, you’d be hard pressed to find a luxury car that did everything as well as that Avalon.

That said, someone needs to tell Toyota that the grill is as fugly as they come. They need to stop using that on their Lexus/Toyota vehicles.....immediately.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tbirdmarco said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=huFo6dVj318

A car without steering wheel or pedals is a crime against nature. Why not just call Uber?

I believe that's the first step in the target market IIRC the story I read a few days ago.

GM deserves accolades for being the FIRST of those to actually do what the autonomous cheering section claims is their goal--no driver. So why keep the extra parts for a driver if the vehicle if there is not to be a driver?

Like a couple others on here, I recall the Popular Science mags and others in the 50s and 60s who promised flying cars, self-driving cars, cars that washed themselves, repaired their own engines, etc., from decades ago. Still waitin'. I'll believe it when I see it.

As to the video's fawning over which vehicles will get the awards at the Detroit International Auto Show, that's a bunch of self-serving folks like the west coast Hollywood types picking awards for themselves and their friends. Who cares which pickup truck gets the award. Or which car?--they predict the Accord. Odd, though, I'm hearing advertisements for Accords on the radio. Honda in the past always self-righteously pointed out how their products were so wonderful when introduced that they didn't have to promote them, rather they had people waiting in line because they started production slowly for some reason making them hard-to-get for the fans. Just my opinion.

I love Honda but they've always been a commodity product to me. I can't understand the craze with the Type R Civic, although at sticker it seems to be a pretty good deal.

My nephew just got a 17 Civic and told me he might get a job in NYC and if he does he'll have to sell it. It's only got 5500 miles. When I heard 5500 miles my knees got weak and things got a little fuzzy.

He say he still owes about $17k. Compareable retail locally ranges from $18-22.

I must be strong.

OH MAN....we’d love to see you in a Honda product here. You should at least test drive it!

LOL!

graphicguy

driver100 said:

About car rentals:
Does anyone do that deal where you pay for the gas up front so you don't have to try and find a gas station and then fill the car up with gas before you turn it in.
Has anyone ever come out ahead in that scam?
I guess it works well if you are on a company expense plan and you are in a rush to get to the airport.
I mean. how do you bring the car back on an empty tank to actually come out ahead?

Driver...that’s the only way it works. My company doesn’t mind taking the gas plan, but it’s never a good idea, unless as you say, you’re in a hurry to get back to the airport and plan not to be able to refuel before hand.

My company issues corporate credit cards, but I use mine to accumulate points. Whenever the rental companies ask me to take their insurance, I tell them my AMEX covers me. They say their insurnace is better. When I corner them and ask them how it’s better, the counter agent gives me the “deer in the headlight” look!

I think Rental Car companies are an endangered species, unless they start their own Uber/Lyft services. I probably only rent ⅓ of the cars today as I did just 18 months ago.

stickguy

Thanks GG. I don’t think pricing will change much. Really can’t IMO. Plus the current one is really overpriced now. But huge tech increase here. This car might be perfect for us if we want to splurge. Eventually.

28firefighter

I really like the look of the new RDX.

stickguy

The comment my wife made was the front end looked normal. IOW not like a Lexus. She really does not care for that look.

ab348

stickguy said:

The comment my wife made was the front end looked normal. IOW not like a Lexus. She really does not care for that look.

I'm conflicted on that. I hated the early versions of the beak-nose but the final iterations didn't look bad. I find their new beakless nose rather dull and characterless. Almost old-fashioned.

stickguy

I think they are attractive, and classy. If nothing else, should age well. I am more interested in the interior though, and that looks like a home run.

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

Acura fan WEB Sites were all over that RDX video. What really has their hearts a-flutter is the return of both A Spec and S-Type models, presumably for the TLX. And, their hope/belief that the new V6 Turbo will be available in one, or both.

I like that RDX. Stick, as you say, wondering what pricing will look like. That’s a pretty big jump in technology from where the current RDX resides. That all has to cost something.

Also, looks like the RDX “stole” the sport seats from the TLX A-Spec. They are indeed, excellent.

No pricing yet on the new RDX.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

BMW NA was kind enough to provide us with an entertaining loaner:

The big sled repeals the laws of physics- it weighs 5300 pounds yet it runs from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds, takes only 153 feet to stop from 70 mph, and pulls 0.98 g. I floored it to merge onto an interstate, looked down and was already doing 100 mph.
Way too much fun...

you can bed the laws of physics, but you can't stop the wear and tear driving 5,300 pounds fast will create on the tires and brake pads.

Seems like a good candidate for seeing if you can boil your brake fluid or catch your brakes on fire.

I would think that the engineers would be aware of the forces that the braking system would have to handle and design a system that can handle it. 

Yes, but they are designing for the usual buyer of such a beast. The trophy wife or soccer mom. I suppose some men that have kids will settle for a fast SUV.

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

Oh yeah, the insurance -- my company has a contract with National that waives all the insurance charges. In the real world the insurance can, and often does, cost more than the daily rental fee, plus all that other stuff I mentioned earlier.

Renting a car often makes sense, but the charge that's listed in the internet page often doesn't look much like what you end up paying when you turn the thing in.

Caveat emptor.

Don't most credit cards have insurance to cover that? Anybody ever have to use that feature? Did it pay for everything?

Credit car insurance for a rental car can be TRICKY---most credit card companies only offer secondary insurance, not primary. A few offer primary, which is good because then you can bypass your insurance company altogether.

Typically not covered are liability and injury concerns, such as damage to property other than the rental car, people you hurt and related lawsuits. But many people have those coverages elsewhere.

You can call up the credit card company to find out exactly what they are offering you.

houdini1

graphicguy said:

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

We had a normal winter storm blow into SW Ohio. The media, like they do everything, over hyped it for days. Some folks were actually scared this could be the blizzard of 2018. We got 2 inches. 20 miles SE of here on the other side
of Dayton got maybe 3. So tired of the over hyping by the weather folks.

Some icing under the snow freezing as the temps dropped had a lot of the speeding semis heading for Columbus which won't slow down for anything on I70 ending up jack knifing. At least that slowed them down. LOL

I hesitate to even complain with the wild fires in CA and the resultant mudslides. I would just like to see realistic forecasts without the tight excited voices pitching how awful it's going to be.

Now back to cars.

Haven’t had to charge my wireless electric snow blower in over 90 minutes of use. Powerful, too. This is the future of my yard tools. No gas. No cords. No maintenance.

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

We had a normal winter storm blow into SW Ohio. The media, like they do everything, over hyped it for days. Some folks were actually scared this could be the blizzard of 2018. We got 2 inches. 20 miles SE of here on the other side
of Dayton got maybe 3. So tired of the over hyping by the weather folks.

Some icing under the snow freezing as the temps dropped had a lot of the speeding semis heading for Columbus which won't slow down for anything on I70 ending up jack knifing. At least that slowed them down. LOL

I hesitate to even complain with the wild fires in CA and the resultant mudslides. I would just like to see realistic forecasts without the tight excited voices pitching how awful it's going to be.

Now back to cars.

Haven’t had to charge my wireless electric snow blower in over 90 minutes of use. Powerful, too. This is the future of my yard tools. No gas. No cords. No maintenance.

How many inches of snow can it handle?

How much snow can it handle? Not sure. So far, it’s handled about 3 inches. Got hit again last night. Off work today, so will tackle it here in a little bit as there’s about 5 inches on the ground. Will let you know.

3 in. is not bad for battery power.

Houdini.....used the electric snow blower yesterday for about 45 minutes. Snow was around 5”. No issues at all. So, I’ve used it for about 90 mins total and still have not recharged it.

It threw the snow a good 6-7 feet. Didn’t bog....at all.

It’s made mostly of plastic vs metal, which I’m sure was done to save weight. So, I’m curious about it being as durable as my old all metal Toro snow blower (which lasted a dozen years).

Aside from that, so far-so good!

Thx GG, what brand is it? Sorry if I missed that in earlier post.

andres3

houdini1 said:

andres3 said:

cdnpinhead said:

OF -- So far as I know, you and I are among the few on this board who have actually been paid to drive, in my case for over two years and $160K (the truck had to be paid from that). Either way, I'll be very interested in hearing how it goes with Enterprise (part of the same company that runs National, BTW). Moving cars around and getting paid for it would work for me in a few years.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Being from Arizona, does it makes sense to you why a rental car from the Phoenix airport might cost 15% more in taxes, concessions, and fees than one from LAX in CA?

It is easier for the politicians to get the voters to approve tax increases that are primarily paid by someone who is not a resident. Very insidious.

It really is. And that kind of insidiousness is contagious, so you don't really come out ahead as other Cities will follow suit. I'm glad my home of San Diego rejected a fee and tax increase to tourists (hotel tax increase) that would have kept the Chargers here. I guess the SD Chargers thought taxing "other people" would be a way to get their Stadium funded. Voters rejected them (perhaps due to their lousy performance year after year).

andres3

driver100 said:

About car rentals:
Does anyone do that deal where you pay for the gas up front so you don't have to try and find a gas station and then fill the car up with gas before you turn it in.
Has anyone ever come out ahead in that scam?
I guess it works well if you are on a company expense plan and you are in a rush to get to the airport.
I mean. how do you bring the car back on an empty tank to actually come out ahead?

You can't come out ahead unless you value your time. If you put the value of your time high enough, I suppose saving a trip to the gas station could make you come out ahead.

The best deal I've seen on gas usage is Silvercar at a $5 fee plus $5/gallon.

dino001

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

Oh yeah, the insurance -- my company has a contract with National that waives all the insurance charges. In the real world the insurance can, and often does, cost more than the daily rental fee, plus all that other stuff I mentioned earlier.

Renting a car often makes sense, but the charge that's listed in the internet page often doesn't look much like what you end up paying when you turn the thing in.

Caveat emptor.

Don't most credit cards have insurance to cover that? Anybody ever have to use that feature? Did it pay for everything?

Credit car insurance for a rental car can be TRICKY---most credit card companies only offer secondary insurance, not primary. A few offer primary, which is good because then you can bypass your insurance company altogether.

Typically not covered are liability and injury concerns, such as damage to property other than the rental car, people you hurt and related lawsuits. But many people have those coverages elsewhere.

You can call up the credit card company to find out exactly what they are offering you.

You're covered for liability from your own car insurance, if you have one, within the US and Canada. Not Mexico. Coverage overseas varies, depending on the country. Sometimes it's mandatory rolled already into the rate, sometimes there is some "minimum liability" coverage and opportunity to buy it up, just like here.

I talked once to a rental guy, how it works if you don't have your own liability insurance (e.g. don't own a car) for rentals in the US. They'll pay to the claimant up to state minimum limits (they are self-insured), but they will then turn around and attempt to recover it from you. Whatever remains on the claim, may also be sued against you directly.
That's why they may demand a buy up from people coming from overseas (or have different rates for them vs. the American customers), as such recovery may be much more difficult.

The damage to the rental car is a different story. The worst deal is of course Damage Waiver from the rental company. It's such a ripoff that it may be OK for a day or two, but not for week or two vacation. Again, if you have your own car insurance with collision/comprehensive, it transfers. As you mentioned, credit card coverage, if offered, usually works in excess of your transferred car coverage (secondary) in the US and as primary coverage outside (often including Canada). Then Amex offers a separate flat-fee primary insurance on rentals (for collision/comprehensive events, not liability) as an add-on (automatic, if you activate it), for something like 20+ bucks each rental. Good deal on over week rentals, terrible deal on one-day rentals.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

Oh yeah, the insurance -- my company has a contract with National that waives all the insurance charges. In the real world the insurance can, and often does, cost more than the daily rental fee, plus all that other stuff I mentioned earlier.

Renting a car often makes sense, but the charge that's listed in the internet page often doesn't look much like what you end up paying when you turn the thing in.

Caveat emptor.

Don't most credit cards have insurance to cover that? Anybody ever have to use that feature? Did it pay for everything?

Credit car insurance for a rental car can be TRICKY---most credit card companies only offer secondary insurance, not primary. A few offer primary, which is good because then you can bypass your insurance company altogether.

Typically not covered are liability and injury concerns, such as damage to property other than the rental car, people you hurt and related lawsuits. But many people have those coverages elsewhere.

You can call up the credit card company to find out exactly what they are offering you.

Or read the fine print, but who has time for that! I would just cross your fingers and hope for the best, and if the time ever comes to deal with a claim, you deal with it then. I find my claims to days of life ratio is so low, the chances of needing it during a 1 day or even 1-week rental to be too low to bother.

stickguy

I know one of my miles cards (maybe United) I got not long ago had big bold language in the stuff that came with it telling you to decline CDW since the card covered it.

Ireland, that was a different story. though after getting home, and researching more, I think they would have covered it too. Over there, it is a miracle to not get damage (apparently they have a big box at the returns lot for broken mirrors), though I managed to avoid any. So they really put the scare tactics on. I caved, and IIRC all that cost more than the rental itself. Oh well.

pensfan83

graphicguy said:

Acura fan WEB Sites were all over that RDX video. What really has their hearts a-flutter is the return of both A Spec and S-Type models, presumably for the TLX. And, their hope/belief that the new V6 Turbo will be available in one, or both.

I like that RDX. Stick, as you say, wondering what pricing will look like. That’s a pretty big jump in technology from where the current RDX resides. That all has to cost something.

Also, looks like the RDX “stole” the sport seats from the TLX A-Spec. They are indeed, excellent.

Beat me to it...was going to ask your reaction to Acura's statements. Having a Type S variant with a TT V6 would have my attention My car will just be coming off lease around the time everyone thinks the next gen TLX will be on the market. From my experience so far I wouldn't have any objections to staying in an Acura, especially if it's a new model.

oldfarmer50

Anybody ever get a lease like this?

Chrysler Pacifica $199/mo. $3k down plus taxes and fees. 27 months and 5000 mile per year. Always thought a real low mile lease might make sense but could never find one.

Offer came from local dealer.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Anybody ever get a lease like this?

Chrysler Pacifica $199/mo. $3k down plus taxes and fees. 27 months and 5000 mile per year. Always thought a real low mile lease might make sense but could never find one.

Offer came from local dealer.

That's really $299/mo when you amortize the $3K down

Probably a local bank

dino001

stickguy said:

I know one of my miles cards (maybe United) I got not long ago had big bold language in the stuff that came with it telling you to decline CDW since the card covered it.

Ireland, that was a different story. though after getting home, and researching more, I think they would have covered it too. Over there, it is a miracle to not get damage (apparently they have a big box at the returns lot for broken mirrors), though I managed to avoid any. So they really put the scare tactics on. I caved, and IIRC all that cost more than the rental itself. Oh well.

There are some countries excluded, usually war zones (Israel), "rouge" type countries (Iran, N. Korea), or those with weird laws (New Zealand). It's always good to call first to make sure.

jmonroe

houdini1 said:

driver100 said:

bwia said:

Perhaps Ghana is not known for its affluence and car culture but I was awestruck by the number of high end luxury automobiles at the parking lot at the Accra Polo Club. To the best of my knowledge, Ghana is not an oil producing state but that opulent lifestyle rivals even the oil barons on Banana Island in neighboring Nigeria.

That is probably foreign aid money at work.

Surprising how many luxury cars you see in St Petersburg Russia....I would say 1/3, the rest are Ladas. Corrupt governments make sure they pay themselves first and well (probably almost all government).

Foreign aid--Where the poor people in a rich country send money to the rich people in a poor country.

Not to change the subject but I almost had a good deal for you on a battery powered snow blower:

As I was whisking away about 4 inches of snow from my driveway this morning with my Sears 22 inch 3 HP gas powered snow blower (20 years old), my across the street neighbor came over and said, "for years I have watched you use that thing so I finally decided to get a snow blower but mine doesn't seem to be as powerful as yours. Mine is a brand new 40 volt electric job and so far I'm not too pleased with it". I asked him what was wrong with it and he said it didn't throw the snow as far as mine. I asked him if he adjusted the chute properly and he said he played with it several times and it's adjusted as best as he could get it. I then asked him if he waxed the chute. I got one of the "huh" looks. I told him to wait a minute and I went into my garage and got my can of silicon spray. That improved the operation but still not as good as what my old beauty does. I told him to keep the can which was about 1/3 full and he offered to buy it. I told him I had 2 more unopened cans in my garage so, "don't worry about it".

I think he said he paid around 500 bucks for it and at one point during his frustration he said, "for 5 bucks I'd sell this thing". I offered him 10 if he threw in my used can of silicon spray and he gave me one of those looks then said, "I'll bet you would too". :@

I tried but I think that deal is dead but if he changes his mind I'll have a slightly used, almost powerful enough, 40 volt snow blower that I can sell to my poster buddy for only 200 bucks.

jmonroe