Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

fintail

I wonder about those stats - do they mean savings accounts, or retirement savings accounts? Counting them as the same, or different? I suppose it could be either, considering data on what amount of stock/securities are owned by what percentage of people. And of course, it is the best when one can save with parental largesse.

I don't keep a lot in a savings account, as the interest rates don't even pace inflation. I'd rather invest it even in a simple Vanguard fund - I can have the money tomorrow if I really need it, and am at least not losing money over time.

I see the "casino" comment still draws a little umbrage, too. I will stand by it - one is gambling in terms of having perfect information, and in terms of social or socio-economic security or evolution. I think the next few decades are going to see some significant changes on many fronts, which will impact retirement planning for those not lucky enough to have a subsidized pension.

driver100 said:

Stick and Ex, I was reading an article about how little Canadians save for retirement. A large percentage have saved nothing. But, even worse, much worse in the US. I found this statement shocking;

"According to the Economic Policy Institute, almost half of U.S. families have no savings at all, the median amount is US$5,000 and the median for U.S. families with savings is just US$60,000"

So yes, starting a retirement plan is a great idea.

cdnpinhead

explorerx4 said:

Thinking Vanguard Wellington.

I've kept most of my "rainy day" money in Wellington since about 2004, and the 10-year average return has varied from 4.8 to 11.1%, presently at about 7.5%, where it's been for about the last two years.

abacomike

driver100 said:

Going to the MB service department this morning.  They are replacing the right wiper arm.  They said it shouldn’t take more than an hour.  The windshield washer fluid is deposited on the windshield through outlets in the wiper arm so as to eliminate the spray nozzle and more efficiently wash the windshield.  Problem is that it isn’t working the way it was designed to operate.  

There is a heating element in the wiper arm as well to prevent icing in northern climates.  Nice feature when it’s working properly.

Be sure to turn on that heater in the wiper arm when it's below 50 deg F there in FL. It's 13 here this morning. Hopefully the last of the colder mornings as the sun marches north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Yeh, I hope he gets it fixed before the first snowfall.

I’m rushing them - ya never know.  I’ve used the heated seats several times this year.  January was very cold (relatively speaking, that is).  February has been very warm - 80’s most days.  Been running the AC at home and in the car lately.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

Been running the AC at home and in the car lately.

Now that really makes me feel bad.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Been running the AC at home and in the car lately.

Now that really makes me feel bad.

Imid, it is what it is!  Highs are in the mid 80’s and lows in the low to mid 70’s at night.  Very balmy for this time of year.  Sorry, but I keep the thermostat in the condo at 76 by day and 74 at night.  During the summer months, I keep it set at 77 days and 75-76 at night.

28firefighter

Any of my Eagles buddies at the parade today?!

I had tickets booked to fly home Monday for the parade, assuming it was going to be Tuesday or Wednesday. When they pushed the parade Thursday, I had to bail.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Any of my Eagles buddies at the parade today?!

I had tickets booked to fly home Monday for the parade, assuming it was going to be Tuesday or Wednesday. When they pushed the parade Thursday, I had to bail.

Wondering if the attendance today will exceed that of Chicago when the Cubs won....

driver100

fintail said:

I wonder about those stats - do they mean savings accounts, or retirement savings accounts?

Maybe this gives a better picture;

Median Retirement Savings By Age
plan for median retirement savings

According to this governmental report, the median retirement savings by age for Americans is:

Americans in their 20s: $16,000
Americans in their 30s: $45,000
Americans in their 40s: $63,000
Americans in their 50s: $117,000
Americans in their 60s: $172,000


Maybe when you average in the people with no retirement savings, 1/3rd, it brings the totals down.

FULL REPORT

stickguy

Looks crowded there. Royally screwed up transit systems. Basically shut down companies in center city, because normal workers just can’t get in.

graphicguy

I have a colleague who lives in the Bay Area, CA. His wife insisted on getting all Sub Zero appliances. I was talking to him last night asking him how he liked the Sub Zero. He said it’s troublesome and very expensive to fix out of warranty. Plus, it cost about 3X of the “regular” brands we’re taling about here.

Went to look at some fridges last night. Went to one local place who also installed my HVAC system a few years back. They did a great job and I haven’t had one iota of a problem since they did the work. They sell appliances, too. Good prices, too. Unfortunately, the one they had I really liked (GE 4 door) won’t fit. It’s about ½” too wide. And, it was their last one so they had it marked down to less than $1,500. Too bad....I liked it a lot.

They had some other GEs there. But for reasons they can’t explain, they are back ordered on all the other ones I liked.

Went to Lowes. Not a sales person in sight after being there about 20 minutes. Home Depot had a Sales Person that was more interested in telling me about his woeful work history and how he’s “stuck” taking the Home Depot job. See ‘ya later!

Believe it or not, Best Buy had the most knowledgeable and friendly sales person I came across.

They’re all pretty close on price. Some places deliver for free, but charge an installation feel. Some are just the opposite...they charge for delivery but don’t charge for set up.

Went to Sears.....just because. Man, is that place sad. No one in the store. Appliance dept could have used a coat of paint and a good floor mopping...fixtures were broken. Sales person wasn’t bad. They were “ok” on price, but way high on delivery and installation. That’s really too bad.

suydam

That was my experience with the Sears here too. I think they aren’t long for the market. I also had a very good experience with Best Buy. That company really turned itself around, so maybe Sears could too with the right leadership.

28firefighter

@michaell - they're expecting between 2 million and 3 million people today. Probably closer to 3 million.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

@michaell - they're expecting between 2 million and 3 million people today. Probably closer to 3 million.

Yikes! Should be a good time, however, for those who attend.

driver100

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

@michaell - they're expecting between 2 million and 3 million people today. Probably closer to 3 million.

Yikes! Should be a good time, however, for those who attend.

I would never go to a parade or homecoming for any sport even no matter where I lived. Maybe I am a grinch, but I see very little value of what I would get out of it compared to the hassle of going.

btw....it was a great game, great effort, awesome to watch....I wouldn't need to see them return. And I don't need to see store windows broken and cars turned over

suydam

If Cleveland won the World Series, wild horses couldn’t keep me away. It would be so awesome to share the joy.

ab348

suydam said:

That was my experience with the Sears here too. I think they aren’t long for the market. I also had a very good experience with Best Buy. That company really turned itself around, so maybe Sears could too with the right leadership.

Well, Sears Canada (a separate company, with the US firm owning a partial share) went bankrupt with the last stores closing last month. They're all gone.

I used to buy a fair amount from them. They had a very nice home furnishings store not far from where I worked and I bought several pieces there, along with all of the appliances for my kitchen. About 3-4 years ago things began to change and they closed that store down, along with the regular store that was closest to where I live more recently. I also used to buy things from them via their website which used to work quite well. Then a year or two ago they rolled out a new website and nothing worked right. It showed all sorts of products they didn't have in stock and which were a long time from being delivered, which probably killed its use. Probably some genius decided to reduce their inventory on hand by ordering on demand from their suppliers. Dumb move.

jmonroe

suydam said:

If Cleveland won the World Series, wild horses couldn’t keep me away. It would be so awesome to share the joy.

Man, I can't imagine what it would take to keep you away from a Browns Super Bowl parade. Maybe a showroom full of Vettes.

Call me a wimp but I never went to a Steelers Super Bowl parade but I had season tickets for all 6 off those seasons. Too cold and you can see it better on TV anyway.

About those crowd estimates, they are always very inflated. When I have heard those estimates for the Steelers parades and more recently the Penguins parades I know they are wacky. There ain't that many people that live around here. Sorta like the number of people that claim they were at the Steelers Immaculate Reception game in 1972. If you stood on a street corner in downtown Pittsburgh and asked passersby if they were there, you'd get 400K yes's, yet Three Rivers Stadium only had 50,350 seats. I was in one of them but I can't prove it. Even my Sons say, "prove it, show me your ticket stub". I didn't save it so I guess I'm just another yapper.

jmonroe

suydam

Not a Browns fan. That’s a level of suffering too deep for me.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

Went to Lowes. Not a sales person in sight after being there about 20 minutes.

I hope you looked at the floor stock at Lowes. I found they were best at service but in the evening some stores have cut way back on people on the floor. Try them during the day when the customer assistance folks are there.

Home Depots brands were often modified from the standard items making them hard to compare to the similar model numbers at other stores. E.G., the dishwasher had epoxy coated racks while the similar model number did not.

My Best Buy days are over after too many poor experiences in their stores. They closed one in our area.

stickguy

we have the TV on, which of course is just showing the parade on every station. Based on the masses of people the entire route, and the incredible throng at the end where they are talking, the estimate is real if you count everyone along the way.

I would never want to deal with that craziness. Plus, I always wonder where the heck do they all go to the bathroom!

we went out at lunch and drove past the 2 local train stations that were open this morning, and there were cars parked everywhere. spilled over into shopping center lots, and all over the local streets. Cars everywhere.

jmonroe

ab348 said:

suydam said:

That was my experience with the Sears here too. I think they aren’t long for the market. I also had a very good experience with Best Buy. That company really turned itself around, so maybe Sears could too with the right leadership.

Well, Sears Canada (a separate company, with the US firm owning a partial share) went bankrupt with the last stores closing last month. They're all gone.

I used to buy a fair amount from them. They had a very nice home furnishings store not far from where I worked and I bought several pieces there, along with all of the appliances for my kitchen. About 3-4 years ago things began to change and they closed that store down, along with the regular store that was closest to where I live more recently. I also used to buy things from them via their website which used to work quite well. Then a year or two ago they rolled out a new website and nothing worked right. It showed all sorts of products they didn't have in stock and which were a long time from being delivered, which probably killed its use. Probably some genius decided to reduce their inventory on hand by ordering on demand from their suppliers. Dumb move.

We have had good experiences with Sears too. In our second house, about 1990, they repaired at no charge an electric range that was around 6 months out of warranty because of a bad control panel. Fast forward to 2010 when we redid the kitchen in our 4th house (still there). Bought all of our kitchen appliances at Sears, Samsung fridge, LG microwave and a Kenmore range and dishwasher. The dishwasher went bad because of the touch panel about 3 months after the 1 year warranty period . I called the national service number and was pretty much told to go pound sand because I didn't get the extended warranty. I called the store and wanted to speck with the store manager but got his secretary and she tossed me to the appliance dept. I figured what the hell. Told the salesman that answered (not mine, he was off that day) and he told me he'd pass on my complaint to the dept. manager when he came in later that day. I figured that was the end of that but he called me and looks up my order and told me I was a good customer and to come in and pick out another dishwasher of our choice. Gave us the full price including tax. Got a Samsung because it had real buttons vs. the touch panel. Mrs. j talked me into getting the extended warranty on it and it came in handy within the 4 year extended warranty period when it needed a pump assembly. In fact, they had to replace that twice. The second one a little more than a month after the first.

I'm sorry to see that Sears is going to bite the dust because they were always more than fair with me.

FWIW, my experiences with kitchen appliances is that dishwashers are the most trouble prone and are the only appliances that I will get an extended warranty for. I even bought the dishwasher extended-extended warranty a couple years ago after some negotiating when they called because I didn't fall for their first and second mailed offer.

jmonroe

jmonroe

stickguy said:

we have the TV on, which of course is just showing the parade on every station. Based on the masses of people the entire route, and the incredible throng at the end where they are talking, the estimate is real if you count everyone along the way.

I would never want to deal with that craziness. Plus, I always wonder where the heck do they all go to the bathroom!

we went out at lunch and drove past the 2 local train stations that were open this morning, and there were cars parked everywhere. spilled over into shopping center lots, and all over the local streets. Cars everywhere.

About that bathroom thingy. Maybe they do what I heard they do in Times Square Station on New Years Eve. They wear adult diapers. Honest, I heard that again this past New Years from the network folks. That'll be the day.

jmonroe

28firefighter

They said that there were only 850 porta-potties along the entire parade route. There were 3000 when the Pope was in town.

cdnpinhead

ab348 said:

Well, Sears Canada (a separate company, with the US firm owning a partial share) went bankrupt with the last stores closing last month. They're all gone.

When I was living in Canada Simpson Sears was the name, and the stores inside looked pretty much like a walk through the U.S. stores. I've lost track of what has happened with Sears Canada over the past couple of decades.

What's certain is that "solid as Sears" has left my lexicon.

cdnpinhead

28firefighter said:

They said that there were only 850 porta-potties along the entire parade route. There were 3000 when the Pope was in town.

Who was full of what may be a factor.

stickguy

every bar anywhere near there is making a killing today.

imidazol97

Our morning talk show babbling head told the max estimate of folks turning out for the parade and told the number of porta johns in place. IIRC the number was on the order of 1 per 30,000 people.

suydam

You know we’re old when that’s the first thing we think about!

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Kind of a different topic.
Want to start one of my kids investing, nut nothing crazy.
They are old enough to do what they want with any money I send them.
Thinking Vanguard Wellington. $500 initial investment plus another $100 to use toward $50 a month investment on a recurring basis.
If they show me they are set up for that, I'll give them another $500 to cover the rest of the year.
Then I can give them enough to cover the annual investment every year.

Wellington is a nice fund (I own it myself) about 1/3 bonds and 2/3 stocks. One that I chose for my kids was the Vanguard STAR fund ($1000 min.) a blend of 7 other Vandguard funds. Maximum diversity.

oldfarmer50

We were delivering some cars to a local Ford dealer today and I saw this on the showroom floor:



It's a 2017 Shelby super snake 750hp.

$99k sticker with (get this) A $21k ADM for a total of $120,000!

Are they kidding?

oldfarmer50

We were delivering some cars to a local Ford dealer today and I saw this on the showroom floor:



It's a 2017 Shelby super snake 750hp.

$99k sticker with (get this) A $21k ADM for a total of $120,000!

Are they kidding?

stickguy

well, it is a 2017 still sitting there, so the market certainly thinks so. Not like you could drive that car up your way this time of year. Might as well let it sit inside at the dealers.

I assume they want to keep it as a conversation piece, and use it to help sell GTs. But, if someone wants to pay the premium, they would move it.

offer them flat sticker, writing a check on the spot, and see what they say!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

well, it is a 2017 still sitting there, so the market certainly thinks so. Not like you could drive that car up your way this time of year. Might as well let it sit inside at the dealers.

I assume they want to keep it as a conversation piece, and use it to help sell GTs. But, if someone wants to pay the premium, they would move it.

offer them flat sticker, writing a check on the spot, and see what they say!

Oh, I was thinking of bringing a shopping bag full of hundreds!

Actually what I would really like was the Ford GT (not Mustang GT) that was sitting right next to it. No sticker or price on that one. I guess if you have to ask......

roadburner

I had my annual checkup a couple of days ago; my doctor is a true car nut- he has a GT500, GT350, and a Z06, not to mention a Factory Five Cobra he's building. Anyway, last year he bought $200 worth of raffle tickets to support the Carroll Shelby Museum- and won a GT350R...

ab348

The local Ford dealer that is authorized to sell Shelbys has had the same half-dozen 2017s in stock for over a year. I think they might still have a couple of new 2016s also.

stickguy

Road, that is really a case of life not being fair.

nyccarguy

oldfarmer50 said:

We were delivering some cars to a local Ford dealer today and I saw this on the showroom floor: It's a 2017 Shelby super snake 750hp. $99k sticker with (get this) A $21k ADM for a total of $120,000! Are they kidding?

Looks like a joke to me.  $120K gets me a nicely optioned 911 C2 Coupe.

stickguy

but not 750 HP

Sandman6472

HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP

Is anyone else having problems getting into the Forums? For a second day, I hit my "Bookmarks" and end up with a blank page!! Don't understand what's wrong but could someone please let Michael or any of the other hosts know that I'm having this issue as I don't know how else to get in touch.
Thank you to whomever can get this message sent to any host for some help here. My email address is "sandman6472@gmail.com" if they need to get a hold of me. Not sure how I got in here now but it only shows page 2087, from 7:07pm and nothing else. I miss my Edmunds Forums!!!

PLEASE HELP ME GET THEM BACK!!!!

The Missing Sandman :@

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MTZWAvO30Bw

ab348

sandman_6472 said:

HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP

Is anyone else having problems getting into the Forums? For a second day, I hit my "Bookmarks" and end up with a blank page!! Don't understand what's wrong but could someone please let Michael or any of the other hosts know that I'm having this issue as I don't know how else to get in touch.
Thank you to whomever can get this message sent to any host for some help here. My email address is "sandman6472@gmail.com" if they need to get a hold of me. Not sure how I got in here now but it only shows page 2087, from 7:07pm and nothing else. I miss my Edmunds Forums!!!

PLEASE HELP ME GET THEM BACK!!!!

The Missing Sandman :@

Have you been keeping your membership fees up to date? I hope so, because like SXM, they charge a reactivation fee if you let your subscription lapse.

stickguy

Sandy, are you on a phone or iPad? I noticed yesterday that it looked like the threads were missing, but it turns out that I just needed to scroll down. So if you see what looks like a blank page on the left, and the box that shows "bookmarks, topics, etc." on the right, try scrolling down to see if they are down there.

No issues on my laptop though. Seems normal there.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Looks like a joke to me.  $120K gets me a nicely optioned 911 C2 Coupe.

$120k gets me a new M2 and a loaded Wrangler Rubicon- with enough left over for a G 310 GS...

dino001

stickguy said:

Sandy, are you on a phone or iPad? I noticed yesterday that it looked like the threads were missing, but it turns out that I just needed to scroll down. So if you see what looks like a blank page on the left, and the box that shows "bookmarks, topics, etc." on the right, try scrolling down to see if they are down there.

No issues on my laptop though. Seems normal there.

Yes, it looks like that on Safari on my ipad.

suydam

sandman_6472 said:

HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP

Is anyone else having problems getting into the Forums? For a second day, I hit my "Bookmarks" and end up with a blank page!! Don't understand what's wrong but could someone please let Michael or any of the other hosts know that I'm having this issue as I don't know how else to get in touch.
Thank you to whomever can get this message sent to any host for some help here. My email address is "sandman6472@gmail.com" if they need to get a hold of me. Not sure how I got in here now but it only shows page 2087, from 7:07pm and nothing else. I miss my Edmunds Forums!!!

PLEASE HELP ME GET THEM BACK!!!!

The Missing Sandman :@

Lately it looks blank, but if you scroll WAY down — like half a page worth — there everything is. Very annoying.

Sandman6472

Am on my MacPro laptop and yes, I've pre-paid my dues through 2019 at this juncture! The only way I got in here now was someone just posted and I got that black notification at the bottom left of my screen. Seriously, besides my banking sites, this one is my favorite bar none, and has been since 2001. Anyways, am quite distressed here without my Forums and I need some help getting them back!!! Maybe coming in as a new member might be the answer, but just not sure what to do at this juncture.
Help me hosts!!! thanks all.

The Sad Sandman

carnaught

Yep, I’m also having to scroll down a half a page to find my Bookmarks on my iPad. This has been for at least a few days, and yes, is very annoying. Also, up to date on my dues, WTH?

Sandman6472

O F, have been with Fidelity for many many years and have done pretty good. Started out with Vanguard back in the early 80's and parked our condo down payment there until we needed it some years later. Wife's also in Fidelity and some others but not to sure since she's very closed mouthed about "her investments". But since I'm back working again, have been adding to the IRA's and not withdrawing anything until I officially retire for the second time. To be totally honest, I enjoy this Hertz gig, a lot!! No word from Enterprise but think it's G-d's will that I stay put where I'm at.
When you get a chance, please let me know about work as it seems pretty interesting and something I wish I could do again!!
Still not getting much in the Forums for some reason!!

The Sad Sandman

fintail

That's the kind of thing that concerns me - lots of people out there with nothing, and now we are in the middle of a dopey tax plan that will eventually need correction. The money will have to come from somewhere.

driver100 said:

<
Maybe this gives a better picture;


Maybe when you average in the people with no retirement savings, 1/3rd, it brings the totals down.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

We were delivering some cars to a local Ford dealer today and I saw this on the showroom floor: It's a 2017 Shelby super snake 750hp. $99k sticker with (get this) A $21k ADM for a total of $120,000! Are they kidding?

I will admit it’s not something I would pay ($21K) but it is a gorgeous car and a Shelby to boot.  The white paint looks like it’s pearlized or maybe it’s just the lighting.  I would prefer Candy Apple Red with white striping and Flaxen leather seats (caramel color).