Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jipster

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

Does anyone know what happened to jmonroe? I'd like to buy that Subaru from him... bottom dollar. 

Where has the jipster been hiding out?

Hey driver. I hang out a bit at the Talk Tennis Tennis Warehouse forum. Sorry to be cheating on you guys. 
But, my tennis game has improved drastically. 

I read that you use to teach drivers ed.? My son starts classes and driving instruction this weekend thru AAA. Hopefully they can get thru to Little Jip on becoming a better defensive driver

. 

Hey Jip....teach him to always think about the worst possible thing the other driver could do.....and then be prepared...because they often do it. Someone taught me that and it has proven to be of great value over the years. I may check out that Talk Tennis Forum.....I love tennis. Back home I play almost every day, here 3 or 4 times a week. I played yesterday and this player drove a bullet shot right at my shoe. I put my racquet down at just the right angle...the ball hit my racquet, went over the head of the guy who drilled it, and came down in the corner of the court. Not only did we get the point...it demoralized my opponents.

Will do on the driving tip. Thanks. He's not scanning intersections properly. I'll tell him, just because you have the right away, doesn't mean you go into an intersection with blinders on. Caution!!

Theres a lot of extremely  knowledgeable people, from around the world at Talk Tennis. Interesting, informative and funny commentary. But...it is very lightly moderated forum. If you catch my drift.

Wow, sounds like you're a high level tennis player. Lately, I've only been playing once a week. Hope to play more as the weather warms up.

I love playing the net... poaching (doubles). I'll target the opponents shoe tops...and yeah, it is a bit demoralizing when they not only get a raquet on the ball, but hit it back for a winner. 

explorerx4

I think the higher Malibu's look good. Like the wheels and the drilled out rear lower control arms are a nice touch since you can see the rear suspension.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

I think the higher Malibu's look good. Like the wheels and the drilled out rear lower control arms are a nice touch since you can see the rear suspension.

Up here, they call those rust holes.

oldfarmer50

isellhondas said:

snakeweasel said:

interesting thing happened to me last night. First a little background, my grandparents were hoarders and when they passed on we threw a lot of stuff away but we all ended up with some stuff, some keepable others questionable. Somehow I ended up with an old ledger book that I never opened and forgot about until last night.

In it were three hand written speeches that my great grandfather gave when he was a school teacher in Iowa dated in the 1880's. there was also a letter dated in the 20's offering to see him 100 shares of an oil company drilling in west Texas. Plus the stock certificate for the 100 shares. 

Well I will be doing some research tonight  

Heck you just might unseat Jeff Bezos!

I remember reading a book as a kid by H.G. Wells called When The Sleeper Wakes. It was about a guy who fell asleep for a couple hundred years or so and when he woke up he owned the world due to compound interest on his savings account.

Snakes shares have had less than a hundred but could still amount to a nice sum.

nyccarguy

@jmonroe

So Grandson #4 is a Pee Wee (like my 11 year old son) & Grandson #2 is a Bantam.  Son#1's G37 & my Q40 are the exact same car.  

My 11 year old plays on the "B" team which is technically the 3rd team.  Above him are the "A1 team," then the top dog "A" team.  Our program is a "tier 4" program.  Very funny thing about these tournaments and how they bring out the "ringers" & "trophy chasers."

At the end of January, my son's Pee Wee team played in a tournament in Waterville Valley, NH.  They lost game 1, won game 2, & lost game 3.  Even though they were 1 & 1, of they would have made it to the championship game by beating the 3rd team they played (since they would have owned the tie breaker).  Game 3 started at 7:15 on a Sunday AM.  Only 1 ref shows up & the other team took some nasty shots at our guys.  Our kids got caught sticking up for themselves in that 1st period.  They were down 3-0 after the 1st period.  We came back & dominated the 2nd period (when the 2nd ref showed up)  In the end, we lost the game.  The other team was a bottom feeder Tier 3 team (higher up on the ladder) that hadn't won a game all year until they entered the Ice Breaker tournament full of Tier 4 teams.

I've been to way to many games where there is a kid on the other team who is a head taller than everybody else & can skate circles around 90% of the players On the ice Scores 5-6 goals and we lose by 3 or 4.

BTW, the politics involved in Youth Hockey (and youth sports in general) is alarming.

driver100

Will do on the driving tip. Thanks. He's not scanning intersections properly. I'll tell him, just because you have the right away, doesn't mean you go into an intersection with blinders on. Caution!!

Theres a lot of extremely  knowledgeable people, from around the world at Talk Tennis. Interesting, informative and funny commentary. But...it is very lightly moderated forum. If you catch my drift.

Wow, sounds like you're a high level tennis player. Lately, I've only been playing once a week. Hope to play more as the weather warms up.

I love playing the net... poaching (doubles). I'll target the opponents shoe tops...and yeah, it is a bit demoralizing when they not only get a raquet on the ball, but hit it back for a winner

. 

I am a very medium player, but I can play with better players....I just need a really good partner. I am so glad I took up tennis, with good health you can play into your 80s, and it is easy to convert to pickleball when you can't run as much.

I started at 36 but didn't start playing a lot until about 8 years ago. When I started playing in Florida aboiut 6 years ago i really had to get better if I wanted to play with my group here, so I play 3 to 6 times a week.

If you can play the net you are doing well, that is one of the hardest things to learn. You need fast reactions and it helps if you can slam. I like the long shots from the baseline and I am very good at lobbing....they call me The Lobster.

I love tennis, you will never get to the point where you can say...I am as good as I can be...always room to improve.

For driving....when i enter an intersection I don't assume anything....except that one of the cars is going to end up in my path. It isn't nice, but I don't trust any other drivers, especially in Florida where anything goes. I am always planning my escape from a car that can cause a collision.

Maybe one day we will have a tennis match...if you come to the Tampa area Nov to April let me know.

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Compare the 2018 Malibu to the previous model......and you will see it has more room in the new one. They must have done some careful redesigning.

Well, they made it enormous. It is a very large car. I liked the 2008-12 design better than either of the later two although that had its flaws as well. As I've posted before I dislike the scowling look of the front end along with the bulk of this one.

I don't get the split grill idea either. Today I saw a new Honda Accord in burgundy and I liked the front end in real life. It doesn't look as far out as a lot of front ends are getting. I think it would look really nice if they outlined the black hole part with a chrome ring around the border.

nyccarguy

fintail said:

Reminds me of experiences when I was young - you can't shut a hockey dad up, and you can't calm a hockey mom down

Sure I do and she heard it at the same time as I heard it. Typical Grandmother comment, "are you sure you're alright"? Typical Grandfather comment, "you should have stopped the first breakaway goal too". jmonroe

I will second that motion.  Some of the hockey moms are just brutal.  I always cheer for my kid's team & for him when he makes a good play (even though I'm certain he can't hear me).  The Moms are L O U D!

Sandman6472

Drove a new 2018 Nissan Rogue at work today and can see the appeal. The Rogue Sport is supposed to be a few inches smaller with no 3rd seat. Egress/ingress is super easy and though not up super high, it's just enough to get a nice view. I think back in 2013, the CUV I bought was just not the right one for me honestly.
While at the Ford store today, sat in a new 2018 Ecosport and really liked it's size. About the same length as my Golf but sits up like the Tiguan. The Tiguan is now to big for my purposes but the Ecosport is looking to be on my short list in a couple of years when I do buy.
At the end of 2019, it'll be 50 years I've lived in South Florida and time to go. For some reason, 2020 could see a lot of changes for this family. Can see us somewhere in mid to north Florida and buying something like a villa to act as a base. A small CUV could work very nicely but we shall see.

The Sandman

tbirdmarco

 Explore and West definitely will continue to post my videos I have been doing for quite some time now you got it I know a lot of these sensors and nannies really not an suv Siri but what can we do if you wanna get it and like it you only live once if not then that’s fine too 

tbirdmarco

 Sandman play some guitars you been driving lately at work 

tbirdmarco

 Sorry guys now we have Sandy playing tourist at work ha ha Ha crazy phone ha ha Ha were saying those are nice cars you were driving work this past week happy to hear lots of good things will be happening for you and your family in the next two years how are you feeling? Hope the flu was all gone 

tbirdmarco

 Uncle Kimberly tonight with the new pick up truck you got a month ago a fully loaded double cab huge Nissan frontier with the V6 engine in dark blue quickly sent in it but it was dark so couldn’t tell much hadn’t seen him since New Year’s day he has an old Toyota Highlander but I don’t know what he’s gonna do with yet the needs repairs think it’s a 2001 or little later and think he still has his versa 2014 also got to go 

abacomike

The plumbers fixed the break in the condensation line late this afternoon.  They cut out a 12” x 24” piece of drywall in order to get to the pipes.

Tomorrow morning, I have to call the maintenance department here in my condo community.  They will come over and tape and spackle the wallboard and part of my ceiling.and then return to sand it down once it dries.  I have to go out and try to get a gallon of paint that matches what’s on my walls and hopefully I can have them come back and paint the wall.  The wall is about 11 feet long.

What a mess.  At least the leaking water has stopped and I can run my AC.  It’s been in the 80’s the last two weeks and this Thursday and Friday they are forecasting 89 degrees for highs.  It’s the warmest winter I can remember since moving here in 2000.  Ugh!

stickguy

Mike, a minor hiccup, easily resolved. Focus on the big stuff, like being Hep free!

fintail

Out here, hockey isn't as big, so the parents are maybe a little less fanatical, but still insane. I remember you'd have a shouter father or weirdly rabid mom, but it wasn't usually combative. High school football is a huge thing in many areas though, and as you mentioned, very political. When I was that age, I shook my head and said "no thanks" - didn't want to listen to middle aged guys crowing on and on living vicariously through teenagers. Now I am heading for that middle aged status, and I still feel the same way. It's pretty wacky.

nyccarguy said:

I will second that motion.  Some of the hockey moms are just brutal.  I always cheer for my kid's team & for him when he makes a good play (even though I'm certain he can't hear me).  The Moms are L O U D!

Michaell

fintail said:

Out here, hockey isn't as big, so the parents are maybe a little less fanatical, but still insane. I remember you'd have a shouter father or weirdly rabid mom, but it wasn't usually combative. High school football is a huge thing in many areas though, and as you mentioned, very political. When I was that age, I shook my head and said "no thanks" - didn't want to listen to middle aged guys crowing on and on living vicariously through teenagers. Now I am heading for that middle aged status, and I still feel the same way. It's pretty wacky.

nyccarguy said:

I will second that motion.  Some of the hockey moms are just brutal.  I always cheer for my kid's team & for him when he makes a good play (even though I'm certain he can't hear me).  The Moms are L O U D!

My sisters middle son is a pretty good football player. All league defense, and defensive MVP for his team - and, he's just a junior.

He also got accepted to a week long "summer camp" at West Point - he's quite interested in attending a service academy after HS. My sister is an advocate, but not crazy.

tbirdmarco

 When it’s all fixed Mike you’re able to use your EC now I said above your health things like that most important this is just pick up along the way enjoy your day will talk later 

tbirdmarco

 Michael that’s awesome on your sisters son been excepted to West Point 

snakeweasel

suydam said:

explorerx4 said:

Sedans are out of favor, so it's probably a good time to buy one.

At this point/stage of my life, comfort is the paramount variable in the selection of my car.  Sedans are the most comfortable in terms of easy-in, easy-out; width and thigh settings; elbow room and comfort for my derrière; trunk capacity for shopping; left and right arm rests; and the physical height of the car.  

I used to to drive only coupes with 4, 5, and 6 speed stick transmissions.  Those were the good old days.  Now, sedans completely meet my needs for a daily driver.

I never understood the lure of SUVs. A truck hauls more stuff, a minivan hauls people just as well, a sedan gives you more comfort and better handling. I drove a Ford Expedition yesterday and didn't like it at all. Felt like I was sitting up on a bar stool and the internal ergonomics were poor. It actually had less driver room than some small sedans I've driven. Some people claim SUVs are a way to flaunt your wealth. I suppose.

An Expedition is not really a typical SUV these days. More people are opting for compact, car based versions like the CRV and Rogue. They have higher and more comfortable seating than their sedan counterparts, but aren’t ginormous. Hardly wealth flaunters!

most people that I know who own SUVs live in a rural setting and need 4WD for winter driving and the snow  

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

interesting thing happened to me last night. First a little background, my grandparents were hoarders and when they passed on we threw a lot of stuff away but we all ended up with some stuff, some keepable others questionable. Somehow I ended up with an old ledger book that I never opened and forgot about until last night.

In it were three hand written speeches that my great grandfather gave when he was a school teacher in Iowa dated in the 1880's. there was also a letter dated in the 20's offering to see him 100 shares of an oil company drilling in west Texas. Plus the stock certificate for the 100 shares. 

Well I will be doing some research tonight  

Well it could be looking up at the snakeweasel household soon. I hear you rich oil guys love buying classic cars.

Don't count on it, I can't find any info on the company so it was either a scam my great grandfather fell for or the company folded. Either way it would mean that I have a 90 year old piece of paper which only has value due to the fact that it gives off heat when burned and is big enough to wrap fish.

On the other hand if it is worth something it is in my great grandfathers name so it would have to trickle down to me through estates. Not sure how it would end up in my father's estate but his will gives all his stock holdings to his grandchildren. 

So either way I get a whopping $0.00.

oldfarmer50

Looks like Sandy and I might be out of a job soon. Ford is teaming with Dominos to deliver pizza in Miami with self drive cars. How long before cars can transport themselves. Implications for Uber-Lyft drivers too.


https://nypost.com/2018/02/27/ford-to-test-self-driving-pizza-delivery-with-dominos/

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

Modern CUVs are like a Swiss Army knife. Can do a little bit of everything. Plus many folks like a bit higher seating position. When you only own one car, it’s good that it can cover multiple duties. A Crv or Pilot, depending on how big you want, can do that. I just think of our RDX as a high riding TLX wagon anyway. And soon I have to use it to help move my daughter back from college. And it will be way handier for that than my Elantra sedan (which is only about 3” shorter). And next week when I go pick up a new gas grill, it will slide right in.

I wasn't really referring to CUVs (after all, I own the original). As to flaunting wealth, I saw a Hynduai Santa Fe at the car show with a mid 40s sticker. That's wealth to me. It's just when you get up close to an $80k price for the big ones it doesn't make sense to me. At that price I'd want it to haul a load of cows or do 0-60 in 4 sec. With a plus 1.0g. You guys are so touchy, it's not like I criticized their rear leg room or something.

At that price point I want it to go 0 to 60 in 4 seconds while hauling a load of cows. 

Am I alone here thinking that $80K is to much for a vehicle?

snakeweasel

isellhondas said:

interesting thing happened to me last night. First a little background, my grandparents were hoarders and when they passed on we threw a lot of stuff away but we all ended up with some stuff, some keepable others questionable. Somehow I ended up with an old ledger book that I never opened and forgot about until last night.

In it were three hand written speeches that my great grandfather gave when he was a school teacher in Iowa dated in the 1880's. there was also a letter dated in the 20's offering to see him 100 shares of an oil company drilling in west Texas. Plus the stock certificate for the 100 shares. 

Well I will be doing some research tonight  

Heck you just might unseat Jeff Bezos!

The way things look I will have trouble unseating the guy at the off ramp holding a sign  

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

Looks like Sandy and I might be out of a job soon. Ford is teaming with Dominos to deliver pizza in Miami with self drive cars. How long before cars can transport themselves. Implications for Uber-Lyft drivers too. https://nypost.com/2018/02/27/ford-to-test-self-driving-pizza-delivery-with-dominos/

So when the self driving car pulls into my driveway who gets out and walks up to my door to hand me my pizza?

driver100

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

interesting thing happened to me last night. First a little background, my grandparents were hoarders and when they passed on we threw a lot of stuff away but we all ended up with some stuff, some keepable others questionable. Somehow I ended up with an old ledger book that I never opened and forgot about until last night.

In it were three hand written speeches that my great grandfather gave when he was a school teacher in Iowa dated in the 1880's. there was also a letter dated in the 20's offering to see him 100 shares of an oil company drilling in west Texas. Plus the stock certificate for the 100 shares. 

Well I will be doing some research tonight  

Well it could be looking up at the snakeweasel household soon. I hear you rich oil guys love buying classic cars.

Don't count on it, I can't find any info on the company so it was either a scam my great grandfather fell for or the company folded. Either way it would mean that I have a 90 year old piece of paper which only has value due to the fact that it gives off heat when burned and is big enough to wrap fish.

On the other hand if it is worth something it is in my great grandfathers name so it would have to trickle down to me through estates. Not sure how it would end up in my father's estate but his will gives all his stock holdings to his grandchildren. 

So either way I get a whopping $0.00

.

My brother was a stock broker, and people continually brought him old stock certificates. 99% of the time they had no value. Companies go out of business all the time, and when you are dealing in gold mines, oil etc they drill about 1000 holes and are maybe successful once....so all the shares become worthless.

I have to tell you snake, before I forget. I love your story about New Years. You lived in Chicago on Central time, your family would let you watch the ball fall in NY at midnight...and you would think you stayed up until midnight to see it...but it was 11 p.m. in Chicago. I have told that story to a few people who found it really cute.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Looks like Sandy and I might be out of a job soon. Ford is teaming with Dominos to deliver pizza in Miami with self drive cars. How long before cars can transport themselves. Implications for Uber-Lyft drivers too.


https://nypost.com/2018/02/27/ford-to-test-self-driving-pizza-delivery-with-dominos/

So when the self driving car pulls into my driveway who gets out and walks up to my door to hand me my pizza?

lol....and do you have to tip the car?

graphicguy

Just to put a bow on my son’s friend and his new car purchase, he ended up buying the 2018 TLX Base 4 cyl last night. He liked the look so much better than the ‘17s, even though they were 6 cyl cars all loaded up, the ‘18 styling tilted the decision. It is a very good looking car in the metallic grey he bought.

Got to admit, for $30K, it’s a lot of car. No leather or the really good ELS stereo, but it has a sunroof, all the safety and semi autonamous driving features, LCD headlights and taillights, DCT trans (one of the best ones I’ve ever experienced).

Not a fan of the color combo (steel grey metallic over black), but the paint looks deep and is applied well. Not that it matters to many here, but it comes with a 4 year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Plus, it should be super reliable and inexpensive to maintain.

In my brief drive of it, I was quite impressed. The drivetrain sounds expensive and it handles quite well. Gotta keep the revs up to get into the power band, but the trans is willing to get into those revs without much coaxing. Again, I like mine a lot more. But, if my budget was $30K, it would be at the top of my shopping list.

My son was even impressed, and he drives a GTI. He mentioned he might look at the ‘19 A Spec 4 cyl cars when they are released this summer.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

interesting thing happened to me last night. First a little background, my grandparents were hoarders and when they passed on we threw a lot of stuff away but we all ended up with some stuff, some keepable others questionable. Somehow I ended up with an old ledger book that I never opened and forgot about until last night.

In it were three hand written speeches that my great grandfather gave when he was a school teacher in Iowa dated in the 1880's. there was also a letter dated in the 20's offering to see him 100 shares of an oil company drilling in west Texas. Plus the stock certificate for the 100 shares. 

Well I will be doing some research tonight  

Well it could be looking up at the snakeweasel household soon. I hear you rich oil guys love buying classic cars.

Don't count on it, I can't find any info on the company so it was either a scam my great grandfather fell for or the company folded. Either way it would mean that I have a 90 year old piece of paper which only has value due to the fact that it gives off heat when burned and is big enough to wrap fish.

On the other hand if it is worth something it is in my great grandfathers name so it would have to trickle down to me through estates. Not sure how it would end up in my father's estate but his will gives all his stock holdings to his grandchildren. 

So either way I get a whopping $0.00

.

My brother was a stock broker, and people continually brought him old stock certificates. 99% of the time they had no value. Companies go out of business all the time, and when you are dealing in gold mines, oil etc they drill about 1000 holes and are maybe successful once....so all the shares become worthless. I have to tell you snake, before I forget. I love your story about New Years. You lived in Chicago on Central time, your family would let you watch the ball fall in NY at midnight...and you would think you stayed up until midnight to see it...but it was 11 p.m. in Chicago. I have told that story to a few people who found it really cute.

Yeah as soon as I saw it my thoughts were it was likely worthless. But even if it's worthless I still want to research it due to it being part of the family story. 

Michaell

tbirdmarco said:

 Michael that’s awesome on your sisters son been excepted to West Point 

lets not get ahead of ourselves, here. Not fully accepted; just a one week summer camp experience. I understand it's quite complicated to get into a service academy. I have a HS friend whose son is in his first year at Annapolis. He didn't get in the first year he applied, so spent a year at a school to help him prep.

stickguy

GG, not all the safety goodies. You need the tech package to get BLIS/cross path. Which oddly, is the only one that I really want (I will skip the active lane keep, etc. stuff)

fintail

80K is the new 50K.

Back in the 50s, my grandpa inherited some old stock certificates from his uncle - the family had been successful in silver mining earlier in the century, and there was a lot of this type of material. My grandpa didn't care to look into them, and just filed them away. When going through his things, we found the stock, and did some research. The company had ceased to exist probably before he inherited the shares, and were worth nothing more than the decorative value of the certificate - apparently people collect these. Oh well.

snakeweasel

fintail said:

80K is the new 50K. Back in the 50s, my grandpa inherited some old stock certificates from his uncle - the family had been successful in silver mining earlier in the century, and there was a lot of this type of material. My grandpa didn't care to look into them, and just filed them away. When going through his things, we found the stock, and did some research. The company had ceased to exist probably before he inherited the shares, and were worth nothing more than the decorative value of the certificate - apparently people collect these. Oh well.

The first new car I bought was an 81 Mustang that cost me a little over $9K out the door. Now we dont blink at $50K cars.

My God I am starting to sound like my parents. 

stickguy

I am still stuck at about $30k as the point that starts to give me palpatations. I don't think I could handle $40k. And would definitely be just looking at leasing at that point.

fintail

For some cars, unless you want to keep it for 10+ years, either lease or buy CPO - buying new lets you experience insane depreciation.

I bought a car for 29K in 2006, I could maybe crank it up into the 40s now, but I'd want to put a lot down, and would focus on paying it off asap - along with keeping it for awhile to absorb the expense.

stickguy said:

I am still stuck at about $30k as the point that starts to give me palpatations. I don't think I could handle $40k. And would definitely be just looking at leasing at that point.

fintail

Kids would say you already sound parental

A nice new Mustang today is maybe 30K? 9K in 1981 is around 25K in 2018, so not a huge difference, given the modern car is superior in countless ways.

In my area, houses that were 100K in 1981 can easily be 1-2MM now, so it can be worse. As one who is priced out of that racket, might as well treat myself to a car!

snakeweasel said:

The first new car I bought was an 81 Mustang that cost me a little over $9K out the door. Now we dont blink at $50K cars.

My God I am starting to sound like my parents. 

stickguy

yes, if I spend a lot it is a long term investment. That was the deal I made with the wife to stretch the budget for the RDX. Needed to live with it for 10 years!

though I ended up getting a good enough deal, that it was not that much more than a loaded up CRV or other car she would have gotten instead. And at least based on Edmunds TMV, it is still worth a surprising amount after 6.5 years. So paid off, with good equity. Makes getting a replacement, a lot easier!

Mr_Shiftright

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Looks like Sandy and I might be out of a job soon. Ford is teaming with Dominos to deliver pizza in Miami with self drive cars. How long before cars can transport themselves. Implications for Uber-Lyft drivers too.


https://nypost.com/2018/02/27/ford-to-test-self-driving-pizza-delivery-with-dominos/

So when the self driving car pulls into my driveway who gets out and walks up to my door to hand me my pizza?

Don't hold your breath for this to actually happen in real life. Without an actual pilot in the car, no matter how passive, these cars are going to come to grief IMO. You really need a "closed system" roadway to make this work properly. It's eventually going to rnn over a cat, or some homeless guy is going to stand in front of it and sing to it, or it'll get hit and there's no one to deal with the situation, fouling up traffic for miles--it might even just decide to go somewhere on its own.

fintail

Or the cars being hacked. With so many data breaches and system intrusions out there, and cars already being hackable, it doesn't bode well.

And then there's still the elephant in the room regarding traffic laws - if these things never speed or drive stupid, there will be revenue streams to replace. Nobody has yet to touch that one.

Mr_Shiftright said:

Don't hold your breath for this to actually happen in real life. Without an actual pilot in the car, no matter how passive, these cars are going to come to grief IMO. You really need a "closed system" roadway to make this work properly. It's eventually going to rnn over a cat, or some homeless guy is going to stand in front of it and sing to it, or it'll get hit and there's no one to deal with the situation, fouling up traffic for miles--it might even just decide to go somewhere on its own.

fintail

I kept the last purchase for 7 years, paid it off in 4. I've been leasing since, but am unsure what I will do at the end of this term. Part of me likes to kind of sample cars like a buffet, which works with leasing, but part of me wants a "special" car again.

stickguy said:

yes, if I spend a lot it is a long term investment. That was the deal I made with the wife to stretch the budget for the RDX. Needed to live with it for 10 years!

though I ended up getting a good enough deal, that it was not that much more than a loaded up CRV or other car she would have gotten instead. And at least based on Edmunds TMV, it is still worth a surprising amount after 6.5 years. So paid off, with good equity. Makes getting a replacement, a lot easier!

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Looks like Sandy and I might be out of a job soon. Ford is teaming with Dominos to deliver pizza in Miami with self drive cars. How long before cars can transport themselves. Implications for Uber-Lyft drivers too.


https://nypost.com/2018/02/27/ford-to-test-self-driving-pizza-delivery-with-dominos/

So when the self driving car pulls into my driveway who gets out and walks up to my door to hand me my pizza?

lol....and do you have to tip the car?

I figure that's why people will embrace the technology, you don't have to tip. For all the talk of social justice people will throw you under the bus to save a few bucks.

One adaption I can see is people buying these self-drivers, taking them to work and then sending them out to work for Uber during the day. At the end of the day the car comes back and takes you home.

Mr_Shiftright

Nice thing about leasing is that you can lease a "risky" car for 24 months, and if say, your new Alfa turns nasty on you, you can walking away from the mess.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

GG, not all the safety goodies. You need the tech package to get BLIS/cross path. Which oddly, is the only one that I really want (I will skip the active lane keep, etc. stuff)

Maybe I misunderstood what it came with. Thanks for pointing that out. I forgot, it has 4 wheel steering and the adjustable dynamic driving modes, too!

@stickguy .....From what I understand, they only had one base in that grey over black color. I had heard the base cars were tough to come by, so getting the deal he got surprised me. But, they must have some truck cash on them.

Not as “in your face” as mine, but it’s still a beautiful car!

Not in the market for an SUV, but I really want to see the new ‘19 RDX when it hits the showroom.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I am still stuck at about $30k as the point that starts to give me palpatations. I don't think I could handle $40k. And would definitely be just looking at leasing at that point.

When I started posting here years ago I remember stating that I would never by a BMW because it cost $35k. That seemed sky high back then.

Flash forward and that was just about sticker on my Mustang. Never say never.

Michaell

My dad was like that - the last new car he bought was mom's '03 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6. I think he paid something like $17K for it (before TT&L) and was astounded at how expensive it was.

Mom still drives it, 15 years and less than 40,000 miles later.

roadburner

snakeweasel said:

suydam said:

explorerx4 said:

Sedans are out of favor, so it's probably a good time to buy one.

At this point/stage of my life, comfort is the paramount variable in the selection of my car.  Sedans are the most comfortable in terms of easy-in, easy-out; width and thigh settings; elbow room and comfort for my derrière; trunk capacity for shopping; left and right arm rests; and the physical height of the car.  

I used to to drive only coupes with 4, 5, and 6 speed stick transmissions.  Those were the good old days.  Now, sedans completely meet my needs for a daily driver.

I never understood the lure of SUVs. A truck hauls more stuff, a minivan hauls people just as well, a sedan gives you more comfort and better handling.

I drove a Ford Expedition yesterday and didn't like it at all. Felt like I was sitting up on a bar stool and the internal ergonomics were poor. It actually had less driver room than some small sedans I've driven.

Some people claim SUVs are a way to flaunt your wealth. I suppose.

An Expedition is not really a typical SUV these days. More people are opting for compact, car based versions like the CRV and Rogue. They have higher and more comfortable seating than their sedan counterparts, but aren’t ginormous. Hardly wealth flaunters!

most people that I know who own SUVs live in a rural setting and need 4WD for winter driving and the snow  

Exactly; our gravel driveway is 1,400 feet long . This year alone I've had to use the Wrangler to drag trees off the road. Just last Sunday a 15 foot long x 3 foot diameter plastic drain tile we are storing for another project washed onto our bridge- it was easily dragged away by the Wrangler.

snakeweasel

fintail said:

Or the cars being hacked. With so many data breaches and system intrusions out there, and cars already being hackable, it doesn't bode well. And then there's still the elephant in the room regarding traffic laws - if these things never speed or drive stupid, there will be revenue streams to replace. Nobody has yet to touch that one.

Don't hold your breath for this to actually happen in real life. Without an actual pilot in the car, no matter how passive, these cars are going to come to grief IMO. You really need a "closed system" roadway to make this work properly. It's eventually going to rnn over a cat, or some homeless guy is going to stand in front of it and sing to it, or it'll get hit and there's no one to deal with the situation, fouling up traffic for miles--it might even just decide to go somewhere on its own.

The vast majority of municipalities lose money on issuing traffic tickets. There is the salary of the officers involved in issuing a ticket as well as the support staff that handles the paoerwork, all their benefits and all the infrastructure to support them and their jobs really add up. 

Now if you go to court you have to cover the judges, bailiffs, court clerks, city attorneys salary and benefits as well as the infrastructure that supports their job duties. 

So unless a town writes a lot of tickets they can't make money issuing tickets  

Sandman6472

$30K is definitely my upper limit and that's where the wife went also. But doubt I'll get close next time. Just hoping my Golf holds up awhile so I can put buying off. Everyday, my short list tends to change a bit. So Hertz has really helped me keep the buying monster at bay. Just not one thing that blows my socks off. That brown over brown BMW 328i a few months ago came really close, really close!!

The Sandman

houdini1

suydam said:

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

explorerx4 said:

Sedans are out of favor, so it's probably a good time to buy one.

At this point/stage of my life, comfort is the paramount variable in the selection of my car.  Sedans are the most comfortable in terms of easy-in, easy-out; width and thigh settings; elbow room and comfort for my derrière; trunk capacity for shopping; left and right arm rests; and the physical height of the car.  

I used to to drive only coupes with 4, 5, and 6 speed stick transmissions.  Those were the good old days.  Now, sedans completely meet my needs for a daily driver.

I never understood the lure of SUVs. A truck hauls more stuff, a minivan hauls people just as well, a sedan gives you more comfort and better handling.

I drove a Ford Expedition yesterday and didn't like it at all. Felt like I was sitting up on a bar stool and the internal ergonomics were poor. It actually had less driver room than some small sedans I've driven.

Some people claim SUVs are a way to flaunt your wealth. I suppose.

An Expedition is not really a typical SUV these days. More people are opting for compact, car based versions like the CRV and Rogue. They have higher and more comfortable seating than their sedan counterparts, but aren’t ginormous. Hardly wealth flaunters!

If everyone bought only the most "practical" vehicle, we would all be buying 3 year old minivans.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

I am still stuck at about $30k as the point that starts to give me palpatations. I don't think I could handle $40k. And would definitely be just looking at leasing at that point.

When I started posting here years ago I remember stating that I would never by a BMW because it cost $35k. That seemed sky high back then.

Flash forward and that was just about sticker on my Mustang. Never say never.

Here are some prices from the 70s;
Gas – 36 cents per gallon (before the 1973 oil crisis)

Car - $3900 (1970); $5500 (1979)

Whitewall Tires - $13

Motor Oil – 25 cents per quart

Gas has gone up about 7X. A car about the same. I think a tire (not white walls though) and motor oil are in about the 7X category too.

But, look at what you get on a $30000 car today, GPS, rear camera, turbos, Blind spot warnings, thermometer, tire monitor, no spark plugs, more gears, automatic braking etc. A much better vehicle, for about the same price.