Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lsm7KhRCQz0

tbirdmarco

 Old farmer forwards doing the same thing just like Dodge and Whisler did a few years back no more cars GM is getting rid of all of their cars soon to maybe to keep the Malibu from what I heard a few weeks ago and something else that just doing what the Korean market demands hopefully gas prices don’t go up then they have to scramble to introduce cars again which would really suck for them 

tbirdmarco

 Enjoyed reading everything that went on today everyone I’m sure you get what I’m trying to say in the post thing above this one old farmer damn voice dictation as you know I really don’t have to say it every time ha ha Ha glad tomorrow’s Friday going to meet with the agency will help me get my current job three at the ball really rolling on that and like I said also doing some looking on my own we don’t know how many weeks we have left but a bunch of people that I know of are leaving and I have found new jobs 

dino001

tbirdmarco said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lsm7KhRCQz0

These guys never learn. They abandoned small cars (not literally, but in terms of real development) in ‘90s and ‘00s and get caught with high fuel prices completely unprepared. Now they just want to do the same thing, cause of course, fuel prices will never go up, just like houses always did.

They are dropping Fusion, the car that literally saved the face of domestic brands? It showed that US manufacturers can make a good reliable midsize sedan. It beat Camry and Accord in reliability, even at Consumer Reports. I don’t know how it’s now, but it was of the few domestics I would have got used or new, if I needed one and my budget was specific. It is just plain stupid, IMHO.

explorerx4

I'm probably the only Fusion owner on this board.
That in itself says something.
Ford could never match the lease numbers for an Accord or Camry due to consumer perception(which is reality).
They probably looked at the market and said, 'Tesla is getting hundreds of thousands of deposits on a car they don't even make yet'.
The only way they sell a Fusion is to provide zero percent financing and probably some cash on the hood, too.
Which whatever capital they have to invest, the decision is to put it toward what they think will work in the future even if they have to give up chunk of a traditional business which doesn't seem to be working out.
Also Ford is a worldwide corporation and the US is only one market, even if it is the home market.
GM gave up Australia, Europe and Russia. What does that say?

driver100

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Now that is what I call a surround sound and gauge show dash!

Except....why are they on the wrong side? Must be England!

Shifty gave you hint...Australia.

jmonroe

I like to figure it out for myself.

explorerx4

@driver100,
So you are saying next time jmonroe should use all caps?

driver100

Marco, good luck with the job search.

Looks like all D3 are thinking of abandoning the car market. Ford makes money on their trucks, they lose on their cars. The company would be highly profitable if they just made F150 and F250s.

There are a few models they could drop easily, like that big hulky unpleasant looking Taurus. They seem to make decent cars like Fusion, Mustang and Escort OK. I doubt they have the big bucks to renew these models and keep them current. They probably don't want to get out of the car market, but, it is their only hope to survive. The competition has the money to pour into new and more improved cars.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
So you are saying next time jmonroe should use all caps?

No, just show an American version next time;

(I didn't know they drove on the wrong side in Australia)

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Now that is what I call a surround sound and gauge show dash!

Except....why are they on the wrong side? Must be England!

Shifty gave you hint...Australia.

jmonroe

I like to figure it out for myself.

Let us know when it starts working for you.

jmonroe

stickguy

I wonder what the Ford dealers are going to think about losing the sales volume? Combined, that is still what, 250k+ units that will just disappear? Not like all the people buying Ford sedans now are just going to shrug shoulders and buy a Ford SUV instead.

ab348

Keep in mind that Ford is still a player in Europe so I wonder if this also applies there? I can only assume it does. Seems it might impact their presence there even more.

stickguy

I thought this was for the US. Definitely a different product mix over there.

fintail

Some kind of bass? Something that swims, anyway.

From another forum:

driver100 said:

How about the front end on the 2019 Avalon?

Who did they copy?

fintail

Yes, that's the pre-facelift model, as I pointed out

abacomike said:

That interior above is not the new dash or multi-function steering wheel on the S Class.

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Now that is what I call a surround sound and gauge show dash!

Except....why are they on the wrong side? Must be England!

Shifty gave you hint...Australia.

jmonroe

I like to figure it out for myself.

Let us know when it starts working for you.

jmonroe
I got it!
Since you are too embarrassed to show your Genny interior;

fintail

Yep, that's in a coupe, much more likely to have Designo trim, and are generally fancier (and significantly more expensive) than sedans.

driver100 said:

A little much.....that is an upgraded premium interior which makes the car look like a rolling bordello. Rather not have the pinstriping accents and those seats are a little overdone.

cdnpinhead

driver100 said:

Who did they copy?

A big fat black carp.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Now that is what I call a surround sound and gauge show dash!

Except....why are they on the wrong side? Must be England!

Shifty gave you hint...Australia.

jmonroe

I like to figure it out for myself.

Let us know when it starts working for you.

jmonroe

I got it!
Since you are too embarrassed to show your Genny interior;



Not embarrassed, just didn't want you to drool.

My '09 Genny had the beige interior and since I didn't want my '15 to look like the '09 I went with black. BIG mistake, the interior is like being in a cave. In fact, as I have said before, I should have kept the '09 with the beige interior and burgundy exterior instead of the old man charcoal grey over black that I have now. :@

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe?

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

Maybe?

I wonder what the interior looks like in that thing? It might just have a nice fat steering wheel.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead

I've actually been to promontory point (I think it's called) where they re-enact the golden spike thing on a schedule. Interesting and pleasant the day we were there. If I'm not mistaken, this is one of the two locomotives involved.

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

Now that is what I call a surround sound and gauge show dash!

Except....why are they on the wrong side? Must be England!

Shifty gave you hint...Australia.

jmonroe

I like to figure it out for myself.

Let us know when it starts working for you.

jmonroe

I got it!
Since you are too embarrassed to show your Genny interior;

Not embarrassed, just didn't want you to drool.

My '09 Genny had the beige interior and since I didn't want my '15 to look like the '09 I went with black. BIG mistake, the interior is like being in a cave. In fact, as I have said before, I should have kept the '09 with the beige interior and burgundy exterior instead of the old man charcoal grey over black that I have now. :@

jmonroe

I like the interior of your Genny. Hyundai does a nice job of copying MB but play it straight.....nothing overly fancy or over the top. It isn't dramatic, but, it isn't offensive.
I would have got a black interior on the pre-owned 2014 C250 if it was exactly what I was looking for in every other way, mint condition and low mileage, but, I hope I never have to live with a black interior again.

You would think they could make black interiors less depressing by adding some light colored accents on the door panels and seats.....as well as the dash?

driver100

jmonroe said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Maybe?

I wonder what the interior looks like in that thing? It might just have a nice fat steering wheel.

jmonroe

It has large windows!

tbirdmarco

Yes all d 3 are getting rid of there  cars and keeping the s u vs  and  also introducing mor 

tbirdmarco

 Thank you driver 100 keeping positive and doing what I have to do open for the test all in gods hands happy Friday everyone 

tbirdmarco

 Like the color combo on your prior car chain Monroe I agree with you should’ve kept it ha ha Ha 

driver100

tbirdmarco said:

 Like the color combo on your prior car chain Monroe I agree with you should’ve kept it ha ha Ha 

I agree too....he should go back and see if he can make a trade.

driver100

Should I bother?

Dear ____________________,

J.D. Power is a worldwide leader in customer satisfaction research. However, keeping our clients up to date on rapidly changing consumer trends would not be possible without your help.

In short, we need your feedback on the ownership experience regarding your Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Your input will have a significant influence on the development of Canada's automotive industry going forward.

Please click the Start Survey button below to begin:

houdini1

fintail said:

Some kind of bass? Something that swims, anyway.

From another forum:

driver100 said:

How about the front end on the 2019 Avalon?

Who did they copy?

I think the Avalon is basically such a great car, Toyota purposely makes it ugly so people will move up to the more profitable Lexus line...then, again, the Lexus grills aren't that great either.

graphicguy

houdini1 said:

fintail said:

Some kind of bass? Something that swims, anyway.

From another forum:

driver100 said:

How about the front end on the 2019 Avalon?

Who did they copy?

I think the Avalon is basically such a great car, Toyota purposely makes it ugly so people will move up to the more profitable Lexus line. That grill is simply atrocious.

IT IS a great car. I almost pulled the trigger on one before I bought my Acura. Aside from a bigger motor (which I'm not so certain is needed, given the V6 is pretty "sprightly"), I was hard pressed to find much of a driving difference between the Avalon and LS.

Toyota certainly doesn't go out of its way to promote the Avalon. I understand the Camry is a volume leader, and they spend big bucks promoting it. But, with just a little push, I believe the Avalon could overtake some serious luxury marques.

ab348

driver100 said:

I got it!
Since you are too embarrassed to show your Genny interior;

Nothing to be embarrassed about there. Though I must admit I am not a fan of the oddly-shaped center vents. But at least they centered the info display properly!!

fintail

As long as it is FWD with marginal styling and isolated handling, I can't imagine it competing with more than near-lux. I doubt many cross-shop a 5er and an Avalon, for example. Badge is an issue too - the brand and model has maybe the same connotation Buick did 30 years ago.

I see for the new ES, Toyolex is trying to add more pretense of sport and excitement - maybe this is a baby step for the Avalon to be an ES (which it effectively is already).

graphicguy said:

Toyota certainly doesn't go out of its way to promote the Avalon. I understand the Camry is a volume leader, and they spend big bucks promoting it. But, with just a little push, I believe the Avalon could overtake some serious luxury marques.

fintail

If one wants a comfortable rig to soak up some miles in peace and quiet, with few worries about reliability, and at a relatively reasonable price, there may not be anything better.

houdini1 said:

<
I think the Avalon is basically such a great car, Toyota purposely makes it ugly so people will move up to the more profitable Lexus line...then, again, the Lexus grills aren't that great either.

pensfan83

Our home improvement project this year consists of renovating and expanding our back deck along with adding a roof. Last night the contractor informed us the start has been delayed 2 weeks from it's original start date of Monday, they are now not scheduled to get started until the middle of May. We were planning to start shopping for new furniture, grille, and fire pit this weekend. Needless to say we are very disappointed.

dino001

driver100 said:

Should I bother?

Dear ____________________,

J.D. Power is a worldwide leader in customer satisfaction research. However, keeping our clients up to date on rapidly changing consumer trends would not be possible without your help.

In short, we need your feedback on the ownership experience regarding your Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Your input will have a significant influence on the development of Canada's automotive industry going forward.

Please click the Start Survey button below to begin:

I usually do. If the questions are real, not leading, I'd fill it to the end, if I see too much agenda, I quit.

driver100

graphicguy said:

houdini1 said:

fintail said:

Some kind of bass? Something that swims, anyway.

From another forum:

driver100 said:

How about the front end on the 2019 Avalon?

Who did they copy?

I think the Avalon is basically such a great car, Toyota purposely makes it ugly so people will move up to the more profitable Lexus line. That grill is simply atrocious.

IT IS a great car. I almost pulled the trigger on one before I bought my Acura. Aside from a bigger motor (which I'm not so certain is needed, given the V6 is pretty "sprightly"), I was hard pressed to find much of a driving difference between the Avalon and LS.

Toyota certainly doesn't go out of its way to promote the Avalon. I understand the Camry is a volume leader, and they spend big bucks promoting it. But, with just a little push, I believe the Avalon could overtake some serious luxury marques.

I did see one review about a year ago and it said a fully loaded Camry would give you about the same car as the Avalon, for about $4000 to $5000 less. Not sure if they share that many parts.

driver100

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

Should I bother?

Dear ____________________,

J.D. Power is a worldwide leader in customer satisfaction research. However, keeping our clients up to date on rapidly changing consumer trends would not be possible without your help.

In short, we need your feedback on the ownership experience regarding your Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Your input will have a significant influence on the development of Canada's automotive industry going forward.

Please click the Start Survey button below to begin:

I usually do. If the questions are real, not leading, I'd fill it to the end, if I see too much agenda, I quit.

I think along the same lines....you confirmed my thoughts.
I'll see how much time I have to give it, busy these days. An older brother moving from a 2 bdrm apt to a seniors residence.....all by June 1st. He can't do anything and he was a hoarder...........that plus tennis and pickleball and keeping my Edmunds fans happy.

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

I got it!
Since you are too embarrassed to show your Genny interior;

Nothing to be embarrassed about there. Though I must admit I am not a fan of the oddly-shaped center vents. But at least they centered the info display properly!!

That is minor but, it would look much better if they made the two middle vents the same size and shape. They tried to get cute, and they took a nice conservative design and messed it up a bit.

But, then again, people like JMonroe wouldn't care about those subtleties of design.

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

Our home improvement project this year consists of renovating and expanding our back deck along with adding a roof. Last night the contractor informed us the start has been delayed 2 weeks from it's original start date of Monday, they are now not scheduled to get started until the middle of May. We were planning to start shopping for new furniture, grille, and fire pit this weekend. Needless to say we are very disappointed.

Just curious, a deck is on our home improvement TO-DO list. What is that going to cost? I have a meeting set up with a contractor next week.

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

Just curious, a deck is on our home improvement TO-DO list. What is that going to cost? I have a meeting set up with a contractor next week.

Our total out of pocket is going to be ~$15,000. The only thing being repurposed are the piers for the upper deck, the rest will be all new and we're adding a gable roof to the upper deck with tongue and groove beaded pine for the ceiling and the side of the house under cover of the roof. We also elected to go with aluminum railings and pillar wraps and they are going to pre-wire for a TV as well.

Upper deck is 16'x16', lower deck will be 12'x13'

jmonroe

tbirdmarco said:

 Like the color combo on your prior car chain Monroe I agree with you should’ve kept it ha ha Ha 

Another one in here that likes to rub it in. :@

Good luck with your job search.

jmonroe

jmonroe

pensfan83 said:

Our home improvement project this year consists of renovating and expanding our back deck along with adding a roof. Last night the contractor informed us the start has been delayed 2 weeks from it's original start date of Monday, they are now not scheduled to get started until the middle of May. We were planning to start shopping for new furniture, grille, and fire pit this weekend. Needless to say we are very disappointed.

And this is why as long as I can pound a nail I will do things myself. Just can't put up with promises. Son #1 has already asked if I could help him expand his deck next month. He must figure the same thing about me and nail pounding. I remember when he was in his first house and we expanded his deck 6 feet further from the house (was only about 10 feet) and 12 feet further along his house (it was originally 14 feet).

It was like pulling teeth to get a few landscapers to give me estimates for shrub trimming and laying down about 3 cubic yards of mulch. I finally got a promise start date for the middle of May for that work. Also got on the schedule for the first week of May for a new roof. I could do the landscaping thing myself but I don't like doing that and I'm glad to farm that out. The roof, well, there ain't no way I'm doing that.

I hope your deck makers show up on time so you can get some good use out of it this Summer but it will be weather permitting so that is a breath holder too and I'm too old to hold my breath for any appreciable length of time.

Good luck.

jmonroe

jmonroe

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

Should I bother?

Dear ____________________,

J.D. Power is a worldwide leader in customer satisfaction research. However, keeping our clients up to date on rapidly changing consumer trends would not be possible without your help.

In short, we need your feedback on the ownership experience regarding your Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Your input will have a significant influence on the development of Canada's automotive industry going forward.

Please click the Start Survey button below to begin:

I usually do. If the questions are real, not leading, I'd fill it to the end, if I see too much agenda, I quit.

I'm pretty much the same about surveys. Most are slanted to give them the results they want to hear.

Coincidently, I just got my CR "Spring Auto Survey" today via email. Still thinking if I want to bother with that.

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

Should I bother?

Dear ____________________,

J.D. Power is a worldwide leader in customer satisfaction research. However, keeping our clients up to date on rapidly changing consumer trends would not be possible without your help.

In short, we need your feedback on the ownership experience regarding your Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Your input will have a significant influence on the development of Canada's automotive industry going forward.

Please click the Start Survey button below to begin:

I usually do. If the questions are real, not leading, I'd fill it to the end, if I see too much agenda, I quit.

I think along the same lines....you confirmed my thoughts.
I'll see how much time I have to give it, busy these days. An older brother moving from a 2 bdrm apt to a seniors residence.....all by June 1st. He can't do anything and he was a hoarder...........that plus tennis and pickleball and keeping my Edmunds fans happy.

Well, you could forgo that last one and spend a little more time with your brother's stuff.

jmonroe

pensfan83

I like to do things myself too but I know my limits and this project exceeds them from both a skillset and time perspective.

stickguy

on our first single family house (a new build) I put on the deck myself. Actually came out OK (and must have been done right, because 20 years later driving by to check out the old Hood, it was still attached!). I also overbuilt it (code+?). I think plans said needed 3 piers, so I figured what the heck, 4 or 5 must be better. Now, digging those 4" post holes, in recently compacted dirt, by hand, in July, was not fun.

stickguy

Bradd, my opinion to your deck question? don't. Unless you have an elevated (2nd story) back to the house. If it is at roughly grade level, I would go with a patio instead. Stamped concrete of some kind. Our current house came with a huge deck. And it is a pain. Can't get under it and water collects. Have to clean and re-stain every few years. Occasional splinters.

if I was doing it from scratch, I would make a nice patio, with just a small landing coming off the house (instead of just a couple steps up).

should be a lot cheaper to put in also.

sda

wstickguy said:

Bradd, my opinion to your deck question? don't. Unless you have an elevated (2nd story) back to the house. If it is at roughly grade level, I would go with a patio instead. Stamped concrete of some kind. Our current house came with a huge deck. And it is a pain. Can't get under it and water collects. Have to clean and re-stain every few years. Occasional splinters. if I was doing it from scratch, I would make a nice patio, with just a small landing coming off the house (instead of just a couple steps up). should be a lot cheaper to put in also.

I second that advice.  Maintenance on a deck is a pain, concrete much easier.

abacomike

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

Our home improvement project this year consists of renovating and expanding our back deck along with adding a roof. Last night the contractor informed us the start has been delayed 2 weeks from it's original start date of Monday, they are now not scheduled to get started until the middle of May. We were planning to start shopping for new furniture, grille, and fire pit this weekend. Needless to say we are very disappointed.

Just curious, a deck is on our home improvement TO-DO list. What is that going to cost? I have a meeting set up with a contractor next week.

I had a Douglas Fir Treated 18'x30' deck installed on my first house - accessed through the sliding glass doors in my family room. Had 4"x4" posts and 2"x6" rails with 2"x6" deck flooring. The entire deck was about 8" off the ground - gravel underneath the deck - all Douglas Fir Treated for moisture, mold and insects. The deck was great for a few years, but then the maintenance became a nuisance - replacing boards, rails, etc. The problem is that I should never have put a wood deck attached to the house so close to the ground. On my second house, I had a conrete patio put in - almost no maintenance and much easier to access. Unless you are adding a deck to a second floor access point, I would consider concrete only. Just some suggestions.