Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

28firefighter

Did our NEXUS interviews up in Blaine today. They even did our Iris scans for the Canadian airports. Whole thing took 10 mins start to finish for each of us. 

driver100

I tried a used car lot and they said they would give him about $5500 to $6000 depending on condition.

fintail

Nice , that's exactly how I did it, and same turnaround time. I was back home well before noon. The last time I crossed into Canada (not to mention re-entering the US at Seatac), it made the fee worth it.

28firefighter said:

Did our NEXUS interviews up in Blaine today. They even did our Iris scans for the Canadian airports. Whole thing took 10 mins start to finish for each of us. 

driver100

I called the Hyundai dealer where I thought my brother bought the car.
Asked for the appraiser. He wanted the car, they need and want low mileage cars, there is a shortage.
He wanted me to tell him what the indie used car dealer was offering first.
I said no, he had to give me his number first.....then I would give him another chance.
He wanted my name and address etc.
He went to talk to his manager.
They would give me the amount, but wanted the VIN number.
I asked if he could look it up, using my brothers name...he had mine.
He reluctantly came to the phone and gave me the figure.....$6000 if it was in good condition.
We will take it in on Monday, if he doesn't come thru the used car dealer is just down the road.
He said he would arrange for a ride back after we turn in the car.
Funny, at one point he said he had to see his manager, and then he said hold on bud, then changed it to sir. I can't imagine my MB consultant calling me bud!

driver100

fintail said:

To be fair, that burning MB is at least 13-14 years old, who knows what might have happened over the years. Those early MLs are also not the pinnacle of MB quality.

Besides, every make of car has probably had a fire.....it shouldn't but you can google almost every brand has had one.

driver100

28firefighter said:

Did our NEXUS interviews up in Blaine today. They even did our Iris scans for the Canadian airports. Whole thing took 10 mins start to finish for each of us. 

Took us a lot longer than 10 minutes but NEXUS is worth it. No long line ups at airports....jsut press a few buttons and do an iris scan. For cars, go in the NEXUS lane and they speed you through. Remember though, if you have something to declare it is up to you to tell them, it is an honor system. You don't want to lose a NEXUS pass once you have one.

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

fintail said:

To be fair, that burning MB is at least 13-14 years old, who knows what might have happened over the years. Those early MLs are also not the pinnacle of MB quality.

Besides, every make of car has probably had a fire.....it shouldn't but you can google almost every brand has had one.

For a while, the Lotus Club actually had a "fire marshal" listed on its masthead--LOL!

And back in the day, the Jaguar V-12 fuel lines were referred to as "the auxiliary heating system".

If you've ever been close to a vehicle fire, it's amazing to feel the ferocity of that type of fire.

explorerx4

@driver100,
Your brother's car has low mileage, but what kind of shape is it in?
If they have to spend a thousand to fix the bumpers, dents and interior stains, they are not going to offer nearly as much.

explorerx4

One time next to the parking lot at work, a ricer Civic caught on fire.
The Fire Dept showed up, but would get near the car.
All of a sudden it blew up and the hood or the trunk flew up in the air at least 30 feet.
Maybe it had NOS or something like that in it.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
Your brother's car has low mileage, but what kind of shape is it in?
If they have to spend a thousand to fix the bumpers, dents and interior stains, they are not going to offer nearly as much.

It has just a few scrapes that an 8 year old car would have. No dents or accidents......I would say above average shape and condition. 8 years, 30k miles, less than 4k miles a year.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

If you've ever been close to a vehicle fire, it's amazing to feel the ferocity of that type of fire.

That's why I chose to post the pic, because of the look of the fire. A couple of members seemed to interpret it as a shot at their favorite brand. It wasn't.

28firefighter

Meh. Even if they did catch fire more statistically speaking...who cares?

The rates of new car fires these days are pretty low. Unless of course it’s your own. 

iluvmysephia1

2020 Kia Soul freshen-up

tbirdmarco

 Wow Mike that’s messed up with the insurance companies are doing the shooting victims families 

tbirdmarco

 Yes every car brand has its problems with it models also same with the fires agree with everyone above 

tbirdmarco

 Good luck to your brother with trading in his car next week I hope he gets as much as he can for is that the brother recently bought a Jeep grand Cherokee Drive or 100? 

tbirdmarco

 Still have to pick up my thunder bird from where it is reliable driver it’s hard to find these days ha ha Ha what can I do it is what it is today spent a lot of time outside washed my moms car already once wasn’t too dirty but just a little and my sisters home for the weekend so we washed her jeep to 

tbirdmarco

 In two weeks I think it is will be up in the Albany area since my sister graduating the 19th 

tbirdmarco

 Explore didn’t think of sedans that way less you realize that our car based I like a sedan with a hatch or wagon agree with everyone above 

stickguy

tbirdmarco said:

 Wow Mike that’s messed up with the insurance companies are doing the shooting victims families 

they aren't actually doing anything. Just paying out what the district paid for. Policies have terms. You want a bigger payout, you need to pay a bigger premium.

imidazol97

Mr_Shiftright said:

That's what I was thinking. A CUV is just a sedan with cladding, a second trunk stacked on the original one, and a little lift on the suspension.

Or today's "sedans" are just CUVs or SUVs with the rear deck chopped off, slightly lowered roof, and less ground clearance.

The last REAL sedans were RWD, bench seat 6- passenger cars.

I would consider the H-bodies, LeSabre, Bonneville, from 1993-2005, real sedans. Bench seats. held six comfortably!, and were front wheel drive.

jmonroe

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

If you've ever been close to a vehicle fire, it's amazing to feel the ferocity of that type of fire.

That's why I chose to post the pic, because of the look of the fire. A couple of members seemed to interpret it as a shot at their favorite brand. It wasn't.

I thought you knew there were a few thin skinned guys in here. "If you don't like my brand there must be something wrong with you". That's one of the reasons why I don't like clubs, too much back patting. Most of us were born into a religion so there is an excuse for thinking like we do about that. As far as I'm concerned, no sense in looking to surround yourself with more of that same kind of thinking.

jmonroe

driver100

tbirdmarco said:

 Good luck to your brother with trading in his car next week I hope he gets as much as he can for is that the brother recently bought a Jeep grand Cherokee Drive or 100? 

I like Jeep Grand Cherokees. Let us know how your brother likes it.
My brother said if he got $3000 for it he would be happy, he got his use of it for 6 years. He traded in a 10 year old Honda Civic in 2012, and paid $4000 for this Accent. They are giving him $6000 so he used it for 6 years and he is making money on it.

driver100

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

If you've ever been close to a vehicle fire, it's amazing to feel the ferocity of that type of fire.

That's why I chose to post the pic, because of the look of the fire. A couple of members seemed to interpret it as a shot at their favorite brand. It wasn't.

I thought you knew there were a few thin skinned guys in here. "If you don't like my brand there must be something wrong with you". That's one of the reasons why I don't like clubs, too much back patting. Most of us were born into a religion so there is an excuse for thinking like we do about that. As far as I'm concerned, no sense in looking to surround yourself with more of that same kind of thinking.

jmonroe

Post didn't say "A car was on fire", it said an "MB" was on fire.
I think that implies it was brand specific....but, then I am extra sensitive.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

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

I don't want any Edmunds subscribers leaving because of my temporary absence.

Well, your post has been up for many hours now and I haven't seen anyone in here complaining about your absence, temporary or otherwise. So, I think it is safe to say you can spend all the time you need helping your brother move. The members have spoken or should I say they have been silent.

jmonroe

I have been out today until now....3:30 pm and there aren't too many posts, I think a lot of members left while I was helping my brother.

My brother decided he can't drive his car any more and he called the dealer to see if they wanted to buy it. They said bring it in and they would give him a check for it the same day. There is only one free site in Canada to evaluate what the car is worth....Auto Trader. It is a 2012 Hyundai Accent...lowest model an L and it has 32000 miles on it. They evaluate it at $4400 to $5100. Cars in Canada are usually about 20% more, so does that seem to be a fair price....I guess about $3500 to $4000 U.S.?

He is happy to take it to the dealer and take what they give him. I am more inclined to check an independent dealer on the phone....and see what they say as well...just as a double check.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I'd buy it in a second for that price but I'm sure it would be a hassle to get it registered down here. Just this Thursday we dropped some Canadian cars off in Burlington VT. I'm guessing that they have dedicated drivers who take them back over the border. I drove a Rouge which got 35mpg on the highway. Speedometer was in km but everything else was miles.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

28firefighter said:

Did our NEXUS interviews up in Blaine today. They even did our Iris scans for the Canadian airports. Whole thing took 10 mins start to finish for each of us. 

Took us a lot longer than 10 minutes but NEXUS is worth it. No long line ups at airports....jsut press a few buttons and do an iris scan. For cars, go in the NEXUS lane and they speed you through. Remember though, if you have something to declare it is up to you to tell them, it is an honor system. You don't want to lose a NEXUS pass once you have one.

Call me a chicken but the only person who I trust to "scan" my iris is my ophthalmologist. It wouldn't surprise me that in 6 or 7 years, too many and too often, "iris scannings" will be found to cause cataracts or worse. Especially bad the earlier you start it.

I realize that there will constantly be new ways to make us more secure from terrorism. Unfortunately, we are being forced to find these new ways. Another reason why I despise the cowards that have forced us to change the way we have to live our lives. Then there are people in this country who don't think it is necessary to keep these cowards confined to the countries that breed and honor them. Some will call this racist thinking. If so, too bad. March me right to the top of that list.

jmonroe

roadburner

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

If you've ever been close to a vehicle fire, it's amazing to feel the ferocity of that type of fire.

That's why I chose to post the pic, because of the look of the fire. A couple of members seemed to interpret it as a shot at their favorite brand. It wasn't.

I thought you knew there were a few thin skinned guys in here. "If you don't like my brand there must be something wrong with you". That's one of the reasons why I don't like clubs, too much back patting. Most of us were born into a religion so there is an excuse for thinking like we do about that. As far as I'm concerned, no sense in looking to surround yourself with more of that same kind of thinking.

jmonroe

I think that the degree of "back patting" depends on the club. I don't think you would find much in the BMW Car Club of America; just one quick scan at the letter column of their monthly Roundel magazine would more than confirm it. Here are some excerpts from an article I wrote back in 2015- my editor printed them verbatim:

A heretical thought occurred to me while taking an unsupervised solo drive in the new X6-sometime between humiliating a Tesla along some Carolina switchbacks and pulling over to celebrate crossing the Eastern Continental Divide (ELEV 2910 FT); it summarized my feelings about the 2.5 ton Sport Activity Coupé. As the late comic Sam Kinison might have put it, much like a neutered dog, I just don’t get it.

I suppose we should be thankful that the engineers managed to pare at least a few pounds from the new X6, although at most it amounts to 55 pounds. It brings to mind an episode of The Andy Griffith Show where Goober Pyle complemented his homely blind date by telling her, "You don't sweat much for a fat girl."

State law in South Carolina requires 97 percent of the radio stations to broadcast country music, so my playlist for the day was settled- and it seemed appropriate considering the rural roads I found myself navigating. The fall weather was beautiful, the scenery stunning, and the roads challenging. But despite all that I just couldn’t bond with the X6. Sure, it was comfortable, fast, and more than capable- but I was feeling more like a programmer than a driver. And then I heard a familiar song on the B&O- and it described my dilemma in exact detail:
"…'cause when everything is handed to you
It's only worth as much as the time put in
It all just seems so good the way we had it
Back before everything became automatic"
“Automatic” Miranda Lambert

ab348

driver100 said:

Post didn't say "A car was on fire", it said an "MB" was on fire.
I think that implies it was brand specific....but, then I am extra sensitive.

The pic was blurry and the original source used the same terminology so I just repeated it.

fintail

I didn't take the MB fire thing as a dig at the brand, I was just saying it is an older car and not the best ever product - 15 or more years down the line, who knows what might have helped a fire along (botched repair, etc). When new cars are having similar issues, then it's time to panic.

fintail

One can find similar, if less verbose, gripes in MBCA and other MB club chatter, too. It can be summed up with the new car being inferior to the model it replaced, that the brand is racing to the bottom, the sky is falling, etc. Those types have been on that track for 50 or more years, complaining about the new model being terrible.

roadburner said:

I think that the degree of "back patting" depends on the club. I don't think you would find much in the BMW Car Club of America; just one quick scan at the letter column of their monthly Roundel magazine would more than confirm it. Here are some excerpts from an article I wrote back in 2015- my editor printed them verbatim:

fintail

Ned Flanders had laser eye surgery, and at the 10 year mark his eyes fell out - so beware

If only we had "extreme vetting" for some of the newly arrived real estate "investors" on the west coast.

jmonroe said:

Call me a chicken but the only person who I trust to "scan" my iris is my ophthalmologist. It wouldn't surprise me that in 6 or 7 years, too many and too often, "iris scannings" will be found to cause cataracts or worse. Especially bad the earlier you start it.

jmonroe

jipster

Below is an actual ad on Craigslist. I never knew a 2013 car could be be "totalled" because it had a door scratch. Most claim "minor"dents. 

Get out the flashlights! Look for that car scratch!. Call your insurance agenta tomorrow! Time to buy a new car!

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap

(google map)

2013 chrysler town & country 

condition: excellent 
cylinders: 6 cylinders 
fuel: gas 
odometer: 96000 
size: full-size 
title status: rebuilt 
transmission: automatic 

It is chrysler twon and country 2013only 96.000 miles It's beautiful car running drive great with no issues or any problems no warning light or any other light it has Rebuilt title because scratch on front door so I replaced it and painted in body shop... No frame damage. automatic. Tachscreen. 
With camera and navigation systems and power seats and leather

jipster

My son has had his restricted drivers license for only about 3 weeks. Coming home from a friends house at night, two days ago, he saw a motorcycle crash into the rear end of a car that turned in front of the motorcyclist. My son stopped, but could only watch as other motorist performed c.p.r. Unfortunately the motorcyclist died at the scene of massive blunt force trauma. It upset my son horribly...and my wife and I that he had to witness this sad tragedy. Hopefully my son will become a more alert and defensive driver after watching such an event. 

tjc78

imidazol97 said:

That's what I was thinking. A CUV is just a sedan with cladding, a second trunk stacked on the original one, and a little lift on the suspension. Or today's "sedans" are just CUVs or SUVs with the rear deck chopped off, slightly lowered roof, and less ground clearance. The last REAL sedans were RWD, bench seat 6- passenger cars.

I would consider the H-bodies, LeSabre, Bonneville, from 1993-2005, real sedans. Bench seats. held six comfortably!, and were front wheel drive.

I wouldn’t argue with that.  I owned one, 98 Ods 88.  It was a lemon but the overall those were good cars for GM.  

The Bonneville was always a little overstyled, but most Pontiacs in the 90s were.  

tjc78

Wife needed the Enclave yesterday, but I needed to pick up top soil and sod to patch in around the patio I had poured in the fall.   I gave my mom my car and loaded up her RAV4.  This is what 1000lbs does to it, the rear looked like a sedan. 

tjc78

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Post didn't say "A car was on fire", it said an "MB" was on fire.
I think that implies it was brand specific....but, then I am extra sensitive.

The pic was blurry and the original source used the same terminology so I just repeated it.

I'll accept that. This one was interesting....not sure of the brand;


Or this one


You can google any brand...."picture______________on fire".

tbirdmarco

 Wow Jupiter that’s a crazy funny ad that you posted from craigslist hilarious made me laugh 

tbirdmarco

 Don’t you stick by you have a point there 

tbirdmarco

 I hope I wasn’t one of the ones who got offended if you talk bad about a brand Ha ha ha I couldn’t care less you like what you like I like what I like ha ha I hope it wasn’t me G Monroe 

tbirdmarco

 That’s good driver 100 is getting rid of his car and made some money on the deal he has the jeep board now right so that’s another brother can’t remember 

tbirdmarco

 Wow 50 

tbirdmarco

 TJC wow I bet that Raven for was really really slow loaded down like that ha ha probably barely moved and sounded horrible to release you had something to get the job done 

oldfarmer50

tbirdmarco said:

 Wow Mike that’s messed up with the insurance companies are doing the shooting victims families 

I wonder if the media is reporting the whole story. Most organizations have a basic insurance with an umbrella policy once the primary limits are reached. The umbrella covers catastrophic but unlikely events.

If the school really only carried $300K on thousands of students it would be worse than incompetent, it would be criminal.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

28firefighter said:

Did our NEXUS interviews up in Blaine today. They even did our Iris scans for the Canadian airports. Whole thing took 10 mins start to finish for each of us. 

Took us a lot longer than 10 minutes but NEXUS is worth it. No long line ups at airports....jsut press a few buttons and do an iris scan. For cars, go in the NEXUS lane and they speed you through. Remember though, if you have something to declare it is up to you to tell them, it is an honor system. You don't want to lose a NEXUS pass once you have one.

Call me a chicken but the only person who I trust to "scan" my iris is my ophthalmologist. It wouldn't surprise me that in 6 or 7 years, too many and too often, "iris scannings" will be found to cause cataracts or worse. Especially bad the earlier you start it.

I realize that there will constantly be new ways to make us more secure from terrorism. Unfortunately, we are being forced to find these new ways. Another reason why I despise the cowards that have forced us to change the way we have to live our lives. Then there are people in this country who don't think it is necessary to keep these cowards confined to the countries that breed and honor them. Some will call this racist thinking. If so, too bad. March me right to the top of that list.

jmonroe

Heck with cataracts, I'd be more worried about being tracked everywhere my iris traveled. Didn't you ever watch the movie "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise?

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

28firefighter said:

Did our NEXUS interviews up in Blaine today. They even did our Iris scans for the Canadian airports. Whole thing took 10 mins start to finish for each of us. 

Took us a lot longer than 10 minutes but NEXUS is worth it. No long line ups at airports....jsut press a few buttons and do an iris scan. For cars, go in the NEXUS lane and they speed you through. Remember though, if you have something to declare it is up to you to tell them, it is an honor system. You don't want to lose a NEXUS pass once you have one.

Call me a chicken but the only person who I trust to "scan" my iris is my ophthalmologist. It wouldn't surprise me that in 6 or 7 years, too many and too often, "iris scannings" will be found to cause cataracts or worse. Especially bad the earlier you start it.

I realize that there will constantly be new ways to make us more secure from terrorism. Unfortunately, we are being forced to find these new ways. Another reason why I despise the cowards that have forced us to change the way we have to live our lives. Then there are people in this country who don't think it is necessary to keep these cowards confined to the countries that breed and honor them. Some will call this racist thinking. If so, too bad. March me right to the top of that list.

jmonroe

Heck with cataracts, I'd be more worried about being tracked everywhere my iris traveled. Didn't you ever watch the movie "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise?

I never saw that movie but it sounds like another reason not to like over the top high tech.

jmonroe

ab348

driver100 said:

I'll accept that. This one was interesting....not sure of the brand;

Or this one

You can google any brand...."picture______________on fire".

You're right.... you are extra sensitive. I can think of other terms too.

nyccarguy

fintail said:

Ned Flanders had laser eye surgery, and at the 10 year mark his eyes fell out - so beware If only we had "extreme vetting" for some of the newly arrived real estate "investors" on the west coast.

Call me a chicken but the only person who I trust to "scan" my iris is my ophthalmologist. It wouldn't surprise me that in 6 or 7 years, too many and too often, "iris scannings" will be found to cause cataracts or worse. Especially bad the earlier you start it. jmonroe

Ha!  Stupid Flanders!  Thinks he’s soooooooo smart!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Post didn't say "A car was on fire", it said an "MB" was on fire.
I think that implies it was brand specific....but, then I am extra sensitive.

The pic was blurry and the original source used the same terminology so I just repeated it.

I'll accept that. This one was interesting....not sure of the brand;


Or this one


You can google any brand...."picture______________on fire".

Always picking on GM. Aren't there other car companies with cars on fire?

nyccarguy

We were all talking about washing machines here either last week or maybe the week before.  Last night I was at a friend’s house for a BBQ.  We started talking about washing machines & I mentioned that when ours finally gives up the ghost (or maybe sooner), I’m going to replace it with a Speed Queen.  Thanks to much of the advice I got here and a few phone calls I made.  

First I looked online and noticed that Speed Queens aren’t sold through Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, or PC Richard & Son.  Then I went to their website and saw they are sold through some local high end-ish appliance places near me.  Then I called one place & got a price.  Next I called another place and got a price.  The owner picked up the phone at the second place and told me 2 things that sold me on the Speed Queen;  1) They are the factory service center for SQ.  If something does happen, you call their store, not the 800 number.  2) The owner told me that’s what he has in his own house.

So I’m telling our friends this and the husband says to me, “do you read CR?”  

“No.  Why?”

”They rated the Speed Queen with a 12.”

”Im taking the advice of my friends & the guy who owns the appliance store over a publication that thinks the Prius is one of the greatest vehicles ever made.”