Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

abacomike

I just got two Sky Box tickets to the Detroit Lions vs Miami Dolphins game this Sunday.  Taking one of my walking buddies who offered to drive there.  It’s about 25 miles due South on the Florida Turnpike.

Got the tickets from a friend who works for one of the Dolphins sponsors.

berri

Aba, you might want to download CC Cleaner or something similar and run it to clean out files and cookies on your computer. That might stop the fake Amazon crap (at least for awhile). But if you do, I'd just stick to that basic operation and stay away from things on it like registry cleaner.

jmonroe1

berri said:

Aba, you might want to download CC Cleaner or something similar and run it to clean out files and cookies on your computer. That might stop the fake Amazon crap (at least for awhile). But if you do, I'd just stick to that basic operation and stay away from things on it like registry cleaner.

Oh man, Mike better be careful or he'll be permanently dispatched to Edmunds heaven.

jmonroe

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

Hopefully less than ask price for this one.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/shelby/gt500/2165364.html

I love the burgundy 4 speed better.

Yeah, especially since it's an automatic.

jmonroe

Ever notice how jmonroe1 has short snappy replies, and the original had those posts that read like a novel?

driver100

fintail said:

20MM after tax?

Keep maybe half to live off the interest
Make arrangements so my immediate family won't have to worry about some things - buy houses and set up funds
Donate to charity/scholarships
"Retire" and set up some kind of hobby business that might not always run in the black, but will keep me busy
Probably split my time between this part of the world and parts of western and central Europe

driver100 said:

I asked about 12 people this question....one was in 40s and the others were 60 or 70s.
If you won $20 million in the lottery tomorrow what would you do.

I think your hobby business is posting right here....and there is no loss.

driver100

ab348 said:

My fictional $20 mil would probably result in a couple of places for me, one here on the ocean and one someplace warm. A few new toys. Take care of the immediate family, brothers and sister. A lot to charities that are meaningful to me, probably over a period of time.

Interesting issue about where to invest it to generate returns to live on. Would you trust the markets not to implode at some point and wipe out your new prosperous lifestyle? Might make for some worrisome nights tossing and turning.

You could always set aside $5 million in case of that happening...and even in a GIC you could live off of it.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

Hopefully less than ask price for this one.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/shelby/gt500/2165364.html

I love the burgundy 4 speed better.

Yeah, especially since it's an automatic.

jmonroe

Ever notice how jmonroe1 has short snappy replies, and the original had those posts that read like a novel?

NO.

jmonroe

stickguy

well, the new guy has to be terse. he has a lot of posts to make up for.

driver100

If there is ever a jmonroe2 we will only get monosyllable words...or a word.

I think jmonroe1 has a much better sense of humor too!

graphicguy

abacomike said:

In the last 2 weeks I have been getting 20-25 spam emails a day with “amazon” listed someplace in the URL address.  This is a bombardment of electronic messages orchestrated by amazon releasing my email address to thousands of companies.  That’s criminal!

Mike......Amazon can help. Send those emails to stop-spoofing@amazon.com

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

abacomike - Still looking? Still salivating? What’s it been - 6 months or more of this car or that car or this engine or stick transmission? This color or that color or this interior or that interior?

I think we need a new topic....CBDA.

Car Buying Dreamers Anonymous........you have to state what car you are hoping to buy in over at least one year from now.

@abacomike ...well put!

@driver100 ......A friend of mine was amazed when I told him I haven’t bought a car in nearly 17 months. That said, I’m always on the lookout. If I am enamored with a car, I’ll do research on pricing, value, etc for about 48 hours. After that, I put the checkbook in the back pocket and I’m a “right now” buyer.

I don’t consider it healthy to lust and agonize over any vehicle. Odds are, whatever car it is you want today, will be gone tomorrow, next week and certainly next month. So why even speculate about buying and making yourself crazy...for a Sentra no less, or the one before that, the Yaris, or the one before that, a Scion?

That said, I do have a wish list of my own....

-‘69 Mustang Shelby GT500 convertible
-Maserati Ghibli (I know. I’m flirting with the unreliability craziness that comes with those cars, but damn, they are sexy)
-Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

Any of those cars would cause me to dip into long term investments, so probably unlikely. But, given my mood matched to availability, you never know!

As it stands, I likely won’t be in the market again until the Acura TLX S-Type comes out.

Well the Shelby GT500 would be about half the price of the Ghibli, especially if you took an automatic.

Porsche 911 Cabs are a dime a dozen in a 996 so $25K should do it.

Since I’m way off on what I thought these cars would go for, what do you peg the value of something like this, Shifty?

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/shelby/gt500/2170679.html

Is it matching numbers? I understand that can boost value considerably. Me, I wouldn't care since I would own it to drive, not as an investment.

OF....I’m just poking around a bit. Nothing serious. I do think that GT500 on Hemings is numbers matching.

Regarding that Maserati.....I just love the way they look. At $80K, not interested. At $60K....probably still not interested. $45K? I’d want a test drive. Even at that, it better come with some warranty.

stickguy

I just want the test drive. to heck with the cost!

abacomike

graphicguy said:

In the last 2 weeks I have been getting 20-25 spam emails a day with “amazon” listed someplace in the URL address.  This is a bombardment of electronic messages orchestrated by amazon releasing my email address to thousands of companies.  That’s criminal!

Mike......Amazon can help. Send those emails to stop-spoofing@amazon.com

Thanks, GG, will do that!

jwm40517

The talk of a Shelby GT500 brought back a memory from the Fall of 1967. I was 20 and cruising thru Dwight's Drive Inn in downtown Huntington WV in my 66 Chevy II . I saw a new 68 Shelby GT 500 and called out to the driver, " hey. would you like to run that Mustang"? He, probably 30 or so, replied " SON, this is not a Mustang, it is a Shelby GT 500. It does not say Mustang anywhere on it". I replied " whatever , would you like to run" He declined.

masonreynolds

kyfdx said:

Anyone have an actual story about buying or selling a car?

I looked for a new truck for about two months until an ad came up. It was a Singaporian 2001 Chevrolet S10 with a 4.3-litre V6 and 42,000 miles on the odo. When I called the guy he told me that it was already sold to his cousin. I was in love with the truck so in the following days I insisted until the guy put me in touch with his cousin. After one month of harassment he gave me a call and told me he would sell. We agreed to meet. And the meeting was in a different city, my home town! When I got there I found it was also my old neighbour selling the car. And when I got there I found this was a truck that I’d known since I was a kid; first owner was a friend of mine’s grandfather, who sold the truck to his nephew, who sold the truck to his cousin, who was the first owner’s son and therefore my friend’s father. He was remarried to my sister’s childhood best friend… links were everywhere. The truck was mint, the price was lowered, we had a good talk and the truck… I’ll never let it go.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

Even at that, it better come with some warranty.

LOL

imidazol97

Experienced more roundabouts this weekend while at the wedding in Old Dublin. There's a roundabout on a 4-lane road intersecting with another 4-lane road, Shamrock Blvd.

Scary. The people in the two lanes in the circle have right of way. There are reminder signs that people entering the circle MUST yield to BOTH lanes in the circle. In other words, two cars side-by-side on Shamrock Blvd. can enter the circle and exit 180 degrees later still going south on \Shamrock Blvd. That means if there's a lone car in one lane, inner or outer, in the circle, both lanes of entering cars wait.

The smaller one lane roundabout near the bride's home is dangerous because people like me are used to yielding to someone coming directly ahead while I'm wanting to make a left turn. That's a habit of 62 years. I got a toot from the car behind me as soon as I didn't keep moving.

I'm sure the locals are --used to people not doing the right thing because on the small roundabout you're clearing seeing the oncoming car across the small circle in the middle.

On the large 2-lane roundie, people sit and wait too carefully before entering the circle.

imidazol97

We need to keep @abacomike in our minds and hearts today as he ventures back to the MB store. Hopefully he won't come home with a new car.

I keep wondering if the MB store would give him a free detailing today if they knew his next car likely could be an Impala or a Camry.

tjc78

LOL, the chances of Mike getting an Impala or Camry after an S450 are slim to none!

If anything I'd see an E in his future.

ab348

The govts here have gone crazy for roundabouts as a cheap alternative to proper interchanges. Drivers generally hate them, and there are a few (not all, interestingly) where there are almost daily crashes. I don't know if they will ever be fully accepted here.

fintail

There are a few roundabouts in my area, built in the past couple years. I haven't had any incidents in them, but they are in relatively low traffic areas. Now and then someone is overly timid, probably more chance of that than someone who just barges in. I still prefer it to a poorly managed light or dopey 4 way stop - two things which define driving in North America. At the same time, I don't know if the caliber of the average driver on this continent can handle a high amount of roundabouts and less controls at intersections, as are more common where driving is treated as actual serious business rather than something to do while texting, eating, or smoking. "Experienced" drivers especially whine when a roundabout is built around here, as it entails learning something new.

stickguy

They work in the right places. Better than sitting at a light when there is no other traffic.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

We need to keep @abacomike in our minds and hearts today as he ventures back to the MB store. Hopefully he won't come home with a new car. I keep wondering if the MB store would give him a free detailing today if they knew his next car likely could be an Impala or a Camry.

Going up tomorrow - not today.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

abacomike - Still looking? Still salivating? What’s it been - 6 months or more of this car or that car or this engine or stick transmission? This color or that color or this interior or that interior?

I think we need a new topic....CBDA.

Car Buying Dreamers Anonymous........you have to state what car you are hoping to buy in over at least one year from now.

@abacomike ...well put!

@driver100 ......A friend of mine was amazed when I told him I haven’t bought a car in nearly 17 months. That said, I’m always on the lookout. If I am enamored with a car, I’ll do research on pricing, value, etc for about 48 hours. After that, I put the checkbook in the back pocket and I’m a “right now” buyer.

I don’t consider it healthy to lust and agonize over any vehicle. Odds are, whatever car it is you want today, will be gone tomorrow, next week and certainly next month. So why even speculate about buying and making yourself crazy...for a Sentra no less, or the one before that, the Yaris, or the one before that, a Scion?

That said, I do have a wish list of my own....

-‘69 Mustang Shelby GT500 convertible
-Maserati Ghibli (I know. I’m flirting with the unreliability craziness that comes with those cars, but damn, they are sexy)
-Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

Any of those cars would cause me to dip into long term investments, so probably unlikely. But, given my mood matched to availability, you never know!

As it stands, I likely won’t be in the market again until the Acura TLX S-Type comes out.

Well the Shelby GT500 would be about half the price of the Ghibli, especially if you took an automatic.

Porsche 911 Cabs are a dime a dozen in a 996 so $25K should do it.

Since I’m way off on what I thought these cars would go for, what do you peg the value of something like this, Shifty?

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/shelby/gt500/2170679.html

Is it matching numbers? I understand that can boost value considerably. Me, I wouldn't care since I would own it to drive, not as an investment.

OF....I’m just poking around a bit. Nothing serious. I do think that GT500 on Hemings is numbers matching.

Regarding that Maserati.....I just love the way they look. At $80K, not interested. At $60K....probably still not interested. $45K? I’d want a test drive. Even at that, it better come with some warranty.

With their reputation for poor reliability I would only lease. I think that's basicly what my company does because I don't see any listed for sale on the web site. If the world's biggest used car dealer won't buy them what does that tell you.

oldfarmer50

masonreynolds said:

kyfdx said:

Anyone have an actual story about buying or selling a car?

I looked for a new truck for about two months until an ad came up. It was a Singaporian 2001 Chevrolet S10 with a 4.3-litre V6 and 42,000 miles on the odo. When I called the guy he told me that it was already sold to his cousin. I was in love with the truck so in the following days I insisted until the guy put me in touch with his cousin. After one month of harassment he gave me a call and told me he would sell. We agreed to meet. And the meeting was in a different city, my home town! When I got there I found it was also my old neighbour selling the car. And when I got there I found this was a truck that I’d known since I was a kid; first owner was a friend of mine’s grandfather, who sold the truck to his nephew, who sold the truck to his cousin, who was the first owner’s son and therefore my friend’s father. He was remarried to my sister’s childhood best friend… links were everywhere. The truck was mint, the price was lowered, we had a good talk and the truck… I’ll never let it go.

Welcome.

I too like the style of that vintage S10. The 4.3L is a workhorse motor. The only weak spot is oil leaks from the main seals.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

They work in the right places. Better than sitting at a light when there is no other traffic.

They require a very high skill level, such as perfecting the difficult technique of looking to your left before entering the circle. This can take years, and you often have to study under a Master head-turner.

tjc78

I had a 99. It was a good truck, gave it to my SIL who ran it until she smashed it up.

Only major repair at around 140K was the spider injector. It did leak a little from the rear main the entire time I owned it. Never bothered to fix it as it was like a half dollar size spot overnight.

berri

All this roundabout mania; either the fed is subsidizing or it its considerably cheaper than traffic lights.

Mr_Shiftright

Roundabouts help traffic flow--I think that's the main advantage, as a substitute for traffic lights or stop signs. They work well, but only in certain circumstances.

roadburner

tjc78 said:

LOL, the chances of Mike getting an Impala or Camry after an S450 are slim to none!

If anything I'd see an E in his future.

I would have to agree. If I had to replace my 2 Series with a more mainstream brand I could see getting a properly equipped V8 ponycar, a Type R, a GTI or a Golf R- but that’s about it.

ab348

My problem with roundabouts is that when I am in the circle I am always fearful of someone charging into it when they shouldn't and broadsiding me. Head needs to be on a swivel. Add to that the crosswalks many of them here have and it is almost impossible to maintain full awareness.

Most of the ones here are 2 lanes which adds an extra measure of fun when someone on the inside of the circle realizes this is where they need to get off and cuts across your bow.

sda

Roundabouts are becoming popular in this area as well. Two are in the process of being constructed about 3 miles from here. It is baffling that drivers have a hard time with them. Maybe not, seems many don't know how to proceed through a 4 way stop.

stickguy

Go to Ireland. They are about every 100 feet. Got tired of hearing the Navi lady saying “take the second exit from the roundabout”. At least they were very well signed and marked.

sda

Oh, they're not roundabouts, they're traffic circles! Locally that is. lol

bwia

A grey market import story.

A 73-year old Canadian friend, now living in Florida, bought a 2015 grey market BMW 5 Series while he was resident in Canada. He divorced his slightly used Canadian wife and married a hot 39-year old Orlando, FL woman. Don't know what happened but the guy is broke and cannot find a job to maintain the expensive lifestyle of his new bride.

Fast forward to Thursday...his BMW is broken and it will cost approximately $2,400 just for parts from an obscure supplier in Massachusetts. Unforfortunely, he does not have the money and he asked if I can help. I said NO but suggested he could sell the BMW and use the proceeds to buy a used Toyota or something more reliable than a BMW.

And that's when a new set of problems befell him. According to him it is illegal to sell an imported (from Canada) grey market car in Florida. In other words he's screwed. Any truth to that or is he trying to scam me?

Thoughts?

stickguy

Ditch the wife and keep the car. Though my guess, if he is now broke, she’s done and will be ditching him shortly anyway.

snakeweasel

bwia said:

A grey market import story. A 73-year old Canadian friend, now living in Florida, bought a 2015 grey market BMW 5 Series while he was resident in Canada. He divorced his slightly used Canadian wife and married a hot 39-year old Orlando, FL woman. Don't know what happened but the guy is broke and cannot find a job to maintain the expensive lifestyle of his new bride. Fast forward to Thursday...his BMW is broken and it will cost approximately $2,400 just for parts from an obscure supplier in Massachusetts. Unforfortunely, he does not have the money and he asked if I can help. I said NO but suggested he could sell the BMW and use the proceeds to buy a used Toyota or something more reliable than a BMW. And that's when a new set of problems befell him. According to him it is illegal to sell an imported (from Canada) grey market car in Florida. In other words he's screwed. Any truth to that or is he trying to scam me? Thoughts?

you don't know what happened to make him broke? my guess is that she being 39 and he's 73 has a lot to do with it. 

As for your question, I would think that if it is legal for him to bring it into the US, and especially if it is registered in the US. then I can't see why you cant sell it in the US.

Me thinks there is another reason why he cant sell it. 

abacomike

There are several round-abouts down here in South Florida - especially in Boca Raton and North Broward County. In fact, there is one about 2 miles from me in Margate Florida. My brother's area up in Ponte Vedra is loaded with them.

I find them OK, but the older drivers down here get confused with them. They enter the round-about but stop at each of the entrances/exits, unsure of what to do or how to proceed. Getting these older drivers to stop at a STOP sign is tough enough, but a round-about blows their minds.

Even a flashing RED arrow creates a dilemma for them - we have one at one of our entrances that flashes a few hours a day during lower traffic flows - and what do these older drivers do? They think flashing red arrow means "slow down" while making the left turn - rather than coming to a complete stop before proceeding. As the Snow Birds swarm in to South Florida like Africanized Honey Bees, it will get even worse.

abacomike

Just renewed my Costco membership - $60.00 for the year which is a slight increase over last year. But the investment is well worth the membership cost since I buy 99% of my gasoline from Costco at a savings of about 30 cents a gallon for PUL. Since I save about $135 a year buying gasoline there, I realize a net savings of about $75 a year after I deduct the $60 membership fee. That doesn't include the money I save when I shop there.

The Costco nearest to me is just about to open their new gasoline pumping area - they increased the pumps from 16 to 24 which should alleviate some of the waiting time. The Costco in Boca Raton is 20 cents a gallon higher than the one here in Pompano Beach.

driver100

bwia said:

A grey market import story.

A 73-year old Canadian friend, now living in Florida, bought a 2015 grey market BMW 5 Series while he was resident in Canada. He divorced his slightly used Canadian wife and married a hot 39-year old Orlando, FL woman. Don't know what happened but the guy is broke and cannot find a job to maintain the expensive lifestyle of his new bride.
Fast forward to Thursday...his BMW is broken and it will cost approximately $2,400 just for parts from an obscure supplier in Massachusetts. Unforfortunely, he does not have the money and he asked if I can help. I said NO but suggested he could sell the BMW and use the proceeds to buy a used Toyota or something more reliable than a BMW.
And that's when a new set of problems befell him. According to him it is illegal to sell an imported (from Canada) grey market car in Florida. In other words he's screwed. Any truth to that or is he trying to scam me?

Thoughts?

Lots going on....what is a grey market bmw....does he mean it was a stolen car? I doubt the car is registered in Florida. If he registers a Canadian car in Florida he needs "proper" paperwork from Canada, and, he has to pay Florida state tax on the value of the car...believe the tax is 7%. I would steer clear of this guy. And what is a 73 year old doing with a 39 year old woman...how long will that last, hopefully as long as his money lasts at least?

dino001

stickguy said:

Go to Ireland. They are about every 100 feet. Got tired of hearing the Navi lady saying “take the second exit from the roundabout”. At least they were very well signed and marked.

France and UK are also like that. Nearly every intersection on back roads is a now a roundabout. Italy has quite a few of those, too. The most unnerving are city multilane roundabouts, when you are expected to enter in a second, or third lane, then shift lane while on going around before you exit. Especially when you're also going "wrong way", i.e. Ireland or UK and have all car senses crossed.

graphicguy

Just returned from test driving this gem at lunch....

https://www.porscheofkingsautomall.com/certified/Porsche/2011-Porsche-911-cincinnati-978b2e670a0e0ae939534fb4f8518854.htm

Thought the price was a bit over the top and it's an automatic (which I wouldn't want in a car like this). But, it's in great shape and just a blast to drive.

Mr_Shiftright

You probably don't want a 4S though.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

You probably don't want a 4S though.

Defer to your better judgement, but that begs the question..."why not?"

xwesx

masonreynolds said:

I looked for a new truck for about two months until an ad came up. It was a Singaporian 2001 Chevrolet S10 with a 4.3-litre V6 and 42,000 miles on the odo. When I called the guy he told me that it was already sold to his cousin. I was in love with the truck so in the following days I insisted until the guy put me in touch with his cousin. After one month of harassment he gave me a call and told me he would sell. We agreed to meet. And the meeting was in a different city, my home town! When I got there I found it was also my old neighbour selling the car. And when I got there I found this was a truck that I’d known since I was a kid; first owner was a friend of mine’s grandfather, who sold the truck to his nephew, who sold the truck to his cousin, who was the first owner’s son and therefore my friend’s father. He was remarried to my sister’s childhood best friend… links were everywhere. The truck was mint, the price was lowered, we had a good talk and the truck… I’ll never let it go.

Wow; who's gonna beat THAT one?!

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

You probably don't want a 4S though.

Defer to your better judgement, but that begs the question..."why not?"

Well, extra weight, extra repair bills (access issues, or failure issues) and really, are you going to take it out in a snowstorm?--probably not. The 2S is more nimble in any event.

laurasdada

abacomike said:

Just renewed my Costco membership - $60.00 for the year which is a slight increase over last year. But the investment is well worth the membership cost since I buy 99% of my gasoline from Costco at a savings of about 30 cents a gallon for PUL. Since I save about $135 a year buying gasoline there, I realize a net savings of about $75 a year after I deduct the $60 membership fee. That doesn't include the money I save when I shop there.

The Costco nearest to me is just about to open their new gasoline pumping area - they increased the pumps from 16 to 24 which should alleviate some of the waiting time. The Costco in Boca Raton is 20 cents a gallon higher than the one here in Pompano Beach.

When in Boca, my Dad would always drive the mile to the Pompano line to fill up with gas. Always cheaper!
My Costco expires at the end of the month, I too shall renew to enjoy the gas savings. And the $1.50 hot dog.

jmonroe1

OK Porsche experts, what's a PDK transmission? Pretty Damn Klunky or what?

jmonroe

snakeweasel

jmonroe1 said:

OK Porsche experts, what's a PDK transmission? Pretty Damn Klunky or what? jmonroe

It means Porsche Dual Clutch transmission. To oversimplify it it's an automatic manual transmission that can shift far faster than you could even shift manually. This gives faster acceleration and better gas mileage.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Just renewed my Costco membership - $60.00 for the year which is a slight increase over last year. But the investment is well worth the membership cost since I buy 99% of my gasoline from Costco at a savings of about 30 cents a gallon for PUL. Since I save about $135 a year buying gasoline there, I realize a net savings of about $75 a year after I deduct the $60 membership fee. That doesn't include the money I save when I shop there. The Costco nearest to me is just about to open their new gasoline pumping area - they increased the pumps from 16 to 24 which should alleviate some of the waiting time. The Costco in Boca Raton is 20 cents a gallon higher than the one here in Pompano Beach.

We used to have a Costco card, but to be honest with regard to gas savings it really wasn't worth it. It was out of my way to go there and there was always a long line to get gas. Due to the time and distance I wondered if I really was saving anything.