Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

stickguy said:

Driver, any newer car should not need much anyway, and a reputable dealer will do that inspection to every car, and fix anything broken. And not sell flood cars. Really, for most people, the CPO is just an extended warranty, and maybe some discount financing. Which, you pay more for.

If say I bought the 2YO Acura tlx, that still has 2 years BtoB warranty, then 2 more power train. So I would be getting 1 year, of whatever CPO covers, at the end, and maybe some adds to the power train coverage. Nice to have, but for a reliable brand, not hugely valuable. If they offered same car for $2,000 less without CPO, I would take the cash and self insure.

Stick, sounds like a bit of a gamble. When I traded in our 2008 335 for a 2012 A4 the dealer said he could give me more than BMW could because it looked like a nice clean car and he could resell it again without doing a thing to it. A BMW dealer would go over it, check it all out, then certify it so they will have to charge more. I think the dealer will want to get the most out of their best trade ins, and will want to certify them. Just me, but I am willing to pay more to get one of their best trade-ins.

dino001

This website is driving me nuts. I was locked out of it for almost entire day. Got this "wrong password" loop again message from the old website version. When tried to go around through My Insider link, the login hung up. Then suddenly this evening it went back to the old "howdy stranger" and the signup was OK.

To be fair, there is "Disable Ad Blocker" disclosure, which I have active on my browser. Funny thing it shows 19 (sic) ads blocked just by getting to "My bookmarks" location.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'm rather dubious of the merits of CPO, but if it help cut you a good deal, congrats on that!

Why? I love our 2014 C250 CPO that had 12000 miles on it when we bought it. I like that they do a 96 point inspection etc....easy to buy a car with lights burnt out, and other little things not working. You pay more but if they are willing to warranty it I think that says something....compared to, here is your new used car......good luck, you are now on your own....and what if it was a flood car or electronics don't work?

Well the fact that your CPO is doing well doesn't necessarily mean the CPO "inspection" had anything to do with it. Having spent some time in the back door of dealerships, I don't think they really put a lot of effort into it--a cursory lift, a spin around the block.

They give you a sheet with 96 or 114 items checked....from fluid levels to lights working, to bluetooth working, wipers working. These are things that could be broken in any 4 year old car. I don't have time to get things fixed or to go back to the dealer, 40 minutes away, if I don't have to.
Not saying buying non-CPO is bad, just saying, you have to do what suits your needs.

oldfarmer50

tyguy said:

imidazol97 said:

Had emergency call for service from son and DIL. Seems the Cruze went to red on gauge just as she got home from day at clinic. Didn't boil water out on ground.

But I refilled reservoir. Started engine. No leaks. Then I checked other side near belts and saw coolant on frame member where it had been dripping out and blowing back with air around engine while driving. Could see coolant run down front edge of block in slow drip with engine running.

Diagnosis: water pump seeping. I was afraid to drive it home and to dealer for service with the drip. Had it towed and left Junior the 08 Cobalt to drive to work tomorrow. Should be covered under warranty. 70 K miles.

Good timing for it to overheat and it sounds like no damage. Good news there, and even better about the warranty. Let us know how it turns out and I'll be hoping for the best.

My son had the water pump on his Sable go at about 85k miles. Unfortunately, he did heat the engine pretty good and now has a persistent CEL for a cyl 6 misfire. After a couple of attempts at diagnosis my indie mechanic thinks it’s either a persistent carbon build up on a valve or maybe even a burnt valve. If the latter the car would need a valve job which would cost more than the car is worth. Car runs fine.

Fortunately the car just passed inspection so it’s good until next October. At that time it’ll have well over 100k miles and I won’t feel so bad about junking it.

stickguy

Driver, if your car is that good, all the CPO process is going to do is give it a quick once over, change the oil, maybe new air filter and wiper blade, and off to the front line.

dino001

driver100 said:

Stick, sounds like a bit of a gamble. When I traded in our 2008 335 for a 2012 A4 the dealer said he could give me more than BMW could because it looked like a nice clean car and he could resell it again without doing a thing to it. A BMW dealer would go over it, check it all out, then certify it so they will have to charge more. I think the dealer will want to get the most out of their best trade ins, and will want to certify them. Just me, but I am willing to pay more to get one of their best trade-ins.

If the car is actually clean and in good shape, certifying it will only raise the price without adding whole lot of real work to it (other than lots of "checking", if that is even really done - you hear a lot of stories of unseemly behavior on part of some dealers, unfortunately). The most valuable part of certifications is the extended warranty, which you could buy separately. I generally don't buy them, so certification does not represent large amount of value to me.

Another negative is you can always cancel your extended warranty contract and get the prorated amount back (when you sell or total your vehicle), but you can't do that for the certified vehicle. My friend bought a certified BMW and totaled it in first year of the ownership. She had a big fight with the insurance about value of the car, as they attempted to value it as a "normal" used car, claiming they don't pay for extended warranties. She got them to concede it was not the same thing (replacement value) after a lot of phone calls, not sure if it was to the fullest extent, or just a settlement. The problem is a most of insurance policies have an explicit "cash value", not "replacement value" on their collision/comprehensive declarations, which basically means you'll most likely lose that battle.

Dealerships will always put higher asking prices on same brand used cars and will often stick to their guns for much longer. They know the particular model market better and they basically use the logo on their pylon as assurance they know what they sell. Other brands may misread the market and may panic sooner. Also, if they really didn't do much work on the car, they do have that margin in their pocket, if needed.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'm rather dubious of the merits of CPO, but if it help cut you a good deal, congrats on that!

Why? I love our 2014 C250 CPO that had 12000 miles on it when we bought it. I like that they do a 96 point inspection etc....easy to buy a car with lights burnt out, and other little things not working. You pay more but if they are willing to warranty it I think that says something....compared to, here is your new used car......good luck, you are now on your own....and what if it was a flood car or electronics don't work?

I’ve heard that some dealers don’t inspect anything and just buy an insurance policy to cover any potential repairs.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

GM....cutting 15% of their workforce. Cutting Chevy Volt (the best car Chevy makes), Cruze and Impala....gone are Cadillac CT6 (which I feel is the best car Cadillac makes) and Buick LaCrosse.

This is certainly not good for the economy.

Sedans aren’t selling.

dino001

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

GM....cutting 15% of their workforce. Cutting Chevy Volt (the best car Chevy makes), Cruze and Impala....gone are Cadillac CT6 (which I feel is the best car Cadillac makes) and Buick LaCrosse.

This is certainly not good for the economy.

Sedans aren’t selling.

Wait until the gas price goes up by a buck or two, or perhaps even three, who knows. It will, but likely not soon. It will be long enough so by then all the memory of their sedan production and expertise will be gone and they will be crying their eyes out on all the injustice, currency manipulation, press conspiracy, evil oil companies, and whatever else (it won't be their fault, that you can be assured), asking for another bailout money to develop new and improved vehicles. It will be still too early for all-electric SUVs and pickups to be mainstream, just yet.

Ford will at least have European models they may be able to bring. GM sold its Opel, by then they'll probably have all license agreements discontinued, they might be able to bring Chinese models, if that trade is not killed. Even Chrysler has Fiat in their back pocket. GM will have nothing.

berri

Even if companies rebuild and increase domestic manufacturing, the turn of this century is like the one a century prior; the economics and technology has changed. Generally, when a plant expands or reopens these days only a fraction of the previous employees are brought on thanks to computerization, robotics, etc.

I'll bet the Saudi's will be one of the first to work toward higher oil prices given their past behavior. Longer term oil pricing has a floor because fracking and offshore require higher break even points than the conventional oil wells of past. The last time we saw something similar to today, many frackers got into financial trouble because of this reality. More than a few of them had to file bankruptcy and oil prices shot back up.

berri

dino, I think if all of this tariff stuff, if much of it is more than political talk, comes to fruition transplants will also be affected, not just Detroit. That may impact southern states this time. Salaries are not going up fast enough to absorb the pricing impact of tariffs and other restrictions talked about in Washington. The middle class stands to experience the greatest burden from it all. Tariffs have already caused noticeable price increases in US made steel for example. Manufacturers can't absorb all of this longer term.

abacomike

This is just my personal view on the subject of sedans and coupes being discontinued by American manufacturers.

Sedans, and their cousins coupes, are produced successfully in huge quantities by BMW, Mercedes Benz. Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Honda, Lexus, to name a few.  But not just huge quantities, but also with outstanding quality in a wide variance of suggested retail prices.  By stopping production on sedans by Ford, Chrysler/Fiat and GM, American automobile manufacturers are waving the white flag and giving up the sedan markets of the world to the above-mentioned foreign automobile manufacturers - all of which produce vehicles here in North America.

Of course SUV’s and trucks are much more profitable to make and sell here in the US and Canada, but those manufacturers that produce sedans and coupes make nice profits on those vehicles as well.  US manufacturers are widthdrawing from sedan and coupe production to me means they cannot compete profitably with a host of other manufacturers on their home turf - The United States.

It is pitiful!  American manufacturers have been beaten at their own game - that is what angers me in the worst possible way.  We’ve financially bailed out GM and Chrysler - but to what end?  Have these companies done anything in the last 20 years to make us proud they produce American vehicles?  

So they put their tails between their legs and run away from sedans and coupes and toward SUV’s, trucks and other vehicles they hope will be profitable.  I personally believe they will not survive on SUV’s, Trucks and electrics in the long run.  It remains to be seen whether we will have American vehicle manufacturers producing vehicles 25 years from now.

berri

Another related issue may be that many of the brands/companies you mention have successful, global franchises. I also think it will be more than US auto companies fading away down the road. America went from agriculture to Industrial at the turn of the 20th century and now we seem to be moving from things like manufacturing to technology. Ultimately, this could be good news long term if we have the education and training leadership available to people, but it will be bad news for those who are either unskilled or under schooled. History has a way of repeating itself, if sometimes indirectly.

henryn

I heard some comedian say something along the lines of, "If you aren't willing to pick vegetables, and you can't write apps, you are s___ out of luck in this modern world."

oldfarmer50

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

GM....cutting 15% of their workforce. Cutting Chevy Volt (the best car Chevy makes), Cruze and Impala....gone are Cadillac CT6 (which I feel is the best car Cadillac makes) and Buick LaCrosse.

This is certainly not good for the economy.

Sedans aren’t selling.

Wait until the gas price goes up by a buck or two, or perhaps even three, who knows. It will, but likely not soon. It will be long enough so by then all the memory of their sedan production and expertise will be gone and they will be crying their eyes out on all the injustice, currency manipulation, press conspiracy, evil oil companies, and whatever else (it won't be their fault, that you can be assured), asking for another bailout money to develop new and improved vehicles. It will be still too early for all-electric SUVs and pickups to be mainstream, just yet.

Ford will at least have European models they may be able to bring. GM sold its Opel, by then they'll probably have all license agreements discontinued, they might be able to bring Chinese models, if that trade is not killed. Even Chrysler has Fiat in their back pocket. GM will have nothing.

Doesn’t GM have a stake in Holden from Australia? That’s where the GTO came from.

But you’re right, if gas goes back up, the US companies will be screwed.

driver100

stickguy said:

Driver, if your car is that good, all the CPO process is going to do is give it a quick once over, change the oil, maybe new air filter and wiper blade, and off to the front line.

Stick, that is probably true for the most part, but, in most pre-owned cars there will be some things that don't work the way they are supposed to. But, if the car wasn't top quality, they wouldn't certify it, and they would sell it as a regular used car......and they would make less money on it. It is a bit of a scam, but, if you want the best possible pre-owned car, I think you will have to get a CPO. If you don't, you will be taking a chance. I want a car they feel strong enough they will guaranty it...I don't want to have major problems 2 or 3 months later.

Maybe I am buying insurance, but how will I find a car that is as good and not buy it CPO? One more point, I am also relying on the fact Mercedes wants me to be happy with my car, so I will buy another one in a few years. More chance of that if it really is a good car.

I could try to get a Mercedes used car at the BMW dealer across the road, but, how careful will they be about checking the car out before selling it?

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

GM....cutting 15% of their workforce. Cutting Chevy Volt (the best car Chevy makes), Cruze and Impala....gone are Cadillac CT6 (which I feel is the best car Cadillac makes) and Buick LaCrosse.

This is certainly not good for the economy.

Sedans aren’t selling.

Wait until the gas price goes up by a buck or two, or perhaps even three, who knows. It will, but likely not soon. It will be long enough so by then all the memory of their sedan production and expertise will be gone and they will be crying their eyes out on all the injustice, currency manipulation, press conspiracy, evil oil companies, and whatever else (it won't be their fault, that you can be assured), asking for another bailout money to develop new and improved vehicles. It will be still too early for all-electric SUVs and pickups to be mainstream, just yet.

Ford will at least have European models they may be able to bring. GM sold its Opel, by then they'll probably have all license agreements discontinued, they might be able to bring Chinese models, if that trade is not killed. Even Chrysler has Fiat in their back pocket. GM will have nothing.

Doesn’t GM have a stake in Holden from Australia? That’s where the GTO came from.

But you’re right, if gas goes back up, the US companies will be screwed.

Holden doesn't produce any of their own vehicles - they are all imported from Japan or South Korea.

IIRC, all the manufacturing facilities in Australia are transplants - Toyota, Nissan, etc.

driver100

There might be some people who are saying, how am I supposed to buy American if GM is closing plants and cancelling the only possible cars I would be interested in? Maybe it is time to start supporting the foreign companies who did make plants here and who are making cars we like, and who are creating jobs.

They said on the news GM will lose $1 Billion of profit, because of the new tariffs.

GM and Ford will lose $1 billion due to tariffs

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Doesn’t GM have a stake in Holden from Australia? That’s where the GTO came from.

But you’re right, if gas goes back up, the US companies will be screwed.

Holden no longer manufactures vehicles (as of about a year ago), though they still act as an importer in Australia.

Mr_Shiftright

xwesx said:

Perhaps the thing that people tend to forget when it comes to tariffs is that the price of goods in general will go up for the consumer - it is an intended consequence in order to create a more competitive environment for domestic manufacturing, whether that be steel, automobiles, appliances, electronics, nails, or toys. The consumer "we" loses while the national security "we" wins (or, at least, that is the goal).

I think the immediate problem for US manufacturing is that our current situation is so decayed that the entire supply chain tends to be international. So, even if manufacturing at the end of the food chain occurs in the US (e.g., autos), when all of the supplies are also more expensive due to tariffs then the competitive disadvantage remains. These long-shuttered industries cannot start up overnight.

Exactly. A tariff is actually a TAX, nothing less.

benjaminh

driver100 said:

There might be some people who are saying, how am I supposed to buy American if GM is closing plants and cancelling the only possible cars I would be interested in? Maybe it is time to start supporting the foreign companies who did make plants here and who are making cars we like, and who are creating jobs....

The new CR-V my family owns was made in Canada.++ They did a great job. Flawless, as far as I can tell. They also make Civics there as I'm sure you know.

https://www.hondacanada.ca/manufacturing/

My TLX was made in Ohio. We wanted to get the best vehicles for our money, but we're also happy that our money is supporting jobs in those places.

dino001

driver100 said:

There might be some people who are saying, how am I supposed to buy American if GM is closing plants and cancelling the only possible cars I would be interested in?
GM and Ford will lose $1 billion due to tariffs

I’m one if them. Domestics are basically self-sabotaging their prospects, as long as I’m concerned, but I’m not a good yardstick when it comes to measure market demand. I always go different way than majority. Not because I want to, just because my European concept if what a car should be and do.

driver100

benjaminh said:

driver100 said:

There might be some people who are saying, how am I supposed to buy American if GM is closing plants and cancelling the only possible cars I would be interested in? Maybe it is time to start supporting the foreign companies who did make plants here and who are making cars we like, and who are creating jobs....

The new CR-V my family owns was made in Canada.++ They did a great job. Flawless, as far as I can tell. They also make Civics there as I'm sure you know.

https://www.hondacanada.ca/manufacturing/

My TLX was made in Ohio. We wanted to get the best vehicles for our money, but we're also happy that our money is supporting jobs in those places.

Lots of plants in Canada and the efficient supply chain was set up to make cars in Canada and the US and everyone benefited, without tariffs.

Looks like your TLX will support jobs in the US. GM, the company the government kept in business, is cutting jobs in Ohio and elsewhere.

Maybe tariffs are the new tax revenue stream.

driver100

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

There might be some people who are saying, how am I supposed to buy American if GM is closing plants and cancelling the only possible cars I would be interested in?
GM and Ford will lose $1 billion due to tariffs

I’m one if them. Domestics are basically self-sabotaging their prospects, as long as I’m concerned, but I’m not a good yardstick when it comes to measure market demand. I always go different way than majority. Not because I want to, just because my European concept if what a car should be and do.

I get it Dino. It is hard to duplicate the styling and the ambiance of a European car if that is your thing. If you like American cars there is something that draws you to them. If you prefer Asian cars there is something that attracts you to them. Just a matter of what suits you.

driver100

One good thing lately, the hi-liting of the original post is coming out without me having to go back and do it manually.

graphicguy

berri said:

dino, I think if all of this tariff stuff, if much of it is more than political talk, comes to fruition transplants will also be affected, not just Detroit. That may impact southern states this time. Salaries are not going up fast enough to absorb the pricing impact of tariffs and other restrictions talked about in Washington. The middle class stands to experience the greatest burden from it all. Tariffs have already caused noticeable price increases in US made steel for example. Manufacturers can't absorb all of this longer term.

Tariffs are short sighted and foolish. They have cost Ford $1B...money they could have used to build more advanced vehicles and employ more people. Tariffs forced GM to shutter plants and become less able to keep models which would prep them for the inevitable swing away from SUVs and trucks. Tariffs also cost 15K North Americans their jobs.

To raise fossil fuel prices is a fool’s play. GM said they are focusing on EVs, as is VW, as is just about every other world wide manufacturer. That will put continued downward pressure on gas prices. Raise bbl oil price? Sure, that’s just hastening the oil refinery’s demise as they now know it.

Then there’s this.....

https://www.forbes.com/sites/edgarsten/2018/11/26/gms-moves-may-mean-marchionnes-confessions-were-correct/#735631c51012

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Doesn’t GM have a stake in Holden from Australia? That’s where the GTO came from.

But you’re right, if gas goes back up, the US companies will be screwed.

Holden no longer manufactures vehicles (as of about a year ago), though they still act as an importer in Australia.

So they pulled what the American manufacturers are doing now.

abacomike

I just got my Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance renewal for the new policy year effect 12/30/18. They raised my insurance rates from $2280 a year to $3100 a year. So they raised my rates 30%+ and I have had no accidents, no tickets or violations, and I have not changed any of the limits on the policy. Can you imagine the nerve of Liberty Mutual? How do they expect to retain their clientele - especially the good drivers with no accidents or tickets?

So I contacted Progressive first and they were about $100 every 6 months less for the same coverages. I then called Geico and they were $500 less every 6 months for the same limits, but actually they gave me a 0 deductible PIP instead of a $1000 deductible PIP (Personal Injury Protection required by State Law). So, effective 12/30/18, I will be with Geico. I already signed the paperwork for automatic recurring charges to my AMEX each month beginning 12/26/18. The only thing Geico required is that within 30 days I have the car inspected at a place 4 miles from me to ensure the car has no damage, which it does not. I just give them the policy number and my driver's license and they send in the report directly to Geico. I am going to retain my homeowners insurance and umbrella policy with Liberty Mutual unless they decide to cancel those policies after I cancel my auto policy effective the end of next month. Who knows, but I don't care.

The net premium difference of the new policy with Geico is $1.50 a month more than my current payment before the renewal.

The darn nerve of a company to raise insurance rates that much for a perfect driver who drives less than 9000 miles a year.

stickguy

must have been all those windshields you go through!

abacomike

stickguy said:

must have been all those windshields you go through!

Actually, since I started with Liberty Mutual last December, I have had no claims for windshields.  Those 2 windshields were on a previous Geico Policy, IIRC.  It was on the 740i, IIRC.

driver100

abacomike
I just got my Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance renewal for the new policy year effect 12/30/18. They raised my insurance rates from $2280 a year to $3100 a year

.

Part of the old insurance company scam. They give you decent rates for 3 years then try to stiff you when you aren't expecting it. Mark it on your calendar, change insurance companies 3 years from now.

driver100

Here is a question for you. On Thanksgiving evening I had my tire blow out on the way home from a TG dinner. Who do you call for service....and the bigger question....who would you even trust to come out and put on a donut?
We called the people who had the dinner, they came out, it was about 6 minutes away, and they used their AAA card to call a Service truck, guy came in 15 minutes, put on the donut in 20 minutes. Great!
I belonged to CAA for about 40 years, but didn't bother because my new cars all came with driver assistance. Of course the 2014 C250 is now an orphan, no driver assist.
I am considering buying an AAA membership, about $60 a year, because having a problem can be a real hassle.

The question is.......who belongs to AAA and what are your thoughts?

btw....I have changed a lot of tires in my time and I was going to try to change this one. The tire change kit fits into this neat 12 inch diameter case, comes complete with gloves, and it folds up and comes apart. You would have to be a mechanical engineer to try to use it....and if you get it wrong you could really do damage to the car!

benjaminh

driver100 said:

....The question is.......who belongs to AAA and what are your thoughts?....

As a member for 30+ years, I think that AAA is still worth it. For whenever when your battery is dead, you have a flat tire, whatever, you are covered. The maps and travel stuff used to be important too, but in this era of Google maps and Android Auto that's seemingly irrelevant.

tjc78

driver100 said:

abacomike
I just got my Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance renewal for the new policy year effect 12/30/18. They raised my insurance rates from $2280 a year to $3100 a year

.

Part of the old insurance company scam. They give you decent rates for 3 years then try to stiff you when you aren't expecting it. Mark it on your calendar, change insurance companies 3 years from now.

Yep! I think I'm on year 3 with LM. Geico held their price for me for at least 8/9 years but then all of a sudden. BOOM 25% hike. I'm still surprised LM is the cheapest here in NJ for me.

One thing I do like about LM is that their policies are yearly, so you are locked in for a year. I'm paying a $2040 a year for two drivers, full coverage on two new cars in NJ. That's really not bad at all for this area.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

I am considering buying an AAA membership, about $60 a year, because having a problem can be a real hassle.

The question is.......who belongs to AAA and what are your thoughts?

Yes. You'd only need one membership because if your wife were driving, you'd likely show up with your card to help. Or if you get in an accident your AAA would cover the tow after-the-fact or your insurance carrier will. My insurance covers road service calls. Even our Michelin tires have a number for tire service and towing to the nearest Michelin shop. But I keep AAA despite not needing maps any more or travel books or airline/motel booking.

In a way many of AAA's services have been displaced by technology.

But I keep the AAA for the convenience. I call one number and enter my AAA number (a pain on a cell phone) and get a representative who makes sure I'm a safe location but can send help by emergency responders if needed. They contact an AAA tow or service truck. Or if it is a longer tow like my son's car, they contact a contract service truck.

If you're in a populated area, it's worth the cost to me. My son is on an associate membership and should have used his card Sunday night, but I was going to have the tow driver drop me at home on the way to the Chevrolet store with the vehicle. I get 4 tows or service calls a year IIRC on the membership. But this way our son got to see how the call system worked.

Your question has prompted me to think about spinning his associate membership into a full membership so he can use the card for himself and his wife or a dual membership. Paying for their membership would be a nice Christmas gift.

If your battery in the car has gone flat dead, upgrade your membership to the Premium Plan on the spot, and AAA puts in a free battery, like they did for my auto repair neighbor when he was having trouble (for years) with his Mercedes, all that German technology (a little humor, please don't send flaming personal messages again). His MB kept destroying batteries, or at least getting them so they could test bad. LOL

Our membership is $90 but I have the Plus which pays for longer tows, since I might be in Columbus or Michigan and want to have the failed vehicle towed HOME. I don't know what the base membership is. Were I living in your area as you do during the winter, I'd just get the basic.

driver100

benjaminh said:

driver100 said:

....The question is.......who belongs to AAA and what are your thoughts?....

As a member for 30+ years, I think that AAA is still worth it. For whenever when your battery is dead, you have a flat tire, whatever, you are covered. The maps and travel stuff used to be important too, but in this era of Google maps and Android Auto that's seemingly irrelevant.

That is about what I am thinking too. A flat tire on a rainy night, a dead battery, a car that has to be towed. It is fairly cheap insurance. I think they even help you find a motel if you are stranded.

imidazol97

Took advantage of a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal on new cell phones. Had been browsing new phones for my Tracfone to replace my KitKat Android OS LG. With Tracfone it doesn't get updates but is so far behiind it likely couldn't be updated more than one OS generation. (4.4 is my OS and 9.0 is coming out).

Checked with wife by taking her to Walmart and showing her displays there with the other phone I thought she might want for playing solitaire because it has a 6.2 in screen. But she liked the one I'd focused on--sort of a Galaxy S7 with lesser screen quality.

Instead of my getting one and then seeing if she likes it before ordering her the same or different, she said to order he one as well at the Black Friday price.

It's a Verizon-based phone just like my current Tracfone. It can be unlocked after a year by Tracfone (or can be hacked). It's same size as the Galaxy S7 my son replaced. He's keeping his old Galaxy S7. I was hoping he'd give it to me, but I'm not sure what OS it has because it started with 7.0. My new phone has 8.0 OS. Double flash units and 13 MB cameras front and back, so I'll be able to excellent selfies in front of interesting cars at shows to post here. LOL

Now if the weather would only get to April quickly so the car shows start up again.

graphicguy

For good or ill, I haven’t had a daily driver car out of warranty for quite some time. I did have the Cobra, but I only drove it 9 months out of the year, and then, only on weekend and when it was sunny and nice outside. So, odds of needing AAA were pretty low.

For the Acura, they provide a roadside assistance program (they call it Total Luxury Care) for 4 years. I’m only in year 2 of ownership. So, I don’t need AAA for at least that long. Same was true for my previous new cars over the last several years.

If history is any teacher, I’ll probably trade out in a couple of years (when the TLX S-Type comes out). Unless, something catches me in a weak moment and I make a move on something other than another Acura. Don’t foresee that happenening though.

I know it’s a regional thing, but last time I had AAA membership (mostly for my son while he was in college), the personnel in the couple of offices I had to deal with were pretty snarky. Don’t miss AAA.

graphicguy

Noticed the Edmunds forum software acting crazy (as a lot of you point out). You pull up Edmunds.com, and instead of having the “Research” button on top to take you to your “Forums” page, it now looks like they buried the “forums” link at the VERY bottom of the page...almost like they’re trying to hide them.

Not too sure, but it’s almost like Edmunds is moving towards axing the forums as they don’t see a need for the eyeballs or the content of the forums. Just a hunch.

driver100

GG, we better find a place we can all meet if that happens.
I'll never find out what happened to jmonroe1

ab348

A story about CAA (Canadian version of AAA). My buddy living up-country is a member. Probably makes sense given his remote location and the number of vehicles he has.

Last year he found a car he had been looking to buy for the last 20 years. It used to be local to us here in town which is how he first discovered it, but then about 15 years ago it was sold and disappeared.

He got tipped off to an online ad for it about 150-200 miles away in New Brunswick. After some communication with the owner, a deal was done over the phone and he and his wife go up to retrieve it. They do the deal but then realize that attempting to drive it home might not be advisable or even possible.

This is the hard part for me to swallow but he swears it is true: he called CAA, said that he just bought this thing and it stranded him. Would they flatbed it back to his house? After some deliberation, they did. Free, as part of his membership.

I couldn't believe it. It really seemed kind of deceptive to me and that is not normally his way of doing things.

tjc78

I can't see them moving away from the forums. It still brings thousands here and those clicks = ad revenue.

Also, on sites like Leasehacker you'll see tons of references to Edmunds for money factors and lease incentives. So even if there is only 100 or so of us that routinely post in these forums (CCBA, I spotted, Mystery car pix, etc) I'm sure there are thousands that come and go looking for advice in the other areas we don't visit often.

I know @Michaell and @kyfdx answer hundreds of leasing questions each week.

Having said all that, they certainly do need to iron out the logins and having the "My Bookmarks" page once again refresh upon hitting the "back" button.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

Noticed the Edmunds forum software acting crazy (as a lot of you point out). You pull up Edmunds.com, and instead of having the “Research” button on top to take you to your “Forums” page, it now looks like they buried the “forums” link at the VERY bottom of the page...almost like they’re trying to hide them.

Not too sure, but it’s almost like Edmunds is moving towards axing the forums as they don’t see a need for the eyeballs or the content of the forums. Just a hunch.

From your menu on the right hand side of the page, click on "Recent Discussions"
Then, count how many discussions have been posted in, within the last 24 hours.

The forums aren't going anywhere.

The technical problem is from our vendor, and happened on a holiday. I'm sure it will be fixed, soon.

stickguy

I have AAA too. Inertia to some extent. I do use a few services sometimes (not roadside related) and until this year, had my insurance with them. Sometimes it is duplicate service to my new car (I believe I have Hyundai roadside for a few years on the Elantra, but the RDX is flying blind, and that is the one the wife drives alone a lot). So I will keep it. Though next renewal, I can dump the daughter!

[Deleted User]

driver100 said:

Here is a question for you.
The question is.......who belongs to AAA and what are your thoughts?

I'm also a long-time AAA member and usually cover my annual premium with savings at hotels and such. There are some real deals available if you use the resources they provide.

I don't actually use AAA often for roadside emergencies, but when it's been needed I was grateful to have it available. The last emergency was that blown tire I mentioned while I was traveling through Denver. It was raining, my car was full of stuff, and it was late at night. I'm a hands-on guy, though, so I spent 15 minutes changing out the damaged tire for the spare and was on my way. My wife is a different story. I've asked her to not bother with a self-fix unless there's no cell reception, and just call AAA, which she has in the past. I figure she's more at risk on the side of a highway as a pretty woman versus my ugly mug scaring everyone off.

stickguy

tjc78 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike
I just got my Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance renewal for the new policy year effect 12/30/18. They raised my insurance rates from $2280 a year to $3100 a year

.

Part of the old insurance company scam. They give you decent rates for 3 years then try to stiff you when you aren't expecting it. Mark it on your calendar, change insurance companies 3 years from now.

Yep! I think I'm on year 3 with LM. Geico held their price for me for at least 8/9 years but then all of a sudden. BOOM 25% hike. I'm still surprised LM is the cheapest here in NJ for me.

One thing I do like about LM is that their policies are yearly, so you are locked in for a year. I'm paying a $2040 a year for two drivers, full coverage on two new cars in NJ. That's really not bad at all for this area.

Tom, I had AAA insurance (their brand, I forget who actually writes it) for a number of years. Nice to work with, but rates really jumped. So I shopped a bit. LM was 2nd choice, but the cheapest, of all places, ended up being Allstate. So I went with them. For a semi-deluxe policy, it came out to be under $1,400 for me and the wife, and 2 newer cars with full coverage. Punting the kid to her own policy certainly helped! Only a 6 month policy, so hopefully rates don't jump up in a few months when renewal comes. This is bundled with homeowners. Depending on what they do for rate renewals next summer, I may check LM again. They were cheaper on the house for some reason.

graphicguy

Maybe this is the car I really want......

https://www.motortrend.com/news/genesis-g70-2019-car-of-the-year/

I just can’t find any around these parts.

tjc78

Yes didn’t mention that.  I have the house with LM too.

Next year I’m re-quoting both just to keep them honest.  

I’ve had LM for the house since 2005 and only checked once so I’m long overdue for a re quote on that.  

stickguy

it was nice. and I just drove the base 4 banger. if you want a smaller car and a sedan, and liked the Stinger V6 performance, worth a look.

28firefighter

I've had AAA since I started driving and it has come in handy on more than one occasion. I pay for AAA Plus now. The BMW and Alfa both come with corporate roadside assistance, but after BMW would have had me on the side of the road for the better part of 3 hours, I called AAA who was there within 30 minutes. Money well spent.