Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

henryn

explorerx4 said:

I have never liked having to put the key into the right side of the steering column.
Compared to that, inserting the key in a 911 feels like sex.

On my F150, the key hole is hidden, you cannot see it from the normal driving position. Major PITA. On the T&C, the key hole is in the dash, much better.

Of course, a simple push button would be better. My first car, a 1949 Chevrolet, had a push button for the starter. Everything goes in circles!

henryn

The worst employment interview I ever did was with the state comptrollers office. It was a "scripted interview", which I had never even heard of before. Four people and me in a meeting room, one of the four reading questions from a 3 ring binder. For slightly longer than 2 hours. Really wore me out.

imidazol97

bwia said:

For those saving for their next Buggati or high end vehicle consider parking your money in a high rate savings or CD.

Don't know why they are keeping it a secret but Citizens Access Bank is offering a 2.85% APY 1-year CD and 2.35% on savings. This is a strictly online bank (a subsidiary of Citizens Bank) and a $5,000 minimum is required to open. Considering the paltry 1.15% rate I'm getting right now its hard to pass up such attractive rates.

Does anyone have experience with these online savings banks? What are the risks and downsides? comments appreciated.

Yup. Perfect. Ally.com

High rates. Transparency. I set up the ability to transfer in and out of my checking account. So to move money I move from savings to checking and then set up a withdrawal to Ally.

Phone calls to them? Answered quickly by knowledgeable people.

A couple of things about setting up a new account to open another CD are strange: it's actually like opening an additional account but my info is already there as soon as it's started.

My local national/regional bank that I've used for a long time had a paltry savings rate through the previous malais administration with artificially low interest rates which made the interest on the national debt lower than it should have been and looking better. But kept earnings on the liquid part of a portfolio woefully low. Ally was always worth the move. The other option was the stock market which was bouyed up only by the ultra low interest. But it was productive to move cash equivalents to Ally.

I'm looking for an additional online bank, so I'm open to what others are finding here.

ruking1

henryn said:

The worst employment interview I ever did was with the state comptrollers office. It was a "scripted interview", which I had never even heard of before. Four people and me in a meeting room, one of the four reading questions from a 3 ring binder. For slightly longer than 2 hours. Really wore me out.

I always looked at interviews like that as multiple two-way streets. One can actually “PING” just as much, if not more information in the exchange.

Be that as it may, one may have inadvertently made the right decision, by NOT getting hired.

explorerx4

I've had decent luck locally, lately. Beginning of the year 3% for 27 months at Key and last month 2.7% for 18 months @ Peoples United.
Another one is coming due in a couple of months at Santander, so we will see how that goes.

sda

Rain and more rain, seems like every weekend!  Does this pass the JMonroe1 bead test?

sda

At what mileage or age of vehicle does it become basically worthless as a trade in? Our Pilot is in great shape, well maintained, to my knowledge, needs nothing. It is now 9 model years old and has 134k. It is paid for, so not having payments is a big plus. Food for thought.

qbrozen

sda said:

At what mileage or age of vehicle does it become basically worthless as a trade in? Our Pilot is in great shape, well maintained, to my knowledge, needs nothing. It is now 9 model years old and has 134k. It is paid for, so not having payments is a big plus. Food for thought.

Depends on the vehicle, of course. And on what you consider “worthless.” A Pontiac G6 with 140k is probably scrap value, while a 200k Land Cruiser is still going to fetch some bucks.

ruking1

sda said:

At what mileage or age of vehicle does it become basically worthless as a trade in? Our Pilot is in great shape, well maintained, to my knowledge, needs nothing. It is now 9 model years old and has 134k. It is paid for, so not having payments is a big plus. Food for thought.

They are great questions! ANY vehicle should go to it’s first major tune up @ 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles. My sights/goals are on 2,3,4 tune ups!

Short answers !

EXAMPLE: (15 MY old, @ $12.3k) 2004 Honda Civic, sold CHEAP for a X country move @ $4K. (aka., cash money) 2018, 250,000 miles (16,700 miles per yr.)

= $.0332 per mile driven: DEPRECIATION/ownership.

-$553.yr /-$46.11 mo. ownership.

So why would you want to pay the above, when you can easily lease/pay $2,844 yr,/$237 a mo, or $42,660 ?🤑

OCI’s @ 20,000 miles.

explorerx4

@sda,
One thing in your favor is that there is a good market for family size CUV's.
You could the post the details over on RWTINV and someone (Q ) could give you a ballpark number.

oldfarmer50

ruking1 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:

Thanks! Funny thing how it happened. Her ex-boss got a call from someone in the industry head hunting her. She is at the end of her career and just didn’t want a long commute (lives by the shore) so instead of pursuing the job herself recommended my wife. It was still a tough process, she had two phone interviews and one 4 hour in person session with 5 different people in various roles in the company.

I think this hiring by committee is the new way to defuse responsibility for bad hires in an era when firing someone can result in all sorts of lawsuits, protests or violence.

Way back when, when I was ending my professional career I interviewed with a new company. They flew me in and put me up in a hotel. Interviewed with several people and flew home. A week later they wanted me to do it all over again with a different group of executives. By that time I had tired of the corporate run around and became a farmer instead. Best decision I ever made. Being your own boss is the only way to go.

These days corporations make everyone jump through hoops. I even had to interview with several people to get my current minimum wage retirement gig.

I'm with you oldfarmer....no one would hire me at age 46 so I was forced to start my own business. I went for interviews....hated it, got treated like garbage, one place made me wait for 50 minutes before he was ready to see me. And he was the obnoxious son of the owner, telling me how lucky I would be working for them if I got the job. Never heard from them, not even a tough luck letter.......but, they were one of the first to go under when the book publishing business started to crumple.

I usually get my revenge.......

I think they have all these interviews partly to cover their butts, but also because there are lots of applicants for so few good jobs. I am glad I am no longer in the work force...much rather play pickleball.

Trust me, you are not the only one! So...if there are left over resentments.... one needs to get over them already!

It has been an open secret, for a long time (50 years+) , but age discrimination happens @ late 30’s to early 40’s. Indeed most to all systems, industries, have been, are, will remain in 24/7/90/365 “creative” destruction modes.

Long gone are the days of 30 year employments, gold watch, going out to pasture with one’s dog/cows. Im not sure how anyone can say “FIXED INCOME” with a straight face.

Even the military, which as some people know has the so called 20 year retirement. However one is “not vested” until 19 years and 366 days (IF one can even make it there). If you enlisted/commissioned at 18/22 years old, one is 38/42 years old@ so called “retirement”.

Funny that you mention age discrimination. The reason I was looking for a job at 39 was that the company I worked for had a reputation for laying people off before they hit 40 so they couldn’t sue.

I was lucky to drift into a job secondary to farming that provided a pension and ultimately health insurance. Now between that pension, social security and my retirement job I make more than I ever did working full time+++.

ruking1

oldfarmer50 said:

ruking1 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:

Thanks! Funny thing how it happened. Her ex-boss got a call from someone in the industry head hunting her. She is at the end of her career and just didn’t want a long commute (lives by the shore) so instead of pursuing the job herself recommended my wife. It was still a tough process, she had two phone interviews and one 4 hour in person session with 5 different people in various roles in the company.

I think this hiring by committee is the new way to defuse responsibility for bad hires in an era when firing someone can result in all sorts of lawsuits, protests or violence.

Way back when, when I was ending my professional career I interviewed with a new company. They flew me in and put me up in a hotel. Interviewed with several people and flew home. A week later they wanted me to do it all over again with a different group of executives. By that time I had tired of the corporate run around and became a farmer instead. Best decision I ever made. Being your own boss is the only way to go.

These days corporations make everyone jump through hoops. I even had to interview with several people to get my current minimum wage retirement gig.

I'm with you oldfarmer....no one would hire me at age 46 so I was forced to start my own business. I went for interviews....hated it, got treated like garbage, one place made me wait for 50 minutes before he was ready to see me. And he was the obnoxious son of the owner, telling me how lucky I would be working for them if I got the job. Never heard from them, not even a tough luck letter.......but, they were one of the first to go under when the book publishing business started to crumple.

I usually get my revenge.......

I think they have all these interviews partly to cover their butts, but also because there are lots of applicants for so few good jobs. I am glad I am no longer in the work force...much rather play pickleball.

Trust me, you are not the only one! So...if there are left over resentments.... one needs to get over them already!

It has been an open secret, for a long time (50 years+) , but age discrimination happens @ late 30’s to early 40’s. Indeed most to all systems, industries, have been, are, will remain in 24/7/90/365 “creative” destruction modes.

Long gone are the days of 30 year employments, gold watch, going out to pasture with one’s dog/cows. Im not sure how anyone can say “FIXED INCOME” with a straight face.

Even the military, which as some people know has the so called 20 year retirement. However one is “not vested” until 19 years and 366 days (IF one can even make it there). If you enlisted/commissioned at 18/22 years old, one is 38/42 years old@ so called “retirement”.

Funny that you mention age discrimination. The reason I was looking for a job at 39 was that the company I worked for had a reputation for laying people off before they hit 40 so they couldn’t sue.

I was lucky to drift into a job secondary to farming that provided a pension and ultimately health insurance. Now between that pension, social security and my retirement job I make more than I ever did working full time+++.

Indeed! (“Packages” 👍&) MULTIPLE sources of (PASSIVE) incomes, especially useful when one plans to “retire” are the real secrets, name of the game!

Anymore, one of the/more important reasons to work to owning one’s own business/es is/are (multiple) employer health care.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

At what mileage or age of vehicle does it become basically worthless as a trade in? Our Pilot is in great shape, well maintained, to my knowledge, needs nothing. It is now 9 model years old and has 134k. It is paid for, so not having payments is a big plus. Food for thought.

As a trade in your car is probably worthless to the dealer (at least that’s what they’ll say) but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. Particularly a Honda which sometimes brings prices that are mythical.

For example here’s what a search on CL came up with.

https://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/d/manchester-2010-honda-pilot-ex-w-dvd/6864445692.html

There were many more with higher miles for not much less.

ruking1

Record (since 2008/2009 financial crash) new car sales are at 17.5 M to 17.8 M.

USED car sales were app 39.2 M + per yr.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

At what mileage or age of vehicle does it become basically worthless as a trade in? Our Pilot is in great shape, well maintained, to my knowledge, needs nothing. It is now 9 model years old and has 134k. It is paid for, so not having payments is a big plus. Food for thought.

As a trade in your car is probably worthless to the dealer (at least that’s what they’ll say) but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. Particularly a Honda which sometimes brings prices that are mythical.

For example here’s what a search on CL came up with.

https://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/d/manchester-2010-honda-pilot-ex-w-dvd/6864445692.html

There were many more with higher miles for not much less.

10 years old, 138000 miles, $12000.....................I don't get it.
The way I see it, the very best 2/3rds of it's life is over...you are paying for the last third which is going to be by far....the worst third.......and that is if you are lucky and it holds up.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

At what mileage or age of vehicle does it become basically worthless as a trade in? Our Pilot is in great shape, well maintained, to my knowledge, needs nothing. It is now 9 model years old and has 134k. It is paid for, so not having payments is a big plus. Food for thought.

As a trade in your car is probably worthless to the dealer (at least that’s what they’ll say) but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. Particularly a Honda which sometimes brings prices that are mythical.

For example here’s what a search on CL came up with.

https://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/d/manchester-2010-honda-pilot-ex-w-dvd/6864445692.html

There were many more with higher miles for not much less.

10 years old, 138000 miles, $12000.....................I don't get it.
The way I see it, the very best 2/3rds of it's life is over...you are paying for the last third which is going to be by far....the worst third.......and that is if you are lucky and it holds up.

I don’t get it either but most of the listings I saw were similar. Even high mile Pilots are asking good money.

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d/lawrence-2010-honda-pilot/6859211116.html

I wouldn’t pay those prices but that’s just me.

sda

I wouldn’t pay those prices either and would find a way to buy something newer with a lot less miles.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

I wouldn’t pay those prices either and would find a way to buy something newer with a lot less miles.

In your case I wouldn’t let a dealer steal it from you. With the reverence people hold Hondas, I’d slap it on Craigslist or Autotrader for $10,000 and it’ll be gone in a week

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

I wouldn’t pay those prices either and would find a way to buy something newer with a lot less miles.

In your case I wouldn’t let a dealer steal it from you. With the reverence people hold Hondas, I’d slap it on Craigslist or Autotrader for $10,000 and it’ll be gone in a week

$10,000 might be a bit of a hard sell. Most people wanting to buy a $10k used car do NOT have cash. And while they might be able to obtain financing, they don't know how to go about it, or they would rather walk on hot coals than walk into the bank and ask for a car loan.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

I wouldn’t pay those prices either and would find a way to buy something newer with a lot less miles.

In your case I wouldn’t let a dealer steal it from you. With the reverence people hold Hondas, I’d slap it on Craigslist or Autotrader for $10,000 and it’ll be gone in a week

$10,000 might be a bit of a hard sell. Most people wanting to buy a $10k used car do NOT have cash. And while they might be able to obtain financing, they don't know how to go about it, or they would rather walk on hot coals than walk into the bank and ask for a car loan.

That’s probably true but then again, I see tons of cars in that price range for sale from private sources. Maybe he should drive his Pilot a few more years until it’s more affordable. They’ll be plenty of buyers like me when it gets down to $3000

sda

I appreciate the perspective to the question asked. The Pilot is the vehicle my wife drives and is still happy with it. Knowing it will be replaced at some point, I was interested if there was a point where I might really consider cutting bait while still retaining some equity. Of course a significant repair would be a sinker.

ruking1

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

I wouldn’t pay those prices either and would find a way to buy something newer with a lot less miles.

In your case I wouldn’t let a dealer steal it from you. With the reverence people hold Hondas, I’d slap it on Craigslist or Autotrader for $10,000 and it’ll be gone in a week

$10,000 might be a bit of a hard sell. Most people wanting to buy a $10k used car do NOT have cash. And while they might be able to obtain financing, they don't know how to go about it, or they would rather walk on hot coals than walk into the bank and ask for a car loan.

That’s probably true but then again, I see tons of cars in that price range for sale from private sources. Maybe he should drive his Pilot a few more years until it’s more affordable. They’ll be plenty of buyers like me when it gets down to $3000

Indeed. CNET indicates @ 11.7 yrs average age trending upward for the PVF. (*11,000 miles=128,700 miles to *14,000 miles=163,800 miles) “Homework” can easily yield vehicles most likely to retain value over time & mileage & are more reliable & durable.

driver100

sda said:

I appreciate the perspective to the question asked. The Pilot is the vehicle my wife drives and is still happy with it. Knowing it will be replaced at some point, I was interested if there was a point where I might really consider cutting bait while still retaining some equity. Of course a significant repair would be a sinker.

.....and that is a crap shoot. If the car doesn't end up needing an expensive repair you win, if it does then you lose, especially if the repair costs almost as much as the car is worth - or more!

Personally, I like to bail out while the car is still running well and I can get my money out of it. I don't think you save that much trying to get another year out of it if you run into repairs....I would rather avoid the hassle. Totally a personal choice.

driver100

It is similar to our Fisher Packel washing machine which has broken down. We have had this washer and dryer for 16 years and it has been terrific, Mrs D loves it. If the repair is under $300 or so maybe it is worth a try to get another year or two, possibly more out of it. If it costs more than $300 I would just as soon get a new pair (Mrs D won't have an unmatched pair unlike someone here who had a washer and dryer that were different colors). The way I see it, these things can go after 10 years, we got 16 years and they cost about $2000 at the time.....a little more than $100 a year - we got our use out of them.

driver100

Some good news....I seem to have found my car key.
I can't explain it.....I don't know how this happened and why I have the key and not the chain part that had the war amps key return tag on it.
It was in a drawer where I keep my receipts. All I can think of is I was in a rush, I did have some receipts I threw in the drawer, I must have put the key in the drawer at the same time.
My birthday is coming up, maybe I will ask for one of those GPS key finders.

driver100

The story of my life....I find my $600 car key......and a $1200 washing machine breaks down :@

abacomike

bwia said:

For those saving for their next Buggati or high end vehicle consider parking your money in a high rate savings or CD.

Don't know why they are keeping it a secret but Citizens Access Bank is offering a 2.85% APY 1-year CD and 2.35% on savings. This is a strictly online bank (a subsidiary of Citizens Bank) and a $5,000 minimum is required to open. Considering the paltry 1.15% rate I'm getting right now its hard to pass up such attractive rates.

Does anyone have experience with these online savings banks? What are the risks and downsides? comments appreciated.

I am out of the stock market now.  I was able to get a 2.65% 12 month CD and rolled over 5 other 12 and 15 month CD’s in the past 3 months at 2.6%.  My checking account pays me 2.2% monthly which was better than the money markets the banks offered.

Rates have remained about the same over the past 3 months and in some cases rates have dropped a little.

But I have to remain conservative now - no more stock markets for me.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

sda said:

I appreciate the perspective to the question asked. The Pilot is the vehicle my wife drives and is still happy with it. Knowing it will be replaced at some point, I was interested if there was a point where I might really consider cutting bait while still retaining some equity. Of course a significant repair would be a sinker.

.....and that is a crap shoot. If the car doesn't end up needing an expensive repair you win, if it does then you lose, especially if the repair costs almost as much as the car is worth - or more!

Personally, I like to bail out while the car is still running well and I can get my money out of it. I don't think you save that much trying to get another year out of it if you run into repairs....I would rather avoid the hassle. Totally a personal choice.

OK, if you figure the Pilot is worth $10k PP, why not get a buy bid from a dealer like Carmax to see what a dealer would pay. Then you know the real trade in value as well as the hit you’d take trading.

An unintended major repair has to be considered but I thought Hondas could go farther without that happening. Depends on your risk tolerance. On one end you have driver100 who gets night sweats once the warranty expires...on the other you have me who is willing to roll the dice as long as all the wheels are still attached.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Some good news....I seem to have found my car key.
I can't explain it.....I don't know how this happened and why I have the key and not the chain part that had the war amps key return tag on it.
It was in a drawer where I keep my receipts. All I can think of is I was in a rush, I did have some receipts I threw in the drawer, I must have put the key in the drawer at the same time.
My birthday is coming up, maybe I will ask for one of those GPS key finders.

Alzheimer’s? Ghosts? Wife gaslighting you?

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

bwia said:

For those saving for their next Buggati or high end vehicle consider parking your money in a high rate savings or CD.

Don't know why they are keeping it a secret but Citizens Access Bank is offering a 2.85% APY 1-year CD and 2.35% on savings. This is a strictly online bank (a subsidiary of Citizens Bank) and a $5,000 minimum is required to open. Considering the paltry 1.15% rate I'm getting right now its hard to pass up such attractive rates.

Does anyone have experience with these online savings banks? What are the risks and downsides? comments appreciated.

I am out of the stock market now.  I was able to get a 2.65% 12 month CD and rolled over 5 other 12 and 15 month CD’s in the past 3 months at 2.6%.  My checking account pays me 2.2% monthly which was better than the money markets the banks offered.

Rates have remained about the same over the past 3 months and in some cases rates have dropped a little.

But I have to remain conservative now - no more stock markets for me.

How about bonds? MLPs? Munis?

berri

MLP's can be very complicated, sometimes including large, unexpected tax hit. So do your homework there, or use a knowledgeable adviser before stepping in that arena. Muni's if you are in a high federal tax bracket. Some states allow state tax free muni if it is issued in that state. Stocks; age expectancy has some impact on that decision. Over time, after reducing for taxes, that 2-3% bank rate may not keep up with inflation. Stocks seem generally a bit high now to me, but after any bigger dip you might also consider a conservative income focused stock fund for part of that money. Just some personal thoughts. I'm sure there are many different perspectives on this matter.

PS - firms like Vanguard offer some very good funds mixing conservative dividend paying stocks with corporate bonds that generally pay better interest rates than government bonds. However, all bonds can gain or lose principal value (price you paid for the bond) inversely to rates. e.g. if interest rates go up, bond principal will go down and vice versa. If you decide to get into bonds, learn about "duration" to better understand this.

qbrozen

We played in the market just a little way back after the 9/11 market downturn. Pretty much broke even on those we traded in and out (lost some, won some). When we pulled out and closed the account, the only thing we kept and got printed certs for was GE. At that time, it was quite a bit undervalued compared to their material worth. Well, that one stock has continued to decline, much to my surprise. Just happen to look a couple of days ago and it was about $9. Can’t remember exactly, but I think we were in at about $24. And not many shares, so not a big deal at all.

I have signed up for my company’s stock purchase program. It is a very strong one. No restrictions on selling, and it went up something like 30% in the first quarter this year. So when my purchas went through at the end of the quarter, I got that Jan 1 price along with an additional 10% discount. Not bad.

berri

The old days GE was lucrative for many through stock appreciation and splits. Over time it seems like it got too high risk in areas, perhaps over diversified and is now at best a weak stock. Some value investors are looking at GE as possibly attractive. Time will tell I guess. Your stock plan sounds attractive where you don't have to pay a commission and get a 10% discount off the top. You still have to watch it though as GE shows.

oldfarmer50

berri said:

The old days GE was lucrative for many through stock appreciation and splits. Over time it seems like it got too high risk in areas, perhaps over diversified and is now at best a weak stock. Some value investors are looking at GE as possibly attractive. Time will tell I guess. Your stock plan sounds attractive where you don't have to pay a commission and get a 10% discount off the top. You still have to watch it though as GE shows.

My father worked for GE and had a lot of it. In 1999 it was worth $120 a share.

I dabbled in individual stocks and found it wasn’t for me since you can’t really expect good information from brokers (think used car salesman) and I didn’t have the inclination to spend hours and hours in research myself.

Now I have everything in a plethora of Vanguard funds which gives me some nice dividends and capital appreciation over the long term which keep up or beat inflation.
Since 2009 I’ve averaged 10% a year. Enough for me.

berri

Vanguard is an excellent fund family!

bwia

At the Masters Tiger Woods is getting close, but barely.

bwia

Based upon what I've read above, it would appear that there are several "middle class" millionaires in this group.

That is, those who are relatively well off, ($1 to $5 million net worth) but don't feel like or live like a millionaire. Oh well, middle class millionaires get no respect especially those of us chasing CD rates.

ruking1

bwia said:

Based upon what I've read above, it would appear that there are several "middle class" millionaires in this group.

That is, those who are relatively well off, ($1 to $5 million net worth) but don't feel like or live like a millionaire. Oh well, middle class millionaires get no respect especially those of us chasing CD rates.

Financial articles put US 1.% ters’ @ app $ 2.4 M. That same asset base puts them @ app .2%, in the WORLD. The WSJ puts app 32 M MILLIONAIRES in the world (7.6 & growing.

Mr_Shiftright

bwia said:

Based upon what I've read above, it would appear that there are several "middle class" millionaires in this group.

That is, those who are relatively well off, ($1 to $5 million net worth) but don't feel like or live like a millionaire. Oh well, middle class millionaires get no respect especially those of us chasing CD rates.

It used to be called "land rich". Now maybe it's "house rich".

ruking1

driver100 said:

sda said:

I appreciate the perspective to the question asked. The Pilot is the vehicle my wife drives and is still happy with it. Knowing it will be replaced at some point, I was interested if there was a point where I might really consider cutting bait while still retaining some equity. Of course a significant repair would be a sinker.

.....and that is a crap shoot. If the car doesn't end up needing an expensive repair you win, if it does then you lose, especially if the repair costs almost as much as the car is worth - or more!

Personally, I like to bail out while the car is still running well and I can get my money out of it. I don't think you save that much trying to get another year out of it if you run into repairs....I would rather avoid the hassle. Totally a personal choice.

I’m a tad confused here. One spends $ 600. + on a new 2018? Miles? MB lease, unscheduled maintenance: alignment. In addition, spending say $1,432. per mo (lease) did not guarantee NO unscheduled maintenance. Indeed, it will cause/caused higher $ tire/s replacement & another alignment/check.

If I had a $600 unscheduled maintenance bill on a Honda Pilot with 136,000 miles, I’d pretty close to demand they cover it, warranty or NOT.

Your 2nd paragraph can be better, easily seen by CPMD: aka., $cost per mile driven.

I used a 2004 Honda Civic @ $ .0332 CPMD: depreciation. With NO $ figures, unnecessary fear, negative doubt & lack of precision are spread.

I would be beyond rapacious if I let a daughter go to doctoral studies/ school, 2,600 miles away with an unreliable & non durable car, even with 250,000 miles. Was/is this car durable and reliable? You be the judge.

cdnpinhead

Sometimes you end up 401(K) rich, if you did without certain things for a few decades.

ruking1

berri said:

Vanguard is an excellent fund family!

I’d agree! I don’t do much % $’s in mutual fund’s, but the absolute no brainer, low cost Vanguard Index 500 is a fabulous tool to have in EVERY financial quiver/tool box. 15.9 % annualized over 10 years, set it, forget it, sets a very high bar for other than (Index 500) investments, $ cost per risk/reward, etc., etc., taxable, non taxable, tax favored, etc., etc.

ruking1

Mr_Shiftright said:

bwia said:

Based upon what I've read above, it would appear that there are several "middle class" millionaires in this group.

That is, those who are relatively well off, ($1 to $5 million net worth) but don't feel like or live like a millionaire. Oh well, middle class millionaires get no respect especially those of us chasing CD rates.

Mr_Shiftright said:

bwia said:

Based upon what I've read above, it would appear that there are several "middle class" millionaires in this group.

That is, those who are relatively well off, ($1 to $5 million net worth) but don't feel like or live like a millionaire. Oh well, middle class millionaires get no respect especially those of us chasing CD rates.

It used to be called "land rich". Now maybe it's "house rich".

Houses are liabilities! (unless they are rentals.)

abacomike

Never thought I would see the day when Tiger Woods won the Masters - but he did it today.  What a comeback - what a 🏌️ golfer - a true hero.  Yes, he’s made many mistakes in his life and career but in my mind, all is forgiven - after all, he’s human - but today he was super-human.

What an event to witness.  I am proud of him!

Go Tiger!

ruking1

cdnpinhead said:

Sometimes you end up 401(K) rich, if you did without certain things for a few decades.

Indeed! The time (decades) literally shoots on by! I’m not a 401 K guy.

I ran the financial calculators (before each of two kids were born, years ago obviously) & decided on Vanguard Index 500 (15.9 % over 10 years +) as one option. By itself, the yields paid for eachs’ choices of universities, both under/graduate studies. One daughters’ company paid for her industry driven MBA. The other received an undergraduate stipend.

One can Google their own calculators, if they don’t like this one.
http://www.financialcalculator.org/investing/interest-calculator

explorerx4

Vanguard also has CD's available.

fintail

That's a significant amount of luckiest generation members and their parents in the Seattle area, who were able to buy detached housing in now-popular areas back when average working people could afford it. Seems like a fairytale to think about now.

I'll second the Vanguard recommendations. Low fees, many sound options to choose from, I put some rainy day money in there a while back, not high risk funds, and have still done well, well at least if one doesn't compare it to housing, healthcare, and tuition etc inflation.

Mr_Shiftright said:

It used to be called "land rich". Now maybe it's "house rich".

fintail

Was this an S-Class or higher AMG model or something? That's a big payment.

ruking1 said:

I’m a tad confused here. One spends $ 600. + on a new 2018? Miles? MB lease, unscheduled maintenance: alignment. In addition, spending say $1,432. per mo (lease) did not guarantee NO unscheduled maintenance. Indeed, it will cause/caused higher $ tire/s replacement & another alignment/check.

If I had a $600 unscheduled maintenance bill on a Honda Pilot with 136,000 miles, I’d pretty close to demand they cover it, warranty or NOT.

Your 2nd paragraph can be better, easily seen by CPMD: aka., $cost per mile driven.

I used a 2004 Honda Civic @ $ .0332 CPMD: depreciation. With NO $ figures, unnecessary fear, negative doubt & lack of precision are spread.

I would be beyond rapacious if I let a daughter go to doctoral studies/ school, 2,600 miles away with an unreliable & non durable car, even with 250,000 miles. Was/is this car durable and reliable? You be the judge.

ruking1

fintail said:

Was this an S-Class or higher AMG model or something? That's a big payment.

ruking1 said:

I’m a tad confused here. One spends $ 600. + on a new 2018? Miles? MB lease, unscheduled maintenance: alignment. In addition, spending say $1,432. per mo (lease) did not guarantee NO unscheduled maintenance. Indeed, it will cause/caused higher $ tire/s replacement & another alignment/check.

If I had a $600 unscheduled maintenance bill on a Honda Pilot with 136,000 miles, I’d pretty close to demand they cover it, warranty or NOT.

Your 2nd paragraph can be better, easily seen by CPMD: aka., $cost per mile driven.

I used a 2004 Honda Civic @ $ .0332 CPMD: depreciation. With NO $ figures, unnecessary fear, negative doubt & lack of precision are spread.

I would be beyond rapacious if I let a daughter go to doctoral studies/ school, 2,600 miles away with an unreliable & non durable car, even with 250,000 miles. Was/is this car durable and reliable? You be the judge.

Again, it’s a guess, till the one that knows answers.

The Honda’s numbers have been since long in the history book. Honda’s consumables are really nothing over the European’s.

cdnpinhead

ruking1 said:

Indeed! The time (decades) literally shoots on by! I’m not a 401 K guy.

I ran the financial calculators (before each of two kids were born, years ago obviously) & decided on Vanguard Index 500 (15.9 % over 10 years +) as one option.

Vanguard rules! My Honeywell (plus the previous four names) 401(K) ran with State Street for most of the time, but then transitioned to Voya and then, just last year, to Fidelity. I'm confident that there's corporate jiggery-pokery going on whenever these things change, but the yields have been quite acceptable.

Given my "retirement" last year, I've been sorting things out since, and this year I'm going to take the whole Fidelity fund and move it to Vanguard, along with getting rid of every cent of Honeywell stock.

Not that I'm not bitter. . .much.