Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

venture

PF_Flyer said:

Never try to "prove" anything on an internet forum or message board is what my grandma always said

Just sayin'

That horse hasn't made a whimper in a month.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

there is actually a dead gas station a mile or 2 up the major road that has an entrance into the Wally World (that is set back a ways behind some other businesses) that I mentioned to the wife looks perfect to convert to a charging place. Plenty of lot acreage, and many other stations close by that seemed to keep putting it out of business.

might not be enough easy to walk to stores or eateries near it though. There is a diner. And across the way a new methadone clinic!

You could rent out electric golf carts to take shoppers to the Wally while they charge.

oldfarmer50

NikNak2 said:

I never heard of the Sonata before but wow this car looks quite classy to me. Kia is definitely heading into the right direction!

The Sonata is the Hyundai twin of the Kia Optima...or vica versa. That’s an Optima and I agree it has nice lines.

tjc78

stickguy said:

driver, I think that part of the problem is the focus on eking out every ounce of MPG. so components get more complicated, and a lot of the drive-ability issues like shuddering are related to running up to a high gear ASAP and not downshifting if possible. Basically the car lugs around. In the old days, they were designed to drive better not maximize mileage.

This all started back in 04-05 or so. Toyota got really aggressive with their transmission programming for economy and many people here complained about drivability issues, hesitations, etc. It all has gotten much better since then, but in all reality the cars just don't behave like they used to. I think the fact that the cars are much more powerful hides how much gear hunting is going on.

Could you imagine an 8 speed auto in some of the late 80s/early 90s powertrains? They would almost always be in too high a gear for even the smallest speed increase.

tjc78

stickguy said:

there is actually a dead gas station a mile or 2 up the major road that has an entrance into the Wally World (that is set back a ways behind some other businesses) that I mentioned to the wife looks perfect to convert to a charging place. Plenty of lot acreage, and many other stations close by that seemed to keep putting it out of business.

might not be enough easy to walk to stores or eateries near it though. There is a diner. And across the way a new methadone clinic!

They are putting a charging station at the Deptford mall, probably a good move.

stickguy

the mall needs a recharge. Though they are building some Japanese version of Dave and Busters in the old Sears building. I think the last time I actually went to that mall it was to go to the Land's end in that Sears. So it has been a while! I hate malls.

but that is a logical place. Plenty to do around there, with many restaurants, and right off of 42.

tjc78

Yeah, it's been about 20 years or more since they really changed it up. Busy, busy area though. In the next few weeks you'll sit in traffic from all angles heading that way.

stickguy

I won't! nothing down there important enough for me to want to deal with it.

driver100

abacomike said:

NikNak2 said:

I never heard of the Sonata before but wow this car looks quite classy to me. Kia is definitely heading into the right direction!

See what you can learn here? Be patient and you will learn more about everything under the sun - cars and SUV's, too! 🤪😜😛

Not to mention garbage disposals, washers and driers, refrigerators, mattresses etc etc.

tjc78

LOL.. I have a location there, so unfortunately I am there often enough!

abacomike

I was walking in the mall with my friends yesterday and noticed that there was a new Kiosk set up near the Apple store with a large crowd around it waiting to be served. So I stopped and took a look at what they were selling. I was amazed to see that they were selling something called Halavah. Never heard of it.

The server told me it was a type of mid-eastern "candy"! They had about 10 huge bricks of the stuff in many different flavors. She said it was made with crushed sesame seeds, sugar, honey and other flavorings like vanilla, chocolate, fudge swirl, coffee, hazelnut to name a few.

My friends each took a sample and said it was awesome. I couldn't try it because of all the sugar - I am a diabetic. My friends each purchased a pound to take home. It was quite expensive - like $10.00 a pound.

One of my friends who is Jewish told me it was found in Israel and all of the Arab countries - a sort of delicacy. So for Thanksgiving, I will buy a few pounds to give as a gift to my host along with several bottles of champagne. My friends said it was very popular in mid eastern homes. 😇

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

Never try to "prove" anything on an internet forum or message board is what my grandma always said

Just sayin'

Right on. One host on Talk Radio says he won't have a conversation with a "Truther*", you can't convince them of your points, and you will never accept their point. It is a waste of time!

*Definition of truther
: one who believes that the truth about an important subject or event is being concealed from the public by a powerful conspiracy

abacomike

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

there is actually a dead gas station a mile or 2 up the major road that has an entrance into the Wally World (that is set back a ways behind some other businesses) that I mentioned to the wife looks perfect to convert to a charging place. Plenty of lot acreage, and many other stations close by that seemed to keep putting it out of business.

might not be enough easy to walk to stores or eateries near it though. There is a diner. And across the way a new methadone clinic!

They are putting a charging station at the Deptford mall, probably a good move.

They have several charging stations in the Nordstrom's parking garage that I noticed a few weeks ago. I guess if you want people to drive EV's, it has to become commonplace to easily find a charging station. I'd drive an EV if I had the ability to charge it - but here in my Condo community, there is no access to a charging station or an external power source for EV's.

driver100

Halavah...another topic we somehow missed over the years. Love the stuff, but not good if you are trying to maintain or lose weight.

tjc78

UGH... my wife loves that stuff. I find it terrible.

tjc78

abacomike said:

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

there is actually a dead gas station a mile or 2 up the major road that has an entrance into the Wally World (that is set back a ways behind some other businesses) that I mentioned to the wife looks perfect to convert to a charging place. Plenty of lot acreage, and many other stations close by that seemed to keep putting it out of business.

might not be enough easy to walk to stores or eateries near it though. There is a diner. And across the way a new methadone clinic!

They are putting a charging station at the Deptford mall, probably a good move.

They have several charging stations in the Nordstrom's parking garage that I noticed a few weeks ago. I guess if you want people to drive EV's, it has to become commonplace to easily find a charging station. I'd drive an EV if I had the ability to charge it - but here in my Condo community, there is no access to a charging station or an external power source for EV's.

My wife wants an EV...but I'm not really too keen on it.

I have to hear her complain every time she has to put premium in the Volvo!

snakeweasel

PF_Flyer said:

Never try to "prove" anything on an internet forum or message board is what my grandma always said

Just sayin'

While there are true believers out there that would not accept anything that goes against their narrative (I'm talking to you flat earthers with your high tech gyroscope) false information should be challenged. Any statement can and will seem true until someone comes along to challenge it. The challenge is not so much to change the mind of the poster but to give the casual observer more information so that they can make a informed opinion.

tjc78

So for Thanksgiving, I will buy a few pounds to give as a gift to my host along with several bottles of champagne. My friends said it was very popular in mid eastern homes. 😇

Mike you seem like a very generous person based on your posts!

snakeweasel

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

driver, I think that part of the problem is the focus on eking out every ounce of MPG. so components get more complicated, and a lot of the drive-ability issues like shuddering are related to running up to a high gear ASAP and not downshifting if possible. Basically the car lugs around. In the old days, they were designed to drive better not maximize mileage.

This all started back in 04-05 or so. Toyota got really aggressive with their transmission programming for economy and many people here complained about drivability issues, hesitations, etc. It all has gotten much better since then, but in all reality the cars just don't behave like they used to. I think the fact that the cars are much more powerful hides how much gear hunting is going on.

Could you imagine an 8 speed auto in some of the late 80s/early 90s powertrains? They would almost always be in too high a gear for even the smallest speed increase.

I can imagine that especially if its mapped for optimal fuel economy. As an example my motorcycle has a 6 speed dual clutch transmission with three modes, economy, sport and manual. In the economy mode ot stays it the highest gear possible and slowing down it feels like its logging just before downshifts and can feel that way at certain speeds. And at anything under 50 acceleration is lackluster.

Switch to Sport and it's a pipe of a different color. But it does it bring down the gas mileage. Because of this most people with this bike will do city/suburban riding in either sport or manual modes.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

PF_Flyer said:

Never try to "prove" anything on an internet forum or message board is what my grandma always said

Just sayin'

Right on. One host on Talk Radio says he won't have a conversation with a "Truther*", you can't convince them of your points, and you will never accept their point. It is a waste of time!

*Definition of truther
: one who believes that the truth about an important subject or event is being concealed from the public by a powerful conspiracy

"Truther" comes from 9/11 as many groups call themselves "truth movement" i.e 9/11 truth movement, pilots for 9/11 truth, blind left handed dentists who limp for 9/11 truth. and so forth. I have felt with some of these people and I have a suspicion that they know they are wrong but profit from it such as books and ads on their websites.

stickguy

T, my wife just tells me her car needs gas, and expects it to come back full. She’s spoiled. I don’t think she has gotten gas herself in years.

As to charging stations, the difference to me is the new ones seem more like gas stations. A lot of existing ones are more of a couple units servicing a building, now they are a lot more plugs and designed for “transients”

jipster

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey Snake, what’s you opinion of a car like this seeing it’s basically a Sonata. I know you're keeping yours but would you buy one if you didn’t already own it?



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/ballston-spa-2011-kia-optima-lx/7004591191.html

Looks nice. Really low miles. Think guy is a curbstoner? Would it matter? Not many photos. Does have a licence plate on it. Why sell right after getting a new engine, tires and brakes? If everything checks out...new lifetime warrantied engine, probably get it for $6,500.

tjc78

Believe me... she doesn't fill either car often. She just got stuck with the Volvo the other morning and had no choice.

She also confessed that the first time she put gas in it, it was regular and she forgot. I honestly didn't notice a difference. The manual says it requires 91 or above. It's a pretty complicated engine (turbo and supercharged) so it's no surprise it should get the good stuff.

I just love the faint supercharger whine when you get on it.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

abacomike said:

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

there is actually a dead gas station a mile or 2 up the major road that has an entrance into the Wally World (that is set back a ways behind some other businesses) that I mentioned to the wife looks perfect to convert to a charging place. Plenty of lot acreage, and many other stations close by that seemed to keep putting it out of business.

might not be enough easy to walk to stores or eateries near it though. There is a diner. And across the way a new methadone clinic!

They are putting a charging station at the Deptford mall, probably a good move.

They have several charging stations in the Nordstrom's parking garage that I noticed a few weeks ago. I guess if you want people to drive EV's, it has to become commonplace to easily find a charging station. I'd drive an EV if I had the ability to charge it - but here in my Condo community, there is no access to a charging station or an external power source for EV's.

My wife wants an EV...but I'm not really too keen on it.

I have to hear her complain every time she has to put premium in the Volvo!

I have been noticing a tremendous increase in Teslas on the road in my area. I see one almost every time I go on the road. Can’t figure it out since the nearest dealership I’m aware of is on rt. 17 in New Jersey. One of my co workers claims there is a repair center for them near Albany. Maybe that makes people more confident in buying them.

stickguy

Dealership only matters when you are buying. After that it’s just a repair center you need.

oldfarmer50

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey Snake, what’s you opinion of a car like this seeing it’s basically a Sonata. I know you're keeping yours but would you buy one if you didn’t already own it?



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/ballston-spa-2011-kia-optima-lx/7004591191.html

Looks nice. Really low miles. Think guy is a curbstoner? Would it matter? Not many photos. Does have a licence plate on it. Why sell right after getting a new engine, tires and brakes? If everything checks out...new lifetime warrantied engine, probably get it for $6,500.

You really think 76k is low mile? My thinking says under 60k qualifies as low but I’m odd that way. The last hooptie I bought was 20 years old and had 82k miles which was a bit over my upper limit for ANY used car. I only violated my rule because I paid so little I basically had nothing to lose.

For that car I would try to get in for as close to the Edmunds value of $5800 as possible. So maybe $6,000ish.

I’ve noticed that many of the ads I see on Craigslist these days are 20-30% over even the KBB valuation. Do you think people are just pricing high knowing that CL buyers will try to beat them down regardless of starting price? When I sold my son’s busted Mercury for next to nothing I got a lot of emails asking “will you take $200 tonight?”.

jipster

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey Snake, what’s you opinion of a car like this seeing it’s basically a Sonata. I know you're keeping yours but would you buy one if you didn’t already own it?



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/ballston-spa-2011-kia-optima-lx/7004591191.html

Looks nice. Really low miles. Think guy is a curbstoner? Would it matter? Not many photos. Does have a licence plate on it. Why sell right after getting a new engine, tires and brakes? If everything checks out...new lifetime warrantied engine, probably get it for $6,500.

You really think 76k is low mile? My thinking says under 60k qualifies as low but I’m odd that way. The last hooptie I bought was 20 years old and had 82k miles which was a bit over my upper limit for ANY used car. I only violated my rule because I paid so little I basically had nothing to lose.

For that car I would try to get in for as close to the Edmunds value of $5800 as possible. So maybe $6,000ish.

I’ve noticed that many of the ads I see on Craigslist these days are 20-30% over even the KBB valuation. Do you think people are just pricing high knowing that CL buyers will try to beat them down regardless of starting price? When I sold my son’s busted Mercury for next to nothing I got a lot of emails asking “will you take $200 tonight?”.

Comparatively speaking, yes, 76,000 miles on a 9 year old car is low mileage.That's 8,444 miles a year. A new engine adds value in my book. If lifetime, that's a BIG plus. The seller sounds like a dealer to me though. Sounds like he has records, which is good. I paid $5,000 for my son's Ford Fusion SE with 100,000. I'm the middle of KBB and Edmunds. If the seller lives close by, wouldn't hurt to go kick a few tires. ;-)

You see a lot of cars 20-30% over KBB? Must be a regional thing. Legit cars I've seen are usually around KBB... maybe 10% higher. Good private party legit cars, in my experience, are very difficult to find on Craigslist, which may explain the higher price.

That car I posted from Craigslist a few weeks ago is still available. Wife says nahhh...thinks better to get a new car. Guess I'd be crazy to argue. So when my Mercury Mariner takes a turn for the worse, I'll probably look at Mazda 6's.

tommister2

Here in Virginia we have an annual state inspection process. Many local dealers do this free for life as a perk for buying from them. I had our 2011 Camry inspected this weekend and afterwards got an email that I now also get free carfax reports for vehicles purchased there. It was interesting to look at the report for my Camry but on the other hand this doesn’t really add value for me. 

I’m wondering if this is a thing other dealers do and do you find it valuable? 

driver100

Free inspection sounds like a way to generate more business. A free Carfax report sounds like a way to try and sell you another car. These aren't bad things, but, I think it benefits the dealer more than you in the long run.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

This law firm seems to have a much closer "interpretation" to mine than @snakeweasel for the passing lane laws, particularly as relates to CA and "slower traffic keep right." The left column is the law, the right column appears to be their definition of what it all means.

Law Firm 1, @snakeweasel 0

https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SLOWER-TRAFFIC-KEEP-RIGHT.pdf

Reread it, they are agreeing with me.

No, your interpretation of driving on the right-most lane EXCEPT when passing is quite different. They clearly agree the intent of the law is you should keep right except to pass. While the "Slower Traffic Keep Right" is one standard, there are others that read that you should keep to the right-most lane.

You try and foolishly mischaracterize it as "You should drive on the right-side of the roadway except when passing."

I noticed you never provided a single "case law" to support your position and interpretation.

I cannot believe that the legislature, when adopting V & T Law § 1120(b), intended that drivers travelling at a legal rate be punished for failing to clear the passing lane to make room for those exceeding the limit.   I find that subdivision (b)'s mandate that “any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing be driven in the right-hand lane” must be interpreted to mean “any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic ․ up to the applicable speed limit”.

-------------

For the above reasons, I find defendant not guilty of the charge of violating V & T Law § 1120(b).

PEOPLE v. ILIEVESKI

This case is regarding someone who was in the left lane doing speed limit in New York whose traffic code reads the same as California. He was found not guilty seeing as the court interpreted the law to mean that you can be in the left lane as long as you're doing the flow of traffic, and qualifies it as up to the legal speed limit.

Courts 1, Andre 0

Based on your cite, I'm going to conclude this is some kind of news story about some rogue judge that made an "UNPUBLISHED" decision.

Obviously, if the legislature wanted "up to the applicable speed limit" to be part of the law, they'd have put that in there!!! You could actually rewrite the law much more concisely, and with less words if you just said "under the speed limit" instead of referencing an entirely different definition, which is "flow of traffic."

Judges are humans, and free to make errors in judgment. I noticed the Supreme Court decided not to publish the Bush v. Gore decision. I'm going to say "unpublished" equals "corrupted."

Unpublished? how do you think I copied and pasted it. Super easy to find by a simple web search.

I didn't find it so easily in a Google search.

As in, it doesn't have a legal cite, such as, for example: https://libguides.law.gonzaga.edu/citations

Sort of like the a cross between the old bibliography and crazy Dewey Decimal System.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

This law firm seems to have a much closer "interpretation" to mine than @snakeweasel for the passing lane laws, particularly as relates to CA and "slower traffic keep right." The left column is the law, the right column appears to be their definition of what it all means.

Law Firm 1, @snakeweasel 0

https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SLOWER-TRAFFIC-KEEP-RIGHT.pdf

Reread it, they are agreeing with me.

No, your interpretation of driving on the right-most lane EXCEPT when passing is quite different. They clearly agree the intent of the law is you should keep right except to pass. While the "Slower Traffic Keep Right" is one standard, there are others that read that you should keep to the right-most lane.

You try and foolishly mischaracterize it as "You should drive on the right-side of the roadway except when passing."

I noticed you never provided a single "case law" to support your position and interpretation.

I cannot believe that the legislature, when adopting V & T Law § 1120(b), intended that drivers travelling at a legal rate be punished for failing to clear the passing lane to make room for those exceeding the limit.   I find that subdivision (b)'s mandate that “any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing be driven in the right-hand lane” must be interpreted to mean “any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic ․ up to the applicable speed limit”.

-------------

For the above reasons, I find defendant not guilty of the charge of violating V & T Law § 1120(b).

PEOPLE v. ILIEVESKI

This case is regarding someone who was in the left lane doing speed limit in New York whose traffic code reads the same as California. He was found not guilty seeing as the court interpreted the law to mean that you can be in the left lane as long as you're doing the flow of traffic, and qualifies it as up to the legal speed limit.

Courts 1, Andre 0

Based on your cite, I'm going to conclude this is some kind of news story about some rogue judge that made an "UNPUBLISHED" decision.

Obviously, if the legislature wanted "up to the applicable speed limit" to be part of the law, they'd have put that in there!!! You could actually rewrite the law much more concisely, and with less words if you just said "under the speed limit" instead of referencing an entirely different definition, which is "flow of traffic."

Judges are humans, and free to make errors in judgment. I noticed the Supreme Court decided not to publish the Bush v. Gore decision. I'm going to say "unpublished" equals "corrupted."

Unpublished? how do you think I copied and pasted it. Super easy to find by a simple web search.

I didn't find it so easily in a Google search.

As in, it doesn't have a legal cite, such as, for example: https://libguides.law.gonzaga.edu/citations

Sort of like the a cross between the old biblography and crazy Dewey Decimal System.

Again I gave you the case, a simple search will turn it up.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

T, my wife just tells me her car needs gas, and expects it to come back full. She’s spoiled. I don’t think she has gotten gas herself in years.

As to charging stations, the difference to me is the new ones seem more like gas stations. A lot of existing ones are more of a couple units servicing a building, now they are a lot more plugs and designed for “transients”

Me thinks our wives are related.

andres3

sda said:

andres3, what is your opinion of your wife’s Tiguan? A good friend is thinking about buying one.

You know, it's a nice SUV. It's the right size for many people, and it is well designed.

I think the biggest weakness for me is the neutered 2.0T running on a low octane tune. However, if your not looking for a speedy SUV that can win stop light races, then the Tiguan doesn't really have a weakness. It seems to do everything pretty good. I haven't driven it that much yet, but my wife says she's happy with it.

tommister2

driver100 said:

Free inspection sounds like a way to generate more business. A free Carfax report sounds like a way to try and sell you another car. These aren't bad things, but, I think it benefits the dealer more than you in the long run.

Free state inspection saves me $20 so at least that has cash value.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

This law firm seems to have a much closer "interpretation" to mine than @snakeweasel for the passing lane laws, particularly as relates to CA and "slower traffic keep right." The left column is the law, the right column appears to be their definition of what it all means.

Law Firm 1, @snakeweasel 0

https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SLOWER-TRAFFIC-KEEP-RIGHT.pdf

Reread it, they are agreeing with me.

No, your interpretation of driving on the right-most lane EXCEPT when passing is quite different. They clearly agree the intent of the law is you should keep right except to pass. While the "Slower Traffic Keep Right" is one standard, there are others that read that you should keep to the right-most lane.

You try and foolishly mischaracterize it as "You should drive on the right-side of the roadway except when passing."

I noticed you never provided a single "case law" to support your position and interpretation.

I cannot believe that the legislature, when adopting V & T Law § 1120(b), intended that drivers travelling at a legal rate be punished for failing to clear the passing lane to make room for those exceeding the limit.   I find that subdivision (b)'s mandate that “any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing be driven in the right-hand lane” must be interpreted to mean “any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic ․ up to the applicable speed limit”.

-------------

For the above reasons, I find defendant not guilty of the charge of violating V & T Law § 1120(b).

PEOPLE v. ILIEVESKI

This case is regarding someone who was in the left lane doing speed limit in New York whose traffic code reads the same as California. He was found not guilty seeing as the court interpreted the law to mean that you can be in the left lane as long as you're doing the flow of traffic, and qualifies it as up to the legal speed limit.

Courts 1, Andre 0

Based on your cite, I'm going to conclude this is some kind of news story about some rogue judge that made an "UNPUBLISHED" decision.

Obviously, if the legislature wanted "up to the applicable speed limit" to be part of the law, they'd have put that in there!!! You could actually rewrite the law much more concisely, and with less words if you just said "under the speed limit" instead of referencing an entirely different definition, which is "flow of traffic."

Judges are humans, and free to make errors in judgment. I noticed the Supreme Court decided not to publish the Bush v. Gore decision. I'm going to say "unpublished" equals "corrupted."

Unpublished? how do you think I copied and pasted it. Super easy to find by a simple web search.

I didn't find it so easily in a Google search.

As in, it doesn't have a legal cite, such as, for example: https://libguides.law.gonzaga.edu/citations

Sort of like the a cross between the old biblography and crazy Dewey Decimal System.

Again I gave you the case, a simple search will turn it up.

Ahhh, OK, found it. Copying and pasting from Edmunds didn't work right, but Google fixed it.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ny-justice-court/1424563.html

There's a bit more to the case though, not just what you posted (see link above). In fact, they mention that the VC's I've cited previously would have likely led to a conviction (always drive right EXCEPT to pass) as a general road rule.

Still, your example is illogical. The judge was illogical, and used a circular argument.

He argues that the defendant was "law abiding" and shouldn't have to yield to law breakers. Unfortunately, the law clearly makes his so-called law abider a law breaker. He has to add "up to the applicable speed limit" to the Vehicle Code in order to make his circular argument coherent. Very weak sauce.

He makes a common logic error of many of the idiots that argue left lane camping is OK. The judge must be a bad driver and idiot too.

It is akin to the argument that it's okay for a "law abider" - as defined by said idiots as someone obeying the "speed limit" to break any and all other laws while doing so, such as murdering and raping people as long as they are going the speed limit. This is where the logic of the judge's argument takes you. Absurd, and ridiculous, and I'm not sure I've seen another judge add so many words to a VC before.

This is a good example of the kind of arbitrary unjust "judge" you'll run into in Traffic Court. This is what you have to deal with at the bottom of the Judge cess-pool.

oldfarmer50

tommister2 said:

Here in Virginia we have an annual state inspection process. Many local dealers do this free for life as a perk for buying from them. I had our 2011 Camry inspected this weekend and afterwards got an email that I now also get free carfax reports for vehicles purchased there. It was interesting to look at the report for my Camry but on the other hand this doesn’t really add value for me. 

I’m wondering if this is a thing other dealers do and do you find it valuable? 

I know that many of the cars on sites like ListingAllCars.com include CarFax reports. A real plus in my mind although when the report shows 3 owners and multiple accidents they may be shooting themselves in the foot.

I think some Autotrader ads also have them.

tommister2

@oldfarmer50 I didn’t word this so great. They have always had reports for used cars for sale. This benefit is carfax reports for vehicles I own. I bought the 2011 Camry new at this dealer so the carfax report is pretty boring

driver100

tommister2 said:

driver100 said:

Free inspection sounds like a way to generate more business. A free Carfax report sounds like a way to try and sell you another car. These aren't bad things, but, I think it benefits the dealer more than you in the long run.

Free state inspection saves me $20 so at least that has cash value.

I could be wrong....but, I would guess it saves you $20 if no work is needed on your car, and maybe none is needed. But, I think, they figure most cars will need some work done on them to get a safety certificate....and that business will more than make up for the few who will get a free $20 inspection.

abacomike

tjc78 said:

So for Thanksgiving, I will buy a few pounds to give as a gift to my host along with several bottles of champagne. My friends said it was very popular in mid eastern homes. 😇

Mike you seem like a very generous person based on your posts!

Always was and always will be a generous person. I am always the first one at the table, when my friends and I go out for lunch or dinner, to pick up the tab. I like it when people are enjoying themselves and always have a need to buy things for my friends. I never expect anything back from them. 😇😇😇

ab348

driver100 said:

tommister2 said:

driver100 said:

Free inspection sounds like a way to generate more business. A free Carfax report sounds like a way to try and sell you another car. These aren't bad things, but, I think it benefits the dealer more than you in the long run.

Free state inspection saves me $20 so at least that has cash value.

I could be wrong....but, I would guess it saves you $20 if no work is needed on your car, and maybe none is needed. But, I think, they figure most cars will need some work done on them to get a safety certificate....and that business will more than make up for the few who will get a free $20 inspection.

We have a provincial inspection regime here, first one after 3 years for a new car, then every 2 years thereafter. Some shops have a bad rep for failing cars unnecessarily to get more work. Of course you always have the option to go somewhere else with it and have it re-inspected if you are dubious. Or you could just get a new car every 3 years or less.

tommister2

@ab348 that schedule is more reasonable to me. We have annual safety inspections no matter how old the vehicle is. I’d argue that the first one should be good for two years at least.

@driver100 I’m sure you are right about them looking for other work. For me they have never put any pressure on like that, even for my 2011 Camry with 85k miles.

venture

tommister2 said:

@ab348 that schedule is more reasonable to me. We have annual safety inspections no matter how old the vehicle is. I’d argue that the first one should be good for two years at least.

@driver100 I’m sure you are right about them looking for other work. For me they have never put any pressure on like that, even for my 2011 Camry with 85k miles.

My Subaru dealer gave 3 free yearly inspections (until recently). With the safety inspection and emissions tests it costs about $50.

You have to get it done somewhere. Might as well go to the free place. Additional, unneeded work? Any place may try that. I would think a dealer would have more to lose.

fintail

No safety inspections out here, maybe because rust virtually doesn't exist. Emissions tests go away next year, too. Still some dodgy looking things on the road here and there, but not like in areas with harsher climates.

ab348

venture said:

Additional, unneeded work? Any place may try that. I would think a dealer would have more to lose.

Well, I dunno about that. Back in September the ATS was due for its semi-annual service at the dealer. That includes a tire rotation or in my case (b/c the wheels/tires are a staggered size) removal of the wheels to inspect brake pads, etc.

After a few days I noticed a rotational "graunch graunch" sound from the rear at low speed when coming to a stop. I took it back and they first said they could not duplicate it, but admitted it was there when I demonstrated to them. Their diagnosis was that it needed a $135 "brake service" which is a caliper slider lubrication. I had that done by my tire shop back in the spring so I knew it was BS. However all I said was that the work had been done not long ago. Their response? "Oh, but these have Brembo brakes and we found that they need a special lubricant". Well, only the front calipers are Brembos, the rears are standard GM issue, so let's not even go there.

Today I had the car at the tire shop for the winter tire switchover. They laughed when I told them the story. When I left there with my winter rims mounted there was no sound. The dealer had somehow managed to screw up remounting the rear wheels, and then was too busy trying to upsell an unneeded service to fix their error. Shameful.

oldfarmer50

tommister2 said:

@oldfarmer50 I didn’t word this so great. They have always had reports for used cars for sale. This benefit is carfax reports for vehicles I own. I bought the 2011 Camry new at this dealer so the carfax report is pretty boring

You worded it fine. That boring report is what you want in hand when you sell it. I know I always look for the oil change history. Next, number of owners and accident history. The holy grail is someone who has all those records hiding in a shoebox on his workbench.

oldfarmer50

I guess our local freeways can be mistaken for race tracks. Pictures are out again so use your imagination.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Car-stolen-from-Albany-crashes-in-Schenectady-14810689.php



Good, pictures are back but I had to get kicked out by Vanilla and then sign back in.

abacomike

My brother had to cancel his order for the Subaru because there would have been a 5 week delay in getting an Outback Limited XT in the color combination he wanted. So he bought a 2020 Mercedes GLC instead in Silver with gray interior seating - MSRP was close to $47,500.

Keeping up with his car purchases is not an easy task! 😋

stickguy

good old Erie boulevard. Been at that part many times since I spent 4 years in Schenectady, and wife's family is next town west. Her father worked at the GE plant the accident was in front of.

venture

ab348 said:

venture said:

Additional, unneeded work? Any place may try that. I would think a dealer would have more to lose.

Well, I dunno about that. Back in September the ATS was due for its semi-annual service at the dealer. That includes a tire rotation or in my case (b/c the wheels/tires are a staggered size) removal of the wheels to inspect brake pads, etc.

After a few days I noticed a rotational "graunch graunch" sound from the rear at low speed when coming to a stop. I took it back and they first said they could not duplicate it, but admitted it was there when I demonstrated to them. Their diagnosis was that it needed a $135 "brake service" which is a caliper slider lubrication. I had that done by my tire shop back in the spring so I knew it was BS. However all I said was that the work had been done not long ago. Their response? "Oh, but these have Brembo brakes and we found that they need a special lubricant". Well, only the front calipers are Brembos, the rears are standard GM issue, so let's not even go there.

Today I had the car at the tire shop for the winter tire switchover. They laughed when I told them the story. When I left there with my winter rims mounted there was no sound. The dealer had somehow managed to screw up remounting the rear wheels, and then was too busy trying to upsell an unneeded service to fix their error. Shameful.

Yeah. We have one similar to that one here. Most dealers here, believe it or not, are pretty fair as far as additional, possibly unneeded, work is concerned. Expensive, but they don't add on stuff too much.

If you are totally clueless about cars, I don't know. I'm only partially clueless.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

My brother had to cancel his order for the Subaru because there would have been a 5 week delay in getting an Outback Limited XT in the color combination he wanted. So he bought a 2020 Mercedes GLC instead in Silver with gray interior seating - MSRP was close to $47,500.

Keeping up with his car purchases is not an easy task! 😋

I think we have some of those in the fleet. I saw one that looked like this parked up close to the office where the lot guys couldn’t get ahold of it.