Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

robr2

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

BTW, my local Pizza Hut is advertising for delivery drivers. They say $10-15 per hour. Is that base salary or your assumed gross including tips?

My "salary" is $5.75/hr. I get paid .75 "mileage" from the store for each delivery I take. The tips I earn plus "mileage" has worked out to about $11.50/hr - add in the $5.75 and I'm over $17/hr for a job that I work 9-12 hours per week.

Too bad you don't live in NY. The state just raised the minimum for tip workers to $7.50 from $5. People say that there will be no net gain since people will just tip less on the assumption that you are now making a killing. The lower gas prices must be helpful.

In Washington state there is no tip minimum wage - I'd earn $9+ per hour plus tips. But you are probably right that tips may be worse because of it. 

My gas costs per mile is running about $.10-.11 while I'm earning about $.80 per mile. 

Of of course that doesn't factor in the payment insurance or depreciation. 

Actually, Washington state does have a minimum wage for wait staff which is $9.32.

You aren't wait staff. IIRC you are an independent contractor supplying delivery services for the pizza shop. IMHO, under the employee/IC tests you really sound like an employee. If you are an IC, are you tracking your mileage in order to deduct it as a business expense?

Michaell

robr2 said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

BTW, my local Pizza Hut is advertising for delivery drivers. They say $10-15 per hour. Is that base salary or your assumed gross including tips?

My "salary" is $5.75/hr. I get paid .75 "mileage" from the store for each delivery I take. The tips I earn plus "mileage" has worked out to about $11.50/hr - add in the $5.75 and I'm over $17/hr for a job that I work 9-12 hours per week.

Too bad you don't live in NY. The state just raised the minimum for tip workers to $7.50 from $5. People say that there will be no net gain since people will just tip less on the assumption that you are now making a killing. The lower gas prices must be helpful.

In Washington state there is no tip minimum wage - I'd earn $9+ per hour plus tips. But you are probably right that tips may be worse because of it. 

My gas costs per mile is running about $.10-.11 while I'm earning about $.80 per mile. 

Of of course that doesn't factor in the payment insurance or depreciation. 

Actually, Washington state does have a minimum wage for wait staff which is $9.32.

You aren't wait staff. IIRC you are an independent contractor supplying delivery services for the pizza shop. IMHO, under the employee/IC tests you really sound like an employee. If you are an IC, are you tracking your mileage in order to deduct it as a business expense?

I'm not a contractor, I'm an employee of the franchise company. I get a W-2 each year.

stickguy

driver, not sure which elantra model they have, but 16K is probably too much to pay. Should be able to get a new one for 17-18.

still can't see how that get the payment that much higher. even with the silly Fla. $800 doc fee. that only adds about $20/mo. on a lease. Around here, there are S&D leases on those for less than $170. But even at that, tax and doc fee rolled in would barely be able to get that up to $200 or so. $340? can't even think of a way to add $170/month. That is like $6K added to the cap cost!

venture

fushigi said:

venture said:

I can't argue with anything you said. As I mentioned before though, I'm not home much, especially when it's daylight. I usually have time to check the voicemail and scribble down the number.

I guess I just have a problem with people being afraid to answer their phone. If it's a call they don't want, hang up then block the number. Besides, they called me to order a pizza I mean for information.

If you use Google Voice (https://www.google.com/voice/) or another free service you get a phone number you can use at home or on your mobile. It's portable/follows you and you can set it to ring at one or more phones if you want. So that solves the not at home much issue.

And while they called you, remember that they aren't seeing that its you calling them back. They're seeing a call from a different number. Telemarketers are so annoying nowadays that people screen calls even if they're on the Do Not Call list (charities and politicals are exempt from having to follow it).

Anyway, when you have some free time I'd encourage you to look at one of the free phone services that lets you answer calls from your mobile, home, PC, etc. Great convenience. Some will transcribe voicemails to text automatically and offer other conveniences.

I know and understand all that. Just so we know my stance on it: If you want information, answer your phone. Don't expect me to jump through hoops to get you what you want.

driver100

stickguy said:

driver, not sure which elantra model they have, but 16K is probably too much to pay. Should be able to get a new one for 17-18.

still can't see how that get the payment that much higher. even with the silly Fla. $800 doc fee. that only adds about $20/mo. on a lease. Around here, there are S&D leases on those for less than $170. But even at that, tax and doc fee rolled in would barely be able to get that up to $200 or so. $340? can't even think of a way to add $170/month. That is like $6K added to the cap cost!

Stick, I agree $16k sounds like a lot for a buy back on an Elantra. It is a 2 door model which is what they want and like (not available any more), and I didn't ask them too much about that.....but, the $170 a month jumping to $340 a month is exactly what happened as he explained it to me. Their Elantra is fully loaded, with Sirius and GPS etc, so maybe it was close to $30k. I think the $16k includes tax, dealer inspection, license, transfer docs etc.

It has happened to him at Hyundai and at Honda....the $170 going to $340. He has talked on the phone to one dealer, and visited one. I can't explain it, but I am sure the fine print says something like - $170 a month with $3000 trade-in or down payment.

Michaell

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

driver, not sure which elantra model they have, but 16K is probably too much to pay. Should be able to get a new one for 17-18.

still can't see how that get the payment that much higher. even with the silly Fla. $800 doc fee. that only adds about $20/mo. on a lease. Around here, there are S&D leases on those for less than $170. But even at that, tax and doc fee rolled in would barely be able to get that up to $200 or so. $340? can't even think of a way to add $170/month. That is like $6K added to the cap cost!

Stick, I agree $16k sounds like a lot for a buy back on an Elantra. It is a 2 door model which is what they want and like (not available any more), and I didn't ask them too much about that.....but, the $170 a month jumping to $340 a month is exactly what happened as he explained it to me. Their Elantra is fully loaded, with Sirius and GPS etc, so maybe it was close to $30k. I think the $16k includes tax, dealer inspection, license, transfer docs etc.

It has happened to him at Hyundai and at Honda....the $170 going to $340. He has talked on the phone to one dealer, and visited one. I can't explain it, but I am sure the fine print says something like - $170 a month with $3000 trade-in or down payment.

$3000 down would add about $80-85/mo to the payment, for sure.

Unless it's dipped in gold, I can't see an Elantra getting to a $30,000 sticker price.

qbrozen

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

driver, not sure which elantra model they have, but 16K is probably too much to pay. Should be able to get a new one for 17-18.

still can't see how that get the payment that much higher. even with the silly Fla. $800 doc fee. that only adds about $20/mo. on a lease. Around here, there are S&D leases on those for less than $170. But even at that, tax and doc fee rolled in would barely be able to get that up to $200 or so. $340? can't even think of a way to add $170/month. That is like $6K added to the cap cost!

Stick, I agree $16k sounds like a lot for a buy back on an Elantra. It is a 2 door model which is what they want and like (not available any more), and I didn't ask them too much about that.....but, the $170 a month jumping to $340 a month is exactly what happened as he explained it to me. Their Elantra is fully loaded, with Sirius and GPS etc, so maybe it was close to $30k. I think the $16k includes tax, dealer inspection, license, transfer docs etc.

It has happened to him at Hyundai and at Honda....the $170 going to $340. He has talked on the phone to one dealer, and visited one. I can't explain it, but I am sure the fine print says something like - $170 a month with $3000 trade-in or down payment.

They do still make the Elantra coupe, per the hyundai website. And here is the current lease deal...

Lease a 2014 Elantra Coupe 2dr Cpe GS AT for $189 per month for 36 months with $1,599 due at lease signing.

Closed end lease for 2014 Elantra Coupe 2dr Cpe GS AT (Model # H0202F45) available from March 3, 2015 through March 31, 2015, to well-qualified lessees approved by Hyundai Motor Finance. Not all lessees will qualify. Higher lease rates apply for lessees with lower credit ratings. Offer shown based on $1,599 due at lease signing (includes $189 first payment and $1,410 capitalized cost reduction). No security deposit required. MSRP $20,410 (includes destination, excludes tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like). Actual net capitalized cost $17,579. Net capitalized cost includes $595 acquisition fee and includes credit for $1,000 Event Cash. Dealer contribution may vary and could affect actual lease payment. Total monthly payments $6,804. Option to purchase at lease end $12,146. Lessee is responsible for third-party fees. Third-party fees vary by state or locality. Lessee is also responsible for insurance, maintenance, repairs, $.20 per mile over 12,000 miles/year, excess wear, and a $400 disposition fee. Disposition fee of $400 applies in all states except in CO, IN, IA, KS, ME, OK, SC, WI, WV, & WY, where disposition fee is subject to state law limitations.

driver100

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

driver, not sure which elantra model they have, but 16K is probably too much to pay. Should be able to get a new one for 17-18.

still can't see how that get the payment that much higher. even with the silly Fla. $800 doc fee. that only adds about $20/mo. on a lease. Around here, there are S&D leases on those for less than $170. But even at that, tax and doc fee rolled in would barely be able to get that up to $200 or so. $340? can't even think of a way to add $170/month. That is like $6K added to the cap cost!

Stick, I agree $16k sounds like a lot for a buy back on an Elantra. It is a 2 door model which is what they want and like (not available any more), and I didn't ask them too much about that.....but, the $170 a month jumping to $340 a month is exactly what happened as he explained it to me. Their Elantra is fully loaded, with Sirius and GPS etc, so maybe it was close to $30k. I think the $16k includes tax, dealer inspection, license, transfer docs etc.

It has happened to him at Hyundai and at Honda....the $170 going to $340. He has talked on the phone to one dealer, and visited one. I can't explain it, but I am sure the fine print says something like - $170 a month with $3000 trade-in or down payment.

They do still make the Elantra coupe, per the hyundai website. And here is the current lease deal...

Lease a 2014 Elantra Coupe 2dr Cpe GS AT for $189 per month for 36 months with $1,599 due at lease signing.

Closed end lease for 2014 Elantra Coupe 2dr Cpe GS AT (Model # H0202F45) available from March 3, 2015 through March 31, 2015, to well-qualified lessees approved by Hyundai Motor Finance. Not all lessees will qualify. Higher lease rates apply for lessees with lower credit ratings. Offer shown based on $1,599 due at lease signing (includes $189 first payment and $1,410 capitalized cost reduction). No security deposit required. MSRP $20,410 (includes destination, excludes tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like). Actual net capitalized cost $17,579. Net capitalized cost includes $595 acquisition fee and includes credit for $1,000 Event Cash. Dealer contribution may vary and could affect actual lease payment. Total monthly payments $6,804. Option to purchase at lease end $12,146. Lessee is responsible for third-party fees. Third-party fees vary by state or locality. Lessee is also responsible for insurance, maintenance, repairs, $.20 per mile over 12,000 miles/year, excess wear, and a $400 disposition fee. Disposition fee of $400 applies in all states except in CO, IN, IA, KS, ME, OK, SC, WI, WV, & WY, where disposition fee is subject to state law limitations.

Thanks QB for the background information. That is for a 2014 model, but from what I can see there isn't a 2 door model available for 2015.

Your lease deal is $189 per month for 36 months, + the $1599 will add about $50 a month, +tax $20, plus disposition fee (whatever that is?) $400 and dealer fees, add at least $600 and we have another $40 a month and it all adds up pretty quickly.

It is unrealistic to think you are going to lease a new car for under $200 a month, but how many people see the ad, go in, find out it will actually cost over $300 a month, and decide, I want that new car so for an extra $150 a month I can do it? My friend got turned off from the false ad, but for every one that gets turned off, 9 will probably give in.

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

driver, not sure which elantra model they have, but 16K is probably too much to pay. Should be able to get a new one for 17-18.

still can't see how that get the payment that much higher. even with the silly Fla. $800 doc fee. that only adds about $20/mo. on a lease. Around here, there are S&D leases on those for less than $170. But even at that, tax and doc fee rolled in would barely be able to get that up to $200 or so. $340? can't even think of a way to add $170/month. That is like $6K added to the cap cost!

Stick, I agree $16k sounds like a lot for a buy back on an Elantra. It is a 2 door model which is what they want and like (not available any more), and I didn't ask them too much about that.....but, the $170 a month jumping to $340 a month is exactly what happened as he explained it to me. Their Elantra is fully loaded, with Sirius and GPS etc, so maybe it was close to $30k. I think the $16k includes tax, dealer inspection, license, transfer docs etc.

It has happened to him at Hyundai and at Honda....the $170 going to $340. He has talked on the phone to one dealer, and visited one. I can't explain it, but I am sure the fine print says something like - $170 a month with $3000 trade-in or down payment.

$3000 down would add about $80-85/mo to the payment, for sure.

Unless it's dipped in gold, I can't see an Elantra getting to a $30,000 sticker price.

It would be hard to get an Elantra up to $30k....it seems to sell for about $23k. Since he wants a 2 door he may be better off leasing a 2 door Genesis Coupe....starts at $26k. Might actually come out better if he leases one of those....or it might be a bit more for a much better car.

They are on a retirement budget, so want a reliable car but want to pay the least amount possible. He insists on a 2-door car because it feels sportier, and they like a hatch for carrying a beach umbrella. Personally, I think since bmw came to the market, and before that Rover, you can actually get sportier 4 door cars than 2 door cars. There's nothing sporty about twisting and doing contortions to get people to sit in the back seat of a 2 door car.

qbrozen

driver100 said:

Thanks QB for the background information. That is for a 2014 model, but from what I can see there isn't a 2 door model available for 2015.

Your lease deal is $189 per month for 36 months, + the $1599 will add about $50 a month, +tax $20, plus disposition fee (whatever that is?) $400 and dealer fees, add at least $600 and we have another $40 a month and it all adds up pretty quickly.

It is unrealistic to think you are going to lease a new car for under $200 a month, but how many people see the ad, go in, find out it will actually cost over $300 a month, and decide, I want that new car so for an extra $150 a month I can do it? My friend got turned off from the false ad, but for every one that gets turned off, 9 will probably give in.

Well, the manufacturer ads like that don't allow for ridiculous fees. The acquisition fee is rolled in, as the fineprint specifies. So if we figure $350 doc fee and $300 DMV, I would expect a $0 due at signing payment of a hair under $270/mo. If not the first dealer, then maybe the 2nd or 3rd. who knows. I've never had an issue getting the manufacturer's advertised deal, though. Its typically set up so the dealer makes out OK on it.

Of course, in this instance, its a $20k car. In the end, I don't think that's such a fantastic deal, especially for a 2014. Honda is offering slightly better on a $21k 2015 Civic, just to give 1 example.

stickguy

If they like their current élantra, and the $ make sense, buy it and be done with it,

qbrozen

Oh, by the way, if that's a 2013 Elantra Coupe, its not a horrible purchase price at $16k. That would be about fair retail for a GS with 24k miles, and actually a pretty good deal on an SE, depending on condition.

oldfarmer50

"$400 disposition fee"

So they are charging you for giving it back? Aquisition fee? Charging you for leasing it?

What next, a fee for driving it around?

qbrozen

that fee is not uncommon, I just think more manufacturers hide it since its not due till the end of the lease.

driver100

stickguy said:

If they like their current élantra, and the $ make sense, buy it and be done with it,

And, that is what they will do. They just don't trust the dealers since the actual price is almost 100% greater than advertised. They knew there would be taxes, license, dealer prep, but not double as advertised.....despite the fine print.

driver100

qbrozen said:

Oh, by the way, if that's a 2013 Elantra Coupe, its not a horrible purchase price at $16k. That would be about fair retail for a GS with 24k miles, and actually a pretty good deal on an SE, depending on condition.

Thanks for checking the buy back price QB, because I wasn't sure about that. Seems high in depreciation terms, but not in terms of what they are getting for $16k.

That price included tax, licence, mechanical certificate and a few more things, so that could have added $1500 to that $16k price....maybe more. They like their car, there aren't very many 2 door sporty looking economy cars with a hatch available these days.

I think they liked the idea of a new car if they could lease at about the same price, and move up a bit......but, the new cars don't have all the features they have on the current one. I think they are fine just keeping this one.

dino001

oldfarmer50 said:

"$400 disposition fee"

So they are charging you for giving it back? Aquisition fee? Charging you for leasing it?

What next, a fee for driving it around?

Well, that's called money factor. Disposition fee is basically foe the paperwork related to transfer the car back to the bank. They could roll it into the payment, but then they couldn't advertise it as low. BTW, third party banks (not the manufacturer's captive arms) have even more fees at initiation, not just acquisition. They charge it because they can.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

"$400 disposition fee"

So they are charging you for giving it back? Aquisition fee? Charging you for leasing it?

What next, a fee for driving it around?

Good point...I had to look up "disposition" to find the meaning. Disposition is the fees to transfer the vehicle over at the end of the lease.....like another DOC fee I guess. This fellow really wondered about this and other wierd fees associated with leasing;
there were other fees on the leasing agreement that are almost comically arrayed against the consumer. If I decide to turn in the car at the end of the lease without leasing another from the dealership, I must pay a $395 disposition fee. Yet if I decide to buy, I must pay a $300 purchase option fee. Add to that a host of smaller fees (a tire fee of $12.50, a doc fee of $75), which, I’m convinced, exist partly to distract consumers from the larger fees.

This guy was fairly knowledgeable, and yet he feels he was taken by a salesman:
WHAT I LEARNED THE HARD WAY ABOUT LEASING

I have to add, I have leased a few cars years ago and it was pretty straight forward, before the genius's came out with "disposition fees", aquisition fees, extra mileage, charges for scratches etc.

Michaell

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

"$400 disposition fee"

So they are charging you for giving it back? Aquisition fee? Charging you for leasing it?

What next, a fee for driving it around?

Good point...I had to look up "disposition" to find the meaning. Disposition is the fees to transfer the vehicle over at the end of the lease.....like another DOC fee I guess. This fellow really wondered about this and other wierd fees associated with leasing;
there were other fees on the leasing agreement that are almost comically arrayed against the consumer. If I decide to turn in the car at the end of the lease without leasing another from the dealership, I must pay a $395 disposition fee. Yet if I decide to buy, I must pay a $300 purchase option fee. Add to that a host of smaller fees (a tire fee of $12.50, a doc fee of $75), which, I’m convinced, exist partly to distract consumers from the larger fees.

This guy was fairly knowledgeable, and yet he feels he was taken by a salesman:
WHAT I LEARNED THE HARD WAY ABOUT LEASING

I have to add, I have leased a few cars years ago and it was pretty straight forward, before the genius's came out with "disposition fees", aquisition fees, extra mileage, charges for scratches etc.

Some of the fees you reference are mandated by the state, not the manufacturer or the dealer.

But yes, you have to pay attention to every line item on the contract. You can choose to pay some of these costs up front at the beginning of the lease or add them in to the cap cost and spread them out across all the payments.

When I leased my Hyundai, the only money I gave them was my first month's payment. Hyundai was offering "lease cash" in the amount of $1100 that I used to cover all my other up front costs.

I do have a disposition fee that I'll be responsible for if I choose not to buy my car or buy or lease another Hyundai at the end of my lease in November 2016.

dino001

Some third party leases have additional fees with great names. "Facilitation" fee. I think they should have them called "Just because 1", "Just because 2", "Tell me when to stop because I won't on my own fee"

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

that fee is not uncommon, I just think more manufacturers hide it since its not due till the end of the lease.

Yeah, I've seen those fees in lease advertisements before but the whole multi-fee situation seems so dishonest. Why not call it what it is: a "we just wanna make more money" fee?

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

that fee is not uncommon, I just think more manufacturers hide it since its not due till the end of the lease.

Yeah, I've seen those fees in lease advertisements before but the whole multi-fee situation seems so dishonest. Why not call it what it is: a "we just wanna make more money" fee?

Some fees are imposed by the manufacturer or bank (acquisition and disposition fees), others by the government (tire fee, license and tags), still others by the dealer (dealer fee - duh!).

imidazol97

But why have a a "tire fee" on leases? Is there a "tire fee" when I trade in my car imposed by the federal government or the dealer?

dino001

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

that fee is not uncommon, I just think more manufacturers hide it since its not due till the end of the lease.

Yeah, I've seen those fees in lease advertisements before but the whole multi-fee situation seems so dishonest. Why not call it what it is: a "we just wanna make more money" fee?

Some fees are imposed by the manufacturer or bank (acquisition and disposition fees), others by the government (tire fee, license and tags), still others by the dealer (dealer fee - duh!).

Yeah, I can take the government fees. The issue is the dealers love hide their own fees in between and give them very official names. Or names similar to those of other entities, like the manufacturer, or the bank. The other discussion is whether manufacturer's "Starting at" pricing with asterisk adding the destination fee added after, when there is zero possibility of avoiding that fee. To me that qualifies as a straight-up lie and I'm disappointed that FTC and FCC allow them such false advertising. To me it's plain and simple that "starting at" means lowest price, in case of manufacturer's would be lowest suggested price. But I'm obviously wrong, at least in terms of what's legal.

dino001

imidazol97 said:

But why have a a "tire fee" on leases? Is there a "tire fee" when I trade in my car imposed by the federal government or the dealer?

Neither. It's most likely state, sometimes city/county. Those fees are most likely related to future disposal of hazardous materials, such as tire rubber, battery, etc. At least that's the most common justification.

abacomike

Acquisition fees are a bank fee, of course. Manufacturer's Lease Arms also charge that fee.  As for disposition fees, those are the costs involved in inspecting a lease return and transporting the lease return to a specific intake facility.  Usually you can avoid the disposition fees if you purchase the car at the end of the lease term or even before.

abacomike

Off subject for a minute or two, Dad and I just returned from 2 trips to Sears in Boca Raton.  We have a 25 year old GE refrigerator (side-by-side 22 cu.ft.) that has long outlived its usefulness.  On our way up the Turnpike for our daily walk, he volunteered the fact that the old refrigerator never stops running.  I told him it is because it has leaks and is 25 years old.  He suggested that maybe it was time to look for a new one.

So we went to Sears to look at a Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator.  Unfortunately, I did not have the measurements but decided to pick out one that we thought would fit.  According to all the sources I surfed on the Internet from my iPhone, Kenmore products still rate among the best.  We picked out a unit with an ice-maker and water dispenser and took the measurements.  When we got home, of course it would not fit in the space provided in the kitchen.  So I did the measurements and called the salesman that we were on our way back.

When we got there, there were only 2 models that would fit - a 22 cu.ft. And a 23 cu.ft.  We selected the 23 cu.ft. Model with ice maker and water and ice dispenser.  It will fit perfectly.  Dad opened a Sears credit card and saved $69 for delivery and installation and another $15 to haul away the old unit.  It's a Kenmore with a 1-year warranty.  We carry a contract with a company called ECM for all our appliances and lights and all plumbing.  So they are removing the old refrigerator from our contract and will add the new on next March when our contract renews.

It was $1385.00 which included all taxes (6%),delivery, set-up of the new unit with the water and ice and transferring the food, and hauling away the old unit.  It was a good price and we save about $40 by eliminating the old refrigerator from the service contract.

Long day, that's for sure!

robr2

Gas has been dropping again here in Boston. I just paid $2.11 for RUG. The same station 10 days ago was $2.33.

stickguy

new fridges are vastly better than old ones. plus more efficient. our LG (that replaced an ~10 YO GE with issues) is amazing. we went with the French door bottom freezer. so much more usable than the old side by side.

stever

I dislike side by sides; sort of wish the one that came with this house would die so I could justify buying new. But I want a two door, bottom freezer model. Talk about hard to find - ever since the French door patent expired a few years back, the manufacturers decided they were the best thing since sliced bread.

stickguy

there were a few models with the single door when we were shopping last fall. not as common of course. You do need more swing room for that.

verdugo

graphicguy said:

Wife rode in a neighbor's Volt yesterday. She really liked it. Surprised they haven't sold like the Prius has.

I think they're pretty reasonable now, too....especially

Congrats on the new job.

You should look into the new Volt coming out this Fall. It's 100 times better than the current Volt.

stever

stickguy said:

there were a few models with the single door when we were shopping last fall. not as common of course. You do need more swing room for that.

The doors will *always* open the wrong way with a "split" door setup. I suppose with a French model, I could just avoid putting stuff on the counter side of the frig.

What I really need on my frig are sliders, but I'm lucky minivans with sliders are still available to buy, much less a frig. Funny though, I don't like pocket doors at all.

driver100

dino001 said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

that fee is not uncommon, I just think more manufacturers hide it since its not due till the end of the lease.

Yeah, I've seen those fees in lease advertisements before but the whole multi-fee situation seems so dishonest. Why not call it what it is: a "we just wanna make more money" fee?

Some fees are imposed by the manufacturer or bank (acquisition and disposition fees), others by the government (tire fee, license and tags), still others by the dealer (dealer fee - duh!).

Yeah, I can take the government fees. The issue is the dealers love hide their own fees in between and give them very official names. Or names similar to those of other entities, like the manufacturer, or the bank. The other discussion is whether manufacturer's "Starting at" pricing with asterisk adding the destination fee added after, when there is zero possibility of avoiding that fee. To me that qualifies as a straight-up lie and I'm disappointed that FTC and FCC allow them such false advertising. To me it's plain and simple that "starting at" means lowest price, in case of manufacturer's would be lowest suggested price. But I'm obviously wrong, at least in terms of what's legal.

It would be easy to simplify this, so the consumer doesn't get scammed.

All leases have to be advertised with these costs;
Model of the car (Price of the car would be good too)
With $0 down and with other examples if desired
List taxes:
List extra fees
List government fees
Licence
Anything else I should know about
MONTHLY COST OF LEASE____________

In Canada, they did it with airline tickets. If they give the cost of a flight, it has to be the total cost...taxes and airport fees all included...........and it works!

driver100

abacomike said:

It was $1385.00 which included all taxes (6%),delivery, set-up of the new unit with the water and ice and transferring the food, and hauling away the old unit.  It was a good price and we save about $40 by eliminating the old refrigerator from the service contract.

Long day, that's for sure!

Congratulations...sounds like a good deal, and with 25 years on your old fridge you did well.

For the record, I prefer side by sides, though they are becoming less common. Shorter doors and you can get into the fridge and freezer at the same time. We don't buy frozen pizza's, so not a big problem.

abacomike

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

It was $1385.00 which included all taxes (6%),delivery, set-up of the new unit with the water and ice and transferring the food, and hauling away the old unit.  It was a good price and we save about $40 by eliminating the old refrigerator from the service contract.

Long day, that's for sure!

Congratulations...sounds like a good deal, and with 25 years on your old fridge you did well.

For the record, I prefer side by sides, though they are becoming less common. Shorter doors and you can get into the fridge and freezer at the same time. We don't buy frozen pizza's, so not a big problem.

I went online to the Sears site and found the same refrigerator we bought for $115 less. So I called the salesman and we both looked at the model number online and sure enough, he was unaware there was a sale online, which he said of course we match at the store. So he is crediting my Dad's new account for that amount plus taxes. So the cost including taxes, delivery, set up, and hauling away the older refrigerator is now $1184.90. Even better the second time around.

My Dad can't see very much of anything with his macular degeneration and I have a bad back, so bending is out of the question to retrieve something from a bottom freezer. We've had a side-by-side for the full time Dad has lived here so we are sort of used to it. Yearly cost for running the refrigerator is $84.00 per year for electricity. I expect it will be 1/2 what we are now spending to run the old unit.

We bought the unit in white since the rest of the appliances in the kitchen are white. The stove is also 25 years old, but it still works fine. I am really looking forward to the new refrigerator. It will "run" less often (the compressor for the freezer and the noise of the fans) because it is a brand new unit. Dad seems happy with it, so when it is delivered Friday, we shall see.

abacomike

robr2 said:

Gas has been dropping again here in Boston. I just paid $2.11 for RUG. The same station 10 days ago was $2.33.

Prices have risen significantly down here. The least expensive I could find for RUG was at Costco and it is $2.29.9 per gallon. They were the least expensive for PUG as well (which I use) at $273.9 per gallon. We have one of the highest gasoline taxes in the country, according to the business section of our newspaper, which is the reason we pay more for gasoline here than most of the country.

The least expensive "Branded" gasoline (Chevron) runs $2.85.9 a gallon. But with my credit card, I get 2.5% cash back - but not at Costco because Costco is not considered a gasoline retailer or seller. It is considered a discount shopping club, which does not qualify for the AMEX 2% rebate on gasoline.

I read somewhere that Costco will not be accepting AMEX any longer starting next year because they failed to reach an agreement with AMEX. I wonder what credit card company they are going to go with? They are probably big enough now to have their own credit cards (the club credit card is an AMEX version).

stever

Costco is replacing American Express with Visa and Citi (Yahoo)

Amex's stock got hammered pretty good when the news first broke (plus JetBlue also pulled a Costco). Amex has announced a new deal for 2016 to co-brand a card with Schwab.

Costco gas in El Paso the other day (closest one to me) was $2.01. Sam's Club here is $1.95 for regular.

laurasdada

I believe Coscto is going with VISA in 2016. I'm sure we'll get plenty of advanced notice. As of this am, my Costco was not the least expensive PUG in the area, a Hess station is .01/gallon less... Just checked GasBuddy, now Costco is the same as Stop&Shop Hess and an independent. C'mon Costco!!!

henryn

I was in Sam's Club yesterday, looking at TVs. I had a 65 inch on the cart trying to check out when I discovered they would not take my Amex card. Which means I wouldn't get the extra warranty, so I walked on the deal.

isellhondas

Costco probably tried pushing Amex around like they do with their vendors and it didn't work!

venture

abacomike said:

Off subject for a minute or two, Dad and I just returned from 2 trips to Sears in Boca Raton.  We have a 25 year old GE refrigerator (side-by-side 22 cu.ft.) that has long outlived its usefulness.  On our way up the Turnpike for our daily walk, he volunteered the fact that the old refrigerator never stops running.  I told him it is because it has leaks and is 25 years old.  He suggested that maybe it was time to look for a new one.

So we went to Sears to look at a Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator.  Unfortunately, I did not have the measurements but decided to pick out one that we thought would fit.  According to all the sources I surfed on the Internet from my iPhone, Kenmore products still rate among the best.  We picked out a unit with an ice-maker and water dispenser and took the measurements.  When we got home, of course it would not fit in the space provided in the kitchen.  So I did the measurements and called the salesman that we were on our way back.

When we got there, there were only 2 models that would fit - a 22 cu.ft. And a 23 cu.ft.  We selected the 23 cu.ft. Model with ice maker and water and ice dispenser.  It will fit perfectly.  Dad opened a Sears credit card and saved $69 for delivery and installation and another $15 to haul away the old unit.  It's a Kenmore with a 1-year warranty.  We carry a contract with a company called ECM for all our appliances and lights and all plumbing.  So they are removing the old refrigerator from our contract and will add the new on next March when our contract renews.

It was $1385.00 which included all taxes (6%),delivery, set-up of the new unit with the water and ice and transferring the food, and hauling away the old unit.  It was a good price and we save about $40 by eliminating the old refrigerator from the service contract.

Long day, that's for sure!

Ha. Funny. I bought a new reach-in freezer for my baseball field today. The old one was 10 years old and had been repaired twice. I didn't trust it anymore. $3981 out the door, delivered, and the old one removed.

stever

What I read was that Costco has 8% of Amex's business. Someone else said that was just the US percentage. And yet another FatWallet poster said that 70% of the Costco Amex cards were used elsewhere. That tells me that Amex could pay Costco for the privilege of being the exclusive card and still make a ton of money on merchant fees.

Kind of wish they'd go with Capital One like they did in Canada last year. That's currently my main card. Haven't had a Discover card since Costco switched to Amex.

fezo

The odd thing with Costco is when this goes down they won't accept Master Card - just Visa. That is pretty unusual.

I think this was a mistake on Amex's part and obviously the market does, too

Whenever Costco starts sending the details to members I'll be on that. It will be one less Amex account, bringing me down to one.

abacomike

fezo said:

The odd thing with Costco is when this goes down they won't accept Master Card - just Visa. That is pretty unusual. I think this was a mistake on Amex's part and obviously the market does, too Whenever Costco starts sending the details to members I'll be on that. It will be one less Amex account, bringing me down to one.

I don't have a Costco AMEX card, just your standard AMEX.  At least Costco accepts the card at check out and at the gas pump.  But I heard they will no longer accept my card.  So I will either have to use my debit card or a Visa Chase Freedom card if they accept all Visas.  If not, just the debit card.

stickguy

I would just get whatever Costco sponsors since it would be simpler. I have a few store connected cards, so not a big deal. target in particular (which is just a Visa you can use anywhere) because you automatically get 5% off as soon as you swipe. Same with Lowes. 5% off to use theirs.

Not an issue in this case, since I don't belong to Costco (the nearest one is too far away to be practical, but we do belong to BJs).

the other thing I have again (old school!) is gas cards. Got them when my daughter started driving solo, in case she needed to buy gas. I use them too. I always used to pay cash, but when gas went up, that became a pain. So, I use the card. $.05/gallon off usually, and don't have to use up my cash. I won't hand a real card to the gas jockey (I'm in Jersey, land of full service only!) and don't even like using on out of state (too many skimmers at gas stations). Not a big deal if my Exxon card gets hacked!

fezo

We went from having neither Costco nor BJ's near us to having both in town.

Yeah, I use the Target and Loews trick, though my Target cars isn't a Visa. Just plain Target.

The Costco card pays 3% on gas.

abacomike

We have all 3 locally - Sam's Club, Costco and BJ's.  I really don't enjoy going to Costco because they are so jammed all the time.  If I go early when they open - jammed!  Noontime - jammed! 3:00 PM - jammed.  Unfortunately, they are landlocked in their present location and have no room to expand parking.  The problem is finding a parking space.

Gasoline is not a problem since they open very early and stay open late.  But the store itself is like downtown Manhattan at rush hour - just awful.

abacomike

Got a call from my son.  He had a complete body scan and a multitude of blood panels and tests last week.  His oncologist told him his white blood count is nearing normal ranges and the body MRI showed no evidence of the tumor in his brain nor any sign that the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.

A true miracle story that I pray continues for the rest of his life.

stickguy

great news on your son Mike. sometimes miracles do happen, if you take a shot at them.