Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

tjc78

Without question. Many of the locations I opened a few years back were sub-divided larger spaces. Many retailers are scaling back the size of the stores to maximize profitability.

In retail 80% of the sales are done with 20% of the SKUs. So if you can really hone in your assortment you can do similar sales volume in less space.

My previous employer found that out way too late.

qbrozen

plug-in was the deal to be had at one point, but probably the full EV in certain states that offer the extra cash. NJ is now going to offer extra cash for EVs, so we'll be joining the cheap lease fray. Someone just leased a Bolt for next to nothing, but that is anticipating the extra $5k from NJ gov and other things like loyalty and GM credit card points. Still would have been something like $170/mo without the loyalty and CC points, though.

My Ioniq's MSRP was $26.4k. $24,206 selling price, minus 10,043 incentives. Cap cost was $16,655, including all taxes and fees. RV is $12,438. So just $4216.49 to be paid over 36 mos. Rent charge on that is $1539.55. Payment is $159.89/mo. Just because I want to, I'm deducting the $40 amazon gift card from that and the $500 bonus drive check that I should be getting pretty soon. So, $144.89 net effective monthly. 12k miles per year means a piddly 14.49 cents per mile.

driver100

My brother who was a stock broker had a saying that I think is very true;
"Nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems".

fintail

Speaking of the recent insanity, I went to Costco this morning to top up, pick up a few things, and redeem my yearly Citi reward (nearly $400 this year, worth a trip in itself). It was an absolute zoo 20 minutes after opening. I chatted with a cashier, who said it has been like this all week. I've heard rumors of panic buying, I think there might be a little to it. I bet this weekend will be a madhouse.

driver100

qbrozen said:

My Ioniq's MSRP was $26.4k. $24,206 selling price, minus 10,043 incentives. Cap cost was $16,655, including all taxes and fees. RV is $12,438. So just $4216.49 to be paid over 36 mos So, $144.89 net effective monthly. 12k miles per year means a piddly 14.49 cents per mile.

So how much did we subsidize the car for?

driver100

My prediction about malls!
They usually build them in busy areas. Most of the larger stores can be turned into condos. Lots of room for parking....have some smaller stores in the mall for condo owners (or renters) and people who live nearby......but, they can make money converting the property into apartments.

andres3

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

They say that when you absolutely can’t stand it any more and have an overwhelming sense of doom, that’s the time you should buy.

Personally, I feel that if you can’t stand a 20% downturn maybe the market isn’t for you.

Agreed. 20 percent downturns should be expected as garden variety occurrences in the market. If something can go up 20-30-40 percent in months, why shouldn't it then be able to fall as much. It's normal and just because CNBC finally has something to talk about, it doesn't mean it's the end of the world. 2007-2008 was really scary, but not really because of the stock market, but more like will my ATM pay me next week. This thing with corona virus is simply - OK, most companies will have earnings reduced by 10-20 percent for a year, some more than that. Will it cripple their business? Maybe those that are running on debt and need sales just to pay the interest. Most US companies have stronger balance sheets than that, so we will see supply disruptions, there may be some surprising shortages of random items in stores, some companies will lose sales and have reduced profits, but life will go on. And yes, some unfortunate people will die, just like they're dying now of car crashes, cancer, heart attacks and homicides. Tragedy for their families, not an existential threat to the economy.

I don't know of any instances where ATM's stopped working in 2007 to 2009. I know of a few bank closures, but of course, some other bank or the FDIC would be forced to step in within a business day or two.

laurasdada

fintail said:

Speaking of the recent insanity, I went to Costco this morning to top up, pick up a few things, and redeem my yearly Citi reward (nearly $400 this year, worth a trip in itself). It was an absolute zoo 20 minutes after opening. I chatted with a cashier, who said it has been like this all week. I've heard rumors of panic buying, I think there might be a little to it. I bet this weekend will be a madhouse.

Costco is my Friday night ritual (rarely crowded); heading there soon for gas and sundries. Send good thoughts my way!

tjc78

Since I've been "off" I have been doing shopping during the week.

Wow, it's so much better than the weekend.

I think even after I get back in the saddle I am just going to do the grocery shop one evening. The heck with weekends!

I generally do the shopping and wife meal preps. Pretty fair arrangement.

abacomike

"Thank you for registering to attend the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience!

You've successfully reserved tickets for yourself and a guest.
You will be contacted shortly with more details regarding your reservation."

So, I have reserved my trip to the Masters in Augusta. My brother is not joining me so I am inviting my best friend. Should be a great time.

imidazol97

I think it's great you're getting this perk from MB. Have you told them you're considering a G90 as your
next car instead of a large MB?

explorerx4

@imidazol97,
People our age should be well insulated from this market downturn.
I hope you are.

explorerx4

@abacomike,
As long as the weather is good, you should have a great time.
I'm assuming they have a Celebrity Pro-Am one of those days. That could be a lot of fun.

roadburner

We are going to pull some money out of our mutual funds for another remodeling project, so hopefully we can harvest some losses.

driver100

abacomike said:

"Thank you for registering to attend the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience!

You've successfully reserved tickets for yourself and a guest.
You will be contacted shortly with more details regarding your reservation."

So, I have reserved my trip to the Masters in Augusta. My brother is not joining me so I am inviting my best friend. Should be a great time.

What day are we going on?

driver100

roadburner said:

We are going to pull some money out of our mutual funds for another remodeling project, so hopefully we can harvest some losses.

Isn't it better to take money out when the market is up? Seems like locking in losses.

driver100

One article said it best....you buy everything when it goes on sale....for example oranges. Why not buy stocks when they go on sale.....they have always come back.
And if they don't, we are all doomed anyway.

ronsteve

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

We are going to pull some money out of our mutual funds for another remodeling project, so hopefully we can harvest some losses.

Isn't it better to take money out when the market is up? Seems like locking in losses.

Depends on how far down you think it will go. The key if you get out is to get back in for the next bull market.

explorerx4

@driver100,
So you are going to keep those perishable oranges for 3 to 6 months?

fintail

Good luck. I usually go on weekend mornings, arriving a few minutes before they open - I can get out in 10-15 minutes. I heard weekday afternoons were good too, but apparently not right now. Maybe the Citi rewards are drawing traffic too, didn't think of that until now.

I also visited a supermarket, didn't seem abnormal.

laurasdada said:

Costco is my Friday night ritual (rarely crowded); heading there soon for gas and sundries. Send good thoughts my way!

driver100

ronsteve said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

We are going to pull some money out of our mutual funds for another remodeling project, so hopefully we can harvest some losses.

Isn't it better to take money out when the market is up? Seems like locking in losses.

Depends on how far down you think it will go. The key if you get out is to get back in for the next bull market.

That never happens. What really happens is Dow goes from 28000 to 22,000, buyer panics and sells (I am going to lose all my money), the first few days of the recovery are the largest, in 2 days market goes to 25000, our expert buys in again, but, he has lost 3000 points.
No one sells at the right time....no one buys at the exact right time.
Better to ride it down and ride it back up. If it doesn't come up, we are doomed anyway.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
So you are going to keep those perishable oranges for 3 to 6 months?

lol....sure, I make orange juice and freeze it.

abacomike

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

"Thank you for registering to attend the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience!

You've successfully reserved tickets for yourself and a guest.
You will be contacted shortly with more details regarding your reservation."

So, I have reserved my trip to the Masters in Augusta. My brother is not joining me so I am inviting my best friend. Should be a great time.

What day are we going on?

Actually, "MY SON" and I are leaving Monday night, April 6th. It's about a 9 hour drive. April 7th is my son's birthday so I am flying him here to Ft. Lauderdale Sunday from Palm Springs, CA. I might not be able to handle all the walking, but I know he can and he is an avid golfer.

I had forgotten it was his birthday that first day, so this worked out perfectly.

driver100

Per an analysis by Calamos Investments, $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 SPX, -0.82% at the start of 1996 would’ve grown to $43,930 by the end of 2016, assuming the investor took a buy-and-hold strategy. That’s a strong annualized return of about 8.19%, although that return is below historical averages, given that period includes both the dot-com bubble bursting and the financial crisis.

Miss the five best days of that period, however, and the amount you’re left with shrinks by more than a third, to $29,145, which represents annualized gains of 5.99% from the initial $10,000. The more “best days” you’re not invested for, the worse off the end result looks. If you missed the top 30 sessions of that 20-year period, in fact, you would’ve lost money, with your initial $10,000 investment shrinking to a little over $9,000.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@abacomike,
As long as the weather is good, you should have a great time.
I'm assuming they have a Celebrity Pro-Am one of those days. That could be a lot of fun.

No pro-am at Augusta. It is a very buttoned-down place. Tradition and decorum is paramount. The place was co-founded by Bobby Jones and NYC banker Clifford Roberts, who ruled with an iron hand. There is a story about how a member suggested some changes to one of the holes to Roberts. The changes were made and the member found a bill for the cost of the renovations in his locker afterwards. Then there was the famous story about President Eisenhower. According to Augusta.com:

“The tree was named because the former president and Augusta National member often hit into it, and at a club meeting in 1956 he proposed cutting it down. Masters co-founder Clifford Roberts ruled him out of order and immediately adjourned the meeting, ending any further debate.”

cdnpinhead

Trying to time the market is a losing proposition. As you pointed out, you don't need to miss many "best days" to decimate your return.

explorerx4

@driver100,
I you can't resell those oranges or orange juice for more, you just locked in your losses.

qbrozen

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

My Ioniq's MSRP was $26.4k. $24,206 selling price, minus 10,043 incentives. Cap cost was $16,655, including all taxes and fees. RV is $12,438. So just $4216.49 to be paid over 36 mos So, $144.89 net effective monthly. 12k miles per year means a piddly 14.49 cents per mile.

So how much did we subsidize the car for?

Who the heck is "we"? I didn't know Canadians were subsidizing anything in the states. :b

But I believe the US fed gov contributes $4543 for the Ioniq plug-in, hence that weird $10,043 total incentive. $5500 from Hyundai and $4543 gov.

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
driver100 is a 'wannabe' US citizen.

sda

driver100 said:

My brother who was a stock broker had a saying that I think is very true;
"Nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems".

That’s what my dad always says. And, when frustrated, “nothing comes easy.”

driver100

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

My Ioniq's MSRP was $26.4k. $24,206 selling price, minus 10,043 incentives. Cap cost was $16,655, including all taxes and fees. RV is $12,438. So just $4216.49 to be paid over 36 mos So, $144.89 net effective monthly. 12k miles per year means a piddly 14.49 cents per mile.

So how much did we subsidize the car for?

Who the heck is "we"? I didn't know Canadians were subsidizing anything in the states. :b

But I believe the US fed gov contributes $4543 for the Ioniq plug-in, hence that weird $10,043 total incentive. $5500 from Hyundai and $4543 gov.

It was more dramatic saying "We" rather than "You Guys".
But, we subsidize them in Canada too.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@qbrozen,
driver100 is a 'wannabe' US citizen.

Not really, I would be glad to be a citizen of either Canada or the U.S. We are fortunate to live in the countries we do. I think when you even things out, we have a very similar standard of living, and it is about as good as can be.

driver100

cdnpinhead said:

Trying to time the market is a losing proposition. As you pointed out, you don't need to miss many "best days" to decimate your return.

....and the best days, seem to happen, just as the market starts to climb again, before you can jump back in.

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
I you can't resell those oranges or orange juice for more, you just locked in your losses.

You don't buy them at the low point to resell them. You buy them at the low point to eat them.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

My prediction about malls!
They usually build them in busy areas. Most of the larger stores can be turned into condos. Lots of room for parking....have some smaller stores in the mall for condo owners (or renters) and people who live nearby......but, they can make money converting the property into apartments.

Several malls in my area floated proposals to build condos or hotels within or adjacent. None of the plans went anywhere.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

We are going to pull some money out of our mutual funds for another remodeling project, so hopefully we can harvest some losses.

Isn't it better to take money out when the market is up? Seems like locking in losses.

You know those rich guys, they make money even when they lose money. It’s a racket.

oldfarmer50

OK, how would you interpret this CarFax? Service loaner sold to a private owner?

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/ar20/UdYv7XTmnCluHmLnPXaSvTonTMUZ-aE_AlpJWksYodv5myspSm52zveNbiv5IU0UsvJhyUW7yRuVuUSsBymtk9MjW82XSdgKyKU

Notice it doesn’t say “1 owner” even though only one owner is shown.

explorerx4

Ya, oranges were not a good analogy to the stock market.
Maybe orange futures would have been better.

qbrozen

explorerx4 said:

Ya, oranges were not a good analogy to the stock market.
Maybe orange futures would have been better.

It works as long as you fool Mortimer and Randolph into thinking there will be an orange shortage, you can make a killing.

stickguy

classic movie.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

OK, how would you interpret this CarFax? Service loaner sold to a private owner?

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/ar20/UdYv7XTmnCluHmLnPXaSvTonTMUZ-aE_AlpJWksYodv5myspSm52zveNbiv5IU0UsvJhyUW7yRuVuUSsBymtk9MjW82XSdgKyKU

Notice it doesn’t say “1 owner” even though only one owner is shown.

usually you see the loaner punch. maybe a state that didn't report? I would not worry about it all that much. Lots of service records at least! If worried about it, do a PPI!

Michaell

stickguy said:

classic movie.

Better yet is the Duke brothers cameo in "Coming to America"

ronsteve

driver100 said:

ronsteve said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

We are going to pull some money out of our mutual funds for another remodeling project, so hopefully we can harvest some losses.

Isn't it better to take money out when the market is up? Seems like locking in losses.

Depends on how far down you think it will go. The key if you get out is to get back in for the next bull market.

That never happens. What really happens is Dow goes from 28000 to 22,000, buyer panics and sells (I am going to lose all my money), the first few days of the recovery are the largest, in 2 days market goes to 25000, our expert buys in again, but, he has lost 3000 points.
No one sells at the right time....no one buys at the exact right time.
Better to ride it down and ride it back up. If it doesn't come up, we are doomed anyway.

Well, if it goes to 10,000 at least I got out with my money. Not as much getting out at 22,000 or 25,000 as if I was clairvoyant and got out at 28,000. Nobody can time the market perfectly, but it's certainly possible to out-perform it!

You only actually lose money when you sell, and buy back in at a higher price. But I'm not cashing in all my chips. I've cashed in some, and will continue to play, hopefully to benefit when/if it comes back. The biggest deal is having a strategy that's right for your age and risk tolerance.

driver100

The strategy for age tolerance is whatever your age, that should be the percentage of secure things. If you are 60, you should have about 60% of savings in bonds, dividends etc. Probably have to lower to 40 or 50% these days since they don't pay much at this time....and there is more upside to stocks.

Not even the experts can predict enough to get out at 22000 knowing the market could go to 10000. What if it goes to 20000 then bounces back (Virus is over) the next day to 25000. You lost 8000 points going down, plus 3000 points missing the bump up. Might as well just stay in and ride it out.

If you are going to try and predict the market, and buy in and get out at the exact right time, you would have more fun going to Vegas.

abacomike

When I awakened this morning I put my slippers on my feet and walked toward my front door to get the morning paper. I opened the door and went to retrieve the newspaper when a neighbor walked by and caught me in my underwear as I was bending over to pick up the paper! She let out a reverberating scream and suggested I wear underwear that did not reveal my "upper derrière dimple". She bursted out laughing and said she would be more than happy to loan me a pair of her husband's pajamas.

I was so embarrassed that I must have turned red as a beet or cooked lobster (face as well as my derrière)! Besides, the temperature outside was 42 degrees which caused shrinkage of just about everything.

I apologized profusely as she walked away, still laughing uncontrollably. This experience could only happen to me! 😩😜🤪🤙

imidazol97

Now those kinds of things don't happen to us not able to live in warm south FL. Today it's 18 deg (F). I'm sure you wouldn't have stepped out in your undies to get your paper.

houdini1

As RB said, at times you might need to "harvest some losses" for tax purposes, depending on your circumstances. I usually do that near year end though if needed. In his case, he needs cash anyway, so two birds. I am not in love with any of my stocks no matter how good they have been to my portfolio. I would, and do, sell them in a heartbeat to minimize expected losses. If I am right, I can always buy them back at a discount. The market detests uncertainty, and how this coronavirus plays out is filled with uncertainty. Some say it will fade away as the weather warms up, but when we have Summer, it is Winter in the southern hemisphere.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Now those kinds of things don't happen to us not able to live in warm south FL. Today it's 18 deg (F). I'm sure you wouldn't have stepped out in your undies to get your paper.

The paperboy usually hangs the newspaper on my door handle in a clear plastic sheath. But for some reason the paper was on the ground on the catwalk (could have beena substitute delivery boy) so I had to walk out onto the catwalk to retrieve the newspaper. It was definitely a major embarrassment to me. Besides, not many people have seen me in my undies, that's for sure!

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

When I awakened this morning I put my slippers on my feet and walked toward my front door to get the morning paper. I opened the door and went to retrieve the newspaper when a neighbor walked by and caught me in my underwear as I was bending over to pick up the paper! She let out a reverberating scream and suggested I wear underwear that did not reveal my "upper derrière dimple". She bursted out laughing and said she would be more than happy to loan me a pair of her husband's pajamas.

I was so embarrassed that I must have turned red as a beet or cooked lobster (face as well as my derrière)! Besides, the temperature outside was 42 degrees which caused shrinkage of just about everything.

I apologized profusely as she walked away, still laughing uncontrollably. This experience could only happen to me! 😩😜🤪🤙

Mike, as long as the women are still looking you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

imidazol97 said:

Now those kinds of things don't happen to us not able to live in warm south FL. Today it's 18 deg (F). I'm sure you wouldn't have stepped out in your undies to get your paper.

The paperboy usually hangs the newspaper on my door handle in a clear plastic sheath. But for some reason the paper was on the ground on the catwalk (could have beena substitute delivery boy) so I had to walk out onto the catwalk to retrieve the newspaper. It was definitely a major embarrassment to me. Besides, not many people have seen me in my undies, that's for sure!

Maybe your female neighbor took it off the door so she could get an eyeful.

ab348

I confess that when I lived in apartments I did what Mike did occasionally. I always looked out of the peephole in my door first though. Don't recall ever getting spotted.

These days I have an issue in that there is a line of sight from my front door (which has a window) to my bathroom. For years, living alone, I got in the habit of leaving the bathroom door open when I was in there. After a couple of delivery drivers came to the door when I was doing business in there, I am now out of that habit.