Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

imidazol97

fintail said:

If you like brown, I have the car for you:





Yeah, it is definitely dear, but this is my one big frivolity in life, and these are the good old days

I like that interior. I could easily love that.

explorerx4

@abaomike,
Just renewed 3 of my Sirius subscriptions for $77.44 a year(trying to sync the renewals).
I had a big credit, so it's going to cost me an additional $6.
Spent about 1/2 hour waiting to talk to someone, but they were very helpful and it was worth it.

suydam

dino001 said:

Small fact: "Spanish flu" was really an American flu (first registered case in Kansas). Seems like even then "blame others" mindset was just as strong.

True! It was because Spain was the only country reporting accurate numbers. They were neutral in WWI and had no reason to fudge their numbers, as did all the other countries who were afraid it would demoralize the troops (who were getting sick too). So lying about the numbers has an old history as well.

imidazol97

suydam said:

dino001 said:

Small fact: "Spanish flu" was really an American flu (first registered case in Kansas). Seems like even then "blame others" mindset was just as strong.

True! It was because Spain was the only country reporting accurate numbers. They were neutral in WWI and had no reason to fudge their numbers, as did all the other countries who were afraid it would demoralize the troops (who were getting sick too). So lying about the numbers has an old history as well.

X2 Thanks. I was just going to post that from reading articles about the naming of various epi- and pan-demics.

I've been reading some articles in the small town newspapers from 1918 where I grew up that are linked through the county historical museum's site. The articles are stunning in the fear they must have caused and the sense of helplessness once infected.

I don't remember my parents ever having said anything about that flu going through the population--they would have been 18 and 20 years of age then.

imidazol97

Our State of Ohio has been noting that the expected daily new cases based on the modeling from the experts has been running about 60% of the prediction--lower. That's good. Hopefully the end of the nonessential businesses being shutdown is near after the two weeks mentioned in the briefings by the task force. Hopefully reopen with as much attention to social separation as possible.

I suspect their hoping to keep the spread down is why the county health departments have been announcing closings of nonessential businesses that stayed open.

I noticed half the folks at Home Depot today had some kind of face masks on, surgical procedure masks and several had the N95 formed masks. That could continue to help reduce transfer as the antigen testing ramps up so we can determine how many of the "herd" have been exposed and have resistance for at least this flu season to the virus.

Lowes has the plexiglass shields between the customer and the cashiers. Perfect. Stops the spread of droplets when one speaks to the other while checking out. But awkward.

Anything to get business back up and running. I know too many people who are out of work temporarily and heading for being out of business soon.

And I need to see my barber soon.

jipster

Well,. I'll cut to the chase....the Acura TLX blew our socks off. The wife and myself loved it. The step up in quality and refinement was night and day over the Hyundai Sonata SEL we test drove 30 minutes earlier.

Of course being 10 grand more than the Sonata, I expected it to be better. But woaahhhh It was like one of those black and white cookies. YUGE difference. The interior was gorgeous. Torque and power very good. Ride and handling....overall comfort was excellent. We drove the silver TLX with the tech package. The exterior was sharpe. Don't really care for the thick waffle cone grills manufacturers are putting on cars these days. But, that's nit picking. Probably could have used another half inch in seat depth, but minor.

The salesperson was nice, no pressure. She stood so far away from us though, you'd think we'd been playing with skunks. I literally thought she was going to hand us the keys on a stick, oldfarmer. But, that's fine. We took about a 20 minute test drive, with the salesperson following us. Only needed about a minute test drive. Drove like a dream.

After the test drive, the sales lady said she could send us the numbers on various lease and buy options. I'll try to post them here later on.

The Sonata SEL? It was nice. Nice interior. Nice exterior. Nice ride. But, it didn't say buy me. Even before we test drove the Acura. Didn't care for the red paint exterior. Too much orange in it.

Didn't get a chance to test drive the Mazda 6 or Toyota Camry. Mazda said I would have to work out a deal BEFORE the test drive. Toyota didn't have enough sales help for a test drive.
We did look at both cars. I really liked the interior and exterior of the Mazda 6 a bit more than the Camry. Again the red paint on both these cars were a bit too wimpy for my taste. A shame as I really liked the darker red the previous generation Mazda 6 had.

imidazol97

Menards, a regional store, which is like Lowes and Home Depot has banned children under 16 from the stores. They also banned pets, other than real service animals.

https://www.menards.com/main/home.html

stickguy

looks like the TLX crew might be getting a 5th member soon!

I had mine out today running errands. Got bored, so a couple times booted it. really has a nice growl and moved out quick when it hit 4,500 RPMs. was enjoyable!

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

OF, talked with a guy on our crew, he's in his late 30's, and he's already filed for unemployment and says others have to though he couldn't tell me who. Spoke with another guy on the crew, he's in his mid 70's, and he's done nothing, same as me. I'm not sure what to do here since I've still got my monthly income coming in as usual. Just not sure right now if I should file, will they try to fight it, will they let me back if I do file and the work place opens up again? Just not sure what to do?
What are folks in your crew doing?

When my boss called me with the lay off notice he specifically said to file for UI so I’m guessing the company is ok with it. Originally I wasn’t going to file but since we don’t know how long we’ll be out I said what the heck. If I’m not eligible because of SS or pensions I’ll let them tell me.

My problem is that I got 90% through the automated process on the phone and the the robot told me I’d have to talk to a representative and hung up. After calling for a week and getting nothing but a busy signal I’m not sure how long it will take. Web site has crashed too. I’d hate to be needing money to pay for food and have this happen. I’m standing down for now so as to not tie up services others may need more than me.

Sounds like a typical government agency. Sure, there is high demand right now, but that's really an excuse isn't it? Incompetence runs rampant in our government.

Yes it is an excuse, you can count on your hand the number of services where the quality of the services will not diminish as use increases. Services have a critical mass that once that is exceeded the quality of that service drops. Imagine everybody in the country deciding to get gas all at the same time, do you think you could find a station where you can just pull up to a pump?

I don’t have to imagine. I was around during the 1973 gas crisis.

The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis is more recent.

There are substitutes for toilet paper. When your 15mpg Charger is sputtering down the driveway you’re SOL.

hey, hey now! I resent that remark! I get at least 17 mpg!

That’s because you have that new fangled 2008. I had a 1974 loaded with all those wonderful pollution control devices. 15 is being generous.

oldfarmer50

Imidazol97 said:

“ The flaw in the numbers use here (figures never lie, but liars always figure) is that the total number of the population who had had this virus and thought it was a regular cold or flu (which it is) is not yet known.”

Exactly. There could be thousands (or millions) who were exposed and had such minor symptoms that they weren’t tested. We’ll probably never know. Those people would make the death rate much lower. Unfortunately, hysteria sells newspapers.


Oh, you’re right, the auto press seems awfully fixated on the Malibu back seat. Maybe they needed at least one thing to complain about in order to say “The Malibu is a great car but.....”

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

Exactly right - so it should be called by its name - COVID-19 or Coronavirus.

So I guess we should stop calling syphilis the French Pox too.

Unless you’re in France, then you can call it the Spanish Pox.

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

stickguy said:

I don’t pay attention to legroom numbers. Often misleading. Variable depending on front seat travel, and real world where that would be set. Plus makes a big difference how high the rear seat is, so if passengers sit up with legs pointing down, or sit real low with legs having to stretch out more.

Yes, numbers sometimes are deceiving, but in this case if you ride in the back seat of this generation of Accord, and then get in the back seat of a TLX, you'll immediately sense the difference in legroom. The TLX is just fine, as we've said, but the current Accord is almost limo-like.

I agree on the Accord rear leg room. One of the last cars I drove before the shutdown was a 2019 Accord and I was amazed at how much room was back there.

suydam

Who does that — since maybe WWII?

oldfarmer50

jipster said:

Well,. I'll cut to the chase....the Acura TLX blew our socks off. The wife and myself loved it. The step up in quality and refinement was night and day over the Hyundai Sonata SEL we test drove 30 minutes earlier.

Of course being 10 grand more than the Sonata, I expected it to be better. But woaahhhh It was like one of those black and white cookies. YUGE difference. The interior was gorgeous. Torque and power very good. Ride and handling....overall comfort was excellent. We drove the silver TLX with the tech package. The exterior was sharpe. Don't really care for the thick waffle cone grills manufacturers are putting on cars these days. But, that's nit picking. Probably could have used another half inch in seat depth, but minor.

The salesperson was nice, no pressure. She stood so far away from us though, you'd think we'd been playing with skunks. I literally thought she was going to hand us the keys on a stick, oldfarmer. But, that's fine. We took about a 20 minute test drive, with the salesperson following us. Only needed about a minute test drive. Drove like a dream.

After the test drive, the sales lady said she could send us the numbers on various lease and buy options. I'll try to post them here later on.

The Sonata SEL? It was nice. Nice interior. Nice exterior. Nice ride. But, it didn't say buy me. Even before we test drove the Acura. Didn't care for the red paint exterior. Too much orange in it.

Didn't get a chance to test drive the Mazda 6 or Toyota Camry. Mazda said I would have to work out a deal BEFORE the test drive. Toyota didn't have enough sales help for a test drive.
We did look at both cars. I really liked the interior and exterior of the Mazda 6 a bit more than the Camry. Again the red paint on both these cars were a bit too wimpy for my taste. A shame as I really liked the darker red the previous generation Mazda 6 had.

So are you going to try a super low ball strategy? Maybe offer the same price you would have paid for the Sonata.

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

Who does that — since maybe WWII?

Probably not since the 18th century.

explorerx4

With that big lease incentive, I'm wondering what the residual on the TLX is going to be.

benjaminh

jipster said:

Well,. I'll cut to the chase....the Acura TLX blew our socks off. The wife and myself loved it. The step up in quality and refinement was night and day over the Hyundai Sonata SEL we test drove 30 minutes earlier....

Good to hear! Thanks for the report. You drove the Tech pkg? Owning one myself, I have to say that's a beautiful set of extras that they throw in with that level. But it is a bit more money. Worth it imho, but will blow through your budget level.

The ELS sound system that comes with the tech is fantastic. Love listening to my music in the car. Just went for a joy ride in my TLX around some winding country roads, and suddenly they played on SiriusXM 27 Bob Dylan's epic new song that's at least 15 minutes long. Here it is in case anyone is interested. I also listened to a lot of classical during that drive lol! Nice balance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyvbw18

And below is a map of my scenic drive today, driving South of Louisville, going West on winding state road 44 through some lovely hills and forests toward the mighty Ohio River. I'd been vaguely aware, I guess, that this road was there during the 21 years I've lived here, but today was the first day I actually drove it. I figure driving in your car is a safe activity as long as you stay in your car....

suydam

Can’t wait to hear if you decided to pull the trigger.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

With that big lease incentive, I'm wondering what the residual on the TLX is going to be.

Honda/Acura produce outstanding automobiles and SUV's for the money. The TLX stands tall against cars costing $10,000+ more. Those of you who own/lease them is the "proof in the pudding" from your lauds and raves over them.

imidazol97

Something that maybe we all can agree on is with many people out of work not of their own fault is that we made donations to a couple of food banks in the area. One local and one that's for the metro area.

We are lucky to not be in jeopardy other than relatively minor stock market fluctuation loss. Local TV stations and a Cincy radio talk show host mentioned the need which reminded us. We had donated last when the nearby tornadoes devastated many people's lives in our area.

benjaminh

explorerx4 said:

With that big lease incentive, I'm wondering what the residual on the TLX is going to be.

Copied and pasted from the 2020 TLX lease page here....

"Michaell ColoradoPosts: 140,943
March 26
Dre_NYC said:
Can you provide numbers for Base & Tech package TLX 2.4L FWD 36/10 zip code 33009.

.00215 MF

Base - 51% and $7100 incentives
Tech - 49% and $8700 incentives"

benjaminh

jipster said:

....After the test drive, the sales lady said she could send us the numbers on various lease and buy options. I'll try to post them here later on....

As you know, this is where things might get tricky. Will these be the numbers for the Tech level TLX, or will she also price out a base model for you? Any news about your trade? If you really like the car, and think you are going to buy it out at the end, you might not need to get a 15,000 mile a year lease. In any case, Acura's lease terms are pretty good:

https://www.acurafinancialservices.com/leasing/loyalty-advantage

"Mileage Forgiveness
If you drive more than your contracted lease miles, we’ll waive one-half of your excess mileage (up to 7,500)2 when you lease or finance through Acura Financial Services (AFS). Plus if you choose to lease another new Acura with us, we’ll add an additional 1,000 miles to your base mileage amount."

I do think you should get a lease price on a Sonata as a back up plan. Maybe see if Acura can get close to the lease price on a mid-level Sonata SEL like you drove?

fintail

At the same time, one can wonder about the cases claimed as simple flu or other "natural causes" that weren't, either due to lack of information or simply not wanting to get involved due to risks.

Looks like nobody is winning with this.

For Malibus, I see some on the Youtube auction flipper channels that are fairly miled up, so they can't be all bad.

oldfarmer50 said:

Exactly. There could be thousands (or millions) who were exposed and had such minor symptoms that they weren’t tested. We’ll probably never know. Those people would make the death rate much lower. Unfortunately, hysteria sells newspapers.


Oh, you’re right, the auto press seems awfully fixated on the Malibu back seat. Maybe they needed at least one thing to complain about in order to say “The Malibu is a great car but.....”

imidazol97

jipster said:

We took about a 20 minute test drive, with the salesperson following us.

Was the salesperson actually following in a different car?

roadburner

Well, my wife likes the GTS and the 540i, but she leans towards the 5er because of dealer support. But she's good with whatever I pick.

stickguy

the actual death rate will never be known, because we will never know how many people actually got the disease. But, it is clear that the infection rate is high, and simple math says that will lead to a lot of deaths even if the death rate is similar to much less common diseases like normal flu.

what is clear is the actual number of deaths in a small area in a short time frame (IOW the way hospitals in hot spot areas are getting slammed).

a .1% death rate might be relatively low, and the same as seasonal flu, but if 200,000,000 people get infected with 19, that is still.200,000 deaths.

qbrozen

So here is an interesting story. A friend of ours and his wife were sick for a week. They tried to get tested and were denied three times. They finally managed to get tested at a drive through and the husband was so bad at that point they took him then and there by ambulance to the hospital where they kept him for 12 days.

How many people are in this situation? I know we talked about those who have it and aren’t severe enough to get tested, but there are those who are quite ill and being turned away. That blows my mind. He got lucky, but my wife knows a few others who have also been denied testing and they are attempting to recover at home. Her sister, a single mom with a 5-yr-old daughter, is sick right now and no clue if it is covid or something else. On one hand, I’m completely freaked out that she could die with nobody there to help but a helpless child. On the other hand, no way we can risk going there ourselves. Its crazy.

stickguy

roadburner said:

Well, my wife likes the GTS and the 540i, but she leans towards the 5er because of dealer support. But she's good with whatever I pick.

getting her blessing is nice. though should just be a bonus if it isn't her car!

at least I tell myself that for when I need to eventually replace mine. She has the good car, so should not care what I get. as long as she can physically get in it, and drive it in a pinch, doesn't matter what it is.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

So here is an interesting story. A friend of ours and his wife were sick for a week. They tried to get tested and were denied three times. They finally managed to get tested at a drive through and the husband was so bad at that point they took him then and there by ambulance to the hospital where they kept him for 12 days.

How many people are in this situation? I know we talked about those who have it and aren’t severe enough to get tested, but there are those who are quite ill and being turned away. That blows my mind. He got lucky, but my wife knows a few others who have also been denied testing and they are attempting to recover at home. Her sister, a single mom with a 5-yr-old daughter, is sick right now and no clue if it is covid or something else. On one hand, I’m completely freaked out that she could die with nobody there to help but a helpless child. On the other hand, no way we can risk going there ourselves. Its crazy.

yup. that is why not having a surplus of the quick results tests is a huge failure. Not just for helping individual sick people, but for actually managing needed quarantining. They really need to get all those new test types out quickly, and test at least anyone not feeling well. And really everyone else (even ones feeling healthy) should get tested to develop a complete profile.

28firefighter

suydam said:

dino001 said:

Small fact: "Spanish flu" was really an American flu (first registered case in Kansas). Seems like even then "blame others" mindset was just as strong.

True! It was because Spain was the only country reporting accurate numbers. They were neutral in WWI and had no reason to fudge their numbers, as did all the other countries who were afraid it would demoralize the troops (who were getting sick too). So lying about the numbers has an old history as well.

All very true. We should have known better then about calling it that, and we definitely know better

qbrozen said:

So here is an interesting story. A friend of ours and his wife were sick for a week. They tried to get tested and were denied three times. They finally managed to get tested at a drive through and the husband was so bad at that point they took him then and there by ambulance to the hospital where they kept him for 12 days.

How many people are in this situation? I know we talked about those who have it and aren’t severe enough to get tested, but there are those who are quite ill and being turned away. That blows my mind. He got lucky, but my wife knows a few others who have also been denied testing and they are attempting to recover at home. Her sister, a single mom with a 5-yr-old daughter, is sick right now and no clue if it is covid or something else. On one hand, I’m completely freaked out that she could die with nobody there to help but a helpless child. On the other hand, no way we can risk going there ourselves. Its crazy.

More than you even want to imagine, is the answer. We are impossibly ill-prepared for the reality we are facing.

stickguy

definitely fundamentally unprepared in many ways. remains to be seen how fast and how effectively can make up the deficit, and if SIP restrictions will buy enough time.

something interesting to me is seeing how many of the rapidly implemented (survival mode) changes to how people live lead to permanent changes. Stuff like a lot more WFH (from companies and job types that resisted before). Grocery delivery, along with many other businesses that never did before. So less brick and mortar. Distance learning, online gyms. all kinds of stuff that either did not exist before, or was very niche. In cars, will dealers keep up with the Carvana/Rodo model (do it all electronic, and we deliver the car to you)?

And who knows how long before people jump back into large group gatherings (well, down in SJ, probably until the first Eagles game!)

ab348

In my case ordering groceries for pickup from places I don't like going to at the best of times, like Walmart, is definitely something I will continue after all of this is over, even once they reinstate whatever fee they charge. They have items that are not available elsewhere and their pricing is good so periodically I would make a run to there for those things. Their grocery assortment is great, but the store experience is consistently terrible so I hate walking into the place. Now I do not need to.

I am hot and cold on WFH. I had one staffer who did it and never got any complaints but in those pre-Zoom days not getting face-to-face time was a drawback, and she increasingly was not seen as part of the company by those in the office. I would say her productivity took a drop when she did that as well.

As for cars, I'm unsure how well buyers would take not being able to look at, sit in, and drive what they are interested in. Right now those options still exist so things like Carvana don't need to do them, but I find it hard to believe the market could go there en masse.

stickguy

since we can't go out as normal Friday night for dinner, our new normal is ordering takeout that I go pick up. Ended up picking burritos, and I already have the Panchero's app on my phone (for points and freebies). They are still open for takeout and delivery. So, I used the app to order ahead. Turned out to be one of the best apps I have ever seen for doing so. simple, efficient, accurate. so I placed the order, and within 10 minutes it was done. I just had to walk in, follow the signs to the pickup/delivery table, look for the slip with my name, take the bag and go.

normally I would have just showed up,waiting in a (sometimes long) line to order, then pay. In the future, most likely I will do the app even after things go back to normal, even if we want to eat in the restaurant. Just way more efficient.

explorerx4

50% residual after 3 years seems reasonable.

houdini1

imidazol97 said:

suydam said:

dino001 said:

Small fact: "Spanish flu" was really an American flu (first registered case in Kansas). Seems like even then "blame others" mindset was just as strong.

True! It was because Spain was the only country reporting accurate numbers. They were neutral in WWI and had no reason to fudge their numbers, as did all the other countries who were afraid it would demoralize the troops (who were getting sick too). So lying about the numbers has an old history as well.

X2 Thanks. I was just going to post that from reading articles about the naming of various epi- and pan-demics.

I've been reading some articles in the small town newspapers from 1918 where I grew up that are linked through the county historical museum's site. The articles are stunning in the fear they must have caused and the sense of helplessness once infected.

I don't remember my parents ever having said anything about that flu going through the population--they would have been 18 and 20 years of age then.

You guys are confusing me. First it is wrong to call the corona virus by the name of the country where it originated, but it is perfectly acceptable, ever preferable, to call the "Spanish Flu", the "American Flu", because it originated in America? Just pointing out that this "Name Game" is sort of superfluous.

stickguy

I agree about the need for test drives. won't be able to fully eliminate stores. But they can evolve how they are configured. it really won't be efficient if they have to keep bringing cars out to tire kickers for test drives.

abacomike

Just ordered 2 pkgs of face masks from Amazon - disposable - for when I go out shopping or getting gasoline (once a month lately) or going to the ATM for cash. I think it was $23.00 for 16 x 2 boxes. I already have disposable gloves.

It was suggested by my nephew who is slowly recovering from covid-19. His fever is low grade now instead of 102.5+. He said that with my health issues and my compromised immune system, it is essential.

benjaminh

Filled up with premium gas at my local Costco this morning for $1.85 a gallon.

graphicguy

abacomike said:

28firefighter said:

Can we please stop calling this China virus?

I agree, FF! If this covid-19 virus had been labeled "China Virus" by the W.H.O. or by the CDC, that would be different. But it has not and has rather been labeled covid-19, thus coronavirus or covid-19 is its appropriate and biochemical name. Thanks for correcting that poster.

I don’t understand that. What purpose does that serve by mislabeling COVID-19. Now, what possible good does that do with China being one of the major powers on earth? I feel I’m watching press briefings are being done by pre-schoolers sometimes.

graphicguy

@abacomike ....funny you should mention auto production. I also heard that factories may not crank back up until 2021. Also, the number of units already produced should easily meet the tepid demand through the end of the year.

Hope you get yours produced soon. Or, just stick with what you have and turn it into a purchase, if you like it.

90-day birthday for the Stinger this week. Nothing to report. Just a high quality, very fast, fun car to drive. Still holding around 20-21 MPG running around town on PUG. Built very well. Not that I’m want to do any Cafe racing with it, but it puts a big smile on my face when I do.

Paint is smooth and lustrous. Probably the first car I’ve owned where I haven’t seen ANY orange peel effect. Find myself just looking for back roads just to drive it. Been a long time since I’ve done that.

Not many of them on the road. Saw a GTS in town earlier in the week. The GTS driver “flashed” his hello lights at me. Love that orange color.

TLX is still in the rotation. Trying to keep miles off it recently, as I really don’t want to put another set of tires on it since it’s technically “for sale”.

No complaints at all with it. It’s been cheap to own, cheap to maintain, relatively frugal, comfortable, gives an entertaining drive, great stereo. Again, quality and build is as good as anything I’ve ever been in.

These manufacturers (particularly KIA) have come so far regarding build and materials, it’s difficult for me to understand how they made such strides. Maybe I haven’t been paying close enough attention.

I know some of you like the synthetic leather, but the leather in both of my cars is soft, supple, and at least with the TLX, has held up extremely well. I believe anyone who buys it (or if I keep it) won’t see much wear for the first 100K miles with the leather.

suydam

houdini1 said:

imidazol97 said:

suydam said:

dino001 said:

Small fact: "Spanish flu" was really an American flu (first registered case in Kansas). Seems like even then "blame others" mindset was just as strong.

True! It was because Spain was the only country reporting accurate numbers. They were neutral in WWI and had no reason to fudge their numbers, as did all the other countries who were afraid it would demoralize the troops (who were getting sick too). So lying about the numbers has an old history as well.

X2 Thanks. I was just going to post that from reading articles about the naming of various epi- and pan-demics.

I've been reading some articles in the small town newspapers from 1918 where I grew up that are linked through the county historical museum's site. The articles are stunning in the fear they must have caused and the sense of helplessness once infected.

I don't remember my parents ever having said anything about that flu going through the population--they would have been 18 and 20 years of age then.

You guys are confusing me. First it is wrong to call the corona virus by the name of the country where it originated, but it is perfectly acceptable, ever preferable, to call the "Spanish Flu", the "American Flu", because it originated in America? Just pointing out that this "Name Game" is sort of superfluous.

Neither one is right. It should be called the 1918 flu pandemic.

jmonroe

I don’t understand that. What purpose does that serve by mislabeling COVID-19. Now, what possible good does that do with China being one of the major powers on earth? I feel I’m watching press briefings are being done by pre-schoolers sometimes.

I think the easiest way to answer this is that they know their audience.

jmonroe

laurasdada

Hi: I may have posted this already, and can't post the link due to being on work laptop, but offtheirplate.org is a cool charity, I donated. They deliver good meals to the front line folks, and it keeps chefs employed. You can choose major cities in which to donate, I chose (surprise) Boston.

And, keep in mind the need, I donated blood on Wednesday.

jipster

Oldfarmer- Lowball? How much lower you think they'd go? Looking at almost $10,000 off. The Sonata is out though. They only discount $1,200 off a $27,000 Sonata. Then got most of that $1,000 back with dealer fees and.something called "Pulse" ( flashes that. center brake light). But, yeah, I'll try to get a.little.more meat off the bone.

Explorer- I'll post more when I can, but residual on the non tech package with $1,000 down and 12,000 miles is $17,197. The residential WITH the tech package, same down and mileage....is $18,108

Benjamin- We test drove the TLX with tech package, 4 cylinder. Yes, we were interested in the base. But, with $1,600 more in incentive money for the TLX with tech.package, may be worth spending a little bit more ($1,400) and get the car with tech pack.

Suydum - On me pulling the trigger. Yes....the suspense is.killing me. I hope it lasts. ;-)

Imidazol7- Yes, the salesperson followed me in their company car. A bit odd as I thought she might lose me in traffic...think I stole it, and call the cops. I did put the pedal to the metal a couple of times. She kept up. th

To me the 4 cylinder had very good torque and power. I imagine the 6 cylinder must be a blast.

benjaminh

jipster said:

...Benjamin- We test drove the TLX with tech package, 4 cylinder. Yes, we were interested in the base. But, with $1,600 more in incentive money for the TLX with tech.package, may be worth spending a little bit more ($1,400) and get the car with tech pack.....

If you can stretch your budget to get the Tech level I think it might be worth it. Below is what it includes, and what I think (very subjectively) each the Tech level features are worth to me.

TLX Technology Package:
($600)Perforated Milano Premium Leather-Trimmed Interior
($600) Acura/ELS Studio®32 Premium Audio System with 10 Speakers including Subwoofer
($400) Acura Navigation System with 3D view10
($200) Color Multi-Information Display (MID) with Turn-by-Turn Guidance
($200) AcuraLink® Connected Services62
($100) HD Radio®4
($200) 8-in LED Backlit Center Information Display
($100) GPS-linked10 Climate Control
($400) Blind Spot Information System20
($400) Rear Cross Traffic Monitor76
($200) Rain-Sensing Windshield Wipers

So to me, again just imho, the Tech package is "worth" c. $3400. And so if you can actually get it for $1400 I'd say it's a bargain.

Built-in Navigation used to be a c.$1200 option for Honda and Acura, but the reason I only valued it at $400 is that it's really been surpassed by the maps on CarPlay/AndroidAuto. But a few times I've forgotten my phone, or for some reason AndroidAuto doesn't work, and then I'm glad I have the built-in navi.

When I got the car I thought the idea of rain sensing wipers was almost silly. I mean, can't we turn on our own windshield wipers? But I've gotten to like that feature. Sometimes you're driving on a corner with both hands on the wheel and it starts to rain or sprinkle. Rather than worry about it, the car just turns on your wipers for you at the appropriate slow, medium, or fast speed.

The blind spot monitor and cross traffic alert are important safety features. I like them and appreciate them a lot.

The ELS stereo is probably actually worth at least a thousand if not more to me, because I love it every time I drive, but realistically it maybe costs $600 more than the already good entry-level Acura system, and so that's the price I put on it.

On the other hand, a base TLX will still be a lot better than even a top-of-the-line Sonata imho.

omarman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8jMbNNE10k
WWII veteran Bill Lapschies at 104 y/o survived the 1918 pandemic and has recovered from COVID-19 as well. At 1:07 watch Bill kick at a passing balloon from his wheelchair!

dino001

graphicguy said:

abacomike said:

28firefighter said:

Can we please stop calling this China virus?

I agree, FF! If this covid-19 virus had been labeled "China Virus" by the W.H.O. or by the CDC, that would be different. But it has not and has rather been labeled covid-19, thus coronavirus or covid-19 is its appropriate and biochemical name. Thanks for correcting that poster.

I don’t understand that. What purpose does that serve by mislabeling COVID-19. Now, what possible good does that do with China being one of the major powers on earth? I feel I’m watching press briefings are being done by pre-schoolers sometimes.

Purpose is simple - deflect, distract, shift blame.

pensfan83

@jipster if the TLX is your pick I would at least go with the Tech package. The upgrades, particularly the stereo, make it worth it.

stickguy

I think everyone knows my stance on the tech package by now!

jipster

After some research, a few concerns on the TLX.

1) Insurance - Insurance.going up with any new car, but is a cosideration. Will having a teenage driver in the household increase it even more?

2) Premium fuel- Honda recommends premium, so that's what I'd be using. How much more a year in fuel costs would I be looking at needs to be looked at.

3) Transmission - Looks like this cars transmission has had some problems. I read it was mostly with the 9 speed transmissions that come with the 6 cylinder. Someone had posted it cost them 8 grand for a new transmission.Yikes!

4) Maintenance and Repair- Parts and service expensive? To members in the "TLX Club", hows
reliability? As most of you know, reliability is at the top of the list for me.

Still want to check out and test drive the Mazda 6 and Camry. Manager friend at Kia says they have up to $4,000 in rebates on the Optima. If the Optima has that same course engine that's in that 2019 dsmo Sonata we.looked at, I'll pass.

I told the salesperson at Acura we' were going to test drive a couple of more cars and depending on how that goes we may want to come back and look at the base TLX in red.