Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

roadburner

I'm about finished setting up my workbench to start assembling a few of my model kits. I'm just waiting on a couple of tools I'd put off buying.
At least I won't run out of projects:

Michaell

Interesting about the FW-190 model. I live close to a commercial airport, and a WW2 vintage plane flew over the house today while I was washing cars.

It had the German logo, like this, underneath the wings:



I don't know if it was the FW-190 or the Me-109, however.

houdini1

roadburner said:

I'm about finished setting up my workbench to start assembling a few of my model kits. I'm just waiting on a couple of tools I'd put off buying.
At least I won't run out of projects:

I didn't realize all those cars you own are models !

snakeweasel

Michaell said:

Interesting about the FW-190 model. I live close to a commercial airport, and a WW2 vintage plane flew over the house today while I was washing cars.

It had the German logo, like this, underneath the wings:



I don't know if it was the FW-190 or the Me-109, however.

We have a municipal owned small airport not far from me. We have small planes going over our house often. Anyway they do a small air show every summer with fly overs of various air craft, one day a B2 bomber flew right over our house.

roadburner

Michaell said:

Interesting about the FW-190 model. I live close to a commercial airport, and a WW2 vintage plane flew over the house today while I was washing cars.

It had the German logo, like this, underneath the wings:



I don't know if it was the FW-190 or the Me-109, however.

An FW-190 has a BMW 801 radial engine; the Me-109 probably has a Daimler-Benz DB 601 or DB 605 liquid cooled inverted V12

Michaell

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:

Interesting about the FW-190 model. I live close to a commercial airport, and a WW2 vintage plane flew over the house today while I was washing cars.

It had the German logo, like this, underneath the wings:



I don't know if it was the FW-190 or the Me-109, however.

We have a municipal owned small airport not far from me. We have small planes going over our house often. Anyway they do a small air show every summer with fly overs of various air craft, one day a B2 bomber flew right over our house.

Nice. Every now and again we will get some Air Force jets flying over.

Michaell

roadburner said:

Michaell said:

Interesting about the FW-190 model. I live close to a commercial airport, and a WW2 vintage plane flew over the house today while I was washing cars.

It had the German logo, like this, underneath the wings:



I don't know if it was the FW-190 or the Me-109, however.

An FW-190 has a BMW 801 radial engine; the Me-109 probably has a Daimler-Benz DB 601 or DB 605 liquid cooled inverted V12

Given that the plane was likely 1000' AGL, I couldn't identify the engine.

jipster

d

benjaminh said:

jipster said:

....if this paint job is going to last 35 years....

When did you go from wanting a car that would last 15 years and 200,000 miles to 35 years?!

Anyway, fantasies aside, how do you like your Accord so far? What kind of mpg are you getting? Does your wife like it is quite an important question. The interior design of the Accord is really good, but the exterior styling maybe takes a little bit of getting used to.

It's interesting when you think about a $27,000 car how much money went into developing it. Probably Honda spend a few billion just developing that 1.5 liter turbo (which they also use on other models), plus another billion or two on the transmission, and then another couple of billion on the rest of the car. And yet somehow for less than 30k you're able to walk away and drive it. But I don't think they're really made to last more than 15 years and 200k miles unless you take extraordinary care of it, garage it, baby it, etc. It's weird to see cars in the junkyard that once upon a time billions of dollars and untold person-hours of time were spend developing, building, and selling, but in the end....

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/03/junkyard-find-1995-volvo-850-turbo-wagon/

On the car paint lasting 35 years, LOL, got that from my clay bar friend. He has a 2002 Ford Ranger. Paint still looks showroom new...almost. He does the regular wash, clay bar and wax for all his vehicles.

We really like the Accord. Do feel the bumps in the road a little bit more than either of our other cars, at least on the Gene Slider Expressway (uneven concrete), otherwise smooth as butter. It's being garage kept. Still waiting for my clay bar to come in. Haven't decided on the extended warranty. But, I did read some fine print of the extended warranty, it can be cancelled after 60 days, but on a prorated basis.

I really like the front end design of the Accord, the back end isn't as striking, but still nice.

I did about a 30 mile round trip to test for highway mileage. It was 39.1 mpg. The average overall is around 31.5 mpg. I haven't used the Econ setting, so can probably squeeze out another mpg or two of I wanted..

driver100

Jip, Sometimes feeling bumps is a "state of mind" thing. I like to feel the bumps, small ones, that is part of the feel of the road sensation. It is a good thing....feeling them but not getting jarred by them, otherwise the car floats over them and you don't have a sense for what the surface of the road is like. I don't like cars that have loose steering and that float down the road.....I think of it as knowing I am going over a rough surface, but don't feel it.

I think they should give you a full refund on the extended warranty as they misrepresented it. If it is prorated after 60 days that was useless, you wouldn't have used it in 60 days. That is if you do cancel.

I like the front of the Accord too...these days fronts can get kind of ugly, the Accords is one of the nicer ones. I like the back too...did a good job integrating the lights...and it looks unique.

It seems mileage goes up on some cars after about 10k miles....

tjc78

“ I like the front of the Accord too...these days fronts can get kind of ugly,”

That’s an understatement!!!

graphicguy

roadburner said:

I'm about finished setting up my workbench to start assembling a few of my model kits. I'm just waiting on a couple of tools I'd put off buying.
At least I won't run out of projects:

Those are way cool!

graphicguy

@jipster ...good for you to do the entire wash, clay, wash, wax routine. I used to do that all the time. Generally speaking, I’ve found new cars didn’t really need clay. Therefore, I stopped claying them. If I feel the paint and it feels gritty, I’ll get out the clay bar. But, that’s rare these days.

Last car I clayed was the Cobra. But, it needed it. Took me two bouts of total claying to get it smooth. Plus, the paint wasn’t nearly as good on that car as today’s multi-level/layer paint jobs (primer/color/metal flake/clear coat).

Given I garage my vehicles, there isn’t a whole lot of contamination on them.

These days, they get a wash when dirty (not just dusty, which was my former routine). They get two waxes a year (Zaino). And, that routine, quite frankly makes and keeps them looking nearly new. I doubt anyone would be able to tell the paint on my going on 4 year old TLX from a new TLX.

abacomike

My E450 arrived early this morning. Picking it up at 2:00 PM. They are tinting all windows and roof with 3M crystalline.

Decided to put $5000 down and finance at 0% for 36 months - first payment is picked up by MBFS and my first payment won't be due until September 4th - so net loan is actually 39 months.

I am really excited.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

My E450 arrived early this morning. Picking it up at 2:00 PM. They are tinting all windows and roof with 3M crystalline.

Decided to put $5000 down and finance at 0% for 36 months - first payment is picked up by MBFS and my first payment won't be due until September 4th - so net loan is actually 39 months.

I am really excited.

Pictures.

driver100

abacomike said:

My E450 arrived early this morning. Picking it up at 2:00 PM. They are tinting all windows and roof with 3M crystalline.

Decided to put $5000 down and finance at 0% for 36 months - first payment is picked up by MBFS and my first payment won't be due until September 4th - so net loan is actually 39 months.

I am really excited.

Enjoy the new car. Let us know your impressions once you get home.

stickguy

sounds like it will be stunning. good luck. and enjoy having a car for 5+ years!

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

My E450 arrived early this morning. Picking it up at 2:00 PM. They are tinting all windows and roof with 3M crystalline.

Decided to put $5000 down and finance at 0% for 36 months - first payment is picked up by MBFS and my first payment won't be due until September 4th - so net loan is actually 39 months.

I am really excited.

Enjoy the ride and post some pictures.

stickguy

had to do some shopping this AM. stores were really quiet (BJs and Aldis). was shocked at BJs to find they not only had a box of yeast, but it was cheap. 2 lbs (2 individual 1 pound bags) of the instant/quick yeast, only $4.99. same basic stuff anywhere online is $20+. and the individual packets have been sold out at the market for a month.

Aldis had flour cheap so I bought more of that too. we can now back bread and stuff that needs yeast as much as we feel like, with no worries of running out!

I have noticed that it seems people have adjusted to the new way of doing things. Just put their mask on outside, and go about their business shopping in the store. Not feeling the tension and stress like when this all first started. And when you see a particular item cleared out, you just move on and worry about it some other time.

carnaught

@abacomike, what Benz dealer are you dealing with, an Autonation one?

dino001

I've been baking my own bread for over 10 years, in last couple of years I'm doing my own sourdough starter. But it's almost all-rye. Dark flour, dark bread, really heavy. Only for patient people. Full bread cycle takes two days - one day to wake up the starter, another day to proof starter batch and then the loaf. The dough is very sticky and has to be baked in a form. It's easier now, as I don't have to time everything so perfectly, since I'm staying home.

BTW, there are some somewhat surprising shortages in the supermarkets. Not just toilet paper, which is still beyond my comprehension why it was one of first thing to go due to the pandemic, but some long-life items were either fully or partially cleaned out last time I was there. Costco seems to be very well stocked up, so far the limitations touch mostly cheap cuts, poultry, pork and ground beef. Doesn't seem like they are totally missing, but they run out over the day or two, until next supply day. People seems to still hoard stuff, or buy regardless of them needing it or not. Also, if you look close, you can see some substitution game going on, when they stick shelves usually occupied by certain item with a different item, to fill the space and not create an impression of empty shelves.

andres3

I get the feeling ceramic coatings are 90% snake oil, 10% legitimate. Therefore, if you manage to get someone to give you a 60 to 90% discount on the usual prices, you are probably getting a great deal.

tjc78

We had to do a few big shops to get our summer place open this.

In all reality the only thing we couldn’t get was yeast. Everything else was available in one way shape or form just not in the variety we are used to.

driver100

Mrs D100 still gets a package of TP paper once a week even though we only use 2 or 3 rolls...I think because the stores were empty for awhile she has TP PTSD.
Beef and pork could run short as the processing plants could close down.....people are stocking up. We haven't stocked up...if they run out it will force us to find alternatives which will probably be better for us.
Some private bakery stores have been packaging and selling flour.........they have it on hand and can make a profit on it.

stickguy

I have not seen yeast in ages. that is why I was so shocked to see a box of it at BJs like that.

but yeah, usually not getting as many varieties to choose from.

Michaell

As the girls prepare to reopen the cooking studio later this month, they are concerned about the lack of yeast. Many of their recipes call for it, so they might have to scramble to come up with alternatives.

stickguy

there are some places online selling it. might be worth ordering just in case.

we did research creating a sourdough starter. But looked like more detailed work than we would likely keep up with. The other thing my wife found was that you could use baking soda as an alternate (not sure if you mix it with something else, but it could do the job).

Michaell

stickguy said:

there are some places online selling it. might be worth ordering just in case.

we did research creating a sourdough starter. But looked like more detailed work than we would likely keep up with. The other thing my wife found was that you could use baking soda as an alternate (not sure if you mix it with something else, but it could do the job).

I'm sure they'll look on line.

abacomike

I have photos of the new car on my iphone 8+. How do I upload them to this site? I need step-by-step instructions.

tjc78

Mike, I posted this the other day. Please see if helps.

The easiest way to get pictures onto the site is to take them with your phone and upload directly from there.

The problem is this... the "mobile" version of the site which is displayed by default is broken and the pictures won't upload (the buttons don't do a thing)

So... what you need to do is, in the upper left of the address bar in Safari browser there is a function (it has two "A" characters. Click it and then "Request Desktop Site".

Once you have the desktop site you can then click the Attach Image icon and browse to your photos on the phone.

abacomike

I have tried clicking on the picture icon above the comments box, but it doesn't do anything. It doesn't ask me for a jpg or url, it just won't activate. I used to be able to upload pictures directly from my iphone right to the site on my iphone, but that doesn't work either.

tjc78

Are you clicking the "Aa" in the upper left corner of the address bar to get the "desktop site".

Just to double check you are using Safari (the default browser on Iphone)

abacomike

abacomike

That did it! Thanks!

abacomike

tjc78 said:

Are you clicking the "Aa" in the upper left corner of the address bar to get the "desktop site".

Just to double check you are using Safari (the default browser on Iphone)

Thanks tjc 😛😜🤪

stickguy

Wow. This is better. I knew someone explained how to make this work. I just couldn’t find it!

stickguy

nice looking car. Got a cute little Italian next to it to flirt with too!

tjc78

Beautiful car! I really like the tint and the wheels.

Glad we got the picture upload sorted!!

venture

Wow. Really nice Mike.

roadburner

Nice car, Mike!

suydam

Beautiful car. Very classic looking. How is it to be in after the S?

carnaught

Nice car Mike - enjoy it in good health!

pensfan83

Sharp! Enjoy it!

snakeweasel

Nice set of wheels Mike, cars not bad either.

abacomike

I sure signed an awful lot of paperwork, that's for sure. I decided to put $10,000 down (they let me use my credit card so $100 cash back always helps), total out of pocket, and financed the rest at 0% interest. They gave me a credit of $750 toward the first month's payment - first payment is not due until 8/3/20, or 90 days.

There is no doubt, whatsoever, that the S450 is a marvelous, beautiful and great handling car. The E450 is much less of a car, but I have to get used to it. The seats are a bit stiffer, but I am able to get in and out of the car with ease. They have a new Mercedes "Me Connect" (like onstar) which I am going to have to get familiar with. It shows oil level, engine temp, notifies me if I forget to lock the doors (which it already did today) and will notify me if motion is detected in the car or if someone tries to tow it. It is going to take some time to get used to the new system. But the rest of the buttons, apps, etc., will be a snap because it is almost identical to the S450.

The car has a head-jerking acceleration from a stop - the power curve is phenominal. 362 horsepower with 273 torque coupled with the 4MATIC AWD system. Audio system is the same as the one in the S450 with 2 sub woofers somehow attached to the body to provide true base reproduction.

The inside is very, very light - almost an off-white with black leather trim all around and textured black wood in the doors, console, and dashboard. Ambient lighting gives you the choice of hundreds of color combinations - I chose a deep blue. I will take it out for a spin tomorrow up the turnpike to get a feel for the road. Hope you guys like it.

imidazol97

Glad you got it home. Nice car. It has a strong front end look without the overstatement of some cars.
It has the gravitas of Mercedes. Like the wheels.

On first picture, what is on the left front door? A reflection?

roadburner

I posted part of this over on CCBA, here's the complete story. The Kia Store responses are just a hoot.
I think that The Kia Store has one of the most ambivalent sales staff that I have ever encountered; here's the entire exchange...

I first used the "Contact Us" feature on their website- advising I was looking for a RWD Stinger GT1 in one of three colors.

Their response?

Hi RB,

Thank you for you online inquiry into a new KIA! We are having a sale on most of our models. What kind of vehicle are you looking for?

I responded,

The only Kia I'm considering is a RWD Stinger GT1 in Snow White Pearl, Ceramic Silver, or Panthera Metal with the Red Interior Color Package. Thanks!

And their reply?

“RB, thank you for your interest in the Stinger.

I am attaching a link to our current available inventory. If there is a specific one you are wanting to purchase we may still be able to order it depending on when KIA is looking to move to the 2021's

Please let me know if I can help further!”

I guess arranging a dealer trade is light years above his pay grade; and lack of enthusiasm is palpable. I guess I took him away from clubbing payment buyers like a baby seal. The funny thing is, my son is wanting to replace his 3er with a small CUV until he gets his own house, and I was considering letting that dealer handle both the Stinger sale and a short term lease for my son.
Ya snooze, ya lose...

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Glad you got it home. Nice car.
On first picture, what is on the left front door?

It's a reflection. Notice the other side photos are clear - I think it's a reflection of something on the ground or part of the pileon from the parking space next to me.

explorerx4

It's more important that you like the car, than any of us, Mike!

28firefighter

Congrats, Mike!

jipster

driver100 said:

Jip, Sometimes feeling bumps is a "state of mind" thing. I like to feel the bumps, small ones, that is part of the feel of the road sensation. It is a good thing....feeling them but not getting jarred by them, otherwise the car floats over them and you don't have a sense for what the surface of the road is like. I don't like cars that have loose steering and that float down the road.....I think of it as knowing I am going over a rough surface, but don't feel it.

I think they should give you a full refund on the extended warranty as they misrepresented it. If it is prorated after 60 days that was useless, you wouldn't have used it in 60 days. That is if you do cancel.

I like the front of the Accord too...these days fronts can get kind of ugly, the Accords is one of the nicer ones. I like the back too...did a good job integrating the lights...and it looks unique.

It seems mileage goes up on some cars after about 10k miles....

Well, while I don't feel the finance manager didn't lie outright, he did not tell the whole story...which is indeed a misrepresentation. He also did not mention the extra year of bumper to bumper on the certified under 12,000 miles and did not mention the prorated cancellation. But,.some of that is on me for not asking, or not taking an extra hour to read the 5 pages of fine print on that extended warranty contract. No biggie. I was thinking of cancelling on the misrepresentation alone, but will still consider keeping it.

@graphicguy When I felt the front.hood of my new Accord, it.did feel a bit "gritty". After my friend clay barred.it....smooth as glass. ;-)

@abacomike Nice looking ride. Congrats!