Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

tjc78

I’m looking forward to seeing the new Spider-Man. My wife is a huge fan of the entire Marvel series, and we have the entire MCU on Blu-Ray. We will probably wait until it is available to stream or buy on blu-Ray and watch it at home.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

I bought a new tennis racquet on EBay today.
The guy wanted $110 (brand new and usually sell for $150 to $200).
I put in a bid of $80.
He came back with $99.99.
I was considering going $90 and I decided to sleep on it, since I had 48 hours to submit a bid or reject his offer.
I decided that it was such a good deal, I'd give him the $99.99 and not risk losing it over $10. There was one person watching.
So, I got me a new tennis racquet, that should arrive in about 8 to 10 days.
That was a Christmas gift to myself!

I’m sure it’s in perfect shape.

driver100

@oldfarmer50 That's the one!

qbrozen

My son and I saw spiderman opening weekend. LOVED it.

roadburner

My son saw it and loved it as well.

graphicguy

My son and I watched Matrix Resurrection on the home theater last night. It was much better than I thought it would be. He and I are Matrix fans.

Liked the way the latest edition pokes fun at the first 3 movies and those who considered it almost a course in history.

Plus, we made fresh popcorn which is way better and way cheaper than what's in the theaters.

28firefighter

So I’m the only one re-watching all the Harry Potter movies in anticipation of the New Year’s Day “Return to Hogwarts” special on HBO?

sda

Some of us have to work. lol

Michaell

Sorry, not a fan of HP.

Am eagerly awaiting for the new season of Cobra Kai to drop later this week, however.

And, need to binge Season 3 of Succession at some point.

mjfloyd1

I thought we all like HP….. ohhhhh you mean Harry Potter not horsepower…

28firefighter

@sda said:
Some of us have to work. lol

As do I! Post child bed time.

snakeweasel

@28firefighter said:
So I’m the only one re-watching all the Harry Potter movies in anticipation of the New Year’s Day “Return to Hogwarts” special on HBO?

You mean "Troll" from 1986?

abacomike

Just got home from hospital. A little pain but I hope with some physical therapy and TLC, this will pass.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

Just got home from hospital. A little pain but I hope with some physical therapy and TLC, this will pass.

Good to know. Keep progressing!

jmonroe1

@abacomike said:
Just got home from hospital. A little pain but I hope with some physical therapy and TLC, this will pass.

That’s what we wanted to hear @Mike and we hope this is just the start of good things to come in the new year.

jmonroe

driver100

abacomike said:

Just got home from hospital. A little pain but I hope with some physical therapy and TLC, this will pass.

Sandman6472

Remember when I was in the hospital then rehab facility from hell that I felt so much better when I got home. Was truthfully just so much easier and with a little help, made a full recovery. Never realized how weak one can become after 14 days in a hospital and them 1.5 days at rehab. Since we have a walk down shower with bars, all I needed was that waterproof chair from amazon.com and we had the shower issue handled. Just needed someone nearby to help if I fell, which I was doing my fair share of them due to being so weak. My first time in a hospital since 1977 and it was horrible. Better to be healthy and did learn that getting older & being sick ain't no fun!

qbrozen

Just watched the new Matrix. While not great, I liked it was better than 2 & 3, so I find the bad reviews a little confusing.

driver100

There is an article in my at home newspaper about an increase in car thefts. The reasons seem to be more sophisticated ways to steal cars, and a big market because of the shortage of cars available (not enough chips) Some highlights at random;
*The big targets are cars with push-button ignition systems, which are the vast majority of vehicles on the road, officials said. High end cars are targeted, but so too are reliable, abundant vehicles such as Honda CR-Vs and Civics.

*The Lexus RX350, the 2019-2017 models, are the top three stolen cars in Ontario,

*The Honda CR-V is at the top, with 654 taken. Range Rovers and Toyota Highlanders are also among the most stolen. A

*It’s become much easier for them to to steal these kind of high-end cars with this advanced technology,” said Toronto police Acting Supt. Tim Crone.

Investigators recently discovered a new way thieves are taking cars.

A Range Rover was recently stolen in the city’s west end and police had clear surveillance video, Crone said. In the video, a masked man walks up to the SUV with his cellphone in one hand. With the other, he opens the gas tank door, closes it and then punches something into his phone.
“Moments later, the car starts,” Crone said.

One of his detectives told him the thief was looking to see if it was gas or diesel, which helped him figure out which type of car to select on a piece of software on his phone. They also believe the thieves are punching in the car’s vehicle identification number to get it started.

In that method, thieves are able to scroll through a database of cars, pick the correct version, hit a button and the car unlocks and the push-button ignition works.

imidazol97

Sounds like a crime wave of car thefts.
Is that just in Canada?

ab348

imidazol97 said:

Sounds like a crime wave of car thefts.
Is that just in Canada?

Probably not just Canada given the sophistication of the method used. The majority of these vehicles are immediately shipped overseas for resale. They need suitable prep work to make them seem legit once there. There are all sorts of stories about what groups are behind this - the Russian mob, terrorist organizations using the proceeds to fund their agendas, you name it.

Here's a link to the full story:

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/12/09/rise-in-car-thefts-canada/

graphicguy

Just watched “DON’T LOOK UP’ (Netflix). Excellent cast and movie. Also, frightening because I could see it actually happening.

ab348

A worthwhile thing to watch is "Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight" on Prime. It is a English (BBC)-French-Japanese production with full participation from Ghosn and his wife, Greg Kelly, the American former Nissan exec who is still trapped in Japan and seems like a broken man, and many others who were involved in the whole mess. It presents a very different story from what was originally reported in the media on the case. Ghosn's take on it is that it was cooked up by Nissan execs and the Japanese govt in response to a real or perceived risk of the French govt via Renault taking a bigger ownership stake in that company and exerting more control over Nissan as a result. His tale of how he got spirited out of the country is worthy of a caper movie.

The sense that Nissan conspired with their allies in the Japanese govt does seem to ring true based on what is shown, though the Japanese legal system is stacked heavily in favor of the state and seems deeply flawed compared to what we know here. Combine that with certain aspects of Japanese culture and his story at least seems plausible. But nobody seems to have won in this sorry affair. I know I would never buy a Nissan product after watching this.

snakeweasel

graphicguy said:

Just watched “DON’T LOOK UP’ (Netflix). Excellent cast and movie. Also, frightening because I could see it actually happening.

I watched on Christmas Eve (does that make it a Christmas movie?) I liked the movie at first but towards the end I the movie lost me (I lost interest in it as it seemed like it was starting to parody itself) and I was just watching it to see how they resolved the crisis. I did however like the mid credit scene.

28firefighter

@graphicguy said:
Just watched “DON’T LOOK UP’ (Netflix). Excellent cast and movie. Also, frightening because I could see it actually happening.

Entirely too real.

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

A worthwhile thing to watch is "Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight" on Prime. It is a English (BBC)-French-Japanese production with full participation from Ghosn and his wife, Greg Kelly, the American former Nissan exec who is still trapped in Japan and seems like a broken man, and many others who were involved in the whole mess. It presents a very different story from what was originally reported in the media on the case. Ghosn's take on it is that it was cooked up by Nissan execs and the Japanese govt in response to a real or perceived risk of the French govt via Renault taking a bigger ownership stake in that company and exerting more control over Nissan as a result. His tale of how he got spirited out of the country is worthy of a caper movie.

The sense that Nissan conspired with their allies in the Japanese govt does seem to ring true based on what is shown, though the Japanese legal system is stacked heavily in favor of the state and seems deeply flawed compared to what we know here. Combine that with certain aspects of Japanese culture and his story at least seems plausible. But nobody seems to have won in this sorry affair. I know I would never buy a Nissan product after watching this.

Rule number 1; movies are a terrible source of facts.

ab348

Indeed. However this one is more of a documentary than a feature film like Oliver Stone's work which certainly cannot be counted upon for facts. This gives a side to the story that has not been covered to any extent by the media to date. And it is not totally sympathetic to Ghosn either. His former boss at Renault who appointed him as his replacement upon retirement, Louis Schweitzer, seemed decidedly cool about the man.

kyfdx

Businessweek had a pretty comprehensive report on this debacle, about a year ago.
As noted, a lot of gray areas.

But, he is definitely guilty of jumping bail.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-01-14/how-nissan-s-carlos-ghosn-was-smuggled-out-of-japan

snakeweasel

Looks like my curse is over, we have about an inch or so (2.5 centimeters or so for our friends up north) of snow and it's still snowing. Looks like I'll be using the snow blower for the first time this year. There is only 4 days left in the year.

imidazol97

I've been bummed out because we haven't had snow since the day after Thanksgiving
through now and New Years Eve.

The drive thru Christmas lights at Ft. St. Clair park are beautiful when they
have snow around them. I was hoping to have at least one trip through
the display with snow.

Alas. No snow likely.

kyfdx

imidazol97 said:

I've been bummed out because we haven't had snow since the day after Thanksgiving
through now and New Years Eve.

The drive thru Christmas lights at Ft. St. Clair park are beautiful when they
have snow around them. I was hoping to have at least one trip through
the display with snow.

Alas. No snow likely.

Not soon, but it's getting really cold, next Sunday and Monday.

imidazol97

Tesla parts for sale?

https://nypost.com/2021/12/24/tesla-explodes-after-mechanics-charge-man-23k-for-new-battery/

jmonroe1

@imidazol97 said:
Tesla parts for sale?

https://nypost.com/2021/12/24/tesla-explodes-after-mechanics-charge-man-23k-for-new-battery/

Now all he needs is a LOT of envelopes so he can ship it back to Tesla for credit.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

Tesla parts for sale?

https://nypost.com/2021/12/24/tesla-explodes-after-mechanics-charge-man-23k-for-new-battery/

Reminds me of the guy with a problematic Pontiac Fiero who set it on fire outside GM headquarters.

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

I've been bummed out because we haven't had snow since the day after Thanksgiving
through now and New Years Eve.

The drive thru Christmas lights at Ft. St. Clair park are beautiful when they
have snow around them. I was hoping to have at least one trip through
the display with snow.

Alas. No snow likely.

This is our first measurable snowfall since March. Usually we get a few good snowfalls by this time of the year but not this year.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

Just watched “DON’T LOOK UP’ (Netflix). Excellent cast and movie. Also, frightening because I could see it actually happening.

I watched on Christmas Eve (does that make it a Christmas movie?)

Only to you!

driver100

snakeweasel said:

Looks like my curse is over, we have about an inch or so (2.5 centimeters or so for our friends up north) of snow and it's still snowing. Looks like I'll be using the snow blower for the first time this year. There is only 4 days left in the year.

Have fun, knock yourself out, about 80F in Tampa for the next few days, that's 26C for the Canadians. If I was back home it would be in the high 30sF

stickguy

I just escaped the cold northern OldFarmer land after 4 days. No real snow, just a dusting but got some ice last night. Thankfully it warmed up enough this AM to soften it up on the car. But the RDX is now filthy after driving a couple hours on the highway with a steady film being sprayed all over it from the salt and sand they put down. Badly needs a trip to the carwash if it isn't going to be warm enough tomorrow to DIY it.

spray it off yourself bay only of course, to get the bad grunge off (and up underneath as best as possible)

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

Tesla parts for sale?

https://nypost.com/2021/12/24/tesla-explodes-after-mechanics-charge-man-23k-for-new-battery/

I told everyone that changing fuses in your car- or even opening the hood!-can be deadly...

jmonroe1

@roadburner said:
I told everyone that changing fuses in your car- or even opening the hood!-can be deadly...

And after that I believe you said something like if you’re going to break out into a sweat thinking about doing the most minuscule tasks sometimes it’s just better to call The Guy.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I just escaped the cold northern OldFarmer land after 4 days. No real snow, just a dusting but got some ice last night. Thankfully it warmed up enough this AM to soften it up on the car. But the RDX is now filthy after driving a couple hours on the highway with a steady film being sprayed all over it from the salt and sand they put down. Badly needs a trip to the carwash if it isn't going to be warm enough tomorrow to DIY it.

spray it off yourself bay only of course, to get the bad grunge off (and up underneath as best as possible)

Thank you for taking some of our salt with you. Just imagine a bunch of hungry piranhas eating the metal until you wash it off.

graphicguy

ab348 said:

A worthwhile thing to watch is "Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight" on Prime. It is a English (BBC)-French-Japanese production with full participation from Ghosn and his wife, Greg Kelly, the American former Nissan exec who is still trapped in Japan and seems like a broken man, and many others who were involved in the whole mess. It presents a very different story from what was originally reported in the media on the case. Ghosn's take on it is that it was cooked up by Nissan execs and the Japanese govt in response to a real or perceived risk of the French govt via Renault taking a bigger ownership stake in that company and exerting more control over Nissan as a result. His tale of how he got spirited out of the country is worthy of a caper movie.

The sense that Nissan conspired with their allies in the Japanese govt does seem to ring true based on what is shown, though the Japanese legal system is stacked heavily in favor of the state and seems deeply flawed compared to what we know here. Combine that with certain aspects of Japanese culture and his story at least seems plausible. But nobody seems to have won in this sorry affair. I know I would never buy a Nissan product after watching this.

Also on my watch list. Thanks for reminding me. Also agree that Nissan (Infinity) has seemingly lost their way. Can't think of one vehicle in their stable that would get me to either brand's showroom.

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

imidazol97 said:

I've been bummed out because we haven't had snow since the day after Thanksgiving
through now and New Years Eve.

The drive thru Christmas lights at Ft. St. Clair park are beautiful when they
have snow around them. I was hoping to have at least one trip through
the display with snow.

Alas. No snow likely.

Not soon, but it's getting really cold, next Sunday and Monday.

I've been in shorts more than jeans most recent days, except for yesterday and today.

graphicguy

28firefighter said:

@graphicguy said:

Just watched “DON’T LOOK UP’ (Netflix). Excellent cast and movie. Also, frightening because I could see it actually happening.

Entirely too real.

Agree.....scarily!

graphicguy

@abacomike ...glad to hear you're on the mend!

driver100

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

A worthwhile thing to watch is "Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight" on Prime. It is a English (BBC)-French-Japanese production with full participation from Ghosn and his wife, Greg Kelly, the American former Nissan exec who is still trapped in Japan and seems like a broken man, and many others who were involved in the whole mess. It presents a very different story from what was originally reported in the media on the case. Ghosn's take on it is that it was cooked up by Nissan execs and the Japanese govt in response to a real or perceived risk of the French govt via Renault taking a bigger ownership stake in that company and exerting more control over Nissan as a result. His tale of how he got spirited out of the country is worthy of a caper movie.

The sense that Nissan conspired with their allies in the Japanese govt does seem to ring true based on what is shown, though the Japanese legal system is stacked heavily in favor of the state and seems deeply flawed compared to what we know here. Combine that with certain aspects of Japanese culture and his story at least seems plausible. But nobody seems to have won in this sorry affair. I know I would never buy a Nissan product after watching this.

Also on my watch list. Thanks for reminding me. Also agree that Nissan (Infinity) has seemingly lost their way. Can't think of one vehicle in their stable that would get me to either brand's showroom.

JMonroe found that a black Altima was a real chick magnet

andres3

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

I hope everyone realizes the sequential steps after level 5 control by gov
regulations is control of car speed and operation. In other words,
no going above the speed limit signs the car recognizes from the camera
or from the GPS.

So no more arguing about speed limits. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I Can't Drive 55

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k

Is it considered music if the guy is yelling at the top of his lungs, and if the band sounds like a jet engine taking off?
They'll probably have a control on self driving cars......do you want to go 10%, 15% 20% etc over the posted speed?

Yes, nothing a "software" tune can't fix. Add 100 HP and 25% above the speed limit at the same time.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

kyfdx said:

imidazol97 said:

I've been bummed out because we haven't had snow since the day after Thanksgiving
through now and New Years Eve.

The drive thru Christmas lights at Ft. St. Clair park are beautiful when they
have snow around them. I was hoping to have at least one trip through
the display with snow.

Alas. No snow likely.

Not soon, but it's getting really cold, next Sunday and Monday.

I've been in shorts more than jeans most recent days, except for yesterday and today.

I've seen folks dressed like you in the mornings stopping at UDF to get coffee, wearing shorts
and summer gear. Makes me cold.
Some are stopping by on their way from or to the YMCA or clubs and are in exercise clothing.
Makes me feel guilty about not getting enough exercise.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

@driver100 said:

I would say the same, but statistically self-driving cars are probably a lot safer.

As an example; Yesterday I was headed north in the left lane, 2 lanes going north, speed limit 50 mph.

btw...I have to be in the left lane because I have to turn left in less than a mile.

A guy in a Buick Enclave is riding my rear bumper, I am keeping up with the flow of traffic and there is a car in front of me.

Of course, I knew what the Buick guy would do....the first chance he got he jumped into the right lane, sped up to get ahead of me, and then wedged himself into the space in front of me (if I wasn't such a nice guy I would have cut him off from doing that - but I figure I'll let him be the jerk he is).

What was really funny was I was turning left just ahead, I move into the left turning lane, I get an advanced green light, he is sitting at the light right where he would have been anyway.

In his case, a self-driving car would make the roads safer for everyone!

Well in that case you anticipated the guy doing that stupid move and adjusted to it. what would have happened if your car was in a self driving mode?

Agreed; anticipation and improving ones situation is situational awareness. A computer driving is like playing poker without the ability to draw better cards when everyone else (human's) have that option.

They (CPU) might play the hand perfectly, but they could have improved it in the first place.

roadburner

@graphicguy said:
Also on my watch list. Thanks for reminding me. Also agree that Nissan (Infinity) has seemingly lost their way. Can't think of one vehicle in their stable that would get me to either brand's showroom.

The 400Z is the only Nissan that interests me, and I suspect you won’t be able to buy one at or below MSRP for at least 18 months.