Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

that actually looks a lot like our first house (we bought it new). Even the same exact color as the blue one next door.

Michaell

stickguy said:

that actually looks a lot like our first house (we bought it new). Even the same exact color as the blue one next door.

We bought ours new as well 15 years ago. 

nyccarguy

Your house looks fantastic!

stickguy

I doubt we are ever leaving the eastcoast, but Colorado is one of the places that I would not mind trying out.

Mr_Shiftright

Has anyone here ever sold a car on Ebay (especially interested if you've sold to someone out of state!)

How'd that work for you?

28firefighter

Michaell said:

Our house is officially on the market! http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5345-Suffolk-Cir_Castle-Rock_CO_80104_M11620-59868

Your home is beautiful, Michaell. It'll sell in no time. That is exactly the kind of home my wife and I were looking for in Seattle.

The problem is, a home with that square footage and lot would sell for 2-2.25x what you're asking in my neighborhood these days in cash, with no contingencies. 

Good luck with the sale and move!

Michaell

Thanks, everyone. We've worked hard to make our home the way it is. I have to give my wife all the credit.

Guess we'll be starting over with the new house.

ray80

stever said:

.

Hopped in our friend's Chevy Cruze at 6 am and got home from Taos before noon.

The subcompact is darned comfy and blared out my mp3s nicely. The engine is a bit lethargic but managed fine if you put your foot in it and got the revs up over 5,000. Made 4 pit stops along the way and if I had the range, my body would have been able to drive all the way without stopping (the range-o-meter said I could do 600 miles on a tank but that dropped as my speed didn't). Felt very sporty after the minivan, but what wouldn't?

Doesn't seem to be a bad vehicle at all. That being said for some reason I am not all that enthused with mine, not sure why. Maybe if I figure it out or get in the mood I can try this thing :

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/35497/general/x/how-to-start-your-own-long-term-blog#latest

bwia

Michaell said:

Thanks, everyone. We've worked hard to make our home the way it is. I have to give my wife all the credit.

Guess we'll be starting over with the new house.

Hey Michaell, not sure if they service your area but we used Total Mortgages Services. Their rates tend to be the lowest in the nation. https://www.totalmortgage.com/mortgage-rates/

Good luck with your financing and be prepared for the paper avalanche of paperwork to come. In this modern age of electronic banking you would think banks and mortgage brokers would dispense of this paper trail and instead use electronic files; but because of the greedy lawyers that will never happen.

stever

ray80 said:

Doesn't seem to be a bad vehicle at all. That being said for some reason I am not all that enthused with mine, not sure why.

The owner doesn't really like her Cruze all that much. Doesn't hate it but liked her full size Chrysler(?) sedan better - more room and a bit more oomph and she though the seats were a better fit for her than the Cruze seats.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Has anyone here ever sold a car on Ebay (especially interested if you've sold to someone out of state!)

How'd that work for you?

Yes. I've sold 3 to out of state buyers and 1 to an out of country buyer. All went off without a hitch.

fezo

I bought one in-state. Smooth as silk. The car has left my stable but is very much still on the road. That's the 99 Celica.

suydam

My loaner is an LT. I don't mind it but I don't want to spend a lot of time in it. I feel all the bumps in the road and it doesn't have a lot of power but it's ok for around town. It does have grid lines on the backup cam, which my Encore doesn't.

stever

When your baseline is a "truck" (i.e., my '09 Grand Caravan), the ride in the Cruze feels plush.

Truth be told, my wife would love a Buick or Caddy sedan. I'm hoping the "low" seating continues to dissuade her since I'm a box/hatch fan. And I'm afraid I may like one too, lol. It's hell fighting your own demographic.

suydam

I am so taken with my Encore. If Buick came out with an improved Verano that got better FE I would really consider replacing my Honda. A hybrid would be ideal. This is such a change for me as I have never owned a GM product except for the Vibe, which I bought because it was "really" a Toyota.

Mr_Shiftright

How did you handle payment on the out of state buyers QB?

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Has anyone here ever sold a car on Ebay (especially interested if you've sold to someone out of state!)

How'd that work for you?

Yes. I've sold 3 to out of state buyers and 1 to an out of country buyer. All went off without a hitch.

andres3

Michaell said:

Our house is officially on the market!

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5345-Suffolk-Cir_Castle-Rock_CO_80104_M11620-59868

I'd pay your asking price +5% if you arrange moving it to an empty lot in San Diego.

bwia

suydam said:

I am so taken with my Encore. If Buick came out with an improved Verano that got better FE I would really consider replacing my Honda. A hybrid would be ideal. This is such a change for me as I have never owned a GM product except for the Vibe, which I bought because it was "really" a Toyota.

If you can wait long enough perhaps you will be able to add the 2016 Envision 20T to your Buick lineup. It is bigger than the Encore but smaller than the Equinox and loaded with the luxury goodies you have come to expect from Buick. 

suydam

No, I'm downsizing now that we no longer have kids at home. We always have had 1 sedan and 1 hatch/ minivan/small SUV. We'll probably keep the Honda at least 5 years and see what compact sedans look like then.

fezo

stever said:

When your baseline is a "truck" (i.e., my '09 Grand Caravan), the ride in the Cruze feels plush.

Truth be told, my wife would love a Buick or Caddy sedan. I'm hoping the "low" seating continues to dissuade her since I'm a box/hatch fan. And I'm afraid I may like one too, lol. It's hell fighting your own demographic.

You want low seating try the Miata. It's just a step up from sitting on the street. OTOH there isn't any danger of it ever rolling over. Have my first 200 miles on it.

stickguy

I remember the first time I took the Miata on the highway with the top down. And realized my head was about even with the bottom lugnuts on the semis. But at least you can drive right under the trailer if need be.

much better car for bopping around the back roads!

suydam

I used to feel that way in my Dad's MGs.

Mr_Shiftright

Don't let your baseball cap blow off---big hazard

fezo

Gentlemen, all your experiences are ringing quite true. My wife and I are overnighting in NYC Sunday into Monday (the church we love and more medical follow up). At first the thought of taking the Miata was not anything I serious thought about doing, but today we were all over the place, including stints on the GSP, 287 and Route 1 in Middlesex County. A lot of "top this" divining beginning to think about it. Figured I'd want to pop the top up before hitting the Lincoln Tunnel but open it right back up in the city.

Stay tuned. I'm feeling some of the five year old kid I was when by dad's youngest brother used to drive me around in his 51 MGTD. Many years later I asked what happened to the car. "your cousin Nicky joined the accident of the month club with it." That was my Uncle Ronnie. Been gone a dozen years and still miss him every day,

stickguy

now you are making me want a toy again. Maybe in a few years, when I am shopping again.

driver100

fezo said:

Gentlemen, all your experiences are ringing quite true.

Stay tuned. I'm feeling some of the five year old kid I was when by dad's youngest brother used to drive me around in his 51 MGTD

Brings back memories of the Sprite days. Being next to a bus with exhaust fumes exactly even with my nose and mouth. Looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the license plate of a big huge cement mixer about 1 foot behind my head.

Those were the good old days....and I am getting envious!

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

How did you handle payment on the out of state buyers QB?

2 of them made deposits via paypal ($500) and then brought cash to pick up the vehicle. The most recent made the same paypal deposit, then paypal'd the rest the day before he came to get it. 1 car was taken away by trailer and driven down to Florida, 1 brought plates with him on the train and drove it back to Maryland illegally, and the last 1 came on the train from PA prepared for me to drive him to DMV to get a temp tag, but I instead let him borrow my plates and mail them to me (I didn't want to risk him spending too much time with the car before taking possession. haha).

carnaught

Sold one of my Infinitis on Ebay, locally. He left a deposit on PayPal, then met him at the bank, deposited his check and title notarized, wala, easy peasy.....

Mr_Shiftright

So you ate the Paypal fee on the purchase or was it marked "personal"?

stewardrobbins

How did you handle payment on the out of state buyers QB?

I set up a new account at my bank and the buyer wired the money to that account. I transferred it to my regular account and closed the new one. The buyer arranged his own shipping.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

So you ate the Paypal fee on the purchase or was it marked "personal"?

when I sell on Ebay, I build the fees into my starting bid, including the paypal fee on the deposit. I've had situations, such as my MR2, where someone came to see the car before bidding and I gave them a better price than my starting bid because we kept the fee services out of it. Sort of related to the "if we can agree on a deal, will you take it home TODAY?" close.

abacomike

I've been having some issues with my Mercedes Benz Mbrace mobile features on my iPhone 6. Prior to early May of this year, my Mbrace App on my iPhone 6 was working just fine. It enables many features of Mbrace for in-car access. It is very much like OnStar on BMW assist. You can locate your car if you forgot where you parked it or you can send an address via the mobile app to your car at any time so when you next start up the car, the address will pop up on your screen asking whether you want to start GPS Routing or not.

In early May, Mbrace updated their mobile app which fixed a problem with many iPhone 6 Mercedes Owners, but initiated a problem with some (1000 or more) iPhone 6 users as well. Since the update, I've had numerous, and I mean numerous phone contacts with Mbrace and finally with Mercedes Benz Consumer Affairs. I've been getting the run-around from Mbrace (Hughes telemetrics) for over two months now and they have still not isolated the problem or even identified the problem - and certainly have not fixed the problem.

So I received a call from the supervisor for Mercedes Customer Affairs. I told them I had paid for 18 months service from Mbrace for the basic plan ($360+tax) and since 50% of the services I paid for I am not receiving, I merely asked for a 50% refund. The system works fine inside the car, it's just the mobile applications features I can't use.

The supervisor said that since I have been a loyal Mercedes Customer for many years and have purchased numerous Mercedes Benz vehicles over the past decade, he offered to send me an email verifying that once I have selected a new E Class vehicle (maybe a 2017 which will be released in April of next year) and know the VIN number, I was to provide the copy of the email to the sales manager of the dealer I work with and he would provide a customer loyalty discount on the purchase of the car above and beyond my USAA and MBCA incentives. I accepted his kind offer and I already received the email, which I promptly printed up in duplicate. They basically issue a credit directly to the dealer for the car I purchase.

I would have preferred the cash, but if I like the new E Class (2017), I could get it for many thousands below invoice which would make up for the money I will lose on my trade. I have a new 2015 E400, and the 2016's are already at the dealers because of the early release next April of the 2017. My new 2015 became a 1 year old car in 5 months of purchasing it.

Michaell

Mike if you keep qualifying for all these discounts, the dealer is going to have to cut you a check when you get your next car 

abacomike

Michaell said:

Mike if you keep qualifying for all these discounts, the dealer is going to have to cut you a check when you get your next car 

I'm already working on that!!!  

abacomike

The price of a barrel of oil has dropped $8.00 in the last few weeks (14%) yet gasoline prices down here have not dropped a penny in the last month but, rather, have gone up 8-12 cents a gallon.  Now that's what I get frustrated about.  If a barrel of oil goes up 1-2 dollars, the price "immediately" jumps at the gas pump.  Wonder how long it will take for a gallon of gasoline to drop in price by 14%.  Probably when pigs fly!!!  

fezo

OK, so I look to see if there are wheel locks on the Miata and what I find is I have BBS wheels. There's no lugs that I see, but there's this big center piece with the BBS logo, and a giant plastic flat wrench in the trunk. What's up with that? Someone here must have experience with that sort of thing. I'm not expecting any wheel removal action any time soon but huh? Are those covers for the lugs?

stever

stever said:

There's a gold 2012 Prius for sale down the street from me. 22,500 miles, and it has the solar roof. Forget if it was a III or something else. They are asking $22,500 (TMV is more like $16k).

Guess I'm going to stop and check it out to see if it's the same car. Another gold Prius is at the neighborhood lot but the sign in the window says $7,000. Must be a different one. If it's the same one, it's been on the market since February.

explorerx4

@fezo, It looks like that wrench is used to take the centers off by rotating them to the left to loosen, then pull out.

fezo

I'm assuming the actual lugs are under that cover. The I could find if there are wheel locks. If so I want them off and would replace them.

fezo

Lefty loosey I've got....

I cleaned up the interior some today. It was mighty hot so not as much as I'd like but it looks good. The leather drank up the conditioner. Will likely want more.

driver100

abacomike said:

I It is very much like OnStar on BMW assist. You can locate your car if you forgot where you parked it or you can send an address via the mobile app to your car at any time so when you next start up the car, the address will pop up on your screen asking whether you want to start GPS Routing or not.

If you need an app to find your car...it's time to stop driving!

(Just joking, I know some of those malls can be huge and you may never figure out what entrance you came in. International Mall in Tampa is like that, if you don't remember where you came in you could be looking for your car for days)

Now that my tennis friends are getting older we have a problem remembering the score. Someone mentioned they should have an app for that.

I would have preferred the cash, but if I like the new E Class (2017), I could get it for many thousands below invoice which would make up for the money I will lose on my trade. I have a new 2015 E400, and the 2016's are already at the dealers because of the early release next April of the 2017. My new 2015 became a 1 year old car in 5 months of purchasing it

.

Mike, you should hire out your services for dealing with car companies. No one else can fanagle sweet deals from their automobile companies....you get discounts upon discounts.

Here's poor GG and he can't even get his car fixed so it runs properly and you got Mercedes bending over backwards to try to solve an Apple problem, and throwing more discounts your way!

btw....I think your 2015 E will become one year old if you trade it in early on a 2016. After September or Nov it will still be considered a 2015 for trade-in purposes.

stickguy

we need some pictures of this new toy.

stickguy

leather in a convertible. Not my favorite. Mine had cloth (was a base model). Black, so still got warm, but at least did not burn you!

driver100

stickguy said:

leather in a convertible. Not my favorite. Mine had cloth (was a base model). Black, so still got warm, but at least did not burn you!

Yeh but, leather is easier to wipe off if you leave the roof down and it rains.

bwia

abacomike said:

I've been having some issues with my Mercedes Benz Mbrace mobile features on my iPhone 6.

After reading your post I became a little curios about the relationship between Hughes Telematics and Mbrace. First, I learned that Hughes Telematics is owned by Verizon and therein lies your problem. Don't know if it makes a difference, but perhaps you should consider switching from T-Mobil to Verizon. Digging a little deeper I came across this interesting article on How the Hughes Telematics Device Works; pretty cool stuff. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/hughes-telematics-device.htm

fezo

No pictures for a couple of days - I've got a gig today and the to NYC for an overnight, so probably Tuesday.

abacomike

bwia said:

I've been having some issues with my Mercedes Benz Mbrace mobile features on my iPhone 6.

After reading your post I became a little curios about the relationship between Hughes Telematics and Mbrace. First, I learned that Hughes Telematics is owned by Verizon and therein lies your problem. Don't know if it makes a difference, but perhaps you should consider switching from T-Mobil to Verizon. Digging a little deeper I came across this interesting article on How the Hughes Telematics Device Works; pretty cool stuff. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/hughes-telematics-device.htm

Great info, bwia!  My T-Mobile was working fine w/all my cars until they updated their App (Mbrace) in early May.  Can I live without the mobile applications?  Of course.  There is nothing I can't do in the car that the App can/will do.  I can always use my PC to send addresses to the car or lock/open the doors, etc.

This is not a life or death issue!  I know they are still working on it and they may eventually come up with a fix.  Until then, I'll be researching the 2017 E Class Sport Sedan until ordering docs are available at the dealer - probably in January is my guess.

driver100

abacomike said:

bwia said:

abacomike said:

I've been having some issues with my Mercedes Benz Mbrace mobile features on my iPhone 6.

After reading your post I became a little curios about the relationship between Hughes Telematics and Mbrace. First, I learned that Hughes Telematics is owned by Verizon and therein lies your problem. Don't know if it makes a difference, but perhaps you should consider switching from T-Mobil to Verizon. Digging a little deeper I came across this interesting article on How the Hughes Telematics Device Works; pretty cool stuff. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/hughes-telematics-device.htm

Great info, bwia!  My T-Mobile was working fine w/all my cars until they updated their App (Mbrace) in early May.  Can I live without the mobile applications?  Of course.  There is nothing I can't do in the car that the App can/will do.  I can always use my PC to send addresses to the car or lock/open the doors, etc.

This is not a life or death issue!  I know they are still working on it and they may eventually come up with a fix.  Until then, I'll be researching the 2017 E Class Sport Sedan until ordering docs are available at the dealer - probably in January is my guess.

Spy photos of 2017 E Class. You can't tell from the pictures but it looks like a baby S Class, or a larger C Class.



They should make them with that paint job!

abacomike

@driver100:

I have seen all those camouflaged prototypes - but yes, driver, it is going to look like a baby S Class Sedan.  They are increasing the wheelbase by 2 inches and the width by 1-1/2 inches and the length by 3 inches.  It will be roomier in the front and the rear.  They are going to offer several engines - the current 3.0 liter V6 twin turbo but with an additional 30 horsepower; an inline 6 cylinder; and a twin turbo 4 cylinder.  At least these are stats I have read in many news releases.  The technology will include all the updates and is supposed to surpass the S Class in technology.  The articles I have read indicate that all the newest technology will be introduced in the new E Class rather than the S Class which has been the vehicle MB used to introduce all updated mechanical and technical goodies in the past.

Should be a very gorgeous vehicle with unsurpassed updated technologies and design.

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100:

I have seen all those camouflaged prototypes - but yes, driver, it is going to look like a baby S Class Sedan.  They are increasing the wheelbase by 2 inches and the width by 1-1/2 inches and the length by 3 inches.  It will be roomier in the front and the rear.  They are going to offer several engines - the current 3.0 liter V6 twin turbo but with an additional 30 horsepower; an inline 6 cylinder; and a twin turbo 4 cylinder.  At least these are stats I have read in many news releases.  The technology will include all the updates and is supposed to surpass the S Class in technology.  The articles I have read indicate that all the newest technology will be introduced in the new E Class rather than the S Class which has been the vehicle MB used to introduce all updated mechanical and technical goodies in the past.

Should be a very gorgeous vehicle with unsurpassed updated technologies and design.

It sounds like quite the car. I am still loving my E, I really can't think of a car I would rather have. But the technology is developing so fast, the 2017 E which is just over one model year away, will have significant new technology. Maybe I'll be ready to trade by then too.

Mike, if you wait for the 2017 that will be the longest time you have kept a car in a long time. Maybe you will get one between now and then.