Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Michaell

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well Americans are a ....ahem...."large" people, so maybe that accounts for it. I know my friend Bill was railing about the Fiat 600 because "I can't fit in the damn thing"---is this really the car's fault entirely?

I love the size of my ATS for driving. It is the smallest car I've owned since my '90 GTI and I had forgotten how nice it is to easily parallel park, fit into parking spaces, etc. Now, I wish sometimes the back seat had a bit more room (though the only time anyone has been back there is me, to clean it) and I wish sometimes the trunk was a little bigger (though I bought a new lawnmower last week and the box just fit fine), but really, it isn't a bad size at all and I and a passenger fit very nicely up front. All I need to do is find the right lady to carry alongside.

Maybe you can take a trip to Florida so you and Mike can look together. Wingmen!

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I understand that there was a styling proposal that was based on the gorgeous second generation Camaro, but the Powers That Be wanted another first generation design. I never thought that the 1967-1969 cars were all that attractive to begin with.



I agree that the 70+ Camaros were beautiful but how would they maintain the open grill look with today's bumper regulations?

robr2

Maybe something like this:



That is merely someone's rendering - it does not pretend to be anything official from GM.

bwia

Nice rendering. Speaking of which; why don't the auto manufacturers run a contest for design ideas? There are so many gifted and talented high schools kids (and others) out there with designs that rival the ho-hum generic offerings of Detroit, Europe and Asia.

oldfarmer50

bwia said:

Nice rendering. Speaking of which; why don't the auto manufacturers run a contest for design ideas? There are so many gifted and talented high schools kids (and others) out there with designs that rival the ho-hum generic offerings of Detroit, Europe and Asia.

Like it but not as much as the original.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I understand that there was a styling proposal that was based on the gorgeous second generation Camaro, but the Powers That Be wanted another first generation design. I never thought that the 1967-1969 cars were all that attractive to begin with.

I agree that the 70+ Camaros were beautiful but how would they maintain the open grill look with today's bumper regulations?






I wonder how much protection those bumpers would give?

Why are they even called bumpers these days...if you touch anything it costs $1000 to fix them?

berri

Put me down as a Gen II fan. Well at least until they started getting porky toward the middle 70's.

fezo

Yeah, the porky Camaros did nothing for me. I liked the first generation and early second a lot. I like the current and what I've seen of the 2016 not at all. I don't but that they're being forced into the tiny windows. It's a design fad - one they would be well advised to lose.

These days the Mustang is a better designed car in almost every aspect. A Challenger or even well equipped Charger could be interesting but we're into pork territory again.

The Japanese don't really dabble in this stuff these days.

Speaking of Japanese sporty cars I decided that sins the first owner meticulously detailed every little thing but the second owner only documented oil changes that the thing to was replace all the belts, the plugs an wires, the differential oil and filters. The trans oil was done maybe 29 K ago so I'll let that slide. The two most notable improvements came from the plugs and wires and the wheel alignment. I'm very happy with how it's running. Have run into a couple of old car issues but perfectly dealable. The only thing is I ordered the Leatherique that roadburner said the BMW folk swear by (I don't know if that's good or bad news these days and the ordered leatherette custom covers from Moss motors. It's likely the covers will beat the treatment by days. Let's see how patient I am. Since to best have these covers installed removing the seat I need to gauge how much free time Q might have (pause for laughter). Nut it'd definitely fun. Has to play with the bracket holding the roof up because it got too loose, then the mechanic got them too tight so I bought the socket I needed for $5, played with it and now it's a very happy camper! And talk about the room for your @ss and a gallon of gas! Not quite that but it certainly is small enough. It;s great, especially knowing I have a very nice other car that can carry six and behave without surprises and I'm pretty happy. I always have other ideas but that's why I'm in CCBA.

Michaell

fezo said:

Yeah, the porky Camaros did nothing for me. I liked the first generation and early second a lot. I like the current and what I've seen of the 2016 not at all. I don't but that they're being forced into the tiny windows. It's a design fad - one they would be well advised to lose.

These days the Mustang is a better designed car in almost every aspect. A Challenger or even well equipped Charger could be interesting but we're into pork territory again.

The Japanese don't really dabble in this stuff these days.

Speaking of Japanese sporty cars I decided that sins the first owner meticulously detailed every little thing but the second owner only documented oil changes that the thing to was replace all the belts, the plugs an wires, the differential oil and filters. The trans oil was done maybe 29 K ago so I'll let that slide. The two most notable improvements came from the plugs and wires and the wheel alignment. I'm very happy with how it's running. Have run into a couple of old car issues but perfectly dealable. The only thing is I ordered the Leatherique that roadburner said the BMW folk swear by (I don't know if that's good or bad news these days and the ordered leatherette custom covers from Moss motors. It's likely the covers will beat the treatment by days. Let's see how patient I am. Since to best have these covers installed removing the seat I need to gauge how much free time Q might have (pause for laughter). Nut it'd definitely fun. Has to play with the bracket holding the roof up because it got too loose, then the mechanic got them too tight so I bought the socket I needed for $5, played with it and now it's a very happy camper! And talk about the room for your @ss and a gallon of gas! Not quite that but it certainly is small enough. It;s great, especially knowing I have a very nice other car that can carry six and behave without surprises and I'm pretty happy. I always have other ideas but that's why I'm in CCBA.

I'd love to see the 5.0 engine from the Genesis sedan transplanted into the Genesis coupe - be an awesome competitor to the Mustang or Camaro.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I understand that there was a styling proposal that was based on the gorgeous second generation Camaro, but the Powers That Be wanted another first generation design. I never thought that the 1967-1969 cars were all that attractive to begin with.

I agree that the 70+ Camaros were beautiful but how would they maintain the open grill look with today's bumper regulations?

I wonder how much protection those bumpers would give?

Why are they even called bumpers these days...if you touch anything it costs $1000 to fix them?



Interesting thought. Back in 1970 those bumpers offered no protection from damage and a low speed accident would cost you a thousand. Now we have much stronger bumpers and a low speed accident still costs you a thousand. What's the point?

oldfarmer50

Who wants to lend me some money?

I was just reviewing the paperwork on my car loan and found I now have a credit score of 816 on a scale of 350-850. I guess the more you borrow, the more they want to lend.

Crazy huh?

graphicguy

I recall when I had my first post college jobs, there were 280Z/300ZXs, Mazda RX7s..some with turbos, Mitsubishi 300GT, Acura NSX, Honda Prelude, Mustangs and Camaros were just starting to get interesting again. I lusted after all of them.

Not a whole lot left...even the revered Nissan 370ZX looks to be in short supply these days. Nissan would rather sell all the Altimas they can make.

Heady days for sports cars....in the '80s and '90s. Something of a revival happening for the muscle cars today, though.

oldfarmer50

A lot of the cars you mention filled the need for performance after environmental regulations killed the big block domestics. The Japanese put out some fairly light cars with decent (not great) horsepower while Detroit had all but given up. I'd still love a 330hp GT 3000 turbo but your average sedan today puts out almost as much power. My BIL's new Altima puts out almost as much as a 350Z from 10 years ago.

I noticed that the horsepower wars started around 2003 and really got going about 2006. The domestic makers finally put some money into research and figured out how to make tons of power with fairly good gas milage.

To think that my stock Mustang equals the power of an old 9mpg 429 and can still squeeze out 27mpg shows how far they've come.

stever

oldfarmer50 said:

Who wants to lend me some money?

I was just reviewing the paperwork on my car loan and found I now have a credit score of 816 on a scale of 350-850. I guess the more you borrow, the more they want to lend.

Crazy huh?

Guess I need to go get a car loan or quit paying my MasterCard balance in full every month - mine was around 803 when we got the latest house, and it promptly dropped to 758 afterward and hasn't budged in months.

imidazol97

stever said:

Guess I need to go get a car loan or quit paying my MasterCard balance in full every month - mine was around 803 when we got the latest house, and it promptly dropped to 758 afterward and hasn't budged in months.

Just put extra cash into your credit card one month and use that float to keep your balance for the next month lower. A lower percentage of available credit used will result in a higher score.

roadburner

I like the 370Z NISMO but Car and Driver's Lightning Lap example lost the brakes and was totalled at VIR; that gives me pause.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you know, journalist drivers....

stever

imidazol97 said:

Just put extra cash into your credit card one month and use that float to keep your balance for the next month lower. A lower percentage of available credit used will result in a higher score.

I've done the pay ahead thing while on longer road trips but am loathe to give the credit card companies the float. Dunno, only have three open accounts and I rarely use the VISA one. Don't really care since we may pay cash yet again if we do buy a new car - just strikes me as odd that savers get stuck with worse ratings than spenders.

We bought two houses in our Boise decade, both through Countrywide and both times they didn't ask for anything other than a pro forma balance sheet and a credit score. No tax returns or Schedule Cs. My numbers were over 800 back then and the loans were easy-peasy. Ah, the good old days.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Who wants to lend me some money?

I was just reviewing the paperwork on my car loan and found I now have a credit score of 816 on a scale of 350-850. I guess the more you borrow, the more they want to lend.

Crazy huh?

My score has risen gradually each month in all 3 credit reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, etc) to 822. That high score is due only because I have lots of credit but no balances. If I ever took out a loan on a car, the rating would probably go down.

dino001

My score has risen gradually each month in all 3 credit reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, etc) to 822. If I ever took out a loan on a car, the rating would probably go down.

So what, Mike? If you ever did, you just got a loan, so you don't need another one, do you? Besides, it may go down by 10-20 points, if at all, for first couple of months and then it would start climbing back up, as payment history builds.

BTW, there are no extra better terms for being in 99th percentile vs. 97th or 95th percentile of scores. No extra gold star on the board, no extra half percent off the APR. Once you are in that minimum threshold for best credit, you don't need more points.

On the ongoing basis the credit score has only impact if it's really negative - then you can't get a cell phone, or utilities without jumping over some hoops. Some credit card companies used "universal default", which would mean they'd jack up your rate if your score went low, even if you were current on their card, but that's now gone, after Congress hearings.

It's important to max the score just before a new big credit application, like a house, or perhaps car. And only to just get to the top tier of the offers. Once that is achieved, any more points don't really matter.

dino001

oldfarmer50 said:

I guess the more you borrow, the more they want to lend. Crazy huh?

Not exactly. They want to lend you money when they think you don't really need it (old Rockefeller's mantra). When they think you really, really, really need the money, the offers fly away. The more credit, the more offers works only until it doesn't. The fact that others already trusted you, makes you more attractive than those who nobody trusted yet. However, above some threshold (in their "proprietary analysis"), the computer decides that you are no longer capable to pay it all off and then the same debt turns against you.

The ideal score is a guy with $100K of revolving (credit card) available, but zero taken, young but with 50 years of credit history, several mortgages and car loans in the past, but all of them but one paid off. Somebody with proven history, but no need of credit right now.

bwia

stever said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Who wants to lend me some money?

I was just reviewing the paperwork on my car loan and found I now have a credit score of 816 on a scale of 350-850. I guess the more you borrow, the more they want to lend.

Crazy huh?

Guess I need to go get a car loan or quit paying my MasterCard balance in full every month - mine was around 803 when we got the latest house, and it promptly dropped to 758 afterward and hasn't budged in months.

Well it is a double whammy. New car loan results in lower FICO score and higher insurance premium.

Auto insurers use your credit score to set premiums rather than your driving record in all but three states (Massachusetts, California and Hawaii). According to the September issue of Consumer Reports the premium for an average driver with excellent credit is $1,409.

By comparison the premium for a driver with good credit is $1,721, poor credit $3,826 and with a DWI is $2,274. In other words, bad credit hurts you more than bad driving. Thank goodness I live in Massachusetts and have an 843 FICO score.

stever

Good reminder. Maybe I'll ask my credit card companies to bump my credit limit up a notch. Paying $700 a year for the one car with 100/300 limits. Not as bad as Michigan, but still....

abacomike

I guess we should rename the title of this thread:  THE 700+ CLUB (no pun intended re: the "700 Club" on TV)

dino001

stever said:

Good reminder. Maybe I'll ask my credit card companies to bump my credit limit up a notch. Paying $700 a year for the one car with 100/300 limits. Not as bad as Michigan, but still....

Nice. That's a little bit more than my 6-month premium with excellent score. I'm usually able to get $450-500 at first then they keep raising it by $50-80 every six months. By the time the renewal offer reaches high $600s/low$700, which is two years or so, I'm out to new pastures.

I feel no affinity to insurers. All of them use bait and switch with low intro rate and jack it up endlessly. Those are not puny couple of bucks - usually 10-15 percent at a time, every time. By third renewal it's 50 percent up from the first bill. It is planned, they subsidize the first rates using marketing money and hope you won't have enough motivation to go somewhere else once "normal" rate kicks in.

Done it three times already. Before that I had a stable premium for number of years, up/down 20 bucks. Then Progressive decided I wasn't paying enough. So after third 10%+ increase I left. Now I'm back with them, see how long it will last - probably 2 years.

fezo

My wife and I are straddling the line right at about 800. Right now with two car loans which is two more than I like but things happen. Pay like clockwork. The only thing I don't get is one of us will be marginally better than the other - it moves back and forth. Never by more than a couple of points. Virtually everything that would be on the report is joint, though now each of us has an individual car loan.

If the numbers were less than stellar that might concern me. I keep getting offered enough credit to buy Uruguay.

abacomike

fezo said:

My wife and I are straddling the line right at about 800. Right now with two car loans which is two more than I like but things happen. Pay like clockwork. The only thing I don't get is one of us will be marginally better than the other - it moves back and forth. Never by more than a couple of points. Virtually everything that would be on the report is joint, though now each of us has an individual car loan. If the numbers were less than stellar that might concern me. I keep getting offered enough credit to buy Uruguay.

I am the realtor with an exclusive listing for the country of Uruguay on the continent of South America.  I am of "German Ancestry" (Arian of course, dumkoph) and would be more than happy to submit your offer in German Marks (we don't accept Euros) to the People's Demokratik Government of Uruguay.

Now what were you offering Heir Fezo?

stever

Four years is about my average for staying with an insurance company. Not real impressed with my current agent and outfit, but they seem to be the cheapest around here. Have had State Farm, Nationwide, Horace Mann, AIG, a local outfit in the UP (who were pretty good) and Farm Bureau now. Seems like I had Liberty Mutual in there too, but my Money files don't go back before '95 so I can't swear to it.

"According to Experian, new-car buyers who obtained interest rates of 1 percent or less had an average credit score of 754. For reference, that's considered "prime" credit; "super prime" scores go all the way up to 850. The average credit score for a new car buyer in the first quarter was 713, and the average interest rate was 4.7 percent." (WRAL)

robr2

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I understand that there was a styling proposal that was based on the gorgeous second generation Camaro, but the Powers That Be wanted another first generation design. I never thought that the 1967-1969 cars were all that attractive to begin with.

I agree that the 70+ Camaros were beautiful but how would they maintain the open grill look with today's bumper regulations?

I wonder how much protection those bumpers would give?

Why are they even called bumpers these days...if you touch anything it costs $1000 to fix them?



As noted, those bumpers didn't provide any real protection - they were for bumping, not crashing.

As for recreating the G2 Camaro today, they could do it. The nose cap is noting but a cover. They could even do a grill like that with little bumperetts. The real bumper is underneath similar to the Pontiac Solstice:

robr2

dino001 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I guess the more you borrow, the more they want to lend. Crazy huh?

Not exactly. They want to lend you money when they think you don't really need it (old Rockefeller's mantra). When they think you really, really, really need the money, the offers fly away. The more credit, the more offers works only until it doesn't. The fact that others already trusted you, makes you more attractive than those who nobody trusted yet. However, above some threshold (in their "proprietary analysis"), the computer decides that you are no longer capable to pay it all off and then the same debt turns against you.

The ideal score is a guy with $100K of revolving (credit card) available, but zero taken, young but with 50 years of credit history, several mortgages and car loans in the past, but all of them but one paid off. Somebody with proven history, but no need of credit right now.

Ding ding ding - my FICO store ranges between 840 and 850. I was surprised it hit 850 about 3 months ago. I have a few credit cards but use only two regularly and pay them off every month. The rest are used twice a year to keep them open. My mortgage and car payments are paid on time.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I like the 370Z NISMO but Car and Driver's Lightning Lap example lost the brakes and was totalled at VIR; that gives me pause.

What do you mean lost the brakes? Did they wear out, overheat, fail due to computer malfunctions? What?

And they crashed?

I smell another recall scandal.

cdnpinhead

Wow! Looks like several on here have had their FICO scores turned up to 11 (old movie reference). Life is good.

fezo

I want to hit 850 just as a game. My guess, based on loans out there might be three years or so. Of course they don't like the amount of credit card debt I carry but I pay it off in full monthly. There's one that's zero percent for 18 months which no doubt affects things but I have it there for a good reason and am happy with that.

Mr. Uruguay - I currently have competing offers from Ecuador and Paraguay , the latter at a deep discount as they have no coastline. I'll have to let you know. I'm here to look today. I don't want to hear "What would I have to do to get you to buy this country today?"

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I like the 370Z NISMO but Car and Driver's Lightning Lap example lost the brakes and was totalled at VIR; that gives me pause.

What do you mean lost the brakes? Did they wear out, overheat, fail due to computer malfunctions? What?

And they crashed?

I smell another recall scandal.

Z Meets Wall

stever

@Fezo, to really play the game, check out a site like Bogleheads.

fezo

Wow. Maybe I could buy Brazil!

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I like the 370Z NISMO but Car and Driver's Lightning Lap example lost the brakes and was totalled at VIR; that gives me pause.

What do you mean lost the brakes? Did they wear out, overheat, fail due to computer malfunctions? What?

And they crashed?

I smell another recall scandal.

Z Meets Wall

So bottom line, if you track your Z you need to changes the brakes and fluid and cut vent holes in the fender?

roadburner

Pretty much; It really makes a manufacturer look incompetent when their "Track Ready" car actually isn't...

graphicguy

robr2 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I understand that there was a styling proposal that was based on the gorgeous second generation Camaro, but the Powers That Be wanted another first generation design. I never thought that the 1967-1969 cars were all that attractive to begin with.

I agree that the 70+ Camaros were beautiful but how would they maintain the open grill look with today's bumper regulations?

I wonder how much protection those bumpers would give?

Why are they even called bumpers these days...if you touch anything it costs $1000 to fix them?

As noted, those bumpers didn't provide any real protection - they were for bumping, not crashing.

As for recreating the G2 Camaro today, they could do it. The nose cap is noting but a cover. They could even do a grill like that with little bumperetts. The real bumper is underneath similar to the Pontiac Solstice:





Just saw one of those yesterday. I liked the Saturn SKY's style better. Never could figure out why GM didn't shift those models to Chevy and Buick. Best thing they've styled in a long, long time.

abacomike

I have a company coming to show me samples of carpeting and to measure my living room/dining room (one large area), and both master bedroom suite and my bedroom in order to give me an estimate for installing the carpet and padding and moving all the heavy furniture in order to lay the carpeting. I am guessing it will cost about $3,000 as I do not want premium carpeting. I came to the conclusion that whether I stay in my Condo or sell it, the carpeting must be replaced. It's 25 years old and has seen its better day.

If I decide to stay here, I will redo the bathrooms and the kitchen as well as the floor tiles.

Michaell

abacomike said:

I have a company coming to show me samples of carpeting and to measure my living room/dining room (one large area), and both master bedroom suite and my bedroom in order to give me an estimate for installing the carpet and padding and moving all the heavy furniture in order to lay the carpeting. I am guessing it will cost about $3,000 as I do not want premium carpeting. I came to the conclusion that whether I stay in my Condo or sell it, the carpeting must be replaced. It's 25 years old and has seen its better day.

If I decide to stay here, I will redo the bathrooms and the kitchen as well as the floor tiles.

Mike, remind me again - how big is your condo?

I've learned that upgrading the thickness of the pad makes a huge difference when it comes to carpet replacement.

Of course, the wife wants to put tile throughout the whole new house we're buying.

abacomike

Michaell said:

I have a company coming to show me samples of carpeting and to measure my living room/dining room (one large area), and both master bedroom suite and my bedroom in order to give me an estimate for installing the carpet and padding and moving all the heavy furniture in order to lay the carpeting. I am guessing it will cost about $3,000 as I do not want premium carpeting. I came to the conclusion that whether I stay in my Condo or sell it, the carpeting must be replaced. It's 25 years old and has seen its better day. If I decide to stay here, I will redo the bathrooms and the kitchen as well as the floor tiles.

Mike, remind me again - how big is your condo? I've learned that upgrading the thickness of the pad makes a huge difference when it comes to carpet replacement. Of course, the wife wants to put tile throughout the whole new house we're buying.

I think it's about 1400 square feet not counting the large terrace.  I intend to put upgraded padding down as well.  The foyer, kitchen, dressing area in the master bedroom and both bathrooms are all tile.  If I replace any tiles, I heard that porcelain is the most economical flooring and the easiest to install.  In the bathrooms, I will probably use ceramic.

fezo

On bumper - I saw a mud colored (looked like maybe the owner painted it with a brush) Jeep Cherokee the other day. The back bumper was a log. It was a wonder to behold. Had I not been driving at the time I'd have gotten a picture.

Kind of the opposite of the Solstice.

ab348

I must admit I do not know how the current bumper standards are written but it seems the bumper and cover itself are considered sacrificial and not included in the damage the bumper is supposed to prevent. Back in the '70s when the chrome battering ram bumpers were introduced I think they themselves were supposed to only have minimal damage in a 5mph incident. Nowadays a 5mph bump can mean $2000 in repairs to the bumper assembly and cover.

roadburner

ab348 said:

I must admit I do not know how the current bumper standards are written but it seems the bumper and cover itself are considered sacrificial and not included in the damage the bumper is supposed to prevent. Back in the '70s when the chrome battering ram bumpers were introduced I think they themselves were supposed to only have minimal damage in a 5mph incident. Nowadays a 5mph bump can mean $2000 in repairs to the bumper assembly and cover.

The original standards mandated no significant cosmetic damage. The regulations were challenged in the Federal Courts and it was ruled that the DOT lacked jurisdiction to regulate cosmetic damage and that it could only require that no damage occur to safety related items such as headlights and turn indicators. I have to say that those huge bumpers in the '70s and '80s were pretty hideous. They totally ruined the looks of my 2002; if I had kept the car I would have reverted back to Euro bumpers.

stever

On another note, seems like someone was talking about fog lights recently (maybe you @roadburner?).

As I recall, the proposition was put forth that fogs are really only useful to help other drivers see you, not to help you see the road. And rear fogs are really the only fogs needed. But my memory is - well, you know the answer to that one.

The fog thread is happening over in this MDX discussion if anyone would like to weigh in.

Mr_Shiftright

I'd like to weigh in here briefly. While I can't say that my fog lights have proved very useful (and I live in an area where we can get some nasty fog), my running lights (MINI option, mount above bumper) are extremely useful on dark country roads. They can be aimed to throw light left and right, or project it forward. For me, as my night vision isn't so good anymore, this has been a real benefit.

I would recommend running lights on any car or truck where they look good (for some cars, just say NO).

suydam

In heavy fog those fog lights are a life saver. I won't buy a car without them. 

laurasdada

stever said:

On another note, seems like someone was talking about fog lights recently (maybe you @roadburner?).

As I recall, the proposition was put forth that fogs are really only useful to help other drivers see you, not to help you see the road. And rear fogs are really the only fogs needed. But my memory is - well, you know the answer to that one.

The fog thread is happening over in this MDX discussion if anyone would like to weigh in.

I only have a rear fog on my XF. I thought that odd. Let there be light.

abacomike

Michaell said:

abacomike said:

I have a company coming to show me samples of carpeting and to measure my living room/dining room (one large area), and both master bedroom suite and my bedroom in order to give me an estimate for installing the carpet and padding and moving all the heavy furniture in order to lay the carpeting. I am guessing it will cost about $3,000 as I do not want premium carpeting. I came to the conclusion that whether I stay in my Condo or sell it, the carpeting must be replaced. It's 25 years old and has seen its better day.

If I decide to stay here, I will redo the bathrooms and the kitchen as well as the floor tiles.

Mike, remind me again - how big is your condo?

I've learned that upgrading the thickness of the pad makes a huge difference when it comes to carpet replacement.

Of course, the wife wants to put tile throughout the whole new house we're buying.

I signed a contract to install Mohawk carpeting (light beige) with upgraded padding for the entire house where carpeting already exists (including closets) for $3150 complete including tax. Because I cannot move furniture, I agreed to give the installer $200-$300 in cash if they move the heavy furniture and do a good job. An excellent job would be $300, etc. So the entire job will cost me $3450 and they haul away the old carpeting and padding.

They will do the entire apartment next Thursday morning. My guess is that it will take them the whole day.

The current carpeting is 25 years old and in awful condition, needless to say. Whether I stay here or move out, the carpeting just had to be replaced in order to ensure that prospective buyers would not merely walk out after seeing the carpeting. The Mohawk I bought is their moderate priced quality, but guaranteed for wear, stains, pilling, etc., for 25 years. So it's not their least expensive. The padding is twice the thickness of the standard padding. I just hope I picked the right color and padding, that's all. It will lighten up the condo considerable since there is currently a gray carpet throughout the apartment. I picked the light beige because it is a neutral color and goes with just about anything.