Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

1294229432945294729483158

Comments

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    edited January 2023
    Michaell said:

    Up to two weeks ago, my work laptop was using the monitor, and my "personal" laptop sat to the right.

    Years ago, I used my laptop as the center monitor, and had large monitors to the left and right - effectively 3 monitors total. This was on a much larger desk, however.

    Could be a problem if you mix up your personal computer and work computer. :D

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • mlevinemlevine Member Posts: 591
    My thoughts on windows based laptop. I like HP and Dell. Would go with I7 chip, 1TB SSD, and at least 16 GB of memory. Would get separate graphics card not intergrated. Now price is not too cheap but should last a long time. I think one could get a design like this for $750 to $950 just look for sales out there.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    henryn said:

    Michaell said:

    stickguy said:

    Thanks Henry. I was looking earlier and the selection is overwhelming.

    I like the HP but think I will stick with a 15.6" screen since that is what I have now. though 14 could be fine too, and less bulky... but I am afraid I would miss the big screen.

    The laptop I am using has a 17" screen, but I've got an external 24" monitor plugged into it, and a BT mouse and keyboard. I'm finding my productivity for moderating these boards and my job search is much higher with these accessories attached.
    Chevron went to equipping every knowledge worker with two 24 inch monitors about 15 years ago. Productivity increases will cover the cost of the monitors in a very short period of time. The last I heard, Exxon, Shell, and BP have all done the same.

    If you make a living sitting in front of a computer, you need multiple large monitors, end of story.
    At work they have everyone with two monitors, some have more depending on their job.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    stickguy said:

    oh yeah, I forgot about the keyboard. I like my number pad!

    separate monitor is not going to work well, since I take laptop literally, and I sit it my recliner with the computer on my lap!

    I also take "Laptop" literally and you will see my laptop all over the house. My wife keeps and uses hers at one set location and doesn't use it anywhere else, should have bought her a desktop.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    driver100 said:

    Michaell said:

    Up to two weeks ago, my work laptop was using the monitor, and my "personal" laptop sat to the right.

    Years ago, I used my laptop as the center monitor, and had large monitors to the left and right - effectively 3 monitors total. This was on a much larger desk, however.

    Could be a problem if you mix up your personal computer and work computer. :D
    Not if you access your work computer remotely using your personal computer (which I will be doing in about 15 minutes).

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,237
    tjc78 said:

    @kyfdx said:
    @tjc78 You have to be flexible on flight days. Also, tickets should come down to the $2500-$3000 range, sometime in the week before.

    We've found flights for about $500/ea into PHX, and $300/ea non-stop into Vegas (4 hr drive). In on Saturday, and out on Wednesday.

    $250 rental car

    $400/night in a Holiday Inn Express about 13 miles from the stadium

    $6K for tickets

    $1K for plane

    $1.6K for lodging

    0.25K for car

    = $9K or so, total

    Of course, if your team wins this weekend, the airfare goes through the roof, within about an hour. I know, because we were in the SuperBowl, last year ( I didn't go)., though I scoped it out. If you want to fly back on Monday or Tuesday, very pricey.

    Good insight. I didn’t realize tickets would go down. So I’d assume everyone is just shooting for the moon right now?

    Honestly my son (turns 9 in March) is still a little young for this. He would get much more out of it in a few years.


    The reason I know, is the Bengals went to the Super Bowl, last year, and I was tracking it (didn't go, though).

    No way I'd blow this amount of dough on a 9 yr old. It will be my wife and I. The hard part is breaking it to my 29 yr old that I'm not taking him.

    We went ahead and bought plane tickets on AA. If we don't win Sunday, I can use the travel credit on other plane trips we have planned for this year. Non-stop, Saturday to Wednesday. $463/pp.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,237

    I would love to know what business I could successfully bootstrap with $9000 that will actually sustain.

    I agree with helping understand the value of money. However, there are a number of folks that would happily spend this kind of money for an experience that creates a core memory vs say, cars. Because it isn't just about the game if you choose to go - you're paying for the memory of the experience. To each their own, right?

    Or, you already made your money, and now you're spending it? :)

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,237
    qbrozen said:

    tjc78 said:


    At any rate need to get past the niners next week.

    As I told my son, if the Eagles and Niners who showed up this past week show up for their match against each other, the Eagles will win. The few times the Cowboys ran the ball (because they are a passing team), they made big gains, and the Eagles run game is far superior. And the Cowboys defense kept the scoring down, while the Eagles defense is also superior. But... any given Sunday. You just don't know. Fingers crossed.
    I like how when it comes down to brass tacks, Jalen Hurts can just take over, and run the ball. I watched the Eagles a lot this year, because Hurts was my fantasy team QB. He takes his talent and turns it into production.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    kyfdx said:

    I would love to know what business I could successfully bootstrap with $9000 that will actually sustain.

    I agree with helping understand the value of money. However, there are a number of folks that would happily spend this kind of money for an experience that creates a core memory vs say, cars. Because it isn't just about the game if you choose to go - you're paying for the memory of the experience. To each their own, right?

    Or, you already made your money, and now you're spending it? :)
    Or you're one of those people who are so rich that $9K is just a rounding error in your investment accounts.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,237

    kyfdx said:

    I would love to know what business I could successfully bootstrap with $9000 that will actually sustain.

    I agree with helping understand the value of money. However, there are a number of folks that would happily spend this kind of money for an experience that creates a core memory vs say, cars. Because it isn't just about the game if you choose to go - you're paying for the memory of the experience. To each their own, right?

    Or, you already made your money, and now you're spending it? :)
    Or you're one of those people who are so rich that $9K is just a rounding error in your investment accounts.
    :D

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,752
    Although I'm an editor and benefit from a large screen, I'd rather be comfortable. I mostly split my work time on the laptop sitting on the couch or in bed. I use my desk for meeting where I need to be on screen.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,483
    mlevine said:

    My thoughts on windows based laptop. I like HP and Dell. Would go with I7 chip, 1TB SSD, and at least 16 GB of memory. Would get separate graphics card not intergrated. Now price is not too cheap but should last a long time. I think one could get a design like this for $750 to $950 just look for sales out there.

    sounds like overkill for something to hang out on Edmunds, check Email, and watch car repair videos on Youtube!

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 263,426
    Regarding my computer set up - I have to also keep the wife happy with the aesthetics. She bought me the desk when we moved into the house, and I try to keep things relatively tidy.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,483
    edited January 2023
    I actually stopped at WallyWorld today to look at laptops in person. As I suspected none of the ones I was interested in from online were in the store, but I could at least try out comparable keyboards. I do like the HP one that I have now (and when I got this unit, that was the primary reason).

    in the store they mostly had 14" screens, and 4gig/128gig SSD configurations.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 267,237
    SSD is a must, IMO. And, a number pad on the keyboard.

    But, my Edmunds laptop has neither of those. But, the price was right, and I only use it about an hour per month, when I'm home. It's great for the road, though, because it has a VPN.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,483
    I am not sure if any of the models in the store have old fashioned hard drives. Seems like everything now is SSD. I do really like the number pad too.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,493
    edited January 2023
    Costco can have fair computer deals now and then. I picked up a HP Envy like this: https://www.costco.com/hp-envy-x360-15.6"-touchscreen-2-in-1-laptop----amd-ryzen-7-5825u---1080p---windows-11.product.100975185.html just before the new year, it was $699 at the time, and has decent specs. So far, I am more than pleased.

    My prior computer, a 2015 HP Spectre, had been virtually flawless, but in December finally started showing its age - battery issues. I bought a new battery, switched it out, and it seemed worse - the new one had insanely slow charging, both had inconsistent battery life (sometimes 3-4 hours, sometimes 30 minutes) - I suspected another fault, and at the computer's age and general wear and tear, not worth replacing more parts hunting for the fault. I kept it as an emergency backup. I would have bought another Spectre, but the equivalent was quite expensive, and I was hoping to keep it under a grand.
  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    Coming out of the coffee shop after tennis this was parked on the lot outside;

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,254
    qbrozen said:

    Although I'm an editor and benefit from a large screen, I'd rather be comfortable. I mostly split my work time on the laptop sitting on the couch or in bed. I use my desk for meeting where I need to be on screen.

    I can just imagine that scene:



    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    I am surprised Costco HP 15.6 inch screen are so expensive;
    https://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch?dept=All&keyword=hp+laptop+15.6

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,205
    Post Xmas, bought an HP 14" at Costco on sale for $400 (currently $550). Like the doubled warranty and customer service that Costco offers:

    6-Core 12th Gen Intel Core i3 Processor
    8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
    512 GB PCIe NMVe M.2 Solid-state Drive
    And, a backlit keyboard! But, silver...

    Outside of work, I'm a simple user; surf, taxes, music, basic Office functionality. Mostly car shop!

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • jmonroe1jmonroe1 Member Posts: 9,386
    kyfdx said:

    I would love to know what business I could successfully bootstrap with $9000 that will actually sustain.

    I agree with helping understand the value of money. However, there are a number of folks that would happily spend this kind of money for an experience that creates a core memory vs say, cars. Because it isn't just about the game if you choose to go - you're paying for the memory of the experience. To each their own, right?

    Or, you already made your money, and now you're spending it? :)
    ————————————————
    You talkin to me? :p

    jmonroe
    '15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's.
    '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    stickguy said:

    I am not sure if any of the models in the store have old fashioned hard drives. Seems like everything now is SSD. I do really like the number pad too.

    In my work a number pad is a lifesaver as I am inputting numbers far more than letters.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592

    qbrozen said:

    Although I'm an editor and benefit from a large screen, I'd rather be comfortable. I mostly split my work time on the laptop sitting on the couch or in bed. I use my desk for meeting where I need to be on screen.

    I can just imagine that scene:



    Well we have this.

    https://youtu.be/8n8ZY9le82A

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,752

    qbrozen said:

    Although I'm an editor and benefit from a large screen, I'd rather be comfortable. I mostly split my work time on the laptop sitting on the couch or in bed. I use my desk for meeting where I need to be on screen.

    I can just imagine that scene:



    I did not approve this use of my likeness

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,752
    I love how, when some people lowball an item you have for sale, they'll add "cash" as if it means something. Like ... "here's a set of used tires for $400" to which the message is "$250 cash." Well, what the heck else do you think I'd be accepting? $250 in food stamps perhaps?

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • jmonroe1jmonroe1 Member Posts: 9,386
    kyfdx said:

    kyfdx said:

    I would love to know what business I could successfully bootstrap with $9000 that will actually sustain.

    I agree with helping understand the value of money. However, there are a number of folks that would happily spend this kind of money for an experience that creates a core memory vs say, cars. Because it isn't just about the game if you choose to go - you're paying for the memory of the experience. To each their own, right?

    Or, you already made your money, and now you're spending it? :)
    Or you're one of those people who are so rich that $9K is just a rounding error in your investment accounts.
    :D
    ————————————————
    Yep, it’s nice to have problems like that. o:)

    jmonroe
    '15 Genesis Ultimate just like jmonroe's.
    '18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289
    qbrozen said:

    I love how, when some people lowball an item you have for sale, they'll add "cash" as if it means something. Like ... "here's a set of used tires for $400" to which the message is "$250 cash." Well, what the heck else do you think I'd be accepting? $250 in food stamps perhaps?

    I have been guilty of that in the past, but not so much anymore. Another trick I learned going back nearly 50 years ago -- when negotiating, in person, pull out the wad of money from your pocket and show the seller you actually have the funds, right here, right now. These days, they are more likely to go to the ATM machine, as very few carry cash.

    When I bought my present used truck, we did the transaction at the bank. I told him he could come with me to the bank, and watch the teller make out the cashier's check. There are numerous stories out there about fake cashier's checks.
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289

    qbrozen said:

    Although I'm an editor and benefit from a large screen, I'd rather be comfortable. I mostly split my work time on the laptop sitting on the couch or in bed. I use my desk for meeting where I need to be on screen.

    I can just imagine that scene:



    I'm sure we all remember the Jeffrey Toobin incident ....
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,752
    I agree on the method if standing in front of the person. Has zero impact through texting, though, and really meaningless when we're talking a few hundred bucks.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289
    mlevine said:

    My thoughts on windows based laptop. I like HP and Dell. Would go with I7 chip, 1TB SSD, and at least 16 GB of memory. Would get separate graphics card not intergrated. Now price is not too cheap but should last a long time. I think one could get a design like this for $750 to $950 just look for sales out there.

    I just checked this on Newegg. Looking at laptops, with Intel I7 cpu, 17 inch screen, a minimum of 16 gigs of RAM, 1 TB SSD and Nvidia graphics, then sorted by price – the lowest cost model is $1,569. The second lowest is $1,669.

    I think you have grossly underestimated the cost. If you’re not a gamer, you really don’t need separate Nvidia graphics. And if you eliminate the Nvidia graphics, the price range starts at around $800.
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,254
    qbrozen said:

    I love how, when some people lowball an item you have for sale, they'll add "cash" as if it means something. Like ... "here's a set of used tires for $400" to which the message is "$250 cash." Well, what the heck else do you think I'd be accepting? $250 in food stamps perhaps?

    Maybe they think you offer financing.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,254
    henryn said:

    qbrozen said:

    I love how, when some people lowball an item you have for sale, they'll add "cash" as if it means something. Like ... "here's a set of used tires for $400" to which the message is "$250 cash." Well, what the heck else do you think I'd be accepting? $250 in food stamps perhaps?

    I have been guilty of that in the past, but not so much anymore. Another trick I learned going back nearly 50 years ago -- when negotiating, in person, pull out the wad of money from your pocket and show the seller you actually have the funds, right here, right now. These days, they are more likely to go to the ATM machine, as very few carry cash.

    When I bought my present used truck, we did the transaction at the bank. I told him he could come with me to the bank, and watch the teller make out the cashier's check. There are numerous stories out there about fake cashier's checks.
    The bank is the only place I’d do a large transaction. These days if you pull out a wad of cash you’re likely to get hit over the head and robbed.

    In the early days of Craigslist there were numerous stories of someone going to the country at midnight to get a great deal on a car only to lose the cash and their own car.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,483
    got ambitious today and finally looked up local radio stations, and put in stations for all the available presets in my Maverick. So now I have about 15 stations to pick from instead of 1! only been 6 months since I moved up here so was probably about time.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • ventureventure Member Posts: 3,172
    driver100 said:

    Coming out of the coffee shop after tennis this was parked on the lot outside;

    '56 Chevy Nomad. Nice.

    2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,690
    @stickguy
    My two cent's worth: Have you considered keeping you current laptop and upgrading the RAM size if it will hold more? Have you tried removing malware and junk that might be slowing it down?

    Our friends have a casual use desktop. It has 4 GB of ram. It can hold 16. Everytime it's running slow when I'm working on it, I check ctrl-alt-delete and look at task manager and find its memory is overloaded and it's using the hard drive as additional RAM. Writing to and reading from a mechanical hard drive is slow.

    So I'm going to replace their memory with 16 GB (2x8GB, $25) and replace their 500 GB mechanical drive with a 500 SSD ($25).

    Also, I note that the "knowledge kings" who write reports on various stocks were commenting on Intel's disappointing financials yesterday. One stated that computer sales have been really slow, because people bought lots of computers at the beginning of the pandemic, and they are hanging onto those units now.

    So I'd expect some sales at various places, Office Depot, Staples, online stores, Microcenter in this area, to move stock. If you pick configurations and units that were trendy 6 months ago, typically the trends have moved on and you're still getting 95% of the latest and greatest performance. Son was sort of shopping for a gaming laptop to take with him when he travels on business. Currently he's using one of my Intel I3 laptops HP unit that's 6 to 8 years old.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    From Dennis O'Sullivan's column this week;
    QUESTION

    Last week I purchased a used car from a well-known car lot in town. I had the car for one week and the battery died. I was assured when buying the car that everything was checked out and that I would have years of maintenance free driving. I purchased a new battery and the used car lot will not assist in helping me pay for the battery. Does the battery fall under the mechanical safety and why is the dealer being such a jerk in not helping me out? They knew that I was a student and money was tight. My dad says that you can help me out with this battery cost.

    Thanks, Tina

    ANSWER

    The car you purchased was on the lot for over two months and the battery never at that time failed. A battery can be tested today and fail tomorrow so I do not think that the dealer intentionally sold you a car with a bad battery. They do have a thirty-day warranty on some parts and the battery was one of the warranted parts. You did not call them but went ahead and purchased a battery from Canadian Tire and then expected them to pay for that battery and the cost to install, which they have refused to do. This may have been a different outcome if you were somewhere far away but you were right here in town and you could have called the car lot. The car lot is going to offer you seventy-five dollars towards the cost of the battery, which they would have paid in their own shop.

    PS: Do not expect years of maintenance free driving with a car that has over 125000 miles.

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,483

    @stickguy
    My two cent's worth: Have you considered keeping you current laptop and upgrading the RAM size if it will hold more? Have you tried removing malware and junk that might be slowing it down?

    Our friends have a casual use desktop. It has 4 GB of ram. It can hold 16. Everytime it's running slow when I'm working on it, I check ctrl-alt-delete and look at task manager and find its memory is overloaded and it's using the hard drive as additional RAM. Writing to and reading from a mechanical hard drive is slow.

    So I'm going to replace their memory with 16 GB (2x8GB, $25) and replace their 500 GB mechanical drive with a 500 SSD ($25).

    Also, I note that the "knowledge kings" who write reports on various stocks were commenting on Intel's disappointing financials yesterday. One stated that computer sales have been really slow, because people bought lots of computers at the beginning of the pandemic, and they are hanging onto those units now.

    So I'd expect some sales at various places, Office Depot, Staples, online stores, Microcenter in this area, to move stock. If you pick configurations and units that were trendy 6 months ago, typically the trends have moved on and you're still getting 95% of the latest and greatest performance. Son was sort of shopping for a gaming laptop to take with him when he travels on business. Currently he's using one of my Intel I3 laptops HP unit that's 6 to 8 years old.

    it probably could use a deep clean again. But it does have 8 gigs of RAM already, and I think a 512 gig HD. The power supply cable is also broken again (electrical tape holding it to the plug). I already had to buy a replacement one of those once.

    pretty much just getting fiddly enough to just be nicer to get a fresh unit. I have no desire to start opening it up and messing around.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289
    driver100 said:

    From Dennis O'Sullivan's column this week;
    QUESTION

    Last week I purchased a used car from a well-known car lot in town. I had the car for one week and the battery died. I was assured when buying the car that everything was checked out and that I would have years of maintenance free driving. I purchased a new battery and the used car lot will not assist in helping me pay for the battery. Does the battery fall under the mechanical safety and why is the dealer being such a jerk in not helping me out? They knew that I was a student and money was tight. My dad says that you can help me out with this battery cost.

    Thanks, Tina

    ANSWER

    The car you purchased was on the lot for over two months and the battery never at that time failed. A battery can be tested today and fail tomorrow so I do not think that the dealer intentionally sold you a car with a bad battery. They do have a thirty-day warranty on some parts and the battery was one of the warranted parts. You did not call them but went ahead and purchased a battery from Canadian Tire and then expected them to pay for that battery and the cost to install, which they have refused to do. This may have been a different outcome if you were somewhere far away but you were right here in town and you could have called the car lot. The car lot is going to offer you seventy-five dollars towards the cost of the battery, which they would have paid in their own shop.

    PS: Do not expect years of maintenance free driving with a car that has over 125000 miles.

    ??? Since when could anyone get a car battery for $75?

    I will agree the customer should have contacted the dealer, but $75 is not even in the ball park.
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289

    @stickguy
    My two cent's worth: Have you considered keeping you current laptop and upgrading the RAM size if it will hold more? Have you tried removing malware and junk that might be slowing it down?

    Our friends have a casual use desktop. It has 4 GB of ram. It can hold 16. Everytime it's running slow when I'm working on it, I check ctrl-alt-delete and look at task manager and find its memory is overloaded and it's using the hard drive as additional RAM. Writing to and reading from a mechanical hard drive is slow.

    So I'm going to replace their memory with 16 GB (2x8GB, $25) and replace their 500 GB mechanical drive with a 500 SSD ($25).

    Also, I note that the "knowledge kings" who write reports on various stocks were commenting on Intel's disappointing financials yesterday. One stated that computer sales have been really slow, because people bought lots of computers at the beginning of the pandemic, and they are hanging onto those units now.

    So I'd expect some sales at various places, Office Depot, Staples, online stores, Microcenter in this area, to move stock. If you pick configurations and units that were trendy 6 months ago, typically the trends have moved on and you're still getting 95% of the latest and greatest performance. Son was sort of shopping for a gaming laptop to take with him when he travels on business. Currently he's using one of my Intel I3 laptops HP unit that's 6 to 8 years old.

    I agree enthusiastically with your intended upgrades, very much worthwhile. If this is a recent model laptop, have lots of fun prying open the back with "guitar pics" and hope you don't have to unlatch any of the flat ribbon connectors that are so easily broken.

    And by the way, Task Manager is "Ctrl-Shift-Esc", not "ctrl-alt-delete". :)
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,339
    I get a Task Manager window using Ctrl-Alt-Del. Never used the combo you posted.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • mlevinemlevine Member Posts: 591
    I need a laptop with higher end components as I have multiple programs from different clients that are dependent on processor, memory, and graphics card. I think certain times of the year one can get a great deal at best buy and costco that will be about $750 to $950. On a desktop it is easier to add more memory, update hard drive, and even graphics card in the future. Laptop is more difficult.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 263,426
    I'm using a hand me down laptop from my wife and daughter that they bought for the business 3 years ago. Dell branded, don't know much about the specs, but I replaced the hard disk with an SSD a year or so ago. Guy at the computer repair shop I used complemented me on the model they had picked.

    Girls now use MacBooks for all their needs - one at the studio, two at home.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,690
    ab348 said:

    I get a Task Manager window using Ctrl-Alt-Del. Never used the combo you posted.

    Me too. Is there a difference between brands? ctrl-shift-del gives me the settings page in Brave Browser.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,690
    Replacing the hard drive on my lapstops is a matter of removing two screws on a rectangular cover. IIRC there is a metal cover on the drive that is held down by two more screws or something. You just have to look at it and don't do anything quickly without being sure it's the right thing. The mechanical drive just
    unhooked from the two connectors, power and SATA, and it was in there. HOWEVER, I did use a fake external drive connector through the USB to copy the old drive to the new SSD using a program DiskGeniius to adjust the sizes of the partitions as I needed them to fit the new drive's smaller size.

    The memory strips are in another rectangular opening and they snap in and out. I watched a few videos on doing the memory changes for HP/Compaq laptops. The memory strips are smaller and more expensive for laptops.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • ventureventure Member Posts: 3,172

    ab348 said:

    I get a Task Manager window using Ctrl-Alt-Del. Never used the combo you posted.

    Me too. Is there a difference between brands? ctrl-shift-del gives me the settings page in Brave Browser.
    It's Ctrl-Shift-Esc

    2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,254
    henryn said:

    driver100 said:

    From Dennis O'Sullivan's column this week;
    QUESTION

    Last week I purchased a used car from a well-known car lot in town. I had the car for one week and the battery died. I was assured when buying the car that everything was checked out and that I would have years of maintenance free driving. I purchased a new battery and the used car lot will not assist in helping me pay for the battery. Does the battery fall under the mechanical safety and why is the dealer being such a jerk in not helping me out? They knew that I was a student and money was tight. My dad says that you can help me out with this battery cost.

    Thanks, Tina

    ANSWER

    The car you purchased was on the lot for over two months and the battery never at that time failed. A battery can be tested today and fail tomorrow so I do not think that the dealer intentionally sold you a car with a bad battery. They do have a thirty-day warranty on some parts and the battery was one of the warranted parts. You did not call them but went ahead and purchased a battery from Canadian Tire and then expected them to pay for that battery and the cost to install, which they have refused to do. This may have been a different outcome if you were somewhere far away but you were right here in town and you could have called the car lot. The car lot is going to offer you seventy-five dollars towards the cost of the battery, which they would have paid in their own shop.

    PS: Do not expect years of maintenance free driving with a car that has over 125000 miles.

    ??? Since when could anyone get a car battery for $75?

    I will agree the customer should have contacted the dealer, but $75 is not even in the ball park.
    Maybe they would swap it from one of their other cars.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289
    edited January 2023
    In the days of DOS, pre-Windows, ctrl-alt-del was used to do an instant reboot of the computer. Even now, if you’re in the BIOS settings, it will do an instant reboot. If Windows is running, then ctrl-alt-del will present you with a short menu:

    Lock
    Switch User
    Task Manager
    Change a password

    On the other hand, ctrl-shift-esc will directly launch Task Manager, no menu. That is, if Windows is running. If Windows isn’t running, it will do nothing.

    And none of the above is different for different brands. It is the same for all computers (desktops or notebooks) running Windows. And any version of Windows, going back quite a ways.
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • henrynhenryn Member Posts: 4,289

    Replacing the hard drive on my lapstops is a matter of removing two screws on a rectangular cover. IIRC there is a metal cover on the drive that is held down by two more screws or something. You just have to look at it and don't do anything quickly without being sure it's the right thing. The mechanical drive just
    unhooked from the two connectors, power and SATA, and it was in there. HOWEVER, I did use a fake external drive connector through the USB to copy the old drive to the new SSD using a program DiskGeniius to adjust the sizes of the partitions as I needed them to fit the new drive's smaller size.

    The memory strips are in another rectangular opening and they snap in and out. I watched a few videos on doing the memory changes for HP/Compaq laptops. The memory strips are smaller and more expensive for laptops.

    This used to be normal for laptops / notebooks. These days, very rare, almost unheard of. Now you have to remove the entire back panel. Take out about 10 or 12 tiny screws, then pry off the plastic back panel using small tools that look very much like plastic guitar pics.

    And on some laptops, there are one or two screws that have to be removed from the front. You can only access those screws after removing the keyboard. Major PITA. I really miss the days when there were separate small panels on the back to expose the memory and the hard drive.
    2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chrysler Pacifica
  • driver100driver100 Member Posts: 32,594
    henryn said:

    driver100 said:

    From Dennis O'Sullivan's column this week;
    QUESTION

    Last week I purchased a used car from a well-known car lot in town. I had the car for one week and the battery died. I was assured when buying the car that everything was checked out and that I would have years of maintenance free driving. I purchased a new battery and the used car lot will not assist in helping me pay for the battery. Does the battery fall under the mechanical safety and why is the dealer being such a jerk in not helping me out? They knew that I was a student and money was tight. My dad says that you can help me out with this battery cost.

    Thanks, Tina

    ANSWER

    The car you purchased was on the lot for over two months and the battery never at that time failed. A battery can be tested today and fail tomorrow so I do not think that the dealer intentionally sold you a car with a bad battery. They do have a thirty-day warranty on some parts and the battery was one of the warranted parts. You did not call them but went ahead and purchased a battery from Canadian Tire and then expected them to pay for that battery and the cost to install, which they have refused to do. This may have been a different outcome if you were somewhere far away but you were right here in town and you could have called the car lot. The car lot is going to offer you seventy-five dollars towards the cost of the battery, which they would have paid in their own shop.

    PS: Do not expect years of maintenance free driving with a car that has over 125000 miles.

    ??? Since when could anyone get a car battery for $75?

    I will agree the customer should have contacted the dealer, but $75 is not even in the ball park.
    I think they are offering her their cost for the battery....dealer cost price, not the full retail price she paid at another garage.

    2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250

This discussion has been closed.