Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
I met with my new CFP today. He was impressed by my spreadsheet of assets (pretty sure he is used to getting some random statements, a ballpark guess, or a blank stare). Had a nice chat. Pretty sure he gave me permission to fat finger a bid on a Porsche (I hear that is a popular thing these days), but I need to figure out how to craft that message to the wife.

I did plant the seed after putting the new truck in the garage finally, and mentioning that since we have the white and blue, just need a red car to be ready for the 4th of July!

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I can foresee a parade of footprints all over your body if you propose that.

jmonroe

laurasdada

Isn't a Porsche an asset?

stickguy

laurasdada said:

Isn't a Porsche an asset?

good point. I just need to add another asset class, and move the cost from the money in the bank column to the car in the garage column.

Michaell

Member needs help pricing an old Pontiac for sale

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I met with my new CFP today. He was impressed by my spreadsheet of assets (pretty sure he is used to getting some random statements, a ballpark guess, or a blank stare). Had a nice chat. Pretty sure he gave me permission to fat finger a bid on a Porsche (I hear that is a popular thing these days), but I need to figure out how to craft that message to the wife.

I did plant the seed after putting the new truck in the garage finally, and mentioning that since we have the white and blue, just need a red car to be ready for the 4th of July!

Agreeing to remodel the kitchen took care of most of my wife's reservations.

stickguy

that might have changed the answer to the "can I retire?" question from yes, to no.

at this point, if I stop suggesting (threatening?) to sell her car, and leave her a garage spot, she won't complain. But after having 2 cars again for 5 days, and even using both at the same time for maybe the first time since we moved here, we still really don't need 2. so 3, seems like a stretch!

Michaell

stickguy said:

that might have changed the answer to the "can I retire?" question from yes, to no.

at this point, if I stop suggesting (threatening?) to sell her car, and leave her a garage spot, she won't complain. But after having 2 cars again for 5 days, and even using both at the same time for maybe the first time since we moved here, we still really don't need 2. so 3, seems like a stretch!

See? The longer you live with just a single car, the easier it gets.

It will be 4 years this August that the Jetta was returned. If - and only if - I get a job that pays well enough and requires a regular commute, the wife might agree to a second car.

stickguy

we did it for 14 months after I sold the TLX and until the 1st Maverick arrived. Never thought I would make it that long. But, it was partially during lockdown days (10/20 - 12/21) which made it easier. Would never have tried it if either one of us ever went into the office.

back to 2 worked out well (especially one being a PU) the year we had 2 with doing all the moving and running around looking at houses. Once we got up here though, not longer a real need.

one thing I do like is having a back-up on hand. Thankfully we never had the Acura go down (being almost brand new makes it easier) but if it did, we were hosed. So even a bomber in the driveway covers in an emergency!

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100 said:

I didn't know what an under the car washer was so I looked it up on Amazon. Now I get ads for about 5 different ones every day. This one comes with all kinds of attachments.

It isn't something I would buy....I sometimes get an undercarriage wash...once or twice a year.

People who live in areas of salted roads and streets should get under care washes at least once a week. Same for dusty or muddy areas. I have not come across car washes that offer that service.

All the car washes in Ontario have undercarriage washes.....at least if not available for a basic wash it is an option. I can't always get to a real wash so I use a DIY wash about 75% of time.....no undercarriage unless I crawl under, which I am not doing. But, as long as we go to Florida, for the winter undercarriage isn't that necessary.

roadburner

When we remodeled the kitchen and family room I got the MS3, a Kuro Elite and a Denon 7.1 HTR.

explorerx4

Do I ever want to rent from this company again? Not sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5UFmGHDtzI

stickguy

They are the cheapest trucks, so yup.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

When we remodeled the kitchen and family room I got the MS3, a Kuro Elite and a Denon 7.1 HTR.

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Yikes, that sounds like you were trying to commit suicide. You must not have sharp razor blades in your house.

jmonroe

abacomike

When I had my G90 ceramic coated, I was told by the company to stay away from automatic car washes as they tend to lower the life expectancy of the ceramic application because the high speed washer strips attached to the cleaning cylinders slowly eats away at the ceramic coating.

So I have my car hand washed at the mall for $22.00 exterior and $42.00 for the interior and exterior. The coating (1 coat) needs to be reapplied every 2 years at a nominal cost to maintain surfaces in climates like mine and because it is parked outside 24/7. My car is also used as a target by a variety of birds - not to mention tree sap.

What’s nice is that the car never needs waxing. Water beads up nicely after a rain shower (or hurricane!!!)!

ab348

I guess things in the car wash biz here are different than in some other places. All of the old spinning-brush type washes here have been replaced with touchless washes where only water jets touch the vehicle. Not so good if your vehicle is covered in goop but better for the paint apparently.

stickguy

The detail guy fixing my truck had just pulled in a nice red jag convertible for a ceramic coat job. I should ask what that costs.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

The detail guy fixing my truck had just pulled in a nice red jag convertible for a ceramic coat job. I should ask what that costs.

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While you’re at it ask him what his second choice is if not doing the ceramic thingy.

jmonroe

stickguy

Wax.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Wax.

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Yeah, but what kind?

jmonroe

tjc78

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

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I’ve used worse.

jmonroe

abacomike

The results of my ultrasound were alarming to me, once again! Deja Vu from 6-1/2 years ago.

Most of you remember I had my liver resected due to three malignant tumors in September of 2016. It was discovered by an ultrasound. Well, the ultrasound revealed a 2-1/2 cm lesion in the right lobe. Doctor ordered a STAT PET-CT Scan but the earliest available appointment is for June 9th at 7:00 AM.

Needless to say, it shocked me since I just saw my oncologist 3 weeks ago and he did not order my yearly Pet-CT Scan since he considered me cancer free after 6-1/2 years of negative scans. Couple this with my back problems causing me to use a walker to ambulate and I am ready to give up.

Chemo is not effective in killing these types of cancers and radiation is devastating to the liver. Hopefully they will be able to excise it again.

Going to be a long haul - PET SCAN followed by gastroenterologist followed by biopsy, etc.

laurasdada

Good luck, Mike. You've been through (too) much, one more hurdle.
You're a strong man, you'll get it done and enjoy life and family.

laurasdada

Online savings account now 5.01% apy.
Gonna party like it's 1979!

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

I saw this on a Consumer Segment on TV News;
An Ontario couple says they've been hit with unexpected costs after their new electric vehicle's ability to sustain a charge is 'nowhere near' what was advertised.

"My wife took a job up in Barrie, Ont., and she has to commute 60 miles each way and we were paying over $1,000 in gas," Jack Fleming, of Etobicoke, Ont., told CTV News Toronto Monday.

Fleming said before buying an all-electric Volvo C40 Recharge, he checked the vehicle’s range, which was advertised as 250 miles on a full charge.

"Even if it didn't hit that if it hit 180 miles or 150 miles, we just need enough to drive 60 miles (120 miles round trip) with a bit of a safety margin, so she doesn’t have to worry she won’t make it home,” Fleming explained.
Fleming says he made the $72,000 purchase in November and that it wasn’t long after that he and his wife became concerned about the distance the car was travelling on each charge.

“We are only getting about 130 miles per charge – nowhere near what they’re advertising,” Fleming said. “That's like 60 per cent of what they are advertising.”

Full story: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-couple-says-new-electric-vehicle-s-charge-capacity-nowhere-near-what-was-advertised-1.6379080

Volvo says they are working on making the range longer and faster charging!
Range anxiety is a big problem, and it seems....with good reason!

Range is affected by weather (what? it gets cold in Canada? I'm shocked!). And, if the driver uses features like heated seats, that also drains the battery.

Perhaps more research was needed before making the purchase - there are lots of forums on the interwebs with posts from owners about actual range, not the "claimed" range from the manufacturer.

All true.......but we are fairly knowledgeable car people, not your average gullible consumer who believes what the car companies say. A lot of people think they are doing the right thing and saving the planet, but they don't have a clue about how to investigate before spending $72000.

The interest in EV cars is waning, unless they come up with a solution to range anxiety, and actual range.

btw....not just cold weather will drain the battery, how about a 2 or 3 hour traffic delay, which can happen anywhere?

Not only does cold weather drain the battery but hot weather can also drain your battery. Also there are many things that people do all the time that can shorten the life of your batteries. Things such as fast charging, charging over 80% and recharging before dropping below 20%.

jmonroe1

@abacomike, we didn’t want to hear that but with your track record of fighting things you’ll beat this too.

Good luck.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@snakeweasel said:
Not only does cold weather drain the battery but hot weather can also drain your battery. Also there are many things that people do all the time that can shorten the life of your batteries. Things such as fast charging, charging over 80% and recharging before dropping below 20%.

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There are too many things to consider with an EV. When you have to think about all the things you have to do to get the most out of your car, you have the wrong car.

Years ago when you had too many thoughts about all the things that could go wrong with your old car, you’d probably get another one to alleviate your anxieties. Today if you buy an EV, your thinking starts from day one.

Someday we’ll get there but it won’t happen too soon.

jmonroe

pensfan83

For those that invest the time to assess whether it fits their needs and lifestyle, I would venture a guess those are not the people making shocked Pikachu faces when they find out cold weather, highway driving, and protocol for recharging the battery are variables that must be factored into the purchase.

snakeweasel

explorerx4 said:

Do I ever want to rent from this company again? Not sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5UFmGHDtzI

Big mistake giving up control of the company to the kids, especially when he had so many. That's just asking for trouble.

snakeweasel

tjc78 said:

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

I used Turtle wax once. It didn't work well on my turtle.

stickguy

had a scare early this week. I looked at the Ford Pass app and saw a few messages so I opened them, and it was "deep sleep" reports from Monday and Tuesday evenings. that is something Ford does if you battery is low on charge (basically turns everything off trying to preserve enough juice to get it to start). Needless to say, with a 4 day ownership so far (and quite a bit of long driving done) was not happy to be getting that. Usually means a defective battery (unless you left the lights on) but sometimes an issue with the electrical system (leading to the dead battery).

after looking closer, I finally noticed the name of the car (you have to call it something in the app) and realized I was still connected to the old truck. And that was the one having the problem (probably from sitting for months). So deleted that and much more relaxed! though forgot to check location on it first, rookie mistake.

tjc78

My Volvo goes to sleep after about 10 days. It will no longer communicate to the App.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

The results of my ultrasound were alarming to me, once again! Deja Vu from 6-1/2 years ago.

Most of you remember I had my liver resected due to three malignant tumors in September of 2016. It was discovered by an ultrasound. Well, the ultrasound revealed a 2-1/2 cm lesion in the right lobe. Doctor ordered a STAT PET-CT Scan but the earliest available appointment is for June 9th at 7:00 AM.

Needless to say, it shocked me since I just saw my oncologist 3 weeks ago and he did not order my yearly Pet-CT Scan since he considered me cancer free after 6-1/2 years of negative scans. Couple this with my back problems causing me to use a walker to ambulate and I am ready to give up.

Chemo is not effective in killing these types of cancers and radiation is devastating to the liver. Hopefully they will be able to excise it again.

Going to be a long haul - PET SCAN followed by gastroenterologist followed by biopsy, etc.

Sorry to hear that Mike.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

had a scare early this week. I looked at the Ford Pass app and saw a few messages so I opened them, and it was "deep sleep" reports from Monday and Tuesday evenings. that is something Ford does if you battery is low on charge (basically turns everything off trying to preserve enough juice to get it to start). Needless to say, with a 4 day ownership so far (and quite a bit of long driving done) was not happy to be getting that. Usually means a defective battery (unless you left the lights on) but sometimes an issue with the electrical system (leading to the dead battery).

after looking closer, I finally noticed the name of the car (you have to call it something in the app) and realized I was still connected to the old truck. And that was the one having the problem (probably from sitting for months). So deleted that and much more relaxed! though forgot to check location on it first, rookie mistake.

Maybe you should call the new owner up and tell him. He’s probably wondering why he can’t put his truck on the app since somebody named “stick” is already there.

stickguy

he can now since I dropped it. though likely could have anyway since you just need the vin and access to the car to hit accept on the screen. Not sure though if 2 people can have it at the same time, or if that would have dropped me off anyway.

tjc78

Damn Mike. Tough news. We know you’re a fighter. Go after it and like I said during my battle with it. “F” cancer.

The crazy group is here for you!

explorerx4

@abacomike,
Recently, I had an ultrasound done on my liver and gallbladder.
Under the results list under Lesions was a 1.9 cm cyst.
The GI doc said it was nothing to worry about.
Maybe because you previously had cancer there, they are concerned.

tjc78

Quiet days at the shore are over! Ran over to pickup pizza. It’s a two person affair. One to run in the other to wait with the car.

Driving my Friend’s Escalade.

stickguy

we are looking forward to our week. only about 6 or 7 weeks to go now!

going to be harsh this year, having to leave super early and fight the GSP instead of a leisurely short drive the back way!

explorerx4

We (extended family) are going back to the OBX (Hatteras) for the first time since 2019.
Rented a big house with a pool and just a short walk to the beach.

explorerx4

Bad week. Kids had to put one of their dogs down due to total kidney failure.
Am missing you JoJo. She was a happy goofy dog.
When she wanted or needed to go for a walk, she would keep bothering you.
Once you said OK, she would make you chase her around for a bit.
Her favorite was the jmonroe, run around the dining room table.
She also hid under the table or ran into the basement into her crate or ran upstairs and 'hid' at the top of the stairs. Just a sweetheart of a dog.

sda

This is a typical look at the every other week I have to drive to the office. I reset the trip odometer before starting the commute, so 400+ miles in 5 days. Note the traveling range left on a single fill up. Take that EVs! I averaged around 35-40 mpg per trip.

sda

explorerx4 said:

Bad week. Kids had to put one of their dogs down due to total kidney failure.
Am missing you JoJo. She was a happy goofy dog.
When she wanted or needed to go for a walk, she would keep bothering you.
Once you said OK, she would make you chase her around for a bit.
Her favorite was the jmonroe, run around the dining room table.
She also hid under the table or ran into the basement into her crate or ran upstairs and 'hid' at the top of the stairs. Just a sweetheart of a dog.

We are going through the same struggles with our Calli. I feel for you and your family.

explorerx4

@sda,
They said to get her temporarily healthy with a complete blood transfusion was going to be about 10K and that wouldn't fix the real problem.
Her half sister is just now figuring out that she is not going to be back.

qbrozen

@tjc78 said:
Quiet days at the shore are over!

They are over inland, too. Wife called this afternoon to say the Fiat making a noise. Sigh. I grabbed the trailer and went to fetch her and the car. This was about 3:30. Took me about 15 mins just to get on the highway, rather than the usual 5 mins. Folks all heading to 6 Flags, it would seem.

roadburner

abacomike said:

The results of my ultrasound were alarming to me, once again! Deja Vu from 6-1/2 years ago.

Most of you remember I had my liver resected due to three malignant tumors in September of 2016. It was discovered by an ultrasound. Well, the ultrasound revealed a 2-1/2 cm lesion in the right lobe. Doctor ordered a STAT PET-CT Scan but the earliest available appointment is for June 9th at 7:00 AM.

Needless to say, it shocked me since I just saw my oncologist 3 weeks ago and he did not order my yearly Pet-CT Scan since he considered me cancer free after 6-1/2 years of negative scans. Couple this with my back problems causing me to use a walker to ambulate and I am ready to give up.

Chemo is not effective in killing these types of cancers and radiation is devastating to the liver. Hopefully they will be able to excise it again.

Going to be a long haul - PET SCAN followed by gastroenterologist followed by biopsy, etc.

Hang in there!

jmonroe1

@explorerx4 said:
@sda,
They said to get her temporarily healthy with a complete blood transfusion was going to be about 10K and that wouldn't fix the real problem.
Her half sister is just now figuring out that she is not going to be back.

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Man, those are tough decisions to make without a chance of full recovery. If it means anything I would have done the same thing.

Both of my sons were faced with making that decision for their dogs that were around 14 years old for one and 15 years old for the other. Their kids still talk about their dogs that are gone.

Only time helps.

jmonroe

stickguy

Losing a dog is hard. Takes a part of your heart with them. But I learned in the dog rescue business, saving another dog is the best way to get over the loss. and you save another dog potentially.

ronsteve

@explorerx4 said:
Bad week. Kids had to put one of their dogs down due to total kidney failure.
Am missing you JoJo. She was a happy goofy dog.
When she wanted or needed to go for a walk, she would keep bothering you.
Once you said OK, she would make you chase her around for a bit.
Her favorite was the jmonroe, run around the dining room table.
She also hid under the table or ran into the basement into her crate or ran upstairs and 'hid' at the top of the stairs. Just a sweetheart of a dog.

Sorry for the loss of your grand-dog. They’re family as much as the ones we actually bring into the world.

kyfdx

The neighbor's dog had to be put down, yesterday. Even that hurts.