Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

I don't think those people know any more than we do.  They are good at sudden expertism no matter what happens and will tell you they could see it coming beforehand.  Herd mentality is not a good investment strategy, IMHO.</</p>

blockquote>

Perfectly stated: When the big crash came in 2008 I wanted to get $100k on my line of credit and invest it. I just couldn't do it, but I would have more than doubled my investment, in 7 years!



I usually reinvest my dividends but I was going to start using them to pay off the Mustang note. Now if I reinvest I'll be buying at a much lower price. I'm looking for another source of car payment money now. Can't afford not to buy low.


Everyone buys all other goods when they are at sale prices.........stocks, people don't buy, they are treated as tainted goods when they are at bargain prices.

driver100

ab348 said:

I have had it with the markets. The last week is just the tip of the iceberg. I have a smallish portfolio that has really done nothing overall for the last year or so. Some things up slightly, but some supposedly high-quality stuff has done nothing but go down for a year. The thing has just oscillated sideways the whole time. Overall I don't think I got even a 5% return overall for the portfolio over the last year. Now of course all bets are off. I would actually be happy with 5% annually if I could get it without all the drama. I am ready to fire my investment lady.

The markets...Canada and especially USA were doing very well until this latest "correction". The market is about your best hope for earning some retirement dollars. Don't get discouraged, if the market only went up all the time it wouldn't be a market - it would be a Ponzi scheme.

They said on the news tonight if you had bailed at the bottom in 2008 you would have baled out losing about 50% of your money...if you had bought at the bottom your investment would almost have tripled. The best you can do is hold tight, or buy more if you have some extra cash.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 said:

"And it has 4 doors...not sure where they sit in the rear.

Now that would be a classy way to take your produce to market."


Yeah, just build a plywood box on top to class it up.

I imagine those rear doors are welded shut to maintain rigidity with that rear roof section removed. I assume this is either a factory retrofit or done by a specialty shop that builds for the funeral industry. The ad says it has a stainless steel bed. I wonder if it's removeable and what's underneath.

That's the trouble when you watch Fast & Loud while looking at CL ads.

Talking about truck beds. My BIL has a ranger truck and though he takes care of it the metal bed in his truck is all dinged up and the metal under the rear window has big dents in it - from carrying firewood.

His son just bought a Toyota Tacoma truck and the bed is all nicely lined....looks pretty dent proof. It is a great little truck for just over $20k.

abacomike

I saw a Lexus RC 350 "F" Coupe parked next to me in that new Silver Gray color with what looked to be 19" wheels.  Gorgeous looking car.  Isn't that the car carnaught just got recently?  If I was looking for a coupe with great lines and performance, I certainly would take a long look at this car.

The research I did on the car said that the F Sport Package was about $3800.  So the car probably MSRP'd at about $58,000 with those great looking wheels.

By the way, that huge grille certainly adds a sleek dimension to that car.  It is not as pronounced as the grille on the F Sport LS 460.  I definitely like this car!

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Driver100 said:

"And it has 4 doors...not sure where they sit in the rear.

Now that would be a classy way to take your produce to market."


Yeah, just build a plywood box on top to class it up.

I imagine those rear doors are welded shut to maintain rigidity with that rear roof section removed. I assume this is either a factory retrofit or done by a specialty shop that builds for the funeral industry. The ad says it has a stainless steel bed. I wonder if it's removeable and what's underneath.

That's the trouble when you watch Fast & Loud while looking at CL ads.

Talking about truck beds. My BIL has a ranger truck and though he takes care of it the metal bed in his truck is all dinged up and the metal under the rear window has big dents in it - from carrying firewood.

His son just bought a Toyota Tacoma truck and the bed is all nicely lined....looks pretty dent proof. It is a great little truck for just over $20k.

I've actually been looking at CL for a replacement for the old GMC van. It's on it's last legs and even if I retire from farming I'd like a junk hauler just in case.

ab348

driver100 said:

The markets...Canada and especially USA were doing very well until this latest "correction". The market is about your best hope for earning some retirement dollars. Don't get discouraged, if the market only went up all the time it wouldn't be a market - it would be a Ponzi scheme.

They said on the news tonight if you had bailed at the bottom in 2008 you would have baled out losing about 50% of your money...if you had bought at the bottom your investment would almost have tripled. The best you can do is hold tight, or buy more if you have some extra cash.

Yes, that's the problem. Up until April or May the reports were that the markets were bubbling along happily. But that wasn't really reflected in my holdings. A few items were doing well but others were going the other way even then. I simply don't trust either the markets or the advice I was getting.

As an example - my advisor talked me into taking $40K in cash I was sitting on and putting it into a balanced fund back in January. I made $2K in the first 3 months. But as of a week ago 2/3rds of that gain was gone and I didn't look at it today but I expect it is probably back where it started if not worse. All I wanted was something a bit better than a savings account. That's what I mean by bad advice, though I am just as much to blame for trusting them.

In '08 I held on because I realized there was no sense locking in those losses by selling. That's what I was thinking about this morning when everything was going straight down at the opening bell, all those panicky people locking in their losses by selling. I wasn't about to do that. But man, I am sick of the drama and anxiety. Like I said previously, if only there was a safe, drama-free fixed return security... I am going to look into bond funds when this all settles out.

explorerx4

Not a financial expert in the least, but I can't help thinking Wall Street is willing deal with some relatively short term pain to avoid a rate hike. If there isn't an initial rate hike, they can't become a trend.
Oil is the same thing, drop the price to beat down the shale oil producers.

mako1a

Here's a tidbit of info I found researching the worlds fastest speeding ticket. (after watching Top Gear)
Ohio writes more speeding tickets than any other state in the nation. Pennsylvania, New York, and California are next on the list.

bwia

stickguy said:

RUG gas in Fredericksburg VA today was 2.02.9 at the exxon. Nice!

As long as the dollar continues to rise or remains the same oil prices will fall or remain stable.

World oil prices are denominated in US dollars. Because the US economy is stronger and more stable than the rest of the world its currency is more valuable (stronger). As a result the price of any commodity denominated in US dollars will fall in comparison to the dollar. 

Good news for motorists yes, but bad news for American business since export goods become expensive for foreigners to buy.  This in turn slows down production and sales and ultimately corporate profits. 

Moral of the story you cannot have your cake and eat it too. 

graphicguy

Dino....conspiracy? No!

Collussion? Yes!

Simple economics....supply is up....demand is down....and in a free fall given China's dramatically cooling economy, demand is going to fall even further. There is no solid fundamental economic basis to support gas prices as high as they are.

I appreciate your views, I just don't agree with them. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

The markets...Canada and especially USA were doing very well until this latest "correction". The market is about your best hope for earning some retirement dollars. Don't get discouraged, if the market only went up all the time it wouldn't be a market - it would be a Ponzi scheme.

They said on the news tonight if you had bailed at the bottom in 2008 you would have baled out losing about 50% of your money...if you had bought at the bottom your investment would almost have tripled. The best you can do is hold tight, or buy more if you have some extra cash.

Yes, that's the problem. Up until April or May the reports were that the markets were bubbling along happily. But that wasn't really reflected in my holdings. A few items were doing well but others were going the other way even then. I simply don't trust either the markets or the advice I was getting.

As an example - my advisor talked me into taking $40K in cash I was sitting on and putting it into a balanced fund back in January. I made $2K in the first 3 months. But as of a week ago 2/3rds of that gain was gone and I didn't look at it today but I expect it is probably back where it started if not worse. All I wanted was something a bit better than a savings account. That's what I mean by bad advice, though I am just as much to blame for trusting them.

In '08 I held on because I realized there was no sense locking in those losses by selling. That's what I was thinking about this morning when everything was going straight down at the opening bell, all those panicky people locking in their losses by selling. I wasn't about to do that. But man, I am sick of the drama and anxiety. Like I said previously, if only there was a safe, drama-free fixed return security... I am going to look into bond funds when this all settles out.

Advisors sometimes make commissions for selling mutual funds, and some funds pay larger commissions than others, some not so scrupulous advisors like to sell those funds...not the best but they pay higher commissions. We had a guy like that when we didn't have much money anyway, so I learned my lesson.

If you have a limited amount of savings, about $50k or less, and you don't know what to buy, just buy a good standard index fund.....and now is a good time to buy. Even bank index funds are pretty good and the fees aren't high. The index will go up over time, and you don't have to buy and sell.

IMHO Balanced Funds are kind of in no man's land, you get a bit of safety from bonds, and some stocks for more potential growth. I would prefer to buy them separately myself. These days bonds don't pay a lot, so only go about 20% max on bonds. In fact, I wouldn't even consider bonds at this time, by the time you pay taxes on any growth you won't even keep pace with inflation.

Actually, you didn't do too badly with your investment, there wasn't much of an alternative at the time and few things would have done better, except maybe an index or equity (stock) fund.

Not everyone loses money when stocks go down. One friend gave me the name of a stock 2 weeks ago, it was $59.60 cents. Today he sold it for $65.15. The stock is one that sells short....he studied the market and found a stock that sells short, so it goes up when the market goes down.

driver100

mako1a said:

Here's a tidbit of info I found researching the worlds fastest speeding ticket. (after watching Top Gear)
Ohio writes more speeding tickets than any other state in the nation. Pennsylvania, New York, and California are next on the list.

I'll have to remember that on the way to and from Florida. Is that speeding tickets per capita or overall?

Hard to believe when you see all those police cars lined up along I-75 going through Tennessee and Georgia.

nyccarguy

I'm not a financial expert by any means either. I have absolutely NO idea how the stock market works. Sometimes a company's earnings and profits are down. That company didn't meet Wall Street's expectations. The stock goes up. Other times a company's earnings and profits are up. They beat "the street's" expectations. The stock goes down.

I've been saying for a while that it can't be good for the stock market to be breaking records on a daily basis. I also see the same games being played by the mortgage companies as they did back before the recession. We are in the midst of a correction and haven't hit bottom yet. I think the low interest rates are propping up the economy (and have been for years now). The low interest rates are driving the real estate market. They are sure as heck driving the record new car sales. Even somebody with tier 2 or tier 3 credit probably qualifies for an interest rate on a car loan that I would have gotten say 5 - 6 years ago with my stellar credit.

Falling oil prices are very good for my business. Many of my customers own buildings that run on #2 heating oil. Their business model is built on oil costing $.75 - $1.00 per gallon. They can't raise rents just because oil jumps up to $3.00 & $4.00 per gallon. If my customers are spending tens of thousands of dollars of money on oil during the winter, they won't spend the money to renovate vacant apartments during the summer.

I can also say that business is consistently inconsistent. There are days we are so busy that I don't have time to sit & have lunch. Then we have days when I've got a lot of work to do, but have to find things for my workers to do. Before the recession we used to be steadily busy. Rush in the AM, slower in the middle of the day, PM rush at 3:00 when city inspectors go home, busy close to closing for the guys who are picking material up for 1st thing next AM.

graphicguy

abacomike said:

I saw a Lexus RC 350 "F" Coupe parked next to me in that new Silver Gray color with what looked to be 19" wheels.  Gorgeous looking car.  Isn't that the car carnaught just got recently?  If I was looking for a coupe with great lines and performance, I certainly would take a long look at this car.

The research I did on the car said that the F Sport Package was about $3800.  So the car probably MSRP'd at about $58,000 with those great looking wheels.

By the way, that huge grille certainly adds a sleek dimension to that car.  It is not as pronounced as the grille on the F Sport LS 460.  I definitely like this car!

Mike....I just saw an IS350 F Sport parked at my bank this afternoon. It wasn't the coupe. It was the sedan, though. Same silver grey with red leather interior. Beautiful car....beautiful paint job. Sharp all the way around. I asked the owner what he thought of the car when he came out. He's had it for about 7 months and only had a tire rotation (free). No problems at all (which interested me the most). Said the dealer was good (two Lexus dealers in Cincinnati area, both owned by the same firm..Performance Automotive). Took good care of him.

I haven't test driven one in awhile. I remember it was a good drive, though. Quick. Handled quite well. Road well. High quality. Well put together. High quality materials.

My sister and I took our investments and pooled them to buy real estate back in 2008. We bought low. So far, so good! Have very few funds still in investment vehicles that aren't tied to something tangible.

Cadillac update. Still not fixed and no "new" news! Still sitting in dealership service dept.

nyccarguy

Interesting economic note. I sat next to a Canadian guy at the Yankees game last Friday night. He told me about mortgages in Canada. You MUST have 20% to put down and no mortgage is longer than 25 years.

nyccarguy

@graphicguy - Ive got you pegged for an IS350 AWD FSport once you sort out your Caddy problems and they buy the car back from you.

berri

Here's a thought; China has been attacking us through cyberspace for some time now with no real repercussions. Remember, the majority of China's investors are Chinese, not Wall Street or the west. So what if China is deliberately letting their market slide right now so it appears to "legitimately" drive down their currency? The result will be a further strengthening of the US Dollar making us less competitive in the global markets. Similar impact on Europe. But it's just economics, right? Phase two of China's attacks against the US? Don't forget, besides all the inside info they've obtained through cyber war on us, they also have some formidable anti satellites in space waiting to knock out our satellites as a complement to electronic warfare through the internet. Add to all of this that the US currently is stuck with a dysfunctional White House and Congress. Might be some very smart military maneuvering without having to lift a weapon or deploy a troop? But don't worry, the press keeps saying China needs us (or should that be needs us out of the way).

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

@graphicguy - Ive got you pegged for an IS350 AWD FSport once you sort out your Caddy problems and they buy the car back from you.

Bradd...not thinking of that yet. I still think I have a long fight with Cadillac ahead of me. I'm entrenched and willing to get this caatastrophe out of my life and have Cadillac do what's right for a change with how they've treated me so far. I do like the IS, though.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

The markets...Canada and especially USA were doing very well until this latest "correction". The market is about your best hope for earning some retirement dollars. Don't get discouraged, if the market only went up all the time it wouldn't be a market - it would be a Ponzi scheme.

They said on the news tonight if you had bailed at the bottom in 2008 you would have baled out losing about 50% of your money...if you had bought at the bottom your investment would almost have tripled. The best you can do is hold tight, or buy more if you have some extra cash.

Yes, that's the problem. Up until April or May the reports were that the markets were bubbling along happily. But that wasn't really reflected in my holdings. A few items were doing well but others were going the other way even then. I simply don't trust either the markets or the advice I was getting.

As an example - my advisor talked me into taking $40K in cash I was sitting on and putting it into a balanced fund back in January. I made $2K in the first 3 months. But as of a week ago 2/3rds of that gain was gone and I didn't look at it today but I expect it is probably back where it started if not worse. All I wanted was something a bit better than a savings account. That's what I mean by bad advice, though I am just as much to blame for trusting them.

In '08 I held on because I realized there was no sense locking in those losses by selling. That's what I was thinking about this morning when everything was going straight down at the opening bell, all those panicky people locking in their losses by selling. I wasn't about to do that. But man, I am sick of the drama and anxiety. Like I said previously, if only there was a safe, drama-free fixed return security... I am going to look into bond funds when this all settles out.

But they say bond funds are the worst investment you can make in a rising rate environment. I was watching Suze Ormand on PBS the other night and she said to buy individual bonds instead of bond funds because you can't lose principle if you hold them to maturity.

I know I invested in a junk bond fund and made about 5% on average but the the interest rate fears have eroded the principle to the point where the interest has been canceled out. Can't win.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

mako1a said:

Here's a tidbit of info I found researching the worlds fastest speeding ticket. (after watching Top Gear)
Ohio writes more speeding tickets than any other state in the nation. Pennsylvania, New York, and California are next on the list.

I'll have to remember that on the way to and from Florida. Is that speeding tickets per capita or overall?

Hard to believe when you see all those police cars lined up along I-75 going through Tennessee and Georgia.

When 2 murderers escaped from a NY prison it cost the state a $million a day in police overtime and the speed traps disappeared. Since they were captured the state announces a new "sweep" (dwi, cell phone, seat belt) every weekend. There's a trooper car behind every bush now. I came roaring down my favorite entrance ramp the other day to find a speed trap being set up. Fortunately, he was directing his attention on a part of the ramp further down and I slowed down in time.

Maybe you should detour around NY next trip.

Or perhaps you could try what a local knucklehead did. He drove through Saratoga Springs giving the finger to cops. When one pulled him over he refused to cooperated until the frustrated officer pepper sprayed him...all on film, of course. Cop got fired and said knucklehead got $50k.

driver100

nyccarguy said:

I'm not a financial expert by any means either. I have absolutely NO idea how the stock market works. Sometimes a company's earnings and profits are down. That company didn't meet Wall Street's expectations. The stock goes up. Other times a company's earnings and profits are up. They beat "the street's" expectations. The stock goes down.


I can also say that business is consistently inconsistent. There are days we are so busy that I don't have time to sit & have lunch. Then we have days when I've got a lot of work to do, but have to find things for my workers to do. Before the recession we used to be steadily busy. Rush in the AM, slower in the middle of the day, PM rush at 3:00 when city inspectors go home, busy close to closing for the guys who are picking material up for 1st thing next AM.

If you don't understand the market you need an advisor or buy index funds. Generally, the market goes up over time.

Business is always changing and it changes faster today than at any other time. Most businesses today have to be creative and be on top of the latest trends in order to survive. Look at Blockbuster as an example, they were flying, and then there was pay per view. I was in the book business during the glory days, that market has changed drastically. E-books seem to have hit a peak at 18% of sales, people still prefer real books, but Amazon is hard to beat. Carry almost everything and delivered to your door. I'm glad I don't have to compete in that market.

driver100

nyccarguy said:

Interesting economic note. I sat next to a Canadian guy at the Yankees game last Friday night. He told me about mortgages in Canada. You MUST have 20% to put down and no mortgage is longer than 25 years.

Our house prices in Canada dipped about 10% during the crash but they have been steadily rising, usually 5 to 10% a year. We always had 20% down and 25 year mortgages, and you can't deduct your mortgage for tax purposes. So people aren't always renewing their mortgage.

With 20% down people are less likely to walk away. We are fortunate, our banking system is fairly regulated and couldn't do what was being done in so many countries.

driver100

graphicguy said:

nyccarguy said:

@graphicguy - Ive got you pegged for an IS350 AWD FSport once you sort out your Caddy problems and they buy the car back from you.

Bradd...not thinking of that yet. I still think I have a long fight with Cadillac ahead of me. I'm entrenched and willing to get this caatastrophe out of my life and have Cadillac do what's right for a change with how they've treated me so far. I do like the IS, though.

Of course you wouldn't be thinking about your next car yet, but if I had problems with my Euro-metal I would be checking the most reliable list and I think I would really consider a Lexus....because of their constantly good reliability record, and they are trying to make their cars more fun to drive.

Since my friend bought a Genesis and then got rid of it 6 months later because it was too boring, I wouldn't bother going that route.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

The markets...Canada and especially USA were doing very well until this latest "correction". The market is about your best hope for earning some retirement dollars. Don't get discouraged, if the market only went up all the time it wouldn't be a market - it would be a Ponzi scheme.

They said on the news tonight if you had bailed at the bottom in 2008 you would have baled out losing about 50% of your money...if you had bought at the bottom your investment would almost have tripled. The best you can do is hold tight, or buy more if you have some extra cash.

Yes, that's the problem. Up until April or May the reports were that the markets were bubbling along happily. But that wasn't really reflected in my holdings. A few items were doing well but others were going the other way even then. I simply don't trust either the markets or the advice I was getting.

As an example - my advisor talked me into taking $40K in cash I was sitting on and putting it into a balanced fund back in January. I made $2K in the first 3 months. But as of a week ago 2/3rds of that gain was gone and I didn't look at it today but I expect it is probably back where it started if not worse. All I wanted was something a bit better than a savings account. That's what I mean by bad advice, though I am just as much to blame for trusting them.

In '08 I held on because I realized there was no sense locking in those losses by selling. That's what I was thinking about this morning when everything was going straight down at the opening bell, all those panicky people locking in their losses by selling. I wasn't about to do that. But man, I am sick of the drama and anxiety. Like I said previously, if only there was a safe, drama-free fixed return security... I am going to look into bond funds when this all settles out.

I know I invested in a junk bond fund and made about 5% on average but the the interest rate fears have eroded the principle to the point where the interest has been canceled out. Can't win.

I am no expert at investing but I do like some dividend paying stocks. You can get 5% or more to live on, and there is some upside potential if the stock goes up. It gives you a constant source of income while other stocks can go up and down. Gives you some peace of mind.

driver100

berri said:

Here's a thought; China has been attacking us through cyberspace for some time now with no real repercussions. Remember, the majority of China's investors are Chinese, not Wall Street or the west. So what if China is deliberately letting their market slide right now so it appears to "legitimately" drive down their currency?

All very interesting....a very different perspective but this one is possible.

I tend to tune out when I start hearing conspiracy theories, but that one is clever......I still don't believe it, but......

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

mako1a said:

Here's a tidbit of info I found researching the worlds fastest speeding ticket. (after watching Top Gear)
Ohio writes more speeding tickets than any other state in the nation. Pennsylvania, New York, and California are next on the list.

I'll have to remember that on the way to and from Florida. Is that speeding tickets per capita or overall?

Hard to believe when you see all those police cars lined up along I-75 going through Tennessee and Georgia.

Since they were captured the state announces a new "sweep" (dwi, cell phone, seat belt) every weekend. There's a trooper car behind every bush now.

Maybe you should detour around NY next trip.

As States and Provinces become cash strapped they will be looking for ways to raise money. We used to go to Florida through Buffalo and over to I-75. Now we take 401 from Toronto to Windsor, cross to Detroit and head South on I-75.

Since my $200 ticket in Tennessee 4 years ago I try not to speed. It doesn't take much longer and it is so nice to go by a police car or have one go by me....and I don't have to worry about being caught.

robr2

driver100 said:

nyccarguy said:

I'm not a financial expert by any means either. I have absolutely NO idea how the stock market works. Sometimes a company's earnings and profits are down. That company didn't meet Wall Street's expectations. The stock goes up. Other times a company's earnings and profits are up. They beat "the street's" expectations. The stock goes down.


I can also say that business is consistently inconsistent. There are days we are so busy that I don't have time to sit & have lunch. Then we have days when I've got a lot of work to do, but have to find things for my workers to do. Before the recession we used to be steadily busy. Rush in the AM, slower in the middle of the day, PM rush at 3:00 when city inspectors go home, busy close to closing for the guys who are picking material up for 1st thing next AM.

If you don't understand the market you need an advisor or buy index funds. Generally, the market goes up over time.

Business is always changing and it changes faster today than at any other time. Most businesses today have to be creative and be on top of the latest trends in order to survive. Look at Blockbuster as an example, they were flying, and then there was pay per view. I was in the book business during the glory days, that market has changed drastically. E-books seem to have hit a peak at 18% of sales, people still prefer real books, but Amazon is hard to beat. Carry almost everything and delivered to your door. I'm glad I don't have to compete in that market.

Except that Amazon is much more than books. Of my AMZN purchases, less than 10% was books this past year.

graphicguy

OldFarmer....that prison break was a crazy story. It's bound to become, at the very least, a lifetime story. Prisoner "woos" female guard, who is being ignored at home. She smuggles in saws and other tools in ground chuck for at least one prisoner who shows her "attention". They plan a prison break together. They get killed or caught. She gets nothing but a jail sentence.

I never could figure out why they spent all that money to look for the fugitives. They're criminals for a reason....mainly, they're not too bright. Eventually, they'll do something stupid again and be easy enough to find. Why go to them when you can be relatively certain they'll come to you?

suydam

Yes, but who might they injure or kill in the process? If I lived in the area I'd want law enforcement out looking for sure.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

nyccarguy said:

@graphicguy - Ive got you pegged for an IS350 AWD FSport once you sort out your Caddy problems and they buy the car back from you.

Bradd...not thinking of that yet. I still think I have a long fight with Cadillac ahead of me. I'm entrenched and willing to get this caatastrophe out of my life and have Cadillac do what's right for a change with how they've treated me so far. I do like the IS, though.

Of course you wouldn't be thinking about your next car yet, but if I had problems with my Euro-metal I would be checking the most reliable list and I think I would really consider a Lexus....because of their constantly good reliability record, and they are trying to make their cars more fun to drive.

Since my friend bought a Genesis and then got rid of it 6 months later because it was too boring, I wouldn't bother going that route.

Driver...I keep forgetting where I am. Everyone in here is always thinking about their next car purchase.

I think I'm done buying car brands that have even a sniff of issues. That puts the Acura, Infiniti, Lexus brands probably at the top of the list if I were to start looking today. I'll throw in BMW, given I've had nothing but great luck with them. Mercedes, maybe, given my sister absolutely loves hers. I'd like to look at Jag based on my sister's great experience with hers, and @laurasdada, who hangs out around here every once in awhile. But, that would go against my primary goal of getting a car with a great reputation for reliability.

Having talked to more than a few people who have done battle with Cadillac recently over a myriad of problems they've had with their cars, I suspect this is going to take a while longer.

I should compile a list of things either the dealers have said to me, or Cadillac corporate has said to me about the car.....just a partial one...

Selling Dealer..."where do you suggest we start to fix you car (stalling issues, no codes)". I told them I would start with the most obvious....plugs, injectors, fuel filter, connection between key fob and car computer. I was tempted to ask them that in addition to the diagnosis if they wanted me to fix the car, too. I didn't go there, though.

Servicing dealer...."we don't know what to fix"-power steering failure the 2nd time with no code. Again, I told the service writer (who was particularly condescending towards me) if they wanted me to diagnose and fix it for them, they'd have to pay me $250/hour.

Showing how CUE all of a sudden stopped working with voice recognition...I mean nothing worked....at all. Servicing dealer asked me what language I was using. Again, I wanted to tell them I was speaking Chinese at the time, but thought better of it.

Cadillac Customer Service-after reporting the power steering failures and stalling, they asked me what the dealer service depts had said. I repeated what I was told above (along with a few more tasty nuggets). They replied they would talk to the selling dealer and get back to me. Didn't hear back from the selling dealer, nor Cadillac Customer Service.

I could go on, but you get the picture.

ab348

nyccarguy said:

Interesting economic note. I sat next to a Canadian guy at the Yankees game last Friday night. He told me about mortgages in Canada. You MUST have 20% to put down and no mortgage is longer than 25 years.

Yes, that's true. Also mortgage interest is not tax deductible here as I believe it is in the USA.

dino001

I think it's a clear war of attrition. They know you're no longer a customer (in sense there is zero chance to sell you anything), so all they want is to wear you out, perhaps save themselves a few bucks in the process.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

E-books seem to have hit a peak at 18% of sales, people still prefer real books, but Amazon is hard to beat. Carry almost everything and delivered to your door. I'm glad I don't have to compete in that market.

With its multiple warehouses, Amazon delivers very well. I ordered an item yesterday at 10:30 am and it is at the post office this morning because it came from the Lexington KY warehouse right up I75 (no speeding). It will be in our PO Box or at our house by 1 pm. There's an advantage to living along major interstate shipping routes. LOL

ab348

berri said:

Here's a thought; China has been attacking us through cyberspace for some time now with no real repercussions. Remember, the majority of China's investors are Chinese, not Wall Street or the west. So what if China is deliberately letting their market slide right now so it appears to "legitimately" drive down their currency? The result will be a further strengthening of the US Dollar making us less competitive in the global markets. Similar impact on Europe. But it's just economics, right? Phase two of China's attacks against the US? Don't forget, besides all the inside info they've obtained through cyber war on us, they also have some formidable anti satellites in space waiting to knock out our satellites as a complement to electronic warfare through the internet. Add to all of this that the US currently is stuck with a dysfunctional White House and Congress. Might be some very smart military maneuvering without having to lift a weapon or deploy a troop? But don't worry, the press keeps saying China needs us (or should that be needs us out of the way).

I am not one for conspiracy theories either but you do wonder sometimes. I read an article in one of the major papers recently about the drug issues in the inner cities of the USA and it mentioned that a lot of stuff (they used the example of "synthetic marijuana", which really isn't marijuana at all but is called that because it sort of looks like it) comes from China. Also another theory is that a lot of the advocacy and pressure for legalization of marijuana is bankrolled by them in order to both make money producing it and also to have part of the population numb and not care about whatever their dastardly plan might be. It is all crazy but who knows how true any of it is.

robr2

OTOH, I placed an order with Amazon of Friday with their free standard delivery with usually takes 3-5 business days. Sunday, I received tracking info from them saying it left the facility and was at a location 20 miles south of me with delivery for Monday via Amazon Logistics. Well today it tells me it's at location 16 miles east of me with a scheduled delivery of Monday (yesterday).

I really am not upset that it's taking more time. I'm more upset that they told me Monday and it's still saying Monday although it's Tuesday.

nyccarguy

graphicguy said:

nyccarguy said:

@graphicguy - Ive got you pegged for an IS350 AWD FSport once you sort out your Caddy problems and they buy the car back from you.

Bradd...not thinking of that yet. I still think I have a long fight with Cadillac ahead of me. I'm entrenched and willing to get this caatastrophe out of my life and have Cadillac do what's right for a change with how they've treated me so far. I do like the IS, though.

You need something to look forward to:)

dino001

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

Interesting economic note. I sat next to a Canadian guy at the Yankees game last Friday night. He told me about mortgages in Canada. You MUST have 20% to put down and no mortgage is longer than 25 years.

Yes, that's true. Also mortgage interest is not tax deductible here as I believe it is in the USA.

It's funny you always hear those Jeremiahs telling US house market will all but disappear, if you impose any kind of real and enforceable rules on that market. Yet, Canadians have similar home ownership percentage without all those subsidies and they live OK. But it's like "talk to the hand".

Mortgage interest deduction is my favorite pet peeve - IMHO it's one of the most toxic tax middle-class destroying rules that was ever invented. It creates perverse incentives of going deeper than you'd otherwise want to. Moreover, its benefits are wildly overstated. When you think about that standard deduction is now over six thousand dollars, the interest deduction benefit is only say 25 percent of amount over that std. deduction - i.e. on 10K interest per year (at 3.5-4 percent rate it's about 400K balance), you get 25% of (10-6) = $1000. Married couple - still nothing. Whop-tee-doo! Yes, the only "good" thing is it usually opens a cumulative effect of other deductions, such as local taxes, charity, etc. However, it generally deepens the life of servitude for middle class Americans, at the same time giving them illusion of wealth. Essentially it is the Matrix of the real world.

henryn

@driver100 “Since my friend bought a Genesis and then got rid of it 6 months later because it was too boring, I wouldn't bother going that route.”

I was thinking seriously of a Genesis late last year, early this year. I drove several, V8 and V6, and they most definitely didn’t seem boring to me. I guess it comes down to what you’re used to.

On the subject of reliability, “I would really consider a Lexus....because of their constantly good reliability record,”

I was talking to someone this week. She had previously owned an Accord, drove it 100k miles with no problems. Her new Hyundai is “driving me bankrupt with the dealer service every 3,000 miles”. I tried to ask her what she was talking about, sounds like some dealer is ripping her off pretty badly. But she was much more interested in talking than in listening, so I never found out.

@dino001 “Mortgage interest deduction is my favorite pet peeve”

I agree 100%. The average middle class American will never save a penny.

stickguy

When you live in jersey, and taxes on a modest middle class colonial can easily be 12k/year, you really learn to appreciate the deduction. If I move south an taxes drop yo 1/10 or 1/5 of that won't matter as much!

qbrozen

stick beat me to it.

man, I never thought I'd hear anyone berate the one lousy tax break I actually get. And its not even all that helpful. My wife and I have to opt to pay the highest tax rate from our paychecks AND utilize the benefit of that "most toxic tax middle-class destroying rule" just to avoid paying even more each April! It all makes no sense whatsoever to me. I'm pretty sure I'd be in favor of a flat tax.

By the way, stick, the house we are planning to move to? Nearly $17k/yr!!

dino001

stickguy said:

When you live in jersey, and taxes on a modest middle class colonial can easily be 12k/year, you really learn to appreciate the deduction. If I move south an taxes drop yo 1/10 or 1/5 of that won't matter as much!

The problem is that the "saved" money you most like paid in inflated price of the home (due to higher credit availability by more people), mortgage interest itself and other offsets. Even if you assume taxes go before interest, so the 12k is close to max out the std. deduction on the couple, then the tax equals you marginal tax rate times the interest. In other words, it's just an effective discount on the interest, but it can easily be taken away (and most likely is) by price inflation. Kind of like "30 percent off" all-year "discount" in a department store on the merchandise that would never be priced at "regular price". Couple of times a year you get "40 percent off", which really means about seven percent off actual price. It's a saving, but not even close to what's on the ticket. The difference is you got your discount, but traded it for 30 years of servitude to the bank. I know some people who couldn't be explained that that discount while nice, is not everything. I'd say then, if you really thing it's such a good thing and saves you so much on taxes, you should call your bank and ask for a hike in your interest rate. You'll save even more.

I'm just talking big picture here - yes, in some circumstances it helps, but in aggregate it makes things worse, because it distorts allocation of resourced into generally unproductive or straight counterproductive activity, such as getting bigger and more expensive house than you'd otherwise get, because of perverse incentive to put your money into walls.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

stick beat me to it.

man, I never thought I'd hear anyone berate the one lousy tax break I actually get. And its not even all that helpful. My wife and I have to opt to pay the highest tax rate from our paychecks AND utilize the benefit of that "most toxic tax middle-class destroying rule" just to avoid paying even more each April! It all makes no sense whatsoever to me. I'm pretty sure I'd be in favor of a flat tax.

By the way, stick, the house we are planning to move to? Nearly $17k/yr!!

I will never move back east, given the size of the property tax bill. My new house actually has a smaller property tax assessment than the one we're selling - about $200 less

Only $2K per year.

suydam

Well and then there's out west -- pretty hefty tax bills there too. I don't complain because I support the services they provide -- which we don't have in the Midwest -- but don't begrudge the tax break!

stickguy

Every time I look at houses in NC (price and taxes) I start to cry. I already know there is no way I could possibly retire up here in jersey.

dino001

qbrozen said:

stick beat me to it.

man, I never thought I'd hear anyone berate the one lousy tax break I actually get. And its not even all that helpful. My wife and I have to opt to pay the highest tax rate from our paychecks AND utilize the benefit of that "most toxic tax middle-class destroying rule" just to avoid paying even more each April! It all makes no sense whatsoever to me. I'm pretty sure I'd be in favor of a flat tax.
By the way, stick, the house we are planning to move to? Nearly $17k/yr!!

You are "inside", so you think you're benefitting. However, you are really a victim of a system that makes you believe higher debt is good for you. I'm not denying that within THIS particular system you don't benefit, plenty of people do. But that's the money you CAN SEE. What you DO NOT SEE, is the readjustment that happens behind the scenes that made that house more expensive (to offset your benefit), made the loan more expensive, also making tax rates themselves higher made you believe you're doing the right thing putting yourself into a long lasting bank servitude in exchange for what effectively is a small discount (taken away by those adjustments) AND pushing you to never attack that debt because you'll "lose" the tax benefit.

It's essentially what we call "prisoner's dilemma" - a rational behavior of individual players turning in aggregate being to their disadvantage. It also creates those "winners" and "losers" in the system - the "winners" are people deep in debt, who often bought far more than they should, but they got a deduction, so everything is "cool".

dino001

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:

stick beat me to it.

man, I never thought I'd hear anyone berate the one lousy tax break I actually get. And its not even all that helpful. My wife and I have to opt to pay the highest tax rate from our paychecks AND utilize the benefit of that "most toxic tax middle-class destroying rule" just to avoid paying even more each April! It all makes no sense whatsoever to me. I'm pretty sure I'd be in favor of a flat tax.

By the way, stick, the house we are planning to move to? Nearly $17k/yr!!

I will never move back east, given the size of the property tax bill. My new house actually has a smaller property tax assessment than the one we're selling - about $200 less

Only $2K per year.

$700/year. Beat that Of course, my house is worth a bit more than half than what I bought it for I hope to be mortgage free in about 6 years.

BTW, I also used the mortgage deduction. This is likely last year, but for several years now the benefit has been just marginal. I might get an extra discount, if I bought a car, assuming Congress keeps extending sales tax deduction (they most likely will). But again - those are all small numbers around the edges. I'd gladly take more rational rates without those "winner" and "loser" deduction system. I like flat tax, but even a mildly progressive tax would do. Just make it simply and low enough so people don't evade, don't spend hours and big bucks on accountants and don't fall victims into "I paid twenty grand to save five and will keep saving to the rest of my life" schemes.

abacomike

I have 5 expensive 2-piece suits and 13 expensive Sport Jackets hanging on wood hangers in my closet.  I called the Salvation Army, Disabled Vets and the Red Cross and none of these organizations will pick up my donation because I don't have huge boxes or huge plastic covers.  Imagine, at least $2000 worth of expensive suits and sport jackets that originally cost me $5000-$6000 sitting and waiting to be donated and no one will pick them up on wooden hangers.  Can't believe it!

suydam

Take them to Goodwill.

Michaell

abacomike said:

I have 5 expensive 2-piece suits and 13 expensive Sport Jackets hanging on wood hangers in my closet.  I called the Salvation Army, Disabled Vets and the Red Cross and none of these organizations will pick up my donation because I don't have huge boxes or huge plastic covers.  Imagine, at least $2000 worth of expensive suits and sport jackets that originally cost me $5000-$6000 sitting and waiting to be donated and no one will pick them up on wooden hangers.  Can't believe it!

Michael, you may have to do some research on this but I believe there are some charities that specifically look for business clothing to give to folks who are entering (or re-entering) the work force.

Found it - Bridge to Success:

http://www.thebridgetosuccess.org/donate/donate-clothing

A quick search in your favorite browser will turn up several options; not sure how many of them have local chapters in South Florida.

qbrozen

dino001 said:

You are "inside", so you think you're benefitting. However, you are really a victim of a system that makes you believe higher debt is good for you. I'm not denying that within THIS particular system you don't benefit, plenty of people do. But that's the money you CAN SEE. What you DO NOT SEE, is the readjustment that happens behind the scenes that made that house more expensive (to offset your benefit), made the loan more expensive, also making tax rates themselves higher made you believe you're doing the right thing putting yourself into a long lasting bank servitude in exchange for what effectively is a small discount (taken away by those adjustments) AND pushing you to never attack that debt because you'll "lose" the tax benefit.

It's essentially what we call "prisoner's dilemma" - a rational behavior of individual players turning in aggregate being to their disadvantage. It also creates those "winners" and "losers" in the system - the "winners" are people deep in debt, who often bought far more than they should, but they got a deduction, so everything is "cool".

Well, you are writing as if that is my way of thinking, but it isn't. I actually find it funny when bankers/lenders/money managers talk to me and say things about "good debt" and "deductible interest." I absolutely pay extra toward my mortgage. I don't want to hang onto it just for some weird discount on my taxes. The interest costs me WAAAYY more than the tax benefit.

But I do get absolutely hammered on taxes for no reason that I can see. Hell, I pay nearly $9k now AND I HAVE TO PAY AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION!! Good god, what in the world are they using my money for?? And you know damned well if they took away that interest deduction, I won't be getting the money back in any other way on the front end. I don't consider the deduction a benefit, I consider it a very very small consolation prize in tax hell.