Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

@abacomike Good review Mike, interesting comments to find the right car.
The Hyundai Palisades look great, have everything, get great reviews, and you might do better trading a Hyundai for a Hyundai.

stickguy

my son really likes his Telluride. He was one of the top line models and the interior is really upscale. And the seats seem very comfy.

sda

They are typically firm german seats. Our VW and Audi seats are similar, not cushy but firm.

ab348

Mike, sorry to read of your challenges. You might be better off having avoided the Atlas. I actually like the design and look of them although both the regular version and the "Sport" are big beasts. But I have been hearing that the customer experience is not good with lots of niggly issues and reliability woes. CR has given them a terrible rating on that front.

My neighbor up the street is older than me and has similar health issues as me plus some other things that make him worse off. He had a 2013 GMC pickup he bought new that had pretty low miles, just over 50K so about 5000 a year. In talking to him this week I was surprised to learn that he was trading it for a new 2024 GMC. The reason was (and I had heard this from others a while ago) that this older generation of GM pickups has chronic frame rust problems. In his case a rear crossmember had failed and upon inspection the rest of the frame had several dubious spots where it looked ready to go. He was going to get it fixed but upon reflection decided that he could afford to replace it (I gather money is not a problem with him). They gave him $8K for the old truck and he is leasing a new 2024. As he told me, with his health issues he didn't want to spend on a purchase so a lease is more manageable in his situation where he may not last many years more. If he is still around he will just extend the lease or get into a new one as his situation evolves.

driver100

There are times when leasing can be a better option. That sounds like one of them.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

Mike, sorry to read of your challenges. You might be better off having avoided the Atlas. I actually like the design and look of them although both the regular version and the "Sport" are big beasts. But I have been hearing that the customer experience is not good with lots of niggly issues and reliability woes. CR has given them a terrible rating on that front.

My neighbor up the street is older than me and has similar health issues as me plus some other things that make him worse off. He had a 2013 GMC pickup he bought new that had pretty low miles, just over 50K so about 5000 a year. In talking to him this week I was surprised to learn that he was trading it for a new 2024 GMC. The reason was (and I had heard this from others a while ago) that this older generation of GM pickups has chronic frame rust problems. In his case a rear crossmember had failed and upon inspection the rest of the frame had several dubious spots where it looked ready to go. He was going to get it fixed but upon reflection decided that he could afford to replace it (I gather money is not a problem with him). They gave him $8K for the old truck and he is leasing a new 2024. As he told me, with his health issues he didn't want to spend on a purchase so a lease is more manageable in his situation where he may not last many years more. If he is still around he will just extend the lease or get into a new one as his situation evolves.

Wow, frame rot after 50k miles? What do they use on the roads up there, battery acid? My 20 yo Chevy cargo van had extensive lower body rust but the frame was still solid except for surface rust.

When I bought my 2013 Ford the first thing I did was crawl underneath to look for rust even though it had only 30k miles. It was basically clean except for some surface rust on the welds. I plan on treating the undercarriage this summer to slow down further corrosion.

Did I ever mention that I hate rust?🤬🤬🤬

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

Wow, frame rot after 50k miles? What do they use on the roads up there, battery acid? My 20 yo Chevy cargo van had extensive lower body rust but the frame was still solid except for surface rust.

When I bought my 2013 Ford the first thing I did was crawl underneath to look for rust even though it had only 30k miles. It was basically clean except for some surface rust on the welds. I plan on treating the undercarriage this summer to slow down further corrosion.

Did I ever mention that I hate rust?🤬🤬🤬

It seems to be a known issue with that generation. Another guy who does handyman-type stuff for a few of us in the neighborhood has a similar 2013 Silverado, the top of the line model whatever it’s called, which he babies and looks like new. He told me last fall he had the same frame crossmember rot and was getting it replaced. He blamed it in the “hydroformed steel” the frames are made from. Whether that means thinner steel I do not know. Annual rustproofing is a good investment here.

snakeweasel

Oh oh, now I’ve done it. I was low on cash so I used my credit card at the supermarket and now I’m getting spam calls on my cell phone from Los Angeles. The CIA has found me!😢

Who cares if the Culinary Institute of America has found you. Maybe the will send you some good food.

snakeweasel

working since 10 am and have 9 tax returns down. Man today is brutal.

cdnpinhead

One is enough for me -- nearly done.

snakeweasel

Got 11 done today. So much fun. Why do people wait till the last minute.

mjfloyd1

I think Genesis should come out with a new SUV

The Genesis Abacab😂

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

working since 10 am and have 9 tax returns down. Man today is brutal.

After doing my own for 50+ years I finally had enough and started having someone else do mine. Even without the added burden of the farm business forms and records I just couldn’t go through that torture any more. I realized that the only reason I ever did them myself was that I was too poor to afford outside help but that is no longer the case.

Just got notified that the IRS will be withdrawing what I owe on April 15th.

kyfdx

Did my taxes in February. My son and his wife's return in March, and a 1041 (trust) return for my uncle's estate (on paper!) in late March.

That's enough!

imidazol97

kyfdx said:

Did my taxes in February. My son and his wife's return in March, and a 1041 (trust) return for my uncle's estate (on paper!) in late March.

That's enough!

Sounds like you need to open an office somewhere.

I had my taxes ready to put on final copy in middle of February, but mentally didn't feel up to finishing . So I was going to put them on paper Easter weekend. However, Best plans of mice and men.... And I mailed them on Friday and Saturday of this week.

28firefighter

@kyfdx said:
Did my taxes in February. My son and his wife's return in March, and a 1041 (trust) return for my uncle's estate (on paper!) in late March.

That's enough!

My dad offered to introduce me to his accountant about 10 years ago. After his accountant told me what doing my taxes would cost, now I just use TurboTax.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:

@kyfdx said:
Did my taxes in February. My son and his wife's return in March, and a 1041 (trust) return for my uncle's estate (on paper!) in late March.

That's enough!

My dad offered to introduce me to his accountant about 10 years ago. After his accountant told me what doing my taxes would cost, now I just use TurboTax.

It’s certainly not cheap. Ours was the lowest it has been in a while at $475. I’ve paid over $700 before depending on how many forms.

Not sure how long it actually takes but any professional service costs.

laurasdada

Been using H&R Block tax software forever. Fairly simple (the trick is not to make much money), since I owed I just filed this weekend. IRS already grabbed the $ from my credit union, state of MA gets an old fashioned, tear-stained check.

kyfdx

TurboTax here, as well.

1041 is very simple. Of course, you need the Business version to do it. I use TurboTax Home and Business version. Naturally, it doesn’t include the 1041. 🙄

So, did it on paper.

Michaell

As I haven't heard from our CPA since their request for the 1095-SA form a week or so ago, I'll assume that an extension has been filed and it will get completed in the next couple of weeks .... just like last year.

Hoping the check(s) we write won't be quite as large, as the personal income went down significantly, and the business had about 60% of the net income in 2023 that we had in 2022.

snakeweasel

@tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

@kyfdx said:
Did my taxes in February. My son and his wife's return in March, and a 1041 (trust) return for my uncle's estate (on paper!) in late March.

That's enough!

My dad offered to introduce me to his accountant about 10 years ago. After his accountant told me what doing my taxes would cost, now I just use TurboTax.

It’s certainly not cheap. Ours was the lowest it has been in a while at $475. I’ve paid over $700 before depending on how many forms.

Not sure how long it actually takes but any professional service costs.

Unless it's something super complicated or doing a lot of entering stuff off of 1099 B's and such I can usually knock one out in an hour.

snakeweasel

@laurasdada said:
Been using H&R Block tax software forever. Fairly simple (the trick is not to make much money), since I owed I just filed this weekend. IRS already grabbed the $ from my credit union, state of MA gets an old fashioned, tear-stained check.

Make no money and it's real simple.

stickguy

HR block (taxcut) for me. Only time I ever dealt with an accountant was when I was executor for my sister's estate. But he was a friend of hers and didn't even charge us.

I see no reason to pay to have it done since I don't have anything exotic going on (weird investments, businesses, rental properties, etc.). Wouldn't really save me any time either, since 75% of the effort is getting all the documents together to do the taxes, and I would still have to do that for an accountant. plus take it all to them.

snakeweasel

@Michaell said:
As I haven't heard from our CPA since their request for the 1095-SA form a week or so ago, I'll assume that an extension has been filed and it will get completed in the next couple of weeks .... just like last year.

Hoping the check(s) we write won't be quite as large, as the personal income went down significantly, and the business had about 60% of the net income in 2023 that we had in 2022.

1099-SA I hope you mean.

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

@laurasdada said:

Been using H&R Block tax software forever. Fairly simple (the trick is not to make much money), since I owed I just filed this weekend. IRS already grabbed the $ from my credit union, state of MA gets an old fashioned, tear-stained check.

Make no money and it's real simple.

————————————————-
I never tried that one. Maybe next year.

jmonroe

ronsteve

mjfloyd1 said:

I think Genesis should come out with a new SUV

The Genesis Abacab😂

I thought the Abacab would be a pickup.

snakeweasel

@stickguy said:
HR block (taxcut) for me. Only time I ever dealt with an accountant was when I was executor for my sister's estate. But he was a friend of hers and didn't even charge us.

I see no reason to pay to have it done since I don't have anything exotic going on (weird investments, businesses, rental properties, etc.). Wouldn't really save me any time either, since 75% of the effort is getting all the documents together to do the taxes, and I would still have to do that for an accountant. plus take it all to them.

One of the things my decades of experience have taught me is to have conversations with my clients and I have found deductions and credits that they haven't thought about. one year I got someone a few thousand extra because they didn't know that they could claim their sister and niece as a dependent.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

snakeweasel said:

@laurasdada said:

Been using H&R Block tax software forever. Fairly simple (the trick is not to make much money), since I owed I just filed this weekend. IRS already grabbed the $ from my credit union, state of MA gets an old fashioned, tear-stained check.

Make no money and it's real simple.

————————————————-
I never tried that one. Maybe next year.

jmonroe

I’ve tried that and I don’t recommend it.😓

stickguy

snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:

HR block (taxcut) for me. Only time I ever dealt with an accountant was when I was executor for my sister's estate. But he was a friend of hers and didn't even charge us.

I see no reason to pay to have it done since I don't have anything exotic going on (weird investments, businesses, rental properties, etc.). Wouldn't really save me any time either, since 75% of the effort is getting all the documents together to do the taxes, and I would still have to do that for an accountant. plus take it all to them.

One of the things my decades of experience have taught me is to have conversations with my clients and I have found deductions and credits that they haven't thought about. one year I got someone a few thousand extra because they didn't know that they could claim their sister and niece as a dependent.

My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

snakeweasel

@stickguy said:
My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

Well in that case they were living with my client and my client was providing almost all of their support so it was legit.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:

HR block (taxcut) for me. Only time I ever dealt with an accountant was when I was executor for my sister's estate. But he was a friend of hers and didn't even charge us.

I see no reason to pay to have it done since I don't have anything exotic going on (weird investments, businesses, rental properties, etc.). Wouldn't really save me any time either, since 75% of the effort is getting all the documents together to do the taxes, and I would still have to do that for an accountant. plus take it all to them.

One of the things my decades of experience have taught me is to have conversations with my clients and I have found deductions and credits that they haven't thought about. one year I got someone a few thousand extra because they didn't know that they could claim their sister and niece as a dependent.

My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.
————————————————
There’s your problem. When I’m given a choice I say yes. I know I’m pushing it when I get a few pop-ups that say something like, “this is not typical for your income/tax bracket, do you want to continue”? Of course my answer is, YES.

jmonroe

stickguy

I'm not as old as you. a stretch in the slammer would hurt me.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

I'm not as old as you. a stretch in the slammer would hurt me.

————————————————
Hell, at my age a stretch in the slammer would kill me. If caught I could always throw myself on the mercy of the court. The IRS is tough but I don’t think they’re totally heartless.

jmonroe

tjc78

@snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:
My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

Well in that case they were living with my client and my client was providing almost all of their support so it was legit.

I wish I could claim my Mother lol. She doesn’t pay rent or anything

Michaell

@snakeweasel said:

@Michaell said:
As I haven't heard from our CPA since their request for the 1095-SA form a week or so ago, I'll assume that an extension has been filed and it will get completed in the next couple of weeks .... just like last year.

Hoping the check(s) we write won't be quite as large, as the personal income went down significantly, and the business had about 60% of the net income in 2023 that we had in 2022.

1099-SA I hope you mean.

Yeah, that.

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:

My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

Well in that case they were living with my client and my client was providing almost all of their support so it was legit.

I wish I could claim my Mother lol. She doesn’t pay rent or anything

————————————————-
You’re a chump. We’re talking money here.

jmonroe

snakeweasel

@tjc78 said:

@snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:
My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

Well in that case they were living with my client and my client was providing almost all of their support so it was legit.

I wish I could claim my Mother lol. She doesn’t pay rent or anything

Is she living with you and do you pay more than half of her support? if yes than you can claim her if no one else is claiming her.

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

@tjc78 said:

@snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:

My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

Well in that case they were living with my client and my client was providing almost all of their support so it was legit.

I wish I could claim my Mother lol. She doesn’t pay rent or anything

Is she living with you and do you pay more than half of her support? if yes than you can claim her if no one else is claiming her.

————————————————
Too late. I’ll claim her.

jmonroe

stickguy

I assume she claims herself?

Charge her rent. Take that SS check and give her a pin money allowance!

nyccarguy

I always have my accountant take care of my return as it is a little on the complicated side. I live in CT, I work in NY, & my wife works in CT. Then we have a significant amount of deductions we take such as property taxes, child care, & out of pocket medical expenses. Plus last year’s tax preparation fees are deductible on this year’s taxes. My accountant also does my business tax returns and lets us know how to better prepare for next year.

Michaell

@nyccarguy said:
I always have my accountant take care of my return as it is a little on the complicated side. I live in CT, I work in NY, & my wife works in CT. Then we have a significant amount of deductions we take such as property taxes, child care, & out of pocket medical expenses. Plus last year’s tax preparation fees are deductible on this year’s taxes. My accountant also does my business tax returns and lets us know how to better prepare for next year.

Exactly. We’ve gotten to know our accountant pretty well over the years. She wants us to pay our taxes quarterly but it works better for us to pay them in the spring, due to cash flow.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

I'm not as old as you. a stretch in the slammer would hurt me.

————————————————
Hell, at my age a stretch in the slammer would kill me. If caught I could always throw myself on the mercy of the court. The IRS is tough but I don’t think they’re totally heartless.

jmonroe

You could claim you were senile and didn’t know what you were doing.🥴

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

I'm not as old as you. a stretch in the slammer would hurt me.

————————————————
Hell, at my age a stretch in the slammer would kill me. If caught I could always throw myself on the mercy of the court. The IRS is tough but I don’t think they’re totally heartless.

Actually, they are.

laurasdada

snakeweasel said:

@stickguy said:

My sister works for the IRS so not thinking I would get away with that. About the only thing I ever got to take as a credit (once my kids were out of college) was one of the energy upgrades (new windows or some such). Software asks all kinds of questions to see if I might get something, but sadly I always have to answer no.

Well in that case they were living with my client and my client was providing almost all of their support so it was legit.

Is your client looking to adopt an elderly gentleman? I've really grown weary of supporting myself.

laurasdada

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

I'm not as old as you. a stretch in the slammer would hurt me.

————————————————
Hell, at my age a stretch in the slammer would kill me. If caught I could always throw myself on the mercy of the court. The IRS is tough but I don’t think they’re totally heartless.

jmonroe

You could claim you were senile and didn’t know what you were doing.🥴

"Claim."

tjc78

I thought this was cool. The guy who did our kitchen asked if it was ok to post the results to promote his business. I said sure and this is what he created

JS Cabinet Refinishing on Google:
https://posts.gle/Awv7sP

stickguy

Nice looking.

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

I thought this was cool. The guy who did our kitchen asked if it was ok to post the results to promote his business. I said sure and this is what he created

JS Cabinet Refinishing on Google:
https://posts.gle/Awv7sP

————————————————
Looks very nice. I’m sure Mrs. @tjc78 likes it too.

When the realtor listed our last flip she told my Son that she was thinking about doing that but felt it wouldn’t have been worth the extra money to do that because she was sure the house would sell quickly without that added cost. Fortunately she was right, the house sold the first day.

jmonroe

stickguy

saw an interesting thing today. I took another truckload of stuff over to the storage unit I rented (to hide the excess stuff that needs to go away for when we list the house) and when I drove down the aisle (unit I got is in the far back) there was an Accord parked along the building in front of a garage unit. Not unloading, it was up on ramps and jack stands with the front wheel off, and some guy had a bunch of tools out. Looked like he was doing brakes or an axle. And appeared to have a garage full of tools in the unit. Based on how much of it was apart looked like an all day project.

I was surprised that they let people do that.

snakeweasel

@laurasdada said:
Is your client looking to adopt an elderly gentleman? I've really grown weary of supporting myself.

If she was I would volunteer.