Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Mr_Shiftright

That's good advice. I just bought a new laptop with Win10 installed and it's working great.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

So, think I mentioned that while the wife is away in China for an extended stay, I was going to take a cruise, which I did, last week.

Always fun, but a little different doing it solo. Interesting, though...how people react to you when they find out you're solo. Different story for a different time, however.

Anyway, got back last Saturday. I had cruised out of Bayonne, NJ. New ship (Anthem of the Seas), so it was beautiful. Itinerary wasn't so great (NJ to Cape Canaveral to Bahamas and back).

Those of you who have never cruised, while most food and entertainment is included, drinks and casino plar are/is not. Drinks are probably a bit overpriced, but aside from a couple of beers and some good bourbon at day's end, I wasn't the lush some onboard appeared to be.

For the first time in a LOOOONNNNNGGGG time, I was actually a casino winner playing blackjack, and where I really won quite a bit, 3 card poker. All-in-all, I was probably up at one time by $1,600, but ended up about $1,400 when all was said and done...enough to pay for the cruise, just about.

They keep a credit card on file (in my case, AMEX) for your drinks, and the very stupid art auctions (which seem shady to me), incidentals, etc. My total bill at the end of the week was about $125 for drinks. Didn't buy any art, nor jewelry, or anything else for that matter.

Arrived back home and got a call a day later from AMEX questioning a charge I had made. I bought some Christmas gifts in the Bahamas and figured they were questioning those.

Nope....it was for $2,400 somewhere in NJ, appeared to be electronics. I was shocked. I told the nice AMEX agent it wasn't me. I also inquired when these charges happened. She said "it's happening now". I guess they got lucky to have caught me immediately. And, from what I could tell, they nabbed the thief on the spot. So, expecting this in the Bahamas, it actually happened in NJ. Who knows how they got my number. I ate at a restaurant in the airport and put it on my AMEX. But, that would have meant someone in the restaurant was stealing numbers. Could have been one of those people who scan people's pockets, and an airport would be a perfect place to do so. Someone who works for the cruise company?

I sure don't like that feeling, either way, given I travel for work so much.

They had a new card to me by Monday. I guess AMEX got lucky in catching the perps. I was even luckier given they were diligent and I am not responsible.

When I canceled my social security I had to give back $15k. Charged it on my credit card. I was expecting a call from Chase as it was the largest single charge I ever made.

Nothing.

Guess they don't care if someone is running a tab on my dime.

houdini1

driver100 said:

houdini1 said:

That is true. Each state gets you one way or the other. Some just more than others. The biggest cost, for me, to live in
Florida would be the heat, humidity, and bugs !

Well, you would have to compare:

Negatives of Moving to Kansas City

Weather – Located on the plains, Kansas City can get hit hard by wind and cold weather, though temperatures stay more moderate than further-north cities, like Chicago and Minneapolis. Summers can see extremely hot and humid temperatures.

Tornadoes – Kansas City is located in the middle of Tornado Alley, making its tornado-prone status worthy of its own “bad weather” section. The metro was hit hard by tornadoes in 1957 and 2003.

Heat and humidity are relative. I've been to Florida many times and I know the difference between here are there.

I enjoy a little cold weather and snow, but I have never been near, nor have I ever seen a tornado in my 73 years in the mid west. Plus I have never known anyone that was affected by one.

The actual "plains" are west of KC. It is very hilly with lots of trees where I live. Lots of Lakes.

You didn't address the bug issue.

isellhondas

berri said:

My philosophy is if you want a new operating system, buy a new device with it installed. Too many potential driver, software, etc. conflicts when you upgrade that can take up a bunch of time resolving.

Now, that makes perfect sense.

stickguy

One issue with 7, or any old OS, is they stop supporting it.

andres3

http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2015/1218/Should-driverless-vehicles-break-the-law-to-increase-safety

I know some of you consider this a dead horse, but this article linked above is about a new study that just recently came out showing driverless cars are getting into twice as many accidents as normal average drivers (albeit all not at fault accidents). The reason? Driving the speed limit. Going slower than the average pace of traffic does indeed lead to greater danger and accidents; double in this case. Yes, the Solomon curve still applies, and is proven yet again.

@snakeweasel might want to change is worldview in light of this new evidence that further establishes I was right on just about everything we argued about yet again.

houdini1

Pass the popcorn !

henryn

Okay, some free advice from a professional. Which, of course, is worth exactly what you’re paying for it.

It is always better to perform a clean install of an operating system. Upgrades in place are never the best idea. Sometimes an upgrade in place will go very smoothly, and work just fine. But the best odds of getting a happy ending are found when you do a clean install.

This means backing up everything that you want to keep. All of your docs, spreadsheets, pictures, any financial records (Quicken, whatever), your browser favorites, everything.

Then wiping the hard drive, everything gone. Install the new version of the operating system from scratch, complete with drivers. Then reload your applications (Office, Quicken, Irfan, whatever, whatever). Then restore your data.

Long, involved, labor intensive? You bet. My advice for most people, and I do get asked, quite often. If you have a good working installation of Windows 7 or 8 or 8.1, no problems, everything smooth – leave it the he__ alone.

If you really really want that shiny new toy (operating system), then buy a new computer and move everything over.

stickguy

Don't the passengers get annoyed that it takes forever to get anywhere?

Mr_Shiftright

Think of it as being stuck behind a Toyota Prius for eternity.

driver100

berri said:

My philosophy is if you want a new operating system, buy a new device with it installed. Too many potential driver, software, etc. conflicts when you upgrade that can take up a bunch of time resolving.

I tend to do the same, but we put Windows 10 on two relatively new computers and I would have hated to ditch them and buy new replacements....when the transition was so easy.

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

Think of it as being stuck behind a Toyota Prius for eternity.

Another analogy would be, "...think of it as driving a car anywhere on the southeast coast of Florida!"

It seems lately that I am forever behind what, at first, appears to be a driverless car. Then, as you pass this driverless car, you see a little old man or a little old woman who drives looking "through" the steering wheel. Most major streets have a 45 mph speed limit - but inevitably, they get into the left lane and travel at 25-30 mph. Very frustrating.

Oh, now I get it - the snowbirds are back in town! That explains everything!

abacomike

When it rains, it pours! Seems this is the worst year of my life. I noticed that there are water stains in the ceiling around my air-handling unit and water droplets on the table underneath the air intake. I just called ECM, which is the company I have a contract with. Probably their is a clog in the drain that carries condensation from the air-conditioner in the wall and down a drain pipe. Good grief! They told me to turn off the air-conditioning and they will have someone here tomorrow between 2:00 and 6:00 PM. It's 86 degrees out with 75% humidity. How can I turn off the air-conditioning when I have enough problems breathing with the air on? So, I shut it down, but will definitely have to turn it on this evening in order to sleep. I'll have to buy some of that white spray paint sealer in an aerosol can and repaint the ceiling around the large air intake in the foyer. Just what I needed, another aggravation.

driver100

"houdini1"

Heat and humidity are relative. I've been to Florida many times and I know the difference between here are there.

I enjoy a little cold weather and snow, but I have never been near, nor have I ever seen a tornado in my 73 years in the mid west. Plus I have never known anyone that was affected by one.

The actual "plains" are west of KC. It is very hilly with lots of trees where I live. Lots of Lakes.

You didn't address the bug issue.

Ah yes, the dreaded bug issue. That can be a problem, although personally, we haven't had much of a problem, except for wiping the ones off the front of the car after going on the highway.

People have had ants problems. 2 guys told me they parked on the grass at an airport parking lot and when they came back their cars were full of ants. Seems in the rainy weather they climb out of the ground and seek higher drier places.

I guess all places have advantages and disadvantages....just depends on which ones are most important to each person.

Whatever the issues, most people I see here love being here in the winter.....whatever the downsides are. Ideally, it would be nice to have a place in the North for the summer. But, some people are here all year and they find a way to manage...just stay in the a/c or go to the pool.

driver100

stickguy said:

One issue with 7, or any old OS, is they stop supporting it.

That won't matter.

Microsoft will stop mainstream support for Windows 7--which is still an extremely popular operating system. But you'll still be able to use it safely for another five years.

That's what happened with XP.....Windows 7 will be good to use for 5 more years.

abacomike

driver100 said:

"houdini1"

Heat and humidity are relative. I've been to Florida many times and I know the difference between here are there.

I enjoy a little cold weather and snow, but I have never been near, nor have I ever seen a tornado in my 73 years in the mid west. Plus I have never known anyone that was affected by one.

The actual "plains" are west of KC. It is very hilly with lots of trees where I live. Lots of Lakes.

You didn't address the bug issue.

Ah yes, the dreaded bug issue. That can be a problem, although personally, we haven't had much of a problem, except for wiping the ones off the front of the car after going on the highway.

People have had ants problems. 2 guys told me they parked on the grass at an airport parking lot and when they came back their cars were full of ants. Seems in the rainy weather they climb out of the ground and seek higher drier places.

I guess all places have advantages and disadvantages....just depends on which ones are most important to each person.

Whatever the issues, most people I see here love being here in the winter.....whatever the downsides are. Ideally, it would be nice to have a place in the North for the summer. But, some people are here all year and they find a way to manage...just stay in the a/c or go to the pool.



There is no doubt that because South Florida is in a sub-tropical zone, we are, at times, bothered by certain critters like centipedes (find them crawling under my front door at times during rainy season every so often), ants (black, red, big, tiny - usually during dry season when they go looking for water), iguanas, salamanders (a very prolific reptilian that ranges in size between 2" and 4", that love sneaking into the apartment when I open the front door - find their remains a few weeks later - but at least they eat the ants), squirrels, raccoons, turtles, alligators (usually found near ponds and lakes which we have plenty of), and scores of species of birds and ducks and geese - depending upon the season). Yes, it is always a joy to come face-to-face with nature here in God's Waiting Room. The critters remind you from time-to-time that they were here first and have a claim to the land.

andres3

stickguy said:

Don't the passengers get annoyed that it takes forever to get anywhere?

I think annoyance would be reduced if you keep your eyes shut or glued to the I-Pad while in the vehicle. Ignorance is bliss. It's like the excessive "flight time" built into air travel for the unknowing consumer.

driver100

abacomike said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Think of it as being stuck behind a Toyota Prius for eternity.

Another analogy would be, "...think of it as driving a car anywhere on the southeast coast of Florida!"

It seems lately that I am forever behind what, at first, appears to be a driverless car. Then, as you pass this driverless car, you see a little old man or a little old woman who drives looking "through" the steering wheel. Most major streets have a 45 mph speed limit - but inevitably, they get into the left lane and travel at 25-30 mph. Very frustrating.

Oh, now I get it - the snowbirds are back in town! That explains everything!

I don't think you can make a blanket statement that those slow drivers are "snowbirds". Some of the really old homesteaders who live here all year can be just as slow....and just as low barely able to see over the instrument panel. I think you just notice it more because with more cars on the roads, due to the snowbirds....it is harder to get around.

But, without snowbirds, your taxes would be a lot higher. In fact, a lot of the businesses in our area would close down if it wasn't for snowbirds.....the businesses and the people in our complex love us....they say it is like a ghost town when we aren't here.

andres3

The comments I hear about drivers in Florida and Washington State make me think CA is wonderful in comparison. A lot of drivers in CA are trained well to "push" traffic into moving; at least in San Diego County.

Far from perfect or ideal, but not as bad as some stories I hear.

abacomike

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Think of it as being stuck behind a Toyota Prius for eternity.

Another analogy would be, "...think of it as driving a car anywhere on the southeast coast of Florida!"

It seems lately that I am forever behind what, at first, appears to be a driverless car. Then, as you pass this driverless car, you see a little old man or a little old woman who drives looking "through" the steering wheel. Most major streets have a 45 mph speed limit - but inevitably, they get into the left lane and travel at 25-30 mph. Very frustrating.

Oh, now I get it - the snowbirds are back in town! That explains everything!

I don't think you can make a blanket statement that those slow drivers are "snowbirds". Some of the really old homesteaders who live here all year can be just as slow....and just as low barely able to see over the instrument panel. I think you just notice it more because with more cars on the roads, due to the snowbirds....it is harder to get around.

But, without snowbirds, your taxes would be a lot higher. In fact, a lot of the businesses in our area would close down if it wasn't for snowbirds.....the businesses and the people in our complex love us....they say it is like a ghost town when we aren't here.

Ghost towns can be comforting, driver! During the summer months, my building is half empty. Now, most of the parking spaces that are reserved for owners have cars in them. Traffic is awful. This morning, I went to the mall to walk a little - need to get some exercise no matter how slow I walk - and you should have seen the place. Just as empty as it was the other two times I was up there at 9:00 AM. The stores are open, but no customers. The best time to do Christmas shopping is when the stores first open - it's a pleasure. But the security guards I know up there tell me that at 1:00 PM, it's like half time at a New England Patriot Game in Boston - hoards and hoards of people everywhere.

abacomike

@driver100 said:

"I don't think you can make a blanket statement..."

Are you accusing me of using my "blankie" to start a war?

stickguy

Best time I ever found was after dinner on Sunday, when stores stayed open late during December. Often the only ones there!

bwia

The 2017 Buick Lacrosse 

I've been looking at some photos of the new 2017 Buick Lacrosse and I don't share the upbeat sentiments of some of the reviewers.

First off, the exterior design is more Lucerne than LaCrosse, especially the rear end, which looks like the Buick Century.  Second it has lost the "sporty" pretensions of the current model; and third, it appears to be lower, wider and corpulent - a design statement that totally abandons its current demographic. 

If Buick wants to reintroduce the Lucerne that's fine but don't call the 2017 a LaCrosse. On the other hand GM is famous for bad timing, bloated and overpriced automobiles.

berri

IIRC Buick has been losing some market share. I still believe GM has some issues and constraints with Buick. While it was probably necessary to keep the line in the US market while it was developing and gaining strength in Asia given cultural traits over there, that is probably not as critical today. However, GM has a fair number of Buick/GMC dealerships and I'm not sure GMC sales volume can keep them going without another line. They could add GMC to Cadillac I suppose, but they've culled the number of Caddy dealerships to make the line more exclusive, so I'm not sure how that would work out. Bringing some Buick models from China and basing domestically built ones on Chinese models may be an economical way to keep Buick operating here profitably at lower sales volumes. At least that's my theory of what may be going on

suydam

Buick SUVs are doing fine. The sedans all need to get better MPG.

berri

Yeah, right now most any SUV is doing fine because consumers always think that this time gas prices will stay low forever.

suydam

But their newest small one, the Encore, gets good mileage too.

andres3

The Subaru Forester's fuel economy didn't light my fire; in either engine option. At least the XT version is lively and a good motor.

driver100

"abacomike"

Ghost towns can be comforting, driver! During the summer months, my building is half empty. Now, most of the parking spaces that are reserved for owners have cars in them. Traffic is awful. This morning, I went to the mall to walk a little - need to get some exercise no matter how slow I walk - and you should have seen the place. Just as empty as it was the other two times I was up there at 9:00 AM. The stores are open, but no customers. The best time to do Christmas shopping is when the stores first open - it's a pleasure. But the security guards I know up there tell me that at 1:00 PM, it's like half time at a New England Patriot Game in Boston - hoards and hoards of people everywhere.

Mike, Florida just reached a population of over 20 million making it number 3 in the country, after California and Texas. Most of the new comers are from New York state.

Traffic seems to be a problem everywhere in Florida. Roads are getting crowded as fast as they are made. 301 was a two lane back country road 4 years ago when we came here. Now, because of all the new surveys and stores it is 6 lanes - and that is very busy, seems like a race track at rush hour.

Expect more as the baby boomers and new e-commerce businesses move to the sunshine state. Even more people are moving to Miami, that is attracting people (a lot of high rollers) from all over the world, who want to park there money in a pretty stable country.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Think of it as being stuck behind a Toyota Prius for eternity.

Another analogy would be, "...think of it as driving a car anywhere on the southeast coast of Florida!"

It seems lately that I am forever behind what, at first, appears to be a driverless car. Then, as you pass this driverless car, you see a little old man or a little old woman who drives looking "through" the steering wheel. Most major streets have a 45 mph speed limit - but inevitably, they get into the left lane and travel at 25-30 mph. Very frustrating.

Oh, now I get it - the snowbirds are back in town! That explains everything!

Have you ever considered that you are only seeing those tiny driver because all us tall people are dying early? I've noticed many of us posters are over 6 feet. I'd hate to think that the few short one are going to swoop in and low ball our heirs after we're gone.

oldfarmer50

Had to copy and paste because the block quotes are not working

IIRC Buick has been losing some market share. I still believe GM has some issues and constraints with Buick. While it was probably necessary to keep the line in the US market while it was developing and gaining strength in Asia given cultural traits over there, that is probably not as critical today. However, GM has a fair number of Buick/GMC dealerships and I'm not sure GMC sales volume can keep them going without another line. They could add GMC to Cadillac I suppose, but they've culled the number of Caddy dealerships to make the line more exclusive, so I'm not sure how that would work out. Bringing some Buick models from China and basing domestically built ones on Chinese models may be an economical way to keep Buick operating here profitably at lower sales volumes. At least that's my theory of what may be going on

Buick should look into how Mitsubishi manages to survive selling 50k units a year.

suydam

I don't think that's an issue for them at the moment. They've sold over 60,000 Encores this year and about as many Enclaves. They are bringing out a midsize SUV. They are also bringing out new versions of their sedans, which is their weak spot at the moment.

abacomike

@oldfarmer50:

I see a number of Buicks here in my condo community as well as on the road - but they are the smaller versions of the sedan and SUV.  I rarely see a LaCrosse.  The styling seems progressive enough to attract a cross-section of buyers - but I know their sales numbers have been disappointing.  

Buick was always one step below the Cadillac - but Buicks seem more competitive with Fords and Toyotas and Hyuandais.

I sure hope they can bolster sales in the coming year.

iluvmysephia1

The little Mirage is actually selling well for Mitsubishi. Profit expectations must have an asterisk by them in North America for Mitsu. The little Mirage apparently pushes through snow very well, too. There will be no 2016 Mirage made but in the spring of 2016 Mitsubishi will release the new 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage.

The Lancer and Evo models are going bye-bye, as is the Galant midsize sedan. And the Eclipse has been shut down for several years. Their CEO wants to concentrate on CUV production, something they do very well. We shall see - it's sort of a wonder they're still staying alive in the U.S.

verdugo

imidazol97 said:

Gas pump skimmers have shown up in SW Ohio where graphicguy and I live. News stories alledge Cubans roaming the area.

We notified two credit cards that my son used when he traveled for training in recent months to be sure he didnt get blocked. One of his cards had automatically been blocked when he tried to make a purchase when he was finishing his degree at OSU. He switched to the other card to pay. I had used my card on that account to make a purchase at Wal-Mart and Kroger and he used his to make a purchase at Kroger near campus. Blocked.

Their algorithms determining if purchases are not typical have become really sophisticated.

One time when I was traveling abroad I called AmEx to give them a heads up. They thanked me for calling them, but then they said that they would do the same checking that they do if I hadn't called them.

In other words, calling them didn't do anything. I don't call anymore.

stever

Capital One told me the same thing - quit bugging them in other words.

ab348

berri said:

IIRC Buick has been losing some market share. I still believe GM has some issues and constraints with Buick. While it was probably necessary to keep the line in the US market while it was developing and gaining strength in Asia given cultural traits over there, that is probably not as critical today. However, GM has a fair number of Buick/GMC dealerships and I'm not sure GMC sales volume can keep them going without another line. They could add GMC to Cadillac I suppose, but they've culled the number of Caddy dealerships to make the line more exclusive, so I'm not sure how that would work out. Bringing some Buick models from China and basing domestically built ones on Chinese models may be an economical way to keep Buick operating here profitably at lower sales volumes. At least that's my theory of what may be going on

Buick's market share tracks the overall market and generally has been doing well after hitting bottom in '09:



Buick sold 229,000 units last year and claimed sales growth of 11%. They really don't sell all that many units of the Lacrosse - it is long in the tooth and getting expensive. It's a large sedan and you don't sell many of them these days anyway. I'm waiting to see the new one in the flesh but I figure it will be an improvement Buick needs to update all their models as they are all getting rather tired.

oldfarmer50

Let me be the first to say Merry Christmas before you all get full of egg nog or start unwrapping your new cars.

bwia

Speaking of unauthorized credit card use. Yesterday, my Samsung Galaxy 5 Smartphone was hijacked by a virus. Bummer!

I was surfing the net looking for live streaming of Fox News--my wife's favorite TV channel. Bad idea. When I clicked on a link for free access suddenly the screen froze with a message saying that my phone was infected with a virus and not to proceed unless I click OK to a dubious link.

On this busy Christmas Eve it will be difficult to find any tech support around here and Boxing Day is a holiday here as well.

All this time time I thought smartphones were virus proof unlike traditional PCs and Laptops. Well live and learn. If I ever get this fixed I probably will never trust this phone again.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

abacomike

To all my friends, I hope this Christmas is serene and warm as you gather with family and friends to celebrate this holy time of the year.  May you all find peace!  

nyccarguy

To all of you here who celebrate, Merry Christmas to you & all of your families!

suydam

Bwia: It's probably not a virus but a phishing scam. Turn the phone off and back on and see if it goes away.

PF_Flyer

What I should have posted was a video of trying to take this pic with the self timer. Now THAT was funny

bwia

suydam said:

Bwia: It's probably not a virus but a phishing scam. Turn the phone off and back on and see if it goes away.

Thanks suydam. I tried that but it does not work.

abacomike

bwia said:

Bwia: It's probably not a virus but a phishing scam. Turn the phone off and back on and see if it goes away.

Thanks suydam. I tried that but it does not work.

Try a total reset of the phone - that will take the phone back to its original factory settings.  I've done that many times on the iPhone ITunes app on my PC, but I don't know if your phone is set up that way.  It removes everything so long as you do a total reset of the phone.  You will have to set up your phone as if it was new.  DO NOT RESTORE THE PHONE USING A BACK UP - the virus might be in the backup files.

driver100

oldfarmer50

oldfarmer50 said:

Let me be the first to say Merry Christmas before you all get full of egg nog or start unwrapping your new cars.

Looks like Santa drives a Mustang!

But, it seems he also drives a Mercedes....



All the best for Christmas!

suydam

I wouldn't go the total reset except as last resort. I try a basic reboot first. As I say, I doubt it's a virus. I had that happen once with my iPhone and worked with the tech on the phone and it was resolved pretty easily.

oldfarmer50

bwia said:

Speaking of unauthorized credit card use. Yesterday, my Samsung Galaxy 5 Smartphone was hijacked by a virus. Bummer!

I was surfing the net looking for live streaming of Fox News--my wife's favorite TV channel. Bad idea. When I clicked on a link for free access suddenly the screen froze with a message saying that my phone was infected with a virus and not to proceed unless I click OK to a dubious link.

On this busy Christmas Eve it will be difficult to find any tech support around here and Boxing Day is a holiday here as well.

All this time time I thought smartphones were virus proof unlike traditional PCs and Laptops. Well live and learn. If I ever get this fixed I probably will never trust this phone again.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

I occasionally get that when googling for images like the Santa in Mustang above. I just turn the power off for a few minutes and delete that page when I power back on. I don't use the iPad for finance.

stever

PF_Flyer said:

What I should have posted was a video of trying to take this pic with the self timer.

You need one of those remote shutters. Or maybe a 10 foot long selfie stick.

PF_Flyer

I did consider buying a shutter release