Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

iluvmysephia1

tyguy - let us know how it goes pursuing the Mazda 6. I still like the Scion iA, basically a Mazda 2 sedan with the gaping schnozz up front from Scion. I have decided that I like it - weird looking front and all. Mountain States Scion has a red one (Scion calls it Pulse) with the 6-speed stick selling for $15,711. I keep watching from the shadows but won't pounce on one - unless I get a really intense hankering. We owe about $11,100 on our '11 Kia Soul and the car has only 59,115 miles on it. Might be $1,000 or so upside down on our loan.

So I think a deal could be made - it's just dealing with someone who doesn't drive or understand enjoying driving that I have to deal with. She sees things entirely from a financial standpoint, and, I can't entirely knock that. I just think there's a little wiggle room and I plan on working another 5 1/2 years until I retire, so a car payment won't hurt us for that duration - we're already in a loan on our Kia Soul that has 4 years left to pay on. So I look on from the cheap seats and think about it. I do enjoy driving the Kia Soul a lot, too, so it's not that I detest what I currently drive.

oldfarmer50

tyguy said:

Last week I took a 2016 Mazda6 i Touring with a manual transmission for a test drive. Gorgeous interior that reminds me of premium level design and materials, better than BMW but not quite Audi. Last night I had the internet sales manager, the floor sales manager, and the general manager from the dealership all independently contact me by email and voicemail wanting to close a deal that day. Apparently they had a year-end goal with Mazda to meet and they were still 2 cars short.

Calling them after work, about 7 in the evening, the floor sales manager answered and was ready to work a deal right then and there. He immediately discounted the one manual transmission Mazda6 they had in stock $2,000 below invoice and then researched NADA trade-in on my Impreza.

One challenge with a purchase is that I had not intended to buy brand new, which I explained during the test drive last week. Almost no one wants a manual transmission in the USA when not paired to a sports car. I've noticed that 2016 Mazda6 models with 5,000 miles popping up on the used market, and they move very slowly when equipped with manual transmissions. That leaves me room to negotiate both my trade, a highly desirable model in the Colorado area, for a model that won't move off a dealer's lot.

The other challenge was the new model the dealer had in stock was black paint, which is a non-starter for me. They could try to pull one from another lot, but there was little time to act and they were running into website search problems.

In the end we didn't work a deal and I was okay with that. There's a 5,000-mile used Mazda6 in pearl white paint in Denver at a Subaru dealer, of all places, so I may reach out to them this week. I'm in no hurry. The longer I wait the more 2016s will hit the dealer lots, and they'll depreciate faster than than the Impreza being newer.

I really like the style of the latest Mazda6. The 6cyl. with 270hp would be my choice. The dark red color would be the kicker.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think it is "rigged" in the sense that the playing field is not equal for all players.

ab348 said:

I can't say it is rigged but it certainly is irrational. It goes up and down based on things that have nothing to do with the profitability of your investments.

When an individual tries to play in the big leagues, they are playing against the day traders and instant traders who have quicker access to split second trades in and out. The individual is playing against folks who have all kinds of inside information about the various companies. Relying on Fortune magazine to mention that a certain area of investment is a good idea usually means the big guys are getting out while the popular market buyers are buying in late.

It's like the college sophomore on a football team declaring for the NFL and thinking they're guaranteed a prominent position for years and years (think OSU). Likely to happen? Naaah.

I have investments in various types of mutual funds in my taxable accounts and let the pros there decide when to buy and sell Apple, usw. ETFs may be the way to go there even if one can avoid the popular media (CNBC, Fox Business, and so on) telling when to get out and in. When the media likes the market, get out. When it's the worse thing ever like in 2009 and was only going to be grim forever with no hope, time to buy in. When CBS, NBC, ABC, and the NYTimes are telling you the economy is steady or improving, sell. Judge by your own seat of the pants as to how it's doing.

What do you do when Glenn Beck tells you to buy gold?

More seriously, what do you high rollers think of MLPs as a source of income? I know just enough to be wary.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

Interesting exchange I witnessed between a new car buyer and the used car manager at my dealership this morning.

I had to drop off some papers at my dealer this morning - while I was waiting to get into the office, I was sitting in the guest lounge and heard an argument between a customer and the used car manager about the value of a 2011 Lexus ES350 trade vehicle.  The customer contended that he paid $2000 to have his custom vinyl roof installed when he bought his car and was insistent that his car was worth at least $1500 more because of his investment in the vinyl roof.  The used car manager told the customer that he had to deduct $1500 from the value of his trade because his vinyl roof negatively affected the resale vale of his ES350.  The manager said, "...I can't sell a car with a vinyl roof - no one wants to buy a car with a custom coach roof - I will have to wholesale the car!"

The customer, in his gruff European accent, said that all his friends and neighbor's have cars with vinyl roofs.  The manager responded that he should try selling his car to one of his vinyl roof loving friends or neighbor's?  The customer said he tried but no one wanted to pay him what he wanted for his car.  

The arguing went on for some time until I had to leave.

BTW, I agreed 100% with the used car manager.  He will have to wholesale that car - no one over in that area is going to buy a late model used car with a vinyl "hat"!  

I can't think of a car built in this century that looks good with a vinyl roof and few built in the last century either. For some people I don't think they can bring themselves to admit they got taken by an expensive dealer add on.

Mr_Shiftright

Buying gold is, in my opinion, a fear-based response with no rational thinking behind it. Gold will behave no different than any other commodity. If nobody wants it, it ain't worth anything.

If you want to buy something useful for the coming zombie apocalypse, buy cases of Spam. I'll bet you I'll get a fair amount of gold for each can of Spam I have. Can't eat gold.

History suggests that Spam is a much better investment. We might recall those poor European refugees trying to get out of Germany prior to and during WW II. They ended up trading diamonds for a loaf of bread.

stever

I'm overweight in Spam futures.

Mr_Shiftright

I noticed that from some of your photos. I'm spam-rich. Once the zombie apocalypse breaks, I'm going to live like a god.

stickguy

Dang. Now I really want some Spam. Might have to run out and get a can for lunch tomorrow!

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

I noticed that from some of your photos. I'm spam-rich. Once the zombie apocalypse breaks, I'm going to live like a god.

I get tons of spam every day - just don't know how to get rid of it!  

stever

It's great camping, sliced thin, with a bit of carbon around the edges after frying it up. Then you let the fig newtons warm up in the hot skillet while you chow down on the main course.

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

I noticed that from some of your photos. I'm spam-rich. Once the zombie apocalypse breaks, I'm going to live like a god.

What about military MREs? I heard on the radio today that the government will pay you to eat them if you help them determine which are the tastiest.

js06gv

Wife's year old Mustang got hit in the Target parking lot a couple of days before Christmas (no note...Merry Christmas to me!). I dropped it off for repairs today and picked up a rental, a 2015 Altima 3.5 SL. First impressions - what a great engine crying out for a proper transmission. I can't understand Nissan's obsession with CVTs. I'm sure part of it is me not being used to them, but the car just doesn't drive "right." The power is immediate and seemingly always on tap, but the tranny lurches, whines and drones. When sitting still, the engine is smooth as silk.

Other than that, nice ride. I still prefer my daughter's Optima Turbo in terms of looks, handling, features, trans and interior quality. Ride is about equal. Altima has the edge with less road noise and better stereo quality and touchscreen IMO.

suydam

Altima CVT is loud. There are other CVTs that are not like that, notably my Honda Accord. The Altima is a very comfortable car to be in otherwise.

fordfool

> Unless you're willing to spend lots of time managing your portfolio I'd buy an index mutual fund
> and just dollar cost average. Look into Vanguard or some other low cost fund company.

Ditto! No one beats the market long-term by stock picking or by timing. I agree with Old Farmer.
Vanguard 500 Stock Index and Vanguard Total Market.

suydam

Of course all of our advice is worth exactly what you paid for it. 

berri

MRE's are today's C ration for troops out in the boonies.

Mr_Shiftright

Believe it or not, gourmet chefs are now offering exotic spam dishes at NY restaurants with a "Hawaiian Theme".

berri

The first time I was in Hawaii I was all excited about trying Hawaiian cuisine. Then I got hit with the reality that it really isn't like the Polynesian stuff in American restaurants. :@

PS - don't forget to throw an egg on the spam and add a side macaroni salad!

Mr_Shiftright

Well there's hope. For a while, back when, you could drive clear across Nevada and never see a cappuccino. But now you can. Another new fad is hawaiian poke. Probably much healthier than Spam, although raw fish can be risky.

berri

I get a kick out of these new Yuppie rage K-cup coffee things. Until it became vogue, that was the same single serve coffee drink kind of stuff that you were stuck with while waiting at a tire shop.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah but you're not "on the go" and "livin' the dream" and being a very cool metro dude in your loft. (or maybe you are?)...so you don't have time to waste by making a cup of coffee by hand. Remember, these are people who pay $6 for a piece of toast.

stever

There was a Hawaiian themed place in Boise with spam "sushi". Awful stuff, mostly because it was thick slices. The real Hawaiian breakfast is Portuguese sausage and rice. Great pork adobo on Molokai too. Next week I'm in TN catching up on my catfish and ham biscuit fix.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

Buying gold is, in my opinion, a fear-based response with no rational thinking behind it. Gold will behave no different than any other commodity. If nobody wants it, it ain't worth anything.

If you want to buy something useful for the coming zombie apocalypse, buy cases of Spam. I'll bet you I'll get a fair amount of gold for each can of Spam I have. Can't eat gold.

History suggests that Spam is a much better investment. We might recall those poor European refugees trying to get out of Germany prior to and during WW II. They ended up trading diamonds for a loaf of bread.

Mr_Shiftright said:

Buying gold is, in my opinion, a fear-based response with no rational thinking behind it. Gold will behave no different than any other commodity. If nobody wants it, it ain't worth anything.

If you want to buy something useful for the coming zombie apocalypse, buy cases of Spam. I'll bet you I'll get a fair amount of gold for each can of Spam I have. Can't eat gold.

History suggests that Spam is a much better investment. We might recall those poor European refugees trying to get out of Germany prior to and during WW II. They ended up trading diamonds for a loaf of bread.

Agree about gold. Generally speaking, by the time tyhe media tells you to buy or sell, it's already too late to cash in.

driver100

berri said:

I get a kick out of these new Yuppie rage K-cup coffee things. Until it became vogue, that was the same single serve coffee drink kind of stuff that you were stuck with while waiting at a tire shop.

I love my Keurig and the coffee I get is as good as any store bought coffee, usually better. Plus the ease of use. I am not a coffee addict, but my Keurig is worth it's weight in gold to me.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yeah but you're not "on the go" and "livin' the dream" and being a very cool metro dude in your loft. (or maybe you are?)...so you don't have time to waste by making a cup of coffee by hand. Remember, these are people who pay $6 for a piece of toast.

Another nice thing about a Keurig is that you don't have to wash it between coffee's...if that matters to you.

If you have visitors you can make strong, medium, mild coffee or even tea or hot chocolate...etc., unlimited variables.....which is a nice feature.

Also, coffee comes out the same every time.

Talking about stocks....wish I bought this one early on.

bwia

Mr_Shiftright said:

Buying gold is, in my opinion, a fear-based response with no rational thinking behind it. Gold will behave no different than any other commodity. If nobody wants it, it ain't worth anything.

Don't quite agree. The value of gold will NEVER fall to zero unlike other financial assets or real estate. Gold is a unique and versatile product, almost 75% of the gold ever mined is still around today. It can be used as jewelry, art, industrial applications and can even be eaten. Gold perhaps should not used as an investment but rather as immunization against investment risk.

carnaught

driver100 said:

berri said:

I love my Keurig and the coffee I get is as good as any store bought coffee, usually better. Plus the ease of use. I am not a coffee addict, but my Keurig is worth it's weight in gold to me.

Agreed, but you have to use the right coffee. The coffees are as good/better than most fine dining restaurant's coffee. We especially like Barista Prima Italian Dark Roast, Newman's Best Organic Coffee, Emeril Lagasse's Big and Bold, available at Wally World or B B & B. Green Mountain coffee and Dunken Donuts coffee in K-cups are meh, and Donut Shop is double meh.

suydam

To each his/her own. I'm not a Keurig fan.

nyccarguy

@carnaught & @driver100 - we have a k-cup machine at our house.  I do like the convenience of it.  I don't LOVE it.  The Newman's Best Organic & Starbucks Medium House Blend are my favorites.  

My biggest problem with our K-Cup machine is that the coffee doesn't get hot enough for me.  The commercial K-Cup machines they have in offices & car dealerships (which are hard wired with a 220 line) get nice & hot.  

I make my K-Cup coffee every AM.  Once or twice a month I will stop at Starbucks in the AM.  I love their Blonde Roast. I stop at Dunkin Donuts every night on my way home for a large.

stickguy

Coffee. Yuck.

Don't hate me for being different.

carnaught

nyc, sounds like you have a sick, or older Keurig. My coffee comes out nice and hot. I slowly became a Keurig fan, and now I'm hooked to my morning cup. That said, the problem with Keurig is that they don't last indefinitely, which is why I always have a warranty for replacement, which is well worth it. Never had a really good cup of Dunkin's, either in the store or K-cup. Moreover, their donuts always seem hard and stale, probably because they're transported in rather than freshly made at the site.

stever

I need to place an order to my San Fran "herb" company. I put a tablespoon of chicory in my Italian roast every pot and I'm running low. Melitta filter into a thermos.

No panic calls from my sister this morning so I guess she's liking her new wheels okay.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Coffee. Yuck.

Don't hate me for being different.

Ditto, stick.

We had a Keurig. Got rid of it after reading about issues with germs and such.

Replaced it with a Ninja. Uses a filter (!). But, can make fancy coffee drinks as well as a cup 'o joe.

Wife and daughter love it.

Oh, the service on the Subaru went great. Was quoted $100 for the rear diff fluid change, but only cost me $56 in the end. $141 total for diff, oil/filter and tire rotation.

nyccarguy

@Michaell - the cost of up keep makes the Subaru that much more enjoyable to own.  

nyccarguy

@carnaught - the one I have is maybe a year old.  I find if I run it through once without the k-cup in it, then run it through the 2nd time it gets hotter.  I usually take my 1st sip of coffee when I jump on the highway, about 10 - 12 minutes after I leave my house.  By then the coffee is hit, just not as hot as I like it.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell - the cost of up keep makes the Subaru that much more enjoyable to own.  

Agreed.

It's sitting in my garage at the moment .. daughter is driving the MINI to work this week. Since my wife and daughter work for the same employer, it cuts down on mileage for both the MINI and the Subaru.

Next week they take the Outback, I'm sure.

sda

nyccarguy said:

@carnaught - the one I have is maybe a year old.  I find if I run it through once without the k-cup in it, then run it through the 2nd time it gets hotter.  I usually take my 1st sip of coffee when I jump on the highway, about 10 - 12 minutes after I leave my house.  By then the coffee is hit, just not as hot as I like it.

On our Keurig there is a brew temp setting that can be changed. Perhaps the brew temp can be increased on yours. The setting is accessed in the Menu.

oldfarmer50

js06gv said:

Wife's year old Mustang got hit in the Target parking lot a couple of days before Christmas (no note...Merry Christmas to me!). I dropped it off for repairs today and picked up a rental, a 2015 Altima 3.5 SL. First impressions - what a great engine crying out for a proper transmission. I can't understand Nissan's obsession with CVTs. I'm sure part of it is me not being used to them, but the car just doesn't drive "right." The power is immediate and seemingly always on tap, but the tranny lurches, whines and drones. When sitting still, the engine is smooth as silk.

Other than that, nice ride. I still prefer my daughter's Optima Turbo in terms of looks, handling, features, trans and interior quality. Ride is about equal. Altima has the edge with less road noise and better stereo quality and touchscreen IMO.

The Mustang!!! Noooooooooooooooo!





BTW, on the Altima my BIL has a 3.5L 2015 with the CVT. seems to shift smoothly (it really doesn't shift but you know what I mean) no lurching or whining. He has the paddle shifters so he can approximate the feel of shifting. Very strong motor.

abacomike

I changed the picture I had up to an actual picture of my new car. Hope you all can get an idea of what it actually looks like. I've tried to upload several pictures to the post, but I keep failing. :@

abacomike

I hope this worked.

stever

That worked.

What happened though - someone peel off and steal your vinyl roof overnight?

Mr_Shiftright

And they stole the Gold Package...see, I was wrong...gold is still desirable.

abacomike

stever said:

That worked.

What happened though - someone peel off and steal your vinyl roof overnight?

Pitiful, isn't it? Can't keep anything nice here in Florida without some idiots ruining it for others. And it was so good looking to - chartreuse!

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

And they stole the Gold Package...see, I was wrong...gold is still desirable.

They sell the gold package still, believe it or not! 

Mr_Shiftright

I wonder if the package price varies with the price of gold? Just kidding...the plating is micro-thin,

Speaking of which, I recently saw this gold-plated car that a colleague appraised.

tjc78

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Coffee. Yuck.

Don't hate me for being different.

Ditto, stick.


Replaced it with a Ninja. Uses a filter (!). But, can make fancy coffee drinks as well as a cup 'o joe.

Wife and daughter love it.

.

We bought the Ninja as an Xmas present to ourselves and positively love it. It makes an awesome cup of coffee, whether a full carafe or single cup. The specialty brews are great too.

Mr_Shiftright

Never had a drinkable cup of coffee out of one of those machines, but maybe you're right--can't blame the machine per se.

Did you ever see that YouTube video where they round up a bunch of real coffee "snobs" and blind-taste? Pretty funny---many of the fussiest and snobbiest ended up choosing Chock Full O Nuts. I would hope not to fall victim to that kind of test, but you never know, I might.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

I wonder if the package price varies with the price of gold? Just kidding...the plating is micro-thin,

Speaking of which, I recently saw this gold-plated car that a colleague appraised.

So.....appraised value?

Mr_Shiftright

Not much as it turns out. Dig this interior:

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

Not much as it turns out. Dig this interior:

Good lord - an old "pimp" car.  I wonder what went on in that car 20 years ago?  I think I saw that car on "Wheeler Dealers" aka "Dealer Wheelers"!