Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

bwia

Your mother-in-law made it to 103. Celebrate her life and not mourn her death. May she RIP

stever

Indeed - Shoveling snow and cut grass until 98 is amazing. I'm at the rehab hospital with my 94 year old mom - she's starting her recovery from breaking her hip recently. Otherwise she'd be in her apartment at the assisted living place and mostly managing on her own, with a lot of help from my brother and his kids who live in town.

stever

Indeed - Shoveling snow and cut grass until 98 is amazing. I'm at the rehab hospital with my 94 year old mom - she's starting her recovery from breaking her hip recently. Otherwise she'd be in her apartment at the assisted living place and mostly managing on her own, with a lot of help from my brother and his kids who live in town.

bwia

If I won the Power Ball I would buy myself a pair of these Bang & Olufen's speakers http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-07/bang-olufsen-beolab-90-costs-as-much-as-a-tesla

stever

For $80 grand, you could hire live musicians for your daily music.

Unless the guys you hire don't have girlfriends - then it'd cost you more because you'd have to put them up in the guesthouse.

Mr_Shiftright

Man that Maybach did not Exelero much on styling. Rapper's car, as I recall. Only one, thank god.

ab348

If I won hundreds of millions in a lottery I can guarantee I would turn into one of those guys you see on Wayne Carini's show with fleets of classics and exotics. But first I would have to find a place with the 16 car garage/shop attached to the estate house.

BTW, I see where Wayne's dad, Bob Carini, passed away at age 93. He lived a good life. My condolences.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

@driver100 - very sad to hear about your Morher-In-Law, but 103 years old in relatively good health is a fantastic accomplishment!  

Ditto. My condolences.

abacomike

roadburner said:

@driver100 - very sad to hear about your Morher-In-Law, but 103 years old in relatively good health is a fantastic accomplishment!  

Ditto. My condolences.

X 3

isellhondas

My condolences as well. Even when expected it's still tough. I know.

berri

She really beat the odds, not just on age, but particularly on her health. So many find living to the 80's a very cruel decade. She was blessed.

abacomike

We were discussing liability insurance yesterday.  My liability limits on my car are 250,000/500,000 - I tried to raise them, but as driver said, those are the highest they provide in Florida.  They want $324 a year for a $1 million umbrella, which is the lowest they sell.  I think it's a bit pricy since I have $100,000 personal liability with my condo policy.  I'll have to consider this more carefully - I am getting close to insurance broke.

I raised the insurance on the dwelling to $35,000 (in case of fire or other damage - it's for interior walls, built in appliances and vanities and cabinets an counter-tops and all flooring.  The Condo association insures the building and structures - my insurance would cover putting the interior of my Condo in living condition.  Then I have $27,000 in contents insurance - furniture, clothing, free-standing appliances like refrigerator, window treatments, etc.  The insurance company said by raising the dwelling insurance to $35,000, I am safely covered - that would be sufficient to replace the interior structures.

The insurance company said that my interior square footage is 1375 sq.ft.

andres3

http://mashable.com/2016/01/07/lamborghini-flood/#EYIBo6zHPsqL

Apparently the Audi R8 twin, the Lambo, is a great water resistant machine to Southern CA flooding lately.

Mr_Shiftright

And you laughed at Italian electronics! Aha!

PF_Flyer

abacomike said:

@driver100:

Lightening or lightning - 6 of one or half dozen of the other! 

Wouldn't it be more better correct to say... 6 of one, turn left at the third light???

This is how we get to people asking me to cut them some flak

I don't take that kind of slack! (I think I fell down the slippery slope)

berri

Aba - does the condo assoc include hurricane coverage? IIRC FL is a pretty litigious state, as is Miami as a city area, so that may explain the price of the umbrella policy. Hard to say, umbrella policy or possible BK in an accident. Probably depends on the assets a lawyer can grab from you in such a situation.

graphicguy

Driver...condolences to you and to your wife and family.

So, my Time Warner internet has been flaky since the holidays. After spending about 4 hours with their tech support yesterday and today, replacing the router, the modem and all of the CAT I could find, I insisted they come our and check their equipment outside. They can't get to it until tomorrow.

Given I have my office in my home, and depend on internet for communications fpor sending files and emails, I parked myself at Panera bread, consuming more iced tea that any one human should in a week so I don't feel like a free loader.

Anyway, being at Panera in the middle of the day, it's interesting listening to those who aren't working/retired, etc, who are hanging out.

Old folks seem to sit around and complain about every thing from the cost of coffee at Panera, to those who have taken their "preferred" table/chair. I guess it's a daily routine for these folks at Panera and they don't want anyone who came before they arrived to take their preferred spot. They either loudly grumble, or hover around the table they want, making sure no one else takes it after the current "offenders" leave.

Younger ones, seem intent on loading up on caffeine to help with their studies. The ones in the middle (hopefully, those are my "peeps" are using tables as a temporary office. Thanks to the deity that no one is hovering over me.

Pretty darned comical.

houdini1

Sorry for your loss Driver...but what a wonderful life she had !!

abacomike

graphicguy said:

Driver...condolences to you and to your wife and family. So, my Time Warner internet has been flaky since the holidays. After spending about 4 hours with their tech support yesterday and today, replacing the router, the modem and all of the CAT I could find, I insisted they come our and check their equipment outside. They can't get to it until tomorrow. Given I have my office in my home, and depend on internet for communications fpor sending files and emails, I parked myself at Panera bread, consuming more iced tea that any one human should in a week so I don't feel like a free loader. Anyway, being at Panera in the middle of the day, it's interesting listening to those who aren't working/retired, etc, who are hanging out. Old folks seem to sit around and complain about every thing from the cost of coffee at Panera, to those who have taken their "preferred" table/chair. I guess it's a daily routine for these folks at Panera and they don't want anyone who came before they arrived to take their preferred spot. They either loudly grumble, or hover around the table they want, making sure no one else takes it after the current "offenders" leave. Younger ones, seem intent on loading up on caffeine to help with their studies. The ones in the middle (hopefully, those are my "peeps" are using tables as a temporary office. Thanks to the deity that no one is hovering over me. Pretty darned comical.

Sounds like a parody of "As Good As It Gets" starring Jack Nicholson, Greg Kinnear and Helen Hunt.  It's about this obsessive compulsive and AD/HD adult male who has a conniption when he goes into his favorite restaurant for breakfast every morning and finds a couple sitting at the only table his disorder will allow him to sit at.  Very funny flick and a great acting job by Jack Nicholson. 

abacomike

When was the last time you can remember a barrel of oil selling for $33.93.  I actually think it was when I was still young and spry - a long, long time ago.  It is obvious that this cannot possibly continue for very much longer.  There will soon come a time when the oil companies will just shut some of their producing wells down causing an end to the oil glut.  Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela and the Saudis need to sell as much oil as possible to maintain their economies.  That will cause more oil to be imported to the US and make us even more dependent on foreign oil.

I honestly do not see these extremely low oil prices as being very good for the US economy in the long run. 

stickguy

I say if they want to sell cheap, import it and save the domestic supplies. Use up theirs first!

abacomike

stickguy said:

I say if they want to sell cheap, import it and save the domestic supplies. Use up theirs first!

Good point! 

oldfarmer50

A while back we were discussing Mercury Grand Marquis and gas milage of the 4.6L V8. A few posters seemed surprised when I said my Lincoln with the 4.6L 4 valve could get 22 mpg average and 30 highway. So today on the way home I let the car warm up first and then set cruise at 65. Trip was 70/30 highway/city. Here's what I got:



If I had started off cold or jumped on the gas pedal I would have got 18. Seems that when cruising down the road V8s can do as well as smaller motors. They really suffer in stop&go.

Regarding Mike's comment on low oil prices, when my Lincoln was new oil was $12 a bbl.

qbrozen

driver100 said:

Chance of getting hit by lightening is 3X greater than chance of winning the Power Ball Lottery. In fact they said your chances were better of becoming President.

Well, that's someone stretching it a bit, I think. Not by much. There are 320 million people in the US, so that gives me 320 million to 1 chance of becoming president vs 292 million to one for the lottery. Of course, I'd have to actually run for president, be on the ballot, and be known, so I've got zero chance. I did buy a lottery ticket, however, so my odds of winning are FAR FAR better than becoming president.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

A while back we were discussing Mercury Grand Marquis and gas milage of the 4.6L V8. A few posters seemed surprised when I said my Lincoln with the 4.6L 4 valve could get 22 mpg average and 30 highway. So today on the way home I let the car warm up first and then set cruise at 65. Trip was 70/30 highway/city. Here's what I got: If I had started off cold or jumped on the gas pedal I would have got 18. Seems that when cruising down the road V8s can do as well as smaller motors. They really suffer in stop&go.

OF, how accurate do you think that mpg monitor/read out is?  Have you compared it with manually averaging your mpg's by miles driven and gasoline replaced in the tank? 

qbrozen

I filled up the Rover today for the wife. She averaged 18.3 mpg. I was hoping for better, but oh well. Still surprising to me how well the T&C does compared to our fleet. 18.3 in the Rover, about 20-21 in the CTS, and just under 22 in the T&C is about the norm. The S70 is usually around 24.

oldfarmer50

Driver100,

Sorry for your loss. 33 or 103 it still hurts. If you did right by her when she was alive (which I'm guessing you and your wife did) you'll have no regrets when the grief fades. The saddest people I know are those who say "if only I had..."

ab348

abacomike said:

OF, how accurate do you think that mpg monitor/read out is?  Have you compared it with manually averaging your mpg's by miles driven and gasoline replaced in the tank? 

I'm amazed that car actually has a computer. I wonder if it is vacuum tube... or maybe runs off engine vacuum.

explorerx4

@driver100,
Sorry to hear about your MIL, yesterday would have been my Mom's 86th birthday, but she passed just before Thanksgiving.
She was the same type of person, didn't want to give in to age.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

A while back we were discussing Mercury Grand Marquis and gas milage of the 4.6L V8. A few posters seemed surprised when I said my Lincoln with the 4.6L 4 valve could get 22 mpg average and 30 highway. So today on the way home I let the car warm up first and then set cruise at 65. Trip was 70/30 highway/city. Here's what I got:



If I had started off cold or jumped on the gas pedal I would have got 18. Seems that when cruising down the road V8s can do as well as smaller motors. They really suffer in stop&go.

OF, how accurate do you think that mpg monitor/read out is?  Have you compared it with manually averaging your mpg's by miles driven and gasoline replaced in the tank? 

That's a good question and one that some poster brought up before. I suppose it would be in the interest of Ford (or any other mfg.) to rig the computer readout in their favor. No way to check for one short hop but maybe at next fill-up I'll check it the old fashion way.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

A while back we were discussing Mercury Grand Marquis and gas milage of the 4.6L V8. A few posters seemed surprised when I said my Lincoln with the 4.6L 4 valve could get 22 mpg average and 30 highway. So today on the way home I let the car warm up first and then set cruise at 65. Trip was 70/30 highway/city. Here's what I got: If I had started off cold or jumped on the gas pedal I would have got 18. Seems that when cruising down the road V8s can do as well as smaller motors. They really suffer in stop&go.

OF, how accurate do you think that mpg monitor/read out is?  Have you compared it with manually averaging your mpg's by miles driven and gasoline replaced in the tank? 

That's a good question and one that some poster brought up before. I suppose it would be in the interest of Ford (or any other mfg.) to rig the computer readout in their favor. No way to check for one short hop but maybe at next fill-up I'll check it the old fashion way.

I do the same thing.  I check my average mpg against my miles driven since I last filled up.  I do the division and come up with number of gallons to fill the tank.  I fill the tank and sure enough, to the tenth of a gallon, it takes exactly what my calculations indicated.

I have three read outs in my car for mpg and mileage.  One gives me mpg's since starting the car along with mileage traveled.  The second gives me mpg and mileage since last fill up.  The third, from a different screen on the GPS screen, I get mpg every 60 seconds.

stickguy

my experience has been that the TC is usually about 1 MPG higher than I calculate, or a smidge less. So good enough for me.

abacomike

I have gotten to the point where I have angst regarding my safety when I am in public at a mall, a store or a supermarket.  I realize that the chances of my being killed or injured by some terrorist is small, but greater than being in an airline crash - and getting worse.

I do not know what has to be done about making the populace feel safer, but whatever is being done now is not doing the job.

This is not political - it's a matter of life and death.  I'm beginning to feel unsafe in my own country! 

suydam

You are in way more danger every time you get in a car. And yet you don't fear for your safety in your own car. And of course the commonest cause of death in the US is heart disease. You know something about that.

Mr_Shiftright

Most people, including me, aren't very good at risk assessment. It doesn't help that our media pumps out fear and paranoia at an alarming rate. In reality, you are at much greater risk of being harmed by someone you know rather than an anonymous terrifying stranger who is going to pop out of the bushes.

We are appalled when 50 people die in a terrorist attack, or even 1500, but we don't blink an eye when 35,000 people a year die in automobiles, and hundreds of thousands more are injured, some quite seriously.

abacomike

suydam said:

You are in way more danger every time you get in a car. And yet you don't fear for your safety in your own car. And of course the commonest cause of death in the US is heart disease. You know something about that.

Unfortunately, I do! 

Mr_Shiftright

Nobody on earth has an actual future Mike. It's all up to chance.

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

Nobody on earth has an actual future Mike. It's all up to chance.

It's up to GOD!!! 

berri

I think weight has almost as much to do with the old car mileage as does the V8 engine. 4 bangers are great in the city, but get it out on the highway and give it some steep hills, adverse weather or strong headwinds and that mileage can drop quickly, especially if it's a crossover with it's raised profile creating drag. Now I read that turbo's will take care of this, but then I look at the real world reports of mileage on some of those Ford Ecoboosts and have to wonder.

As for those old car dash mileage readouts, I wouldn't be surprised if they were just a gussied up vacuum gage.

abacomike

berri said:

I think weight has almost as much to do with the old car mileage as does the V8 engine. 4 bangers are great in the city, but get it out on the highway and give it some steep hills, adverse weather or strong headwinds and that mileage can drop quickly, especially if it's a crossover with it's raised profile creating drag. Now I read that turbo's will take care of this, but then I look at the real world reports of mileage on some of those Ford Ecoboosts and have to wonder. As for those old car dash mileage readouts, I wouldn't be surprised if they were just a gussied up vacuum gage.

No surprise.  Tech advances over the last 10 years have been mind boggling.  My current vehicle is so "teched" it takes a geek to figure out the read outs! 

sb55

ab348 said:

If I won hundreds of millions in a lottery I can guarantee I would turn into one of those guys you see on Wayne Carini's show with fleets of classics and exotics. But first I would have to find a place with the 16 car garage/shop attached to the estate house.

My neighbor has a lot of money. His "foundation" is building a 12,000 square foot stand alone garage about a mile from me. It's not connected to his house property, but on another lot he owns. It's for his private collection, but I hope since the "foundation" is building it, he may have to open it up to the public at least a day a year. He also has an antique tool collection and that is open to the public about 4 days a year.

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

You are in way more danger every time you get in a car. And yet you don't fear for your safety in your own car. And of course the commonest cause of death in the US is heart disease. You know something about that.

It's the perceived lack of control that gives rise to such phobias. We don't feel that when driving because we have a modicum of control. Mike should turn off the TV.

oldfarmer50

sb55 said:

ab348 said:

If I won hundreds of millions in a lottery I can guarantee I would turn into one of those guys you see on Wayne Carini's show with fleets of classics and exotics. But first I would have to find a place with the 16 car garage/shop attached to the estate house.

My neighbor has a lot of money. His "foundation" is building a 12,000 square foot stand alone garage about a mile from me. It's not connected to his house property, but on another lot he owns. It's for his private collection, but I hope since the "foundation" is building it, he may have to open it up to the public at least a day a year. He also has an antique tool collection and that is open to the public about 4 days a year.

You mean he has all that neat stuff and he gets to show it off and brag about it too? Rich guys get all the breaks.

That also explains why the crook I worked for many years ago would take patients out for a ride on his yacht in Boston harbor once a year.

driver100

Thanks very much to all of you for you thoughts and it is true, what more could you ask for, good health and a visit from a family member every day.

My car rental is a Malibu. More comments later, using this Galaxy tablet drives me crazy. I think the Spirit plane needs a wheel balance.

Fit Bit in law suit for false readings......oldfarmer, is your speedo made by Fit Bit?

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Fit Bit in law suit for false readings......oldfarmer, is your speedo made by Fit Bit?

Quick scan of Fitbit stories on the net looks like it's the heart rate monitor that's giving trouble.
My wife loves hers because it keeps a record of sleep as well as number of
steps. With her back problems, she tries to stay mobile. Her's does NOT
have the heart rate capability.

Neat devices for a nominal hundred bucks.

imidazol97

My mileage readout on my leSabre sometimes was off 1.5 mpg on long trips--that
is about 5%, e.g., reads 33.2 and mileage by tank fill at foreign gas stations was
31.5. Fill at stations away from home made it difficult to get the pump to shut
off at the same gas load height in the tank. I could put in lots of gas after the
first click off occurred.

My Malibu's digital readout seemed much closer on my longer trip check
last March, again at stations away from home. Was within 1 mpg out of
35/36, and that occurred on both trip to Pigeon Forge and back to home.

imidazol97

Mr_Shiftright said:

Most people, including me, aren't very good at risk assessment. It doesn't help that our media pumps out fear and paranoia at an alarming rate.

Our media also pumps out lots of disinformation by omission or downplaying things.
The San Bernadino terrorist attack would have been even worse if the pipe bomb
triggers had worked, probably when first responders were present. Would have been
much more like Paris terrorist attack.

Mr_Shiftright said:

...more likely injured by
someone we know...

Exactly true, based on statistics.

imidazol97

A terrible story about a major problem, heroin. A mother and father both overdosed in River City (Cincy)
at, drum roll, Children's Hospital in the room of their 7-year old daughter. Norcan revived rather; mother dead. Both had syringes in their arms.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/01/07/police-investigating-overdose-childrens-hospital/78417828/

This reminded me because people have overdosed in their cars while injecting and driving. Sounds like a new
motor vehicle violation: IWD. Sad.

Neighbor was addicted. Had to sell house , etc.. Two previous treatment for alcohol failed. 90-day dryout treatment seemed to have worked. Kept his job as semi mechanic luckily.
Seems to be dry both re alcohol and other drugs when he visits my other neighbor. Hopefully a success story. His parents had lived in house since 75.

bwia

Did you know that this fruit is good for hypertension, coronary disease and leg cramps? I have been eating quite a bit of this fruit in the Caribbean only to learn that a possible side effect is loss of virility.

imidazol97

bwia said:

to learn that a possible side effect is loss of virility.

LOL