Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

tjc78

The trip computer in my 04 MGM is usually within 1mpg. OFs Mark VIII probably uses the same software.  I haven't checked the Enclave, that thing is such a pig it doesn't matter.  

graphicguy

abacomike said:

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. 
Mike...now that you mention it, it was a scene that could have been in "As Good as it Gets".

Good flick!

oldfarmer50

Too much time on my hands. Finished all my errands so I decided to update the family portrait.

2012:



2016:

iluvmysephia1

Is that in Oregon, oldfarmer?

nyccarguy

@oldfarmer50 - looks great!  I'm so glad you bought that Mustang!

oldfarmer50

iluvmysephia1 said:

Is that in Oregon, oldfarmer?

Nope, upstate NY.

graphicguy

OF....Very cool. 'Vette swapped out for the Mustang, Caddy swapped out for the Lincoln. Great stable!

berri

I always liked the looks of that Lincoln, particularly in that color.

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe, or luck, or just randomness

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.

That's very true. Historically at least, a turbo 4 that's pushed hard can turn into quite the little gas hog. Not sure that even the most modern tech can overcome that.

js06gv

Every trip computer I've had has been between so so and awful in terms of accuracy except for one. I check the manual way at every fill up. Trip computers in my American cars are overstated by 1-1.5 mpg, and in the Korean cars overstated by 2-3+ mpg. My 2011 Mustang was the only one that was pretty dead on for some reason, but the new one is usually off by at least 1 mpg. Old one with its 3.15 axle got better mileage too. I'd hardly ever see less than 19-20 even in straight city driving, and it could do 25 on a highway trip. This one is 17-18 and probably 23 at best. Ratings from 2011 to 2015 dropped 18 to 16 city but hwy stayed the same at 25. Still not awful for 435 hp I suppose, but I think a current Vette does a bit better. Regardless, these cars aren't for fuel economy anyway. But @oldfarmer50's 31 mpg is still impressive!

oldfarmer50

js06gv said:

Every trip computer I've had has been between so so and awful in terms of accuracy except for one. I check the manual way at every fill up. Trip computers in my American cars are overstated by 1-1.5 mpg, and in the Korean cars overstated by 2-3+ mpg. My 2011 Mustang was the only one that was pretty dead on for some reason, but the new one is usually off by at least 1 mpg. Old one with its 3.15 axle got better mileage too. I'd hardly ever see less than 19-20 even in straight city driving, and it could do 25 on a highway trip. This one is 17-18 and probably 23 at best. Ratings from 2011 to 2015 dropped 18 to 16 city but hwy stayed the same at 25. Still not awful for 435 hp I suppose, but I think a current Vette does a bit better. Regardless, these cars aren't for fuel economy anyway. But @oldfarmer50's 31 mpg is still impressive!

2015 Mustang with the 3.15 rear on the same run as the Lincoln. Mustang only weighs about 100 pounds less. Lincoln has 3.09 rear.



But driving either one of them for max milage is boring!

stickguy

once you do a couple of comparisons, you get to know how close the TC is. I never bother to calculate any more. MPG is whatever it is!

carnaught

"and in the Korean cars overstated by 2-3+ mpg."

The trip computer in my Korean Buick (Encore) is spot on .

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

2015 Mustang with the 3.15 rear on the same run as the Lincoln. Mustang only weighs about 100 pounds less. Lincoln has 3.09 rear.

But driving either one of them for max milage is boring!

You need a Shelby GT350/GT350R that Motorweek "tested" on their show today
to take the BORING out of the word "Mustang."

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

Too much time on my hands. Finished all my errands so I decided to update the family portrait.

2012:



2016:

Forget the cars, that is a beautiful property !!

sb55

oldfarmer50 said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Is that in Oregon, oldfarmer?

Nope, upstate NY.

Albany area is upstate NY. I went to school in Schoharie County and that is upstate NY.
I used to live in Westchester, NY. My wife's family from Long Island always thought that we lived "upstate" and it was too far to drive to visit. We could drive there but not the other way around. I commuted to Queens everyday and never thought as where I lived "upstate". Now that I live in Northwestern Vermont and Plattsburgh is right across the lake, and Canada is about 20 miles away, I do consider us "upstate".

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, it that anywhere near Roscoe? I had an army buddy who came from there, a real hillbilly, but what a nice guy. Unfortunately he re-upped and got killed at some point. Long ago, far away but I always intended to visit Roscoe one day. It's probably two houses and a gas station.

abacomike

Albany is right on the Hudson River just north of NYC. I had a dear friend who lived on Colonial Avenue in Albany. Rather than drive up to see her a couple of times a year, I would fly up there on Mohawk Airlines twin engine Martins out of LaGuardia and she would meet me at the Albany airport and we'd have lunch at her country club - Shaker Ridge Country Club. Then we'd drive to the ski areas.

I was 16 at the time and stayed close with her until I moved to Chicago when I was 21 for my MA degree. Her father and mother were very close with my parents when they lived in Queens, NY.

Those were some good times and great memories.

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

Oh, it that anywhere near Roscoe? I had an army buddy who came from there, a real hillbilly, but what a nice guy. Unfortunately he re-upped and got killed at some point. Long ago, far away but I always intended to visit Roscoe one day. It's probably two houses and a gas station.

No, Surprise, NY is 2 houses, a Post Office and a gas station - if you blink while driving up there (not far from Peekskill and Troy) you miss the town completely! 

stickguy

ah, upstate NY. Wife's family is west of Albany (amsterdam) and I went to school in Schenectady. Still go often.

I grew up in Rockland county. When I was little, I could climb a tree in my yard and see the Manhattan skyline. Yet people that grew up in "the city" considered us upstate (certainly the other end of the county!)

Roscoe! Famous for one thing, the Roscoe Diner. Town is along Rt. 17, about 1/2 way between Binghamton and Kingston. Pretty much just nothing around, but when taking 17 to western NY, you always stopped at the diner.

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Too much time on my hands. Finished all my errands so I decided to update the family portrait.

2012:



2016:

Forget the cars, that is a beautiful property !!

Think so? It's for sale if the price is right.

Michaell

My dad grew up in Peekskill; visited the grandparents and other family a few times when I was a kid and got back occasionally when I traveled for business.

always felt "upstate" to me, especially after staying in Manhattan a couple of times on business.  

iluvmysephia1

I was interviewing with a recruiter for a hospital in Auburn, NY. Negotiations went right up to the week I accepted the job with the hospital here in Dodge City, KS. It intrigued me a bit ta work in upstate NY for a while. All I could think of was "Cold!" This place is really cold, too, though.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

Too much time on my hands. Finished all my errands so I decided to update the family portrait. 2012: 2016:

Forget the cars, that is a beautiful property !!

Think so? It's for sale if the price is right.

OF, get a manicure - your finger in the first picture needs lots of TLC! 

abacomike

I broke down and bought $10 worth of tickets for tonight's Powerball.  I just felt I wanted to be a part of the "mass spending on something you can't possibly win!" 

PF_Flyer

You can't win... I spent it already

abacomike

Did you send me a token of your appreciation that I did not win so you could? 

stickguy

I drove through Auburn a few years ago, when my wife and I did a winery tour in the finger lakes (made a lap of Cayuga). My son was in school in Ithaca, due south of Auburn at the other end of Cayuga lake.

Yeah, it can get pretty cold, and very snowy, up that way (Auburn is just west of Syracuse, and they can get many feet of snow that lasts for many months! Pretty in the 6 months of the year that aren't winter.

Peekskill to me is upstate. All relatively to where your reference point is! My cutoff is Middletown/rt. 17. above that, you are in the boonies!

tommister2

abacomike said:

I broke down and bought $10 worth of tickets for tonight's Powerball.  I just felt I wanted to be a part of the "mass spending on something you can't possibly win!" 

Good luck!

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Too much time on my hands. Finished all my errands so I decided to update the family portrait.

2012:



2016:

Forget the cars, that is a beautiful property !!

Think so? It's for sale if the price is right.

OF, get a manicure - your finger in the first picture needs lots of TLC! 


Ha ha I knew if I posted that picture someone would notice.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

I broke down and bought $10 worth of tickets for tonight's Powerball.  I just felt I wanted to be a part of the "mass spending on something you can't possibly win!" 

You should have saved your money since I will be winning.

oldfarmer50

Peekskill to me is upstate. All relatively to where your reference point is! My cutoff is Middletown/rt. 17. above that, you are in the boonies!

Wow, you sound like one of the snobs from NYC. Albany might not be much but it's not exactly the boonies.

stever

Does Herkimer count as Upstate? My wife's folks were from around there and she still has some cousins there. Her folks wound up in Cornwall on Hudson before bugging out to California, and then they moved back for a while. Scenic spot with easy access to the city but man, the property taxes are killer.

berri

I would fly up there on Mohawk Airlines twin engine Martins out of LaGuardia

I remember flying on an old Southern Airlines Martin 202. Kind of like a DC3 except not a tail dragger. It had a doily type thing on the seat back and curtains on the window. Kind of old time cool, except the reality was that the left engine was splashing some oil and there were small private single engine planes passing us up. So I'll give that experience a big "check" and move on.

As for the big lotto, go ahead and play a few bucks. It's fun to dream. But $2 or even $1000 in tickets isn't going to make a big difference with these statistical odds. Both are still way out on the edge of the probability curve. OTH you've got a zero chance if you don't buy a ticket I suppose.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Peekskill to me is upstate. All relatively to where your reference point is! My cutoff is Middletown/rt. 17. above that, you are in the boonies!

Wow, you sound like one of the snobs from NYC. Albany might not be much but it's not exactly the boonies.

That is a great picture.

When I was younger I remember taking the "Dayliner" north from Peekskill to Poughkeepsie and back. Was fascinating to me because we didn't have rivers like that in California where I grew up.

roadburner

The fuel economy number in the 328i is pretty accurate- within 1% of my calculated mpg; the MS3 is usually within 3% while the X3 is usually 4%-5% off. There's a way to access a tech menu on the X3 that allows you to tweak the calculated numbers but I'm too lazy to fool with it.

stickguy

Herkimer is almost out to Utica. that is sticksville (by my rules, if you are north or west of Amsterdam, it is sticksville)

OF, Albany is a real town. Elevators in the buildings and everything. But I have driven the Thruway from the bottom past Albany countless times, and trust me, in between Harriman and Albany, there are large stretches of nothing to look at!

sb55

abacomike said:

Albany is right on the Hudson River just north of NYC.

I wouldn't call Albany just north of NYC. It's about 150 miles and takes about 2.5 hours to drive up (without traffic). In Florida terms, that's like calling Vero Beach just north of Miami.

abacomike

sb55 said:

Albany is right on the Hudson River just north of NYC.

I wouldn't call Albany just north of NYC. It's about 150 miles and takes about 2.5 hours to drive up (without traffic). In Florida terms, that's like calling Vero Beach just north of Miami.

Well, isn't it?  Just north of Miami, that is!  

Michaell

Happy Birthday, @fezo ! Hope you have a great day!

stever

stickguy said:

Herkimer is almost out to Utica.

Family history has it that one of the sons would ride his motorcycle out in the sticks and wound up marrying a girl "beneath his station" up that way and his parents weren't thrilled. We used to get the strangest "dime store" Christmas presents from that Aunt and my wife had never even met her.

imidazol97

Depressing day here. Didn't win the Powerball last night.

Been refrigerator shopping. Most made in Mexico other than Whirlpool/Maytag/JennAire brands.

Powerball changed the number of numbers in October from 63 to 73 for the 5 numbers; odds went from 63^5 to 73^5 ( 99 million choices to 2.07 billion choices). They lowered the number for the Powerball itself slightly.
But this makes your odds of winning even the $1,000,000 prize for 5 numbers much, much lower. And a million $ doesn't go as far as it used to. Lol.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Depressing day here. Didn't win the Powerball last night. Been refrigerator shopping. Most made in Mexico other than Whirlpool/Maytag/JennAire brands. Powerball changed the number of numbers in October from 63 to 73 for the 5 numbers; odds went from 63^5 to 73^5 ( 99 million choices to 2.07 billion choices). They lowered the number for the Powerball itself slightly. But this makes your odds of winning even the $1,000,000 prize for 5 numbers much, much lower. And a million $ doesn't go as far as it used to. Lol.

I bought a Whirlpool last year and it has been great.  My electric bill dropped significantly when I got rid of the 25 year old GE fridge.  It has a 1-year warranty and when the warranty is up, it gets picked up by my maintenance contractor for all my electric, plumbing and appliances.

The contractor recommended Whirlpool - so we went with it.

graphicguy

@fezo....assuming from Mchaell's post, it's your birthday. Party like it's 1999.

Mr_Shiftright

imidazol97 said:

Depressing day here. Didn't win the Powerball last night.

Been refrigerator shopping. Most made in Mexico other than Whirlpool/Maytag/JennAire brands.

Powerball changed the number of numbers in October from 63 to 73 for the 5 numbers; odds went from 63^5 to 73^5 ( 99 million choices to 2.07 billion choices). They lowered the number for the Powerball itself slightly.
But this makes your odds of winning even the $1,000,000 prize for 5 numbers much, much lower. And a million $ doesn't go as far as it used to. Lol.

True. You could blow $1 million in a weekend these days...but still, if you dropped that $1 mil lottery ticket on the ground and left it, I'd bend over to pick it up.

driver100

Here I am at Detroit airport. 11 a.m. Spirit flight was cancelled. Now they have us booked for 6.30!

This is why I hate flying!!!!

stever

If you can get to town, the DIA is terrific. Two more miles gets you to downtown and you could hang out and try to spot the cars getting set up for the Auto Show that starts tomorrow (press days).

[Deleted User]

Yesterday I was hunting the local classifieds for cars with manual transmissions and came across a 2013 Audi A4 like this one:



2013 A4, 2.0 turbo motor, fewer than 30,000 miles, manual transmission, gorgeous metallic blue exterior paint in pristine condition, and a light grey interior showing no signs of wear or tear. It looked like a brand new car, so my wife and I headed over to the dealership to check it out. During this latest round of car shopping I like to greet the salesperson by proclaiming I want to buy the one car no other shopper wants to drive off their lot, a manual transmission family sedan. In the four times I've done this, the salesperson has nodded their head and agreed with my assessment.

The A4 looked almost as nice in person as the pictures showed, and what I couldn't detect in the pictures was a high quality clear bra on the hood and fenders. Very nice. The only defects I could see in the preliminary assessment were some light swirls in the clear coat, which is something I could correct at home and prevent in the future.

So, after a bit of a wait while the next salesperson became available, we took it out for a drive. I can see why Driver liked his same-vintage A4 before the clutch bombed. Nice suspension, decent pull from the motor, classy interior with comfortable seats, and isolation from wind. The car was shod with snow tires, so the fair bit of road rumble making its way into the cabin was to be expected and can be excused. I expect all-seasons to provide a very nice ride. The acceleration was particularly rewarding coming from the Impreza.

The main downside we found during our test drive was a smallish cabin with (relatively) limited rear seat leg room and an equally small trunk. Those items would take some adjustment. Also we noted there was no rear backup camera, which was surprising given the year of manufacture and new build price (around $40,000).

All in all I liked the car and had them take some notes on our Impreza for a trade-in assessment, which they'll finish Monday when they get in touch with their Subaru sister dealership.

So, last night and this morning I dove into my research. Audi can be a scary brand to purchase based on extensive and costly repairs in the 2000s. What I found surprised me. The only common theme I could find regarding reliability issues is a tendency to consume oil in the 2.0 engines. Audi has been addressing the problem and by 2013 it seems to be more rare. So, that's a win.

Next I researched insurance and was a bit disappointed but not surprised to find the Audi would increase our rates by $180 a year. Not ideal but livable.

And then I researched fuel. With today's price volatility that's a tough one to estimate, so I averaged it at $2.50 a gallon for RUG and $2.80 a gallon for PUG assuming 10,000 miles a year.

Finally I looked into depreciation over a 7-year period averaging 10,000 miles a year.

What I came up with shocked me. Using the Impreza as a baseline, a slightly used 2016 Mazda 6 would cost me $23/month more, and the 2013 Audi A4 sums up to $121/month incrementally more. And that's assuming the dealership comes down quite a bit on their price to be more realistic (IMHO). Ouch.

That's a big hit for the Audi. What's interesting is the Mazda will cost thousands less to buy at 3 years newer, but the Audi will be worth less in 7 years. Time does not treat Audi depreciation well.

My lovely wife, amazing in too many ways to detail here, is totally supportive if I go for the Audi. She told me in no uncertain terms I work hard and provide for the family, I'm entirely too analytical and practical at times, and she wants me to have fun. She's making this much harder

Mr_Shiftright

Irrelevant Factoid # 36: You can tick off $52,000 in options on a new Porsche 911!

Question: What resource did you use to calculate this depreciation?

abacomike

driver100 said:

Here I am at Detroit airport. 11 a.m. Spirit flight was cancelled. Now they have us booked for 6.30!

This is why I hate flying!!!!

Spirit is one airline I avoid like the plague! :@ Did they offer to provide you with free round trip tickets to anywhere Spirit flies? Why did they cancel the flight? Not enough passengers to make profit? Bad equipment? Whatever the reason, if it was not weather related, the airline must come up with remuneration for cancelling the flight. Next time, fly up north on an airline that is dependable!