Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

When I was filling up the rental car the temperature plunged to below freezing, and a blizzard appeared.
Cold in Tampa today, just 65F., but better than 20F

20° F? !!!! Heat wave. You got out before the 5°F overnight.

I'll be interested to know which model of Malibu you had.

So glad to be back. I took the rental Malibu to a gas station before handing it in and the temperature was dropping by the second, and snow started falling like a blizzard. I just wanted to get out of Dodge.

My guess is the Malibu was the most basic model made. Had to be a 4 cylinder engine, which was adequate. I won't compare it to the E400 but I can compare it in some ways to our Passat.

The Malibu is a good value, similar to the Fusion rental I had a few years ago. It is competent in everything it does, power is OK, solid, comfortable, instrumentation is abundant and clear, controls are easy to use, steering is pretty good.

There are some things I like more about the Passat, but this is strictly personal preference. The Malibu has a sweepy instrument panel that is pretty jazzy. The Passat is very straight forward and very squared off and simple in design. Seating is higher in the Passat so outward vision is much better, especially to the front and rear. That was probably my strongest negative about the Malibu, and it is a personal thing but it is very important to me. The hood is a bit high and the instrument panel comes up high, so front vision is not as good as it could be. Rear vision is really cut down by the back shelf which goes up on a slant, and meets a window that is very sloped back. If I look in the rear view mirror half of my view is of the shelf.....and the window is narrow because it has been tapered in.

I would say the Malibu is superior for power and generally feels like a bigger heavier car. Steering on the Passat is more European....not as loose feeling. I'd like them to use a more expensive steering wheel, that plastic pebbly thin wheel needs to be updated, thicker and more of a leather feel...that could add to the whole driving experience. The blue lighting is a nice touch.

Overall, the choice between the two is a matter of taste and what is more important. The Malibu is competent, seems larger and heavier, definitely jazzier styling, pretty solid and smooth ride. I like the larger windows and site lines in the Passat, I like the steering more, and the simpler more straight forward interior design.

It would be interesting to try the Malibu against an Accord, Camry, and a few others to get a really good comparison. The other car they offered was a Nissan Rogue, and I wonder how those two would compare.

driver100

stickguy said:

A gently used 2015 for my next car, in 2 years, still a possibility. Hopefully the new model helps push price of the old style down!

stickguy said:

A gently used 2015 for my next car, in 2 years, still a possibility. Hopefully the new model helps push price of the old style down!

stickguy said:

A gently used 2015 for my next car, in 2 years, still a possibility. Hopefully the new model helps push price of the old style down!

I think you would love it....a 2015 in 2 years will make a great car. I can't explain what makes a Mercedes so unique. It is designed right, feels solid but has great steering and handling. Comfort is as good as can be, Instrumentation is logical and intuitive. Vision front, rear and side is as good as you can have it and still have an attractive design. I can't think of anything I could change to make the car better.

And, when you get the extended warranty from the dealer it is like having a new car warranty that will last for abouther 3 or 4 years.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

The hood is a bit high and the instrument panel comes up high, so front vision is not as good as it could be. Rear vision is really cut down by the back shelf which goes up on a slant, and meets a window that is very sloped back. If I look in the rear view mirror half of my view is of the shelf.....and the window is narrow because it has been tapered in.

I'd like them to use a more expensive steering wheel, that plastic pebbly thin wheel needs to be updated, thicker and more of a leather feel...that could add to the whole driving experience.

The cowl is lower on the 2016 Malibu--I sat in one as soon as it got to a local dealer. It had been left unlocked so I thought "Why not?"

Our LT2 has a leather-wrapped steering wheel. I'd have to look up to see what material it actually is, but it works better than the leather on my leSabre and Cobalt steering wheel.

Did the Malibu have rear camera?

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

The hood is a bit high and the instrument panel comes up high, so front vision is not as good as it could be. Rear vision is really cut down by the back shelf which goes up on a slant, and meets a window that is very sloped back. If I look in the rear view mirror half of my view is of the shelf.....and the window is narrow because it has been tapered in.

I'd like them to use a more expensive steering wheel, that plastic pebbly thin wheel needs to be updated, thicker and more of a leather feel...that could add to the whole driving experience.

The cowl is lower on the 2016 Malibu--I sat in one as soon as it got to a local dealer. It had been left unlocked so I thought "Why not?"

Our LT2 has a leather-wrapped steering wheel. I'd have to look up to see what http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mtMAqZJIA-tzoxmPLbEGjbA.jpgit actually is, but it works better than the leather on my leSabre and Cobalt steering wheel.

Did the Malibu have rear camera?

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

The hood is a bit high and the instrument panel comes up high, so front vision is not as good as it could be. Rear vision is really cut down by the back shelf which goes up on a slant, and meets a window that is very sloped back. If I look in the rear view mirror half of my view is of the shelf.....and the window is narrow because it has been tapered in.

I'd like them to use a more expensive steering wheel, that plastic pebbly thin wheel needs to be updated, thicker and more of a leather feel...that could add to the whole driving experience.

The cowl is lower on the 2016 Malibu--I sat in one as soon as it got to a local dealer. It had been left unlocked so I thought "Why not?"

Our LT2 has a leather-wrapped steering wheel. I'd have to look up to see what material it actually is, but it works better than the leather on my leSabre and Cobalt steering wheel.

Did the Malibu have rear camera?

No rear view camera and definitely not a wrapped steering wheel. Seats were partially electronic...for up and down. I didn't figure that out until later. Drove like a Preying Mantis for 50 miles with my bum near the floor, my knees about 12 inches higher, and my hands up on the wheel....really had poor vision then. But, once I found that button it was pretty good.

Leather wrapped steering wheel would make a big difference. I am sure this was as base as could be. btw....leather wrapped doesn't have to be real leather, just that softer kind of material and it makes the wheel a little thicker.

A lower cowl would be a huge improvement for forward vision.

This is a 1955 steering wheel....large and thin, which is hard on the hands.

stickguy

so, just spent some time cruising the used listing at my local MB dealer. Has some pretty nice 2014 Es. Looks like that is the MY they upgraded the car a bit. will be a bunch cheaper 2 years from now!

driver100

No rear view camera and definitely not a wrapped steering wheel. Seats were partially electronic...for up and down. I didn't figure that out until later. Drove like a Preying Mantis for 50 miles with my bum near the floor, my knees about 12 inches higher, and my hands up on the wheel....really had poor vision then. But, once I found that button it was pretty good.

Leather wrapped steering wheel would make a big difference. I am sure this was as base as could be. btw....leather wrapped doesn't have to be real leather, just that softer kind of material and it makes the wheel a little thicker.

A lower cowl would be a huge improvement for forward vision.

This is a 1955 steering wheel....large and thin, which is hard on the hands.

abacomike

I just got another Chase "phishing" email asking for specific information about my credit card. I knew it was a phishing email because there were syntactic errors in the email. I called Chase, and they concurred that it was not their email - they asked me to send them a copy of the email, which I did, and then I erased the email from my system. I was lucky I did not follow the instructions. I am learning to be much more careful about any emails I receive - I usually just erase them immediately. :@

abacomike

stickguy said:

so, just spent some time cruising the used listing at my local MB dealer. Has some pretty nice 2014 Es. Looks like that is the MY they upgraded the car a bit. will be a bunch cheaper 2 years from now!

There were some significant updates in the 2015 that the 2014 did not have - especially with the technology and the GPS system. You might be better off with a 2015 rather than a 2014. Just a suggestion after owning both models. There was no difference between the 2015 and the 2016

driver100

There is a big difference between the 2015 and 2016 Malibu instrument panel:
2015:

2016

NOTE: Really cleaned up, much neater and cowl does seem lower

Just to compare....2015 VW Passat:


In this case, the 2016 Malibu is much nicer than the 2015, and it would look more stylish to most people than the Passat...which is really basic. Just depends on personal taste....the 2016 Malibu is not over the top like the 2015. The contrasting colors look good too!

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

Does anyone else remember refrigerators with the big coil on top? They were made in the '40s and early '50s. My family had one for awhile. They're almost certainly collector's items at this point.

Those "monitor tops" we're built since the 1920s. My grandfather had one as a spare when I was a kid. They lasted forever and were more efficient than modern units with the coils buried underneath or in back against the wall.

Also in my never ending quest to get roadburner into a Mustang I found this:



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5398476240.html

stickguy

that is interesting. But that huge write-up, and no pictures of the interior?

certainly seems like it was babied. Love the car and the color. Hate the wheels.

525HP? Probably getting close to almost being enough for RB.

stickguy

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

so, just spent some time cruising the used listing at my local MB dealer. Has some pretty nice 2014 Es. Looks like that is the MY they upgraded the car a bit. will be a bunch cheaper 2 years from now!

There were some significant updates in the 2015 that the 2014 did not have - especially with the technology and the GPS system. You might be better off with a 2015 rather than a 2014. Just a suggestion after owning both models. There was no difference between the 2015 and the 2016

Thanks Mike. I saw they did a Mid-life upgrade (front end styling) for the 2014s (at least based on the pictures) but did not realize they upgraded more for 2015. Actually, by the time I am buying, the 2018s! will be out, so the earliest I would be looking is a 2015 (maybe 2016), so I should be safe.

abacomike

stickguy said:

so, just spent some time cruising the used listing at my local MB dealer. Has some pretty nice 2014 Es. Looks like that is the MY they upgraded the car a bit. will be a bunch cheaper 2 years from now!

There were some significant updates in the 2015 that the 2014 did not have - especially with the technology and the GPS system. You might be better off with a 2015 rather than a 2014. Just a suggestion after owning both models. There was no difference between the 2015 and the 2016

Thanks Mike. I saw they did a Mid-life upgrade (front end styling) for the 2014s (at least based on the pictures) but did not realize they upgraded more for 2015. Actually, by the time I am buying, the 2018s! will be out, so the earliest I would be looking is a 2015 (maybe 2016), so I should be safe.

Yep!  If you can find an E400, that would be the best because they will be selling for about the same as a nicely equipped E350.  The E400 has that 3.0 L V6 twin turbo 330 hp as opposed to the E350's L V6 302 hp.  Pre owned, the E400 is a much better car for close to a pre owned E350. 

houdini1

stickguy said:

so, just spent some time cruising the used listing at my local MB dealer. Has some pretty nice 2014 Es. Looks like that is the MY they upgraded the car a bit. will be a bunch cheaper 2 years from now!

I think the last major upgrade was 2013, so you might check those out too. Check the Edmund's reviews.

Edit. Just checked the Edmunds review, and for the first time ever looks like I was mistaken !

abacomike

houdini1 said:

so, just spent some time cruising the used listing at my local MB dealer. Has some pretty nice 2014 Es. Looks like that is the MY they upgraded the car a bit. will be a bunch cheaper 2 years from now!

I think the last major upgrade was 2013, so you might check those out too. Check the Edmund's reviews. Edit. Just checked the Edmunds review, and for the first time ever looks like I was mistaken !

Yep - the 2014 was introduced in April of 2013 which is when my car came in from Germany.  That's probably what confused you - it was a major redesign that came out very, very early. 

stickguy

My guess is that the 400 and 550 will be a lot rarer. My dealer had 19 2014 Es listed, and I think only 1 400 and 1 550. The rest were 350s. And the 400 and 550 were a lot higher (actually, also a 250 Blutec which was really pricey).

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

Also in my never ending quest to get roadburner into a Mustang I found this:

I like Steve Saleen and his cars; my son got his autograph at a Ford car show in Louisville several years ago. He's a great down-to-earth guy. That said, if I bought a Saleen Mustang it would have to be a Parnelli Jones or Dan Gurney edition- Here is the Parnelli Jones car:

abacomike

stickguy said:

My guess is that the 400 and 550 will be a lot rarer. My dealer had 19 2014 Es listed, and I think only 1 400 and 1 550. The rest were 350s. And the 400 and 550 were a lot higher (actually, also a 250 Blutec which was really pricey).

The E550 will be rarer because they discontinued that model in 2015. 

driver100

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Also in my never ending quest to get roadburner into a Mustang I found this:

I like Steve Saleen and his cars; my son got his autograph at a Ford car show in Louisville several years ago. He's a great down-to-earth guy. That said, if I bought a Saleen Mustang it would have to be a Parnelli Jones or Dan Gurney edition- Here is the Parnelli Jones car:

I like the Parnelli Jones car more too!

fordfool

stickguy said:

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!)

The United States as seen from New York City!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Steinberg_New_Yorker_Cover.png

abacomike

Absolutely true - at least from the prospective I had when I was a young man back in the early 1960's living in Queens, NY.  I remember when I had to drive from NYC to Chicago to start my fellowship grant for my Master's Degree, I had no idea where Chicago was.  I had to order a trip-tik from the AAA with accompanying maps and was totally shocked to find out that Chicago was on a lake adjacent to Indiana and west of Ohio.

I knew where Miami was because I flew there 3-4 times a year to visit my grandparents - but Illinois?  I was told there was nothing but corn fields between NYC and Chicago - which wasn't far from the truth as I drove I-80 west from the George Washington Bridge.

It's amazing how short-sighted I was along with a strong tendency to be obnoxious about how unimportant the rest of the country was compared to New York.  Boy was I wrong.  

bwia

2016 Detroit auto show highlights http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/detroit/
These models stand out
--2017 Genesis G90 (Equus)
--2017 GMC Acadia (nicely executed interior with fake bamboo wood veneer)
-- 2017 Lincoln Continental 400-hp twin turbo V6. Looks like an amalgamation of Bentley, Jaguar and Taurus. Tasteful interior and LED headlights befitting a flagship sedan.

bwia

In an era of shifting sedan sales to SUV/Crossovers - it does not appear prudent for Hyundai to launch a separate Genesis brand at this time. The same can be said of Ford's revival of the Lincoln brand. Then again, they are probably looking at the Chinese market for the bulk of their sales.

stever

Pretty sure I glanced at a headline the other day that said that SUV/crossovers were outselling every other model type in the US.

Also heard grumbling that Genesis is stumbling by not offering separate dealerships, so the luxury buyers will have to rub shoulders with the Accent drivers.

driver100

bwia said:

2016 Detroit auto show highlights http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/detroit/
These models stand out
--2017 Genesis G90 (Equus)
--2017 GMC Acadia (nicely executed interior with fake bamboo wood veneer)
-- 2017 Lincoln Continental 400-hp twin turbo V6. Looks like an amalgamation of Bentley, Jaguar and Taurus. Tasteful interior and LED headlights befitting a flagship sedan.

bwia said:

2016 Detroit auto show highlights http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/detroit/
These models stand out
--2017 Genesis G90 (Equus)
--2017 GMC Acadia (nicely executed interior with fake bamboo wood veneer)
-- 2017 Lincoln Continental 400-hp twin turbo V6. Looks like an amalgamation of Bentley, Jaguar and Taurus. Tasteful interior and LED headlights befitting a flagship sedan.

Interesting. The Mercedes keeps looking better to me....the wheels seem to really go to the edges of the car which I like. Still like the larger tail lights on my 2015, but, it is growing on me.

Genesis looks really upscale. I know my friend bought a 2014 and thought it was worth it for the content considering what he paid. Had to trade it in on an R4 within 6 months, just was too boring....did nothing for him.

That Lincoln looks nice. I give Ford a lot of credit, going in a different direction. Cadillac has gone to their squared off look which is also nice, but it seems Lincoln is going more for the formal simple look, and I like it.

You know what would be interesting, if Lincoln had a model that looked like a Rolls. Large and formal looking, that would make for a compelling buy if it was at a more popular price.

stickguy

I really need to see cars in person to tell. Sometimes pictures make it look worse (or better!).

ab348

Hmm. I was hugely disappointed in the Lincoln. That probably isn't even a strong enough description. After seeing the concept a few months ago, they rolled out a bland-looking, almost generic 3-box sedan with very few distinctive styling features. Not that such a move was totally unexpected, but this is much more ordinary than I ever expected.

nyccarguy

I prefer driving a sedan to an SUV/Crossover.  That said, there are a few SUVs that I'd take for a spin around the block - MDX, GL350 BlueTec, & Volvo XC90

driver100

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach US$16 a barrel.

The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.

“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.

Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.

“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.

Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.

Full Story Financial Post Canada

Any thoughts?

abacomike

driver100 said:

bwia said:

2016 Detroit auto show highlights http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/detroit/
These models stand out
--2017 Genesis G90 (Equus)
--2017 GMC Acadia (nicely executed interior with fake bamboo wood veneer)
-- 2017 Lincoln Continental 400-hp twin turbo V6. Looks like an amalgamation of Bentley, Jaguar and Taurus. Tasteful interior and LED headlights befitting a flagship sedan.

bwia said:

2016 Detroit auto show highlights http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/detroit/
These models stand out
--2017 Genesis G90 (Equus)
--2017 GMC Acadia (nicely executed interior with fake bamboo wood veneer)
-- 2017 Lincoln Continental 400-hp twin turbo V6. Looks like an amalgamation of Bentley, Jaguar and Taurus. Tasteful interior and LED headlights befitting a flagship sedan.

Interesting. The Mercedes keeps looking better to me....the wheels seem to really go to the edges of the car which I like. Still like the larger tail lights on my 2015, but, it is growing on me.

Genesis looks really upscale. I know my friend bought a 2014 and thought it was worth it for the content considering what he paid. Had to trade it in on an R4 within 6 months, just was too boring....did nothing for him.

That Lincoln looks nice. I give Ford a lot of credit, going in a different direction. Cadillac has gone to their squared off look which is also nice, but it seems Lincoln is going more for the formal simple look, and I like it.

You know what would be interesting, if Lincoln had a model that looked like a Rolls. Large and formal looking, that would make for a compelling buy if it was at a more popular price.

I started to agree with you - but as was stated before, you really have to be more "tactile" with an automobile before passing judgment on its attributes. In other words, you need to see it up close, touch it, sit in it, drive it, and go out and look at the exterior again from a myriad of visual angles. These pictures are much better and I tend to agree with your analysis about the new E Class in terms of exterior styling. But once I saw those front seats, I knew the car was not for me. I weigh about 240 lbs - those seat bolsters would dig right into the rear of my "love handles". In my last two cars, I had electric seat bolsters. I could never use them because it made the seat too tight for my mid body.

The all-electronic dashboard (similar to the one in the S Class) is a bit scary to me. What happens if the fuse that protects those lights on the dash blows? You would have no idea what your speed was. The chances of that happening are slim, but I am a bit old-fashioned in that I like to see needles point to a speed and rpm and temperature of the coolant. When I press the button on the dash that's a picture of a car, I can bring up three additional information gauges on the main viewing screen (GPS screen) that are identical to some of the gauges shown on the new E Class. I would not like my speedometer or tachometer to be electronically displayed - but the three additional gauges in my car are. But, I guess you can get used to anything!

They will do quite well with that new E Class - but those seats are bothersome to me.

stever

driver100 said:

Any thoughts?

Where else are you going to park your money? Tangible assets often have pricey holding costs.

Best just go buy a new car. Or two.

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach US$16 a barrel.

The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.

“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.

Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.

“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.

Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.

Full Story Financial Post Canada

Any thoughts?

No sweat for the bank. It'll profit handsomely whether you win or you lose. They just spin the wheels of fear and greed and we gerbils hop on and hop off. What are we little guys supposed to do in the face of such predictions? Sell off our IRAs and stuff it in a mattress? Buy gold? Buy spam (my recommendation)? Best thing I've come up with is to review my investments and make sure I'm not in some volatile high risk position anywhere. These are the first to respond to people's fear.

ab348

driver100 said:

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach US$16 a barrel.

I read that story earlier today as well. It is worthy of note, if not immediate action. This is similar to what I was mentioning a week or so ago when we were talking about investments. The market seems to be overreacting in a ridiculous manner. Is all of our economic well-being underpinned on keeping oil prices super-high? I seem to recall that we have had big economic downturns that were attributed to *rising* oil prices. I am no expert, but it all seems to be self-perpetuated by those who make fortunes from market values dropping. I am unprepared to dump all my investments and put them into money market funds, cash or bonds just yet. Maybe I will lose 20%. But maybe I won't help make the sharpies rich by selling, either.

abacomike

@driver100:

I have read and listened to scores of so-called "experts" on investments over the past several months and I believe that predicting the weather is better than trying to predict what the markets will do in the near future. With the weather, you have satellites, radar, ocean buoys, etc., along with computerized analysis of winds and currents. With the stock markets and commodities, any negative news in the world (attacks, killings, oil leaks from drilling, assassinations, floods, etc..) can cause major movements in values because it's people who make decisions to buy and sell - so it is emotionally based with little objectivity involved - mostly subjectivity. So I have given up trying to figure out what to do with assets to earn more income.

stickguy

Mike, even dial gauges are pretend now. They are all electronic.

driver100

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abacomike">

The all-electronic dashboard (similar to the one in the S Class) is a bit scary to me. What happens if the fuse that protects those lights on the dash blows? You would have no idea what your speed was. The chances of that happening are slim, but I am a bit old-fashioned in that I like to see needles point to a speed and rpm and temperature of the coolant. When I press the button on the dash that's a picture of a car, I can bring up three additional information gauges on the main viewing screen (GPS screen) that are identical to some of the gauges shown on the new E Class. I would not like my speedometer or tachometer to be electronically displayed - but the three additional gauges in my car are. But, I guess you can get used to anything!

They will do quite well with that new E Class - but those seats are bothersome to me.



I would be surprised if they don't offer non-bolstered seats....for the majority of buyers. Most people buying these cars don't want or need bolsters. My wife didn't like them in the Audi R4 because it is hard to slide into your seat....even though she is not overweight.

stickguy

Overly bolstered seats have killed a few options for me and the wife too.

Mr_Shiftright

Exactly. How many Mercedes owners are going to come home complaining that going through the corkscrew at Laguna Seca, they were sliding around too much in the seat?

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach US$16 a barrel.

The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.

“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.

Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.

“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.

Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.

Full Story Financial Post Canada

Any thoughts?

Glenn Beck is predicting the same thing.

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, that genius---LOL! If I got paid $100 every time he predicted the end of the world, I wouldn't need a retirement income.

It's like predicting your own death every morning---one day you'll be right!

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Exactly. How many Mercedes owners are going to come home complaining that going through the corkscrew at Laguna Seca, they were sliding around too much in the seat?

Exactly, I'd say that the typical new M-B buyer is even more likely to be a "wearer" than even the typical BMW buyer.

dino001

driver100 said:

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach US$16 a barrel.

The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.

“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.

Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.

“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.

Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.

Full Story Financial Post Canada

Any thoughts?

The forecast industry works only on very unbalanced set of incentives: any time a major disaster is foretold, when it happens, the predictor is a genius, media are full of interviews, new clients flock in. When the disaster doesn't happen, there is no commensurate punishment - all the forecaster has to do is double down on the next year. Peter Schiff, Marc Faber and others live well on selling their end-of-the-world books, newsletters, while their clients count lost dollars. "One day" their predictions are accurate and the markets fall said 20 or even 50 percent. Guess what do they say then? Do they say "now you you buy it back"? Of course not - they say, it's going to fall another 20 or 50 percent. They are never satisfied with the fall. The markets bottom out, start climbing - those guys will say, it's a phoney rally, it's a bear market rally, it will fall again. They markets pass the previous high mark, they keep saying stay away, don't buy now, it's a bubble for sure. Then it doubles - they only double down the predictions. Peter Schiff predicted the 2008 crash - but he also "predicted" a crash in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and surely will predict a crash in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. When S&P was at 666 in March 2009, he would tell you to sell it, because it goes to 300. I'm sure if it went to 300, he'd say it's going to 100. the selloff is never big enough. I used to have a colleague, who'd show me some 100-year long charts with arrows pointing to Dow 1000 or less right at the time it was bottoming. All you needed to do is draw some line from levels at 1930s or 50s and say "see - that's where it will all land". Never mind there was only one company left on the index since then, never mind all the digital revolution. See the arrow?

RBS guys are a bit different, as they are not known for being permanently bearish. However, that industry still operates on no accountability. If markets go down, indeed, you'll see those guys on all networks. If it doesn't, nobody will be unkind to them to remind their predictions.

Mr_Shiftright

Same is true for pundits who tout capitalism as the only worthy economic system. They can always point to the failure of say Greece but seem to artfully forget that U.S. capitalism has had at least 9 major meltdowns in the 20th century.

dino001

Mr_Shiftright said:

Same is true for pundits who tout capitalism as the only worthy economic system. They can always point to the failure of say Greece but seem to artfully forget that U.S. capitalism has had at least 9 major meltdowns in the 20th century.

That's not the same thing. Plus, what is another economic system that brought a comparable innovation and wealth creation and advancement opportunities for the poor? Serfdom? Slavery? Socialism? Communism?

andres3

driver100 said:

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has advised clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis, warning that the major stock markets could fall by a fifth and oil may reach US$16 a barrel.

The bank’s credit team said markets are flashing the same stress alerts as they did before the Lehman crisis in 2008.

“Sell everything except high quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a crowded hall, exit doors are small,” it said in a client note.

Andrew Roberts, the bank’s credit chief, said both global trade and loans are contracting, a nasty cocktail for corporate balance sheets and equity earnings, and uncharted waters given that debt ratios have reached record highs.

“China has set off a major correction and it is going to snowball. Equities and credit have become very dangerous, and we have hardly even begun to retrace the ‘Goldilocks’ love-in of the last two years,” he said.

Roberts expects Wall Street and European stocks to fall by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, with an even deeper slide for the FTSE-100 thanks to its high weighting of energy and commodities.

Full Story Financial Post Canada

Any thoughts?

I think it would be hilarious if Obama managed to hand off the same financial calamities to our next President that he inherited at his start.

That being said, I don't think were going to see all that much turbulence in the near future.

abacomike

It is 62 degrees out with intermittent rain.  I have had a chill all day that I just cannot get rid of.  I am wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and I have a comforter over me as I sit in my recliner.  And still I have a chill.

This is what living in South Florida year-round can do to a 70 year old human being.  Let us pray:

"Dear Lord, let there be warmth!" 

Mr_Shiftright

dino001 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Same is true for pundits who tout capitalism as the only worthy economic system. They can always point to the failure of say Greece but seem to artfully forget that U.S. capitalism has had at least 9 major meltdowns in the 20th century.

That's not the same thing. Plus, what is another economic system that brought a comparable innovation and wealth creation and advancement opportunities for the poor? Serfdom? Slavery? Socialism? Communism?

That's not a valid argument because it presumes there is nothing better to be imagined and also presumes that capitalism has nothing to do with serfdom and slavery in other parts of the world.

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

Same is true for pundits who tout capitalism as the only worthy economic system. They can always point to the failure of say Greece but seem to artfully forget that U.S. capitalism has had at least 9 major meltdowns in the 20th century.

That's not the same thing. Plus, what is another economic system that brought a comparable innovation and wealth creation and advancement opportunities for the poor? Serfdom? Slavery? Socialism? Communism?

That's not a valid argument because it presumes there is nothing better to be imagined and also presumes that capitalism has nothing to do with serfdom and slavery in other parts of the world.

This is beginning to sound political. 

Mr_Shiftright

We'll be careful. It's circling around investing and financial well being, which of course is the basis for car-buying! See, I got us back

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

We'll be careful. It's circling around investing and financial well being, which of course is the basis for car-buying! See, I got us back

Thank goodness - I was beginning to worry.