Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

driver100 said:

Coming up with a way to make golf more appealing isn't easy...they are trying.

But it already has an advantage by not having a name that makes on break out in laughter...

PF_Flyer

Just a personal view as a golfer... some of the declining popularity of golf is that you have to WORK at it to get any better. Doesn't fit in with "I want it NOW"

stickguy

I haven't played a round in about 2 years. Since my son moved away. I never played much, and I stunk at it, but still liked to get out and play a few times a year. For the experience. At this point, I think I am retired, at least until I actually retire, and take it back up!

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

Just a personal view as a golfer... some of the declining popularity of golf is that you have to WORK at it to get any better. Doesn't fit in with "I want it NOW"

My Dad, rest his soul, was a scratch golfer until he teached his mid 70's.  Even in his mid 80's, he was shooting in the low 80's.  That is why I rarely played golf with him - he spent, what he felt was, an inordinate amount of time searching for my missing balls due to errant slices and hooks.

He played 4 days a week and had one of the smoothest strokes I have ever seen.  He was not a long driver - 250-270 yards - but he was uncannily accurate with his irons and his putting.  I hated him for only one thing - his golfing prowess.  Otherwise I loved him deeply.

houdini1

stickguy said:

I haven't played a round in about 2 years. Since my son moved away. I never played much, and I stunk at it, but still liked to get out and play a few times a year. For the experience. At this point, I think I am retired, at least until I actually retire, and take it back up!

I have been playing golf since I was 18, so about 55 years. Taught both of my boys to play at a young age and we had great fun spending time on the golf course. Great way to become close and stay close with kids. They both started beating me when they were about 14. Currently I play about 3-4 times a week with some great golf friends. Shot my age once last year (72). One guy at our club is 91 and plays 9 holes every day. Golf truly is the game of a lifetime. Spring is here, music to a golfer's ears.

PF_Flyer

One of my Christmas presents was two grounds passes for all four rounds of the PGA at Baltusrol this year. And I can take anyone I want, so be nice to me just in case!

imidazol97

The best thing about golf was the courses and how beautiful some were. Friend was helping me learn about 20 years ago. His brother played only with irons. I believe he mostly used the 3.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

In order for the problem with people with an "axe to grind" and people that "love their car" to matter, you'd have to prove that a certain brand has a higher ratio of "Axes to grind" or "people that love their car" for a reason other than that manufacturer's own fault. Why would brand A be different than brand B? Given equal quality and reliability, brand A and Brand B should have the same amount of axes and lovers filling out surveys.

I have a few axes towards Chrysler, but I'd never buy another one just to fill out a survey for CR. And I certainly wouldn't waste my time with "false" reporting. But again, why would Chrysler suffer from more "false" reporters than anyone else? Sample size equalizes this completely, there's no other way to see it in my view.

Who said anything about people with axes to grind? I certainly didn't, all I said was that perception creates it's own reality and if a owner of a car gets a negative perception (for whatever reason) that owner can be more unforgiving in a review of their car.

Now if you have an axe to grind you don't need to own the car to respond to the CR survey, all you have to do is subscribe to CR, they don't know what car you drive.

False reporting (or the respondent lying) is more likely to result in a more favorable report than a negative as say a Toyota owner not wanting to admit (at least to him/her self) that their car is a lemon.

Your view is 100% wrong as sample size increases only reduces the chance of statistical abnormalities and not self reporting bias.

Sorry but self reporting surveys are highly unreliable.

Self reporting bias is OK because the amount of bias for all manufacturers should be close to identical, especially with large sample size. Meaning the amount of skewed reports favorable and unfavorable should be the same for Toyota as it is for GM. This balances the comparisons for all the different companies. It is a "relative" view of who is doing what against their peers.

Unless your hypothesizing that a brand with a good "perception" would somehow increase the amount of people making more favorable reports than the reality of the situation. I would think people that get a bad car from a good manufacturer would be more inclined to bring out the big ax!

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

houdini1 said:

verdugo said:

houdini1 said:

Since any award is tax free, lawyer fee excluded, I could probably get by on $25 Mill.

I actually read that since there is no physical harm, only emotional, the $55 million will be taxable.

Yes, I saw that also. I always thought money received from a lawsuit was tax free...but I guess that is not always the case. I learned something new.

Speaking of which, why are unemployment benefits taxed? That's robbing Peter to pay Paul later.

No since unemployment benefits are supported by unemployment taxes not income taxes. Secondly using your logic we shouldn't be taxing the income of any government employees.

That assumes your income wouldn't be higher if not for your employer's expenditures on unemployment taxes. Who's to say the employer wouldn't give their employees 100% of the savings from eliminating the unemployment tax, so if you got an equivalent raise, it would be taxed as income. No matter who pays the tax or what you call it, a tax is a tax.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

houdini1 said:

verdugo said:

houdini1 said:

Since any award is tax free, lawyer fee excluded, I could probably get by on $25 Mill.

I actually read that since there is no physical harm, only emotional, the $55 million will be taxable.

Yes, I saw that also. I always thought money received from a lawsuit was tax free...but I guess that is not always the case. I learned something new.

Speaking of which, why are unemployment benefits taxed? That's robbing Peter to pay Paul later.

No since unemployment benefits are supported by unemployment taxes not income taxes. Secondly using your logic we shouldn't be taxing the income of any government employees.

I suppose they could just give everyone a pay demotion equivalent to their tax rate and the match would balance out for gov't employees.

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Coming up with a way to make golf more appealing isn't easy...they are trying.

But it already has an advantage by not having a name that makes on break out in laughter...

That's part of the charm....you don't have to take it seriously. You can enjoy playing "pickleball" at any level.

We went to a first timers class today....also told 2 friends who aren't that athletic but wanted to take up a sport. They had 3 courts set up in the gym, and about 5 volunteer teachers. About 24 newbies showed up, and it was a lot of fun. We are going to go back for more lessons and then really get going on it back home where it is becoming a big thing.

It is easy and cheap to get started, anyone can learn, it doesn't take long to get proficient, it is social and good exercise, you don't have to be very athletic, men and women can play, the people are for the most part very positive and friendly.....great activity for seniors.

bwia

*Driver and Ab, what's this I heard about Canada giving free money to poor citizens ...."to save on welfare administration costs, reduce the poverty traps of traditional welfare states, be fair to people who have jobs, and give people more autonomy in general....

....It suggests providing an income of £3,692 for all qualifying citizens between 25 and 65, or £308 per month."
http://bilbaoya.com/2016/03/10/canada-plans-to-experiment-with-giving-people-unconditional.html

Is there any truth to that and how do working class Canadians feel about that?

PF_Flyer

If you keep score, even if it's against yourself, my definition of "fun" is about doing the best I can do. There's no such thing in my book as throwing/hitting/swinging-at just for the heck of it.

If you're gonna play, PLAY

driver100

bwia said:

*Driver and Ab, what's this I heard about Canada giving free money to poor citizens ...."to save on welfare administration costs, reduce the poverty traps of traditional welfare states, be fair to people who have jobs, and give people more autonomy in general....

....It suggests providing an income of £3,692 for all qualifying citizens between 25 and 65, or £308 per month."
http://bilbaoya.com/2016/03/10/canada-plans-to-experiment-with-giving-people-unconditional.html

Is there any truth to that and how do working class Canadians feel about that?

Sounds suspicious especially since they stated amounts in British pounds. It could be a group pressing for this, but the government hasn't said it has a plan to do this.

Actually, it is an idea I have thought about. Give everyone a basic amount, provide clean but minimum homes, but if the person does anything illegal their stipend is taken away and they will be on their own. I don't think there are enough real jobs available anyway. This may cut down on crime, and for example we may come out ahead when you consider cost of prison and stolen cars etc. (to keep on car topic).

Hope that helps.

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

If you keep score, even if it's against yourself, my definition of "fun" is about doing the best I can do. There's no such thing in my book as throwing/hitting/swinging-at just for the heck of it.

If you're gonna play, PLAY

Yes, keep score or it isn't a game. But, don't worry about it if you lose....it is whether you have fun or not.

I often say I would rather play a hard good game of tennis and lose, than win a real easy game.

stickguy

Sounds a little like joining the military!

qbrozen

tifighter said:

@qbrozen what year was yours Q? I forget.

it was a 2012. They had "updated" the software to the 2013 standards, but I didn't notice any real-world difference.

[Deleted User]

Michaell, if you can send me an email, I'll respond to it with our current work openings. HR just compiled the most recent openings and I can forward over to you the openings list with links to job descriptions; tyhendrickson at yahoo dot com.

-Ty

isellhondas

PF_Flyer said:

Just a personal view as a golfer... some of the declining popularity of golf is that you have to WORK at it to get any better. Doesn't fit in with "I want it NOW"

That was my problem with golf. I didn't have the patience it requires.

Michaell

tyguy said:

Michaell, if you can send me an email, I'll respond to it with our current work openings. HR just compiled the most recent openings and I can forward over to you the openings list with links to job descriptions; tyhendrickson at yahoo dot com.

-Ty

Email sent .. thanks!

Michaell

My dad played golf for as long as I've known. I picked up the game from him; I distinctly remember functioning as his caddie on the big course as a kid and being taught the etiquette of the game before I was allowed to play.

Something we always had in common. After he retired, he joined the men's club at the local course and became the handicap chairman. He worked at the course in return for free golf. Had a regular Monday and Wednesday game with his buddies. I joined the club for a couple of years before I moved to Colorado, but we'd continue to play together whenever I came back to California to visit.

Between he and I, my son now plays as well. At 6'3", he hits the ball like a gorilla. But, his short game has all the touch of a gorilla, as well. It's only a matter of time before he beats me. I've never been all that good, but I enjoy the game immensely.

ab348

bwia said:

*Driver and Ab, what's this I heard about Canada giving free money to poor citizens ...."to save on welfare administration costs, reduce the poverty traps of traditional welfare states, be fair to people who have jobs, and give people more autonomy in general....

....It suggests providing an income of £3,692 for all qualifying citizens between 25 and 65, or £308 per month."
http://bilbaoya.com/2016/03/10/canada-plans-to-experiment-with-giving-people-unconditional.html

Is there any truth to that and how do working class Canadians feel about that?

It has been in the news. Here is a better article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/guaranteed-income-has-merit-as-a-national-policy-minister-says/article28588670/

This new federal government is making things up as they go along and nobody seems to have told them yet that they will eventually have to find a way to pay for all this stuff. Everything is "sunny ways" and reality has not yet hit them between the eyes.

As for how Canadians feel about it, probably best to read the 400 comments associated with the article.

bwia

Thanks ab and driver. I'll start reading after dinner, especially the reader comments. For some reason, the idea sounds appealing, at least on the surface.

snakeweasel

Well with the name "driver" you should be golfing a lot.

imidazol97

snakeweasel said:

Well with the name "driver" you should be golfing a lot.


But the name Driver 100 could indicate the limit to the yardage of which
he is capable.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

Self reporting bias is OK because the amount of bias for all manufacturers should be close to identical, especially with large sample size. Meaning the amount of skewed reports favorable and unfavorable should be the same for Toyota as it is for GM. This balances the comparisons for all the different companies. It is a "relative" view of who is doing what against their peers.

That's not true, say we have two car brands, one with a stellar reputation and one without, selling the exact same car. Those who bought from the brand that has the good reputation would naturally be more forgiving than the person who bought from the company with the lesser reputation. Reasons for this can be many and are not limited to such things as perception of the brand, excusing bad reliability as a fluke or blaming a fluke on bad reliability .

andres3 said:

Unless your hypothesizing that a brand with a good "perception" would somehow increase the amount of people making more favorable reports than the reality of the situation. I would think people that get a bad car from a good manufacturer would be more inclined to bring out the big ax!

That's just the thing with self reporting it rarely reports the reality of the situation. It is more likely to report perceptions, wishful thinking and a multitude of other factors. You would be wrong in a lot of cases. I know people who owned Hondas and Toyotas that were complete lemons and not one of them will admit that they owned one that was bad. Each and everyone of them state that every one of their Hondas/Toyotas was built proof. Yet with my Hyundai when I had the first, and only, thing go wrong with it at 135K miles they all said "that's what you get for buying a Hyundai"

My sister only drives Toyota and once had a truck that was so bad that if I owned it I would have returned it back to Toyota's headquarters by putting it on a catapult and flinging it through the CEO's office window. Yet throughout her ownership of it she laminated about how good the truck was.

Self reporting surveys are seriously flawed and should be taken with a grain of salt.

tommister2

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

Well with the name "driver" you should be golfing a lot.

But the name Driver 100 could indicate the limit to the yardage of which
he is capable.



He's Canadian - that is meters not yards

stever

snakeweasel said:

I know people who owned Hondas and Toyotas that were complete lemons and not one of them will admit that they owned one that was bad. Each and everyone of them state that every one of their Hondas/Toyotas was built proof.

That's because Hondas (especially) don't require repair - just some maintenance now and then. Like when their AC compressors catch black death, a couple of thousands bucks in "maintenance" and they're good to go.

qbrozen

My sister will never own another Honda. She tried a civic and crv and she deemed them both unreliable. My POV is different from hers because I know she doesn't take care of her vehicles, but her opinion is what it is.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

Well with the name "driver" you should be golfing a lot.

But the name Driver 100 could indicate the limit to the yardage of which
he is capable.



lol.....OK guys, the driver lines are clever...brought a smile to my lips.
I think "driver100" is the number of yards (or meters) I will never be able to hit the ball.

imidazol97

tommister2 said:

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

Well with the name "driver" you should be golfing a lot.

But the name Driver 100 could indicate the limit to the yardage of which
he is capable.

He's Canadian - that is meters not yards

Darn. That's right!

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

houdini1 said:

verdugo said:

houdini1 said:

Since any award is tax free, lawyer fee excluded, I could probably get by on $25 Mill.

I actually read that since there is no physical harm, only emotional, the $55 million will be taxable.

Yes, I saw that also. I always thought money received from a lawsuit was tax free...but I guess that is not always the case. I learned something new.

Speaking of which, why are unemployment benefits taxed? That's robbing Peter to pay Paul later.

No since unemployment benefits are supported by unemployment taxes not income taxes. Secondly using your logic we shouldn't be taxing the income of any government employees.

That assumes your income wouldn't be higher if not for your employer's expenditures on unemployment taxes. Who's to say the employer wouldn't give their employees 100% of the savings from eliminating the unemployment tax, so if you got an equivalent raise, it would be taxed as income. No matter who pays the tax or what you call it, a tax is a tax.

That assumption would normally be correct. The unemployment tax rate can be rather low (as low as 0.55%) on only the first $13,000 of income. So based on that and a full time person working 2,080 hours a week that comes up to a whopping 3 cents an hour. Now of course that is based on the lowest contribution rate here in Illinois (your state may vary) and some companies will pay more.

Another thing to consider is that the vast majority of companies base their compensation package on the prevailing wages of their market. That way your $12 an hour widget maker won't leave you when all the other companies are paying widget makers $20 an hour. So even if your company is paying the highest unemployment tax rate you will still have to pay a salary that is in line with everyone else, even those paying the lowest rate, to attract and keep talent.

Those unemployment taxes have very little, if any, affect on wages.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

houdini1 said:

verdugo said:

houdini1 said:

Since any award is tax free, lawyer fee excluded, I could probably get by on $25 Mill.

I actually read that since there is no physical harm, only emotional, the $55 million will be taxable.

Yes, I saw that also. I always thought money received from a lawsuit was tax free...but I guess that is not always the case. I learned something new.

Speaking of which, why are unemployment benefits taxed? That's robbing Peter to pay Paul later.

No since unemployment benefits are supported by unemployment taxes not income taxes. Secondly using your logic we shouldn't be taxing the income of any government employees.

I suppose they could just give everyone a pay demotion equivalent to their tax rate and the match would balance out for gov't employees.

You suppose wrong as how can you tell what their tax rate is until you do their taxes? Everyone's tax situation is different and can change from one year to another.

stickguy

ok, Need advice from Q and Fezo (if he wanders by) on NJ solar panel options. Dude from Sunlivity (? - said connected to Lowes) hustling today. Gave a short spiel about how it wouldn't cost me anything (yeah, right) but I was occupied and not feeling like chatting, so broomed him.

but after talking to wifee, decided maybe I should consider. We are probably good candidates (depending on payback period). Lots of roof acreage on a colonial, unblocked dead southern exposure to the south. Plus crazy bills mid summer since we have an inground pool, so running pumps + AC. so in theory, it would make sense for us.

so, for the recent converts, what's the skinny? Best company or way to approach? I may also not be here more than another 5 years (possibly less) so not interested in payback 10+ years down the road! I think you can buy or lease or something else (subcontract?). Would have to be a literal "sign and drive" thanks to 2 more years of college tuition remaining!

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

snakeweasel said:

Well with the name "driver" you should be golfing a lot.

But the name Driver 100 could indicate the limit to the yardage of which
he is capable.



Or his score (either on the front, back or both nine).

imidazol97

driver100 said:

lol.....OK guys, the driver lines are clever...brought a smile to my lips.
I think "driver100" is the number of yards (or meters) I will never be able to hit the ball.

I usually duffed my hits and ended up at 100/125. I recall hitting better, but the goal is to go down the middle of the fairway and I went off to the side. I often played a low course nearby that was 9 holes + 5 on a short course. Played alone just working to improve. I just gave away a good sized cardboard box of balls that were more than 15 years old that I collected while looking for my own that went off line. Found lots of other people often hit where I had gone awry.
Not a game for my lack 0of skill.

[Deleted User]

stickguy said:

ok, Need advice from Q and Fezo (if he wanders by) on NJ solar panel options. Dude from Sunlivity (? - said connected to Lowes) hustling today. Gave a short spiel about how it wouldn't cost me anything (yeah, right) but I was occupied and not feeling like chatting, so broomed him.

but after talking to wifee, decided maybe I should consider. We are probably good candidates (depending on payback period). Lots of roof acreage on a colonial, unblocked dead southern exposure to the south. Plus crazy bills mid summer since we have an inground pool, so running pumps + AC. so in theory, it would make sense for us.

so, for the recent converts, what's the skinny? Best company or way to approach? I may also not be here more than another 5 years (possibly less) so not interested in payback 10+ years down the road! I think you can buy or lease or something else (subcontract?). Would have to be a literal "sign and drive" thanks to 2 more years of college tuition remaining!

Not Q or Fezo, but couldn't but reply. As a solar advocate I'd recommend treading carefully. No way you'll see payback in 5 years even with incentives, so you'd have to hope for more value in the home and a higher sell price to compensate. Might be possible. According to an appraiser our panels add about the same value we invested upfront out of pocket, but that's just an appraisal and only a sale would prove it out.

That leaves a lease option. I'd recommend reading up a little on how the lease is handled in a sale. Most if not all will require the lease contract to extend to the buyer, and you may limit the number of people interested in your home due to the fact they may be wary of a binding lease agreement coming with the home. Something to consider.

stickguy

thanks. I figured the details were going to be messier than the spiel. I seem to recall that benefits/incentives vary by state, but that probably just changes the break even point, not the underlying analysis.

might wander by the store this weekend to get some details from their perspective.

I know Q bought his equipment. Not sure about Fezo.

stever

@tyguy is more up on this stuff but if you lease, the company gets the tax breaks. Okay deal, unless you do sell. Some of the scuttlebutt (maybe from the system installers) is that your buyer may need to sign up with the leasing company when you sell and some companies have a reputation for not making it easy for the new buyers to qualify. Or they charge you a big fee to remove the panels. I'd only consider buying.

My estimates from two companies here were both around $20 grand, with an 11 to 13 year payback. That system would handle our needs for eight months of the year or so. I think they are overcharging for the panels and labor so we didn't sign on, even though we have some state incentives in addition to the federal tax credits that would potentially reduce our cost down to $13,000 after we recovered the credits. But the initial out of pocket would be twenty grand.

One gripe I have is that if you hook up to the grid, which makes the most sense for most of us, you wind up "giving" your power to the utility, who will retail it to the next customer. The pay rate keeps going down and I think it's now around 2 or 3 cents a kW (or whatever the unit of measurement is). For a while there is was a more reasonable 12 to 15 cents, which still enabled the utility to maintain the grid.

berri

Golf is too expensive and time consuming for many of the younger people and I think that is part of the sport's problem. Of course, it is very expensive to keep up a golf course. Tough situation.

abacomike

berri said:

Golf is too expensive and time consuming for many of the younger people and I think that is part of the sport's problem. Of course, it is very expensive to keep up a golf course. Tough situation.

In my Condo community, we have an 18 hole golf course that is, unfortunately, under-used.  To help solve that under-use and to bring in more revenue, we now allow non-residents to play the course.  It costs residents $700 a year to become members of the golf club and no other costs are involved.  It costs non-residents $35 to play a round of golf which has allowed the course to become self-sustaining.

[Deleted User]

Sounds like a good resolution to the budget issue, Mike. I casually golfed in my younger days, but as my knee worsened I could no longer pivot on it without the joint slipping, so I stopped altogether. I think I'll try again this summer.

Pickle ball is a blast and requires minimal skillset unlike tennis. A close friend has a court in his backyard and hosts weekly neighborhood tournaments that draw quite a few middle aged guys. Prior to my knee replacement I would play here and there, and then suffer a week of swelling and joint stiffness. I think that one is permanently on the official surgeon banned list.

bwia

Stickguy - have you considered a residential wind turbine gerator?

I know in my community such a set up is not possible because of height and zoning restrictions. Nonetheless, the economics of a whole-house 2-KW system appears to be in the same range (net of tax credits) as solar. Besides, it is a year round system that generates electricity 24 hours a day while selling excess capacity to the local utility company.

One major downside though, minimum  wind speeds of 12 mph is required; so if your neighborhood is a low wind zone then the venture would be a non-starter.

driver100

berri said:

Golf is too expensive and time consuming for many of the younger people and I think that is part of the sport's problem. Of course, it is very expensive to keep up a golf course. Tough situation.

Some golf courses that were out in the country are now on prime property that is good for building new homes. These properties can be worth a lot......others were built under rules that won't let the course convert, and they are stuck and often go into debt.

driver100

tyguy said:

Pickle ball is a blast and requires minimal skillset unlike tennis. A close friend has a court in his backyard and hosts weekly neighborhood tournaments that draw quite a few middle aged guys. .

Why didn't I get that neighbor living beside me....instead of the tree axe murderer who cut down 6 40 ft Spruce trees to build his pool? Story of my life

sda

With the Accord it is fairly simple. Press a button to separate the key from the fob and use to open door. Then take fob, hold close to Start button, and press Start. At least that's what the manual says. I am going to try to replace the battery at the 3 year mark as a preventive measure so I don't have to try that method out.

stickguy

You get pretty good advance warning I think. I did on the RDX. A message popped up on the display, and I had not noticed any decreased range yet. Simple to replace in that fob at least.

And often overlooked, probably covered under your BtoB warranty!

suydam

Key fob battery in my Accord went out early, probably a defect. There was plenty of warning. And I had the dealer replace both of them -- maybe $5. Normally they should last a lot longer.

sda

stickguy--
I don't remember where I read it but you indicated that you had someone approach you about solar panels. Well I had a guy here do the same, with a firm called Suncrest Solar. He was friendly but a fairly hard sell. I tentatively set up an appointment to meet but have since cancelled. I don't want to have a financial or other type of obligation as we may move in the next few years. I will be interested to hear your summary if you meet with them. Boy are they getting around!

[Deleted User]

driver100 said:

Why didn't I get that neighbor living beside me....instead of the tree axe murderer who cut down 6 40 ft Spruce trees to build his pool? Story of my life

I forgot about the tree incident, and it sounds like the neighbor relations haven't gotten any better. I think I remember you mentioning they planted some new vegetation after the pool install. If so, how's that filling in?