Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

imidazol97

stickguy said:

Yuck. The ruined it.

I'm with you on that. It looked better before! I liked those wheels on it.

andres3

abacomike said:

I just received some additional info on the 2017 E Class.  As I shared a day or two ago, the first E Class built will be an E300 with a 4 cylinder engine producing 240 horsepower.  Prices will start at about $53,000+ and are expected to arrive in showrooms this June/July.

In November/December of this year, the new E43 will be introduced.  It will be powered by a 3.0 Liter V6 with a bi-turbo producing right around 400 horsepower.  Pricing, nicely equipped, will be about $68,000.

The E43 is a new designation badge (originally slated to be badged as an E450) but with a V6 Turbo producing 400 hp, Mercedes decided to badge it similar to the AMG E63 and name it an E43.

That will be one heck of a car.  This info comes straight from Mercedes-Benz Consumer Affairs.  A 400 horsepower 3,0 Liter V6 producing that kind of power while still getting 19/30 mpg city/highway.  Amazing!

Yes, but that 30 MPG only comes if you drive like an old geezer

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

stever said:

One of our ex-editors got one years ago - more in the $150,000 range iirc though.

I remember that. I followed his story with the GT. He had moved from his CA home and cashed in before the tech bubble. Can't recall his name off the top of my head. Enjoyed reading his blogs about the GT, though.

I saw a few for sale some time ago. Used, but they were almost affordable. Looks like they've appreciated quite a bit over the last few years.

EDIT...looks like I'm late to the party...it was Karl and yes there was real estate involved. Great story, though!

Those GTs have appreciated. Gas Monkey got a smashed one and after fixing it up decided to sit on it because values were rising so much.

Before and after:

OF...yeah, watched them redo that GT, over two episodes, IIRC. I liked what they did to it.

Gas Monkey is turning into quite the brand....the shop, the restaurant. I go to Dallas quite a bit and they have their own merch store in DFW.

Another spinoff Gas Monkey show I like, Misfit Garage, starring some of the guys that Rawlings allegedly fired (my belief, fired so they could make a spinoff), that Rawlings shows up on fairly regularly. They just finished a '57 Corvette build, and it was gorgeous.

ab348

Although it seems I get irritated with a lot of the stuff that Richard Lentinello at Hemmings Classic Cars writes for some reason, his piece in this month's issue about those car restoration TV shows and their fake drama and phony deadlines really hits the nail on the head for me. Gas Monkey is one of the worst in that regard, though certainly not the only offender.

houdini1

graphicguy said:

stever said:

One of our ex-editors got one years ago - more in the $150,000 range iirc though.

I remember that. I followed his story with the GT. He had moved from his CA home and cashed in before the tech bubble. Can't recall his name off the top of my head. Enjoyed reading his blogs about the GT, though.

I saw a few for sale some time ago. Used, but they were almost affordable. Looks like they've appreciated quite a bit over the last few years.

EDIT...looks like I'm late to the party...it was Karl and yes there was real estate involved. Great story, though!

I have it from a very reliable (but anonymous) source that all the moderators here are really independently wealthy playboys who actually pay Edmunds to let them exercise their gigantic egos and lord it over all us regular poor folks. The secret little game they play is to act as poor as the rest of us in order to gain sympathy, etc.

stever

I'd have something to say about that but I'm late for my polo match.

roadburner

A friend of mine had a great plan when the GT first came out a few years ago. My friend had a buddy who owned a Ford dealership and was willing to sell the car to him at MSRP. The plan was to get 6-10 more guys that we trusted and split the cost of the car. Everyone would have it for 1-2 weeks and agree not to put more than 500 miles on it. After everyone had their turn we were going to put the car on eBay and split the proceeds. We figured that at worst we'd break even. As it turned out, the dealer couldn't get a GT because he didn't meet some requirement according to Ford's arcane rating system. Rats- I had my HELOC all revved up and ready to go.

Then there was the 1 Series M Coupe; I had two dealers willing to sell me one for sticker. I decided to wait and buy a used one- not knowing that the US was only getting 740 cars. Had I known I would have bought them both and put one on eBay immediately. One dealer sold a couple for 40K over sticker- which meant I could have ended up paying around $15K out of pocket for the car I kept...

jmonroe

ab348 said:

Although it seems I get irritated with a lot of the stuff that Richard Lentinello at Hemmings Classic Cars writes for some reason, his piece in this month's issue about those car restoration TV shows and their fake drama and phony deadlines really hits the nail on the head for me. Gas Monkey is one of the worst in that regard, though certainly not the only offender.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Gee, another reality show that isn't.

I watch nothing that even comes close to professing to be a "reality show" and I mean NOTHING.

Even I can only be insulted so much.

jmonroe

andres3

I wonder what the reasons are for only providing 740 of something that would clearly have sold more if they made more.

thebean

IMO, the only reality show that is truly a reality show (with no scripted crises) is "The Incredible Dr Pol", which is about a Michigan vet.  One of my favorite shows.

abacomike

andres3 said:

I just received some additional info on the 2017 E Class.  As I shared a day or two ago, the first E Class built will be an E300 with a 4 cylinder engine producing 240 horsepower.  Prices will start at about $53,000+ and are expected to arrive in showrooms this June/July.

In November/December of this year, the new E43 will be introduced.  It will be powered by a 3.0 Liter V6 with a bi-turbo producing right around 400 horsepower.  Pricing, nicely equipped, will be about $68,000.

The E43 is a new designation badge (originally slated to be badged as an E450) but with a V6 Turbo producing 400 hp, Mercedes decided to badge it similar to the AMG E63 and name it an E43.

That will be one heck of a car.  This info comes straight from Mercedes-Benz Consumer Affairs.  A 400 horsepower 3,0 Liter V6 producing that kind of power while still getting 19/30 mpg city/highway.  Amazing!

Yes, but that 30 MPG only comes if you drive like an old geezer

Then I can extrapolate from your comment that getting 19 mpg in city driving only comes if you drive like an idiot! 

abacomike

thebean said:

IMO, the only reality show that is truly a reality show (with no scripted crises) is "The Incredible Dr Pol", which is about a Michigan vet.  One of my favorite shows.

I watch that show every Saturday night.  But, even segments of that show are staged - like when Dr. Pol makes French fries at the July 4th celebration or when his son Charles buys his mother a revolver for Mother's Day.

I still like that show - very real situations.  "The Incredible Dr. Pol" on WILDH channel.

PF_Flyer

I really don't know what to say about just seeing this Camry
a half hour ago other than, the closer you get, the worse it looks. I'm not sure what kind of paint they used, but it's definitely brushed on, leaving a "texture"



I know they didn't have any smaller brushes since they couldn't get inside the sombrero on the trunk

stever

Looks pretty well done considering.

Since it's a Japanese car, those of us in the weaving world would call it Shibori and not tie-dye.

PF_Flyer

But is it art?

imidazol97

Plasti Kote paint? Peels off.

stever

Maybe you'd rather drive a C-Max? (The Toyota sounded brushed on but I think this one is a peel off).

driver100

graphicguy said:

Sorry...it was a Pontiac 6000 STE. 130 HP. 0-60 in ~10 secs.....a Car and Driver "10 Best".....

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/1985-10best-cars-1985-pontiac-6000ste-page-10

That's the one..........those statistics are kind of a laugh too.

1985 Pontiac 6000 STE

BASE PRICE: $14,829

ENGINE TYPE(S): V-6, iron block and heads, GM electronic engine-control system
Displacement: 171 cu in, 2837cc
Power (SAE net): 130 bhp @ 4800 rpm

TRANSMISSION(S): 3-speed auto

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 104.9 in Length: 188.8 in
Curb weight: 3000 lbs

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city driving: 20 mpg

driver100

abacomike said:

Got a call from my doctor.  My liver enzymes are elevated - higher than the last test 2 months ago.  I am also dehydrated so he could not schedule the CT Scan until next week because of the dyes they use.  The reread of the ultrasound images by the radiologist suggest that I have a 50-50 chance it is not a malignant tumor.  Odds could have been better, but...what can I say?

Hoping for the best possible outcome!

driver100

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:

Although it seems I get irritated with a lot of the stuff that Richard Lentinello at Hemmings Classic Cars writes for some reason, his piece in this month's issue about those car restoration TV shows and their fake drama and phony deadlines really hits the nail on the head for me. Gas Monkey is one of the worst in that regard, though certainly not the only offender.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Gee, another reality show that isn't.

I watch nothing that even comes close to professing to be a "reality show" and I mean NOTHING.

Even I can only be insulted so much.

jmonroe

You mean you don't watch Judge Judy or Hot Bench?

iluvmysephia1

Ah, Shibori?

abacomike

iluvmysephia1 said:

Ah, Shibori?

Sounds like a sushi dish or a Kabuki dance! 

driver100

I'm not sure but snake skin may be worse.....

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Sorry...it was a Pontiac 6000 STE. 130 HP. 0-60 in ~10 secs.....a Car and Driver "10 Best".....

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/1985-10best-cars-1985-pontiac-6000ste-page-10

By 1985 standards that was a screamer.

stever

That would fit right in with my garage and George, @driver100.

And don't forget the seat covers.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Yuck. The ruined it.

I thought it looked better in red too. Why those guys throw air bags on everything I'll never know.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:

Although it seems I get irritated with a lot of the stuff that Richard Lentinello at Hemmings Classic Cars writes for some reason, his piece in this month's issue about those car restoration TV shows and their fake drama and phony deadlines really hits the nail on the head for me. Gas Monkey is one of the worst in that regard, though certainly not the only offender.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Gee, another reality show that isn't.

I watch nothing that even comes close to professing to be a "reality show" and I mean NOTHING.

Even I can only be insulted so much.

jmonroe

I watch that show as long as they are working on the cars and switch channels when the faux drama filler comes in.

oldfarmer50

thebean said:

IMO, the only reality show that is truly a reality show (with no scripted crises) is "The Incredible Dr Pol", which is about a Michigan vet.  One of my favorite shows.

My wife loves that show. I find it sweet that you think it's unscripted.

ab348

Supposed to get a little snow overnight and hopefully that will do it. Winter doesn't know its time is over here. Temps have been up and down like crazy and earlier this week it was very pleasant. What wasn't so pleasant was that I was inspecting the ATS in the sunshine and found some scratches that weren't there in the fall. Might be from the guy who clears snow from my driveway. They don't appear deep so I wonder what folks might suggest for rubbing them out of the clearcoat? I bought the original Meguiars Scratch-X a few years ago and find it doesn't do much. Looking for something that actually works.

abacomike

ab348 said:

Supposed to get a little snow overnight and hopefully that will do it. Winter doesn't know its time is over here. Temps have been up and down like crazy and earlier this week it was very pleasant. What wasn't so pleasant was that I was inspecting the ATS in the sunshine and found some scratches that weren't there in the fall. Might be from the guy who clears snow from my driveway. They don't appear deep so I wonder what folks might suggest for rubbing them out of the clearcoat? I bought the original Meguiars Scratch-X a few years ago and find it doesn't do much. Looking for something that actually works.

A replacement vehicle works wonders for the owner's eyes - beats compounding and buffing! 

iluvmysephia1

Hey, where's tyguy? If I do buy that 2016 Scion iA in the shade of Stealth I'm gonna wanna get wax application lessons from him. His Audi looked beautiful when he was done with it, huh?

jmonroe

ab348 said:
Supposed to get a little snow overnight and hopefully that will do it. Winter doesn't know its time is over here. Temps have been up and down like crazy and earlier this week it was very pleasant. What wasn't so pleasant was that I was inspecting the ATS in the sunshine and found some scratches that weren't there in the fall. Might be from the guy who clears snow from my driveway. They don't appear deep so I wonder what folks might suggest for rubbing them out of the clearcoat? I bought the original Meguiars Scratch-X a few years ago and find it doesn't do much. Looking for something that actually works.
_____________________________________________________________________________

If it's deep enough that you can feel it with your fingernail you have to get aggressive with it but that means the clear coat will know it. You could try the white polishing compound on a very small section of the scratch and decide if you can live with what it did to the clear coat, otherwise you'll have to live with it because I'm sure you don't want to invest in a paint job.

jmonroe

verdugo

imidazol97 said:

stickguy said:

Yuck. The ruined it.

I'm with you on that. It looked better before! I liked those wheels on it.

Yuck indeed!

verdugo

stever said:

Maybe you'd rather drive a C-Max? (The Toyota sounded brushed on but I think this one is a peel off).

That's a Smart car, not a C-Max.

driver100

verdugo said:

stever said:

Maybe you'd rather drive a C-Max? (The Toyota sounded brushed on but I think this one is a peel off).

That's a Smart car, not a C-Max.

Well, it's ugly whatever it is

abacomike

driver100 said:

Maybe you'd rather drive a C-Max? (The Toyota sounded brushed on but I think this one is a peel off).

That's a Smart car, not a C-Max.

Well, it's ugly whatever it is

That's what my parents said of my first girlfriend - no BS - my Mom said, "...Michael, you are so handsome and this is the best you could do?"  I reminded her that sometimes you have to concentrate on the end goal and make believe the superficialities are unimportant! 

thebean

oldfarmer50 said:

IMO, the only reality show that is truly a reality show (with no scripted crises) is "The Incredible Dr Pol", which is about a Michigan vet.  One of my favorite shows.

My wife loves that show. I find it sweet that you think it's unscripted.

Yeah, I'm kinda naive that way.  

roadburner

PF_Flyer said:

I really don't know what to say about just seeing this Camry
a half hour ago other than, the closer you get, the worse it looks. I'm not sure what kind of paint they used, but it's definitely brushed on, leaving a "texture"



I know they didn't have any smaller brushes since they couldn't get inside the sombrero on the trunk

Haven't you heard? Camry owners are BOLD!!!

[Deleted User]

iluvmysephia1 said:

Hey, where's tyguy? If I do buy that 2016 Scion iA in the shade of Stealth I'm gonna wanna get wax application lessons from him. His Audi looked beautiful when he was done with it, huh?

Hi ilivmysephia1. Thanks for checking in. I just happened to open Edmunds at the right time to see your post. My wife is traveling for work, so between my work, cooking, cleaning, and shuttling my daughter to life's activities, it's been nigh impossible to look through Edmunds posts. I miss the great people here, but spending time with my little girl one-on-one has been special.

I'd be happy to help with your new ride in any way possible. Brand new is a great time to coat the paint and protect it from acid rain, bird droppings, road tar, bug splatter, and the like. It's far easier to keep paint looking new than recover it later. Check Amazon for a product called Optimum Gloss Coat. I think it's the easiest to apply in the coating category and will make you happy with the results. When it comes time, we can walk through the process together.

iluvmysephia1

I'd be happy to help with your new ride in any way possible. Brand new is a great time to coat the paint and protect it from acid rain, bird droppings, road tar, bug splatter, and the like. It's far easier to keep paint looking new than recover it later. Check Amazon for a product called Optimum Gloss Coat. I think it's the easiest to apply in the coating category and will make you happy with the results. When it comes time, we can walk through the process together.

Thanks, tyguy! I have Optimum Gloss Coat written down and will check it out. If that black iA is still there in a week I am heading over to Denver to try and make a deal my wife will be pleased with. (yeah, right) Mountain States Scion is selling the car for only $13,895 now. That is heading right down to be worth about $5,000 more than our '11 Soul is worth. This would be the time to ask them for any other discounts that are available but you can't get an iA for this price anywhere else I've checked. So I'll ask you questions when the time comes. I just remember how beautiful your Audi A4 looked like when you were all done and how hard you worked on it and figured that, because yours is also black, it was a bullseye.

Thanks!

stever

Hey @iluvmysephia1, have you gotten an estimate over in the Real-World Trade-In Values discussion for your Soul?

oldfarmer50

thebean said:

oldfarmer50 said:

thebean said:

IMO, the only reality show that is truly a reality show (with no scripted crises) is "The Incredible Dr Pol", which is about a Michigan vet.  One of my favorite shows.

My wife loves that show. I find it sweet that you think it's unscripted.

Yeah, I'm kinda naive that way.  

Sorry if I came off as snarky in that post. I'm a sucker for those puppies and kittens he treats.

I use to love 'Storage Wars' until it was revealed that they were salting the units with valuable items to make it interesting.

[Deleted User]

iluvmysephia1 said:

Thanks, tyguy! I have Optimum Gloss Coat written down and will check it out. If that black iA is still there in a week I am heading over to Denver to try and make a deal my wife will be pleased with. (yeah, right) Mountain States Scion is selling the car for only $13,895 now. That is heading right down to be worth about $5,000 more than our '11 Soul is worth. This would be the time to ask them for any other discounts that are available but you can't get an iA for this price anywhere else I've checked. So I'll ask you questions when the time comes. I just remember how beautiful your Audi A4 looked like when you were all done and how hard you worked on it and figured that, because yours is also black, it was a bullseye.

Thanks!

Denver? Oh, wow. That's only 45 minutes to the South of me. Any chance the big day would fall on a Saturday? If so, and you're up to hanging out in Denver for an extra 90 minutes after you pick up your pride and joy, we could apply the coating before you leave. Or to keep it shorter, I could at least do one panel with you so you learn the technique, and then you finish at home. The only two caveats are that the ride home would need to be dry, and the dealer needs to make sure the paint is in good, clean condition. Coatings need a couple of days to fully cure without a car wash or heavy rain storm. Then you're good for a couple of years with little more than simple washing.

iluvmysephia1

stever-yep, no, that should be done , indeed.

tyguy-I'm shooting for a week from today to  be able to fit it in to my work/off-time schedule. I'll let you know on this thread if I can move it to Saturday. Right now the plan is to head west in a week.

[Deleted User]

Congrats! Glad you found a great deal.

iluvmysephia1

Thanks, tyguy. There's a chance the car could sell between today and next Friday, but breld mentioned that you guys are supposed to get snow this weekend. That will help matters for me a lot! It also helps that the Scion iA I want is a 6-Spd MT.

Bad storm coming to the NW corner of Texas up through Oklahoma and into western Kansas. The worst day is today for us in Kansas. Damaging winds, hail, thunderstorms and a chance of tornadoes are on their way today heading in to the weekend. Eww - I'm gonna get my Soul in to the garage - I'm planning on detailing it today so I'll be right on it. This storm looks bad - they say we're gonna get all of our regular April rain later today!

A friend on Facebook posted a picture about a week ago of softball-sized hail from near Dallas. Yikes. We'll run down to the cellar if we need to - glad we have one in this house. It's got a dirt floor, some plumbing exposed, framing and the furnace and just enough room for the Mrs. and I and our 2 cats and 2 dogs. I may see what makes Kansas famous later today.

qbrozen

iluvmysephia1 said:

Mountain States Scion is selling the car for only $13,895 now. That is heading right down to be worth about $5,000 more than our '11 Soul is worth.

Oh boy. I don't think you are going to like the number I just posted for you on RWTIV.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Mountain States Scion is selling the car for only $13,895 now. That is heading right down to be worth about $5,000 more than our '11 Soul is worth.

Oh boy. I don't think you are going to like the number I just posted for you on RWTIV.

Yeah, I just saw that. Ouch.

stickguy

Fire up Craig's list!

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:

Although it seems I get irritated with a lot of the stuff that Richard Lentinello at Hemmings Classic Cars writes for some reason, his piece in this month's issue about those car restoration TV shows and their fake drama and phony deadlines really hits the nail on the head for me. Gas Monkey is one of the worst in that regard, though certainly not the only offender.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Gee, another reality show that isn't.

I watch nothing that even comes close to professing to be a "reality show" and I mean NOTHING.

Even I can only be insulted so much.

jmonroe

I watch that show as long as they are working on the cars and switch channels when the faux drama filler comes in.

It's clear some of it is staged. How else do you show up to a person's residence and business with a cameral crew and ask if they want to sell their car? I think it's understood that staging has to be done. Gas Monkey's people actually mug for the cameras, so they let you in on the staging.

With you on the faux drama. Not my cup 'o tea. But, watching them actually restore the cars, seeing where they start from and where they end up is pretty amazing.

I also like watching Dallas Car Sharks. I'm sure that's staged, too. But, they admit up front that those people go to regular auctions (not collector car auctions like Mecum) and try to turn a buck on cars you'd see at the neighborhood used car lots.

The only two I don't watch is Graveyard Cars, because one of the owners acts like such an [non-permissible content removed]. And, Counting Cars, because it's clear it's so fake, yet they try to take themselves so seriously with all the drama.