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My dealer said he would call me as soon as a loaded up one arrives next month with all the new technology. I'll drive it onto the Turnpike to see if it has enough spunk to merge nicely with traffic. BTW, they increased the starting price of the E300 by about $1000 - and that's with going from a 302 hp V6 to a 241 hp 4. So they are pricing the car heavily. A fairly nicely equipped E300 will MSRP for over $60,000 and a loaded up one for over $67,000. That's a lot of money for an E Class with a 4 cylinder engine, IMHO!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
The 2.0 Benz uses produces little sound. It seems likethe motor is working, but it's far away.
The 2.0 in the BMW emits a bit more sound than the others I've driven. Not bad sound, but a bit more racous.
The 2.0 in the GTI (not sure if it's the same one used in the A6) sounds like a mechanical party.
In all of them, torque is strong and power is linear. In the CTS, you'd be hard pressed to note any lag.
Maybe the local VW dealer we're talking to is the exception to the rule, but so far are very easy to work with and seem to want to make a deal. We'll find out tomorrow if that's true or not as they're trying toget exactly what my son wants, regardless of how rare it is in the market.
Some NMA members recently got a Philadelphia Traffic Engineer (PE) to admit the reason they added lots of wide bike lanes wasn't due to the number of bicyclists, but to slow people down with purposely poor traffic engineering.
I'm with the NMA on this issue, bicyclists should thank motorists for the roads and bike lanes the car and fuel taxes pay for. In other words, bicyclists are leeches on the roadways they don't pay for.
You wouldn't have a link to that would you? If true that would be a shocking admission.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
As to the VW, most likely it is like the diesel stick wagon holy grail. Rare item, but very few actual buyers!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It doesn't bother me at all, so I just leave it.
Oldfarmer, do you want links to the red light cameras or the bike lanes? If it is red light cameras just google, red light cameras, do they work or similar questions. There is no real proof they make a positive difference, in some cases number of accidents actually increase (many times from drivers stopping too fast). Some surveys say rear end accident rates may increase, but the red light cameras prevent more T-bone accidents, which are more serious. However, the experts believe the better way to prevent accidents is to make a longer amber light, and to have red showing in both directions for 2 seconds.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
it does seem silly to me to waste money on that feature, instead of something useful!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
My dealer said he would call me as soon as a loaded up one arrives next month with all the new technology. I'll drive it onto the Turnpike to see if it has enough spunk to merge nicely with traffic. BTW, they increased the starting price of the E300 by about $1000 - and that's with going from a 302 hp V6 to a 241 hp 4. So they are pricing the car heavily. A fairly nicely equipped E300 will MSRP for over $60,000 and a loaded up one for over $67,000. That's a lot of money for an E Class with a 4 cylinder engine, IMHO!
It is just a pet peeve of mine, but I don't like the way some of the 4 cyl turbo's run the cooling fan after you turn the engine off. I suppose it is to cool down the turbo.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
No, I want to see in black and white that a government official admitted to deliberately designing a road hazzard.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Farmer, I don't think you will ever see that, but there is some controversy. It has been found that in some cities, Chicago to name one, the yellow light is shorter than recommended where red light cameras are used. To me, this seems like a blatant money grab.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
https://www.motorists.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Winter-2016-Driving-Freedoms.pdf
Look at Page 8, but you should probably read the completely unedited correspondence starting earlier.
It's all part of this backwards "vision zero" sinister anti-automobile philosophy. They do the same things with "traffic calming" devices like narrower lanes, obstructions, barricades, speed bumps, and other obstacles. Instead of reducing traffic by making it flow better, they make it flow worse, which is supposed to deter people from driving all together.
My dealer said he would call me as soon as a loaded up one arrives next month with all the new technology. I'll drive it onto the Turnpike to see if it has enough spunk to merge nicely with traffic. BTW, they increased the starting price of the E300 by about $1000 - and that's with going from a 302 hp V6 to a 241 hp 4. So they are pricing the car heavily. A fairly nicely equipped E300 will MSRP for over $60,000 and a loaded up one for over $67,000. That's a lot of money for an E Class with a 4 cylinder engine, IMHO!
It is just a pet peeve of mine, but I don't like the way some of the 4 cyl turbo's run the cooling fan after you turn the engine off. I suppose it is to cool down the turbo.
In my Audi's, I've only noticed the fan staying on after the engine was off when I just climbed Palomar mountain in a spirited fashion. I've noticed the VW diesel engine likes the fan to stay on more regularly too.
Wish I was there again!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Aba, I'm not sold on turbo's yet, mostly because I want to see some durability experience on them given the heat they can throw off. I ended up with a turbo on a Mustang convertible a few months ago and have to say it drove better than I expected without any real noticeable turbo lag. I am also curious about Ford truck owner experience towing with them instead of a V8.
Red light cameras are controversial in Tampa now...some want to get rid of the red light cameras. Seems Tampa installed RLCs, and then shortened the amber light time in some intersections. The revenue stream has been terrific, but, there is no proof they cut down on accidents. I am sure you can google it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Let's say, for example, that the price of a new minivan is $35,000, plus $900 in add-on equipment like a roof rack or bumper hitch, and the manufacturer is offering a "rebate" or "cash bonus" of $4,000.
The government obliges the dealer to add $35,000 to $900, for a subtotal of $35,900, then immediately apply the harmonized federal-provincial sales tax, which in Ontario is 13 per cent, or $4,667, for a total of $40,567. The dealer is then told to apply the $4,000 advertised price break to that fully taxed total, meaning the customer pays $36,567.
If, however, the customer was taxed on what he or she actually paid, it would be a different story.
The sales tax would be applied on the real price — $35,900 minus the $4,000 "rebate" — or $31,900. Calculated that way, the tax would be $4,147, and the bottom line $36,047 - a difference of $520.
The dealer doesn't make an extra cent because of the government-imposed calculation. The entire $520 extra goes to the government in taxes.
And the buyer effectively winds up paying tax on $4,000 he or she didn't really spend at all.
Even though the CRA (Canada Revenue) respectfully declines to discuss the subject, its rationale is a matter of public record.
The government takes the view that the rebate, or cash bonus, or whatever gimmicky name it's called, is a completely separate transaction between the manufacturer and the customer, even though it is always a result of a deal negotiated, signed and financially transacted between the customer and the dealer.
'Flat-out tax grab'
"It's outrageous," says Aaron Wudrick of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "A flat-out tax grab. Tax is supposed to be calculated on the price paid, not on some artificial figure determined by the government."
Last year, Canadian auto dealers moved 1.6 million new vehicles and more than three million used vehicles.
"It's classic stealth taxation," he says. "To the consumer, there is no difference between dealing with the dealer and dealing with the manufacturer."
Fairness beside the point
Huw Williams, spokesman for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, says emphatically and for the record that his members wish they were not forced to collect so much tax.
But, he says, "the government has decided that when there is a rebate that reduces the price to the consumer, the consumer has to pay tax on the original price anyway."
Whether that is fair or not is beside the point, Williams says. It is the reality imposed on dealers.
"We are one of the most audited businesses in the country," he says. "Dealers get audited all the time, and if the government decides you're applying tax to the 'wrong' amount, then the dealers are on the hook for it."
TAX GRAB
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
http://www.motortrend.com/news/12-year-old-takes-school-bus-joyride-wvideo/?_wcsid=02ECE72CE01AC7191928FC6AA9692666C642981F76BF3D97
If you buy dish detergent and it costs $5, and you have a $1 coupon, do you pay tax on $5 or $4?
No wonder people cheat on their taxes, it is like us against them, only they hold all the cards.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
TAX GRAB
How long do you think it will be before things like a TAX GRAB start happening in the US? We have a 20 trillion dollar debt that costs billions every day to pay the interest on that debt. Add to that proposed increases in sales, gasoline, inheritance, value added, etc., taxes after this presidential election to pay for free college, a bailout of student loan debt, bailout of Puerto Rico, health care for all under a single payer, to name a few, and we wind up with a chaotic situation - no matter what political party takes control of all three branches of government.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
"When it comes to cash-back rebates, many car buyers are surprised to learn that most states do tax them.
This seems unfair, but most states view cash rebates as a form of payment from the manufacturer and conclude that it does not affect the purchase price of the car." There's a list of states that don't tax rebates at this realcartips.com link.
The feds don't agree with the states and don't consider rebates to be taxable income. (IRS)
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
2018 430i Gran Coupe
2018 430i Gran Coupe
2018 430i Gran Coupe
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I asked the same question and was told it is because some buyers will take the cheque instead. Why I do not know.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
1. Has anybody read their Medicare (and Social Security) statement, looked how much money they actually paid in last 10-20 years (or lifetime) and compared it to cost of some common medical procedures performed on old folks? I'm sure, they didn't, otherwise nobody would say with a straight face "I paid my dues on that". I did and the comparisons are simply laughable - even if we consider bunch of "unclaimed" money from the folks who died before it was their turn, the money simply doesn't add up - in fact it's not even close. BTW, I've been in over median annual income for at least last 10 years and I think the total Medicare money I paid since I started in 2001 is a joke vs. what a senior expects to be delivered to them. Even adding another 20 years of contributions on top at levels now close to Social Security maximum, it will pay for couple of things maybe.
2. Has anybody really made a math on new improved gas mileage on their vehicles vs. say 10 or 20 years ago and thought of an impact that has on the Federal Transportation Trust? Take all those hybrids, now electric cars, and simple midsize sedans that went from low 20s to high 20s or low 30s, adjust for growth in population, infrastructure deterioration, etc. - can anybody with a straight face say nothing needs to be done into that funding scheme? Of course not.
I could go on and on, item by item. We all want to believe we paid "our share" and now it's time for somebody else to pick up the rest of the growing tab. It's always "them" - the rich, or the welfare mooches, never me.
OK, rant over. Now - dish it out.
2018 430i Gran Coupe