Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

suydam

Back to cars maybe for a sec or so. We are pondering a possible lease or purchase.
We test drove a new Chevy Cruze Premier this afternoon. It's a very nice car but they have gone the route of adding options even to the Premier level, so that to get what I think should be in a Premier Vehicle, it stickers at almost 30k! It is definitely not worth $7 grand more than the Mazda 3 we looked at. And they aren't taking much off them. So the Chevy Cruze has been ruled off our list. The Volt is looking better and better, although we are a little nervous about dealing with new tech. And rear visibility isn't great. Drives beautifully though. We took it up some winding hills and were very impressed with the "Mountain Mode" in terms of power available. Right now they are offering a lease price that's almost the same as the lease offer on the Mazda. Stay tuned.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

People from the PNW just have to reverse their complaints if they relocate to the south - they hate the summers and love the winters.

so, the answer is, have a house down south for the winter, and one in the PNW to winter in?

That is a bit far. But if I had the money, I could sell the wife on a house at the shore (maybe Charleston) and one up in Saratoga to split time between.

My ideal would be Oct to end of April...FL, and have a condo in Maine or NH May to Sept, give or take a few days. We are limited to 6 months in the US, so we spend 5 months in Florida, and keep 30 days in reserve for day trips and other trips into the US.

**The 6 month limit is imposed by US government so Canadians don't start living in the US semi permanently. Cdn Snowbirds is trying to get the 6 months changed to 7 months, but things got put on hold because of the election (not to get political).

Not to get political either, but just from a math perspective, if you spend more than half your time in one country, it seems to me you are a citizen of THAT country. So if Canadians want to spend 7 mos in the US, then they should become US ciitizens.

They don't have to become US citizens, but if they spend 1 day longer than 6 months here, Canadian citizens can be subject to US income taxes. I met this guy from Edmonton, Alberta at a Yankees game this past summer. He said they have a winter home in southern Utah. He told me he keeps a log of how many days he spends here in the US for that specific reason.

ab348

Yes, and with the systems they now have at Canada-US border crossings they can track your movements between the countries pretty accurately now. Back in ye olden days you could just have a quick chat with a Customs officer and enter. Not so now, you need to show a passport I believe, which provides a record of entry and exit, making it much easier to track.

Mr_Shiftright

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

stever

Now tackle a minivan. My sliding doors have more sheet metal than that Tinker Toy.

fintail

I have my fingers crossed for at least a dusting. I don't know if you were here then, but the snow event in December 08 was Armageddon in many places, unforgettable. I think we had 14-16" here, and with little snow removal equipment, little road treatment, and a local driving population that can't be defined as skilled, it was an experience. If anything, the local drivers are worse now, but there is more effort in cold weather road maintenance. I'd like to see if I can tell a difference with AWD.

28firefighter said:

Speaking of snow @fintail, we are supposed to see some this week. Really looking forward to the shenanigans.

Mr_Shiftright

stever said:

Now tackle a minivan. My sliding doors have more sheet metal than that Tinker Toy.

Sad fact is, all shined up, a 2003 Mini Cooper is still just about worthless in the marketplace.

Either these early supercharged Minis are the world's best secret, or I'm a damn fool. (That was only rhetorical, so watch it! )

berri

Fin - seems like Seattle loses power a lot in storms. How long was it out during that huge snow storm?

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

That still shines up nice for a 2003. I took the Mustang out for it's farewell ride today. Broke down and bought a bottle of Stabil which is my admission that the driving season is over and salt season has begun.

I'd take a picture of it but that metallic red paint is like a mood ring and in this dreary cloudy weather it looks depression maroon instead of cheery red.

berri

OF - smart move. Chicago is getting a snowstorm with that early season heavy stuff. Probably headed your way.

Mr_Shiftright

No salt on the roads in California, thankfully. The mild climate is kind to cars. Mine still looks pretty good without ever being garaged to my knowledge. Biggest risk in California to a car is, I think, lots of debris on the freeways, and of course, other drivers.

28firefighter

Seattle loses power if you sneeze the wrong direction. 

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

Looks sharp. As you know, we're getting to that time in Colorado where it's futile to try and keep a car clean.

fintail

I must live on a strong grid. I've been in the same place for over 10 years, might lose power every other year or so. Didn't lose it at all during the snow event. Longest was during the big windstorm of 2006, where I was in the dark for about 12 hours. Some people were out for more than a week, My workplace was even out for about 3 days.

berri said:

Fin - seems like Seattle loses power a lot in storms. How long was it out during that huge snow storm?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh I know. I still had Colorado dirt on my car from my last trip out. (and bugs).

Now I have to figure out how to clean the engine. In the Bay Area here, they don't allow detailers to wash an engine. I might put down some plastic sheeting and get a stiff brush and some simple green and just work away at it.

berri

Ah winter in Denver; blizzard one day, 62 degrees the next! Dallas can kind of bounce around a lot in winter too, although it seems to prefer playing with ice.

Mr_Shiftright

Denver's got a bigger concern right now-----WATER--that is, the lack thereof.

I think Denver's at about 9 inches total for the year---that's Phoenix levels!

thebean

@graphicguy, how is the Cobra doing?  I don't recall you talking too much about it lately.  I bet you are close to putting it up for the winter, but I would enjoy knowing how you like it.

Thanks.

28firefighter

@fintail - I missed snowmageddon here. I didn't move to Seattle until Fall 2012. 

Mr_Shiftright

It's snowing in Hawaii right now.

qbrozen

 For some reason, I just have not gotten to the point of winterizing cars yet. Even when I had the Alfa, I would take it out on the rare occasion after we would have no snow or salt use for a few weeks in the winter. 

fintail

That's right about when the snow events here stopped (or hopefully just went on hiatus). I remember a mild snowfall in early 2014, not a lot since, at least in my neighborhood. We used to get a decent event every other year or so, sometimes more often.

28firefighter said:

@fintail - I missed snowmageddon here. I didn't move to Seattle until Fall 2012. 

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

That still shines up nice for a 2003. I took the Mustang out for it's farewell ride today. Broke down and bought a bottle of Stabil which is my admission that the driving season is over and salt season has begun.

I'd take a picture of it but that metallic red paint is like a mood ring and in this dreary cloudy weather it looks depression maroon instead of cheery red.

You ought to drive it every time you get a chance this Winter. Surely there will be a few days.

driver100

qbrozen"
Not to get political either, but just from a math perspective, if you spend more than half your time in one country, it seems to me you are a citizen of THAT country. So if Canadians want to spend 7 mos in the US, then they should become US ciitizens

That's not looking at the whole picture, but many in Congress see it that way, until states such as Florida and Arizona point out that Canadians are really giving the economy a huge boost. Many businesses wouldn't survive here if it wasn't for Canadians.......and another month of income from Canadians would welcome.

snakeweasel

berri said:

I've read that one of the conversations du joir on the west coast right now is seceding from the US and becoming part of Canada. If that comes to fruition you may want to move west

Last time a state seceded it didn't go to well for them.

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

fintail said:

That talk has existed here from ages, ideas like "Cascadia" - as many people here have more in common economically and ideologically with western Canadians than eastern Americans. I don't know what they imbibe in to make them think it will happen. In that parallel universe, I wonder if we'd get BC's 15% tax on foreign real estate investments/money cleaning ventures.

It may all become academic if/when that big earthquake the experts predict happens and everything west of the fault line tumbles into the Pacific.

True, what we should do is buy up a lot of desert land way out west, then steal some nuclear weapons and fire them at the fault line and....oh wait that's the plot for "Superman". Sorry.

snakeweasel

graphicguy said:

Posted this in the "other" thread we hang out in, hope to hear an answer here.

I read an article about all the incentives on a Nissan Leaf. Can't remember if a link was posted here, or elsewhere. But, in essence, it said with gov't incentives ($7,500), Nissan trunk money (about $4-$5K) and Nissan Lease Cash ($4K), one could do a 36 month lease for nothing when all was said and done.

Not too serious about it, but thinking one might be a decent airport runner, especially for the "no charge" part.

Anyone run across this article? Did a search here but couldn't find anything. Maybe I was imagining it?

I'll believe that when I see it. The $7,500 guberment incentives are a non refundable tax credit that doesn't carry forward. This means 1.) it doesn't affect the sales price (or the price the lease is based off of) 2.) you have to wait to do your taxes to get that incentive and 3.) unless your tax liability (without the "incentive") is at least $7,500 you don't get the full amount.

snakeweasel

stever said:

And therefore a 2016 is a leftover one year old used car.

And a 2017 is a 5 minute old used car once you drive it off the lot.

Technically once they start up the engine and drive it out of the factory it is used.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

a 2015 is not a leftover. That is a 2 year old used car.

According to my never-call-you-back Ford dealer it's a "demo" and a bargain at 10% off.

My wifes car was a demo and the salesman was giving us the "it's never been titled so it's new" song and dance. My counter to it was that I could drive down the street where there is the exact same car with about the same amount of miles for thousands less. I even showed them the dealers website and the car listed on it.

They caved.

driver100

houdini1 said:

Driver, from your perspective, what would be the pros and cons of becoming a U.S. citizen?

Start with cons....I would lose my 100% health insurance . I would have to start all over in life, new friends, doctors, dentists etc. The biggest obstacle is it is very hard to be a US citizen, even a green card is hard to get these days. Probably the only way I could do it is to start a business that would employ at least 10 People. I think that could be done...but, don't want to do it any more.

Pros, Could stay longer. I like Florida, but, I think I really appreciate it because I can be north in the summer. I like everything is far less expensive, housing (probably about 1/3 the cost), cars, food, restaurant meals, appliances, clothes, tennis balls (about 1/2 price).

Both countries have their advantages and disadvantages. I do like that Canadians aren't as polarized as Americans when it comes to politics. A bit of a milder attitude toward things. Our newscast and papers may lean to the right or left but are still pretty mild. I like the fact that guns are basically illegal. But, I like the American spirit, the can do attitude, the sense of individual freedom.

Two great democratic countries that offer such a wonderful standard of living....and freedom.

Mr_Shiftright

snakeweasel said:

berri said:

I've read that one of the conversations du joir on the west coast right now is seceding from the US and becoming part of Canada. If that comes to fruition you may want to move west

Last time a state seceded it didn't go to well for them.

That's only because they didn't do it gracefully

I'm sure we could come to an amicable divorce, for the sake of the children.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

fintail said:

People from the PNW just have to reverse their complaints if they relocate to the south - they hate the summers and love the winters.

so, the answer is, have a house down south for the winter, and one in the PNW to winter in?

That is a bit far. But if I had the money, I could sell the wife on a house at the shore (maybe Charleston) and one up in Saratoga to split time between.

My ideal would be Oct to end of April...FL, and have a condo in Maine or NH May to Sept, give or take a few days. We are limited to 6 months in the US, so we spend 5 months in Florida, and keep 30 days in reserve for day trips and other trips into the US.

**The 6 month limit is imposed by US government so Canadians don't start living in the US semi permanently. Cdn Snowbirds is trying to get the 6 months changed to 7 months, but things got put on hold because of the election (not to get political).

Why don't you just walk across the border and call Uber for a ride? I hear it's all the rage these days.

Seriously, what would happen if you were here one day short of the limit and your car broke down or you got sick? If you went over would big brother swoop in and put the cuffs on?

Interesting you should ask that. We are allowed to stay 183 days which works out to 6 months, give or take a day. As of last year the system is computerized, so they know how many days we are here.

Before I explain the penalty for staying over 183 days, I have to explain, if you stay more than 90 days, you SHOULD fill out a US T8840 Form every year. In it, I pledge, my main bank accounts are in Canada, my main cars are in Canada, I don't earn any income from the US, my main home is in Canada. If I stay under 6 months and they suspect...I am OK as long as I filled out the form and they can't prove I am trying to stay or earning income while here.

An acquaintance, who happens to own a Tesla and has a place in Florida went over by one day....he miscalculated. He drives the Tesla part way and then puts it on a train and him and his wife get on the train, and come to Florida that way. Because he was over by one day.......the US government can take 1/3 of all his worldwide assets - in his case that is a lot - and he has hired a lawyer and an accountant to prove his case...whatever defense that will be? He is really worried.

That is why, we stay here for 6 months, and we have a 30 day buffer. We go to Ellicotville NY for 4 days of tennis, we spent 5 days in Pittsburgh checking Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water, we may cross for a day in Buffalo, but we leave a few days cushion so we won't stay too long.

btw, our 100% health insurance ends, if we are out of Canada for more than 7 months of the year, so we have to keep track of that too.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

Try waxing a "real" car one day....see what that is like!

Looks really nice though!

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

Try waxing a "real" car one day....see what that is like!

Looks really nice though!

I am generally opposed to anything but minimal car washing, but sometimes in my professional capacity the car has to look presentable.

Besides, if you drive a clapped-out Mini and you're over 40 years old, people will laugh at you.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

you learn quickly down south, in areas that normally don't get snow, that when you do, stay in the house. do not go anywhere near the roads. the locals have no clue how to behave.

When I was in Jr. High a kid moved into my neighborhood from Texas. I became friends with him not long after he moved in and shortly after that we got maybe 6 or8 inches overnight and he was amazed that the schools stayed open.

sda

The overriding factor about snow in the south is that it doesn't happen with regular frequency so there are minimal trucks and equipment to handle it. Worse is if there is snow, ice is often close behind. Hard to drive on a skating rink. It doesn't help that the weather forecasters have a field day and warn everyone to stock up on groceries and tp.

snakeweasel

Mr_Shiftright said:

snakeweasel said:

berri said:

I've read that one of the conversations du joir on the west coast right now is seceding from the US and becoming part of Canada. If that comes to fruition you may want to move west

Last time a state seceded it didn't go to well for them.

That's only because they didn't do it gracefully

I'm sure we could come to an amicable divorce, for the sake of the children.

Not only didn't they do it gracefully plus they didn't really give a very good reason to do it.

Anyway that little disagreement pretty much settled the "can a state leave the Union" question. There was a famous Supreme Court decision in 1869 that basically stated that the only way that a state could leave the Union was either through revolution (CA might want to read up on what happened to SC when Sherman got there) or through the action of all the states (A constitutional convention that basically breaks up the Union).

qbrozen

So if all states vote that CA can leave, they can? I'd LOVE for fhat vote to take place.

suydam

We would too.

fintail

If some southern areas wanted to go on their own, I wouldn't vote against it either. My recent trip there gives me the opinion that the place aint gonna rise again

Seriously, there might come a time when this union becomes outdated, some bits of it are already kind of archaic. At the very least, the future will bring some modifications.

fintail

If you have a lot of money, you can also just buy your way in. I don't think many questions are asked, nor are real audits performed about the origins of said money. It's a big thing on the west coast, both N and S of the 49th. Vancouver and Seattle real estate markets profit from it. Bring us your rich, your secretive, your corrupt masses

driver100 said:

Pros, Could stay longer. I like Florida, but, I think I really appreciate it because I can be north in the summer. I like everything is far less expensive, housing (probably about 1/3 the cost), cars, food, restaurant meals, appliances, clothes, tennis balls (about 1/2 price).
Two great democratic countries that offer such a wonderful standard of living....and freedom.

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

Oh I know. I still had Colorado dirt on my car from my last trip out. (and bugs).

Now I have to figure out how to clean the engine. In the Bay Area here, they don't allow detailers to wash an engine. I might put down some plastic sheeting and get a stiff brush and some simple green and just work away at it.

The guys on Powerblock took their truck down to the self serve car wash and just sprayed the heck out of it.

oldfarmer50

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Mini Cooper got her annual detail and wax. She tried to run away but to no avail.

Phew! This is a lot of work to do a car top to bottom.

I should do like @breld and just sell it when it gets that dirty.

That still shines up nice for a 2003. I took the Mustang out for it's farewell ride today. Broke down and bought a bottle of Stabil which is my admission that the driving season is over and salt season has begun.

I'd take a picture of it but that metallic red paint is like a mood ring and in this dreary cloudy weather it looks depression maroon instead of cheery red.

You ought to drive it every time you get a chance this Winter. Surely there will be a few days.

I wouldn't worry about driving in the snow if it wasn't too deep but it's the salt that kills cars here. Before a storm they spray the road with beet juice and brine which makes the salt stick. They also mix sand in with the salt.

The effect is that your car gets sand blasted and then has salt stuck to the bare metal. 3-4 winters of that and your car starts to rot. There's such salt residue on the roads that I won't go out unless we have at least one good rain.

berri

C'mon snake, while the westerners talk about seceding and joining Canada, Illinois faces the bigger dilemma of how to declare bankruptcy when technically states can't do that

stickguy

SDA nailed it. They are terrible at clearing roads, and tend to get ice instead of hard pack you can drive one. combined with lack of experience driving, and things usually end poorly.

Asheville is supposed to be super nice. I am going for a quick overnight visit in 2 weeks when we go down to get my daughter at college. Look at Hendersonville too. About 10 miles south, and also a really neat small town (and a bit cheaper I believe). Great place to retire, lots of activities, 4 seasons, but all are relatively mild.

berri

...as long as the fires stay away. Every place has something good and something not so good! You just roll with it.

sda

stickguy said:

SDA nailed it. They are terrible at clearing roads, and tend to get ice instead of hard pack you can drive one. combined with lack of experience driving, and things usually end poorly.

Asheville is supposed to be super nice. I am going for a quick overnight visit in 2 weeks when we go down to get my daughter at college. Look at Hendersonville too. About 10 miles south, and also a really neat small town (and a bit cheaper I believe). Great place to retire, lots of activities, 4 seasons, but all are relatively mild.

If you have a chance stay at the Grove Park Inn and treat you and your wife to the spa. Biltmore is a good visit as well.

stickguy

I would like to go back for a longer visit in the summer, just the 2 of us. This is a quick weekend trip (1 night stay) with the daughter. Not sure how I go roped into an extra 6 hours of driving, in the middle of a 3 day 15 RT drive.

staying at a nice place right down town so we can just walk to stuff, and maximize what we can see in a short time. Not going out to Biltmore this trip. Would also like to visit Black Mountain next time. tons to do out in that area. Plus, great for bringing a dog (now I just need to get a new one!)

Mr_Shiftright

snakeweasel said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

snakeweasel said:

berri said:

I've read that one of the conversations du joir on the west coast right now is seceding from the US and becoming part of Canada. If that comes to fruition you may want to move west

Last time a state seceded it didn't go to well for them.

That's only because they didn't do it gracefully

I'm sure we could come to an amicable divorce, for the sake of the children.

Not only didn't they do it gracefully plus they didn't really give a very good reason to do it.

Anyway that little disagreement pretty much settled the "can a state leave the Union" question. There was a famous Supreme Court decision in 1869 that basically stated that the only way that a state could leave the Union was either through revolution (CA might want to read up on what happened to SC when Sherman got there) or through the action of all the states (A constitutional convention that basically breaks up the Union).

Yep there is a totally legal way to secede---a formidable obstacle but theoretically possible. If I were California, I would try to become so thoroughly obnoxious to the other 49 states (or friendly with those others that might wish to follow suit), that they'd gladly vote to get rid of us. Then the west and upper east coast would combine with Canada to form a kind of inverted "U" over the existing U.S.-----New Calinanda!

I can hardly wait.

berri

I know this is all just fun conversation, but I think there is a serious problem when states on the west coast, northeast and industrial Midwest continually put in way more than they get out of the federal government so that southern and agricultural Midwest states can pig out at the trough. There needs to be more equity in how the federal government treats all states.