Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

qbrozen

andres3 said:

That sounds like a good deal to me; provided there are no deductibles and a free loaner every time you need to use it.

Someone on Jalopnik likes to blog about the amount of money a Land Rover saves him because he bought the Car Max warranty extension. I think it is more like the amount of money he's costing Car Max, not saving anyone anything really.

We have gotten a loaner as long as we book it ahead of time (they only have a few). What was far more important to me was getting one that truly covers everything. So the power doors, power rear seat, even the Blu-ray players are all covered for Life. In case anyone is wondering, the Life expires when the repair exceeds the value of the van, at which point they pay us the replacement cost of the vehicle instead of fixing it.

imidazol97

.

roadburner

I have one older 7 Series client who wants to know everything possible about his car; I'll bet I've spent over four hours with him- even demonstrating how the car can parallel and perpendicular park itself. He's an extremely nice guy and very intelligent. The 7er just has a lot of features/technology- far too much to absorb in even two sessions.

jmonroe

explorerx4 said:

Driver100 is the one who wants to spend all his money so his kids don't get it.
You would think he could spring for lunch for you guys.

That's a good point. I'm going to try to weasel myself into this lunch date. That's a good way to meet a few posters.

Is there anyone one else in here who wants to come along?

Any of the Mods would be more than happy to send out official Edmunds RSVP invite cards.

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

@snakeweasel:

Tell you what, snake - I'll meet you halfway so long as you're picking up the check for lunch! 

If he does that he can take us both to lunch.

All of a sudden you became a partner, driver!  As for halfway, you live WSW of Orlando and I live SSE of Orlando.  Where did you think we could meet snake halfway?  Tallahassee?  Jacksonville?  Atlanta? 

You are near Miami, Snake is going to Orlando. For the sake of this exercise I am just North of Bradenton which is 2 hours south of Orlando, and 4 hours North of Miami. You are 6 hours from Orlando, so you have to drive 3 hours North, Snake drives 3 hours South, I drive one hour South, and we meet in Port Charlotte or Fort Meyers. Do you know any good steakhouses in those towns where Snake can take us?

Driver, I live 200 miles SSE of Orlando - or a 3 hour drive at most.  I'm 300 miles (5+ hours drive) south of Jacksonville.  You have me totally confused - again!

,

That sounds like one of those math questions from high school exams:

"If a driver 100 travels east for 3 hours and a Mike travels west for 200 miles where will Snake have to go to find a Chick-Fil-A?"

Remember to show your work.

Yeah, I remember those tests well. I used to put the important stuff in the corners so I could find them without having to look all over the paper to find what I wanted. One time I had a professor say, "what's with all the formula's in the corners"?

jmonroe

So where is the genius who can figure out the mid point between Orlando, Jacksonville, and Bradenton?



Do I really have to tell you the answer to that question?

I guess I do. Nobody involved in this problem knows how to use the corners of their work sheets.

jmonroe

Maybe because I am working on a computer screen!

Sometimes you have to do things the old fashioned way. Like the backing into a parking space lesson you are relearning with the C250.

BTW, I'm surprised you don't have a backup camera on the C250. Even Mrs. j's '12 Subie Legacy has that. What else don't you have with that car?

jmonroe

ab348

sda said:

As you lease the ATS do you need replacement coverage? Wouldn't the gap insurance take care of it?

Y'know, I should check on that.

abacomike

Speaking of insurance, I am paying $1900 a year.  My twin brother has a new 740i and a new X5 and he pays $1500 a year for both cars.  That's the difference between Southeast Florida and Northeast Florida.  The cost for auto insurance is outrageous down here.  If I lived where my brother lives, I'd be paying under $1000 for insurance for my car.

driver100

ab348 said:

Got my car insurance renewal in the mail today. I use TD Insurance and find them pretty good to deal with though I have only ever had one small comp claim years ago. They also do my home insurance so I get some kind of combo discount. I could probably get a cheaper rate if I shopped around but I like these folks.

The rate is just a hair over $100/mo. for the ATS. There was a reminder in the cover letter saying that because my car is now 3 model years old the rate had gone up slightly because I have 5-year new model replacement coverage, which I had forgotten about. So theoretically in another couple of years the thing could be written off and they would buy me a new 2018 or 2019 model of the same car. Sounds like the situation @driver100 had only much deeper into the depreciation cycle. Wonder how often they pay off on that.

That is what I had and mine would cover me for 5 years too, except I got hit at just under 2 years. It sounds kind of ridiculous, my car was worth about $72k, it gets hit and it is worth about $40k if I traded it in, but they by me a new car that is worth about $76K. Then I figured out, all these other people who aren't hit in that 5 year period are paying their $100 to $150 a year for that coverage, and that adds up to more than the insurance guys pay out....they have it calculated that they are going to come out ahead. For us, it is like gambling, and it is even more of a gamble because you are a big winner if you get hit, don't have any injuries, and you really win if you get hit just before year 5.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

@snakeweasel:

Tell you what, snake - I'll meet you halfway so long as you're picking up the check for lunch! 

If he does that he can take us both to lunch.

All of a sudden you became a partner, driver!  As for halfway, you live WSW of Orlando and I live SSE of Orlando.  Where did you think we could meet snake halfway?  Tallahassee?  Jacksonville?  Atlanta? 

You are near Miami, Snake is going to Orlando. For the sake of this exercise I am just North of Bradenton which is 2 hours south of Orlando, and 4 hours North of Miami. You are 6 hours from Orlando, so you have to drive 3 hours North, Snake drives 3 hours South, I drive one hour South, and we meet in Port Charlotte or Fort Meyers. Do you know any good steakhouses in those towns where Snake can take us?

Driver, I live 200 miles SSE of Orlando - or a 3 hour drive at most.  I'm 300 miles (5+ hours drive) south of Jacksonville.  You have me totally confused - again!

,

That sounds like one of those math questions from high school exams:

"If a driver 100 travels east for 3 hours and a Mike travels west for 200 miles where will Snake have to go to find a Chick-Fil-A?"
Remember to show your work.

Yeah, I remember those tests well. I used to put the important stuff in the corners so I could find them without having to look all over the paper to find what I wanted. One time I had a professor say, "what's with all the formula's in the corners"?

jmonroe

So where is the genius who can figure out the mid point between Orlando, Jacksonville, and Bradenton?

And where has Snake disappeared since he mentioned a free dinner?

Inglis Florida is pretty equidistant. Not perfect, but good if you don't want to all meet in a swamp. You'd each be driving 1.5 to 2.0 hours.

Something is wrong JMonroe....you have been waxing your snow blower too much or breathing in too much PAM

Inglis is 2 hours North of me and is further North than Orlando. Mike would have to drive past Orlando for another 90 minutes, Snake would head in the wrong direction. It is hard to find a place that is central to all that isn't a swamp or Alligator Alley.

Get out the notebook and start doing some calculations.

Talk about Alligators. Took Gigi to the dog park today and one guy said don't go to the far end where the fence is, there are some snakes there. Great, they didn't tell me about that when we were buying. Apparently they aren't poisonous

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

@snakeweasel:

Tell you what, snake - I'll meet you halfway so long as you're picking up the check for lunch! 

If he does that he can take us both to lunch.

All of a sudden you became a partner, driver!  As for halfway, you live WSW of Orlando and I live SSE of Orlando.  Where did you think we could meet snake halfway?  Tallahassee?  Jacksonville?  Atlanta? 

You are near Miami, Snake is going to Orlando. For the sake of this exercise I am just North of Bradenton which is 2 hours south of Orlando, and 4 hours North of Miami. You are 6 hours from Orlando, so you have to drive 3 hours North, Snake drives 3 hours South, I drive one hour South, and we meet in Port Charlotte or Fort Meyers. Do you know any good steakhouses in those towns where Snake can take us?

Driver, I live 200 miles SSE of Orlando - or a 3 hour drive at most.  I'm 300 miles (5+ hours drive) south of Jacksonville.  You have me totally confused - again!

,

That sounds like one of those math questions from high school exams:

"If a driver 100 travels east for 3 hours and a Mike travels west for 200 miles where will Snake have to go to find a Chick-Fil-A?"

Remember to show your work.

Yeah, I remember those tests well. I used to put the important stuff in the corners so I could find them without having to look all over the paper to find what I wanted. One time I had a professor say, "what's with all the formula's in the corners"?

jmonroe

So where is the genius who can figure out the mid point between Orlando, Jacksonville, and Bradenton?



Do I really have to tell you the answer to that question?

I guess I do. Nobody involved in this problem knows how to use the corners of their work sheets.

jmonroe

Maybe because I am working on a computer screen!

S

ometimes you have to do things the old fashioned way. Like the backing into a parking space lesson you are relearning with the C250.

BTW, I'm surprised you don't have a backup camera on the C250. Even Mrs. j's '12 Subie Legacy has that. What else don't you have with that car?

jmonroe

I don't have blind spot warnings, and I have the wiring for a GPS but no GPS. It is a fairly basic model BUT it does have a rear spoiler. Unfortunately, Mercedes offered things like a rear camera, but, it came with a package that costs a few $1000s. I am sure the C250 is better in some respects than the Subie. Subies are good, you also have AWD, but this C 250 is a joy to drive, especially when that turbo kicks in.

driver100

abacomike said:

Speaking of insurance, I am paying $1900 a year.  My twin brother has a new 740i and a new X5 and he pays $1500 a year for both cars.  That's the difference between Southeast Florida and Northeast Florida.  The cost for auto insurance is outrageous down here.  If I lived where my brother lives, I'd be paying under $1000 for insurance for my car.

Is it just where he lives Mike? It could also be that he gets insurance through his profession...isn't he a doctor. Doctors get an excellent rate of insurance....they are probably pretty responsible people as a group, and have great buying power. Other groups do too!

driver100

explorerx4 said:
Driver100 is the one who wants to spend all his money so his kids don't get it.
You would think he could spring for lunch for you guys.

Doesn't mean Snake gets it!

Don't worry explorer, there are ways to make it so the kids don't get it but I will get maximum enjoyment from it....

abacomike

roadburner said:

I have one older 7 Series client who wants to know everything possible about his car; I'll bet I've spent over four hours with him- even demonstrating how the car can parallel and perpendicular park itself. He's an extremely nice guy and very intelligent. The 7er just has a lot of features/technology- far too much to absorb in even two sessions.

Good to know from your perspective as a product specialist. I feel lots better now that you've reiterated how heavy this car is in terms of technology and that it takes more than two sessions with a Genius to master it.

Just trying to figure out how to reset the odometer and average fuel economy when I fill up with gas was time consuming - so I just called my brother and he told me where the reset button was and how to use the iDrive settings associated with those functions. Years ago, there was a simple reset button right under the trip odometer - all you had to do was press it and it reset. Not quite that easy on this car.

Thanks RB.

berri

I dunno - why do you want all that tech hassle and distraction? I just like driving without having to fart around with a bunch of screens to do something a knob is quite capable of, like changing the climate settings. But then, I still use a calculator and some basic algebra to often accomplish the same thing a computer will do, but get it done faster because I don't need to do all the set up. Most business stuff is just a formula and a basic business calculator will do exponents quite easily.

jipster

isellhondas4 said:

A co-worker of mine vanpools from Federal Way to Bellevue. He can usually make it in an hour or less in the van, but driving alone would require a calendar. I think licenses are easier to get now more than ever, with privatized testing. Drive around Bellevue for a day, it never ceases to amaze me.

Seattle talk - My commute works out only because I am in a vanpool. From Seattle to Redmond - no I don't work at Microsoft. Anyway it is 13 miles from parking lot to my garage. Using the vanpool the drive home is ~ 35 minutes, sometimes 45 on a bad day. My record drive home not in the vanpool was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Needless to say I do everything possible to vanpool Seattle and snow - always a disaster, I remember watching King5 interview a guy putting chains on his Honda, one chain on a front wheel, one chain on the rear because he did not know if his car was FWD or RWD....I wish somebody would have taken his license on the spot...

Well, that kinda proves the old story about a state trooper that was responsible for giving drivers tests to people: One day a trooper was asked, "how do you guys allow all of these poor drivers to pass the drivers test"? His answer was, "if you think we're going to get in a car with them again, you're nuts". jmonroe

I feel like an E-8 Sergeant suddenly demoted to an E-1 Private. From over 17,000 posts to, what? 15? 20 years (literally) of history gone!

isellhondas4 said:

A co-worker of mine vanpools from Federal Way to Bellevue. He can usually make it in an hour or less in the van, but driving alone would require a calendar. I think licenses are easier to get now more than ever, with privatized testing. Drive around Bellevue for a day, it never ceases to amaze me.

Seattle talk - My commute works out only because I am in a vanpool. From Seattle to Redmond - no I don't work at Microsoft. Anyway it is 13 miles from parking lot to my garage. Using the vanpool the drive home is ~ 35 minutes, sometimes 45 on a bad day. My record drive home not in the vanpool was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Needless to say I do everything possible to vanpool Seattle and snow - always a disaster, I remember watching King5 interview a guy putting chains on his Honda, one chain on a front wheel, one chain on the rear because he did not know if his car was FWD or RWD....I wish somebody would have taken his license on the spot...

Well, that kinda proves the old story about a state trooper that was responsible for giving drivers tests to people: One day a trooper was asked, "how do you guys allow all of these poor drivers to pass the drivers test"? His answer was, "if you think we're going to get in a car with them again, you're nuts". jmonroe

I feel like an E-8 Sergeant suddenly demoted to an E-1 Private. From over 17,000 posts to, what? 15? 20 years (literally) of history gone!

isellhondas4 said:

A co-worker of mine vanpools from Federal Way to Bellevue. He can usually make it in an hour or less in the van, but driving alone would require a calendar. I think licenses are easier to get now more than ever, with privatized testing. Drive around Bellevue for a day, it never ceases to amaze me.

Seattle talk - My commute works out only because I am in a vanpool. From Seattle to Redmond - no I don't work at Microsoft. Anyway it is 13 miles from parking lot to my garage. Using the vanpool the drive home is ~ 35 minutes, sometimes 45 on a bad day. My record drive home not in the vanpool was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Needless to say I do everything possible to vanpool Seattle and snow - always a disaster, I remember watching King5 interview a guy putting chains on his Honda, one chain on a front wheel, one chain on the rear because he did not know if his car was FWD or RWD....I wish somebody would have taken his license on the spot...

Well, that kinda proves the old story about a state trooper that was responsible for giving drivers tests to people: One day a trooper was asked, "how do you guys allow all of these poor drivers to pass the drivers test"? His answer was, "if you think we're going to get in a car with them again, you're nuts". jmonroe

I feel like an E-8 Sergeant suddenly demoted to an E-1 Private. From over 17,000 posts to, what? 15? 20 years (literally) of history gone!

Welcome back Sarge. Seems like every time I check in you're having technical  difficulties. Not sure why losing 17k points is so upsetting you'd want to go awol? We remember your posts. The ole Jipster remembers. "Life is short" ;-)

abacomike

driver100 said:

Speaking of insurance, I am paying $1900 a year.  My twin brother has a new 740i and a new X5 and he pays $1500 a year for both cars.  That's the difference between Southeast Florida and Northeast Florida.  The cost for auto insurance is outrageous down here.  If I lived where my brother lives, I'd be paying under $1000 for insurance for my car.

Is it just where he lives Mike? It could also be that he gets insurance through his profession...isn't he a doctor. Doctors get an excellent rate of insurance....they are probably pretty responsible people as a group, and have great buying power. Other groups do too!

No, he is not a doctor - his son is.  He was a forensic accountant and served as head of the fraud division worldwide for a huge accounting firm.  For 90% of all auto insurance underwriting, they use your zip code for rating purposes.

abacomike

We broke a temperature record here today - 87 degrees for today's high.  That's summer weather - our usual high is 78 degrees.

stickguy

I was in Asheville, NC this weekend, and it was up in the 60s Saturday and Sunday.

jmonroe

abacomike said:

We broke a temperature record here today - 87 degrees for today's high.  That's summer weather - our usual high is 78 degrees.

That sounds like your car or your computer is pretty good at reversing numbers.

In the medical field this is better known as having a dyslectic problem.

jmonroe

driver100

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

@driver100 said:

"LMAO oldfarmer. Maybe if you come down to Largo you can get Snake to take you out too! We just have to calculate you into the equation. I think we are looking at Port Charlotte. Snake, bring your American Express card."

I think snake would be better off making sure he has a functioning GPS in his car or a portable GPS system rather than an AMEX. With the directions you are doling out, driver, even I would have to have a detailed conversation with my BMW.

I think I'll be better off hiding.

abacomike said:

When I get into the car, the screen lights up with a "Hi, Mike!" Now isn't that cute? My 740i already knows me!

Just hope it never says "I'm sorry Mike, I'm afraid I can't do that".

driver100

And one for Roadburner:




That glorious moment when the sign instructs you to do a burn out.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Speaking of insurance, I am paying $1900 a year.  My twin brother has a new 740i and a new X5 and he pays $1500 a year for both cars.  That's the difference between Southeast Florida and Northeast Florida.  The cost for auto insurance is outrageous down here.  If I lived where my brother lives, I'd be paying under $1000 for insurance for my car.

Is it just where he lives Mike? It could also be that he gets insurance through his profession...isn't he a doctor. Doctors get an excellent rate of insurance....they are probably pretty responsible people as a group, and have great buying power. Other groups do too!

No, he is not a doctor - his son is.  He was a forensic accountant and served as head of the fraud division worldwide for a huge accounting firm.  For 90% of all auto insurance underwriting, they use your zip code for rating purposes.

I didn't realize ZIP could make such a big difference. My wife got her insurance through a medical group and it is significantly less.....only problem is they are slow to settle on how much they owe me.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Does it say other things, like;
"I think we need gas Mike"
"Let's get a car wash Mike"
"Do you wanna coffee Mike?"
"Hi Mike, I am Christine"
"Don't even think of trading me in.....Mike"

The one thing you don't want to hear is "I'm now working for Skynet."

driver100

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Speaking of insurance, I am paying $1900 a year.  My twin brother has a new 740i and a new X5 and he pays $1500 a year for both cars.  That's the difference between Southeast Florida and Northeast Florida.  The cost for auto insurance is outrageous down here.  If I lived where my brother lives, I'd be paying under $1000 for insurance for my car.

Is it just where he lives Mike? It could also be that he gets insurance through his profession...isn't he a doctor. Doctors get an excellent rate of insurance....they are probably pretty responsible people as a group, and have great buying power. Other groups do too!

No, he is not a doctor - his son is.  He was a forensic accountant and served as head of the fraud division worldwide for a huge accounting firm.  For 90% of all auto insurance underwriting, they use your zip code for rating purposes.

I didn't realize ZIP could make such a big difference. My wife got her insurance through a medical group and it is significantly less.....only problem is they are slow to settle on how much they owe me.

NOTE TO MODERATORS: WHY AREN'T THE HI-LITED AREAS GETTING HI-LITED ANY MORE?

imidazol97

driver100 said:

That glorious moment when the sign instructs you to do a burn out.

That is great! Love it.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

NOTE TO MODERATORS: WHY AREN'T THE HI-LITED AREAS GETTING HI-LITED ANY MORE?

Do you mean this shading for the quotes? That's showing on mine.

houdini1

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:
Driver100 is the one who wants to spend all his money so his kids don't get it.
You would think he could spring for lunch for you guys.

Doesn't mean Snake gets it!

Don't worry explorer, there are ways to make it so the kids don't get it but I will get maximum enjoyment from it....

Driver, are you serious about your kids? Why would you not want your kids to inherit anything? I am just the opposite. One of our biggest priorities is to be able to pass as much as possible along to our kids.

stever

If you want to help your kids, give them the money when they are just starting out. If you wait until you die, they probably won't need it. That's what my mom did, bless her. $5,000 meant a lot more to me in my early 20's than it would now. At this point in my life I'd much rather see her spend her money on herself.

So, go buy a car.

28firefighter

stever said:

If you want to help your kids, give them the money when they are just starting out. If you wait until you die, they probably won't need it. That's what my mom did, bless her. $5,000 meant a lot more to me in my early 20's than it would now. At this point in my life I'd much rather see her spend her money on herself.

So, go buy a car.

My parents have followed and are following this mantra as they can. It seems to make them a lot happier enjoying things with myself and my siblings.

houdini1

Nothing wrong with that either. I believe in doing both.

berri

Stuff really isn't that important in life. It is the experiences and quality of living. At least that is how I see it. And I agree about helping your kids out when they are younger and starting out.

stever

Gotta have the money to buy experiences. We don't miss the income we lost by taking a year off in '99. Don't have the desire to do as much of that kind of stuff in our "reclining" years.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

And one for Roadburner:




That glorious moment when the sign instructs you to do a burn out.

love it!

andres3

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

Got my car insurance renewal in the mail today. I use TD Insurance and find them pretty good to deal with though I have only ever had one small comp claim years ago. They also do my home insurance so I get some kind of combo discount. I could probably get a cheaper rate if I shopped around but I like these folks.

The rate is just a hair over $100/mo. for the ATS. There was a reminder in the cover letter saying that because my car is now 3 model years old the rate had gone up slightly because I have 5-year new model replacement coverage, which I had forgotten about. So theoretically in another couple of years the thing could be written off and they would buy me a new 2018 or 2019 model of the same car. Sounds like the situation @driver100 had only much deeper into the depreciation cycle. Wonder how often they pay off on that.

That is what I had and mine would cover me for 5 years too, except I got hit at just under 2 years. It sounds kind of ridiculous, my car was worth about $72k, it gets hit and it is worth about $40k if I traded it in, but they by me a new car that is worth about $76K. Then I figured out, all these other people who aren't hit in that 5 year period are paying their $100 to $150 a year for that coverage, and that adds up to more than the insurance guys pay out....they have it calculated that they are going to come out ahead. For us, it is like gambling, and it is even more of a gamble because you are a big winner if you get hit, don't have any injuries, and you really win if you get hit just before year 5.

Unless of course you find out at the time of the claim that the 5 year timeline starts at the date of port entry into the country, or date of manufacture when it left Germany, or some other silly fine print start date. You'd think it would be the purchase date, but that would be an assumption unless you read it in the policy contract.

fintail

Stuff isn't important, so clear out the $200 worth of yard sale leftovers from the garage and put the $35K car back in there where it belongs

Regarding helping offspring, IMO it's better when they are young, but I am always amused that those who talk about making their own way and being self-made either receive or give plenty of aid. Dynastic wealth is a thing.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

@driver100 said:

"LMAO oldfarmer. Maybe if you come down to Largo you can get Snake to take you out too! We just have to calculate you into the equation. I think we are looking at Port Charlotte. Snake, bring your American Express card."

I think snake would be better off making sure he has a functioning GPS in his car or a portable GPS system rather than an AMEX. With the directions you are doling out, driver, even I would have to have a detailed conversation with my BMW.

I think I'll be better off hiding.

abacomike said:

When I get into the car, the screen lights up with a "Hi, Mike!" Now isn't that cute? My 740i already knows me!

Just hope it never says "I'm sorry Mike, I'm afraid I can't do that".

Ditto on the "hiding", snake. As for "I'm sorry, Mike...", it's already done that to me numerous times - like when I press the wrong button or try to do something it can't or won't do for me. Voice activation on this car is 10 X better than on the Mercedes - I never have to repeat myself with this car's computer. BMW's "voice gal" is much more businesslike than the Mercedes.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

stever said:

If you want to help your kids, give them the money when they are just starting out. If you wait until you die, they probably won't need it. That's what my mom did, bless her. $5,000 meant a lot more to me in my early 20's than it would now. At this point in my life I'd much rather see her spend her money on herself.

So, go buy a car.

My parents have followed and are following this mantra as they can. It seems to make them a lot happier enjoying things with myself and my siblings.

The money does help and is always appreciated. I just received a $21K distribution check from my Grandmother's estate. I met my parents for lunch a few weeks ago & they gave me a check for $5K. That's all going straight into refinishing my basement.

Believe me, there is a part of me (a big part) that wants to throw down a huge chunk of that money towards a down payment on a car (or sock it away and use it towards making a year & a half worth of car payments), but I'm a responsible grown up.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

@snakeweasel:

Tell you what, snake - I'll meet you halfway so long as you're picking up the check for lunch! 

If he does that he can take us both to lunch.

All of a sudden you became a partner, driver!  As for halfway, you live WSW of Orlando and I live SSE of Orlando.  Where did you think we could meet snake halfway?  Tallahassee?  Jacksonville?  Atlanta? 

You are near Miami, Snake is going to Orlando. For the sake of this exercise I am just North of Bradenton which is 2 hours south of Orlando, and 4 hours North of Miami. You are 6 hours from Orlando, so you have to drive 3 hours North, Snake drives 3 hours South, I drive one hour South, and we meet in Port Charlotte or Fort Meyers. Do you know any good steakhouses in those towns where Snake can take us?

Driver, I live 200 miles SSE of Orlando - or a 3 hour drive at most.  I'm 300 miles (5+ hours drive) south of Jacksonville.  You have me totally confused - again!

,

That sounds like one of those math questions from high school exams:

"If a driver 100 travels east for 3 hours and a Mike travels west for 200 miles where will Snake have to go to find a Chick-Fil-A?"

Remember to show your work.

Yeah, I remember those tests well. I used to put the important stuff in the corners so I could find them without having to look all over the paper to find what I wanted. One time I had a professor say, "what's with all the formula's in the corners"?

jmonroe

So where is the genius who can figure out the mid point between Orlando, Jacksonville, and Bradenton?

Do I really have to tell you the answer to that question?

I guess I do. Nobody involved in this problem knows how to use the corners of their work sheets.

jmonroe

Maybe because I am working on a computer screen!

S

ometimes you have to do things the old fashioned way. Like the backing into a parking space lesson you are relearning with the C250.

BTW, I'm surprised you don't have a backup camera on the C250. Even Mrs. j's '12 Subie Legacy has that. What else don't you have with that car?

jmonroe

I don't have blind spot warnings, and I have the wiring for a GPS but no GPS. It is a fairly basic model BUT it does have a rear spoiler. Unfortunately, Mercedes offered things like a rear camera, but, it came with a package that costs a few $1000s. I am sure the C250 is better in some respects than the Subie. Subies are good, you also have AWD, but this C 250 is a joy to drive, especially when that turbo kicks in.



I wasn't trying to say that a Subie is better than a MB. All I was saying is that if a Subie for the price I paid for it, which I am sure was less than what your C250 had as an MSRP, your C250 should have had a backup camera.

As for power, the Subie is a 6 cylinder and it is not a slouch. Just last Sunday night, coming home from my Brother's, some idiot driving like a nut had what he though was a fast car (I don't know what it was. It was dark) found out that he didn't have a car that was as fast as he thought it was when we came to a light. I know this was a childish act but for the moment I felt good about it.

I backed off when he was at least 2 car lengths behind me and he was in the fast lane too. There should be a law that slow cars must not be in the fast lane.

FWIW, Mrs. j did not appreciate the lesson he was taught and I have heard about it at least 4 times so far. I'm sure this is one of those things that wives will bring up until the poor guy is dead and them keep telling it to his grandchildren. Who BTW may even like hearing about it.

jmonroe

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

NOTE TO MODERATORS: WHY AREN'T THE HI-LITED AREAS GETTING HI-LITED ANY MORE?

Do you mean this shading for the quotes? That's showing on mine.

Yeh, I mean the shading on the quotes...I have seen it happen to others too.

Not yours necessarily, but some others.....may have to go back to check.

driver100

houdini1 said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:
Driver100 is the one who wants to spend all his money so his kids don't get it.
You would think he could spring for lunch for you guys.

Doesn't mean Snake gets it!

Don't worry explorer, there are ways to make it so the kids don't get it but I will get maximum enjoyment from it....

Driver, are you serious about your kids? Why would you not want your kids to inherit anything? I am just the opposite. One of our biggest priorities is to be able to pass as much as possible along to our kids.

If we get a bit of a surplus we do give our 3 kids a bonus....equally divided.

If there is money left over at the end they can have that....divided equally. But, I personally would not save specially or have inheritance money as a goal. I hesitate to give it away too freely, because we have to live on the income that money generates......if I give away too much and the stock market goes bust or bonds don't pay I will have to eat cat or dog food...which one is better?

driver100

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

NOTE TO MODERATORS: WHY AREN'T THE HI-LITED AREAS GETTING HI-LITED ANY MORE?

Do you mean this shading for the quotes? That's showing on mine.

Yeh, I mean the shading on the quotes...I have seen it happen to others too.

Not yours necessarily, but some others.....may have to go back to check.

Check JMonroes post above...it's also hacked up. It seems to happen when it is a bit more complicated. Fintails post are usually upside down with his new post on top.........some people aren't happy unless they can complicate your life.

imidazol97

.

driver100

I wasn't trying to say that a Subie is better than a MB. All I was saying is that if a Subie for the price I paid for it, which I am sure was less than what your C250 had as an MSRP, your C250 should have had a backup camera.
jmonroe

That's why the C 250 is considered a luxury car....if you want any luxuries you pay through the nose for them.
They like to offer all the goodies, but they make sure they profit big time because they know you will want to order these basic items that most cars give you for free these days. Usually these things come in packages and you will also pay for stuff you don't want.

Like when we bought my wife's 2012 bmw 335. She absolutely had to have Homelink, wanted the garage door opener on the mirror. You don't get it on a 328 which is what we went in to buy, so we end up with a 335 and an extra cost of $4000.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

.

Imid.....you are a man of few words!

Fastest post I ever read!

houdini1

driver100 said:

houdini1 said:

driver100 said:

explorerx4 said:
Driver100 is the one who wants to spend all his money so his kids don't get it.
You would think he could spring for lunch for you guys.

.if I give away too much and the stock market goes bust or bonds don't pay I will have to eat cat or dog food...which one is better?

I hope no one here is ever able to answer THAT question !

Mr_Shiftright

I think, per ounce, that Taco Bell is probably cheaper than Meow Mix.

tjc78

driver100 said:

That's why the C 250 is considered a luxury car....if you want any luxuries you pay through the nose for them.
They like to offer all the goodies, but they make sure they profit big time because they know you will want to order these basic items that most cars give you for free these days. Usually these things come in packages and you will also pay for stuff you don't want.

Like when we bought my wife's 2012 bmw 335. She absolutely had to have Homelink, wanted the garage door opener on the mirror. You don't get it on a 328 which is what we went in to buy, so we end up with a 335 and an extra cost of $4000.

Makes you think doesn't it?

tjc78

@jmonroe

Nothing wrong with a little Stop Light Grand Prix when safe to do so.

Good thing you didn't have the Genny.... you would really have smoked them!

tjc78

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think, per ounce, that Taco Bell is probably cheaper than Meow Mix.

Meow Mix is probably healthier