Here in Houston, property taxes run about 2.5%, or 2% with the homestead exemption. Now that I'm over 65, I get a small break on that. When I lived in a small town about 35 miles west of Houston, property taxes run about 1% or slightly less. Texas in general has fairly low taxes, and no state income tax. Sales tax is 8.25% in most areas. It costs about $60 to $80 for license plates, and another $25 for the annual safety / smog inspection on your car.
Cant believe how reasonable the taxes are. Mine are more than double that and my house would struggle to bring 180
Ouch. I'm guessing you don't get twice the services for that money. Sales tax in NJ and CO are roughly the same, as well - my rate is 8% in the town I live in.
We are at 7%. The only thing in Jersey that seems reasonable is our car registrations are under $100 a year. If you buy a new car you pay for a four year up front which is brilliant because if you do a three year they get a year extra.
It was over 60 deg F here yesterday and it felt like time for the snowbirds to return to Michigan and Canada. Or at least it feels like it.
I was thinking about @driver100 and his trips through Dayton every time I go through the new, smooth downtown interstate that we hurried to finish for @100. And this year he's not going to be passing through, on the ground at least.
Cant believe how reasonable the taxes are. Mine are more than double that and my house would struggle to bring 180
Ouch. I'm guessing you don't get twice the services for that money. Sales tax in NJ and CO are roughly the same, as well - my rate is 8% in the town I live in.
We are at 7%. The only thing in Jersey that seems reasonable is our car registrations are under $100 a year. If you buy a new car you pay for a four year up front which is brilliant because if you do a three year they get a year extra.
Man, talk about a way to screw a lot of drivers. I guess PA ain't so bad after all at least for now. Car registration was just bumped up to $36 per year, no 4 year screwing you package here. But I'm sure our politicians are looking at what other states are changing. I remember when our car registration was $24 a year. I guess you can say we just went through a 50% increase.
PA sales tax is 6% but the county I live in added 1% to pay for 2 pro sports stadiums about 15 years ago. You do not pay sales tax in PA on food and clothing because those are considered essentials but you do pay sales tax on belts to hold up your pants and TP. Go figure that out if you can.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Yeh Imid, they finally finish all the construction and I don't have to drive that route this year. It seems we will just fly down and back each year, but, we have to see how it works out. If my wife and I can match up schedules we just need one car and then we can fly down,......that will save 4 to 5000 miles on the new E400.
That trip is getting busier each year, and the driving is getting crazier too. In Florida you can drive and talk on a cell phone, and you can only be fined a small amount for texting while driving, if you are pulled over for some other reason first....yet inattention while driving makes up 16% of all accidents....crazy.
Flying seems better to me all the time.
Didn't they move the construction more north,,,,and isn't there talk of a by-pass for Cincinnati?
jmonroe - the people of Pittsburgh don't put up a fight about paying that extra 1% sales tax ta finance the two sports stadiums? In Seattle, getting everyone behind a new stadium tax is like pulling teeth. Even if it's a fraction percentage of hotel room rental tax, they gripe about it. It's a city with "diverse" interests, you could say.
jmonroe - the people of Pittsburgh don't put up a fight about paying that extra 1% sales tax ta finance the two sports stadiums? In Seattle, getting everyone behind a new stadium tax is like pulling teeth. Even if it's a fraction percentage of hotel room rental tax, they gripe about it. It's a city with "diverse" interests, you could say.
In November, there were two sales tax additions on the ballot here in Broward County. As I stated, we currently have a 6% sales tax on just about everything except for food. The first part was a .5% increase to improve roads and the second part was another .5% increase to improve public transportation. Both were rejected by the voters here. There have been many attempts to increase the sales taxes here in Broward County, but all of them have failed. Palm Beach County - just about 2 miles north of me - went from 6.5% to 7%.
Luckily, if I buy a car in Palm Beach County (as I did for 8 years in Delray Beach), I am only charged 6% sales tax because I pay the sales tax rate where the car is registered, not where it is purchased. As for everything else, there is a full 1% sales tax differential between Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Those who live in far southern Palm Beach County only have to drive a short distance to save 1% on all items except for automobiles, etc. So, if you are buying a new kitchen (Fridge, Dishwasher, Microwave, Stove/Oven, Garbage Disposal) plus a new Laundry Pair (Washer and Dryer), 1% is significant - $8000 x .01 = $80. Same with clothing, etc.
We have no income taxes and no inheritance taxes here. If you declare bankruptcy, the courts cannot take your primary residence, no matter what it's worth is - even a 5 million dollar house is "hands off" to claims. This is why Florida has become, and remains, a favorite retirement area. When I compared prices of food with the food in California and Illinois, we were significantly lower. However, I pay significantly more for Condo Insurance (Hurricanes) and Auto Insurance (fraud, uninsured motorists, etc.). It probably all evens out in the end if you add up all variables - but the climate is definitely a plus.
@jmonroe - I know this doesn't apply to you, but the state of PA levies an additional 3% sales tax if you lease your vehicle. Makes the tax rate 9-10%.
Speaking of sports stadiums, look at what the residents of San Diego just did. Shot down a proposed hotel tax to help fund a new stadium for the Chargers. The owner then takes his team to a 27,000 seat soccer stadium in the LA suburbs, while waiting for Stan Kronke to build his $2 billion palace for the Rams.
While I feel for the Charger fans (my sister is one of them), I have to applaud their actions.
they can still watch the team play. Majority of fans don't actually go to the stadium anyway, and heck, there are only 8 home games to start with!
San Diego will go along just fine without them. And if enough people really miss the team, and some rich dude wants to build a stadium and a franchise, they can easily get a replacement team!
As long as it's not someone named Chris Hansen, who's very, very rich, trying to bring the NBA Seattle Supersonic's back ta town. It's not just the Port of Seattle opposing a new stadium right next to the Clink and Safeco Field, it's everyone that feels like sports is a colossal waste of time and moo-lah. And in Seattle, that adds up to a ton of people.
The general sentiment here seems to be that people want basketball and hockey in Seattle and are perfectly content to have it as long as it's being privately funded.
2025 Jetta GLI Autobahn, 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE
I disagree. Maybe it is regional. In my area, people who bought for under 100K 40 years ago can easily be sitting on 2MM today. I sincerely doubt that kind of appreciation will repeat. Less than a mile from me, a teardown that sold for 50K in 1988 just brought 1MM even. It's surreal.
Even in less trendy areas like where my grandmother lives, houses in her area seem to average about 25x more in raw dollars, compared to when the area was developed around 50-55 years ago. Wages surely haven't risen that much in 50-55 years, but expenses definitely have. Even crazier, their first new house in Seattle is worth about 45-50x what it cost in 1950, and the empty nester house my great-grandparents bought around the same time is inflated even more.
I know few people in my age demographic who own a detached house within a reasonable commuting distance from work who bought without parental help. That seems to be a factor among those who talk about hard work and saving, though. It'll be rentals and condos for most around here, from now on.
Yes, and 40 years from now people will probably be talking about the lucky generation of your era who bought in back around 2017. Prices are not cheap today and they were not cheap 60 years ago, relatively speaking. Not many people could afford a $30,000. home back then. Just like today, they had to work and save for it.
historically (very long view) real estate has not been a good investment. We all grew up in a very peculiar anomaly in that regard.
Besides, what if your house appreciated wildly? Unless you are prepared to relocate to another part of the country, or downsize substantially, you'll have to pay top dollar for your new home in the same area.
It's like with old cars as an investment--by the time you add up everything, including taxes, renovations, maintenance, the windfall gets smaller. Look at some guy in NJ that buys a house for $500K, renovates it and sells in ten years for $750K----he just broke even.
Here is CT, in addition to income plus a sales and use tax, we pay property tax yearly on homes and vehicles. Even my open front stoop is taxed. The tax is on market value times .7 times the mill rate for your town. Vehicles are evaluated yearly and the last market value assessment on my house was in 2012. Paying just under 9k a year for the house. Vehicles vary, but we usually pay 1100-1500 a year on those.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Unforunately, Seattle has some odd historical precedent, If people vote against it (subsidizing the ego-boosting toys of zillionaires), it gets built anyway. Seattle has Safeco Field - "the house the taxpayers built". Back in the 90s, voters turned it down, but it got pushed through anyway. But hey, the Kingdome is finally paid off, I think.
All of this crap along with some transit infrastructure should be funded by a significant tax on money-laundering offshore buyers.
jmonroe - the people of Pittsburgh don't put up a fight about paying that extra 1% sales tax ta finance the two sports stadiums? In Seattle, getting everyone behind a new stadium tax is like pulling teeth. Even if it's a fraction percentage of hotel room rental tax, they gripe about it. It's a city with "diverse" interests, you could say.
Heard ads on the radio today....didn't catch the dealer though; 2016 Cadillac ATS, brand new, $25000. I could have had a brand new Caddie instead of a 2014 Mercedes....hmmmmm, but then again............
Interesting.....not knowing the model I wonder if that's the one with no leather or nav? I know they dropped the use of the 2.5L 4 cyl, but not sure if it was last year, or this ('17) year? 2.5L motor was tepid.
Still, brand new Caddy for $25K?
Again, as you say...."but then again"!
Caveat Emptor.....
Look, I know there are some here who are Caddy lovers. I'm not trying to denigrate their choice of car. Hell, I've chosen the CTS(s) because I thought they were the equal or better than anything else in their class. Just because I share my experiences here, in no way reflects what I think of your vehicle choices. And, my experiences can be chalked up as coincidental "bad luck" (if you believe in that sort of thing).
I like all cars, regardless of make/model (OK....maybe not SMART CARS....I really don't like those things).
Said it before, I've had wonderful experiences with other GM brands. Not sure what's up with Cadillac. Maybe trying to do a little too much, too quickly? I know the CTS is made in Lansing, and that plant has been around for about 15 years. So, I don't think it's the assembly workers.
I can't put my finger on what's going on quite frankly. But, the issues are mind numbing in their idiocy (i.e. wrong routing of wiring and wiring assembly?). GM employs some of the greatest engineering minds in the industry (see the Bolt and the Volt). I think I'm patient and generally a genial person. I don't like upheaval. I also don't like it when someone whizzs on my leg and tries to convince me it's raining.
Anyway, know I'm not trying to hurl rocks at any of you in here. I am trying to enjoy my (relatively) expensive auto purchases that promised one thing, but offered something totally different, and unacceptable.
'nuff of that.....I'll keep you guys posted if you want. If not, I'll just carry on with what I need to do.
Was in off-site corporate meetings all last week (San Antonio). Anyway, wanted to come home Friday, but couldn't really get a decent flight out without going through unnatural gyrations (read....crazy stopovers) to get home. Decided to spend the night and hang out on the River Walk and come home early Saturday (yesterday).
Got a flight going from SAT to ATL to home (CVG). Because of ATL weather (and a good dose of Delta ineptitude), I was at the airport at 6:00 a.m., but didn't get home until 11:00 p.m. last night. But, I had to fly to Louisville. That's as close as I could come to CVG because Delta would have rather see if they could fill their Cincinnati flights with full fare passengers instead of displaced ones with a discount fare (like me).
So, over to the Hertz counter in Louisville. All they had left were their "Prestige Collection" cars. Those included a CLA 250, Infiniti Q60, and a Volvo V60. They let me have one at the price of a full size (which in rental car terminology, means something a little bigger than a compact). Picked the V60 to drive to pick up my car at CVG. Had driven the other two and was underwhelmed by both.
Not sure what to make of the V60. Smaller on the inside than I expected give then "station wagon" configuration. The BMW X1 I was in a couple of years ago seemed to use space better.
It had a turbo 4cyl had plenty of pickup...turbo lag was unnoticed. Steering was a little wonky. Torque steer was present, not uncontrollable, but noticeable. The transition from light while doing back road maneuvers to heavy while on the interstate was rather abrupt and not linear like other variable steering systems. And, at highway speeds, steering was fussy, requiring a lot of constant corrections to stay between the lines. Haven't experienced that in a lot of years with old power steering systems.
Brakes were fine....stopped reasonably short and easy to modulate.
As is typical for Volvo, great seats. Heavy bolsters to hold you in. Stereo was surprisingly quite good. Probably near my reference ELS system in Acura (almost, not quite). All the materials were of high quality and ergonomics were good.
NAV screen was miniscule compared to those I've used in recent years. And, you could only display one thing at a time (i.e. music choice, map, etc).
It was a bit quirky. I'm not a customer for V60, but I can see it's appeal. Not sure what they cost, but it would be a fine "do everything" sort of vehicle as a grocery getter, couple hour trip on the interstate, runabout!
Unforunately, Seattle has some odd historical precedent, If people vote against it (subsidizing the ego-boosting toys of zillionaires), it gets built anyway. Seattle has Safeco Field - "the house the taxpayers built". Back in the 90s, voters turned it down, but it got pushed through anyway. But hey, the Kingdome is finally paid off, I think.
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for owners of teams who make a lot of money instead of the owners paying for their own stadium: most businesses have to pay to build their building or rent it, whatever.
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for spoiled players to preen their egos about how important they are as overpaid sports folks and even have them tell us what their opinion is about various things often political as if we should think like they do--just because they are sports people.
In Cincinnati/Hamilton County they even built a stadium for the Bengals guaranteeing them all the seats would be filled or the county makes up the difference in lost revenue to the owner for the vacant seats. Outrageous.
well, politicians make the decision. It is a nice perk for them, and makes them feel important. The rational is that the team is some sort of public good, that benefits the whole area. Tenuous argument at best of course. Pretty sure that plenty of studies have shown that the "trickle down" economic benefit is not enough to cover the cost. And the psychological/civic value to having a home team is hard to measure.
Unforunately, Seattle has some odd historical precedent, If people vote against it (subsidizing the ego-boosting toys of zillionaires), it gets built anyway. Seattle has Safeco Field - "the house the taxpayers built". Back in the 90s, voters turned it down, but it got pushed through anyway. But hey, the Kingdome is finally paid off, I think.
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for owners of teams who make a lot of money instead of the owners paying for their own stadium: most businesses have to pay to build their building or rent it, whatever.
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for spoiled players to preen their egos about how important they are as overpaid sports folks and even have them tell us what their opinion is about various things often political as if we should think like they do--just because they are sports people.
In Cincinnati/Hamilton County they even built a stadium for the Bengals guaranteeing them all the seats would be filled or the county makes up the difference in lost revenue to the owner for the vacant seats. Outrageous.
IMID.....I agree. I was WAY AGAINST spending $500M+ on the stadiums they put on the Ohio River. Just think what we could have done with that kind of money in the schools, infrastructure, etc. They're pushing the light rail system, now. Currently, it is pretty limited, but think what that sort of money could have done with a rail system?
Anyway, the players and owners benefit, in addition to the corporate luxury suite owners. The rest of us? Who cares (according to the owners)? That said, the Reds and the Bengals have a very strong fan base. Met some Bengals fans in Texas last week. Also saw an article about how strong the support is for the Bengals in the U.K. (which was one of the reasons they were chosen to play a game there). There are literally 10s of thousands of Bengals fans in the U.K.
The Reds have always had a super strong fan base throughout the U.S.
Still, none of that helps those of us who live in the area!
the big shot politicians like to say it is important because it gives the city a "big time" image. Not an issue of course in NY, or Chicago. But is smaller cities like Cinci, they seem to worry about not being considered serious enough. Though hard to see what real negative aspects the Bengals moving would cause.
You also often get the whole fantasy that the stadiums are going to drive an urban revitalization. I think you did get that to an extent in Denver when they built Coors field. And (JR, cover your eyes) even in DC building Nats park seems to have kicked off a rehab of the surrounding area.
That vacant seat con that is insane, how does something like that not create a revolt? Sounds like the ultimate evolution of trickle down theory like stickguy mentions, and by examining socio-economic trends and wealth distribution over the past 30 years, it's easy to see what happens with that. Sadly. I suspect we are in for even more of it.
I'm just as leery of political babble uttered by coddled team owners and related parties as I am to that of athletes.
In Cincinnati/Hamilton County they even built a stadium for the Bengals guaranteeing them all the seats would be filled or the county makes up the difference in lost revenue to the owner for the vacant seats. Outrageous.
A lot of good that decades of fan loyalty did for Oakland, huh? Looks like the Raiders are going to....gasp...Las Vegas. Yep, football, gambling, street freaks, show girls and drunk tourists. What could possibly go wrong?
GG, you are very patient which is a good thing but at this point, think the time has come for GM to put you into something super nice and send you on your way. They should put you in Caddy's most expensive vehicle for all the "crap" they've put you through. This current situation is just laughable in a weird sort of way, GM should be ashamed with this situation and take care of you asap! Most folks would've left the brand a long time ago. Keep us in the loop here as it's interesting that no one up the chain of command seems to be able to make a good decision here about something very simple, put this customer in a vehicle that works! Not sure I could be so patient after the second time but hey, we all have different tolerances of what we can take. Do agree that once they put you in something and send you on your way, trade it for something reliable and do not look back! These past few years have shown that you can take a lot of nonsense and stay the course, very commendable and says a lot about your character. Keep us informed as we are very interested to see what the final outcome will be.
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
A lot of good that decades of fan loyalty did for Oakland, huh? Looks like the Raiders are going to....gasp...Las Vegas. Yep, football, gambling, street freaks, show girls and drunk tourists. What could possibly go wrong?
Regretfully, it sounds like you just described almost any sizable city in the U.S. Hope it changes soon.
You also often get the whole fantasy that the stadiums are going to drive an urban revitalization. I think you did get that to an extent in Denver when they built Coors field. And (JR, cover your eyes) even in DC building Nats park seems to have kicked off a rehab of the surrounding area.
I would agree with you about Coors Field. That whole section of downtown has really come alive since it opened.
"Here is CT, in addition to income plus a sales and use tax, we pay property tax yearly on homes and vehicles. Even my open front stoop is taxed. The tax is on market value times .7 times the mill rate for your town. Vehicles are evaluated yearly and the last market value assessment on my house was in 2012. Paying just under 9k a year for the house. Vehicles vary, but we usually pay 1100-1500 a year on those."
yeah - what he said.
I pay about $9,700 per year in property taxes on my house. Somewhere around $1,200 for the cars.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
GG, Yes keep us informed, that is what we are here for. Personally, I'd consider a Corvette to appease me.
Enjoyed your review of the Volvo, all the things I would want to know about the car. Surprising how we can almost predict some reviews, I could almost have written that review without even driving the car.
Thanks! Nothing yet from the Zone Rep. Did get an email from dealer Service Manager stating he was trying to find out the hold up on parts. To me, that's kind of like putting a bandaid on 50 caliber gun shot.
Unforunately, Seattle has some odd historical precedent, If people vote against it (subsidizing the ego-boosting toys of zillionaires), it gets built anyway. Seattle has Safeco Field - "the house the taxpayers built". Back in the 90s, voters turned it down, but it got pushed through anyway. But hey, the Kingdome is finally paid off, I think.
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for owners of teams who make a lot of money instead of the owners paying for their own stadium: most businesses have to pay to build their building or rent it, whatever.
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for spoiled players to preen their egos about how important they are as overpaid sports folks and even have them tell us what their opinion is about various things often political as if we should think like they do--just because they are sports people.
In Cincinnati/Hamilton County they even built a stadium for the Bengals guaranteeing them all the seats would be filled or the county makes up the difference in lost revenue to the owner for the vacant seats. Outrageous.
Before the city of Pittsburgh which is in Allegheny county, built the 2 pro sports stadiums the issue was put on the ballot and it was defeated. FWIW, I voted against the referendum but both of my Son's voted for it. Right there I lost that vote but the older folks must have agreed with me so that is how the referendum killed the stadium building proposal. But the politicians still found a way to build both of them. The 1% additional sales tax was part of the deal.
As you mentioned, the athletes are very spoiled and are paid waaay beyond what their real worth is to society and as a result, they think they are what drives our society.
I know better. When is the last time you heard of someone that needed emergency surgery say, "find me the best linebacker or best second baseman you can find. I want to live"? That's rhetorical, no response is necessary.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Thanks! Nothing yet from the Zone Rep. Did get an email from dealer Service Manager stating he was trying to find out the hold up on parts. To me, that's kind of like putting a bandaid on 50 caliber gun shot.
question. What if the zone rep raised heck, and came up with the parts this week, and they were about to repair your car in a few days. Would that end it for you, and even take a lemon law case out of consideration?
If any of you are watching the Golf Channel, they are televising the Careerbuilder Tournament in La Quinta, California from PGA West. My son lives about 1/2 mile from the PGA West complex in the middle of what they call the Chocolare Mountains. Truly Heaven on Earth out there.
Jack Nicklaus designed and built those 4 or 5 courses. I've played on a couple of them many years ago. Wish I was back there right now so I could see my son and grandsons.
Are they swimming the course? It's raining buckets here!
No. Those two 10,000 foot peaks (Mt. San Jacinto and Mt. San Gorgonio) that surround the Coachella Valley and create the western edge of the Mojave Desert keep a lot of the rain and storms out of the desert.
I know it's pouring the the LA basin, just overcast in the desert cities.
It rained Friday and I thought they moved the tee times up today because of the forecast. Even the deserts are getting hammered by this latest round of storms.
Here is CT, in addition to income plus a sales and use tax, we pay property tax yearly on homes and vehicles. Even my open front stoop is taxed. The tax is on market value times .7 times the mill rate for your town. Vehicles are evaluated yearly and the last market value assessment on my house was in 2012. Paying just under 9k a year for the house. Vehicles vary, but we usually pay 1100-1500 a year on those.
Always wondered how a state like yours values old or classic cars. A 69' Mustang might be a junk worth nothing or a Concours level Shellby worth $100,000+. But even a 15 year old car could be worth a spread of 2 or 3 times depending on condition.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Thanks! Nothing yet from the Zone Rep. Did get an email from dealer Service Manager stating he was trying to find out the hold up on parts. To me, that's kind of like putting a bandaid on 50 caliber gun shot.
I appreciate hearing about the updates too. Honestly, none of this makes any sense to me. They have a documented issue that they generated a TSB for with instructions for the techs and part numbers. To even come within whispering distance of the buyback word for such a thing where the required part surely exists seems bizarre on the part of the manufacturer.
I know better. When is the last time you heard of someone that needed emergency surgery say, "find me the best linebacker or best second baseman you can find. I want to live"? That's rhetorical, no response is necessary. jmonroe
Excellent point. I don't have a dog in the Cincy/Hamilton Cty fight because I live north, but Ohio put in 20 or 30 million--I'd have to research the exact amount that has gone into the two stadiums from the citizens of the rest of Ohio.
Another point is that Cincy tricked their way through to get a streetcar because a few other cities in US have one. Of course they were losing money but Cincy went ahead. Now they have the albatross on their neck: Trolley Folly, the trolley to nowhere. But some still want to build a second leg to waste more money when buses would have served the same routes so much better and would have been versatile. Waste of money.
By "tricked" I refer to a referendum about the streetcar where the ballot written so that voting "No" meant yes to the streetcar and conversely voting"Yes" meant no.
@oldfarmer, My 91 Mustang still has some value and I pay annual tax on it, but they don't base it on agreed value or anything like that, so it's pretty cheap.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Thanks! Nothing yet from the Zone Rep. Did get an email from dealer Service Manager stating he was trying to find out the hold up on parts. To me, that's kind of like putting a bandaid on 50 caliber gun shot.
question. What if the zone rep raised heck, and came up with the parts this week, and they were about to repair your car in a few days. Would that end it for you, and even take a lemon law case out of consideration?
Stick.....I don't' know. As I said, I'm pretty numb by this whole ordeal. On the one hand, I'd probably would wonder how exactly the rest of the car has been engineered given the amount of problems I've had with the CTS in total.
On the other hand, what are the odds of these debilitating issues continuing? I guess they could continue if the engineering is suspect overall.
We are in for some very strong storms tonight. They are expecting heavy rain and thunderstorms along with 50-60 mph winds and possible hail and tornadoes. Supposed to go through between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM. This is the southern tail of those storms that hit Alabama and Georgia.
Not looking forward to this. They are also predicting power outages as well.
The general sentiment here seems to be that people want basketball and hockey in Seattle and are perfectly content to have it as long as it's being privately funded.
I'm in that camp! I have no use for hockey or basketball! Simply have no interest and I sure don't want to fund either sport!
I'm in that camp! I have no use for hockey or basketball! Simply have no interest and I sure don't want to fund either sport!
I'm only interested in Ohio State University football. Other stuff like watching the Bengals get bailed out of jail is low interest. My best times shopping at home improvement stores like Lowes are when major football games are on. I was there for one super bowl evening and I think it was me and 2 workers. No other customers.
Comments
If you got nothin better to do this Sunday morning, here is a cute VW ad;(50 sec)
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I was thinking about @driver100 and his trips through Dayton every time I go through the new, smooth downtown interstate that we hurried to finish for @100. And this year he's not going to be passing through, on the ground at least.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.761102,-84.2032487,2436m/data=!3m1!1e3
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Man, talk about a way to screw a lot of drivers. I guess PA ain't so bad after all at least for now. Car registration was just bumped up to $36 per year, no 4 year screwing you package here. But I'm sure our politicians are looking at what other states are changing. I remember when our car registration was $24 a year. I guess you can say we just went through a 50% increase.
PA sales tax is 6% but the county I live in added 1% to pay for 2 pro sports stadiums about 15 years ago. You do not pay sales tax in PA on food and clothing because those are considered essentials but you do pay sales tax on belts to hold up your pants and TP. Go figure that out if you can.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
That trip is getting busier each year, and the driving is getting crazier too. In Florida you can drive and talk on a cell phone, and you can only be fined a small amount for texting while driving, if you are pulled over for some other reason first....yet inattention while driving makes up 16% of all accidents....crazy.
Flying seems better to me all the time.
Didn't they move the construction more north,,,,and isn't there talk of a by-pass for Cincinnati?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Luckily, if I buy a car in Palm Beach County (as I did for 8 years in Delray Beach), I am only charged 6% sales tax because I pay the sales tax rate where the car is registered, not where it is purchased. As for everything else, there is a full 1% sales tax differential between Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Those who live in far southern Palm Beach County only have to drive a short distance to save 1% on all items except for automobiles, etc. So, if you are buying a new kitchen (Fridge, Dishwasher, Microwave, Stove/Oven, Garbage Disposal) plus a new Laundry Pair (Washer and Dryer), 1% is significant - $8000 x .01 = $80. Same with clothing, etc.
We have no income taxes and no inheritance taxes here. If you declare bankruptcy, the courts cannot take your primary residence, no matter what it's worth is - even a 5 million dollar house is "hands off" to claims. This is why Florida has become, and remains, a favorite retirement area. When I compared prices of food with the food in California and Illinois, we were significantly lower. However, I pay significantly more for Condo Insurance (Hurricanes) and Auto Insurance (fraud, uninsured motorists, etc.). It probably all evens out in the end if you add up all variables - but the climate is definitely a plus.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Speaking of sports stadiums, look at what the residents of San Diego just did. Shot down a proposed hotel tax to help fund a new stadium for the Chargers. The owner then takes his team to a 27,000 seat soccer stadium in the LA suburbs, while waiting for Stan Kronke to build his $2 billion palace for the Rams.
While I feel for the Charger fans (my sister is one of them), I have to applaud their actions.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
San Diego will go along just fine without them. And if enough people really miss the team, and some rich dude wants to build a stadium and a franchise, they can easily get a replacement team!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Besides, what if your house appreciated wildly? Unless you are prepared to relocate to another part of the country, or downsize substantially, you'll have to pay top dollar for your new home in the same area.
It's like with old cars as an investment--by the time you add up everything, including taxes, renovations, maintenance, the windfall gets smaller. Look at some guy in NJ that buys a house for $500K, renovates it and sells in ten years for $750K----he just broke even.
Even my open front stoop is taxed.
The tax is on market value times .7 times the mill rate for your town.
Vehicles are evaluated yearly and the last market value assessment on my house was in 2012.
Paying just under 9k a year for the house. Vehicles vary, but we usually pay 1100-1500 a year on those.
For a brand new Lambo? $1,750.
All of this crap along with some transit infrastructure should be funded by a significant tax on money-laundering offshore buyers.
Still, brand new Caddy for $25K?
Again, as you say...."but then again"!
Caveat Emptor.....
Look, I know there are some here who are Caddy lovers. I'm not trying to denigrate their choice of car. Hell, I've chosen the CTS(s) because I thought they were the equal or better than anything else in their class. Just because I share my experiences here, in no way reflects what I think of your vehicle choices. And, my experiences can be chalked up as coincidental "bad luck" (if you believe in that sort of thing).
I like all cars, regardless of make/model (OK....maybe not SMART CARS....I really don't like those things).
Said it before, I've had wonderful experiences with other GM brands. Not sure what's up with Cadillac. Maybe trying to do a little too much, too quickly? I know the CTS is made in Lansing, and that plant has been around for about 15 years. So, I don't think it's the assembly workers.
I can't put my finger on what's going on quite frankly. But, the issues are mind numbing in their idiocy (i.e. wrong routing of wiring and wiring assembly?). GM employs some of the greatest engineering minds in the industry (see the Bolt and the Volt). I think I'm patient and generally a genial person. I don't like upheaval. I also don't like it when someone whizzs on my leg and tries to convince me it's raining.
Anyway, know I'm not trying to hurl rocks at any of you in here. I am trying to enjoy my (relatively) expensive auto purchases that promised one thing, but offered something totally different, and unacceptable.
'nuff of that.....I'll keep you guys posted if you want. If not, I'll just carry on with what I need to do.
Was in off-site corporate meetings all last week (San Antonio). Anyway, wanted to come home Friday, but couldn't really get a decent flight out without going through unnatural gyrations (read....crazy stopovers) to get home. Decided to spend the night and hang out on the River Walk and come home early Saturday (yesterday).
Got a flight going from SAT to ATL to home (CVG). Because of ATL weather (and a good dose of Delta ineptitude), I was at the airport at 6:00 a.m., but didn't get home until 11:00 p.m. last night. But, I had to fly to Louisville. That's as close as I could come to CVG because Delta would have rather see if they could fill their Cincinnati flights with full fare passengers instead of displaced ones with a discount fare (like me).
So, over to the Hertz counter in Louisville. All they had left were their "Prestige Collection" cars. Those included a CLA 250, Infiniti Q60, and a Volvo V60. They let me have one at the price of a full size (which in rental car terminology, means something a little bigger than a compact). Picked the V60 to drive to pick up my car at CVG. Had driven the other two and was underwhelmed by both.
Not sure what to make of the V60. Smaller on the inside than I expected give then "station wagon" configuration. The BMW X1 I was in a couple of years ago seemed to use space better.
It had a turbo 4cyl had plenty of pickup...turbo lag was unnoticed. Steering was a little wonky. Torque steer was present, not uncontrollable, but noticeable. The transition from light while doing back road maneuvers to heavy while on the interstate was rather abrupt and not linear like other variable steering systems. And, at highway speeds, steering was fussy, requiring a lot of constant corrections to stay between the lines. Haven't experienced that in a lot of years with old power steering systems.
Brakes were fine....stopped reasonably short and easy to modulate.
As is typical for Volvo, great seats. Heavy bolsters to hold you in. Stereo was surprisingly quite good. Probably near my reference ELS system in Acura (almost, not quite). All the materials were of high quality and ergonomics were good.
NAV screen was miniscule compared to those I've used in recent years. And, you could only display one thing at a time (i.e. music choice, map, etc).
It was a bit quirky. I'm not a customer for V60, but I can see it's appeal. Not sure what they cost, but it would be a fine "do everything" sort of vehicle as a grocery getter, couple hour trip on the interstate, runabout!
I can't understand why working people should pay for a stadium for spoiled players to preen their egos about how important they are as overpaid sports folks and even have them tell us what their opinion is about various things often political as if we should think like they do--just because they are sports people.
In Cincinnati/Hamilton County they even built a stadium for the Bengals guaranteeing them all the seats would be filled or the county makes up the difference in lost revenue to the owner for the vacant seats. Outrageous.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Anyway, the players and owners benefit, in addition to the corporate luxury suite owners. The rest of us? Who cares (according to the owners)? That said, the Reds and the Bengals have a very strong fan base. Met some Bengals fans in Texas last week. Also saw an article about how strong the support is for the Bengals in the U.K. (which was one of the reasons they were chosen to play a game there). There are literally 10s of thousands of Bengals fans in the U.K.
The Reds have always had a super strong fan base throughout the U.S.
Still, none of that helps those of us who live in the area!
You also often get the whole fantasy that the stadiums are going to drive an urban revitalization. I think you did get that to an extent in Denver when they built Coors field. And (JR, cover your eyes) even in DC building Nats park seems to have kicked off a rehab of the surrounding area.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I'm just as leery of political babble uttered by coddled team owners and related parties as I am to that of athletes.
Keep us in the loop here as it's interesting that no one up the chain of command seems to be able to make a good decision here about something very simple, put this customer in a vehicle that works! Not sure I could be so patient after the second time but hey, we all have different tolerances of what we can take.
Do agree that once they put you in something and send you on your way, trade it for something reliable and do not look back! These past few years have shown that you can take a lot of nonsense and stay the course, very commendable and says a lot about your character. Keep us informed as we are very interested to see what the final outcome will be.
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
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Even my open front stoop is taxed.
The tax is on market value times .7 times the mill rate for your town.
Vehicles are evaluated yearly and the last market value assessment on my house was in 2012.
Paying just under 9k a year for the house. Vehicles vary, but we usually pay 1100-1500 a year on those."
yeah - what he said.
I pay about $9,700 per year in property taxes on my house. Somewhere around $1,200 for the cars.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Personally, I'd consider a Corvette to appease me.
Enjoyed your review of the Volvo, all the things I would want to know about the car. Surprising how we can almost predict some reviews, I could almost have written that review without even driving the car.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
As you mentioned, the athletes are very spoiled and are paid waaay beyond what their real worth is to society and as a result, they think they are what drives our society.
I know better. When is the last time you heard of someone that needed emergency surgery say, "find me the best linebacker or best second baseman you can find. I want to live"? That's rhetorical, no response is necessary.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yeah, but you live in that hoity-toity Fairfield County.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Jack Nicklaus designed and built those 4 or 5 courses. I've played on a couple of them many years ago. Wish I was back there right now so I could see my son and grandsons.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
I know it's pouring the the LA basin, just overcast in the desert cities.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Another point is that Cincy tricked their way through to get a streetcar because a few other cities in US have one. Of course they were losing money but Cincy went ahead. Now they have the albatross on their neck: Trolley Folly, the trolley to nowhere. But some still want to build a second leg to waste more money when buses would have served the same routes so much better and would have been versatile. Waste of money.
By "tricked" I refer to a referendum about the streetcar where the ballot written so that voting "No" meant yes to the streetcar and conversely voting"Yes" meant no.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My 91 Mustang still has some value and I pay annual tax on it, but they don't base it on agreed value or anything like that, so it's pretty cheap.
On the other hand, what are the odds of these debilitating issues continuing? I guess they could continue if the engineering is suspect overall.
What would you do?
Not looking forward to this. They are also predicting power outages as well.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,