Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@oldfarmer50 man o man wow por billy. love his comershials. everytime I am upstate at whair my older brother lives those comershials are so funny.

I wouldn't feel sorry for Billy, he has more money than he'll ever need. He just got caught doing what almost every dealer does to some extent.

He does donate a lot of money to women's causes. I don't know if that makes up for the sleazy hard sell he uses. I think I mentioned here that my BIL claimed he needed a bath after visiting Billy's Nissan store.

Billy can donate lots of money...he is worth $100 million. Not much is known about him, born in 57, he took marketing at Syracuse University, went there on a football scholarship, he is divorced and has a son who now has some dealerships. Billy spends a ton in advertising and his employees like him because he makes them lots of money.

I agree, he was caught doing something a lot of dealerships do, and there was a technicality involved, where he would replace a car that was etched and stolen....which was considered to be insurance which was sold without an insurance license.

You touched on why it is so difficult to beat a dealership when he does some unethical things.

I know you remember the run-in I had with my dealer when Mrs. j's '05 XG 350 with 43K miles on it blew up in October of 2011 and the dealer found a discrepancy with my "oil change log sheet" documentation. I showed them where they were wrong but once they made the decision to deny my warranty claim they stuck with their original decision not to honor the warranty.

I have a BIL who is an attorney so I called and asked what I should do. He said he wished he could write a letter to my dealer on his companies letter head but he couldn't do that because the large firm he worked for represented that dealership. So, that idea went out the window right there. I then asked about me going to small claims court and he said I could do that if I wanted but he could almost assure me I wouldn't win because my dealer had a very good reputation within the community since he donated to all the right places; like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Parks Restoration Fund, Lions Club, etc. On top of that the borough had just purchased a fleet of police cars and several trucks from this dealership because they won the bid for that job. He went on to say, "I know that stinks (his word exactly) but that is how politics work. Especially in smaller towns like where this dealership is located". So now what do you do jmonroe?

I got a flash thought. I worked at a very large company and maybe I could spread the word around about what happened to me so anybody that was thinking of buying a car from them would go to another dealership. Nope, that wouldn't work unless whoever didn't buy there let the dealership know why they weren't buying there. But, I spread the word anyway.

Within a few hours of telling a few people, who in turn told a few people, who in turn... I get a call from a secretary that I knew very well and she was on the verge of buying a car from them but was still thinking about it. She couldn't believe what they did and said she would buy from the dealer across town. I asked her if she would tell that to the dealer if they called her like they said they would since she told them she had to "think about it". The next day she came to my office and told me they called her and she told them why she was not buying from them. Mark this up on your white board jmonroe and leave some space for more like this one.

To make a long story short, I got calls from several other employees within the coming month and they told this dealership the same thing (it's a good thing I left some space for additional entries). One of the better ones was when my best friend at work got a call from his daughter one Saturday morning while she was at this dealers used car lot wanting his advice about a used car. He told her my story and told her to stay there because he was coming right over. Twenty minutes later he tells the used car manager my story. He found out I was now somewhat infamous at this dealership because of at least 4 lost sales. The used car manager says to my friend, "my gawd man, how many people does your friend know, already"? My friend says, "Well, he worked till retirement and is back as a consultant now. I'd say he has close to 50 years at that place by now, so, your guess is as good as mine about how many people he knows". Needless to say his daughter did not buy from that dealer. Chalk up another one to jmonroe's vengeance.

Like I said that story about my friends daughter was "one" of the better stories. The best one, hands down, was when my uncle was waiting for this dealership to get a car for him via a dealer trade in about 2 days. He calls the SM he has dealt with on his previous 2 purchases and told the SM that the deal was off and why. That lost sale must have hit a nerve because, again to make a long story short, I eventually was asked to call this SM. He told me he was aware of my story and could have "put all of it to bed" if he was informed about it when it happened. I didn't believe that lie then and I still don't believe it today. However, to prove that they didn't want any more "hard feelings" (I believe that) they would give me the 3 grand I lost (when I sold them my car with the blown engine) on a future purchase by giving me more for my trade and a better price on the new car. That didn't work either since I was still willing to go to VA to get the '15 Genny.

I was lucky in that I worked at a large company for a long time and had gotten to know quite a few people over the years. Even got to know the son's and daughter's of four of them before I called it quits.

So, my single handed vengeance method worked for me but trying to beat a dealership that is in "very good standing within the community" (my BIL's words), due to his support in that community, is a tough road to hoe.

That is why Billy Boy and other dealerships like him, can get away with quite a few shenanigans wherever they set up shop.

I tried to keep this short by not going into the details of the conversations I had with my fellow employees and my uncle, which BTW were quite good, but I could only shorten this tale so much and still get the content across.

jmonroe

Michaell

I'm sure you've all been waiting for me to report back on the trip to the open house.

Long story short, we're staying put. The house showed way better in pictures than it did in person.

The $60K in renovations may have cost that much had they had the work done professionally, but the craftsmanship of what we saw was anything but. The kitchen cabinets were repainted, poorly. The kitchen was pretty small. The connections of the living room, dining room and family room were, as the pictures showed, awkward.

There were 3 bedrooms upstairs - a master and 2 smaller rooms. The master bedroom was decent sized, as was the master bath and closet. The other two bedrooms were not any larger than the two in our current home.

Downstairs, there were two more bedrooms and two full baths. One bedroom was a 'mother-in-law' suite, with an en suite bath attached. However, there was a strange alcove in that bathroom that was finished with a piece of plywood. Seriously. The second bedroom downstairs was oversized and would work well as a home office, as it opened up into the backyard. If the pictures didn't show it, it is a walkout basement home, which means that the dogs would have to go down stairs, either inside or outside, to get outside for business.

The common space was OK sized - @iluvmysephia1, it would have fit a smallish size pool table nicely, but the choice of finishes was just average.

Overall, the asking price was way too high for what they had done. The open space and 3 car garage would not make up for the lack of premium finishes and the odd layout of the rooms.

We all walked away a bit disappointed in what we saw, and are now thinking of ways to gain a bit more privacy in our back yard.

28firefighter

I recall when we were house hunting just how disappointing some homes were compared to their pictures. I recognize that part of good selling is having professional photos, but I always felt like some of the photos were just downright misleading in how they were corrected and displayed. 

driver100

JMonroe said To make a long story short,

I am glad we got the short version

driver100

Michaell. Even that experience was a good one....now you are happier with your house, you know that house isn't as ideal as it seemed to be, you have a plan of action that may solve the problem, you can formulate a new plan.....lots more. It is all a learning process.

graphicguy

Micheal....that's why, as soon as I think I want to move, I look around and realize my house is as good, or better, than anything out there for ~$30K more than what mine is worth. I know what I have. I don't know what the other homes have lurking behind their walls or under their foundation

iluvmysephia1

Sounded like the house was overpriced from the start. There'll always be another house that'll fit a pool table, huh?

Thanks for the update.

ab348

The red flags I picked up from the pics seem to have been even more obvious upon a viewing. At least that one is off the list now.

Privacy is probably best handled by fences. I am not a big fan of fences but nothing else works as well. I have hedges on two sides of my backyard and while they are effective they are also a lot of work. I keep the one on the side trimmed at about waist height and that means it needs trimming at least 3 or 4 times a year. The one on the back separated me from my now-deceased psychopath neighbor and he would not allow it to be trimmed, so it was about 15 feet tall and rather unsightly. Fortunately one of the first things the new owner did when she moved in was cut it down to a more normal height. Once it fills back in it too will need regular trims of course, so more work is now added.

driver100

My psychopath neighbor is still alive

Michaell

ab348 said:

The red flags I picked up from the pics seem to have been even more obvious upon a viewing. At least that one is off the list now.

Privacy is probably best handled by fences. I am not a big fan of fences but nothing else works as well. I have hedges on two sides of my backyard and while they are effective they are also a lot of work. I keep the one on the side trimmed at about waist height and that means it needs trimming at least 3 or 4 times a year. The one on the back separated me from my now-deceased psychopath neighbor and he would not allow it to be trimmed, so it was about 15 feet tall and rather unsightly. Fortunately one of the first things the new owner did when she moved in was cut it down to a more normal height. Once it fills back in it too will need regular trims of course, so more work is now added.

There are fences separating the houses around us. The problem is that the way the lots are sloped, our deck is taller than the fence so we can see right into our neighbors yards.

We'll likely demo the deck and rebuild it lower to attempt to mitigate the problem. And, plant some trees or topiaries to act as a buffer.

jmonroe

Michaell said:

ab348 said:

The red flags I picked up from the pics seem to have been even more obvious upon a viewing. At least that one is off the list now.

Privacy is probably best handled by fences. I am not a big fan of fences but nothing else works as well. I have hedges on two sides of my backyard and while they are effective they are also a lot of work. I keep the one on the side trimmed at about waist height and that means it needs trimming at least 3 or 4 times a year. The one on the back separated me from my now-deceased psychopath neighbor and he would not allow it to be trimmed, so it was about 15 feet tall and rather unsightly. Fortunately one of the first things the new owner did when she moved in was cut it down to a more normal height. Once it fills back in it too will need regular trims of course, so more work is now added.

There are fences separating the houses around us. The problem is that the way the lots are sloped, our deck is taller than the fence so we can see right into our neighbors yards.

We'll likely demo the deck and rebuild it lower to attempt to mitigate the problem. And, plant some trees or topiaries to act as a buffer.

A lot of times it is better to stay where you are unless you need a bigger house. If what you have can be updated to what you want you will probably be more than satisfied compared to paying for upgrades done by someone else that are pretty close but not exactly what you want.

Another thing you have to be honest with yourself about is, if that house was what you wanted in every way, were you willing to buy it for 90% of the asking price? It doesn't sound like you and Mrs. Michaell were willing to do that.

If your house has the right bones, fix it to your EXACT liking.

jmonroe

Michaell

jmonroe said:

Michaell said:

ab348 said:

The red flags I picked up from the pics seem to have been even more obvious upon a viewing. At least that one is off the list now.

Privacy is probably best handled by fences. I am not a big fan of fences but nothing else works as well. I have hedges on two sides of my backyard and while they are effective they are also a lot of work. I keep the one on the side trimmed at about waist height and that means it needs trimming at least 3 or 4 times a year. The one on the back separated me from my now-deceased psychopath neighbor and he would not allow it to be trimmed, so it was about 15 feet tall and rather unsightly. Fortunately one of the first things the new owner did when she moved in was cut it down to a more normal height. Once it fills back in it too will need regular trims of course, so more work is now added.

There are fences separating the houses around us. The problem is that the way the lots are sloped, our deck is taller than the fence so we can see right into our neighbors yards.

We'll likely demo the deck and rebuild it lower to attempt to mitigate the problem. And, plant some trees or topiaries to act as a buffer.

A lot of times it is better to stay where you are unless you need a bigger house. If what you have can be updated to what you want you will probably be more than satisfied compared to paying for upgrades done by someone else that are pretty close but not exactly what you want.

Another thing you have to be honest with yourself about is, if that house was what you wanted in every way, were you willing to buy it for 90% of the asking price? It doesn't sound like you and Mrs. Michaell were willing to do that.

If your house has the right bones, fix it to your EXACT liking.

jmonroe

Don't need a bigger house - if anything, the house we have now is maybe a touch large.

We've been fixing / updating our house since we moved in. Interior is almost complete, save the bathrooms. Back yard needs some attention - we've done some planting to green it up but the deck and flagstone patios are in "meh" condition.

ab348

As you know, the work involved in home ownership never ends if you have any pride in property ownership. In a couple of weeks time, reno Phase 2 begins here with the contractor replacing the floors in the hallway and totally gutting and replacing the main-floor bath. Such fun.

thebean

driver100 said:

My psychopath neighbor is still alive

Wow, that's kind of a harsh way to talk about @jmonroe.  

Michaell

ab348 said:

As you know, the work involved in home ownership never ends if you have any pride in property ownership. In a couple of weeks time, reno Phase 2 begins here with the contractor replacing the floors in the hallway and totally gutting and replacing the main-floor bath. Such fun.

100% agree. We lived in our old house for 15 years and were constantly making changes and improvements. I'd like to think we did a good job as our house was on the market only 1 week before it was under contract.

I know that colors and designs are highly subjective - in our current house, the theme is blues and greys. Not to say there aren't other colors, but really only as an accent.

jmonroe

Michaell said:

jmonroe said:

Michaell said:

ab348 said:

The red flags I picked up from the pics seem to have been even more obvious upon a viewing. At least that one is off the list now.

Privacy is probably best handled by fences. I am not a big fan of fences but nothing else works as well. I have hedges on two sides of my backyard and while they are effective they are also a lot of work. I keep the one on the side trimmed at about waist height and that means it needs trimming at least 3 or 4 times a year. The one on the back separated me from my now-deceased psychopath neighbor and he would not allow it to be trimmed, so it was about 15 feet tall and rather unsightly. Fortunately one of the first things the new owner did when she moved in was cut it down to a more normal height. Once it fills back in it too will need regular trims of course, so more work is now added.

There are fences separating the houses around us. The problem is that the way the lots are sloped, our deck is taller than the fence so we can see right into our neighbors yards.

We'll likely demo the deck and rebuild it lower to attempt to mitigate the problem. And, plant some trees or topiaries to act as a buffer.

A lot of times it is better to stay where you are unless you need a bigger house. If what you have can be updated to what you want you will probably be more than satisfied compared to paying for upgrades done by someone else that are pretty close but not exactly what you want.

Another thing you have to be honest with yourself about is, if that house was what you wanted in every way, were you willing to buy it for 90% of the asking price? It doesn't sound like you and Mrs. Michaell were willing to do that.

If your house has the right bones, fix it to your EXACT liking.

jmonroe

Don't need a bigger house - if anything, the house we have now is maybe a touch large.

We've been fixing / updating our house since we moved in. Interior is almost complete, save the bathrooms. Back yard needs some attention - we've done some planting to green it up but the deck and flagstone patios are in "meh" condition.

You're almost in luck. I'm an expert deck builder. I have done 3 for myself, all over 40 feet or larger and one was a 2 level job. I also helped Son #1 extend the deck on his first house but in the end his was still pretty puny. Only measured about 25 feet along the house and 14 feet from the house. Originally, 16 feet along the house and 10 feet from it.

Like I said, "almost in luck" because he going to extend the deck this summer on his second house that he bought 4 years. His plan to flip that house he was looking at is not going to happen so he has to occupy his time doing something. Sad part is, I'm going to be involved. I never did 2 decks in one summer. So, maybe next year I can help you if this one doesn't do me in. That's the best I can offer.

I ain't getting any younger, ya know. :@

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@oldfarmer50 man o man wow por billy. love his comershials. everytime I am upstate at whair my older brother lives those comershials are so funny.

I wouldn't feel sorry for Billy, he has more money than he'll ever need. He just got caught doing what almost every dealer does to some extent.

He does donate a lot of money to women's causes. I don't know if that makes up for the sleazy hard sell he uses. I think I mentioned here that my BIL claimed he needed a bath after visiting Billy's Nissan store.

Billy can donate lots of money...he is worth $100 million. Not much is known about him, born in 57, he took marketing at Syracuse University, went there on a football scholarship, he is divorced and has a son who now has some dealerships. Billy spends a ton in advertising and his employees like him because he makes them lots of money.

I agree, he was caught doing something a lot of dealerships do, and there was a technicality involved, where he would replace a car that was etched and stolen....which was considered to be insurance which was sold without an insurance license.

You touched on why it is so difficult to beat a dealership when he does some unethical things.

I know you remember the run-in I had with my dealer when Mrs. j's '05 XG 350 with 43K miles on it blew up in October of 2011 and the dealer found a discrepancy with my "oil change log sheet" documentation. I showed them where they were wrong but once they made the decision to deny my warranty claim they stuck with their original decision not to honor the warranty.

I have a BIL who is an attorney so I called and asked what I should do. He said he wished he could write a letter to my dealer on his companies letter head but he couldn't do that because the large firm he worked for represented that dealership. So, that idea went out the window right there. I then asked about me going to small claims court and he said I could do that if I wanted but he could almost assure me I wouldn't win because my dealer had a very good reputation within the community since he donated to all the right places; like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Parks Restoration Fund, Lions Club, etc. On top of that the borough had just purchased a fleet of police cars and several trucks from this dealership because they won the bid for that job. He went on to say, "I know that stinks (his word exactly) but that is how politics work. Especially in smaller towns like where this dealership is located". So now what do you do jmonroe?

I got a flash thought. I worked at a very large company and maybe I could spread the word around about what happened to me so anybody that was thinking of buying a car from them would go to another dealership. Nope, that wouldn't work unless whoever didn't buy there let the dealership know why they weren't buying there. But, I spread the word anyway.

Within a few hours of telling a few people, who in turn told a few people, who in turn... I get a call from a secretary that I knew very well and she was on the verge of buying a car from them but was still thinking about it. She couldn't believe what they did and said she would buy from the dealer across town. I asked her if she would tell that to the dealer if they called her like they said they would since she told them she had to "think about it". The next day she came to my office and told me they called her and she told them why she was not buying from them. Mark this up on your white board jmonroe and leave some space for more like this one.

To make a long story short, I got calls from several other employees within the coming month and they told this dealership the same thing (it's a good thing I left some space for additional entries). One of the better ones was when my best friend at work got a call from his daughter one Saturday morning while she was at this dealers used car lot wanting his advice about a used car. He told her my story and told her to stay there because he was coming right over. Twenty minutes later he tells the used car manager my story. He found out I was now somewhat infamous at this dealership because of at least 4 lost sales. The used car manager says to my friend, "my gawd man, how many people does your friend know, already"? My friend says, "Well, he worked till retirement and is back as a consultant now. I'd say he has close to 50 years at that place by now, so, your guess is as good as mine about how many people he knows". Needless to say his daughter did not buy from that dealer. Chalk up another one to jmonroe's vengeance.

Like I said that story about my friends daughter was "one" of the better stories. The best one, hands down, was when my uncle was waiting for this dealership to get a car for him via a dealer trade in about 2 days. He calls the SM he has dealt with on his previous 2 purchases and told the SM that the deal was off and why. That lost sale must have hit a nerve because, again to make a long story short, I eventually was asked to call this SM. He told me he was aware of my story and could have "put all of it to bed" if he was informed about it when it happened. I didn't believe that lie then and I still don't believe it today. However, to prove that they didn't want any more "hard feelings" (I believe that) they would give me the 3 grand I lost (when I sold them my car with the blown engine) on a future purchase by giving me more for my trade and a better price on the new car. That didn't work either since I was still willing to go to VA to get the '15 Genny.

I was lucky in that I worked at a large company for a long time and had gotten to know quite a few people over the years. Even got to know the son's and daughter's of four of them before I called it quits.

So, my single handed vengeance method worked for me but trying to beat a dealership that is in "very good standing within the community" (my BIL's words), due to his support in that community, is a tough road to hoe.

That is why Billy Boy and other dealerships like him, can get away with quite a few shenanigans wherever they set up shop.

I tried to keep this short by not going into the details of the conversations I had with my fellow employees and my uncle, which BTW were quite good, but I could only shorten this tale so much and still get the content across.

jmonroe

1,024 words

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@oldfarmer50 man o man wow por billy. love his comershials. everytime I am upstate at whair my older brother lives those comershials are so funny.

I wouldn't feel sorry for Billy, he has more money than he'll ever need. He just got caught doing what almost every dealer does to some extent.

He does donate a lot of money to women's causes. I don't know if that makes up for the sleazy hard sell he uses. I think I mentioned here that my BIL claimed he needed a bath after visiting Billy's Nissan store.

Billy can donate lots of money...he is worth $100 million. Not much is known about him, born in 57, he took marketing at Syracuse University, went there on a football scholarship, he is divorced and has a son who now has some dealerships. Billy spends a ton in advertising and his employees like him because he makes them lots of money.

I agree, he was caught doing something a lot of dealerships do, and there was a technicality involved, where he would replace a car that was etched and stolen....which was considered to be insurance which was sold without an insurance license.

You touched on why it is so difficult to beat a dealership when he does some unethical things.

I know you remember the run-in I had with my dealer when Mrs. j's '05 XG 350 with 43K miles on it blew up in October of 2011 and the dealer found a discrepancy with my "oil change log sheet" documentation. I showed them where they were wrong but once they made the decision to deny my warranty claim they stuck with their original decision not to honor the warranty.

I have a BIL who is an attorney so I called and asked what I should do. He said he wished he could write a letter to my dealer on his companies letter head but he couldn't do that because the large firm he worked for represented that dealership. So, that idea went out the window right there. I then asked about me going to small claims court and he said I could do that if I wanted but he could almost assure me I wouldn't win because my dealer had a very good reputation within the community since he donated to all the right places; like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Parks Restoration Fund, Lions Club, etc. On top of that the borough had just purchased a fleet of police cars and several trucks from this dealership because they won the bid for that job. He went on to say, "I know that stinks (his word exactly) but that is how politics work. Especially in smaller towns like where this dealership is located". So now what do you do jmonroe?

I got a flash thought. I worked at a very large company and maybe I could spread the word around about what happened to me so anybody that was thinking of buying a car from them would go to another dealership. Nope, that wouldn't work unless whoever didn't buy there let the dealership know why they weren't buying there. But, I spread the word anyway.

Within a few hours of telling a few people, who in turn told a few people, who in turn... I get a call from a secretary that I knew very well and she was on the verge of buying a car from them but was still thinking about it. She couldn't believe what they did and said she would buy from the dealer across town. I asked her if she would tell that to the dealer if they called her like they said they would since she told them she had to "think about it". The next day she came to my office and told me they called her and she told them why she was not buying from them. Mark this up on your white board jmonroe and leave some space for more like this one.

To make a long story short, I got calls from several other employees within the coming month and they told this dealership the same thing (it's a good thing I left some space for additional entries). One of the better ones was when my best friend at work got a call from his daughter one Saturday morning while she was at this dealers used car lot wanting his advice about a used car. He told her my story and told her to stay there because he was coming right over. Twenty minutes later he tells the used car manager my story. He found out I was now somewhat infamous at this dealership because of at least 4 lost sales. The used car manager says to my friend, "my gawd man, how many people does your friend know, already"? My friend says, "Well, he worked till retirement and is back as a consultant now. I'd say he has close to 50 years at that place by now, so, your guess is as good as mine about how many people he knows". Needless to say his daughter did not buy from that dealer. Chalk up another one to jmonroe's vengeance.

Like I said that story about my friends daughter was "one" of the better stories. The best one, hands down, was when my uncle was waiting for this dealership to get a car for him via a dealer trade in about 2 days. He calls the SM he has dealt with on his previous 2 purchases and told the SM that the deal was off and why. That lost sale must have hit a nerve because, again to make a long story short, I eventually was asked to call this SM. He told me he was aware of my story and could have "put all of it to bed" if he was informed about it when it happened. I didn't believe that lie then and I still don't believe it today. However, to prove that they didn't want any more "hard feelings" (I believe that) they would give me the 3 grand I lost (when I sold them my car with the blown engine) on a future purchase by giving me more for my trade and a better price on the new car. That didn't work either since I was still willing to go to VA to get the '15 Genny.

I was lucky in that I worked at a large company for a long time and had gotten to know quite a few people over the years. Even got to know the son's and daughter's of four of them before I called it quits.

So, my single handed vengeance method worked for me but trying to beat a dealership that is in "very good standing within the community" (my BIL's words), due to his support in that community, is a tough road to hoe.

That is why Billy Boy and other dealerships like him, can get away with quite a few shenanigans wherever they set up shop.

I tried to keep this short by not going into the details of the conversations I had with my fellow employees and my uncle, which BTW were quite good, but I could only shorten this tale so much and still get the content across.

jmonroe

1,024 words

A lot of those were small words.

Still must have been pretty good, huh?

jmonroe

stickguy

Michael, are you on a slope? So your main floor entry becomes a 2nd story deck out the back?

One option is scrap the elevated deck, and do ground level patio. Cheaper and less maintenance. And if course, lower! But more stairs. If your deck is relatively on th e ground, patio is even better idea. Put a privacy barrier at the back of it (some sort of lattice). Like a pergola over the patio. Let's light in, but creates privacy.

I hate decks now. If I build, won't have one.

Also, if I move, also hoping to go to new location. Not bothering to switch houses if just staying here, since have no desire to stay forever or retire in this town or right close by.

Michaell

jmonroe said:

Michaell said:

jmonroe said:

Michaell said:

ab348 said:

The red flags I picked up from the pics seem to have been even more obvious upon a viewing. At least that one is off the list now.

Privacy is probably best handled by fences. I am not a big fan of fences but nothing else works as well. I have hedges on two sides of my backyard and while they are effective they are also a lot of work. I keep the one on the side trimmed at about waist height and that means it needs trimming at least 3 or 4 times a year. The one on the back separated me from my now-deceased psychopath neighbor and he would not allow it to be trimmed, so it was about 15 feet tall and rather unsightly. Fortunately one of the first things the new owner did when she moved in was cut it down to a more normal height. Once it fills back in it too will need regular trims of course, so more work is now added.

There are fences separating the houses around us. The problem is that the way the lots are sloped, our deck is taller than the fence so we can see right into our neighbors yards.

We'll likely demo the deck and rebuild it lower to attempt to mitigate the problem. And, plant some trees or topiaries to act as a buffer.

A lot of times it is better to stay where you are unless you need a bigger house. If what you have can be updated to what you want you will probably be more than satisfied compared to paying for upgrades done by someone else that are pretty close but not exactly what you want.

Another thing you have to be honest with yourself about is, if that house was what you wanted in every way, were you willing to buy it for 90% of the asking price? It doesn't sound like you and Mrs. Michaell were willing to do that.

If your house has the right bones, fix it to your EXACT liking.

jmonroe

Don't need a bigger house - if anything, the house we have now is maybe a touch large.

We've been fixing / updating our house since we moved in. Interior is almost complete, save the bathrooms. Back yard needs some attention - we've done some planting to green it up but the deck and flagstone patios are in "meh" condition.

You're almost in luck. I'm an expert deck builder. I have done 3 for myself, all over 40 feet or larger and one was a 2 level job. I also helped Son #1 extend the deck on his first house but in the end his was still pretty puny. Only measured about 25 feet along the house and 14 feet from the house. Originally, 16 feet along the house and 10 feet from it.

Like I said, "almost in luck" because he going to extend the deck this summer on his second house that he bought 4 years. His plan to flip that house he was looking at is not going to happen so he has to occupy his time doing something. Sad part is, I'm going to be involved. I never did 2 decks in one summer. So, maybe next year I can help you if this one doesn't do me in. That's the best I can offer.

I ain't getting any younger, ya know. :@

jmonroe

@jmonroe - thanks for the offer, but my stepson is our go to guy for most of the stuff around the house. He and his best friend have built a couple of decks already, and he's a perfectionist, which makes for a great quality end result, but it's a slow process.

Mr_Shiftright

Well now we have a baseline of what you consider a "short" post!

nyccarguy

@jmonroe - stick around pal.  A deck is our next major wish list project.  

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well now we have a baseline of what you consider a "short" post!

Maybe I can shorten up some future posts with some pics. You know the saying, right?

jmonroe

jmonroe

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe - stick around pal.  A deck is our next major wish list project.  

If nothing else, the travel time will be a LOT shorter.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

jmonroe said:

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe - stick around pal.  A deck is our next major wish list project.  

If nothing else, the travel time will be a LOT shorter.

jmonroe

Seriously though, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what type of wood to use and any other information. What a job should cost. Once the snow melts, I'll take pics of what we currently have along with some measurements.

stickguy

Bradd, from what I have seen, be prepared for heart palpitations when you get the estimate. Decks are expensive.

I assume at this point standard is to use some sort of faux wood (like trex). Might still be a little more expensive for the material, but at least don't have to clean and restain it every few years.

I have become a bigger fan of patios. and not pavers. Can do cool stuff with concrete these days (stamped, colored, etc.). Easier, cheaper, and way less maintenance. I have a large deck that came with the house, all wood. Needs to be cleaned and stained every 2 years (though I stretch to 3). And water collects under there (and it is too low to get under if needed). House is not very far off the ground, so only 2 steps from deck to ground (deck is at floor height to the kitchen so you walk straight out).

If I was doing it from scratch, I would put the patio in instead, and just have a small landing deck (about the width of the sliding door, with a space for the grill maybe) and steps down to the patio. Just to serve as a "back porch" so you don't have to walk out straight onto stairs. I have never priced it out, but I would bet it is noticeably cheaper.

But, what do I know really?

a random link off the internet. Some of the stuff they do is really cool. Nothing like old fashioned driveway broomed concrete!

https://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete-patio/design-ideas/steps.html

graphicguy

MIke....I do like good sipping bourbons.

Here are links to the ones I mentioned. Well worth your time to find since you liked Woodford....

http://jeffersonsbourbon.com
http://www.basilhaydens.com
http://www.michters.com/

ab348

My deck is about 6 steps above ground level as is the main floor of the house. I wouldn't want it to be any higher but that seems like a reasonable height to me. Lower could be good too but then you would have another couple of steps up to get inside and probably require a 2-level deck of some sort. I fully agree on using some of the new materials if feasible. Wood decking even when pressure treated cracks and eventually rots and always needs care. Same with railings. If I was starting over and had no concerns about cost I would go with an artificial decking material and a metal or vinyl railing system. Maybe even concrete piers.

roadburner

graphicguy- this should rekindle your romance with Cadillac; the stunningly tasteful wheels are only a $2,795 option...

ab348

When I woke up today and raised the window blinds I had sudden thoughts that maybe I need to make a big move. We had 8 inches of heavy wet snow overnight followed by freezing rain. Forecast didn't call for this much but that's par for the course here. Welcome to the first day of Spring! I have about had it with winter in the northeast.

nyccarguy

@stickguy - friends of ours re-did their deck last year.  They said to do their deck in trex would have cost double.  

I'd like to stick with wood.  Maybe something 2 tiered.  I really like the look of the steel wires in between for the railings.  We want to be able to fit a big table (to fit 12) as we are a family of 5, so if we have another family of 4 or 5 over for a BBQ we'll have room.

our deck now is small.  We've got a grill, and a table for 4 that barely fits.

driver100

thebean said:

driver100 said:

My psychopath neighbor is still alive

Wow, that's kind of a harsh way to talk about @jmonroe.  

JMonroe would make a great neighbor...I could probably get him to wax my car for me. Actually he is always logical and never gets upset.

I just heard some good news about my real psych neighbor though. Our friends on the street said they just put a for sale sign up on their house. I thought that would happen, I hear he is losing his job in May, not that I would wish that on anyone (well, almost anyone). I guess he enjoyed his $80k pool for the 4 years he had it.

I just hope someone decent shows up. If a real estate person comes with people who don't look too savory I go out on my deck in my Speedo and crank the music real loud....like some Rap, and I just do some moves out there until they leave.

berri

The thing with northern weather is that it is always jerking with you. It will get nice and then pound you out of nowhere - usually multiple times a year!

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@oldfarmer50 man o man wow por billy. love his comershials. everytime I am upstate at whair my older brother lives those comershials are so funny.

I wouldn't feel sorry for Billy, he has more money than he'll ever need. He just got caught doing what almost every dealer does to some extent.

He does donate a lot of money to women's causes. I don't know if that makes up for the sleazy hard sell he uses. I think I mentioned here that my BIL claimed he needed a bath after visiting Billy's Nissan store.

Billy can donate lots of money...he is worth $100 million. Not much is known about him, born in 57, he took marketing at Syracuse University, went there on a football scholarship, he is divorced and has a son who now has some dealerships. Billy spends a ton in advertising and his employees like him because he makes them lots of money.

I agree, he was caught doing something a lot of dealerships do, and there was a technicality involved, where he would replace a car that was etched and stolen....which was considered to be insurance which was sold without an insurance license.

You touched on why it is so difficult to beat a dealership when he does some unethical things.

I know you remember the run-in I had with my dealer when Mrs. j's '05 XG 350 with 43K miles on it blew up in October of 2011 and the dealer found a discrepancy with my "oil change log sheet" documentation. I showed them where they were wrong but once they made the decision to deny my warranty claim they stuck with their original decision not to honor the warranty.

I have a BIL who is an attorney so I called and asked what I should do. He said he wished he could write a letter to my dealer on his companies letter head but he couldn't do that because the large firm he worked for represented that dealership. So, that idea went out the window right there. I then asked about me going to small claims court and he said I could do that if I wanted but he could almost assure me I wouldn't win because my dealer had a very good reputation within the community since he donated to all the right places; like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Parks Restoration Fund, Lions Club, etc. On top of that the borough had just purchased a fleet of police cars and several trucks from this dealership because they won the bid for that job. He went on to say, "I know that stinks (his word exactly) but that is how politics work. Especially in smaller towns like where this dealership is located". So now what do you do jmonroe?

I got a flash thought. I worked at a very large company and maybe I could spread the word around about what happened to me so anybody that was thinking of buying a car from them would go to another dealership. Nope, that wouldn't work unless whoever didn't buy there let the dealership know why they weren't buying there. But, I spread the word anyway.

Within a few hours of telling a few people, who in turn told a few people, who in turn... I get a call from a secretary that I knew very well and she was on the verge of buying a car from them but was still thinking about it. She couldn't believe what they did and said she would buy from the dealer across town. I asked her if she would tell that to the dealer if they called her like they said they would since she told them she had to "think about it". The next day she came to my office and told me they called her and she told them why she was not buying from them. Mark this up on your white board jmonroe and leave some space for more like this one.

To make a long story short, I got calls from several other employees within the coming month and they told this dealership the same thing (it's a good thing I left some space for additional entries). One of the better ones was when my best friend at work got a call from his daughter one Saturday morning while she was at this dealers used car lot wanting his advice about a used car. He told her my story and told her to stay there because he was coming right over. Twenty minutes later he tells the used car manager my story. He found out I was now somewhat infamous at this dealership because of at least 4 lost sales. The used car manager says to my friend, "my gawd man, how many people does your friend know, already"? My friend says, "Well, he worked till retirement and is back as a consultant now. I'd say he has close to 50 years at that place by now, so, your guess is as good as mine about how many people he knows". Needless to say his daughter did not buy from that dealer. Chalk up another one to jmonroe's vengeance.

Like I said that story about my friends daughter was "one" of the better stories. The best one, hands down, was when my uncle was waiting for this dealership to get a car for him via a dealer trade in about 2 days. He calls the SM he has dealt with on his previous 2 purchases and told the SM that the deal was off and why. That lost sale must have hit a nerve because, again to make a long story short, I eventually was asked to call this SM. He told me he was aware of my story and could have "put all of it to bed" if he was informed about it when it happened. I didn't believe that lie then and I still don't believe it today. However, to prove that they didn't want any more "hard feelings" (I believe that) they would give me the 3 grand I lost (when I sold them my car with the blown engine) on a future purchase by giving me more for my trade and a better price on the new car. That didn't work either since I was still willing to go to VA to get the '15 Genny.

I was lucky in that I worked at a large company for a long time and had gotten to know quite a few people over the years. Even got to know the son's and daughter's of four of them before I called it quits.

So, my single handed vengeance method worked for me but trying to beat a dealership that is in "very good standing within the community" (my BIL's words), due to his support in that community, is a tough road to hoe.

That is why Billy Boy and other dealerships like him, can get away with quite a few shenanigans wherever they set up shop.

I tried to keep this short by not going into the details of the conversations I had with my fellow employees and my uncle, which BTW were quite good, but I could only shorten this tale so much and still get the content across.

jmonroe

1,024 words

But, who's counting?

driver100

jmonroe said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@oldfarmer50 man o man wow por billy. love his comershials. everytime I am upstate at whair my older brother lives those comershials are so funny.

I wouldn't feel sorry for Billy, he has more money than he'll ever need. He just got caught doing what almost every dealer does to some extent.

He does donate a lot of money to women's causes. I don't know if that makes up for the sleazy hard sell he uses. I think I mentioned here that my BIL claimed he needed a bath after visiting Billy's Nissan store.

Billy can donate lots of money...he is worth $100 million. Not much is known about him, born in 57, he took marketing at Syracuse University, went there on a football scholarship, he is divorced and has a son who now has some dealerships. Billy spends a ton in advertising and his employees like him because he makes them lots of money.

I agree, he was caught doing something a lot of dealerships do, and there was a technicality involved, where he would replace a car that was etched and stolen....which was considered to be insurance which was sold without an insurance license.

You touched on why it is so difficult to beat a dealership when he does some unethical things.

I know you remember the run-in I had with my dealer when Mrs. j's '05 XG 350 with 43K miles on it blew up in October of 2011 and the dealer found a discrepancy with my "oil change log sheet" documentation. I showed them where they were wrong but once they made the decision to deny my warranty claim they stuck with their original decision not to honor the warranty.

I have a BIL who is an attorney so I called and asked what I should do. He said he wished he could write a letter to my dealer on his companies letter head but he couldn't do that because the large firm he worked for represented that dealership. So, that idea went out the window right there. I then asked about me going to small claims court and he said I could do that if I wanted but he could almost assure me I wouldn't win because my dealer had a very good reputation within the community since he donated to all the right places; like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Parks Restoration Fund, Lions Club, etc. On top of that the borough had just purchased a fleet of police cars and several trucks from this dealership because they won the bid for that job. He went on to say, "I know that stinks (his word exactly) but that is how politics work. Especially in smaller towns like where this dealership is located". So now what do you do jmonroe?

I got a flash thought. I worked at a very large company and maybe I could spread the word around about what happened to me so anybody that was thinking of buying a car from them would go to another dealership. Nope, that wouldn't work unless whoever didn't buy there let the dealership know why they weren't buying there. But, I spread the word anyway.

Within a few hours of telling a few people, who in turn told a few people, who in turn... I get a call from a secretary that I knew very well and she was on the verge of buying a car from them but was still thinking about it. She couldn't believe what they did and said she would buy from the dealer across town. I asked her if she would tell that to the dealer if they called her like they said they would since she told them she had to "think about it". The next day she came to my office and told me they called her and she told them why she was not buying from them. Mark this up on your white board jmonroe and leave some space for more like this one.

To make a long story short, I got calls from several other employees within the coming month and they told this dealership the same thing (it's a good thing I left some space for additional entries). One of the better ones was when my best friend at work got a call from his daughter one Saturday morning while she was at this dealers used car lot wanting his advice about a used car. He told her my story and told her to stay there because he was coming right over. Twenty minutes later he tells the used car manager my story. He found out I was now somewhat infamous at this dealership because of at least 4 lost sales. The used car manager says to my friend, "my gawd man, how many people does your friend know, already"? My friend says, "Well, he worked till retirement and is back as a consultant now. I'd say he has close to 50 years at that place by now, so, your guess is as good as mine about how many people he knows". Needless to say his daughter did not buy from that dealer. Chalk up another one to jmonroe's vengeance.

Like I said that story about my friends daughter was "one" of the better stories. The best one, hands down, was when my uncle was waiting for this dealership to get a car for him via a dealer trade in about 2 days. He calls the SM he has dealt with on his previous 2 purchases and told the SM that the deal was off and why. That lost sale must have hit a nerve because, again to make a long story short, I eventually was asked to call this SM. He told me he was aware of my story and could have "put all of it to bed" if he was informed about it when it happened. I didn't believe that lie then and I still don't believe it today. However, to prove that they didn't want any more "hard feelings" (I believe that) they would give me the 3 grand I lost (when I sold them my car with the blown engine) on a future purchase by giving me more for my trade and a better price on the new car. That didn't work either since I was still willing to go to VA to get the '15 Genny.

I was lucky in that I worked at a large company for a long time and had gotten to know quite a few people over the years. Even got to know the son's and daughter's of four of them before I called it quits.

So, my single handed vengeance method worked for me but trying to beat a dealership that is in "very good standing within the community" (my BIL's words), due to his support in that community, is a tough road to hoe.

That is why Billy Boy and other dealerships like him, can get away with quite a few shenanigans wherever they set up shop.

I tried to keep this short by not going into the details of the conversations I had with my fellow employees and my uncle, which BTW were quite good, but I could only shorten this tale so much and still get the content across.

jmonroe

1,024 words

A lot of those were small words.

Still must have been pretty good, huh?

jmonroe

It is still wasting a lot of cyberspace....for future generations

berri

Cyberspace - he's gonna bust a cloud

driver100

A note to GG:
I thought they were going to install the new exhaust system last week?
I wonder if they will call you when your car is ready....or do they confiscate it because you are going to arbitration?
I bet they road test it this time.
Or, maybe they want to keep it in top form and present it at the arbitration meeting.

ab348

driver100 said:

It is still wasting a lot of cyberspace....for future generations

Please think of the children, @jmonroe.

driver100

We did trex.....I like the idea you don't have to worry about it after. Deck is about 10X18 with the see through glass railings. Thought it would be about $3500, ends up being about $8800.

I could almost have bought back our mint condition Passat for that!

ab348

Those see-thru glass railings must come in handy when you are out there in a Speedo busting moves to the latest gangster rapper hits.

driver100

For those of little faith! I wrote to my MB rep this morning just to see how things were progressing with my E400. Here is my reply:

"Your E400 is inbound to the dealership, it should be arriving either today or tomorrow. I have made the request for the trickle charger to be installed. Unfortunately the service is not transferrable, but I have some great news, because of the delay in the car getting her, Mercedes Benz is paying for your 3 Service Plan!!"

I had two oil change/services done and didn't get to use my 3rd one, so I thought I should get a rebate for 1/3rd. Getting a free full service plan is even better though....worth $1200.

So, how does that compare with a car being in the service bay for 3 months and a company that does nothing for you and won't even try to communicate with you.....in fact, goes to battle against you?

stickguy

Bradd, post a picture when you can. Makes it much easier to suggest crazy ideas!

I seem to recall with wood, even that price varies quite a bit. quality of the wood, pressure treated or not, can go with cedar or other more expensive woods. Or the cheap stuff from HD that will come pre warped for you!

Then you get install. I built one on my first house (surprisingly worked out, and was there many years later last time I drove by). I also overbuilt it (I highly suggest this). Is they say you can get away with 3 piers/posts, but in 5. Just to be safe. 6" beams are better than 4". stuff like that. I also screwed all the deck boards instead of nailing. No pops that way!

Now, they have hidden systems. You attach from underneath, so no screw or nail holes. Looks much neater, but I am sure more expensive. Hey, you spend enough hours watching HGTV, you learn stuff!

http://www.diyhomecenter.com/tigerclaw?gclid=CJLzos3V5dICFRtWDQodaSUFug

driver100

ab348 said:

Those see-thru glass railings must come in handy when you are out there in a Speedo busting moves to the latest gangster rapper hits.

Yeh, I have a whole audience to play for.....better than Americas Got Talent!

driver100

roadburner said:

graphicguy- this should rekindle your romance with Cadillac; the stunningly tasteful wheels are only a $2,795 option...

btw...just to get back to this picture.
Was that picture in the dictionary as an example of UGLY?
Spend $60000 and blow it with those wheels, that actually cost $2800

nyccarguy

driver100 said:

We did trex.....I like the idea you don't have to worry about it after. Deck is about 10X18 with the see through glass railings. Thought it would be about $3500, ends up being about $8800.

I could almost have bought back our mint condition Passat for that!

$8,800 sounds cheap. We are going bigger. I'm expecting to get estimates in the $30K range from licensed contractors.

driver100

nyccarguy said:

driver100 said:

We did trex.....I like the idea you don't have to worry about it after. Deck is about 10X18 with the see through glass railings. Thought it would be about $3500, ends up being about $8800.

I could almost have bought back our mint condition Passat for that!

$8,800 sounds cheap. We are going bigger. I'm expecting to get estimates in the $30K range from licensed contractors.

$8000 is cheap! For an inanimate deck that we use about 8 times a year!

My psycho neighbor built a deck that looks like an outdoor sound stage....as part of the $70k pool deal. Actually the pool cost closer to $80k because they hit hard rock and he had to hire a guy with a huge digger to come in and remove some rocks....at $8000 for half a day. What a moron!

stickguy

ouch. Just for my sake, price out a nice concrete patio too. At least that way, I will know how much it actually costs.

berri

How often can he use that deck and pool up in Canada for his $70K

andres3

I think red wheels might look good on a white or blue car.

My wife thinks she wants black wheels for her white car

The stock OEM Falken tires on the Alltrack are actually pretty darn good from my limited testing and probing.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

thebean said:

driver100 said:

My psychopath neighbor is still alive

Wow, that's kind of a harsh way to talk about @jmonroe.  

JMonroe would make a great neighbor...I could probably get him to wax my car for me. Actually he is always logical and never gets upset.

I just heard some good news about my real psych neighbor though. Our friends on the street said they just put a for sale sign up on their house. I thought that would happen, I hear he is losing his job in May, not that I would wish that on anyone (well, almost anyone). I guess he enjoyed his $80k pool for the 4 years he had it.

I just hope someone decent shows up. If a real estate person comes with people who don't look too savory I go out on my deck in my Speedo and crank the music real loud....like some Rap, and I just do some moves out there until they leave.

I wouldn't go so far as to say you could "get" me to wax your car. For a price I'd consider it but it would have to be in an air conditioned garage like I have. My old profession dictated that I had to be logical. So you are right with that one. But man, did you ever miss the boat about me not getting upset. Just ask the dealer that screwed me out of warranty work on the XG 350. I doubt that he would agree with you on that one. You gotta go back and read that 1024 word essay novel. This time concentrate.

Now for the Speedo thingy, I guess the indecent exposure laws in Canada are very lenient compared to those here in the USA.

jmonroe