Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

imidazol97

When the forum mentioned TV brands of days gone by, I asked which one had the
halo around the picture tube.

Sylvania was the company advertising the "halo" television in the '50s.

http://www.tvlamps.net/ambient.html

For a trip down memory lane or a history lesson for the youthful among us who don't remember
the good old days....,

http://hepcatrestorations.com/tag/retro-television/

Even has a picture of a classic car among the talk about characteristics of some old TV's,
even includes a 'portable' TV.

driver100

dino001 said:

Good piece, Driver. There is only one caveat. You have to be diversified and ready to make changes, if necessary. Indexes are being constantly updated, companies kicked out and added. I think thebe is only one original Dow component left (GE). This means, if you see changes in the economy, companies emerging and dying, you have to adapt, just like the index people. But probably at similar pace as they do.

Good point dino...you would have to update your holdings, or, even easier buy a low cost index fund and they will adjust automatically.

The article really shows how we should not panic, and you have to look at the longer term. Don't buy fad stuff, like gold or oil in large amounts.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

Was out for dinner on Tuesday evening where the drinks were on the house - whatever you wanted to drink, they brought it to you.  So I ordered a double Jack Daniels Century Limited "neat".  Unbelievable!  That whiskey sells for about $400 a bottle.  One of the best Tennessee Sippin' Whiskeys I've ever tasted - 100 proof.

Last summer I went to my nephews wedding and at the reception I tried to order some whiskey neat and they told me they couldn't serve it that way. I could have it on the rocks, with water or mixed but not neat.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Just heard a short ad on TV for a used car dealer. All they said was you can buy this 2008 (I believe it was an Optima or Infinity) car with a credit score of 416.

I don't know what that score means, but, I thought it was odd there is no mention about actual price or condition of the car.

It is a family run dealership and they get excellent reviews on all the review sites.

A credit score of 416 means the police are outside your house right now getting ready to take you to debtor's prison.

You can buy a 2015 new Rolls Royce Phantom with a 416 FICO score - so long as you pay "CASH"! 

Or don't mind paying a 125% interest rate.

driver100

imidazol97"

For a trip down memory lane or a history lesson for the youthful among us who don't remember the good old days....,blockquote>

The TV's I always found odd were like these Philco's...I think Sylvania had one too



These were like the first component TV's....all new ideas are old!

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

Was out for dinner on Tuesday evening where the drinks were on the house - whatever you wanted to drink, they brought it to you.  So I ordered a double Jack Daniels Century Limited "neat".  Unbelievable!  That whiskey sells for about $400 a bottle.  One of the best Tennessee Sippin' Whiskeys I've ever tasted - 100 proof.

Last summer I went to my nephews wedding and at the reception I tried to order some whiskey neat and they told me they couldn't serve it that way. I could have it on the rocks, with water or mixed but not neat.

Must have been a darn "messy" wedding reception!

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Just heard a short ad on TV for a used car dealer. All they said was you can buy this 2008 (I believe it was an Optima or Infinity) car with a credit score of 416.

I don't know what that score means, but, I thought it was odd there is no mention about actual price or condition of the car.

It is a family run dealership and they get excellent reviews on all the review sites.

A credit score of 416 means the police are outside your house right now getting ready to take you to debtor's prison.

You can buy a 2015 new Rolls Royce Phantom with a 416 FICO score - so long as you pay "CASH"! 

Or don't mind paying a 125% interest rate.

6 of 1, half dozen of the other!

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

When the forum mentioned TV brands of days gone by, I asked which one had the
halo around the picture tube.

Sylvania was the company advertising the "halo" television in the '50s.

http://www.tvlamps.net/ambient.html

For a trip down memory lane or a history lesson for the youthful among us who don't remember
the good old days....,

http://hepcatrestorations.com/tag/retro-television/

Even has a picture of a classic car among the talk about characteristics of some old TV's,
even includes a 'portable' TV.

We had one of those Sylvania "Halo" TV's. We found that it was better viewing if you turned off the "halo" setting - the additional light from the halo made it difficult to see the picture tube clearly. It was just a "gimmich" to entice you to buy the "top of the line" TV.

We had the first RCA color TV. It was a huge box with a huge screen that we had to place on a table. Very heavy and bulky. I remember we had to constantly "re-tune" the TV for each and every station. CBS's color broadcasts were greener and browner than NBC's broadcasts. NBC had the best color picture of them all.

I remember vividly watching one of the first CBS televised color shows, The Red Skelton Show. Another was the Ed Sullivan Show. NBC's Dinah Shore Show, The Bob Hope Show, and The Howdy Doody Show had the best looking color pictures.

roadburner

On another board I frequent there is a poor fool claiming he was "the victim of the spot delivery scam." As it turns out, said "victim" has a two year old Mazda 3 but wanted a new Accord. The problem is that he has a 574 FICO score and needed his grandfather to co-sign to get the Mazda loan. This time he doesn't want a co-signer and doesn't want to putt much money down. He's ticked that the dealer can't find a low interest and needs more money down. He expected sympathy from the other forum members, but he received zero.

Moron.

abacomike

roadburner said:

On another board I frequent there is a poor fool claiming he was "the victim of the spot delivery scam." As it turns out, said "victim" has a two year old Mazda 3 but wanted a new Accord. The problem is that he has a 574 FICO score and needed his grandfather to co-sign to get the Mazda loan. This time he doesn't want a co-signer and doesn't want to putt much money down. He's ticked that the dealer can't find a low interest and needs more money down. He expected sympathy from the other forum members, but he received zero. Moron.

Someone with a 574 FICO score usually has a bankruptcy or many, many late or missed payments and possibly a repo.  When I was in the car business, it was almost impossible to finance a customer with a 574 FICO score unless the customer put down 50% and was willing to accept a 7 points above prime interest rate.

My son needed a consigner for his purchase of a used 2012 Hyundai Sonata last year, but they would not accept an out of state consigner.  He had a bankruptcy back in 2010.  But the Hyundai dealer was able to get him a 7.5% rate with $5000 down.  He is doing much better now and is paying off the loan by making 2 full payments each month.  I am proud that he is getting himself financially "repaired".  His FICO score was 610, now it's 670.

thebean

We had one of the very first remote control TV's in the early 60's.  My father would sit in his recliner and when he wanted to see another show, he would yell for me to come and change the channel.  Sonetimes, this was combined with a command to bring him a beer also.  I was very talented in those days.  For awhile, I had to perform the channel changing function with a pair of pliers when the knob fell off.  Man, I was glad we only had 4 channels.  My hand would have really been sore if we would have had 200 channels!

When you tell a kid about this today, they don't believe you.

isellhondas

abacomike said:

suydam said:

i prefer to get my electronics and appliances from our local store. They're competitive on price, and they service everything they sell. They have major brands with up to date technology. I'm not a fan of Lowes or Home Depot for many of the reasons you all have listed.

Around here, we don't have very many "mom and pop" appliance stores - but I agree with you, they are more responsive than most of the major outlets.  

I will soon be needing a "stacked" washer/dryer combo made specifically for Condos (fits in my laundry closet).  I know Sears carries them as does HHGregg.  I've had some bad experiences with Sears, but what about HHGregg?

The GE combo  I have has lasted 26 years with not one repair or adjustment needed.  Admittedly, it does not get abused as I only do 12 washes a month - 4 linen washes, 4 towel/dishcloth/washcloth washes and 4 shirt/shorts/underwear washes. But it is getting to the point that a change is needed.

Any recommendations?

Those stacked washers and dryers are EXPENSIVE and it's because they are only made by one or two companies! We found that our recently!

imidazol97

isellhondas said:

I will soon be needing a "stacked" washer/dryer combo made specifically for Condos (fits in my laundry closet).  I know Sears carries them as does HHGregg.  I've had some bad experiences with Sears, but what about HHGregg?

The GE combo  I have has lasted 26 years with not one repair or adjustment needed.  Admittedly, it does not get abused as

Those stacked washers and dryers are EXPENSIVE and it's because they are only made by one or two companies! We found that our recently!

Whirlpool --Lowes

Purchase.

They're having good sales now and into the near future. I know. We just bought 4 kitchen appliances
today at our local Lowes: all Whirlpool. Wife got whichever ones she liked appearance for
except dishwasher where picked a higher-priced Stainless model because it has a handle on
it instead of a recessed pull.

Got 10% by opening a Lowes charge card account (reopening old one from years ago) on top
of the sale prices.



http://www.lowes.com/pd_562006-46-WET4027EW_1z10ad4__?productId=50414750&pl=1

Landlord put in a Whirlpool in the apartment my son had at OSU during summer after he had moved away.

ab348

driver100 said:

The TV's I always found odd were like these Philco's...I think Sylvania had one too



These were like the first component TV's....all new ideas are old!

Those were called Philco "Predicta" TVs. Problem-prone sets even when new.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

I've seen some of the reports on Cadillac in general. As everyone knows, I've had my own share of grief from the brand. I don't consider any of what I read as GM bashing. However, I can say unequivocally, the materials and build quality used in today's Cadillac is 2nd to none. All of it is first rate....and I've owned and/or test driven some of the most revered brands in the industry over the past few years. Cadillac's build and material quality gives up nothing to them. Even performance is as good or better, depending on the price point. It's some of the not quite ready for prime time engineering that needs work. And, as far as I can tell, their entire franchise structure needs a significant overhaul. For example, CUE is a good idea that lost out in its implementation. It took Cadillac two model years to get all the bugs out. That's unacceptable in a $20K car, let a lone a $65K car. Current version of CUE? State-of-the-Art, tops in class. You can't tell me in 2012 or 2013, whenever Cadillac was doing development for the 2014 version of CUE that they tested it and said "yep, that works just grand". If they did say that, they should be fired. Can't continue to do that and expect sales volumes to climb. That fact can't be that hard to comprehend. Yet, for Cadillac, seems like it is.

I don't think Cadillac competes on value price wise when you look at performance if you look at the sticker prices. Now if you say the real world transaction prices are much lower thanks to massive rebates and GM's known tendency to dramatically overprice their product into account, then maybe. But if you are solely comparing stickers, I don't think they compete very well. Maybe my data is outdated, but what kind of 0-60 times and HP can I get at Cadillac these days for $50K?

If I'm reading correctly, talking sticker price, I guess you'd look at an ATS 3.6 with 333 hp and 0-60 in the low 5-sec range. I could not find solid data on acceleration because the 3.6 is a new 3.6 for 2016 with better power and efficiency than the 2015.

as you said, incentives are where its at. I paid $49k for my CTS V sport with 430hp and 0-60 in 4.5, with a 174mph top speed, I might add (only because so many other companies are capping their performance sedans at 155).

I thinks my car is limited to that speed. Let's take both of ours out on the highway and I'll drop out at 155 and you keep going.

The highway?! OF, you are certainly old enough to know better than that! Only on the track, my friend.

imidazol97

A fellow put a replacement engine in his 1930 Chevrolet after rebuilding the heads with valves to tolerate the unleaded fuel. What engine oil should he use was his question. Interesting.

Were engine oils essentially 10 weight without detergents? His engine has no oil filter. In the
old days, oil was changed every 1000 miles.

The "auto guy" on the call in show said to use 10W-40.

Mr_Shiftright

So did he rebuild and reseal the entire engine or just the head?

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

A fellow put a replacement engine in his 1930 Chevrolet after rebuilding the heads with valves to tolerate the unleaded fuel. What engine oil should he use was his question. Interesting. Were engine oils essentially 10 weight without detergents? His engine has no oil filter. In the old days, oil was changed every 1000 miles. The "auto guy" on the call in show said to use 10W-40.

What has always amazed me is the interval for oil changes in the BMW's and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.  Since I do not drive 10,000 miles a year, the maintenance manual states the oil and filter are to be changed every 12 months.  That is the A Service.  If I drive more than 10,000 miles, the oil/filter is changed at 10,000 miles.

The computer in my car measures oil usage and viscosity.  It tells me on my alert screen how many days or how many miles to the next A or B Service.

I just don't know how an engine can run 12 months without an oil change.

stickguy

12 months is no big deal. But 12,000 miles, like BMW will stretch it, seems crazy.

stever

Doesn't to me - after the warranty expired I usually did 8 to 10,000 mile intervals (or more) on my Quest. Sold it with 200,000 miles but I'm sure the kid is still driving it between Wisconsin and the UP.

oldfarmer50

thebean said:

We had one of the very first remote control TV's in the early 60's.  My father would sit in his recliner and when he wanted to see another show, he would yell for me to come and change the channel.  Sonetimes, this was combined with a command to bring him a beer also.  I was very talented in those days.  For awhile, I had to perform the channel changing function with a pair of pliers when the knob fell off.  Man, I was glad we only had 4 channels.  My hand would have really been sore if we would have had 200 channels!

When you tell a kid about this today, they don't believe you.

You had the pliers channel changer too? On our set the contacts were screwed up so we needed the weight of an a adjustable wrench to pull the dial into alignment.

As an aside I keep hearing an advertisement for a local used car lot that says lifetime warranty on all their used cars. They say "if your engine breaks in the year 2030 we fix it free". They also offer free oil changes and inspections.

Wonder how they do that? Is this just a sneaky way to force an extra cost warranty on top of the car's price? Probably a list of conditions as long as your arm.

If it's legit that's one heck of a benefit.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

imidazol97 said:

A fellow put a replacement engine in his 1930 Chevrolet after rebuilding the heads with valves to tolerate the unleaded fuel. What engine oil should he use was his question. Interesting.

Were engine oils essentially 10 weight without detergents? His engine has no oil filter. In the
old days, oil was changed every 1000 miles.

The "auto guy" on the call in show said to use 10W-40.

What has always amazed me is the interval for oil changes in the BMW's and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.  Since I do not drive 10,000 miles a year, the maintenance manual states the oil and filter are to be changed every 12 months.  That is the A Service.  If I drive more than 10,000 miles, the oil/filter is changed at 10,000 miles.

The computer in my car measures oil usage and viscosity.  It tells me on my alert screen how many days or how many miles to the next A or B Service.

I just don't know how an engine can run 12 months without an oil change.

Maybe if it isn't run at all. Had the Ford's oil changed at 3000 just before it went to bed. I think it was at 74%. (Synthetic) might drive it enough to change once a year

The Lincoln gets about 5000 miles before the indicator says 10%. (Synthetic) change it about twice a year.

The others get get it once a year or every 3000 (conventional)

abacomike

@oldfarmer50:

Driver said I won an oil change from him for guessing what year the Mercury Monterey added the reverse tilt sliding rear window.  So maybe I'll change my oil after 6 months this year.  It's been so long since I've had an oil change on a car that I forget what I have to do - I guess just drive it to the Mercedes Dealer, huh! 

stickguy

pretty simple. your new car comes with new oil. so, but trading in, you have in fact changed the oil.

abacomike

stickguy said:

pretty simple. your new car comes with new oil. so, but trading in, you have in fact changed the oil.

You have a point, stick! 

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:

thebean said:

We had one of the very first remote control TV's in the early 60's.  My father would sit in his recliner and when he wanted to see another show, he would yell for me to come and change the channel.  Sonetimes, this was combined with a command to bring him a beer also.  I was very talented in those days.  For awhile, I had to perform the channel changing function with a pair of pliers when the knob fell off.  Man, I was glad we only had 4 channels.  My hand would have really been sore if we would have had 200 channels!

When you tell a kid about this today, they don't believe you.

You had the pliers channel changer too? On our set the contacts were screwed up so we needed the weight of an a adjustable wrench to pull the dial into alignment.

As an aside I keep hearing an advertisement for a local used car lot that says lifetime warranty on all their used cars. They say "if your engine breaks in the year 2030 we fix it free". They also offer free oil changes and inspections.

Wonder how they do that? Is this just a sneaky way to force an extra cost warranty on top of the car's price? Probably a list of conditions as long as your arm.

If it's legit that's one heck of a benefit.

The ones I have seen only pay out if the repair cost is less than the average value of the vehicle. So if your 10 year old Focus with 175K miles is worth $1,200 and it needs a new transmission at $1,500 your SOL.

driver100

abacomike said:

@oldfarmer50:

Driver said I won an oil change from him for guessing what year the Mercury Monterey added the reverse tilt sliding rear window.  So maybe I'll change my oil after 6 months this year.  It's been so long since I've had an oil change on a car that I forget what I have to do - I guess just drive it to the Mercedes Dealer, huh! 

The prize was for the stipulated number of miles, 12000 or one year. And that was for your last car....I knew you wouldn't keep it for 12k miles or one year.

driver100

stickguy said:

pretty simple. your new car comes with new oil. so, but trading in, you have in fact changed the oil.

As long as I don't have to pay for the new car.

abacomike

driver100 said:

@oldfarmer50:

Driver said I won an oil change from him for guessing what year the Mercury Monterey added the reverse tilt sliding rear window.  So maybe I'll change my oil after 6 months this year.  It's been so long since I've had an oil change on a car that I forget what I have to do - I guess just drive it to the Mercedes Dealer, huh! 

The prize was for the stipulated number of miles, 12000 or one year. And that was for your last car....I knew you wouldn't keep it for 12k miles or one year.

Oh, you gave me a prize with "fine print" stipulations.  I knew I should have gotten a lawyer! 

murphydog

Need vs Want OK - I have no need for a new car, both cars in the fleet are low miles and in great shape, and I ride in a vanpool 4 of 5 days a week and usually work from home on that 5th day....

That said I am wanting something new and fun. Part of me want a 2016 Convertible Camaro - V8 of course! Part of me wants the new 2017 Ford Raptor...Living in Western Washington the Raptor could be a lot of fun for exploring any part of the state, and the Camaro could be lots of fun 6-7 month of the year, it does not get too hot up here to put the top down.

Sigh....I guess this is more of a first world problem. I should simply enjoy what I have.

abacomike

murphydog said:

Need vs Want OK - I have no need for a new car, both cars in the fleet are low miles and in great shape, and I ride in a vanpool 4 of 5 days a week and usually work from home on that 5th day.... That said I am wanting something new and fun. Part of me want a 2016 Convertible Camaro - V8 of course! Part of me wants the new 2017 Ford Raptor...Living in Western Washington the Raptor could be a lot of fun for exploring any part of the state, and the Camaro could be lots of fun 6-7 month of the year, it does not get too hot up here to put the top down. Sigh....I guess this is more of a first world problem. I should simply enjoy what I have.

I like the V8 Camaro Convertible, though.  Ever thought of a V8 Mustang GT soft-top?

Michaell

murphydog said:

Need vs Want OK - I have no need for a new car, both cars in the fleet are low miles and in great shape, and I ride in a vanpool 4 of 5 days a week and usually work from home on that 5th day....

That said I am wanting something new and fun. Part of me want a 2016 Convertible Camaro - V8 of course! Part of me wants the new 2017 Ford Raptor...Living in Western Washington the Raptor could be a lot of fun for exploring any part of the state, and the Camaro could be lots of fun 6-7 month of the year, it does not get too hot up here to put the top down.

Sigh....I guess this is more of a first world problem. I should simply enjoy what I have.

There are a lot of Raptors here in Colorado. Not sure how many of them make it off road. I think it would a great choice for where you live. Assuming you can afford the gas.

abacomike

Here we go again.  Tornado warnings just announced for my area along with 60-80 mph winds and torrential rains from heavy thunderstorms.  I never remember a winter like this.  This is the third destructive storm system to hit us in two weeks.  

We are already 13 inches above normal for rainfall.  I hope our trees can handle the heavy winds. 

ab348

abacomike said:

Here we go again.  Tornado warnings just announced for my area along with 60-80 mph winds and torrential rains from heavy thunderstorms.  I never remember a winter like this.  This is the third destructive storm system to hit us in two weeks.  

We are already 13 inches above normal for rainfall.  I hope our trees can handle the heavy winds. 

Have any tornadoes actually been confirmed? It could be just more of the weather hype or alarmist media reporting that is far more prevalent these days.

At least you just got rain. We got a foot of snow here yesterday and the forecasters totally blew it again, saying it would be a quick-moving system with rain or a little freezing rain here. There was a short period with a bit of ice pellet activity but them the thing turned to snow and it kept snowing for 12 hours, a good part of it sideways thanks to strong, cold north winds. We either don't pay enough for our weather forecasting services, or are paying way too much, not sure which. They seldom seem to get it correct. Yesterday was unusual in that they missed it totally until just before it happened.

suydam

Happens here too. Last week they predicted less than an inch, we got 5. Usually it goes the other way -- they predict apocalyptic proportions of snow and we get a dusting.

abacomike

ab348 said:

Here we go again.  Tornado warnings just announced for my area along with 60-80 mph winds and torrential rains from heavy thunderstorms.  I never remember a winter like this.  This is the third destructive storm system to hit us in two weeks.  

We are already 13 inches above normal for rainfall.  I hope our trees can handle the heavy winds. 

Have any tornadoes actually been confirmed? It could be just more of the weather hype or alarmist media reporting that is far more prevalent these days. At least you just got rain. We got a foot of snow here yesterday and the forecasters totally blew it again, saying it would be a quick-moving system with rain or a little freezing rain here. There was a short period with a bit of ice pellet activity but them the thing turned to snow and it kept snowing for 12 hours, a good part of it sideways thanks to strong, cold north winds. We either don't pay enough for our weather forecasting services, or are paying way too much, not sure which. They seldom seem to get it correct. Yesterday was unusual in that they missed it totally until just before it happened.

Yes, ab, as the storm front crossed Ft. Myers and Naples (90 miles west of us) on its way to us, several tornadoes touched down taking off roofs and downing trees and power lines.  As it crossed Palm Beach County, one was reported on the ground just south of Lake Okeechobee.

As it crossed northern Broward County (where I live) we got some strong winds and heavy downpours, but not as bad as they forecasted.

There's another front expected next week. Usually we do not get these kinds of storms in winter, but this El Niño effect is the culprit all over North America.
  

driver100

abacomike said:

Here we go again.  Tornado warnings just announced for my area along with 60-80 mph winds and torrential rains from heavy thunderstorms.  I never remember a winter like this.  This is the third destructive storm system to hit us in two weeks.  

We are already 13 inches above normal for rainfall.  I hope our trees can handle the heavy winds. 

We have strong winds out there right now. A tornado went by and killed two people about 40 miles south east of here. It rained really hard last night......lots of lightening and thunder. The golf course next to us has new ponds.
It is so pleasant here most of the time, but, the weather can get pretty wild at times.

driver100

We were driving yesterday evening and we both noticed a Dodge Charger's rear lights....I vote them best rear lights around. Surprised they would make rear lights so sexy (I believe they are sequential too)



Then saw a Dodge Dart and they were nice too!

suydam

I would not want to be stuck behind that car at night!

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

We were driving yesterday evening and we both noticed a Dodge Charger's rear lights....I vote them best rear lights around. Surprised they would make rear lights so sexy (I believe they are sequential too)



Then saw a Dodge Dart and they were nice too!

They look like they are frowning.

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

thebean said:

We had one of the very first remote control TV's in the early 60's.  My father would sit in his recliner and when he wanted to see another show, he would yell for me to come and change the channel.  Sonetimes, this was combined with a command to bring him a beer also.  I was very talented in those days.  For awhile, I had to perform the channel changing function with a pair of pliers when the knob fell off.  Man, I was glad we only had 4 channels.  My hand would have really been sore if we would have had 200 channels!

When you tell a kid about this today, they don't believe you.

You had the pliers channel changer too? On our set the contacts were screwed up so we needed the weight of an a adjustable wrench to pull the dial into alignment.

As an aside I keep hearing an advertisement for a local used car lot that says lifetime warranty on all their used cars. They say "if your engine breaks in the year 2030 we fix it free". They also offer free oil changes and inspections.

Wonder how they do that? Is this just a sneaky way to force an extra cost warranty on top of the car's price? Probably a list of conditions as long as your arm.

If it's legit that's one heck of a benefit.

I was probably about 10 years old when we got our first tv. I can still remember the first morning after we got it, before the broadcasting day began, watching that Indian Head thing and waiting for the broadcast to begin. I saw a lot of that Indian Head in those days.

houdini1

murphydog said:

Need vs Want OK - I have no need for a new car, both cars in the fleet are low miles and in great shape, and I ride in a vanpool 4 of 5 days a week and usually work from home on that 5th day....

That said I am wanting something new and fun. Part of me want a 2016 Convertible Camaro - V8 of course! Part of me wants the new 2017 Ford Raptor...Living in Western Washington the Raptor could be a lot of fun for exploring any part of the state, and the Camaro could be lots of fun 6-7 month of the year, it does not get too hot up here to put the top down.

Sigh....I guess this is more of a first world problem. I should simply enjoy what I have.

Worst financial move you could ever make. That said, you only live once, get both of them !

stickguy

you can make that statement (bad financial move) about most anything you do that gives you pleasure. Expensive wine? Waste of money. Vacations? All that money wasted when you just go home again. New HDTV? Not if the old 19" jobber works. Goodwill has perfectly fine clothes too! (this last one no joke, they really do often have high quality unused stuff cheap. Especially in a wealthier area).

always comes down to spending your hard earned money on what you want to, otherwise, why are you bothering to make it?

graphicguy

I must have been an anomalie as a child. I don't recall watching much TV.....not even Saturday morning cartoons. If it was warm out, I was outside. If it was cold out, we were playing football, pick up basketball games at a local park, school work, etc.

Once Imgot my driver's license, I was cruising. My sisters were more TV peole than I was.

What my parents did have was a big console tv/stereo set up. Cranked Talking Heads, Cars, George Thourogood, etc out of it!

Mr_Shiftright

Everyone dreads running completely out of money. This is a visceral survival instinct I guess.

How many cars does a man need? I'd say at least 4!

First you need a comfy family sedan--for family, relatives, out on the town, grocery-getting, transporting children, etc.

Then you need a 4X4 pickup....just because. It can be a crew cab, for ski trips, etc--like the new Ridgeline.

Then you need a "fun" car---a fast and agile droptop or coupe, impractical, loud, scary fast or at least fast enough--2 seater preferred or 2+2 if you have to take the dog.

Then you need a "classic" car of some type, that you won't rely on but you keep around for tinkering, or as a hobby to enjoy with fellow enthusiasts.

stickguy

You are short one. Especially if married. Need a family truckster (SUV or Minivan) for family duty.

Mr_Shiftright

That's what the crew cab and sedan are for. The Ridgeline seats 5 and has a huge storage bin under the bed as well (and under the rear seats, too). You could even put a hard tonneau over the bed.

Okay, then, we can swap the pickup for a fully off-road-capable SUV.

suydam

If you've got kids you need to seat 7. You always wind up carrying a friend or two.

Mr_Shiftright

If you have that many kids, get a schoolbus and be done with it

suydam

Two of you + 3 kids + 2 friends as a carpool. Not exactly the Duggars.