Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

abacomike

My twin brother drove down today from Ponte Vedra to take care of some personal business.  He's coming over tomorrow morning to do my taxes for me - he is a forensic CPA.  My taxes are a little more complex this year because of my Dad's death - so instead of me driving up to his place, he drove down here.  He just bought s new Mercedes-Benz S Coupe in the same color as my CLS.  Gorgeous car!

jmonroe

tjc78 said:

Welcome back @jmonroe !!  So the biggest question is did Hyundai soften up the Genesis's ride?  I had an 09 too and was never happy with it (along with lots of other 09 owners). 

You can select eco, normal or sport ride mode . I think the normal is a little softer but I never had a complaint with the '09 anyway.

Son # 1 says the only way he'll ever drive that car is in sport mode. Even I can tell the difference when in the sport mode. Better bring along a pillow to pad the head rest though. Don't know why they don't have that option.

jmonroe

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

The only problem with the '15 Genny so far was that it had a shimmy when driving at around 40 MPH which didn't show up on the Interstate test drive and when I drove through some neighborhoods at around 30 MPH. I took the car to the local Firestone guy I've dealt with and paid to have all 4 tires balanced. That didn't fix the problem so I went to the local dealer. It turned out I wasn't the only one to complain about the OEM Hankook tires

Interesting about the tires from Hankook tires. Those were on my 08 Cobalt and stayed round and balanced nicely. But they dry rotted early.

The tires on the H-body GMs from 2000-2005 (leSabre, Bonnevilles, and related Cadillacs) had some issues with balancing and rolling round. That's when road-force balancing became more well known. Must have been the problem with the Hankooks--they didn't roll round even if balanced dynamically.

snakeweasel

Well Sunday I replied to the internet manager of the Honda motorsport dealer that I sent the request a quote to and gave him a little more detail of what I am looking for. This morning I did receive a reply stating that the cost would be $8,988 out the door. I did a little deciphering backing out tax, title and license and came up with pretty much MSRP for the bike and the accessories that I wanted on the bike. So no discount on a bike that's not in big demand.

I'll wait until after April 18th to go out to see the bike and then decide if it's what we want and if so contact other dealers.

stickguy

I have Hankooks on my Sonata. I was skeptical, but so far, they have done fine. They are though the newest design (Kinergy GT) so not much in the way of reviews. And the primary drawback to most of the other styles was snow traction, and mine has never (and likely never will) been driven on the white stuff. Only 1 more winter season to get through before it goes back!

berri

Aba, don't know about Aussieland, but in New Zealand they won't let you stay unless you bring a whole lot of money or fill a critical short skill area.

Stever, it is actually not that uncommon in SoCal for people to cross over to Tijuana for medical and dental stuff. I suspect as things progress with Cuba, you'll see the same thing out of places like Florida.

berri

I know lots of people are upset and concerned over the next election, but look at it this way - the past 16 years haven't been great and we're still existing

stickguy

Car sales are up at least.

graphicguy

JM....glad to see you back

stever

Getting a bit heavy on the politics and religion in here.

just saying....

verdugo

jmonroe said:

I look at this all very simplistically - I'm turning 72 this October .... 

Mike: You're just a young pup. When I was 72 I was still working as a consultant for my old employer. As of March 2015 I am now fully retired and enjoying every minute of it.

Not to pass up the opportunity to spend some money, Mrs. j decided that we needed to celebrate. So, we went on a cruise last March during this very week IIRC. Then I figured it was my turn to celebrate so I traded in the '09 Genny for a 2015 Genny last May just to get my fair share of this deal. There is a sales tale here but it's pretty boring, really, since I always get my way when I buy a car. Both with Mrs. j and the dealer.

Shifty: If you can guarantee me my old dues rate when I disappeared a while back from this form, I can guarantee you'll get that hour back in October that you lost last weekend when we went to daylight savings time. I'll probably not be here as much as before but youz guys need someone like me around here, at least part time, to do the non-car talk stuff, right?

jmonroe



Welcome back! Glad you decided to drop by. Don't be a stranger.

verdugo

nyccarguy said:

Is medicine expensive here in the US?  Yes.  Would I have a medical procedure done in a 3rd world country?  Not a chance.  People die during medical tourism.

Lots of people die at hospitals in the US too.

Last time I was home (Mexico City) I had an ultrasound done there at the best hospital in Mexico City. I paid cash. It was cheaper than an ultrasound I had done in the states a week later (the Mexico City one was a second opinion, it just took place before the first opinion ) If I remember correctly, the one here was around $450 and in Mexico it was $250 or maybe $300.

The ultrasound in Mexico City was done by a doctor. She brought in my regular doctor and they discussed everything with me there. Here it was done by a technician who couldn't tell me anything. I heard back a few days later from the secretary (via voice mail) that everything was fine.

I would go to that hospital in Mexico any day of the week.

verdugo

ab348 said:

I'm watching this Brit moron John Oliver on the idiot Colbert's show now, you guys down south are screwed if this is what's popular down there right now.

That's borderline political talk. Let's stick to all other non-car topics.

jmonroe

abacomike said:

@jmonroe

Your post "was" a marathon, but no one can post a full page like you did and keep the attention of your readers.  That's the old jmonroe!

Hey, when are you going to get off that OLD stuff? Don't knock it until you get there, OK !!!

I don't know what's going on with my posts...I can't use the Emotorcons. I still don't like this format compared to the old version when this thread was SFTSFL. I can't even use BOLD. Not happy with this at all.

Anyway, thanks to all for the welcome back.

jmonroe

stever

You can find the Bolding under the B (highlight your word and click the B ).

The emotorcons are under the smiley face dropdown arrow.

Here's the cheat sheet.

nyccarguy

verdugo said:

nyccarguy said:

Is medicine expensive here in the US?  Yes.  Would I have a medical procedure done in a 3rd world country?  Not a chance.  People die during medical tourism.

Lots of people die at hospitals in the US too.

Last time I was home (Mexico City) I had an ultrasound done there at the best hospital in Mexico City. I paid cash. It was cheaper than an ultrasound I had done in the states a week later (the Mexico City one was a second opinion, it just took place before the first opinion ) If I remember correctly, the one here was around $450 and in Mexico it was $250 or maybe $300.

The ultrasound in Mexico City was done by a doctor. She brought in my regular doctor and they discussed everything with me there. Here it was done by a technician who couldn't tell me anything. I heard back a few days later from the secretary (via voice mail) that everything was fine.

I would go to that hospital in Mexico any day of the week.

Excellent counterpoint. You are correct, people do die in US hospitals at an alarming rate. I respect your opinion as always @verdugo. I also think there is a big difference between getting an ultrasound at the best hospital in Mexico City and the resort in Costa Rica where @driver100's friend had his dental work done. While I don't have any personal experience, I do have a customer who died in The Dominican Republic during a minor plastic surgery procedure.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2593108/New-York-mom-28-dies-traveling-Dominican-Republic-cheap-plastic-surgery.html

driver100

stever said:

Getting a bit heavy on the politics and religion in here.

just saying....

I missed the religious ones!

driver100

nyccarguy said:

verdugo said:

nyccarguy said:

Is medicine expensive here in the US?  Yes.  Would I have a medical procedure done in a 3rd world country?  Not a chance.  People die during medical tourism.

Lots of people die at hospitals in the US too.

Last time I was home (Mexico City) I had an ultrasound done there at the best hospital in Mexico City. I paid cash. It was cheaper than an ultrasound I had done in the states a week later (the Mexico City one was a second opinion, it just took place before the first opinion ) If I remember correctly, the one here was around $450 and in Mexico it was $250 or maybe $300.

The ultrasound in Mexico City was done by a doctor. She brought in my regular doctor and they discussed everything with me there. Here it was done by a technician who couldn't tell me anything. I heard back a few days later from the secretary (via voice mail) that everything was fine.

I would go to that hospital in Mexico any day of the week.

Excellent counterpoint. You are correct, people do die in US hospitals at an alarming rate. I respect your opinion as always @verdugo. I also think there is a big difference between getting an ultrasound at the best hospital in Mexico City and the resort in Costa Rica where @driver100's friend had his dental work done. While I don't have any personal experience, I do have a customer who died in The Dominican Republic during a minor plastic surgery procedure.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2593108/New-York-mom-28-dies-traveling-Dominican-Republic-cheap-plastic-surgery.html

Some foreign hospitals are probably better than one's at home. This part of the article has to be considered too:

In 2013, there were more than 1,000 cosmetic procedures performed in the Dominican Republic, 60 percent of them on foreigners, according to the country's Plastic Surgery Society.

The price is often about a third of the cost in the United States.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It sounds like about 600 procedures a year are done on foreigners, most successful. And, some people die from inadequate care at home too. I guess if you want to do it you have to check it out very carefully.

suydam

I feel very fortunate in Ohio to have stellar medical care at the specialist level. Between the Cleveland Clinic and Ohio State, Ohio has some of the best doctors in the country. Local hospitals are a more mixed bag, especially in poorer areas.

iluvmysephia1

And with talk about Belize, too, stever? I don't know if I would really wanna move there in retirement or not. But to be able to survive on $1,500 a month doesn't sound too bad. Dental and medical would probably be do-able there but don't ask for open-heart surgery on the menu - OK, I'll keep that in mind.

Now, can a person get a Mitsubishi Mirage or Chevy Spark there for under $13,000 on any given day? Or would the common bicycle be the mode of transportation? Pocket billiards, shuffleboard and endless Seahawk cornhole games...now we're cookin' with Crisco. A sneak peak at the retirement life.

DirecTV for my Seahawk games? Is that getting too grabby for equator life?

PF_Flyer

stever said:

Getting a bit heavy on the politics and religion in here.

just saying....

Even if it was the Ides of March

PF_Flyer

How about...

Detroit Free Press Honors Automotive Difference Makers

The list of winners:

• GM’s Bolt EV team
  
• Jeep CEO Mike Manley and the Jeep brand team
  
• ZF Group CEO Stefan Sommer and the integration team
  
• Ford Motor and DowAksa carbon-fiber team
  
• Toyota Motor North America team
  

Didn't anyone nominate the CCBAers??

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

My twin brother drove down today from Ponte Vedra to take care of some personal business.  He's coming over tomorrow morning to do my taxes for me - he is a forensic CPA.  My taxes are a little more complex this year because of my Dad's death - so instead of me driving up to his place, he drove down here.  He just bought s new Mercedes-Benz S Coupe in the same color as my CLS.  Gorgeous car!

Thinking about this if your tax return is going to be a lot more complicated you might consider taking it to a professional tax preparer. They would know more of the finer ins and outs that could help you. 

stever

@iluvmysephia1, our Taos friends have a father who's been retired at Lake Chapala for a decade or two. That doesn't appeal to me - you may as well live in Las Cruces since not all that many people at the big expat communities in MX learn much of the language or travel around the country. Unfortunately my language skills are right up there with my mechanical abilities and my wife gets tired of translating everything for me when we visit there.

It is affordable though and you could get some screaming deals on VW Bugs in Mexico!

jmonroe

stever said:

You can find the Bolding under the B (highlight your word and click the B ).

The emotorcons are under the smiley face dropdown arrow.

Here's the cheat sheet.

stever: Thanks for trying to help but I tried all that and it does not work for me. Even when I edited my profile page to show that I now have a '15 Genny not the '09, my profile page shows the change but when I post, it still shows the '09 Genny.

It must be some settings on my computer.

jmonroe

stever

Oh, missed that you were trying to bold stuff in your Profile. Best ask Imid.

henryn

I saw a new Lincoln MKT last night in the parking garage. It was late, and the car was sitting by itself. Shiny and black, but my first thought on seeing it was “hearse”. Anyone else had the same reaction?

Welcome back, @jmonroe . Good to see you again. I almost bought a Genesis last year, but didn’t quite go there.

Retiring to a foreign locale is something I have thought about. This might be my number one choice:




Referring to slide number 4, Salinas, Ecuador.

stever

Hm, you can't bold or highlight stuff in your Profile. To edit it, go to your Profile (clicking your name is the easiest way to get there).

Look for the little editing dropdown, like so:



That'll take you to a screen with options to edit your signature, etc.



Now that that's out of the way, feel free to re-ask what you need. My coffee should be kicking in, oh, in another hour or so.

jmonroe

stever, Like I said in my previous post, my profile page shows that I now have a '15 Genny but when I post it still shows the '09.

Before I disappeared for a while I didn't have a problem with Emotorcons, bold, italics etc. but now I do.

Even before I disappeared I could not change my email address but I just lived with that because it didn't affect posting. I seem to remember others had problems with updating their profile at the time of the switch to this newer format.

jmonroe

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

stever, Like I said in my previous post, my profile page shows that I now have a '15 Genny but when I post it still shows the '09.
jmonroe

Are you clicking on "save" in the bottom corner of the edit profile page?

Try logging out of Edmunds: Under your name in the box in right corner of screen click the "gear" and choose "log out." I closed browser IIRC and then signed back into Edmunds and the changes appeared.
Good luck.

driver100

jmonroe said:

stever said:

You can find the Bolding under the B (highlight your word and click the B ).

The emotorcons are under the smiley face dropdown arrow.

Here's the cheat sheet.

stever: Thanks for trying to help but I tried all that and it does not work for me. Even when I edited my profile page to show that I now have a '15 Genny not the '09, my profile page shows the change but when I post, it still shows the '09 Genny.

It must be some settings on my computer.

jmonroe

Maybe you need a new computer to go along with the 15 Genny

Those Commodores don't keep up.

My brother needed help in re-registering Avast. I sent him the youtube link that shows exactly what to do. He wrote back that when he watched the video and they showed him the form you fill out...he tried to remove Bob's email address and insert his but he couldn't get it to do that. Please give me strength................

PF_Flyer

It may just require you to close your browser too. These things tend to "remember" things during a session.

And close your inner Bowser too... can't hurt

abacomike

Well, my brother just left after doing my taxes. It ended up where I was better off filing using the standard deduction rather than itemizing, which floored me. I owe $2093 to the IRS. They are going to take the money out of my checking account on April 4th. I expected the bill to be even higher - like $4000-$5000, so I guess I was lucky.

He filed electronically using TurboTax. I already received an email stating that the federal return was accepted by the IRS. Thank goodness that's over with.

We are going to meet together tonight for dinner at a Steak House with his significant other. So I now know the real reason he came down here instead of having me drive up to his place - his "friend" is down here for a 3-week vacation from PA. And here I thought he was coming down just for me - right! But he is very good at doing taxes which is why I wanted to him do them this year. He said now that he has my tax returns on his external drive, all I have to do is mail copies of my 1099's to him and he can do my taxes without my begin here.

driver100

henryn said:

I saw a new Lincoln MKT last night in the parking garage. It was late, and the car was sitting by itself. Shiny and black, but my first thought on seeing it was “hearse”. Anyone else had the same reaction?

Welcome back, @jmonroe . Good to see you again. I almost bought a Genesis last year, but didn’t quite go there.

Retiring to a foreign locale is something I have thought about. This might be my number one choice:




Referring to slide number 4, Salinas, Ecuador.

Salinas sounds ideal....let's all go there. Population 34k, feels like Miami, home visit from doctor $30, seldom rains, you can retire on $1500 a month and that includes dinner out every day.

What more could you ask for?

How much is an E400?

andres3

nyccarguy said:

Is medicine expensive here in the US?  Yes.  Would I have a medical procedure done in a 3rd world country?  Not a chance.  People die during medical tourism.

People die in the US during medical procedures as well. Got some stats to backup your point?

I will say the team that helped my wife deliver and care for our newborn baby was excellent.

fezo

driver100 said:

Neighbor says Costa Rica is a good place for medical and dental. Dentist took out all teeth, put in new ones with posts that were anchored....would have cost $30k in U.S. Cost $5k in Costa Rica, dentists office is in a new modern building with a big window looking into mountains. Dentists are trained in US,

Teeth are good but he can't make "th" of "f" sounds. (just joking about that part)

All he wants for Christmas is hi two fwont teef?

british_rover

So I was trying to find the old, "Stories from the sales front lines," thread and couldn't find it. I see it moved over here.

How are things going?

berri

Aba - I'm guessing from your taxes you have lived in your place for awhile and are paying more principal down. The expansion of the standard deduction, plus your +65 status, make standard better for many people. Itemized deductions make middle class people feel good because of mortgage, but the reality is that the big savings, which besides trusts are the big plus for the wealthy, are the lower rates for capital gains and qualified dividends.

berri

I think medicine is like most other things, it varies from person to person. Doctors study similar stuff, but have different skill levels. The bell curve in action.

fezo

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

I'm still mystified with American justice system, letting some unqualified people to decide about guilt or innocence of some person. It was perhaps a good idea in 18th and 19th Century in response to real and peceived injustice from King's judges, but not in the modern world it deevolved into selection of those who are easy to manipulate and nothing to do at the same time, the exact opposite from what we want from a juror. If called, I'd serve, but I think it's not a good system. Moreover, as an engineer, I'm most likely to be excused, anyway, by either party. Or perhaps second most, after lawyers. Last thing they want is somebody knowing the law, or knowing how to draw conclusions based on facts, not emotions.

I'll take a jury over a judge when I'm a defendant every time.

I certainly would if I were guilty.

fezo

I can't stay away for a day. Even jmonroe came back. Next thing we'll be hearing from Richard.

I'm all in favor of the flatbed solution on that Civic, though filing in Louisiana has a great deal of appeal. The advantage of going through the courts is you might be able to throw her for a stint in the greybar hotel - or at least a good, hefty fine that she can't afford.

abacomike

berri said:

Aba - I'm guessing from your taxes you have lived in your place for awhile and are paying more principal down. The expansion of the standard deduction, plus your +65 status, make standard better for many people. Itemized deductions make middle class people feel good because of mortgage, but the reality is that the big savings, which besides trusts are the big plus for the wealthy, are the lower rates for capital gains and qualified dividends.

I have no mortgage - so no interest.  My real estate taxes are under $700 a year.  My medical expenses needed to be over $6500 before I could deduct medical expenses due to the 7.5% deductible.  My sales tax deduction was under $2000.  Charitable gifts, etc, still did not get me to the close to $8000 standard deduction.  So it was senseless to itemize.

My Dad's estate was significantly below the federal estate tax threshold.  

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

stever, Like I said in my previous post, my profile page shows that I now have a '15 Genny but when I post it still shows the '09.
jmonroe

Are you clicking on "save" in the bottom corner of the edit profile page?

Try logging out of Edmunds: Under your name in the box in right corner of screen click the "gear" and choose "log out." I closed browser IIRC and then signed back into Edmunds and the changes appeared.
Good luck.

imid I clicked on save that's why it shows the '15 Genny in my profile page. I did not sign out before but I have now so when I send this post I'll see if it takes.

As for closing my browser I have done that several times without success. I even rebooted and that didn't help but I did it again before I responded to your post. I guess I'll see what happens now.

jmonroe

jmonroe

british_rover said:

So I was trying to find the old, "Stories from the sales front lines," thread and couldn't find it. I see it moved over here.

How are things going?

Hey rover, welcome back.

This must be the week for guys coming back. I just got back 2 days ago myself but I wasn't gone as long as you were. I'll bet your new dues are going to be out of sight. Mine stayed the same !

The last I heard from you, you were peddling Saab's. So, what do you sell now ?

jmonroe

ab348

jmonroe said:

imid I clicked on save that's why it shows the '15 Genny in my profile page. I did not sign out before but I have now so when I send this post I'll see if it takes.

As for closing my browser I have done that several times without success. I even rebooted and that didn't help but I did it again before I responded to your post. I guess I'll see what happens now.

jmonroe

Looks like time for Plan B. Still no joy it appears.

PF_Flyer

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

stever, Like I said in my previous post, my profile page shows that I now have a '15 Genny but when I post it still shows the '09.
jmonroe

Are you clicking on "save" in the bottom corner of the edit profile page?

Try logging out of Edmunds: Under your name in the box in right corner of screen click the "gear" and choose "log out." I closed browser IIRC and then signed back into Edmunds and the changes appeared.
Good luck.

imid I clicked on save that's why it shows the '15 Genny in my profile page. I did not sign out before but I have now so when I send this post I'll see if it takes.

As for closing my browser I have done that several times without success. I even rebooted and that didn't help but I did it again before I responded to your post. I guess I'll see what happens now.

jmonroe

Hmm.... I wonder what gremlin is involved here. I just made a change to my profile and it worked, and I'm working with the same software as everyone else.

Trying to think where the bugger is hiding. My Edit Profile page


Not that it should make a difference, but do you have your email set to be visible? That's the only "active" thing I see that might make a difference. Perhaps changing that setting and trying to save your new vehicle info, then changing it back? Ooo.. maybe clear the vehicles owned field and save it, then try re-entering? Sometimes a leading or trailing blank can do funny things.

I love flailing

PF_Flyer

Another possibility... it might not like the leading apostrophe in the '15 Genesis? That's something that would indicate the following characters should be read as text in Excel. Might be throwing a wrench in the profile works. (flail #2)

imidazol97

I can't get anything to post from any of the boxes in profile except for the location box.
Do I need to pay for the upgrade to Edmunds Pro to get that ability? LOL

jmonroe

PF_Flyer said:

Another possibility... it might not like the leading apostrophe in the '15 Genesis? That's something that would indicate the following characters should be read as text in Excel. Might be throwing a wrench in the profile works. (flail #2)

It takes the apostrophe in the '09 Genny so why not the '15? Look at the bottom of my posts and you'll see that. Same amount of characters so I don't think that is the cause.

As for showing my email, of course I don't have that box checked. Do you think I want the crew that hangs around here getting into my home email? YIKES

jmonroe

andres3

fezo said:

andres3 said:

dino001 said:

I'm still mystified with American justice system, letting some unqualified people to decide about guilt or innocence of some person. It was perhaps a good idea in 18th and 19th Century in response to real and peceived injustice from King's judges, but not in the modern world it deevolved into selection of those who are easy to manipulate and nothing to do at the same time, the exact opposite from what we want from a juror. If called, I'd serve, but I think it's not a good system. Moreover, as an engineer, I'm most likely to be excused, anyway, by either party. Or perhaps second most, after lawyers. Last thing they want is somebody knowing the law, or knowing how to draw conclusions based on facts, not emotions.

I'll take a jury over a judge when I'm a defendant every time.

I certainly would if I were guilty.

And if you were innocent does it change your preference?