Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

graphicguy

corvette said:

Over The Rhine. I think it used to be a questionable part of town, but parts or most of it have been revitalized and redeveloped in the last few years. Mount Adams reminds me a little of the Highlands in Louisville, but it's smaller and more self-contained. 

Yep. Over the Rhine...settled as a predominantly German community (thus the name of the area), but now turning into an up and coming, trendy place to live. They've cleaned it up. It used to be a slum. Mostly row houses from the late 1800s-early 1900s.

Cincinnati is known for its 7 hills. One of those "hills" is called Mt Adams, home to the old Rookwood Pottery (now, a restaurant, but the pottery is quite collectible) and Longworth Vineyard, which was the first succseesful commerical winery in the U.S. It overlooks the eastern part of the Ohio River in Cincinnati. Very desireable location to live, but very over priced for what you get (if you subtract some of the stunning views of the city and the river).

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

I go back and forth between in the sticks, and walkable urban (more like smaller town close to the city where you can walk to downtown).

This one I like. Big garage. Lots of parking, and perfect spot for building another garage! In an area I like, though really don't need this much land (though gives me an excuse to buy a tractor). I think it has plenty of room for our needs now. May not be able to sell wife on that.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/147-Laurel-Heights-Rd_Landenberg_PA_19350_M37847-02781#photo23

Needs some "ambience" as the realtors would say...you know, to go with the "amenities".

tbirdmarco

@Michaell man wow you just did move that is rite. you got the rite idea keep an lo profile on this one.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Needs some "ambience" as the realtors would say...you know, to go with the "amenities".

I would have put the build date based on the exterior as at least 10 years older, though the interior pics do put it in the mid-70s. I just look at all that lawn and think that's a lot of dandelions, weed & feed, and mowing.

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy would not bye the extended worantee. we only got fooled once in to getting it never will be done for the secand time. love how they alws try to throw one in the lanth of the car lone.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t0e5gzzJgdc

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

corvette said:

Over The Rhine. I think it used to be a questionable part of town, but parts or most of it have been revitalized and redeveloped in the last few years. Mount Adams reminds me a little of the Highlands in Louisville, but it's smaller and more self-contained. 

Yep. Over the Rhine...settled as a predominantly German community (thus the name of the area), but now turning into an up and coming, trendy place to live. They've cleaned it up. It used to be a slum. Mostly row houses from the late 1800s-early 1900s.

Cincinnati is known for its 7 hills. One of those "hills" is called Mt Adams, home to the old Rookwood Pottery (now, a restaurant, but the pottery is quite collectible) and Longworth Vineyard, which was the first succseesful commerical winery in the U.S. It overlooks the eastern part of the Ohio River in Cincinnati. Very desireable location to live, but very over priced for what you get (if you subtract some of the stunning views of the city and the river).

There is still plenty of slum left down there.. OTR is big enough, that it will take another 20 years of gentrification to make a big difference. Plenty of places that I wouldn't park down there after 8:00 PM. And, if I got a flat tire on McMicken, I would just keep driving on the rim (at night).

rny421

@Michaell Good luck with the house hunting! I understand the desire to back up to forever wild. My parents have always been particular about that too. They built, and lived in a 3,300 SF house with a 3 car garage for 30 years that I grew up in. Then, once I was out of college, within 3 years they:

• Bought a 2,200 SF patio home with a 2 car garage and never moved into it because my Mom decided the two car wasn't enough.
  

• Then, they bought a 3 car, 2,600 SF patio home in the same neighborhood. Lived there for about a year
  

• Then, four houses down from them came up for sale and they bought it. 3 car, 3,000 SF, best lot in the neighborhood. They wanted a bit more space, and liked the privacy.
  

They took a huge hit when they sold the 2,600 SF home, but they're happy in their new place. Real estate doesn't appreciate much in Upstate NY.

My wife and I are looking for our forever home, but it makes me sick to think about our property taxes going from ~$5k/yr for our $150k house to $12k/yr for the $350k houses we're shopping. At least the schools are top notch
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?? At least that's what I tell myself.

Everyone always says "our houses are less expensive." But, do you know what people in other cities with reasonable property taxes and higher property values get for the same monthly payment - EQUITY!!

corvette

Welp, the GF and I are planning on going to Findlay Market in OTR on Sunday. Wish us luck!

corvette

rny421 said:

My wife and I are looking for our forever home, but it makes me sick to think about my property taxes going from ~$5k/yr for our $150k house to $12k/yr for the $350k houses we're shopping. At least the schools are top notch ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?? At least that's what I tell myself.

Wages must be higher where you are. I could afford $5k/year in property taxes, but it'd make my stomach churn. $12k/year, I couldn't afford if I was still paying for the house.

stickguy

it gets baked into the mortgage, and you get used to it. At least in my area of NJ, while the taxes are obscene, the prices are not as bad as in the northern part of the state.

corvette

I got my mortgage servicer to stop escrowing insurance and property taxes. Stupid insurance company (State Auto in Columbus, Ohio) couldn't communicate with stupid mortgage servicer (Loancare in Virginia) about who was actually servicing the mortgage and which entity should be sending the insurance payment. Easier and more reliable to pay taxes and insurance myself.

Spoiler alert: Stupid insurance company (State Auto) failed to register a notification they were sent from the new mortgage servicer. When called out on it, State Auto said it was a "common mistake," implied it was no big deal, and corporate offered no apology. My agent did apologize for that and other oversights that occurred at the corporate headquarters over the past year or so.

kyfdx

I haven't escrowed in over 15 years. If you tell them they screwed it up, they just assume you don't understand escrow.

State Farm takes out house and car insurance from my checking account, monthly, and I pay my real estate taxes, annually. Does it hurt to write a $5000 check? You bet, but it all comes out the same in the end, and I know it's correct.

kyfdx

corvette said:

Welp, the GF and I are planning on going to Findlay Market in OTR on Sunday. Wish us luck!

Check out Eckerlin Meats. Great product and really good guys. They supply some of the better restaurants in town. I'd try to fit in lunch in the area, as well. A lot of great, reasonably priced restaurants in that area (though some are closed on Sundays).

Oops, not sure Eckerlin is open on Sunday, either.

stickguy

I don't want my taxes out of escrow. It would be way too depressing to have to pay that much on top of a mortgage. Though sadly, the escrow piece each month is larger than my P&I, so even if my mortgage was magically paid off tomorrow, I would still have a fairly hefty payment.

Man, I need to at least move to Delaware. Way lower property taxes, and no sales tax (I assume will save a bundle buying a car!).

iluvmysephia1

the bean - yeah, the Spark is really small. I'm coming right up on 79,000 miles on our '11 Kia Soul. It is operating great, and, no, I don't think I’ll even pursue a Spark. Perhaps look for a Versa S 5-speed sedan. I won't trade if the car is not something I really want. Thanks for your driving review of the Spark. It looks a tad small for us.

Michaell

rny421 said:

@Michaell Good luck with the house hunting! I understand the desire to back up to forever wild. My parents have always been particular about that too. They built, and lived in a 3,300 SF house with a 3 car garage for 30 years that I grew up in. Then, once I was out of college, within 3 years they:

• Bought a 2,200 SF patio home with a 2 car garage and never moved into it because my Mom decided the two car wasn't enough.
  

• Then, they bought a 3 car, 2,600 SF patio home in the same neighborhood. Lived there for about a year
  

• Then, four houses down from them came up for sale and they bought it. 3 car, 3,000 SF, best lot in the neighborhood. They wanted a bit more space, and liked the privacy.
  

They took a huge hit when they sold the 2,600 SF home, but they're happy in their new place. Real estate doesn't appreciate much in Upstate NY.

My wife and I are looking for our forever home, but it makes me sick to think about our property taxes going from ~$5k/yr for our $150k house to $12k/yr for the $350k houses we're shopping. At least the schools are top notch
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?? At least that's what I tell myself.

Everyone always says "our houses are less expensive." But, do you know what people in other cities with reasonable property taxes and higher property values get for the same monthly payment - EQUITY!!

Yikes. Quite the tale.

Our old house backed to a greenbelt. When the house we're in popped up on the market, I specifically asked my wife about the neighbor situation. She thought she could live with it.

Guess not.

tommister2

@xwesx Any update on your Audi?

ab348

Michaell said:

Our old house backed to a greenbelt. When the house we're in popped up on the market, I specifically asked my wife about the neighbor situation. She thought she could live with it.

Guess not.

I still think it is the cabinet knobs.

graphicguy

corvette said:

Welp, the GF and I are planning on going to Findlay Market in OTR on Sunday. Wish us luck!

kyfdx is right. There's still plenty of "slum" in Over The Rhine. Findlay Market (for those of you who don't know the area, that's a market that most LOCAL meat, produce, baked goods, etc show their wares to the public) is OK. Step a block or two in either direction away from Findlay, and things can get dicey. They've done a wonderful job with Washington Park, though.

And, much to my surprise, the street cars seem to be a success.

I live in an area north of the city in the 'burbs (Voice of America area). Lots of McMansions and been in the area for 20+ years. When I built, there was nothing but mostly farm land. Now, it drives me crazy just to drive to the grocery store because of the traffic. It would be quite the lifestyle change if I moved into the city. But, not having to drive everywhere, for everything, might be a nice change.

Northern KY is close enough to downtown Cincinnati, yet far enough away, that it holds appeal. Not sure I'm into rehabbing an older home, though. And, the areas I'm interested in, those are the homes I'd like.

fintail

I've heard it called Cincinasty Interesting to read about the Rookwood pottery connection, my dad collected that kind of stuff, and I think my mom might still have a couple pieces of it.

All of the house talk sounds like so much work, I am sometimes glad I am in an area where a single income generally can't afford a detached house, and even a condo in a reasonable area (commute or condition) can be difficult for most. I sometimes would like a place, especially for garage space, but it's not going to happen here, and that can free up time and resources for other endeavors.

cdnpinhead

tommister2 said:

@xwesx Any update on your Audi?

+1 and the Subaru as well.

qbrozen

I live nowhere near anything resembling a city or even a town. 4.5 acres surrounded on 3 sides by roads. I love the privacy but the tradeoff is having to drive 15 mins to the nearest supermarket. FWIW, my taxes are about $17k. The entire mortgage on our first house cost less per year than just our taxes now.

roadburner

The last time we re-financed our home Washington Mutual bought the mortgage. The WaMu morons paid someone else's homeowner's insurance out of our escrow fund and then refused to refund it until they got reimbursed by the other homeowner's insurance. I had to threaten them with legal action to make them refund our account. I was never so happy to pay off a mortgage. What a bunch of brain-dead and incompetent fools. When WaMu collapsed in 2008 I threw a party.

28firefighter

A lot of the mortgage companies now require that you let them hold taxes and insurance in escrow to receive their top tier rate.

When we bought it was the difference between 4.5% and 4.75% and when we re-financed it was the difference between 3.5% and 3.875%. We also would have lost some of the fee credits we received. Seemed prudent to let them do it. So far no issues at all and we have changed homeowners insurance providers twice. Granted, our new loan provider from when we re-financed owns all their own paper and services all of it with their own domestic servicing team - the service has been incredibly good.

houdini1

graphicguy said:

I am debating the downsize thing, too. 3,000 sq ft now. Way too much for one person. But, I don't want to go into a condo, either. Landominium, maybe?

I wish I could find something around 1,500 sq ft, 3 bedroom (one for my office), a finished basement for my Home Theater (it does get loud, and having it in the basement muffles the sound). Small lot so there would be little lawn care. 2 car garage.

I'd be good with that. Seems I'd be looking at a resale....probably something from the '60s. Problem there, I want move in ready.

I don't want much, do I?

I would present those demands at the arbitration hearing !!

stickguy

I would love to see a live stream of that hearing. Heck, I would PPV it!

thebean

iluvmysephia1 said:

the bean - yeah, the Spark is really small. I'm coming right up on 79,000 miles on our '11 Kia Soul. It is operating great, and, no, I don't think I’ll even pursue a Spark. Perhaps look for a Versa S 5-speed sedan. I won't trade if the car is not something I really want. Thanks for your driving review of the Spark. It looks a tad small for us.

Glad to do it, iluv.  I would hate to see someone spend their hard-earned money on something they would regret.  I think the Versa is just a better car.  Good luck on whatever you decide.

graphicguy

Fin...never heard of the "cincinasty" term. That's a new one on me. I've heard it called the "Natti", The Queen City (as in "The Queen City of the West", when Cincinnati was considered to be in the West), Porkopolis (an homage to the pigs that were butchered and packaged), Losantiville (which means the city opposite the mouth of the River), Cincinnatus (for the Roman General), etc!

xwesx

cdnpinhead said:

tommister2 said:

@xwesx Any update on your Audi?

+1 and the Subaru as well.

Hmmm.... updates, huh?

Well, I have the Q7 back in my possession (as of Wednesday afternoon). The shop is convinced that the stranding issue was due to fuel quality. They strongly suspect moisture build up in the tank. They were able to replicate the no-start before they took it into their shop late Monday, then they parked it inside and put a charger on the battery overnight. The next morning, it fired up after a slightly extended cranking period, but no issues after that. They put some Heet in it and added ten gallons of diesel, drove it around for about fifty miles including some stops and restarts, and it performed just fine.

Codes were mostly related to low voltage (likely due to the extended period of time after it had died last week, during which it was cranked on several occasions, had the flashers going for a few hours, and was left in the 'on' position while being transported on the flatbed trucks) and fuel pressure under threshold. There is one code that is constant-set, and that one shows as "unknown." They were not able to get any resolution from Audi on it, either. As such, the MIL is still on, which is rather annoying since I have no idea if/when other codes set.

Our Forester was deemed a loss by the insurance, and they keep badgering us to complete the payout on it. We think their offer is low, so we're trying to negotiate a more reasonable target. In the meantime, we had the car taken to our body shop for an estimate to see whether they can put it back to right within the confines of the net payout (appx $9,100). If they can, we'll probably keep it.

For us, it is much preferable to have it with a branded title than to try to replace it with a similarly priced unit (of unknown history) or buying something else. Neither of us want to take on more payments at this juncture, though we both agree that we don't need to rush into anything. Ours is much more car than a normal Forester (both in features and quality of maintenance), and there's a lot of labor that went into that.

If the shop can't resurrect it for that and the insurance won't budge on the payout, then I'll retain the car, strip off my mods (to install on a replacement vehicle), and then sell it for scrap (probably get back as much as the insurance company is charging me for keeping it, which is less than $1,200). If insurance *is* willing to reimburse us a reasonable value (and shop can't fix on budget), then we'll just take the payout and say goodbye.

Mr_Shiftright

I think we should gear real estate talk to the "Cars and Conversations" topic and leave CCBA to car-buying. Jes' sayin', we are veering far off course here.

laurasdada

And I was just about to post that although I lost half my stuff in the divorce, I also reduced my property taxes by ~70% by buying my condo! But, I won't, given what Mr_S posted above...

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think we should gear real estate talk to the "Cars and Conversations" topic and leave CCBA to car-buying. Jes' sayin', we are veering far off course here.

whoops! sometimes I forget which one I'm in.

xwesx

I thought this topic was "Chronic Conversational Buyers Anonymous"

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think we should gear real estate talk to the "Cars and Conversations" topic and leave CCBA to car-buying. Jes' sayin', we are veering far off course here.

whoops! sometimes I forget which one I'm in.

Agreed! And, these discussions tend to be conversational, and that's what conversations tend to do: Wander.

Michaell

And, as a moderator, I should know better

Mr_Shiftright

Just a gentle nudge. We aren't in a court of law.

But we DID especially create a conversational topic in order to keep CCBA somewhat "clean" of clutter, so why not use that tool?

iluvmysephia1

Glad to do it, iluv.  I would hate to see someone spend their hard-earned money on something they would regret.  I think the Versa is just a better car.  Good luck on whatever you decide.

Someone living nearby just bought a Nissan Versa sedan. I am leaning that way again. Maybe that little vacation ta Springfield, MO, ought ta be back in our plans again as a car purchase/vacation combo.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Just a gentle nudge. We aren't in a court of law.

But we DID especially create a conversational topic in order to keep CCBA somewhat "clean" of clutter, so why not use that tool?

I only chimed in here because @Michaell started it, and being a Mod, figured it must have been OK.

kyfdx

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Just a gentle nudge. We aren't in a court of law.

But we DID especially create a conversational topic in order to keep CCBA somewhat "clean" of clutter, so why not use that tool?

I only chimed in here because @Michaell started it, and being a Mod, figured it must have been OK.

Me, too...

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

Hmmm.... updates, huh?
. . .the MIL is still on [Audi], which is rather annoying since I have no idea if/when other codes set.
. . . we had the [Forester] taken to our body shop for an estimate to see whether they can put it back to right within the confines of the net payout (appx $9,100). If they can, we'll probably keep it.

Well, it's certainly an ambiguous situation for both of them, but thanks much for the update.

Best of luck going forward and, as always, keep us posted.

andres3

iluvmysephia1 said:

sandman - was the Chevy Spark you drove an automatic? I don't know what's going on, but the more negative things you say about the Spark the more I want to test drive that pup. Android Auto would be awesome, so would the lane departure and accident avoidance features on the car.

Kansas City is steeped in motorcars and I am a night shift worker. So in the morning I occasionally nod off on the drive home in the morning, when I'm exceptionally tired. So those safety gadgets would be good to have.

My wife and I are looking to buy a house much closer to my work. So that will help. Chevy really outdid theirselves with this latest model of Spark, though. There is a big wallop packed into that $11,100 car.

I hope you can change "occasionally" nod off while driving to at least seldom or rarely.

andres3

stickguy said:

jpp5862 said:

stickguy said:

did you buy the white one for me? That was sweet of you.

You'll enjoy the Infiniti. Not even a bad financial move really. Most likely over the next few years, depreciation could be the same. and if you got the 11K miles one, you just bought yourself another year of driving, right?

I agree that it's really not a bad financial move, especially considering how much you would enjoy driving it.

Here's hoping there's a punch behind this post.

I could support this. And likely so would his wife, because it won't really change much $ wise. Loan about the same, maybe 1 year longer. But a car with fewer miles, that he really can keep a good 6 years (and will probably have to). Needs to drive something, so why not? This would be at most a minor, almost lateral, move.

Now, different story if he came home with a new car on a $600/month lease!

How about a $230/month lease? I'm not 7 months into my 36-month lease and I'm ready to see what my options would be if I just increased my budget to $250/mo? Or better yet, buy something used for even less depreciation over the next 3 years.

The TTS is doing its job very well as the fun-mobile. It is ridiculous how much speed I can carry through a sharp turn without the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's giving any audible indication of super-legal speeds.

I wonder what other cars think on a on/off ramp freeway to freeway transition that has two lanes as you pass them going 25+ over the limit (example 52 East to 125 South).

Maybe they say to themselves

1) "There goes those damn crazy Audi drivers!"
2) "Wholly ****, what was that?
3) "I wonder if I could take the turn that fast???"
4) "Where's a cop when you need one?"
5) "My other car is a BMW, and I'd do it faster"

ab348

I've never paid much attention to the Chevy Spark but thanks to @iluvmysephia1 when I was behind one at a traffic light today I looked it over. From behind it doesn't look much bigger than a Smart car. It is very narrow. When it made a left I can see it is a bit longer than a Smart but that thing is really, really tiny. I wouldn't want to drive one on an expressway.

ab348

Just noticed that the neighbor lady across the street traded her early-mid 2000s Jetta (the small curvy one) for a new(?) red GTI. Her husband drives a Mazda3 so they must like zippy cars. Once spring arrives here and I am outside more I will have to ask her about the GTI. It's on my list of possibilities.

suydam

iluvmysephia1 said:

Glad to do it, iluv.  I would hate to see someone spend their hard-earned money on something they would regret.  I think the Versa is just a better car.  Good luck on whatever you decide.

Someone living nearby just bought a Nissan Versa sedan. I am leaning that way again. Maybe that little vacation ta Springfield, MO, ought ta be back in our plans again as a car purchase/vacation combo.

I really liked the Nissan Versa Note I had as a rental last year.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XmNOIzajBt8

tbirdmarco

@rny421 whair in new York do you live my older brother lives up there near lake Jorge 45 minits or so from Albany. nice up there. I am on long island.

tbirdmarco

@xwesx glad you got the car back now hoping you are good to go and the light can be figered out y it is staying on. good luck with the faraster hoping that works in your faver to as whell.

iluvmysephia1

I'm digging all your comments. Man, I know the Nissan Versa S sedan 5-speed is low-priced. But to me, Nissan doesn't build a cheap car. I love the looks of the Versa S. I pass my RPSGT exam, I can go get a new car.

For a low price!

tbirdmarco

happy Friday all hope that everyone had an good week. good weekand to all.