Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

28firefighter

breld said:

28firefighter said:

I'm keeping a close watch on expenses this year. We'll need to replace the X1, as I mentioned, so that's a given. Beyond that, we are thinking about/trying for a sibling for Sam, so I'm using the intervening period to try and build up his WA GET account (WA 529 equivalent) and also leverage some cash we have to buy company stock through our ESPP.

Congrats and good luck on the sibling!

And good for you for paying attention to the college savings early - it's hard to catch up with that as the years go by.

Thank you - it is a long-shot given my medical history and our experience with Sam, but doesn't mean it isn't worth trying!

pensfan83

@28firefighter, another Oakland standby is no more. Uncle Sam's Subs apparently closed at some point in the fall. The more I go down there the less I recognize the area. Peter's Pub was also turned into another Mario's location, not sure if you ever ventured over to the South Side location but same owners.

stickguy

Breld, to me, the driveway issue sounds like an excuse to get a wrangler with a plow! Or at least, an ATV with one.

Man, I would love a 4 car garage. Even 3. Heck, I would love a couple of parking spots that didn’t block a garage bay.

pensfan83

@breld was your offer accepted?

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

@28firefighter, another Oakland standby is no more. Uncle Sam's Subs apparently closed at some point in the fall. The more I go down there the less I recognize the area. Peter's Pub was also turned into another Mario's location, not sure if you ever ventured over to the South Side location but same owners.

RIP Uncle Sams - apparently there were health code violations. I spent quite a bit of time at Marios on Sah Side before frequenting their location on Walnut in Shadyside - much nicer (and more expensive) than Peter's ever was. Not sure how they will do in Oakland given that desire for cheap everything in that neighborhood.

graphicguy

Not sure which HOnda interface your Pilot uses, but on the one in my Acura, I can play WAZE on the NAV Screen while switching audio from radio to CD to my iPhone. There is a split second of silence when switching to WAZE, but that doesn’t bother me. I haven’t played with Google Maps much.

Apple Maps is my go to NAV, though. They’ve really, really improved it over the last couple of iOS updates.

xwesx

Drivingfool said:

I'll take 39 if it's still available. And let's not talk about clutter as I've got a lot that I need to throw out. I save like everything I guess because I've lost so much stuff I wanted from my youth. When we moved to Florida in 1969, my dad gave us a 1 box rule and that was hard. But managed to save 1 box and over the years and with multiple moves, it's all gone. Shame, as all I wanted is some old pictures for my kids to see. Tried to get some from my estranged twin a few years back after I gave him his small inheritance, but he lied and has held them in ransom from my kids who've asked for them. Just some old pictures is all there is but maybe one day he'll see fit to send them.
2019 might be the year I do clean out most of my stuff in this house because I would like to move in 2020. But I must do it at my pace with no help.

If you keep picking at it little by little, day after day, you will perhaps surprise yourself at how quickly it can all go away (and without wearing yourself out while doing it!).

xwesx

stickguy said:

If replacing one, get identical. If doing all 4, look at the general Altimax RT43

Yes, and, if it was a true blowout, it is probably worth the peace of mind to get the rest of them off the car!

I agree with General Altimax as a good option for all-seasons. Goodyear Assurance is also good. You can get a lot more spendy from there, but these tires hit the sweet spot for all the needs noted, without costing you more than necessary.

corvette

suydam said:

OK, guys, could use some advice. Started off New Years with a flat tire on the Encore. I think the OEM tires are Contis Pro Contact. Basically a Grand Touring All Season. Any recommendations for a replacement? Tire Rack is recommending something called Vredestein, which I’ve never heard of, Yokohama, which I’ve had on other vehicles in the past and didn’t care for, and BFGoodrich Advantage. Tires are 18”. We rarely drive in snow but do drive dirt roads going hiking with our dog. Looking for a blend of quiet, good handling, and longevity. Thanks for any ideas!

Michelin owns BFGoodrich, so that should be a good option. I had the cheap Sumitomo tire they offer when I had my Murano and was really impressed with it. Looks like you can get Michelins, too, or just another set of Contis if you liked them. 

suydam

Thanks for the comments! It’s just one tire with a puncture, and the rest are good, so I’m going to just replace it with the same Conti Pro Contact. Will take a day bc they have to order it. Oh well.

henryn

stickguy said:

Breld, to me, the driveway issue sounds like an excuse to get a wrangler with a plow! Or at least, an ATV with one.

Man, I would love a 4 car garage. Even 3. Heck, I would love a couple of parking spots that didn’t block a garage bay.

Man, am I in complete agreement with the above statement! The only thing holding me back from buying a third car, strictly for fun, is where would I park the blasted thing?

An interesting note: The house next door to me, very similar house, same builder, is a rental property. There are presently 3 young women living there, sharing the rent. And their parking is a bit interesting to observe. Two of the women share the garage, and I have noticed they now have a strip of tape running down the exact centerline of the garage. I can imagine the discussions that took place over that! (smile)

The third woman has to park in the driveway. And she parks well back, and as far to one side as she can get. Which still makes for interesting maneuvers for the other two getting into and out of the garage.

stickguy

Henry, I did that when I had my Miata. That went in the garage, and I parked behind it (my DD, a Maxima at the time). If I parked that down at the bottom of the driveway far enough, I could snake around it to get in and out of the garage. Miata was so small I could practically make a U turn in the garage if my wife's car wasn't in there too. A little bit of a hassle, but easier than always moving a car around.

corvette

I wish there were three young coeds living in a house on my sleepy old street. 

omarman

Careful what you wish for if you want to get any sleep on that old street.

breld

pensfan83 said:

@breld was your offer accepted?

Yup - so we are full steam ahead with getting our house listed.

henryn

corvette said:

I wish there were three young coeds living in a house on my sleepy old street. 

Well, these aren't coeds by any stretch of the imagination. Probably mid to late 20's, one of them is a nurse, working some strange hours. Last year, one was attending med school, graduated, and left. Would you call a med school student a "coed"? At any rate, it is not a party type atmosphere. About three years back there were two young women living there who called themselves "missionaries". They held bible study classes two nights a week. Attendance was pretty sparse until they started providing refreshments (cheap hot dogs, but it brought in attendees).

I was glad when those two moved on, the bible study was clogging up the street.

corvette

Mid to late 20s works for me! 

Mr_Shiftright

Which tempts us to ask the same question I subconsciously ask the old dog who chases my car down the street: "What makes you think you would know what to do with it if you ever caught it"?

sda

Mr_Shiftright said:

Which tempts us to ask the same question I subconsciously ask the old dog who chases my car down the street: "What makes you think you would know what to do with it if you ever caught it"?

As my 17 year old daughter would say, #burned. lol

Drivingfool

We had our three kids bar and bat mitzvahs at the same country club where my in-laws lived. Each time it was time to pay the bill, my wife and her mom went in to pay the bill as I never ever paid any bills back then. I just had to fund the account and my wife did the rest. I got between $80 to $100/week as spending money. All I know, she managed to pay for all that and pay off the house by mid 1995. I didn't ask any questions as I was working very long hours at the post office.
We had our first two kids within a very short period of time and the boy was a surprise not long after the second. My wife knew but didn't tell me as we were selling our condo and buying a new house. All I wanted was a garage, 2 car with one door and north/south exposure. I got those things so was happy. After we signed the contract did she let on that our son Drew was on the way. But I refused to even think of children until we owned something, figured when renting and the kids start coming, too hard to save and buy a house. We bought a very reasonably priced townhouse, brand new right next to Abacomike's development. And I still think it was the right thing to do, own then have kids.
And now with our house worth what it is and houses selling for what they are where our oldest bought, makes sense to sell and move. Get another new construction home or a model I'm looking at, and bank a nice chunk of change. Makes sense to me and think I'll have my work cut out with the wife but eventually, once she does the math, she'll agree. Our current house wants another family with young kids as that's what our cul-de-sac is for. Time for us to split!

anonymousposts1

stickguy said:

I may have some Honda purchases.  

Lawn mower, snowblower...

Our low maintenance home was nice while it lasted.  Back to the ‘burbs.  

I would love a close in, low maintenance house like yours. I’m fine with a yard just big enough for the dog. Wife wants more land, but she’s not the one that has to take care of it!

We bought a ranch with a basement when we had son #1. Low maintenance, flat half acre lot. Fast forward 7 years later to 2013 and we had son #3 and thought we needed more space. Bought our dream home. 5 bedrooms/7 bathrooms, 6,100 sq ft. After the novelty wore off, we grew tired of the constant cleaning and maintenance. Sold it April of last year and downsized to 4,000 sq ft. Still a bit more than we’d like but much more manageable. Will not make that mistake again. Only smaller houses with smaller yards. 

xwesx

Ha!

More space usually means more space to clutter (or be driven crazy trying to prevent it from cluttering), so it is a nice thing to have cozy confines. My preference: Small house with lots of land.

My wife complains (sometimes bitterly) that we built ours too big, and I strongly suspect that it is smaller than the *first* place you mentioned.

nyccarguy

anonymousposts1 said:

stickguy said:

I may have some Honda purchases.  

Lawn mower, snowblower...

Our low maintenance home was nice while it lasted.  Back to the ‘burbs.  

I would love a close in, low maintenance house like yours. I’m fine with a yard just big enough for the dog. Wife wants more land, but she’s not the one that has to take care of it!

We bought a ranch with a basement when we had son #1. Low maintenance, flat half acre lot. Fast forward 7 years later to 2013 and we had son #3 and thought we needed more space. Bought our dream home. 5 bedrooms/7 bathrooms, 6,100 sq ft. After the novelty wore off, we grew tired of the constant cleaning and maintenance. Sold it April of last year and downsized to 4,000 sq ft. Still a bit more than we’d like but much more manageable. Will not make that mistake again. Only smaller houses with smaller yards. 

Downsized to 4,000 Square Feet!  “Only in America.”

I’ve got a small house with a big yard. Our 3 bedroom/2 bathroom ranch is 1,432 Square Feet.  We’ve got a fullly finished basement with heat and a bathroom (with stand up shower).  It’s definitely a little tight for the 2 of us with our 3 children (2 of whom share a room together).  We make it work though.  We have a full acre of property (which I think is too much) that has high water tables due to a creek that runs through our back yard.  I could do without the high water tables.  After even a mild rain storm, our yard is a muddy, mucky, swampy mess.  

rny421

@corvette - you missed one of my punches! I purchased a 2017 Mercedes GLC300 4Matic on July 20th this year. Given the fact that I made two punches in 2018, I don't see us buying anything in 2019

Oh well, I'm sure a friend or family member will need help. Until then, I'll just live vicariously through everyone here.

Drivingfool

We have a 4/2 with about 1900 square feet under air. The two girls shared a room while my son had his own. My wife took over the 4th bedroom as her office. Now that we're empty nesters again, I took over the boys room and made it my office. Has a bed in there if I end up needing a nap or work late and don't want to disturb my wife. I also took over the 2nd bathroom since I get up hours earlier than my wife does on those days that I work. I'm pretty neat in the bathroom while she...well, isn't, so I prefer my own clean bathroom. I'm also the one who designed it with my contractor, so I like using it. Our oldest who bought in St. Cloud works from home but once a month comes down to the law firms office just to make an appearance and to show them working from home can work if done properly. She's the first employee doing it so there's some teething pains now. That's why she comes in one week/month and she stays with us. Our girls like coming home.
My resolution for 2019 was to start...and hopefully finish getting rid of a lot of "my stuff" I've been saving for who knows why. As someone in here told me, do it at my pace. Don't be rushed but do it right, and get rid of stuff. I've made a good dent in the paperwork from over the years. Now, time to start on the clothing. I have lots of shirts...I mean LOTS! And have a lot of shorts since I wear them 99% of the time. Have already filled up a hamper with shirts I haven't worn in over a year. Still have some to go and want to pare it down a bit more. Maybe keep about 15 pairs of shorts, and maybe a dozen pairs of long pants.
Just takes time but am willing to do the job!

Drivingfool

Got to drive a 2018 Honda Accord today for about 40 or so miles and was very impressed actually. It was an LX without SAT radio but most of our Camry's are LE's also with no SAT radio. Personally, they both drive about the same and the power delivery is probably equal. I think in a blind fold test, I'd have a real problem telling which was which as they are so similar in almost every respect. Just love the great power delivery but wish it was in a smaller package. That's why I'm thinking the Acura ILX with the 2.4 engine might just be the ticket here. It's just a bit longer than I want but has the increased power that I also want. Also has decent mpg's while using unleaded fuel. Definitely need to take a drive in a few and see how I like it. But, it might just be the perfect compromise for me as my next daily driver. And since I prefer the 2018 model, the local dealer has some low mileage cpo units that just might make me give up the keys to my Golf sooner than later. Just need to pick the units I want to drive and do it. Luckily I have my title close at hand because I gotta feeling the next purchase I make will take place pretty quickly once I find the perfect vehicle because deep down, I am ready but just need the vehicle to surpass what the Golf gives me!

suydam

16 pairs of shorts! I have 4. It’s funny how what seems barely enough for one person seems a huge number to another. I’m not like my son who travels for months at a time with 1 little backpack, but we did seriously downsize a few years back. Went from a 2500 sq ft 4 bedroom house with finished basement to a 1000 sq ft condo. Best move we ever made. The big house was great with all 3 kids plus my father, but way too much for us empty nesters. Here in California the outdoors — patios and courtyards— is also part of the living and dining space year round, so we don’t feel cramped but just right.

stickguy

being able to be outside almost every day is a nice plus. Up here in winterland, you get stuck inside a whole lot more.

Suy, that sounds like our house. I think it is more space than we need. My wife has trouble conceiving of going to less space. Though I have shown her a few places she was fine with that were considerably less SF, just laid out much better. once we finally get to actually finding a place, I am sure I will get her to concede, but likely sill going to be in the 1,800-2,000 SF range. which is fine by me, as long as the main level is nice and open. And it has a good sized garage! And I would love to ditch the basement.

suydam

Few basements on the West Coast. I loved ours in the Midwest but what a haven for stashing stuff no one quite knew what to do with! It helps actually that housing is so much more expensive here — we couldn’t afford anything bigger! So our easy choice was living where we want, in a small space, or a big house where we no longer need or want to live. We were also inspired by friends who did the same thing — in different locations — and were very happy.

Drivingfool

Trust me, I think I could leave Florida completely but, I want to be near the girls. So, I'll just follow them and be happy where ever that is. Also, as one gets older, nice to have family near if needed. Since I really had no family to speak of after 1988 when I basically just checked out of the madness, I don't want to see a repeat of that. And once I do fully retire, I'd like to be able to see them when ever they want but without being always going over. I realize that they both have a life and must live it. But if they need me for anything, I'll be right there, no matter what!

kyfdx

Member needs advice:
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/53864/mazda/3/2018-mazda-3-vs-elantra-sport-which-should-i-get#latest

laurasdada

I'll go with 35 punches; not sure if I'll be one of them.

I own a 2/2 condo ~1100sq ft. for just my lonesome. And, occasionally, my still growing 20 yo son. In town, walk to everything location, which I love. Seasonal pool/hot tub and nice gym. But, only one underground parking space and no real guest spaces. There is a lot of parking around the buildings, but it's town owned and there's an overnight restriction during the winter months. ~2 blocks away is town parking with no overnight restriction. And, every so often, other owners offer the rental of an underground space. So, owning two cars would be a bit of a trick for me, but doable.

I'm all over the place as far as replacing the XF (or again mid-lifing addition with a fun type car); perhaps it's the wounded animal care taker in me, but I'm still intrigued by the Giulia. New A/S5 or used MB S Coupe would be suitable replacements. But, I'm having a growing desire for a newer Porsche 911 (just a phase, I'm sure) and the Rube Goldberg (used) BMW i8 also appeals to my sense of weird. Perhaps another Jag XK, still gorgeous, luxurious and V8. I could keep the XF, buy the boy (if really needed) a used hatch of some type, e.g. Scion TC or iM, Elantra GT, Vibe/Matrix. Not sure if he'd love, but it's my dime and I'd like the hatch utility occasionally. Or let the boy use the XF (absolutely his #1 choice!) over the summer while I drive the 911i8F-TypeXKCaymanTT.

What's a boy to do?

breld

@laurasdada - oooh, I like that last idea of keeping the XF and indulging in the super fun car! Sounds like if you could get a rental parking space from another tenant that would be ideal.

I just drove the wife's new A5 this morning to get it washed. It's a great all-around, stylish vehicle. She hadn't really considered the S5 based on the extra cost - to me, the A5 is surprisingly quick and with the DSG, is also very smooth and responsive.

The only real unfortunate part is coming straight from the Macan, which she wasn't wanting to get out of anyway, if not for the unfortunate circumstances with her son's behavior in that car. As nice as the Audi is, the Porsche was much more "vault-like" if that makes sense - a very heavy, solid feel.

28firefighter

I know exactly what you're saying, @breld. The VW/Audi/Porsche cars in general have a much more vault like feel relative to other brands. However, it seems that the vault-like feel increases within the marques - VW being the least and Porsche being the most.

One of the first things I noticed about my Dad's Cayenne is how solid and heavy it is relative to our family's previous Audis and my GTI.

Mr_Shiftright

Garages are "stuff magnets". When my neighbor down the block opens his garage door, you couldn't stuff a business card in there--LOL!

kyfdx

That's why we have a walkout basement..

xwesx

suydam said:

16 pairs of shorts! I have 4. It’s funny how what seems barely enough for one person seems a huge number to another.

Yes, very true! I imagine that climate counts, too.

I have two or three pair of shorts (not including my athletic shorts, one pair, that I wear for... athletics!), and all of them were purchased in the last century. I do wear them every year, but not nearly enough to wear them out!

stickguy

one good thing about losing a lot of weight (a good 5" waist size) is you need to go through your wardrobe so you have something to wear. and tend to buy a lot less stuff. so you have just enough for what you need, not a big oversupply. Of course, you also need to donate all the way too big stuff to take advantage.

sda

While I was having the Pilot serviced today, I drove a new Accord EXL 1.5. It listed for around $31k. It drove nicely, quiet, firm but supple ride, good power, comfortable driver seat, direct handling, felt like...a Honda. Interior quality was improved from the last generation and very nice. The upgraded audio had good volume but not much depth/warmth. I even fiddled with the sound settings. Power from the 1.5 and CVT seemed well matched but it didn't seem to be as energetic as my '13 with the 2.4. Would love to try the 2.0T. It was a 10 minute drive, so not really thorough enough to formulate a solid conclusion. Consider me a little underwhelmed. The Pilot came through without needing more than an oil change. That made me happy.

ab348

When I retired I eventually got rid of a pile of office clothing, jackets, dress pants, shirts, ties.I think I filled 3 or 4 large blue bags the size of a large garbage bag. Here are the ties alone that went away, many of which I had not worn in years. I still have an ample selection.

Drivingfool

Also drove a base 2018 Accord yesterday at work and it was very "Camryesque" to be honest. Blindfold me and put me in either and coudn't tell the difference. As with the base Camry's we have, plugged in my iPhone and listened to my music as neither offered SAT radio. Both comfortable though and probably about the same size and guessing similar mpg's.
A co-worker bought a new 2018 left-over Civic EX and he's very pleased with it. Think he mentioned it had SAT radio but don't quote me on it. He had wanted the hatch version but ended up with just a trunk as he said they were dealing as they wanted it off the lot before the new year came. It's white which is very common down here. Not sure I'd be happy with another Civic as my 2006 was just o k, had some issues that surprised me since I had heard Honda's were the best.

Michaell

sda said:

While I was having the Pilot serviced today, I drove a new Accord EXL 1.5. It listed for around $31k. It drove nicely, quiet, firm but supple ride, good power, comfortable driver seat, direct handling, felt like...a Honda. Interior quality was improved from the last generation and very nice. The upgraded audio had good volume but not much depth/warmth. I even fiddled with the sound settings. Power from the 1.5 and CVT seemed well matched but it didn't seem to be as energetic as my '13 with the 2.4. Would love to try the 2.0T. It was a 10 minute drive, so not really thorough enough to formulate a solid conclusion. Consider me a little underwhelmed. The Pilot came through without needing more than an oil change. That made me happy.

I test drove a 1.5T Sport when they first came out, and have similar thoughts. I'd like to try a higher trim level, as the Sport wasn't optioned the way I'd like.

In a completely different direction, I took some time on New Years Day to do another test drive. The vehicle in question is not one that I've mentioned, nor was on my radar, until just recently.

(gosh, I'm starting to sound like @stickguy with all the cloak and dagger)

Anyway, I've seen this vehicle at an apartment complex near my house, and for some odd reason it really appealed to me. Did a little bit of on-line research about it, found a trim level I was interested in, and headed to the local dealer for a test drive.

It is … a 2018 Jeep Compass Trailhawk.

I'm not much of an SUV guy, even though the wife has been driving them for years. I'd prefer my car to have a little more sport to it, but with @jpp5862 getting the Tacoma recently (and him taking it up to the mountains last weekend for some play time), it made me think about getting a similar off-road capable vehicle.

Anyway, the one I drove was dark blue over black interior, and stickered at $32K. The only option on it was the cold weather package, which included both heated seats and steering wheel. What was crazy was the $1500 destination charge.

Salesman pulled it up for me to sit in, while he copied my license and got the dealer plates. I jumped in, and immediately found an issue that was a complete deal breaker for me. The way the headrest was situated, the lower edge of it hit me right at the top of my spine. Quite uncomfortable.

Could I raise it any further? Nope, it was as high as it will go. Lowering it made the problem worse.
Does it tilt out of the way? Nope again.

Salesman comes back, and I decide to go through with the test drive, because why not?

Only one engine and transmission available with the AWD - 2.4L 4-cyl and the 9-speed automatic. Adequate for getting around town, but I sure hope the transmission has a "learning" mode because it really hunted between gears on the test drive (it only had 20 or 30 miles on the odometer). For getting around town, it was decent. Not a sports car by any means, and I didn't get to do anything off pavement, so I had no chance to use the dials and buttons available.

I found it to be a decent size - the Renegade looks too small, and the Cherokee might be a bit too big, though I may come back and test that at a later time to see if it's more comfortable.

Interior was pretty nice - had the U-Connect system, which I've heard good things about. The heated seats and steering wheel were excellent. It was 12 degrees when I took the drive, and I had to turn off the steering wheel and turn down the seats as both got too warm for my liking.

A representative picture:

stickguy

I thought about a few of the jeeps (mostly due to Honcker deals) but never worked up the enthusiasm to go to the dealer to drive any. I really hate the dealer group near me that has jeep. I was pretty sure it was not going to be a finalist anyway, but size wise I did like it (probably a cherokee more though).

Michaell

stickguy said:

I thought about a few of the jeeps (mostly due to Honcker deals) but never worked up the enthusiasm to go to the dealer to drive any. I really hate the dealer group near me that has jeep. I was pretty sure it was not going to be a finalist anyway, but size wise I did like it (probably a cherokee more though).

The dealer closest to me was an AutoNation; they were quite busy on 1/1/19.

Grand Cherokee is way too big, but I might like the Cherokee (again, in Trailhawk trim)

stickguy

yeah, the GC is too big and trucky for me, but the regular cherokee is not too bad.

Drivingfool

The new Compass is a whole lot better than what it replaced. We had many of the old version plus the Patriot and most folks hated them, after driving them, I understood why. But found the 2019 new Compass to be a whole different animal to be honest. Quite enjoyable actually but still don't know why most Jeep's have dismal mpg's! That's the deal breaker for me as I do like the Renegade and Compass and like the seat height as I can slide in/slide out with no issues. Basically, I need a vehicle with decent mpg's high enough off the ground where egress/ingress is just by sliding both ways and the vehicle needs to be less than 185".
The ILX fits these criteria except not so sure of sliding in/sliding out yet since I haven't tried one. But since I sit on a Relax The Back cushion in my vehicle, this might negate that issue. There's an Acura dealer next door to work so should stop in one day when I leave early and the sun is still shining. Most days we leave between 6 and 6:30 and it's dark by 5:45, so that kills any decent test drive.

corvette

I liked the Cherokee I had as a rental in Utah. The UConnect needs the Carplay / Android Auto GPS positioning issues fixed, it was super awful, but would otherwise be very nice. 

It's a little weird that my 2012 G37 doesn't have a heated steering wheel. Altimas, Maximas, and Muranos had them by that model year. My Murano's heated seats were a little weak, but the heated wheel would get hot enough that I'd have to turn it off within a few minutes. 

nyccarguy

corvette said:

I liked the Cherokee I had as a rental in Utah. The UConnect needs the Carplay / Android Auto GPS positioning issues fixed, it was super awful, but would otherwise be very nice. 

It's a little weird that my 2012 G37 doesn't have a heated steering wheel. Altimas, Maximas, and Muranos had them by that model year. My Murano's heated seats were a little weak, but the heated wheel would get hot enough that I'd have to turn it off within a few minutes. 

My Q40 doesn’t have the heated steering wheel either.  It does pass the “goalie bag test.”  

roadburner

As I've said before, the Cherokee Trailhawk was at the top of the list when our plan was to replace the Wrangler. That said, I really like the GC Trailhawk. With the luxury group it has most every bell and whistle the luxury SUVs have couple with real off-road ability. I wish I had the money to pick one up.

tbirdmarco

 The Compass was totally re-designed in 2018, I like the current generation of that to everything in one last year a couple of times a former coworker who had bought a fully top-of-the-line one in black. Also my cousin and his wife for one over the summer again black everything fully loaded. And they like it. Big fan of the grand Cherokee even though it’s an older design. I’d like to ever since it came out back in 2011.   Michael that’s a pretty color combo usual for your test drive yesterday. I only have four pairs of jeans which were replaced with in the past few weeks, I have three old ones I’m donating that were a number of years old and needed to go, and I probably only have four or five pairs of shorts. Shirts longsleeve and short sleeve‘s when I have the most on over anything. Have to go through those and replace some that are old too. Driving  Nice on your report of the Camry and records drove yesterday. My cousin‘s friend I forget what rental car company he works for, what are use the same work just like you do driving fool, he’s a college kid he works three days a week only now. But he always sends my cousin videos of him abusing chargers and challengers with the VA in them. He’s crazy, and he drives a bunch of other stuff too. I think he also got to drive a new Ultima a few weeks back to. They have them here.