Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tifighter

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

I am with QB. They seem like a great idea without the range issues. Though a regular hybrid would still be a good step up for us. Next car will definitely be at least that.

Wes, where you live and some of the drives you talk about, an EV seems really limited. Especially in deep winter when range will take a big hit. Unless you would only be looking to use it locally, and not drive to that other big city (like when you take the Audi in for service)?

I don't disagree with any point in the arguments.

However, when the time comes, I would definitely run it when and where I wanted. But, of course, these pioneering days do present challenges for the technology. For me, the biggest restrictor is leaving Alaska. We'll get there, for sure, but it may take some more years yet.

If, for some reason, I end up needing to make the run south with an electric car before then, it will just mean more research and time to get it done. Others have transited the highway with electric cars before, so it can be done (just not at the pace to which I am accustomed).

I've had people tell me for years that I can't travel with an EV. And yet I do. And it's getting easier every day.

stickguy

I meant the plug end in the device (on Apple where the lightning plug end goes)

stickguy

tifighter said:

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

I am with QB. They seem like a great idea without the range issues. Though a regular hybrid would still be a good step up for us. Next car will definitely be at least that.

Wes, where you live and some of the drives you talk about, an EV seems really limited. Especially in deep winter when range will take a big hit. Unless you would only be looking to use it locally, and not drive to that other big city (like when you take the Audi in for service)?

I don't disagree with any point in the arguments.

However, when the time comes, I would definitely run it when and where I wanted. But, of course, these pioneering days do present challenges for the technology. For me, the biggest restrictor is leaving Alaska. We'll get there, for sure, but it may take some more years yet.

If, for some reason, I end up needing to make the run south with an electric car before then, it will just mean more research and time to get it done. Others have transited the highway with electric cars before, so it can be done (just not at the pace to which I am accustomed).

I've had people tell me for years that I can't travel with an EV. And yet I do. And it's getting easier every day.

how easy would it be to make it to Fairbanks, in the winter?

kyfdx

stickguy said:

tifighter said:

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

I am with QB. They seem like a great idea without the range issues. Though a regular hybrid would still be a good step up for us. Next car will definitely be at least that.

Wes, where you live and some of the drives you talk about, an EV seems really limited. Especially in deep winter when range will take a big hit. Unless you would only be looking to use it locally, and not drive to that other big city (like when you take the Audi in for service)?

I don't disagree with any point in the arguments.

However, when the time comes, I would definitely run it when and where I wanted. But, of course, these pioneering days do present challenges for the technology. For me, the biggest restrictor is leaving Alaska. We'll get there, for sure, but it may take some more years yet.

If, for some reason, I end up needing to make the run south with an electric car before then, it will just mean more research and time to get it done. Others have transited the highway with electric cars before, so it can be done (just not at the pace to which I am accustomed).

I've had people tell me for years that I can't travel with an EV. And yet I do. And it's getting easier every day.

how easy would it be to make it to Fairbanks, in the winter?

Easy. You drive to the airport, park and fly. Like a normal person.

breld

stickguy said:

I meant the plug end in the device (on Apple where the lightning plug end goes)

Yup. USB C plug on the devices themselves.

xwesx

breld said:

stickguy said:

I meant the plug end in the device (on Apple where the lightning plug end goes)

Yup. USB C plug on the devices themselves.

Yes, sorry. That's what I meant about USB-C being bi-directional: Both ends use the C fitting. I thought that Apple was going to go exclusively with C, and I think they do have few phone models with that, but now they have Lightning ports on them again.

ab348

breld said:

stickguy said:

is anything (devices) using USB C as the charge or power plug on the device? I only saw it as the other end of the cord (where you plug it into the car or laptop). Just on the Maverick though, I don't have anything else with it.

My iPad and my wife's Macbook both use USB C as the power plug.

Do you mean Lightning? They look similar.

stickguy

my phone an iPad (phones just turned 2 YO and I think the iPad 1 in December) both still have lightning plugs on them.

just checked apple site, and the new iPhone 13 still has lightening plug.

kyfdx

Just got a 12 mini, and it's a lightning plug

breld

@ab348 said:
Do you mean Lightning? They look similar.

venture

stickguy said:

my phone an iPad (phones just turned 2 YO and I think the iPad 1 in December) both still have lightning plugs on them.

just checked apple site, and the new iPhone 13 still has lightening plug.

The Galaxy S21 5G I got a month, or so, ago is USB C.

explorerx4

@breld,
How appropriate that you are looking at a dealer site on your iPad.

corvette

I have a hodgepodge. The iPhone 13 Pro is Lightning, as are the ancient iPad mini 2 and the new iPad (8th generation, I think--I bought it over the Air because it still used the same Lightning connector as my phone), and the AirPods Pro. MacBook Air is USB-C, and my work laptop will also charge over USB-C. I also have an old Fire tablet which I rarely use, which is micro-USB, as well as a cordless LED light with the same connector.

I think most of the newer Android phones have a female USB-C connector on the phone itself. There is talk of Apple going to a completely wireless design with no charge port, but they haven't yet.

mjfloyd1

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a38955362/lightning-lap-2022/

Sandman6472

Learned on a '67 Olds Cutlass, my grandpa's and eventually mine, a '70 Caddy drop top & a '69 Olds Toronado. We had already moved to Florida by this time & my folks had traded in her '68 Eldorado for the convertible. My dad and a couple of his golf buddies new a dealer in Orlando & they had him send three convertibles down & my mom got first pick of colors. Ended up with a white top over a light blue body which was sharp looking I must admit. The other two were a white over white combo and a white over bronze as I recall. The white over white looked good also and would've been my first choice.
Took my driving test in the Cutlass as it was the smallest of the three and I felt super comfortable in it. Little did I know that within five months, I'd be driving it full time!

Sandman6472

As much as I'd like to go EV with my next purchase, doubt that'll happen. A hybrid could work to be honest, but right now with the current situation, have no real clue what's going to happen. One article says by the fall, things should be back to normal while the next says Spring of 2023. No one really knows for sure at this point, so just have to wait & see I guess.
Finally bought the television set on Saturday. Ended up with the Sony 55" Smart one from Best Buy. The salesman recommended it as a better unit even though it cost more then I wanted to spend. My daughter just said to do it, so I did it. She knows I would've gone back & forth & taken another week to make up my mind, so she smartly jumped in and it was a done deal. Best Buy is delivering it on Thursday so that's that. Guess I need to take her when I go car shopping as she'll get me to decide pretty quick I'm betting!
I have an iPhone 12 and it still uses the lightning connector. But my newer MacBook Air uses the usb-C one. Just wish Apple would make up it's mind here and have everything use the new standard, the usb-C cord. Way past due to be honest & surprised that Apple is so far behind Android here as I always thought they were the innovators in tech up to now! As it is now, have too many different cords & wish that they all used the same one already!!!

ab348

breld said:

I have no idea what that is.

fintail

I'd love an EV for in town/commuting duty, as I can charge at work, could put a charger in my garage, and never worry.

However, visiting family on the west side would destroy the fun, I'm not spending 90 minutes in George or Ritzville or Cle Elum or something waiting for juice - assuming I don't have to wait in line for a charger. Short distance EV mode with a ICE travel mode seems ideal until batteries can catch up, I believe that will happen long before we see a legit "autopilot" type feature.

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

I am with QB. They seem like a great idea without the range issues. Though a regular hybrid would still be a good step up for us. Next car will definitely be at least that.

Wes, where you live and some of the drives you talk about, an EV seems really limited. Especially in deep winter when range will take a big hit. Unless you would only be looking to use it locally, and not drive to that other big city (like when you take the Audi in for service)?

I don't disagree with any point in the arguments.

However, when the time comes, I would definitely run it when and where I wanted. But, of course, these pioneering days do present challenges for the technology. For me, the biggest restrictor is leaving Alaska. We'll get there, for sure, but it may take some more years yet.

If, for some reason, I end up needing to make the run south with an electric car before then, it will just mean more research and time to get it done. Others have transited the highway with electric cars before, so it can be done (just not at the pace to which I am accustomed).

stickguy

I don't care if Apple switches over to USB C though it would be a hassle having different plugs at the same time, since I have lightening cords all over the house now.

but they better keep a charging port of some kind. Us old people can't handle trying to be totally wireless. does that mean you would need all new power blocks that were wireless instead of corded? Definitely going to get expensive if I got a new phone that was wireless, since I need to be able to charge a few places in the house, and have cords in both cars.

corvette

mjfloyd1 said:

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a38955362/lightning-lap-2022/

Is that a burgundy Corolla back there? Is that like the "ringer" car on Top Gear, where if a presenter's car breaks down and can't be mended, they have to drive the ringer?

corvette

stickguy said:

does that mean you would need all new power blocks that were wireless instead of corded?

Yes, it would, but Apple doesn't really care about its customers being mildly inconvenienced by having to spend hundreds on new charging hardware.

stickguy

found my music file of 1200 songs on a backup drive, and copied it over to a flash drive. Now just have to see if the old files were in a format that the car will deem to read!

Plan B, start copying my CD collection into iTunes so the phone will pull it into music library (I have a hundred or so already but some weird stuff). Will give me something to do when work is boring.

nyccarguy

So we all know right now isn’t the time to be buying or leasing a car unless you really need one. I need one. The lease is up on my Tacoma on 3/17/2022. My wife’s 2022 Wrangler 4Xe isn’t due in until late March/early April. We still need a 3 row SUV and I’ve decided I’d really like to ditch our Pilot while it has less than 10K miles and is still worth a decent amount. So I’m going to try and sell my truck to the highest bidder and will be thrilled to get about $2K more than the buyout. I’m closing in fast towards 53,000 miles.

I’ve decided to go for a Highlander as our next family hauler. The Hybrids seem to be scarce. So the V6/AWD combo it will be. The lease prices make me want to vomit. I’ve been quoted $700, $689, & $649 per month for 36/15K 1st DAS. Even though I’ve been preaching and drinking leasing kool aid, given the miles I drive, should I just finance?

stickguy

if they are offering cheap finance rates, quite possibly. Once I did the math on the Maverick there was no way to justify leasing it. I took the 3 year 0 percent financing. Still have a stiff payment, but at least at the end of the term, I own it free and clear! I did a quick spreadsheet and even leasing to buy was going to be many $1,000s more.

So the plan is to unload the Taco and buy the highlander as a keeper, then when the Jeep shows up, lease that and sell the (paid off?) Pilot?

if so, it works out the same as turning in the taco and getting a new lease to replace it, and keeping the SUV as a longer term purchase vehicle.

my neighbor got a Hybrid Highlander last year (to replace a well used 2005ish Pilot) and they love it.

stickguy

what model? My local (large) dealer is showing 18 Highlanders. 2 gas (an LE and XLE) as in stock (who knows if true). then 14 gas and 2 hybrids as in stock.

they are selling at sticker at least.

when I stopped in the fall to look at a Taco before deciding on the Maverick I chatted with the salesguy and he said they almost never had stock but did not custom order, so you just had to snag something off the in transit list before someone else took it.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

So we all know right now isn’t the time to be buying or leasing a car unless you really need one. I need one. The lease is up on my Tacoma on 3/17/2022. My wife’s 2022 Wrangler 4Xe isn’t due in until late March/early April. We still need a 3 row SUV and I’ve decided I’d really like to ditch our Pilot while it has less than 10K miles and is still worth a decent amount. So I’m going to try and sell my truck to the highest bidder and will be thrilled to get about $2K more than the buyout. I’m closing in fast towards 53,000 miles.

I’ve decided to go for a Highlander as our next family hauler. The Hybrids seem to be scarce. So the V6/AWD combo it will be. The lease prices make me want to vomit. I’ve been quoted $700, $689, & $649 per month for 36/15K 1st DAS. Even though I’ve been preaching and drinking leasing kool aid, given the miles I drive, should I just finance?

Wouldn’t a Toyota tend to be a better purchase anyway given the reliability? To me you only lease a car that you expect to start having problems after 3 years.

corvette

@stickguy I have all the music I listen to on the iPhone. On the new phone, I have more than enough room to put my entire collection on the phone, but I don't think that I've done it yet. I would listen to terrestrial radio before trying to mess with copying files to a USB drive in hopes the car would read it.

@nyccarguy Have you seen the asking prices on Pilots with over 100k miles?
Not sure what the selling price would be on your chosen trim level Highlander, but $40k financed at 2.5% for 60 months is $710 per month. So, basically, two more years of similar payments (vs. the lease), and you own it outright.

explorerx4

I've read that leasing in general is becoming a less desirable option than it has been.
Are you going to trade the Pilot on a Highlander and then sell the Taco when the Jeep arrives?
Do I have that right?

stickguy

the only reason I was leasing (well, besides cash flow!) was because of the big lease subsidies. Without those makes a lot more sense to buy (for the right car, something without horrific depreciation at least!)

corvette

I'm assuming for logistical reasons due to the expected delivery date of the 4xe, the plan is to sell the Taco now and cash out whatever equity is in it, and buy a Highlander, then sell the Pilot when the 4xe arrives.

stickguy

corvette said:

@stickguy I have all the music I listen to on the iPhone. On the new phone, I have more than enough room to put my entire collection on the phone, but I don't think that I've done it yet. I would listen to terrestrial radio before trying to mess with copying files to a USB drive in hopes the car would read it.

@nyccarguy Have you seen the asking prices on Pilots with over 100k miles?
Not sure what the selling price would be on your chosen trim level, but $40k financed at 2.5% for 60 months is $710 per month. So, basically, two more years of similar payments (vs. the lease), and you own it outright.

well, the music is on the USB stick and the stick is in the car. Tomorrow when I go out I will find out how it works!

I would put it on the phone but I think the file was not an itunes library (though maybe it was? I have a bunch of them!) I might be able to copy that into my existing itunes file but most likely I would have to overlay it and thinking it could mess it up. So if the stick works, all good for now Just one more option.

I will see how that works, then see how the phone music works. If the phone is a big improvement I will start copying more cds into iTunes and see how that works.

stickguy

corvette said:

I'm assuming for logistical reasons due to the expected delivery date of the 4xe, the plan is to sell the Taco now and cash out whatever equity is in it, and buy a Highlander, then sell the Pilot when the 4xe arrives.

that was my interpretation too.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

I'm assuming for logistical reasons due to the expected delivery date of the 4xe, the plan is to sell the Taco now and cash out whatever equity is in it, and buy a Highlander, then sell the Pilot when the 4xe arrives.

@explorerx4 - my friend @corvette here explained it perfectly.

explorerx4

Ok, so buy the Highlander then sell the Taco. Otherwise you are down to one vehicle.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

@stickguy I have all the music I listen to on the iPhone. On the new phone, I have more than enough room to put my entire collection on the phone, but I don't think that I've done it yet. I would listen to terrestrial radio before trying to mess with copying files to a USB drive in hopes the car would read it.

@nyccarguy Have you seen the asking prices on Pilots with over 100k miles?
Not sure what the selling price would be on your chosen trim level Highlander, but $40k financed at 2.5% for 60 months is $710 per month. So, basically, two more years of similar payments (vs. the lease), and you own it outright.

I'm looking at an XLE trim with a sticker price somewhere around $45K. Plus 6.35% sales tax ($2,857) = $47,857 before interest charges. The payment comes to approximately $800 per month.

cdnpinhead

corvette said:

stickguy said:

does that mean you would need all new power blocks that were wireless instead of corded?

Yes, it would, but Apple doesn't really care about its customers being mildly inconvenienced by having to spend hundreds on new charging hardware.

Fixed

stickguy

so not much more than a lease. Can always put a little bit of money down. Or pay it down when the Pilot sells.

stickguy

I actually have been just listening to FM when driving around local. Being close to Philly there are actually a lot more station options than I expected there to be.

non-FM options are needed when we take a trip.

mjfloyd1

@kyfdx said:
Easy. You drive to the airport, park and fly. Like a normal person.

Generator and gas cans in the trunk works too

mjfloyd1

@xwesx said:
I fully agree with you! I was at Costco this weekend and toyed with the idea of getting this cordless work light system (very cheap, which is why it was appealing versus something like DeWalt or Milwaukee). However, it uses a microUSB to recharge. Seriously, who builds stuff with microUSB anymore?! Of all the USB options, I think micro is the worst for long-term reliability.

My insulin pump uses micro USB for recharging so I’m fully committed.

Weird episode Sunday- pump says I have 0.5 units left so I stick needle in insulin cartridge and withdraw 100 units. That seems like it is reading pretty close… Oh well. I get a new pump next year. Apparently the warranty is 4 years so you get a new under warranty pump every four years. Seems like it would be cheaper to have them get a squaretrade/Allstate warranty with a pump that is working…(yes, that’s a joke)

ab348

stickguy said:

well, the music is on the USB stick and the stick is in the car. Tomorrow when I go out I will find out how it works!

I have used a USB flash drive for my music in the ATS for years since local radio here is just awful for music choices. The CUE system was a bit finicky for me at first but it is OK now that I've figured out its quirks. When you insert the USB drive it takes a while for the songs to be indexed so it can let you select an artist or whatever, or if you want it to shuffle play randomly (that's what I do). But after that it works pretty well. For reasons I have never figured out there are always a handful of songs it ignores and never plays, but there are enough on there that I don't bother trying to fix that.

tjc78

I’ve had several cars going back to 2009 that took a USB for music. All worked well, especially in shuffle mode.

I had a few hard drives loaded to gills will all 100% legally obtained music and during the move two of them got corrupted. Still have boatloads of MP3 CDs and DVDs I burned before the hard drives, but currently no computer that has an optical drive. I’m going to have to buy one to get all that music back.

Quite honestly in the car Pandora and Amazon music fit the bill quite well. As @stickguy pointed out our FM choices here aren’t that bad either (especially if you are an 80s nut like myself)

ab348

Up here in Canada cellular data is expensive like most everything, so using that for in-car music is not an option for me.

oldfarmer50

Ok, who wants this option?

https://www.powernationtv.com/post/ford-submits-patent-for-a-magnetic-truck-bed?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Ford+Submits+Patent+for+a+Magnetic+Truck+Bed

stickguy

That looked like a cool, but totally unneeded, feature.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

so not much more than a lease. Can always put a little bit of money down. Or pay it down when the Pilot sells.

A hundred dollar difference between buying vs. lease? Seems a no brainer to me but I’m not a big lease guy so what do I know.

stickguy

Well, plus 2 years payments. So quick mental math, maybe about $26,000?

stickguy

Years ago I spent a ton of time importing CDs. Had 100s loaded into iTunes. But somewhere along the way between switching computers and a crash, and swapping phones, all the import stuff got lost. Really not looking forward to doing that again!

graphicguy

@nyccarguy ….I like those Highlanders. Looked at them about a year and a half ago. Hybrids are “dogs”. V6 is the better option. Really, found that if you put a Lexus badge on them, no one would be the wiser.

Payments seem HIGH! Assuming no discounts?

stickguy

Lucky to get at flat sticker these days. Incentives and discounts rarely exist. Not on anything you might want to own!

And subsidized leases are a distant memory.