Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

I agree with that... but, I think in this case, he is getting value other than the good feeling derived from helping others.. He just wants to hang out at the golf tournament and rub elbows with the pros..

I have a friend who set up a group that does charitable acts, but is focused on our suburb... which, considering the needs of the rest of the metropolitan area, seems a little silly.. But, I help when he asks, because he is a friend of mine..

ateixeira

Enjoy. I wonder if you will use just one car, or get to try several?

michaellno

Thanks for the positive thoughts. Not sure when I'll know which group I'll be assigned to. Have transportation marked as #1 priority - am hoping my age and driving record are looked upon favorably.

I suspect that I would get a different vehicle each shift. Probably either 5- or 7-series or perhaps an X5.

It's important to note that the PGA Tour works with local charities for each tournament, so I think of it as helping them, not the wealthy players. Most of whom are pretty nice guys - my dad has met many of them over the years when he worked the tournament in California.

stick - yeah, that was me talking about Bermuda a few weeks ago. Not gonna happen.

ateixeira

If you're driving Tiger and you see a blonde swinging a baseball bat, HIT THE GAS!

michaellno

If you're driving Tiger and you see a blonde swinging a baseball bat, HIT THE GAS!

Avoid trees and fire hydrants as well. Check.

Gonna be a long 17 months before this happens.

ateixeira

Gives us time to speculate about what cars they will bring.

michaellno

Gives us time to speculate about what cars they will bring.

The BMW Championship has started to rotate the courses it is played on. Last year it was in Indiana; this year it is outside Chicago. Next year Denver.

Given the cargo needs (luggage + clubs), I suspect lots of X5's.

ateixeira

Maybe some 5s and 7s.

I'd rather sample a 4 series (should be out, no?) but no way they'll have coupes.

michaellno

Maybe some 5s and 7s.

I'd rather sample a 4 series (should be out, no?) but no way they'll have coupes.

3-series wagons and the 3 GT, perhaps?

Hey, to me, any BMW will be tremendous step up from the ION. :shades:

corvette

When I went to Art Basel in Miami a few years ago, it looked like they had a small fleet of X6s.

michaellno

When I went to Art Basel in Miami a few years ago, it looked like they had a small fleet of X6s.

I suppose an X6 is large enough for 3 people and luggage + clubs.

Speaking of BMWs, I found this.

Can't be many of them with manuals available, eh?

ateixeira

Unicorn. Forgot those came that way.

crkyolfrt

"this"

Wow..those wheels are the absolute classiest I have ever seen on a car at any price. Just great.

corvette

Curb rash on at least one of the wheels, but it does appear to have really expensive Michelin Pilot Sport tires. But, I can speak from experience that a V8 BMW will probably be a money pit!

ateixeira

Nice pano roof, too!

roadburner

I had a 6er droptop for a press loaner. Nice car, but it didn't make me covet owning one.

stickguy

I could live with that BMW. but not for 24K.

Sandman6472

Today's four trips from Miami to Lauderdale turned into five at the last moment, an eight hour day but hey, I was thrilled! Drove a Cruze, couple of Camry's, a Malibu and a Quest and the Cruze wasn't that awful but very loud on acceleration and my '06 Civic does it so much better! It was noisy when i hit the pedal and it did stumble a bit something the civic does with ease. I'd really love to try a new Cruze and a new Verano to see what the difference is as compared to the Civic and Elantra, both superior vehicles in my humble opinion. Don't think the Verano is worth the higher price but since I haven't tried one yet, it's all speculation on my part...I'm just going by the lousy Cruze's I've driven up to now. A bit unfair maybe but they are basically the same vehicle under the skin i think.

Have errands and things today so had to refuse work and I felt bad as they were scrambling to replace me but I have no choice. I've been scheduling things 2 days/month so I am free the other days for them. Monday was a waste but couldn't move anything around when I tried. Such is life I guess!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

kyfdx

I'm guessing that the higher trim level Cruzes with the turbo-4 would be a bid difference...

ateixeira

3er is a hardtop and weighs a bunch less. And cheaper. Easy choice for me.

ateixeira

Isn't even the base engine bigger?

Plus all the insulation, and nicer materials.

I sat in one, it was nice but seemed small, so I didn't look too closely.

nyccarguy

hey qbrozen, I haven't seen a leaf update from you in a while. How is it living with an EV? Has your electric bill gone up? What's the furthest you've gone with it?

qbrozen

I haven't noticed any difference in the electric bill.

We've gone over 1500 miles in it so far.

I'm not sure on single trip distance. I did drive it to work yesterday. I wanted to see what it would do with the warmer weather. By the time I got to work, it was telling me I was on track to travel 106 miles on the charge. I was driving efficiently, but not as efficient as I could. I did give it full throttle from 0-50mph to pull into traffic once, and I spent a good part of the trip over 45mph.

Unfortunately, I then had to rush over to my son's school in the afternoon, which meant lots of highway time. Still, though, I finished the trip with 60 miles on the odometer and about 25 left in the batteries.

Sandman6472

I think it's the perfect sized vehicle but I've been driving this size since the mid '70's. Sometimes have to drive a Suburban and sister vehicle at work & am freaked out by it's size. Last week almost got a 12 pack, again something I'm real hesitant about. Luckily the last time I had a Suburban, another driver who prefers them swapped with me for an Escape, more my size! I just don't feel safe in a real large SUV or larger vehicle but sometimes have no choice as I just can't say "no"! This is the one major bad part of this job, we don't get to choose what we drive...we drive what the customer has. And yesterday I heard the Hertz bought out Dollar/Thrifty which would explain the changes going on at work, secretive as they are.

Headliner guys just left...they said it was the 1st time it hasn't worked. They did something and want to come back a 2nd time to look at it and then a 3rd time if this didn't take. I said "no way" as I'm not giving up two more work days to get this done. Come back next week and just replace it...don't understand this stupidity! Nuts!!! Then we were supposed to get the dryer vent cleaned out. A half hour before, they call & cancel...when i said I took the day off to get this done they were like, it's not our problem...I was so pissed off the wife is going to handle this when she's free. They needed me to work today as they were short & I had to say no and now I have to say no for next Thursday morning because of the headliner. Folks don't just give a rat's [non-permissible content removed] about inconveniencing others and it really does stink! Always taught my kids that's the one thing you can not do to others...ever!

The Pissed Off Sandman :mad: :sick: :shades:

corvette

That makes two of us who are annoyed. Budget "upgraded" me from a compact car to a Nissan Xterra. I was kind of looking forward to driving a Focus. I haven't driven it much yet, but so far I don't see the appeal of the Xterra.

abacomike

The Pissed Off Sandman

No respect any more from service providers. It's like they are doing you a favor to do business with them. Service used to be something that put competitors above one another, but not anymore. One is as bad as the other.

Although I have noticed one company down here that strives to satisfy its customers - COMCAST. The are either on time or early for an appointment and if the have to cancel or are late, they credit your account fo a day's service or more. It's the only company I do business with that does not disappoint me.

tjc78

Comcast has certainly gotten better that is for sure. I guess that You Tube video of the tech falling asleep in a customer's home was the turning point.

imidazol97

Comcast now owns 100% of NBC "Progressive." It's not a company that responds to input from shareholders.

tjc78

It's not a company that responds to input from shareholders.

That's no surprise! I was only referring to the fact that they get to your home on time!

fintail

I don't think most corporations give a rat's butt about the political ideals of some of their shareholders :shades: ...not to mention Comcast founder Snider isn't known to be into "progressive" ideals anyway.

I will say when I have needed Comcast service, they have been very prompt.

abacomike

Comcast now owns 100% of NBC "Progressive." It's not a company that responds to input from shareholders

I don't doubt your take on this, tjc, I was just referring to their very prompt service and on-time reliability. Nothing else.

As for "progressivism," yes, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC have all shown evidence of being "very" left of center when it comes to reporting, opinions, etc. As for MSNBC, it is almost "extreme" left.

On Fox, you have Hannity whom I consider to be extreme right.

But this has nothing to do with what I posted about - and that was about companies that are first rate when it comes to respect for their customer's time and on-timemanship. So forgive me for digressing.

tjc78

I don't doubt your take on this, tjc, I was just referring to their very prompt service and on-time reliability. Nothing else.

I was too! That comment wasn't made by me, but Imidazol97.

abacomike

I was too! That comment wasn't made by me, but Imidazol97

Sorry, tjc, I didn't see "italics" with the comment, so I though it was part of your comments.

imidazol97

And the rest of my message was interrupted by a phone call I had to take...

Comcast seems to have a real problem with customer service. In broadband discussions I've gotten the impression they are showing roots from T in their recent ownership. It originally was connected to part of the Bell system.

http://www.google.com/search?q=comcast+complaints&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Sea- rchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7AURU_enUS498

Instead of buying a network, they might do better by improving customer service, but based on TimeWarner in this area, spending money on customer service doesn't make profit so it doesn't get done.

abacomike

Instead of buying a network, they might do better by improving customer service, but based on TimeWarner in this area, spending money on customer service doesn't make profit so it doesn't get done.

*imidazol, down here in southeast Florida, they seem to be better at customer service than in some of their other markets. About a year ago, they were awful, but they have certainly changed their customer service response time as well as attitude in the past 11-12 months.

When you call Comcast (Xfinitiy) for a problem, you are being fed into a regional office. I end up with Atlanta personnel even though Atlanta is many hundreds of miles from my location.

When the service tech gets to my place, they are meticulous and courteous at all times. If this was a year or more ago, I would have to agree with you, but lately, they have been much better.

I have no other choices for cable TV in my area - Xfinity is the only choice since I cannot hook up a satellite dish in my complex. So, they have me as a "captive" audience - no choice. As for high speed internet, I could use AT&T, but their broad band is not as fast.

I am now paying $126.00 a month for HD expanded cable TV, high speed internet (17-20 mps) and a phone, which I rarely use unless I am by my PC. If I did not want the phone, it would cost me $20.00 a month more - go figure. So now I have 3 phones - AT&T for landlines and mobile, and Comcast for computer hook-up telephone.

I guess I could talk to three different people at the same time without having to conference a call. When it rains, sometimes it just pours! What can I say.

ateixeira

For that would you have to venture off pavement! :shades:

ateixeira

Comcast had poor tech support for us - every time we called they'd get the cable modem model and ID, then I'd spend an hour on the phone. On the 6th call I got someone competent and right away he told me my cable modem was an old model that need to be replaced.

My question is, why didn't the first 5 calls resolve that? Why even ask for information if you're not going to use it?

We changed to much quicker FIOS and haven't looked back.

Not that Verizon is fault free, their DVR is simply lousy compared to TiVO.

crkyolfrt

When this type of so-called 'upgrade' happens against your will, do they offer you a fuel cost differential credit? It would be fairly substantial between those two.

tjc78

I am now paying $126.00 a month for HD expanded cable TV, high speed internet (17-20 mps) and a phone, which I rarely use unless I am by my PC. If I did not want the phone, it would cost me $20.00 a month more - go figure. So now I have 3 phones - AT&T for landlines and mobile, and Comcast for computer hook-up telephone.

Mike, if you have Comcast phone you DO NOT need AT&T any longer. Comcast's phone can be made to work throughout your whole home. Call AT&T and ditch them, then make Comcast hook up your phone properly so it works on every outlet in your home. You are wasting money paying Comcast and AT&T for landline service.

corvette

Nein.. I'm not driving that far anyway. I think I would have enjoyed a Prius at least as much, though. I drove one of the toll roads in TX with an 85 MPH limit today, and remembered that Nissan's cruise control won't go over 89 MPH, which was just as well, since the wind noise at 86 or above was brutal.

abacomike

Mike, if you have Comcast phone you DO NOT need AT&T any longer.

Tell that to my 90 year old father! He refuses to give up his AT&T Phone Service. I've tried, but he is very stubborn. He refuses to change anything. So, I live with that idiosyncrasy of his, and many, many more.

But I appreciate the heads up!

stever

Funny. my mom has plenty of money but she's 91 and hated paying her phone bill so much, she got a pre-paid cell. She's saving a few bucks but don't try talking to her for more than a couple of minutes!

Sandman6472

Had dual runs to Jupiter today, the 1st from Florida City and the 2nd from Coconut Creek, both for Enterprise. Had a Dodge Charger and then a Chrysler 200...great vehicles and super smooth. Been to Jupiter like six times this week already. On Monday we did an Orlando run after two to Jupiter and I finally got to drive a VW Eos and it was outstanding, absolutely outstanding! Great seats with side bolsters that weren't too tight or too loose...they were just right. Brisk acceleration when needed though the brakes were a bit wonkey at times...this vehicle wants to be driven. There were three of us plus the chase vehicle and we left around 3:45 and got back to Lauderdale by 10:30 or so...it was a very easy ride as we kept it in a straight line going up even though I lagged behind a bit. The other three drivers were more lead footed than I so I had to play catch up from time to time...I personally like to set the cruise for 77 or 78 on a 70 mph road while the others were doing over 80. I didn't want a ticket, again, so I have to be very vigilant now and pull it back a bit. That was hard to do as this Eos really begged to be driven...it really would be the perfect vehicle for me except the doors were a bit heavyish for me to close with my bad spine...I really need a sedan with it's lighter doors but if that weren't an issue, I'd love to have this Eos for my d d.

I must say that out of all the vehicles I've driven in the last few months since I started this job, I still prefer the Hyundai/Kia models the best with the Dodge/Chrysler twins a close second here. I love the variety in this job and never knowing what I will drive on any job and I always ask G-d for something fun to drive. I prefer the compact and mid sized vehicles the best as even though we pay $5/week for insurance, if we have an accident or back up over those spikes and damage a tire, they take it out our pay for some reason, $100/pay check. Seems unfair since we pay for the insurance anyways and have still yet to be given a believable reason as to why this is...pretty infuriating actually! That's the worst thing about this job! All I know is that I am super careful and show the crew chief every knick or scratch so it can be documented...this week I had a Camry with a crack in the windshield that i saw once we almost got out of the parking garage in the light. I pulled right over and had him document that it was there before I took the vehicle out of the garage just to cover my [non-permissible content removed]...I am super careful and after checking for fuel level, I walk around the vehicle and look closely at it all.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stickguy

did spring cleaning on 1/2 the fleet today. Washed and cleaned the insides (man, there was a lot of grit and crap on the floors) of the RDX and the Volvo. IOW, the "good" cars. The Integra could use a wash, but since I take it out of the garage maybe 1x a week, not a big rush. And the TL is off at college still, and that will take a long time to detail when it finally comes home!

even cleaned the dirty wheels on the S40 with a bottle of stuff I found in my box of products in the garage. Look a whole lot shinier and cleaner now. The RDX also cleaned up nice. Discovered too that the carpet mats have some sort of velcro-like backing to keep them from sliding. Neat idea, except when you are trying to position the 1 piece rear seat mat and you can't slide it around!

at some point I'll try to get them waxed. RDX still doing good from the dealer detail, and I did the Volvo late in the fall so still beads up nice.

michaellno

I washed the MINI yesterday - it was filthy from the dirty snow we had earlier in the week. Apparently, a dust storm intersected with the snow storm so when the sno melted it left a bunch of dirt behind.

Also cleaned the wheels much better looking.

Sandman6472

Our Mazda3 is a similar vehicle to the Volvo you have and for some reason, the rear brakes seem to give off more dust than the fronts, something I noticed early on. I even had them swap out the original pads as I thought they were the problem, turns out they were. I've seen the same issue on other 3's and S40's and since I had a complete brake job done on the rears a few years back, that issue has all but disappeared. Noticed that the headlamps are getting more oxidized so will address this issue when it gets detailed next week. I bet some elbow grease and clay would shine it up nicely and hopefully my detail guy can work his magic! It still is a nice looking vehicle which runs like a top so it's staying in the herd for the for the time being.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

ateixeira

I still prefer the Hyundai/Kia models the best with the Dodge/Chrysler twins a close second here

A few short years ago we would not have believed you.

I would even take 4 photos of each car you drive with a smart phone. I do that when I rent.

ateixeira

I did a Rain-X treatment on 2 of my cars.

Who else hates the residue on your hands when you're done? I should wear gloves!

imidazol97

Did you do any special cleaning to windshield before applying RainX?

Sandman6472

That really is an outstanding idea as I have no idea what I've driven after a day or two and don't have it written down on my spreadsheet like others do. Great idea and I will start doing this next time I work. Thanks for the idea. Yesterday it would've been tough as I literally drove over 40 vehicles, some from the 4th floor down to the 1st and vice versa. That's what happens when we work in the airport and do lot to lot. We also brought damaged vehicles over to the garage area and brought freshly repaired one's back to be rented. Was exhausting but fun actually.

Thanks for the great suggestion and I will start next time I work!

The Sandman :sick: :shades: