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Hey, he wrote about the negatives, it was my responsibility to point out the positives. Just trying to be fair and balanced!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That is probably due to over use of the common garden variety of table salt. Otherwise known as sodium chloride. It costs a lot less than calcium chloride but is very destructive to cement roads/driveways. I use calcium chloride and while it costs more it is far less harmful to cement and I use it very sparingly. I have a flat as a pancake front driveway (very rare here in the Burgh area) and I have the advantage of the afternoon sun for a longer period of time than my neighbors on the other side of the street so I get lots of help that way to.
Son #2 inherited an asphalt driveway about 5 years ago and he religiously seals it every spring because he knows that if he doesn’t it won’t last very long. He also only uses calcium chloride to insure the longest life that he can possibly get from his driveway. On the other hand I have never had to seal my very old concrete driveway.
Another thing that my Son doesn’t like about his driveway is that the nice large flat pad behind his house (rear entry garage) gets so hot that his kids don’t like to play on it when the temperature is above 80 and with the heat we are having lately (mid 90's), playing on it is out of the question. I was over there on Monday to use the pool and I could feel the heat from the black surface just walking down his driveway to get to the pool. Concrete driveways don’t produce that type of heat.
I’ll admit that my concrete driveway has some minor pitting from the previous owners but it isn’t too bad at all considering its age.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I guess I'm just spoiled buy my Club Sport. When Road & Track reviewed the ti the reviewer noted that the rack and pinion steering felt so direct that is was almost like holding a tie rod in each hand.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Me: Hello
Dealer: Richard, this is Elliot at XYZ Motors. How the hell are you?
Me: Elliot! I'm fine. Good to hear your voice.
Dealer: We miss you and that sweet wife,, blab, blab, blab.
Me: We miss y'all, too...blab, blab, blab.
Dealer: Remember when you used to talk about how much you liked the Grand Marquis?
Me; Yes, I still do.
Dealer: Well, I have just the one for you. It's your favorite color combination---black with the tan leather interior. It's a 2010 rental with 17K on it. When it came in yesterday, I thought of you immediately.
Me: I appreciate that. What are you asking?
Dealer: $23,950. You know the MSRP is $31K plus for a 2010. It's a certified listing. I would be happy to give you a good deal on it.
Me: I know you would. You've always been a fair dealer. I still have my '03 Explorer and would want to trade it in on whatever I buy.
Dealer: I remember your Explorer. You maintained it well---nice vehicle. Would you and the wife like to drive down and see the Grand Marquis? I'd be happy to take you two to lunch and have a nice visit.
Me: That's mighty nice of you Elliot. I'll talk it over with the wife and get back to you if we decide to come down.
Dealer: That sounds fine. I just wanted you to know that I had one that you would like, and would try to give you a good price on it. Give the wife my best.
Me; I will, and give your wife my best regards. I appreciate the call a lot. You're mighty nice to think of us.
Dealer: No problem. Hope to see you. Bye now.
Me: Bye
Side note: He really is a nice dealer and a good guy. His wife served on the district school board when I was the personnel director. She was very supportive of my programs.
Question: Are we going to see it? No, Mrs. Richard isn't the least bit interested . She described the car as "an old man's car", "a funeral home car in black", and "not the SUV that we need". I'm fine with her decision. If we wanted a third car, I'd buy it in a minute. We definitely don't need three cars.
Richard
Is this story worth a small star?
When a store is that honest, they deserve a gold star in my book. If there's no symptom of an alignment that's not quite spot on, the store could have made whatever the charge for alignment by just loosening and resetting a few adjustment points.
My car went about 5 years before I had it aligned. It was aligned when new to work on the tire road force variations since the chassis family was sensitive to tire flaws.
But I hit a pothole in the center lane of I-75 and that made a change in the feel of the car so I took it in. They aligned it, told me it was on sale, and I left very happy with their work.
Usually we hear the complaints about the service end of the frontlines, but it's nice to point out the good things that happen.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard
That's what our congressmen tell us.
Richard
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
If this is a sign I'm going to be around for another 50-60 years, some are going to be extremely disappointed....not the least of which is my insureance agent.
It has been a crazy couple of years....survived the storms that practically destroyed my entire house, selling my little business, loss of a parent, etc, etc. Trying to remember....went through a Tahoe, an Accord (which is still in the driveway, I'm just no longer behind the wheel). Test drove waaaaayyyyy more cars than I probably should have. Ended up in the Acura. IIRC, helped two people buy a car (Nissan and Honda). Sold a car (for my late Mother)....the Grand Marquis.
Changed my lifestyle a little bit, not a lot. Liked cigars, but didn't smoke them a lot....on weekends mainly. My Dr asked me how it felt to be an "ex-smoker" after my little "incident". Overall, I feel better than I have in a long time, and certainly better than I have any right to feel. Getting stornger every day, actually.
kyfdx....I'm up for that beer. I'm trying to nail down the next car show, which I think is in Lebanon. We should meet up there.
Again, thanks to all of my Edmunds friends.....I truly do consider all of you friends.
Isn't that the idea. Direct steer is a good thing, It's the sloppy numb feeling some people are looking for.....if they don't want that then they should be buying a Camry or Buick or something.
Speaking of which, when I bought the BMW one reviewer really liked the electronic assist option. Raved about it. It makes the steering wheel feel lighter when going slower, and less power when you are going faster - technically it is a masterpiece of engineering. He thought this was a great option. I tried it out, and I hated it. Why buy a BMW for it's handling, and then get phoney baloney enhanced steering control?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Its all personal preference. My Genesis probably has the most direct (firm) steering of anything I have ever owned. IMO it gets tiresome on the highway constantly correcting it. My Avalon while having no where near the the cornering capabilities of the Genesis was so much better in this regard. On the highway it was just keep the wheel straight ahead and go.
Toyota get its it right IMO. The steering and suspension setup on their cars is isolated and soft, but they are still competent enough. I drove all three of my Yotas at speeds that the police wouldn't be happy with at one time or another and never felt out of control or disconnected from the road. BMWs aren't the ony capable vehicles on the road.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Let me add my voice to the chorus -- wishing you a speedy and comfortable recovery.
Richard
Definitely driver preference, guess that is why some people buy Camrys and some buy BMWs. I have driven Yotas too, and I it feels like I might as well be sitting on the sofa with a bowl of pocorn in my hands, for all it feels like driving a car.
I guess the BMW is more sensitive and direct, so it takes a bit more work but to me, it keeps you engaged. I am driving a car and I am enjoying the whole ambience of experiencing what I am doing. Not saying I am right and soft light steering is wrong, just that it depends on what you prefer.
Most of us, around here are, have grown up with American cars and we have been raised to believe soft quiet, ride, with light steering are all good things, so the idea of feel of the road takes a bit to get used to.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I noticed that too, but I am much too polite to have mentioned it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That reminds me of a neighbor we had. Peter was 70 years old and was in pretty good shape, he would mow his lawn with skimpy shorts and no shirt. He traded in his Lincoln and bought a new Mercedes which he just loved.
One of the neighbors had a barbeque party and Peter's 35 year old girlfriend got sloshed. She went on about how Peter had bought an old man's car and he should have gotten a BMW, it was more of a younger persons car. The more she drank, the more she went on about it.
Moral of the story is don't buy an "old man's car" because you will never hear the end of it, and if you do, don't go to any parties where there is alcohol.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
My first new car was a 1974 Monte Carlo. Some of you may remember that the 1973-1977 Monte Carlo, Cutlass Salon, and Grand Am/Grand Prix were an early attempt by GM to incorporate European driving dynamics into their "personal luxury" sedans and coupes. I couldn't afford a new Bavaria, so when Road and Track tested a Monte and said that it could keep up with a Bavaria on a(wide enough) road I was sold. The high-caster steering and increased steering effort made the car a fairly pleasant drive, although I had to fit stiffer shocks to kill the remaining floating feeling. I remember the owner of our local Chevy dealership mentioning that a lot of customers didn't like the new steering feel because they had to "pay attention to their driving". What a terrifying concept... :P
I also have an '80s BMW brochure that helpfully advises that, when first driving a BMW, "the unfamiliar sensation you are experiencing is called the road".
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Hmm. That's odd. I set the image to be smaller than the gold ones and it displays as a smaller image in my browser. In any case, enjoy!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
rb - "the unfamiliar sensation you are experiencing is called the road".
lol!
We all know that a mere gold star would be a woefully inadequate expression of appreciation in your case.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
A friend of ours recently purchased a new Toyota Venza - it's nice, but too boring for my taste. Absolutely no interesting story on its purchase, either. They walked in and came out with the Toyota about two hours later, trade included. I'm sure they got ripped off, but they probably don't care!
At least they helped the economy that day.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Be careful with your reply. Us old people don't really like being old so we have hair trigger tempers and the least little thing might set us off.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
That is funny, and clever. It would make a good warning label on the dashboard.
It reminds me of last years Audi's ad where he spins the car around and it slides right in a parking space betwen two cars. They said "For people who can drive themselves"...as opposed to the Lexus that can park itself.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
It is smaller on my screen too, but, I suppose, some people are so full of their own importance they don't see it that way.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Be careful with your reply.
Buy a European sports sedan and feel young again!
Was that safe enough?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Heck, I lost two weeks vacation here when that happened!
So much for being "fully vested"! :P
Richard
Heck, I lost two weeks vacation here when that happened!
So much for being "fully vested"!
+1 on that statement, isell. I think we've been around since the very beginning, around '96 or '97.
That's not what you said in post 56229. You're just jealous because mine was bigger. (remind you of the REAL Dick and Jane?)
"Some people are so full of their own importance they don't see it that way."
That wasn't very nice. Since you feel that way, you can have my star. I don't need it to feel good about myself. Remember what Houdini just said about crabby old people and their short fuses.
Richard
Richard
Richard
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
We'll be here all week. And the next. And next year. And probably a decade from now.
Though I'm too young to remember, I can hear the voice of Ed Sullivan in my head when I read that.
Shouldn't "you" be pronounced "yew"?
Glad you said it and not me. But it does remind me that after driving the RAV4 in Florida for 3 weeks, it was a shock to get back into the BMW. I honestly thought all the power steering fluid had leaked out.
After about 30 minutes I was used to it and appreciated how good it felt.
I did read a review of the new Avalon lately, and it said they gave it a slightly edgier look to stay with the times, but they couldn't make it too edgy or it would upset some of the fan base. The key point was though, you could get a top of the line Camry for a lot less money, but, they are basically the same car.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That's not what you said in post 56229
I lied, I don't do it too often but when I tell my wife I don't have any faults, she kind of rolls her eyes, so I have to tell a few minor ones once in awhile so I can have a fault..
Dick and Jane?)
I won't comment, don't want to get chastized again for wandering.
I don't need it to feel good about myself.
Please, take the star, imagine it is as big as you want it to be, just forget the dinner deal.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Richard
I kind of think with the '05 mustang, maybe there had to be a plan to continue it beyond the original retro design. It seems to be working.
With Mercury ending production, i wish it could go out with a bang instead of a whimper.
Revive the Maurader with the last gen 4.6 and Shelby tune or a 5.4 with sound tube, 6 speed trans, Nav/Sync, nice leather, heated/cooled seats, moon roof.
Considering the brand is Mercury, it's better to burn out than fade away.
make the business case work for 5k sales, then make 7200.
can it be done? i don't know.