It seems with all the GPS technology readily available on phones, cars, even watches, that a miniature location device for cats and dogs can't be too far away
Here is one product that is still made in America. This is very interesting, seeing how Wilson makes footballs for the NFL. I always wonered how footballs were made. At least they aren't being made in China yet. How they make footballs
That Zoombak is a cool thing. The initial cost of $100 is not bad, it is the $13 a month that seems a bit much. If running away was a constant problem I would certainly want one.
Thanks. I will tell my niece about the Zoombak after this all settles down. Seems like a good idea to me, and you can choose from several options for the monthly, which may work out better for them.
With many car buy stories or when advice has been given to buyers the phrase "Always be willing to walk away" has come up a numer of times. I knew what this was about in theory but I had never experienced the power of walking away on a personal level before.
My nephew and I looked at a cheap car last week which would have been worth the price if everything worked. The seller said he was totally firm on his price so it was an easy yes-no decision. it turned out that the car had problems with the brakes which would have cost a minimum of $250. Combined with a no dicker position on the part of the seller it tipped the decision to "no". We walked.
A week later the seller has the car listed again for $250 less than his "firm" price and he's confessing to "might need a brake line".
My nephew is still going to pass mainly because it looks like the seller might be a title flipper, but it was still good to see that the adage "don't be afraid to walk" has some value.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
he seller has the car listed again for $250 less than his "firm" price and he's confessing to "might need a brake line".
These people don't have a lot of scruples. His price is firm one week but when he can't sell the car he lowers his price. The good thing is you can pull out all the stops to use in your defence. So, if you think the car is worth while at all, I think you are within your rights to go in with a real low ball offer.
If you get the car great, if not, no big loss. He has not been that truthful.
My son has even added a neat wrinkle to "walking". He was interested in an antique car, but, the seller had it way overpriced, and, refused to negotiate at all. My son wrote his offer on one of his business cards, told the guy to call if he ever decided to get reasonable, and walked away. 3 months later, the guy called him, and sold him the car at the offered price - exactly half of the original "firm" price.
Years and years ago we were looking at a new Pontiac. The offered price wasn't bad, but it wasn't what we wanted to pay.
My wife has trouble expressing her opinion in front of people (You know - not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings) so we told the salesman we would let him know the next day after we talked it over. We, more than likely, would have bought at the offered price.
After we got in our car to leave, the salesman appeared at the window and said we had a deal at our price. :surprise:
My son wrote his offer on one of his business cards,
Great idea! Leaving the business card is very smart for several reasons. The salesman has something real to remind him, he has the phone number, it seems to be pretty serious that you are interested enough to actually leave him your number....at the end of the day he might think your offer wasn't out of line at all..........and you have the car at the price you wanted to pay.
>And... the plant closes at 1:00 PM on Fridays!! Nice work week..
I wonder how many people driving up I-75 between Lima and Findlay Ohio realize they are passing within a mile or so of the source of all NFL footballs. They probably perceive they are driving through a relative wasteland other than some clusters of business buildings and light industry in spots along that strip.
oldfarmer....I've seen it "work" (or keep me from making a mistake) when I've walked away from a deal I felt was too lopsided.
It's no secret I ordinarily just make one offer. I'll deviate from that from time-to-time (mostly on used cars), but usually just one offer.
The offer is made after much research. I check sources on-line, Edmunds and elsewhere. I check newspaper ads for the car I'm interested in (usually from local papers, Indianapolis, and as far away as checking the car ads in the Chicago Tribune).
Word of caution....in the Prices Paid forum here, while it's pretty easy to spot, there are lots of posts who outline deals that just aren't realistic. I know of no dealership who will take a loss on a vehicle, or just break even, unless there are some odd and very rare circumstances involved. Somewhere along the line, the dealership is making money on the trade, fees, additional accessories, etc, if they aren't showing a profit on the car, itself.
After that, I check dealer's stock. Online it's getting easier and easier to do that.
Then, I call the dealership to set up a test drive and reconfirm stock levels. Narrow down my choices (and dealerships). Go in, make my offer.....it's either yes, or no, in which case I walk.
I don't wait for a counter offer, as I explain what I'm going to do upfront. If they want to grind me, I walk. The grinder dealerships are the ones who keep calling me back to revisit the negotiation table it seems, too.
Don't know if this works for everyone, or if everyone would do it that way. It works for me, though.
isell...I know you say some customers were miserable, grinding the last $50 out of the deal. But, I find dealerships can be the same way.....trying to grind the same $50 out of every deal.
I find that it is much easier buying a new car than a used one, particularly a sub $2000 vehicle Small things can double the value or make it worth less than scrap. With a new car the value can be determined much easier.
With old clunkers the books can tell you that car X has a value of $2000 but that may be based on so little sales data that it can be skewed by a few very good or very bad ones.
The only saving grace I have is that I have driven so many old clunkers myself I can usually spot a lot of mechanical issues which I've had to fix on my own beater fleet. :lemon:
This latest car shopping task continues to be an education for me which is one of the reasons it's so much fun.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
A lost of the so called "Prices Paid" postings are pure fiction. I could spot the ones that wer just plain impossible. A couple of times I tried, nicely, to explain that a certain price couldn't have happened.
This didn't set well with one of the hosts so I just stopped visiting those forums. I didn't appreciate getting scolded for calling out bad information.
I'm not sure why this happens? Maybe they forgot there was a trade involved, maybe it's oneupmanship or maybe they just don't remember what they actually paid.
People would read these posts and of course, if they liked the numbers they read they would expect us to match or even beat them.
I know of no dealership who will take a loss on a vehicle, or just break even, unless there are some odd and very rare circumstances involved. Somewhere along the line, the dealership is making money on the trade, fees, additional accessories, etc, if they aren't showing a profit on the car, itself.
Retail businesses make their profit by turning over inventory. You make a larger overall profit with a smaller profit margin but turning over inventory faster. Basically its what the Chinese say that its better to make a dollar profit on a million people than mak a hundred dollar profit on a thousand people.
So if a dealership has a "lot queen" that just won't sell it would be better to sell it at a loss and turn that part of inventory into something that will sell. So what is better; make $500 in 6 months selling a bad car or in 6 months sell the bad car at a $500 loss and sell 5 cars each at a $500 profit?
I told the story about the CVR at a dealership many many years ago. I know they sold that beast at a massive loss. FWIW their first offer to me was for about 2/3rs sticker.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Thanks for the link. It looks like a neat device. My only concern would be that the collar could be knocked off or damaged depending on how/why the dog came to be lost. One would have to remember to make sure that the battery was replaced regularly, too.
Actually, the $400 lifetime plan might be the best deal even if the dog is not that young.
I was hoping there might be something even smaller that could be put under the skin like the microchip, but I guess there would be that pesky problem of battery replacement--although plenty of humans have it done for pacemakers.
It's hard to get an accurate picture, but as best I can glean from various websites, something on the order of 5 million dogs (or maybe it's all pets) are lost every year. It's hard to know what percentage are lost and what percentage are simply abandoned. One website said that about 15% of dogs were found and returned to owners, but, again, is that based on a percentage of pets that were lost and abandoned or merely those that were lost?
By any reckoning it's sad to read that so many are lost, but heartening to hear that at least some are found and returned to their very grateful owners.
LOL Do I ever know that. I was looking at a Chevy Cavalier which the lady said ran a little rough. Later she admitted that it ran rough because a valve had broken off and was rattling around inside the cylinder. :sick:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Instead of trying to convince a buyer that a problem is such a minor thing to fix, then they should fix it before trying to sell the car!
Then there are the crooks who do charge up their A/C knowing the freon will leak out in a manner of days or the people that will unhook their car battery so the Check Engine light will go off for awhile until it trips again.
In the old days, some places would put sawdust into a noisy manual transmission or differential to quiet them down. This really does work, for awhile.
A couple of times I tried, nicely, to explain that a certain price couldn't have happened.
In one of the Jeep Grand Cherokee forums, somebody asked if they got a good price or not. The price was very good, but they also mentioned that they bought GAP and a 6 year warranty.
I asked for details of the warranty (price, 3rd party or not, coverage, etc.) I said that without knowing how much the warranty was it wasn't possible to tell if they got a good price or not.
I was looking at that device once because my dog loved to run off. She however would always come back within the half hour but a lot can happen in that half hour.
One time I took her out to the woods and took her off the leash, usually she stays real close to me when I do this and always responds to calls. But one time a few miles away from where we parked we got spereated and I spent an hour looking for her in the area. I decided to go back to the car go home get the family and have them help search for her. Well I get back to the car and there is my dog waiting by the car.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
No store is going to lose money on a new car sale.
I agree with that but there could be extenuating circumstances like incentives for meeting quotas that would allow a dealer to actually lose money on any one particular sale.
I’ve said this before. Go to Purchasing Strategies Questions & Success Stories, (post 2599) for how this is possible because I’m pretty sure that is why I got such a good deal when I bought in 2005. It probably will never happen again but at least I was the winner that time.
BTW, where is everyone? Still celebrating the Steeler win last night? Talk about how to lose something when it was all but handed to you. :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
No store is going to lose money on a new car sale.
I think there is always an exception to any rule. Back in 05 my stepfather wanted to lease a new Highlander for my mother. She loved it and really wanted it. He, being the cheapskate he is shopped and shopped and shopped some more. Well Toyota was running a subisdized lease on them and the deal was for a base model 4cyl. I can't remember the specifics, however he went right to the dealer to try and work out a deal.
Base model 4cyl Highanders were a fairly rare sight and they only had one in stock. He didn't want it as it was black. They tried to bump him to a V6. He wouldn't budge and was heading for the door. Then, they made him a deal he couldn't refuse. They said they would give him the V6 for the same price as the 4cyl if he took a particular unit on the lot. It was beige/beige and a V6 with some options tacked on. IIRC it was over 3500 more than the advertised special 4cyl.
Long story short he naturally took the deal. The selling price was clearly under invoice and if the holdback was 3% that was gone too. They clearly needed to move a unit to meet some sort of bonus. This deal was one time that they did lose money.
I wish I could remember the exact #s but the lease was something like $500 down and $265.00 3/36 on a 28K+ vehicle. The best part about all this was when he went to lease another the following year the sales person told him "you'll never see that deal again"
Back in 1997, Honda decided to dump the last of their V-6 Accords.
V-6's never sold well in those days and a new model was about to arrive so I guess they were in a panic.
So, they decided to do a two year lease on 1997 V-6 Accords. I don't remember the particulars but I do know it involved very little upfront money and a 199.00 plus tax lease.
We were shocked when the lease was announced and we just knew they weren't going to be worth anywhere near what they set the residuals at two years down the road.
You would think the shoppers would fall all over themselves to take advantage of this giveaway? Some did while others had a very ho hum attitude and actually tried to do better.
Two years passed by and I can't tell you how many customers came back wanting us to do an identical lease on another V-6 Accord!
" Sure, I can do the same thing, but your payment will be going up 150.00 a month!
After going from dealer to dealer, they slowly came to grips with reality.
I have no idea how much money Honda lost when those cars went through the auction.
The mid to late 90s were some very good times for leasing. The residuals were through the roof (especially on Hondas, Toyotas and big SUVs). Combine that with a low money factor and the monthly payment looks very, very attractive.
Today IMO if you are going to lease, you need to get some sort of manufacturer incentive. The residuals hover around 50-52% for 3 year leases. Unless the MF is very low the payment is too high IMO. When I leased my Genesis the MF was = to 1.44% that made the payment come in at a decent price.
Well, they may have been "good times" but often, in an attempt to move cars, they set the residuals way too high. The domestics were the worst at doing this.
It was like.."Let's sell some cars now and worry about the resale values later"
Many paid a heavy price.
Cars with poor resale values are generally not good cars to lease.
I think Hyundai is really sticking their neck out but I guess time will tell.
"...In the old days, some places would put sawdust into a noisy manual transmission..."
Ha ha. There was a TV show called "My Name Is Earl". One episode had Earl doing a "Hillbilly Tune-UP" on an old junk Yugo so he could sell it to some poor sap. It included putting egg whites into the radiator to plug the leaks. :lemon:
I'm sure that's why Marvel Mystery Oil sells so well.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
"...In the old days, some places would put sawdust into a noisy manual transmission..."
" It included putting egg whites into the radiator to plug the leaks. "
Back in the late 60's or early 70's while in VT out in the country (no autoparts store anywhere close) the fix for my wifes relatives car we were riding in with leaky radiator was dumping a can of pepper in it. Stopped the leak, don't know what else it would have done later
I'm just the opposite. I want to forget the first halg.
That’s why they play 60 minutes. But since I’m a Steelers fan the way the second half was going I was in favor of new legislation for the NFL.
It was a good game but I’ll be the first to admit that the only way the Steelers were going to go to the Super Bowl was if they didn’t have to play the Patriots. History has proven that they can’t beat that team when it counts so the Jets did the Steelers a real favor and the Steelers did their best at trying to return the favor, but in the end they changed their mind.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Hey it could be worse, you could have been a Bears fan where they go through quarterbacks like an SUV goes throug gas (hows that for a car referewnce?).
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
isell....I've always felt leases were always a crap shoot...either for the the lender, the manufacturer, or the owner. I've felt that if someone could peer into a crystal ball and say definitively what a car would be worth 24-36, or even (yikes) 48-60 months into the future, they'd make a whole mot more money in the financial sector than they could manufacturing cars.
Obviously, I'm not a fan of leases. Regardless of your negotiation skills, after the bank fees, the acquisition fees, the disposition fees, etc, that deal doesn't look so great after all.
How many times have we heard someone who for one reason or another, can't afford their lease, get tired of the car, or just want to get rid of it, but can't because a lease has put them so far upside down? Or, they way underestimated the miles they were going to drive and are facing a big mileage penalty upon turn in. Or, they've beat the daylights out of the car and owe a big "reconditioning fee" at the end?
On the other hand, stable people who take care of their cars should buy them outright. That leaves no one who should lease.
Yes. That's absolutely correct!
Unless you really like having a car payment each and every month of your life there's little reason to lease. I know that with the write offs there are some reasons for leasing for business which is why my dad used to lease for maybe 15 or 20 years but even then I think it's more costly.
Where is everyone? We haven't even covered all the major household appliances yet! i think I may be shopping for a stove!
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
lots of nice options these days. We bought a frigidaire a few years back (think based on CR review) and it works great.
get the middle burner (we have 5). very handy. And different burners are different sizes, a nice idea. Ours is also convection, which you may or may not use. And it has a warming drawer at the bottom (with it's own heating control) but we never use that.
GE has an option of a middle griddle instead of the burner, but it is kind of small, and always there. We have a nice double griddle pan that I use over 2 burners when needed. Makes 8 pieces of french toast at one time.
Hope you were serious when you asked, because you started something now!
No kidding! Nothing like a home appliance conversation to get things going.
Gas or electric?
One thing I've learned after buying several stoves & building new houses - make sure it's easy to clean the stovetop. I had a Frigidaire (gas) that I loved apart from the fact that it had crevices everywhere, and even after taking off the grates, it was a PITA to clean.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
Unless you really like having a car payment each and every month of your life there's little reason to lease.
There are certain people that do ok leasing. It may end up costing more however if you are going to trade every 3 - 4 years anyway leasing is a fixed expense.
There is no worrying about what you will get on a trade in 3 years, if it gets into an accident there is no diminished value (to you, anyway). If you do a three year lease all the expensive maintenance will most likely not be your problem (brakes, battery, tranny and coolant flush, tires on some cars will make 36K easy).
Its a personal preference. I'll tell you one thing, I am certainly happy my car is leased, because after 3 years I can turn it in and move on. I'd dump it now if I could. If I was financing for 5 (or even worse) 6 years I would most likely be stuck with it or be rolling neg equity to get out of it.
I highly recommend a dual fuel stove. Gas for the burners and electricity for the oven. It's the best of both worlds.
IMHO, a gas cooktop is tops. I live in the land of cheap electrical power so that's what I always had up until 9 years ago. I'll never go back.
I heard that electric ovens are better than gas (even heat and a convection option) so a plumber running my gas lines for me suggested the dual fuel option.
Of course, if you have a separate cooktop and oven, you can do this anyway.
Indeed. The only way I'd have electric would be if there were no gas lines to connect to.
Actually when we built our house there were no gas lines but we knew that as the neighborhood got built they'd be coming so we got propane which can be converted to gas with just a valve change. This leads me to my next point - unless you know a gas line is coming you might as well have electric. Propane takes forever to boil water! I don't even want to think what it did in our hot water heater or furnace... Dryer, too!
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
I agree, most of the folks on this board are probably better off buying. But there are lots of people who own businesses or have jobs that make leasing advantageous. Especially if their position requires a new car every two or three years.
Comments
Ask and ye shall receive.
http://www.zoombak.com/products/pet/
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
How they make footballs
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
My nephew and I looked at a cheap car last week which would have been worth the price if everything worked. The seller said he was totally firm on his price so it was an easy yes-no decision. it turned out that the car had problems with the brakes which would have cost a minimum of $250. Combined with a no dicker position on the part of the seller it tipped the decision to "no". We walked.
A week later the seller has the car listed again for $250 less than his "firm" price and he's confessing to "might need a brake line".
My nephew is still going to pass mainly because it looks like the seller might be a title flipper, but it was still good to see that the adage "don't be afraid to walk" has some value.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
These people don't have a lot of scruples. His price is firm one week but when he can't sell the car he lowers his price. The good thing is you can pull out all the stops to use in your defence. So, if you think the car is worth while at all, I think you are within your rights to go in with a real low ball offer.
If you get the car great, if not, no big loss. He has not been that truthful.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Regards:
OldBearcat
My wife has trouble expressing her opinion in front of people (You know - not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings) so we told the salesman we would let him know the next day after we talked it over. We, more than likely, would have bought at the offered price.
After we got in our car to leave, the salesman appeared at the window and said we had a deal at our price. :surprise:
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
Great idea! Leaving the business card is very smart for several reasons. The salesman has something real to remind him, he has the phone number, it seems to be pretty serious that you are interested enough to actually leave him your number....at the end of the day he might think your offer wasn't out of line at all..........and you have the car at the price you wanted to pay.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
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I wonder how many people driving up I-75 between Lima and Findlay Ohio realize they are passing within a mile or so of the source of all NFL footballs. They probably perceive they are driving through a relative wasteland other than some clusters of business buildings and light industry in spots along that strip.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It's no secret I ordinarily just make one offer. I'll deviate from that from time-to-time (mostly on used cars), but usually just one offer.
The offer is made after much research. I check sources on-line, Edmunds and elsewhere. I check newspaper ads for the car I'm interested in (usually from local papers, Indianapolis, and as far away as checking the car ads in the Chicago Tribune).
Word of caution....in the Prices Paid forum here, while it's pretty easy to spot, there are lots of posts who outline deals that just aren't realistic. I know of no dealership who will take a loss on a vehicle, or just break even, unless there are some odd and very rare circumstances involved. Somewhere along the line, the dealership is making money on the trade, fees, additional accessories, etc, if they aren't showing a profit on the car, itself.
After that, I check dealer's stock. Online it's getting easier and easier to do that.
Then, I call the dealership to set up a test drive and reconfirm stock levels. Narrow down my choices (and dealerships). Go in, make my offer.....it's either yes, or no, in which case I walk.
I don't wait for a counter offer, as I explain what I'm going to do upfront. If they want to grind me, I walk. The grinder dealerships are the ones who keep calling me back to revisit the negotiation table it seems, too.
Don't know if this works for everyone, or if everyone would do it that way. It works for me, though.
isell...I know you say some customers were miserable, grinding the last $50 out of the deal. But, I find dealerships can be the same way.....trying to grind the same $50 out of every deal.
I find that it is much easier buying a new car than a used one, particularly a sub $2000 vehicle Small things can double the value or make it worth less than scrap. With a new car the value can be determined much easier.
With old clunkers the books can tell you that car X has a value of $2000 but that may be based on so little sales data that it can be skewed by a few very good or very bad ones.
The only saving grace I have is that I have driven so many old clunkers myself I can usually spot a lot of mechanical issues which I've had to fix on my own beater fleet. :lemon:
This latest car shopping task continues to be an education for me which is one of the reasons it's so much fun.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yeah, it just MIGHT, so fix it already instead of making excuses.
It was no different with trade in's.
" Oh, that Check Engine light is no big deal. Probably something minor"
" Oh, it might need a tune up"
" Oh, I'm sure the A/C just needs a charge"
" Probably a loose wire somwhere"
We always had to assume the worst case senario and we were usually right!
This didn't set well with one of the hosts so I just stopped visiting those forums. I didn't appreciate getting scolded for calling out bad information.
I'm not sure why this happens? Maybe they forgot there was a trade involved, maybe it's oneupmanship or maybe they just don't remember what they actually paid.
People would read these posts and of course, if they liked the numbers they read they would expect us to match or even beat them.
Retail businesses make their profit by turning over inventory. You make a larger overall profit with a smaller profit margin but turning over inventory faster. Basically its what the Chinese say that its better to make a dollar profit on a million people than mak a hundred dollar profit on a thousand people.
So if a dealership has a "lot queen" that just won't sell it would be better to sell it at a loss and turn that part of inventory into something that will sell. So what is better; make $500 in 6 months selling a bad car or in 6 months sell the bad car at a $500 loss and sell 5 cars each at a $500 profit?
I told the story about the CVR at a dealership many many years ago. I know they sold that beast at a massive loss. FWIW their first offer to me was for about 2/3rs sticker.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Thanks for the link. It looks like a neat device. My only concern would be that the collar could be knocked off or damaged depending on how/why the dog came to be lost. One would have to remember to make sure that the battery was replaced regularly, too.
Actually, the $400 lifetime plan might be the best deal even if the dog is not that young.
I was hoping there might be something even smaller that could be put under the skin like the microchip, but I guess there would be that pesky problem of battery replacement--although plenty of humans have it done for pacemakers.
It's hard to get an accurate picture, but as best I can glean from various websites, something on the order of 5 million dogs (or maybe it's all pets) are lost every year. It's hard to know what percentage are lost and what percentage are simply abandoned. One website said that about 15% of dogs were found and returned to owners, but, again, is that based on a percentage of pets that were lost and abandoned or merely those that were lost?
By any reckoning it's sad to read that so many are lost, but heartening to hear that at least some are found and returned to their very grateful owners.
Gogiboy
LOL Do I ever know that. I was looking at a Chevy Cavalier which the lady said ran a little rough. Later she admitted that it ran rough because a valve had broken off and was rattling around inside the cylinder. :sick:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Then there are the crooks who do charge up their A/C knowing the freon will leak out in a manner of days or the people that will unhook their car battery so the Check Engine light will go off for awhile until it trips again.
In the old days, some places would put sawdust into a noisy manual transmission or differential to quiet them down. This really does work, for awhile.
In one of the Jeep Grand Cherokee forums, somebody asked if they got a good price or not. The price was very good, but they also mentioned that they bought GAP and a 6 year warranty.
I asked for details of the warranty (price, 3rd party or not, coverage, etc.) I said that without knowing how much the warranty was it wasn't possible to tell if they got a good price or not.
Of course there was no answer.
One time I took her out to the woods and took her off the leash, usually she stays real close to me when I do this and always responds to calls. But one time a few miles away from where we parked we got spereated and I spent an hour looking for her in the area. I decided to go back to the car go home get the family and have them help search for her. Well I get back to the car and there is my dog waiting by the car.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
They may have recieved a "great deal" on the Jeep and that warranty and gap coverage could have been marked up thousands.
Sometimes trade in's get under valued too.
No store is going to lose money on a new car sale.
I agree with that but there could be extenuating circumstances like incentives for meeting quotas that would allow a dealer to actually lose money on any one particular sale.
I’ve said this before. Go to Purchasing Strategies Questions & Success Stories, (post 2599) for how this is possible because I’m pretty sure that is why I got such a good deal when I bought in 2005. It probably will never happen again but at least I was the winner that time.
BTW, where is everyone? Still celebrating the Steeler win last night? Talk about how to lose something when it was all but handed to you. :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I think there is always an exception to any rule. Back in 05 my stepfather wanted to lease a new Highlander for my mother. She loved it and really wanted it. He, being the cheapskate he is shopped and shopped and shopped some more. Well Toyota was running a subisdized lease on them and the deal was for a base model 4cyl. I can't remember the specifics, however he went right to the dealer to try and work out a deal.
Base model 4cyl Highanders were a fairly rare sight and they only had one in stock. He didn't want it as it was black. They tried to bump him to a V6. He wouldn't budge and was heading for the door. Then, they made him a deal he couldn't refuse. They said they would give him the V6 for the same price as the 4cyl if he took a particular unit on the lot. It was beige/beige and a V6 with some options tacked on. IIRC it was over 3500 more than the advertised special 4cyl.
Long story short he naturally took the deal. The selling price was clearly under invoice and if the holdback was 3% that was gone too. They clearly needed to move a unit to meet some sort of bonus. This deal was one time that they did lose money.
I wish I could remember the exact #s but the lease was something like $500 down and $265.00 3/36 on a 28K+ vehicle. The best part about all this was when he went to lease another the following year the sales person told him "you'll never see that deal again"
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
V-6's never sold well in those days and a new model was about to arrive so I guess they were in a panic.
So, they decided to do a two year lease on 1997 V-6 Accords. I don't remember the particulars but I do know it involved very little upfront money and a 199.00 plus tax lease.
We were shocked when the lease was announced and we just knew they weren't going to be worth anywhere near what they set the residuals at two years down the road.
You would think the shoppers would fall all over themselves to take advantage of this giveaway? Some did while others had a very ho hum attitude and actually tried to do better.
Two years passed by and I can't tell you how many customers came back wanting us to do an identical lease on another V-6 Accord!
" Sure, I can do the same thing, but your payment will be going up 150.00 a month!
After going from dealer to dealer, they slowly came to grips with reality.
I have no idea how much money Honda lost when those cars went through the auction.
Today IMO if you are going to lease, you need to get some sort of manufacturer incentive. The residuals hover around 50-52% for 3 year leases. Unless the MF is very low the payment is too high IMO. When I leased my Genesis the MF was = to 1.44% that made the payment come in at a decent price.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
It was like.."Let's sell some cars now and worry about the resale values later"
Many paid a heavy price.
Cars with poor resale values are generally not good cars to lease.
I think Hyundai is really sticking their neck out but I guess time will tell.
Awesome first half. I just rather forget about the second one.
Ha ha. There was a TV show called "My Name Is Earl". One episode had Earl doing a "Hillbilly Tune-UP" on an old junk Yugo so he could sell it to some poor sap. It included putting egg whites into the radiator to plug the leaks. :lemon:
I'm sure that's why Marvel Mystery Oil sells so well.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
" It included putting egg whites into the radiator to plug the leaks. "
Back in the late 60's or early 70's while in VT out in the country (no autoparts store anywhere close) the fix for my wifes relatives car we were riding in with leaky radiator was dumping a can of pepper in it. Stopped the leak, don't know what else it would have done later
The old timers swore by that and said it would take awhile for the howl to return.
I'm sure a lot of the small used car lots employed some of these "reconditioning" tricks of the trade.
That’s why they play 60 minutes. But since I’m a Steelers fan the way the second half was going I was in favor of new legislation for the NFL.
It was a good game but I’ll be the first to admit that the only way the Steelers were going to go to the Super Bowl was if they didn’t have to play the Patriots. History has proven that they can’t beat that team when it counts so the Jets did the Steelers a real favor and the Steelers did their best at trying to return the favor, but in the end they changed their mind.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Obviously, I'm not a fan of leases. Regardless of your negotiation skills, after the bank fees, the acquisition fees, the disposition fees, etc, that deal doesn't look so great after all.
How many times have we heard someone who for one reason or another, can't afford their lease, get tired of the car, or just want to get rid of it, but can't because a lease has put them so far upside down? Or, they way underestimated the miles they were going to drive and are facing a big mileage penalty upon turn in. Or, they've beat the daylights out of the car and owe a big "reconditioning fee" at the end?
On the other hand, stable people who take care of their cars should buy them outright. That leaves no one who should lease. :confuse:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yes. That's absolutely correct!
Unless you really like having a car payment each and every month of your life there's little reason to lease. I know that with the write offs there are some reasons for leasing for business which is why my dad used to lease for maybe 15 or 20 years but even then I think it's more costly.
Where is everyone? We haven't even covered all the major household appliances yet! i think I may be shopping for a stove!
get the middle burner (we have 5). very handy. And different burners are different sizes, a nice idea. Ours is also convection, which you may or may not use. And it has a warming drawer at the bottom (with it's own heating control) but we never use that.
GE has an option of a middle griddle instead of the burner, but it is kind of small, and always there. We have a nice double griddle pan that I use over 2 burners when needed. Makes 8 pieces of french toast at one time.
Hope you were serious when you asked, because you started something now!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Gas or electric?
One thing I've learned after buying several stoves & building new houses - make sure it's easy to clean the stovetop. I had a Frigidaire (gas) that I loved apart from the fact that it had crevices everywhere, and even after taking off the grates, it was a PITA to clean.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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There are certain people that do ok leasing. It may end up costing more however if you are going to trade every 3 - 4 years anyway leasing is a fixed expense.
There is no worrying about what you will get on a trade in 3 years, if it gets into an accident there is no diminished value (to you, anyway). If you do a three year lease all the expensive maintenance will most likely not be your problem (brakes, battery, tranny and coolant flush, tires on some cars will make 36K easy).
Its a personal preference. I'll tell you one thing, I am certainly happy my car is leased, because after 3 years I can turn it in and move on. I'd dump it now if I could. If I was financing for 5 (or even worse) 6 years I would most likely be stuck with it or be rolling neg equity to get out of it.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Gas all the way!
make sure it's easy to clean the stovetop.
The one we got has cast iron grates and I hope its not too bad to clean. I guess it can't be any worse than the antique we have in there now.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
IMHO, a gas cooktop is tops. I live in the land of cheap electrical power so that's what I always had up until 9 years ago. I'll never go back.
I heard that electric ovens are better than gas (even heat and a convection option) so a plumber running my gas lines for me suggested the dual fuel option.
Of course, if you have a separate cooktop and oven, you can do this anyway.
A convection oven is wonderful.
Indeed. The only way I'd have electric would be if there were no gas lines to connect to.
Actually when we built our house there were no gas lines but we knew that as the neighborhood got built they'd be coming so we got propane which can be converted to gas with just a valve change. This leads me to my next point - unless you know a gas line is coming you might as well have electric. Propane takes forever to boil water! I don't even want to think what it did in our hot water heater or furnace... Dryer, too!
and a nice thing with the gas ones now, all the burners are sealed, so much easier to clean the top.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I agree, most of the folks on this board are probably better off buying. But there are lots of people who own businesses or have jobs that make leasing advantageous. Especially if their position requires a new car every two or three years.