Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
Options
Stories from the Sales Frontlines
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
He just stressed out and we couldn't bring him back.
It took place over several days and it was painful to watch him decline day after day.
A friend up the street lent us a Honda eu2000i generator.
It would run the refrigerator for 13-14 hours on a gallon of gas!
Nov 08, 2011 (10:53 pm)
Replying to: british_rover (Oct 11, 2007 11:07 am)
The metal that the Centurion black card is made out of is titanium. Be sure to note that this refers to the AMEX and not the other black card, the Visa Black, which is also a luxury credit card.
Thanks for that info blackcardmike, I am sure british-rover will appreciate that information...........OVER 4 YEARS LATE! :sick:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
What an experience going for over a week without electricity. It must be very humbling to find out how much we rely on things we take for granted every day.
It begs me to ask the question, "Why do people enjoy going camping?".
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Hey, at least ol' Brandon (rover) pops in once in a while. Maybe he'll see it. That baby keeps him busy.
Man, that is unbelievable. I have no idea how anyone can get by that long without power. I know you said you have great neighbors but still.
Hope, everything is getting back to normal by now.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
My plan is....if I knew the power was going to be off for over a week, I would find a cruise ship to get on immediately. You can get lodgings, all the food you can eat, entertainment for less than $500 a person per week!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Once dispatched to our town the crews from Louisiana got power close and crews from Missouri restored our Neighborhood pretty quickly.
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
I have suffered a few times from the loss of power during cold weather. The most remembered experience was during a Christmas vacation in Williamsburg, VA. We arrived there on Christmas Eve in 1998, looking forward to several planned events over a period of four days. We were awakened during the night by the sound of cracking tree limbs and popping power lines. At sunrise on Christmas morning, we had no power and a very cold room. All of the lodge guests were invited to the lobby to sit by the large fireplace for warmth. A big, black kettle of apple cider was put over the fire. We enjoyed the hot cider and some muffins for breakfast. My wife and I exchanged our Christmas gifts in the lobby, read the Christmas story, and visited with other guests. By sunset, the lodge had acquired a generator for the kitchen. They prepared a traditional Christmas dinner which was much enjoyed by the guests. That night, we were all given blankets and slept by the fire in the lobby. We also made do the day after Christmas as well. Finally, we were able to leave on the 27th. The power was still out, but we were able to manage the roads to reach I-95.
Actually, it was a wonderful Christmas. Not one guest complained and the lodge staff remained cheerful and helpful. The lodge didn't even charge us for our last night there. About a month later, a package arrived at our home. It contained a beautiful brass Christmas ornament, along with a letter of apology from the lodge for our inconvenience during the Christmas stay. What a wonderful gesture that was on their part. Each year since, we include the ornament on our Christmas tree and remember our unique experience.
Here again, I'm glad that you are now warm and dry in your home.
Richard
One thing I read about haqving such a bad experience is...you will have a great story to tell and it will become a vivid memory in the future.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Why is the design of the Journey so faulty? I like the idea of the Journey in that it is inexpensive, but has descent room....and even more important, it is a square design that looks similar to my old Cherokee. What are the faults in the design though?
Not sure why it should have hand prints all over the interior. Maybe they don't teach the workers how to wash their hands in the plant.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Absolutely, in reality it was more of an annoyance then anything else for us.
For others much worse, a few deaths, quite a few carbon monoxide poisonings and many cases of large trees limbs on houses, sometimes entering living areas.
How did it get delivered after 4 years? Was the guy writing in the afterlife?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
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
I had planned to send you a post regarding your recent articles evaluating various new automobiles. I wanted you to know that they were so well written and easily understood. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. Also, I wanted to congratulate you on your new purchase. We have some friends who recently purchased the same vehicle. They love the car and are truly enjoyng it.
Richard
"The water in here is deep enough or shallow enough for everyone."
That was a very nice way to state it. I definitely need to stay out of the deep end. :P
Best,
Richard
If you never go in the deep water, you'll never know when your in over your head
(perhaps like I am now)
Just on the good days. Forum regulations won't allow me to put in writing what I’m called most of the time. :P
At home I’m treated with respect as long as I do what I’m told. :shades:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
We also made do the day after Christmas as well. Finally, we were able to leave on the 27th.
Are you sure that one of your relatives wasn’t doing a monitor/cable change-out on their computer, using the Richard Method, just prior to that outage? :surprise:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Richard
Richard
My thanks to you and the other guys for the nice comments. For someone who knows beans about cars, but loves them, I am truly humbled to be welcomed here. As I've said before, this group has to constitute the best forum on the planet. I always preached diplomacy to my students. I got carried away and didn't practice what I preached.
BTW, I told Isell this morning how much he is missed here. He is so knowledgeable and always gives great advice. I know how much he dislikes off topic chatter, but I asked him to try to chime in on the car discussions. He added so much to our discussions.
Best,
Richard
If by the “city” you mean Pittsburgh itself, there are tons of them. Each one is better than the other. However, a few years ago I seem to remember that you mentioned that you were at an Italian restaurant on a hill that over looked the downtown Point Area of Pittsburgh. If that is the case you were up on Mt. Washington and the restaurant was probably Tabellini's (sp).
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Richard
When he dropped me off at our villa, my wife just happened to be stepping out of her friend's car. She comes over to greet my friend followed by this statement, "Larry, don't even think about encouraging Richard to buy a truck like this. He has enough toys and i don't want to see a truck at our house." My friend laughed and said, "Tell me that again the next time that I see you."
Richard
http://www.autonews.com/article/20111108/VIDEO/311089814/1219
What I don't like about all this is that the short supply of Toyota and Honda cars makes good deals less likely with all car makers. By the same token used car prices are still through the roof and that makes it tough even on bottom feeders like me who see $1000 hoopties going for $2000+ or more.
In the spring I'm hoping to aquire a co worker's 2002 Saturn SC2 5 speed and right now the TMV is sky high.
It's a bad time to be a bargain hunter. :sick:
Maybe I'll just wait until 2013 or 2014 and get the Mustang GT. Supply should be back in balance by then.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Welcome home, buddy!
About to take the Mrs and the younger girls out for a late dinner. We did the National Zoo today. Got a late start due to me needing to sleep more but still accomplished the major goal of making sure Claire saw a panda. This is cheaper than taking her to China. Sadly the komodo dragon was hiding somewhere. With any luck we'll hot the Air and Space Museum tomorrow.
We took the Metro back and forth (we're in suburban MD) and I was very surprised at how clean and well run it was. I'm used to New York.
Actually today would have been a great day for the convertible. Oh, well...
I'll be down in Gaithersburg over the weekend.
Fedex field on Saturday.
Quote of the day. That's a riot.
Richard, you didn't mention the year, but I have been checking 2011 F-150 out as well. I was advised to avoid the 5.4 engine from 2006-2009 as it is a gas hog. The 5.0 is much more efficient. There is also (new for 2011) the Ecoboost which is a 3.5 litre 6 cyl that will outpull and outrun both of the previous engines while getting near 22mpg with turbo boost.
Also, you need to see a Platinum version before making any decision. Talk about a Cadillac in a pickup truck body. Wow, are they nice! SYNC is a must have option.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
So true. He is such a character. I bet that some of the zoo inhabitants recognized him. :P
Richard
Yes, I have read about the Ecoboost. It has a lot of power considering the better gas mileage. I'll have to check out the Platinum version. It must really be something.
Richard
One minute here.....................
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
My primary complaints are with the interior, drive train, suspension, and tires. You know, the minor stuff.
The interiors in the 2009 and 2010 models are embarrassingly dated, resembling something manufactured in the 80s. The seats beat me up on the long drives and there are no comfortable areas to rest my elbows.
When I originally learned the stats for the motor I was pretty optimistic, but in real life on real roads, the drive train handles more like an underpowered 4 cylinder rather than the 235 hp V6 it purports to be. The motor doesn’t hit a decent power response until 4,000 rpm. Getting into that sweet spot is laboring and staying there is a challenge. The transmission shifts rather harshly at elevated RPMs and it stutters in the 1-2 shift.
Calling for power in the 20ish mph range is an exercise in patience as the tranny refuses to downshift and holds the same gear to my frustration, and if you lift your foot the slightest it will upshift into a zone with no power. That’s a result of the throttle response mapping which feels artificial and makes you wonder if the programmer had ever stepped away from the video console long enough to drive a real car.
Climbing hills stinks and I'm surrounded by mountains. The cruise control lets the vehicle speed wander +-5 mph before reacting, and it won’t downshift enough to compensate for steep inclines. I’ve learned to override cruise control at the slightest incline. The transmission wanders while it hunts for the right gear, which is never found.
The suspension is also disappointing. Driving it back-to-back with any number of alternatives will leave you wanting more from the Journey. It floats and bounces its way down the road and leans heavily through corners.
The steering needs upgrading as well. Turning the wheel in a parking lot while moving at very slow speed, like when pulling out of a parking space, creates a shuddering throughout the cabin. Once at speed I never feel a shudder, and the steering is otherwise linear and predictable. Occasionally I feel an oscillation in the steering wheel while cruising, but it’s intermittent and difficult to associate with any driving behavior or road condition in particular.
Finally, the tires. What garbage. Dodge in all their infinite wisdom spec'd a tire size for which only one tire exists, a Kumho that is so ineffective in the snow it renders the AWD nearly useless. For the first time in 19 years of driving in the snow I slid through 3 intersections this past year while in the Journey. Only lucky timing kept me alive. I'm terrified to drive in the thing again this winter.
All that said, Dodge refreshed the Journey in 2011 and addressed all those concerns. No way would I consider a 2009 or 2010. Later years, however, are promising with a new motor, revised transmission, updated interior, tuned suspension/steering, and finally, new tire sizes!
I would suggest a discussion with your wife first though..........
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
A good friend has a slightly older F-150 and my mom owned one for years. They're great trucks and their perennial "best seller" category is well deserved. In fact, I'd venture to say it's hard to go wrong with any of the Big 3 trucks right now. As with the small car market, now is a good time to be shopping for a truck with so many great options available.
My wife and I are so excited about the Subaru and the wait is already trying me. The next two months are going to be excruciating
I do have to say I've had one Mexican built car and I had no assembly issues - actually had few issues of any sort with it. It was my 98 Sebring convertible. I was of the opinion that it was a great car six months of the year and a perfectly ordinary one the rest of the year.
My wife and I love visiting Colonial Williamsburg, and we hope to make it for Christmas one year. My father was an avid antique collector and history buff, and he designed our house to resemble the Wythe House- complete with authentic Williamsburg interior/exterior trim colors and reproduction colonial era door locks, latches and hinges.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
That is a really nice thing to say and I am glad you joined in....you have contributed a lot of good practical information and have a lot of insightful views for the group. Not to mention, a great ability to write in a clear concise interesting manner. I think you should apply to Edmunds or Car & Driver to do car reviews.
It really hasn't been the same without Richard here to watch over
meus. Every one who contributes helps make this an enjoyable place to meet during the day.Cheers to all,
D
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I know what you mean Ty. I ordered my 535 in September and it will probably be here the very end of November. Sometimes I enjoy my last drives in the 328....I just try to enjoy and appreciate it before I say good by to my baby.
In some ways, the time really flies though. When you look back, that was 2 months ago and it only seems like yesterday when I actually ordered the car.
It wouldn't be as much fun if you just drove your new car off the lot....the anticipation adds to the excitement.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I do hope that you can visit Williamsburg during the Christmas season. Though special at all times, that particular season just seems to be more magical with all of the fresh fruits and greenery used for decorations and the wonderful events that they always plan.
Richard
Richard
Perhaps that is one of the things that drew me back here. You do need watching over.
I know how excited you are to receive that new BMW. We do expect pictures.
Richard