By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Don't like your gas company and you don't like tthe electric company? Maybe the problem is you?
I don't like the gas company because they try to scam me with their insurance plans. But, I am supposed to rip out the dryer, the heating system, the stove, etc to make my point?
Yeh, must be me :confuse:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
This forum is sort of noted for off topic posts, so when you jumped him for one measly little off topic post it, it seemed unwarranted to me. After all, he is one of the few people in the country who actually took some sort of action to show how he feels about some of the nutty stuff that is going on. I salute him for this.
Most of us who post here are regulars, and thankfully our host gives us a little leeway with off topic stuff. I agree that we all should respect that and try not to abuse it.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
One man's scam is another man's protection. Just because a product does not interest you does not make it a scam - unless you are the big brother of scam control.
90% of the extra insurance plans are scams. They called and for $40 a month I can buy insurance.
I told them the furnace is less than 3 years old, call me back in about 12 years.
That's a scam.
Another scam is the electric people who came around to they install special meters on for electricity useage. They can monitor my electricity and they can tune back my useage if say it is a very hot day....so that I won't be able to use my air conditioner. They'll give me a credit of $100 if I let them do this. I told them to get off my property, I'll use as much electricity as I want....I won't have some computer in their office messing around with my temperature controls. If there was another electric company I would probably change.
But, I know, it must be me.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I should check with my gas company on that insurance. I have to replace my furnace before winter really sets in.
So, hold down te fort for me tomorrow early. I'll be getting the first surgery of my life. Not supposed to be a big deal and I'll be back by afternoon but it's the old story - surgery is major when they are doing it on you!
Darn. Thought I could pull a fast one. ;b
OK... the numbers read as follows:
'09 Mazda5 Sport auto, 22k miles, added moonroof = $17k
'04 G35X, premium = $15k
Galves market-ready value for the G is $13k, so he overallowed by $2k (more, actually, because it needed new tires, so it wasn't market ready), effectively bringing the Mazda down to $15k. Market-ready Galves on the Mazda is about $14k, if I remember correctly (my account isn't working at the moment), WITHOUT the moonroof. So, like I said, my best guess is they made maybe $500 if I assume they pay $500 for the roof (would cost me $1000). Could be they had less in the Mazda, of course. I know when they got it they did the oil change and replaced the rear shocks (curious about that one at just 22k miles).
Anyhoo... closing is tomorrow morning at the CU. Seems he finally worked something out with the dealership.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Richard
I'm sure you'll enjoy the new wheels. It's a nice car. Let us know how the closing goes.
Richard
Richard
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
They're putting a thing called a portacath in me. With the various things they have to do with IVs on me they've given me the veins of an addict. This gives them a ready place to do their work without finding new places to poke.
LOL, I know what you mean about credit unions. My son had a couple summer classes to take to finish up school, already had a job all lined up, starting pay $60K per year at the company he did his internship, and he needed a few bucks to tie him over until he started work. His 2004 Toyota Tacoma with 50K miles was paid off, so he went for a short term loan of a few grand, told him I'd co-sign for him as well so there wouldn't be a problem (I had a 780 credit score).
They denied the loan because he technically didn't have income as of the date of the loan application, even though I was co-signing it didn't matter. Huh??? But they said they would give us a break and approve the loan in my name. So we did the deal. They ended up with a loan to someone (me) for a vehicle that I was not the registered owner on. Sweet huh?
I have to replace my furnace before winter really sets in.
I wouldn't bet on coming out ahead. If the repairs or replacement cost more than the furnace they won't insure you. Probably won't apply to a pre-existing condition...it is another scam, sorrry to tell you.
Good luck with the operation.
Come back soon and give me a hard time again
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
If you traded in a clunker worth $3500, you get $4500 off for an apparent savings of $1000.
However, you have to pay taxes on the $4500. come April 15, something no car dealer would ever tell you. If you are in the 30% bracket, you will pay $1350 on that $4500. So rather than save $1000, you actually pay $350 extra to the feds.
It gets better. Most dealers were selling the Ford Focus for $12,500. the month before the program started. After the program started they stopped discounting them and sold them at the list price of $15,500. Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and the others all played this list price game.
So who actually made out on the deal? The feds collected taxes on the car along with taxes on the $4500 they "gave" you. The car dealers made an extra $3000. on every car they sold and the manufacturers got to dump lots of cars they could not give away before.
Joe consumer thought he was getting $4500 in free money when in fact Joe was giving away his $3500. car and paying an additional $3300. for the privilege.
Quite a deal.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Pre-existing conditions! Even the gas company....
I actually had to work my employment life around such things since I was born with pre-existing conditions.
Well, the next you hear I'll be back from the hospital.
My point is every transaction is different - and while I agree 100% that criminal transaction are bad you (or I for that matter) can't judge other transactions by our values.
Why would you pay for something that is not worth it? Your cable story reminds me of me. For a spell I canceled cable - not impressed with Comcast and I did not see any value. After some time I added it back on as I changed my mind as to what was valuable to me.
If you don't like your cable company cancel it - trust me you will find it liberating, and then you can decide if there is value there or not. :shades:
Here is the best explanation I have seen on the C4C program:
If you traded in a clunker worth $3500, you get $4500 off for an apparent savings of $1000.
However, you have to pay taxes on the $4500. come April 15, something no car dealer would ever tell you. If you are in the 30% bracket, you will pay $1350 on that $4500. So rather than save $1000, you actually pay $350 extra to the feds.
Um... wrong! If you had looked at the CARS website, you would know that the CARS Act expressly stated that the C4C rebate is NOT income for the consumer. The worst case, tax-wise, is that you live in a state and had to pay sales tax on that rebate... so on the order of $300 in your state's coffers.
That said, the surge in demand gave the car dealers an opportunity to come out ahead, perhaps farther ahead than the consumer as a result of the higher transaction prices.
If a savvy owner of a clunker worth $3000 could have seen it coming, they would probably have come out even or ahead by getting the $3000 trade value on their car BEFORE the C4C hit, and gotten a good price on the new car. Now it's a game of waiting until the new inventories recover.
So to keep it on the "sales frontlines" how is new inventory doing these days?
I'm such a wuss that I have a long overdue "procedure"/inspection that I'm finally going to have done sometime soon.
Not even surgery but I'm not looking forward to it.
And, all of you guys know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!
Still not a great deal for the buyer IMO.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Pretty distorted.
A guy trades in a POS clunker that barely runs that isn't worth more than junk value and he get's a whopping 4500.00!!
And you think that's a bad thing?
I wouldn't have voted for C4C but a lot of people really made out!
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
If it is that procedure that one is supposed to do when reaching age 50, it isn't that bad. Drinking that stuff the night before is the only hard part. Ugh. :sick:
Good luck!
my children are still small, so the benefits of the van will be around for a long time.
It is just too well rounded of a vehicle to give up.
isell, better to do preventive procedure than major overhaul :P Good luck!
I want every guy on this site to go do this if you haven't had it done. It's the best way to keep us together here for a long time. Hosts: This goes for you, too.
I'm going in for a C-scan this afternoon---smoker you know. The x-ray showed something. Wish me luck.
Richard
I love it! What a great explanation!
You just know you're in trouble when the government tells you you are going to get something for free.
Even taking out the extra taxes you would pay, it isn't much of an incentive for the customer...but the dealer sure comes out ahead.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I truly do wish you the best of luck buddy. We need you here to bring common sense and a calming affect to the post - when we get out of hand.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Once during the lean years in the 1970s my rent for my apartment was going up $5 a month, from $135 to $140. I got so upset I moved to a place that was $125.
With all the aggravation of a move, change of address forms, cost of the move - did I feel liberated? No, I am very careful now if I cut off a service - it has to be for a very good reason.
And, do I really want to miss a favorite program or U.S. Open tennis match etc., to make a point?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Dave Barry's Colonoscopy Experience
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
Most of us have been through these things before. I know I've learned from those mistakes.
First and only lease I ever did was a long while ago. I absolutely trashed that car....some of it my fault, some of it beyond my control. You name it, everything that could go wrong, did....high mileage, body damage (that I couldn't afford to fix at the time), etc. I was going to get socked with a huge bill at lease end. Plus, my income took a big hit, at the time. I wanted to get rid of the vehicle before all those lease end bills came due. But, even there, it was a financial hit. Only choice I had was to buy it at lease end, because I couldn't afford to fix it, nor pay the penalty to terminate it early, nor to turn it back in and pay the mileage overage, and get it fixed. I bought it. Financed it. And, drove it another 4 years. At that point, I washed my hands of ever leasing again.
Leases are what they are....essentially a long term rental agreement, with the caveat of breaking one early. That's a costly endeavor.
I understand that financial situations change. You look at that lease you signed, and want look for ways that the lease fixed costs can be alleviated. Unfortunately, leases don't offer that flexibility. Rarely is there any equity that you can get out of a lease to terminate it early....particularly if the lease is subsidized by the manufacturer, or the mileage terms don't fit our needs.
Ride it out. In 19 months, turn it back in. Try to limit the miles you put on it. At that point, you can make the decision on whether to buy it (if the mileage fees are going to be too high), or bite the bullet and pay your way out of it and wash your hands of it.
Best of luck to you.
Last time I had an IV put in they broke the needle trying. Nurse said I had the toughest skin she'd ever seen. I'm glad at least part of me is still tough. :sick:
On Topic: My wife drove me home in her new PT Crusier.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Hey, some of us are not old enough for it ... yet.
Good luck with your C-scan.
Give me a break! Yeah, I know...I'll get it done soon.
Good Luck to you, my friend.
Barry's article is great as is this list of jokes:
Colonoscopy Jokes
Sore as all get out but otherwise OK. The doc says no going to work for a week. In a few days I'll know this was all well worth it. At this particular moment I'm more in the "what the heck did they do to me?" mode. Got some first rate pain killers.
Craig - get it done! They'll put you in a twilight zone haze anyway (not knocked out but close enough that you won't remember it). Could be way worse. You could have to swallow the camera pill which I've done twice.
More to follow but right now a nap would be appropriate.
Richard - be well!
The truth is - you just said you want to watch TV, fly across the country, buy a car. Somebody has that service/product. Just because you want it doesn't mean they are obligate to sell it to you for the price you deem appropriate. BTW, if you want to make it illegal for dealers to sell their cars for too high price, let's also make it illegal to sell them under dealer costs, shall we?
I have better idea - let's start filling our prisons with salesman and customer alike every time the transaction price deviates from Driver's Oracle Red Book of Appropirate Prices of Everything that can be sold or bought. We can organize committees, build a network of informants and employ thousands of new agents. Brilliant :sick:
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Distortions ehh?? Getting the taxation rules for the program completely backwards is more then a distortion. A quick 30 second Google search or just reading the actual rules of the program shows they are wrong. The thing is some people are lazy and won't do that. If they get the taxes part of that email completely backasswords how can we trust they got the pricing right on the focus? All the brands I sell on a regular basis saw their average incentives go up during C4C. Our average transaction price went down considerable even if we left out the clunker rebate. Most of the clunker deals we made were at regular average margins which for new cars are nearly zero.
Towards the end when all the cars were gone we made a few hundred bucks more on average. Not exactly thousands more and people still got better deals when they were trading in their 500 dollar POS clunker.
I am sure some people got screwed and taken for a ride but some people always get screwed and taken for a ride when the buy a new car. The dealerships that are shady will always be shady no matter if they had a government program to be shady in a different way or not.
Lets call it what it was whoever made up that email was lying most likely to back up their own agenda.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
8. "Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!"
I hadn't seen those...they are great.
My friend says he prefers a colonoscopy compared to a digital postrate examination....because at least you are asleep during the colonoscopy.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Funny how things get interpreted. I said it was not illegal to change prices but it is not ethical. I think it is deceptive merchandising to increase the price of cars because people think they will be saving $4500 on their purchase, and they aren't in many cases.
Like I said way back, I can see where the dealer could make an extra $1000 a car out of the $4500, since they aren't in business to lose money, but I don't think they should be taking a lion share of the rebate money.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Glad you took the time to explain......I think this is very honest and ethical. It is OK for the dealers to make a normal profit, but not to get most of the incentive money.
You are fortunate BR, sounds like you work for a very progressive ethical dealership, and I hope you both prosper.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
From the way I read it, he stopped leasing the car from Honda and is now buying it out himself.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Just thought of something else...I won't find it too liberating after buying a 52 inch LCD TV, to sit in the dark, and wish I could watch it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I'll know the results October 9th. I can't believe that I have to wait for ten days to get the results of a test! :mad:
Thanks guys for the well wishes.
To stay on topic: I put the top down. It was a beautiful day for a convertible---sunny and 73 degrees.
Richard
Speaking of distortions, if your regular margin on new cars is near zero how in the world do you stay in business? If you are making it on used cars and service I will be happy to take the new car operation off your hands at a near zero price.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460