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I live in a small town with about 15,000 people. There is one used car dealer in our town and he has about 50 cars on his lot, and about 40 of them are VWs. Today, he must have started them all up, the temperature was about 20F, and so almost all of them had their headlights on. I guess you wouldn't want to be working there, you'd be selling just about only VWs all day long.
Any idea how he gets all these VWs? Do you think he is the used car dealer the new car dealer gets when they get a questionable VW trade-in?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Oh man, I'm living that right now. :sick:
You know how this works: Half of us will think you're a genius and the other half will think you are crazy. Good discussion to follow.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
He probably does most of his business with a new VW dealership, taking in all their wholesale units.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
one thing that surprised me was that at one point we were stopped on I-80 for 2 hours in a snow storm, as the highway was shut down. an 18 wheeler jackknifed and another one went right through the trailer. luckily the jackknifed trailer was empty. although i left it running with heat and defrost running the whole time, i only got about 1 less mpg for that tank of gas than the more normal driving average.
overall, there was no comparison to driving my vw 'thing' convertible during the winter in Vermont. :P
Did you use I70 to Ohio 127 to 73 to Oxford? That would take you through my area.
Or did you take I71 south of Columbus?
I figure you came through this SW Ohio corner late at night with the light flurries and drifting, fluffy snow part of our 4 inches of snow..
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have to agree with you on that, as you can only go as fast as the car in front of you. Rarely will traffic as a whole get to 45 MPH in under 15 seconds.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Next door neighbor has chickens in his backyard (typical small California lot), which is illegal in Sacramento. The reporter asked me what I thought. I said that the noise bothered us. And the she quoted me (out of context) "the law is the law."
The reporter is pro-chicken
245 comments and counting. 99% say I'm the anti-christ. One even had the nerve to say that I when I drove I didn't use a bluetooth headset :confuse:
Somebody called during the day to berate me about it. I wasn't home. There was a hang up at 3am today, and the conspiracy theorist in me says it was a chicken advocate.
I find the whole situation very funny. People do need to take a deep breath and relax.
On the whole, even replacing the transmission she gt a good deal on it.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
It can also make sense in many American cities. Streets here in Chicago can get a little narrow and add traffic, especially trucks, and at times it can get a bit tight. I did drive a Smart in the streets of Chicago and believe me it was a lot easier driving it than my daily drive in many instances.
Case in point, I was driving it down a neighborhood street that had a curve at the end. There were cars parked all along both sides and I made it to the curve the same time a BMW was coming from the other way. In my daily drive at best both of us would have to drastically slow down when we would have passed, and at worst one of us would have had to back up. But since I was in the Smart I was able to just zip right on by with ease.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
one stop for gas, about 5 to clear the windshield on the Escape.
the windshield washer nozzles froze up. probably my mistake for filling up with some fluid i has left over from who knows when.
my wife called me a few times to tell me to find some water to drive though, so she could pull up to get the spray on her windshield, and use the wipers to clear it.
on the way back, we went back reversing your directions. then I-71 and up to I-80. drive time 6 1/2 hours.
Chickens? That's just fowl. My idiot neighbor, a few houses down the street, had a rooster in his backyard. The guy across the street got fed up, whenever the rooster crowed he would get out his "moose mating call" horn and bellow back at the neighbors rooster. Should have gotten that one on video.
I'm sure that you actually typed "...good friend who has...". Then, when you looked away for a moment, your cat walked across the keyboard & changed "who" to "that".
As I was taught many years ago, "the dog that bit me, the man who hit me".
You have my sympathy on Exit 14, highway 503. That's a scenic uphill, downhill, country route we do for leaf gazing in the fall... beautiful. I wouldn't want to drive it in the winter snow.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
it would be so much more fun another situation.
i love seeing a road named in honor of Weeb Eubank as you see the stadium on the left on Sommerville.
Of course, no one told me that 127 was closed north of Hamilton!! :mad:
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Richard
But he is a real animal (that) on the highway, but it implies he is a regular human being (who) when he isn't on the highway?
The way I see it, but then grammar is not my strongest subject.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Well technically humans are animals.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
True! Some, more than others.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Fall, a beautiful drive with the changing leaves. Plus, if you've got a capable car, it can be a fun drive, in dry conditions.
kyfdx....I also found out the hard way that Rt 127 was closed north of Hamilton. Not sure, but someone told me it's open now.
Ahhhh...the memories..... Oxford in the Fall and Spring, sitting under the water tower eating ice cream (and sometimes climbing the water tower in the darkness of night without getting caught by Barney Fife of the local police dept).
So you're the one who painted the water tower with grafitti.
>water tower in the darkness of night without getting caught by Barney Fife of the local police dept
Do they issue bullets to the officers yet? Grin.
To be clear I'm talking about 127 as the access to Oxford from the north. It's a smoothly graded, wide-laned main highway from the 60s and 70s. The last 3 or 4 miles to Oxford require highway 73, the roller coaster, or a shortcut like Sommerville Rd or other from the north. I also drove highway 27 regularly north to get to and from home in those days. I also drove highway 27 to Cincinnati regularly during my years in Oxford.
I actually have to credit the Oxford police because I had a couple of locals clip the rear taillight of my car while turning at the corner of Talawanda and E. High at the popular little food shop there. They kept going, but I told the officer I'd seen the Budweiser can in the hand of the driver earlier in my rear view mirror. He knew who they were, went and found them, and took care of everything.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard
Were you calling the chickens at the time?
I've learned my lesson about talking to reporters!
Mac & Joes, a little "joint" down an alley off High Street when I was there. It's still there, all these years later. I know the sandwich shop you're talking about, but can't remember the name.
Just fair warning, my son has finally agreed that my Accord gift was quite generous for his upcoming graduation from college.
So, that means I'll be car shopping for myself this go round. I've test driven an Audi A4 Quatro. Nice car. But, for whatever reason, it just doesn't float my boat. Plus, it suffers from much of the same malaise as BMW 3 Series. To get what I want, pushes the car's price over my self imposed ceiling (under $40K).
Also test drove a 335ix. Quite nice. Again, getting one with the options I would want puts me well above my target. Worth and extra $10+K is a personal decision. For me, no!
Drove a G37x and an Acura TL AWD yesterday, back-to-back. Both very fine cars. They've both come a long way.
I could live with either. I can get a smoking deal on a G, but it's an '09. That's not a bad thing, since I also looked at a '10 G (which the dealers just received). Some minor trim changes, but that's about it.
TL AWD is quite a drive. Fast, smooth, really a "hunkered down" drive while being quite comfortable.
Some things I like about both. Some things I dislike about both. Didn't like the way the 7 speed auto in the G performed. It hesitates before really engaging at start up and with gear changes. I think Infiniti needs to reprogram it. It's fast, though.
Same can be said for the TL. It's fast....tranny does better, but it's "only:" a 5-speed.
Looks like an '09 G37x, loaded to the gills, can be had for around $34K-$35K. '10 will fall in that $38K-$39K range.
'10 TL AWD, again loaded, will fall into the same range....~$38K, I believe.
The local (and only local) Infiniti store is one I've never really had much success in dealing with. They're nice people. This time, they got aggressive. Not as aggressive as I'm going to want, but still aggressive. They threw out numbers the way I like them, without me asking....they included everything, even tax and doc (which was surprisingly, only $100).
Decisions, decisions! Then, once a decision is made. I'm going to have to forge an offer.
If anyone's interested in how this plays out (given my proclivity to tell buyers stories that lean towards the longish side), I'll keep you posted.
The G always has my eye, however, just a little too small. I would really love an M but a little too pricey for me.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
That's what we are supposed to be here for.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
TL AWD kind of ups the anti even more.
I will say that if you don't like the ride of the Genesis, you'll definitely not like the ride of either the G37, nor the TL AWD.
jay....I'm not a VW fan. Never have been. Can't even tell you why, exactly. I had a Jetta rental car about a year ago. I was pleased with it over the 3 days I had it. Still, something about VWs that don't even get me to look at them.
G is a great car. If I hadn't test driven the TL AWD right before test driving the G, I may have left the dealership, gone to Starbucks to do a little 'rithmatic, and come back to made a final offer on it.
We'll see. I'm not in a hurry. This is one of those things that some evening it'll become clearer which car is right for me, and I'll go out and do my little car buying "thing". I get the sneaky suspicion that I'm going to be getting some dealership phone calls over the next few days tempting me with great offers.
Another tip along those lines. A former newspaper photographer was taking photos of us at a Christmas party. I happenned to be holding a wine glass in my hand, thought it would make a more festive picture.
He said to never let someone taking a picture of you with alcohol in your hand. He said if you are in an accident, or are the centre of a news story, that's the picture they will dig out of you. Sounds like good advice!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Excellent advice. I'm glad there were no digital cameras when I was in college/younger.
Sounds as if you prefer a more performance oriented vehicle. The Genesis tries its best to be everything. Its very quiet and isolated while being firm enough to be able to toss around a little. I am sure to the enthusiast the steering is a bit slow and there is a tad of body roll. IMO they should have made the Genesis ride a bit softer (think Avalon) and then offer a "Touring/Handling" package for those who prefer it.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
If I had to replace my '01 330i today, I'd probably pick the new 328i. While not as fast as the 335i, it has everything that makes a BMW distinctive.
There is a big difference, especially if you choose a manual transmission. The 335 is a lot more forgiving....you can start off in 2nd, you don't have to gear up or down as much, shifting is easier and smoother.
The extra amount does get you some options as standard, such as leather seats I believe. I thought the 328 was sufficient enough for me, but my wife wanted the 335 because it has the automatic garage door remote built into the mirror. If I could do it over again, i would have got a 335 as well.
But, I would rather have a 328 than anything else, though an A4 Audi would be close, and I'd consider a C Class as well, if the price was right.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
What the vast majority of shoppers couldn't care less about can be a deal maker or a deal breaker.
If you're a sissy like me it's now a heated steering wheel that's a dealbreaker
maybe more than a few, depending where kid #2 decides to go to school.
definitely thinking about a new explorer, although i don't want to.
my '02 explorer has that feature, but i never programmed it. i like being able to take the garage door opener remote with me.
Richard
My last car, the X3 had a heated steering wheel, but my lowly 3 series doesn't have it...even as an option. I love that heated steering wheel,
few things are colder than a steering wheel on a cold day.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Other things I don't care about...
Keyless remote - one more bulge in my pocket.
Full size spare - Who cares?
Heated seats By the time they warm up I don't need them
Auto headlights - for crying out loud, how hard is it to use a switch?
I'm sure I'll think of some other things.
It's amazing to me too. But once you have a feature it is hard to get by without it. I remember many years ago who could be so lazy that they need a remote control for their TV....are they too lazy to get up every hour to change the channels? Today, where would we be without remotes?
I thought the same about power windows and power door locks at one time. But, now, it is hard to imagine living without them.
I do miss that heated steering wheel in the X3 though.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Keyless remote - one more bulge in my pocket.
Full size spare - Who cares?
Heated seats By the time they warm up I don't need them
Auto headlights - for crying out loud, how hard is it to use a switch?
I love those things, if I could have them all I would. The one I don't have is the full size spare, kind of defeats the purpose of run flat tires, but I like them.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Maybe that is because they remember the old days when flats were a monthly thing?
The modern compact spares work just fine. Besides, how often do we get flats these days?
I've never used the garage door opener that's integrated into the car, for no other reason than I'm too lazy to program it since my opener is one of those "rolling code" openers that requires me to pony up a ladder to mess with some "thingamajig" on the opener itself. Plus, I've always been a wee bit paranoid that if I ever sell the car, I'd forget to wipe out the programming and come home some day wiped out because of my forgetfulness. I stick with the remote that comes with the garage door opener.
Heated seats? I'm all over those. Love'em. Steering wheel feel in my hands, another "important" piece of my evaluations. Brakes......stops true and short, with no fade.
Body roll.....hate it!!!!!!!
Lessee....good stereo......good option. I always get the top choice whenever possible. And no, I'm not tearing out my entire dash and door panels for aftermarket. It just invites rattles and squeaks by doing so.
Can't get my arms wrapped around the cost of a 3 series. They've really accelerated in price the last couple of years when I put the options I want on them. Plus, there's other, just as worthy alternatives, for way less money. I know they have their legions of fans. I'm not willing to put up the money it would take to get what I want with them.
Mercedes....well, I've got personal reasons I put them far down my list. Chief among them is the way they butchered an American icon, Chrysler. That, plus they suffer from the same as other German brands. To get what I want, the performance and features, I have to climb way up the price ladder. Not worth it to me. For at least the last decade, they've really slid down the ladder with build and reliability in my estimation. If I would buy one, it would be one of those from their era where build and solidity, over engineering rule E series 4 matic. Now THAT was a Mercedes. Couldn't snag it, though.
Will be shopping more in the coming weeks. We'll see where I end up.
PS...explorer.....be glad to help with anything related to Oxford and Miami U.
I thought the same thing until I had a screw through the sidewall of my Genesis's driver's side front tire. Since no one in South Jersey stocks Dunlop Sp Sport 5000s I had to drive on a donut for 3 days until my tire came. :sick: (well, actually Genny spent time in the driveway and I drove my S10 but you get the idea).
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic