Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

stickguy

GG, glad you liked the maverick! It pretty much is a 2’ longer sport with a bed, but a very well done conversion. You also described my use case. Mulch bags yesterday. A big pile of sticks and branches today. And Saturday will be loaded up with all the stuff my wife brings for. Week at the beach (a lot since she refuses to make a run to the store for food or anything else down there). So far I have not towed but it can handle a little utility trailer.

Size also matters to me because it is my daily driver. If it was purely a “work” truck I might go bigger. And I don’t off road it.

kyfdx

Some great deals on Prime Day, today.

graphicguy

@ab348 said:
Must have been a showroom queen to still be there after 20 years.

Oooops….2024

graphicguy

@kyfdx said:
Some great deals on Prime Day, today.

Getting me a fancy-schmantzy robot vacuum!

graphicguy

Regarding the B&O system in both the Bronco Sport and the Maverick….the best car stereo I’ve ever heard were the systems in my Acuras. The B&O isn’t as good. Bass is sloppy and they feel strained when turned up past the listening comfort zone. That said, the B&O was better than the stereos in my Accords and the Stinger. The Meridian system in my EV6 has more clarity.

But, we’re talking small increments when it comes to the premium stereos.

I did not like the base stereo in the Bronco, at all. First trip in it would be to the aftermarket installer!

kyfdx

1) My iPad Mini is falling apart. It's about 5-6 years old and gets heavy daily use. I hadn't really thought about Prime Day. Plan was to head up to the Apple Store and get a new one, either this week or next. $499.

On Amazon today? $379.

2) My coffee maker has been on its last legs for a year. It's a knock off of a better brand, but the new ones have a design change, and I don't want that one, any longer. The one it imitates is the Mocca Master. They are usually $359, new. Which is why I've been hanging on to my old coffee maker.

On Amazon, today? $197.

Send donations to @kyfdx

stickguy

Please don’t tell me wife about prime days.

stickguy

Had another maverick chat at the transfer station today. I was backed into the yard waste dumpster next to a ridgeline with a utility trailer (I want one!) and a Tiguan. A guy my age (IOW old ) had the VW and was pulling bags and crap out of the back. He came over and asked how I liked the truck. Said his wife wanted one so they had it on order and he was glad to get a glowing review. And really appreciated how much nicer hauling dirty stuff outside the cabin was going to be.

ab348

I like the Maverick very much but man, they have really gotten expensive here. I spec'ed one out on Ford.ca and the only trim I would want was the top level Lariat (not sure if they use the same model structure in the USA). Thankfully at that level it didn't need any other options unlike the lower-level ones where I had to option them up to get what I wanted which made them the same price as the top of the line. Just under $49K in worthless Canadian dollars for the hybrid AWD.

stickguy

Cars in general got expensive. The US price has not gone up that much. They just made everything standard on the lariat. It used to be optional to get the luxury and extra tech packages. Plus the hybrid has AWD in 2025.

I would like the new features (AWD, 4k tow, adaptive cruise and surround view and front cameras) that my lariat does not have. Probably not enough to drop $10,000 to do it though!

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

No punch!

That said, drove the Bronco, the Bronco Sport and the Maverick. Impressed with all of them.

The Bronco 2 door would b ideal for someone who is a SERIOUS off roader (of which I'm not). Little lite on features, but it's a base model. If your primary focus is off roading, those features probably wouldn't matter. For $40K it would fit the bill perfectly. Just not what I need nor want. Still, if I wanted to just look cool, it would suffice nicely.

The Bronco Sport....opposite of the Bronco. This one was all loaded up. AS @roadburner mentioned, it's clear it's based on whatever cute ute Ford makes these days. That said, I can see doing some lite off-roading with it. Probably be great in poor weather, too. It was quicker than I expected, also. Ford is clever in the way it disguised its cost cutting. Lots of plastic that the sales person who was riding with me pointed out would be easy to keep clean. Can't say as I let my vehicles get all that dirty to begin with. The price is the attraction here. Being a leftover '04 (did make me wonder if everyone else knew something I didn't given it was still on the dealer's lot), and being priced mid $30s, I can't see a downside to it. B&O stereo, while not class leading, was way better than I expected it to be.

The Maverick...star of the show. Clear to see why these are popular. This is a good looking truck. Less than $40K, all loaded up. Can do all the "trucky" stuff. Comfortable (in a truck sort of way). Quick. This one was also loaded up. Good looking truck to boot. This would be my choice over any SUV.

Spent nearly 3 hours at the dealership. Felt guilty telling the sales person I had to think on it. No hard press to buy, though. He called me last night asking if I had any further questions.


The question is.....do I want a truck? Or, do I need a truck? I really don't know the answer. OF course I can find use for a truck. But, do I really need one? Unless you're towing a horse trailer, a big camper, regularly hauling heavy loads, are a contractor carrying lots of tools, etc, I don't know how you can justify an F150 when the Maverick is around.

————————————————
I think when you buy a mini-truck like a Maverick, you can do contractor stuff but it has to be mini-contractor stuff and you have to get mini tools, like small screwdrivers, lighter hammers, shorter saws. You know, stuff like that but, on the plus side, it doesn’t take up a lot of space and it’ll fit in most garages.

I hope this helps you to get off the fence.

jmonroe

roadburner

Michaell said:

Long post in my FB feed about the Nurburgring accident video that was posted.

So about that big nasty Nürburgring crash... Full video you know where, but "in short":

I appreciate all your DMs asking whether I have seen it. Or any other NBR crash/incident/event. The locals see this stuff daily, but most of the times it stays within local WhatsApp groups or occassionally a picture gets posted on FB. Having said that: it's nothing special, this happens (almost) every day and crashes/incidents happen on almost every track day on every other track in the world. The "fireworks" of this one was of course quite big and massive thanks to today's safety standards for keeping everyone alive. In Porsche's case the driver had "just a few scratches", without helmet, HANS or any fire protective clothing.

Who is at fault? One more than the other. Public sessions are classified as public road and the rule is = slow traffic stays right, fast traffic passes on the left. As it is an unlimited speed section of "the road", everyone is required to check their mirrors for faster traffic. M2 clearly failed to do that, when the faster traffic was behind it first and shortly after next to it.

Rule Number 2: everyone is allowed to drive only as fast, as when they can make an immediate stop to avoid any accident. M2 turning in on you and you did not stop to avoid it? Own fault. Deer crossing the road and you hit it? Own fault. Asteroid fell out of the sky and hit you? Your own fault. Porsche driver COULD have anticipated that a foreign car is less experienced and may do silly things last moment. You can see the Porsche go off the gas earlier when M2 was on its line and started to accelerate when it moved out to the right. So there was no reckless behaviour from my point of view. Just very unfortunate split second wrong assumption and lack of awareness.

The other "interesting" question is who will pick up the bill. The barrier damage and other very expensive car. This is something for the authorities to decide - who is responsible for how much % of the accident and it may get nasty. The main reason I am mentioning this is a reminder that you are liable for yourself and others during the public sessions and some track days too. So be prepared and stay focused.

In the US at least, a few companies offer track day insurance. I use Lockton Affinity. If you do a lot of track days some underwriters offer a yearly policy. My premiums were relatively low because I'm an instructor and I haven't filed any claims.

roadburner

graphicguy said:

No punch!

That said, drove the Bronco, the Bronco Sport and the Maverick. Impressed with all of them.

The Bronco 2 door would b ideal for someone who is a SERIOUS off roader (of which I'm not). Little lite on features, but it's a base model. If your primary focus is off roading, those features probably wouldn't matter. For $40K it would fit the bill perfectly. Just not what I need nor want. Still, if I wanted to just look cool, it would suffice nicely.

The Bronco Sport....opposite of the Bronco. This one was all loaded up. AS @roadburner mentioned, it's clear it's based on whatever cute ute Ford makes these days. That said, I can see doing some lite off-roading with it. Probably be great in poor weather, too. It was quicker than I expected, also. Ford is clever in the way it disguised its cost cutting. Lots of plastic that the sales person who was riding with me pointed out would be easy to keep clean. Can't say as I let my vehicles get all that dirty to begin with. The price is the attraction here. Being a leftover '04 (did make me wonder if everyone else knew something I didn't given it was still on the dealer's lot), and being priced mid $30s, I can't see a downside to it. B&O stereo, while not class leading, was way better than I expected it to be.

The Maverick...star of the show. Clear to see why these are popular. This is a good looking truck. Less than $40K, all loaded up. Can do all the "trucky" stuff. Comfortable (in a truck sort of way). Quick. This one was also loaded up. Good looking truck to boot. This would be my choice over any SUV.

Spent nearly 3 hours at the dealership. Felt guilty telling the sales person I had to think on it. No hard press to buy, though. He called me last night asking if I had any further questions.


The question is.....do I want a truck? Or, do I need a truck? I really don't know the answer. OF course I can find use for a truck. But, do I really need one? Unless you're towing a horse trailer, a big camper, regularly hauling heavy loads, are a contractor carrying lots of tools, etc, I don't know how you can justify an F150 when the Maverick is around.

We've loved our two Wranglers; we might have gone with a Bronco if the nearest decent Ford dealer wasn't located 20 miles out of my way. That said, our property requires us to have one vehicle with serious off-road capability. If that wasn't the case I'd have a seriously fast track rat instead.

carnaught

driver100 said:

@Michaell Sorry for the loss of your good friend. A bit of light shone through for me, many of my friends are getting on, after reading your heartfelt tribute I made a promise to myself to appreciate them as much as possible while I still can, and while they are still here.

Well said : @Michaell, as @driver100 said here, I've also lost friends along the way and two of them plus myself were the "Three Musketeers" in HS. I am the only one left and one, when he passed was only 48 y.o. I think about them often and say a silent prayer for them. My deepest sympathies for you and anyone with a similar loss.

explorerx4

@roadrurner,
The 'Ring has track days and public days, which are different.
This YT video seems to be the source of a lot of what michaell posted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF4XrBTJJFk

roadburner

explorerx4 said:

@roadrurner,
The 'Ring has track days and public days, which are different.
This YT video seems to be the source of a lot of what michaell posted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF4XrBTJJFk

I know; I have a few friends who have done both. One friend totalled his European Delivery E36 M3 at a driving event hosted by BMW. His insurance paid it, but that was in the '90s.

tjc78

@kyfdx said:
Some great deals on Prime Day, today.

As I’ve been told by the wife!

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

@kyfdx said:

Some great deals on Prime Day, today.

As I’ve been told by the wife!

You mean you'll see when the boxes come and you have to schlep them in, then try and reconcile the credit card bill.

explorerx4

One of my kids is head of eCommerce sales for NA and SA.
This is a big few days.

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@kyfdx said:

Some great deals on Prime Day, today.

As I’ve been told by the wife!

————————————————
Breaking news, you’ll save the most by hiding your wife’s phone and or disconnecting her computer.

jmonroe

tjc78

@nyccarguy said:
You mean you'll see when the boxes come and you have to schlep them in, then try and reconcile the credit card bill.

Exactly!

Here is a funny one … my Mom uses our Prime and has her CC on the account. My wife placed a large order and didn’t realize it defaulted to my Mom’s card. Luckily I caught it before my Mom and just transferred the money to her.

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Breaking news, you’ll save the most by hiding your wife’s phone and or disconnecting her computer.

jmonroe

lol .. she works her tail off. I don’t care what she orders I just like to give her a hard time about it.

Like she always says… “I purchase lots of little things…. You purchase $75K trucks”. Hard to argue with that.

xwesx

Yeah, but in the long run, it is a lot easier to manage the truck!

xwesx

Also, thanks for the warning on Prime Days. While I have never suddenly needed more stuff just because there was Yet Another Sale going on, I'm sure that DDS will be in full service next week after my son finishes his splurge.

sda

@nyccarguy said:
You mean you'll see when the boxes come and you have to schlep them in, then try and reconcile the credit card bill.

And break down the boxes to take to recycling.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

GG, glad you liked the maverick! It pretty much is a 2’ longer sport with a bed, but a very well done conversion. You also described my use case. Mulch bags yesterday. A big pile of sticks and branches today. And Saturday will be loaded up with all the stuff my wife brings for. Week at the beach (a lot since she refuses to make a run to the store for food or anything else down there). So far I have not towed but it can handle a little utility trailer.

Size also matters to me because it is my daily driver. If it was purely a “work” truck I might go bigger. And I don’t off road it.

You can’t go wrong with this hooptie.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/troy-ford-150/7863909312.html

ab348

explorerx4 said:

Crazy crash at the Nurburgring on a Tourist Day.
https://packaged-media.redd.it/fyx871fyfbbf1/pb/m2-res_1272p.mp4?m=DASHPlaylist.mpd&v=1&e=1751922000&s=f8d399c659208e878852edd7ddcfbb5e8b3627e5

That BMW driver gives a whole new meaning to the term "roadburner".

graphicguy

@roadburner said:
We've loved our two Wranglers; we might have gone with a Bronco if the nearest decent Ford dealer wasn't located 20 miles out of my way. That said, our property requires us to have one vehicle with serious off-road capability. If that wasn't the case I'd have a seriously fast track rat instead.

If I were going the Bronco route with a need for off-roading, I’d look at a base 2-door. It has just enough modern touches to make it livable day to day vs the crazy prices for a loaded one.

stickguy

Not bad farmer. But noticed no frame shots. And not like it would be hard to get on something that tall

stickguy

JM, the maverick is a real truck. Can haul plenty (even the cargo weight limit is pretty high). Just happens to have a little bit shorter bed. Though it is only about 6” less than some of the mid sized trucks that only have 5’ beds.

stickguy

I have actual seen quite a few mavericks that were company trucks out running g around. Paving companies, pool companies, stuff like that. Probably the bosses truck but still with racks and crap in the back.

Michaell

@sda said:

@nyccarguy said:
You mean you'll see when the boxes come and you have to schlep them in, then try and reconcile the credit card bill.

And break down the boxes to take to recycling.

We have a recycling bin along with our trash can as part of our development. Recycling is picked up every other week, and it’s almost always half full of Amazon boxes. Larger boxes (like from wayfair) I end up taking to the recycle bin behind the cooking studio.

corvette

@explorerx4 said:
One of my kids is head of eCommerce sales for NA and SA.
This is a big few days.

Didn’t realize there was a North Amazon and South Amazon.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

GG, glad you liked the maverick! It pretty much is a 2’ longer sport with a bed, but a very well done conversion. You also described my use case. Mulch bags yesterday. A big pile of sticks and branches today. And Saturday will be loaded up with all the stuff my wife brings for. Week at the beach (a lot since she refuses to make a run to the store for food or anything else down there). So far I have not towed but it can handle a little utility trailer.

Size also matters to me because it is my daily driver. If it was purely a “work” truck I might go bigger. And I don’t off road it.

You can’t go wrong with this hooptie.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/troy-ford-150/7863909312.html
———————————————
So when do you plan to pick it up?

jmonroe

roadburner

graphicguy said:

@roadburner said:

We've loved our two Wranglers; we might have gone with a Bronco if the nearest decent Ford dealer wasn't located 20 miles out of my way. That said, our property requires us to have one vehicle with serious off-road capability. If that wasn't the case I'd have a seriously fast track rat instead.

If I were going the Bronco route with a need for off-roading, I’d look at a base 2-door. It has just enough modern touches to make it livable day to day vs the crazy prices for a loaded one.

When we bought the 4xe in 2023 most every dealer was asking over MSRP for used Broncos and the nearest Ford dealers only offered A Plan pricing on ordered Broncos. And of course either way you also received a blinking third brake light carelessly installed by a minimum wage flunky.

laurasdada

tjc78 said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

Breaking news, you’ll save the most by hiding your wife’s phone and or disconnecting her computer.

jmonroe

lol .. she works her tail off. I don’t care what she orders I just like to give her a hard time about it.

Like she always says… “I purchase lots of little things…. You purchase $75K trucks”. Hard to argue with that.

Like a wiseman once said, "We're all married to the same woman. We just live in different homes."
My wife regularly reminds me of similar, no idea what she's talking about... as I shop for next cars...

laurasdada

Michaell said:

@sda said:

@nyccarguy said:

You mean you'll see when the boxes come and you have to schlep them in, then try and reconcile the credit card bill.

And break down the boxes to take to recycling.

We have a recycling bin along with our trash can as part of our development. Recycling is picked up every other week, and it’s almost always half full of Amazon boxes. Larger boxes (like from wayfair) I end up taking to the recycle bin behind the cooking studio.

Amazon drivers actually leave Xmas cards/tips for my wife...

kyfdx

laurasdada said:

Michaell said:

@sda said:

@nyccarguy said:

You mean you'll see when the boxes come and you have to schlep them in, then try and reconcile the credit card bill.

And break down the boxes to take to recycling.

We have a recycling bin along with our trash can as part of our development. Recycling is picked up every other week, and it’s almost always half full of Amazon boxes. Larger boxes (like from wayfair) I end up taking to the recycle bin behind the cooking studio.

Amazon drivers actually leave Xmas cards/tips for my wife...

“tips”

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

GG, glad you liked the maverick! It pretty much is a 2’ longer sport with a bed, but a very well done conversion. You also described my use case. Mulch bags yesterday. A big pile of sticks and branches today. And Saturday will be loaded up with all the stuff my wife brings for. Week at the beach (a lot since she refuses to make a run to the store for food or anything else down there). So far I have not towed but it can handle a little utility trailer.

Size also matters to me because it is my daily driver. If it was purely a “work” truck I might go bigger. And I don’t off road it.

You can’t go wrong with this hooptie.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/troy-ford-150/7863909312.html
———————————————
So when do you plan to pick it up?

jmonroe

If I had seen that a year ago I might be driving it today. At that price I’d want to see the frame. It’s almost impossible to get a decent truck for that price.

corvette

Recycling is every other week here, too. Sometimes the bin is full on its own accord, and sometimes I have to break down larger cardboard to make them fit. How much of that stuff actually gets recycled is anyone's guess.

kyfdx

corvette said:

Recycling is every other week here, too. Sometimes the bin is full on its own accord, and sometimes I have to break down larger cardboard to make them fit. How much of that stuff actually gets recycled is anyone's guess.

I'll guess: very little

corvette

@kyfdx - nailed it. One of my late friends regaled everyone with a story about his early career as a lawyer. Large corporate client hired his firm to send someone (him, as an associate attorney) to attend every city council meeting with the city where they had a contract, and report back. The client was a waste management company that was being paid for collecting "recycling," and absolutely none of it was being recycled.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

GG, glad you liked the maverick! It pretty much is a 2’ longer sport with a bed, but a very well done conversion. You also described my use case. Mulch bags yesterday. A big pile of sticks and branches today. And Saturday will be loaded up with all the stuff my wife brings for. Week at the beach (a lot since she refuses to make a run to the store for food or anything else down there). So far I have not towed but it can handle a little utility trailer.

Size also matters to me because it is my daily driver. If it was purely a “work” truck I might go bigger. And I don’t off road it.

You can’t go wrong with this hooptie.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/troy-ford-150/7863909312.html

It must have been too good...deleted at 10 p.m.

roadburner

I finished up my first two days of my retired judge gig- I was sent to sub for the judge who replaced me when I "retired" in 2008. It was a lot of fun, a lot of people dropped by the office to say hello, which was nice. I'll likely get some longer assignments to some counties that are farther away, since some retired judges don't want to be appointed to any courthouse more than 20 miles from their home.
Seriously.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

@kyfdx - nailed it. One of my late friends regaled everyone with a story about his early career as a lawyer. Large corporate client hired his firm to send someone (him, as an associate attorney) to attend every city council meeting with the city where they had a contract, and report back. The client was a waste management company that was being paid for collecting "recycling," and absolutely none of it was being recycled.

That's why they have "Waste Management Consultants" in the northeast. Recycling by me is picked up by the city (in CT) every Thursday. Everything gets thrown in a bin and is sorted at the plant.

Garbage is a different story. If you have city sewers (I don't), the city picks up your garbage. If you are on septic (like me), you have to pay for "private carting." A guy I'm friendly with one time asked me about my trash company and what I pay. I told him I don't think it matters because you can't switch. He went to work the next day. His wife called to cancel the garbage company and hire a different one, He was off the day after that and got a knock on his door by a guy in a leather jacket.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

That's why they have "Waste Management Consultants" in the northeast.

tjc78

corvette said:

nyccarguy said:

That's why they have "Waste Management Consultants" in the northeast.

Tony very much enjoyed his first day back in the sanitation office

roadburner

Another take (from an acquaintance) on the 911/M2 shunt:

...the BMW was running the Porsche a little close, but the Porsche shouldn’t have tried the move and he shouldn’t have hit the curb.

In the Bimmer’s defense, there are plenty of places on that track, including the one in the video, where relaxing the steering to permit an inside pass can put you at risk of running off the outside. I can see why he felt that he’d allowed enough room. I mean — by SCCA rules, he absolutely gave enough room.

Let’s give thanks for modern automotive engineering; it’s the reason both of these mooks are alive today. But it’s also why you have talentless wheel-wagglers running at triple digits with no concern.

laurasdada

roadburner said:

I finished up my first two days of my retired judge gig- I was sent to sub for the judge who replaced me when I "retired" in 2008. It was a lot of fun, a lot of people dropped by the office to say hello, which was nice. I'll likely get some longer assignments to some counties that are farther away, since some retired judges don't want to be appointed to any courthouse more than 20 miles from their home.
Seriously.

I'll be serving jury duty in August while the wife is in SF visiting kids. I have to be in court at 0800, it's probably (sans traffic) a 40-minute drive. So, up very early to take doggo out and hit rush hour traffic.

The city where I'm serving is not exactly known for being "safe," so I told the wife I'll be taking her car. The destination city is probably safer than the thoughts she had for my well-being at that moment. Guess the A7 will be the sacrificial lamb, harder to slash the top...

Here's hoping for an out of court settlement that date!

Although the last time I served, at the Fed courthouse in Boston, I went to trial for 10 days. It was both boring and interesting, I got a free lunch courtesy of the judge at conclusion and my company let me keep the $300 I earned!

roadburner

In KY District Court I seldom had jury trials, and now that most disability proceedings don't require them they are even fewer. In Circuit I had several jury trials but as a prosecutor I think that my office had fewer than ten over my six year term.