Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

graphicguy

Kirstie_H said:

Well, we made it through the storm. I wish I had photos of what it looked like during peak storm surge as 8-10 feet of water came rushing in, but it was 1 am and pitch black outside since all power to the neighborhood was cut. There wasn't a blade of grass visible.

My home was only one of about 10 with zero flooding, in a community of ~1,100 homes, and every single business had flooding. Many people have severe water damage that has resulted in their homes being uninhabitable, including my best girlfriend who is currently living with me. Since we got no damage (and the power was out, making work impossible), we spent all day Friday helping get a restaurant back in order. Every single fridge, freezer, icemaker, etc., had toppled over. Spent Saturday cleaning out a friend's home, toting appliances, furniture, and everything else to the curb. Sunday afternoon was the first time in a few days that I didn't smell like a dumpster, and boy am I TIRED. I'm old, and not built for manual labor, LOL.

I'm just grateful to have escaped unscathed. I cannot even imagine the devastation to the big bend and panhandle areas that took a more direct hit.

So happy you came away unscathed.

On the manual labor front, if I see something that would probably cause me to work up even one bead of sweat on my brow, I'm calling someone who will help and takes beer or a dinner at Applebees, as payment.

driver100

nyccarguy said:

driver100 said:

I have to admit, I did find a good reason for getting an EV;

Most stolen cars head to countries in Africa and the Middle East, where Toyotas and Hondas as well as luxury brands such as Lexus and Range Rovers are in demand, electric vehicles often aren’t targeted because of a lack of charging infrastructure in those countries.

You are worried that your 2014 C250 with no backup camera is at risk?

I was going to trade it in for a Rover but decided there's too much risk of the Rover getting stolen.

driver100

suydam said:

Maybe it’s my humble corumstances, but I don’t know anyone who has had a bank or company as executor. I was the executor for my mother’s estate, and our adult children will be for us. It is time-consuming, for sure, but I see it as one of those things you do to honor your family.

My brother has the financial arm of his bank, which also holds his stocks and bonds as his executor. We use our financial investment company to administer our executor management....I wouldn't want our children or anyone to have to deal with it.

driver100

kyfdx said:

laurasdada said:

Checked air pressure in 240 tires, all a bit low. Topped 'em off. TPMS system went on the fritz, can't reset it 'cuz OBC said it can't read pressures... call service. Of course, warranty expired in June.
Self-insure, Laurasdada. What could go wrong?

Go to a tire shop.

See the guy!

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

The windshield washer reserve looks like it could hold about 10 gallons of fluid.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

I was executor of my mother’s estate which was made easier by her having a will with clear instructions. Hired a lawyer to do the probate stuff since I neither had the time or the knowledge to handle that.

I’m trying to do the same for my kids by having accounts transferred on death or disposition written into the will. Real estate is in a trust.

Executor has to pay all bills, notify government, dispense money to people, get rid of furniture and other possessions, change all kinds of forms like post office, insurance....it is a huge job and it has to be right as the executor is responsible....if you sign off and don't pay someone money owed you can be responsible.

driver100

I have a friend....and his wife died about 3 years ago. He said with all the forms that had to be filled out he wished that he had died first.

roadburner

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

I was executor of my mother’s estate which was made easier by her having a will with clear instructions. Hired a lawyer to do the probate stuff since I neither had the time or the knowledge to handle that.

I’m trying to do the same for my kids by having accounts transferred on death or disposition written into the will. Real estate is in a trust.

my father greatly simplified things by selling the house (and disposing of all the contents) before moving to a retirement community. So possessions wise, it is next to nothing (though he does still have his car, and it would be a lot easier if that was taken care of in advance). And the financial stuff is well organized and should be quick.

I was in the doghouse with my mother's side of the family because I refused to go to my only cousin's wedding- I had tickets to the UK/UL basketball game and she had set her wedding at the exact same date and time.
However, when my aunt died I redeemed myself by handling all of the executor and legal duties and not charging a fee (she had left everything to me, my son, my cousin and her two sons).

Kirstie_H

driver100 said:

I have a friend....and his wife died about 3 years ago. He said with all the forms that had to be filled out he wished that he had died first.

It's never-ending. Not only that, but if you have any financial interests that aren't jointly held, you can end up with a problem that seemingly has no solution. When my husband died, I went to get his vehicles titled in my name only. They couldn't give me one of the titles, because it showed a lien, even though the loan had been paid off years prior. I called the bank to get the lien release. The loan was in his name only, and they wouldn't send me the release because they "only send releases to the person who took out the loan." I went round and round between the bank and the county to try to resolve it, and finally told one of them that I would just drive the car straight into the Gulf. "Oh ma'am, please don't hurt yourself." LOL.

I don't know how many times I ran into a similar issue and said, "but can you see a flaw here?" Conceal-carry insurance was/is the WORST. I contacted them as a courtesy since it was paid by the year, and would only be a problem when it auto-renewed on the credit card I canceled. They would not take him off their list unless they spoke directly to the policy holder. I even sent the death certificate. They called and called trying to get him to renew, and I'd answer the phone - "It's me again. It's always going to be me. Every time you call."

It doesn't matter how well you plan or how in order your affairs are - it's just going to be a mountain of work.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

The windshield washer reserve looks like it could hold about 10 gallons of fluid.

————————————————
I thought that was the radiator overflow bottle.

jmonroe

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

The windshield washer reserve looks like it could hold about 10 gallons of fluid.

————————————————
I thought that was the radiator overflow bottle.

jmonroe

Nope- washer fluid.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

The windshield washer reserve looks like it could hold about 10 gallons of fluid.

————————————————
I thought that was the radiator overflow bottle.

jmonroe

Nope- washer fluid.

————————————————
Are you sure?

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

Now I’m livid. Autopsy results showed cause of death as massive pneumonia. She was sent home with a z pack. Should have been admitted for IV antibiotics.

Kirstie_H

mjfloyd1 said:

Now I’m livid. Autopsy results showed cause of death as massive pneumonia. She was sent home with a z pack. Should have been admitted for IV antibiotics.

I'm really sorry. Losing a loved one is frequently shocking and always tragic, but it's worse when it could have been prevented.

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

Now I’m livid. Autopsy results showed cause of death as massive pneumonia. She was sent home with a z pack. Should have been admitted for IV antibiotics.

So sorry; something similar happened to my father.

driver100

Kirstie_H said:

driver100 said:

I have a friend....and his wife died about 3 years ago. He said with all the forms that had to be filled out he wished that he had died first.

It's never-ending. Not only that, but if you have any financial interests that aren't jointly held, you can end up with a problem that seemingly has no solution.

MrsD100 was executor for a couple who were good friends. You can claim a percentage of the total and she was paid a good amount for the work she did, but it took about 3 years to clear everything up, and huge amounts of work to get it all tidied up. She is the detail person so she did it for her good friend, but I don't think I could have done it.
In your case there were roadblocks and that seems to happen a lot.....showing a Power of Attorney or death certificate isn't enough, lots of hoops to jump through. Sometimes they want you to prove the impossible.
Glad you got through it all.

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

The windshield washer reserve looks like it could hold about 10 gallons of fluid.

————————————————
I thought that was the radiator overflow bottle.

jmonroe

I don't want to say I told you so, but.................................

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

I was executor of my mother’s estate which was made easier by her having a will with clear instructions. Hired a lawyer to do the probate stuff since I neither had the time or the knowledge to handle that.

I’m trying to do the same for my kids by having accounts transferred on death or disposition written into the will. Real estate is in a trust.

Executor has to pay all bills, notify government, dispense money to people, get rid of furniture and other possessions, change all kinds of forms like post office, insurance....it is a huge job and it has to be right as the executor is responsible....if you sign off and don't pay someone money owed you can be responsible.

Yep, I know. When dad passed I did all the work getting assets transferred into my mother’s name. When she passed I was executor for her estate.

oldfarmer50

Kirstie_H said:

driver100 said:

I have a friend....and his wife died about 3 years ago. He said with all the forms that had to be filled out he wished that he had died first.

It's never-ending. Not only that, but if you have any financial interests that aren't jointly held, you can end up with a problem that seemingly has no solution. When my husband died, I went to get his vehicles titled in my name only. They couldn't give me one of the titles, because it showed a lien, even though the loan had been paid off years prior. I called the bank to get the lien release. The loan was in his name only, and they wouldn't send me the release because they "only send releases to the person who took out the loan." I went round and round between the bank and the county to try to resolve it, and finally told one of them that I would just drive the car straight into the Gulf. "Oh ma'am, please don't hurt yourself." LOL.

I don't know how many times I ran into a similar issue and said, "but can you see a flaw here?" Conceal-carry insurance was/is the WORST. I contacted them as a courtesy since it was paid by the year, and would only be a problem when it auto-renewed on the credit card I canceled. They would not take him off their list unless they spoke directly to the policy holder. I even sent the death certificate. They called and called trying to get him to renew, and I'd answer the phone - "It's me again. It's always going to be me. Every time you call."

It doesn't matter how well you plan or how in order your affairs are - it's just going to be a mountain of work.

I wanted to buy a car from a widow who no longer needed it but it was still titled in her husband’s name. The state wanted her to go through probate to get the title transferred which would have cost more than the car was worth. The deal fell through because of that. I suppose she could have illegally sign the title herself but I wasn’t going to suggest anything like that.

That’s why I’m signing the titles to my cars beforehand so my kids can sell them outright or register them in their names. Not strictly legal but better than nothing.

explorerx4

How much is a car worth if the title transfer costs more?
Title transfer is maybe $25?

stickguy

NY seems to be like NJ. The DMV is not all that particular about who signed the title, as long as you show up with one. I bought at sold a lot of used cars and never had any kind of proof about the signature on the title. If my father passed entirely possible I could take care of the car that way.

when my sister died it took a while for me to get all the executor authorizations that would eventually allow me to do things like sign the title to sell her car (and much bigger hassle because I lived out of state, hours away). My niece had the car at her house and wanted to get rid of it and got tired of waiting, because by the time I finally had everything in place she had already signed the title over and sold it. At least it saved me the trouble.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

How much is a car worth if the title transfer costs more?
Title transfer is maybe $25?

@oldfarmer50 probably meant was the time and money made it more trouble than it was worth. Getting things sold and assessed can take years, and then separating what the probate cost is takes time....it can take a long time to settle an estate. When MrsD100 was executor....I sold the car and it was a hassle.....I had to show it, got all kinds of idiots, I finally sold it to a dealer for less, but the time and hassle weren't worth it.
Another thing that took time was we thought we'd get the most money by allowing an auctioneer sell the furniture. We went to watch, most things ended up getting 10% of what the auctioneer told us it would get.
Used furniture is hard to sell, no one wants silverware, crystal, or china. I forgot how much had to get done, but it is a lot and frustrating.

explorerx4

@driver100,
I sold my Mom's car as executor and it took me maybe 4 hours getting bids from multiple sources.

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
I wanted to buy a car from a widow who no longer needed it but it was still titled in her husband’s name. The state wanted her to go through probate to get the title transferred which would have cost more than the car was worth. The deal fell through because of that. I suppose she could have illegally sign the title herself but I wasn’t going to suggest anything like that.

That’s why I’m signing the titles to my cars beforehand so my kids can sell them outright or register them in their names. Not strictly legal but better than nothing.

Huh. With my dad’s, I just had to sign as myself and write Executor for [dad’s name] and provide a copy of the notarized letter stating I was executor. Sold both his vehicles and his camper and tractor like that without a problem.

roadburner

When my dad died in 1991 my mom asked me to find a buyer for his Mark VII LSC. I quoted a price to my uncle and he called my mom and told her I was asking too much. So my mom calls me and tells me I'm asking too much. I told her, "Fine, you and your brother can sell the damn car." - and I drove the Mark VII back to her house and left it in the driveway. She ended up trading it in for a Tracer(!), and then complained for weeks afterwards about how little money the dealer gave her for the trade.
.

venture

roadburner said:

When my dad died in 1991 my mom asked me to find a buyer for his Mark VII LSC. I quoted a price to my uncle and he called my mom and told her I was asking too much. So my mom calls me and tells me I'm asking too much. I told her, "Fine, you and your brother can sell the damn car." - and I drove the Mark VII back to her house and left it in the driveway. She ended up trading it in for a Tracer(!), and then complained for weeks afterwards about how little money the dealer gave her for the trade.
.

No good deed...

I had to Google what a Tracer was. A Mercury for those as dim as I am.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

How much is a car worth if the title transfer costs more?
Title transfer is maybe $25?

Probate costs more than $25.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I wanted to buy a car from a widow who no longer needed it but it was still titled in her husband’s name. The state wanted her to go through probate to get the title transferred which would have cost more than the car was worth. The deal fell through because of that. I suppose she could have illegally sign the title herself but I wasn’t going to suggest anything like that.

That’s why I’m signing the titles to my cars beforehand so my kids can sell them outright or register them in their names. Not strictly legal but better than nothing.

Huh. With my dad’s, I just had to sign as myself and write Executor for [dad’s name] and provide a copy of the notarized letter stating I was executor. Sold both his vehicles and his camper and tractor like that without a problem.

Welcome to NY. I called multiple local county DMVs and even the state DMV with the question. I got the same answer: the widow had to get the title transferred through probate since the husband was unable to sign it.

In this particular case the family had settled the estate without probate so they would have had to go through the whole process just for a $5k car. Ridiculous.

sda

I had a 93 Tracer LTS, fully loaded 5sp. It had the more powerful Mazda based 1.8 16v. It was a surprisingly well-balanced car that was fun to drive. It was no Lincoln LSC, however.

Kirstie_H

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s why I’m signing the titles to my cars beforehand so my kids can sell them outright or register them in their names. Not strictly legal but better than nothing.

In many states, when you register vehicles/motorcycles/campers, you can name a "TOD" - transfer on death - individual. That's what we did, so there was no issue getting them re-titled in my name.

kyfdx

I'd estimate that going through Probate was about $750 total. My lawyer had to come from the next county over, and that added to the cost. It solved a lot of problems, though. Not sure that having the Trust solved any.

Selling vehicles: Before my uncle passed away in 2022, I tried to sell his 2018 RAV4 (with 4400 miles). I had full POA. I get the title, and there is a lien recorded. He'd never had a car loan in his life. It was a mistake by the selling dealership. The lien was with Toyota Financial. I called... there is no record of him ever having an account with them. Called the county clerk. Have the bank release the lien. Bank: We can't, because we don't have any records.

Ended up selling the vehicle to my local Toyota dealer. I got a good price, but it took them nearly six weeks to complete it. I figured they had plenty of experience getting liens released by TFS, and turns out I was correct.

venture

sda said:

I had a 93 Tracer LTS, fully loaded 5sp. It had the more powerful Mazda based 1.8 16v. It was a surprisingly well-balanced car that was fun to drive. It was no Lincoln LSC, however.

I don't get out much, but I never heard of a Tracer before.

kyfdx

It's Mercury's version of the Ford Escort sedan

oldfarmer50

Kirstie_H said:

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s why I’m signing the titles to my cars beforehand so my kids can sell them outright or register them in their names. Not strictly legal but better than nothing.

In many states, when you register vehicles/motorcycles/campers, you can name a "TOD" - transfer on death - individual. That's what we did, so there was no issue getting them re-titled in my name.

In the aforementioned widow car her son who lived in PA was aghast when I told him what was required to transfer title in NYS. He told me that in PA that could be done by AAA.

Thanks for mentioning that. I doubt NY would do anything like that to make it easier for people but I’ll look into it.

imidazol97

Does the signature on a title there require a notary? Presigning would require a notary here to atest to a signature on the date the notary stamped the thing that was false since the signature was not done in his/her presence?

Am I wrong on this? I'm curious because I'm working on preplanning.

tjc78

@sda said:
I had a 93 Tracer LTS, fully loaded 5sp. It had the more powerful Mazda based 1.8 16v. It was a surprisingly well-balanced car that was fun to drive. It was no Lincoln LSC, however.

It was not a bad looking car.

I will say it personifies the 90s. That teal was everywhere. Very similar color to my Mom’s 96 Thunderbird.

roadburner

sda said:

I had a 93 Tracer LTS, fully loaded 5sp. It had the more powerful Mazda based 1.8 16v. It was a surprisingly well-balanced car that was fun to drive. It was no Lincoln LSC, however.

My wife liked the LTS a lot and would have bought one if it had had airbags instead of the mouse belts.

graphicguy

Coming up on nearly a month with the Kia EV6. Nothing really to report, which is a good thing.

It's fast. The low center of gravity makes it handle well. The stereo (Meridian), while not the equal of my old ELS stereos of my previous Acuras, is quite good. Seats are comfy. Brakes well with no drama. Nary a squeak nor rattle. Everything works as it should.

While I've never had it below 17% charge, the range estimate according to the car's computer is right around 305-309 miles. The one time I used a super charger, it took 15 minutes to go from 17% to 80% charge, which is pretty good, I think. The rest of the time, I charge it at home on a level 2 charger. I do it overnight, so not sure how long it takes, but it's fully charged in the a.m.

Got my electric bill. It went up $14....which is about ⅓ of what I pay for gas in my Accord Hybrid for the same period.

The tech is taking some time to use and get used to. The cruise control is semi-autonomous. It will "drive" for miles before I have to touch the wheel to let "it" know I'm still there. It handles lane changes on its own if I hit the turn signal and a space opens up. It handles acceleration and braking and lane centering with no intervention from me. I've used it several times, including a mostly highway trip from Cincinnati to Indianapolis. It worked flawlessly, but is still a little unnerving as my instinct is to want to grab the steering wheel if a curve is ahead, or to hit the brakes if traffic slows. But, left to its own devices, it does all that well.

It has tons of space and cubbies. Took 4 of us to dinner last weekend and we all traveled in comfort with PLENTY of room. The ride/handling is something I find quite good. Bumps, of any size, don't bother the suspension. Matter of fact, I'm amazed at how well it performs on broken pavement.

Automatic HVAC works fine...no cold when it's supposed to be hot and no hot when it's supposed to be cold. Went out this a.m. to the post office and it was somewhere in the 50ºF range. Heat was IMMEDIATE.

No car is perfect.

-no wireless Apple CarPlay...seriously KIA? How tough could it be to have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto installed? Particularly in 2024. Love that in my Accord, wish the EV6 had it. That said, I can get a 3rd party "dongle" that makes Apple Car Play wireless, but I shouldn't have to.

-no travel charger. Unbelievable KIA. While I haven't needed one, I visited my sister (the one who initially wanted an EV) this weekend in Indianapolis. She asked if I needed to plug the EV6 in. I didn't. Moreover, I couldn't because KIA doesn't provide a portable charging cord. Good Lord, it's a $60K car. You can't provide a charging cord? Poor decision.

Aside from that, I'm quite pleased with the EV6. Now, I'm trying to decide if I should sell my Accord. I've been playing the mental game o.....Would I? Could I? Should I? What if?.....bottom line, I really don't need both of them.

Thought about selling it to my son (who has a GTI with 100K mile) at a "Dad discount". But, he's hot to trot on either a Golf R or a new Civic Sport Hybrid. Probably overthink the Accord decision for at least another several weeks.

corvette

@roadburner - looks like they added a driver airbag in 1994 and a passenger airbag in 1995, but kept the mouse belts for the remainder of the model run. There was a lot of weirdness with the 1990s phase-in of airbags. I think the European manufacturers got it right by mostly just including airbags from 1990 onward (I know VW did not, and there were probably a few other exceptions).

mjfloyd1

roadburner said:

mjfloyd1 said:

Now I’m livid. Autopsy results showed cause of death as massive pneumonia. She was sent home with a z pack. Should have been admitted for IV antibiotics.

So sorry; something similar happened to my father.

I just wish that she would have called me. I would have had her admitted. This was entirely preventable

explorerx4

Last time I fueled up was August 26. Approaching 400 miles and the low fuel light is not on yet.
It goes on when 50 miles left.

suydam

@graphicguy said:
Coming up on nearly a month with the Kia EV6. Nothing really to report, which is a good thing.

It's fast. The low center of gravity makes it handle well. The stereo (Meridian), while not the equal of my old ELS stereos of my previous Acuras, is quite good. Seats are comfy. Brakes well with no drama. Nary a squeak nor rattle. Everything works as it should.

While I've never had it below 17% charge, the range estimate according to the car's computer is right around 305-309 miles. The one time I used a super charger, it took 15 minutes to go from 17% to 80% charge, which is pretty good, I think. The rest of the time, I charge it at home on a level 2 charger. I do it overnight, so not sure how long it takes, but it's fully charged in the a.m.

Got my electric bill. It went up $14....which is about ⅓ of what I pay for gas in my Accord Hybrid for the same period.

The tech is taking some time to use and get used to. The cruise control is semi-autonomous. It will "drive" for miles before I have to touch the wheel to let "it" know I'm still there. It handles lane changes on its own if I hit the turn signal and a space opens up. It handles acceleration and braking and lane centering with no intervention from me. I've used it several times, including a mostly highway trip from Cincinnati to Indianapolis. It worked flawlessly, but is still a little unnerving as my instinct is to want to grab the steering wheel if a curve is ahead, or to hit the brakes if traffic slows. But, left to its own devices, it does all that well.

It has tons of space and cubbies. Took 4 of us to dinner last weekend and we all traveled in comfort with PLENTY of room. The ride/handling is something I find quite good. Bumps, of any size, don't bother the suspension. Matter of fact, I'm amazed at how well it performs on broken pavement.

Automatic HVAC works fine...no cold when it's supposed to be hot and no hot when it's supposed to be cold. Went out this a.m. to the post office and it was somewhere in the 50ºF range. Heat was IMMEDIATE.

No car is perfect.

-no wireless Apple CarPlay...seriously KIA? How tough could it be to have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto installed? Particularly in 2024. Love that in my Accord, wish the EV6 had it. That said, I can get a 3rd party "dongle" that makes Apple Car Play wireless, but I shouldn't have to.

-no travel charger. Unbelievable KIA. While I haven't needed one, I visited my sister (the one who initially wanted an EV) this weekend in Indianapolis. She asked if I needed to plug the EV6 in. I didn't. Moreover, I couldn't because KIA doesn't provide a portable charging cord. Good Lord, it's a $60K car. You can't provide a charging cord? Poor decision.

Aside from that, I'm quite pleased with the EV6. Now, I'm trying to decide if I should sell my Accord. I've been playing the mental game o.....Would I? Could I? Should I? What if?.....bottom line, I really don't need both of them.

Thought about selling it to my son (who has a GTI with 100K mile) at a "Dad discount". But, he's hot to trot on either a Golf R or a new Civic Sport Hybrid. Probably overthink the Accord decision for at least another several weeks.

Glad you are enjoying yours! Sounds like a fantastic vehicle for you. All thumbs up for the Blazer EV as well. I absolutely love how it drives. Took it to wine country for a wine festival over the weekend, had a great time. Heading down to San Diego area in 10 days, a longer drive where we will spend the weekend with friends and relatives. It will be interesting to see if we can charge at the hotel.
I’m surprised you don't have portable chargers as part of the package. We have both Level 1 and 2. Havent used either yet.

stickguy

Farmer, I have not had to deal with selling or buying in NY (just switching our NJ registrations over) but I assume the buyer just shows up with a title and as long as it is valid the DMV just takes it, and doesn’t do any sort of signature verification?

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Farmer, I have not had to deal with selling or buying in NY (just switching our NJ registrations over) but I assume the buyer just shows up with a title and as long as it is valid the DMV just takes it, and doesn’t do any sort of signature verification?

No they don’t. I remember once registering a car for my son and he had forgotten to sign the form. The clerk winked at me and said : “go outside and have him sign it” I didn’t know what she meant until it clicked that she was telling me to just go out and sign it myself before bringing it back.

As an update on selling a dead relatives car in NY I researched it and evidently they have changed the law regarding titles since my experience 10 years ago. Now, ownership automatically transfers to the surviving spouse. If the spouse wants to sell it he/she fills out form 349.1, has it notarized and gives that plus a copy of the death certificate to the buyer. The spouse signs the title with the notation “deceased”. Over the owner’s name.

Still cumbersome but a lot better than starting probate just to sell a car.

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

Coming up on nearly a month with the Kia EV6. Nothing really to report, which is a good thing.

It's fast. The low center of gravity makes it handle well. The stereo (Meridian), while not the equal of my old ELS stereos of my previous Acuras, is quite good. Seats are comfy. Brakes well with no drama. Nary a squeak nor rattle. Everything works as it should.

While I've never had it below 17% charge, the range estimate according to the car's computer is right around 305-309 miles. The one time I used a super charger, it took 15 minutes to go from 17% to 80% charge, which is pretty good, I think. The rest of the time, I charge it at home on a level 2 charger. I do it overnight, so not sure how long it takes, but it's fully charged in the a.m.

Got my electric bill. It went up $14....which is about ⅓ of what I pay for gas in my Accord Hybrid for the same period.

The tech is taking some time to use and get used to. The cruise control is semi-autonomous. It will "drive" for miles before I have to touch the wheel to let "it" know I'm still there. It handles lane changes on its own if I hit the turn signal and a space opens up. It handles acceleration and braking and lane centering with no intervention from me. I've used it several times, including a mostly highway trip from Cincinnati to Indianapolis. It worked flawlessly, but is still a little unnerving as my instinct is to want to grab the steering wheel if a curve is ahead, or to hit the brakes if traffic slows. But, left to its own devices, it does all that well.

It has tons of space and cubbies. Took 4 of us to dinner last weekend and we all traveled in comfort with PLENTY of room. The ride/handling is something I find quite good. Bumps, of any size, don't bother the suspension. Matter of fact, I'm amazed at how well it performs on broken pavement.

Automatic HVAC works fine...no cold when it's supposed to be hot and no hot when it's supposed to be cold. Went out this a.m. to the post office and it was somewhere in the 50ºF range. Heat was IMMEDIATE.

No car is perfect.

-no wireless Apple CarPlay...seriously KIA? How tough could it be to have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto installed? Particularly in 2024. Love that in my Accord, wish the EV6 had it. That said, I can get a 3rd party "dongle" that makes Apple Car Play wireless, but I shouldn't have to.

-no travel charger. Unbelievable KIA. While I haven't needed one, I visited my sister (the one who initially wanted an EV) this weekend in Indianapolis. She asked if I needed to plug the EV6 in. I didn't. Moreover, I couldn't because KIA doesn't provide a portable charging cord. Good Lord, it's a $60K car. You can't provide a charging cord? Poor decision.

Aside from that, I'm quite pleased with the EV6. Now, I'm trying to decide if I should sell my Accord. I've been playing the mental game o.....Would I? Could I? Should I? What if?.....bottom line, I really don't need both of them.

Thought about selling it to my son (who has a GTI with 100K mile) at a "Dad discount". But, he's hot to trot on either a Golf R or a new Civic Sport Hybrid. Probably overthink the Accord decision for at least another several weeks.

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Good write up.

Letting accountants decide when/where to cut costs almost always screws up something. However, you have to give Kia some credit for including Apple Car Play, while not wireless at least it’s there. You know GM cheaped-out on that with the Chevy Blazer.

As for selling the Accord, if you procrastinate long enough it will become a hooptie and you’ll then have to fight off our poster buddy @oldfarmer50 to keep it.

jmonroe

graphicguy

@suydam...good to hear you're enjoying your Blazer EV! Unless it's a TESLA, EV sightings around here are few. I see mostly Teslas and Ionic5s...more of the former. There's a Rivian, a MachE and a Cyber Truck cruising around my area. But, I only see those maybe once a week.

I knew about the lack of a portable charger with the KIA going in. I had the used Level 2 charger already to be installed by the time I got the EV6 home from the dealership. So, I knew it wasn't going to be an issue for me. Frankly, unless I'm going to some very rural area where no public chargers are available (which I can't say that I plan to), it won't be needed. But, if someone who DOES live in a very rural area where public chargers are few and far between, it would behoove them to have a portable charging cord....if for no other reason to plug in to a 110 outlet.

Personally, Apple CarPlay has been such a great travel companion for my extensive iTunes library, my Audiobooks, the seamless integration with my contacts, their addresses, the rock solid iPhone connections and GPS performance, I don't think I would want another car without it. I know Tesla users don't have it. But, it's a non-starter for me. That KIA didn't make it wireless is probably little more than a nit to pick, it still should be included. As it stands, I picked up a $20 dongle that allows me to connect my iPhone wirelessly. The upside, I can still plug it in via USB and get a little better audio performance, when I want. And, there's a convenient wireless charger I use.

jmonroe1

mjfloyd1 said:

roadburner said:

mjfloyd1 said:

Now I’m livid. Autopsy results showed cause of death as massive pneumonia. She was sent home with a z pack. Should have been admitted for IV antibiotics.

So sorry; something similar happened to my father.

I just wish that she would have called me. I would have had her admitted. This was entirely preventable

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That has to be unbearable for the family. Sounds like someone’s malpractice insurance should be taking a hit.

jmonroe

suydam

@graphicguy, since I’m currently charging at the public charger around the corner, I see all kinds of EVs! In addition to the many Teslas at their own chargers, just this morning saw a Rivian pickup, a Ford Mach-e, a VW ID4, and a Kia Niro. And that was fairly early in the morning before it gets super busy. An Equinox EV was pulling in as I left. Of course California has a huge share of the EV market, but it’s cool to see the variety available now.

kyfdx

In one afternoon at a local shopping center:

Rivian SUV
Silverado EV pickup
GMC Hummer SUT

Last Sunday on local freeway:

Audi Q4 e-Tron
VW ID.4
(twins)

You can't fall out of bed without landing on a Tesla

I don't know where @graphicguy is hanging out.. Things must be different in the Northern suburbs.

suydam

Rivians in particular are popular here. I never heard of them before maybe last year and now they are everywhere. I imagine people like the rugged look. Havent sat in one, let alone driven one.