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Comments
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Me- San Pedro
You?
Up the coast in Oxnard. My folks and my son still live there.
I believe the car had one major restoration. This is what the company said that restored the car:
Quite a number of years ago, Mr. Swift commissioned us to remove the body from the frame, send the engine to his long time friend Frank Cooke for reconditioning, and restore the frame, body, and interior to its original color, two-tone green combination with gold leaf striping and initials.
That seems to be the only major work done on the car.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
lol...........but at least he won't be posting in chronic car buyers anonymous!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yeh, well, I'd be 1000 times more impressed with 770,000 miles on an old Neon, if they could find one that had lasted that long. :P
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Psshhh.... I don't think the combined resources and riches of Bill Gates AND Donald Trump could afford to keep a Neon running to 770,000 miles, even in a vacuum.
They'd have to be bailed out running that experiment, just like the manufacturer has been twice already.
Speaking of which, the first time I bought a new car at the end of 2002, getting internet quotes was pretty much a game of getting quoted sticker price on everything. In the spring of 2006 it was more useful, as I'd get real "fair" prices going with internet/emailed quotes.
for what is is worth - I ride to work in a vanpool and only drive my car a few times a week - I put 4,000 miles on it last year and I fill the take every ~ 3 weeks or so...
Here is the best part tho - it is a C class that wife
boughtapproved for my 40th birthday. Every time I fire it up and head out of the garage I have a big smile on my face!Life is short, enjoy the heck out of it!
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
He, along with all my friends and fellow alumni, are quite successful in their chosen fields. Me? My UConn degree has allowed me to post such witticisms as this on Edmunds message boards when not changing the grease, I mean oil, in the fryolator. Not that there's anything wrong with that... Liberal Arts major, D'OH!
My daughter is 17, has already been early accepted at a couple of schools. I was hoping she'd be interested in UConn, I was going to send her to live with my friends in Wilton to establish residency. Alas, being a Husky was not on her list.
If one chooses to go to one of the fine New England state U's, none finer than the one in beautiful Storrs, Ct. If for nothing else, the Dairy Bar!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I went to the outlet mall and bought some Addidas running shoes for $70. Then, I had to make use of getting the 2nd pair for 50% off. Well, I didn't really need a 2nd pair but I found some that were $40 tegular, so I got them for $20. Not bad, but I did end up with a 2nd pair I don't really need.
It's much worse when we go to the grocery store...where they all started doing these. For example, if you buy a pre-made salad for $4 you get the extra one free or for 50% off. What if I can only eat one salad, or lettuce, or pepper?
It is clever marketing, I figure the retailer is making his full profit on the first item, and the second item he is selling at cost. Basically, I would just prefer to get 25% off or something like that.....I don't want to encourage this. It could lead to buy a 535, and get an 135 for 50% off!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Three men spend the night in a hotel. The desk clerk charges them $30. for the room. Later he discovers that he has overcharged them by $5. so he gives the bellhop $5. and tells him to give it to the 3 men.
He gives the men the $5. and they give him back a $2. tip. So, in effect the men have paid $9. each, or $27. for the room. The bellhop has $2., for a total of $29. Since they had originally paid $30., what happened to that last dollar???
If you have a mathematical mind you can figure this out pretty quickly. If you don't, like me, you can struggle for a long time !
And don't ask what 3 men were doing in the same room !!
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
By 2017, you could probably find an off-lease CLA sedan - this is a new model introduced by MB that is smaller than the C-class.
Michaell, I would suggest a visit to North Carolina in July if possible. That's as hot as it gets, which can be pretty hot these days. You could deal with the cold weather easily. We do have the four seasons which is really nice.
Richard
Costa Rica....great place. I used to go down there quite a bit for work when we were doing business with a computer company called Alienware (since bought up by Dell). They had their training HQ in Costa Rica. Inexpensive and the people were terrific. Rain forrest is a sight to behold. I'd live there given the chance.
Talking about buying without knowing the asking price, I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Anyone who's attended these large conferences is used to seeing booths with the high end massage chairs. CES is so big, I think there were actually 3 booths hawking those message chairs. These aren't the ones you find at Brookstone. These are allegedly a couple of steps above those chairs.
They demo these chairs in the hopes that you'll plunk down $4k-$5k large and have one delivered to your home. I don't know the commission on these, but it must be pretty good given they have to haul the chairs to these venues, pay for hotel rooms for a week, in addition to paying for booth space, which isn't cheap.
Anyway, after walking the show floor for about 6 hours the first day, I plopped into one of these chairs for a 10 minute massage demo. These chairs do everything but make you a cup of coffee.
When the massage was done, I asked the booth person how much they cost. He went into this diatribe about how you can't put a price on your health, how your well being is worth more than money, etc. Then came..."just give me your credit card and the chair will be delivered by the time you arrive home."
I still didn't know the price. When I pressed him, he went into stupid mode. Why does the only thing people care about is dollars?
Me....."well, unless you want me to pay you in Carp, I need to know the cost in dollars."
I didn't spend any more time with this guy or the booth. I did talk to one of the other people getting a demo to find out how much the chairs really cost. I can get a lot of professional massages from a licensed massage therapist for $5,000.
We buy Restonic mattresses. There is a reason for doing so. Their factory is 45 minutes from here. They allow us to select the coils, fabrics, and thickness that we want. We use high mattresses for our antique beds. Since they are custom done, I can't speak to the quality of those in the stores. We have owned Bemco mattresses and found them to be quite good.
I would never, ever buy a product from a company that tries to frighten you into a purchase. As for dust mites and dry skin, it's part of life. If you wash the sheets, mattress pads and turn the mattresses regularly, you'll be fine.
Richard
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
I never realized when I gave you that name you would enjoy using it so much. :P I do agree with you on the topic of getting the second item at 50% off. What burns me up is that they make the 50% sign really large so that you at first think that the items are actually 50% off each.
I love the signs this time of year that say "75% off and take an additional 20% off". Now that's a deal!
Richard
Richard
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Richard
Richard
The new Lincoln MKZ is a nice looker, but the center stack plastic does not look upscale. This car is based on the new Fusion. And, Lincoln, your naming nomenclature is terrible. Does anyone really know the difference between an MKX, MKS or an MKZ? I think you have some pretty good currency with "Continental" and "Mark xxx..."
While I'm an Acura fan, and two time owner, they really have to hire an outside stylist. Beauty is in the eye, but I find none with Acura. My '05 TL was a simple, classy, handsome design. What happened??? At least the beak is dying a slow death.
BMWs are becoming a bit ridiculous in price (well, maybe they always have been). We did get a nice chunk of change off the 535ix we bought in 2011, which got it "down" to loaded 3 series territory.
Mercedes? Ditto.
Maybe Caddy will help save GM, a lot of traffic there. And more products coming, I'm looking forward to reviews of the ELR.
Sad, one lonely Fisker cordoned off amongst Aston Martin, Lamborhini, Bentley and Rolls. The Fisker was garnering no attention. Keep that in mind when pricing the ELR, Caddy!
And, my current marque, Jaguar, was MIA. Que lastima.
Oh, yeah. The "Spokesmodels?" Oh, my.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I'll take the beautiful weather and if I need adversity I'll pick a fight with my wife. At least then, when she throws me out in the street I can sleep on the beach. :shades:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
A 13 year old car with only about 16k miles? That's my dream car. Call me when you want to sell. I should be down in St. Pete's by then.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I remember that from Spanish class. Like Holy Sh&* or Holy cow (more likely).
Nice review on the car show. ATS sounds nice, but I agree with you...knobs on the radio WORK. Last time I was in a drive-thru and had to turn down the radio quickly I just hit the power button and turned it off. (easier than holding the volume down button)
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
I totally agree. The other day a friend was talking about a particular Lincoln model and I started discussing a totally different one because I can't keep all the "Ms" straight. For a low volume brand like Lincoln they should make it easier.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Where in heaven's name have you been?!
Been around, tried to get my book finished and then started getting ready for tax season.
How's Chicago?
Can't wait to put this state in my rear view mirror (hows that for a car reference?).
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Thanks guys but when it comes to mattresses it seems as though high prices do not necessarily equate to comfort and relaxation.
*Richard, according to an "unbiased" review I read, the Restonic mattress is slightly below average when it comes to comfort, after four years down the road, and above average when it comes to price. They claim the mattress tend to sink in the middle after fours years of use. Besides, the product is not available in the Boston area.
*Driver, I really like the Tempurpedic, but the model I like retails for $7,500. My budget is maxed at $2,000, but if I have to, I probably could go as high as $2,500 but that will result in a big fight with my wife.
*graphicguy, I am very surprised to learn that the SleepNumber bed does not hold the number setting and must be adjusted every night. In that case, I will have remove it from further consideration.
Still, I understand that it is possible to buy "real" hotel mattress sets from the leading hotel chains. If I can buy something as comfortable as what I slept on at the Hilton and the Marriott I wouldn't hesitate if the price is relatively reasonable.
Acura styling is improving. I like the ILX, our RDX nose is toned down, and the RLX actually looks good.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
And, when are you going to Largo? This has been an amazing January so far.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Really good comments about your impressions of the cars you saw. Those are the things I would be interested in knowing.
If I have to refer to one of those Lincoln models I have to look them up on the wesite to know which is which.
Slide controls for volume would be difficult to use. The Passat has slide rule to find stations on Sirius and it is hard to control the selection, either go to far or not far enough.
I agree about the Accuras, the vintage before the snout was much nicer...some cars just get uglier for some reason.
BMW has some game going on using option packages to really boost the price. We priced a 328 and 335 for my wife. Then when we drove the A4 and liked it better no matter what the price, I was shocked to find it cost $16K less than the 335. The Premium Plus model included everything, even lange change warnings, which the 335 didn't have. Something is wrong with this.....except for 300 hp vs 240 we like the Audi in every way a lot more.
Good points made though...loved the review of the cars you commented on.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
$7500 has to be the top of the line set. The top of the line could get up there, but there are models that cost less. I just quickly found this site:
Tempur Cloud
We prefer Scandinavian style beds which are firm....like driving a bmw, usually made of foam, and don't require a boxspring. We got one for the Florida home and it was about $500 at Ikea........we love it. Not as good as the Tempurpedic but better than 90% of the mattresses I have used in motel/hotel rooms.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
When we built our house they hadn't run gas lines in the neighborhood but we knew that was coming soon. Spent a year or two on propane. This worked OK for the heat and hot water but it takes forever for a pot of water to boil with a propane stove! Once they ran the gas line it was just a matter of changing out valves which the gas company did.
Locally there is a chain of discount furniture stores. He makes a big deal of his Bobopedic mattresses - that they are thicker and way cheaper than a Tempurpedic. I can't imagine. If I bought a $7,500 mattress I couldn't sleep at night.
I spent about three hours at the New England Auto Show this afternoon but I didn't get to see as much as I intended since my wife was with me. When she got inside a vehicle she liked, I had to pry her away because she would check out every little detail, not realizing that there was a line of patrons waiting for a chance to get inside the car as well.
Nonetheless, I was impressed with the 2014 Chevy Impala. Such a beautiful car should be in the Cadillac or Buick line-up, not Chevy. Speaking of Buick. The 2013 Buick Encore Crossover is a winner. It is cute inside and out and I think it will be a home run for GM.
Unfortunately, because of tired feed and a slow moving wife, I was unable to get to the booths of Ford, Lincoln, Cadillac, BMW, Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, and Chrysler/Dodge. I hope I didn't miss much but really wanted to see the Cadillac ATS up close and personal.
By the way, the crowds were massive and there were many marquee brands available for test drives. If the massive crowds and the enthusiasm expressed by visitors are a prediction of car sales, then the auto industry should have a good year indeed.
Richard
As I said, we selected the materials and had them custom made. They are now seven years old, extremely comfortable, and no sagging in the middle. We've been so pleased that we purchased a new set for the downstairs guest room in our new house.
Richard
That was me. We've had three gas stoves in our 14 homes. We never liked a one of them. For us, they cook too fast and leave a slight odor that we don't like. It cost a small fortune to switch it out (Had to slightly enlarge the Corian countertop and find a totally white glass top with white knobs---no easy task), but my wife is now a happy camper. We do have an 80 gallon gas water heater which is very nice. Also, our front lanterns at the end of the walk are gas. Many folks used to have those, but now there are only two of us in town still maintaining them. They are really pretty at night.
Richard
I prefer gas but electric is better at simmering. When I make gravy (tomato sauce everywhere but Philly and south jersey) it's hard to get the heat low enough with our range despite having a special simmer burner. On my Mom's electric stove, no problems.
My Parent's house has a gas lantern out front too. It looks really nice when it works, but the jets always get clogged. It's been inop for quite a while now.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Bobopedics actually are rated pretty good by their owners.
sleep like the dead mattress reviews
You can get a mattress for about $1000. 79% of the people who bought one liked it, which is about the same as most mattresses.
I don't know if I could actually sleep to well on a mattress that sounds like it was made in the guys garage, I mean a Bobopedic!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
You are right about the simmering on a gas stove. That was a real problem for us.
Richard