Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

henryn · December 2014

The “no helmet” thing is debatable. Reasonable people can differ, which is why I said “somewhat understand” and “mostly a personal choice”.

But as @driver100 said, “Allowing texting while driving is insane”. For the life of me, I absolutely cannot understand how any sane person would support allowing people to text while driving.

And @robr2, to respond to your comment: “Have you ever thought of just going on craigslist and getting a used iPod instead of putting up with the memory stick issue?”

Mostly I just listen to SiriusXM when I’m in the Ford. I do have several CDRs loaded with MP3s when I want particular music. But I’m not driving the truck very much, 5k miles in about 14 months. It does not fit well in the parking garage, and I don’t like getting all of the door dings. I pay $146 a month for contract parking in a high rise parking garage. For that kind of money, they make the parking spaces very small so as to have more of them to sell. The ’05 Tahoe is quite a bit smaller, and fits much better in the small parking spaces. And I don’t care near as much about the door dings on that one.

The other day some yahoo parked so close to me that I absolutely could not get the drivers door open wide enough to crawl in. (Yes, I saw the video of that European guy with the world’s tiniest garage.) I would up going in through the passenger door and crawling over the center console. Yet another reason to dislike center consoles!

fezo · December 2014

Just noting that your parking space cost more than my apartment for grad school.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2014

Really? What could be a rational argument for not wearing a helmet while going 90 mph on two wheels? I'm all ears for that one!

Speaking of which, a friend of mine has a Ducati "Streetfighter" for sale.

132 HP
Weight: 370 lb.

Can you calculate power to weight ratio? GEEZ.

Michaell · December 2014

ray80 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
What was that recent survey result? The average person checks their cell phone something like 75 times a day? Or was it 58? Something like that. More than you'd think.

Hhmm let me check, I think theres an app for that

Actually, the number is 150.

nyccarguy · December 2014

Mr_Shiftright said:
I've done a LOT of math on "fixer-uppers" and it's been my experience over the years that in most cases, you're better off buying the best car you can for as much as you can afford.

I was looking at a 2001 Dodge Dakota 4X4 pickup last week. Great price. Clean body and interior.

But then I started looking more closely. Hmmm....needs four tires. Front tires worn very irregularly, 1/2 of tread worn to steel, other half ok. That's some front end repair for sure.

Overdrive button hanging out of stalk.

AC doesn't work

Heater fan doesn't work

Engine sounds good, but erratic idle. No valid smog certificate

tail lights, panel lights not working

driver's side window barely goes up and down.

So now I'm thinkin'---why not just pay $4000 for a clean one that's smogged and ready to roll?

Yup! Just ask the guy who thought it was a good idea to buy a $950 E30 325i a few years back. Luckily I got bailed out by "cash for clunkers" and got $3,500 which was about what I had sunk into a car that needed A LOT of work. It was neglected over its only 82,000 miles.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2014

There are plenty of private sellers who can lie just as well as some bottomfeeder type dealers, if not better....and they are exposed to far less liability if caught.

oldfarmer50 · December 2014

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:
I have one short sales story that took place when I went in to the collision shop. They have about 20 rough looking used cars for sale outside. The guy before me asked if the collision shop owner sold the used cars. He said he was looking after them for a friend - and rolled his eyes. The supposed customer said he was looking for a used car for under $1500!

The shop owner said even if he could find a car that was in running order at that price he would have to put at least $3500 into it to get it in good order. He had a Jetta with 100k miles but it didn't have window handles and one rear window didn't work, and that he was selling for $3500, so you get some idea. He had a car he paid $3000 for at the auction but it is burning oil - lots of oil and he is going to return it.

I am not complaining, the owner had to deal with this guy, but I would get frustrated having someone like that waste my time. The owner did say if he could get decent cars he could even buy for $1500 he could sell dozens of them every day.
Those people obviously never heard of Craigslist.

I did a search of Tampa CL for under $1500 and got 4950+ hits.

I like this one with 75k miles.

That car looks a little funny for 75k miles. It seems to me the trunk doesn't close properly. The rear left fender looks like it has a coating on it. The front end forward looks a little droopy.

Maybe someone can sell a car for $1500....as is. But a lot can't buy a car, clean it up, get it road worthy, and make a profit at $1500. What profit would there be after all the trouble of buying it, fixing it up, storing it, expenses etc....?

If you expect a $1500 car to be perfect you will indeed be disappointed. It will either be old (that caddie is a 92'), miled up or need at least the selling price in repairs. The trick is to find one that isn't all three.

I agree that it's tough for a dealer to fix a $1500 car up to be perfect but especially down there in Florida there are a lot of snow birds "donating" low mile old cars to the market every day as they trade them in for wings and harps.
Oldfarmer, you are the master of the $1500 car and/or hooptie. Ever consider getting into the used car business or becoming a curbsider? I think it would be fun to sell cars on your own lot, but, it must be a really difficult business, and you would really have to know what you were doing.

Yes, knowing what I was doing would be the tough part.

driver100 · December 2014

Mr_Shiftright said:
Really? What could be a rational argument for not wearing a helmet while going 90 mph on two wheels? I'm all ears for that one!

lol....but, I guess, The right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That's the best I have.....makes it doable if you really want to, but, heads don't hold up well when they strike something at 90 mph.

oldfarmer50 · December 2014

graphicguy said:
OldFarmer......I sort of like that $1,500 Caddy. Probably been wrecked and repaired the cheapest way possible because it was going to go away to begin with.

But, if the miles are correct, and it runs right, well worth $1,500, IMHO.

Me too. A few years ago I bought a similar 93' Deville with 80k miles for my son for $1200. Perfect? Not hardly but it's given him reliable transportation for 4 years. That's all you can expect from a car like that.

Remember, no one ever sold a car because it was running TOO good.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2014

Ah, kind of a Right to Die issue? Okay, fair enough, but not on public roads, please.

oldfarmer50 · December 2014

driver100 said:

henryn said:

driver100 said:

It seems anything goes in Florida, carry a gun if you like, don't wear a helmet on a motorcycle, yak on your cell phone while driving, texting is probably ok. I don't know if they have a drivers test after a certain age. But, it's still a great place to be.....little chance of rain and high 70s to 80 until at least Sunday.

You should try Texas. The last legislature passed a law banning texting while driving, and our wonderful governor vetoed it. I mean seriously, people should be allowed to text while driving???

I can somewhat understand the no helmet thing. That is, mostly, a personal choice, and if you want to kill yourself, more power to you. But if you're texting while driving at 70 mph in a 4,000 pound automobile, you're likely to take out a lot of other people when you run off the road and hit the local Starbucks.
In Canada the government pays for our medical expenses. So, if the guy on the motorcycle slides across the pavement and hits a tree at 90 mph....we have to pay for his medical expenses.
So, we care about such things. If that same guy pays his own medical expenses, or if his insurance covers him, then I guess it is his decision.

Allowing texting while driving is insane. I read people who text are addicted, they absolutely have to be doing it...even while driving.

We had a bus driver who was so addicted that she couldn't stop texting even while driving the bus. Got a couple of months off the first time but when she came back she started again even though she knew there were multiple cameras watching her. Second time she was "urged to resign".

Don't understand it myself. I don't even know where my cell phone is and if I did I couldn't text if my life depended on it.

mako1a · December 2014

Henry, not to make a complex problem sound easy to solve, but did you hit the center of the tuning button once or twice after inserting the memory stick? That's what I do with mine after adding songs and re-inserting. It acts like a "go to next step" button.

driver100 · December 2014

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:
OldFarmer......I sort of like that $1,500 Caddy. Probably been wrecked and repaired the cheapest way possible because it was going to go away to begin with.

But, if the miles are correct, and it runs right, well worth $1,500, IMHO.

Me too. A few years ago I bought a similar 93' Deville with 80k miles for my son for $1200. Perfect? Not hardly but it's given him reliable transportation for 4 years. That's all you can expect from a car like that.

Remember, no one ever sold a car because it was running TOO good.

Oldfarmer said: Remember, no one ever sold a car because it was running TOO good.

Except Mike!

ab348 · December 2014

On the helmet issue: I don't get it either. But in my town the bicycling lobby is campaigning to get rid of the helmet laws for them. I don't understand the argument.

jwm40517 · December 2014

I once heard someone say it was a good thing that you can't do a brain transplant because no one would want the brain of a biker killed without a helmet.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2014

Fine then. They can go without helmets, but only after they sign a legal document declining any form of public assistance for their medical needs or rehabilitation, beyond immediate care at the scene of the accident. You want to play Social Darwinism, then you after to accept your fate just like the squirrel who runs across the road every day.

ab348 said:
On the helmet issue: I don't get it either. But in my town the bicycling lobby is campaigning to get rid of the helmet laws for them. I don't understand the argument.

nyccarguy · December 2014

I'm completely against texting and driving. For one, I think it is absurd that we as a society have to enact legislation to basically tell people: "it is now illegal to take your eyes off the road to look down at your phone and type or read a message." Grrrrr! New York made it a fine, then made it a moving violation (2 points).

As far as motorcycles go. My wife is a physical therapist. She sees lots of motorcycle accident victims (there's no helmet law here in CT) and the "recovery" is always tremendously long & never pretty.

explorerx4 · December 2014

F Series pickup sales were down a bunch this month. Will be looking pretty seriously at the end of this month at a 2014.
I have been looking at Crosstrek XV, too. This lead me to WRX, also. I want something AWD

robr2 · December 2014

explorerx4 said:
F Series pickup sales were down a bunch this month. Will be looking pretty seriously at the end of this month at a 2014.

I presume that drop is due to the lack of 2014's as they are out of production and the 2015 isn't up to volume yet,

explorerx4 · December 2014

@robr2, Around me there are plenty of 2014's sitting on the lots. Could be good news for me.

houdini1 · December 2014

jwm40517 said:
I once heard someone say it was a good thing that you can't do a brain transplant because no one would want the brain of a biker killed without a helmet.

LOL, that brings up the question as to whether it would be a brain transplant or actually a body transplant.

I don't think anyone would ever want a brain transplant of any kind, but a lot of people would probably pay big money for a body transplant.

houdini1 · December 2014

nyccarguy said:
I'm completely against texting and driving. For one, I think it is absurd that we as a society have to enact legislation to basically tell people: "it is now illegal to take your eyes off the road to look down at your phone and type or read a message." Grrrrr! New York made it a fine, then made it a moving violation (2 points).

As far as motorcycles go. My wife is a physical therapist. She sees lots of motorcycle accident victims (there's no helmet law here in CT) and the "recovery" is always tremendously long & never pretty.

One of the dumbest laws we have in Kansas is that it is illegal for anyone under 21 to text while driving...so it is ok to text while driving if you are 80 or 90. No texting while driving should apply to everyone

stever · December 2014

ab348 said:
On the helmet issue: I don't get it either. But in my town the bicycling lobby is campaigning to get rid of the helmet laws for them. I don't understand the argument.

The way I heard it is that people don't like wearing helmets and they are a hassle to haul around, so if you don't make people wear them, they'll bicycle more. The overall health advantages will far outweigh the occasional brain injury. Especially since helmets aren't foolproof. (sciencenordic.com)

venture · December 2014

"I usually put up the garage door when I start the car, but the garage was dark so I put it up before I got in. . I got in the car, did some paper work, my wife asked me a question I had to really think about, I put the car in reverse, pressed the garage door opener button forgetting it was up - had a senior moment - and it came down on the trunk.
I didn't see it in the rear camera because it was up. I think I just pressed the remote automatically, not realizing I already put it up. It is a tiny dent, but costly".

I had almost the same thing happen. I opened the garage door so my wife could go around to the passenger door. When getting ready to back out she was yakking away and I had forgotten I had already opened the garage door. It came down on the rear window. Didn't do any damage to the car, but it did bend the bottom 2 panels a little on the garage door I just had installed about 2 months prior. It used to be almost silent while moving, Now it squeaks like it's 50 years old.

Sometimes you just can't win.

ab348 · December 2014

stever said:

ab348 said:
On the helmet issue: I don't get it either. But in my town the bicycling lobby is campaigning to get rid of the helmet laws for them. I don't understand the argument.
The way I heard it is that people don't like wearing helmets and they are a hassle to haul around, so if you don't make people wear them, they'll bicycle more. The overall health advantages will far outweigh the occasional brain injury. Especially since helmets aren't foolproof. (sciencenordic.com)

Seems to me that the act of bicycling itself is far more of a hassle than wearing a lightweight bike helmet. Just saw a girl with long flowing hair cycling to work/school in the pouring rain. I'm sure she'll be elated when she arrives and looks at herself in the mirror.

robr2 · December 2014

stever said:
The way I heard it is that people don't like wearing helmets and they are a hassle to haul around, so if you don't make people wear them, they'll bicycle more. The overall health advantages will far outweigh the occasional brain injury. Especially since helmets aren't foolproof. (sciencenordic.com)

What are the health advantages of not wearing a bike helmet??

For true cyclists, a helmet is not a hassle. I'm guessing the complainers are the type that ride a bike twice a year. I think everybody understood that helmets won't protect against all head injuries when riding but they will at least lessen the severity of a head lacerations and skull fractures.

henryn · December 2014

mako1a said:
Henry, not to make a complex problem sound easy to solve, but did you hit the center of the tuning button once or twice after inserting the memory stick? That's what I do with mine after adding songs and re-inserting. It acts like a "go to next step" button.

To be honest, I don't remember everything that I tried. I tried quite a few different things, including 3 trips to the dealer, leaving the truck every time. I gave up on it after I noticed that the hard reset (pulling the battery cable) was causing problems with the SiriusXM radio.

Every time I did a hard reset, the next few times I used the SiriusXM it would keep dropping out for a second or two (not under bridges or overpasses). My best guess was that it had to "re-train". Whatever the reason, the whole thing was giving me elevated blood pressure and indigestion, so I just gave up.

One of the hard lessons I have learned in life is when to give up. My experience is that you never win with a Ford or Chevy dealer, at least not in any protracted struggle. Cadillac, Volkswagen, Honda, yes, sometimes. Ford or Chevy, never.

stever · December 2014

"For true cyclists, a helmet is not a hassle."

The main reason I wear a snowboard helmet is for warmth - I have no illusions that it'll offer any protection slamming into a tree. But it's likely saved me from a mild concussion or two, like a standing fall getting off the chair.

Sometimes I'll bike out to my mailbox - I don't put a helmet on for that. If I'm at a campground or some resorty town, I'll tool around without one. I don't wear one messing around on my unicycle either.

For kids yeah, but if put a bunch of Citibike racks up in Manhattan, requiring helmets would just kill the idea, even though they encourage people to wear them.

robr2 · December 2014

I wear a snowboard helmet for both warmth and some protection. I've gotten a concussion even with a helmet and am sure that I would have gotten it much worse (cracked skull) had I not had it on, I realize it's not going to prevent all injury but it will help reduce the severity of many of them.

I too don't wear a bike helmet if I'm just cruising around while car camping. But the second I get on the road or trail, the helmet goes on.

Here in Boston, the Hubway bike share system requires the use of helmets. The user agreement contains the requirement. That's more as a CYA thing but at least it reminds riders to don a helmet. Surprisingly, 42% of Hubway users do use helmets, Further, they offer helmet rentals for as little as $2 through an automated system called Helmet Hub.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2014

Helmets a hassle? Weak, very weak. You can dangle a helmet off your pinkie without any strain. What a crock. I bet these are the same people who wouldn't hesitate to take umbrellas on sailboats.

driver100 · December 2014

I had almost the same thing happen. I opened the garage door so my wife could go around to the passenger door. When getting ready to back out she was yakking away and I had forgotten I had already opened the garage door. It came down on the rear window. Didn't do any damage to the car, but it did bend the bottom 2 panels a little on the garage door I just had installed about 2 months prior. It used to be almost silent while moving, Now it squeaks like it's 50 years old.

Sometimes you just can't win.

That is very similar. There should be a device that doesn't let you activate the door while you are backing it....or a device for wives so they don't talk to you at ctitical times.

Backing the car out of a garage is more complicated than it seems, there are a few things to be thinking about. Getting distracted at the wrong time leads to a mistake.

I had to have a guy come and bump out the garage door....but he did a few other things too, so not too bad.

driver100 · December 2014

explorerx4 said:
@robr2, Around me there are plenty of 2014's sitting on the lots. Could be good news for me.

Excellent article on why sales of the 2014 F150s has dropped off. It says if you wait awhile you will get an excellent deal on a 2014 model. They predict sales will skyrocket once the 2015 model is out in full force.

Ford f150 sales set to take off

henryn · December 2014

That article was written right at 5 months ago. I don't know if those predictions are holding up. To the best of my knowledge, there are still no 2015 F150s at the dealers?

driver100 · December 2014

henryn said:
That article was written right at 5 months ago. I don't know if those predictions are holding up. To the best of my knowledge, there are still no 2015 F150s at the dealers?

I didn't notice it was written 5 months ago......but, the principles are probably still true. When a complete redesign takes place people stop buying the current model for lots of reasons. Once the new model actually comes out sales go way up.

That was really why I thought the article was worth reading...it explains why F150 sales are slower, and why Explorer may want to wait before buying.

robr2 · December 2014

The first 2015's began rolling off the line at River Rouge/Dearborn on Nov 11. 2015's are not expected at the dealers until the last week of December as they build up inventory and special/fleet orders won't be at the dealers before February. That plant stopped making 2014's back in August.

The Kansas City plant stopped making 2014's a month ago and is now retooling for the 2015.

Essentially supply of the 2014's was cut in half 3 months ago and completely shut down in November. There may be deals but they won't last long.

driver100 · December 2014

I picked up the E400 today, and it is all fixed up good as new. I was thinking back and in 50 years of driving that is the first car I have dented. Using the Driver Method of averaging that is $10 a year for miscellaneous dents and scrapes....not great, but not to bad in the big scheme of things and the universe.

I have driven the Passat for the last 2 days about 200 miles. It is amazing how nice they can make a car that sells for $23k. It looks like it should cost way more, and it handles nicely.

But, the adage any car gets you from point A to point B doesn't tell the whole story. It was so good to be back in the Benz, and one good thing is, I really appreciate it even more. Steering and handling are so much better, and so is the comfort level. The Passat is a good little car, but the Benz is really special, there is a huge difference. The real test is when you are going about 80 mph (which everyone does on I-75). The Benz does it with ease, the Passat does it but I know where the phrase white knuckles comes from now. And the road is rough and although you get a feel of the road in the Benz, you actually feel each little pebble in the Passat.

I feel much better now, the car was cleaned inside and out and I can't find where the windshield was fixed. Feeling like I got a brand new start. Hopefully after this third thing that will be it for 50 more years.

imidazol97 · December 2014

Just paid myself somewhere between $200-$500. What do plumbers charge?

I noticed the bottom of the sink cabinet was damp. Turns out the sink faucet has had a leak on the on/off valve in the line for the hot water faucet. It had corroded where the plate around the stem screws on and was actually separating. It was soldered onto the copper supply line--my unfavorite kind of plumbing where water can't be drained out of the line.

$15 at Lowes. New valve with compression fitting, no more solder. New pex line to the faucet since I cut off the copper end where the solder had been; old plastic supply line was now too short. Three hours. Happy wife, even though she hasn't had a pain pill for her knee in 10 hours.

thebean · December 2014

driver100 said "That is very similar. There should be a device that doesn't let you activate the door while you are backing it....or a device for wives so they don't talk to you at critical times."

driver, if you can invent this, you could afford a new Benz for every day of the week.

driver100 · December 2014

thebean said:

driver100 said "

driver100 said "That is very similar. There should be a device that doesn't let you activate the door while you are backing it....or a device for wives so they don't talk to you at critical times."

the bean said: driver, if you can invent this, you could afford a new Benz for every day of the week.

Yea, it would be good too, for when I watch 50 minutes of a TV program, then there are 5 minutes of commercials, and then when the end of the program comes on so I can see how it ends I am told how my wife's sisters medical condition is coming along.

Can't all that be covered during the commercials?

driver100 · December 2014

imidazol97 said:
Just paid myself somewhere between $200-$500. What do plumbers charge?

I noticed the bottom of the sink cabinet was damp. Turns out the sink faucet has had a leak on the on/off valve in the line for the hot water faucet. It had corroded where the plate around the stem screws on and was actually separating. It was soldered onto the copper supply line--my unfavorite kind of plumbing where water can't be drained out of the line.

$15 at Lowes. New valve with compression fitting, no more solder. New pex line to the faucet since I cut off the copper end where the solder had been; old plastic supply line was now too short. Three hours. Happy wife, even though she hasn't had a pain pill for her knee in 10 hours.

Way to go imid. Now if I did that and saved myself $200 to $500 something would go wrong and I would get a repair bill for that same amount......why even try?

snakeweasel · December 2014

robr2 said:

stever said:
The way I heard it is that people don't like wearing helmets and they are a hassle to haul around, so if you don't make people wear them, they'll bicycle more. The overall health advantages will far outweigh the occasional brain injury. Especially since helmets aren't foolproof. (sciencenordic.com)
What are the health advantages of not wearing a bike helmet??

For true cyclists, a helmet is not a hassle. I'm guessing the complainers are the type that ride a bike twice a year. I think everybody understood that helmets won't protect against all head injuries when riding but they will at least lessen the severity of a head lacerations and skull fractures.

There are a lot of serious bicyclists that don't use a helmet for a variety of reasons. While not arguing for or against anything here I will make these points.

Wearing a bike helmet for extended periods of time can get rather uncomfortable and can cause irritation of the skin where the padding of the helmet makes contact with the skin.

I have had at times on hot and/or humid days where the padding (padding that keeps the hard part of the helmet off your noggin) gets saturated with sweat and a move of the head squeezes that padding and a stream of sweat just rolls into your eye blinding you. I usually try to avoid this by stopping every so often and getting a rag and wiping those pads down.

Helmets aren't as effective as people think as head injuries are pretty uncommon on bikes. I do a considerable amount of biking, well over a thousand miles a summer, and every year I meet Mr. Pavement at least once and in all my crashes I have never hit my head. IIRC most bicyclist who die in accidents die from soft tissue injuries not head trauma.

There are plenty of times when the sun is in a position that I wish I was wearing a baseball cap so the visor could block the sun, visors on bike helmets are rather poor at shading the eyes.

The big criticism of helmet campaigns is that it discourages bicycling not due to it being a hassle to use a bike helmet but because many of these campaigns make it seem like bicycling is extremely dangerous.

driver100 · December 2014

snakeweasel said:

robr2 said:

stever said:
The way I heard it is that people don't like wearing helmets and they are a hassle to haul around, so if you don't make people wear them, they'll bicycle more. The overall health advantages will far outweigh the occasional brain injury. Especially since helmets aren't foolproof. (sciencenordic.com)
What are the health advantages of not wearing a bike helmet??

For true cyclists, a helmet is not a hassle. I'm guessing the complainers are the type that ride a bike twice a year. I think everybody understood that helmets won't protect against all head injuries when riding but they will at least lessen the severity of a head lacerations and skull fractures.

There are a lot of serious bicyclists that don't use a helmet for a variety of reasons. While not arguing for or against anything here I will make these points.

Wearing a bike helmet for extended periods of time can get rather uncomfortable and can cause irritation of the skin where the padding of the helmet makes contact with the skin.

I have had at times on hot and/or humid days where the padding (padding that keeps the hard part of the helmet off your noggin) gets saturated with sweat and a move of the head squeezes that padding and a stream of sweat just rolls into your eye blinding you. I usually try to avoid this by stopping every so often and getting a rag and wiping those pads down.

Helmets aren't as effective as people think as head injuries are pretty uncommon on bikes. I do a considerable amount of biking, well over a thousand miles a summer, and every year I meet Mr. Pavement at least once and in all my crashes I have never hit my head. IIRC most bicyclist who die in accidents die from soft tissue injuries not head trauma.

There are plenty of times when the sun is in a position that I wish I was wearing a baseball cap so the visor could block the sun, visors on bike helmets are rather poor at shading the eyes.

The big criticism of helmet campaigns is that it discourages bicycling not due to it being a hassle to use a bike helmet but because many of these campaigns make it seem like bicycling is extremely dangerous.

This site would strongly disagree:

HOW IMPORTANT IS WEARING A BICYCLE HELMET?

Number who die in 2010

2010
Number die with No helmet 429 As a % 70%
Number die with helmet 94 As a % 15%

To quote: The IIHS is consistently the best source of bicycle fatality statistics on the Web. Their picture of a "typical" bicyclist killed on our roads would be a sober male over 16 not wearing a helmet riding on a major road between intersections in an urban area on a summer evening when hit by a car.

Surprise: 23% of bicycle accident victims were drunk (over .08)!

mako1a · December 2014

Can't all that be covered during the commercials?

Just hit the pause button. Not sure how cable works, but I wouldn't watch TV if I couldn't pause, FF or REW like on DirecTV.

driver100 · December 2014

mako1a said:
Can't all that be covered during the commercials?

Just hit the pause button. Not sure how cable works, but I wouldn't watch TV if I couldn't pause, FF or REW like on DirecTV.

I can do that. I also hit the record button as soon as the question or story starts...but then I have to start recording the beginning of the next program or I'll miss that too.

henryn · December 2014

I just received an email from a local Honda dealer. Interesting stuff there that I had not seen anywhere before, namely "We will write that dealer a draft for your trade so you will still receive the tax credit".

if you currently own a Honda Pilot or CRV,or know someone who does, please read this! We have none used, and too many new. The demand for used Pilots and CRVs this time of year always exceeds the supply. The opposite is happening on the new side. Take advantage of this perfect storm. You will get top dollar for your used Pilot or CRV and utilize year end incentives and our need to move the new inventory. Even if you don't purchase a new Honda, we would still like to buy your used Pilot or CRV. If you're trading your Honda at another dealer, no matter the brand, please bring it here for our valuation. We will write that dealer a draft for your trade so you will still receive the tax credit, and probably give you more for it than they will.

Interesting stuff. I wonder if you could get such a "draft" from CarMax. The last time I was wheeling and dealing, CarMax offered me $1,500 more than the new car dealer for my trade in.

driver100 · December 2014

henryn said:
I just received an email from a local Honda dealer. Interesting stuff there that I had not seen anywhere before, namely "We will write that dealer a draft for your trade so you will still receive the tax credit".

if you currently own a Honda Pilot or CRV,or know someone who does, please read this! We have none used, and too many new. The demand for used Pilots and CRVs this time of year always exceeds the supply. The opposite is happening on the new side. Take advantage of this perfect storm. You will get top dollar for your used Pilot or CRV and utilize year end incentives and our need to move the new inventory. Even if you don't purchase a new Honda, we would still like to buy your used Pilot or CRV. If you're trading your Honda at another dealer, no matter the brand, please bring it here for our valuation. We will write that dealer a draft for your trade so you will still receive the tax credit, and probably give you more for it than they will.

Interesting stuff. I wonder if you could get such a "draft" from CarMax. The last time I was wheeling and dealing, CarMax offered me $1,500 more than the new car dealer for my trade in.

Somebody is very creative....that's a new angle to get people in. I think it would work. I wonder how true it is?

stickguy · December 2014

Could be. Dealers do get buy bids on trades. I always assume wholesalers, but could just as easily be another brand dealer. Win win if you aren't the state treasury.

henryn · December 2014

driver100 said:

Somebody is very creative....that's a new angle to get people in. I think it would work. I wonder how true it is?

That question also occurred to me. I'm thinking that the dealership offering this deal probably would hand you a "draft". But that leaves two questions, would the other dealer, where you are purchasing, go along with this deal, this "draft", and would the offer from the first dealership actually be any better than the offer from the 2nd dealership.

One thing for sure, this wouldn't work if the manufacturer is offering a "trade incentive".

I think if I owned a CR-V or Pilot, and were thinking of trading it in, I would go by and get their offer. Which means their "new angle to get people in" would have worked.

ab348 · December 2014

I don't understand what this is all about. What is this draft business? Are they buying the trade from the other dealer? What if that dealer doesn't want to sell? I'm confused.

abacomike · December 2014

@ab348‌

It's quite confusing, "ab". I have never had an experience like that while I was in the business. It is a way to avoid paying sales tax out of your pocket yet still take the sales tax deduction on your Federal Return. You end up receiving the OTD price for the new vehicle for your trade.

An example would be when I trade my CLS in to the dealer, the value of the trade is the out-the-door price of the new car. Obviously there is no sales tax involved here in Florida because you deduct the trade from the price of the car and are taxed on the difference. But in the case posted about vouchers, some dealers will accept a third party voucher for the car as payment towards the new car which includes the fees and taxes, and will show that your trade paid for those taxes.

Tax avoidance is a felony in most states and this would be pretty close to committing a crime, but very difficult to prove that collusion took place.

This is my take on this. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me!

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