Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

fordfool · July 2016

> IBM was responsible for most of those home computers. Almost 90% of PC's out there are pretty much descendants > of the IBM 5150. Don Estridge and his team created the 5150 with off the shelf parts.

"The Soul of a New Machine" by Tracy Kidder is about IBM's efforts to create a PC. I own an IBM Aptiva and it's been a reliable machine for 18 years, albeit with numerous hardware upgrades over the years. I wish "Big Blue" had stayed in the PC business but they sold the PC to the Chinese Lenovo which didn't inspire confidence.

My point was that personal computers took away much of IBM's mainframe sales and that IBM failed to establish a leadership position in PC sales, perhaps due to a lack of retail sales experience.

berri · July 2016

Bill Gates and Paul Allen took IBM for a ride

Sometimes being big is not an advantage. Entrepreneurs often trump bureaucracies. Eventually Gates found that out with Microsoft...what goes around, comes around.

ab348 · July 2016

The thing about IBM back then was while their systems (not talking PCs here) were hellishly expensive and often quite complicated, it just worked. If it didn't, they had armies of hardware and systems engineers to make it work. You might have hated writing the checks to them each month, but you generally appreciated how their stuff worked. Unlike Microsoft, which nobody seems to like.

cdnpinhead · July 2016

The Microsoft mantra: Everything's different and nothing is better.

roadburner · July 2016

cdnpinhead said:
The Microsoft mantra: Everything's different and nothing is better.

Microsoft : The only way they will make something that doesn't suck is if they start building vacuum cleaners.

bwia · July 2016

roadburner said:

cdnpinhead said:
The Microsoft mantra: Everything's different and nothing is better.
Microsoft : The only way they will make something that doesn't suck is if they start building vacuum cleaners.

Ouch, that hurt.

henryn · July 2016

jmonroe said:

henryn said:

roadburner said:
Interesting day today, two salespeople were off sick and two leave early on Wednesdays. That left me, one salesperson, and the new car manager in the showroom from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. I did a little bit of everything- which was great; I'd rather be doing something than simply twiddling my thumbs...
I think I ran into something similar last night. I went down to look at that used 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. Big dealership, shiny new building, lots of offices, no one working. After a 10 minute wait, I talked to a salesman who sent me off for a test drive with his “assistant”. Which is something I have not encountered before, since when do car salesman have assistants?

The minivan is nice, very clean, looks and drives like new, despite 20k miles as a rental vehicle. Okay, now I’m ready to talk turkey. I’m thinking if they take my offer, who can I call on to help me get it home. Only – there’s no one to “talk turkey” with. I sat around for 25 minutes, and finally just went home.

And on top of that – no call back. I signed in when I got there, and actually gave them my phone number. The salesman photo copied my driver’s license before the test drive, and also took down my phone number. No call back, no nothing.

Very strange.
Well, it doesn't look like they are going to be the first one to flinch which is not a good sign for a buyer.

It's still early in the month so getting a call at the end of the month crunch time is possible. Things like this usually have a way of working out for the best. You might even find another used one in a few days or even see a new one that is a better deal.

I'm sure you'll be letting us know how it goes.

jmonroe

Ahh, but they didn't "refuse my offer". They never even heard it. At the end of the test drive, the "assistant" went off to find the actual salesman, and never came back. Weird, I know.

henryn · July 2016

I have been following along with the talk about a $200 per month lease, and thinking about how really cheap that is. I pay $120 a month to Dish, and don’t watch it that much.
Another way of looking at it:

Kia is offering 0% financing on the Kia Soul for 60 months. I can get a pretty nice Soul Plus for around $17,500. If I were to pay the sales tax, license plate, title fees, etc, out of pocket that would run about $1,400 (estimated). Then I would be paying $17,500 divide by 60 is $314.90 per month for 5 years.

If you did that, would you have much equity at the end of 3 years? Let’s run the numbers.

$17,500 minus (36 months at $314.90) leaves us owing $7,557 at the end of year three. As a dealer trade-in, with 36k miles, clean condition, I see $9,552.

$9,552 minus $7,557 leaves me with equity of $1,995. Divide that by 36, and I get $55 per month going towards building equity. If you could lease it for $200 per month, you would be better off by ($114 - $55 = $59).

Which makes me wonder if you could lease a Kia Soul + for $200 a month?

I may be missing something here. Don't these leases (at least some of them) have a fee at turn-in time? $500 or so?

andres3 · July 2016

Just crossed 4,500 miles in the TTS. Thinking about when I should schedule my 5,000 mile service. Either Friday next week, or the following Monday probably. Unless I take the time to take a fun long drive this weekend. (doubtful).

Other than the failure prone BLIS system, I have no defects to report. Either I got bad sensors, or Audi's BLIS systems are in the pre-beta testing phase.

andres3 · July 2016

Drove the in-laws' new Spark last weekend. Also rode in it, and looked at it. The Koreans sure can make a competent small car; even with a Chevy badge on it! The interior was much nicer than I expected. Sure, all the plastics were cheap and hard, but they looked good. The design of the interior was solid. The car actually drove OK, with some pep in its step, and this is a base bottom model. No power doors, no power windows.

Those things are obvious, but what isn't so obvious is that due to the lack of power anything, you have to use a damn key to open the cargo door/hatch! They should have included a remote button on the key at least for the cargo hatch! That's unacceptable. I have no problem with no power windows if one wants to save money, but no power doors can get annoying.

stickguy · July 2016

yes, you get hit with a turn in fee. Usually about $350 (I think that is what mine is). but, they waive that if you re-up with the same brand.

another factor in your calculations is that at the end of 3 years, you need to get something else, so will get a 2nd set of tax and doc/DMV fees.

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

henryn said:
I have been following along with the talk about a $200 per month lease, and thinking about how really cheap that is. I pay $120 a month to Dish, and don’t watch it that much.
Another way of looking at it:

Kia is offering 0% financing on the Kia Soul for 60 months. I can get a pretty nice Soul Plus for around $17,500. If I were to pay the sales tax, license plate, title fees, etc, out of pocket that would run about $1,400 (estimated). Then I would be paying $17,500 divide by 60 is $314.90 per month for 5 years.

If you did that, would you have much equity at the end of 3 years? Let’s run the numbers.

$17,500 minus (36 months at $314.90) leaves us owing $7,557 at the end of year three. As a dealer trade-in, with 36k miles, clean condition, I see $9,552.

$9,552 minus $7,557 leaves me with equity of $1,995. Divide that by 36, and I get $55 per month going towards building equity. If you could lease it for $200 per month, you would be better off by ($114 - $55 = $59).

Which makes me wonder if you could lease a Kia Soul + for $200 a month?

I may be missing something here. Don't these leases (at least some of them) have a fee at turn-in time? $500 or so?

That's what I don't like about leasing...the sneaky fees and hidden charges. Makes a $200 lease into something different. Toss in money factor shenanigans and it's not something my tiny brain can handle. I fear for my relatives going into that kind of swamp being totally clueless.

May be a moot point since they were going to borrow my car to visit the dealer on Tuesday and I haven't heard from them yet.

In other news I was in Albany this morning and while in the parking garage saw a car that I thought was a Chrysler 300 but had a Bentley emblem on the grill. I was impressed until I tried to look up a similar picture to show but found this:

Seems it was just a poser.

In the same garage I also saw a neat old 1930s era Cadillac similar to this:

It was part of a wedding down the block as it had "just married" on the trunk.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2016

looks like maybe a '40?

ab348 · July 2016

That one pictured is a 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special, the first in that series, an early Bill Mitchell design. It was notable for many things including the individual window frames on the doors and the absence of running boards. Gorgeous car.

henryn · July 2016

I went back to the dealer that left me hanging Wednesday night, to try again. This is on the used 2016 Town & Country, advertised for $21,994. This time they weren’t busy, and I talked to a salesman. Cash or finance? Cash. Trade-in? No. Will you buy today if we can agree on price? Yes.

He goes off to see his manager, comes back with a computer printout. Their starting point is $21,994 (as advertised) plus $2,995 for a “protection package”. I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. I said, “You’ve got a lot of gall to even show me that!”

Got up, walked out. That’s the highest priced Mop&Glo that I’ve ever personally seen. Anyone here ever see one higher?

Went down the road a piece to a Mopar dealership, looked at and drove a new Pacifica. They actually have some decent incentives, the price (on TrueCar) doesn’t look bad. Unfortunately, this thing drove like a lead sled. We’re talking s.l..o…w. It made the Town & Country seem like a Mustang GT by comparison.

The salesman riding with me noticed that I had floored it, and said something along the lines of, “This is the fastest minivan on the market. It does 0-60 in like 5 seconds!”

If true, I would have been very impressed. But it just wasn’t true, not at all. It occurred to me after I left, this turkey may have been in some kind of “eco” mode. I can’t find anything online referring to the Pacifica having “modes”, but who knows?

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:
looks like maybe a '40?

That picture is a 38 but I think the one I saw was a little older. It was a V8 if that tells you anything.

jmonroe · July 2016

henryn said:

jmonroe said:

henryn said:

roadburner said:
Interesting day today, two salespeople were off sick and two leave early on Wednesdays. That left me, one salesperson, and the new car manager in the showroom from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. I did a little bit of everything- which was great; I'd rather be doing something than simply twiddling my thumbs...
I think I ran into something similar last night. I went down to look at that used 2016 Chrysler Town and Country. Big dealership, shiny new building, lots of offices, no one working. After a 10 minute wait, I talked to a salesman who sent me off for a test drive with his “assistant”. Which is something I have not encountered before, since when do car salesman have assistants?

The minivan is nice, very clean, looks and drives like new, despite 20k miles as a rental vehicle. Okay, now I’m ready to talk turkey. I’m thinking if they take my offer, who can I call on to help me get it home. Only – there’s no one to “talk turkey” with. I sat around for 25 minutes, and finally just went home.

And on top of that – no call back. I signed in when I got there, and actually gave them my phone number. The salesman photo copied my driver’s license before the test drive, and also took down my phone number. No call back, no nothing.

Very strange.
Well, it doesn't look like they are going to be the first one to flinch which is not a good sign for a buyer.

It's still early in the month so getting a call at the end of the month crunch time is possible. Things like this usually have a way of working out for the best. You might even find another used one in a few days or even see a new one that is a better deal.

I'm sure you'll be letting us know how it goes.

jmonroe
Ahh, but they didn't "refuse my offer". They never even heard it. At the end of the test drive, the "assistant" went off to find the actual salesman, and never came back. Weird, I know.

Granted, they didn't "refuse" your offer but by flinching I meant that they are probably waiting for you to contact them, again, which I would not do.

You did your part by showing interest in the van by going to the dealership and taking it for a test drive. The dealer did not do their part by trying to sell you the van. IMO they are waiting for you to make the first move (really the second move) by you calling and saying, "hey, remember me. I'm the guy that took your van for a test drive. How much do you want for it'? Like I said, I would NOT make that call. The ball is in their court.

One of my philosophies about doing business with someone is if I show interest and they don't respond, that tells me that we are starting off all wrong. I do not chase after people to take my money. I use this philosophy when dealing with landscapers after they don't get back to me with a quote and the same with painters, contractors, etc. on the rare occasion that I have a need for them. In fact, not getting responses is a big reason why I do most everything myself.

Too bad that my son already sold his '08 Town and Country because it would have been a good deal. It even had a new rebuilt Chrysler transmission and you could have had that beast for less than $8K.

EDIT: After I made this post, I saw where you went back to the dealer. I guess I wasn't too far off about not wanting to deal with that dealer.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

henryn said:
I went back to the dealer that left me hanging Wednesday night, to try again. This is on the used 2016 Town & Country, advertised for $21,994. This time they weren’t busy, and I talked to a salesman. Cash or finance? Cash. Trade-in? No. Will you buy today if we can agree on price? Yes.

He goes off to see his manager, comes back with a computer printout. Their starting point is $21,994 (as advertised) plus $2,995 for a “protection package”. I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. I said, “You’ve got a lot of gall to even show me that!”

Got up, walked out. That’s the highest priced Mop&Glo that I’ve ever personally seen. Anyone here ever see one higher?

Went down the road a piece to a Mopar dealership, looked at and drove a new Pacifica. They actually have some decent incentives, the price (on TrueCar) doesn’t look bad. Unfortunately, this thing drove like a lead sled. We’re talking s.l..o…w. It made the Town & Country seem like a Mustang GT by comparison.

The salesman riding with me noticed that I had floored it, and said something along the lines of, “This is the fastest minivan on the market. It does 0-60 in like 5 seconds!”

If true, I would have been very impressed. But it just wasn’t true, not at all. It occurred to me after I left, this turkey may have been in some kind of “eco” mode. I can’t find anything online referring to the Pacifica having “modes”, but who knows?

0-60 in 5 sec.? That would indeed put it in Mustang GT territory. Best Motor Trend could do was 6.5 sec. which does put it in competition with my Eclipse which was not exactly slow.

Maybe you had the parking brake on.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-chrysler-pacifica-first-look-review/

BTW, what protection did you get for $2995 if not an extended warranty?

stickguy · July 2016

The road test I read I think had it faster than the prior model, and quick for a can. Maybe it was just so much quieter and smoother it felt slower?

roadburner · July 2016

Today I helped an older(than me) gentleman set up the rear camera on his 5 Series. Very soft-spoken but very sharp mentally. I guessed he was in his mid to late seventies, but he told me that he was ninety-four.

All I can say is that I hope I still have his level of mental and physical fitness at that age- assuming I make it that far...

stickguy · July 2016

I wish I had it now. And I'm younger than you!

roadburner · July 2016

I'm scheduled to do what BMW calls an Encore Delivery on a new 7 Series(Encore is a scheduled follow-up visit that allows customers to ask questions about the car and any issues that they are having. I'm literally going to have to cram for a few hours in order to be comfortable dealing with questions on that car. That car has more unique features than any car I've ever seen. Not my cup of tea, but fun to play with...

driver100 · July 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:
I went back to the dealer that left me hanging Wednesday night, to try again. This is on the used 2016 Town & Country, advertised for $21,994. This time they weren’t busy, and I talked to a salesman. Cash or finance? Cash. Trade-in? No. Will you buy today if we can agree on price? Yes.

He goes off to see his manager, comes back with a computer printout. Their starting point is $21,994 (as advertised) plus $2,995 for a “protection package”. I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. I said, “You’ve got a lot of gall to even show me that!”

Got up, walked out. That’s the highest priced Mop&Glo that I’ve ever personally seen. Anyone here ever see one higher?

Went down the road a piece to a Mopar dealership, looked at and drove a new Pacifica. They actually have some decent incentives, the price (on TrueCar) doesn’t look bad. Unfortunately, this thing drove like a lead sled. We’re talking s.l..o…w. It made the Town & Country seem like a Mustang GT by comparison.

The salesman riding with me noticed that I had floored it, and said something along the lines of, “This is the fastest minivan on the market. It does 0-60 in like 5 seconds!”

If true, I would have been very impressed. But it just wasn’t true, not at all. It occurred to me after I left, this turkey may have been in some kind of “eco” mode. I can’t find anything online referring to the Pacifica having “modes”, but who knows?
0-60 in 5 sec.? That would indeed put it in Mustang GT territory. Best Motor Trend could do was 6.5 sec. which does put it in competition with my Eclipse which was not exactly slow.

Maybe you had the parking brake on.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-chrysler-pacifica-first-look-review/

BTW, what protection did you get for $2995 if not an extended warranty?

Good article....I like that Pacifica. I believe it was an estimate of 0 to 60 and said 5 to 8 seconds. It does have 287 hp so that isn't too bad. Maybe it is too new, needs some loosening up.

The $22k price PLUS $3k mop n glo package is totally ridiculous, that certainly makes a new one preferable to that scam of a deal.

henryn · July 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:
I went back to the dealer that left me hanging Wednesday night, to try again. This is on the used 2016 Town & Country, advertised for $21,994. This time they weren’t busy, and I talked to a salesman. Cash or finance? Cash. Trade-in? No. Will you buy today if we can agree on price? Yes.

He goes off to see his manager, comes back with a computer printout. Their starting point is $21,994 (as advertised) plus $2,995 for a “protection package”. I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. I said, “You’ve got a lot of gall to even show me that!”

Got up, walked out. That’s the highest priced Mop&Glo that I’ve ever personally seen. Anyone here ever see one higher?

Went down the road a piece to a Mopar dealership, looked at and drove a new Pacifica. They actually have some decent incentives, the price (on TrueCar) doesn’t look bad. Unfortunately, this thing drove like a lead sled. We’re talking s.l..o…w. It made the Town & Country seem like a Mustang GT by comparison.

The salesman riding with me noticed that I had floored it, and said something along the lines of, “This is the fastest minivan on the market. It does 0-60 in like 5 seconds!”

If true, I would have been very impressed. But it just wasn’t true, not at all. It occurred to me after I left, this turkey may have been in some kind of “eco” mode. I can’t find anything online referring to the Pacifica having “modes”, but who knows?
0-60 in 5 sec.? That would indeed put it in Mustang GT territory. Best Motor Trend could do was 6.5 sec. which does put it in competition with my Eclipse which was not exactly slow.

Maybe you had the parking brake on.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-chrysler-pacifica-first-look-review/

BTW, what protection did you get for $2995 if not an extended warranty?

I did look at that article. They (Motor Trend) estimate 0-60 from 6.5 to 8.0. After I got back home, I spent a good 30 minutes looking for some actual numbers. If anyone reputable has tested the Pacifica for 0-60, I was unable to find it.

I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. Well, what does it include? A carfax report. Something about tint (tinted windows? not sure). And "interior protection" (Scotchguard?)

No, the parking brake wasn't on. Although it felt like it was.

berri · July 2016

I recall that the previous T&C and Caravan's I've rented were very loud when the accelerated was trumped, so I suppose the sound effects could perhaps contribute to a feeling of power?

isellhondas · July 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
looks like maybe a '40?
That picture is a 38 but I think the one I saw was a little older. It was a V8 if that tells you anything.

Those Cadillac flathead V-8's were so quiet and so SMOOTH! They could idle so slowly too!

houdini1 · July 2016

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:
I went back to the dealer that left me hanging Wednesday night, to try again. This is on the used 2016 Town & Country, advertised for $21,994. This time they weren’t busy, and I talked to a salesman. Cash or finance? Cash. Trade-in? No. Will you buy today if we can agree on price? Yes.

He goes off to see his manager, comes back with a computer printout. Their starting point is $21,994 (as advertised) plus $2,995 for a “protection package”. I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. I said, “You’ve got a lot of gall to even show me that!”

Got up, walked out. That’s the highest priced Mop&Glo that I’ve ever personally seen. Anyone here ever see one higher?

Went down the road a piece to a Mopar dealership, looked at and drove a new Pacifica. They actually have some decent incentives, the price (on TrueCar) doesn’t look bad. Unfortunately, this thing drove like a lead sled. We’re talking s.l..o…w. It made the Town & Country seem like a Mustang GT by comparison.

The salesman riding with me noticed that I had floored it, and said something along the lines of, “This is the fastest minivan on the market. It does 0-60 in like 5 seconds!”

If true, I would have been very impressed. But it just wasn’t true, not at all. It occurred to me after I left, this turkey may have been in some kind of “eco” mode. I can’t find anything online referring to the Pacifica having “modes”, but who knows?
0-60 in 5 sec.? That would indeed put it in Mustang GT territory. Best Motor Trend could do was 6.5 sec. which does put it in competition with my Eclipse which was not exactly slow.

Maybe you had the parking brake on.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-chrysler-pacifica-first-look-review/

BTW, what protection did you get for $2995 if not an extended warranty?
I did look at that article. They (Motor Trend) estimate 0-60 from 6.5 to 8.0. After I got back home, I spent a good 30 minutes looking for some actual numbers. If anyone reputable has tested the Pacifica for 0-60, I was unable to find it.

I asked if that included an extended warranty. No. Well, what does it include? A carfax report. Something about tint (tinted windows? not sure). And "interior protection" (Scotchguard?)

No, the parking brake wasn't on. Although it felt like it was.

I think it is so new that there are few tests so far. Car and Driver said it would be the fastest minivan with a 0-60 time of around 7.5 seconds.

andres3 · July 2016

Maybe a couple cylinders were DOA in that Pacifica; it's Chrysler after all.

bwia · July 2016

Perhaps the 0-60 time in this baby might be more satisfying than the Pacifica.

danfromm · July 2016

fordfool said:

>"The Soul of a New Machine" by Tracy Kidder is about IBM's efforts to create a PC. .

Not so. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine Data General MV/8000, a minicomputer.

driver100 · July 2016

bwia said:
Perhaps the 0-60 time in this baby might be more satisfying than the Pacifica.

Not too satisfying for the pocketbook!

Mr_Shiftright · July 2016

Looks great on that fantasyland road in the photo. Somehow, the other hundreds of millions of cars in America were apparently abducted by aliens?

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

Anyone ever hear of North Jersery Auto Mall in Patterson NJ? They have a bunch of ads on my local Craigslist and some of the cars are really low milage for not much money. Is the company legit or is this some internet scam?

I had one like this in a lower trim and liked it.

http://albany.craigslist.org/ctd/5674723014.html

driver100 · July 2016

That car looks pretty nice.....too nice. It looks like it has been completely done over, almost looks too good to be true. If it really has 58k miles on it, and it wasn't in a major flood or accident, it sounds like a great value! I guess I am just too skeptical.

btw....I know there is an explanation for that square in the rear window, like a reflection or something, but, I can't figure it out.

houdini1 · July 2016

Reflection from overhead lights. My radar went off too. Too good to be true.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2016

What makes you think that's such a great deal. Looks pretty much like typical retail to me.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5663609510.html (cheaper)

Dealer asking prices in CA seem to be about $4995, so figure you can get it for $4500 from a reputable dealer.

ab348 · July 2016

I really like that Concorde. Hard to say how troublefree it would be - my recollection is that those second-gen LH cars were better than the first group, but still had some issues over time. But it sure looks mint! How wrong could you go for that kind of short money?

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:
What makes you think that's such a great deal. Looks pretty much like typical retail to me.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5663609510.html (cheaper)

Dealer asking prices in CA seem to be about $4995, so figure you can get it for $4500 from a reputable dealer.

What I can get from a dealer up here for $4k is pretty rusty. Was looking at a 2000 LaSabre the other day w/ 60k miles until I noticed that it had a rusted up subframe. That's what took out my other son's Deville.

A non rusted car with 60k miles and a dealer warranty for $4000 isn't bad.

houdini1 · July 2016

I agree. If legit, it looks like a very good buy. Showing the VIN # is a good sign. Invest a couple of bucks in a carfax.

imidazol97 · July 2016

I'd thought about renewing SiriusXM when they did the 2 weeks free sample in late May for $19 for 5 mo.
I called before we did our trip to Pigeon Forge in June. 5 months for $20 and $4 for the gasoline/weather price feature which is $299 a month full price? I really like having the gas price checks. It helped find the cheaper Shell stations as we rolled along. BUT the best was having the Fox news channels in areas where FM and AM stations are hard to pick up in the mountain areas of S KY and TN.

After gas south of Lexington wife didn't like the 60s channel. So I searched and found a Broadway channel. They were playing the 46 songs from Hamilton!!! Happy wife; happy drive. But the sound was not nearly as good as the CD or MP3 versions I made after I was home. The bass was muddled, it turns out. Best for sound on the Pioneer system in the Malibu was the MP3. But the XM version was great to have for the hours for the rest of the drive.

I see now why my son didn't want to renew SiriusXM after the sample period in his Cruze. I Don't notice the muddled sound on talk versions of the cable channels, but he did even compared to FM.

driver100 · July 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:
What makes you think that's such a great deal. Looks pretty much like typical retail to me.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5663609510.html (cheaper)

Dealer asking prices in CA seem to be about $4995, so figure you can get it for $4500 from a reputable dealer.

I like the deal because 60k miles on it equates to about 5 years of normal use. The car should have another 5 or 6 years of fairly trouble free driving in it and for $4k to $5k it isn't a bad price to pay for a car in that condition - like $1000 a year. I have driven a rental Concord of that era and I liked it at the time, that cab forward design hugged the road pretty well.

Your ad said something about first computer designed car in America, sounds like a conversation starter....does that mean you have to keep rebooting it to get it to start?

driver100 · July 2016

imidazol97 said:
I'd thought about renewing SiriusXM when they did the 2 weeks free sample in late May for $19 for 5 mo.
I called before we did our trip to Pigeon Forge in June. 5 months for $20 and $4 for the gasoline/weather price feature which is $299 a month full price? I really like having the gas price checks. It helped find the cheaper Shell stations as we rolled along. BUT the best was having the Fox news channels in areas where FM and AM stations are hard to pick up in the mountain areas of S KY and TN.

After gas south of Lexington wife didn't like the 60s channel. So I searched and found a Broadway channel. They were playing the 46 songs from Hamilton!!! Happy wife; happy drive. But the sound was not nearly as good as the CD or MP3 versions I made after I was home. The bass was muddled, it turns out. Best for sound on the Pioneer system in the Malibu was the MP3. But the XM version was great to have for the hours for the rest of the drive.

I see now why my son didn't want to renew SiriusXM after the sample period in his Cruze. Don't notice the muddled sound on talk versions of the cable channels, but he did even compared to FM.

I am happy with Sirius, for $10 a month, if I can't get anything decent on the radio I can rely on the 50s 60s or 70s channels, or Love and 69 kind of quiet pop is pretty good. News is there if I need it. I am wondering what the big thing about Hamilton is........it seems like such an odd topic to be as popular as it is. I have a stick too with about 12 hours of music for the Florida journey, but, there is something about having music played randomly, and not from your list.

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
What makes you think that's such a great deal. Looks pretty much like typical retail to me.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5663609510.html (cheaper)

Dealer asking prices in CA seem to be about $4995, so figure you can get it for $4500 from a reputable dealer.

I like the deal because 60k miles on it equates to about 5 years of normal use. The car should have another 5 or 6 years of fairly trouble free driving in it and for $4k to $5k it isn't a bad price to pay for a car in that condition - like $1000 a year. I have driven a rental Concord of that era and I liked it at the time, that cab forward design hugged the road pretty well.

Your ad said something about first computer designed car in America, sounds like a conversation starter....does that mean you have to keep rebooting it to get it to start?

I was actually looking for a review of the dealer than of a particular car (although I like the leather seats in that Concorde). I just thought it was unusual for a NJ dealer to be advertizing in Podunk Albany.

I wonder if that's the same dealer that had the OCD Mercury GM with the near weekly dealer visits that I posted about a while back.

driver100 · July 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
What makes you think that's such a great deal. Looks pretty much like typical retail to me.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5663609510.html (cheaper)

Dealer asking prices in CA seem to be about $4995, so figure you can get it for $4500 from a reputable dealer.

I like the deal because 60k miles on it equates to about 5 years of normal use. The car should have another 5 or 6 years of fairly trouble free driving in it and for $4k to $5k it isn't a bad price to pay for a car in that condition - like $1000 a year. I have driven a rental Concord of that era and I liked it at the time, that cab forward design hugged the road pretty well.

Your ad said something about first computer designed car in America, sounds like a conversation starter....does that mean you have to keep rebooting it to get it to start?
I was actually looking for a review of the dealer than of a particular car (although I like the leather seats in that Concorde). I just thought it was unusual for a NJ dealer to be advertizing in Podunk Albany.

I wonder if that's the same dealer that had the OCD Mercury GM with the near weekly dealer visits that I posted about a while back.

Oh, why didn't you let us know. There are 6 incredible reviews on Yelp...one star out of 6. The reviews are worth reading....people were lucky to still be alive after dealing with that place.

REVIEWS FOR AUTO VISION

Part of reviews;
*Warning: this used car dealer buys auctioned and wrecked cars, details them without fixing them, then sells them at a premium.

*Yes that very same day after purchasing the car i had it towed. Couldn't even make it home! I got it towed to a garage where they discovered the car had parts under the hood that were held with glue and im lucky it didnt explode. They said the best thing that ever happened to me was that car shutting off on the highway!

*Warning: this used car dealer buys auctioned and wrecked cars, details them without fixing them, then sells them at a premium.

Like we said, anything that sounds - and looks - to good to be true..............probably is!

Mr_Shiftright · July 2016

houdini1 said:
I agree. If legit, it looks like a very good buy. Showing the VIN # is a good sign. Invest a couple of bucks in a carfax.

CARFAX looks good on this car.

nyccarguy · July 2016

Interesting sales story in progress. My best friend's Sister In Law has a 2010 Accord EX Coupe with 128K. The car is paid off & in perfect shape. Maintenance has been performed per "the book" and is up to date. While there is nothing wrong with the car, this past year since she's crossed over the 120K mile mark the car has required some expensive maintenance (brakes, tires, plugs...). She's single & putting herself through dental hygienist school. My friend suggests she trade the car in (if she can get good money for it) & lease herself a new Accord. She says she's always wanted something nicer. She goes and test drives a Lexus IS300 AWD (base model, not too many options). Salesman comes back with $395 per month with regular lease inception fees due at signing (15K per year)...

To be continued

oldfarmer50 · July 2016

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
What makes you think that's such a great deal. Looks pretty much like typical retail to me.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5663609510.html (cheaper)

Dealer asking prices in CA seem to be about $4995, so figure you can get it for $4500 from a reputable dealer.

I like the deal because 60k miles on it equates to about 5 years of normal use. The car should have another 5 or 6 years of fairly trouble free driving in it and for $4k to $5k it isn't a bad price to pay for a car in that condition - like $1000 a year. I have driven a rental Concord of that era and I liked it at the time, that cab forward design hugged the road pretty well.

Your ad said something about first computer designed car in America, sounds like a conversation starter....does that mean you have to keep rebooting it to get it to start?
I was actually looking for a review of the dealer than of a particular car (although I like the leather seats in that Concorde). I just thought it was unusual for a NJ dealer to be advertizing in Podunk Albany.

I wonder if that's the same dealer that had the OCD Mercury GM with the near weekly dealer visits that I posted about a while back.
Oh, why didn't you let us know. There are 6 incredible reviews on Yelp...one star out of 6. The reviews are worth reading....people were lucky to still be alive after dealing with that place.

REVIEWS FOR AUTO VISION

Part of reviews;
*Warning: this used car dealer buys auctioned and wrecked cars, details them without fixing them, then sells them at a premium.

*Yes that very same day after purchasing the car i had it towed. Couldn't even make it home! I got it towed to a garage where they discovered the car had parts under the hood that were held with glue and im lucky it didnt explode. They said the best thing that ever happened to me was that car shutting off on the highway!

*Warning: this used car dealer buys auctioned and wrecked cars, details them without fixing them, then sells them at a premium.

Like we said, anything that sounds - and looks - to good to be true..............probably is!

Well I guess that answers the question of why they are placing ads 150 miles away.

bwia · July 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
Anyone ever hear of North Jersery Auto Mall in Patterson NJ? They have a bunch of ads on my local Craigslist and some of the cars are really low milage for not much money. Is the company legit or is this some internet scam?

I had one like this in a lower trim and liked it.

http://albany.craigslist.org/ctd/5674723014.html

This vehicle looks extremely clean, inside and out including the driver's leather seat that looks terrific. The previous owner had to be meticulous about his/her car or the dealer did a phenomenal detailing job.

bwia · July 2016

imidazol97 said:
I'd thought about renewing SiriusXM when they did the 2 weeks free sample in late May for $19 for 5 mo.
I called before we did our trip to Pigeon Forge in June. 5 months for $20 and $4 for the gasoline/weather price feature which is $299 a month full price? I really like having the gas price checks. It helped find the cheaper Shell stations as we rolled along. BUT the best was having the Fox news channels in areas where FM and AM stations are hard to pick up in the mountain areas of S KY and TN.

After gas south of Lexington wife didn't like the 60s channel. So I searched and found a Broadway channel. They were playing the 46 songs from Hamilton!!! Happy wife; happy drive. But the sound was not nearly as good as the CD or MP3 versions I made after I was home. The bass was muddled, it turns out. Best for sound on the Pioneer system in the Malibu was the MP3. But the XM version was great to have for the hours for the rest of the drive.

I see now why my son didn't want to renew SiriusXM after the sample period in his Cruze. I Don't notice the muddled sound on talk versions of the cable channels, but he did even compared to FM.

Speaking of Hamilton, — Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the Broadway smash ‘‘Hamilton,’’ made a subdued final bow Saturday alongside two other departing stars in the show that has become a cultural phenomenon.

I hope the musical will continue to be as good without Miranda.

driver100 · July 2016

nyccarguy said:
Interesting sales story in progress. My best friend's Sister In Law has a 2010 Accord EX Coupe with 128K. The car is paid off & in perfect shape. Maintenance has been performed per "the book" and is up to date. While there is nothing wrong with the car, this past year since she's crossed over the 120K mile mark the car has required some expensive maintenance (brakes, tires, plugs...). She's single & putting herself through dental hygienist school. My friend suggests she trade the car in (if she can get good money for it) & lease herself a new Accord. She says she's always wanted something nicer. She goes and test drives a Lexus IS300 AWD (base model, not too many options). Salesman comes back with $395 per month with regular lease inception fees due at signing (15K per year)...

To be continued

Don't know the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey would say) but it might be a good plan. Trade in the Accord, get enough cash to lease a new car, should pay for 2 or 3 years leasing (should buy something more sensible though, not a Lexus IS300 AWD), complete school, get a job and keep paying to lease and then own a newer car.

This is a case where leasing could be a good move....a bit gutsy, because she has to depend on getting a good job when she is finished her course.

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