Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Michaell · September 2016

Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.

houdini1 · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
Ok I have a tax question.

In 2014 I started taking Social security. By early 2015 I realized i would be giving most of it back because I was making too much at work. Took advantage of a rule that alllows you to cancel your benefit within the first 12 months and pay back all the money which I did. Now comes 2015 taxes and my social security statement says I have a negative net payment for 2015 because of the payback. I use that figure to compute mine and my wife's combined taxable portion of our social security.

Now the IRS is saying I have to pay tax on the full amount recieved even though I gave it all back. Does that make sense?

To keep it car related I plan on driving to the mailbox to file an appeal.

One question. Have you been donating to the Republican Party?

ab348 · September 2016

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.

I haven't, but a co-worker and his wife did on their anniversary and he came back raving about it, said it was the best vacation they ever had. Fabulous scenery apparently and lots of interesting stops.

houdini1 · September 2016

That is the only type of cruise that might interest me. If worse came to worse, there is a possibility that you could just wade to the shore.

driver100 · September 2016

explorerx4 said:
@oldfarmer,
I would call the IRS. I did that this year and they reversed everything in question.

My kid went to look at a new car today. They lowballed her trade in(5900). When she was leaving, she said the used car person ran out and offered 7500.

That's the kind of dealer you really want to buy from

driver100 · September 2016

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.

When in Amsterdam do the Hop On, Hop Off boat tour! Haven't done a river cruise but everyone seems to love them.

We tried to book one 2 years ago for Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. It was sold out so did a bus which was great, 3 days in each city and the bus ride is just a few hours between them. River Cruise would have been about $4800 each, Insight Vacations bus was about $2100 and I think I liked it better. Could choose our own restaurants, time schedule, etc.

I have only heard good things about River Cruises. If I was going to Basel I would try to get across to the Mercedes plant and the MB museum in Stuttgart, they are really worth seeing!

qbrozen · September 2016

This is the euro vacation I want:
http://www.nurburgringuk.com/4_Nations.asp

jmonroe · September 2016

driver100 said:
JMonroe, I did find the outside air conditioner unit but you found it yourself....good work, I am proud of you boy!
Don't want you to think I was ignoring you.....

Don't worry about me feeling ignored.

I've lived with that since my wedding day.

jmonroe

Michaell · September 2016

houdini1 said:

That is the only type of cruise that might interest me. If worse came to worse, there is a possibility that you could just wade to the shore.

I think that's how my wife feels. And, she's not interested in cruising with 5000 other people.

stickguy · September 2016

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.

I haven't, but my mother and father did a whole bunch, and loved them. great way to see the cities and beats the heck out of being on a bus. Plus, you only unpack once, since your hotel travels with you.

they go on Grand Circle tours, and have been very pleased.

explorerx4 · September 2016

Someone at work took one of those euro river tours earlier this year.
River was low, so they lost a day because they had to switch boats.
Neither one could make full trip.

fordfool · September 2016

explorerx4 said:
@oldfarmer,
My kid went to look at a new car today. They lowballed her trade in (5900). When she was leaving, she said the used car person ran out and offered 7500.

If the salesman isn't talking to the back of your head, then you aren't negotiating.

Hello Bobst, wherever you are.

fintail · September 2016

My ideal vacation - a rental car or train/transit pass, and a few weeks to go on my own. But I might be more adventurous than some. I can do a one day bus trip (I remember I once used that route for Neuschwanstein from Munich, very convenient), but I like to have freedom otherwise. It can also save a lot of money by using discount sites for hotels, and eating like a local.

A central European barge trip might be fun, if you get to disembark for long periods. And yeah, for MB fans, the museum and Sindelfingen tour (easy to arrange online) are musts.

driver100 · September 2016

The bmw X1 rental I am driving is pretty minimal. Good solid car, but it barely feels like a premium car.
bmw X1 according to Edmunds starts at $34800. An X3 which probably comes with more standard features is $38950!
For about $1000 a year more which one would I buy? And, it won't cost that much more because it is worth more as a trade in.
btw....a Chryco 300 is about $38000. Although it has all the bells and whistles and has a feeling of complete luxury, it isn't engineered to the same level as even the X1. If the figures are right it would be no contest between a Chryco 300 and an X3. I know with the X3 I am getting a solid well engineered car that I will enjoy driving for many years. With the 300 I will get bored with it and feel it has a pretty exterior, but, underneath the skin it is really lacking. The power steering acting up has made me lose what little faith I did have in it.

My thoughts, on a Sunday Morning!

snakeweasel · September 2016

driver100 said:

stever said:

henryn said:

stever said:

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:
I think those were called desert coolers or swamp coolers. You put some cold water in them and it directed the airstream into the car. I guess it helped some.
I'm pretty sure you're right.

I think our desert dweller @stever should be able to tell us more about this. Heck, he might even have one in the rock pile out back hiding right next to his pet rattler.

jmonroe
Haven't spotted one of those yet. When I was a kid I used to see those canvas water bags that people would tie to the front of their cars. Guess that was to help cool the radiator down. I remember home swamp coolers growing up as well, and they are still relatively common out here. Seem to work pretty well and they are cheaper to run than AC units.

That canvas water bag allowed a very small amount of water to seep through (osmosis, whatever). And if you had a high speed air flow around the bag, then you had evaporative cooling. So you had cool water to drink, without ice. My father would tie the canvas water bag to the door handle, not to the front end of the car. Back in the 1950's, if you traveled certain highways in West Texas or New Mexico, it was a very good idea to have a water supply in case of breakdown. Kind of like the way people up in the frozen northern wastelands have emergency rations in the trunks of their cars.
Yeah, seems like tying it to the front of the car would be a good way to block the radiator and insure that your car would overheat. But at least you'd have some cool water to drink while broken down out in the wastelands.
People used to travel across the desert for days, weeks, months, years.....with a canteen! No cooling feature! Are we becoming such sissies we can't drink warm water if we are stranded in the desert. Seems like OCD to carry around a special water bag on your door handle just in case.......

I do a lot of biking and sometimes I will do 50 miles or more at a time. For hydration I use a 70 oz Camelback and on longer rides I will also carry either a 20 oz bottle of Gatorade or a 30 0z bottle of water. No matter how cold the water is when you start it's nice and warm towards the end of a 4 hour bike ride. Truth be told it's still refreshing when you need water. Also if you are heated up by working out you really don't want cold water as it could cause cramps.

driver100 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

stever said:

henryn said:

stever said:

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:
I think those were called desert coolers or swamp coolers. You put some cold water in them and it directed the airstream into the car. I guess it helped some.
I'm pretty sure you're right.

I think our desert dweller @stever should be able to tell us more about this. Heck, he might even have one in the rock pile out back hiding right next to his pet rattler.

jmonroe
Haven't spotted one of those yet. When I was a kid I used to see those canvas water bags that people would tie to the front of their cars. Guess that was to help cool the radiator down. I remember home swamp coolers growing up as well, and they are still relatively common out here. Seem to work pretty well and they are cheaper to run than AC units.

That canvas water bag allowed a very small amount of water to seep through (osmosis, whatever). And if you had a high speed air flow around the bag, then you had evaporative cooling. So you had cool water to drink, without ice. My father would tie the canvas water bag to the door handle, not to the front end of the car. Back in the 1950's, if you traveled certain highways in West Texas or New Mexico, it was a very good idea to have a water supply in case of breakdown. Kind of like the way people up in the frozen northern wastelands have emergency rations in the trunks of their cars.
Yeah, seems like tying it to the front of the car would be a good way to block the radiator and insure that your car would overheat. But at least you'd have some cool water to drink while broken down out in the wastelands.
People used to travel across the desert for days, weeks, months, years.....with a canteen! No cooling feature! Are we becoming such sissies we can't drink warm water if we are stranded in the desert. Seems like OCD to carry around a special water bag on your door handle just in case.......
I do a lot of biking and sometimes I will do 50 miles or more at a time. For hydration I use a 70 oz Camelback and on longer rides I will also carry either a 20 oz bottle of Gatorade or a 30 0z bottle of water. No matter how cold the water is when you start it's nice and warm towards the end of a 4 hour bike ride. Truth be told it's still refreshing when you need water. Also if you are heated up by working out you really don't want cold water as it could cause cramps.

People are different. If my wife and I play tennis or pickleball we take a bottle of water....she has to get hers from the refrigerator. I just take mine from the package and I couldn't care less....all I care about is that it is wet.

I did have special refillable water bottles but they cost me more because I forget them or forget to fill it. I just buy a case...costs less than 10 cents a bottle from Costco. I have an extra one with me in case someone else forgot their water.

snakeweasel · September 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

berri said:
Driver, I think the 300 has drive by wire, so you smart to get out of it since it could be warning of a computer system failure. Incidentally, a United Airbus had an issue like that which ran it off the taxiway in Denver the other day.
I forgot about that. It did go through my mind that if it was ps fluid, it would be more constant. I thought at one point I should call and have them pick up the car....if I hit a car or someone because of this steering it could be my fault for driving it knowing it wasn't right.....and I would have to prove there was a malfunction.

Another thought was, I don't know how much this car is worth, say $38k, I think I would rather pay say $45k for a 328, A4 or C Class that I know has a much better chance of being designed right. I have heard people balk at paying $45k for a car....but, at least you aren't throwing away $38k on something not really made right.
When you mass produce anything there will be the occasional product that gets through that doesn't perform right. Paying more doesn't make that go away. If anything when you pay more you are getting a more complected product so you could very well have a better chance of some type of failure.
I think there is truth to that, but, although you pay more, and it is more complicated so it may break down - think power windows as an example - you are getting more substance and a more enjoyable product for your money.

If my brother is buying a camera he will check four makes, then choose the cheapest. If he is buying a car he will check 2 or 3 and buy the cheapest. His research consists of finding the cheapest possible product. He chooses restaurant meals the same way. I choose what I really like and want, but, that I can still afford. Food, cameras, cars anything are more than getting my moneys worth...they are also how much enjoyment I will get from it.

If a really nice car costs $6000 more, I would try to buy it and pay the extra $2000 a year to buy it, and get maximum enjoyment from it. Life is limited, enjoy it to the max!

As for me the amount of driving that I do and some of the other things I do going from a nice car to a nicer car for $6K might not give me the maximum enjoyment due to the fact that there are other things I really like to do that I may not be able to do if I spend an extra two grand a year on a car.
With my luck the extra $6000 would go to my SIL as part of inheritance, so I get more enjoyment out of spending it on what I want to buy.

btw....snake have all those fancy watches. Why not just buy a Timex and spend your money on something else.

Like I said everyone is different and how we maximize our enjoyment in life will be different. And there is one big difference between those watches and our cars, I can use and enjoy those watches without diminishing their value.

snakeweasel · September 2016

driver100 said:
Snake, I am not sure about that theory about expensive cars not getting that much better once you reach a certain limit. Just guessing the X1 and the Chryco 300 are probably about $30k - $35k cars. If the E400 is twice as much it is worth every penny of it. I would say the $20k Cruze is closer to the $30k Fusion than the others compared to the E400. I don't know how a $70k E400 would compare to a $400k Bentley? I think most people have a price in mind they don't want to go over......a car is worth a certain amount but not any more than that.

I am not saying that they are not getting that much better, just that the rate of improvement doesn't increase evenly with the rate the increase in price. You get a lot more in the way of improvements going from a $15K car to a $20K car that you will in going from a $65K car to a $70K car. That's not saying the $70K car isn't that much better it's just that $5K will provide a lot more improvements to a $15K car than to a $65K car.

snakeweasel · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
Ok I have a tax question.

In 2014 I started taking Social security. By early 2015 I realized i would be giving most of it back because I was making too much at work. Took advantage of a rule that alllows you to cancel your benefit within the first 12 months and pay back all the money which I did. Now comes 2015 taxes and my social security statement says I have a negative net payment for 2015 because of the payback. I use that figure to compute mine and my wife's combined taxable portion of our social security.

Now the IRS is saying I have to pay tax on the full amount recieved even though I gave it all back. Does that make sense?

To keep it car related I plan on driving to the mailbox to file an appeal.

Did you report the Social Security payments as taxable income in 2014 and report the payback on your 2015 taxes? If so then you should be OK and I would fight this with the IRS.

snakeweasel · September 2016

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.

No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US

snakeweasel · September 2016

houdini1 said:
That is the only type of cruise that might interest me. If worse came to worse, there is a possibility that you could just wade to the shore.

The Eastland was dock on the Chicago river when it capsized taking 844 people to meet their creator.

stever · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US

Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

snakeweasel · September 2016

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US
Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

Back some 25-30 years ago when they legalized gambling in the Midwest it was on riverboats and the riverboat needed to be underway for people to gamble (yeah I know it was stupid but what are you going to do?). Most just left dock and hovered out on the river for an hour or two but there were many that actually went up and down the river. A few times we went just to cruise the river, free river cruises

.

This was back in the day when I did historical re-enacting and one of our events was near one of these casinos that cruised the Mississippi out of Iowa. So we all got into our best 1860's clothing and went to the riverboat. So there we were staying in 1860's character on a paddle boat sailing down the Mississippi River gambling, it was great and we were the life of the party, people loved us.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

explorerx4 said:
@oldfarmer,
I would call the IRS. I did that this year and they reversed everything in question.

My kid went to look at a new car today. They lowballed her trade in(5900). When she was leaving, she said the used car person ran out and offered 7500.

That's the problem, it took a week of constant phone calls and the intervention of the IRS Advocates office to get anyone on the phone. I submitted what I thought was comprehensive proofs of my position right out of the IRS publications. They seemingly ignored it all and just sent me another bill with no explaination. I'll have to file a formal appeal (sigh) and go through the phone chase all over again.

Thank you all for letting me vent.

As to your kid...she seems to have keen negotiating skills. You should be proud.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Ok I have a tax question.

In 2014 I started taking Social security. By early 2015 I realized i would be giving most of it back because I was making too much at work. Took advantage of a rule that alllows you to cancel your benefit within the first 12 months and pay back all the money which I did. Now comes 2015 taxes and my social security statement says I have a negative net payment for 2015 because of the payback. I use that figure to compute mine and my wife's combined taxable portion of our social security.

Now the IRS is saying I have to pay tax on the full amount recieved even though I gave it all back. Does that make sense?

To keep it car related I plan on driving to the mailbox to file an appeal.
Did you report the Social Security payments as taxable income in 2014 and report the payback on your 2015 taxes? If so then you should be OK and I would fight this with the IRS.

Yep, that's it exactly. It's getting anyone at the IRS to answer the phone that's frustrating. I was hoping you'd weigh in on this. Thank you.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US
Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

You don't have to go to Europe for river cruises. Many sail the NYS canal system. You can start in New York City and take the Hudson River to Troy. Then either go west to the Great Lakes or north to Canada. If you go west you could go to Chicago. North you could take the St. Lawrence back down the coast to New York city again.

On your way you could stop at my River-side Farmer's Market and say hello.

driver100 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:
Snake, I am not sure about that theory about expensive cars not getting that much better once you reach a certain limit. Just guessing the X1 and the Chryco 300 are probably about $30k - $35k cars. If the E400 is twice as much it is worth every penny of it. I would say the $20k Cruze is closer to the $30k Fusion than the others compared to the E400. I don't know how a $70k E400 would compare to a $400k Bentley? I think most people have a price in mind they don't want to go over......a car is worth a certain amount but not any more than that.
I am not saying that they are not getting that much better, just that the rate of improvement doesn't increase evenly with the rate the increase in price. You get a lot more in the way of improvements going from a $15K car to a $20K car that you will in going from a $65K car to a $70K car. That's not saying the $70K car isn't that much better it's just that $5K will provide a lot more improvements to a $15K car than to a $65K car.

That I would agree with. $5k on a $15k car is like maybe 33% more in cost, $5k on a $65k car is like maybe 8% added cost. But, someone driving the $65k car will probably find it easier to come up with $5k, than the person (who was once me for a long time) with the $15k car.

$5k on a $15k car may get you all the options, $5k on the $65 car may get you a panaramic roof or a special paint job.

jmonroe · September 2016

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US
Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

7 years in a row? Either you liked it or were pretty slow in trying to figure out if you liked it.

FWIW, July of 2017 will mark a very notable anniversary number for us and I mentioned a river cruise to you know who and she's "thinking about it". If we don't do a river cruise I'm all for a month in Hawaii just relaxing on the beach and not having to do too much sight seeing on a schedule. I just hate the thought of all those hours in the air to get there from South Western PA, would probably remind me too much of my Navy airdale days.

jmonroe

stever · September 2016

Yeah, it's a nice 6 or 7 day trip.

stickguy · September 2016

Driver, what year is the X1? The current model (I think starting with 2016 in the US) is completely redesigned, and quite a bit nicer in many ways. I test drove one, and loved it.

houdini1 · September 2016

jmonroe said:

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US
Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

7 years in a row? Either you liked it or were pretty slow in trying to figure out if you liked it.

FWIW, July of 2017 will mark a very notable anniversary number for us and I mentioned a river cruise to you know who and she's "thinking about it". If we don't do a river cruise I'm all for a month in Hawaii just relaxing on the beach and not having to do too much sight seeing on a schedule. I just hate the thought of all those hours in the air to get there from South Western PA, would probably remind me too much of my Navy airdale days.

jmonroe

Congratulations, 50th Anniversary? If you opt for that trip to Hawaii, my suggestion would be to go a little earlier or a little later. Say Jan. 2017 or Jan 2018. Not July.

driver100 · September 2016

stickguy said:
Driver, what year is the X1? The current model (I think starting with 2016 in the US) is completely redesigned, and quite a bit nicer in many ways. I test drove one, and loved it.

Stick, I believe it is a 2015, and I say that because it does have almost 30k miles on it....which is high for a rental. We used it today to get groceries and I am getting used to it. I like the strong engine, the firm but comfortable suspension, but what I like most is the solidness. It goes over bumps like as if it were all one piece, no rattles, no flimsy feeling. I would defintely buy it over the Cruze, 300 or Fusion.

Several things I don't like but mostly just that it feels pretty minimal. My wife and I found the driving position a bit of a problem, especially for her, you are fairly low compared to the dash and front window. Compared to the Chryco, or Cruze I at least felt alive....like I was driving something with spirit.

If you are interested I would compare it to an X3 just to see if that is better and how much more it is. I think my wife's GLK would be more expensive - they don't make them any more - but hers is loaded up, but for comfort, outside visibility, seating position, all around ambiance, I would compare a low mileage GLK before buying too.

berri · September 2016

If you haven't been to Hawaii before, I'd suggest one of those 4 island tours. I'm usually not into the tour thing, but it will give you an overview of the 4 major islands. Even though they aren't that far apart, they are rather different and you will probably come back with a preference for one or two of them. Also, if you are going to pick a tour option to purchase, I'd recommend the Kauai helicopter tour. That's a big anniversary, so wherever you go, congratulations and have a great time!

PS- if you at are not fond of long plane rides, perhaps you can break it up a bit by connecting (or layover) on the west coast. Your return will likely be a redeye, unless you do a west coast layover (but that will cost more). Personally though, I prefer to just suck it in and get over there as direct and fast as I can so I can get the flight stuff over with

driver100 · September 2016

jmonroe said:

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US
Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

7 years in a row? Either you liked it or were pretty slow in trying to figure out if you liked it.

FWIW, July of 2017 will mark a very notable anniversary number for us and I mentioned a river cruise to you know who and she's "thinking about it". If we don't do a river cruise I'm all for a month in Hawaii just relaxing on the beach and not having to do too much sight seeing on a schedule. I just hate the thought of all those hours in the air to get there from South Western PA, would probably remind me too much of my Navy airdale days.

jmonroe

I hate flying. I hate the lineups, the delays, the body searches, waiting at customs, the people hacking away directly behind me, the babies crying, the people behind me who have to pull my seat back so they can sit down or get up, the kids who like to kick the seat in front. The trip back from Munich was 9 hours, do you know how long it takes to recover from that. It is 6 hours time difference and it takes us one day for every hour time differences...6 days to recover from jetlag.

I feel your pain JM. I go on these trips because I agreed to a trip a year if we could go to Florida for 5 months, otherwise I'd rather rent the travelogue DVD.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.

stickguy · September 2016

good luck with it. and I guess you have a clear conscious!

snakeweasel · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Ok I have a tax question.

In 2014 I started taking Social security. By early 2015 I realized i would be giving most of it back because I was making too much at work. Took advantage of a rule that alllows you to cancel your benefit within the first 12 months and pay back all the money which I did. Now comes 2015 taxes and my social security statement says I have a negative net payment for 2015 because of the payback. I use that figure to compute mine and my wife's combined taxable portion of our social security.

Now the IRS is saying I have to pay tax on the full amount recieved even though I gave it all back. Does that make sense?

To keep it car related I plan on driving to the mailbox to file an appeal.
Did you report the Social Security payments as taxable income in 2014 and report the payback on your 2015 taxes? If so then you should be OK and I would fight this with the IRS.
Yep, that's it exactly. It's getting anyone at the IRS to answer the phone that's frustrating. I was hoping you'd weigh in on this. Thank you.

OK you should have received a letter from the IRS detailing what they claim is wrong and in that package should have been a form that lets you inform them of if you agree with them or not and if not you should attach documentation supporting your position and even add a letter of explanation.

Now if you had your taxes done professionally they should be able to do this for you, if not you could contact one and they could help you. Even someone like H and R Block, Jackson Hewitt or the like might do it for a small fee. They do this all the time and it could get it done with a lot less headaches for you, might be worth the cost.

driver100 · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.

Looks pretty good all considering and what can you buy that runs for under $2000? How did the price go from $1000 to $1800 or is that what you offered or did she change her mind.......not sure???????????

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought

stickguy said:
good luck with it. and I guess you have a clear conscious!

The car business is no place for a pathologically honest person like me.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Ok I have a tax question.

In 2014 I started taking Social security. By early 2015 I realized i would be giving most of it back because I was making too much at work. Took advantage of a rule that alllows you to cancel your benefit within the first 12 months and pay back all the money which I did. Now comes 2015 taxes and my social security statement says I have a negative net payment for 2015 because of the payback. I use that figure to compute mine and my wife's combined taxable portion of our social security.

Now the IRS is saying I have to pay tax on the full amount recieved even though I gave it all back. Does that make sense?

To keep it car related I plan on driving to the mailbox to file an appeal.
Did you report the Social Security payments as taxable income in 2014 and report the payback on your 2015 taxes? If so then you should be OK and I would fight this with the IRS.
Yep, that's it exactly. It's getting anyone at the IRS to answer the phone that's frustrating. I was hoping you'd weigh in on this. Thank you.

OK you should have received a letter from the IRS detailing what they claim is wrong and in that package should have been a form that lets you inform them of if you agree with them or not and if not you should attach documentation supporting your position and even add a letter of explanation.

Now if you had your taxes done professionally they should be able to do this for you, if not you could contact one and they could help you. Even someone like H and R Block, Jackson Hewitt or the like might do it for a small fee. They do this all the time and it could get it done with a lot less headaches for you, might be worth the cost.

I'm considering that but it grates on me to have to pay someone to tell me how much I have to pay someone else. I have two college degrees and dealing with the government shouldn't be this hard. (Boy, am I naive)

Oh btw, my wife just officially declared me "addicted to cars" and stated "you'll buy anything"

imidazol97 · September 2016

driver100 said:
I'm considering that but it grates on me to have to pay someone to tell me how much I have to pay someone else. I have two college degrees and dealing with the government shouldn't be this hard. (Boy, am I naive)

But there are three things wrong here: I R S.

My one experience trying to use logic and respond even using the advocates office were futile.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.

Looks pretty good all considering and what can you buy that runs for under $2000? How did the price go from $1000 to $1800 or is that what you offered or did she change her mind.......not sure???????????

When she threw out a thousand and say she had no idea what it was worth I told her to go research the value and get back to me. She looks like someone's nice grandma and I just couldn't take advantage. When I saw her on Saturday she pulls out the Edmunds valuation printout which said it was worth $1874 as dealer trade. She said "how about that price"? Is asked $1874? She said "how about $1800"? I said "sold".

thebean · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine. I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.
Looks pretty good all considering and what can you buy that runs for under $2000? How did the price go from $1000 to $1800 or is that what you offered or did she change her mind.......not sure???????????
When she threw out a thousand and say she had no idea what it was worth I told her to go research the value and get back to me. She looks like someone's nice grandma and I just couldn't take advantage. When I saw her on Saturday she pulls out the Edmunds valuation printout which said it was worth $1874 as dealer trade. She said "how about that price"? Is asked $1874? She said "how about $1800"? I said "sold".

That should put some good karma in your bank for the future.

driver100 · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought
stickguy said:
good luck with it. and I guess you have a clear conscious!
The car business is no place for a pathologically honest person like me.

Nor is taking on the I.R.S.

driver100 · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.

Looks pretty good all considering and what can you buy that runs for under $2000? How did the price go from $1000 to $1800 or is that what you offered or did she change her mind.......not sure???????????
When she threw out a thousand and say she had no idea what it was worth I told her to go research the value and get back to me. She looks like someone's nice grandma and I just couldn't take advantage. When I saw her on Saturday she pulls out the Edmunds valuation printout which said it was worth $1874 as dealer trade. She said "how about that price"? Is asked $1874? She said "how about $1800"? I said "sold".

You were extra kind........getting $1874 as a trade when buying another car is slightly different than just selling it directly......I think splitting the difference would be more than fair.

But, not a huge problem in the scheme of things, hopefully the truck will last many years and you made a little old ~~curbsider~~, I mean lady happy

houdini1 · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought
stickguy said:
good luck with it. and I guess you have a clear conscious!
The car business is no place for a pathologically honest person like me.

Congrats OF, you did good.

jmonroe · September 2016

houdini1 said:

jmonroe said:

stever said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:
Question for the group - has anyone taken a river cruise in Europe? The wife and I are considering one next year for our 20th anniversary. Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
No but I .would like to, I hear they are great.

I would also want to take a river cruise here in the US
Try the Arkansas Buffalo for an easy shake-down to see if you like it. I did it 7 years in a row "back in the day".

7 years in a row? Either you liked it or were pretty slow in trying to figure out if you liked it.

FWIW, July of 2017 will mark a very notable anniversary number for us and I mentioned a river cruise to you know who and she's "thinking about it". If we don't do a river cruise I'm all for a month in Hawaii just relaxing on the beach and not having to do too much sight seeing on a schedule. I just hate the thought of all those hours in the air to get there from South Western PA, would probably remind me too much of my Navy airdale days.

jmonroe
Congratulations, 50th Anniversary? If you opt for that trip to Hawaii, my suggestion would be to go a little earlier or a little later. Say Jan. 2017 or Jan 2018. Not July.

Yep, that's the one.

Why are you saying January? Are you trying to tell me I picked the wrong month for my wedding or since it's Winter here we'd appreciate the warmth of Hawaii in January.

Remember if I decide to surprise her and go with your suggestion and she doesn't like that and wants to know who put that idea in my head, I'll have to tell her. Are you still in?

jmonroe

jmonroe · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.

Congratulations.

How long do you plan to keep it, for another 100K miles or do you plan to drive it to Florida when you retire and plant retirement flowers in it?

jmonroe

berri · September 2016

It is a bit more humid and rainy in Hawaii during the summer.

Michaell · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
OK a sales story, and not of a washing machine.

I bought that cargo van I was telling you about. The lady drove it an hour right to my door which was nice since it would have been a hassle to drive all the way to her place once I registered it. $1800 w/114000 miles. Pretty decent shape, little rust but that's typical for this area, not bad though. I should have made the deal at $1000 as she first proposed but the price was slightly less than Edmunds dealer trade-in price for "average" condition. Edmunds private party was about $2400. KBB "fair" says it's worth $3200 so maybe I'll flip it to Mr. Kelly. Either way it was a cheap purchase and light years better than the hulk I currently have.

Looks pretty good all considering and what can you buy that runs for under $2000? How did the price go from $1000 to $1800 or is that what you offered or did she change her mind.......not sure???????????
When she threw out a thousand and say she had no idea what it was worth I told her to go research the value and get back to me. She looks like someone's nice grandma and I just couldn't take advantage. When I saw her on Saturday she pulls out the Edmunds valuation printout which said it was worth $1874 as dealer trade. She said "how about that price"? Is asked $1874? She said "how about $1800"? I said "sold".

Time to update your signature line...

Regarding the proposed river cruise - the wife is not a big fan of flying. We've been to both Hawaii and Alaska by plane, plus a couple trips to the east coast. The fact that she'd consider such a long flight - twice! - tells me how committed she is to the idea.

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