Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

Graphicguy said:
nice van.....barely broken in. Is it a passenger van (kinda looks like one with all the windows)? If so, how many will it carry? 6 cyl? 8 Cyl? A/C? Inquiring minds want to know. IRS...fight the good fight. I think too many people are scared of government, and it belongs to us. So, when federal, state, municipal government is wrong, we need to call them on it.

Nope, cargo van. 4.3L 6...same as my old one but with a few more horses I hope. I've seen them go 200k miles in other Chevy applications. Even after I retire I need a junk hauler.

I've been dancing on air all day over the IRS thing. Saved more than the van cost. At one point I was considering just writing them a check to get them off my back. Especially after they threatened to ruin my credit and seize my house.

snakeweasel · September 2016

qbrozen said:
I might be interested if they made a Genesis V8 SUV about the size of the Santa Fe.

I would be surprised if they didn't have one in a few years, or at least one with a powerful V6.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

driver100 said:
What in the world is Carplay?

Is it games you play while driving?

CarPlay is an Apple standard that enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and controller for an iPhone and access a lot of iPhone apps. You might want to balance your checkbook while driving, or do some shopping or read a Kindle book

jmonroe · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:
I won!

Just got off the phone with the IRS and I owe NOTHING! Hoo-Ra!

I was deep into the latest round of telephone tag when I decided to hit the selection to "pay tax now". Whereas before I was put on hold and then hung up on, this time I got to talk to an agent almost immediately (isn't that interesting). Quick review of the facts and he agreed to my position and canceled all further actions.

I want to thank you all for your support and advice. It would have been difficult to continue driving if I had hung myself in frustration.
That's very good news.

It sounds like when you threaten to pay them they are all ears. Almost like years ago when I called SiriusXM to talk to them about not wanting to continue paying the full price shown on the bill they sent. I guess I hit the wrong button the first year and was put on hold. Then I called back and hit the "cancel subscription" button. Got an almost immediate response that time. Now, I just hit "cancel subscription", sure does save a lot of time.

You just have to know who you are talking to and talk their language.

jmonroe
It's more like they are different departments with different responsibilities and different levels of customer service activity. Far more people call the IRS for questions and issues about their taxes than call the IRS to make a payment.

I agree with what you are saying but when the IRS hears about money owed or money that they owe or have to return, the IRS perks up and they probably have their more experienced people working in those departments. Therefore, a decision can be made more quickly without the dreaded runaround.

jmonroe

stickguy · September 2016

I just want to use it for navigation and music.

berri · September 2016

I believe that the IRS is so similar to many aspects of government where you have to be able to afford an attorney to fight things and get the best and fairest settlement. Legal fees can often make medical ones look cheap. Its regulations for basic middle class citizens are far too complex for what is necessary. You shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to understand the legal technicalities in the excess lingo and you shouldn't be advantaged when you can afford a lawyer to take advantage of loopholes like trusts that few middle class Americans can afford. It is plain unfair to the majority of Americans.

driver100 · September 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:
What in the world is Carplay?

Is it games you play while driving?
CarPlay is an Apple standard that enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and controller for an iPhone and access a lot of iPhone apps. You might want to balance your checkbook while driving, or do some shopping or read a Kindle book

How do you read a kindle book or balance your checkbook while driving?

driver100 · September 2016

berri said:
You shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to understand the legal technicalities in the excess lingo and you shouldn't be advantaged when you can afford a lawyer to take advantage of loopholes like trusts that few middle class Americans can afford. It is plain unfair to the majority of Americans.

We are allowed to stay in the US for up to 182 days a year, that is 6 months. However, I have to fill out and file a T8840 tax form every year. This form states, I am a Canadian citizen, I own property and have bank accounts in Canada, I don't gain any income from the USA, and that I don't exceed 182 days in the U.S.

btw, if I get on a cruise ship in Miami and go away for 2 weeks that still counts as being in the U.S.

I don't mind, I understand why the government has these rules, and they make sense. What does seem harsh, is, if I don't fill out a T8840 declaration, and the government "suspects" I have exceeded my limit, they immediately can seize 30% of all my world wide assets, and then I have to hire lawyers and accountants and I have to fight on their terms to get my assets back. I hope it never comes to that. I know of a fellow who was one day over (it is all computerized these days - leaving and entering) and he has to hire an accountant and a lawyer.

OF, consider yourself lucky!

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:
What in the world is Carplay?

Is it games you play while driving?
CarPlay is an Apple standard that enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and controller for an iPhone and access a lot of iPhone apps. You might want to balance your checkbook while driving, or do some shopping or read a Kindle book
How do you read a kindle book or balance your checkbook while driving?

VERY carefully.....:)

Just kidding...I'm not a big fan of distractions while driving...

"Are You Not Info-tained?"

jmonroe · September 2016

driver100 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:
What in the world is Carplay?

Is it games you play while driving?
CarPlay is an Apple standard that enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and controller for an iPhone and access a lot of iPhone apps. You might want to balance your checkbook while driving, or do some shopping or read a Kindle book
How do you read a kindle book or balance your checkbook while driving?

Well, regarding your check book, it must have lots of mistakes because you don't have time to double check your math.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

There's an app for that!

jmonroe · September 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:
There's an app for that!

There seems to be an app for everything except how to live without an app. Come to think of it there is probably one of those too.

Damn, those app guys think of everything. :@

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Hawaii.....been a half dozen times. Probably the most beautiful place on this earth I've ever seen. Loved it, up until the last time about 10 years ago. I had a great uncle who is burried there. He was there in the service, married a local and just stayed. Anyway, I was visiting his grave and 3 "late teens/early 20s" punks started hassling me about not being a native and was not allowed in their cemetery. At first, I confronted them. Then, I realized trying to explain why I did belong there was stupid. I stayed a while longer, partially to pay my respects, partially to show they weren't intimidating me. I swore I would not go back. Silly reason, I know!

I was reading up on Hawaii a while ago after my brother and his wife got back from there in March. They quite enjoyed it. They went with their son and daughter in law who live out west and whom they no longer see very often. The 4 of them rented a place on the big island for a week and toured around. They had no issues with the locals and enjoyed themselves except for all the flying. My reading revealed an increasingly troublesome climate for visitors though, particularly if you venture away from the resorts. Hard to pin down why - drug trade/gang problems and crime in general seem to be growing and the attitude you encountered from Islanders seems to be more prevalent as well. Not good things for an economy so dependent upon tourism.
Actually one of the major reasons is tourism. Tourism is not always a good thing, many people in Hawaii think tourism is hurting the Hawaiian Islands and they could be right. Look at it this way, you want to go to Orlando and create ab's golf resort and taco emporium there is plenty of land around to build it and if you bought out several neighborhoods to get the land those people could easily move a few miles down the road to affordable housing. Now if you go to Hawaii and open up ab's golf and taco emporium then those you displace to build your empire can't move down the road since that's in the ocean. They get crowded into a smaller residential area so the more developed the islands get for tourism the less space there is for the locals to live driving up housing costs. This makes it hard for middle class families to survive let alone lower income people.

There are other issues, there are millions of people who visit the islands each year. Those millions produce a lot of crap (figuratively and literally) which places a strain on the Islands resources and the ability to keep things clean. Beaches can get filthy roads littered and the such. Buildings, resorts and tourist spots ruining natural areas.

And we haven't touched on how many locals view what's happening to their customs and the fact that there is a sizable portion of the population that considers Hawaii an occupied country.
I think you just talked me out of Hawaii. I don't want tox add to someone's troubles.

Isn't it funny that the do-gooders expressing concern for the native Hawaiians end up hurting them by scaring away tourist dollars.

oldfarmer50 · September 2016

driver100 said:

berri said:
You shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to understand the legal technicalities in the excess lingo and you shouldn't be advantaged when you can afford a lawyer to take advantage of loopholes like trusts that few middle class Americans can afford. It is plain unfair to the majority of Americans.
We are allowed to stay in the US for up to 182 days a year, that is 6 months. However, I have to fill out and file a T8840 tax form every year. This form states, I am a Canadian citizen, I own property and have bank accounts in Canada, I don't gain any income from the USA, and that I don't exceed 182 days in the U.S.

btw, if I get on a cruise ship in Miami and go away for 2 weeks that still counts as being in the U.S.

I don't mind, I understand why the government has these rules, and they make sense. What does seem harsh, is, if I don't fill out a T8840 declaration, and the government "suspects" I have exceeded my limit, they immediately can seize 30% of all my world wide assets, and then I have to hire lawyers and accountants and I have to fight on their terms to get my assets back. I hope it never comes to that. I know of a fellow who was one day over (it is all computerized these days - leaving and entering) and he has to hire an accountant and a lawyer.

OF, consider yourself lucky!

My wife's rich relatives worked in Canada for his company a few years back. Canada had all sorts of strange regulations regarding foreigners. One I remember was that he had to take his pay only in Canadian currency even after he moved back to the USA.

driver100 · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

berri said:
You shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to understand the legal technicalities in the excess lingo and you shouldn't be advantaged when you can afford a lawyer to take advantage of loopholes like trusts that few middle class Americans can afford. It is plain unfair to the majority of Americans.
We are allowed to stay in the US for up to 182 days a year, that is 6 months. However, I have to fill out and file a T8840 tax form every year. This form states, I am a Canadian citizen, I own property and have bank accounts in Canada, I don't gain any income from the USA, and that I don't exceed 182 days in the U.S.

btw, if I get on a cruise ship in Miami and go away for 2 weeks that still counts as being in the U.S.

I don't mind, I understand why the government has these rules, and they make sense. What does seem harsh, is, if I don't fill out a T8840 declaration, and the government "suspects" I have exceeded my limit, they immediately can seize 30% of all my world wide assets, and then I have to hire lawyers and accountants and I have to fight on their terms to get my assets back. I hope it never comes to that. I know of a fellow who was one day over (it is all computerized these days - leaving and entering) and he has to hire an accountant and a lawyer.

OF, consider yourself lucky!

My wife's rich relatives worked in Canada for his company a few years back. Canada had all sorts of strange regulations regarding foreigners. One I remember was that he had to take his pay only in Canadian currency even after he moved back to the USA.

My FIL worked for the railway....travelled from Canada into Michigan. He had to take his pension in U.S. dollars. Works out for the best most of the time, U.S. dollar usually worth more, sometimes much more like now....about 30%.

I think it would be normal to be paid in the currency in which your company operates...once you get your money you convert it.

I worked for a large U.S. company for 16 years, but, of course they set up a Canadian division, at least on paper, so they could pay us in Canadian dollars.

snakeweasel · September 2016

andres3 said:

Well, there are failures, and then there are defects. Failing to do any sort of quality control at any stage of the manufacturing process seems to be Chrysler's MO.

Lets see in my life I had a Coronet with a slant 6, couldn't kill that car even though I tried. Two Omni's (one a GLH and man that was a fun car) only one didn't make it past 50K miles and that was only because some idiot made a left turn in front of me. A caravan that we got rid of after 80K miles only because the kids grew up and we didn't need a mini van anymore. We bought a neon for the kids when they were in school, bought it used and had no real issues with it. My current ride is a Sebring with over 110K miles on it and has been pretty reliable. I know plenty of people with Chrysler products that have had no real issues with them so I would suspect that your claims are not what you make them to be.

andres3 said:
That leads to lemons and issues at 6K miles or less you won't often find from serious un-bailed out automakers.

Yeah like my coworker whose cars engine blew at 5K miles...oops that was an Audi. Or a friends car whose transmission started acting up at less than 1K miles and they could never get it right...oops another Audi. Or my neighbor whose transmission fell, yes actually fell, with less then 15 miles (not 15K just 15) on the clock...oops that was a Honda. My sisters truck that went in for some engine issue every other month....but that was a Toyota.

Truth be told if I were not to drive a make because someone I knew had issues with it I would be walking everywhere.

andres3 said:
By and large it seems complicated products with good quality design and control seem to vastly outperform simple designs with the lack of QC. The simplicity of Chrysler using 3-speed automatics in the 90's didn't spare them any black dots in CR.

Interesting I had an early 90's Chrysler with more than three speeds.

Plus CR is meaningless as we discussed before.

snakeweasel · September 2016

andres3 said:

Ahhh... the X1 rentals get driven on the railroad tracks just as often as the 300 rentals. It is just the design quality and durability of the car that changes the impact and results of that action.

But you all know I won't hesitate to twist the knife in a little deeper when Chrysler problems are reported.

Interesting since there are people on this forum that have said that they wouldn't own a German luxury car outside a warranty.

snakeweasel · September 2016

graphicguy said:

Q...not sure how long ago you took your cruise. But, witt the stabilization of the most recent ships, you'd be hard pressed to notice much motion, at all.

Usually they try to accomodate special dietary needs, but I've never had any restrictions. So, always found a weath of food to eat that I liked.

I'm not 6'5". So, probably easier for me on that count, too. But, unless it was an old inside cabin, most recent cruise cabins I've been in have been the size of the average hotel room (only my cabins had ocean balconies).

I understand. Cruising's not for everyone. But, I'd be hard pressed to find a better vacation for the amount I spend on a cruise.

The size of modern cruise ships make them very stable especially in calmer waters, the size an weight make it harder for the waves to make an effect more so when the ship is moving. However there will always be a slight movement and some people will be affected by that movement.

As for cabin space I am 6'2" and found the cabin a bit cramped but the bed was big enough for me. However we spent very little time in the room, basically sleeping and getting ready for things. To much going on on the ship to just stay in the cabin.

snakeweasel · September 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Hawaii.....been a half dozen times. Probably the most beautiful place on this earth I've ever seen. Loved it, up until the last time about 10 years ago. I had a great uncle who is burried there. He was there in the service, married a local and just stayed. Anyway, I was visiting his grave and 3 "late teens/early 20s" punks started hassling me about not being a native and was not allowed in their cemetery. At first, I confronted them. Then, I realized trying to explain why I did belong there was stupid. I stayed a while longer, partially to pay my respects, partially to show they weren't intimidating me. I swore I would not go back. Silly reason, I know!

I was reading up on Hawaii a while ago after my brother and his wife got back from there in March. They quite enjoyed it. They went with their son and daughter in law who live out west and whom they no longer see very often. The 4 of them rented a place on the big island for a week and toured around. They had no issues with the locals and enjoyed themselves except for all the flying. My reading revealed an increasingly troublesome climate for visitors though, particularly if you venture away from the resorts. Hard to pin down why - drug trade/gang problems and crime in general seem to be growing and the attitude you encountered from Islanders seems to be more prevalent as well. Not good things for an economy so dependent upon tourism.
Actually one of the major reasons is tourism. Tourism is not always a good thing, many people in Hawaii think tourism is hurting the Hawaiian Islands and they could be right. Look at it this way, you want to go to Orlando and create ab's golf resort and taco emporium there is plenty of land around to build it and if you bought out several neighborhoods to get the land those people could easily move a few miles down the road to affordable housing. Now if you go to Hawaii and open up ab's golf and taco emporium then those you displace to build your empire can't move down the road since that's in the ocean. They get crowded into a smaller residential area so the more developed the islands get for tourism the less space there is for the locals to live driving up housing costs. This makes it hard for middle class families to survive let alone lower income people.

There are other issues, there are millions of people who visit the islands each year. Those millions produce a lot of crap (figuratively and literally) which places a strain on the Islands resources and the ability to keep things clean. Beaches can get filthy roads littered and the such. Buildings, resorts and tourist spots ruining natural areas.

And we haven't touched on how many locals view what's happening to their customs and the fact that there is a sizable portion of the population that considers Hawaii an occupied country.
I think you just talked me out of Hawaii. I don't want to add to someone's troubles.

I really don't think you will be adding that much, if anything, to anyone's problems. Those views are a minority from what I understand and many are friendly to tourists. So don't let what I said stop you from going.

graphicguy · September 2016

OF....it's great to see a member here in such high spirits. Good on you regarding the IRS and that sweet van. You need to put some shag carpeting in it with a futton and maybe a bena bag chair....make it a shaggin' wagon!

CarPlay.....love it. I hardly use CUE at all in the CTS, except to display maps, songs pod casts. CarPlay does the rest. Plus, voice commands are much more accurate using CarPlay. Speaking of which, my personal phone is an iPhone 5s. I've skipped two generations of upgrades (which is fine by me). But, when I was at Costco on Sunday, the guy in their mobile phone kiosk was showing a lady her new iPhone 7 plus. Big phone, but I have to admit to some cell phone envy.

Still, ~$700 for a new phone. The sales person said the battery in the iPhone 7 is MUCH better than the one in my phone (which does seem to be getting a bit tired). Sales person said I could probably get $100 on my old phone as a trade in. I'll wait until the furror does down to see if the new phone has any glithches that make it vulmerable.

Cruising....I find people either really like it, or they don't.....very little middle ground. For right around $1,000 I can spend a week floating through the Caribbean, with an ocean balcony overlooking blue waters, with access to good restaurants included, see some good entertainment, spend some time in ports that are really beautiful. That totally destresses me.

I was in Vegas for a conference a few weeks ago. Nightly rate at the hotel was $250/nite. Add in another $100/day for food. And, before doing anything else, I'm already $2,500 lighter in the wallet for a week's stay,

stickguy · September 2016

I have a 5s too. Still works, and now out of contract so cheaper. But mine also has much less battery life than it used to. I will upgrade at some point to a base 7. A plus is way too big. My work "small" 6 is almost too big.

Just don't want to take on the $30/month payment before I have to!

sda · September 2016

I had to laugh. The dealership where I bought the Accord sent a letter offering an extended warranty. I was curious on what they were offering so I called. The Accord is out of factory warranty (60,600 mi), though it is covered by a third party lifetime powertrain warranty that was provided by the dealership. So really all I was interested in was for coverage that didn't include the powertrain. The vendor said the could provide coverage for 48mo/50k, $100 deductible for $3700! Ha! Buyer beware!

fintail · September 2016

Vegas - avoid conference weeks (there are still some weeks where companies aren't burning money in this manner) - late fall and winter can be nice there. Use discount hotel sites or bid (my last time there I stayed at the Tropicana for $60+ fees, and still got a renovated strip view room, bargain), and buy snacks and small meals at quickie marts, with maybe one splurge per day. Combine that with often cheap airfare from Seattle (maybe $150 RT) and it isn't bad - but not something I want to do more than once every few-several years.

Michaell · September 2016

stickguy said:
I have a 5s too. Still works, and now out of contract so cheaper. But mine also has much less battery life than it used to. I will upgrade at some point to a base 7. A plus is way too big. My work "small" 6 is almost too big.

Just don't want to take on the $30/month payment before I have to!

Wife and I both have an iPhone 6. My work phone is an iPhone SE. Contract on the personal phones is up in December - not sure what we'll do at that point.

ab348 · September 2016

@Michaell , can you compare the 6 and the SE for me? I am thinking of getting a new phone and am drawn to the smaller size of the SE, but have not read a whole lot about it.

Michaell · September 2016

ab348 said:
@Michaell , can you compare the 6 and the SE for me? I am thinking of getting a new phone and am drawn to the smaller size of the SE, but have not read a whole lot about it.

I've had my 6 for almost 2 years now and have gotten used to the bigger screen.

The SE seems dinky in comparison now - but, if you've not had an iPhone before, I don't think you'll miss it.

My understanding is the SE has the faster chip from the 6, but in the old iPhone 5 chassis.

I use the SE only for work - email (via Gmail), calendar (via Gmail as well), WebEx and a few travel apps. And, I plug in a headset when I use it as a phone in my home office.

Let me post a pic of the two, side by side ...

Michaell · September 2016

@ab348 here you go, with a ballpoint pen as reference:

stickguy · September 2016

Looks just like my 2!

ab348 · September 2016

Thanks @Michaell . I currently have an iPhone 5 that is getting close to 4 years old so it looks like the SE is about the same size. I know they are considered small by today's standards but I like that.

Michaell · September 2016

ab348 said:
Thanks @Michaell . I currently have an iPhone 5 that is getting close to 4 years old so it looks like the SE is about the same size. I know they are considered small by today's standards but I like that.

Yes, the SE is the same size as the 5, just upgraded chips and processors.

snakeweasel · September 2016

driver100 said:

I think it would be normal to be paid in the currency in which your company operates...once you get your money you convert it.

Actually it is normal to be paid in local currency. How would you like to be paid in Pounds if your employer is an English company?

snakeweasel · September 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Hawaii.....been a half dozen times. Probably the most beautiful place on this earth I've ever seen. Loved it, up until the last time about 10 years ago. I had a great uncle who is burried there. He was there in the service, married a local and just stayed. Anyway, I was visiting his grave and 3 "late teens/early 20s" punks started hassling me about not being a native and was not allowed in their cemetery. At first, I confronted them. Then, I realized trying to explain why I did belong there was stupid. I stayed a while longer, partially to pay my respects, partially to show they weren't intimidating me. I swore I would not go back. Silly reason, I know!

I was reading up on Hawaii a while ago after my brother and his wife got back from there in March. They quite enjoyed it. They went with their son and daughter in law who live out west and whom they no longer see very often. The 4 of them rented a place on the big island for a week and toured around. They had no issues with the locals and enjoyed themselves except for all the flying. My reading revealed an increasingly troublesome climate for visitors though, particularly if you venture away from the resorts. Hard to pin down why - drug trade/gang problems and crime in general seem to be growing and the attitude you encountered from Islanders seems to be more prevalent as well. Not good things for an economy so dependent upon tourism.
Actually one of the major reasons is tourism. Tourism is not always a good thing, many people in Hawaii think tourism is hurting the Hawaiian Islands and they could be right. Look at it this way, you want to go to Orlando and create ab's golf resort and taco emporium there is plenty of land around to build it and if you bought out several neighborhoods to get the land those people could easily move a few miles down the road to affordable housing. Now if you go to Hawaii and open up ab's golf and taco emporium then those you displace to build your empire can't move down the road since that's in the ocean. They get crowded into a smaller residential area so the more developed the islands get for tourism the less space there is for the locals to live driving up housing costs. This makes it hard for middle class families to survive let alone lower income people.

There are other issues, there are millions of people who visit the islands each year. Those millions produce a lot of crap (figuratively and literally) which places a strain on the Islands resources and the ability to keep things clean. Beaches can get filthy roads littered and the such. Buildings, resorts and tourist spots ruining natural areas.

And we haven't touched on how many locals view what's happening to their customs and the fact that there is a sizable portion of the population that considers Hawaii an occupied country.
I think you just talked me out of Hawaii. I don't want tox add to someone's troubles.
Isn't it funny that the do-gooders expressing concern for the native Hawaiians end up hurting them by scaring away tourist dollars.

Actually there is a strong argument that tourism dollars actually hurt more than help. As I pointed out those tourism dollars tend to drive up the cost of living and they don't provide much in the way of well paying jobs. Not to mention other things.

snakeweasel · September 2016

graphicguy said:

Still, ~$700 for a new phone. The sales person said the battery in the iPhone 7 is MUCH better than the one in my phone (which does seem to be getting a bit tired). Sales person said I could probably get $100 on my old phone as a trade in. I'll wait until the furror does down to see if the new phone has any glithches that make it vulmerable.

A few years ago I had an iPhone 4 that was about 4 years old and the battery was dying real fast. Traded in for a Galaxy S5 and I wouldn't go back. The battery, now 2.5 years old, is starting to show signs of losing the ability to hold a charge so I am debating on replacing the phone or just the battery (would take a whopping 10 seconds to do). A new battery would be a tenth the cost, or less, of a new phone.

driver100 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

Still, ~$700 for a new phone. The sales person said the battery in the iPhone 7 is MUCH better than the one in my phone (which does seem to be getting a bit tired). Sales person said I could probably get $100 on my old phone as a trade in. I'll wait until the furror does down to see if the new phone has any glithches that make it vulmerable.
A few years ago I had an iPhone 4 that was about 4 years old and the battery was dying real fast. Traded in for a Galaxy S5 and I wouldn't go back. The battery, now 2.5 years old, is starting to show signs of losing the ability to hold a charge so I am debating on replacing the phone or just the battery (would take a whopping 10 seconds to do). A new battery would be a tenth the cost, or less, of a new phone.

But you won't have the latest and newest....you may become a dinosaur!

jmonroe · September 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

Still, ~$700 for a new phone. The sales person said the battery in the iPhone 7 is MUCH better than the one in my phone (which does seem to be getting a bit tired). Sales person said I could probably get $100 on my old phone as a trade in. I'll wait until the furror does down to see if the new phone has any glithches that make it vulmerable.
A few years ago I had an iPhone 4 that was about 4 years old and the battery was dying real fast. Traded in for a Galaxy S5 and I wouldn't go back. The battery, now 2.5 years old, is starting to show signs of losing the ability to hold a charge so I am debating on replacing the phone or just the battery (would take a whopping 10 seconds to do). A new battery would be a tenth the cost, or less, of a new phone.
But you won't have the latest and newest....you may become a dinosaur!

Do you really think a snake can become a dinosaur?

jmonroe

snakeweasel · September 2016

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

Still, ~$700 for a new phone. The sales person said the battery in the iPhone 7 is MUCH better than the one in my phone (which does seem to be getting a bit tired). Sales person said I could probably get $100 on my old phone as a trade in. I'll wait until the furror does down to see if the new phone has any glithches that make it vulmerable.
A few years ago I had an iPhone 4 that was about 4 years old and the battery was dying real fast. Traded in for a Galaxy S5 and I wouldn't go back. The battery, now 2.5 years old, is starting to show signs of losing the ability to hold a charge so I am debating on replacing the phone or just the battery (would take a whopping 10 seconds to do). A new battery would be a tenth the cost, or less, of a new phone.
But you won't have the latest and newest....you may become a dinosaur!

Yes but I will be a dinosaur with an extra $600 and a phone that does 99% of what the latest phone does.

graphicguy · September 2016

I know the two top dogs in smart phones are iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. I've always leaned towards iPhones, though. Several reasons, but probably the main one is everything I want to do with it...make calls, emails, GPS, texts, podcasts, music, etc, are very easy.

Had a Galaxy for work about a year (I think a Galaxy 4?). Nice phone. A little "kludgy" to operate, but nice phone.

When my company offered to replace my old phone with the iPhone, I jumped at the chance. So, my company phone is a 5s, too.

Adding to my iPhone 7 lust is the fact my company gets a discount on them. Still not free, but would knock another $100 off the phone, in addition to my trade amount.

I do like the larger screen of the plus. Easier on the eyes, and I can actually read and reply to emails easier with the plus. I know....I'm talking myself into buying one. Good thing they aren't easily available yet. I'll hold off and see.

fintail....for good or ill, Vegas seems to always have a conference going on. I just made reservations to attend one in November. $500 flight, $200/nite for a room (on the strip, where the conference is being held), probably another $50-$75/day for meals, another $100 or so for taxis...the company is in for a $2,500 bill, at least, for me to attend.

I have gone to Vegas conferences by staying way off the strip and Freemont Street at some hotels that, while not bad, had seen better days, for about $60/nite. But, it cost another $75 day in taxis to get back and forth to the conventions on the Strip. So, saving a little, but not much.

This was a few years ago, but was called to do a presentation at the last minute for a huge conference in Vegas. Only rooms left were at the Riviera (now history). Even then, it was run down and my room had mold in it. But, I wasn't left with much choice. That one was $400/nite. Only reason they got that rate was because they could. I lobbied to have the presentation done off site, away from the strip. Our comapny insisted we had to be on the strip. They paid for the privilige. I think I trashed my luggage and some of my clothes after that trip for fear something embedded itself in it the Riviera was so dirty.

Michaell · September 2016

@graphicguy - your story reminds me of a trip to Florida one February to teach a class to a group of city employees where the city had just bought our software.

It was a bit of a last minute decision to teach the class that week, and my hotel options were very limited.

The city? Daytona Beach
The week? Just before the Daytona 500

IIRC, I had to prepay for the hotel, which was a run down property on the edge of town. In situations like that, you just have to roll with the punches.

ab348 · September 2016

Heh. I stayed in Daytona Beach one time only, for a week, late '80s. Conference was at what was then the big new Marriott hotel right on the beach, nice but expensive. I decided to spend another few days post conference on my own nickel, ended up on the strip across from the Speedway away from the beach. Holy moly, what dumps. Did not like Daytona a whole lot.

I'm surprised to hear hotel rooms in Vegas are so expensive since there are so many of them. I have not been in many years but when I look at Streetview now I don't recognize the Strip. It looks like a sea of blank concrete walls up against divided roads and not really like a tourist-friendly city. It just looks bizarre to me.

ab348 · September 2016

graphicguy said:
I know the two top dogs in smart phones are iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. I've always leaned towards iPhones, though. Several reasons, but probably the main one is everything I want to do with it...make calls, emails, GPS, texts, podcasts, music, etc, are very easy.

Had a Galaxy for work about a year (I think a Galaxy 4?). Nice phone. A little "kludgy" to operate, but nice phone.

When I was working in government in the early 2000s all the self-proclaimed Important People had to get a Blackberry when they first came out. I resisted for years and when I finally got one I absolutely hated it with a passion. Kludgy doesn't begin to describe it. Nothing seemed intuitive or logical and no matter how much I studied the manual it never seemed easy to use. When I finally was able to get an iPhone it was a revelation. It just worked. I do not want to have to be a tech to use my device, and even though I am now paying for it myself the extra money for an iPhone is worth it to me.

graphicguy · September 2016

Michael...that's right....all you can do is roll with it. I remember at the time, I had thought "what in the world would I find if I had a black light?" while I stayed at the Riviera.

AB....you catch Vegas at the right time, and it can be downright cheap. But, if you have a big convention in town, or it's Spring Break, rooms fill up quickly, especially on the Strip. Also, rates on weekends cost more than rates during the week. Lots of tourists from the surrounding states spend weekends there.

That said, I was there for a small convention last month. I stayed at the Bellagio, which probably ranks as one of the nicest hotels in the world, for $139/nite. And, they kicked in two coupons for their buffet, which is excellent. Just so happens not much was happening in Vegas at the time, and it was during the week.

You look at the Strip at night, and it really is a sight to behold. Of course, that's when the scammers and malcontents hit the streets, too.

graphicguy · September 2016

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:
I know the two top dogs in smart phones are iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. I've always leaned towards iPhones, though. Several reasons, but probably the main one is everything I want to do with it...make calls, emails, GPS, texts, podcasts, music, etc, are very easy.

Had a Galaxy for work about a year (I think a Galaxy 4?). Nice phone. A little "kludgy" to operate, but nice phone.
When I was working in government in the early 2000s all the self-proclaimed Important People had to get a Blackberry when they first came out. I resisted for years and when I finally got one I absolutely hated it with a passion. Kludgy doesn't begin to describe it. Nothing seemed intuitive or logical and no matter how much I studied the manual it never seemed easy to use. When I finally was able to get an iPhone it was a revelation. It just worked. I do not want to have to be a tech to use my device, and even though I am now paying for it myself the extra money for an iPhone is worth it to me.

Just heard today that Blackberry is getting out of the phone hardware business. Funny....I didn't know they were still in that business.

Talk about a company who had the corporate pulse of their customers and then totally whiffed when it came time to retain them.

They're kind of reminding me of the last few years Saab was trying to be relevant.

Michaell · September 2016

graphicguy said:
Michael...that's right....all you can do is roll with it. I remember at the time, I had thought "what in the world would I find if I had a black light?" while I stayed at the Riviera.

AB....you catch Vegas at the right time, and it can be downright cheap. But, if you have a big convention in town, or it's Spring Break, rooms fill up quickly, especially on the Strip. Also, rates on weekends cost more than rates during the week. Lots of tourists from the surrounding states spend weekends there.

That said, I was there for a small convention last month. I stayed at the Bellagio, which probably ranks as one of the nicest hotels in the world, for $139/nite. And, they kicked in two coupons for their buffet, which is excellent. Just so happens not much was happening in Vegas at the time, and it was during the week.

You look at the Strip at night, and it really is a sight to behold. Of course, that's when the scammers and malcontents hit the streets, too.

Wife and I stayed at the Bellagio for our 10th anniversary. Round trip airfare from Denver and 4 nights at the hotel was something like $1200 for both of us ... and, we got upgraded to a junior suite as well.

andres3 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

Well, there are failures, and then there are defects. Failing to do any sort of quality control at any stage of the manufacturing process seems to be Chrysler's MO.
Lets see in my life I had a Coronet with a slant 6, couldn't kill that car even though I tried. Two Omni's (one a GLH and man that was a fun car) only one didn't make it past 50K miles and that was only because some idiot made a left turn in front of me. A caravan that we got rid of after 80K miles only because the kids grew up and we didn't need a mini van anymore. We bought a neon for the kids when they were in school, bought it used and had no real issues with it. My current ride is a Sebring with over 110K miles on it and has been pretty reliable. I know plenty of people with Chrysler products that have had no real issues with them so I would suspect that your claims are not what you make them to be.
andres3 said:
That leads to lemons and issues at 6K miles or less you won't often find from serious un-bailed out automakers.
Yeah like my coworker whose cars engine blew at 5K miles...oops that was an Audi. Or a friends car whose transmission started acting up at less than 1K miles and they could never get it right...oops another Audi. Or my neighbor whose transmission fell, yes actually fell, with less then 15 miles (not 15K just 15) on the clock...oops that was a Honda. My sisters truck that went in for some engine issue every other month....but that was a Toyota.

Truth be told if I were not to drive a make because someone I knew had issues with it I would be walking everywhere.
andres3 said:
By and large it seems complicated products with good quality design and control seem to vastly outperform simple designs with the lack of QC. The simplicity of Chrysler using 3-speed automatics in the 90's didn't spare them any black dots in CR.

Interesting I had an early 90's Chrysler with more than three speeds.

Plus CR is meaningless as we discussed before.

Actually your anecdotal stories are meaningless.

CR has thousands of data points making it highly accurate and reliable data. I believe the consensus conclusion was that only people that stuck their head in the sand ignored CR.

Truth be told CR didn't like the reliability of my '06 A3 all that much, but I guess I got one of the good ones and proper maintenance doesn't hurt. However, in the modern era of the last few years, Audi is surpassing pretty much everyone when it comes to durability and reliability. Honda is having some issues (along with Acura). Toyota/Lexus are always pretty much bulletproof.

I have anecdotal stories too, one of my best friends RAV 4 experience mirrors exactly what CR says about it; that you can depend on it.

Chrysler may have had a 4-speed auto in the 90's but they didn't use it on the Neon in the mid-90's.

How do you explain Chrysler's problem with plummeting resale values, poor sales figures, and weak results in any reliability survey that exists in the world? Why didn't the "lifetime *********************" warranty last very long? Why have they changed the name of their models every decade or less? Why haven't they sent me one single warranty "extension/reimbursement" letter as a form of goodwill?

I got a recall/warranty/reimbursement letter on the Audi S4 the other day that I don't even own any more for some minor possible emissions related issue with the CEL light going on for no good reason.

I find that the people that defend Chrysler are usually the same ones that can live with all the accessories not working in their car (power windows, doors, radio, AC, all non-functioning), yet they still drive around and say the car is flawless. Meanwhile if you ride in it you'll hear 1,000 rattles, and notice the paint color mismatching wear on the bumpers or elsewhere.

This was fun to find:

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

Ah yes the Dodge Guernsey...I remember it well.

andres3 · September 2016

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

Ahhh... the X1 rentals get driven on the railroad tracks just as often as the 300 rentals. It is just the design quality and durability of the car that changes the impact and results of that action.

But you all know I won't hesitate to twist the knife in a little deeper when Chrysler problems are reported.
Interesting since there are people on this forum that have said that they wouldn't own a German luxury car outside a warranty.

First, those are people that are living in the 20th Century still. Also, Mercedes and BMW (and even VW) seem to be lagging in the reliability and durability departments as far as improvements in the last decade or so. They should take lessons from Audi.

Second, they probably are buying more car than they can properly afford if repair costs are an issue.

Finally, those people probably don't have access to a decently honest, competent, and lower cost independent mechanic/shop that specializes in the German car of their choice at a convenient location to where they live and work.

qbrozen · September 2016

andres3 said:
I believe the consensus conclusion was that only people that stuck their head in the sand ignored CR.

Just who is in this consensus? CR readers? I don't remember anyone asking me. CR polls CR subscribers, no? That alone skews their data. I ignore CR. Why? Because my cars are not just appliances to me. CR largely disregards the enthusiasts or those who care more about how a car feels and drives than how quick the touchscreen responds to my inputs to find the closest Starbucks.

We have absolutely had issues with the accessories on our 2 Chryslers, but the wife won't accept an alternative because they are not as nice to drive, in her opinion. Again, more than a simple appliance.

fintail · September 2016

Of course Audi improved more, it had no other direction to go

andres3 said:

First, those are people that are living in the 20th Century still. Also, Mercedes and BMW (and even VW) seem to be lagging in the reliability and durability departments as far as improvements in the last decade or so. They should take lessons from Audi.

Second, they probably are buying more car than they can properly afford if repair costs are an issue.

Finally, those people probably don't have access to a decently honest, competent, and lower cost independent mechanic/shop that specializes in the German car of their choice at a convenient location to where they live and work.

fintail · September 2016

When someone else is paying/burning money, a lot of the small details don't matter so much

I usually shop pretty actively before going on a trip, and don't feel like I have ever paid too much in Vegas. I am also not a big gambler - just taking in the spectacle is a cheaper way to go, too.

graphicguy said:

fintail....for good or ill, Vegas seems to always have a conference going on. I just made reservations to attend one in November. $500 flight, $200/nite for a room (on the strip, where the conference is being held), probably another $50-$75/day for meals, another $100 or so for taxis...the company is in for a $2,500 bill, at least, for me to attend.

fintail · September 2016

I work in telecom, and over the years have had devices from every major product line. I think I had only one Blackberry - I remember the maps feature was ahead of the pack. It wasn't as slow as early Windows phones, and seemed to attract a devoted (mostly corporate) fanbase. Everyone has moved over to Android and Apple now. I still remember my first Android phone, it seemed like a revelation. I prefer it to Apple, more configurable, and the media playback options seem to work better for me.

ab348 said:

When I was working in government in the early 2000s all the self-proclaimed Important People had to get a Blackberry when they first came out. I resisted for years and when I finally got one I absolutely hated it with a passion. Kludgy doesn't begin to describe it. Nothing seemed intuitive or logical and no matter how much I studied the manual it never seemed easy to use. When I finally was able to get an iPhone it was a revelation. It just worked. I do not want to have to be a tech to use my device, and even though I am now paying for it myself the extra money for an iPhone is worth it to me.

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