Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe · October 2016

@stickguy said:

And I would assume the JMs current set is good quality and perfectly fine anyway, so this is just change for the sake of something new.

Other than threatening me that is exactly what it is, "change for the sake of something new".

If you guys from the SFTSFL days remember, it was one of Mrs. j's long time friends (back to her high school and college days) that said something like, "are you kidding, you'll never find a set nicer than this one. The lines are so clean they will never go out of style and the chairs are what helps make this set. I've always liked this set. If you want to get rid of it I'll buy it".

I'll have to invite her over for dinner again and let the subject come up. She'll save me and she like cars more than Mrs. j. This may be my best plan so far.

jmonroe

stever · October 2016

driver100 said:

stever said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:
well, I have decided over that years that more often situations like this are just from dysfunction, not nefarious plans. Add being busy to somewhat disorganized, a few hands in the pot, and they end up with a customer there before realizing they don't have what you wanted to see when they thought they did (but probably did not check).

The salesguy, forgetting you were coming when he called you earlier, that is just odd.

heck, give them credit for actually following up with you. Most places never do call back once you leave.
Some good points stick. Salespeople sell cars if they can. Maybe both cars were in stock when the manager called, and the cars got sold. The last thing the manager and salesman will think about is calling a "potential" customer. A good sign too that those cars sold so fast. It isn't right, and if they were really on top of things they should have called, but, it is Saturday, a sale made is a priority, and that is what usually happens.
Some people ask the salesperson to send them a phone pic of the car in question. Those people are suspicious that the car never was there and there's a bait and switch involved. I don't know how some people got so suspicious of car dealers....
Maybe I should not be buying the service contract!

Funny about telling friends to watch CNN.

I'm the guy that should be buying service contracts and extended warranties but I never have. I have a bit of buyer's remorse about paying the ~$30 extra for the "all-inclusive" tire warranty (although I've used it once to remount that leaking tire on my rusty rim).

PF_Flyer · October 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:

PF_Flyer said:
Had an encounter with Odocoileus virginianus last night.Sucker came flying out of the brush on a two lane, nowhere to go road. I made a great move, deer lost its footing on the pavement and went down before hitting me. At first glance in the dark, it looked like I had no damage. By the dawn's early light I discovered that at least one front leg went into the left front wheel well and the body of the deer must have hit low on the driver's side front and rear doors. A couple of crimps in the door panels and on the quarter panel. All things considered, I got off light. Some views.

Damn....so he got 3 panels?

Yep...3

The deer was at a full run when I saw it, and it was running at something like a 30 degree angle going in my direction, not straight across the road. So when it tried to dodge, it slipped and fell, and hit me low along the side. Was a big doe, probably about 130 pounds, so it had a fair amount of momentum.

oldfarmer50 · October 2016

jmonroe said:
@stickguy said:

And I would assume the JMs current set is good quality and perfectly fine anyway, so this is just change for the sake of something new.

Other than threatening me that is exactly what it is, "change for the sake of something new".

If you guys from the SFTSFL days remember, it was one of Mrs. j's long time friends (back to her high school and college days) that said something like, "are you kidding, you'll never find a set nicer than this one. The lines are so clean they will never go out of style and the chairs are what helps make this set. I've always liked this set. If you want to get rid of it I'll buy it".

I'll have to invite her over for dinner again and let the subject come up. She'll save me and she like cars more than Mrs. j. This may be my best plan so far.

jmonroe

Careful, your wife will probably sell the furniture to her friend and be sitting in the car waiting for you to driver her to buy new stuff before you can say "no new car for you".

Don't ever try to out smart a woman.

jmonroe · October 2016

PF_Flyer said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

PF_Flyer said:
Had an encounter with Odocoileus virginianus last night.Sucker came flying out of the brush on a two lane, nowhere to go road. I made a great move, deer lost its footing on the pavement and went down before hitting me. At first glance in the dark, it looked like I had no damage. By the dawn's early light I discovered that at least one front leg went into the left front wheel well and the body of the deer must have hit low on the driver's side front and rear doors. A couple of crimps in the door panels and on the quarter panel. All things considered, I got off light. Some views.

Damn....so he got 3 panels?
Yep...3

The deer was at a full run when I saw it, and it was running at something like a 30 degree angle going in my direction, not straight across the road. So when it tried to dodge, it slipped and fell, and hit me low along the side. Was a big doe, probably about 130 pounds, so it had a fair amount of momentum.

You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

Son #1 hit a dear on I 79 going to his apartment in Bridgeville PA while we were living in SC in '93. This happened in the wee hours early one Sunday morning while he was going about 70 MPH. Fortunately he was not hurt. He called us about 9 AM and told us what happened. He was driving his first new car a '91 Grand Prix that he bought after graduating from Penn State in '91. I think it cost about 5 grand to fix that thing. Anyway, I ask him if he reported it to the state police so that it wouldn't be charged to him as an at fault accident with his insurance company. He said he never even thought of doing that. So, we hung up so that he could report it.

He calls back in about 10 minutes and is laughing. His mother wanted to know what was so funny. He said the first words out of the troopers mouth was, "you're entitled to the deer. Do you want it"? He did not want the dear but the trooper wanted to know the mile marker if he knew it. He did and he gave it to him.

Later that day my Son called back and said the trooper had a patrol car go to that mile marker but the deer was gone and it was not picked up by a road crew either. The trooper said this happens a lot because some people like dear meat and if it is a recent kill they take it.

How much do you think the damage is going to be? That dear must have really disliked you after you hit it to take out 3 panels.

FWIW, not to be out done by his older brother, Son #2 hit a dear not to long after he graduated from Penn State. If you can manage it, don't let your kids go to Penn State. They don't offer a "Dear Avoidance Course". :@

jmonroe

stickguy · October 2016

speaking of deer, wife and I took our daily walk this AM, and took a different route that included a stretch of busier road (local street that is 4 lanes and windy, with offices along it). almost stepped on a deer that was lying right next to the sidewalk, up against a road sign. Sad sight. and no, I did not carry it home. Had some flies on it, so I assume it had been there since the night before.

reminds me. I should have called it in when I got home (or from the spot on my cell). Oops.

PF_Flyer · October 2016

jmonroe said:

PF_Flyer said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

PF_Flyer said:
Had an encounter with Odocoileus virginianus last night.Sucker came flying out of the brush on a two lane, nowhere to go road. I made a great move, deer lost its footing on the pavement and went down before hitting me. At first glance in the dark, it looked like I had no damage. By the dawn's early light I discovered that at least one front leg went into the left front wheel well and the body of the deer must have hit low on the driver's side front and rear doors. A couple of crimps in the door panels and on the quarter panel. All things considered, I got off light. Some views.

Damn....so he got 3 panels?
Yep...3

The deer was at a full run when I saw it, and it was running at something like a 30 degree angle going in my direction, not straight across the road. So when it tried to dodge, it slipped and fell, and hit me low along the side. Was a big doe, probably about 130 pounds, so it had a fair amount of momentum.
You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

Son #1 hit a dear on I 79 going to his apartment in Bridgeville PA while we were living in SC in '93. This happened in the wee hours early one Sunday morning while he was going about 70 MPH. Fortunately he was not hurt. He called us about 9 AM and told us what happened. He was driving his first new car a '91 Grand Prix that he bought after graduating from Penn State in '91. I think it cost about 5 grand to fix that thing. Anyway, I ask him if he reported it to the state police so that it wouldn't be charged to him as an at fault accident with his insurance company. He said he never even thought of doing that. So, we hung up so that he could report it.

He calls back in about 10 minutes and is laughing. His mother wanted to know what was so funny. He said the first words out of the troopers mouth was, "you're entitled to the deer. Do you want it"? He did not want the dear but the trooper wanted to know the mile marker if he knew it. He did and he gave it to him.

Later that day my Son called back and said the trooper had a patrol car go to that mile marker but the deer was gone and it was not picked up by a road crew either. The trooper said this happens a lot because some people like dear meat and if it is a recent kill they take it.

How much do you think the damage is going to be? That dear must have really disliked you after you hit it to take out 3 panels.

FWIW, not to be out done by his older brother, Son #2 hit a dear not to long after he graduated from Penn State. If you can manage it, don't let your kids go to Penn State. They don't offer a "Dear Avoidance Course". :@

jmonroe

How much? Not sure, but generally if you bend sheet metal it seems like $2500 is the starting point. My wife clipped a deer a few years ago with her let front corner. The head of the deer hit just below the headlight. Pushed the headlight assembly back in a bit, kind of curled the fender back in on itself. As I recall, that ran around $2700, only the one panel and replacement headlight assembly involved. None of my damage seems nearly as severe, but those creases are probably sticky spots. Also, I can't tell if the rocker panel has been bent down or the bottom of the door panels pushed in a bit. The gap above the rocker panel is opened up a bit.

I'll find out Wed morning after the insurance inspection.

stickguy · October 2016

get the check, some vise grips, and heavy gloves. Then bend everything back into place as best as you can. Deposit check into bank. Come out ahead!

jmonroe · October 2016

PF_Flyer said:

jmonroe said:

PF_Flyer said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

PF_Flyer said:
Had an encounter with Odocoileus virginianus last night.Sucker came flying out of the brush on a two lane, nowhere to go road. I made a great move, deer lost its footing on the pavement and went down before hitting me. At first glance in the dark, it looked like I had no damage. By the dawn's early light I discovered that at least one front leg went into the left front wheel well and the body of the deer must have hit low on the driver's side front and rear doors. A couple of crimps in the door panels and on the quarter panel. All things considered, I got off light. Some views.

Damn....so he got 3 panels?
Yep...3

The deer was at a full run when I saw it, and it was running at something like a 30 degree angle going in my direction, not straight across the road. So when it tried to dodge, it slipped and fell, and hit me low along the side. Was a big doe, probably about 130 pounds, so it had a fair amount of momentum.
You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

Son #1 hit a dear on I 79 going to his apartment in Bridgeville PA while we were living in SC in '93. This happened in the wee hours early one Sunday morning while he was going about 70 MPH. Fortunately he was not hurt. He called us about 9 AM and told us what happened. He was driving his first new car a '91 Grand Prix that he bought after graduating from Penn State in '91. I think it cost about 5 grand to fix that thing. Anyway, I ask him if he reported it to the state police so that it wouldn't be charged to him as an at fault accident with his insurance company. He said he never even thought of doing that. So, we hung up so that he could report it.

He calls back in about 10 minutes and is laughing. His mother wanted to know what was so funny. He said the first words out of the troopers mouth was, "you're entitled to the deer. Do you want it"? He did not want the dear but the trooper wanted to know the mile marker if he knew it. He did and he gave it to him.

Later that day my Son called back and said the trooper had a patrol car go to that mile marker but the deer was gone and it was not picked up by a road crew either. The trooper said this happens a lot because some people like dear meat and if it is a recent kill they take it.

How much do you think the damage is going to be? That dear must have really disliked you after you hit it to take out 3 panels.

FWIW, not to be out done by his older brother, Son #2 hit a dear not to long after he graduated from Penn State. If you can manage it, don't let your kids go to Penn State. They don't offer a "Dear Avoidance Course". :@

jmonroe
How much? Not sure, but generally if you bend sheet metal it seems like $2500 is the starting point. My wife clipped a deer a few years ago with her let front corner. The head of the deer hit just below the headlight. Pushed the headlight assembly back in a bit, kind of curled the fender back in on itself. As I recall, that ran around $2700, only the one panel and replacement headlight assembly involved. None of my damage seems nearly as severe, but those creases are probably sticky spots. Also, I can't tell if the rocker panel has been bent down or the bottom of the door panels pushed in a bit. The gap above the rocker panel is opened up a bit.

I'll find out Wed morning after the insurance inspection.

I went back and took another look at your photos. The middle pic looks like the left front panel has pushed down the front edge of the rocker panel and that is why the gap is bigger EDIT:~~in that area~~ in the area at the front edge of the door.

Just a somewhat educated guess on my part but I'm sure you'll give us the pros analysis when you get it.

Good luck.

jmonroe

berri · October 2016

It could have been so much worse if you were at speed on the highway and hit it head on. Body shops have come along way in welding and painting, so hopefully it will work out and you can get a nice rental to check out as well.

snakeweasel · October 2016

jmonroe said:

You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

jmonroe

My sister and brother-in-law were driving from Denver to ~~Lost Wages~~ Las Vegas one time and as they were driving down a road that was going through a small canyon a small heard of elk jumped from the bluff above onto the road. Three of those elk landed on their car, not in front of the car then were hit but on top of the car (the cars engine was actually pushed forward through the grill). The three elk were killed and several truckers stopped to render assistance. When the police arrived the elk were gone, you can guess where they went.

Michaell · October 2016

snakeweasel said:

jmonroe said:

You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

jmonroe
My sister and brother-in-law were driving from Denver to ~~Lost Wages~~ Las Vegas one time and as they were driving down a road that was going through a small canyon a small heard of elk jumped from the bluff above onto the road. Three of those elk landed on their car, not in front of the car then were hit but on top of the car (the cars engine was actually pushed forward through the grill). The three elk were killed and several truckers stopped to render assistance. When the police arrived the elk were gone, you can guess where they went.

Likely Glenwood Canyon on I-70.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

PF_Flyer said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

PF_Flyer said:
Had an encounter with Odocoileus virginianus last night.Sucker came flying out of the brush on a two lane, nowhere to go road. I made a great move, deer lost its footing on the pavement and went down before hitting me. At first glance in the dark, it looked like I had no damage. By the dawn's early light I discovered that at least one front leg went into the left front wheel well and the body of the deer must have hit low on the driver's side front and rear doors. A couple of crimps in the door panels and on the quarter panel. All things considered, I got off light. Some views.

Damn....so he got 3 panels?
Yep...3

The deer was at a full run when I saw it, and it was running at something like a 30 degree angle going in my direction, not straight across the road. So when it tried to dodge, it slipped and fell, and hit me low along the side. Was a big doe, probably about 130 pounds, so it had a fair amount of momentum.

Did you eat it?

snakeweasel · October 2016

Michaell said:

snakeweasel said:

jmonroe said:

You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

jmonroe
My sister and brother-in-law were driving from Denver to ~~Lost Wages~~ Las Vegas one time and as they were driving down a road that was going through a small canyon a small heard of elk jumped from the bluff above onto the road. Three of those elk landed on their car, not in front of the car then were hit but on top of the car (the cars engine was actually pushed forward through the grill). The three elk were killed and several truckers stopped to render assistance. When the police arrived the elk were gone, you can guess where they went.
Likely Glenwood Canyon on I-70.

IIRC it was somewhere in Utah.

Here is a picture of the underside of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon.

Michaell · October 2016

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:

snakeweasel said:

jmonroe said:

You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

jmonroe
My sister and brother-in-law were driving from Denver to ~~Lost Wages~~ Las Vegas one time and as they were driving down a road that was going through a small canyon a small heard of elk jumped from the bluff above onto the road. Three of those elk landed on their car, not in front of the car then were hit but on top of the car (the cars engine was actually pushed forward through the grill). The three elk were killed and several truckers stopped to render assistance. When the police arrived the elk were gone, you can guess where they went.
Likely Glenwood Canyon on I-70.
IIRC it was somewhere in Utah.

Here is a picture of the underside of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon.

Great picture. I've traveled that stretch of road a number of times.

snakeweasel · October 2016

Michaell said:

snakeweasel said:

Michaell said:

snakeweasel said:

jmonroe said:

You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

jmonroe
My sister and brother-in-law were driving from Denver to ~~Lost Wages~~ Las Vegas one time and as they were driving down a road that was going through a small canyon a small heard of elk jumped from the bluff above onto the road. Three of those elk landed on their car, not in front of the car then were hit but on top of the car (the cars engine was actually pushed forward through the grill). The three elk were killed and several truckers stopped to render assistance. When the police arrived the elk were gone, you can guess where they went.
Likely Glenwood Canyon on I-70.
IIRC it was somewhere in Utah.

Here is a picture of the underside of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon.

Great picture. I've traveled that stretch of road a number of times.

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon is on pylons for much of the time and there is a bike path that also goes through the canyon. Last time we were there I rented a bike and road through it, i took plenty of pictures on that ride.

snakeweasel · October 2016

Happy Halloween everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmnYdag5bcw

ab348 · October 2016

Up in Canada the troublesome Focus/Fiesta automatic transmissions are causing the Feds to sit up and take notice:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ford-focus-fiesta-safety-transmission-transport-canada-1.3823911

PF_Flyer · October 2016

jmonroe said:

PF_Flyer said:

jmonroe said:

PF_Flyer said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

PF_Flyer said:
Had an encounter with Odocoileus virginianus last night.Sucker came flying out of the brush on a two lane, nowhere to go road. I made a great move, deer lost its footing on the pavement and went down before hitting me. At first glance in the dark, it looked like I had no damage. By the dawn's early light I discovered that at least one front leg went into the left front wheel well and the body of the deer must have hit low on the driver's side front and rear doors. A couple of crimps in the door panels and on the quarter panel. All things considered, I got off light. Some views.

Damn....so he got 3 panels?
Yep...3

The deer was at a full run when I saw it, and it was running at something like a 30 degree angle going in my direction, not straight across the road. So when it tried to dodge, it slipped and fell, and hit me low along the side. Was a big doe, probably about 130 pounds, so it had a fair amount of momentum.
You're entitled to that dear you know but if you didn't pick it up right away it's probably gone by now.

Son #1 hit a dear on I 79 going to his apartment in Bridgeville PA while we were living in SC in '93. This happened in the wee hours early one Sunday morning while he was going about 70 MPH. Fortunately he was not hurt. He called us about 9 AM and told us what happened. He was driving his first new car a '91 Grand Prix that he bought after graduating from Penn State in '91. I think it cost about 5 grand to fix that thing. Anyway, I ask him if he reported it to the state police so that it wouldn't be charged to him as an at fault accident with his insurance company. He said he never even thought of doing that. So, we hung up so that he could report it.

He calls back in about 10 minutes and is laughing. His mother wanted to know what was so funny. He said the first words out of the troopers mouth was, "you're entitled to the deer. Do you want it"? He did not want the dear but the trooper wanted to know the mile marker if he knew it. He did and he gave it to him.

Later that day my Son called back and said the trooper had a patrol car go to that mile marker but the deer was gone and it was not picked up by a road crew either. The trooper said this happens a lot because some people like dear meat and if it is a recent kill they take it.

How much do you think the damage is going to be? That dear must have really disliked you after you hit it to take out 3 panels.

FWIW, not to be out done by his older brother, Son #2 hit a dear not to long after he graduated from Penn State. If you can manage it, don't let your kids go to Penn State. They don't offer a "Dear Avoidance Course". :@

jmonroe
How much? Not sure, but generally if you bend sheet metal it seems like $2500 is the starting point. My wife clipped a deer a few years ago with her let front corner. The head of the deer hit just below the headlight. Pushed the headlight assembly back in a bit, kind of curled the fender back in on itself. As I recall, that ran around $2700, only the one panel and replacement headlight assembly involved. None of my damage seems nearly as severe, but those creases are probably sticky spots. Also, I can't tell if the rocker panel has been bent down or the bottom of the door panels pushed in a bit. The gap above the rocker panel is opened up a bit.

I'll find out Wed morning after the insurance inspection.
I went back and took another look at your photos. The middle pic looks like the left front panel has pushed down the front edge of the rocker panel and that is why the gap is bigger EDIT:~~in that area~~ in the area at the front edge of the door.

Just a somewhat educated guess on my part but I'm sure you'll give us the pros analysis when you get it.

Good luck.

jmonroe

I looked closer at the rocker panels on both sides this morning and I don't think the rocker panel has been moved or deformed, but the experts will tell me. I also had to pass the spot on the way to the dentist this morning and the deer was still there, so I got this shot. I was traveling left to right, towards the camera. The deer came out somewhere near the end of that fence (or over it) near the trees. You can see the dark spots on the road about where the impact took place, and the shadow of the power line pole that left me very little room to dodge to the right.

stever · October 2016

A reporter is working on a story about online driver's ed classes. If you've taken one of these online classes -- or if you considered it and decided not to take it -- then please shoot a message to PR@edmunds.com by no later than Thursday, November 3, 2016.

PF_Flyer · October 2016

berri said:
It could have been so much worse if you were at speed on the highway and hit it head on. Body shops have come along way in welding and painting, so hopefully it will work out and you can get a nice rental to check out as well.

True, I hadn't thought about the RENTAL

andres3 · October 2016

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:
The kind of waste disposal truck that hit us:

Picture of Elio:

That is why I won't be buying one!
Well if I were buying a vehicle simply on the off chance that a large truck was going to slam into me I would get this.

I didn't see any seat belts in that tank. That's a ticket-able offense in CA.

Better would be a rear-facing cannon that would blow up an oncoming vehicle prior to that vehicle rear-ending you. Now that would be an active safety system worth paying for!

andres3 · October 2016

stever said:
A reporter is working on a story about online driver's ed classes. If you've taken one of these online classes -- or if you considered it and decided not to take it -- then please shoot a message to PR@edmunds.com by no later than Thursday, November 3, 2016.

Does an online traffic school course count that is approved by the courts to keep the insurance company from gouging you? I'm pretty good at completing those in about 2 hours time, far superior to wasting a Saturday in a live in-person classroom.

stever · October 2016

My guess is that it does count.

fintail · October 2016

Online driver's ed, I hope not for new drivers. That might explain some of the idiocy on the roads in my area (my theory is that licenses are for sale).

oldfarmer50 · November 2016

fintail said:
Online driver's ed, I hope not for new drivers. That might explain some of the idiocy on the roads in my area (my theory is that licenses are for sale).

That explains a lot of what I see on the roads. They can't remember the difference between what they learned from on line driver's Ed and from playing Grand Theft Auto.

jmonroe · November 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:
Online driver's ed, I hope not for new drivers. That might explain some of the idiocy on the roads in my area (my theory is that licenses are for sale).
That explains a lot of what I see on the roads. They can't remember the difference between what they learned from on line driver's Ed and from playing Grand Theft Auto.

I agree and when I lived in SC a local said it best.

One day a fellow employee who lived all his life in the SC area where we worked asked me, after I had been there for about 6 months, how I liked it "down here". I said, "I don't have a problem, nice weather, flat roads, reasonable housing prices, etc. but man you guys down here sure do have a lot of handicap parking spaces". He smiled and said, "Oh, we count mental down here. Haven't you noticed how a lot of people drive around here".

That said it better than any other way I have heard of when trying to explain people having BAD driving habits.

jmonroe

js06gv · November 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:
Online driver's ed, I hope not for new drivers. That might explain some of the idiocy on the roads in my area (my theory is that licenses are for sale).
That explains a lot of what I see on the roads. They can't remember the difference between what they learned from on line driver's Ed and from playing Grand Theft Auto.

The driver's ed course for when my daughter was learning to drive back in 2013 was online vs. classroom. It is marketed as "parent taught" and only part of it is online. The other half is actual driving that we had to log. I completed the entire class with her together, not only because we were supposed to, but also because I wanted to since I was the person responsible for her eventually getting out on the roads. That said, I'm sure a lot of folks might take shortcuts with this which is unfortunate.

As a parent, at first I often worried if I prepared her enough for the real world of driving (did we do enough practice on the highway, will she know how to panic stop when necessary, etc) but it's been nearly 3 years now and other than one parking lot scrape early on she's done very well and is now making a commute home from college about once every 6 weeks (500+ miles round trip). I'm proud of her.

roadburner · November 2016

I sent my son to the Two Day Teen School at the BMW Performance Center in SC as well as the Street Survival course when it was held in Louisville. No accidents(aside from backing into a friends car in an unlit driveway) and no tickets. Now 21 and attending college in SC.

stever · November 2016

You guys feel free to reach out to that PR email. Maybe the kids would like to get their names in the paper.

houdini1 · November 2016

roadburner said:
I sent my son to the Two Day Teen School at the BMW Performance Center in SC as well as the Street Survival course when it was held in Louisville. No accidents(aside from backing into a friends car in an unlit driveway) and no tickets. Now 21 and attending college in SC.

Both of my sons grew up to be pretty good drivers and they were easy to teach and caught on fast. I credit that to the fact that they were driving golf carts at a very young age. Good way to learn the basics.

oldfarmer50 · November 2016

'

js06gv said:

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:
Online driver's ed, I hope not for new drivers. That might explain some of the idiocy on the roads in my area (my theory is that licenses are for sale).
That explains a lot of what I see on the roads. They can't remember the difference between what they learned from on line driver's Ed and from playing Grand Theft Auto.
The driver's ed course for when my daughter was learning to drive back in 2013 was online vs. classroom. It is marketed as "parent taught" and only part of it is online. The other half is actual driving that we had to log. I completed the entire class with her together, not only because we were supposed to, but also because I wanted to since I was the person responsible for her eventually getting out on the roads. That said, I'm sure a lot of folks might take shortcuts with this which is unfortunate.

As a parent, at first I often worried if I prepared her enough for the real world of driving (did we do enough practice on the highway, will she know how to panic stop when necessary, etc) but it's been nearly 3 years now and other than one parking lot scrape early on she's done very well and is now making a commute home from college about once every 6 weeks (500+ miles round trip). I'm proud of her.

I taught both my nephew and niece and enjoyed doing it for both but I particularlly liked teaching my niece. Boys tend to be overconfident and sometimes need to be reigned in whereas girls need their confidence boosted. (Yeah, yeah, I know that's sexist, so sue me) I enjoyed watching my niece gain confidence and skill. She was a natural and a much better technical driver than her brother. So much so that when she passed her road test I loaned her my Corvette to impress her boyfriend. She was that good.

Unfortunately, technical skill isn't enough. She's had two accidents vs zero for my nephew. Skill is no substitute for experience and judgement.

driver100 · November 2016

stever said:
A reporter is working on a story about online driver's ed classes. If you've taken one of these online classes -- or if you considered it and decided not to take it -- then please shoot a message to PR@edmunds.com by no later than Thursday, November 3, 2016.

Does it count if you learned to drive on Youtube?

driver100 · November 2016

Made it to Tampa. Rented a car from the airport and drove it about 40 miles to our home. Turned it in about a mile away....cost $65, less than a shuttle bus.

Took a new Sonata. Had just an old flat key, haven't seen one of those in a long time. Have to put the key in the door, turn it, open the door, press a button to open other doors, or another button to open the trunk.

Sonata seems solid, pretty good handling, strong little engine, finished nicely though inexpensively inside. One big fault I found were roof is very low, window sills are high - hard to pay tolls, seats are low, hard to see out over the hood, especially for my wife is 5'4.

The Fusion, Malibu and the Passat are all pretty similar, each has it's strong point and weak point. I found it a lot more enjoyable riding in the Passat, high seating, large windows, nice interior, steering and handling is better...main weakness, less power. A lot more fun as it is a standard...feels like a sports car.

oldfarmer50 · November 2016

driver100 said:
Made it to Tampa. Rented a car from the airport and drove it about 40 miles to our home. Turned it in about a mile away....cost $65, less than a shuttle bus.

Took a new Sonata. Had just an old flat key, haven't seen one of those in a long time. Have to put the key in the door, turn it, open the door, press a button to open other doors, or another button to open the trunk.

Sonata seems solid, pretty good handling, strong little engine, finished nicely though inexpensively inside. One big fault I found were roof is very low, window sills are high - hard to pay tolls, seats are low, hard to see out over the hood, especially for my wife is 5'4.

The Fusion, Malibu and the Passat are all pretty similar, each has it's strong point and weak point. I found it a lot more enjoyable riding in the Passat, high seating, large windows, nice interior, steering and handling is better...main weakness, less power. A lot more fun as it is a standard...feels like a sports car.

Funny that you mention a standard shift is a desirable thing reminds me of a failed car buying experience I had with a guy from work. You remember I posted about a faux Rouch Mustang he was looking at. He decided against buying it because a former car dealer told him that standard shift made cars unsaleable. He was worried that down the road he'd have a hard time selling it.

I told him to buy what he liked and worry about resale later.

Sometimes it's tough to spend other people's money.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2016

It's only unsaleable to people who want an automatic. It's very saleable to those looking for a stickshift.

How hard is this for dealers? I guess they're thinking that fewer "hits" means fewer sales but that's simply not true. It's what you do when that "hit" comes into the showroom that makes a sale.

fintail · November 2016

Dealers can just advertise it as "rare" and jack up the price, right?

Personally, I have no desire for a manual, too much traffic and hills here. Don't even really care for it on a motorcycle (where I find it easier), not to mention a 3000 lb assemblage of metal and plastic.

For online driving, I've read that some racing simulators can actually hone skills in some way. Probably not so much for slower suburban-city driving where idiocy usually comes and shines.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2016

Dealers can do whatever they want. Buyers set the price of cars, not dealers. If it's too high, they'll be buying it a birthday cake.

driver100 · November 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:
Made it to Tampa. Rented a car from the airport and drove it about 40 miles to our home. Turned it in about a mile away....cost $65, less than a shuttle bus.

Took a new Sonata. Had just an old flat key, haven't seen one of those in a long time. Have to put the key in the door, turn it, open the door, press a button to open other doors, or another button to open the trunk.

Sonata seems solid, pretty good handling, strong little engine, finished nicely though inexpensively inside. One big fault I found were roof is very low, window sills are high - hard to pay tolls, seats are low, hard to see out over the hood, especially for my wife is 5'4.

The Fusion, Malibu and the Passat are all pretty similar, each has it's strong point and weak point. I found it a lot more enjoyable riding in the Passat, high seating, large windows, nice interior, steering and handling is better...main weakness, less power. A lot more fun as it is a standard...feels like a sports car.
Funny that you mention a standard shift is a desirable thing reminds me of a failed car buying experience I had with a guy from work. You remember I posted about a faux Rouch Mustang he was looking at. He decided against buying it because a former car dealer told him that standard shift made cars unsaleable. He was worried that down the road he'd have a hard time selling it.

I told him to buy what he liked and worry about resale later.

Sometimes it's tough to spend other people's money.

I don't think I would like standard full time......but, Florida is like a getaway so it is nice to have a bit of fun while driving too. The Passat is made to be driven with a manual transmission. The little engine has a nice hum to it and VWs have their faults, but they can really make driving fun.

The VW is 4 years old this month and has 5400 miles on it........perfect car for someone, but I don't really want to sell it...too much fun!.

snakeweasel · November 2016

Went to get my license renewed today. Illinois has changed their licenses and now does a fraud check when they issue licenses. However the fraud check takes a little time so I walked out with my old license with a hole punched in it and a paper image of my new license that is now my temporary license until the new license comes in the mail in around 15 days. Another change is now if you're a vet you can get "Veteran" on your license which I did.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2016

Dealers can do whatever they want. Buyers set the price of cars, not dealers. If it's too high, they'll be buying it a birthday cake.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2016

Oh yeah, I want to get the veteran tag on mine, too. It comes in handy. I'm also getting a motorcycle license again. Take the test tomorrow!

snakeweasel · November 2016

Well after falling behind 3 games to one the Cubs just won game 6 forcing a winner take all game 7.

Go Cubbies.

28firefighter · November 2016

Go Tribe! Wife and her family are all from Cleveland. My BIL is a wealth of baseball knowledge and said that the Indians' best shot was winning games 1, 4 and 7 and stealing another one in there somewhere. So far, he has been spot on...

stickguy · November 2016

yeah, this just has the Cubs all set up for another epic, painful ending.

Michaell · November 2016

I hope not! Been rooting for the Cubbies all along this postseason. Would like to see them break the curse.

oldfarmer50 · November 2016

Ha ha I knew putting down standard shift with this crew was like throwing raw meat to the lions.

5400 miles? Now you have my interest.

jmonroe · November 2016

snakeweasel said:
Went to get my license renewed today. Illinois has changed their licenses and now does a fraud check when they issue licenses. However the fraud check takes a little time so I walked out with my old license with a hole punched in it and a paper image of my new license that is now my temporary license until the new license comes in the mail in around 15 days. Another change is now if you're a vet you can get "Veteran" on your license which I did.

I got my new license in July and PA now puts Veteran on new licenses but Lowes and Home Depot don't accept that as proof of being a veteran to get a 10% discount on purchases because you don't have to prove it to the state. All you have to do is say you are a veteran attesting under penalty of law that you are. That has no teeth so why do it? They can get at least some proof by asking for your DD 214 but they don't.

There must be some benefit of getting Veteran stamped on your drivers license but I don't know what it is.

jmonroe

jmonroe · November 2016

Michaell said:
I hope not! Been rooting for the Cubbies all along this postseason. Would like to see them break the curse.

I'm not rooting for either one but to insure a Cubs win they ought to dig up that old goat, give it a ticket, and get it into the ballpark in Cleveland or should I say Believeland.

jmonroe

fintail · November 2016

This Cubs thing was actually predicted almost 30 years ago. In the version of 2015 initially shown in BTTF2. the Cubbies win it all (against Miami):

I see it predicts something else, too.

Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy