Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe · January 2017

dino001 said:
They most likely use just one bureau, they might actually say which one if you dig into the website. My BoA says it's TransUnion, Amex says it's Experian - if yours are same, then this would easily explain the differences. The score is updated once a month. The differences may come from slight variations between the reports (if different bureau is used), or even time of the month when the "snapshot" of your credit situation is taken. There can also be an actual differences between the algorithms, though if it states "FICO", it should be the same, as that is Fair Isaac Company, a specific algorithm. But who knows, perhaps they update them periodically and Amex or BoA may be using programs purchased at different times and not necessarily updated.

After we came home from dinner last night I went on line to set up my Bank of America account. Mrs. j is sitting in the lounge chair in the office watching TV and is anxiously waiting to see if I can get this done so we would know the score after we financed the Genny. I got it figured out but I did not see the FICO box to click on to get my score. Finally, after much clicking I saw that I had to specifically ask them to set me up for that. You shoulda told me that. It would have saved me some time and I wouldn't have looked like a dope.

Anyway I got it. My score is 839 out of 850. I tell Mrs. j and she asked, "who's score is that"? I said, "since they only asked for one SS number when I was setting up the account and I used mine, that score has to be mine".

Then a conversation ensued, it's always something with her:

Mrs. j: 839 out of 850 isn't too bad but mine is 7 points higher.

Just a little refresher here. I told the story about her score being 884 when we bought the Genny in June of 2015 and my score was about 7 points lower than hers according to the F&I dept when we were signing the papers. OK, I continue.

Me: Technically, it won't be 7 points higher. It will be less because the high end is 850 not 900.

Mrs. j: OK MR. Technical what would it be?

Me: I'd have to do a highly technical calculation to get that number.

Mrs. j: I'm waiting.

I do the calc and say.

Me: How many decimal spots do you want this number to be in.

Mrs. j: I'm still waiting.

Me: OK, 6.6111 and on and on and on.

Mrs. j: Like I said, 7. You have to round that up.

Me: Not when you want to be technical about this.

Mrs. j: Do I have to get out of this chair? :@

BTW, something very interesting happened when my account info popped up. Even though I did not ask for it and I only put in my Visa card number when setting up my online account, because I have a Mastercard with Bank of America (I only use that card as a backup), a line appears below my Visa account for my Mastercard number. I got more than I asked for.

Just for the fun of it, I think I'll check my score every month or so now to see if it changes.

Again, thanks for the info about getting the score on line from Bank of America at no charge.

jmonroe

dino001 · January 2017

jmonroe said:
After we came home from dinner last night I went on line to set up my Bank of America account. Mrs. j is sitting in the lounge chair in the office watching TV and is anxiously waiting to see if I can get this done so we would know the score after we financed the Genny. I got it figured out but I did not see the FICO box to click on to get my score. Finally, after much clicking I saw that I had to specifically ask them to set me up for that. You shoulda told me that. It would have saved me some time and I wouldn't have looked like a dope.
jmonroe

I didn't have to, it just showed up on my website one day several months ago. I think. Or perhaps there was a link with a request, I don't remember.

I know it popped up in my Amex on-line dashboard.

BTW, it's normal for all banks - usually all accounts with that bank should show up under a single login. And not just CC, checking accounts, or installment loans would show up, too. Welcome in the cyberworld, Mr. Monroe

. There may be exceptions, like store-branded credit cards have often separate logins from their main accounts, even if run by same bank (that's the case for Citi and Sears). I think the reason is those websites are also used for targeted marketing for those stores.

Perhaps you should do the same for all other banks you're dealing with. Then some websites allow you even connect multiple institutions see all your accounts in a single view. It can track you net worth, total debt, assets, etc I have that with Fidelity).

qbrozen · January 2017

jmonroe said:

dino001 said:
They most likely use just one bureau, they might actually say which one if you dig into the website. My BoA says it's TransUnion, Amex says it's Experian - if yours are same, then this would easily explain the differences. The score is updated once a month. The differences may come from slight variations between the reports (if different bureau is used), or even time of the month when the "snapshot" of your credit situation is taken. There can also be an actual differences between the algorithms, though if it states "FICO", it should be the same, as that is Fair Isaac Company, a specific algorithm. But who knows, perhaps they update them periodically and Amex or BoA may be using programs purchased at different times and not necessarily updated.
After we came home from dinner last night I went on line to set up my Bank of America account. Mrs. j is sitting in the lounge chair in the office watching TV and is anxiously waiting to see if I can get this done so we would know the score after we financed the Genny. I got it figured out but I did not see the FICO box to click on to get my score. Finally, after much clicking I saw that I had to specifically ask them to set me up for that. You shoulda told me that. It would have saved me some time and I wouldn't have looked like a dope.

Anyway I got it. My score is 839 out of 850. I tell Mrs. j and she asked, "who's score is that"? I said, "since they only asked for one SS number when I was setting up the account and I used mine, that score has to be mine".

Then a conversation ensued, it's always something with her:

Mrs. j: 839 out of 850 isn't too bad but mine is 7 points higher.

Just a little refresher here. I told the story about her score being 884 when we bought the Genny in June of 2015 and my score was about 7 points lower than hers according to the F&I dept when we were signing the papers. OK, I continue.

Me: Technically, it won't be 7 points higher. It will be less because the high end is 850 not 900.

Mrs. j: OK MR. Technical what would it be?

Me: I'd have to do a highly technical calculation to get that number.

Mrs. j: I'm waiting.

I do the calc and say.

Me: How many decimal spots do you want this number to be in.

Mrs. j: I'm still waiting.

Me: OK, 6.6111 and on and on and on.

Mrs. j: Like I said, 7. You have to round that up.

Me: Not when you want to be technical about this.

Mrs. j: Do I have to get out of this chair? :@

BTW, something very interesting happened when my account info popped up. Even though I did not ask for it and I only put in my Visa card number when setting up my online account, because I have a Mastercard with Bank of America (I only use that card as a backup), a line appears below my Visa account for my Mastercard number. I got more than I asked for.

Just for the fun of it, I think I'll check my score every month or so now to see if it changes.

Again, thanks for the info about getting the score on line from Bank of America at no charge.

jmonroe

haha. I've had somewhat similar convos with the wife. Yeah, well, mine is lower because most things are in my name! Since then, I've made sure to distribute the debt more. Her cars are now in her name, and we share the credit cards as evenly as we can.

qbrozen · January 2017

Random question: anybody have any experience with getting their home reassessed for tax purposes? I replied to a mailer from a firm who would do it for me and take half the reduced tax amount the first year. I figured that's fair enough for me, so I let them do it.

Thing is, I don't get a great feeling at the lack of communication from them. I did get a letter from the town telling me they received the appeal and scheduled a hearing. The firm did not even tell me this. I have also communicated to the firm a few times that my square footage in the assessment is way over what it is in reality. No reply or request to come measure it. hmmm...

fintail · January 2017

Making money is a problem for a lot of young people, unless they are in specific fields, or have parental assistance.

In my area, a decently located relatively modest home (detached) within reasonable commuting distance (don't want to wear out that durable car too fast, and take it easy if a VAG product!

) from major employers might be 400-500K. Put 20% down as a person should, you're looking at 80-100K. Or even half that, 40-50K. That's a lot of phones and cups of coffee, not to mention where the market might be when you finally have the money saved, and the income you'll want to support a 300-400K mortgage. Cut out the frivolities, save a few hundred a month, hope for a stable job and no medical issues, and good luck.

Or maybe buy distantly located, have no time to watch TV or go out because you're always driving, and save money that way. But then you lose out on most of the appreciation, too. My mom lives under 3 hours from Seattle, and house prices aren't much more than they were 20 years ago.

andres3 said:

Saving money seems to be a problem for young people.

Cell phones are extremely expensive, but they act like they can't live without one. Most of mankind lived without them even through my early years.

Cable TV is expensive, and more and more are dropping that.

Starbucks is expensive.

Eating out is expensive.

Take out those things and buy reliable durable cars and I think a lot of people could save in just a few years for a down payment.

fintail · January 2017

I see that a lot here. 60K car sits outside so $200 worth of yard sale rejects can occupy a garage.

roadburner said:

When I traded house with my mom back in 1992 she had filled all four garage spaces with cr*p. Four 20 yard dumpsters later my cars were under roof.

isellhondas · January 2017

jmonroe said:
Now I'm confused.

This link http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/10/westlake_man_has_one_of_the_hi.html says the highest possible credit score is 850 but when we bought the '15 Genny, Mrs. j had a score of 884, we even have a print out from the dealer showing this. I did not get a print out of my score because I forgot to get it before we left. However, when we were signing the paperwork I asked what mine was and was told it was about 7 points lower than Mrs. j's. I think this is because I have a Home Depot card that is only in my name. I haven't used this card for at least 12 years.

To add even more confusion I was told that the highest credit score is 900.

So, what is going on here?

jmonroe

I believe the highest credit score is 840.

thebean · January 2017

jmonroe said:

They most likely use just one bureau, they might actually say which one if you dig into the website. My BoA says it's TransUnion, Amex says it's Experian - if yours are same, then this would easily explain the differences. The score is updated once a month. The differences may come from slight variations between the reports (if different bureau is used), or even time of the month when the "snapshot" of your credit situation is taken. There can also be an actual differences between the algorithms, though if it states "FICO", it should be the same, as that is Fair Isaac Company, a specific algorithm. But who knows, perhaps they update them periodically and Amex or BoA may be using programs purchased at different times and not necessarily updated.
After we came home from dinner last night I went on line to set up my Bank of America account. Mrs. j is sitting in the lounge chair in the office watching TV and is anxiously waiting to see if I can get this done so we would know the score after we financed the Genny. I got it figured out but I did not see the FICO box to click on to get my score. Finally, after much clicking I saw that I had to specifically ask them to set me up for that. You shoulda told me that. It would have saved me some time and I wouldn't have looked like a dope. Anyway I got it. My score is 839 out of 850. I tell Mrs. j and she asked, "who's score is that"? I said, "since they only asked for one SS number when I was setting up the account and I used mine, that score has to be mine". Then a conversation ensued, it's always something with her: Mrs. j: 839 out of 850 isn't too bad but mine is 7 points higher. Just a little refresher here. I told the story about her score being 884 when we bought the Genny in June of 2015 and my score was about 7 points lower than hers according to the F&I dept when we were signing the papers. OK, I continue. Me: Technically, it won't be 7 points higher. It will be less because the high end is 850 not 900. Mrs. j: OK MR. Technical what would it be? Me: I'd have to do a highly technical calculation to get that number. Mrs. j: I'm waiting. I do the calc and say. Me: How many decimal spots do you want this number to be in. Mrs. j: I'm still waiting. Me: OK, 6.6111 and on and on and on. Mrs. j: Like I said, 7. You have to round that up. Me: Not when you want to be technical about this. Mrs. j: Do I have to get out of this chair? :@ BTW, something very interesting happened when my account info popped up. Even though I did not ask for it and I only put in my Visa card number when setting up my online account, because I have a Mastercard with Bank of America (I only use that card as a backup), a line appears below my Visa account for my Mastercard number. I got more than I asked for. Just for the fun of it, I think I'll check my score every month or so now to see if it changes. Again, thanks for the info about getting the score on line from Bank of America at no charge. jmonroe

Man, Mrs J is just mean. I think I'm going to go hug my wife now.

thebean · January 2017

qbrozen said:

Random question: anybody have any experience with getting their home reassessed for tax purposes? I replied to a mailer from a firm who would do it for me and take half the reduced tax amount the first year. I figured that's fair enough for me, so I let them do it. Thing is, I don't get a great feeling at the lack of communication from them. I did get a letter from the town telling me they received the appeal and scheduled a hearing. The firm did not even tell me this. I have also communicated to the firm a few times that my square footage in the assessment is way over what it is in reality. No reply or request to come measure it. hmmm...

I have appealed my property taxes myself and it was not difficult. In my county in Texas, appraised values and square footage are online. I know what houses in my neighborhood have had big improvements done, so it wasn't hard to do the math and see if I was being overappraised. A visit to the tax office and an informed discussion with my appraiser and I got mine reduced. I also took pictures of my crappy roof and a bit of crumbling brick. Saved around $400/yr.

iluvmysephia1 · January 2017

fintail - there has to be a whole lotta very rich real estate salespeople and title companies and appraisers and the like around Seattle, eh? I mean, prices are skyrocketing for housing at the same time 200-odd people move in to King County every day.

Check me on that last stat, OK? Might be true, I read it on an internet chat forum!

ab348 · January 2017

murphydog said:
Here is a sample clip from my Outdoor Nest camera. Couple of points

Recorded at 720, not 1080, so subject blurs a bit
The package thieves hit my neighbors house so limit of camera range
Clip is a little long as I wanted to show the time from when they first cruised by till they came creeping back to steal....a pair of women's snow boots...
https://video.nest.com/clip/179cbdfa0a8940038199b6bdc6bfcc67.mp4

Used to be that a package sent by UPS or other non-postal delivery would be returned to the depot if nobody was home and you would get a call card to go and pick it up. Now most of them just leave it on the stoop. Bad.

One question: all the cars parked on the street are facing the same direction on both side, which should indicate it is one-way. But the baddies traveled in both directions. Were they also breaking traffic laws in addition to committing theft?

jmonroe · January 2017

thebean said:

jmonroe said:

dino001 said:
They most likely use just one bureau, they might actually say which one if you dig into the website. My BoA says it's TransUnion, Amex says it's Experian - if yours are same, then this would easily explain the differences. The score is updated once a month. The differences may come from slight variations between the reports (if different bureau is used), or even time of the month when the "snapshot" of your credit situation is taken. There can also be an actual differences between the algorithms, though if it states "FICO", it should be the same, as that is Fair Isaac Company, a specific algorithm. But who knows, perhaps they update them periodically and Amex or BoA may be using programs purchased at different times and not necessarily updated.
After we came home from dinner last night I went on line to set up my Bank of America account. Mrs. j is sitting in the lounge chair in the office watching TV and is anxiously waiting to see if I can get this done so we would know the score after we financed the Genny. I got it figured out but I did not see the FICO box to click on to get my score. Finally, after much clicking I saw that I had to specifically ask them to set me up for that. You shoulda told me that. It would have saved me some time and I wouldn't have looked like a dope.

Anyway I got it. My score is 839 out of 850. I tell Mrs. j and she asked, "who's score is that"? I said, "since they only asked for one SS number when I was setting up the account and I used mine, that score has to be mine".

Then a conversation ensued, it's always something with her:

Mrs. j: 839 out of 850 isn't too bad but mine is 7 points higher.

Just a little refresher here. I told the story about her score being 884 when we bought the Genny in June of 2015 and my score was about 7 points lower than hers according to the F&I dept when we were signing the papers. OK, I continue.

Me: Technically, it won't be 7 points higher. It will be less because the high end is 850 not 900.

Mrs. j: OK MR. Technical what would it be?

Me: I'd have to do a highly technical calculation to get that number.

Mrs. j: I'm waiting.

I do the calc and say.

Me: How many decimal spots do you want this number to be in.

Mrs. j: I'm still waiting.

Me: OK, 6.6111 and on and on and on.

Mrs. j: Like I said, 7. You have to round that up.

Me: Not when you want to be technical about this.

Mrs. j: Do I have to get out of this chair? :@

BTW, something very interesting happened when my account info popped up. Even though I did not ask for it and I only put in my Visa card number when setting up my online account, because I have a Mastercard with Bank of America (I only use that card as a backup), a line appears below my Visa account for my Mastercard number. I got more than I asked for.

Just for the fun of it, I think I'll check my score every month or so now to see if it changes.

Again, thanks for the info about getting the score on line from Bank of America at no charge.

jmonroe

Man, Mrs J is just mean. I think I'm going to go hug my wife now.

You are right about her being on the mean side but I'm immuned to it by now.

As for the hugging thingy, I've done that over the years only to hear, "OK, what have you done now"?

Maybe I should do it more often just to throw her off of her game.

jmonroe

fintail · January 2017

And 50 of those people are probably here just to put money in real estate.

That number seems high, But maybe not too high as that number would be roughly 73K/year, and population grew by 63K in 2015. If 10K moved, there we go.

The RE industry here is very lucky and coddled.

iluvmysephia1 said:
fintail - there has to be a whole lotta very rich real estate salespeople and title companies and appraisers and the like around Seattle, eh? I mean, prices are skyrocketing for housing at the same time 200-odd people move in to King County every day.

Check me on that last stat, OK? Might be true, I read it on an internet chat forum!

graphicguy · January 2017

So, just got a call from Cadillac Customer Service. They were supposed to call me back last week. But, I guess the reason they didn't want to contact me was there is no good news to share.

The wiring harness, the wiring and associated hardware to re-route the wiring is on back order until the end of February. They admitted that they weren't confident of that time frame, either. They said there's NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO! In brief, once again, they really don't care.

So, no ifs, ands or buts, that is unacceptable. I don't want to go through this, but will file Lemon Law as not only is my car undriveable, they have no idea when it will be fixed.

I do want my money back at this point. I just don't know if I have the wherewithal to ride the wave of frustration to get into a legal fight with them. But, let's give it a whirl.

carnaught · January 2017

Or, you could tell them to trade your CTS for the CT6 you've been using, in order to avoid lemon law litigation....even steven. If they were to do it, you promptly go to your (insert your choice here) dealer and trade it for another car.

jmonroe · January 2017

thebean said:

qbrozen said:

Random question: anybody have any experience with getting their home reassessed for tax purposes? I replied to a mailer from a firm who would do it for me and take half the reduced tax amount the first year. I figured that's fair enough for me, so I let them do it.

Thing is, I don't get a great feeling at the lack of communication from them. I did get a letter from the town telling me they received the appeal and scheduled a hearing. The firm did not even tell me this. I have also communicated to the firm a few times that my square footage in the assessment is way over what it is in reality. No reply or request to come measure it. hmmm...

I have appealed my property taxes myself and it was not difficult. In my county in Texas, appraised values and square footage are online. I know what houses in my neighborhood have had big improvements done, so it wasn't hard to do the math and see if I was being overappraised. A visit to the tax office and an informed discussion with my appraiser and I got mine reduced. I also took pictures of my crappy roof and a bit of crumbling brick. Saved around $400/yr.

About 10 years ago I appealed our assessment because they had our house appraised for more square footage than it has by about 400 sq. ft. I went to the city of Pittsburgh to do the appealing. I show the guy the photo of my house and one down the street, that from the outside, is the same as mine. He looks at what I show him and says, "oh, I can see why you are appealing and I can take care of this. Your assessment will be reduced for your correct square footage". I asked when they were coming out to do a measurement and was told they didn't have to do that because I had provided sufficient information. That was good because then they wouldn't have seen the large deck that I put on in 2001.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago and low and behold they still show my house at the same incorrect more square footage as it was when I thought I had them correct it. I schedule another assessment figuring it would be a slam dunk and go to the Burgh again. The woman listens to my facts and says, "I hear what you are saying and it makes sense but can you sell your house for how we have it assessed now even at the higher square footage"? Of course I said NO but I knew I could sell it for more than the higher square footage number because of the improvements that have been made.

About a month later I get a letter that denies my appeal and tells me how I can go about getting another appeal. I did some checking and I found out that they will come out to the house to do an outside measurement. Now they will see the deck which I was told they are paying close attention to because they are very popular and they will also see the updated landscaping. Although they cannot come inside to see any improvements they can look inside. That ain't good because then they will see an updated kitchen and the family room that now has a cathedral ceiling which is an even more desirable feature.

I knew in the end I would I would come out on the short end of the stick. So, I caved, didn't appeal again, and paid the higher assessment.

Sometimes, even when you are right you will lose.

jmonroe

driver100 · January 2017

graphicguy said:
So, just got a call from Cadillac Customer Service. They were supposed to call me back last week. But, I guess the reason they didn't want to contact me was there is no good news to share.

The wiring harness, the wiring and associated hardware to re-route the wiring is on back order until the end of February. They admitted that they weren't confident of that time frame, either. They said there's NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO! In brief, once again, they really don't care.

So, no ifs, ands or buts, that is unacceptable. I don't want to go through this, but will file Lemon Law as not only is my car undriveable, they have no idea when it will be fixed.

I do want my money back at this point. I just don't know if I have the wherewithal to ride the wave of frustration to get into a legal fight with them. But, let's give it a whirl.

Wouldn't try legal fight yet.
You have been through the Lemon Law process once, should be easier second time.
IMHO, I would start the process, tell the dealer you would consider a trade that is acceptable to you.
Might not want to tell them you are starting the process as they will yank your courtesy car.
You won last time, I think you have a more solid case this time.
Where is the zone supervisor lady?

driver100 · January 2017

Getting worried about Mike...he should have checked in by now.

jmonroe · January 2017

driver100 said:
Getting worried about Mike...he should have checked in by now.

Yes, me too.

jmonroe

andres3 · January 2017

qbrozen said:
Random question: anybody have any experience with getting their home reassessed for tax purposes? I replied to a mailer from a firm who would do it for me and take half the reduced tax amount the first year. I figured that's fair enough for me, so I let them do it.

Thing is, I don't get a great feeling at the lack of communication from them. I did get a letter from the town telling me they received the appeal and scheduled a hearing. The firm did not even tell me this. I have also communicated to the firm a few times that my square footage in the assessment is way over what it is in reality. No reply or request to come measure it. hmmm...

Yes as a matter of fact. In San Diego County I just filled out the application myself, and then promptly waited about 18 months for a refund of the extra high taxes I had to pay upfront.

andres3 · January 2017

fintail said:
Making money is a problem for a lot of young people, unless they are in specific fields, or have parental assistance.

In my area, a decently located relatively modest home (detached) within reasonable commuting distance (don't want to wear out that durable car too fast, and take it easy if a VAG product! ) from major employers might be 400-500K. Put 20% down as a person should, you're looking at 80-100K. Or even half that, 40-50K. That's a lot of phones and cups of coffee, not to mention where the market might be when you finally have the money saved, and the income you'll want to support a 300-400K mortgage. Cut out the frivolities, save a few hundred a month, hope for a stable job and no medical issues, and good luck.

Or maybe buy distantly located, have no time to watch TV or go out because you're always driving, and save money that way. But then you lose out on most of the appreciation, too. My mom lives under 3 hours from Seattle, and house prices aren't much more than they were 20 years ago.

andres3 said:

Saving money seems to be a problem for young people.

Cell phones are extremely expensive, but they act like they can't live without one. Most of mankind lived without them even through my early years.

Cable TV is expensive, and more and more are dropping that.

Starbucks is expensive.

Eating out is expensive.

Take out those things and buy reliable durable cars and I think a lot of people could save in just a few years for a down payment.

It ain't easy, that's for sure! The only reason I am fortunate to be "making it" is that my wife and I both have middle-class jobs. Two incomes makes things possible that would otherwise be impossible if I was single.

murphydog · January 2017

jmonroe said:

murphydog said:

Nice job.

I assume that is your handy work since I see some tools laying around or did you stage that to throw us off?

Enjoy.

jmonroe

Naw - I hired an old friend who is an excellent carpenter to do most of the work - I did install the penny round tile on the floor. Those are his tools.

murphydog · January 2017

ab348 said:

murphydog said:
Here is a sample clip from my Outdoor Nest camera. Couple of points

Recorded at 720, not 1080, so subject blurs a bit
The package thieves hit my neighbors house so limit of camera range
Clip is a little long as I wanted to show the time from when they first cruised by till they came creeping back to steal....a pair of women's snow boots...
https://video.nest.com/clip/179cbdfa0a8940038199b6bdc6bfcc67.mp4
Used to be that a package sent by UPS or other non-postal delivery would be returned to the depot if nobody was home and you would get a call card to go and pick it up. Now most of them just leave it on the stoop. Bad.

One question: all the cars parked on the street are facing the same direction on both side, which should indicate it is one-way. But the baddies traveled in both directions. Were they also breaking traffic laws in addition to committing theft?

Actually it is a 2-way residential street, we are all just too lazy to park properly.

suydam · January 2017

andres3 said:

fintail said:
Making money is a problem for a lot of young people, unless they are in specific fields, or have parental assistance.

In my area, a decently located relatively modest home (detached) within reasonable commuting distance (don't want to wear out that durable car too fast, and take it easy if a VAG product! ) from major employers might be 400-500K. Put 20% down as a person should, you're looking at 80-100K. Or even half that, 40-50K. That's a lot of phones and cups of coffee, not to mention where the market might be when you finally have the money saved, and the income you'll want to support a 300-400K mortgage. Cut out the frivolities, save a few hundred a month, hope for a stable job and no medical issues, and good luck.

Or maybe buy distantly located, have no time to watch TV or go out because you're always driving, and save money that way. But then you lose out on most of the appreciation, too. My mom lives under 3 hours from Seattle, and house prices aren't much more than they were 20 years ago.

andres3 said:

Saving money seems to be a problem for young people.

Cell phones are extremely expensive, but they act like they can't live without one. Most of mankind lived without them even through my early years.

Cable TV is expensive, and more and more are dropping that.

Starbucks is expensive.

Eating out is expensive.

Take out those things and buy reliable durable cars and I think a lot of people could save in just a few years for a down payment.

It ain't easy, that's for sure! The only reason I am fortunate to be "making it" is that my wife and I both have middle-class jobs. Two incomes makes things possible that would otherwise be impossible if I was single.

It really takes two incomes to make it these days. I know a lot of millennials and many of them are struggling. So many things they have to worry over that I never had a care about. Two months rent upfront is a hefty sum when it's $2k per month, not so big a deal when it was $200 or so.

andres3 · January 2017

graphicguy said:
So, just got a call from Cadillac Customer Service. They were supposed to call me back last week. But, I guess the reason they didn't want to contact me was there is no good news to share.

The wiring harness, the wiring and associated hardware to re-route the wiring is on back order until the end of February. They admitted that they weren't confident of that time frame, either. They said there's NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO! In brief, once again, they really don't care.

So, no ifs, ands or buts, that is unacceptable. I don't want to go through this, but will file Lemon Law as not only is my car undriveable, they have no idea when it will be fixed.

I do want my money back at this point. I just don't know if I have the wherewithal to ride the wave of frustration to get into a legal fight with them. But, let's give it a whirl.

End of February? That's insane!

Translations:

1) "There is nothing more they can do!" = We at GM/Cadillac do not want to waste a single cent on you as a customer, and you will wait until our bottom feeding low bidder makes more parts at the lowest possible cost to us."

2) Your car qualifies as a lemon through and through, ten times over. You far exceed not only the minimum lemon law standards, but the maximums as well.

All that being said, if they are giving you a loaner of equivalent quality what does it matter? Wasted Sirius months? Wasted insurance payments? Rental car is under their insurance so that evens out.

oldfarmer50 · January 2017

fintail said:
Making money is a problem for a lot of young people, unless they are in specific fields, or have parental assistance.

In my area, a decently located relatively modest home (detached) within reasonable commuting distance (don't want to wear out that durable car too fast, and take it easy if a VAG product! ) from major employers might be 400-500K. Put 20% down as a person should, you're looking at 80-100K. Or even half that, 40-50K. That's a lot of phones and cups of coffee, not to mention where the market might be when you finally have the money saved, and the income you'll want to support a 300-400K mortgage. Cut out the frivolities, save a few hundred a month, hope for a stable job and no medical issues, and good luck.

Or maybe buy distantly located, have no time to watch TV or go out because you're always driving, and save money that way. But then you lose out on most of the appreciation, too. My mom lives under 3 hours from Seattle, and house prices aren't much more than they were 20 years ago.

andres3 said:

Saving money seems to be a problem for young people.

Cell phones are extremely expensive, but they act like they can't live without one. Most of mankind lived without them even through my early years.

Cable TV is expensive, and more and more are dropping that.

Starbucks is expensive.

Eating out is expensive.

Take out those things and buy reliable durable cars and I think a lot of people could save in just a few years for a down payment.

My wife and I saved for years and managed to accrue $40k which was just about what a home cost in the late 70s. The problem was that inflation was 20% back then so every time we saved $1000 home prices would go up by $2000. We finally waited for the early 80s recession and bought land and building supplies cheap.

It wasn't easy saving but we banked one salary and lived on the other. I don't remember scrimping too much but back then we had no kids. Those things are expensive.

ab348 · January 2017

jmonroe said:

Fast forward to about 5 years ago and low and behold they still show my house at the same incorrect more square footage as it was when I thought I had them correct it. I schedule another assessment figuring it would be a slam dunk and go to the Burgh again. The woman listens to my facts and says, "I hear what you are saying and it makes sense but can you sell your house for how we have it assessed now even at the higher square footage"? Of course I said NO but I knew I could sell it for more than the higher square footage number because of the improvements that have been made.

About a month later I get a letter that denies my appeal and tells me how I can go about getting another appeal. I did some checking and I found out that they will come out to the house to do an outside measurement. Now they will see the deck which I was told they are paying close attention to because they are very popular and they will also see the updated landscaping. Although they cannot come inside to see any improvements they can look inside. That ain't good because then they will see an updated kitchen and the family room that now has a cathedral ceiling which is an even more desirable feature.

I knew in the end I would I would come out on the short end of the stick. So, I caved, didn't appeal again, and paid the higher assessment.

Sometimes, even when you are right you will lose.

About 25 years ago I got reassigned at my job to work with the provincial assessment group. It was the worst experience of my entire working career for the 4 years I was there. They were generally a miserable bunch. Self-important but largely incompetent. But they had an attitude like you often see in old-style bureaucratic organizations that they are not subject to question and if you do they will do everything in their power to try to crush you rather than examining their own data or people. They were adversarial on everything.

From an employment POV they were equally bad. The topper for me was when the day before the Christmas holidays were due to end one year. I got a call at home from one of my staff, which was a first in itself. As she talked I could tell she was in a bad state mentally related to job issues with them that had been building up for a while. When she said that she thought ending it all was an option that she was considering I was alarmed. I found it hard to believe her but you never know. I told her not to report to their offices the next day and instead to meet me somewhere else where I had access to HR counsellors.

Just before lunch I got a call from the head assessor chewing me out for telling her not to report to work. I told him what I could but he was having none of it. He had her in his gunsights and now I had moved the target. After some choice language from him I figured the gloves were off so I unloaded on him. I still cannot believe someone could have been so callous as this guy. That told me all I needed to know about what I was dealing with.

In the end things eventually worked out for her and I was able to escape their clutches after another year or so when some of their shenanigans began to come to light. I wonder if all assessors are like that.

andres3 · January 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:
Making money is a problem for a lot of young people, unless they are in specific fields, or have parental assistance.

In my area, a decently located relatively modest home (detached) within reasonable commuting distance (don't want to wear out that durable car too fast, and take it easy if a VAG product! ) from major employers might be 400-500K. Put 20% down as a person should, you're looking at 80-100K. Or even half that, 40-50K. That's a lot of phones and cups of coffee, not to mention where the market might be when you finally have the money saved, and the income you'll want to support a 300-400K mortgage. Cut out the frivolities, save a few hundred a month, hope for a stable job and no medical issues, and good luck.

Or maybe buy distantly located, have no time to watch TV or go out because you're always driving, and save money that way. But then you lose out on most of the appreciation, too. My mom lives under 3 hours from Seattle, and house prices aren't much more than they were 20 years ago.

andres3 said:

Saving money seems to be a problem for young people.

Cell phones are extremely expensive, but they act like they can't live without one. Most of mankind lived without them even through my early years.

Cable TV is expensive, and more and more are dropping that.

Starbucks is expensive.

Eating out is expensive.

Take out those things and buy reliable durable cars and I think a lot of people could save in just a few years for a down payment.

My wife and I saved for years and managed to accrue $40k which was just about what a home cost in the late 70s. The problem was that inflation was 20% back then so every time we saved $1000 home prices would go up by $2000. We finally waited for the early 80s recession and bought land and building supplies cheap.

It wasn't easy saving but we banked one salary and lived on the other. I don't remember scrimping too much but back then we had no kids. Those things are expensive.

Parental assistance got me into the real estate market in 2004.
I like to think without that help we might have been better off waiting for the recession in 2008 and buying around then at the bottom of the market. That condo was a boat anchor.

oldfarmer50 · January 2017

jmonroe said:

thebean said:

qbrozen said:

Random question: anybody have any experience with getting their home reassessed for tax purposes? I replied to a mailer from a firm who would do it for me and take half the reduced tax amount the first year. I figured that's fair enough for me, so I let them do it.

Thing is, I don't get a great feeling at the lack of communication from them. I did get a letter from the town telling me they received the appeal and scheduled a hearing. The firm did not even tell me this. I have also communicated to the firm a few times that my square footage in the assessment is way over what it is in reality. No reply or request to come measure it. hmmm...

I have appealed my property taxes myself and it was not difficult. In my county in Texas, appraised values and square footage are online. I know what houses in my neighborhood have had big improvements done, so it wasn't hard to do the math and see if I was being overappraised. A visit to the tax office and an informed discussion with my appraiser and I got mine reduced. I also took pictures of my crappy roof and a bit of crumbling brick. Saved around $400/yr.

About 10 years ago I appealed our assessment because they had our house appraised for more square footage than it has by about 400 sq. ft. I went to the city of Pittsburgh to do the appealing. I show the guy the photo of my house and one down the street, that from the outside, is the same as mine. He looks at what I show him and says, "oh, I can see why you are appealing and I can take care of this. Your assessment will be reduced for your correct square footage". I asked when they were coming out to do a measurement and was told they didn't have to do that because I had provided sufficient information. That was good because then they wouldn't have seen the large deck that I put on in 2001.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago and low and behold they still show my house at the same incorrect more square footage as it was when I thought I had them correct it. I schedule another assessment figuring it would be a slam dunk and go to the Burgh again. The woman listens to my facts and says, "I hear what you are saying and it makes sense but can you sell your house for how we have it assessed now even at the higher square footage"? Of course I said NO but I knew I could sell it for more than the higher square footage number because of the improvements that have been made.

About a month later I get a letter that denies my appeal and tells me how I can go about getting another appeal. I did some checking and I found out that they will come out to the house to do an outside measurement. Now they will see the deck which I was told they are paying close attention to because they are very popular and they will also see the updated landscaping. Although they cannot come inside to see any improvements they can look inside. That ain't good because then they will see an updated kitchen and the family room that now has a cathedral ceiling which is an even more desirable feature.

I knew in the end I would I would come out on the short end of the stick. So, I caved, didn't appeal again, and paid the higher assessment.

Sometimes, even when you are right you will lose.

jmonroe

Invest in some new drapes so they can't see inside. OR Maybe paste some scenes from 'Green Acres' or 'The Grapes of Wrath' on the inside of the glass so if they look they see hay bails and livestock.

iluvmysephia1 · January 2017

My first car - yes, a '65 Ford Mustang. Painted bright red. I had been rear-ended in 1982 in Everett, WA. I collected the insurance on the damage - IIRC it was $1,500. Moved in early 1983 to Forks, WA, the place that later would be a big deal because of the movie 'Twilight'.

Got the rear bumper straightened out, the piece between the taillights replaced, the lower rear valance replaced and the car painted red. It was faded metallic purple before. This car I had for about 5 years - a lot of maintenance and repair required. A bunch of it I learned ta do myself.

Wish I didn't trade it in, yep.

snakeweasel · January 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

Mitsubishi has been rumored to be leaving the US for 25 years. Maybe one day they'll do it. I don't see how they make money on the low volume they sell.

Maybe it's just that it's taking the 25 years to clear out their inventory.

snakeweasel · January 2017

ab348 said:
My now dearly departed little cat Coco had a bad habit of walking across the keyboard of my laptop. She had the magic touch when doing that, maybe because her paws were small and he could hit keys in a particularly effective way. Sometimes she changed the character set the thing used, sometimes put it into various different and befuddling display modes, once she made the touchpad stop working, and once made the entire display disappear. That is how I learned about Windows Restore in fact. It is amazing how many mostly undocumented things you can do with inadvertent keyboard combinations.

My dog jumped on my lap one day when I was on my lap top computer. He somehow hit the right combination of keys to turn the display image upside down. It took me some time to figure out how to undo that.

snakeweasel · January 2017

driver100 said:

berri said:
I think in general Canada protects its consumers from scams and rip-offs a lot better than the US.
Varies....depends. Our competition bureau is almost useless. I see where My Pillow paid large amounts for saying their Buy One Get One Free offer was for a limited time....when it never really ended. If a sale is always on it isn't a sale.

Well it is for a limited time. Once the sun explodes you won't be able to get the offer.

snakeweasel · January 2017

driver100 said:

Or even if you do move to the right because you can, the guy behind you in the left takes your place, and you are stuck in slow traffic in the right and you can't get back to the left because they have all moved up.....I hate when that happens! My new rule...if I am in the left, moving with the traffic, I keep my position in the left, no more mister nice guy!

Most states allow you to be in the left lane as long as you are doing at least the flow of traffic, some of these states do modify it to move to the right to yield right of way. The states that do have keep right except to pass (like my home state) only have that rule on high speed limited access highways.

snakeweasel · January 2017

dino001 said:
Interesting. I can't imagine my life without online access to all my accounts. Especially important when traveling overseas (every year for Xmas).

Then you must be a young whippersnapper as we old goats remember when there was no online to access any accounts.

suydam · January 2017

And Some of us old goats find the online systems welcome progress!

snakeweasel · January 2017

andres3 said:
Anyone a tax expert? Do I have to or can I factor in my mortgage and HOA fee costs in claiming losses? Could we be blamed for the extremely long pending sale? Most of the delay was due to the VA vetting our condo and HOA because they don't accept FHA vetting. So the buyer's subsidized financing caused the delay. The reason he didn't pay rent for all of the delays was that our HOA was blamed for some of the delay with the VA; of course, the documents they wanted and scrutinized were excessive (I was on the HOA board!).

As for the mortgage you can deduct the interest expense from your taxes against any rent income. You can also deduct property taxes and HOA fees as well as depreciate the property. You can also deduct any other costs associated with renting the property (property management fees, renter finder fees, cleaning the condo for renting, insurance, repairs and any mileage you drive for rental business). These all go against rental income that you received.

Who is to blame for the long pending sale is immaterial to the tax preparation.

snakeweasel · January 2017

News on the car front, just paid the last payment on the wifes Sonata now we are totally payment free.

On the flip side, I just dropped nearly a grand on the Sebring. Nothing bad just a whole lot of routine stuff being done at the same time, like a brake job front and back, new tires, oil change, belt change and a tranny service.

oldfarmer50 · January 2017

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Mitsubishi has been rumored to be leaving the US for 25 years. Maybe one day they'll do it. I don't see how they make money on the low volume they sell.
Maybe it's just that it's taking the 25 years to clear out their inventory.

LOL

snakeweasel · January 2017

Why I don't trust railroad crossings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAFW6V8dhg

ab348 · January 2017

graphicguy said:
So, just got a call from Cadillac Customer Service. They were supposed to call me back last week. But, I guess the reason they didn't want to contact me was there is no good news to share.

The wiring harness, the wiring and associated hardware to re-route the wiring is on back order until the end of February. They admitted that they weren't confident of that time frame, either. They said there's NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO! In brief, once again, they really don't care.

So, no ifs, ands or buts, that is unacceptable. I don't want to go through this, but will file Lemon Law as not only is my car undriveable, they have no idea when it will be fixed.

I do want my money back at this point. I just don't know if I have the wherewithal to ride the wave of frustration to get into a legal fight with them. But, let's give it a whirl.

Well, you're the resident expert - maybe the national expert - on that process.

From Caddy's POV - playing devil's advocate here - I can understand their position. They have to engineer and get produced a new wiring harness design because the one in your car was only used for a short (*pun alert*) time and only made it into a limited number of vehicles. They provide you with a new CT6, a more expensive and better equipped vehicle, to use while they do that. From their point of view it is a regrettable situation but they are doing what they consider reasonable things to mitigate it for you. A month or so more of driving the CT6 and all is well again. Then you can do a deal for something non-Cadillac that maybe will get you off the Lemon Law train.

ab348 · January 2017

driver100 said:
Getting worried about Mike...he should have checked in by now.

Last post I recall he was scheduled to visit the hospital the next morning for a CT scan. Maybe they found something and hospitalized him? In the past though he usually posted from his phone when he was hospitalized.

fintail · January 2017

My prior residence, a condo sold in 2006 when that market was peaking, is worth no more now than it was then, yet houses bought even at that peak can be worth a lot more now. That along with incessant fees, sometimes nosy HOAs, and the ever-present threat of an assessment has me holding off on a condo. Also, I think I'd want a 2 car garage now, and that's hard to get in a condo around here, even if tandem. I remember looking at some around 2006 that actually had two garage spots, and I could probably still afford them (as they haven't appreciated), but the commute is worse now and I just don't have the patience for a 20 mile commute that might pass 90 minutes many times per week.

You touch on something very important earlier, maybe even more important than parental assistance - dual incomes.

andres3 said:

Parental assistance got me into the real estate market in 2004.
I like to think without that help we might have been better off waiting for the recession in 2008 and buying around then at the bottom of the market. That condo was a boat anchor.

fintail · January 2017

My family moved into a newer house in 1980, which then cost about 65K - not a small sum, and I think my parents were going a bit over their means, as I was 3, my sister was 1, and my mom wasn't working. This wasn't in the city, so the money bought a lot of house, in a good neighborhood. It's worth about 400K now, I think (over 20 years since I've been near it). If my dad made 25K then, and a similar job might pay 80K today, that's a quite a difference.

Dual income, no kids, is the way to go. Kids or single income can be equally challenging if one wants to buy in a hot market. I have to wonder what would happen to the market if housing-related deductions were repealed. In this or any regime, not likely, as it subsidizes Wall St.

oldfarmer50 said:

My wife and I saved for years and managed to accrue $40k which was just about what a home cost in the late 70s. The problem was that inflation was 20% back then so every time we saved $1000 home prices would go up by $2000. We finally waited for the early 80s recession and bought land and building supplies cheap.

It wasn't easy saving but we banked one salary and lived on the other. I don't remember scrimping too much but back then we had no kids. Those things are expensive.

stickguy · January 2017

snakeweasel said:
News on the car front, just paid the last payment on the wifes Sonata now we are totally payment free.

On the flip side, I just dropped nearly a grand on the Sebring. Nothing bad just a whole lot of routine stuff being done at the same time, like a brake job front and back, new tires, oil change, belt change and a tranny service.

I really am looking forward to later this year when 2 payments (the big 2) are gone. Hopefully other than 1 new set of tires, the paid off Acura remains cheap to own.

June 2018, the 3rd car is done. And at the same time, the baby graduates and should be on her own dime finally!

driver100 · January 2017

RE GG's CTS
My E400 was supposed to come in late November or early December. Then my salesman said it had to be certified by the government-pollution etc. I didn't hear anything so I wrote, now they say late February.

I won't be picking the car up until we get home in April so it doesn't matter much. But, now I am thinking maybe they should exchange it for a 2018 model!

(I'll see if I can reach Mike)

nyccarguy · January 2017

We've got 2 incomes, 3 kids, a mortgage payment, & 1 car payment. It ain't easy.

tjc78 · January 2017

nyccarguy said:
We've got 2 incomes, 3 kids, a mortgage payment, & 1 car payment. It ain't easy.

I hear ya! Mostly in the same boat. My mom fully retires in 17 months and then she will take the kids full time. That's a nice $1200/month increase in cash flow.

Just got a huge hit at work. Our wonderful zero deductible, $10 copay, 100% coverage health plan just got nixed. New plan is not even close. I knew it was coming, but man it's going to hurt. The plan we had was just too good. So happy my cancer days, and two child births are out of the way!! Now to stay healthy!

graphicguy · January 2017

AB...we just view it differently. I feel like a pinata...smacked around by Cadillac....2+ mos being without my car because I don't matter enough for them to pull parts to fix the car I bought.

Probably going to have to start shopping quickly. I know as soon as I file Lemon Law, Cadillac won't reimburse the dealership for the loaner. So, will need something once they want their loaner back.

I don't even know what I want.

henryn · January 2017

@graphicguy, here’s the way I see it. Part of this I have said before, and part of it I haven’t.

I would be happy with having a loaner car that is nicer and or more expensive than the car I own. Putting miles on their car would not hurt my feelings at all. But … (you knew there was a “but”, right?)

The fix that has been described here in these forums would disturb me. Greatly. Pulling the entire drivetrain out of the car to replace a wiring harness, man, I don’t like the sound of that. To me, it would no longer be a new car. It would be, in my estimation, a “rebuilt car”, and should have a rebuilt title. And I would no longer want it. No way, no how.

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