Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348 · November 2017

Had an appointment at the tire shop yesterday to try the new wheels they ordered for me on the ATS to see if they would clear the front spindles. I show up at the designated time, am greeted by my guy who says they checked first thing in the morning with the courier company and that my wheels were on the truck, but not yet arrived. They call and call, no joy, so after 45 minutes or so I tell them to call me when they arrive but I was off to do other things. I never did hear from them yesterday.

Nothing this morning either so I call around lunchtime, they have them but my guy apologizes - it is a madhouse there. Everybody wants snow tires today. But he says bring it in, after what we put you through, you go to the front of the line. They pull it into a bay immediately and try one of the new wheels. It clears, but barely, maybe by 1/8" or 3/16". This is progress though. However the usual stick on balance weights are a no go there. They try different types of clip-on weights, finally find one that will work (it is on the inside of the rim so not a problem with looks). Michelin X-Ice 3s go on, I am out with less pain in the pocketbook than I imagined.

Driving home I was reminded again how great these X-Ice tires are. Much quieter than the OEM performance Bridgestones, better ride, perhaps they don't handle as well but who cares? I love them. Peace of mind now.

tjc78 · November 2017

@abacomike
I agree with leasing the S class... may as well have fixed depreciation.

What I don’t understand is why you went with such a large CCR. If you would have kept your 20k and used it to subsidize your payments you may have been better off. The MF wae so low that investing the 20k may have yielded you a modest return.

I’m always antsy about money down on a lease... I try to put nothing but first payment.

At any rate ... you are happy and that’s all that matters.

28firefighter · November 2017

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. We negotiated the sale of our current home to close on 11/17 but give us a 2 week rent back at no charge, so we have it until 12/1. On the purchase, the sellers agreed to an 11/17 close but needed a few extra days to be out, so we get possession on 11/21.

This gives us time to get settled in the new place and do a proper cleaning of the old house. I'm also springing to have the movers do all of our packing for us, to make my life easier. Also helpful is the fact that my family will be out here.

dino001 · November 2017

abacomike said:

"YOU" have to put yourself in my spot - you partially own (with an emphasis on "partially") a 2017 BMW 740i with 11,400 miles on it. You have a loan with a bank that has a payoff of $21,910 on the BMW. The dealership puts a cash value on the BMW of $56,000 less the payoff of $21,910 leaving you with $34,090 of equity in the car once the loan is paid off by the dealership. Remember, each and every month, your equity is decreasing due to depreciation by about $800.

If you put a down payment (Capitalized Cost Reduction) of $24,500 + $1100 in lease inceptions, you end up with a remaining equity balance of $8,490, which is paid to you by the dealership in the form of a refund check within 5 business days after receiving the title to the BMW from the bank. Thus, I drive a 2018 Mercedes Benz S450 for 3 years at about the same monthly payment I was making on a loan on a 2017 BMW 740i.

To each his/her own. I'd never put 20+ grand on a lease. That essentially defeats lease's biggest advantage, which is depreciation risk transfer. The worst case scenario is that you total your car shortly after you got it and through the depreciation fee magic, MB Financial will give you back disproportionately small amount of your 25+ grand back. You were worrying that you were slowly losing equity in your BMW. I'm not so sure it was exactly true - I'd argue, that 21 grand you still owed and were paying off would have come against the equity faster than the depreciation, so you were still building real net equity with your car. I don't think it would have been worth 25 grand at your loan maturity, unless your loan was a "real estate" type. With one signature, you just gifted that equity to MB Financial in one swoop and essentially guaranteed yourself that loss plus 600 bucks every month. Why wait and leak money slowly, if we can just give it all in one time. To be blunt, it was a financial disaster

Emotionally, you gave yourself an expensive early Christmas gift, which is nice and perhaps all that counts. You did it because you wanted it, Mike (not a wrong thing, if you can afford it), not because it was such a great financial move. None of a new car acquisition ever is, anyway. Enjoy the Benz, I'm sure it's wonderful.

cdnpinhead · November 2017

28firefighter said:
I'm also springing to have the movers do all of our packing for us, to make my life easier.

This is a very good thing.

When I was growing up, my family moved every 2-3 years, and we had to do the whole thing ourselves. The first 4000 lbs was paid for, and everything beyond that was on us. Well, we didn't have two cents to rub together, so lots of stuff got pitched -- "three moves is as good as a fire" was the phrase my mother used as she threw out most of my childhood, among other things.

That said, my college and post-college years were marked by self-moving (involving U-Haul equipment, friends and a strong back). I'm over it. The next move, assuming I live long enough to accomplish it, will be done by others. Lots of stuff to come down from a two-story house that we moved into in 1993. My wife is a packrat, so the jury is out.

suydam · November 2017

You got the beginning of your statement correct and the end of your statement correct, but somewhere in the middle, the concept got scrambled.

Math was never my strong suit.

abacomike · November 2017

My grandson was flown out to that Nebraska college on Monday and spent 3 days on campus. The college paid for his entire trip. He said he really like the guys on the baseball team and the coach took him under his wing. The coach and all his assistant coaches really were impressed with his pitching and hitting, as were the players on the team. They just built an indoor training facility which was paid for by an endowment.

They want him as a starting pitcher as a Freshman next year as well as play first base so he could hit. They will be sending him a scholarship offer tomorrow afternoon. My son is thinking it will be 85%-90%, which is a rarity - but they were totally impressed with him.

More info to follow!

dino001 · November 2017

dino001 said:

abacomike said:

"YOU" have to put yourself in my spot - you partially own (with an emphasis on "partially") a 2017 BMW 740i with 11,400 miles on it. You have a loan with a bank that has a payoff of $21,910 on the BMW. The dealership puts a cash value on the BMW of $56,000 less the payoff of $21,910 leaving you with $34,090 of equity in the car once the loan is paid off by the dealership. Remember, each and every month, your equity is decreasing due to depreciation by about $800.

If you put a down payment (Capitalized Cost Reduction) of $24,500 + $1100 in lease inceptions, you end up with a remaining equity balance of $8,490, which is paid to you by the dealership in the form of a refund check within 5 business days after receiving the title to the BMW from the bank. Thus, I drive a 2018 Mercedes Benz S450 for 3 years at about the same monthly payment I was making on a loan on a 2017 BMW 740i.
To each his/her own. I'd never put 20+ grand on a lease. That essentially defeats lease's biggest advantage, which is depreciation risk transfer. The worst case scenario is that you total your car shortly after you got it and through the depreciation fee magic, MB Financial will give you back disproportionately small amount of your 25+ grand back. You were worrying that you were slowly losing equity in your BMW. I'm not so sure it was exactly true - I'd argue, that 21 grand you still owed and were paying off would have come against the equity faster than the depreciation, so you were still building real net equity with your car. I don't think it would have been worth 25 grand at your loan maturity, unless your loan was a "real estate" type. With one signature, you just gifted that equity to MB Financial in one swoop and essentially guaranteed yourself that loss plus 600 bucks every month. Why wait and leak money slowly, if we can just give it all in one time. To be blunt, it was a financial disaster Emotionally, you gave yourself an expensive early Christmas gift, which is nice and perhaps all that counts. You did it because you wanted it, Mike (not a wrong thing, if you can afford it), not because it was such a great financial move. None of a new car acquisition ever is, anyway. Enjoy the Benz, I'm sure it's wonderful.

More numbers.

Your old BMW depreciation: $800/month now (as stated, not verified, but let's just assume it's correct), likely decelerating forward as time passes.
Your new MB actual depreciation, using the residual and adjusting initial value for discount, but not including any taxes or fees: (0.45*106,000-9755)/36 = $1054/month, with $24.5K realized at day zero and $370/month forward and it's locked in ("guaranteed"). I think your "annual rollup" strategy will finally end with this one. There won't be any $600/month "upgrade" next year, unless you go with something like Focus :laughing:

BTW, I was right not to believe you, was I?

stickguy · November 2017

Key point Dino you missed. He got the Benz he wanted. The rest is just numbers

dino001 · November 2017

stickguy said:
Key point Dino you missed. He got the Benz he wanted. The rest is just numbers

I didn't miss it at all. I said that much. I quote: "all that counts", "not wrong thing if you can afford it".

If finances were all that mattered we would all drove 3-year-old Corollas and those more affluent would all drive Lexus RX. We obviously don't, including yours truly. But we should not kid ourselves that what we do is financially best, when it's not - that's all I'm saying.

nyccarguy · November 2017

One of the reasons I LOVE Mike! There are some staggering numbers involved in your most recent acquisition: The S450's MSRP, the discount off MSRP, the trade in value of the 7er, the $24K down payment, & $8K check the dealer wrote to you! Way to go! You are paying for your $100K plus S-Class what I pay for my CPO Infinit. Congrats again @abacomike

abacomike · November 2017

nyccarguy said:

One of the reasons I LOVE Mike! There are some staggering numbers involved in your most recent acquisition: The S450's MSRP, the discount off MSRP, the trade in value of the 7er, the $24K down payment, & $8K check the dealer wrote to you! Way to go! You are paying for your $100K plus S-Class what I pay for my CPO Infinit. Congrats again @abacomike

Thanks Bradd.

abacomike · November 2017

dino001 said:

Key point Dino you missed. He got the Benz he wanted. The rest is just numbers
I didn't miss it at all. I said that much. I quote: "all that counts", "not wrong thing if you can afford it". If finances were all that mattered we would all drove 3-year-old Corollas and those more affluent would all drive Lexus RX. We obviously don't, including yours truly. But we should not kid ourselves that what we do is financially best, when it's not - that's all I'm saying.

Nothing I do regarding new cars are by any means wise financial decisions. These are emotional decisions. But the only way I could drive this new car was to use the equity in the BMW to bring the payments down to something I could afford. I could not afford to buy this car - I had to lease it,

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

abacomike - enjoy that car, man. You've certainly paid a lot for it. I am not one to put down a car lover for spending on a car. I understand the deal you made, and for you, it was a good deal. I sincerely hope that you enjoy that car to the full. And that all of the repairs were made to your satisfaction.

There's not much of an update on my '16 Scion iA purchase quest. Tomorrow is the day and I have not made an appointment for the dealer in Everett because it's 162 miles west of here. I have a salesman on my textlist and I'm on his.
When we meet is when we meet.

I had 4 teeth removed yesterday in order to get me ready for an upper denture reline. I was in considerable pain when I got in the car. The Mrs. was reading her library books waiting for me. This guy is a really good denture dentist, but extractions are invariably painful. I got Vicadin for pain and I was told that, if needing to drive, I could substitute regular ibuprofen. OK fine. I'm doing well now. My denture fits well.

Fast forward to today. Still enjoying the first of my last two days off until going back to work on Saturday night. I called up my older sister in Bothell to talk and see if she wants me to cruise over to the Seattle area and I could visit her and take her out for a burger. She's in a bad mood consistently because of being taken out of her condo in Edmonds and relocated to this long term care building the other two sisters "put her away in." Well, she likes to cook and her apartment doesn't have a stove. It does have a microwave, though. My older sister is disabled. Her husband has Alzheimer's. I would like to drive west over the snowy mountain pass in my Michelin X-ice xi3's and go see her. Then, go test driving a couple two- three Scion's. My mouth pain is pretty much gone.

I'm "good ta go" west over there. That is my plan. I will grab the car's title, my driver's license and insurance card (the latter two cards are always in my wallet, so that's easy) and head west after getting a good Thursday night's sleep.

My plan favors me as the buyer of the Scion. My purchase advantage is that each of the three Scion's is a stick shift tranny. Sticks are dumping out on American sales lots. My pitch is that "I can solve one of your problems for you." If unsuccessful I'll come back tomorrow night. Mrs. iluv should come along. If she does, two dogs must come along, too, as they can not get left in the rental lodge alone. The upstairs neighbors might get upset.

Does my story sound like a soap opera? I'll hold on to the Kia if things shake out that way. It's just that this is my chance to get a car I want for a good price, that only has 28,000 miles on it. It's selling for $13,334. brozen says offer $10,500-$11,000. I think that's a solid offer, too. The sticky widget will be on my trade-in. That's where we'll be thousands apart.

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Hey iluv, since you're getting down to the $5k range and one of your Scion choices is a rebadged Mazda 2, why not cut out the middle man and go private party? Is this near you?

https://kpr.craigslist.org/cto/d/mazda-2-low-miles-51000/6375009363.html

Salvage title with an automatic? Do you hate iluv? ;b
Oops, I missed that part but you get my point.

What point would that be.....read carefully?
Boy, is everyone stressing over turkey day? Such testiness. My point is that since he's considering a sub $5k car it might be better to skip the dealer.

Good point....we were just having our fun with you, the astute car hunter!

I recorded a Hot Bench and watched it today.
Young lady buys car privately for $2000 and had to do $1000 worth of repairs.
Guy that was selling says it was his mothers car and he was selling it for his mother. He says he sold the car "As Is". He thinks his mother only had the car for a few months.
She says car showed 118000 miles on it, but she got a Carfax that showed a few years ago the car had 240000 miles on it.
He says it doesn't matter, he knows nothing about the mileage being changed. He says he only sold this one car. He says he is a banker.
Lady shows he bought the car in 2012 and when he bought it the car had 240000 miles on it.
She had pictures of other cars he has advertised for sale....about 6 cars.
Judges say he could be charged with fraud.
They award her $2000 for the car and $1000 for the repairs.

Buyer beware!

Moral of the story, get the CarFax before you buy. Other than the mileage fraud was she complaining that a $2k car needed repairs?

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

dino001 said:

stickguy said:
Key point Dino you missed. He got the Benz he wanted. The rest is just numbers
I didn't miss it at all. I said that much. I quote: "all that counts", "not wrong thing if you can afford it".

If finances were all that mattered we would all drove 3-year-old Corollas and those more affluent would all drive Lexus RX. We obviously don't, including yours truly. But we should not kid ourselves that what we do is financially best, when it's not - that's all I'm saying.

Talking sound financial decisions will get you thrown out of here buddy. Buying ANY car is foolish from an investment standpoint.

Just think how much money we could save eating cat food instead of steak.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2017

iluvmysephia1 said:
Iluv, are you seriously thinking about spending more money to trade your soul for a 12 YO, 150K Scion? That costs more than they will give you for the trade? That really sounds like a strange plan!

stick - shifty probably knows where I'm coming from here - the little 2006 Scion xA is a ball ta drive. I loved my test drive but never followed up interest in it because of a certain 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS that took over my mind.

The reasoning here is ghastly savings and fun driving times. I know, money always has ta get involved. What will happen is they'll show me a new iA, new Corolla, new iM and the little iA I really want is going ta knock my socks off on Friday. Don't worry, stick. I'm like a kid in a candy store - but, this time I will not bow out and buy an automatic! The 2016 Scion iA can be worked on by any Toyota dealer but it's an authentic Scion product. It's a one-off! How cool is that?

The xA is a very nice, immensely practical metro-car. I wouldn't want to do too much high speed freeway in it though.

Too bad. I just sold my friend's 2006 Scion xA with only 69,000 on it. Had some clear coat damage, but ran great. We took $4500 for it.

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

iluvmysephia1 said:
abacomike - enjoy that car, man. You've certainly paid a lot for it. I am not one to put down a car lover for spending on a car. I understand the deal you made, and for you, it was a good deal. I sincerely hope that you enjoy that car to the full. And that all of the repairs were made to your satisfaction.

There's not much of an update on my '16 Scion iA purchase quest. Tomorrow is the day and I have not made an appointment for the dealer in Everett because it's 162 miles west of here. I have a salesman on my textlist and I'm on his.
When we meet is when we meet.

I had 4 teeth removed yesterday in order to get me ready for an upper denture reline. I was in considerable pain when I got in the car. The Mrs. was reading her library books waiting for me. This guy is a really good denture dentist, but extractions are invariably painful. I got Vicadin for pain and I was told that, if needing to drive, I could substitute regular ibuprofen. OK fine. I'm doing well now. My denture fits well.

Fast forward to today. Still enjoying the first of my last two days off until going back to work on Saturday night. I called up my older sister in Bothell to talk and see if she wants me to cruise over to the Seattle area and I could visit her and take her out for a burger. She's in a bad mood consistently because of being taken out of her condo in Edmonds and relocated to this long term care building the other two sisters "put her away in." Well, she likes to cook and her apartment doesn't have a stove. It does have a microwave, though. My older sister is disabled. Her husband has Alzheimer's. I would like to drive west over the snowy mountain pass in my Michelin X-ice xi3's and go see her. Then, go test driving a couple two- three Scion's. My mouth pain is pretty much gone.

I'm "good ta go" west over there. That is my plan. I will grab the car's title, my driver's license and insurance card (the latter two cards are always in my wallet, so that's easy) and head west after getting a good Thursday night's sleep.

My plan favors me as the buyer of the Scion. My purchase advantage is that each of the three Scion's is a stick shift tranny. Sticks are dumping out on American sales lots. My pitch is that "I can solve one of your problems for you." If unsuccessful I'll come back tomorrow night. Mrs. iluv should come along. If she does, two dogs must come along, too, as they can not get left in the rental lodge alone. The upstairs neighbors might get upset.

Does my story sound like a soap opera? I'll hold on to the Kia if things shake out that way. It's just that this is my chance to get a car I want for a good price, that only has 28,000 miles on it. It's selling for $13,334. brozen says offer $10,500-$11,000. I think that's a solid offer, too. The sticky widget will be on my trade-in. That's where we'll be thousands apart.

Did I mention that my buddy got about 25% off asking price by shopping on New Years Eve?

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

No you didn't, oldfarmer50, but by the time I actually deal for a Scion iA ( in which one model year is stamped only) it may as well be on New Year's Eve. Good call my man!

driver100 · November 2017

oldfarmer50"
Moral of the story, get the CarFax before you buy. Other than the mileage fraud was she complaining that a $2k car needed repairs?

Yes, she didn't think a car she just bought should need $1000 worth of repairs. She was very young and didn't realize what "As Is" means. What saved her was when she did get the Carfax report the seller was caught red handed changing the odometer, while he had it in his possession. Although he said he didn't normally sell cars she brought ads that showed he had sold other cars. Another thing in her favor was she texted him that she knew about the odometer being put back and wanted him to rectify, and he completely ignored her.

A lot of people don't understand what "As Is" means. They still think they have some kind of warranty.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

There's no Warranty on a used car unless the seller and buyer agree on a Warranty and put it down in writing. Get your good signing hand good and lubed up partner! (And yes, I am talking to myself...now)

stickguy · November 2017

i luv, one problem is you want to trade in another stick, so hard to use the line about taking a problem unit off thier hands when you are giving them another one back.

breld · November 2017

28firefighter said:

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. We negotiated the sale of our current home to close on 11/17 but give us a 2 week rent back at no charge, so we have it until 12/1. On the purchase, the sellers agreed to an 11/17 close but needed a few extra days to be out, so we get possession on 11/21. This gives us time to get settled in the new place and do a proper cleaning of the old house. I'm also springing to have the movers do all of our packing for us, to make my life easier. Also helpful is the fact that my family will be out here.

On the springing for the movers to do the packing, I have yet to do it but have heard it is undoubtedly money well spent. Good move.

abacomike · November 2017

Just got an email from my gastroenterologist’s office - blood test results show “No Hep C Virus Detected”. I repeat the test in 2 months, then 6 months, and then 1 year. If results remain as they are now, I will be cured.

This is the first time after taking anti vitals over the past 5 years that 4 weeks after taking the last pill that no virus was detected. All previous times the virus had returned. There’s hope now! YEAH!!!

explorerx4 · November 2017

My sister has hired movers just to pack several times and she swears by it.

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50"
Moral of the story, get the CarFax before you buy. Other than the mileage fraud was she complaining that a $2k car needed repairs?

Yes, she didn't think a car she just bought should need $1000 worth of repairs. She was very young and didn't realize what "As Is" means. What saved her was when she did get the Carfax report the seller was caught red handed changing the odometer, while he had it in his possession. Although he said he didn't normally sell cars she brought ads that showed he had sold other cars. Another thing in her favor was she texted him that she knew about the odometer being put back and wanted him to rectify, and he completely ignored her.

A lot of people don't understand what "As Is" means. They still think they have some kind of warranty.

Yeah but mileage fraud trumps everything. You can't say that the buyer should have known the odo was turned back. Most courts will also enforce what I think is call implied warranty which means you can't say a broken product is working and get away with it.

That's why I always keep repair records that show progression of milage. Came in handy when I sold a car with a broken odometer.

suydam · November 2017

breld said:

28firefighter said:

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. We negotiated the sale of our current home to close on 11/17 but give us a 2 week rent back at no charge, so we have it until 12/1. On the purchase, the sellers agreed to an 11/17 close but needed a few extra days to be out, so we get possession on 11/21.

This gives us time to get settled in the new place and do a proper cleaning of the old house. I'm also springing to have the movers do all of our packing for us, to make my life easier. Also helpful is the fact that my family will be out here.

On the springing for the movers to do the packing, I have yet to do it but have heard it is undoubtedly money well spent. Good move.

We did that our last move. We packed many items but had movers pack all the China, glassware, and pictures as well as closet items. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

suydam · November 2017

@abacomike —what great news! I remember celebrating with a good friend when she got the final lab result. I hope the next labs are just as good.

abacomike · November 2017

suydam said:

@abacomike —what great news! I remember celebrating with a good friend when she got the final lab result. I hope the next labs are just as good.

Thanks suydam- very exciting. Hopefully with no virus detected, my liver will rebound.

nyccarguy · November 2017

@abacomike - if you think about it, you were going to loose the $24K you put as a Cap cost reduction on the lease anyway so you might as well put it to work for you by making your S450 payments very affordable.

tjc78 · November 2017

abacomike said:

suydam said:

@abacomike —what great news! I remember celebrating with a good friend when she got the final lab result. I hope the next labs are just as good.

Thanks suydam- very exciting. Hopefully with no virus detected, my liver will rebound.

Great news!!! You should go and get a new Mercedes to celebrate

fordfool · November 2017

abacomike said:
"YOU" have to put yourself in my spot - you partially own (with an emphasis on "partially") a 2017 BMW 740i with 11,400 miles on it. You have a loan with a bank that has a payoff of $21,910 on the BMW. The dealership puts a cash value on the BMW of $56,000 less the payoff of $21,910 leaving you with $34,090 of equity in the car once the loan is paid off by the dealership. Remember, each and every month, your equity is decreasing due to depreciation by about $800.

I would assume that the monthly payment on the BMW loan would be greater than the
monthly depreciation. Otherwise you would never own the car regardless of how many
years payments were made. Therefore equity must be increasing each month. And at the
end of the loan, you owe nothing and the value of the car is your equity.

houdini1 · November 2017

ab348 said:

houdini1

My bet would be most of these are business leases that are being written off.

"What do you mean, 'Write it off?'"

"They just write it off!!!"

ab348 said:

houdini1

My bet would be most of these are business leases that are being written off.

"What do you mean, 'Write it off?'"

"They just write it off!!!"

ab348 said:

houdini1

My bet would be most of these are business leases that are being written off.

"What do you mean, 'Write it off?'"

"They just write it off!!!"

They take a business expense deduction for a portion of the annual total of the lease payments, so lowers their taxes.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

stick - you are right, my Kia just gives the dealer another stick with 92,855 miles on it that they're going to have a hard time selling. I for sure today thought I couldn't find the Kia Soul's title. I called the Chelan car licensing office and told the gal my story.

"Yeah, so since you're from Missouri and you held the title to your car from the State of Missouri, I took the title to your car that day(about a month ago). Watch your mail for your new State of Washington title." All right, I will.

So, if trading the car happened tomorrow, the paper she gave me to keep in the glove compartment (which I have in there) explains everything to a cop or a car dealer they need to know that you are the registered owner of the car and that you also have the title to the car. This is keeping in mind that you haven't paid off the car yet.

"Yeah, every state does it differently."

Ahh, don't they! I looked for that State of Missouri title for my car for about two hours!

This will only happen if I am bound and determined ta go west over the Cascades to do it. I feel rested and ready and able to do it. My mouth is tender in a few spots and I don't need the Vicodin anymore. I'm keeping it just in case the gums act up. The Mrs. will oppose the trade and so it creates my normal stresspot regarding doing something that I dearly love ta do.

Very, very frustrating situation for me. Talking about it with her will only raise the stress level several dozens of percentage points. So I don't. I can't.

suydam · November 2017

Maybe a silly question as I’m sure you’ve thought of it. But will your wife and your dogs fit in the little Scion as well as they do in the Soul? In any vehicle I always ask myself how the dogs will fit. Although we always have one vehicle the dogs are not allowed in, in my case the Volt. Speaking of which, is this your only vehicle? So will it serve the multi purpose functions that the Soul does?

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

Good question, suydam. It's not silly at all. I am the only driver and the 2011 Kia Soul is our only car. I have thought that out and the answer is yes, the dogs will fit well in the Scion iA's back seat. The Scion iA does not come from the factory with an armrest, either. One can order one from several websites, though. We would fit well, all four of us, with about 5-10 paper bags of groceries in the trunk. So that argument wouldn't hold water.

So we'll all fit. The little Scion iA's body always looks good and always looks great to me, without exception. The iA is styled after the Mazda 3 body style, using the routine Mazda Kodo design language. The writer of that last online article I linked yesterday explained the viewpoint towards the gaping guppy maw in front and this is it: it's an acquired taste.

ab348 · November 2017

houdini1 said:

They take a business expense deduction for a portion of the annual total of the lease payments, so lowers their taxes.

Oh I know that.

I was posting from my phone in the waiting area of the tire shop. Otherwise I would have included this:

https://youtu.be/upifaeK0B5U

stickguy · November 2017

good point about the dogs. Hard to give up the utility of a box for a small sedan with a short trunk opening.

stickguy · November 2017

We hired movers last few times. Would never take that on my self (all the carrying), but we did pack ourselves, and would probably do so again. But will price out packing help. My real preference is to get rid of as much stuff as possible. Less to pack, less to move, less cost!

depending on where I go, and how much can thin out, contemplating getting a U haul, and taking advantage of the option to hire people on either end, paid by the hour. Have them load it all up, I drive down, hire different strong backs to help unload. Should be cheaper that way.

suydam · November 2017

It depends. We easily fit our two (back when we had 2) plus our neighbors Golden in the Encore. It depends on how the space is configured.

houdini1 · November 2017

ab348 said:

houdini1 said:

They take a business expense deduction for a portion of the annual total of the lease payments, so lowers their taxes.
Oh I know that.

I was posting from my phone in the waiting area of the tire shop. Otherwise I would have included this:

https://youtu.be/upifaeK0B5U

Excellent !!

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

You know, the only way to find out is to buy an iA and put the dogs and my beautiful wife in it!

Right now I'm about 65/35 ta go west to test drive.

stickguy · November 2017

well, if they go with you, can test fit the family before signing the papers!

abacomike · November 2017

fordfool said:

"YOU" have to put yourself in my spot - you partially own (with an emphasis on "partially") a 2017 BMW 740i with 11,400 miles on it. You have a loan with a bank that has a payoff of $21,910 on the BMW. The dealership puts a cash value on the BMW of $56,000 less the payoff of $21,910 leaving you with $34,090 of equity in the car once the loan is paid off by the dealership. Remember, each and every month, your equity is decreasing due to depreciation by about $800.
I would assume that the monthly payment on the BMW loan would be greater than the monthly depreciation. Otherwise you would never own the car regardless of how many years payments were made. Therefore equity must be increasing each month. And at the end of the loan, you owe nothing and the value of the car is your equity.

Not quite - my monthly payments on the 740i were $384 per month with 5 years remaining on the loan. So the car was depreciating faster than the value of the payments. By the end of the loan, the car would be six years old and would be worth $22,500 give or take, if I was lucky.

Look - I leased a car with a huge cap cost reduction to get to $600 a month + tax - something my monthly income could handle, without having to withdraw money from my bank - but will be able to deposit $8200 into my accounts.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

stick, unless I create an alternate universe of my own she won't agree with me even driving the 162 miles west to test drive the iA at Rodland Toyota in Everett, WA. This is an outside shot for sure!

What I will need to do is make a statement and stick to it no matter what. Honestly, financially, this idea won't adversely affect our finances in any way whatsoever. To get my wife to understand that is one of the greatest challenges of my 21st century life.

roadburner · November 2017

Well, the interview went pretty well. Six people in the conference room with each with 2-3 questions. Pretty low key- the General Counsel asked me a couple of questions and then told me he agreed with my answers. It looks like it all comes down to whether 30 years on the bench trumps a few years of prosecutorial experience. Honestly, I was more nervous when I did the TV interview for my dealership a while back. I was told that any decision is a couple of weeks off. Whatever happens, I'm good with it.

Michaell · November 2017

roadburner said:
Well, the interview went pretty well. Six people in the conference room with each with 2-3 questions. Pretty low key- the General Counsel asked me a couple of questions and then told me he agreed with my answers. It looks like it all comes down to whether 30 years on the bench trumps a few years of prosecutorial experience. Honestly, I was more nervous when I did the TV interview for my dealership a while back. I was told that any decision is a couple of weeks off. Whatever happens, I'm good with it.

That's all you can do ... my wife, who has held 5 jobs in the 20 years we've been married (and one of them for 12 years), looks at an interview to evaluate the company. She's interviewed with the state and found the organization lacking, and so passed on the job. She even got a phone call earlier this year from someone at the state she has known for over 10 years, basically telling her that she could have this persons job as she was retiring. My wife passed on it.

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

abacomike said:
Just got an email from my gastroenterologist’s office - blood test results show “No Hep C Virus Detected”. I repeat the test in 2 months, then 6 months, and then 1 year. If results remain as they are now, I will be cured.

This is the first time after taking anti vitals over the past 5 years that 4 weeks after taking the last pill that no virus was detected. All previous times the virus had returned. There’s hope now! YEAH!!!

That's great news Mike. Nice Christmas present.

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

ab348 said:

houdini1 said:

They take a business expense deduction for a portion of the annual total of the lease payments, so lowers their taxes.
Oh I know that.

I was posting from my phone in the waiting area of the tire shop. Otherwise I would have included this:

https://youtu.be/upifaeK0B5U

LOL I remember that scene very well.

oldfarmer50 · November 2017

roadburner said:
Well, the interview went pretty well. Six people in the conference room with each with 2-3 questions. Pretty low key- the General Counsel asked me a couple of questions and then told me he agreed with my answers. It looks like it all comes down to whether 30 years on the bench trumps a few years of prosecutorial experience. Honestly, I was more nervous when I did the TV interview for my dealership a while back. I was told that any decision is a couple of weeks off. Whatever happens, I'm good with it.

Don't tell me they got your hopes up. You know those smooth politicians will pee on your leg and tell you it's rain.

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