Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

venture · December 2017

imidazol97 said:
Qbrozen fixed his microwave. I fixed my garage door infrared sensors this weekend on my 25-year old Genie. Door wouldn't go down. Tried reaiming the sensor beam. No joy. Unwired one sensor and held it 1 inch from the other--still didn't sense the beam. Tried reconnecting the plugs on the sender (2) and the receive (1). No joy. Kept repeating and noticed they eventually made contact and unit worked. I had seen that the prongs for the plugs appeared oxidized, like aluminum oxides. Oiled. Works.

Shopping to buy cheap modern replacements that are redesigned and don't use plugs but are hard wired from Genie. That tells me Genie has had lots of problems in past with contacts on plugs they used so they switched to screws to secure the contact.

I fixed my garage door last week because it wouldn't close.

I moved the bag of grass seed that was blocking the one sensor.

suydam · December 2017

nyccarguy said:
@qbrozen - we are Giants fans in my house. My kids have been begging me to take them to a game for a long time. It is just a whole day hassle. For a 1:00 pm game, I have to leave my house at 10:00 - 10:30 am and wouldn't get home until 6:30 - 7:00 pm. And that's before the hefty price of admission, souvenirs, food, & drink.

But oh! The memories they’ll have!

graphicguy · December 2017

So, having hitt 4 countries in two weeks (U.S., France, Italy, Malta), I got a really good feel for Europe cars and drivers.

First, lots of Fiat 500s rolling around. They seemed to be the car of choice for the entire continent.

Second....lots of VWs, too.

Third, didn’t see many BMWs, which was interesting given I saw a lot of Mercedes...mostly the “A Class”. The bigger ones were all diesels. Matter of fact, I’d say half of the cars there were diesels.

Fourth...didn’t see any hybrids or electric cars. Weird, given the cost of diesel and petrol in Europe.

Fifth....not many Toyotas, even less Nissans, no Hondas.

Sixth...the preferred mode of individual transport was motorized scooters. Given the narrowness of the streets (especially in Rome), that seemed to be the smartest choice. Probably not too much fun riding those in 30-40 degree temps, though.

Lastly, I could live in Malta. Cost of living is low (at least what I could glean about housing prices). Full healthcare and education is free, even for non-Maltese citizens. Beautiful place and English is the official language.

roadburner · December 2017

tjc78 said:
Echoing what the others said, big congrats @abacomike

Ditto, Mike!!!

iluvmysephia1 · December 2017

graphicguy - your words ring true ta me. Thank you so much. Funny, I woke up this morning thinking pretty much the same thing. I'm watching for end of December clearance sales from Toyota on the iA.

Like Russell Wilson being pretty hard ta beat as the NFL MVP also rings very true ta me. He pretty much made mincemeat outta the nearly unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles defense last night.

Usually the one who drives knows what's best for the household automobile-wise. Although she is a very good prep cook she is not working right now, she watches the two dogs and two cats, cleans, cooks meals for the two of us and feeds the animals, gets them out ta pee and poop, etc. She does a lot, just not for pay. She also doesn't drive. I would not feel comfortable belittling my wife, we love each other and have been married 37 years.

But this one is not settled. It's not a territorial pisspost thing. It's the right thing for me ta do for us, for our automotive future.

isellhondas · December 2017

driver100 said:
To get started on a Monday morning......here were some additions to Murphy's Law...these were the best:

* Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.

* . God gave you toes as a device for finding furniture in the dark.

One for roadburner;

*. When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people, who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

That last one is no joke. Up here in ultra liberal Seattle when you are interviewed, if they suspect you are the least bit conservative or (gasp) a Republican you are OUT! Ask me how I know! Actually, the case sounded interesting and I would have like to have served!

abacomike · December 2017

pensfan83 said:

@abacomike - that's awesome, congratulations to you and your family. It must be very rewarding to see his hard work pay off like it has.

You can say that again. He deserved this scholarship.

carnaught · December 2017

tjc78 said:
Echoing what the others said, big congrats @abacomike

roadburner said:

tjc78 said:
Echoing what the others said, big congrats @abacomike
Ditto, Mike!!!

Double ditto Mike. You and your son have to be very proud!

jwm40517 · December 2017

Mike, I now know you leased your MB, but how much of a problem would that little bumper ding be if it caused an accident to be reported on Carfax and you owned the car?

As a lease, does something that minor become a problem at turn-in?

fintail · December 2017

Isn't Malta where a journalist was recently murdered for peering in to the well-known massive money laundering industry there? Be careful graphicguy! And don't pine on about social goods, it upsets some people

I've always seen the lack of EVs and hybrids in non-Norwegian Europe (even in pragmatic Germany) because of fuel costs and driving in general - if you're going to spend a fortune driving, might as well enjoy it. Also the rigorous drivers training standards might give people more appreciation for something more fun to drive. Such cars also shine in areas that actually have legit first world transit systems, with a different commuting world.

fintail · December 2017

I've always joked that there's no such thing as a jury of my peers, as my peers are able to get out of jury duty

For all of the complaints about ultra-liberal Seattle (and it really can be), I see very few complainers voting with their feet, likely because it has given them a virtual lottery jackpot in terms of housing purchased back when normal working people could afford it.

isellhondas said:

That last one is no joke. Up here in ultra liberal Seattle when you are interviewed, if they suspect you are the least bit conservative or (gasp) a Republican you are OUT! Ask me how I know! Actually, the case sounded interesting and I would have like to have served!

tjc78 · December 2017

jwm40517 said:
Mike, I now know you leased your MB, but how much of a problem would that little bumper ding be if it caused an accident to be reported on Carfax and you owned the car?

As a lease, does something that minor become a problem at turn-in?

If it is fixed properly and with OEM parts there is nothing the leasing company can do. I know someone who had about 20K damage on a 45K brand new SUV and they turned the car in with zero problems three years later.

I had minor damage (fender, hit while parked) and had no issues on turn in.

This is one great benefit of leasing, you never have to worry about diminished value in the event of a repaired vehicle.

abacomike · December 2017

jwm40517 said:

Mike, I now know you leased your MB, but how much of a problem would that little bumper ding be if it caused an accident to be reported on Carfax and you owned the car? As a lease, does something that minor become a problem at turn-in?

CARFAX shows only that the car was serviced on that date - no mention of a bumper repair.

As for your question, the answer is no. So long as the repair meets factory specs, there is no deduction. Actually, all they did was to attach new clips and just reattached the bumper. The bumper was not damaged, thank goodness. If that bumper had to be peplaced, the cost would have been $4000+ due to sensors, cameras, labor and painting. The tint place paid the Mercedes dealer $475. The car was never at a body shop which is why it did not show up on the CARFAX.

thebean · December 2017

As I was driving into Dallas to gave my quarterly lab work done, I saw three of @iluvmysephia1's Yaris iAs on the trip. I have to say, these are pretty handsome cars. I happened to see one pull in close to me in the lab parking lot and talked to the driver. He said he bought it nearly two years ago and likes it. He did say fit/finish was not great (his was made in Mexico, he thought) but so far nothing has fallen off. He said he saw one on a Toyota dealers lot back in the summer and he was almost certain it was built in France. Maybe Mazda has an assembly operation in France?

I asked him about performance and he said it's nothing special - it's an automatic (maybe CVT?). All in all, I was impressed by the amount of room in it. Not a bad choice, I would say.

tbirdmarco · December 2017

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f98Q1FgMInY

ab348 · December 2017

thebean said:
He said he saw one on a Toyota dealers lot back in the summer and he was almost certain it was built in France. Maybe Mazda has an assembly operation in France?

That's interesting. Here in the Great White North, the Yaris sedan is only sold by Toyota Canada in Quebec (they will apparently sell you one if you ask a dealer in other parts of the country to bring one in but there is an extra delivery charge). I wonder if the French origin has something to do with that? Historically French cars were sold in Quebec but not widely available in other parts of Canada.

tbirdmarco · December 2017

@driver100 nice nice good way to start off an Munday morning! happy munday all! got to do what we got to do just an nother day for me! alwas happy every now and than no!

driver100 · December 2017

Ab, I found what you said interesting so I looked into it...and found this info:

The step of having a car only available in one province seems a little strange, but a look at the sales figures helps explain it. Toyota sold just 1,437 Yaris sedans in Canada last year. Compare that with 6,342 hatchbacks. On top of that, nearly 60 percent of those sedans were sold in Quebec. Most of the rest were split between Ontario with 21 percent and BC at 8 percent. That means that while each dealer in Quebec sold on average about 13 sedans last year, dealers in BC and ON only moved about three.

With numbers like that, it's easy to see why Toyota would make the choice to limit availability a little bit. Interestingly, that seems to make Quebec the only place in the world where you will find this car, badged as a Toyota Yaris sedan, sitting on a Toyota dealer lot. In the US this car was a Scion called the iA, so it's now the Toyota iA. In Mexico, the car is a Yaris R. Just about everywhere else, it's a Mazda2.

That's right, a Mazda2. See, the Yaris sedan is a unique car; it's not just a Yaris hatch with a trunk. The sedan is a different design from the hatch, based on the Mazda2 sedan that Canada doesn't get any more. The relationship is readily apparent from a look in the cabin, where it has Mazda's easily recognizable infotainment system. The Yaris sedan was all-new for 2016, so the only change of note this year is the addition of Toyota's pre-collision system. It's a low-speed system to detect and avoid collisions.

The six-speed manual Yaris sedan starts at $17,315

I like it in this color;

tbirdmarco · December 2017

@graphicguy welcome back! glad you had an nice safe trip! interesting on the cars that peapol drive!

isellhondas · December 2017

fintail said:
I've always joked that there's no such thing as a jury of my peers, as my peers are able to get out of jury duty

For all of the complaints about ultra-liberal Seattle (and it really can be), I see very few complainers voting with their feet, likely because it has given them a virtual lottery jackpot in terms of housing purchased back when normal working people could afford it.

isellhondas said:

That last one is no joke. Up here in ultra liberal Seattle when you are interviewed, if they suspect you are the least bit conservative or (gasp) a Republican you are OUT! Ask me how I know! Actually, the case sounded interesting and I would have like to have served!

That has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. The tech companies are causing our economy to explode and housing is beyond nuts! We would sell and move but family keeps us here!

tbirdmarco · December 2017

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dmdc-lvInQ

abacomike · December 2017

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dmdc-lvInQ

Marco, very interesting video. The concept of leasing (or actually “re-leasing”) used cars recently turned in at the end of a lease in order to reduce manufacturer inventories of used cars is intriguing.

In order for that to work well, money factors would have to be reduced to 1% +/- and they would have to offer extended warranties and sweeten the deal with 3 years of complimentary maintenance. That would definitely be advantageous to manufacturers since they won’t have to wholesale them.

qbrozen · December 2017

Leasing used cars has been an option for quite some time, but the terms are not favorable. So, as aba suggests, they would need to have heavy support to make it enticing. Problem is the manufacturers have no real incentive to offer cheap lease rates on used vehicles since they are only in the new car biz. I suppose leasing CPO cars at least gives them some skin in the game, hence the occassional finance support on CPO purchases. They probably would not want to bolster residuals, though.

stickguy · December 2017

I could see leasing a CPO that was going to be under warranty anyway. Volvo IIRC goes to 7 years/100k, so leasing years 4-6 is just like having a new car in terms of coverage. Will come with new tires and brakes too most likely. Biggest difference of course if some miles on it, and a likely much lower price. With the last part being most important!

fintail · December 2017

I don't know, I know a few grouchy older people here who complain about the progressive nature of Seattle, but when it comes time to do something about it, they just sit back and admire their lottery winning real estate holdings rather than voting with their feet/wallets and moving to the middle. It seems one leaning attracts skilled workers and dynamic companies more than another.

Your kid or kids are all grown right? Parents still around?

isellhondas said:

That has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. The tech companies are causing our economy to explode and housing is beyond nuts! We would sell and move but family keeps us here!

fintail · December 2017

I could see where leasing a complex high end used car might be sensible - if the price was right, and it had an amazing warranty.

tbirdmarco · December 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEd0yk5Colg

driver100 · December 2017

Marco, that was interesting report, it talked about November sales around the 2 minute mark I think. Sales are holding up because of good economy and weather.....replacement cars. Companies like bmw, audi, mb up, Lexus down and Cadillac way down. Ford sales up and Nissan up nicely...both because of fleet sales.

Are those tire/wheels for real...I don't get it.

https://youtu.be/f98Q1FgMInY?t=327

driver100 · December 2017

abacomike said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dmdc-lvInQ

abacomike

Marco, very interesting video. The concept of leasing (or actually “re-leasing”) used cars recently turned in at the end of a lease in order to reduce manufacturer inventories of used cars is intriguing.

In order for that to work well, money factors would have to be reduced to 1% +/- and they would have to offer extended warranties and sweeten the deal with 3 years of complimentary maintenance. That would definitely be advantageous to manufacturers since they won’t have to wholesale them.

I leased my 1995 Jeep at $415 a month for 30 months. At the end of the lease I went to the dealer to see about a new Jeep and the manager mentioned I could release my 95 Jeep for another 24 months at $260. I was starting my business so that seemed like an incredible price for driving a 2 1/2 year old Jeep that was in good shape.

I don't think the money factors are that important if a 3 year old car has 2 or 3 really good years left, and the monthly payment comes in at a price that is manageable.....and buy back reasonable.

Even if you paid a bit of a premium to do it, releasing could be a good low cost alternative for some people.

Sandman6472 · December 2017

Do not buy this vehicle yet!!! It's the wrong time honestly. Wait six months and re-evaluate!!! You WANT it...you don't NEED it! Big big difference here. Even your inner self is telling you not to do anything or it would've been a done deal. It agrees with your wife sir.

The Sandman

jpp75 · December 2017

@abacomike

I'll be in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, I'll send you a PM about meeting up if you're free.

abacomike · December 2017

jpp5862 said:

@abacomike I'll be in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, I'll send you a PM about meeting up if you're free.

Definitely! I live about 8-10 miles north of Ft. Lauderdale and just west of the Turnpike in Coconut Creek.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2017

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

I'm not a football fan but for some unknown reason, my 7-yr-old decided he is. What makes it worse, although I was raised a Philadelphia fan, he has chosen to be a Giants fan.
He has requested for his upcoming bday that I take him to a game. Luckily, with their awful record, I was able to find a pair of first-level 11th row tix including parking pass for $150. Game is the last of the regular season, 12/31 at 1pm.

Poor devil.

There's hope for the kid. The Giants just fired everybody on the staff.