Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jipster · May 2018

Congrats on the win roadburner! You should get a complimentary t-shirt from Edmunds out of this! Shifty?

driver100 · May 2018

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:
I am getting old and grumpy.
May we quote you on that?

Does this answer your question?

driver100 · May 2018

jipster said:
Congrats on the win roadburner! You should get a complimentary t-shirt from Edmunds out of this! Shifty?

Jipster....you look different somehow!

jmonroe · May 2018

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:
I am getting old and grumpy.
May we quote you on that?

He's too late with his back peddling, I've already made a note of it.

jmonroe

nyccarguy · May 2018

Are we talking rising gas prices:

Prelude drank 93 octane at a rate of a little over 22 mpg
Infiniti guzzled 93 octane at a rate of just under 17.8 mpg

dino001 · May 2018

nyccarguy said:
Are we talking rising gas prices:

Prelude drank 93 octane at a rate of a little over 22 mpg
Infiniti guzzled 93 octane at a rate of just under 17.8 mpg

My 430i GC sips in comparison - I get 30-31 mpg consistently on my daily commute drive (mostly 70/30 highway/city, but good portion of the highway stop and go). Previous 328 wagon was getting only around 24 mpg in same conditions. With this kind of mileage, who needs hybrids? Unless gas goes to 7 bucks, then maybe.

dino001 · May 2018

stickguy said:
Gas buddy is wonderful for finding the current nearby bargain station.

Gasbuddy says what I knew all along: my Costco has the lowest price in the large area ($3.05 for PUG), lower even than Sam's Club ($3.11). All stations around are 20-60 cents higher, so it adds to 2.5-5 bucks per tank. The savings become real after a year.

dino001 · May 2018

roadburner said:

ab348 said:
Way to go RB! I am curious why they hold an election in May if you don't take office until January though...
It was a primary race between two Republicans- there's no Democratic challenger in the fall.

So technically there can be a independent who might take it... Unlikely, though, from what you're saying.

driver100 · May 2018

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:
I am getting old and grumpy.
May we quote you on that?

He's too late with his back peddling, I've already made a note of it.

jmonroe

I am NOT back peddling. I just don't want to be quoted. :@
It will be taken out of context and used against me.

oldfarmer50 · May 2018

abacomike said:
Just checked PUL gasoline prices in a 4 mile radius. Costco is st $3.15 and Marathon is at $3.17. The rest are over $3.35 a gallon. This is the most I’ve paid for gas in over 3 years. Up 80 cents a gallon in the last 7 months.

RUG is getting near $3 but I was shocked to see one station at $3.59 for PUG.

I don't use CC for gas out of fear of skimmers and tracking by the NSA but I did go in for one of those reward deals where by direct depositing my pension check in a new bank I get $400.

stickguy · May 2018

in the roughly 1,200 miles we put on the RDX over the last week, per the TC, got about 28 MPG overall. On a mix of premium, mid grade, and RUG, depending on where/when/how many gallons it needed at the time. And the price.

one station was crazy. mid grade was $.60 more than RUG, then PUG was another $.30 beyond that. almost a buck a gallon is nuts for the difference.

tbirdmarco · May 2018

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=67NTInWRTPY

imidazol97 · May 2018

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:
I am getting old and grumpy.
May we quote you on that?

Does this answer your question?

I hope that "No" is being said in a friendly, personable manner.

driver100 · May 2018

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:
I am getting old and grumpy.
May we quote you on that?

Does this answer your question?

I hope that "No" is being said in a friendly, personable manner.

But, of course.....the only way I possibly would say it.

fintail · May 2018

Took the Bluetec on a ~350-400 mile drive last Saturday, averaged around 42.5 mpg per the car - even if a little optimistic, not bad for a 4000+ lb AWD car, and that wasn't all free highway cruising. Gas prices? Diesel is as cheap as regular here.

Fintail gets around 15 in town, 20 on the highway, but as I might drive it twice a month, that's fine.

nyccarguy said:
Are we talking rising gas prices:

Prelude drank 93 octane at a rate of a little over 22 mpg
Infiniti guzzled 93 octane at a rate of just under 17.8 mpg

carnaught · May 2018

Awesome mpg’s with that Bluetec.

driver100 · May 2018

Is Bluetec still available or has everyone given up on diesel? It is too bad, that is impressive mileage.

sda · May 2018

roadburner said:

ab348 said:
Way to go RB! I am curious why they hold an election in May if you don't take office until January though...
It was a primary race between two Republicans- there's no Democratic challenger in the fall.

Congratulations and well done!

Mr_Shiftright · May 2018

fintail said:
Took the Bluetec on a ~350-400 mile drive last Saturday, averaged around 42.5 mpg per the car - even if a little optimistic, not bad for a 4000+ lb AWD car, and that wasn't all free highway cruising. Gas prices? Diesel is as cheap as regular here.

Fintail gets around 15 in town, 20 on the highway, but as I might drive it twice a month, that's fine.

nyccarguy said:
Are we talking rising gas prices:

Prelude drank 93 octane at a rate of a little over 22 mpg
Infiniti guzzled 93 octane at a rate of just under 17.8 mpg

Does that require DEF or are you free of that nuisance?

nyccarguy · May 2018

I know a few of you (@Michaell, @stickguy, @breld) Are happy with your/your kids’ Jettas. I recently started talking to a friend from college who lives in CO. He’s a car guy with a diverse stable. An older Expedition he uses for towing/HD runs, & whenever he needs something with 8 seatbelts. He bought a 911 brand new back in ‘06 that currently has 16K miles on it. He’s got a 2016 A6 2.0T Sport Line, & a 2017 Jetta SE with a stick.

We have been chatting back and forth about cars and life. He bought the Jetta last year at a very heavy discount after renting on on vacation and really liking it. He paid about $15K for it. Says it has all the qualities you’d expect from a German car, makes a great daily driver, & averages 40 mpg.

roadburner · May 2018

dino001 said:

roadburner said:

ab348 said:
Way to go RB! I am curious why they hold an election in May if you don't take office until January though...
It was a primary race between two Republicans- there's no Democratic challenger in the fall.
So technically there can be a independent who might take it... Unlikely, though, from what you're saying.

The independent would had to have filed at the same time I did.

fintail · May 2018

Yep, but doesn't seem to guzzle it - has never needed it in between the yearly service anyway.

Mr_Shiftright said:

Does that require DEF or are you free of that nuisance?

fintail · May 2018

It exists in mature first world markets (Europe) but not in the USA or Canada at the moment.

Computer might be like 5% optimistic, but the numbers are still fine.

driver100 said:
Is Bluetec still available or has everyone given up on diesel? It is too bad, that is impressive mileage.

stickguy · May 2018

ours has been good. Daughter likes it. And it does get really good MPG. I test drove one last year with a stick, and it was a fun ride.

Talked to a dealer in DE today since she is moving there. They already have large discounts listed online on the 2019s. Nice to see!

driver100 · May 2018

NYC He bought the Jetta last year at a very heavy discount after renting on on vacation and really liking it. He paid about $15K for it. Says it has all the qualities you’d expect from a German car, makes a great daily driver, & averages 40 mpg.

Read about the new 2019....as good as the 2018s are, the new one is much better.

snakeweasel · May 2018

nyccarguy said:

Are we talking rising gas prices: Prelude drank 93 octane at a rate of a little over 22 mpg Infiniti guzzled 93 octane at a rate of just under 17.8 mpg

My Chrysler averages about 21.5 MPG in my daily commuting, the wife's Sonata is getting a little more than 28 in suburban traffic, and the Honda has been getting 63 on my daily commute.

ab348 · May 2018

My former assistant at work bought a Jetta SEL or whatever they called their top-end model just before I retired in '14 and I got to ride in it a few times with her. It was really nice inside (if you like black interiors) and was very well-equipped. I didn't understand some of the criticism I had read of it in reviews. I think a big part of that is simply that many auto reviewers these days are fairly young and grew up as part of the Civic/Asian car era. So there is an inherent bias in favor of the Japanese car feel. German cars feel very different and it has always struck me as a polarizing sort of thing in that you either like one or the other but not both.

dino001 · May 2018

roadburner said:

dino001 said:

roadburner said:

ab348 said:
Way to go RB! I am curious why they hold an election in May if you don't take office until January though...
It was a primary race between two Republicans- there's no Democratic challenger in the fall.
So technically there can be a independent who might take it... Unlikely, though, from what you're saying.
The independent would had to have filed at the same time I did.

OK, I thought that general election official filing date is after party primaries. Parties decide who they'd endorse (in primary process), then they file candidacies and go into general election. For that to happen you need to have time for filing papers after primary elections . Am I having it wrong?

graphicguy · May 2018

Doing hand calculations, I’m getting about 21 MPG ALL CITY and hit 31 MPG ALL HIGHWAY on the TLX. But, the cast majority of my driving is about 75% city and 25% highway. Over the course of 10K miles (my darling just turned 1 year old), I’m averaging around 22 MPG.

I’m good with that, particularly given how hilly SW OHIO is and how I’m certainly not gentle with the right pedal.

tbirdmarco · May 2018

Congrads man

tbirdmarco · May 2018

Injoyed. Reading every thing else that was posted in hear yesterday

Michaell · May 2018

I hadn’t got around to posting this, but I snapped this picture a couple weeks ago:

dino001 · May 2018

ab348 said:
My former assistant at work bought a Jetta SEL or whatever they called their top-end model just before I retired in '14 and I got to ride in it a few times with her. It was really nice inside (if you like black interiors) and was very well-equipped. I didn't understand some of the criticism I had read of it in reviews. I think a big part of that is simply that many auto reviewers these days are fairly young and grew up as part of the Civic/Asian car era. So there is an inherent bias in favor of the Japanese car feel. German cars feel very different and it has always struck me as a polarizing sort of thing in that you either like one or the other but not both.

I like appreciate both, for different reasons. I think Japanese have best ergonomics and their stated design objectives are executed to perfection. My biggest beef with their vehicles were narrow option choices in the brochures and even narrower on the lot. You go to Toyota's or Honda's dealer websites and you can have literally pages of vehicles at the exact same price in the exact same color (usually some variation of grey, silver, black or white) and if you look for just something else (that according to the brochure should be available), it's nowhere to be found in 500 mile radius. Also, their attitude to safety features is always "on-time" delivery, never lead. What I mean by that some other manufacturers may try to add something (ABS, side impact airbags, anti-slip stability systems, etc.) as standard ahead of demand, Honda or Toyota would never do that - they'd only add it as standard once it's expected to be standard.
Germans often try to be leaders in their solutions. This will often end up in a misfire, e.g. first version of the iDrive on BMW, but they are also patient, which results in problems being worked out, not just abandoned after an early miscue. Said iDrive is today one of the best working media interactive tool and has been copied by many others to some variation. BMW knew there were too many buttons, so they looked into something different. Took them a while to make it work, but they stayed the course even after heavy criticism. Benz needed almost 10 more years to finally retire its 50 separate buttons cockpit that required PhD in science to operate. Germans also have some strange habits of zigging, when others zag. The manual shift feature in my transmission has plus/minus exactly opposite than essentially everybody else. Benz is even worse by having them to the side. It's almost like they want to be different for the difference sake. Perhaps to build that "stickiness", as when you dump their brand, you have to form all new habits. This can irritate anybody getting to their vehicle first time to no end.

stickguy · May 2018

Now that Jetta is home, I cleaned in and out. Goes back 7/3, and miles currently at 28,700. So turns out the lease was a good use of money. Great MPG, and only money out of pocket extra was a set of wiper blades. All annual services were covered.

So I am satisfied with the value for my $226/month!

Sent princess a link to a listing for an R line. She liked that one!

Chatted with Delaware DMV. Looks like if she needs to buy before moving it will be doable. Not ideal, but maybe $500 extra. Will still try to hold off though.

abacomike · May 2018

dino001 said:

My former assistant at work bought a Jetta SEL or whatever they called their top-end model just before I retired in '14 and I got to ride in it a few times with her. It was really nice inside (if you like black interiors) and was very well-equipped. I didn't understand some of the criticism I had read of it in reviews. I think a big part of that is simply that many auto reviewers these days are fairly young and grew up as part of the Civic/Asian car era. So there is an inherent bias in favor of the Japanese car feel. German cars feel very different and it has always struck me as a polarizing sort of thing in that you either like one or the other but not both.
I like appreciate both, for different reasons. I think Japanese have best ergonomics and their stated design objectives are executed to perfection. My biggest beef with their vehicles were narrow option choices in the brochures and even narrower on the lot. You go to Toyota's or Honda's dealer websites and you can have literally pages of vehicles at the exact same price in the exact same color (usually some variation of grey, silver, black or white) and if you look for just something else (that according to the brochure should be available), it's nowhere to be found in 500 mile radius. Also, their attitude to safety features is always "on-time" delivery, never lead. What I mean by that some other manufacturers may try to add something (ABS, side impact airbags, anti-slip stability systems, etc.) as standard ahead of demand, Honda or Toyota would never do that - they'd only add it as standard once it's expected to be standard. Germans often try to be leaders in their solutions. This will often end up in a misfire, e.g. first version of the iDrive on BMW, but they are also patient, which results in problems being worked out, not just abandoned after an early miscue. Said iDrive is today one of the best working media interactive tool and has been copied by many others to some variation. BMW knew there were too many buttons, so they looked into something different. Took them a while to make it work, but they stayed the course even after heavy criticism. Benz needed almost 10 more years to finally retire its 50 separate buttons cockpit that required PhD in science to operate. Germans also have some strange habits of zigging, when others zag. The manual shift feature in my transmission has plus/minus exactly opposite than essentially everybody else. Benz is even worse by having them to the side. It's almost like they want to be different for the difference sake. Perhaps to build that "stickiness", as when you dump their brand, you have to form all new habits. This can irritate anybody getting to their vehicle first time to no end.

What I have noticed most about the 2018 MB S450 is that not only are there lots of bottons on the console, there are just as many on the steering wheel - 90% of which are merely redundancies. I can operate the main info screen and icons using one of three separate functions - a touch sensitive button on the right side of the steering wheel, a touch sensitive mouse on the console, or a wheel mouse just below and underneath that. There is a touch sensitive button on the left side of the steering wheel that operates the driver’s function screen display which is between the speedometer and tachometer. Most of those displays are settings and visuals that complement the main center dash screen.

So, the reason for the large numbers of buttons appears to be redundancy as well as driver convenience for changing settings while driving using the steering wheel buttons.

A bit over the top if you ask me!

tbirdmarco · May 2018

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

xwesx · May 2018

nyccarguy said:
Are we talking rising gas prices:

Prelude drank 93 octane at a rate of a little over 22 mpg
Infiniti guzzled 93 octane at a rate of just under 17.8 mpg

My Q7 does a little better than your Prelude....

xwesx · May 2018

@Michaell - Congrats on the milestone! That was a LOOOOOOONG time coming!

Michaell · May 2018

xwesx said:
@Michaell - Congrats on the milestone! That was a LOOOOOOONG time coming!

Yeah, 600+ days, IIRC. I'll be lucky to crack 20K before the end of my lease.

For such a bare bones car, I'm gonna miss it.

Subaru goes in for an oil change tonight - 25,000 miles and counting after 3+ years.

xwesx · May 2018

We will take a road trip in a couple of weeks. That should put about 6,000 miles on the Forester... and might actually give it some reasonable miles before changing the oil on the 7/4 weekend!

houdini1 · May 2018

driver100 said:
Is Bluetec still available or has everyone given up on diesel? It is too bad, that is impressive mileage.

Yes, got rid of most diesels...then started raising gas prices.

sda · May 2018

roadburner said:

ab348 said:
Way to go RB! I am curious why they hold an election in May if you don't take office until January though...
It was a primary race between two Republicans- there's no Democratic challenger in the fall.

Congratulations and well done!

cdnpinhead · May 2018

xwesx said:
We will take a road trip in a couple of weeks.!

Where are you headed?

Hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

jmonroe · May 2018

xwesx said:
We will take a road trip in a couple of weeks. That should put about 6,000 miles on the Forester... and might actually give it some reasonable miles before changing the oil on the 7/4 weekend!

6K miles.

Where are you going man? I never did a road trip like that. Compared to what you plan to do, I just ran the car long enough to cook out all the moisture from the operating fluids.

Good timing though, just in time for the gasoline price spikes. Remind me not to ask you when I should buy some stocks.

jmonroe

thebean · May 2018

Wow, 6K miles is a haul. We just got back from the Great Lakes excursion and covered 3,300 miles. Of course, that's just starting from Texas. Starting from Alaska is quite a different beast.