Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

xwesx · November 2019

stickguy said:
browsing around, this is the exact Santa Fe we would get if the wife decided to move ahead. This happens to be a slightly used one, but really did not change for 2020, so 7 months won't wipe out all the new car smell!

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/790881595/overview/

That is distinctly not red. Didn't you say she wanted a red one? Or was the pointing out of it in the commercial just to say she wanted that model?

stickguy · November 2019

She liked the blue better.

stickguy · November 2019

I’m debating phone upgrade too. Also have a 7 and battery not what it used to be. But I don’t want a payment so will nurse it along. And one day stop at apple and impulse buy!

corvette · November 2019

I have a 6s. Had a new battery installed earlier this year, and it runs iOS 13 really well. I had planned to upgrade next year, as I assume it won't receive iOS 14, but Apple has been continuing to fix security issues on iOS 12 devices (like my iPad mini 2), so if they keep that up, I may hold onto it a little longer. I would love to see them change over to USB-C on all iPhones/iPads.

tjc78 · November 2019

USB C for which end? The phone end or charger/comp end? The 11 Pro is USB-C on the charger/computer end already.

kyfdx · November 2019

Upgraded to an 8, this Spring (from a 5!)

My son just upgraded from X to 11 pro (max? not sure).
Ridiculous...

qbrozen · November 2019

Now that I'm used to it, I like my XS quite a bit.

qbrozen · November 2019

tjc78 said:
That's typical shifting behavior. I've driven a few of those Equinox's as rentals and that is what I remember.

Thank you!

carnaught · November 2019

kyfdx said:
Upgraded to an 8, this Spring (from a 5!)

My son just upgraded from X to 11 pro (max? not sure).
Ridiculous...

Our yung-uns need to have the latest and greatest

.

kyfdx · November 2019

carnaught said:

kyfdx said:
Upgraded to an 8, this Spring (from a 5!)

My son just upgraded from X to 11 pro (max? not sure).
Ridiculous...

Our yung-uns need to have the latest and greatest .

Speaking of that..

He is 25 yrs old. Really into cycling. Yesterday, he was rear-ended by a car. Fortunately, looks like just bruises and road rash, and really sore. But, it trashed the rear wheel on his bike, and his derailleurs (electronic shifting), and maybe some other issues. I stopped buying the bikes, once he got in college, so I had no idea what he had in this one. He built it himself, when he would see parts he really liked, at a discount (carbon fiber frame).

Dropped off his bike today, and he asked the owner of the shop what it would cost to replace it. The answer: $10K!!

Asked him how much he had in it.. uh.. about $6K. Unreal.

corvette · November 2019

tjc78 said:
USB C for which end? The phone end or charger/comp end? The 11 Pro is USB-C on the charger/computer end already.

The phone end. They’ve started switching the high end iPads to have USB-C on the device (and all MacBooks now charge via USB-C), I just wish they’d switch everything over to be consistent and help people avoid charger cable insanity.

Since I charge most of my devices overnight, the "rapid charge" functionality isn't that useful to me. The last MacBook I set up for somebody else, I never unboxed the charger, just charged it up with a regular 12w USB charger and a USB-A to USB-C cable.

28firefighter · November 2019

kyfdx said:

carnaught said:

kyfdx said:
Upgraded to an 8, this Spring (from a 5!)

My son just upgraded from X to 11 pro (max? not sure).
Ridiculous...

Our yung-uns need to have the latest and greatest .
Speaking of that..

He is 25 yrs old. Really into cycling. Yesterday, he was rear-ended by a car. Fortunately, looks like just bruises and road rash, and really sore. But, it trashed the rear wheel on his bike, and his derailleurs (electronic shifting), and maybe some other issues. I stopped buying the bikes, once he got in college, so I had no idea what he had in this one. He built it himself, when he would see parts he really liked, at a discount (carbon fiber frame).

Dropped off his bike today, and he asked the owner of the shop what it would cost to replace it. The answer: $10K!!

Asked him how much he had in it.. uh.. about $6K. Unreal.

I hope he received the driver's insurance information and opens a claim - both for the bike as well as for any injuries that might develop. He is very lucky it wasn't worse.

Sandman6472 · November 2019

My newer MacBook Air has the usb-c cable which I like cause either way one plugs it in, it works. I have so many lightning cords now that they'll be useless once all the iPhones switch over to usb-c connectors. You'd be surprised how many cords folks leave behind and other drivers who have android phones seem to always throw me any lightning cords they come upon.
The Apple store took me early and tweaked a few things and sent me on my way. The diagnostics were all within specs and no rational reason for the meltdown yesterday. Did suggest I use one of my softer cases so the side buttons will work better. The cover I've been using is super hard plastic, great for protection, but the Apple tech even he felt how the side buttons weren't responding as they should. Simple fix as I've got a couple cases at home, all softer. Picked up a few cases on OfferUp at ridicuouosly low prices. So now, I swap them out every so often.
Boca store in the Town Center was crazy busy with so many folks. But the Apple techs all wear the same shirts and are easy to spot. Got there about 50 minutes early, said no problem and within 8 minutes, I was with a tech. Did a bunch of tweaks to my XR and then did some kind of diagnostic using a tablet device. Came back as running perfetly so after a few questions and changing of settings that were wrong and could've caused yesterdays issues, I was on my way. Already walking in my door at 4:30, so glad I went up early as going home traffic was starting to ramp up to a fevered pitch.

xwesx · November 2019

Well, Sandy, here's hoping that the device behaves itself for a while now!

xwesx · November 2019

I still do not do cell phones, but I'm considering getting one for my son next year after he is 16. It's shocking to me how much these things cost! The phone aspect, though, is pretty cheap. It would likely cost me less to have a cell than to keep my land line... at least before I factor the device itself into the cost equation.

breld · November 2019

kyfdx said:

carnaught said:

kyfdx said:
Upgraded to an 8, this Spring (from a 5!)

My son just upgraded from X to 11 pro (max? not sure).
Ridiculous...

Our yung-uns need to have the latest and greatest .
Speaking of that..

He is 25 yrs old. Really into cycling. Yesterday, he was rear-ended by a car. Fortunately, looks like just bruises and road rash, and really sore. But, it trashed the rear wheel on his bike, and his derailleurs (electronic shifting), and maybe some other issues. I stopped buying the bikes, once he got in college, so I had no idea what he had in this one. He built it himself, when he would see parts he really liked, at a discount (carbon fiber frame).

Dropped off his bike today, and he asked the owner of the shop what it would cost to replace it. The answer: $10K!!

Asked him how much he had in it.. uh.. about $6K. Unreal.

My brother is an avid cyclist and has an addiction to bicycle purchases in the same vein as I have my own obsessions.

There are a few cars I have purchased that cost less than some of his bikes.

ab348 · November 2019

breld said:

My brother is an avid cyclist and has an addiction to bicycle purchases in the same vein as I have my own obsessions.

There are a few cars I have purchased that cost less than some of his bikes.

Well, we all have our weaknesses.

I have been a fan of the band Steely Dan for a while. Back about 15-20 years ago they had a very entertaining early website that was largely their own creation and both Walter Becker and Donald Fagen wrote a lot of the content. Becker had the nickname "Gearslut" because he could not stop buying guitars and amps.

He died in 2017 and recently his estate auctioned off literally hundred of pieces of equipment. It brought in $3.3 million, virtually all of it just guitars and amplifiers.

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Steely Dan, first heard them while I was at Tulane in late 1972 and have been an avid fan ever since. Those two made absolutely phenomanel music together Felt as bad when Walter died as I did when Karen did back in the early 80's!
Love my iPhone and hopefully, things will be fine now. Need a gps for work and have all my music in my iTunes on the phone.

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Got my renewal bill for Sirius/XM for 2020 and they want almost $250!! that's f'ing nuts, no way in h-ll am I going to pay that much. My top limit id $90/year plus taxes/royalties. That's it so gonna have to play the game again. And if it don't work, will just wait a few months as I might be ready to buy a new vehicle in early to mid 2020, so will get it on the new one. Turns out all the vehicles on my short list have Sirius so we're good there. As much as I love the variety on the 12 or so stations I have in my favorites, could take a few months off and use the iPod/iPhone to listen.

corvette · November 2019

xwesx said:
I still do not do cell phones, but I'm considering getting one for my son next year after he is 16. It's shocking to me how much these things cost! The phone aspect, though, is pretty cheap. It would likely cost me less to have a cell than to keep my land line... at least before I factor the device itself into the cost equation.

If you have good native T-mobile service and can connect to WiFi at most of your destinations (work, home, school), it’s hard to beat Mint. I pay $180 / year for service and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. If I’m traveling internationally, $20 or $30 in international roaming gets me enough bits to survive until I can buy a SIM card that’s native to whatever foreign country I’m in.

The devices are not cheap, if you prefer (as I do) to keep something which still receives security updates. I think Android’s official policy is three years from device release date; Apple doesn’t put anything in writing but tends to support their devices longer.

The two strategies I’ve used in the past are to either buy a recently released flagship device, *or* the next most recent device (heavily discounted), just after a new flagship is released. I’m fairly careful with my devices, but I have friends who break a phone every 6-12 months, so it might be different if you’re buying for someone who is more haphazard.

The cell phone insurance my credit card includes is not available to me because I don’t have a monthly cell phone bill, and that’s one of the requirements.

28firefighter · November 2019

I'll also add that the performance of your phone as it ages also has to do with the apps you're using. If your company installs mobile device management software or you use memory intensive applications, you may start to feel your device age faster than others. I generally get 2-3 years before mine are feeling painfully slow.

I have the XS now. It's fine. Entirely too expensive, but I like the camera.

corvette · November 2019

28firefighter said:
If your company installs mobile device management software or you use memory intensive applications, you may start to feel your device age faster than others.
...
Entirely too expensive, but I like the camera.

That's the reason I have a work computer on my desk, but also a personal laptop, tablet, and my phone. My company installs spyware on the work computer, but can't on my personal devices. It's nice to have another screen, which is my official excuse.

The camera on the 6s is good, but I'd like something a little better. I also have a great DSLR, so the camera alone isn't a great excuse to upgrade my phone.

stickguy · November 2019

I work from home and just have my iPad on the desk for personal surfing. My work laptop is squeaky clean. Maybe a few views of an article on MSN (which for some reason is the default homepage). An odd choice since most of the links from there are restricted.

some people use work machine for all kinds of surfing, and even stuff like home banking, which I would never do.

corvette · November 2019

stickguy said:

some people use work machine for all kinds of surfing, and even stuff like home banking, which I would never do.

I did, before they put spyware on all the machines. They used to only have three licenses for it and only installed it on the remote workers' machines.

tjc78 · November 2019

The spyware really doesn’t matter, any good network guy can see your traffic without ever touching your PC.

I won’t do banking at work, but certainly log on here a few times a day. If ever questioned I would counter with them going after all the smoke break abusers!

My office is the last door before the lunchroom/smokers area and the abuse is off the charts. Some go out 5 times or more a day. I don’t know how they get anything done.

corvette · November 2019

tjc78 said:
The spyware really doesn’t matter, any good network guy can see your traffic without ever touching your PC.

No, they can't--I use a VPN if I'm doing anything sensitive.

One of the recent hires is constantly taking a smoke break--gets their work done, but has to stay late in order to do so. I prefer not smoking and leaving at 5:00.

28firefighter · November 2019

I keep a personal computer on my desk at home next to my work one, as well.

tjc78 · November 2019

VPN... yeah that’s one way to do it!

ab348 · November 2019

tjc78 said:

My office is the last door before the lunchroom/smokers area and the abuse is off the charts. Some go out 5 times or more a day. I don’t know how they get anything done.

You just reminded me of something I hadn't thought about for a long time.

From '82 to '85 I worked at the largest hospital in the region in what was a new part of the administration, essentially an in-house management consulting group. There were 8 to 10 of us, and being a new unit, we were housed in less-than-prime office space. This was a teaching hospital that included a School of Nursing that was housed in its own somewhat old building. The school had more dorm rooms than they needed so the top 3 floors, which were sort of a penthouse built on top of the main structure and was smaller than the main building footprint, was converted to offices. In our case we got two floors, each with 6 offices (plus a large washroom on each floor complete with showers, etc as you might expect to find in a dorm). My office was at the far end of the lowest of the two floors and was adjacent to a door that led out to the roof of the main building. Being a former dorm room it was a good size, and we had been able to furnish each one with surplus furniture the hospital had in storage. In my case this included a waiting room sofa, coffee table and two visitor chairs in addition to my desk and chair.

At some point long before, a couple of large sections of the roof had decks built over the roof membrane and these were used by the nursing students as their own private sun deck. Naturally in warm weather the young ladies used it for suntanning and hanging out outside. It was quite common for them to knock on my office door, usually in bathing suits, and ask to use the nearest power plug in my office to power their boom boxes. Since I was not much older than they were, many of them would stay and chat, and we became buddies.

I don't know how *I* got anything done.

kyfdx · November 2019

Look! It’s an SHO!

suydam · November 2019

tjc78 said:
Waiting for the 2020 model as think they'll be major changes like a usb-c cord and 5G ready.

My wife's 11 PRO Max has both of those.

I think I have to finally retire my 7 Plus. Battery life is getting dismal and the home button is getting flaky. It's been a good run (3 years). It's also slightly bent so it's had a hard life.

I have the 6s. Got a new battery for $29 and it works great again. I’m keeping it until I really need a new one. Instead I replaced my iPad (battery cannot be replaced) for less than half the cost of a new phone. Love my new iPad and will just keep on truckin with the older phone as long as it can still be updated.
If I remember, you didn’t buy that phone new, isn’t that right?

tjc78 · November 2019

No it was brand new. I’ve actually never gotten 3 years out of any phone.

breld · November 2019

My A5 just showed up on Echopark's website. They "shipped" it down to Colorado Springs, which I'm curious as to how that decision is made.

It's listed for $37,239...they paid me $35,000 for it. How does that business model work?

I mean...it works for me.

nyccarguy · November 2019

I had a customer for many years named Luigi. He was a barely 5' tall Italian man who owned some buildings on Manhattan's West Side. I knew him from when I used to come to work with my Dad on Saturdays as a little kid. He was the only person who ever called me "Junior" (even though I'm not officially a Junior). One day he ordered 3 cases of bleach from me (part of his normal monthly order). He called me up the next week and ordered 4 more cases of bleach.

I said to him: "Luigi. I just delivered 3 cases to you at the end of last week."

He said to me (joking): "Junior. Leta me tell you asomething. I order the material. You deliver the material. You understand? Junior. Don't aska no questions."

Me: "Yes sir."

So I say to you @breld : "don't aska no questions."

breld · November 2019

May have found the future replacement for the wife's Alltrack.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29851066/vw-id-space-vizzion-concept-ev-revealed/

Michaell · November 2019

breld said:
May have found the future replacement for the wife's Alltrack.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29851066/vw-id-space-vizzion-concept-ev-revealed/

That's sharp looking. Size of your V90, eh?

stickguy · November 2019

2022 launch? That is what, 4-5 cars down the line?

and the Audi probably needed nothing. Take it in, detail it, put it on the lot, sell at that price, and make a quick $2K profit.

corvette · November 2019

kyfdx said:

Look! It’s an SHO!

The extremely rare LX trim level SHO.

qbrozen · November 2019

soooo... yeah. Not happy with the Equinox right now. That whirring noise I mentioned is pretty bad. But it ONLY happens when the weight of the car is shifting forward. Accelerates and cruises serenely. Its just under braking and under a certain speed that I get the noise. I can lessen it a bit if I shift to neutral before braking, but just a little. hmmmm...

28firefighter · November 2019

qbrozen said:
soooo... yeah. Not happy with the Equinox right now. That whirring noise I mentioned is pretty bad. But it ONLY happens when the weight of the car is shifting forward. Accelerates and cruises serenely. Its just under braking and under a certain speed that I get the noise. I can lessen it a bit if I shift to neutral before braking, but just a little. hmmmm...

Sell. Sell. Sell.

andres3 · November 2019

qbrozen said:
soooo... yeah. Not happy with the Equinox right now. That whirring noise I mentioned is pretty bad. But it ONLY happens when the weight of the car is shifting forward. Accelerates and cruises serenely. Its just under braking and under a certain speed that I get the noise. I can lessen it a bit if I shift to neutral before braking, but just a little. hmmmm...

The stereotype "cheapquinox" wasn't invented by me, nor Trump. I can tell you my GM loving in-laws traded that one in and didn't like it. The GM fans are rather forgiving, I just stay away, far away.

breld · November 2019

stickguy said:
2022 launch? That is what, 4-5 cars down the line?

and the Audi probably needed nothing. Take it in, detail it, put it on the lot, sell at that price, and make a quick $2K profit.

Correct, the Audi didn't need anything, but that still seems like a slim profit.

They also accepted the car with the winter wheel set - they are OEM Audi wheels, but I know for a fact the dealership group where I leased the Volvo wanted the stock S-line wheels on it. I should be able to net another $500 or so out of the extra wheels set, so that's nice.

breld · November 2019

Michaell said:

breld said:
May have found the future replacement for the wife's Alltrack.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29851066/vw-id-space-vizzion-concept-ev-revealed/
That's sharp looking. Size of your V90, eh?

The 2 year lease could work out well with these new EVs coming out.

suydam · November 2019

Re the Equinox — tell us again why you still have this vehicle?

suydam · November 2019

tjc78 said:
No it was brand new. I’ve actually never gotten 3 years out of any phone.

Sorry. I meant @Sandman6472

xwesx · November 2019

breld said:
May have found the future replacement for the wife's Alltrack.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29851066/vw-id-space-vizzion-concept-ev-revealed/

Hideous wheels, but otherwise a pleasant concept. Hopefully they translate much if not all of that interior into a production model. The inside looks quite nice.

xwesx · November 2019

breld said:

stickguy said:
2022 launch? That is what, 4-5 cars down the line?

and the Audi probably needed nothing. Take it in, detail it, put it on the lot, sell at that price, and make a quick $2K profit.
Correct, the Audi didn't need anything, but that still seems like a slim profit.

They also accepted the car with the winter wheel set - they are OEM Audi wheels, but I know for a fact the dealership group where I leased the Volvo wanted the stock S-line wheels on it. I should be able to net another $500 or so out of the extra wheels set, so that's nice.

You could call up the dealer and offer to sell the set to them! I'm sure it will work out to a substantial savings over a new OEM set, even at dealer wholesale.

stickguy · November 2019

If the noise bothers you, turn the radio up. Unless you want to actually figure out if the noise actually matters.

or of course, unload it.

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Breld, that Kia is just like the new Hyundai Venue coming out. Funny, I stopped by the local Kia store today to pick up a check for my boss and was talking to a sales guy outside. He wanted to sell me something as he came up to me as I was looking at a new Soul outside. I mentioned that I'm anxiously awaiting the new Hyundai Venue and he told me to just wait. His store manager just got back from somewhere in Colorado where they were introduced to a new small CUV, but he couldn't tell me the name. He said "it'll blow your socks off "as it's like a mini Telluride. Gave me his card and told me that he'll call me when they start arriving. old him I'm gonna want the top of the line with all the safety and audio stuff as it's gonna be a belated 65th birthday present.
So, when I just saw your post, I was interested and logged into Car and Driver. And up top of the page, there it was! I just emailed him to tell him the name of it as he just said it started with an "S". Coming some time in the spring. Pricing for the top model will probably be in the high 20's but, if it's that good, might just do it! Of course, have to see it in person and drive it first, play with the interior. But if it's like the Golf was on my initial test drive, I'll know within 5 or so minutes if I'm gonna buy it. With the Golf, about four minutes in, told myself that this is it, maybe not this week, maybe not next, but I've found my next vehicle.
And hoping things go the same way with this new Kia, or even the Hyundai Venue. I'll know pretty quickly that it's going to be in my garage shortly!

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Cell phone working like new again, it even says the name of the caller if they're in my contacts, something it never did before. Whatever, as long as it works like it does now, I'm good. Hopefully I'll keep this XR longer than a year, maybe even two. But with sites like OfferUp, if I can find a decent price for a new iPhone soon after it comes out, I'll just do it!
I've had a week to think it all over, and after talking with the wife last night, going to go through and sign up with The Neptune Society and have my final wishes taken care of. All the family will need to pay for is the county medical examiners sign off on the death certificate as have no clue whether we'll still be living in South Florida, Central Florida or even North Carolina when the end comes. 99% of things will be paid already, and they come pick up the body within a 90 minute to two hour time frame. Then it'll already be spelled out what my final wishes are. No fuss, no muss.
I think the subject of dying scares a lot of people so they never have this conversation, ever. After I got deathly ill last year, I am no longer scared of death...it's just part of living. But since I will not stand being buried in a box underground, I'm doing the planning my way. My wife and oldest will know what I want and what will be done well, once I'm gone! Even though it's not required, I'm planning on leaving the three kids something, have no clue what amount that will be, but it'll be substantial enough for them to have some fun! Just like what my dad and grandma left me, wasn't a whole lot but enough for me to buy a new vehicle and invest in the stock market. It came at a tough time in my life and it gave me some much needed confidence when I really needed it. Personally, I think people feel better and act more positive when they have money in the bank or in other investments. Just knowing I don't have to ask anyone else if I want to buy something or hell, just leave it for the three kids. Trust me, when the time comes, they'll be thanking me where ever I am!

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