Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jipster · April 2020

benjaminh said:

jipster said:
....Saleslady said because of the corona virus, no contact with customers. no test drive. Originally texted that they would disinfect the car, and I could take it for test.drive. So who knows what they'll say tomorrow. Maybe I should show up wearing a hazmat suit?
Neil Huffman Acura at Oxmoor says that they will deliver a nice clean vehicle for you to test drive at your house. You said you needed to keep it to 28k, and the TLX on a lease might fit that. Let's see, base msrp with destination is 34k-7k lease incentive=28-2k (?) additional dealer discount = 26k. The fees and taxes and stuff will take it back to 28k, but that was your number. Perhaps worth a try? I can guarantee you it's a nicer car than the Sonata in almost every way, although the Sonata does have a roomier back seat. Just a thought.

I asked Oxmoor Hyundai about delivering a car for test drive. It is listed as a service on their website. They said they didn't have enough salespeople to do that. My brother's friend, sales manager at The Kia Store, said he had.to lay off half of his employees because there wasn't enough work.

I've actually never paid much attention to the Acura brand. Not really looking to lease. But, it does sound like a nice car. So the $7,000 lease incentive would be to lease, then when the lease is up you would buy for residual value?

Probably will try to stay well under 28k, but who knows. I'm fairly undecided about everything at the moment. LOL.

oldfarmer50 · April 2020

ab348 said:

abacomike said:

While I was there (about 3 miles from my Condo), I noticed there was a Publix next door and the parking lot was almost empty. So I went in and the store was almost empty. I was able to stock up on frozen vegetables and canned soup and pineapple. Also got some freshly sliced roasted turkey breast and some cheese. This was about 11:00 AM.

Maybe that's the key - shop late morning. The Publix closer to me is always jammed with seniors and they are very territorial - those aisles can be dangerous when they are on the prowl for food as all of you know from my experiences in that grocery store.
I discovered the exact same phenomenon. The market I generally use was one that was always crazy busy when I would typically go. Now I’m going Tuesday or Wednesday mid-morning and it is almost empty. I will keep going at that time from now on.

I must be picking a bad time. I went to my regular market around 4 and even though it wasn’t packed they had instituted a cue system where they only allowed you to approach the registers one at a time. Backed up shoppers all the way around the store. One old lady tried to cut in front of me and when I pointed to the back of the line many isles over she almost started to cry.

Getting sick of that market. They haven’t had any paper products for weeks. WaltMart is a joy compared to them. I think when this is over they’re going to lose a lot of customers

benjaminh · April 2020

jipster said:
....I've actually never paid much attention to the Acura brand. Not really looking to lease. But, it does sound like a nice car. So the $7,000 lease incentive would be to lease, then when the lease is up you would buy for residual value? Probably will try to stay well under 28k, but who knows. I'm fairly undecided about everything at the moment. LOL.

The least expensive new 2020 Sonata according the Oxmoor Hyundai website is $24k:

https://www.oxmoorhyundai.com/inventory/new-2020-hyundai-sonata-se-fwd-4d-sedan-5npeg4ja3lh025787

Like stick and some other people here, I randomly check out cars that I have no intention ever of buying. For some reason I check that dealer every couple of months, and back when they were getting rid of their 2019 Sonatas they listed right on their website huge discounts of c. $5000 off of the old Sonatas. I assume bigger discounts will kick in soon, but right now they're only taking a pathetic $700 off the price of that cheapest Sonata on the lot. Compare that to 7000 off Acura will give you from the factory, plus at least 2k you can get off the price from the dealer, and what it comes down to is that you can get the base Acura TLX for $26k.

What is an Acura TLX like? Well, the mean way to put it is that it's nicer than the nicest Honda Accord ever made. And the Honda Accord, pretty much everyone would agree, is still a nicer car than the Sonata. In other words, for $2k over a base Sonata you are making a big jump in luxury, quality, and performance. Do you ever like driving? If you do, or if you did when you were younger, I think you'll like driving the TLX—it's very quiet and luxurious, and yet sporty. Excellent stereo. Again, the rear seat of the TLX is smaller than a Sonata's. But it's adequate imho unless you are taking big trips with 4 people in the car. Why not give it a test drive? If you don't like it, just say no thanks.

PS But if you do like it, Acura of Oxmoor throws in the first 2 years of maintenance with every sale.

suydam · April 2020

@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?

dino001 · April 2020

I'm seeing huge disparities between protection levels at stores. Costco is an absolute leader in both measures and timing (they did it before others even thought about anything), from traffic flows, to line organization, to protection of the employees, to cart sanitizing practice. In comparison, local Publix management seems to be pretty oblivious to the news of the epidemic by the way the store is organized. .Perhaps the owners watch too much Sean Hannity and still believe the whole thing is a hoax

:laughing: Actually it's not that funny, unfortunately.

jipster · April 2020

benjaminh said:

jipster said:
....I've actually never paid much attention to the Acura brand. Not really looking to lease. But, it does sound like a nice car. So the $7,000 lease incentive would be to lease, then when the lease is up you would buy for residual value? Probably will try to stay well under 28k, but who knows. I'm fairly undecided about everything at the moment. LOL.
The least expensive new 2020 Sonata according the Oxmoor Hyundai website is $24k:

https://www.oxmoorhyundai.com/inventory/new-2020-hyundai-sonata-se-fwd-4d-sedan-5npeg4ja3lh025787

Like stick and some other people here, I randomly check out cars that I have no intention ever of buying. For some reason I check that dealer every couple of months, and back when they were getting rid of their 2019 Sonatas they listed right on their website huge discounts of c. $5000 off of the old Sonatas. I assume bigger discounts will kick in soon, but right now they're only taking a pathetic $700 off the price of that cheapest Sonata on the lot. Compare that to 7000 off Acura will give you from the factory, plus at least 2k you can get off the price from the dealer, and what it comes down to is that you can get the base Acura TLX for $26k.

What is an Acura TLX like? Well, the mean way to put it is that it's nicer than the nicest Honda Accord ever made. And the Honda Accord, pretty much everyone would agree, is still a nicer car than the Sonata. In other words, for $2k over a base Sonata you are making a big jump in luxury, quality, and performance. Do you ever like driving? If you do, or if you did when you were younger, I think you'll like driving the TLX—it's very quiet and luxurious, and yet sporty. Excellent stereo. Again, the rear seat of the TLX is smaller than a Sonata's. But it's adequate imho unless you are taking big trips with 4 people in the car. Why not give it a test drive? If you don't like it, just say no thanks.

PS But if you do like it, Acura of Oxmoor throws in the first 2 years of maintenance with every sale.

You have me salivating over that car. I'm going to look at a TLX. If I happen to buy one, I'm going to tell that salesman to split his commission with you. ;-)

abacomike · April 2020

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?

I do! So what's your point?

stickguy · April 2020

I'm thinking that the dealers must be confused as heck right now about what to do, and how to price. I doubt many people are shopping either, even with the "we will bring it to you for a test drive" offers. At least not mainstream models. But on the flip side, they probably aren't getting any new stock in. So maybe they are just mostly sitting tight, waiting for normal times to return (or as close as we are going to get any time soon).

One of the dealer Emails (I got a lot recently!), I think a BMW dealer, speciifcally called out that if you had a lease coming due, they would just take care of it. Though I think BMW dealers just take returns straight up, without having to get a 3rd party inspection first. Not sure what Hyundai or VW is doing.

benjaminh · April 2020

jipster said:
You have me salivating over that car. I'm going to look at a TLX. If I happen to buy one, I'm going to tell that salesman to split his commission with you. ;-)

Well, we'll see if you actually like it lol! But I think it's a really nice car at an amazing price. Here are some pix of the base model that's at Oxmoor Acura. They also have red one with a black interior at about the same price.

Premium fuel is recommended but not required for Acuras. Running on regular gas won't hurt the engine, but you won't get quite as much horsepower in some situations. The last image in this group of 4 pix is the back seat. Yet again, it's smaller than a Sonata, but adequate unless you are regularly transporting big people back there.

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/new-Louisville-2020-Acura-TLX-Base-19UUB1F32LA008071

benjaminh · April 2020

Here's the red one. Both of 'em look good to me.

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/new-Louisville-2020-Acura-TLX-Base-19UUB1F32LA001170

roadburner · April 2020

stickguy said:

roadburner said:
As I said over on the CCBA topic, the new GTS and used 540i M sport have both dropped under $40k- but interest rates are still a bit high. I'm also scanning for M2s, but most have DCT and some have the sacrilege of a hole in the roof. The only option I want is the Executive Package- and nothing else.
If there was ever someone that needed to special order, it is you. Just go have one built and get the weird configuration you want!

Weird? The F87 of that vintage only had three options- Exec. Pkg., DCT, and a sunroof. When I worked at my dealer I think the split for manual and DCT was probably 70-30; and only one F87 had a sunroof(and a DCT)- I suspected it was a graduation gift for Buffy.

stickguy · April 2020

well, I'm partial to Red. but to each his own.

The back seat to me is perfectly fine. Might not be limo like, but I have driven adults back there and they seemed nice and comfortable. as long as there is enough room, don't really need more!

But I still say that you need the tech package on one of these.

there are also likely some very good deals on slightly used CPOs.

snakeweasel · April 2020

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?

You do realized that the United States has the third highest population in the world. Give me percentage of population not raw numbers.

Edited to add: Both Italy and Spain each has more Coronavirus deaths than the US but they have a combined population that is less than one third of the US. Also Chinas numbers are very suspect.

stickguy · April 2020

here is one random one at my dealer. No clue what they would actually take at this point though.

https://www.eliteacura.com/inventory/certified-used-2020-acura-tlx-with-technology-package-front-wheel-drive-sedan-19uub1f55la008857

jipster · April 2020

benjaminh said:
Here's the red one. Both of 'em look good to me.

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/new-Louisville-2020-Acura-TLX-Base-19UUB1F32LA001170

I like the red, white looks great too. But, where are you seeing the $7,000 off from Acura? I cant find it..

benjaminh · April 2020

stickguy said:
....But I still say that you need the tech package on one of these.

there are also likely some very good deals on slightly used CPOs.

As you know, I have the tech package too, and I agree it's very nice. But is it necessary if you're cross-shopping a base Sonata? And to keep within his budget he really needs to go with the base TLX. And the CPO's aren't really much less. The cash on the hood that Acura has right now is so large that really you are getting a new car for the price of a slightly used one imho. Let's look at what he'd get on that base Sonata, which is easy to do because Oxmoor Hyundai let's you look at the window sticker online. Here's a screen shot of the details....

Anyway, the base Sonata is well-equipped for a base model, but it has a manual seat, no moonroof, a so-so stereo, etc., etc. Getting into the base TLX from that is a big jump up—power driver and passenger seat, moonroof, better engine and transmission, bigger and better wheels and tires, quality all around from the door handles to the seats to the leather wrapped steering wheel. The Sonata is no doubt a good car, but it's not close to the level of a base Acura imho, and obviously only the incentives make it possible to even consider cross-shopping.

Michaell · April 2020

jipster said:

benjaminh said:
Here's the red one. Both of 'em look good to me.

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/new-Louisville-2020-Acura-TLX-Base-19UUB1F32LA001170

I like the red, white looks great too. But, where are you seeing the $7,000 off from Acura? I cant find it..

The incentive is to the dealer, and is valid only if you lease.

FYI, we haven't seen the lease incentives yet, for April.

And, only $1500 incentive if you purchase. But, not on the base 2.4.

benjaminh · April 2020

Yeah, it would have to be a lease to purchase. Based on this dealer's website it looks like the incentives are holding up? This is for a 7500 mile a year lease with the conquest or loyalty incentive....

@jipster by any chance does your family have one of the brands below?

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/newspecials.html

Acura Conquest/Loyalty Lease
$0 Due At Signing!
Available to current owners of a 2010 or newer Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Genesis, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes Benz or Volvo vehicle. $0 due at signing, $0 security deposit.

Lease a 2020 Acura TLX 2.4 8-DCT P-AWS for $289/mo. for 36 months.

Offer Expires 4/30/2020

jipster · April 2020

benjaminh said:
Yeah, it would have to be a lease to purchase. Based on this dealer's website it looks like the incentives are holding up? This is for a 7500 mile a year lease with the conquest or loyalty incentive....

@jipster by any chance does your family have one of the brands below?

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/newspecials.html

Acura Conquest/Loyalty Lease
$0 Due At Signing!
Available to current owners of a 2010 or newer Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Genesis, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes Benz or Volvo vehicle. $0 due at signing, $0 security deposit.

Lease a 2020 Acura TLX 2.4 8-DCT P-AWS for $289/mo. for 36 months.

Offer Expires 4/30/2020

Don't have any of the listed vehicles in my fleet. But, I do qualify as a health care professional. That's $750 towards a new or lease.

suydam · April 2020

abacomike said:

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?
I do! So what's your point?

We’re not exactly the best place to be right now.

andres3 · April 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:
OF, talked with a guy on our crew, he's in his late 30's, and he's already filed for unemployment and says others have to though he couldn't tell me who. Spoke with another guy on the crew, he's in his mid 70's, and he's done nothing, same as me. I'm not sure what to do here since I've still got my monthly income coming in as usual. Just not sure right now if I should file, will they try to fight it, will they let me back if I do file and the work place opens up again? Just not sure what to do?
What are folks in your crew doing?
When my boss called me with the lay off notice he specifically said to file for UI so I’m guessing the company is ok with it. Originally I wasn’t going to file but since we don’t know how long we’ll be out I said what the heck. If I’m not eligible because of SS or pensions I’ll let them tell me.

My problem is that I got 90% through the automated process on the phone and the the robot told me I’d have to talk to a representative and hung up. After calling for a week and getting nothing but a busy signal I’m not sure how long it will take. Web site has crashed too. I’d hate to be needing money to pay for food and have this happen. I’m standing down for now so as to not tie up services others may need more than me.
Sounds like a typical government agency. Sure, there is high demand right now, but that's really an excuse isn't it? Incompetence runs rampant in our government.
Yes it is an excuse, you can count on your hand the number of services where the quality of the services will not diminish as use increases. Services have a critical mass that once that is exceeded the quality of that service drops. Imagine everybody in the country deciding to get gas all at the same time, do you think you could find a station where you can just pull up to a pump?
I don’t have to imagine. I was around during the 1973 gas crisis.

The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis is more recent.

andres3 · April 2020

This is quite timely to the times right now:

https://www.10news.com/news/coronavirus/chp-officers-say-less-traffic-is-leading-to-more-speeding-drivers-during-coronavirus-pandemic

"Latulippe (CHP OFFICER) said officers have also noticed a decrease in car crashes, which has resulted in more officers paying attention to speed.

"Since there's less traffic our crashes have gone down, those same officers that were out there, that number hasn't changed so now your odds of getting the tickets is more," he said.

Looks to me like the powers that be saw revenues were down from tickets/citations, and gave the order to continue the revenue stream.

Crashes are down, safety is up, but revenues must not be allowed to be down!

And yes, I"m aware less vehicle miles are being driven right now. Still, I'm driving some stretches of freeway I normally have to go 0-5 MPH in at 45-90 MPH now during rush hours. These speeds up to 18 multiples higher than usual average speeds during the commute should outweigh the safety benefits of lighter traffic, should it not? ASKING the "speed kills" crowd?

I think WHO is responsible for regurgitating some questionable figures and equations on the risks of speeds for causing a collision. Surely a multiplier of 18 should put me in the "certain to have a crash category".

Lastly, one thing the CHP Officer said I"m not buying:

"Part of social distancing is you driving safely so I'm not forced to stop you."

No one is forcing him to do a thing. He has perfectly capable discretion not to be a revenue generator if he chooses to do so.

Still, I'm glad for the people going 100+ keeping them busy since he did point out this (repeating for emphasis):

"Since there's less traffic our crashes have gone down, those same officers that were out there, that number hasn't changed so now your odds of getting the tickets is more," he said.

So happy to see that improved safety and less crashes makes for more revenue generation time! How quaint!

Sandman6472 · April 2020

I know the Publix of which Mike speaks, we used to go there when we had our townhouse in his area, opened in 1983 or there abouts. The one near our current house, opened right after we moved in in 1987, is basically where we're going now. Besides being out of paper products and sanitizer, they've pretty much restocked their shelves. So, we'll need some lunches and dinners for the weekend as my wife is working for TT through Monday night. Might bring in a pizza again, they still have their $10.00 large pie special going on and then, we'll have enough for 2 meals. This way, I'll get out of the house about noon or so which seems to be a good time to shop.

Sandman6472 · April 2020

Insomnia again this Friday morning, the days all seem to meld into one. I needed to look at my phone just now to see what day it was, for some reason, I thought it was Tuesday.
Sat in the new TLX at the Acura store a few weeks back as I delivered a vehicle they bought from us but had to wait for about 90 minutes for the chase vehicle to pick me up. It's definitely a nice vehicle, a bit too big for my tastes, but definitely a nice vehicle. Did like the RDX more but, it's a much different vehicle. The ILX was a big let down to be honest and think they'd sell more of them if they also had a 5 door alongside the sedan.
But I honestly think Jip isn't that interested in one no matter how much better a few in here think they are. Sometimes it might be better to suggest a vehicle to someone else and let it go. If they like it, they'll know what to do honestly. Jip's been to the rodeo many many times so I think he knows what he's doing. Maybe it's just best to back off and let things be!

oldfarmer50 · April 2020

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?

Well, China is lying through it’s teeth about their numbers so there’s that. Last time I calculated from the published numbers the death rate was .66%. Regular flu is about .50%.

ab348 · April 2020

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the sense that the TLX is kind of like Mercury or Buick used to be - better-equipped and trimmed than a mainstream car, but not really a luxury car either, sort of an in-betweener. That is a tough segment to be in these days, especially with brands like Hyundai that load on the features in their standard models like so much icing.

qbrozen · April 2020

A broker on LH is advertising the base 4-cyl TLX for what comes to about $290/mo with $290 at signing plus your state’s tax and tags. 24/10 term and includes the $750 conquest. If you have loyalty, that would knock about $20/mo off. Roughly $9400 off MSRP.

snakeweasel · April 2020

andres3 said:
This is quite timely to the times right now:

https://www.10news.com/news/coronavirus/chp-officers-say-less-traffic-is-leading-to-more-speeding-drivers-during-coronavirus-pandemic

"Latulippe (CHP OFFICER) said officers have also noticed a decrease in car crashes, which has resulted in more officers paying attention to speed.

"Since there's less traffic our crashes have gone down, those same officers that were out there, that number hasn't changed so now your odds of getting the tickets is more," he said.

Looks to me like the powers that be saw revenues were down from tickets/citations, and gave the order to continue the revenue stream.

Crashes are down, safety is up, but revenues must not be allowed to be down!

And yes, I"m aware less vehicle miles are being driven right now. Still, I'm driving some stretches of freeway I normally have to go 0-5 MPH in at 45-90 MPH now during rush hours. These speeds up to 18 multiples higher than usual average speeds during the commute should outweigh the safety benefits of lighter traffic, should it not? ASKING the "speed kills" crowd?

I think WHO is responsible for regurgitating some questionable figures and equations on the risks of speeds for causing a collision. Surely a multiplier of 18 should put me in the "certain to have a crash category".

Lastly, one thing the CHP Officer said I"m not buying:

"Part of social distancing is you driving safely so I'm not forced to stop you."

No one is forcing him to do a thing. He has perfectly capable discretion not to be a revenue generator if he chooses to do so.

Still, I'm glad for the people going 100+ keeping them busy since he did point out this (repeating for emphasis):

"Since there's less traffic our crashes have gone down, those same officers that were out there, that number hasn't changed so now your odds of getting the tickets is more," he said.

So happy to see that improved safety and less crashes makes for more revenue generation time! How quaint!

Crashes are down but CHP has stated that it's the fender benders are down, they are seeing more severe crashes.

If you want to avoid the so called revenue generators slow down. It's not that hard to understand.

kyfdx · April 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?
Well, China is lying through it’s teeth about their numbers so there’s that. Last time I calculated from the published numbers the death rate was .66%. Regular flu is about .50%.

Flu is 0.10%

The lowest reported for Coronavirus so far is nearly 1% (some higher).

10 times as deadly... Plus, no treatment or vaccination, like the flu.

Of course, we won't really know the actual numbers until it's over (if then).

abacomike · April 2020

suydam said:

abacomike said:

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?
I do! So what's your point?
We’re not exactly the best place to be right now.

Then where would you prefer living - where is it better than here? Russia? Britain? China? Japan? South Korea? Mexico? South Africa? Jamaica? Aruba? Tell me where it's better than here.

About 2% of our population have succumbed to this virus and died - 80+% of the victims over age 65 with pre-existing medical problems. The world average death toll is over 5%. Furthermore, the data and statistics coming out of Asia and the Middle East are questionable to say the least. So the death toll worldwide could be as high as 7-8%.

If I get this virus, there is no other country I would rather be living in other than the US because of our healthcare system. Yes, we were caught with our pants down, but so was the rest of the world.

tjc78 · April 2020

Our local ShopRite has been fantastic during this. My wife keeps showing me Facebook post from them sometimes 3X a day showing a spreadsheet with what they are in stock on.

We had to take my son to the doc (he got hit in the eye with a Nerf bullet) and figured since we were out and had to drive past the market I’d go in.

They were “thin” in many areas but certainly no shortage of food. They had TP and honestly we were a little low so I did buy a 20 pack. That should get us through for a good while now.

snakeweasel · April 2020

ab348 said:
Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the sense that the TLX is kind of like Mercury or Buick used to be - better-equipped and trimmed than a mainstream car, but not really a luxury car either, sort of an in-betweener. That is a tough segment to be in these days, especially with brands like Hyundai that load on the features in their standard models like so much icing.

I don't think your wrong, I have the same feeling. It's more like an entryway luxury car, somewhere between a mainstream car and a true luxury.

abacomike · April 2020

I contacted Mercedes Benz USA and my dealership to advise them that if they want to sell me a car, they can take back my lease 6 months early with only 20,000 miles on it and sell me the new one at dead cost less incentives at 1% interest for 60-72 months. They informed me that should those conditions arise, I would be contacted.

Let's face it, it's a buyer's market right now so all I need is patience and to keep a higher balance in my checking account should the need for a down payment occur.

So, I merely said you can call me at any time.

benjaminh · April 2020

ab348 said:
Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the sense that the TLX is kind of like Mercury or Buick used to be - better-equipped and trimmed than a mainstream car, but not really a luxury car either, sort of an in-betweener. That is a tough segment to be in these days, especially with brands like Hyundai that load on the features in their standard models like so much icing.

To a degree you have a point. Although imho back in the day a Buick, and even an Oldsmobile, esp. if it was a mid or higher end model with some options (what options does your Olds have?), was really a big step up from a Chevy or Ford. And even these days I was surprised at what a step up it was in terms of performance and feel from a 2018 Accord to a 2018 TLX. If you compare them side by side, one right after the other, it's a big difference— from small things like the door handles, to bigger things like the steering, handling, braking, transmission, etc. But yeah, the sedan market has been brutally tough all around for the last five years, with even brands like Ford getting out of the biz entirely. These across-the-board declining sales even before this current situation must be why Acura has been putting these big incentives on the hood. The base TLX is nicely equipped, having more standard stuff than a BMW 2-series or Mercedes A-class, and lots of things that are certainly optional on a Sonata, Camry, or Accord. But Acura has tried to keep it affordable to someone who might be cross-shopping a mid-level standard sedan, which maybe put it in a weird market position. The all new 2021 TLX, which was due in a few months before this crisis hit, might go upmarket in terms of power and price for the base model.

tjc78 · April 2020

IDK what luxury really even is anymore. So many cars are just so loaded with creature comforts and tech.

In all reality is a Sierra Denali not as “Luxurious” as a BMW 3?

qbrozen · April 2020

tjc78 said:
IDK what luxury really even is anymore. So many cars are just so loaded with creature comforts and tech.

In all reality is a Sierra Denali not as “Luxurious” as a BMW 3?

Of course, it is subjective, but I think of luxury as way more than just features. I actually don't care about features because those are easy for manufacturers to add. My Ioniq has more tech than our X2, but no way in hell anyone would ever mistake the Hyundai for a luxury vehicle. Luxury, to me, comes down to the quality of materials and engineering effort. Cars that I find luxurious have high-quality leather, better sound deadening, better suspension, details where most skimp out (example of this would be stitched leather on dash areas in footwells, carpeting in storage bins, LEDs throughout, etc), not to mention that overall vault-like feel/sound.

ab348 · April 2020

In some ways, defining luxury is similar to how Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart described hard-core porn: "I know it when I see it". It is all sorts of things and how one perceives them.

snakeweasel · April 2020

abacomike said:

suydam said:

abacomike said:

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?
I do! So what's your point?
We’re not exactly the best place to be right now.
Then where would you prefer living - where is it better than here? Russia? Britain? China? Japan? South Korea? Mexico? South Africa? Jamaica? Aruba? Tell me where it's better than here.

About 2% of our population have succumbed to this virus and died - 80+% of the victims over age 65 with pre-existing medical problems. The world average death toll is over 5%. Furthermore, the data and statistics coming out of Asia and the Middle East are questionable to say the least. So the death toll worldwide could be as high as 7-8%.

If I get this virus, there is no other country I would rather be living in other than the US because of our healthcare system. Yes, we were caught with our pants down, but so was the rest of the world.

About 2% of our population have succumbed to this virus and died? That would be close to 5 million people.

Edited to add: the percentage of the US population that has died of this is 0.00138% the percentage of confirmed cases is 0.0652%

tjc78 · April 2020

qbrozen said:

tjc78 said:
IDK what luxury really even is anymore. So many cars are just so loaded with creature comforts and tech.

In all reality is a Sierra Denali not as “Luxurious” as a BMW 3?
Of course, it is subjective, but I think of luxury as way more than just features. I actually don't care about features because those are easy for manufacturers to add. My Ioniq has more tech than our X2, but no way in hell anyone would ever mistake the Hyundai for a luxury vehicle. Luxury, to me, comes down to the quality of materials and engineering effort. Cars that I find luxurious have high-quality leather, better sound deadening, better suspension, details where most skimp out (example of this would be stitched leather on dash areas in footwells, carpeting in storage bins, LEDs throughout, etc), not to mention that overall vault-like feel/sound.

Well said, it is subjective. I think some people put more emphasis on features versus the things you described.

abacomike · April 2020

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

suydam said:

abacomike said:

suydam said:
@abacomike — you do realize that the United States has the third highest number of deaths in the world from this virus, and the numbers are climbing rapidly?
I do! So what's your point?
We’re not exactly the best place to be right now.
Then where would you prefer living - where is it better than here? Russia? Britain? China? Japan? South Korea? Mexico? South Africa? Jamaica? Aruba? Tell me where it's better than here.

About 2% of our population have succumbed to this virus and died - 80+% of the victims over age 65 with pre-existing medical problems. The world average death toll is over 5%. Furthermore, the data and statistics coming out of Asia and the Middle East are questionable to say the least. So the death toll worldwide could be as high as 7-8%.

If I get this virus, there is no other country I would rather be living in other than the US because of our healthcare system. Yes, we were caught with our pants down, but so was the rest of the world.

About 2% of our population have succumbed to this virus and died? That would be close to 5 million people.

Hmmm, I didn't think my math was that bad. 6000 (deaths) divided by 245,000 (testing positive) is 2.4% died out of those who have/had the virus. My apologies - cabin fever must be getting to me.

6000 divided by 350,000,000 is .0016%. That sounds better! 🤪😜

roadburner · April 2020

ab348 said:
Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the sense that the TLX is kind of like Mercury or Buick used to be - better-equipped and trimmed than a mainstream car, but not really a luxury car either, sort of an in-betweener. That is a tough segment to be in these days, especially with brands like Hyundai that load on the features in their standard models like so much icing.

In 1991 Mazda considered doing the same thing with a proposed prestige marque called Amati. They thought better of it.
Looking at the luxury car food chain I put Audi, Cadillac, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, and Porsche at the top- followed by a well populated lower tier. I’d rank it in order as Volvo, Acura, Genesis, and Lincoln.
I might be persuaded to move Genesis up a bit higher as they offer RWD and RWD biased AWD- and for me that’s the price of admission to the top tier(Audi is a bit of outlier).

jipster · April 2020

Thanks for the comments everyone. To a degree everything is still on the table, including doing nothing...unless my hand is forced. As most of your know, I'm a cautious (frugal...not cheap. LOL) buyer. I like to really research and take my time when I'm the market. The last place you'd find me would be as a contributor to the chronic car buyers thread. The Acura does intrigue me. As some of you may recall, again, I did own a Buick Regal about 12 years ago. I really liked that car. If the TLX is a tweener type of car like the Buick Regal, well, worth a look. If the car knocks my socks off, would have to be a lease to buy. The 7,500 miles limit on that lease would cost me a fortune in overmileage.. I'm probably around 15,000 a.year on the Mariner.

Heading out to look at cars, hopefully test drive, in about 30 minutes. Stay tuned.

snakeweasel · April 2020

ab348 said:
In some ways, defining luxury is similar to how Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart described hard-core porn: "I know it when I see it". It is all sorts of things and how one perceives them.

As an economics major I'll define luxury this way. People satisfy necessities first then start on luxuries. Due to this a luxury can be defined as something that a person's spending on increases faster than their income increases (since their necessities have been satisfied). As an example someone buys ground beef and steak, their income increases by 10% but they start spending 12% more for steak and their spending on ground beef stays about the same then ground beef is a necessity and steak is a luxury.

Based on that more expensive cars are luxuries regardless of why they are more expensive.

oldfarmer50 · April 2020

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:
OF, talked with a guy on our crew, he's in his late 30's, and he's already filed for unemployment and says others have to though he couldn't tell me who. Spoke with another guy on the crew, he's in his mid 70's, and he's done nothing, same as me. I'm not sure what to do here since I've still got my monthly income coming in as usual. Just not sure right now if I should file, will they try to fight it, will they let me back if I do file and the work place opens up again? Just not sure what to do?
What are folks in your crew doing?
When my boss called me with the lay off notice he specifically said to file for UI so I’m guessing the company is ok with it. Originally I wasn’t going to file but since we don’t know how long we’ll be out I said what the heck. If I’m not eligible because of SS or pensions I’ll let them tell me.

My problem is that I got 90% through the automated process on the phone and the the robot told me I’d have to talk to a representative and hung up. After calling for a week and getting nothing but a busy signal I’m not sure how long it will take. Web site has crashed too. I’d hate to be needing money to pay for food and have this happen. I’m standing down for now so as to not tie up services others may need more than me.
Sounds like a typical government agency. Sure, there is high demand right now, but that's really an excuse isn't it? Incompetence runs rampant in our government.
Yes it is an excuse, you can count on your hand the number of services where the quality of the services will not diminish as use increases. Services have a critical mass that once that is exceeded the quality of that service drops. Imagine everybody in the country deciding to get gas all at the same time, do you think you could find a station where you can just pull up to a pump?
I don’t have to imagine. I was around during the 1973 gas crisis.
The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis is more recent.

There are substitutes for toilet paper. When your 15mpg Charger is sputtering down the driveway you’re SOL.

qbrozen · April 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:
OF, talked with a guy on our crew, he's in his late 30's, and he's already filed for unemployment and says others have to though he couldn't tell me who. Spoke with another guy on the crew, he's in his mid 70's, and he's done nothing, same as me. I'm not sure what to do here since I've still got my monthly income coming in as usual. Just not sure right now if I should file, will they try to fight it, will they let me back if I do file and the work place opens up again? Just not sure what to do?
What are folks in your crew doing?
When my boss called me with the lay off notice he specifically said to file for UI so I’m guessing the company is ok with it. Originally I wasn’t going to file but since we don’t know how long we’ll be out I said what the heck. If I’m not eligible because of SS or pensions I’ll let them tell me.

My problem is that I got 90% through the automated process on the phone and the the robot told me I’d have to talk to a representative and hung up. After calling for a week and getting nothing but a busy signal I’m not sure how long it will take. Web site has crashed too. I’d hate to be needing money to pay for food and have this happen. I’m standing down for now so as to not tie up services others may need more than me.
Sounds like a typical government agency. Sure, there is high demand right now, but that's really an excuse isn't it? Incompetence runs rampant in our government.
Yes it is an excuse, you can count on your hand the number of services where the quality of the services will not diminish as use increases. Services have a critical mass that once that is exceeded the quality of that service drops. Imagine everybody in the country deciding to get gas all at the same time, do you think you could find a station where you can just pull up to a pump?
I don’t have to imagine. I was around during the 1973 gas crisis.
The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis is more recent.
There are substitutes for toilet paper. When your 15mpg Charger is sputtering down the driveway you’re SOL.

hey, hey now! I resent that remark! I get at least 17 mpg!

tjc78 · April 2020

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:
OF, talked with a guy on our crew, he's in his late 30's, and he's already filed for unemployment and says others have to though he couldn't tell me who. Spoke with another guy on the crew, he's in his mid 70's, and he's done nothing, same as me. I'm not sure what to do here since I've still got my monthly income coming in as usual. Just not sure right now if I should file, will they try to fight it, will they let me back if I do file and the work place opens up again? Just not sure what to do?
What are folks in your crew doing?
When my boss called me with the lay off notice he specifically said to file for UI so I’m guessing the company is ok with it. Originally I wasn’t going to file but since we don’t know how long we’ll be out I said what the heck. If I’m not eligible because of SS or pensions I’ll let them tell me.

My problem is that I got 90% through the automated process on the phone and the the robot told me I’d have to talk to a representative and hung up. After calling for a week and getting nothing but a busy signal I’m not sure how long it will take. Web site has crashed too. I’d hate to be needing money to pay for food and have this happen. I’m standing down for now so as to not tie up services others may need more than me.
Sounds like a typical government agency. Sure, there is high demand right now, but that's really an excuse isn't it? Incompetence runs rampant in our government.
Yes it is an excuse, you can count on your hand the number of services where the quality of the services will not diminish as use increases. Services have a critical mass that once that is exceeded the quality of that service drops. Imagine everybody in the country deciding to get gas all at the same time, do you think you could find a station where you can just pull up to a pump?
I don’t have to imagine. I was around during the 1973 gas crisis.
The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis is more recent.
There are substitutes for toilet paper. When your 15mpg Charger is sputtering down the driveway you’re SOL.
hey, hey now! I resent that remark! I get at least 17 mpg!

17... you aren’t trying hard enough to get to 15

tjc78 · April 2020

andres3 · April 2020

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:
This is quite timely to the times right now:

https://www.10news.com/news/coronavirus/chp-officers-say-less-traffic-is-leading-to-more-speeding-drivers-during-coronavirus-pandemic

"Latulippe (CHP OFFICER) said officers have also noticed a decrease in car crashes, which has resulted in more officers paying attention to speed.

"Since there's less traffic our crashes have gone down, those same officers that were out there, that number hasn't changed so now your odds of getting the tickets is more," he said.

Looks to me like the powers that be saw revenues were down from tickets/citations, and gave the order to continue the revenue stream.

Crashes are down, safety is up, but revenues must not be allowed to be down!

And yes, I"m aware less vehicle miles are being driven right now. Still, I'm driving some stretches of freeway I normally have to go 0-5 MPH in at 45-90 MPH now during rush hours. These speeds up to 18 multiples higher than usual average speeds during the commute should outweigh the safety benefits of lighter traffic, should it not? ASKING the "speed kills" crowd?

I think WHO is responsible for regurgitating some questionable figures and equations on the risks of speeds for causing a collision. Surely a multiplier of 18 should put me in the "certain to have a crash category".

Lastly, one thing the CHP Officer said I"m not buying:

"Part of social distancing is you driving safely so I'm not forced to stop you."

No one is forcing him to do a thing. He has perfectly capable discretion not to be a revenue generator if he chooses to do so.

Still, I'm glad for the people going 100+ keeping them busy since he did point out this (repeating for emphasis):

"Since there's less traffic our crashes have gone down, those same officers that were out there, that number hasn't changed so now your odds of getting the tickets is more," he said.

So happy to see that improved safety and less crashes makes for more revenue generation time! How quaint!
Crashes are down but CHP has stated that it's the fender benders are down, they are seeing more severe crashes.

If you want to avoid the so called revenue generators slow down. It's not that hard to understand.

How are you defining "fender bender?" Anything short of an ambulance or fatality? I don't think the CHP responds to "fender benders" as per my definition, which would be limited to front or rear bumper damage. Based on my experience, unless there is an injury, the CHP don't want to be bothered.

qbrozen · April 2020

tjc78 said:

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:
OF, talked with a guy on our crew, he's in his late 30's, and he's already filed for unemployment and says others have to though he couldn't tell me who. Spoke with another guy on the crew, he's in his mid 70's, and he's done nothing, same as me. I'm not sure what to do here since I've still got my monthly income coming in as usual. Just not sure right now if I should file, will they try to fight it, will they let me back if I do file and the work place opens up again? Just not sure what to do?
What are folks in your crew doing?
When my boss called me with the lay off notice he specifically said to file for UI so I’m guessing the company is ok with it. Originally I wasn’t going to file but since we don’t know how long we’ll be out I said what the heck. If I’m not eligible because of SS or pensions I’ll let them tell me.

My problem is that I got 90% through the automated process on the phone and the the robot told me I’d have to talk to a representative and hung up. After calling for a week and getting nothing but a busy signal I’m not sure how long it will take. Web site has crashed too. I’d hate to be needing money to pay for food and have this happen. I’m standing down for now so as to not tie up services others may need more than me.
Sounds like a typical government agency. Sure, there is high demand right now, but that's really an excuse isn't it? Incompetence runs rampant in our government.
Yes it is an excuse, you can count on your hand the number of services where the quality of the services will not diminish as use increases. Services have a critical mass that once that is exceeded the quality of that service drops. Imagine everybody in the country deciding to get gas all at the same time, do you think you could find a station where you can just pull up to a pump?
I don’t have to imagine. I was around during the 1973 gas crisis.
The 2020 Toilet Paper Crisis is more recent.
There are substitutes for toilet paper. When your 15mpg Charger is sputtering down the driveway you’re SOL.
hey, hey now! I resent that remark! I get at least 17 mpg!
17... you aren’t trying hard enough to get to 15

I really am too nice to it. lol. But my excuse is that I very rarely get to drive it alone, and the wife complains if I boot it too much and the kids will rat me out to the wife.

28firefighter · April 2020

The first thing my son does when we get back from taking the ZHP anywhere is telling my wife how fast we went. He'll learn.

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