Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

ab348 · July 2021

driver100 said:
I can't believe 2 of you guys had an 80s Mustang. I almost bought one in 1984, but I got a great lease deal on a Camaro, and I liked the way it drove better. But, I think those Mustangs look better as time goes by.

Some of them (the GT as long as it is well-kept) do. Plain Jane versions not so much.

I have mixed feelings about them. Back in the '90s, seeing a well-kept clean mid/late '80s GT hatch made me admire it, though I recognized they were not the greatest driving cars. They had a terrible reputation locally for being uncontrollable at speed in rain or winter conditions. I wasn't a huge fan of the '80s Camaros though. Given a choice today of either in similar fine condition, I'd take the Mustang.

explorerx4 · July 2021

I had an 86 GT back in the day.

ab348 · July 2021

explorerx4 said:
I had an 86 GT back in the day.

My preference would be a refreshed '87 or up model with the revised front end styling and newer dashboard design.

driver100 · July 2021

@ab348 I agree 100% and was thinking exactly the same.

mjfloyd1 · July 2021

They didn’t have any 87s when I looked in 79 tho

driver100 · July 2021

bwia said:
The new 2021 Chevy Trailblazer looks so nice and pretty too, but how's the fit and finish? The price seems reasonable as well but the 0- 60 mph time of 9.2 seconds is not going to stir your heart strings.

Bwia, Sorry but I have to disagree about the styling...it looks like it was made up by a team of competing designers. The front looks like two designs somehow melted into one car, the lines on the side are going in different directions, all the windows are made at different angles...no flow.
* at the 2:32 mark they show the cladding around the windows doesn't line up
* *You get a CVT unless you get AWD
* I find this design is smoother and looks more stylish;

RAV4

driver100 · July 2021

explorerx4 said:
I had an 86 GT back in the day.

Yeh.........at least 3 guys here had 80s Stangs!

abacomike · July 2021

@driver100 said:
I can't believe 2 of you guys had an 80s Mustang. I almost bought one in 1984, but I got a great lease deal on a Camaro, and I liked the way it drove better. But, I think those Mustangs look better as time goes by.

Speaking of which, on a Car Talk program today the guy said if your lease is coming up, buy the car, you can get a lot more for it than what the buy back price will be.

I had a 1989 Mustang GT 5.0 with 3 pedals. Fast car, to be sure. It was white with a royal blue stripe.

abacomike · July 2021

@driver100 said:
I can't believe 2 of you guys had an 80s Mustang. I almost bought one in 1984, but I got a great lease deal on a Camaro, and I liked the way it drove better. But, I think those Mustangs look better as time goes by.

Speaking of which, on a Car Talk program today the guy said if your lease is coming up, buy the car, you can get a lot more for it than what the buy back price will be.

Not all used cars have seen dramatic price increases, especially some of the EV’s.

ab348 · July 2021

driver100 said:

Bwia, Sorry but I have to disagree about the styling...it looks like it was made up by a team of competing designers. The front looks like two designs somehow melted into one car, the lines on the side are going in different directions, all the windows are made at different angles...no flow.
* at the 2:32 mark they show the cladding around the windows doesn't line up
* *You get a CVT unless you get AWD
* I find this design is smoother and looks more stylish;

RAV4

Well, a RAV4 Prime is considerably more expensive than a Trailblazer, probably by 5 figures - they are really a different class of vehicle.

I don't know much about the Chevy version but the Buick Encore GX is closely related, drives nicely, and is well-finished inside.

stickguy · July 2021

Based on some Rodo listings, there are A ton of 2021 EVs and plug ins available. At least for Hyundai.

Michaell · July 2021

Help a member out....

Since we're talking about Fox body Mustangs...

jmonroe1 · July 2021

mjfloyd1 said:
Unfortunately the unvaccinated put us all at risk. They get the various variants and pass them on while in la boutique target or The Walmart…

How long ago did we learn that one bad apple ruins the whole barrel? Like they say, “you can lead a horse to water but….”

I also cast my vote for the Darwin thing.

jmonroe

qbrozen · July 2021

As for this design language throughout a number of compact CUVs, I think Volvo did it best. The rounded fender openings and upright grille (that is not frowning like the others) appeal to me. I do like the TB. Compared to the others, I like the fewer angles in the front and, again, the more rounded fender openings. RAV4 is probably the most unattractive to me.

bwia · July 2021

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Bwia, Sorry but I have to disagree about the styling...it looks like it was made up by a team of competing designers. The front looks like two designs somehow melted into one car, the lines on the side are going in different directions, all the windows are made at different angles...no flow.
* at the 2:32 mark they show the cladding around the windows doesn't line up
* *You get a CVT unless you get AWD
* I find this design is smoother and looks more stylish;

RAV4

Well, a RAV4 Prime is considerably more expensive than a Trailblazer, probably by 5 figures - they are really a different class of vehicle.

I don't know much about the Chevy version but the Buick Encore GX is closely related, drives nicely, and is well-finished inside.

@ab348, you are correct. According to kbb, ..."under the skin, the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX are nearly identical. But that doesn’t mean they’re the same. The Trailblazer is smoother, more stylish, and the all-around better vehicle. And it’s $5,000 cheaper to boot."

And I agree with the stylish part of the quote. In Asian Petrolhead's review and test drive, he said the Trailblazer was designed and manufactured in Korea and exhibits good handling characteristics and is very quiet inside as it has noise cancelling technology that gives it a sense of refinement.

sda · July 2021

I'm not keen on Toyota's angry styling theme. It doesn't look sporty or elegant. Does it bite?

driver100 · July 2021

@qbrozen Did you try to find the ugliest view of a RAV4 as possible, with its snout protruding all out of proportion to the real vehicle....this one makes it look better;

@ab348 I tried to find a similar SUV at a comparable price but most range from mid $20s to mid $30s. The Trailblazer starts at $21000 but that one is only available in white and has hub caps. To get a decent one it will cost $26000. And then, what about after depreciation, which one will come out ahead as the better buy overall?
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-suvs

The Volvo & the Jeep look better overall, but not ideal...in that segment I prefer a Tiguan

stickguy · July 2021

Tiguan is much bigger. Larger I think than a RAV or CRV now. Taos is more comparable to an encore or TB.

sda · July 2021

The Taos isn't getting much love from CR.

Sandman6472 · July 2021

Like the Encore GX. Did drive the Encore and it was just "meh" to be honest. Like the Rav4 but a bit too large for my garage. Love the Volvo XC40 but it's pricey starting at $34K. Looks like the upcoming Corolla Cross will hit the sweet spot in this smaller CUV segment and it's due out by sometime during the fall of 2021 and being called a 2021 model for some odd reason. It slots in just under the Rav4 and just above the CH-R in their line-up and the one I've got my sights set on.

stickguy · July 2021

sda said:
The Taos isn't getting much love from CR.

I look at there comments, but often come to a different conclusion!

ab348 · July 2021

bwia said:

@ab348, you are correct. According to kbb, ..."under the skin, the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX are nearly identical. But that doesn’t mean they’re the same. The Trailblazer is smoother, more stylish, and the all-around better vehicle. And it’s $5,000 cheaper to boot."

And I agree with the stylish part of the quote. In Asian Petrolhead's review and test drive, he said the Trailblazer was designed and manufactured in Korea and exhibits good handling characteristics and is very quiet inside as it has noise cancelling technology that gives it a sense of refinement.

Well, I don't know. I haven't read much that was too favorable about the Chevy, although that may be just the inherent anti-GM bias of the automotive press. But I know from my own experience that the interiors of most Chevys these days are not great. I have seen some reasonably positive reviews of the Encore GX and the one I had as a loaner surprised me with how good it was.

laurasdada · July 2021

Donated blood today, was to be at an outdoor mall that has two (free!) Chargepoint stations. but was switched to a church a few miles north. After donating, drove to the mall for lunch (not enough time), brief grocery shopping (accomplished) and free electricity.

The last time I was at this mall, the two charging stations weren't functional, which I reported to Chargepoint. This time, they were in worse shape, the locking tab on the top of each plug was broken off ; no electricity flowing. As I was down to 2 miles of electric range, my anxiety was mitigated by the 301 miles of gas range left.

Thank goodness I wasn't driving a BEV! But, had I been, no doubt I would have left home with more than 16 miles of range.

driver100 · July 2021

stickguy said:
Tiguan is much bigger. Larger I think than a RAV or CRV now. Taos is more comparable to an encore or TB.

The Taos is almost the same price as the Tiguan, but I think the design actually comes out looking nicer than the larger SUV. Edmunds gives it 4 1/2 Stars, starts at $23k, get a recommended S model for $24k, and top of the line for $33k.........probably more satisfying than the Trailblazer, and looks much better.

qbrozen · July 2021

driver100 said:
Did you try to find the ugliest view of a RAV4 as possible, with its snout protruding all out of proportion

LOL. Yeah, the front 3/4 view that all manufacturers use as their main promo photo was a tough find.

qbrozen · July 2021

Oh boy. It has been a minute but gotta switch jobs. Started interview process this past Monday and already have an offer. Can’t recall ever getting a job so fast at this career level. Should be interesting. They are a totally office-agnostic outfit. My to-be boss just so happens to live in NJ, though.

mjfloyd1 · July 2021

The new Parkinson’s drug approval suck the life out of you?

stickguy · July 2021

good luck. I talked to a few people and it seems like it is a real job hunters market right now. I should get out there and look, but my preferred next job is retired. So might as well keep the lousy job I have now!

Sandman6472 · July 2021

Q, what kind of business do you do? I've never been able to tell. I was lucky. Everyone knew what a mailman was or to put a different spin on it, a letter carrier. And now, a transporter and a shuttle driver. I'm assuming you're in some kind of tech but not really sure.
I do like the Taos but think it's a bit too big for my needs. Drove the Encore and it was o k, a smallish turbo under the hood. Think I should've also driven the Encore GX while I was there but it looked to be a bit big also. But at 174.2", think it'll just fit on my side. Saw a few at a dealer yesterday in different colors and alloy styles, and liked it. So, might have to give it a drive once I do get super serious here. Once I get to that point, and they have enough inventory on all the models I like, it won't take long for me to decide and put an offer in, usual time frame is a week, give or take, between driving and taking delivery. Once I start, just want it done with minimal drama. I'll put out what I want to pay plus my Golf and then we'll see if it's a yes or no on your part. After some give & take, we'll either have a deal or I'm on to another dealer with my offer. Won't take too long either. We each want a fair deal with me paying a decent price and you getting a decent price. I either finance or I write you a check and you give me my new keys. And off I go!!

fintail · July 2021

That C-pillar, ugh

bwia said:
The new 2021 Chevy Trailblazer looks so nice and pretty too, but how's the fit and finish? The price seems reasonable as well but the 0- 60 mph time of 9.2 seconds is not going to stir your heart strings.

fintail · July 2021

An 80s Mustang is either Troy's car:

Or a car for Bundy Sunday Funday:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:
I can't believe 2 of you guys had an 80s Mustang. I almost bought one in 1984, but I got a great lease deal on a Camaro, and I liked the way it drove better. But, I think those Mustangs look better as time goes by.
Some of them (the GT as long as it is well-kept) do. Plain Jane versions not so much.

I have mixed feelings about them. Back in the '90s, seeing a well-kept clean mid/late '80s GT hatch made me admire it, though I recognized they were not the greatest driving cars. They had a terrible reputation locally for being uncontrollable at speed in rain or winter conditions. I wasn't a huge fan of the '80s Camaros though. Given a choice today of either in similar fine condition, I'd take the Mustang.

driver100 · July 2021

@mjfloyd1 The only people dying now are the ones not vaccinated, how can you argue with that????? :@

mj....do you actually have to work on these people who come to the hospital when they need your help?

mjfloyd1 · July 2021

I don’t recall arguing with that. The vaccinated typically have mild symptoms and don’t require hospitalization.

Yes I do.

qbrozen · July 2021

@Sandman6472 said:
Q, what kind of business do you do?

I am in the medical communications field. Largely advertising drugs and devices direct to doctors, but some consumer, as well. New job will be less promotional and more … science-y. Medical training, medical journals, that sort of thing. Yes, I am odd man out being a gearhead in this business.

tjc78 · July 2021

Good luck with the new position!

tjc78 · July 2021

@fintail said:
An 80s Mustang is either Troy's car:

Or a car for Bundy Sunday Funday:

Tough call… the four eye ‘Stangs are awesome.

driver100 · July 2021

mjfloyd1 said:
I don’t recall arguing with that. The vaccinated typically have mild symptoms and don’t require hospitalization.

Yes I do.

Sorry, I didn't mean that you mjf would argue with that, I mean people in general. The ones they show on the news every night lying in a hospital bed unable to breath, saying they wish they had got the vaccine.

driver100 · July 2021

tjc78 said:
Good luck with the new position!

+1 for sure!

oldfarmer50 · July 2021

roadburner said:
Another flag for “Abuse”- it’s extremely encouraging to know I’m not losing my touch.

What the heck did you do now?

oldfarmer50 · July 2021

mjfloyd1 said:
Anybody want my job for the next uptick? I’m willing to train. Malpractice insurance is relatively cheap….

Don’t move to NY. Some docs pay over $350k a year here.

oldfarmer50 · July 2021

driver100 said:
@qbrozen Did you try to find the ugliest view of a RAV4 as possible, with its snout protruding all out of proportion to the real vehicle....this one makes it look better;

@ab348 I tried to find a similar SUV at a comparable price but most range from mid $20s to mid $30s. The Trailblazer starts at $21000 but that one is only available in white and has hub caps. To get a decent one it will cost $26000. And then, what about after depreciation, which one will come out ahead as the better buy overall?
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-suvs

The Volvo & the Jeep look better overall, but not ideal...in that segment I prefer a Tiguan

Personally, I think all SUVs are ugly. I would only buy one for utilitarian purposes. My Kia isn’t really a SUV but I think it’s ugly as sin. It just happened to fit some criteria that my other vehicles didn’t.

driver100 · July 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:
@qbrozen Did you try to find the ugliest view of a RAV4 as possible, with its snout protruding all out of proportion to the real vehicle....this one makes it look better;

@ab348 I tried to find a similar SUV at a comparable price but most range from mid $20s to mid $30s. The Trailblazer starts at $21000 but that one is only available in white and has hub caps. To get a decent one it will cost $26000. And then, what about after depreciation, which one will come out ahead as the better buy overall?
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-suvs

The Volvo & the Jeep look better overall, but not ideal...in that segment I prefer a Tiguan

Personally, I think all SUVs are ugly. I would only buy one for utilitarian purposes. My Kia isn’t really a SUV but I think it’s ugly as sin. It just happened to fit some criteria that my other vehicles didn’t.

I agree, my last SUV was a 2004 X3, I needed an SUV for work. To me SUVs are work horses. Car = Fun.

ab348 · July 2021

Sometimes you hit gold changing jobs. Before I retired I handled legal affairs for my employer. We primarily used outside counsel for any lawsuits and litigation, but also had a govt lawyer assigned to us for legislative matters. There were a series of them over the years, a few of them good, but the majority of them pretty mediocre. I always figured that if they were any good as lawyers they would be in a law firm making big bucks, so the ones that stayed with govt were there for a reason.

For a year or so we had 2 govt lawyers assigned to us as a team, a senior counsel and a more junior lawyer. The guy who was senior was pretty confident but never impressed me much with his knowledge or advice, and I tended to use the younger lawyer who was paired with him, as she was always available to talk and gave better advice. Eventually both were reassigned and I didn't miss the senior guy.

I forgot all about him until yesterday when I was looking at an annual report for the govt agency that administers my pension along with those of about 60,000 others. The senior lawyer I had is now the CEO of that place. How he got the job beats me as what he would know about finance would have fit on the head of a pin when I worked with him. Maybe he wrote legislation for them back then, I don't know. What stunned me was the statement of his compensation: well over $400K a year. Man, talk about someone hitting it rich for reasons other than talent. This is in a place where our Premier (i.e. Governor) is regularly castigated in the press for making too much money at $180K a year, where heads of huge govt departments top out at around $220K/year, and the most well-compensated doctor in govt service makes $320K/year. Because the pension agency isn't a govt dept but instead is a corporation owned by govt they escape that kind of scrutiny. Jackpot. It galls me to see that guy making that kind of money given my experience with him.

roadburner · July 2021

@oldfarmer50 said:
What the heck did you do now?

You’ve got mail…

abacomike · July 2021

@qbrozen said:
Oh boy. It has been a minute but gotta switch jobs. Started interview process this past Monday and already have an offer. Can’t recall ever getting a job so fast at this career level. Should be interesting. They are a totally office-agnostic outfit. My to-be boss just so happens to live in NJ, though.

Good luck, Q! Hope everything works out for you - you’re a very intelligent guy who deserves this opportunity! 🤓

snakeweasel · July 2021

@ab348 said:
I always figured that if they were any good as lawyers they would be in a law firm making big bucks, so the ones that stayed with govt were there for a reason.

Sometimes the reason isn't what you think it is. The guy I know who is a government lawyer is so because working in a law firm is a lot more stressful and is a lot more time consuming than government work.

mjfloyd1 · July 2021

@driver100 said:
Sorry, I didn't mean that you mjf would argue with that, I mean people in general. The ones they show on the news every night lying in a hospital bed unable to breath, saying they wish they had got the vaccine.

I knew you didn’t mean that I argued with it. I’m a smarta$$. One of my many character flaws…

roadburner · July 2021

@snakeweasel said:

@ab348 said:
I always figured that if they were any good as lawyers they would be in a law firm making big bucks, so the ones that stayed with govt were there for a reason.

Sometimes the reason isn't what you think it is. The guy I know who is a government lawyer is so because working in a law firm is a lot more stressful and is a lot more time consuming than government work.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that in order to make serious money in large firms you have to work 70+ hour weeks for years before you make partner. If you work in a smaller firm or as a sole practitioner there’s overhead and fee collection to deal with. When I was judge I was essentially available 24/7 for emergencies, but I knew that going in. In my current gig I seldom get calls after hours but again that’s part of the job.
In any case it beats the heck out of getting calls from clients at 7:30 pm on Christmas Eve complaining that their ex-spouse is 2 minutes late bringing the kids for visitation- and wanting me to call the judge and advise him of this horrible injustice.

qbrozen · July 2021

roadburner said:

You’ve got mail…

can I get in on that action? lol.
You didn't post a Scotty video, so I know it wasn't me.

oldfarmer50 · July 2021

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

You’ve got mail…

can I get in on that action? lol.
You didn't post a Scotty video, so I know it wasn't me.

RB just wanted to tell me what a fine fellow I was and how if I need a loan to buy the car of my dreams he’s good for it.

In return, I told him that if he was ever short of cash to buy lunch I’d dig deep and let him get anything on the Mickey D’s menu.

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