Are you in the market for a new or used vehicle and having difficulty finding something in your budget? Or are you finding yourself making trade-offs to find something you can afford (i.e. less cargo space, lower trim level). A reporter from a national news publication would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by this Friday, 11/21 for details.
Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
All this electric car talk is great… BUT (IMHO) the power grid, charging infrastructure, and battery maintenance/repair/disposal are nowhere near where they need to be to support a widespread rollout of electric cars.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
With their battery recalls, there weren’t many available a 2-3 months, ago. But, I did find a few that were available. And frankly, was dutifully impressed with them…FOR THE PRICE. I especially liked the “high-zoot” model, the Premier with Super Cruise (which to me is game changing technology).
They’re small. But, that meant they handed well and surprisingly, they rode nice. They had bet the interiors than I had expected, too. Even with all the bad publicity, dealer wanted about $500 over MSRP. I walked.
Fast forward to yesterday. Get another call from the same dealer. Apparently, they’re flowing out of the factory again. They had one in the color I had wanted…Premier w/Super Cruise. Asked for their price, still over sticker ($44K). It has the Chevy $6,000 rebate. But, the sales guy said the market demanded the dealership keeps the price reduction rebates on the 2022.
I laughed at him and told him I had already bought a much better car for a whole lot less money.
Unbelievable.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
A hybrid with a substantial battery would be a choice. But better is a plug-in hybrid
version with an ICE and a middle of the road battery distance. If I gotta travel further,
the ICE takes care of me.
That all sounds like the VOLT, an ideal choice early, but of course it was from GM
I looked at a Bolt EUV at local store that was sold waiting for pickup by the truck.
Small. I couldn't really tell if it were smaller than an Encore or TraXX. Couldn't tell
if it's smaller than the Sonic, but is too tight for me to love.
Besides that on the BOLT EUV, the color was a slight blue. Looked white under the
canopy. Odd colors. Exactly what GM did years back when they had the Spark IIRC.
I didn't check color offerings, but if the slight blue were the only one and I was looking
into buying a BOLT, it wouldn't be that color.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
And for a lot of people (such as out on the boonies) still seems like they need range extenders (IOW a generator) on board to account for open spaces.
Mostly need the next breakthrough in battery tech IMO. something hat uses less exotic, rare ingredients. And comfortable range toward 400 and recharge time closer to 20 minutes. I’d be fine buying one that fit those criteria!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
It was the EUV model, not the EV.
In my brief test drive, Super Cruise worked as advertised. A little unnerving at first. But, given a 4 hour drive (which is what I would have done before looking for a charger), it would be a pretty cool mode of transport. Add to that, Chevy is installing a fast charger in your home gratis.
~250 mile range EV, with leather, heated/cooled seats, Super Cruise, Bose stereo (Bose does better car stereos than they do home audio), safety implementation, etc, for a now $38K MSRP is compelling.
I think GM is pushing strongly into the EV market. Having their dealerships thwart their efforts by keeping what is supposed to be a price cut that jump starts their mainstream EV only hurts that effort.
https://insideevs.com/news/592075/ford-mustang-mache-safety-recall-stop-sale/
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
".....The Ford memo explains that the Mustang Mach-E's primary high voltage battery contactors could overheat. If it happens, it could cause "an open contactor or welding condition," which may lead to the contactors welding shut while the car is in motion. Owners of affected vehicles may be alerted by a powertrain malfunction warning light the next time they drive, and the Mach-E could fail to start.
The vehicle may also display "Stop Safely Now" on the gauge cluster, and a total and immediate loss of power could follow. Ford says the Mach-E will simply coast to a stop. However, all 12-volt systems, including the power brakes and steering, should remain functional."
https://newsrnd.com/news/2022-06-14-sanctions-force-russia-to-make-a-popular-car-without-airbags-or-other-safety-features.H1o6zbIY9.html
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40278231/bmw-ix-experimental-long-range-battery/
Are you fishing for complements on the repair work you did on the rotted outside door trim that you patched and painted?
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
Quick charge is really important. Eliminates the concern about not having a garage or driveway to charge at home, if a “fill up” can be roughly equivalent to stopping at a gas station.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
And, like I’ve said before, Holmes doesn’t know how to repair very much. He rips out everything and rebuilds it entirely. If surgeons acted like he does they’d amputate your arm for a hang nail and graft on a new arm. He’d never touch a house I owned, that’s for damn sure. It does, however, make for good TV, I guess.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
I am just curious as to what they liked to make an all in offer like they did.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You have to remember that the EPA ‘highway’ tests aren’t highway driving like most people think.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
————————————————-
Like I’ve said before, neither my ‘15 Genny with a V8 or Mrs. j’s ‘18 Subie Legacy with the 3.6R 6 cylinder engine could get anywhere near 50 MPG if they were being towed down hill with the wind.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
————————————————
I never said Holmes didn’t find shoddy workmanship but you don’t have to tear off a roof because 16 shingles were casing a leak. His reasoning is if 16 shingles are bad the whole roof must be bad but that isn’t always the case. Most every problem found with a house can be “repaired”. You don’t have to tear down the house and build a new one.
Case in point, the roof on flip #4 was so bad there was moss growing on it. The the house wasn’t lived in for over 4 years and as a result, all of the utilities were turned off. Before climbing in the attic we thought the whole roof would require replacing, sheathing and all, but the sheathing was in good shape and only required the normal replacement of about 4 sheets at the gutter areas.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
They cheated like h___ when it came to pouring the concrete for the driveways. The forms were built, the rebar was placed, the city inspector came out and looked at it. Later that same morning, 3 workers showed up with shovels and wheel barrows and filled in about half of the forms for the driveways. Roughly up to the level of the rebar, in some places covering the rebar. Then the concrete crew arrived, and the concrete trucks. That driveway is about 2 inches thick, rather than 4. And pretty much not reinforced with rebar.
I contemplated reporting the matter, but I wasn’t sure who to report it to, and all of my life experiences to date tell me that things never work out well for whistle blowers, so …
————————————————-
Like I’ve said before, neither my ‘15 Genny with a V8 or Mrs. j’s ‘18 Subie Legacy with the 3.6R 6 cylinder engine could get anywhere near 50 MPG if they were being towed down hill with the wind.
jmonroe
Nothing I drive would get 50 mpg either. The Kia gets 38 if I’m lucky. I’d rather drive your V8 Genny than a cracker box Mirage even at $5/gal.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
————————————————
I never said Holmes didn’t find shoddy workmanship but you don’t have to tear off a roof because 16 shingles were casing a leak. His reasoning is if 16 shingles are bad the whole roof must be bad but that isn’t always the case. Most every problem found with a house can be “repaired”. You don’t have to tear down the house and build a new one.
Case in point, the roof on flip #4 was so bad there was moss growing on it. The the house wasn’t lived in for over 4 years and as a result, all of the utilities were turned off. Before climbing in the attic we thought the whole roof would require replacing, sheathing and all, but the sheathing was in good shape and only required the normal replacement of about 4 sheets at the gutter areas.
jmonroe
You should have torn the whole roof off anyway just for dramatic effect. You’d have all the neighbors on the edge of their seats waiting to see if an old man would go rolling off into the bushes. That’s how they do it on TV.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
————————————————-
Just to be clear, we didn’t do the roof work but if anybody wanted to do a roof this smallish 3 BR home would be a good place to start learning. The highest point out of the ground is where the front single car garage is. This rest of the house (front and back) if you got on your tippy toes you’d just miss touching the gutters. A roofers dream job for sure but we still didn’t do it. I think we paid the roofer about $5,500 to have it done and that included having him install 2 vents for bathroom fans while he was up there. For that kind of money I ain’t doing no roofing work.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
————————————————
Case in point, the roof on flip #4 was so bad there was moss growing on it. The the house wasn’t lived in for over 4 years and as a result, all of the utilities were turned off. Before climbing in the attic we thought the whole roof would require replacing, sheathing and all, but the sheathing was in good shape and only required the normal replacement of about 4 sheets at the gutter areas.
jmonroe
A good builder worth his salt should be able to scam getting a full roof job instead of just replacing 4 panels.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
————————————————
And let’s not forget about hand hammered shingles using 6 nails vs 3 or 4 nails.
BTW, are shingles sold as “panels” in Canada? That’s new terminology to me.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
If on my dime, I may replace just the defective or damaged shingles. But generally speaking, the other shingles are probably not far behind in life span, in addition it's difficult to color match older shingles. My neighbor, the one who's chimney fell on my condenser, got an entire new roof because of they couldn't match a few damaged shingles.
Don't remember if I mentioned this before, but I was speaking to said neighbor before he moved, a few weeks ago. He mentioned he and his wife could see/feel said chimney swaying in the wind during prior storms. My son-in-law lawyer pointed out this could be seen in a court case as the owner having prior knowledge of the chimney being structurally defective. As I mentioned before, when the chimney fell I saw some of the interior wood was rotted. Too late now, but I'd have to say now that this wasn't an act of God, it was one of owner negligence.
————————————————
I agree with your SIL about that being negligence but unless someone other than a member of your household heard what he said I’m almost positive that would be considered here-say and you’ll never win a case based on here-say.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
Also how did you calculate the highway mileage? I know that the MPG readout on the Sonata is high but the one on the BMW is almost spot on.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
————————————————
Case in point, the roof on flip #4 was so bad there was moss growing on it. The the house wasn’t lived in for over 4 years and as a result, all of the utilities were turned off. Before climbing in the attic we thought the whole roof would require replacing, sheathing and all, but the sheathing was in good shape and only required the normal replacement of about 4 sheets at the gutter areas.
jmonroe
————————————————
And let’s not forget about hand hammered shingles using 6 nails vs 3 or 4 nails.
BTW, are shingles sold as “panels” in Canada? That’s new terminology to me.
jmonroe
Yeh, hand hammered so you can charge more and use more nails. I used panels, you said sheets, no one mentioned shingles. I should be your new manager and I can increase your billing rates...and make you a star.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
————————————————
I agree with your SIL about that being negligence but unless someone other than a member of your household heard what he said I’m almost positive that would be considered here-say and you’ll never win a case based on here-say.
jmonroe
Judge Judy would have to throw it out as hearsay evidence.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Re: EPA ratings, I always found that on AT cars they came pretty close, but very often on manuals the ratings were much lower than real world. at least the way I drove!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
My insurance paid. I had to pay the $1,850 deductible. Would have sued for emotional distress if the chimney had fallen on me.
On hearsay... was me, SIL and a close friend who heard the now long gone neighbor's admission. My SIL is a lawyer, so dont know if that would help or not. BUT, the chimney's rotted wood would corroborate my story of owner having prior knowledge of the chimney being structurally unsound. So think Judge Judy would have ruled in favor of the ole Jipster. 🤔
————————————————-
I have to disagree with you. If the rotted wood couldn’t be seen from the outside it would be hidden damage and no owner can be held liable for that. So, Judge Judy ain’t going to find in your favor about hidden damage that an owner couldn’t reasonably know about.
Try again with something more credible.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
Well, you're ignoring the owners statement (3 witnesses) of the chimney being structurally unsound during prior storms. Chimneys aren't supposed to dance around in the wind. A reasonable person would conclude some type of damage, and have inspected.
Seemed to me that it was harder to hit EPA highway numbers in vehicles with shorter gearing, and especially with more aerodynamic drag. Or at the very least, the MPG was less forgiving of a heavy right foot.
————————————————-
You never said anything about 3 witnesses. If it were me with that kind of information I’d go to small claims court to get my deductible back. I doubt it’s too late given it just happened.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
Zombie House Flipping sounds like a show right up your alley @jmonroe1 . But, talk about staging a house. You can almost see the shows producers going thru the house sprinkling garbage, bugs, road kill and other foul unmentionables around the house. Sledge hammer to a few walls and cabinets.
Quart of oil to the carpet. Then the flippers come into the house they just bought and...."ewwwww....peeee-uuuuu! I can't believe we bought this dump. How the heck are we going to stay on budget?" 😆
The same with my broken drain pipe. I have as much proof as one could collect that it was a city problem, not mine, but I paid a plumber $1600 which I'd like to get back. But I got back $2400 from the insurance company for old stuff that got destroyed in the basement. I'd like to take the city to small claims court, but is it worth it? I feel bad for the insurance company, they should be able to collect what they paid out too...but that's the way the system works!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
————————————————-
That might be the way they do it on TV but so far we haven’t had any surprises. In fact we over estimate how much hidden damage there will be once we start banging around.
The fun part today was when the plumber came back after the county plumbing inspector gave the go ahead to back fill the trenches the plumber cut so that a full bath could be installed in the basement. The plumber got about half way finished and the power went out so his mixer couldn’t be used. He used our wheel barrow to mix a few backs of concrete so we could install the shower pan. The plumber will be back in a few days to finish the job and get paid.
I have to admit I never thought about the power going off in the middle of a small concrete job. It was in the mid 90’s today with high humidity and the power system must have gotten overloaded. Just another day at the office and this was real; not made for TV stuff.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
————————————————-
You and me both. Even Mrs. j knows you don’t remove kitchen cabinets like that. She also laughs when she sees that but she keeps watching just the same. She’s hooked.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
Fixer Upper seems pretty good, as maybe not AS staged as the others. The red headed dude and his wife. A bit corney, but the wifes interior designs are really good.