Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

explorerx4 · January 2023

Lots of Subaru's in the Northeast.
I'm waiting until after the next Fed meeting before considering any CD's.
Best I've found so far is Vanguard with 4.8% for 10-12 months.

henryn · January 2023

I just got a mailing from Amex, they're offering 3.30% APY on their savings account. A quick check online says SoFi is at 4.21%. CD rates seem to be fairly similar.

Some of this stuff is tricky (what a surprise!) I found a bank offering 6.00%, but the restrictions are fairly stiff.

Qualifications: You must have 16 posted and cleared debit card transactions excluding ATM transactions per statement cycle, make 1 posted and cleared ACH automatic debit or credit per statement cycle, and receive a monthly eStatement on this account or the APY paid on your entire balance will be 0.00%. These monthly requirements must be completed 3 business days prior to the end of your statement cycle.

qbrozen · January 2023

the Opel is fully road legal as of today. Pretty good timing since my son is supposed to get his license in about a month.

Talked to Geico a bit to see what we'll want to do. Putting him on our policy seems the way to go. Adds about $840/yr, which I think is pretty cheap for a 17-yr-old boy.

In other news, the WRX crossed 4k miles today at about 3 weeks past its 1-year anniversary.

28firefighter · January 2023

qbrozen said:
the Opel is fully road legal as of today. Pretty good timing since my son is supposed to get his license in about a month.

Talked to Geico a bit to see what we'll want to do. Putting him on our policy seems the way to go. Adds about $840/yr, which I think is pretty cheap for a 17-yr-old boy.

In other news, the WRX crossed 4k miles today at about 3 weeks past its 1-year anniversary.

That’s crazy cheap for 17.

Sandman6472 · January 2023

Vanguard, I used to be with them many years ago and liked their way of doing business. But or some reason, switched over to Fidelity and stayed with them. Turns out, even our 401K from Enterprise is with Fidelity so all my info is with the same company.
I will give Vanguard a look with the CD's I'm in the market for. Why should I go to an outside company when I can really just do it myself. As it is, need to put both my wife & I on the CD's plus have our oldest as the beneficiary just in case something should happen. I rescheduled my appointment at Edward Jones for Monday but not sure now if that's the best way to go here. Doing it myself would probably work just as well but I'll do some research this weekend to see what's what and which would be the easiest going forward. Doubtful my Vanguard account is even open anymore. But, still might be easier to do it myself if it's pretty easy.

kyfdx · January 2023

https://www.duke-energy.com/investor-relations/individual-investors/premiernotes-investment

4.25% APR, 4.34% APY

nyccarguy · January 2023

qbrozen said:
the Opel is fully road legal as of today. Pretty good timing since my son is supposed to get his license in about a month.

Talked to Geico a bit to see what we'll want to do. Putting him on our policy seems the way to go. Adds about $840/yr, which I think is pretty cheap for a 17-yr-old boy.

In other news, the WRX crossed 4k miles today at about 3 weeks past its 1-year anniversary.

Nice job with the Opel. I agree with everyone else that the $840/year extra is cheap for a 17 year old AND you have a WRX in the house. Did your insurance agent suggest a higher limit umbrella (if you have an umbrella)?

Are you still happy with the WRX?

qbrozen · January 2023

Yup. The stereo leaves some to be desired, and heated seats would be welcome, but I can’t think of anything I’d prefer to daily for the money. I sometimes think of tuning it

laurasdada · January 2023

https://mysavingsdirect.com/securebanking/login.do?_flowExecutionKey=_c6CF0E224-4947-C0F7-FD71-2B52B411E59A_k89CCDCBB-67EF-441A-C113-2CEC779A996E

Emigrant online savings, 4.35% APY

corvette · January 2023

I opened a UFB Direct savings account a few months ago. I think it was 3 point something percent APY. They then introduced a new (renamed) account with a higher interest rate. I've meant to ask them to convert my account to the rebranded one with a higher rate, but haven't done it yet. The kicker is that the money market fund in my Vanguard account is yielding 4.29%, so I should have just used that instead of being distracted by a shiny object (in this rare case, the shiny object is a savings account and not a car).

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

Vandguard’s VWEHX high yield corporate bond fund: 6.63% but you take some extra risk.

qbrozen · January 2023

PenFed is offering 4.65% on 15 mos and 4.7 on 18.

tifighter · January 2023

Let's go, Polestar-

jmonroe1 · January 2023

henryn said:
I just got a mailing from Amex, they're offering 3.30% APY on their savings account. A quick check online says SoFi is at 4.21%. CD rates seem to be fairly similar.

Some of this stuff is tricky (what a surprise!) I found a bank offering 6.00%, but the restrictions are fairly stiff.

Qualifications: You must have 16 posted and cleared debit card transactions excluding ATM transactions per statement cycle, make 1 posted and cleared ACH automatic debit or credit per statement cycle, and receive a monthly eStatement on this account or the APY paid on your entire balance will be 0.00%. These monthly requirements must be completed 3 business days prior to the end of your statement cycle.

————————————————
Isn’t that just like a bank? They always want it their way. But what happens when there is a customer that wants it their way? Here’s my story about that (I think I told this story before on Edmunds):

I can’t remember exactly but I think this it was 5 or 6 years ago when we were about to make our last mortgage payment. I received a letter from the mortgage company informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer. I was going to ignore that demand and send a check like we always paid the mortgage. Then I got the bright idea that our bank would waive the $20 transfer fee because of how long we dealt with them and the size of my savings account. Nope, they didn’t want to do that so I ask to speak to a higher up. A couple minutes later the assistant branch manager did her very best trying to convince me that’s their policy and everyone regardless of how long they dealt with the bank or the size of their savings account would have to pay the $20 fee. I told her I didn’t care about everyone else, I only cared about me and if I had to pay the $20 fee, I’d pay it but I wouldn’t be doing business with them any longer than it took me to get direct deposits set up at another bank. I told her I wasn’t threatening but since they made more money from my accounts than I did, I didn’t think it was unreasonable for them to waive a measly $20 fee one time. She excused herself and came back in a couple minutes telling me that the branch manager would waive the fee. Damn, I guess just like in the car biz, “if you don’t ask you don’t get”.

Now, would it have cost me more than $20 worth of aggravation to change banks? Yes, it sure would have and I told that to the assistant branch manager before she went to bat for me. But I was willing to do it.

jmonroe

qbrozen · January 2023

@tifighter said:
Let's go, Polestar-

Dang. Pretty sweet. Gimme one with a hardtop

qbrozen · January 2023

Apropos of nothing, my wish for a new car:
4-door 4x4 pickup with 4-wheel magnaride, 400 or more hp, and no more than 4000 lb. Lots of 4s. I’d say 4.5 s to 60, but let’s make it 4.4. And at least a 5’ bed.

roadburner · January 2023

Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.

mjfloyd1 · January 2023

@roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.

That adds like 50 hp😂

ab348 · January 2023

mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner said:

Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.

That adds like 50 hp😂

Good gravy! That’s almost as much as yellow spark plug wires!!

henryn · January 2023

jmonroe1 said:

henryn said:
I just got a mailing from Amex, they're offering 3.30% APY on their savings account. A quick check online says SoFi is at 4.21%. CD rates seem to be fairly similar.

Some of this stuff is tricky (what a surprise!) I found a bank offering 6.00%, but the restrictions are fairly stiff.

Qualifications: You must have 16 posted and cleared debit card transactions excluding ATM transactions per statement cycle, make 1 posted and cleared ACH automatic debit or credit per statement cycle, and receive a monthly eStatement on this account or the APY paid on your entire balance will be 0.00%. These monthly requirements must be completed 3 business days prior to the end of your statement cycle.

————————————————
Isn’t that just like a bank? They always want it their way. But what happens when there is a customer that wants it their way? Here’s my story about that (I think I told this story before on Edmunds):

I can’t remember exactly but I think this it was 5 or 6 years ago when we were about to make our last mortgage payment. I received a letter from the mortgage company informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer. I was going to ignore that demand and send a check like we always paid the mortgage. Then I got the bright idea that our bank would waive the $20 transfer fee because of how long we dealt with them and the size of my savings account. Nope, they didn’t want to do that so I ask to speak to a higher up. A couple minutes later the assistant branch manager did her very best trying to convince me that’s their policy and everyone regardless of how long they dealt with the bank or the size of their savings account would have to pay the $20 fee. I told her I didn’t care about everyone else, I only cared about me and if I had to pay the $20 fee, I’d pay it but I wouldn’t be doing business with them any longer than it took me to get direct deposits set up at another bank. I told her I wasn’t threatening but since they made more money from my accounts than I did, I didn’t think it was unreasonable for them to waive a measly $20 fee one time. She excused herself and came back in a couple minutes telling me that the branch manager would waive the fee. Damn, I guess just like in the car biz, “if you don’t ask you don’t get”.

Now, would it have cost me more than $20 worth of aggravation to change banks? Yes, it sure would have and I told that to the assistant branch manager before she went to bat for me. But I was willing to do it.

jmonroe

I would have been more PO'ed at the mortgage company with their ridiculous requirement for a wire transfer.

Mortgages are one of those business lines that are protected by law from competition. Which allows them to get away with murder (or at least outlandish and exorbitant fees).

I remember when I purchased this house, back in 2011, as a HUD foreclosure. I needed $50k, didn't have it laying around, and didn't want to pull it from behind the firewall and pay taxes on it. My company credit union was offering 5 year (and longer) car loans for that much ($50k) at a really nice interest rate. I asked about a 5 year loan for the house, thinking that a house should be better equity for a loan than an automobile. Appreciating, not depreciating, etc. The CU manager told me that she would love to help me out, but was prevented by law from doing so.

I went ahead and pulled the money from the 401, paid the taxes, and bought the house outright. I was surprised (dumbfounded might be a better word) at how easy it was to complete the transaction with no mortgage. I was in the office about 5 minutes total, handed over the cashiers check, was given a receipt, signed my name twice, and walked out with 5 or 6 pieces of paper. Contrast that with the usual house closing, where you're there for 2 or 3 hours, sign your name 200 times, and have no idea what just went on.

jmonroe1 · January 2023

roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.

————————————————
In the words of Mrs. j, “yeah, everybody needs one of those”.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · January 2023

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

henryn said:
I just got a mailing from Amex, they're offering 3.30% APY on their savings account. A quick check online says SoFi is at 4.21%. CD rates seem to be fairly similar.

Some of this stuff is tricky (what a surprise!) I found a bank offering 6.00%, but the restrictions are fairly stiff.

Qualifications: You must have 16 posted and cleared debit card transactions excluding ATM transactions per statement cycle, make 1 posted and cleared ACH automatic debit or credit per statement cycle, and receive a monthly eStatement on this account or the APY paid on your entire balance will be 0.00%. These monthly requirements must be completed 3 business days prior to the end of your statement cycle.
————————————————
Isn’t that just like a bank? They always want it their way. But what happens when there is a customer that wants it their way? Here’s my story about that (I think I told this story before on Edmunds):

I can’t remember exactly but I think this it was 5 or 6 years ago when we were about to make our last mortgage payment. I received a letter from the mortgage company informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer. I was going to ignore that demand and send a check like we always paid the mortgage. Then I got the bright idea that our bank would waive the $20 transfer fee because of how long we dealt with them and the size of my savings account. Nope, they didn’t want to do that so I ask to speak to a higher up. A couple minutes later the assistant branch manager did her very best trying to convince me that’s their policy and everyone regardless of how long they dealt with the bank or the size of their savings account would have to pay the $20 fee. I told her I didn’t care about everyone else, I only cared about me and if I had to pay the $20 fee, I’d pay it but I wouldn’t be doing business with them any longer than it took me to get direct deposits set up at another bank. I told her I wasn’t threatening but since they made more money from my accounts than I did, I didn’t think it was unreasonable for them to waive a measly $20 fee one time. She excused herself and came back in a couple minutes telling me that the branch manager would waive the fee. Damn, I guess just like in the car biz, “if you don’t ask you don’t get”.

Now, would it have cost me more than $20 worth of aggravation to change banks? Yes, it sure would have and I told that to the assistant branch manager before she went to bat for me. But I was willing to do it.

jmonroe

I would have been more PO'ed at the mortgage company with their ridiculous requirement for a wire transfer.

Mortgages are one of those business lines that are protected by law from competition. Which allows them to get away with murder (or at least outlandish and exorbitant fees).

I remember when I purchased this house, back in 2011, as a HUD foreclosure. I needed $50k, didn't have it laying around, and didn't want to pull it from behind the firewall and pay taxes on it. My company credit union was offering 5 year (and longer) car loans for that much ($50k) at a really nice interest rate. I asked about a 5 year loan for the house, thinking that a house should be better equity for a loan than an automobile. Appreciating, not depreciating, etc. The CU manager told me that she would love to help me out, but was prevented by law from doing so.

I went ahead and pulled the money from the 401, paid the taxes, and bought the house outright. I was surprised (dumbfounded might be a better word) at how easy it was to complete the transaction with no mortgage. I was in the office about 5 minutes total, handed over the cashiers check, was given a receipt, signed my name twice, and walked out with 5 or 6 pieces of paper. Contrast that with the usual house closing, where you're there for 2 or 3 hours, sign your name 200 times, and have no idea what just went on.
————————————————
I’ll tell you what went on. Everyone that has a hand puts it out and you pay fee after fee after fee. But the special interest groups allow them to get away with it. If you and I tried something like that we’d be hauled in on felony charges.

That’s the prime reason why my son (the flipper) has yet to get a mortgage for a flip house. So far it’s working.

jmonroe

corvette · January 2023

qbrozen said:
Apropos of nothing, my wish for a new car:

4-door 4x4 pickup with 4-wheel magnaride, 400 or more hp, and no more than 4000 lb. Lots of 4s. I’d say 4.5 s to 60, but let’s make it 4.4. And at least a 5’ bed.

The rumored Maverick ST should come close to checking some of those boxes.

Michaell · January 2023

corvette said:

qbrozen said:
Apropos of nothing, my wish for a new car:

4-door 4x4 pickup with 4-wheel magnaride, 400 or more hp, and no more than 4000 lb. Lots of 4s. I’d say 4.5 s to 60, but let’s make it 4.4. And at least a 5’ bed.

The rumored Maverick ST should come close to checking some of those boxes.

Would that have the 2.3T from the Mustang? 300+ HP on that, but with the light weight of the Maverick, it oughta scoot.

FYI, I applied for a job at Ford yesterday - not that I think anything will come of it, but it looked kinda fun.

explorerx4 · January 2023

@michaell,
Hopefully the Ford job isn't on the recall team.

jmonroe1 · January 2023

explorerx4 said:
@michaell,
Hopefully the Ford job isn't on the recall team.

————————————————
Or the Maverick build scheduling team. If so, he’ll be on the street again next month if not sooner. But if the Ford gig works out he should look into getting his poster buddies a group discount. He should be able to get a “frequent buyer’s discount” for @breld with no problem.

jmonroe

corvette · January 2023

jmonroe1 said:
...informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer.

I would bet money that you never agreed to that requirement in the promissory note, but that's interesting...

I'm guessing the reason they have that requirement is that states often have lien release statutes that require them to release the mortgage lien within X days of it being paid off. But, some people write bad checks, and sometimes, those bad checks don't get returned and the payment reversed as quickly as you might think. So, they're trying to protect themselves from releasing their mortgage lien and then later discovering that the payment they were given was no good (leaving them without any security for the mortgage).

To keep it car related, as @kyfdx, @roadburner, and possibly others know, in KY, out of state vehicles must be inspected before being registered. The Sheriff's office will not inspect a vehicle without a corresponding title or manufacturer's certificate of origin. Needless to say, this creates the opportunity for certain criminal elements to buy a new vehicle out of state, get the certificate of origin (which has no lien) "so I can get it registered," and then the criminal and the vehicle both disappear. Hypothetically, the vehicle could probably be shipped overseas before anyone was the wiser.

Iowa has an interesting workaround for that problem. When I bought the Maverick, they issued an "in transit title," which cost only a few dollars, and is designed to temporarily title the vehicle in Iowa without requiring the payment of sales tax, while perfecting Ford Credit's lien. So when I went to register the Maverick here, I handed the county clerk an Iowa title that already had Ford's lien on it as opposed to a certificate of origin. The lady at the counter had never seen that type of title before and had to get someone else to assist, but was able to get the registration done without any issues. And Ford didn't have some scallawag running around with the vehicle equivalent of a bearer bond.

corvette · January 2023

Michaell said:
Would that have the 2.3T from the Mustang?

I would assume so, but I'm not sure. I haven't really followed it that closely, but I would expect it to come close to the 0-60 benchmark @qbrozen desires.

Good luck with the job application! Maybe you can get us Ford owners some extra FordPass points.

Michaell · January 2023

explorerx4 said:
@michaell,
Hopefully the Ford job isn't on the recall team.

Nope.

Michaell · January 2023

jmonroe1 said:

explorerx4 said:
@michaell,
Hopefully the Ford job isn't on the recall team.
————————————————
Or the Maverick build scheduling team. If so, he’ll be on the street again next month if not sooner. But if the Ford gig works out he should look into getting his poster buddies a group discount. He should be able to get a “frequent buyer’s discount” for @breld with no problem.

jmonroe

Nope, again.

It's a Sales Operations Manager role. Allows working remote (I ain't relocating to Michigan), and they require a valid passport - I guess to travel to Mexico or Canada.

Given that @breld has bought 2 Fords in the last year, I can certainly see that.

jmonroe1 · January 2023

corvette said:

jmonroe1 said:
...informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer.
I would bet money that you never agreed to that requirement in the promissory note, but that's interesting...

————————————————
Doesn’t everybody, at a house closing, read and understand all of what they are signing?

In effect what the buyer is doing is saying, “here, take all my money. Just gimme the damn keys already”.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

Michaell said:

corvette said:

qbrozen said:
Apropos of nothing, my wish for a new car:

4-door 4x4 pickup with 4-wheel magnaride, 400 or more hp, and no more than 4000 lb. Lots of 4s. I’d say 4.5 s to 60, but let’s make it 4.4. And at least a 5’ bed.

The rumored Maverick ST should come close to checking some of those boxes.
Would that have the 2.3T from the Mustang? 300+ HP on that, but with the light weight of the Maverick, it oughta scoot.

FYI, I applied for a job at Ford yesterday - not that I think anything will come of it, but it looked kinda fun.

Drop a 5.0L in a Maverick for me and you got yourself a sale.

fintail · January 2023

roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.

Time warp palate cleanser for you:

henryn · January 2023

jmonroe1 said:

corvette said:

jmonroe1 said:
...informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer.
I would bet money that you never agreed to that requirement in the promissory note, but that's interesting...
————————————————
Doesn’t everybody, at a house closing, read and understand all of what they are signing?

In effect what the buyer is doing is saying, “here, take all my money. Just gimme the damn keys already”.

jmonroe

When I bought my first house, which definitely came with a morgage, I was actually paying attention. No, I didn't read every document, but I tried to scan them and get an idea of what it was that I was signing. Anything I didn't understand, I questioned. All of which slowed down the process, and PO'ed everyone else involved. Eventually, I gave up, and just started signing everything placed in front of me.

On another occasion, several years later, they shoved a paper in front of me and I happened to catch the spoken words, "This just says you're not applying for the homestead exemption." At which point I balked. "Why in god's name would I NOT want to apply for the homestead exemption?"

"Well, it's just easier if you apply for it later. Makes no difference as long as you apply for it before the end of the year."

Well, yes, it mattered to me, and I refused to sign. Which threw a monkey wrench in the whole works, the real estate agent was mad at me, the title company person was mad at me, but I flat didn't care. I was ready to walk. So they redid the paperwork while we all waited. And no one spoke to me, or looked at me. Total pariah.

stickguy · January 2023

explorerx4 said:
@michaell,
Hopefully the Ford job isn't on the recall team.

best place to be. real job security.

stickguy · January 2023

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

corvette said:

jmonroe1 said:
...informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer.
I would bet money that you never agreed to that requirement in the promissory note, but that's interesting...
————————————————
Doesn’t everybody, at a house closing, read and understand all of what they are signing?

In effect what the buyer is doing is saying, “here, take all my money. Just gimme the damn keys already”.

jmonroe
When I bought my first house, which definitely came with a morgage, I was actually paying attention. No, I didn't read every document, but I tried to scan them and get an idea of what it was that I was signing. Anything I didn't understand, I questioned. All of which slowed down the process, and PO'ed everyone else involved. Eventually, I gave up, and just started signing everything placed in front of me.

On another occasion, several years later, they shoved a paper in front of me and I happened to catch the spoken words, "This just says you're not applying for the homestead exemption." At which point I balked. "Why in god's name would I NOT want to apply for the homestead exemption?"

"Well, it's just easier if you apply for it later. Makes no difference as long as you apply for it before the end of the year."

Well, yes, it mattered to me, and I refused to sign. Which threw a monkey wrench in the whole works, the real estate agent was mad at me, the title company person was mad at me, but I flat didn't care. I was ready to walk. So they redid the paperwork while we all waited. And no one spoke to me, or looked at me. Total pariah.

all this sounds really familiar, having done the dance last summer. everyone in the room was very buddy buddy, and their primary concern seemed to be making sure all their checks were made out correctly. And the bulk of what I signed did seem to be mortgage related.

you can tell when you are the seller, and spend five minutes signing a few forms and are done.

I may buy another house before I am done, but definitely won't have a mortgage on it.

Michaell · January 2023

When we closed on our current house, there were two piles of documents, about 1/2" high each.

One for the mortgage, one for the solar system on the house (which we lease).

roadburner · January 2023

fintail said:

roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.
Time warp palate cleanser for you:

I realize that BMW could not survive without broadening their customer base, but between the abysmal styling of so many of their new cars and the emphasis on style over substance I just can't get excited over 99% of their current product line.

fintail · January 2023

roadburner said:

fintail said:

roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.
Time warp palate cleanser for you:

I realize that BMW could not survive without broadening their customer base, but between the abysmal styling of so many of their new cars and the emphasis on style over substance I just can't get excited over 99% of their current product line.

Now and then they have a car that looks good enough, but for some reason I look back at the "malaise" era lineups of BMW and competitors, and the old styling is more appealing to me.

I see the new 7er is kind of a brutalist severe looking thing, I want to like it in a weird way, but I don't know. E23 or even E32 seem like classics now.

roadburner · January 2023

fintail said:

roadburner said:

fintail said:

roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.
Time warp palate cleanser for you:

I realize that BMW could not survive without broadening their customer base, but between the abysmal styling of so many of their new cars and the emphasis on style over substance I just can't get excited over 99% of their current product line.
Now and then they have a car that looks good enough, but for some reason I look back at the "malaise" era lineups of BMW and competitors, and the old styling is more appealing to me.

I see the new 7er is kind of a brutalist severe looking thing, I want to like it in a weird way, but I don't know. E23 or even E32 seem like classics now.

The 3,5, and 8 are attractive, as are all the SUVs save the X7. The new 2er coupe is nowhere near as attractive as its predecessor.

andres3 · January 2023

corvette said:
I opened a UFB Direct savings account a few months ago. I think it was 3 point something percent APY. They then introduced a new (renamed) account with a higher interest rate. I've meant to ask them to convert my account to the rebranded one with a higher rate, but haven't done it yet. The kicker is that the money market fund in my Vanguard account is yielding 4.29%, so I should have just used that instead of being distracted by a shiny object (in this rare case, the shiny object is a savings account and not a car).

UFB IS A CRIMINAL SCAM ORGANIZATION. THEY INVENT NEW PRODUCTS ALMOST WEEKLY SO AS THE VARIABLE RATE ACCOUNTS NEVER VARY UPWARD, THEY MERELY CHANGE ONE WORD AND MAKE A NEW PRODUCT VIRTUALLY ON A WEEKLY BASIS WITH A HIGHER MARKETED RATE, BUT YOU DON'T GET IT UNLESS YOU CONVERT YOUR ACCOUNT IN WRITING. THEY MUST HAVE 100 SAVINGS AND MONEY MARKET SCHEMES GOING BY NOW.

qbrozen · January 2023

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

qbrozen said:

kyfdx · January 2023

explorerx4 said:
@michaell,
Hopefully the Ford job isn't on the recall team.

That would be job security, though

kyfdx · January 2023

stickguy said:

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

corvette said:

jmonroe1 said:
...informing me that my last payment HAD to be made by a wire transfer.
I would bet money that you never agreed to that requirement in the promissory note, but that's interesting...
————————————————
Doesn’t everybody, at a house closing, read and understand all of what they are signing?

In effect what the buyer is doing is saying, “here, take all my money. Just gimme the damn keys already”.

jmonroe
When I bought my first house, which definitely came with a morgage, I was actually paying attention. No, I didn't read every document, but I tried to scan them and get an idea of what it was that I was signing. Anything I didn't understand, I questioned. All of which slowed down the process, and PO'ed everyone else involved. Eventually, I gave up, and just started signing everything placed in front of me.

On another occasion, several years later, they shoved a paper in front of me and I happened to catch the spoken words, "This just says you're not applying for the homestead exemption." At which point I balked. "Why in god's name would I NOT want to apply for the homestead exemption?"

"Well, it's just easier if you apply for it later. Makes no difference as long as you apply for it before the end of the year."

Well, yes, it mattered to me, and I refused to sign. Which threw a monkey wrench in the whole works, the real estate agent was mad at me, the title company person was mad at me, but I flat didn't care. I was ready to walk. So they redid the paperwork while we all waited. And no one spoke to me, or looked at me. Total pariah.
all this sounds really familiar, having done the dance last summer. everyone in the room was very buddy buddy, and their primary concern seemed to be making sure all their checks were made out correctly. And the bulk of what I signed did seem to be mortgage related.

you can tell when you are the seller, and spend five minutes signing a few forms and are done.

I may buy another house before I am done, but definitely won't have a mortgage on it.

I sold my uncle's house, earlier this month. No existing mortgage, and the buyer paid cash. 10 minute closing, and only signed my name about five times. Pretty cool.

cdnpinhead · January 2023

roadburner said:
. . . between the abysmal styling of so many of their new cars and the emphasis on style over substance I just can't get excited over 99% of their current product line.

Isn't that the truth -- many answers to questions that no one ever asked. The last time I really wanted a BMW I could barely afford one, and by the time I could comfortably own (not lease) one, I wouldn't be caught dead in it.

fintail · January 2023

roadburner said:

fintail said:

roadburner said:

fintail said:

roadburner said:
Today's example of how BMW has lost the plot- from the latest BMW NA press release:

BMW Crystal Headlights – first introduced on the new BMW 7 Series – will be available on the BMW X7 starting in April 2023. Genuine crystals from Swarovski positioned in the upper section of the lights and backlit by LED units act as side marker lights and daytime running lights. In daylight and when lit at night, the crystals reflect the light in a multitude of facets.
Time warp palate cleanser for you:

I realize that BMW could not survive without broadening their customer base, but between the abysmal styling of so many of their new cars and the emphasis on style over substance I just can't get excited over 99% of their current product line.
Now and then they have a car that looks good enough, but for some reason I look back at the "malaise" era lineups of BMW and competitors, and the old styling is more appealing to me.

I see the new 7er is kind of a brutalist severe looking thing, I want to like it in a weird way, but I don't know. E23 or even E32 seem like classics now.
The 3,5, and 8 are attractive, as are all the SUVs save the X7. The new 2er coupe is nowhere near as attractive as its predecessor.

At least with MB most of the lineup is maybe inoffensive, unlike some BMW weirdness (buckteeth grille, weird lumpy EVs) - maybe the oddest being the bathtub EVs. But when compared to 60s-90s models, the styling sometimes misses the mark. I know new cars are much easier to live with under the hood, but design-wise sometimes I think we're in a 21st century 1958.

ab348 · January 2023

Some vigilante behaviour among Tesla owners Down Under, apparently. Those “idle fees” sure can add up.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/motoring-news/how-tesla-owners-are-punishing-each-other/news-story/8292ecf943c0b77e85d7f3e8bc550ef0

mjfloyd1 · January 2023

Michaell said:
When we closed on our current house, there were two piles of documents, about 1/2" high each.

One for the mortgage, one for the solar system on the house (which we lease).

Who leases “solar systems”? I’d like the Milky Way 😂

qbrozen · January 2023

unbelievably, I received titles for both Pajero Minis today. That's like 1/4th the time of all previous titles. I wonder what I did to get such special treatment. Possibly because I sent a priority mail envelope with 3 white envelopes inside. One with a follow-up form for the Opel that I screwed up, and the other 2 with the Pajero apps. I guess maybe they took care of the Opel follow-up and figured "eh, let's do these others."

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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