Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

dino001 · January 19

Is this your last loan? The score ticking down happened to me after I paid off my mortgage, which was my last loan (I had my car paid off a few months before). Literally next month. Not by much, but enough to notice and the "explanation" was literally "no current installment loans". At the moment I have only credit card balances paid off every month, but the score machine doesn't know it, it takes a "snapshot" of whatever the bills are. The score is high, but quite a bit lower (20-30 points) then when I had my mortgage and car loan active. One time my score according to BoA tool ticked at "perfect" 850/850, just to drop lower next month. Right now it's hovering 810-820. It dipped to 790 when I made couple of larger purchases within couple of months that I charged to CC. Once they cleared (paid off), it ticked up to old values. I follow the values, as they're on my fingertips every time i log onto my account, but I don't worry about them, as long as there are no errors on the reporting side. People get worked up about it sometimes way too much. It really doesn't matter at that level, as one loan officer said, everything above 720/750 (depending on particular bank criteria) is just bragging rights, doesn't change the rate.

explorerx4 · January 19

This dog sure loves the snow.

kyfdx · January 19

@dino001
Yes, it’s been my only debt since the mortgage was paid off in 2019. Only took it on because of 0%.

I was around 820 before it came off. I’m at 836, currently.

kyfdx · January 19

Mine bounces a lot, along with the credit card balances. Even though they get paid off each month, if we have a big project or purchase, the score will drop as utilization percentage goes higher.

Of course, no actual consequences.

I do have a $190K HELOC line, that I’ve never used.

sda · January 19

@explorerx4 said:
This dog sure loves the snow.

Is that a miniature Eskimo Spitz? My wife had one when we married. His name was King and he thought he was. Baths were not his friend.

explorerx4 · January 19

@sda,
That's a Samoyed. She weighs over 60 lbs.

tjc78 · January 19

@kyfdx said:
Mine bounces a lot, along with the credit card balances. Even though they get paid off each month, if we have a big project or purchase, the score will drop as utilization percentage goes higher.

Of course, no actual consequences.

I do have a $190K HELOC line, that I’ve never used.

With a 190k open line you’d have to do some serious damage on multiple cards to put a large enough dent in utilization to bring your score down under 800.

houdini1 · January 19

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.

If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.

laurasdada · January 19

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.

Darn, I'm a freeloader.

venture · January 19

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.

The only thing I have open is one credit card that I pay off monthly, or more often if I remember. No mortgage, no car payments, no loans.

It went from 842, where it was for many months as far as I can remember, to 843. I can go get the Lamborghini now.

jmonroe1 · January 19

explorerx4 said:
This dog sure loves the snow.

————————————————-
Isn’t that why they made those dogs?

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · January 19

laurasdada said:

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.
Darn, I'm a freeloader.

————————————————-
I’m sure you’ve been called worse. Even in here.

jmonroe

dino001 · January 19

laurasdada said:

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.
Darn, I'm a freeloader.

Proud co-founder of Credit Card Freeloader Club. Anybody wants to join?

As Rockefeller said, best way to get a loan is to prove you don't need it.

In all seriousness, credit card companies also get a portion of swipe fees on the back end, so even if one pays off every month, they're not exactly losing money on you, if you keep charging enough. So, even if I don't keep the balance, they must like me enough to keep sending me new offers and adding new cash back deals. From their perspective, they play a long game - one day I may finally need to keep the balance and they'll happily jump on it charging me their usurious rates.

explorerx4 · January 19

@jmonroe1,
Yes, they were originally bred in Siberia to pull sleds.

laurasdada · January 19

jmonroe1 said:

laurasdada said:

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.
Darn, I'm a freeloader.
————————————————-
I’m sure you’ve been called worse. Even in here.

jmonroe

There is no bad publicity.

I've been using credit cards for everything for many a year, take advantage of the float and play the cash back games!
How else will I be able to buy a mansion and a yacht, keep up with the Fudds...

jmonroe1 · January 19

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.

————————————————
Years ago, my BoA Visa card was starting to act up even when I spit on the magnetic strip. So, I called to get another card. The woman that took the call said it would take about a week to get a replacement. When I asked why so long she told me to wait a minute. She comes back and said, “since you’ve been with us for a long time (maybe 15 years at the time) and have never been late with a payment, I’m going to send this Fed X with over night delivery”. When I said they didn’t have to do that, a couple days was fine with me, she said it’s already been approved and she thanked me for being a long time very good customer.

I said something like, “that’s interesting because I always pay my bill in full and never carry a balance so why am I considered a very good customer”? Her reply was that I always charge a lot every month and the merchants I do business with pay them.

From that I surmised that everyone who has a credit card and pays on time every month, either in full or carry a month to month balance, are good customers. So, I’m not really as good of a customer as they categorize me. It’s just PR talk.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · January 19

explorerx4 said:
@jmonroe1,
Yes, they were originally bred in Siberia to pull sleds.

————————————————
When my oldest son was 13 and his brother was 10 Mrs. j decided they were old enough to get a dog. Considering a few things they homed in on an English Springer Spaniel. I checked around with a few vets and 2 of them recommended a breeder on a farm not too far from where we lived. It was a single woman who lived with her parents who bred Samoyeds.

Her father bred them for pulling sleds in competition and was very proud of the awards they won. He showed me more plaques and trophies than I could count. He had been doing that for many years and was especially proud of the awards his dogs won when competing against a well known vet doctor who lived in Ohio that bred Samoyeds. The weights pulled that were shown on the awards were pretty high. Well into the hundreds of pounds.

jmonroe

dino001 · January 19

jmonroe1 said:

From that I surmised that everyone who has a credit card and pays on time every month, either in full or carry a month to month balance, are good customers. So, I’m not really as good of a customer as they categorize me. It’s just PR talk.

jmonroe

You are "good customer" in terms of credit standing, just not necessarily most loved one, but even that can be challenged. Banks are weird institutions - others typically treat people proportionally to revenue and profit they bring, but not banks. Take overdraft fees - very profitable, bring billions in the aggregate, but usually charged to people who don't really have any money and they still treat them like dirt and look down upon. Becase the treatment by the bank is not proportional to actual amount of money they make on you, but to your hypothetical potential of making money on you in some future time should you actually need their service and how low is the risk on that money in their view.

jmonroe1 · January 19

dino001 said:

laurasdada said:

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.
Darn, I'm a freeloader.
Proud co-founder of Credit Card Freeloader Club. Anybody wants to join? As Rockefeller said, best way to get a loan is to prove you don't need it.

I’ll join if the dues aren’t any worse than what Edmund’s charges. Is there a chance I could be vise-president?

As for the Rockefeller quote, I’ve heard it before and that ain’t no lie.

jmonroe

roadburner · January 19

houdini1 said:

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.
If you don't have any debt to speak of and pay off your credit card balance every month, your credit card company considers you to be a free loader and bad customer because they don't make any money off of you, except for what they charge the people you do business with, who then might pass it along to you.

I have a BMW Mastercard that I put almost every expense on and it's paid off every month. I have the option of several rewards but the best are BMW cards which can be used at any BMW dealer. Recently I had an oil service, plus the plugs, fuel filter, front main seal, and oil filter housing gasket were all replaced on the Club Sport. Total OOP? $0.00 The annual service for the X1 will be covered as well.

The added points I don’t use to redeem those cards are available to use on either Amazon or PayPal. So far I’ve used those points to buy 4 books, 2 JACO tire gauges, some magazine files, and -for the Wrangler- a Covercraft sunshade, a WeatherTech cargo mat, Quadratec door entry guards, and a radio antenna that clears the garage door opening. That current balance is $35.

roadburner · January 20

@dino001 said:
Proud co-founder of Credit Card Freeloader Club. Anybody wants to join? As Rockefeller said, best way to get a loan is to prove you don't need it.

In all seriousness, credit card companies also get a portion of swipe fees on the back end, so even if one pays off every month, they're not exactly losing money on you, if you keep charging enough. So, even if I don't keep the balance, they must like me enough to keep sending me new offers and adding new cash back deals. From their perspective, they play a long game - one day I may finally need to keep the balance and they'll happily jump on it charging me their usurious rates.

Years ago a friend of mine who works in the banking industry told me that the term for people who pay off their balance every month is “deadbeat.” He went on to say that the bank still makes money if you charge over $2,000 monthly.

roadburner · January 20

For those who don’t follow CCBA, I have to say that my Jeep’s remote start implementation is much better than the setup in the C43. Both cars use a proprietary app to start the car, and both vehicles must be locked in order to initiate the process. However, when you unlock the C43 the engine shuts off. In contrast, the Jeep remains running but the gear selection is locked out; you have to have the key fob on your person and press the start button again in order to select a gear.

ab348 · January 20

That is the same style that GM uses. I first encountered it with my '09 Buick and every GM car I've had since is the same. Car keeps running when unlocked but needs a second push of a button to let it be driven.

sda · January 20

roadburner said:
For those who don’t follow CCBA, I have to say that my Jeep’s remote start implementation is much better than the setup in the C43. Both cars use a proprietary app to start the car, and both vehicles must be locked in order to initiate the process. However, when you unlock the C43 the engine shuts off. In contrast, the Jeep remains running but the gear selection is locked out; you have to have the key fob on your person and press the start button again in order to select a gear.

The remote start in the Passat does the same as your C43. Annoying, but still better than not having it.

stickguy · January 20

Remote start, something that I know I will never use. My truck has it through an app.

laurasdada · January 20

Quick 100 mile round trip in the Icon of the Seas today (doggie to vet, still in former haunts town). Averaged 52mph, 35.3 mpg and 12.5 mi/kwh. Not bad for the largest cruise ship on the seas (well Rts. 3, 44 ,495 and 95, actually).
Passed the black Jaguar I-Pace in its driveway on the way home, still not on fire. Nor the Nissan Leaf garaged three doors down.
Nor my A7, at least that I know of...
The Year of Living Dangerously.

fintail · January 20

roadburner said:
For those who don’t follow CCBA, I have to say that my Jeep’s remote start implementation is much better than the setup in the C43. Both cars use a proprietary app to start the car, and both vehicles must be locked in order to initiate the process. However, when you unlock the C43 the engine shuts off. In contrast, the Jeep remains running but the gear selection is locked out; you have to have the key fob on your person and press the start button again in order to select a gear.

My wagon does the same, maybe a MB/German thing. On that note, I think the function expired from my Mercedes Me Connect functionality - and I am not going to pay to use it what would end up being a few times a year. The subscription ideal is more than irritating.

oldfarmer50 · January 20

venture said:
I know credit scores come up occasionally.

I was messing around in my Credit Union account and noticed that my credit score went up 1 point over what it has been for quite a few months. (They chart it.) One point!!

I remember back when one of my guys was multiplying a series of 2 guesses, I mean estimates, out to 4 or 5 decimal places. Seems about the same.

My credit score goes up and down a few points any month I charge more than a few bucks. Evidently, they don’t like you using credit cards but encourage you to take out car loans and mortgages.

roadburner · January 20

@fintail said:
My wagon does the same, maybe a MB/German thing. On that note, I think the function expired from my Mercedes Me Connect functionality - and I am not going to pay to use it what would end up being a few times a year. The subscription ideal is more than irritating.

I don’t like the subscription model either but I do find the feature’s useful. One reason I flipped the 2er was because it lost all connectivity when 3G shut down. I know that for some it’s not worth it, but I have the online
services on both.

28firefighter · January 20

We took our Tesla to go skiing in the mountains this weekend. Charged it to 100%, made it to the cabin, up the mountain, and back to the cabin and have only used 40% of the battery.

I know. I should have rented an SUV. We might have been left stranded. Stranded I tell you!

roadburner · January 20

28firefighter said:
We took our Tesla to go skiing in the mountains this weekend. Charged it to 100%, made it to the cabin, up the mountain, and back to the cabin and have only used 40% of the battery.

I know. I should have rented an SUV. We might have been left stranded. Stranded I tell you!

You are so irresponsible- it also might have caught fire!

jmonroe1 · January 20

28firefighter said:
We took our Tesla to go skiing in the mountains this weekend. Charged it to 100%, made it to the cabin, up the mountain, and back to the cabin and have only used 40% of the battery.

I know. I should have rented an SUV. We might have been left stranded. Stranded I tell you!

————————————————-
There are some folks that wouldn’t live on the edge like that.

jmonroe

sda · January 20

I had an initial complimentary subscription to VW Connect that had different features to monitor the car and remote start. I thought I might subscribe and found the cost IIRC about $20 a month to be too much. Thankfully remote start is also available from the key fob but it doesn’t offer the range or convenience of using the app on my phone to start the car.

venture · January 21

fintail said:

roadburner said:
For those who don’t follow CCBA, I have to say that my Jeep’s remote start implementation is much better than the setup in the C43. Both cars use a proprietary app to start the car, and both vehicles must be locked in order to initiate the process. However, when you unlock the C43 the engine shuts off. In contrast, the Jeep remains running but the gear selection is locked out; you have to have the key fob on your person and press the start button again in order to select a gear.

My wagon does the same, maybe a MB/German thing. On that note, I think the function expired from my Mercedes Me Connect functionality - and I am not going to pay to use it what would end up being a few times a year. The subscription ideal is more than irritating.

My former Legacy would shut off when the door was opened. They fixed that with this new one. Now it keeps running until you push the start button.

oldfarmer50 · January 21

laurasdada said:
Quick 100 mile round trip in the Icon of the Seas today (doggie to vet, still in former haunts town). Averaged 52mph, 35.3 mpg and 12.5 mi/kwh. Not bad for the largest cruise ship on the seas (well Rts. 3, 44 ,495 and 95, actually).
Passed the black Jaguar I-Pace in its driveway on the way home, still not on fire. Nor the Nissan Leaf garaged three doors down.
Nor my A7, at least that I know of...
The Year of Living Dangerously.

Are you sure you’re not whistling past the graveyard? I don’t think EV fires are a substantial danger any more than Hun/Kia engine fires are but they get media play. It’s one more thing to keep track of just like checking your oil.

tjc78 · January 21

My Covid build RAM doesn’t have the module for the connected services. I do miss the app for remote unlock, start etc.

If I was buying it I’d see what it would take to add it.

dino001 · January 21

roadburner said:

Years ago a friend of mine who works in the banking industry told me that the term for people who pay off their balance every month is “deadbeat.” He went on to say that the bank still makes money if you charge over $2,000 monthly.

Talking Orwellian change of meaning of words. Now we know why banks almost bankrupted this country more than once.

kyfdx · January 21

Oh no. That’s plusgood!

driver100 · January 21

28firefighter said:
We took our Tesla to go skiing in the mountains this weekend. Charged it to 100%, made it to the cabin, up the mountain, and back to the cabin and have only used 40% of the battery.

I know. I should have rented an SUV. We might have been left stranded. Stranded I tell you!

Don't charge to 100% all the time or it cuts battery life.
AAA says EVs can lose 41% of their range if the temp is 20F or less and you use your heater!
They advise not to let your charge go below 20% in cold temps because it can cost a lot if it goes to 0 (zero).
So, range of 300 miles, fill to 80% gives range of 240, less 40% for 20F temp gives you 150 miles, less 20% have to save gives a range of 120 miles.
The guy has an EV but won't be buying another one;
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/frigid-winter-weather-causes-challenges-for-electric-vehicle-owners-202135621985

pensfan83 · January 21

And another confirmation bias angel gets its wings.

jmonroe1 · January 21

venture said:

fintail said:

roadburner said:
For those who don’t follow CCBA, I have to say that my Jeep’s remote start implementation is much better than the setup in the C43. Both cars use a proprietary app to start the car, and both vehicles must be locked in order to initiate the process. However, when you unlock the C43 the engine shuts off. In contrast, the Jeep remains running but the gear selection is locked out; you have to have the key fob on your person and press the start button again in order to select a gear.

My wagon does the same, maybe a MB/German thing. On that note, I think the function expired from my Mercedes Me Connect functionality - and I am not going to pay to use it what would end up being a few times a year. The subscription ideal is more than irritating.
My former Legacy would shut off when the door was opened. They fixed that with this new one. Now it keeps running until you push the start button.

————————————————-
My ‘15 Genny has remote start but I’ve never used it. Well, it was used once when I bought the car and the Genesis Genius showed me how it works. It’s done via an app and I didn’t want to give the guy my CC number but Son #1 told me to get it since it was free for about 6 months, I think. The guy said if I didn’t like it I could cancel when the subscription expired.

I forgot about it and one day I got an email letting me know that the free trial was over and my CC was being charged only $XX a year. I called and told them I didn’t want it and the guy told me it was a good deal but he was going to cut the price in half and said it was an even better deal now for only $XX. I had to tell him if I never used it when it was free, why would I pay ANYTHING for it now? I finally convinced him I didn’t want it and it was removed from my CC. That was it, so I thought. I then started getting emails and phone calls that it would be free again, all I had to do was confirm my CC number. Finally, finally they went away.

When the day comes that I’d need remote start (whatever the temp), that’ll be the day I load my 45 for the last time and hope I haven’t lost my aim and that I can still pull the trigger.

jmonroe

venture · January 21

There are many things you don't need, but they are nice to have.

jmonroe1 · January 21

venture said:
There are many things you don't need, but they are nice to have.

————————————————
Like the Philly Cheesesteak I’m going to have between the playoff games tonight. Now I can’t wait for the end of the first game.

jmonroe

explorerx4 · January 21

I can remote start from the keyfob or the app. The remote start is also configurable.

driver100 · January 21

pensfan83 said:
And another confirmation bias angel gets its wings.

You guys said to do your research before buying an EV.
Just doing my research.
But, if you know everything I guess you don't have to do any research.

roadburner · January 21

oldfarmer50 said:

laurasdada said:
Quick 100 mile round trip in the Icon of the Seas today (doggie to vet, still in former haunts town). Averaged 52mph, 35.3 mpg and 12.5 mi/kwh. Not bad for the largest cruise ship on the seas (well Rts. 3, 44 ,495 and 95, actually).
Passed the black Jaguar I-Pace in its driveway on the way home, still not on fire. Nor the Nissan Leaf garaged three doors down.
Nor my A7, at least that I know of...
The Year of Living Dangerously.
Are you sure you’re not whistling past the graveyard? I don’t think EV fires are a substantial danger any more than Hun/Kia engine fires are but they get media play. It’s one more thing to keep track of just like checking your oil.

When the 4xe is plugged in I check on it every 30 minutes- 24/7.

tjc78 · January 21

@driver100 said:
You guys said to do your research before buying an EV.
Just doing my research.
But, if you know everything I guess you don't have to do any research.

I’m calling it now … you’ll never buy one

fintail · January 21

roadburner said:

@fintail said:

My wagon does the same, maybe a MB/German thing. On that note, I think the function expired from my Mercedes Me Connect functionality - and I am not going to pay to use it what would end up being a few times a year. The subscription ideal is more than irritating.

I don’t like the subscription model either but I do find the feature’s useful. One reason I flipped the 2er was because it lost all connectivity when 3G shut down. I know that for some it’s not worth it, but I have the online

services on both.

Oh yeah, I just rather would have paid more up front and have it not seem so parasitic. We're moving to a subscription society in some ways, and that's maybe not a positive, even if it does give some cloned execs who take so little and give so much a slightly larger summer home. And maybe I am bitter as this is the first time I've found some value in the feature since mine expired (some things still work - I can check lock status, fuel level/range, tire pressure, etc).

driver100 · January 21

tjc78 said:

@driver100 said:

You guys said to do your research before buying an EV.

Just doing my research.

But, if you know everything I guess you don't have to do any research.

I’m calling it now … you’ll never buy one

I wouldn't say that. If I do buy a new car it could be my last new car, I want to be careful about what I buy. I would definitely consider a hybrid at this time.
I see that there are self-charging hybrids coming on to the market....that sounds good. They don't have to be plugged in.
I am watching what is happening, things are developing quickly. The freezing weather has caused more questions. The cost of a new battery could be huge...some say $30000.
What I get from some people is you should research things before you buy anything......and then if you don't just blindly buy one it's out of fear.
I like to find the answers before I make a major purchase, and I don't know everything about everything like some people do.

pensfan83 · January 21

driver100 said:

pensfan83 said:
And another confirmation bias angel gets its wings.

You guys said to do your research before buying an EV.
Just doing my research.
But, if you know everything I guess you don't have to do any research.

Basing your conclusions on anecdotal evidence isn't research.

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