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big day at the new digs. the landscapers showed up today to use the big machines (a bobcat and a compact backhoe) they dropped off yesterday. Man, a lot of dirt was moved. and 2 overflowing dump trailers full of crap from the wooded part (fallen tree parts, and assorted junk the house behind us had deposited there over the years). But it looks vastly better. and a ton more yard area now that they cleaned up some overgrown pockets. I might need a riding mower after all!
All the grading and clean up seems to be done, top layer down, and the planting beds with mulch are done. Only thing left is to do the hydroseed (and I assume, or at least hope, they will drag rake it smooth before doing that!
Oh, also had a yard drain put in. we have a drain pipe from one end of the yard that runs under the bottom of the driveway to a drain grate on that side (the up side it an open drain pipe on the slope), The problem is, the opening is not at the low spot of the road, so when it rains we ended up with a lake in front of the house by the driveway. So they installed a drain into that pipe where the lowest spot is and will grade down to it, so hopefully most of the road lake will get taken away.
The wooden floors look good. Is there a story about why the 4 boards towards the left edge look different?
That I don't know. It had carpet over it for 30 years.
All the little dots could be where staples were since that is where the carpet and stone floor in the entrance meet. The discoloration may be from moisture if the previous owners used the front door and went in through the living room. We have always used the kitchen door or garage door and went in through the kitchen.
———————————————— It looks very nice. I’m sure you are going to enjoy it.
As for the boards at the left, I’d say it’s because it is real wood and you have different graining from board to board with real wood. That is a distinction that makes real hardwood floors so valuable.
I think you were wise to leave the slate in the foyer alone. When we did flip #3 my son didn’t like the slate foyer so he decided to take it out and install new hardwood to replace it. I disagreed with him because of the work involved. If your slate floor is installed like our flip was, which was very common back in the day, there is at least an inch and a half of mud (mortar) under it. I knew that was going to be a you know what to remove. And because of that I wanted no part of removing it. Once my son started in at it with a sledgehammer he decided to hire someone to do it. Then you have the joy of getting the floor to be at the same level as the adjoining hardwood floors. In our case, the rest of the foyer leading to the kitchen straight ahead and the dining room to the left of the foyer. Fun, fun.
But when we had the floors refinished it was a big selling feature. In fact, I’m sure the floors and the kitchen were the main reason that house sold in 4 hours.
jmonroe
Mrs. venture never liked the slate. I figured it would be a huge pain to replace. It's still there.
The guy is here sanding the living room floor. He said it will only take about 2 hours. Now I am wondering if he plans on applying varnish. I guess I will know soon.
Oh, man. That floor is going to look so gorgeous after it is refinished!
EDIT: Of course I'm way behind the times. I think this one would have looked better with a stain applied in order to even out the overall staining the wood has experienced from prior neglect. However, it still looks great, and it will likely age nicely as the varnish darkens. My brother had floors in his house when he bought it that looked a lot like yours. He sanded and finished them similarly as well, and, twenty years later, they have aged wonderfully. I'd guess it will be time to freshen them in another decade or so, but even then they won't look even close to what they did when he first sanded them.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
You are missing the point. I have not received any notices from the manufacturer to park my car outside and not in the garage, and I haven't had to return my car to the dealer to have a $20000 part pulled from it and exchanged for a new part. I guess EV owners are fixated on the fire situation and don't seem to care about having to park outside, maybe they don't park their car in a garage. And maybe they don't care about using a loaner car for a few weeks while a new battery comes in and until GM clears up the combustion problem. And maybe they like the idea that the Lyriq had to be parked in an open field in case of a fire. I have better things to do with my time and I prefer to park my gasser in the garage.
I don’t believe we are the fixated ones. We all park in our garages and we are fine. That’s the point. But this tiny danger worries you, so you shouldn’t be buying an EV.
Yeh, I don't like watching my car go up in flames because of faulty $20000 batteries, but that is just me. Even worse if the house goes with it, especially if I am in it. it would really ruin my day.
Mrs. venture never liked the slate. I figured it would be a huge pain to replace. It's still there.
That's funny. The house I grew up in (at least for the last part of my childhood) was built in 1979, and it had a slate-floored entryway. My folks never liked it because they felt it looked too dark in that area (it was about 6x8', IIRC), but I always felt that was because there was no overhead light in that space at all, relying solely on light bleed from the hall, stairs, living room, and dining room, which seemed really strange to me. If we had lighting like we do now, where we could have put in a cluster of "daylight" range LED recessed lights, it would really make that slate floor pop. Also, if one runs heat under those, they feel so incredible to the toes....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Offered for your consideration: locally, this morning my online newspaper refused to load, returning a Cloudflare error. Prior to these Vanilla problems, I had never even heard of Cloudflare. I wonder if they have changed something in whatever it is that they do to cause this?
BTW, while Vanilla works on this board, it’s still problematic on CCBA.😥
Yeah, the fix is allegedly rolling out next week. We had to re-start this one as the issues were intolerable, but CCBA is spotty, so I left that open so we can see how well the fix works. If everything works as intended, we can decide whether to re-open the old C&C or just continue here. I can always change the title of the former to include "archived," and then take the "part 2" out of this discussion title. But, let's see if the fix is really a fix first.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
Could it be that sales are off for GM and Ford in China because the Chinese now want EVs. And China is way ahead in the EV field, the U.S. and Europe are way behind. EVs make up 50% of the sales in China so American cars are not needed and sales are falling rapidly. The U.S. is imposing a 100% tax on Chinese EVs which the Chinese don't like, so they aren't going to help sell American made cars. It is way worse than exploding batteries: https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/08/31/1-of-fords-biggest-problems-is-about-to-get-toughe/
I was stopped behind a Tesla at the stop light, he had his driver's side window open and big puffs of smoke were going out the window, and he had his arm out with a really smoky cigarette....I was thinking he doesn't pollute the air with carbon, but with smoke.
Chinese automakers are giving US car companies a run for their money, especially as the momentum behind electric vehicles accelerates — and that could force Ford and GM to make some hard decisions.
Other than Tesla, popular US auto brands lost major ground in China last year, the world's largest car market that's critically important to manufacturers. GM's car sales there fell by 20% from 2021, while Ford's declined by 33.5%, according to advisory firm Automobility Ltd.
I wish my brain worked like this where when you see something that doesn't jibe with your viewpoint you can just say "well that doesn't seem right" and it ceases to exist. Seems like a blissful way to blunder through life.
1997 Honda Prelude Base - 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance - 2021 Honda Passport Sport - 2006 BMW 330Ci ZHP
Parts have always failed. Including sometimes an engine internal that would cause the engine to stop running. Seems though that it used to be something that just got fixed afterwards, and maybe an extended warranty added just in case. Now it is framed as a safety recall not a mechanical issue.
That’s nice. About 10k more miles than mine and it’s the premium trim which gets you leather seats and I think a better stereo. Carvana’s last offer on mine was $26,400 so that would be shaving it close if they could only get $29,900 for a higher trim level.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
big day at the new digs. the landscapers showed up today to use the big machines (a bobcat and a compact backhoe) they dropped off yesterday. Man, a lot of dirt was moved. and 2 overflowing dump trailers full of crap from the wooded part (fallen tree parts, and assorted junk the house behind us had deposited there over the years). But it looks vastly better. and a ton more yard area now that they cleaned up some overgrown pockets. I might need a riding mower after all!
All the grading and clean up seems to be done, top layer down, and the planting beds with mulch are done. Only thing left is to do the hydroseed (and I assume, or at least hope, they will drag rake it smooth before doing that!
Oh, also had a yard drain put in. we have a drain pipe from one end of the yard that runs under the bottom of the driveway to a drain grate on that side (the up side it an open drain pipe on the slope), The problem is, the opening is not at the low spot of the road, so when it rains we ended up with a lake in front of the house by the driveway. So they installed a drain into that pipe where the lowest spot is and will grade down to it, so hopefully most of the road lake will get taken away.
I could have used that Bobcat last week when I refreshed my gravel driveway. 20 yards of #2 stone would have been a back breaker to spread by hand. Fortunately I found a company which agreed to spread it for me and the driver was an experienced and accommodating guy. It took calls to four different haulers to get one that would spread the stone. They all said they couldn’t or wouldn’t do that any more including the company I used last time.
This went so much simpler than spending hundreds to rent equipment from Home Depot and testing the tow limits of my truck.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
those 2 machines and about 6 guys I think move a tremendous amount of stuff in 1 day. A lot of debris out of the woods, and at least 3 huge dump loads of dirt. It was impressive.
If I recall, C & C replaced another thread. Maybe C & C can be renamed and Part 2 can be dropped from this thread.
The old thread was Stories from the Sales Frontlines and I assume it was meant to be a place for car salespeople to vent. Over time all us non-sales folks became attracted and by the time they realized we were just stealing all their dealer tricks it was too late.😧
I have to admit, I learned most of my negotiating strategies here including salesman’s jargon like “lay down”, “four pounder” and “clubbed like a baby seal”.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
BTW, while Vanilla works on this board, it’s still problematic on CCBA.😥
Yeah, the fix is allegedly rolling out next week. We had to re-start this one as the issues were intolerable, but CCBA is spotty, so I left that open so we can see how well the fix works. If everything works as intended, we can decide whether to re-open the old C&C or just continue here. I can always change the title of the former to include "archived," and then take the "part 2" out of this discussion title. But, let's see if the fix is really a fix first.
I’m sure you folks are doing everything possible and your efforts are much appreciated.
Maybe you can rename this board to something like ‘Cars and Curmudgeons’ to better reflect the members.😅
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Chinese automakers are giving US car companies a run for their money, especially as the momentum behind electric vehicles accelerates — and that could force Ford and GM to make some hard decisions.
Other than Tesla, popular US auto brands lost major ground in China last year, the world's largest car market that's critically important to manufacturers. GM's car sales there fell by 20% from 2021, while Ford's declined by 33.5%, according to advisory firm Automobility Ltd.
We were at the Mannheim auction in Newburgh today and one entire section was filled with Ford Lightning pick ups. Several hundred at least. There was much speculation as to what they were doing there. One opinion was that they were waiting to be crushed due to poor sales.😫
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Chinese automakers are giving US car companies a run for their money, especially as the momentum behind electric vehicles accelerates — and that could force Ford and GM to make some hard decisions.
Other than Tesla, popular US auto brands lost major ground in China last year, the world's largest car market that's critically important to manufacturers. GM's car sales there fell by 20% from 2021, while Ford's declined by 33.5%, according to advisory firm Automobility Ltd.
We were at the Mannheim auction in Newburgh today and one entire section was filled with Ford Lightning pick ups. Several hundred at least. There was much speculation as to what they were doing there. One opinion was that they were waiting to be crushed due to poor sales.😫
Poor sales because heavy trucks can't go too far on a full charge.
Especially if towing. Most of these late model EVs seem to depreciate more like a cell phone than a traditional vehicle. For someone who isn't afraid of high-ish miles, Hertz had two Subaru Solterras listed for sale under $20k as of last night. Unless there continue to be substantial lease/tax incentives, I think a 2-3 year old used EV is a great deal right now.
I'm not sure why people are so shocked that an EV towing a heavy trailer has lower range. Hook up an 8K pound trailer to a gas unit and gas mileage goes into the tank too. It's a towing thing, not an EV thing.
One positive though, they apparently are very good at towing with all the torque available. so it isn't really true that they are not good for towing, just not convenient for towing long distances!
I’m sure you folks are doing everything possible and your efforts are much appreciated.
Maybe you can rename this board to something like ‘Cars and Curmudgeons’ to better reflect the members.😅
I am not personally doing anything apart from exchanging emails with Vanilla support personnel, but thanks for the appreciation nonetheless.
I was thinking "Guzzlers and Geezers" or "Clunkers and Codgers." Too much?
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
I noticed a decline on posts on the "old" C&C, but use Firefox and never had a problem signing in. Was Firefox immune to the problem?
Not that I'm aware of. Maybe you just got lucky.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
I'm not sure why people are so shocked that an EV towing a heavy trailer has lower range. Hook up an 8K pound trailer to a gas unit and gas mileage goes into the tank too. It's a towing thing, not an EV thing.
One positive though, they apparently are very good at towing with all the torque available. so it isn't really true that they are not good for towing, just not convenient for towing long distances!
Both use more fuel....EV has a much shorter range. If you are towing stuff and especially if it is a work vehicle, you want range.....time fueling up costs time and money.
And almost nobody would buy one as a true work vehicle if they were on the road all day towing loads around. But for Joe suburbanite who tows his boat 2 miles to the lake or a utility trailer to the garden center, no issues.
And almost nobody would buy one as a true work vehicle if they were on the road all day towing loads around. But for Joe suburbanite who tows his boat 2 miles to the lake or a utility trailer to the garden center, no issues.
Ford F-150 = $48000 Ford EV F-150 = $62000 Pay $14000 extra to take your boat to the lake 2 miles away
I was thinking "Guzzlers and Geezers" or "Clunkers and Codgers." Too much?
———————————————— Who are you calling a clunker?
jmonroe
Oh, that's definitely ME. All original parts, but they're showing a lot of wear & tear.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
I'm not sure why people are so shocked that an EV towing a heavy trailer has lower range. Hook up an 8K pound trailer to a gas unit and gas mileage goes into the tank too. It's a towing thing, not an EV thing.
One positive though, they apparently are very good at towing with all the torque available. so it isn't really true that they are not good for towing, just not convenient for towing long distances!
Yes, exactly. EVs are awesome at towing... but they get crushed on range just like any other vehicle. The problem is that it takes far, far longer to fill the electric than the ICE vehicle, therefore the shortened range hurts more.
I am itching to tow something with my "new" truck, but I don't think it will happen this year. Based on prior experience, I suspect I'll see 12-14 mpg (versus 19.5 running empty).
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Comments
All the grading and clean up seems to be done, top layer down, and the planting beds with mulch are done. Only thing left is to do the hydroseed (and I assume, or at least hope, they will drag rake it smooth before doing that!
Oh, also had a yard drain put in. we have a drain pipe from one end of the yard that runs under the bottom of the driveway to a drain grate on that side (the up side it an open drain pipe on the slope), The problem is, the opening is not at the low spot of the road, so when it rains we ended up with a lake in front of the house by the driveway. So they installed a drain into that pipe where the lowest spot is and will grade down to it, so hopefully most of the road lake will get taken away.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
Maybe C & C can be renamed and Part 2 can be dropped from this thread.
EDIT: Of course I'm way behind the times. I think this one would have looked better with a stain applied in order to even out the overall staining the wood has experienced from prior neglect. However, it still looks great, and it will likely age nicely as the varnish darkens. My brother had floors in his house when he bought it that looked a lot like yours. He sanded and finished them similarly as well, and, twenty years later, they have aged wonderfully. I'd guess it will be time to freshen them in another decade or so, but even then they won't look even close to what they did when he first sanded them.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Bad day for Ford… ugh
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
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Review your vehicle
I know … it was the first thing I looked at.
Maybe the headline is worse than the actual problem?
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Not a hybrid issue this time at least.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The U.S. is imposing a 100% tax on Chinese EVs which the Chinese don't like, so they aren't going to help sell American made cars.
It is way worse than exploding batteries:
https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/08/31/1-of-fords-biggest-problems-is-about-to-get-toughe/
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yes the 2.7 and 3.0 Ecoboost. They claim 90k vehicles.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/05/ford-truck-hybrid-models-lead-to-13percent-increase-in-august-sales-.html
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Other than Tesla, popular US auto brands lost major ground in China last year, the world's largest car market that's critically important to manufacturers. GM's car sales there fell by 20% from 2021, while Ford's declined by 33.5%, according to advisory firm Automobility Ltd.
https://www.businessinsider.com/china-auto-sales-automakers-ford-gm-making-losing-market-share-2023-4
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Parts have always failed. Including sometimes an engine internal that would cause the engine to stop running. Seems though that it used to be something that just got fixed afterwards, and maybe an extended warranty added just in case. Now it is framed as a safety recall not a mechanical issue.
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
but $30K for a 10 YO sporty Ford seems like a lot to me.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
This went so much simpler than spending hundreds to rent equipment from Home Depot and testing the tow limits of my truck.
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.
I have to admit, I learned most of my negotiating strategies here including salesman’s jargon like “lay down”, “four pounder” and “clubbed like a baby seal”.
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.
Maybe you can rename this board to something like ‘Cars and Curmudgeons’ to better reflect the members.😅
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I liked the idea of naming the old one "Archived."
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
One positive though, they apparently are very good at towing with all the torque available. so it isn't really true that they are not good for towing, just not convenient for towing long distances!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I was thinking "Guzzlers and Geezers" or "Clunkers and Codgers." Too much?
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Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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2021 Toyota Venza Limited Hybrid, 2022 Ram 2500 Laramie 6.4 Hemi, 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata PRHT
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Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
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If you are towing stuff and especially if it is a work vehicle, you want range.....time fueling up costs time and money.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
And almost nobody would buy one as a true work vehicle if they were on the road all day towing loads around. But for Joe suburbanite who tows his boat 2 miles to the lake or a utility trailer to the garden center, no issues.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Who are you calling a clunker?
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
Pay $14000 extra to take your boat to the lake 2 miles away
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
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OK, if you say so. I was sure it couldn’t have been any of my poster buddies.
jmonroe
'18 Legacy Limited with 3.6R (Mrs. j's)
I am itching to tow something with my "new" truck, but I don't think it will happen this year. Based on prior experience, I suspect I'll see 12-14 mpg (versus 19.5 running empty).