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Du Bois, NE Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Ebay time [fintail]

by Mr_Shiftright on Sat Jun 21 09:09:08 PDT 2008

WILDFIRE -- this was America's concept of what a "sports car" was in 1953, F-head engine and all. Sir Peter Ustinov made great good fun of this car ( or type of car) in his hilarious recording "Grand Prix du Roc" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000APVC4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top In the recording, it's called I think the "Wildfowl". Click on the "samples". *Every* sound effect, every voice, comes from his mouth except the sound of a hammer on metal. Saab 95 Wagon -- I drove cross-country in one of those. You don't ever want to do that. Renault R5 -- well at least we know what the best and rarest Le Car is worth---about as much as a banged-up 15 year Honda Civic. Honda S600 -- this is a fun little car to drive, highly recommended and yes, you can take it on the freeway. I had the coupe version and it would do 80 mph. Motorcycle engine with chain-driven transmission, so high RPMs were okay. AMC Matador Wagon -- those ARE surprising bids. Boy, if you ever wanted an example of 1970s "engine bay chaos" just look at that engineering mess under the hood. Looks like the first A-bomb photos from the mock-up in the New Mexico desert. All that's missing is duct tape.

Re: Shoes, Bumpers, & Celebs [nyccarguy]

by lulu9 on Thu May 31 21:41:41 PDT 2007

So you have a resemblance to David Schwimmer? I would have never guessed that! (How could I?) Oh that's so funny! It's always fascinating to finally meet (or see) someone with whom you've been corresponding or with whom you've gotten to know over phone through work/business. I had a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT image/idea! "Ross" as you call him has a very "nice guy/solid guy" look to him, so you must too. From a demographics standpoint, it's interesting how the qualities of the Prelude attracted three owners from completely different backgrounds. The one thing I know we have in common is (very) good taste! :shades: And we're fastidious about our cars. I know you guys will laugh when you read this--go ahead it's o.k. :blush:--but there is actually a short list of celebs I apparently look like. Some I agree with in that I can understand their comparison. For starters, in no particular order, my father (of all people) agrees that I look like the actress Rachel Weisz. Or, rather, that she looks like me, especially in her last film The Constant Gardener. I can kinda/sorta see that. Then we have the Madonna camp. I will tell you guys that I do not look like her, but there are a few friends and even strangers who see a physical commonality. It’s actually quite embarrassing to hear strangers say, “Oh my God, you look like Madonna” (in grocery stores, restaurants...Metro North even). NO I DON’T! After that we have Wynona Ryder. That I get… I can actually see for myself what they’re referring to (again, in a way) except a completely different hair style. Yes...there’s more: I will also get Salma Hayak. I can kinda/sorta see that one as well with the hair style, nose, and eyes. Finally, we’ve got Bernadette Peters, though she’s quite older—yet she looks absolutely phenomenal. (She does a lot of Broadway musicals—she’s been in two films with Steve Martin.) Completely different hair style and color, but this one I get as well, especially if you ever saw her films with Steve Martin in her younger years. Funny that I’ve had a few gay men ask if I am her younger sister as she used to summer here in Westport, and they saw her up close and personal on several occasions. And a former co-worker thought the resemblance was so uncanny that she thought I should enter a look-alike contest. So whenever I get dressed up and go out, depending on my “look,” I will typically hear one of the above-mentioned celebs. Then why don’t I have a boyfriend? Because, as I have been reminded, all I do is work, work-out, and refinish kitchen cabinets...or other home improvement project du jour! (Well, being extremely gun-shy after my last experience has A LOT TO DO WITH IT.) With the deer/animal population (and completely inept drivers), I would never attempt to go above 80 MPH on the Merritt. However, I seized the opportunity on my way back from my friend's cook-out on Saturday. I was returning on I-95; it was around midnight. There was a stretch of highway between Fairfield and Westport with few cars, and I didn't see any cops. SO I JUST WENT FOR IT as I couldn't wait to test my new tires at a high speed! I really couldn't believe how solid the road felt and how smooth the Prelude responded. (I actually did take the car up to 110 for a few moments :blush:.) Then I became paranoid again because the State Police Headquarters is off one of the exits I was about to pass. NOT A GOOD IDEA! (I can only imagine the amount of the ticket I would get for going that fast.) But while the fun lasted, I was over-the-top thrilled. In my Pre-Edmund Prelude Forum days, I would have replaced these stock tires with an all-weather tire: end of story. Boy, was I naive! But that's one of the reasons I decided to participate in this forum. I knew I needed help! As a single gal, I wanted/needed support--out of respect for my Prelude. You guys have been really helpful and supportive--and TOLERANT AND PATIENT. So, yes, I have definitely "seen the light." Experiencing the dramatic difference that tires can make has turned me into a true believer! Yes, getting your bumper repainted will help your car look like new again. I've already got a few of those (chips) on mine too.

Re: Is there a difference? [willie2l]

by markcincinnati on Mon Jan 15 19:28:02 PST 2007

All of the Audis my wife and I have had since that first 1978 Audi 5000 in 1977 have been purchased from the same dealer. Most of them, by far, from the same salesman (who is not in management at the dealership.) The dealership, owned by ONE GUY, was sold to a billion dollar company several years ago. The dealership built a new 7 million dollar dealership. They sell about 600 new Audis per year -- but they are growing, apparently, with their new location and super high glitz facility. Good for them, good for the customers -- or so I thought. For the first 25 or 26 Audis we always dealt directly with the owner, who was always there. Came to the current two car purchases we made in March and June of 2005 and boy oh boy things sure had changed. I ended up kissing Audi good-bye and placed an order for an Infiniti M35X. My wife after 3 TT's in a row and a desire to buy a new A4 3.2, also gave up and ordered a new $47K BMW X3 that was "hundreds" cheaper per month on a lease for 36 month than a $44K A4. The Infiniti deal for me was nearly $200 less per month than the "similar" A6 3.2. I so wanted the Audi, but, as I have said, these cars are more alike than they are different and the mo pay and "styling" are key differentiators. I guess if I thought the Infiniti was butt ugly or something like that I couldn't have made the decision I initially made. What the heck, I had purchased so many cars from ONE GUY, I wrote him a "thanks for the memories" letter, cc'd the sales manager (no longer the owner, who is never there, apparently) and also cc'd the Vice president of Audi of America. Note: when you order an Infiniti it takes about 120 days -- orders are only placed one time per month (in 2005 at least) and the lead time is a minimum of 90+ days after that. I sent the letters I mentioned. I figured I would be happy with the Infiniti, I had driven the car several times and found it to be quite close to the feel I had enjoyed from Audi and had felt when I tested BMW's. About 75 days passed and then, one day, I received a phone call from the sales rep, who said, "come home Shane, come home." The net of it was there were "loyalty deals, special cents off coupons and lower money factors and even the cancelling of a couple of months of a lease on my not yet at term 2003 allroad, the negating of a sec dep and free bottled water and car washes for life." All I had to do was "unhook" the M35X deal -- the Infiniti dealers had $1500 of my money. A phone call to the Infiniti dealer was soooo easy. He was looking for inbound inventory. My car, apparently on a boat, was able to be sold either to me or to someone else despite my somewhat unorthodox color scheme, silver with bourbon leather and journey and technology package with ground effects and a wing on the butt. My wife said the deal Audi coughed up was a ONCE in a lifetime deal for they literally dropped the price on a 36 mo lease $200 per month and let me out of my lease on the allroad without penalty. I hope she is wrong. I also somewhat hate the fact that I had to say good-bye to get the deal. Of course, as they say, "if you are willing to walk and they know it, you will get the best deal du jour." After years of dealing directly with the owner, I had come to enjoy a no negotiation approach and a sense that I always got the best deal in exchange for my repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat patronage. Hey, now I'm dealing with a billion dollar dealership group. I met the owner once, I am confident he knows me not and in fact he's never there, so it's really a moot point anyway. Today, I am mostly convinced these cars ARE NOT unique (within their class). The Lexus is at one, Infiniti and perhaps Cadillac are in the middle and the Germans are at the other end of a continuum of plush/poshness and sportiness. They are all great apples, so to speak, but they are different kind of apples -- but apples nevertheless. Some like red deeeeelish, some granny smith and some gala. The car companies must know this too, for there certainly can be a great deal of movement with respect to the "rental" agreements offered by the various financing arms. Audi Financial, apparently, made this happen as did BMW financial for my wife with her new Bimmer. Fear not -- and also don't assume the dealer knows everything or is somehow attempting to be a crook. While they certainly might be, it is more likely that these multi multi million dollar (or billion dollar, in my case) auto dealerships you are dealing with are being run by professional "managers." Rarely, at least in these parts, will you deal with someone in an equity position. The guy who didn't know about the "deal" quite possibly didn't know about the deal -- why? It really makes little difference to him/her. My long term sales rep says he makes about the same amount on an A3 as he does on an A8 -- his motivation therefore is, well -- you figure it out. :surprise:

Recent Avalon 2005+ comments about forum factoring makes the point

by user777 on Thu Aug 31 09:32:58 PDT 2006

that people are having difficulty and do not like the "improvement". I know you have other people complaining about the factoring of the forums in other locations. I'm sure it's not only the Avalon forums where you are getting negative feedback. But telling people to track a group and "that it is the same" is really convenient but not truthful. And, nobody wants to have numerous discussions (which are not of interest to them) tracked as part of a group. And, by factoring out the P+Ss into many dedicated ones, you are really hurting everyone's ability to go to a centralized location for everything people are negatively reporting on the vehicle and learn from that, but also have people contributing solutions to a range of problems being reported. So you ARE doing people a disfavor. You're forcing people to read a range of discussions within a group now to report problems and look for solutions, and if they don't fit into a convenient location, to be forced to choose between poor alternatives, or increase the factoring by creating another forum, just to have content moved by the hosts causing more confusion. There, I feel better. :cry: Not. It was so natural before. Now you've moved to a model which is unnatural in my opinion, and the justification du-jour is "things are now easier to search". Oh boy. :confuse: :mad: :sick:

Re: repstrepostrepost ... Achenator ...

by rroyce10 on Thu Mar 16 05:10:39 PST 2006

... **OH terrrryyyy! Got a chance to get this thinking can detail it and make a few bucks. Was my uncle's company car and have a chance to buy it out. 2004 Impala base 58k grey w/ grey guts clean w/ all maint records. auto a/c single cd pw/pl the usual suspects in NOLA area no flood no accidents tires ok no kids or shrimp po/boy invasions what's she worth in trade and if I get a 5-liner in the Times Picayune?.** ====================== No po-boy's...? .. I like po-boy's ......! Is this a repost ......?? .. say it's not so.! Down in Nawleans ... have you guys shot that mayor yet.? - and why not.???? anywaaaaaay .... (3.8 V6.?) ... we got this base with the power pack and maybe a du-dad here and there and a TON of miles ..... (I'd have a ton of miles if I had that much water chasing me around the state) ... Nice clean cars are in demand in your neck of the woods .. even if they have some miles (well maintained) ... so if it looks/feels and drives like 20k .. then trade side, you might "could" maybe see the mid/tall $7's, the 3.8 "might maybe" even get you into the low/mid $8's, big maybe ... prices there are nutty as you know, so it will depend on the dealer .. I do know that we've seen a *bunch* of the gulf region dealers at the Florida auctions and they have literally "jumped" right out of the book .. I've gone home a few times with a ham sandwich - and no cars ..l.o.l.. Retail Rd...? .. base it on what the dealers are offering on the trade side ... my guess.? .. $10,900 *asking* .... this has my interest, so let me know ..... ;) Terry.

Re: Um, on the eye of the beholder. . . [lovemyclk]

by markcincinnati on Tue Oct 11 17:11:49 PDT 2005

Oh boy, I bet if I go down this path there will be some amongst "us" that will deem me one thing or another -- from a political perspective. But, if you will allow my point to be placed in context and in history (then and now), you certainly should let me start out by saying I am NOT intending to express a political view. End of disclaimer. In 1989 a then "nobody," Michael Moore released a film called "Roger and Me." Anyone remember it? It became "something" over time as it was released and re-released on the format du jour (now DVD, of course.) Moore's premise is well known and I will not digress into a review of the film except to comment it was entertaining and informative if you recognize that it is at once a documentary -- a well-spun documentary -- and a bit of fiction. Now Moore wanted, so he said, to show Roger Smith, CEO of GM the results of the layoffs that ostensibly were Smith's handiwork. Now here is the part where you have to keep everything in context. And add to the context the part that is germane to us here in LPS edmunds.com land. Part of the thread here of late includes a generally undefended notion that GM (Cadillac in particular) has squandered billions and its possible future and to this day cannot build a car at a price that makes most of us take either the CTS or the STS seriously. N.B.: While @ MSRP, I agree that "who are they kidding with respect to the asking price;" but, reality check, even before the GM employee pricing of late, the STS's (here in Cincinnati at least) were discounted some $7,000 and even V8, loaded SRX's were slashed to $49,999 with super sub-vented leases. Sorry, again, for the run-on sentence. So we are all [apparently] mostly in general agreement that the CTS and STS are the most likely suspects within the GM line to compete in what we know as the near premium and premium classes of cars. But, we can't see an STS/AWD commanding or being worth some $63,000+ (well, at least it appears MOST of us cannot fathom those dollars for a Cadillac with its 'less than impressive' quality and fit and finish.) What Roger & Me didn't do or perhaps couldn't do was explain part and parcel of the milieu that led (in part) to Smith's ascention to the position of GM's CEO. Saying it's the economy stupid would be right, incomplete and too easy. "It was the economy stupid. . ." Smith, or so it most surely seems (in context), was NOT really a "car guy." Smith and those in power before and somewhat after his time were "accountants." The line of cars that all were built on the same platform (remember the Cimarron?) were the product of a car company led by CPA's -- not a right brain anywhere to be found, at the time, amongst those in control of GM. Remember I said (my opinion, only) that cars are emotional and second emotionally to family (I love my wife because it is logical, right?) The era, perhaps that peaked (or is that piqued?) during Smith saw the car manifested through the eyes and "soul" of an accountant. We are where we are (with respect to GM and US car companies in general), in part, due to GM's shift from emotional (passionate) leadership to rational (logical) management. Moore was not entirely biased, not entirely the left-wing wacko he is often portrayed as today -- it is just that his documentary was incomplete insofar as being a bellwether of where we have come to in American car-dom. Hopefully, this will not incite those on either the left or the right to enter into discourse that will surely be frowned upon here. In the context of LPS cars and Cadillac in particular (and with respect to the post I am directly responding to) I thought it might be a relevant line of thinking. Drive it like you live. :shades: