nc211

I'm prepared to spend around $50k to replace both cars, with a budget of $30k for my wife's car, and $20k for mine. Hers will be first, as mine is still covered under the CPO warranty for another 18 months and 23k miles. Hers, the 4Runner, is not, and at 110k miles, is due for the expensive stuff.

She won't budge on the Subbies either. Basically, we're down to the Enclave and MDX for her. For me, I'm not sure, and not in a big hurry to replace the GTI, as I love the car. Although I can start to tell the accelerated age of 4 years in the upper Midwest on the car. I'm thinking this might be the time to finally scratch that BMW itch I've had for 22 years. If I found an 06' 330 xi with respective miles and solid service records, I'd be tempted on the spot. Now that I'm driving more (1,200 miles a month +/-), I need to keep my eye on that depreciation valuation slide a bit more. I'm not afraid of BMW at all, especially the normally aspirated engines, the 2.8 and 3.0 specifically. The 3 is Europe's version of our Honda Civic. They're everywhere over there. What we end up with for my wife, will influence what I end up with as well. But right now, we've decided to slow down a little and just catch our financial breath for a couple of months. We've spent a lot of money over the past 90 days, with more to come soon on the home. The cars are being bumped down a notch or two right now.

I think there needs to be "zones" where cell phones are banned entirely. Some kind of device that uses the 911 GPS gadget in all phones that figure out if the phone is moving beyond human walking speed and will jam all signals until the phone stops moving. If gps can see me running around my house, it can figure out if I'm in a car. These zones would be in high traffic areas. In my opinion, some areas it's ok to use the phone while driving, like in the country or on a highway that isn't crowded and you've got plenty of room around the other cars. Calling in stop n go traffic, or in an area that is highly populated with foot traffic, is a disaster waiting to happen. There is a stretch of my drive home every night where traffic slows down from about 70 to 10 mph (toll road reader). If you don't know it's coming or you're not paying attention, it's dangerous. I nearly bought the farm about 3 weeks ago from a guy in a BMW X5 who was coming up behind me at full speed, not paying attention. He looked up at the last moment and had to jerk the car into the next lane. Luckily nobody was in that spare lane, which given traffic at the time, was a miracle. I was ticked, caught up to him, looked over at him with a "WTF" look on my face. He shrugged at me and held up his phone, basically saying that he was dialing at the time. I responded with a signal of "close the phone and drive". He responded with a wave off. I responded with a middle finger, and then got behind him. I rode his bumper with my brights on for a while. This sort of stuff is the problem. If you're stick in traffic and not moving, I can see checking your device. I do that myself.

Congrats Paul! Or should I say, Sir Paul now! I'd say "your majesty", but we reserve that for Lord SW! Peasant shall now return to his golden status slum, with my man DCFish!

Well, I decided to investigate replacing my beloved GTI today for a 2010 Passat CPO with nav. Price was right, car was right. But, the trade was wrong, way wrong, and here's why: Apparently shortly before I bought the GTI in August of 2010, it was involved in a little fender bender, or now says the carfax on it. The trade value tanked on it. The carfax report even identifies as a "very minor incident" with footnotes of that category being exclusively cosmetic, like a scratch or minor dent somewhere, nothing mechanical. Said it was in the front end. Now, I'm thinking there is an error here somewhere, and I'm thinking it's on Carfax's side, and here is why: The car was certified by VW when I bought it, which comes with their absolute bumper to bumper warranty to 75k miles and 2013. I've used this warranty on a couple of minor issues already, one being most recently for a headlight clip that had fallen off "my fault actually". I had the dealer today do a full check in their system for any signs of a VW repair around that date of the alleged accident, nothing found. The guy even said that VW wouldn't certify a damaged car in general, and if it were truly just a parking lot kiss type accident, it would at a min have to be repaired by VW and noted in the system for acceptance. I had it put on their rack, and walked all over the car to try and see any signs of any repair (clips that look newer than the others, screws newer than others, repair signs in the sheet metal, ect).. Nada, zip, nothing found. They even took some kind of black light type gadget over the paint, nothing found, and on a black car, that'd be about impossible to hide. But, since everyone goes by carfax now, any signs of anything negative like this kills the value. They weren't willing to give me more than $12k for the car, which is about $3,500 below what it should be on a high trade (it has all options). So - anyone have any experience with questioning Carfax and their accuracy? I note a contact form to file with them to contest an entry on a report, but have no idea if they take it seriously or not. I would assume they would, given the somewhat liable position theyve put themselves in within the auto world, but have no idea. Anyone know anybody who's had to do this before? If that car has been wrecked, then Jesus must've been the mechanic who fixed it, because it's the best repair job in the history of earth.

Took a look at the Highlander on Sunday, and I agree with you SW, completely. I was expecting a SUV Camry, but instead it gave me an impression of an SUV Carolla. High end Carolla, but still Carolla. For that kind of money, I think there are better options. Haven't had a chance to put our eye and hands on the Acura yet. It's next on the list. Tried Sunday as well, but the visit to the hellashish North Pole via the Dulles Towne Center Mall damn near killed us. By the end of that 3 hour wait, it was "ho-ho-ho, you bearded fat !Removed!!" for me.. Honestly, I think we're on the path to the only real choice that fits all category requirements for us... A Chevy Traverse LTZ. Same set up inside as the Buick, but trade the wood steering wheel for lower miles. I like every angle on the Traverse more than the Enclave, except the back. I think it looks more athletic and modern than the Enclave. Wife doesn't like them, but might have to sweeten the offer. I think once she actually drove one, and had some time alone with one, she'd like it. You do recall my Mazda 3 story right? It was to be her car. We searched for months. She didn't like anything, including the Mazda, until the salesman said one phrase..... And this is where you plug in your iPod... After that, she was ALL ABOUT a Mazda 3. Sooo....

No minivans, wife is never going to budge ;-(

OK fellas, the time is coming to replace the 4Runner. She's been simply FANTASTIC, and I cannot say one bad thing about it. Issues I've had with it lately are simply due to its locations in its life, mostly NJ and IL. That being said, I'm having a very difficult time accepting the Buick Enclave as its replacement, especially given how expensive they are ($30k+) for a used loaded model with 50k miles. It might say Buick on the hood, but it still says GM under it. In my mind, it's more of a gamble if you're getting a good one, or a bad one, when it comes to GM products. Factor in my used car preference in general, and it begins to lean more towards getting a bad one in general. So, we're thinking of others to look at as well. Here is the criteria that must be met: AWD - seat 6 on rare occasions - no less cargo room than the 4runner (when not using the back row seats of course) - not a tank to drive in suburbanite-ville, or urban-ton on occasion - and be family right, with black tie appeal when I need it for business. Price needs to be $30k, before factoring in 4Runner trade, which has a few grand of equity. Here are the choices: #1: Toyota Highlander Limited 09/10 #2: Acura MDX Technology #3: Buick Enclave CXL #4: Chevy Traverse, but wife isn't wild about the looks. Wife likes the Buick the best. HOWEVER, she also likes the fact that our little Tommy Toyota has been through hell and back with ease, and knows the Buick probably wouldn't be able to say the same. So.. My pick is the Highlander Limited. A new 4Runner is an option, but I'm a little tired of a truck-based ride, and quite honestly, fearful of my wife having a blowout while driving it, and it rolling. I've had experiences with a tall suv blowing a tire, and able to react safely (but no doubt lucky too). I've also been in one that rooled completely over back to its wheels. It hurt, is all I'm going to say about that. Lucky to be alive, and walking. Anyway... The Acura intrigues me too. I think the interior is very sexy, and I hear they're a hoot to drive! I'm sure just as dependable as the Toyota too, and very reasonably priced. So.... Opinions? Anyone have experience with the higjlander and/or Acura and/or Buick? I want to do this in the next several weeks to take advantage of the end of the year timing. Then, my big ticket days are done for a while.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone as well! Amongst all of the blessings I'm not qualified to enjoy in my life, the following pictures is what I'm very thankful for this year. What it looked like from our back window last year, and what it looks like this year (this morning actually). Roll Tide Roll Baby!!

A turn in the conversation: Say what you will about the illegal population taking jobs: I recently purchased a newly built home. Some minor defects of the home have come up, nothing out of the ordinary for new construction. Our contractors in the neighborhood are all named John, Dan, Bill, Frank, etc.. I have to deal with their excuses on a weekly basis for why these issues haven't been resolved. Last week, I contracted a nice gentleman named Rolando to build us a customs deck and install 400 linear feet of fence, a wood fence, slat by slat, post by post. The cost was less than 2% of what I paid for the house. While I'm waiting for Bill, Dan and Frank to install a single shutter on the front of the house (a month later), Rolando's team has finished a 400 square foot customs wood deck, and are currently (as I type this) are in our back yard with trash bags on their heads, in the pouring down cold rain, digging the holes in the ground BY HAND for the dozens of fence posts. My wife and I felt so guilty watching them, my wife went out with homemade hot chocolate for the two man crew, and asked them to quit for the day and go get dry and warm. They thuroighly enjoyed the hot chocolate and were extremely thankful for it. They then proceeded to laugh off her suggestion of going home early, insisting the fence will be done by tomorrow night. These guys aren't doing shotty work either, trust me, I'm inspecting their work at night. Truly amazing difference between the two groups and the sense of ownership pride in ones efforts and final work product. Now, as someone who pays for results instead of excuses, someone putting money back out into the economic capital flow of our system, you tell me which one of these two groups is the real drag on our economic basis? I know the answer already, and just hired the one who produces results to do some crown molding work throughout the rest of our home. The other group, Im waiting for them to show up and do their job that should've been done already. Don't get me wrong, the big check went to Dan, Frank and Bill, and we love our new home. But the follow checks to make it "our home", are going to Rolando and his Amigos, not LeRoy and the Bubba posse' who were referred to us by, Bill, Dan and Frank.

Sounds like a missdjusted emergency brake shoe inside the rotor. If they drag, they get hot, make a squealing noise, and make the car wooble. Put the car in reverse, slowing let it idle backwards, then engage the ebrake. Do this a couple of time to see if it'll seat the pads inside the drum. They're a hanging set up, meaning they're fixed at the top, but float from the bottom, like this: () if they don't seat right at the bottom, they can sit like this: //. Which will constantly rub.

My lord, reading this brings back memories!

Um... Rick Perry is out. Not that he fumbled his answer last night, but because he wants to dismantle the Dept. of Commerce, Education, and Energy. Commerce and Energy I don't really know enough to comment on. But Education? Really? Hey Rickie - ever heard of the phrase "Stupid is, as Stupid does?" Ya' Stupid! Sorry Bubba, you were on the bubble with me anyway. Now you're toast. Mitt is still my guy so far.

Dad was a Colnel in the Air Force. Flew 52's full of nukes over Northern Atlantic "Chrome Dome" waiting for orders to nuke Moscow. Also was first American into Laos in Nam, flew mapping and spy plane for the carpet bombing runs shortly thereafter. At one point, was one of the most wanted POW's by the VC. Tried to shot down plane and keep crew alive to show them how to work the equipment.

Should've been out here in the "mountains"! I almost had to lock the center diff to make it to the Burrito Cantina for some unpacking fuel! You guys make ChiTcago look like Cancun!

We are fortunate here, because we are still very much the new kid in the cafeteria (rich kid too). My eyes were opened in 2007, when we went to Europe for the first time. I have pictures of old churches being cleaned by hand of black as midnight film all over them. This film, was mostly from diesel fumes from the cars. We act like we're the leader of humanity, but in reality, we're just the newest flavor. A couple hundred years vs a couple of thousands of years. It shows.. I agree about the rationale of you get what you put in. Spew crap into the air, and it'll come back to haunt you. But, what can we do about it in a practical fashion that offers the same utility as what we already have, that won't cost more to obtain? Why buy a Volt for $40k, when I can buy a Cruise for $20k and get twice the mileage I was getting from my trade-in Tahoe?

Haha!! Yeah, considering all of the "Murphy Law" elements this entire process has witnessed for the past several month, having a freak snow storm while unpacking our new home in VA, seems like the PERFECT ending!!! It's ChiTcago's way of saying "see ya later, NC211!" damn town will haunt my dreams for years to come!

Bubba, everyone on this site for the past 7 years has known I'm not a democrat or liberal either. For many years, my avatar was GW Bush, even when he was at his lowest. Heck, I dont even own a Lexus anymore. Yet, I remain. You don't see Lenore running for the door, do ya? And we've been chewing on his tail for quite a while! ;-) I don't think it's us. Just my opinion...

Well, that's mature of you. Why post anything in general on an open Internet forum discussion board if you don't care about other opinions? Personally, I think we all need to relax and quit with this posting of video clips from other sources to seek conversations. Back in my day, you'd post a conversation that represented your own position, and stand up for it in a civilized manner. Not just post some link to spread the view of someone else. You know when you're right, and you know when you're wrong, in a civilized and mature manner. I say, enough of this.

Very nice DC! We did a drive up Michigan on the lake Michigan side about 18 months ago in the summer, that was really beautiful! We also checke out Lake Geneva for a few days, and that too was quite beautiful. But everyone says Door is the place to see. Never had the time to check it out though.

Just had to buy that 4x4 Jeep, didn't cha' SW03ES! Um, it's snowing buddy! Hahaha!!! Thanks DCFish! It feels wonderful to be back in the mid-Atlantic region of the country, our home plate!

....and NC211 is officially "home"! Movers are unloading our things into our new home as we speak. Couldn't of done this without the excellent help and guidance from SW03ES. Thank you, my friend!!

...and now, the brake lights don't work on the 4Bummer. Back to the shop I go...Hopefully just a fuse or bulbs.

So, I have the Accuweather app on my IPhone. Checked it to see what kind of weather I'll have for the movers to load us up in a few days. Clear and cold. Couldn't help but to scroll down a week...snow and ice starts the following week in Illinois while we're unloading in sunny Virginia! Talk about sneaking out the back door as old man winter comes busting through the front door! The entire Holloween weekend in the 60137 zip code is ice, snow, real feel temps in the 20's and teens. Now, I'm not a vindictive person (except towards Iran), but I would be lying if I said my little voice in my head wasn't laughing a little..

Beyond the theories and policies of his presidency, I don't think he's going to win in 2012 because I don't think he wants it anymore personally. I don't think his family want to be "in the bubble" anymore, and as a father myself, I know the weight of making a decision that makes your family unhappy. If I were Barrack Obama, I would be sitting on the patio of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, thinking to myself the following: I made to the Presidency I made it into the history books as the first black man with all of the keys I made it to great wealth What more can I make here? My performance numbers are getting as low as the guy I've been blaming prior to my arrival. I've got protesters in every city Gas prices are still high Unemployment is still high War is still continuing and expanding (Lybia). We're sold out to the Chinese. All good efforts that I have done, won't be seen by the American public for a few years anyway. Oh, and my buddy Rahm is now the man running my home city, where we want to return to... Why do I want to do this for another 4 years? If you ask me, I personally detect some of this in his swagger now. If you don't want the job, don't ask me to hire you. I just went through this same thing the past few months. I was at the top of the ladder of what I do for a living, and nobody I care for personally was happy about it. That's why I resigned for another position in a place we want to be. I'm not on that top run of the ladder anymore, but much happier than I was when, I was. Oh, and making more money now too ;-). Obama is probably thinking the same thing.... Chicago is calling in his mind.