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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Feb 16, 2023 11:19:17 GMT -5
It's now been 4 months since I ordered my new car and it's not in production yet. So even if it started production tomorrow we'd be looking at 3-4 weeks. It's fine, it's fine, I'm just antsy.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Feb 16, 2023 11:40:56 GMT -5
It's now been 4 months since I ordered my new car and it's not in production yet. So even if it started production tomorrow we'd be looking at 3-4 weeks. It's fine, it's fine, I'm just antsy. I'm the opposite. Mine is supposed to be here any day now and I want it to take as long as possible so I have as much information as possible about whether I want it or not (I suspect I don't). It made much more sense a year ago when I put down a reservation on it than it makes now. Gun to my head, if I had to make a decision right now, I'd probably follow what you're doing and buy one of the Bolts (probably the EUV). Net cost would be like half. But I want to see what's coming out first.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Feb 16, 2023 12:23:39 GMT -5
It's now been 4 months since I ordered my new car and it's not in production yet. So even if it started production tomorrow we'd be looking at 3-4 weeks. It's fine, it's fine, I'm just antsy. I'm the opposite. Mine is supposed to be here any day now and I want it to take as long as possible so I have as much information as possible about whether I want it or not (I suspect I don't). It made much more sense a year ago when I put down a reservation on it than it makes now. Gun to my head, if I had to make a decision right now, I'd probably follow what you're doing and buy one of the Bolts (probably the EUV). Net cost would be like half. But I want to see what's coming out first. I definitely want the car, but we thought the timing would be just perfect and now it seems like it's a little messy - I'll have to claim the federal tax credit on our taxes next year instead of getting it as an incentive at the dealer, and the $5k state rebate is not currently in effect (it needs to be OKd for another funding cycle). It's still pretty affordable - and I'll get a decent chunk for my trade-in - but there was a point where I thought I might only pay $10k or so out of pocket and now that doesn't seem to be the case.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Feb 20, 2023 16:15:06 GMT -5
Test drove the Ariya today. It's a really nice car, to the extent I don't completely understand why they didn't make it an Infiniti rather than a regular Nissan. I've explained the leasing loophole to the salesman, and I'm hoping that there's a way to structure this that I can take advantage of the tax rebate (I sent him a Forbes article and the IRS page on it in the hopes that the finance people can figure it out). If I can make it work, I'll get the car, I think.
I think it would have seemed weirder to me a few years back that I was having to explain these things to a salesman than it seems now.
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Post by ganews on Feb 20, 2023 16:35:41 GMT -5
I had to look up the valued on my '07 Fit to fill out the will questionnaire, and hey $3k not bad! I hope it lasts until someone makes an electric but otherwise identical car for sale in this country. Or I could buy a 2020 Fit and get it retrofit electric...
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Post by Ben Grimm on Feb 24, 2023 14:23:53 GMT -5
Formally turned down the Ariya today. I'm debating what I want to do while I wait for something I want (and am willing to pay for) to be available. The obvious sensible plan is probably to just keep driving my antique until then, because it'll probably last - while it is technically a 16-year-old Pontiac, it's also the same car as a Toyota Matrix, it has just under 55k miles on it, and I suspect it'll run for another 16 years.
However, I'm debating a series of alternate plans, one of which is to buy a used BMW i3, which I could get in the $15-20k range, and which would be eligible for a $4k tax rebate on top of things. That would allow me to get a little used to the mechanics of driving an EV, plus it's got a long enough electric-only range I don't need to worry about, plus if I get one with the range extender, it could take gas in a pinch if I need it on a longer trip.
I suspect I'm going to dither on this decision until something I actually like is available to reserve, though.
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Post by ganews on Feb 24, 2023 17:25:02 GMT -5
I found this video while I was elsewhere laughing at the Tesla Cybertruck.
this guy's pretty funny
Most importantly, the comment he leave is the description: "Just remember it's all silliness, no need to get all worked up. These are material objects. They are not your identity."
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Post by ganews on Mar 10, 2023 19:53:43 GMT -5
I just saw a Chevrolet commercial that said "whether it's your first Silverado or your tenth...". Who the hell approved that copy?
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 10, 2023 20:15:27 GMT -5
I just saw a Chevrolet commercial that said "whether it's your first Silverado or your tenth...". Who the hell approved that copy? Considering Silverados were only introduced in the 99 model year thatβs a good question.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Apr 27, 2023 20:00:38 GMT -5
After 6 full months and then some, my car is finally in production and I should have it in six weeks or so!
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Post by nowimnothing on Apr 27, 2023 21:12:26 GMT -5
I just saw a Chevrolet commercial that said "whether it's your first Silverado or your tenth...". Who the hell approved that copy? Considering Silverados were only introduced in the 99 model year thatβs a good question. As a full truck, yes, but the name has been around since '75. It was just a trim level but it was also what the trucks were referred to as.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on May 23, 2023 9:55:59 GMT -5
After 7 months my car is done! It just needs to get from the factory to the dealer. They'll give me an ETA as soon as they have it.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on May 31, 2023 10:44:09 GMT -5
And... it's here! It came so quick I wasn't sure the transfer from savings to checking for the down payment would go through in time! (Which is fine, they held the check.) It's pretty Still need to get the 240V plug installed for the charger, but in the meantime I can trickle charge it on 120V if needed. The inside feels very spacious and is a bit higher off the ground than my Elantra was. It's shorter, though; the trunk is pretty small (but sufficient for groceries or a suitcase, and I can fold down the back seats if needed). And it's fun to drive -- no engine noise, smooth acceleration, lots of bells and whistles. https://www.instagram.com/p/CsxIWJXrc-O
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Post by Ben Grimm on Jun 8, 2023 9:01:57 GMT -5
Volvo announced a new small SUV/Hatchback/whatever, the XC30, and I immediately put a reservation down on one, even if it's more of a backup plan than a plan A. I like the idea of a Volvo from safety/reliability standpoint, and if I'm still waiting on someone to announce my first choice of a compact, ideally 2-door EV pickup this time year, which seems relatively likely, it would be nice to have something I could live with. My current car is going to be 17.5 years old by the time this comes out, and I'm worried it's going to hit the point soon where it costs more to keep it running than it's worth, even if it's avoided any major problems to date (in part because the mileage on it is shockingly low for a car that old, under 55k miles).
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Jun 15, 2023 19:30:31 GMT -5
I learned recently that I can get an "enhanced antique" plate for a vehicle that is over 25 years old. It allows you to drive the vehicle like any other from March 1 till December 1. From December through February you can only drive it to antique vehicle events, to get gas, or for service and maintenance. These tags are only $45 per year, so I got one for the 1984 Ford F-250 we have the slide-in camper on. This way we can take it camping and show it around while we have it up for sale. It had been sitting for almost a year, so I took it on a short shakedown cruise to pick up oil filters for the tractor. It ran fine. There are a few small things to fix on it, but nothing major. However, I had a bad scare when I pulled it into the driveway. I had it catty-cornered across the driveway parking it, and when I went to put it in reverse, the shifter just moved freely without shifting. I shut it off to move a different truck so I could park it driving forward and when I tried to start it it wouldn't start because it was still in gear. I panicked for a minute until I remembered my mechanic telling me you can shift a Ford truck from that era from under it. When I looked under the truck I saw that the shifter linkage had just popped out of the connector on the transmission. With Mrs. Floyd's help, we quickly got it parked. Now I have to figure out what kind of clip popped off the end of the linkage connector, and it's a simple matter to fix it. That old thing runs like a champ.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Aug 2, 2023 14:47:51 GMT -5
After two months, finally have the EV charger install scheduled for next week. Guy will come out Tuesday and then I guess the village has to inspect it so that will be Thursday. The best part is that Chevy is covering this so it doesn't cost us anything and it should be relatively simple, since the breaker box is mere feet from the wall where we want the charger.
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Nov 6, 2023 22:45:35 GMT -5
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Post by ganews on Nov 6, 2023 23:41:28 GMT -5
Still seems a little tall for me. Speaking of not meeting modern safety requirements, I think my ideal pickup would be like a 90s Mazda/Toyota/Nissan truck.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Nov 7, 2023 7:04:16 GMT -5
There are some tiny little electric trucks that you can get shipped over for even less, I know; the catch is they're not remotely street legal. If you're looking for something purely for farm use, though, a lot of the safety standards don't (legally) apply. On top of that, people are importing the older models of these for farm use. If you have a real use for one, get it. (And the chicken tax is the reason these things can be hard to import. If it weren't for that, I'd probably have bough something 5-10 years back.)
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 7, 2023 10:17:22 GMT -5
So now I've had my electric car for about six months, I've put about 1500 miles on it, a few thoughts:
- It really is ideal for driving around town and on main roads; it gets its best mileage per charge when going medium distances with speeds up to 50 mph.
- It CAN handle highways just fine - plenty of pickup - but the efficiency lags somewhat.
- I do get a little range anxiety when driving longer distances, but the mileage mostly does track with the range I've used up or even come out a bit ahead (e.g. last night I drove about 48 miles round trip and "used" about 35 worth of range).
- Overall a fun car to drive, glad I got the updated stereo, roomier than it looks and has enough trunk space. and it's really nice to not have to worry about gas!
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Post by Celebith on Nov 8, 2023 0:49:38 GMT -5
You could look for a Bongo - I used to drive an extended cab one for work. 6 Speed manual transmission, large cargo bed on a small frame. Thing was so much fun to drive! Looked similar to this one, but I don't think it had rear doors, and passengers had to squidge past the front seats to get in - not a ton of passenger space in the second row, but fine enough if the passengers weren't particularly large in any given dimension. The regular cab versions were also great work trucks, with more cargo bed in exchange for cab space. Link might not work, since our network hates images
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Post by π huss π on Nov 15, 2023 17:38:57 GMT -5
Thank you to Djse (and a Sack of Cats) for being helpful and supportive while I panicked about the radio not turning off with the rest of the car. I successfully found the fusebox and the correct fuse to unplug/replug! I had to do this again today. FUCK my battery just died again and I'm pretty sure it was this same goddamn issue. Note to self: if you even suspect the tiniest bit that something weird is happening with the radio, pull fuse 79!
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 21, 2023 14:14:44 GMT -5
Husband has a 2015 Prius with ~90k miles on it, and its second set of tires. His tire pressure light went on this morning. He checked the pressure on each, none is out of wack, all are around 40 psi. He doesn't see any nails or anything.
Normally this would be a "wait and see" situation, but we're driving to Michigan on Thursday. So I guess I will take it to the tire shop tomorrow just to get them checked - but it seems like it might be the sensor or something? or a faulty valve? I dunno.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Nov 21, 2023 21:01:10 GMT -5
Husband has a 2015 Prius with ~90k miles on it, and its second set of tires. His tire pressure light went on this morning. He checked the pressure on each, none is out of wack, all are around 40 psi. He doesn't see any nails or anything. Normally this would be a "wait and see" situation, but we're driving to Michigan on Thursday. So I guess I will take it to the tire shop tomorrow just to get them checked - but it seems like it might be the sensor or something? or a faulty valve? I dunno. It might be the battery on the pressure sensor. My wife's car had that light up on us once when we were coming home from Orlando. We spent three hours at a Pep Boys in Gainesville to figure that out.
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Post by ganews on Nov 21, 2023 21:52:27 GMT -5
Husband has a 2015 Prius with ~90k miles on it, and its second set of tires. His tire pressure light went on this morning. He checked the pressure on each, none is out of wack, all are around 40 psi. He doesn't see any nails or anything. Normally this would be a "wait and see" situation, but we're driving to Michigan on Thursday. So I guess I will take it to the tire shop tomorrow just to get them checked - but it seems like it might be the sensor or something? or a faulty valve? I dunno. It might be the battery on the pressure sensor. My wife's car had that light up on us once when we were coming home from Orlando. We spent three hours at a Pep Boys in Gainesville to figure that out. No one has ever spent less than 3 hours at a Pep Boys garage for any reason.
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Liz n Dick
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Post by Liz n Dick on Nov 22, 2023 8:55:22 GMT -5
Husband has a 2015 Prius with ~90k miles on it, and its second set of tires. His tire pressure light went on this morning. He checked the pressure on each, none is out of wack, all are around 40 psi. He doesn't see any nails or anything. Normally this would be a "wait and see" situation, but we're driving to Michigan on Thursday. So I guess I will take it to the tire shop tomorrow just to get them checked - but it seems like it might be the sensor or something? or a faulty valve? I dunno. Boomer's 2012 Prius is constantly having trouble with the tire-pressure sensor. Sometimes it's the battery, other times it's just being a drama queen.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 22, 2023 9:36:15 GMT -5
Husband has a 2015 Prius with ~90k miles on it, and its second set of tires. His tire pressure light went on this morning. He checked the pressure on each, none is out of wack, all are around 40 psi. He doesn't see any nails or anything. Normally this would be a "wait and see" situation, but we're driving to Michigan on Thursday. So I guess I will take it to the tire shop tomorrow just to get them checked - but it seems like it might be the sensor or something? or a faulty valve? I dunno. Boomer's 2012 Prius is constantly having trouble with the tire-pressure sensor. Sometimes it's the battery, other times it's just being a drama queen. I did take it in to the tire shop this morning, and yeah, there are 3 dead sensors. Which would cost $400 or so to replace, and is obviously not a safety issue, so for now we'll just make sure to keep an eye on the pressure and maybe get it fixed depending on how much it annoys TWBE. Two side notes: I really like the tire shop guys, they've been good to us and have done a lot of little things for free, no hassle; they always explain things well (like today the guy showed me what the sensor looks like and how it works) and I never feel like I'm being bullshitted or condescended to. Also, it's weird driving a gas/hybrid car again (esp an older one) after being used to my car - so much louder and I felt very low to the ground.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 22, 2023 9:41:22 GMT -5
It might be the battery on the pressure sensor. My wife's car had that light up on us once when we were coming home from Orlando. We spent three hours at a Pep Boys in Gainesville to figure that out. No one has ever spent less than 3 hours at a Pep Boys garage for any reason. Seriously, I've spent 3 hours there on a simple oil change. Glad we found a locally-owned mechanic I trust.
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Post by ganews on Mar 11, 2024 19:31:38 GMT -5
I was in a pack of cars on the DC beltway yesterday, and in changing lanes to get get out of it I couldn't avoid some debris on the road. It punctured the hell out of a tire sidewall.
This is my eighth flat tire across two cars and 20 years.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Mar 12, 2024 18:32:52 GMT -5
Formally turned down the Ariya today. I'm debating what I want to do while I wait for something I want (and am willing to pay for) to be available. The obvious sensible plan is probably to just keep driving my antique until then, because it'll probably last - while it is technically a 16-year-old Pontiac, it's also the same car as a Toyota Matrix, it has just under 55k miles on it, and I suspect it'll run for another 16 years. However, I'm debating a series of alternate plans, one of which is to buy a used BMW i3, which I could get in the $15-20k range, and which would be eligible for a $4k tax rebate on top of things. That would allow me to get a little used to the mechanics of driving an EV, plus it's got a long enough electric-only range I don't need to worry about, plus if I get one with the range extender, it could take gas in a pinch if I need it on a longer trip. I suspect I'm going to dither on this decision until something I actually like is available to reserve, though. They just dropped the price on the 2024 Ariya by $6000, plus you can get the $7500 tax rebate via a lease (even a one day lease), so $13,500 in savings have put it back on my radar. The Volvo is likely getting delayed, plus I've got concerns about getting anything from China, but I'm starting to wonder if all this indecisiveness is just dealing with fact there's nothing I like all that much out now or in the near future.
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