You can thank me for the Twins yesterday as I left the game after the 10th.
21 thoughts on “May 5, 2023: Gratitude”
We heard you booing Carlos, btw
Yesterday I drove our 2002 Buick home for the last time. The front subframe is giving out (at 85,000 miles!), causing the car to make noises under cornering & braking that no car should. I could replace it for about a grand, but realistically I’d be replacing a major structural component on a 21 year old sedan purchased from a now-deceased relative who surrendered their license, one that lacks significant safety features and gets 16 MPG in average use.
So, I’m on the market for a new car. I’m not sure we can swing full electric, given the lack of a state subsidy and the need to update the house’s service, but the new vehicle will be a hybrid at minimum. Strong preferences for a four-door hatch, wagon, or (maybe) a crossover (RAV4 or similar size).
Advice from any Citizens who have made a semi-recent purchase is most welcome, as well as general advice for a first-time new car buyer. (My last three vehicle purchases had 44,000 miles, unknown mileage but 44 years old, and 294,000 miles, respectively.)
We bought a 2017 Kia Niro new. It was both our first hybrid and first new car purchase. We've loved that car since we drove it off the lot. Gets 50+mpg regularly, room enough for two adults and two carseats. A 3rd adult can squeeze between the seats in a pinch for a short trip.
They've rolled out a fully EV version as well in subsequent years.
With federal credits, you should be able to get a new Bolt EV or EUV for near or below $25K, and GM has a program which will upgrade to Level 2 charging (ie: 220v outlet in garage) for potentially free.
Federal credits would definitely help. The Legislature that gerrymandered control of my state of residence practically encourages ownership of higher-emission vehicles by creating an additional registration fee for hybrids & electric vehicles because they incur less gas tax.
I agree with the additional registration fee (because they incur no gas tax) but not the amount. $105 (and probably rising each year) is excessive compared to what my wife would use in gas in a year.
We'll be getting the full $7500 federal and a $2500 state credit, which made the purchase a no-brainer. Sure, it's not going to ever be our road trip vehicle, but we can use our other car or rent something with our savings and still come out way ahead.
Caveat that the Bolt is ending production this year.
I've had a Rav4 hybrid since October 2020 and have absolutely no complaints.
I wish I could be of help since I bought my first ever new car back in 2016, but its not EV in any way and I still have it.
The eldest daughter is driving a Mazda CX-5, and dang do we love how they implemented navigating the Car Play screen. Buttons and dials, y’all!
But I don’t think Mazda has a ton of hybrid options in the US.
I remember looking at some Subaru hybrid crossovers. I think the only difference was around 4MPG better on the highway. Didn't seem worth it.
The process of buying a new car could be more stressful than selling a house next to a bunch of drug dealers. We bought our Subaru Crosstrek new off the lot with a trade in that was almost dead. I shopped 3 dealerships within 400 miles of our house for the best deal on the actual car we wanted to buy (premium package, no driver assist, buttons and dials w/ touch screen - really no frills on a subie) and came prepared to reject their financing (my bank was super eager to lend me a lot of money at the time ~5 months before the pandemic broke out. Lot in Baton Rouge just couldn't get me the base model in any timely fashion, but they were a pleasure to do business with otherwise. Lot in Covington gave me the hard H.A.R.D. sell. The floor manager even went to the old chestnut "why do you have to talk to your wife about this purchase? She'll be happy that you're capable of making a decision" Me, "Dr. Chop makes more money than I do and will be responsible for the payments on any automobile that we purchase and she will be the primary driver so ..... that's why she'll need to be here to close the deal" Covington lot guy also wanted to give me 100$ on trade in for the car. They also "lost" my keys in the shop somewhere so I needed to hang around the show room for an additional 30 minutes.
New Orleans (Metairie really) lot was the most relaxed experience I've had on a car lot. Turns out the owner of the lot is laid back and refuses to be open on Memorial or Labor Day. A car lot not open on a holiday in the spring or summer..... huh..... Turns out that the ownership of a dealer can influence the lot salespeople's attitudes.
knowing the exact model and trim level of what we wanted before heading to the lot narrowed our focus and allowed us to negotiate on our terms. We didn't want the moon roof. We certainly didn't want the 'wilderness' package. We just needed 4 wheels and a steering wheel in a small crossover that had a higher wheelbase than it's competitors (we seem to have a problem with flooding here in NOLA). I came armed with the general pricing regionally and in the TX, MS, AL and FL markets for both used and new models, and we had secured financing prior to negotiating the price. Our sales guy offered us 2k for a trade in that wasn't worth a hundred dollars but he screwed up because he read the wrong line on KBB - he was super apologetic and had to lower the trade in to 1k which was still a win and offered us some free oil changes as a mea culpa. Also be willing to leave if the deal looks sour or you don't care for the sales person's attitude. Ultimately, knowing what you want and generally what that will cost should ease most of the negative car lot experience - that and a non-douchebag salesperson. Good luck on the latter.
Hoping it’s more like your experience with the folks in Metairie. I’m giving Costco’s auto program a go in the initial search; problem is, the nearest Toyota dealer (we’re looking at both the Prius & RAV4 hybrid) is in Chicagoland. But the pre-arranged price (I already got a quote for a Prius at the trim level we want) gives me a foundation to deal with the two local Toyota dealers, at least. The local Honda dealer is a Costco program participant, so that’s good since we’re looking at the CR-V hybrid as well.
Fingers crossed.
Also, negotiations work better when your spouse doesn't blurt out your maximum budget at the beginning. FYI.
Can someone let me know when my guest DJ week is, I can't find it
It's on the Our Features page. Looks like you're up on 9/11 (😬).
We heard you booing Carlos, btw
Yesterday I drove our 2002 Buick home for the last time. The front subframe is giving out (at 85,000 miles!), causing the car to make noises under cornering & braking that no car should. I could replace it for about a grand, but realistically I’d be replacing a major structural component on a 21 year old sedan purchased from a now-deceased relative who surrendered their license, one that lacks significant safety features and gets 16 MPG in average use.
So, I’m on the market for a new car. I’m not sure we can swing full electric, given the lack of a state subsidy and the need to update the house’s service, but the new vehicle will be a hybrid at minimum. Strong preferences for a four-door hatch, wagon, or (maybe) a crossover (RAV4 or similar size).
Advice from any Citizens who have made a semi-recent purchase is most welcome, as well as general advice for a first-time new car buyer. (My last three vehicle purchases had 44,000 miles, unknown mileage but 44 years old, and 294,000 miles, respectively.)
We bought a 2017 Kia Niro new. It was both our first hybrid and first new car purchase. We've loved that car since we drove it off the lot. Gets 50+mpg regularly, room enough for two adults and two carseats. A 3rd adult can squeeze between the seats in a pinch for a short trip.
They've rolled out a fully EV version as well in subsequent years.
With federal credits, you should be able to get a new Bolt EV or EUV for near or below $25K, and GM has a program which will upgrade to Level 2 charging (ie: 220v outlet in garage) for potentially free.
Federal credits would definitely help. The Legislature that gerrymandered control of my state of residence practically encourages ownership of higher-emission vehicles by creating an additional registration fee for hybrids & electric vehicles because they incur less gas tax.
I agree with the additional registration fee (because they incur no gas tax) but not the amount. $105 (and probably rising each year) is excessive compared to what my wife would use in gas in a year.
We'll be getting the full $7500 federal and a $2500 state credit, which made the purchase a no-brainer. Sure, it's not going to ever be our road trip vehicle, but we can use our other car or rent something with our savings and still come out way ahead.
Caveat that the Bolt is ending production this year.
I've had a Rav4 hybrid since October 2020 and have absolutely no complaints.
I wish I could be of help since I bought my first ever new car back in 2016, but its not EV in any way and I still have it.
The eldest daughter is driving a Mazda CX-5, and dang do we love how they implemented navigating the Car Play screen. Buttons and dials, y’all!
But I don’t think Mazda has a ton of hybrid options in the US.
I remember looking at some Subaru hybrid crossovers. I think the only difference was around 4MPG better on the highway. Didn't seem worth it.
The process of buying a new car could be more stressful than selling a house next to a bunch of drug dealers. We bought our Subaru Crosstrek new off the lot with a trade in that was almost dead. I shopped 3 dealerships within 400 miles of our house for the best deal on the actual car we wanted to buy (premium package, no driver assist, buttons and dials w/ touch screen - really no frills on a subie) and came prepared to reject their financing (my bank was super eager to lend me a lot of money at the time ~5 months before the pandemic broke out. Lot in Baton Rouge just couldn't get me the base model in any timely fashion, but they were a pleasure to do business with otherwise. Lot in Covington gave me the hard H.A.R.D. sell. The floor manager even went to the old chestnut "why do you have to talk to your wife about this purchase? She'll be happy that you're capable of making a decision" Me, "Dr. Chop makes more money than I do and will be responsible for the payments on any automobile that we purchase and she will be the primary driver so ..... that's why she'll need to be here to close the deal" Covington lot guy also wanted to give me 100$ on trade in for the car. They also "lost" my keys in the shop somewhere so I needed to hang around the show room for an additional 30 minutes.
New Orleans (Metairie really) lot was the most relaxed experience I've had on a car lot. Turns out the owner of the lot is laid back and refuses to be open on Memorial or Labor Day. A car lot not open on a holiday in the spring or summer..... huh..... Turns out that the ownership of a dealer can influence the lot salespeople's attitudes.
knowing the exact model and trim level of what we wanted before heading to the lot narrowed our focus and allowed us to negotiate on our terms. We didn't want the moon roof. We certainly didn't want the 'wilderness' package. We just needed 4 wheels and a steering wheel in a small crossover that had a higher wheelbase than it's competitors (we seem to have a problem with flooding here in NOLA). I came armed with the general pricing regionally and in the TX, MS, AL and FL markets for both used and new models, and we had secured financing prior to negotiating the price. Our sales guy offered us 2k for a trade in that wasn't worth a hundred dollars but he screwed up because he read the wrong line on KBB - he was super apologetic and had to lower the trade in to 1k which was still a win and offered us some free oil changes as a mea culpa. Also be willing to leave if the deal looks sour or you don't care for the sales person's attitude. Ultimately, knowing what you want and generally what that will cost should ease most of the negative car lot experience - that and a non-douchebag salesperson. Good luck on the latter.
Hoping it’s more like your experience with the folks in Metairie. I’m giving Costco’s auto program a go in the initial search; problem is, the nearest Toyota dealer (we’re looking at both the Prius & RAV4 hybrid) is in Chicagoland. But the pre-arranged price (I already got a quote for a Prius at the trim level we want) gives me a foundation to deal with the two local Toyota dealers, at least. The local Honda dealer is a Costco program participant, so that’s good since we’re looking at the CR-V hybrid as well.
Fingers crossed.
Also, negotiations work better when your spouse doesn't blurt out your maximum budget at the beginning. FYI.
Can someone let me know when my guest DJ week is, I can't find it
It's on the Our Features page. Looks like you're up on 9/11 (😬).
Larnach down, Kirilloff up.
Pudge's kid called up, Meat Raffle to the IL
Had a feeling that would happen soon.
If Larnach limits his Ks, he's doing okay