Recent Posts

81

Welcome and General Discussion / Re: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 - Buyback

« Last post by Sandi_k on Today at 10:00:36 AM »

I only looked up CA law but their law is what I judge to be a very generous solution for the customer.  A lemon can be a problem car for which there is no solution or parts available in a relatively short period of time - something like 30 days. Maybe the Bolt lemons were cars unsafe to park near any structures but at one point their were no replacement batteries available?

I'm in Calif and looked up our lemon law and for the Bolts it was the battery so I assumed chevy bought back all those Bolts. So I was wondering if these used Bolts they have on sale at the chevy dealers and listed as lemons have had the batteries replaced.  And if they had to offer lower "lemon" prices even if ok now. Like you I wouldn't have a problem with something like a backup camera - especially if I could fix it myself - but a battery that catches on fire ....nope!

My husband had a 2017 Bolt, and yeah - the battery. He sold his back, and turned around in the same visit and bought a 2021 model, with an improved battery.  If he had kept his old one, they would have had an entire new battery pack installed before being returned to him.

The new one? Same issue. He took it in for a software update, and they software-coded the battery to only charge to 80%, without his knowledge or permission. He was PISSED.

He does like the new Bolt, there are a few nice upgrades - but apparently he won't have the full range back next year, when the car reaches 16k miles of additional driving. (They limited the range for 16,300 miles, and the car never logs the warning, the software override expires, and it will go back to its full range). The problem is that DH only logs 7k miles per year, so it'll be more than 2 years of driving before GM considers the battery "not one of the problem" batteries.

And what had him searching for another EV after that? There is no compensation for the restriction over that 2 year period.

82

Welcome and General Discussion / Re: No Quality EVs Under $60k

« Last post by Jack0Life on Today at 09:59:58 AM »

Model S is the only attractive looking Tesla

from best to worst:

S
Roadster
Semi
X
3 (as bland as can be)
Truck
Y (like driving an egg)

I don't think many people will agree with you.
It's OK to be the exception to the rule.

83

Real Estate and Landlording / Re: When will homebuyers give up on the idea of being able to refi at a lower rate?

« Last post by nereo on Today at 09:58:48 AM »

Boomers won't/can't move, they have the prime "family" houses so they are taken out of the asset mix. So the supply of family houses is reduced and prices do their thing.

This describes my parents.  They have a prime 4 bedroom SFH in one of the most desirable locations, but have zero plans on moving. They have a double-lot (1.5 acres) which they bought before the area was built up, and they had truly exceptional appreciation over the last two decades. As empty-nesters they could comfortably live in something 1/4 the size on 1/10th the land, but they like it and can more than afford to pay people for the maintenance, so they'll probably stay there until they pass away.

84

Off Topic / Re: Electric Cars: Can they finally become popular in the United States?

« Last post by nereo on Today at 09:51:07 AM »

A call to DH at home to ask how - wtf. He did a quick search. The car had locked itself to the charger. All I had to do was turn the car off, and unlock it before unplugging it. We have had the car for a year and a half and didn't know about this feature.

Yeah, that surprised us as well, but is one of those "It's a feature, not a bug"... 
Since cars are left plugged in for extended periods of time, owners wanted to keep others from unplugging their car and plugging in their own.  So now you can lock the charging cable to the car.

ours has three 'modes' :  Never lock charger, Lock until Charging is Complete or Always Lock (need key and car off to unlock).

There has been a number of things like that which surprised us.

85

Antimustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy / Re: Overheard at Work 2

« Last post by Sandi_k on Today at 09:48:10 AM »

Their current expenses are....$500k/year, for a family of four.  Where does it all go? I don't know many details, but a $3m mortgage at 6% is $216k/year, and their two kids' private school tuition is $60k.

Good heavens.  That still leaves you with a whopping 224 thousand dollars to spend on the rest of your lifestyle.  Talk about Hedonic adaptation!

It doesn't, though. You're not accounting for income taxes and insurance, which I would assume are a very large percentage of that remaining $224k.

But yeah - that's insane.

86

Ask a Mustachian / Re: Please help! Work from home situation and mental health

« Last post by Laura33 on Today at 09:48:06 AM »

Good luck with the vet visit -- that's clearly the place to start.

Please also visit your own therapist.  Crying for hours every day, and anxiety so bad you feel you can't come in to work, is a disproportionate response to your dog going through a rough patch.  Sounds like an excellent time for a checkup -- after all, you need to take care of yourself at least as well as you take care of your dog.

Hugs and good luck.

87

Investor Alley / Re: Top is in

« Last post by EscapeVelocity2020 on Today at 09:46:41 AM »

I just lump sum maxed my rIRA for 2024.

You are all welcome in advance for ensuring the top is in and the downward slide will continue indefinitely!

You got us under 5k.  Keep contributing and we'll really get this Top In!

88

Welcome and General Discussion / Re: No Quality EVs Under $60k

« Last post by Jack0Life on Today at 09:42:22 AM »

Ah...someone finally started an insightful thread on affordable EVs.
Yeah before this year, I, too heard all of the misconceptions for EVs and Tesla in particular.
Always intrigue but never seriously thought about buying an EVs. Main reason is it cost too much for the hassle.

This year, my wife got a new job and it's a 85 mile round trip.(3 days a week)
Driving her Lexus would costly but I wanted for her to have something fun to drive.
We first talked about a hybrid and then a PHEV like the Prius Prime but a decent one would have been $40k++ but most Toyota dealers are just scumbags.
Then why wife said " what about a Tesla " ? That set the wheel in motion.
I was waiting for 2024 to get one for the $7500 credit as in '23, we hardly made any money for the credit.
Didn't even know about the POS fed credit until 2024 came around.
As soon as Tesla implemented the POS in Jan, I surprised her with one.
A Model Y awd long range that was $52,000. Minus $5100 discount an $7500 came to $39,400.
$39,400 + $1400 delivery fee - $16,200 for the Lexus trade in, we ended up paying a little over $25k out the door.

I can honestly say, the Model Y is the best car I've ever own.
Wife loves it. Electric for us is .1145 cent per kwh so it cost her about $2.56 round trip vs $13.60 for gas.
Since using the supercharger at the beginning before we got the charger, been charging at home since.
The Tesla charger cost us $230 and we had a Nema 14-50 outlet installed for $275 including all parts.

Recent study showed that Tesla has the highest loyalty at 87% and I can see why. Lexus is a distant 2nd at 64%.
I plan for trading my CRV for a Tesla in the future. It's EV from here on for us.

I forgot to add.
As soon as my friend found out we got a Tesla, 2 of them got one with a week.
3 weeks later, another friend bought a Tesla.
So all 4 of us each has a Model Y with different colors.

89

Mini Money Mustaches / Re: Is It Ok to Not Do Travel/Club Sports?

« Last post by brandon1827 on Today at 09:41:26 AM »

Reading all these posts, I have come to the conclusion that contrary to being a bad parent if you don't do travel/club sports, there's a decent chance that you would be a bad parent if you DID put your kid in travel/club sports.

Why do you have to put your kid in sports at all? What about music, art, or dance?

And if you're thinking you want your kids to do the sports because you did them and loved them - cut that out. Expose your kid to sports. But your kid is NOT you. Get therapy if you're struggling with that, because no kid deserves the crap that a parent who can't accept the kid isn't a copy will dish out.

Also please understand that the few bad examples or personal anecdotes that you've seen from some posters here does not represent all travel sports. I put my kid in travel sports because that's what he loves. I was a football kid...my kid loves basketball, so that's what we support. He gets exposed to music, art, & dance through school. He also plays basketball through school, but because of that exposure he's developed a love for the sport and wants to play non-stop. We play one tournament approximately every 3 weeks. We practice twice per week. That's the totality of our time commitment. The total cost is $400 for tournament fees spanning March through July and uniforms. Not cheap depending on who you ask, but worth it for us to provide our son the opportunity to learn & develop...as a player and a person.

Are there plenty of examples of travel sports being bad? Of course there are. Many parents do it for the wrong reasons or have the wrong attitude about it. However, many parents do it for the right reason and have a great attitude. So while the bad examples are obviously more talked about and may be easier to find, I feel like that's the world we live in. Negatives are always amplified while the positives are ignored or buried. There are plenty of positives to sports in general, and travel sports can be a positive thing.

90

Off Topic / Re: Israel vs Hamas

« Last post by reeshau on Today at 09:32:32 AM »

I don't think the Israeli strike was ineffective.  Rather, it was symbolic.  They hit an airbase defended with the S-300, their best anti-aircraft system.  The base is in the same city as a significant facility for Iran's nuclear program.

Without direct threats, the message is "we can hit anything; even this."