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bearishgurl
Participant[quote=spdrun]I’d have to side with flu on that one. You’re creating resale value when you buy used. Resale value is part of the reason why the company can sell the new car at near the MSRP to begin with.
The previous owner is essentially just a middleman between the dealer/company and you.[/quote]Ok, fair enough. I’ve bought 9 vehicles used in my lifetime (8 Toy/Lexus and 1 Honda). I was the third owner on most of them. I also sold all of them off my driveway for a decent sum to another private party. All but one were still running fine when I sold them.
Can any Pigg here comment authoritatively on Subaru’s CVT (reliability, being “overtaxed” on hilly mountain roads daily, etc). I’m really leaning towards “retiring” in the mtns. El Dorado County, CA is still on my shortlist :=D with “Gold Country” towns (along SR-49) also under consideration. My next vehicle has to last the rest of my life (or until my Driver License is taken away from me, whichever happens first) :=0
Late model/new Lexuses are a bit too rich for my pocketbook and I was planning on paying cash for my next vehicle. However, Toyota Motor Credit financing at zero percent for up to 60 months (on new vehicles only) sounds like it might be doable . . . that is, AFTER my youngest graduates from college.
Participantflu, once again . . . are YOU driving any American-made vehicles? And, once again, do you think that someone who buys a used vehicle from a private party is contributing to a foreign company’s profits??
Participant[quote=flu][quote=bearishgurl]btw, the following Toyota products are made in the USA:
Toy Tacoma (formerly “Hi-Lux”)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma
Toy Tundra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tundra
Toy Camry (mostly made in USA)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Camry
[/quote]Yes, but your Lexus, and just about every Lexus is 90%+ made in japan with japanese parts. Because Toyota has always made their premium Lexus brand vehicles in Japan because that’s their way of wanting to guaranteeing quality. That’s how Lexus started, and they’ve never deviated from that. Even in modern times. Again, facts and real data.
http://kogodbusiness.com/reports/auto-index/
Your Lexus LS definitely has almost no US parts content OEM and definitely was 0% made in USA.
A Lexus is as “un-American” a car as it can possibly get, if you really care about it.[/quote]I agree. It is old and at the time it was manufactured, Japanese automakers were not yet assembling any of their vehicles in North America.
However “unAmerican” it is, it has lasted me 17 years (purchased at 5 years old so I didn’t contribute to a foreign company’s profits). And is still running like a top. It’s the most reliable road car there is (performance, spaciousness and gas economy) and you can’t take that away from the brand. It is what it is. I cannot afford to replace it with a similar 5-year old model today.
My kid is not going to like learning to properly parallel park it in the city but she will have to learn :=0
Participant[quote=spdrun]I was also talking about parts content, not just assembly location.[/quote]Not sure about that. Those US factories could still be using mostly Japanese parts.
My mechanic purchases some after-market parts for my old car (when possible) but nevertheless, they are still made in Japan. I can buy all the sensors for it (which throw OBD II codes if they aren’t working) from Amazon. But they are still made in Japan.
Participantspd, why don’t you advise me on a good AWD/4WD vehicle that isn’t a gas guzzler (pm me if you have a good suggestion). No 4-bangers, please. It doesn’t have to be the latest model year but needs to handle very well on curvy mountain roads, have adequate ground clearance for gravel roads and beginner-intermediate trails 😛 and handle great in the snow and ice. I’m willing to store an extra set of snow tires for it as the (skinny) tires with scanty rubber used on late-model vehicles are worthless in those conditions.
I’m not in the market right away (or even in 2017) but I looked into Subarus (popular in hilly SF) cuz I have relatives who swear by them who would help me select a new or used one to buy. I just watched a youtube video of the new 2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring (crossover) and it seems like it actually has more “real” leather in it than a Lexus RX ($20K + more). Love the brown/purple color in the video!
I’m concerned about the CVT transmission in Subarus, however. Not sure if I will have to replace it much earlier than with a Toyota (never had to have any transmission work done on a Toy except for clutch linkage). I also would prefer as quiet a cabin as I can get for the $$ for road traveling.
I’ve replaced a front CV boot set (on both sides) five times in the past five years on my older sedan due to driving it on gravel roads in the mountains …. arrrgh. As you all know, it’s not a cheap job and has to be done pronto after it is torn before the gravel gets into the axle and destroys it. I’ve also replaced its oil pan twice :=0 My 22-year old car needs to live out the balance of its life with my youngest kid who will keep it in the city :=]
Participant[quote=spdrun]Don’t some of the Toyota/Lexus vehicles sold in the US actually have more North American parts content than “US firm” cars?[/quote]Yes. I just posted a few examples. The first two are completely assembled in the USA (Texas and Kentucky, respectively). There may be more Toyota models assembled in the US that I am not aware of.
Participantbtw, the following Toyota products are made in the USA:
Toy Tacoma (formerly “Hi-Lux”)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma
Toy Tundra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tundra
Toy Camry (mostly made in USA)
Participant[quote=flu][quote=scaredyclassic]running shoes cause injuries. its just a perfect example of how all this economic activity actually makes us and the world worse. ugh. padded running shoes. the worst. plus the mfr claims they “wear out” in 6 mos or so. huge piles of garbage when made, when used and 180 days later.[/quote]
Well maybe. But then again , my point is the most vocal about manufacturing job losses aren’t really helping and putting their money where their mouth is. They could, but they don’t. Probably because they think it’s too much to spend $200 on a pair of american sneakers or $30k-40k for an American made car. Go figure.[/quote]flu, don’t you drive foreign cars?
I’ve driven Toyota products since the ’70’s. I’ve owned 10 of them in all. Only TWO were brand new when I bought them, one a “loaded” Corolla for $5K and the other one a “loaded” Hi-Lux 4WD pickup for $15K. You can “do the math” and figure out which years those vehicles were :=0 ALL of my other Toy/Lexus vehicles were purchased USED from private parties! I didn’t end up contributing to Japan’s profits because the depreciation on the vehicles I purchased were borne by their previous owners. I have a personal preference for Toyota products and I know where all the controls are in them. At this late date, I don’t want to spend hours/days/months to “relearn” a vehicle that I purchase. If I purchase a newer vehicle again, it will very likely be another Toyota product and will most certainly have AWD/4WD capabilities. And yes, spdrun, I’m open to buying another vehicle with a standard transmission :=] I’ve been watching youtube off and on in the past year and I like the paddle shifters a lot of AWD vehicles have, as well. An 8-speed transmission sounds awesome to have in the mountains!
I’m not happy that all the late model vehicles today have maps and other crap that I don’t need or want to pay for but that’s life. WTF? A “backup camera” and “lane-assist beep??” After driving all of my life without these things, please … someone here tell me why I need them now :=0
ParticipantIf SD newcomers want to buy/rent a *new* dwelling upon their arrival here, they’re not likely going to find one in central SD unless it is a small condo (with elevators, etc, and high HOA dues).
Participant[quote=gzz]. . . Midway and Loma Portal seem to have a few more underdeveloped lots that could be turned into apartment complexes. The old hospital on Wing St is being turned into a language school for visiting students.[/quote]That’s interesting about the old hospital, gzz. However, a language center doesn’t seem to me to be the “highest and best use” of a multistory building with its own parking just ~4 miles from the beach. That empty land you’re referring to (on/off Midway Drive?) is mostly owned by the GSA (Federal Gov’mt) who used to lease it to rental car companies for their “drive-away storage lots.” It is zoned commercial and won’t be developed unless the gubment decides to part with it.
Participant[quote=gzz]The Census link is very bullish. 0.9% growth in SD County and 1.5% growth in SD City in just one year.
Desired household growth is probably even faster due to population aging.
Meanwhile what is the growth rate of SD City housing stock? I’d guess in OB proper something like 0.1% a year due to infill. The Dylan apartment complex did add a lot of supply in Loma Portal as it replaced a former school site and is pretty big. All of it consists of smaller and high priced units however.[/quote]gzz, I haven’t cruised the Loma Portal area for almost two years now. Per chance, was that the Dewey Elementary site that was built on (serving a large military housing complex)? And were any of the newly-built units set aside for Section 8 (or their rents adjusted to the income of local worker bees)? Just curious.
Participant[quote=flyer]”San Diego County gained an estimated 11,600 residents through foreign migration but lost about 8,700 people due to “domestic migration” — individuals who relocated to other parts of the country — resulting in a net positive migration of about 3,000 people, according to the finance department.”
The Trulia article I posted may not have reflected the net mentioned above, but it’s still very interesting that we lost 8,700 people due to “domestic migration,” with a net of only 3K out of 11,600, and that’s just in San Diego.[/quote]flyer, I looked at the charts in your trulia article, which, IMO, were a bit confusing. I’m not seeing domestic “out-migration” from where I sit but my area is full of very well-established senior citizens and younger retirees who were/are longtime business owners, as well as longtime property owners. Some of them now have at least one of their kids working in the “family business.” I’m speaking of the “free-and-clear” personal residence crowd (which is present in every single well-established city in CA) who many also own other local properties, including multi-family residential and commercial.
I strongly suspect the SD out-migration figure in Trulia’s chart is representative of families with minor children who moved here in the past 15 years without the ability to purchase a home and thus never really got established here and/or they are straggling homedebtors from the “Great Recession of the Aughts” whose 5 and 8 year (exotic) Option ARMS recently reset to a level they couldn’t pay every month so they are walking away from their mortgages. In that case, they never should have purchased a home they couldn’t afford in the first place. Another reason younger residents move out of a CA coastal county is that they have unrealistic expectations of the type of living arrangement they feel they should be able to afford on their income(s) versus the reality of what they actually can afford and they end up shopping online in a distant, lesser-expensive locale, realize they can get the type of home (rental or purchase) that they want there and secure a job there . . . very often not realizing, of course, that there are other drawbacks to the new locale that they didn’t consider when making their decision :=0
In other words, you pay for what you get in this life.
I’m using “families with minor children” in my out-migration example because this type of household is most vulnerable to overspending and debt (I maintain that one can raise kids on much less than a lot of other people do), which leads them to a situation where they must make hard choices about their living situation. In any case, this type of household does not typically reside in the well-established, urban areas of SD County unless one or both of the parents in the household grew up in the immediate area.
ParticipantLOL . . . if they ARE true, then US automakers and SV magnates (who wasted a fortune on the Clinton campaign :=D) are falling behind Trump’s nativist and populist agenda and he hasn’t even been inaugurated yet :=]
As it should be. Apple’s profit is way too high on iphones as it stands. Let them employ the country who is BUYING most of their phones and made it possible for them to start their company and flourish!
Nice to hear from you, birmingplumb . . . and thanks for posting.
Participant[quote=Escoguy]bg
the source of the data is:
UC San Diego’s Office of Student Research and Information is part of the university’s Academic Affairs division, and the official source for all undergraduate student admission, enrollment, and graduation statistics.
http://studentresearch.ucsd.edu[/quote%5D6108, to be exact and we haven’t seen the Fall 2016 enrollment statistics.
The Chinese (“rich” solely due to OUR bad trade decisions) wants to send their kids to CA public universities because THEY POLLUTED their OWN urban centers while trying to get “rich” off our dime. They succeeded in both. Now that want to take thousands of our (coveted) UC seats. We don’t owe these students a damn thing. Screw them and all other international students. Ban out-of-state admissions to under 200 in each campus (including all four years). That’s roughly 50-75 freshman admissions granted to OOS (LEGAL American) students per year for each campus (allowing for upperclassmen dropouts and transfer-outs). The coveted UC system should be reserved for QUALIFIED Cali Native/US CITIZENS, preferably those who attended all 13 years of K-12 grades in CA (who have admitting priority over new move-ins during HS). There are way more than enough QUALIFIED STUDENTS in this category to fill all nine campuses and then some. These kids are suffering as indigent adults with HS Diplomas, overpriced, worthless “certificates” from for-profit occupational schools and worthless “Associate of Transfer” degrees from CC which were designed solely to get them admitted to UC/CSU. But their local public university campuses turned them down for admission over accepting (often lesser-qualified) non-deserving, non-residents. The OOS tuition money will have to come from somewhere else. All over Cali, we have an entire generation of young adults who can’t get living wage jobs and can’t get admitted to their local public university (so matter HOW many rules they followed explicitly to get there) and it didn’t used to be this way in CA. And on and off campus housing didn’t used to be as exorbitantly-priced as it is now.
Esco, I don’t know why you are so bullish on incoming Chinese RE investors in CA. If they don’t have their papers already in order, I fail to see how droves of them are going to keep coming here to buy RE, especially if they are buying it for a future home for their so-called future UC college student and their admission rules change favoring LEGAL Cali residents and other AMERICANS.
I agree with XBoxBoy. I think Trump’s immigration plan is going to stem the tide of America giving away the store to foreigners and their interests. Eff ’em. This is OUR country, OUR state and OUR coveted university system(s). It’s not CA’s responsibility to educate the world on the backs of our OWN citizens!
If an American can’t go to MX or China and buy real estate (AND own the land it sits on) without a Chinese citizen or Mexican National on title with them, they why are THEY allowed to come over here and buy up ours (as NON-citizens), thereby driving up RE prices for natives? Enough is enough.
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