of course it was posted in jest

no, I think they're serious. I appreciate the help, guys, really, but I think it's a little impractical.

well I edited Jim's post and Tony has the band gig and all...

Yes it is, that's why it will come from New Jersey.

here's a famous juke, showing that it's no joke. In honor of football season and the car which I am impatiently waiting for:

some questions about structuring a loan and paying it off asap (note that I have not yet decided whether to keep my present car too, trade it, or sell it myself):

1) Can I ask for my payments to fall within the second half of the month, regardless of the date I sign the paperwork?

2) What's the best way to make extra payments on the principal? Can I make any old extra payments I want? A little extra a month?

3) If I keep my car, and sell it myself later, can I use that money to make a substantial payment on my principal at that time without penalty?

I realize the answers may be specific to each lender, but loan paperwork is tricky! I want to know what to watch out for and ask.

You ought to be able to prepay as much as you want whenever you want, but double-check anyway.

I have definitely been given the option to pick my payment date before, as per question 1.

I have a question that is probably not worth it's own thread.

We are looking for a new-to-us used car, and I've seen several listed with less that 10K miles. In checking CarFacts, these 2009-2010 cars were owned by leasing companies.

Why would a company sell off such "new" cars ?
Should we be leary of them as possible pay-me-now or pay-me-later ?

Any comments or PM's would be appreciated

Now back to Cloud's car stuff....

I think you have to be leary of any used cars. Fleet cars have usually been driven pretty hard, by people who don't care about long term performance.

I drove a Mazda3 hatchback today--pretty nice car. Also looked at a VW GTI. Those are my 2d and 3d picks after the Juke. My local dealer said he would get 3 Jukes in October.

By expressing early interest you're likely to pay a premium, though.

Nissan Juke: 117.5 hp/litre, turbocharged
Mazda3 i model: 74 hp/litre "normally aspirated"
Mazda3 s model "upgrade": 68 hp/litre
VW GTI: 100 hp/litre, turbocharged

that's a possibilty I'm aware of yes. But I want to see the damn thing in person, before I make my final decision.

I may wait until a few more of the cars come in, say in December, 'cause I may be able to make a better deal. The car is so well priced and loaded in the first place, though, I think it's a good value for the money.

So, your numbers: are you equating more horsepower per liter = better? The Mazda3 with the 2.5 litre engine has 167 hp; the Juke has 188; and the GTI has 200 hp. In regular hp numbers.

being turbocharged, the Juke and the GTI both take premium fuel.

And you want it, damnit. :lol:

yeah. trying not to appear too desperate though.

Is it really necessary to drive a new car "gently" for a while to break it in? Some things I've read mention 600 miles, I believe. Eeek! It would take me about (calculates) . . . 4 months of regular driving to reach this number.

What's the purpose of this, and what systems are the most critical to treat gently?

No, that went out with sword fightin' & knickers, except take it easy on the brakes for the first few miles.

Here's an article from Popular Mechanics which supports that view Bruce. It does say to change the oil after 20 miles, not to put protectants on new vinyl interiors, and to apply 3m Paint Protection Film to the front painted surfaces. Hmm

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...k-in-a-new-car

Well that's the kind of driving that I would put on the first 1K miles driven to your location.

orly? ;)

I'm on the side of the comments, I think this guy is full of shit. He talks about the difference between regular(mineral) oil, and synthetic oil, like they are whole different animals. They aren't, they are both made up of mostly the same additives, the prime difference, besides price, being if the engine overheats for some reason, the synthetic oil will still work and not char.

As far as the ad for 3-M Clear Bra, yes it will prevent some stone chips in the clear coat over the life of the car. But clear coat chips are easy to touch up, and the Clear Bra will be several hundred dollars to have one cut for your vehicle applied. Otherwise it will look like hell.

Stick to the manufacturer's recommendations... not the salesman, the manufacturer.

well, I mostly ignored the stuff about the oil, since I'm not going to put anything different in there. Change it, yeah.

My present car shows more wear on the sides than the front. If I get the Juke I might invest in a car cover, since I have no garage, and it has a lot of non-metallic trim, which seems to suffer in my climate.

Re: Mud guard/flaps and floor mats

since dealers often add these, are these desirable/necessary/worth the money?

In particular, I thought floor mats were suspect because they catch under the pedals and cause safety problems. Yes?

Personally, if they aren't included, I wouldn't buy them.

But I think it's BS that floor mats wouldn't be included. Do they also charge extra for the wiper blades?

Floor mats didn't come with my Insight. When I finally tried to buy the factory mats they were no longer available.

I'd get the floor mats. The aftermarket ones usually suck, are cheap and DON'T EVER really fit right.

The best thing to do with the floor mats is to hang them vertically in your garage - carpet side facing the wall, btw - and put them back in the day before you sell the car.

vat is dis "garage" you speak ov?

Your hall closet.

so noted.

and if I don't have a lot of snow, ice, and salt to deal with, are mud flaps desirable?

Do you have a lot of mud to deal with?

not a lot. some, in the rainy season. Lots of dirt and rocks though

Does your car now have mud flaps? Are you happy with your car having/not having mud flaps?

Mud flaps cost extra, look a little ugly, and they reduce the aerodynamics of the car very slightly, but they also help protect it from pebble dings and mud splatter. I'm personally not a fan of them on a car, but there is no right or wrong answer.

Trucks should have them because they usually have larger and more open wheel wells and they help protect other cars on the road.

I think my car does. Not actually sure, hmm. will have to look.

kinda dumb, huh? I know it doesn't have the floor mats anymore, because they were moving around and bothering me. I took them out, and have no idea what I did with them--probably tossed them.

Fuck yeah, mudflaps. :D

pierced mudflaps

Mud flaps that do something are standard on better cars. Better does not mean more expensive. Better is a car designed by engineers; not accountants. My every Honda came with flaps where necessary and standard.

Floor mats should never move about. Earlier mats had points that embed in the carpet. Newer mats attach to two posts located where the mat sits under the seat.

Many crappy car mats do not completely cover the floor. Sometimes I would buy black rubber 'truck' mats. Honda's had so much leg room that car mats were never large enough. A good car mat completely covers the rug and may roll up inches on each side. Simply remove the mat so that all leaves and dirt leave the car. No vacuum necessary. All environments - especially rain or snow - deposit dirt into a car. Any car mat that moves around - even 40 years ago - was completely defective.

Our cars both have mats that have points that embed and one post under the seat. Should we worry that they're abnormal? Are they interracial?

You don't have kids, do you?

OMG - Thats a frightening thought!

I gotta agree with tw on the car mats though. All my cars have had them where they are locked in place, any that use only the lil rubber things on the back to secure them were, at minimum worthless.

I checked my car and it has mud "guards" -- they're not flappy.

and dirty carpets. ;)

So you can always smell where you have been.

Better than keeping a diary.

we got our first Juke yesterday. One of the salesmen drove it and loved it. Said it's wicked fast. looks pretty cool.. I just got a new demo, so I'll have to wait appx 2 months until I can get in one, ...unless someone sells mine.

are you planning to buy one? Why can't you drive the demo?(a bit confused)

They give him a car to use, and swap it every couple of months, just like the salesmen.
Since he just got a car, he won't have a chance to take a Juke for that long.

what bruce said. I will probably go take it around the block this afternoon. I was going to take one as a demo and give you a thorough review.

I built one online as if cost were irrelevant.

Turns out, it was relevant, but damn it was awesome.

Anxious to hear the report...cool looking car.

I get it (re: Jim); thanks.

As much as people are saying it's butt ugly, I still think it's a great little car for me. Seems to drive really fantastic.

Some people saying it's butt ugly is a good thing, that means it's got styling. When cars have styling people will like it, or not like it, unlike 90% of the bland blobs on the road that nobody notices.

spencer says it looks like a frog

yeah; it's gotten "frog" a lot. According to Nissan, the front is supposed to look like an alligator half submerged in the water. or something.

A sampling of the over the top "verbiage" from the reviews:

Mirror's and Blind Spots
 

I was horrified to learn the other day from one of my friends that she never turns to look over her shoulder when changing lanes. WTF?

Apparently, there's a "new" or non-traditional way to set your side mirrors that I had never heard of; different from what I was taught way back when. A little research shows this to be true--set your mirrors to a wider angle and you see the blind spot. Do you guys do this?

http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu...alkMirrors.pdf



I'm trying this now, and it takes some getting used to. For one thing, there's a lot of movement in the driver's mirror which you see out of the corner of your eye.

But I'll still look over my shoulder anyway!

YESSSSSSS
Whats the point of looking at your own car? You've rendered your mirrors ineffective and by the time you see anything its too late.

I was taught to set the side view mirror to begin where the rear ends. When done properly the two work in unison and virtually eliminate any blind spot.

I also still peek over my shoulder, even though I really don't have to do so.

I feel kinda dumb. New mirror settings; new CPR procedure.

I'm getting too old for all this new shit!

Sometimes it is therapeutic to actually dial an old phone. Little click, click, clicks are so reassuring that the world still works normally.

I believe you still have a rotary phone set up at your place...

For some reason, I have no trouble imagining that in your "parlor"

Yes, I've always put my side mirrors so they start showing just where the view from the rearview mirror is ending. That always seemed to me to be the only logical way to do it.

yes, but I still look to double-check.

No, I don't look over my shoulder. I stay aware of where every car around me is at all times.

If you drive fast enough, you don't need any mirrors. You just look out the front.