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Hollis Carolyn Heyn

David Cordell

Has anyone here leased a car. I never have, but am tempted. What was your experience?

Lowell Tuttle

David.  Generally Own and trade is better than lease and return.  But, sometimes pricing can be favorable, because dealers have incentives to sell a lot of vehicles. 

At trade time, market dictates value of vehicle you own....but, also could have value on vehicle you lease if you choose the correct agreement and keep mileage way under the lease terms and the vehicle in good condition.  Sometimes people can sell/trade the lease just before the term ends and get a return.  Since so many people lease (they can't afford to buy) used vehicles 2-3 years old in good condition can demand a premium, but owning can put you in control of the timing of that marketplace.

Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate...Leave and go back...leave and go back...

Unless you don't want to hassle with that. 

Some folks lease all the time and use the same dealer and sales persons.  They harp on how good a deal they got.  (I would say NOT.)

Also, don't fall in love with your leased vehicle.  It's not yours.  If there is a total loss, (accident/flood) the settlement goes to the leasing company, not you.   Have to lease again. They don't even discuss the claim with you.  Plus, a lot of times the vehicle is way less than totaled, and you want to get it fixed, but you can't because it's not yours.  Most leasing operations require behind scenes GAP coverage be included (cost passed onto you wihtout any disclosure, meaning included.)  This allows the lease to end favorably for the risk takers. 

I am sure other people have comments about this. 

I have a 2003 Saturn Vue.  A 2006 Nissan Titan.   And a 2013 Toyota Camry.  All bought new.   My prior vehicle was a 2001 Chev. Suburban which ended it's life in Ennis Texas with 375,000 miles on it in 2005...So, I strech my ownership out, as you can see. 

My livelyhood, to a certain extent, depends on auto shoppers re buying and re buying and re leasing.. 

Can you believe the prices on vehicles?   Ford F150 and Explorers are over 30,000....easy...I remember my first new car, a 1973 Mazda RX 3.  It was 3903.00.   My Dad's 1968 Chev Malibu SS 396 convertible was 4707.00 (bought off the showroom spinning disk at Doral Chevrolet off LBJ and Inwood.)

PS  Limits of liablity on car insurance requires higher than minimum limts if lease....but I am sure you have that anyway....Some people don't.  Some can't get the higher limts due to credit or driving loss history.  And, limits of liabity are a "policy" coverage, so you have to carry those limits on all vehicles on policy even if they are owned, and even if they just sit in the driveway...

Again, one final note.  I might be like the Seinfeld "opposite" George show.  Do the opposite of what Lowell says and you will come out favorably.

Wayne Gary

David,

Leasing makes sence if yu plan on driving less than 20,000 miles/yr and want a new car every 2 or 3 years,  I you want a car and plan on keeping it longer (like when the wheels fall off) It is better to buy.  A big savings is to by a 2 or 3 year old leas return can be 1/2 th price of a new car.  Several years ago I bought a 2 yr old Chrysler Town & country with 40K for less than 1/2 of the new price.  I drive 30 -35K/yr and I now have 165K and it is paid for.  I have previiously bought T&C for work with 35-40K miles and sold them with 220-250K.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

The ultimate, seated between two Santas!

Steve Keene

Sandra,

I'll take a real cotton rope tan and hand braided, not a polyester one, for Christmas.

David Cordell

Lowell, thanks for the input. We have typically driven cars until the wheels fell off or we give them to our children. Now we have a 2014 Lexus ES300h (hybrid) with 77K that we bought new and a 2012 Lexus RX350 (that we bought from a friend)  with 86K. I have thought about buying a car off-lease, holding it for three years, selling, and repeating, but I haven't been able to try it. I tend to get attached. It's my car!

Sandra, great pic!

Lance, thanks for your comments.

Sue, if you must insult me, or the reunion, or anyone, please do it on Tommy's website.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

David,

Our son, Aaron shopped for a "new" car a couple of years ago.  He could not afford a brand new showroom model so opted to search (using CarFax) for a used model with low mileage.  He took his time and searched several used car dealers before finding a real nice car, very clean with low mileage beauty.  You can look up the VIN number before buying to see if it has been in a collision or flooded etc.  So far the Mustang GT "California Special" has been a great car and he got it thousands under sticker price.  Just a thought.

Steve Keene

Sandra

I try to make it a habit never to buy a new car until my friends begin to belittle my old one.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Steve,

How long do you want the rope?  Need enough to hang something???

I searched for rope "sayings" and got this gem:

Bob Davidson

Steve Keene

Sandra,

I want a standard waxed lariat rope.  The kind Will Rogers twirled.  It is hard to find the old style ones.

In the alternative I would take just enough rope for Royce to hang himself with.

David Simpson

I liked Dorothy Michaels confession. "I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man".

David Cordell

Forwarded by a lurker -- sports quotations.

Don Meredith, Dallas Cowboy Quarterback, once said: “Coach Tom Landry is such a perfectionist that if he was married to Raquel Welch, he would expect her to cook.”

Harry Neale, professional hockey coach: “Last year we couldn’t win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure as a coach was that I couldn’t think of anyplace else to play.”

Reggie Jackson commenting on Tom Seaver: “Blind people come to the ballpark just to listen to him pitch.”

Doug Sanders, professional golfer: “I’m working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch on Tuesday, everything will be perfect.”

Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers pitcher: “All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives, ‘See, there is a fat guy doing great. Bring me another beer.’”

Tommy Lasorda, Los Angeles Dodgers manager: “I found out that it’s not good to talk about my troubles. Eighty percent of the people who hear them don’t care and the other twenty percent are glad I’m having them.”

E.J. Holub, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker regarding his twelve knee operations: “My knees look like they lost a knife fight with a midget.”

Vic Braden, tennis instructor: “My theory is that if you buy an ice cream cone and make it hit your mouth, you can learn to play tennis. If you stick it on your forehead, your chances aren’t as good.”

Walt Garrison, Dallas Cowboys fullback when asked if Tom Landry ever smiles: “I don’t know. I only played there for nine years.”

John Breen, Houston Oilers: “We were tipping off our plays. Whenever we broke from the huddle, three backs were laughing and one was pale as a ghost.”

Bum Phillips, New Orleans Saints, after viewing a lopsided loss to the Atlanta Falcons: “The film looks suspiciously like the game itself.”

Al Hrabosky, major league relief pitcher: “When I’m on the road, my greatest ambition is to get a standing boo.”

Paul Horning, Green Bay Packers running back on why his marriage ceremony was before noon: “Because if it didn’t work out, I didn’t want to blow the whole day.”

Lou Holtz, Arkansas football coach: “I have a lifetime contract. That means I can’t be fired during the third quarter if we’re ahead and moving the ball.”

Knute Rockne, when asked why Notre Dame had lost a game: “I won’t know until my barber tells me on Monday.”

Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers: “I learned a long time ago that ‘minor surgery’ is when they do the operation on someone else, not you.”

George MacIntyre, Vanderbilt football coach surveying the team roster that included 26 freshmen and 25 sophomores: “Our biggest concern this season will be diaper rash.”

Rick Venturi, Northwestern football coach: “The only difference between me and General Custer is that I have to watch the films on Sunday.”

And you thought Yogi was the only one whose mind worked this way.

David Cordell

Thanks, Lance. Good info.

Steve Keene

Lance

I wanted to ask you about the cruise thing.  The only cruise I have ever taken was just to get outside the territorial waters to be able to gamble and we never touched land other than our departure/arrival port of Galveston.  Don't you find when you take a cruise that they restrict you to certain areas that are touristy and you have to be back on ship at a certain time, so you miss the real flavor of a destination:  the late night spots, the early breakfasts on the beach, the poorer parts of town, overnight or nightime destinations to see illuminated algae pools, overnight fishing trips, etc.?  It just seems to me that getting to stay on land when you arrive would give you a much better taste of the culture.  Maybe I am just too much of a flaneur when I travel.  Tight schedules and rushing for the boat before you get left are just not my thing.  What say you, Mr. Cruise expert?

  I just watched "Out to Sea" with Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau.  They signed on to be dance host partners to dance with the old ladies to get a free trip in hopes of finding a rich wife.  Turns out they pretended to be rich and the girls they were chasing were poor, spent their last money on the cruise to pretend to be rich and signed up on the cruise to meet rich single men.  They both found true love instead after a series of mishaps that only Lemmon and Mathau could concoct.

Lowell Tuttle

Trending....

Lowell Tuttle

In the spirit of having funny....

Steve Keene

Lance,

Something tells me that with the new generation, gone are the days of the formal ballroom waltzes that I dreamed of in my youth.  Gone are the days of being invited to sit with place cards at the Captain's Table.

I bet you and Christopher don't even wear formal or semiformal attire on the whole trip.  Maybe the Cunard, Queen Elizabeth II still does this sort of thing.  How is one to recreate the magic of the movie Titanic in this casual age?  How am I ever going to get a chance to wear one of my dozen pairs of cufflinks or three sets of button studs.  I imagine floorshows with high kicking dancers with ruffled frills and I bet it is more a concert for the rock crowd with everyone wearing t-shirts, flip flops and shorts. 

I don't want Six Flags on a boat.  I want a Broadway Musical atmosphere.

Lowell Tuttle

It has been years, but I mentioned this before.

My best friend lives in Galveston.  His wife and him (Randy and Claire Johnson) own Galveston.com.

She books cruises.  She buys the cruises 2-3 years in advance to get the lower prices. 

Galveson.com has links to her agency and I have her phone number.   My wife Susie won't do sea travel, so we don't use that part of the friendship.

They also have a rental that is reasonable in Galveston rather than expensive hotels...and I think better car parking situation, but I don't know about that.

Claire was Gene Cernan's personal assistant....the last man on the moon.

Wayne Gary

Steve,

I have been on 4 cruises, 2 on Holland America, 1 on carnival and 1 on Norwegian Cruise Lines.  I find that Carnival  and Princess cater to the under 50 crowd and have 3000 to 4000 passenger ships.  Holland caters to the over 50 crowd and have 2000 -2500 passenger ships. The HA and NCL do have kids activities so they can get 3 generations on the cruise.

On Holland ( they all are "DAM" ships: Eurodam, Westerdam, Amsterdam etc. get the joke) Most of the shows are Vegas type.  On the "Formal Nights" they have their photographers set up around taking portraits.  Each will take 3-4 couple pictures and 3-4 individual pictures.  On our last cruise we came away with 150 pictures for under $200. I wore a Tux and my wife had 2 gowns.  Formal is optional.  We did dress up for dining since the Dining room was like going to a 4star restaurant.

One thing my wife really likes about a cruise is she can unpack and be set for the entire trip instead of have to pack and un-pack every time we change towns.

We always book our excursens with the ship so we are sure to be at the ship on time.

Steve Keene

Wayne and Lance,

Thanks for the info.

The traffic sure was bad out there today.  I guess people are Christmas shopping in a panic since it is a short retail season.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Merry Christmas to all of my friends on this forum!  I hope the New Year brings you peace, and good health!

Karin Ridenour (Anderson)

I've cruised with Royal Caribbean several times in the Caribbean, Millennium in Alaska, Holland America in the Black Sea and Mediterranean,  and a river cruise in Holland and Belgium.  I prefer the smaller ships and fewer kids.  River cruising tends to be slower and calmer and more quaint towns that ships could never get too.  The food has always been stellar and the excursions interesting.  You absolutely have to be back on time!  Sometimes the stop is til 7 or 10 pm; it just depends on where you are going. If you want upscale, I'd avoid Carnival and Royal Caribbean.  Most ships do have at least one top restaurant that you have to make reservations for and dress up for but the main dining room is usually more casual and open seating.

Cruising is a great way to see more of the country and then you could go back to the places you really liked and stay longer on land and have the late night and early morning experiences you want, Steve. Though  many times you wake up in the new city (at least on the river cruises) so you could totally go to a cafe and lounge over coffee and wander the streets.

VacationsToGo.com is a great source of last minute discounted high quality cruises.  They send out emails with the Top 20 River Cruises, ocean cruises, safaris, escorted tours.  You can save up to 82%.  A local tour operator is Collette which handles the Garland Senior Center trips.  I did one with my mom in 2005 that included London, the Channel high speed train, Paris, several towns in Holland, the Netherlands, and Koln, Germany. In 2015, we did Holland and Belgium on the rivers. Cruises still on my bucket list are Provence, France, Thailand, Vietnam, and China.

Mike Marks

IWe just returned this past Sunday from our Cruise with the Royal Caribbean ship Harmony of the Seas. It was our 10th. cruise with Royal and we love the ships and all they have to offer. We had a group of 20 close Lake House friends to make it even better. This time we visited CoCo Cay, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel. Amazingly enough, I only gained 4 pounds as we stayed pretty active.