I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)

[CyndiLouWho]

I would wait until 10/1 then apply for a CIC. You can never have enough Ink Business cards.

This is true. DH and I have been alternating. He was just approved on Sunday for the latest.

 

[Arcades]

Considering an offsite Disney stay for the first time ever (Swolphin, my go to, is completely full ). Suggestions for Hyatt or Marriott properties near property? Two adults - resort time will be minimal, so no bells and whistles needed. Only “must” is an on-site bar or at least somewhere to get a bottle of wine for our room .

Edited to add: we’ll be exclusively using Uber/Lyft, and early entry benefits would be nice, but not a must have.

I have stayed at the Hyatt Place Lake Buena Vista on several occasions and enjoy the location of that property. It's only 8k Hyatt points per night and it's located near several restaurants and convenience stores, so getting a drink should not be difficult.

 

[havaneselover]

So just thought I'd share my experiences for those in the new car market. Feel free to ignore.

Everything is still insane. Although I ruled out a Rav4 because I like leather seats, I did ask what the wait was on a Hybrid XLE Premium and was told 9-14 months.

I still am waffling between the Tuscon and the CRV. I really don't think I can go wrong with either of these. The Honda dealer I use wants me to put down a non-refundable deposit. They say the vehicle is 90-120 days out. I've never heard of a nonrefundable deposit, especially when the dealer doesn't even have a car to test drive. This dealer has no market adjustment, but has $2000 of stuff you have to buy (paint protectant, mud flaps, etc.). So a $2000 market adjustment regardless of what you call it. I called another Honda dealer nearby and they have $3000 market adjustments on all CRV Hybrids. Somehow there price was $3500 more.

I suspect the Tuscon is the same story and they have almost the same MSRP. The Honda dealer I use has the same owner as the Hyundai dealer and requires the purchase of the paint/seat protectant. Another one threw in an extra two years of oil changes for $1500 (that you have to pay for).

I probably should just wait this out but it's now in my head that I want all of the new safety features, better fuel economy, and a vehicle I can take on trips.

 

[afan]

So just thought I'd share my experiences for those in the new car market. Feel free to ignore.

Everything is still insane. Although I ruled out a Rav4 because I like leather seats, I did ask what the wait was on a Hybrid XLE Premium and was told 9-14 months.

I still am waffling between the Tuscon and the CRV. I really don't think I can go wrong with either of these. The Honda dealer I use wants me to put down a non-refundable deposit. They say the vehicle is 90-120 days out. I've never heard of a nonrefundable deposit, especially when the dealer doesn't even have a car to test drive. This dealer has no market adjustment, but has $2000 of stuff you have to buy (paint protectant, mud flaps, etc.). So a $2000 market adjustment regardless of what you call it. I called another Honda dealer nearby and they have $3000 market adjustments on all CRV Hybrids. Somehow there price was $3500 more.

I suspect the Tuscon is the same story and they have almost the same MSRP. The Honda dealer I use has the same owner as the Hyundai dealer and requires the purchase of the paint/seat protectant. Another one threw in an extra two years of oil changes for $1500 (that you have to pay for).

I probably should just wait this out but it's now in my head that I want all of the new safety features, better fuel economy, and a vehicle I can take on trips.

That non refundable deposit is insane. Like they wouldn't be able to sell it if someone backed out after putting a deposit down.

 

[Haley R]

So just thought I'd share my experiences for those in the new car market. Feel free to ignore.

Everything is still insane. Although I ruled out a Rav4 because I like leather seats, I did ask what the wait was on a Hybrid XLE Premium and was told 9-14 months.

I still am waffling between the Tuscon and the CRV. I really don't think I can go wrong with either of these. The Honda dealer I use wants me to put down a non-refundable deposit. They say the vehicle is 90-120 days out. I've never heard of a nonrefundable deposit, especially when the dealer doesn't even have a car to test drive. This dealer has no market adjustment, but has $2000 of stuff you have to buy (paint protectant, mud flaps, etc.). So a $2000 market adjustment regardless of what you call it. I called another Honda dealer nearby and they have $3000 market adjustments on all CRV Hybrids. Somehow there price was $3500 more.

I suspect the Tuscon is the same story and they have almost the same MSRP. The Honda dealer I use has the same owner as the Hyundai dealer and requires the purchase of the paint/seat protectant. Another one threw in an extra two years of oil changes for $1500 (that you have to pay for).

I probably should just wait this out but it's now in my head that I want all of the new safety features, better fuel economy, and a vehicle I can take on trips.

We’ve been having the same issues with dealerships. They all have market adjustments and most of the cars coming in are already sold. A Toyota dealership here tried to get us to do the nonrefundable deposit and dh was so confused. They were being really pushy and we finally said we aren’t putting a deposit down on a car when they don’t even know when one will come in. We’ve been able to at least test drive and are pretty sure we’re buying a rav4 but we’re trying to wait until next year to get one.

 

[havaneselover]

That non refundable deposit is insane. Like they wouldn't be able to sell it if someone backed out after putting a deposit down.

I know, right? Even if they can because of the market, it's bad business IMO. And I've bought two other new vehicles from them in the past.

 

[afan]

I know, right? Even if they can because of the market, it's bad business IMO. And I've bought two other new vehicles from them in the past.

Can you do it online? I ordered mine through the dealership but I'm pretty sure I could have done the same thing via the website.

But they should also know when they'll have one coming in that can be test drove. Unless someone specifically ordered it, anything that is delivered to the lot is up for grabs so to speak, they can choose to go with their waitlist but that shouldn't keep someone from being able to test drive it I would think.

Honestly I'd be checking with other dealerships on how they want to do it and I'd see if there's anything on the manufactures website about deposits and whether they should be refundable or not.

 

[havaneselover]

We’ve been having the same issues with dealerships. They all have market adjustments and most of the cars coming in are already sold. A Toyota dealership here tried to get us to do the nonrefundable deposit and dh was so confused. They were being really pushy and we finally said we aren’t putting a deposit down on a car when they don’t even know when one will come in. We’ve been able to at least test drive and are pretty sure we’re buying a rav4 but we’re trying to wait until next year to get one.

The one dealer had the CRV Touring at almost $50000 out the door. I think we've entered crazy world! Waiting seems smart.

Can you do it online? I ordered mine through the dealership but I'm pretty sure I could have done the same thing via the website.

But they should also know when they'll have one coming in that can be test drove. Unless someone specifically ordered it, anything that is delivered to the lot is up for grabs so to speak, they can choose to go with their waitlist but that shouldn't keep someone from being able to test drive it I would think.

Honestly I'd be checking with other dealerships on how they want to do it and I'd see if there's anything on the manufactures website about deposits and whether they should be refundable or not.

So the way it's been explained, mid-month the dealerships get told what is being built by Honda for them to be delivered a few months out. Then they look at who wants what. So basically all of the hybrids have deposits on them right now as soon as the dealer knows they will eventually be delivered to them. It sounds like they have some non-hybrids that are not spoken for but even with gas prices down to $3 or so (under $3 in GA last weekend), I just think it's time for me to go green

The second dealership nearby said all four hybrids they are getting have deposits on them and they will take more (refundable) deposits once they find out what their next allotment is. But they have a $3000 market adjustment on the hybrids.

I did get the guy to agree if we can't come to agreement on a trade in value on my van he'll refund the money. Or if they don't have a vehicle. I think that basically makes it refundable because no matter what they offer me, I can not agree to it

I swear the world has gone mad.

 

[Haley R]

The one dealer had the CRV Touring at almost $50000 out the door. I think we've entered crazy world! Waiting seems smart.

So the way it's been explained, mid-month the dealerships get told what is being built by Honda for them to be delivered a few months out. Then they look at who wants what. So basically all of the hybrids have deposits on them right now as soon as the dealer knows they will eventually be delivered to them. It sounds like they have some non-hybrids that are not spoken for but even with gas prices down to $3 or so (under $3 in GA last weekend), I just think it's time for me to go green

The second dealership nearby said all four hybrids they are getting have deposits on them and they will take more (refundable) deposits once they find out what their next allotment is. But they have a $3000 market adjustment on the hybrids.

I did get the guy to agree if we can't come to agreement on a trade in value on my van he'll refund the money. Or if they don't have a vehicle. I think that basically makes it refundable because no matter what they offer me, I can not agree to it

I swear the world has gone mad.

We were considering the CRV but it seems like Honda is producing less than Toyota so they’re harder to come by and more expensive for what you get

 

[havaneselover]

We were considering the CRV but it seems like Honda is producing less than Toyota so they’re harder to come by and more expensive for what you get

I can get a CRV faster than a Rav4 from what I'm being told (3 to 4 months vs 9 to 14 months). And I can't really do apples-to-apples with Rav4 like I can with Tuscon (prices are almost identical) because Toyota doesn't put leather in Rav4s.

 

[Narnia_girl]

I would wait until 10/1 then apply for a CIC. You can never have enough Ink Business cards.

Could you explain what you mean by this? (I've just gotten my first CIU, don't have any CICs yet) Thanks!

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

It's a never ending blast here. Saturday my dad was supposed to get discharged. I spent all of Thurs/Fri pumping him up to be ready for it. When we got to the SNF, EMS was slightly concerned about his breathing. Also the hospital forgot to send his food (he's on a feeding tube). The SNF took one look at my dad and refused him. They told the hospital he wasn't stable. EMS even told the hospital they didn't really check anything.

But I guess it's a good thing he got sent back. I got a call yesterday at school that his heart stopped! Seems he's having episodes of his heart stopping 4 to 5 secs. I raced up to the hospital and my dad was certain this was it, so he wanted everyone to come up. But he's stable. We kinda made the decision to stop intervening. Since this keeps happening they wanted to put a pacemaker in. So I asked today could I refuse. They said I could BUT they said the SNF will be constantly sending him back to the hospital when his blood pressure goes low from these episodes. So today he's getting a temp pacemaker put in.

On a MS front, what's the easiest way to MS MCGC? Lowes has $500 MCGC, and I'm trying to put some "legal" spends out there on my dad's bank card, LOL. I normally stick to VGC and WM for MS. I have a handful of FD around, nothing convient.

Thinking of you as you’re going through this. In early 2020 my mom fell and broke her hip. Then COVID hit and I was left with being unable to visit and being responsible as POA for selling her house/paying the bills. Thankfully I contacted an elder law attorney as her money was quickly depleting. they were able to save her life insurance and help us get through the penalty phase. We were aware that she could gift us kids money but we didn’t know it was limited to $500 total each month. So we would have been on the hook to pay that back.
If you have the funds, I highly recommend an elder law attorney! The MA application is very lengthy and the amount of paperwork needed is massive.

You can gift $500? I'm getting creative with "legal" spends. The lawyers around here don't seem interested in helping since he has so little.

^^^ This. The rules are tricky, and can be hard to find. You can't just google it and think you are getting accurate info. You don't know what you don't know -- which can include info about assets that are or can be protected.

For Michigan, I know a car is protected and a house (kinda, likely his won't be, mobile home). The only other thing he has is a bank account with $25k for my daughter. So there isn't a ton to save, but I still want to save all I can! I'm trying to accept I can't save it all.

 

[Haley R]

I can get a CRV faster than a Rav4 from what I'm being told (3 to 4 months vs 9 to 14 months). And I can't really do apples-to-apples with Rav4 like I can with Tuscon (prices are almost identical) because Toyota doesn't put leather in Rav4s.

Do you not like their softex seats?

 

[magickingdomprincess]

So just thought I'd share my experiences for those in the new car market. Feel free to ignore.

Everything is still insane. Although I ruled out a Rav4 because I like leather seats, I did ask what the wait was on a Hybrid XLE Premium and was told 9-14 months.

I still am waffling between the Tuscon and the CRV. I really don't think I can go wrong with either of these. The Honda dealer I use wants me to put down a non-refundable deposit. They say the vehicle is 90-120 days out. I've never heard of a nonrefundable deposit, especially when the dealer doesn't even have a car to test drive. This dealer has no market adjustment, but has $2000 of stuff you have to buy (paint protectant, mud flaps, etc.). So a $2000 market adjustment regardless of what you call it. I called another Honda dealer nearby and they have $3000 market adjustments on all CRV Hybrids. Somehow there price was $3500 more.

I suspect the Tuscon is the same story and they have almost the same MSRP. The Honda dealer I use has the same owner as the Hyundai dealer and requires the purchase of the paint/seat protectant. Another one threw in an extra two years of oil changes for $1500 (that you have to pay for).

I probably should just wait this out but it's now in my head that I want all of the new safety features, better fuel economy, and a vehicle I can take on trips.

I can get a CRV faster than a Rav4 from what I'm being told (3 to 4 months vs 9 to 14 months). And I can't really do apples-to-apples with Rav4 like I can with Tuscon (prices are almost identical) because Toesn't put leather in Rav4s.I

I've been on a waitlist for a Hyundai Palisade since Feb with my local dealership. They've asked me if I'd be interested in other models/colors but I'm being picky because if I'm spending that much on a new car I don't want to compromise. I had to spend $1400 to repair my Acadia because I just couldn't put it off anymore and now I'm wondering if I should just wait another year or two to see if things calm down. My dealership is selling at MSRP and supposedly only to local people because other nearby dealerships are selling for thousands over. So far I haven't put down a deposit, but I think they're requiring it now.

 

[chattadisser]

So just thought I'd share my experiences for those in the new car market. Feel free to ignore.

Everything is still insane. Although I ruled out a Rav4 because I like leather seats, I did ask what the wait was on a Hybrid XLE Premium and was told 9-14 months.

I still am waffling between the Tuscon and the CRV. I really don't think I can go wrong with either of these. The Honda dealer I use wants me to put down a non-refundable deposit. They say the vehicle is 90-120 days out. I've never heard of a nonrefundable deposit, especially when the dealer doesn't even have a car to test drive. This dealer has no market adjustment, but has $2000 of stuff you have to buy (paint protectant, mud flaps, etc.). So a $2000 market adjustment regardless of what you call it. I called another Honda dealer nearby and they have $3000 market adjustments on all CRV Hybrids. Somehow there price was $3500 more.

I suspect the Tuscon is the same story and they have almost the same MSRP. The Honda dealer I use has the same owner as the Hyundai dealer and requires the purchase of the paint/seat protectant. Another one threw in an extra two years of oil changes for $1500 (that you have to pay for).

I probably should just wait this out but it's now in my head that I want all of the new safety features, better fuel economy, and a vehicle I can take on trips.

That's crazy. I've bought two Toyotas from the same dealer and next time I'm in there for maintenance I might be curious to see what they are doing now. I know the last time I was in there a few months ago, all they had were used cars in the showroom. There is no way I'd give them a nonrefundable deposit for a car that they can't even tell me reliably when it might be there.

Have you looked at other dealers online? We bought my daughters car online in April of 2021 from a dealer about 2 hours from us. After that, I will always buy online. All the negotiations were done from the comfort of home. When we got there, we test drove it just to make sure and then signed the paperwork. In and out in 20 minutes. I do think that the dealers realize they have the upper hand right now and are doing whatever they can. I'd wait a while if you can.

 

[havaneselover]

Do you not like their softex seats?

No, I'm a leather person.

 

[djmeredith]

I am not currently shopping for a new car. However, my co-worker got a new car about a month ago. Not sure exactly what model it is, but it's an all electric Volkswagen SUV. I found out yesterday that she ordered it in 2020. Hope none of you have to wait that long.

 

[havaneselover]

That's crazy. I've bought two Toyotas from the same dealer and next time I'm in there for maintenance I might be curious to see what they are doing now. I know the last time I was in there a few months ago, all they had were used cars in the showroom. There is no way I'd give them a nonrefundable deposit for a car that they can't even tell me reliably when it might be there.

Have you looked at other dealers online? We bought my daughters car online in April of 2021 from a dealer about 2 hours from us. After that, I will always buy online. All the negotiations were done from the comfort of home. When we got there, we test drove it just to make sure and then signed the paperwork. In and out in 20 minutes. I do think that the dealers realize they have the upper hand right now and are doing whatever they can. I'd wait a while if you can.

My van is 11 years old and has 160k miles on it. I know Hondas easily go 200k+ miles. But what I'm worried about is if I'm not proactive, something big will go wrong and I'll be stuck investing $5k in a vehicle worth $7k because I won't be able to get my hands on a new vehicle. But I tend to agree with you.

 

[havaneselover]

I am not currently shopping for a new car. However, my co-worker got a new car about a month ago. Not sure exactly what model it is, but it's an all electric Volkswagen SUV. I found out yesterday that she ordered it in 2020. Hope none of you have to wait that long.

That's crazy. Things are so backed up that short of a major recession which causes a big drop in demand, I don't see this getting better anytime soon.

 

[afan]

That's crazy. Things are so backed up that short of a major recession which causes a big drop in demand, I don't see this getting better anytime soon.

The chips are still a huge problem along with other parts. Here's a bit from an article that quantifies the issue -
Ford announced that it expects to have 40,000 to 45,000 unfinished vehicles on storage lots at the end of Q3, waiting for parts.

Since last year, automakers have been building vehicles that were missing components in order to keep their plants operating. When the missing components arrive, automakers install them, complete the vehicles, and ship them to dealers.

GM, at the end of Q2, had 95,000 unfinished vehicles on storage lots, waiting for components. Other automakers are also doing this to mitigate the effects of the chip shortages. -

At least they are still building but that's just nuts.

Can any of you order one instead of waiting for the dealership to get one in? It may cut down on the time it takes to get it, at least it seemed to with Ford because it gets added into the build schedule vs waiting until what you want is made and hopefully shipped to your dealership.