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[#] Sun Oct 19 2014 17:57:10 EDT from fleeb

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Okay, it's done.

I bought a Honda Accord EX-L (which is rather fancier than I expected to get). It does have a moonroof, which isn't exactly a selling point for me, and quite a few other misc. features, but hopefully none of them will drive me insane.

It's not brand new, though... it's a 2013 model, with only 25,000 miles or so on it. In some ways, I think this is better, as someone else took the depreciation hit, allowing me to buy the car in pretty good condition for much less than it would cost to get even the base LX new.

I guess now it's car payments, something I haven't had to do for a very long time.

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 10:39:00 EDT from vince-q

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I guess now it's car payments, something I haven't had to do for a
very long time.



Let me start by saying I agree with your choice of car in every possible way. "Used" from a reputable source is **always** better than buying new and you hit the reason square on. Hondas are just as long-lived as most Toyotas. Just remember one important thing.

I do not care WHAT the manual or the dealer says, get your oil changed every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Do not believe the "7,500 miles" crap. If you follow *my* advice the engine will outlive the body! If not...

Oh - make sure you know if it has a timing belt or a timing chain. Hope it has a chain. And if it has a belt, follow the replacement schedule religiously. Otherwise you are flirting with a disastrous (and expensive) engine failure.

"V4" engine? Is it a "boxer" configuration? Hope so - they seem to make for fast cars!

Good luck with the new one. You will no doubt end up finding it to be a great car!

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 10:42:55 EDT from vince-q

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Oh - that car loan.
Whenever, and as often as you can afford it, double up on the payments. That will MORE than cut your loan time in half since the extra money goes entirely to the principal and not the interest.

I did that with a car loan (back when I had to do car loans) and cut a 4 year loan to 19 months. Doubled the payments about 15 times and then called the bank to find out how many more months really remained. They told me "four more" so I sent in the remaining four months one at a time on the normal due dates and was "done with it" almost two years early. Saved a bunch of money!

This obviously doesn't work for everyone but if it works for you, do it. It will "hurt" along the way, but you will have your title a lot quicker and it will boost the credit score very nicely as well.

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 12:30:50 EDT from LoanShark

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It's an L4 in the Accord.

Boxers are overrated, at least as implemented by Subaru in the 2.5L--yow! Unreliable. Their 2.2L in the mid-90s had a better rep.

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 13:32:53 EDT from fleeb

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This car has a feature that tracks maintenance needs, alerting me to when I should take care of such an item. So, that should be helpful.

I am less concerned about speed, so it doesn't really matter to me if I run with a V4 or V6. I do care about mileage, so a V4 works better for me in that regard.

The transmission system is rather different. Because Melvin never learned to drive a manual transmission, I needed to purchase a car with an automatic transmission. This has that special system that smooths out the transitions from gear to gear such that you can't really detect anything... possibly because it doesn't have a conventional system of gearing at all. I recall seeing a video about this style of transmission and thinking, "Huh, that's pretty clever."

It probably helps improve the mileage for an automatic, I suspect, although I'm not an expert in such things.

Certainly, driving to work this morning was an entirely different experience, from white-knuckled fury to a calm sort of mild annoyance.

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 14:29:29 EDT from vince-q

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The transmission system is rather different. Because Melvin never
learned to drive a manual transmission, I needed to purchase a car with

an automatic transmission. This has that special system that smooths

out the transitions from gear to gear such that you can't really detect

anything... possibly because it doesn't have a conventional system of

gearing at all. I recall seeing a video about this style of
transmission and thinking, "Huh, that's pretty clever."


That is most likely a CVT transmission (continuously variable).
It is a 'perfection' of a concept originally developed, believe it or not, back in the 1950s (possibly even earlier) but back then the rest of the drivetrain was, by today's standards, antediluvian!

Yes - it improves overall efficiency between the crankshaft and the drive wheels, which means in plain language, improves gas mileage. And not by some small amount, either.

If gas economy is one of your major considerations (and today, how can it not be) then the V4 was a "must do" since the V6 is, in comparison, a pig.

I really can't find any fault at all in what you did (other than - most likely - you may have paid too much!).

Congrats again!

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 15:07:15 EDT from fleeb

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Thanks!

Yes, it's CVT. I couldn't quite remember the name for it, but I recall it.

I suspect I did not pay too much. I paid less for this than one woul dpay
for a 2015 Accord LX (the lowest priced model), and less than I paid for my VW Beetle back in 2003. I splurged a bit and got the extended warrantee, but only because someone owned the car before me, and the current warrantee runs out in 16 months otherwise.

I think the only way I could have paid less for this might have involved high power weaponry, sheep, photography, and about a month's reconnaisance.

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 18:27:40 EDT from vince-q

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I think the only way I could have paid less for this might have
involved high power weaponry, sheep, photography, and about a month's

reconnaisance.

Sheep?

[#] Mon Oct 20 2014 23:39:54 EDT from ax25

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Of course, sheep.  Why not?



[#] Tue Oct 21 2014 08:33:17 EDT from fleeb

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Goats would do.

[#] Tue Oct 21 2014 13:17:23 EDT from zooer

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Goats go to heaven,
Sheep go to hell.

[#] Wed Oct 22 2014 13:35:21 EDT from Animal

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Fixed the winch in my truck.
New solenoid pack, some minor rewiring to the connector to make it work (not sure how it worked before, to be honest). Reinstalled on the truck, cable respooled.
Another project off the bench. \o/

[#] Wed Oct 22 2014 14:17:44 EDT from fleeb

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How many other projects have you on your bench?

[#] Thu Oct 23 2014 14:41:03 EDT from Ladyhawke

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Tue Oct 21 2014 01:17:23 PM EDT from zooer
Goats go to heaven,
Sheep go to hell.

Mehhh



[#] Thu Oct 23 2014 14:41:41 EDT from Ladyhawke

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Wed Oct 22 2014 01:35:21 PM EDT from Animal
Fixed the winch in my truck.

Sled ready?



[#] Thu Oct 23 2014 15:00:00 EDT from athos-mn

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A friend of mine has to park his car on the street - no alley and no driveway for his home. His car was recently totaled by a hit-and-run while it was parked overnight. Last month he got a new car to replace it. Yesterday it was stolen. Blech.

[#] Thu Oct 23 2014 21:04:08 EDT from wizard of aahz

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Watched someone else get bought... again.

[#] Thu Oct 23 2014 22:45:51 EDT from LoanShark

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I hear they got gobbled up, almost as if by Pacman. http://goo.gl/hk1qpM

[#] Fri Oct 24 2014 09:41:46 EDT from wizard of aahz

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That was a nice one. Thanks!

[#] Fri Oct 24 2014 14:51:46 EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

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That is most likely a CVT transmission (continuously variable).

Is that the same thing as a hydrostatic transmission? My riding mower has that. Would I be correct in guessing that when I am moving slower, the wheels are turning with more torque?

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