MM Ownership - 2021 Encore GX (initial and ongoing updates)
01-14-21, 06:37 AM
#46
Lexus Champion
01-14-21, 07:13 AM
#47
Lexus Fanatic
Do you actually tow with it? 
A fully-loaded Pacifica with even a smallish trailer might be taxed quite heavily going up or down Sandstone Mountain...even worse on Summit Mountain at Uniontown. And, although that was more of a problem in the 1990s than today, Chrysler minivans were not known for durable transmissions.
A fully-loaded Pacifica with even a smallish trailer might be taxed quite heavily going up or down Sandstone Mountain...even worse on Summit Mountain at Uniontown. And, although that was more of a problem in the 1990s than today, Chrysler minivans were not known for durable transmissions.Hmmm.....so you, like Steve, had that problem, too. Makes me wonder where you are getting those jeans...and which jeans-manufacturer is too cheap to take an extra step to insure that doesn't happen. They are already making money hand-over-fist from all that cheap labor in China and other countries in SE Asia where most clothing is made nowadays.
...and which jeans-manufacturer is too cheap to take an extra step to insure that doesn't happen. They are already making money hand-over-fist from all that cheap labor in China and other countries in SE Asia where most clothing is made nowadays.Here's an example of it:
01-14-21, 07:23 AM
#48
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
That is part of the Advanced-Tech-Package. It's one of the features I like, but, of course, adds complexity because it is projected onto a clear plastic screen that pops up and down into the dash instead of onto the glass itself. The graphics, though, are excellent....better than on some glass-projected systems I've seen.
01-14-21, 08:32 AM
#49
Lexus Champion
Our 2016 Highlander had the light gray leather interior. I did like it, as it was bright and airy, but I was always cleaning off the blue jean dye from the seats. Luckily it would come off pretty easily, but when we swapped for the 19 Highlander, we opted for the black leather, largely because of this very issue.
01-14-21, 08:39 AM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
01-14-21, 09:15 AM
#51
Lexus Fanatic
01-14-21, 11:00 AM
#52
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
01-14-21, 11:48 AM
#54
01-14-21, 12:04 PM
#55
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
If the Tri-Sheld is on it, it's Quiet-Tuned.
Of course, the three-pot engine is not going to run as smooth or quiet as the 3.6L V6, but you can tell that it had at least some attention paid to its NVH level. This is not a three-cylinder Geo Metro.
01-14-21, 12:09 PM
#56
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Thanks, Triple L.
Come post with us a little more in Car-Chat....haven't seen many of your comments lately.
As to good health, I'm doing my best to take care of it, in my diet and life-style.
It got its Luxcare treatment today.
https://www.fairfieldautogroup.com/luxcare.htm
01-14-21, 01:20 PM
#57
Lexus Fanatic
Believe it or not, the leather brush is actually gentler on the leather than a cloth. I just would prefer not to have to clean the seats every wash, but its kind of the way it is with light colored leather when the driver wears a ton of jeans. In the summer when she isnt wearing jeans it wont be an issue.
01-14-21, 04:12 PM
#58
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
OK, for those of you (and there were several of you here in the thread) who questioned the idea of the dealership doing a credit-check when vehicles were not being being financed, I spoke to the dealership's GM today about it when I was there to get the Luxcare interior/exterior treatment done (took about an hour or so for them to do it). He said that, absolutely, you are correct. For a cash-sale by personal-cheek like I do, it is NOT a Federal requirement to so. It is not required by the Patriot Act (as some salespersons have told customers in the past). It is not required by any Consumer-Protection Agency, nor, in Virginia, even by State law. He said that it is a GM/corporate requirement that they do so with customers, particularly for special-ordered vehicles, even if they are being paid for in cash. It comes down from upper-managent at GM, not the government. So, that may or may not be the case with other automakers.
He also clarified something else that I wasn't totally aware of earlier. I was under the impression that any $10K purchase or more that was not financed was reported to the FBI or IRS.....including a personal check. That is partially, but not totally true. Only $10K or more in hard-cash (change, bills, etc....) actually needs to be reported. So, if I was to hand over all that money in hard cash, yes...but not simply write a personal check.
https://klasing-associates.com/indiv...10000-greater/
Interestingly enough, the incident, back in the 1980s, that started that whole mess for the Federal reporting-law, occurred just up the street from my GM dealership about a quarter-mile or so, at a Mazda/Nissan dealership. I first heard about it from my brother (there was no Internet or social-media back then).....and just by the luck of the draw, he happened to be at the dealership when it happened. He wasn't with me that day, but, on his own, had stopped there to check out a new vehicle (I don't remember exactly which one), and, while he was there, FBI agents busted in and raided the place. They were not after my brother, of course, and did not detain him, but, as it turned out, an undercover FBI agent had been there earlier that day, posing as a car-buyer (to me, that sounds like victim-entrapment, but that's the way it happened). The "customer" offered to buy a new vehicle with hard cash from a so-called drug sale, and the dealership said they didn't care where the money came from...greenbacks talk. That, apparently, was enough to justify a raid, and, while the dealership was not actually shut down, and remained in business (and is still there today), at least one salesman and sales manager went to prison. After that incident, Congress passed, and President Reagan signed, a bill that made the cash-10K reporting-standards mandatory. Of course, today, three decades later, that 10K is not worth as much as it was back then because of inflation, but the law still stands as it is.
He also clarified something else that I wasn't totally aware of earlier. I was under the impression that any $10K purchase or more that was not financed was reported to the FBI or IRS.....including a personal check. That is partially, but not totally true. Only $10K or more in hard-cash (change, bills, etc....) actually needs to be reported. So, if I was to hand over all that money in hard cash, yes...but not simply write a personal check.
https://klasing-associates.com/indiv...10000-greater/
Interestingly enough, the incident, back in the 1980s, that started that whole mess for the Federal reporting-law, occurred just up the street from my GM dealership about a quarter-mile or so, at a Mazda/Nissan dealership. I first heard about it from my brother (there was no Internet or social-media back then).....and just by the luck of the draw, he happened to be at the dealership when it happened. He wasn't with me that day, but, on his own, had stopped there to check out a new vehicle (I don't remember exactly which one), and, while he was there, FBI agents busted in and raided the place. They were not after my brother, of course, and did not detain him, but, as it turned out, an undercover FBI agent had been there earlier that day, posing as a car-buyer (to me, that sounds like victim-entrapment, but that's the way it happened). The "customer" offered to buy a new vehicle with hard cash from a so-called drug sale, and the dealership said they didn't care where the money came from...greenbacks talk. That, apparently, was enough to justify a raid, and, while the dealership was not actually shut down, and remained in business (and is still there today), at least one salesman and sales manager went to prison. After that incident, Congress passed, and President Reagan signed, a bill that made the cash-10K reporting-standards mandatory. Of course, today, three decades later, that 10K is not worth as much as it was back then because of inflation, but the law still stands as it is.
01-14-21, 06:32 PM
#59
Lexus Fanatic
You caught them in their lie and he’s backpedaling now. I guarantee GM would sell you a car cash without pulling your credit.
01-14-21, 06:49 PM
#60
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Probably not a lie. I've heard that from some other sources, too. You also have to remember the people who are running GM. I'm not saying they're crooks, but, IMO, they have shown signs, for years, of being less than fully-competent. It is also a corporation that, particularly before Mary Barra came in, had a long history of being somewhat arrogant, like some of the Germans. Still, even with Mary Barra, look at the mess that GM got into a couple of years ago by shutting down the sedan-plants and triggering the largest UAW strike in 50 years....they lost billions from that. Even in Korea, a partial-strike strike by the Korean Auto Workers' Union (working 4-hour shifts instead of 8) partially shut down the plant that builds the Encore GX and Trailblazer...one reason why it took as long as it did for my car to arrive. The ONLY reason (besides good service at that dealership) I repeat-buy is because I like their products, although I'm not a terribly big fan of Cadillacs.
And, even if he WAS lying (which I am not convinced of)...I really don't care that much, either way. Life is too short.
Last edited by mmarshall; 01-14-21 at 06:55 PM.