[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Is this rule there in any other state? My friend is worried coz he wanted to use the DL as address proof for raising a car loan, and he does not know how the bank will treat a temporary DL.

Ya I wouldn't worry bout the DL for loan since its a State wide rule. But you might want to check with the CU if they provide loan on his OPT. My cousin was refused loan from a couple of CU since he didn't have a visa and was on OPT, but managed to get it from his company CU.

Originally Posted by Gandhi

Update on my trip to Yosemite. Everything was going according to plan till Friday night and I was keeping a close watch on the forest advisory. Some planets lined up against my trip on Friday night and changed winds direction. That caused the entire valley to be filled with thick smoke. Unfortunately I didn't check the status on the Saturday morning and drove all the way to the valley just to find out thick layer of smoke covering everything. So, we had to shorten our trip to few hours and come back in the evening.

Check out this photo, that's not fog -
Attachment 1133641

Check out some clicks I managed to take in the photography thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3226025

The pics are amazing esp the sun and the valley
Yea i think it ended up being the 3rd worst fire in CA ever

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Superleggera

No, depends on State to State. As far as I know, NJ ,OH TX states have different rules when it comes to DL. These states will give you DL till the validity of your Visa /I-94.

I stay in MA and these rules are not applicable here. I renewed my liscense last month and got it for next 5 years even though my visa expiry is before that.

In Kansas and Missouri you DL will be linked to your visa expiry data. At least that was our experience when we lived there.

Just for good measure; now living in Delhi, where my Indian DL is also linked to my visa expiry date!

Jeroen

[KALINGA]

What will be best used car under $9000 in New Jersey are?
My Bro is looking to buy one.

Some of option he found on internet.

Nissan Maxima, 2000 model 60K mile

BMW 323i, 2000 model,Approx. 77,000 miles

2006 Honda Pilot LX 72K miles

2006 toyota corolla ce 4d


Or any other brand / model ?

Any reference ?

[NinadJoshi]

There's really no way to say which ones of these are going to be good or not except to have a professional service to check them out ($100 inspection fees charged by many mechanics for an inspection).

For a 2000 model the BMW and Maxima are suspiciously low mileage. The 2000 (first year of production) Maxima is known for its first-year niggles, and a 13 year old BMW is a gamble no matter what. I'd stay away from these two unless they were driven by my caring and kindhearted uncle.

The Pilot seems reasonable although I am not sure you'll get a 2006 Pilot with 70K miles for under 9K (my ignorance. This is without checking Autotrader or KBB). The Corolla will probably outlast our grandchildren, BUT I am not sure your brother is sure what he needs. Looking at a Pilot and a Corolla simultaneously is like trying to pick between a 5lb slab of steak, or a bowl of spinach soup.

Also, for the fill ups you'd do on the Pilot in a year, you could probably buy another Corolla and then save some for the kid's 529 funds too

If you scan through this forum you'll notice that the question of which is a good used car under $XXX has been posed many times and a lot of our members have wholeheartedly contributed their suggestions.

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by KALINGA

What will be best used car under $9000 in New Jersey are?
My Bro is looking to buy one.

Some of option he found on internet.

Nissan Maxima, 2000 model 60K mile

BMW 323i, 2000 model,Approx. 77,000 miles

2006 Honda Pilot LX 72K miles

2006 toyota corolla ce 4d


Or any other brand / model ?

Any reference ?

From the options shown, I think your bro wants the best car for $9000 regardless of the brand. Within $10,000 you will have below options, in my order of preference.

2007, 08 Camry with ~ 70 K miles
2007 Altima with ~ 70 K miles
2008 Corolla

Another Suggestion - A Brand new 2013 Camry LE costs $ 18,499 in Boston. I am sure that you will have similar deals in NJ too. If your Bro can pay that $9000 as down payment, the monthly installments will be negligible and he can enjoy the smell of a brand new car and a hassle free ownership.

I would have gone for the brand new car option, if I had to make a buying choice.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by KALINGA

What will be best used car under $9000 in New Jersey are?
My Bro is looking to buy one.

Some of option he found on internet.

Nissan Maxima, 2000 model 60K mile

BMW 323i, 2000 model,Approx. 77,000 miles

2006 Honda Pilot LX 72K miles

2006 toyota corolla ce 4d


Or any other brand / model ?

Any reference ?

Could you please elaborate his requirement. From the cars listed, it looks like he is all over the place. If he has specific requirements, please post so we can suggest better.

From the list, if its just a point to point commuter car, corolla/civic/mazda3 in that range would make perfect sense.

if he wants to have fun while driving a 2003-2006 TL/G35/IS300/IS250 will also be in his budget albeit with a little higher miles say around 90k.

2000 323I seems unusually high price for such a late model. Moreover it will be probably expensive to maintain. Miles seems suspicious as Ninad suggested.

If he has a family of 3-4 pilot makes sense but he can also consider cr-v/rav4 if he is looking at a suv. obviously, those will be newer than 06 pilot.

Again 2000 maxima seems to be on higher side. I wouldn't pay 9k for a 14 yr old car even though it may have lower miles.

So in order to suggest better, please let us know his requirements. thanks

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by KALINGA

Nissan Maxima, 2000 model 60K mile

BMW 323i, 2000 model,Approx. 77,000 miles

2006 Honda Pilot LX 72K miles

2006 toyota corolla ce 4d

For a 9k budget I would suggest to stick with Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic which will be an easier to find, reliable and hassle free ownership. And I'm sure you will find them in plenty around NJ area. I'm sure there are Ford Fusions and Mazda 3 that you may get in that range or even a older version of Sonata.
Definitely would not go in for a German, considering its age and future maintenance on a 13+yr old car is going to be a pain.

[sarge_in]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Need a bit of advice. This is a kind of uncharted territory for me.

My uncle is planning to upgrade his sedan and has eyes set on either Acura TL/ 335i/ Infinity G37x. Coupes are ruled out and he wants only Sedan.
Requirements
- Good Handling/Power
- Reliability and Maintenance

He already has an MDX and is inclined towards the TL.
I have only driven the 335 before and have no idea about the other 2. Could you guys kindly chip in with the best option that he should be upgrading to.

Went through same comparison couple years back. Finally ended up with the TL-SH-AWD and loving it. Major factors:

BMW - Expensive repair horror stories, small inside, expensive options to get it to levels similar to other 2 cars. Drives best of the three though, by a small margin..
G37 - Also smaller than the TL. Seats are uncomfortable compared to TL. Electronics are surely a step down from TL. Interiors are not as high quality and luxurious as the TL - the screen looks very dated. Being RWD, it drives great but is more bumpy than the TL.
TL - Very spacious and luxurious feel. The FWD drives ok but surely inferior to the other two. The SH-AWD makes it very much comparable to the other two. The Acura AWD is a very advanced kind with ability to send different power to right and left wheels on turns and it works great. Music system is the best of the three.

For me, it came down to TL and G37 as I did not want to risk maintenance issues and want to keep the car for a long time. So, TL SH-AWD > TL > G37 for me, majorly due to size and options. Also, I did not have a very nice experience with 2 Nissan Altimas I owned prior as they needed regular repairs, so reliability of Infinity was a question in my mind too. Ended with the TL SH-AWD and it has not disappointed in the least.

Best of luck!

[chevelle]

Phew! 2 Hours of hard work and finally managed to Plasti-Dip the Chrome Wheels on Corvette.




Note from Support: All related posts moved to a new thread. See link:

Using Plasti-Dip on Wheels of Corvette - Chrome to Matte Black

[DexterMorgan]

Update: Picked up a 2013 VW Passat TDI SE with Sunroof and Navigation for 27000. Got 14000 for my 2012 Jetta SE manual as trade in.

Think I got a fair purchase price. What say guys?

[NinadJoshi]

Originally Posted by DexterMorgan

Update: Picked up a 2013 VW Passat TDI SE with Sunroof and Navigation for 27000. Got 14000 for my 2012 Jetta SE manual as trade in.

Think I got a fair purchase price. What say guys?

DexterMorgan, one of the rules of happiness is to stop shopping after you've shopped Enjoy the car! Nice buy. VW's publicity page features a couple making 1600 miles on one tank in this car (They are obviously not road racers, but it speaks about the engine tech under the hood).

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by DexterMorgan

Update: Picked up a 2013 VW Passat TDI SE with Sunroof and Navigation for 27000. Got 14000 for my 2012 Jetta SE manual as trade in.

Think I got a fair purchase price. What say guys?

Congo on your new purchase.

If you are satisfied with price, its all good. Enjoy many miles of fun. Post some pics.

Not trying to question your decision but just wondering what made you go for the upgrade?

Isn't VW changing new engines in passat and jetta for 2014? Thought about that?

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by DexterMorgan

Update: Picked up a 2013 VW Passat TDI SE with Sunroof and Navigation for 27000. Got 14000 for my 2012 Jetta SE manual as trade in.

Think I got a fair purchase price. What say guys?

Congrats, I am just curious what made you make the upgrade so fast? Didn't you change the HU recently on the Jetta?

[DexterMorgan]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Congo on your new purchase.

Not trying to question your decision but just wondering what made you go for the upgrade?

Isn't VW changing new engines in passat and jetta for 2014? Thought about that?

I was aware of the upcoming Passat on MQB platform and new TDI engine. Just didnt want to buy a first generation model.

Moreover, I am immigrating to Canada by next year where Diesel prices are cheaper or equivalent to gasoline. And car price difference between US and Canada is way too much to ignore. So decided to upgrade while I am here and import it in Canada since I will not be paying any import duties.

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Congrats, I am just curious what made you make the upgrade so fast? Didn't you change the HU recently on the Jetta?

Thanks, Unfortunately, I had to return the HU back to Crutchfiled for a refund as it had issues with firmware. Sometimes it wont acquire GPS satellites and only works after doing a factory reset on HU. Firmware update also didnt help much.

The reason for upgrade, as given above.

[NinadJoshi]

Wow, I just may have stumbled upon a real strategic buyer on this forum that is otherwise full of "I drink Limca because I like it" kind of guys

For the young and upcoming here, "I drink Limca because I like it" used to be a popular marketing tagline of the soft drink Limca, way back in time. I am not sure if the drink even exists now.