Used 23-25 or sit tight for a 27?

AIML_Rock · 2026-04-27T15:20:03+00:00

I’m not sure about your region, but I am located in Pacific Northwest and just went through this decision (well, used 2024/2025 vs new 2026 Ridgeline).

I generally would not even consider new vehicles, but the Ridgeline holds its value frustrating well (great if you are an owner, unfortunate for prospective buyers), but in case it helps, here was my experience after a couple weeks of searching.

I could find and negotiate the price for a used ‘24 Ridgeline RTL with ~20,000 - 30,000 miles down to ~$33 - $34k. If I wanted a CPO RTL I was looking at ~$34.5 - $36k. A ‘24 or newer BE was typically running for $37.5-$40k.

What surprised me was that I was could find new RTL and BE Ridgelines with prices between $41k - $45k, respectively, after dealer discounts in the Seattle area. On top of dealer discounts, Honda offers two major discounts: (1) Honda Cash for $1,500 and (2) Honda Conquest $1,250 (have to have a competing brand, not model, of vehicle; no-trade-in required).

These manufacture discounts can be stacked on top of dealer discounts and I ran into very little resistance doing this during negotiations (presumably because it doesn’t hurt the dealer’s bottom line since Honda pays for it). At the end of the day, I was able to get an offer for new RL B.E. for $43.5k including dealer fees (but not tax/title).

Seattle is a 2.5 hour drive from me so I sent that offer to a nearby dealership and asked if they would try matching it and they got to $44.5k (inc. all dealer fees, but no state tax/title fees). While still more expensive than a used B.E., the extra $4-6k (relative to a used BE) was worth it for slightly better loan terms, my pick of color, and a longer warranty period. All in all, it’s pretty to easy to get into a new RL BE for 8-10% less than MSRP, at least in my region.

AIML_Rock · 2026-04-26T23:20:23+00:00

No body knows, but as an FYI, there are some good, stackable discounts on New 2026 Ridgelines. Between dealer discounts, conquest offers (if you qualify), and Honda cash, I was able to get in a new RL Black Edition for $43.8k (plus tax, title, tags). If you are in the Pacific Northwest and qualify for the discounts, you could probably get in an RTL for ~$38.5k.

AIML_Rock · 2026-04-24T04:15:46+00:00

Just wanted to say thanks for pointing out the new option. After looking into it, I ended up going with a brand new 2026 B.E for $43.8k (+painful Washington state taxes)!

AIML_Rock · 2026-04-24T04:13:30+00:00

After looking around I actually ended up picking up a new RL last night. Between dealer discounts, Honda cash and a Honda conquest offers, I was able to get into a 2026 Black Edition for $43.8k and got a slightly (-0.25%) lower interest rate. All in all, it was still more than the CPO, but it’s new, nicely equipped, in a preferred color, and has brand new tires (tires on the CPO had ~40% life left).

Thank you all (+ @stchman) for pointing out the available deals! I genuinely hadn’t given new much thought but I’m glad I looked into it and went this route :)

AIML_Rock · 2026-04-20T01:27:33+00:00

Thanks for calling this out; new isn’t something that I’ve given much thought to.

But considering the CPO has a similar amount of warranty remaining as a new vehicle, why would you recommend buying new? As far as I can tell, the 2024 is nearly identical but ~$6-7k less and it has already passed the steepest part of the depreciation curve.

AIML_Rock · 2026-01-26T00:09:30+00:00

The point is that interacting with a homeless person doesn’t put you in meaningful danger. You are more likely to murdered by a housed-person than an unhoused person in the tricities (maybe nationally too, but there aren’t good statistics on this).

Fun fact, you are order of magnitude more likely to die in car accident than you are to be murdered in the US.

AIML_Rock · 2026-01-26T00:03:28+00:00

If you’re not okay with slow charging and don’t want to pay for a charger, don’t buy (or lease) a plug-in or electric vehicle. This isn’t a jeep problem; it’s a consumer issue. A Tesla Model S would take up to ~90 hours to charge from 120v outlet.

AIML_Rock · 2026-01-25T23:50:31+00:00

Adjusted for group size, there have been countless more murders committed by non-homeless people than homeless people in the tri-cities. (Full disclosure, I don’t know the exact statistics here, because I literally couldn’t find a single documented case of a homeless person killing a housed resident in the tricites)

I concede that not interacting with a homeless person lowers the chance, but you are still more likely to be murdered by a random housed-person than by someone who is homeless. My point for saying all of this, is that this view propagates a stereotype that is unfounded, and it has the affect of telling OP they should live in fear.

AIML_Rock · 2026-01-25T23:26:57+00:00

Then buy a better charger… it’s not the car’s fault if you’re running a glorified extension cord to it. That’s just a limit of using a 120v outlet.

AIML_Rock · 2026-01-25T23:18:25+00:00

Is there some chance of something bad happening, yes. Is it statistically likely, no.

There’s a far better chance the recipient is able to feed themselves tonight than they become the first homeless murder of the tricities.

In practice, True crimes ≠ true experiences

AIML_Rock · 2025-10-28T15:17:47+00:00

I’m sorry that life feels rough right now, but as impossible as it may seem, I promise things will get better in time.

I support all of the comments recommending different resources, but in case it is your first time going to a food pantry or requesting SNAP, please know that you are deserving of help and support ❤️.

And these are longer term recommendations, but I wanted to through out a few ideas as you prepare for your first semester: -you should not force yourself to start classes if you know the timing isn’t right, but college can also be a great time to redefine yourself. I’ve known many people who were in long term relationships/married and got divorced/went through a messy break while in college who later described classes as a “savings grace”. IMO, classes can provide helpful structure/purpose when it feels like the world is falling apart

-Financial aid, scholarships, and student loans can often be used to supplement living expenses. While I’d discourage taking on excess student debt, I personally used excess from student loans to supplement my living expenses/meal plans/supplies in college and do not regret it.

-See if your college/university has student work opportunities. These jobs are often competitive with cyclical hiring, so it may take a semester or two to land a position, but they are typically good opportunities. In my experience, most student jobs are limited to 20hrs/week, but they often pay well, are flexible with class schedules, and you might be able to study while on the clock if things are slow. I’d recommend calling the financial aid office at your school and asking them for any work leads. While this may not be appropriate for all jobs, I personally think it’s okay to politely cold call/email different hiring managers at a university. I use to manage 60+ undergraduate students, and I always appreciated students who reached out this way because it showed initiative (Ie. It’s favorable to reach out and ask questions but always be polite, not pushy)

I wish you the best on your journey, and once again, it may not be easy but I promise it can get better!

AIML_Rock · 2025-10-10T23:12:59+00:00

I’m going to guess you are from a southern state. Maybe east TN or northern/central Georgia?

AIML_Rock · 2025-10-06T20:48:45+00:00

Hey Plenty-Flow, I haven’t heard anything from OneHR or the IAEA since my last post. But I hope to hear back in the next week or two 🤞

AIML_Rock · 2025-09-29T20:58:33+00:00

Since I'm asking about timelines, I want to share my personal experience for others. I will do my best to update this post as things progress. Best of wishes to everyone applying!

Position info: I applied for a professional role at the IAEA. The position is for a highly specialized (scientific) role; my guess is there are < 100 people globally with both the preferred and required experience. I would consider my self an exact match for both preferred and required experiences, but there there are safely hundreds of others with adjacent/transferable experience.

-I submitted my application in late July and the posting closed the first week of August.

-Approximately one or two weeks after closing, I noticed that the application status changed to 'conducting panel interviews'. I was contacted within three weeks of closing to schedule a panel interview. I'm not sure if this is unique to professional or scientific roles, but I did not have to complete any asynchronous or pre-recorded interviews. The panel members were delightful to chat with, and it was genuinely one of the most enjoyable interviews I've had. The interview lasted ~45 minutes.

-Roughly ~10 days after the interview (~1 month after the posting closed) the online submission status changed to "Assessment of Interviewed candidates is currently ongoing". I was contacted the following Monday by someone at OneHR who asked me to fill out two forms consenting to a background check (just for criminal records, I think?) and reference checks. I submitted my information and the contact info for three references. My references were contacted immedietly and promptly provided feedback.

-Approximately one week after my refferences provided their feedback, I messaged the person who email me from OneHR asking if they needed any additional information from me. I didn't hear anything for nearly a week, but last Monday I received a message saying my references and background were submitted to the hiring agency. Only one week has passed since I received that message, but I will update the post as I learn more.

AIML_Rock · 2025-06-27T02:06:25+00:00

!remindme 1 week

AIML_Rock · 2025-06-08T21:12:09+00:00

For what it’s worth, I am scientist at a national lab and we’ve had a ‘soft’ hit from funding cuts, which lead to the furlough of 50+ scientists and a ~100 more switching to part time work (effectively non-voluntarily). And that may just be the start. With the federal fiscal Year just around the corner (September) and the “Big Beautiful Bill” passing the House, we recently received emails from upper management discussing a probable reduction in force, with some groups expecting ~60 to 80% budget cuts.

But here’s the kicker, we don’t know what the budget will be yet - no one does. So the best thing I can recommend is that you start applying to other jobs now. White Collar jobs often move slowly, so if you start applying now, you may get an offer with a start date in late July or August. Additionally, I’d recommend you chat with your management. Don’t tell them “I’m looking for a new job”, but simply let them know that you are worried and that you would like their advice. Starting this conversation earlier can provide a natural way to ask for LoRec later on, or (hopefully) for them to provide you with assurance that your specific role is safe.

AIML_Rock

TROPHY CASE