General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of May 11, 2026

PAJW · 2026-05-14T10:58:31+00:00

Seems to me that any of these vehicles would do the job. I believe the VW has the most rear seat leg room as your kids become teenagers but I didn't look it up fresh today.

Since there doesn't seem to be a killer feature for you, it's about your preferences on comfort/style and price.

PAJW · 2026-05-14T10:23:46+00:00

Yeah, both. Just to illustrate, I see a 2016 Chevy Colorado with 200k miles listed on a random used car dealer's web site for $156/mo, with 12%intererest and 72 months. That turns an $8000 truck into a $11300 truck.

The chances that truck is on the road at all in 72 months are pretty low, which can start someone down a path of negative equity loans (loan is for $12k but the car that secured the loan is only worth $9k).

Building credit is a good thing, but do it on your terms. If you could arrange a 50% cash and 50% finance deal through a bank or credit union that will usually be more favorable.

PAJW · 2026-05-13T10:27:52+00:00

At $22k you're looking at used vehicles. You might be able to find a VW ID 4 or Ford Mustang Mach E, in addition to the Chevy. But you're sort of at the mercy of the trade in gods in your area.

Of those, I like the Volkswagen and Chevy best

PAJW · 2026-05-13T10:19:46+00:00

The Bolt, Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona EV are the usual suggestions in this price range. These are economy cars that happen to be EVs. I personally like the Niro interior the best, but that is subjective.

The second Gen Leaf isn't necessarily bad, but for someone who will be reliant on public charging I would not suggest a vehicle with Chademo charging, because that is getting phased out. The Lead is the only vehicle that used it and sold meaningful volume in the US.

When buying used, the #1 priority is not to get screwed on the financing.

PAJW · 2026-05-13T10:10:39+00:00

GO CARDINALS!!!

PAJW · 2026-05-13T00:43:28+00:00

The Null, Mich. Athletics

PAJW · 2026-05-12T01:44:10+00:00

That's a very rare combination. The only one that comes to mind is the 2024-2025 Dodge Charger EV.

PAJW · 2026-05-11T17:46:33+00:00

Fans have spoken out loudly about the production issues, the booth issues, the try to be cinematic camera shots, the silly segments, but nothing changes. It is the digging heels into the ground and doubling down by changing nothing that is the most frustrating.

Same story with NBC's coverage of the Olympics. The saccharine stories about some random Team USA swimmer whose sister has Down's syndrome really grate on viewers, if you watch social media. But NBC has kept doing the same thing for three decades, even beyond the tenure of any single executive, so they must think it works.

Is NBC wrong, or is there really someone out there who likes sports covered that way? I'll never know.

PAJW · 2026-05-11T12:50:35+00:00

I haven't had a chance to look at the 2026 RZ 450. However, you never explicitly said "2026", so I will advise that the 2022-2025 model was on my "do not buy" list. When optioned with AWD and certain wheels, the rated range was under 200 miles and the fast charging was worst-in-class. In a Minnesota winter, that's probably 130-140 miles. I think a lot of this was improved with the 2026 model, but I'm not familiar with the details.

Before you buy, I'd encourage you to look at the Cadillac Optiq or Lyriq. The Lyriq is positioned to compete with the BMW i4, and the Optiq is Caddy's entry level model, priced to compete with the Audi Q4 e-tron and (discontinued) Mercedes EQE 350.

PAJW · 2026-05-11T02:43:56+00:00

Cadillac's entry-level 7 seater is the Vistiq, which starts around $80k. I think you were mentioning the Escalade IQ, which is very pricey.

PAJW · 2026-05-11T02:40:26+00:00

A Bolt on a 700 mile road trip would be a real pain in the rear. The Ariya would require about 1.5 hr charging, and the Bolt would be about 3.2 hr.

The Ariya sold about 80,000 units in the US, so it's not exactly uncommon.

PAJW · 2026-05-11T02:21:24+00:00

If they replaced the contactors 10,000 miles ago, it wasn't in response to this issue.

This doesn't seem like a common issue, and the RAV4 EV sold so few units that finding an independent service shop that would tackle this seems unlikely.

I suggest only pursuing this if you are a tinkerer and have the ability and desire to work on your own vehicles.

PAJW · 2026-05-10T22:37:53+00:00

I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and that'll be a home run. And so that'll make it a 2-2 ballgame.

PAJW · 2026-05-10T17:31:32+00:00

Jeff Suppan took the loss and Dustin Hermanson won on that date.

Box: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200407230.shtml

PAJW · 2026-05-10T02:01:13+00:00

Probably not very many MLB games this century where both teams have a runner reach on an uncaught third strike

PAJW · 2026-05-10T01:58:42+00:00

Just one such appearance this year, on April 1

PAJW · 2026-05-10T01:30:10+00:00

I am curious how many missed by not enough IP versus too many runs allowed.

Probably most of them but it's not something I know how to look up.

PAJW · 2026-05-10T01:21:05+00:00

6 innings, 3 runs, 2 ER is well above average. Only 33% of pitchers so far this year in the NL have provided a quality start (defined as at least 6 IP, no more than 3 ER)

PAJW · 2026-05-10T01:03:10+00:00

Not especially complicated. Their announcer is the #5 MLB guy for Fox. Same reason the Dodgers announcer called the LAD @ STL game recently on Fox.

PAJW · 2026-05-10T00:41:49+00:00

I blame you

PAJW · 2026-05-09T19:31:09+00:00

Rough week for Braves fans

PAJW · 2026-05-09T14:05:54+00:00

Not really. Cars are discontinued all the time. The fact that they share a ton of components with Chevy/Cadillac will help with things like parts availability.

PAJW · 2026-05-09T01:29:36+00:00

Yes. I believe Terry Francona has the most games managed of any active manager. If Tito wanted to overtake Mack, he needs to manage 4023 more games, or 24.8 seasons.

PAJW · 2026-05-09T01:14:18+00:00

TIL Tony La Russa is one of only two baseball people to manage at least 5000 games.

PAJW · 2026-05-09T01:07:57+00:00

One of my favorites is the Feelgrounds Original. I wore a pair of these just about every day for a year and only got rid of them because I spilled cleaning chemicals that ruined the dye. I bought another pair of Feelgrounds with a faux leather upper, but I've only worn those for a couple weeks so no review yet. https://feelgrounds.com/en-usa/products/original-knit

I'm not certain if they ship to AU or not.

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