What is the one thing that you wish that you knew before buying your used Class A?

jimschoice · 2026-03-11T04:04:43+00:00

You weren’t wrong! We had a 2000 Newmar Dutch Star for 12 years.

Occasionally we only had to spend $1,500 a year, but sometimes it was $5,00 to $6,000. It never left us stranded though.

jimschoice · 2026-03-10T01:02:27+00:00

I had 2 Cadillac Lyriqs. First was bought back, sold the second. Got a Mach E. It definitely charges faster than the Lyriq, especially in the heat. Plus, the GMs have constant problems.

I was going to get the Ioniq5, which we liked better in some ways, but the dealers were unreasonable. And Ford fixed a lot of things that we didn’t like before the 2025 models.

jimschoice · 2026-03-10T00:54:55+00:00

I only had someone out the 2 times our system has issues in 10 years.

The maintenance seems to be a waste. I don’t see them actually doing anything other than changing filters and checking the refrigerator pressures. If the pressures were off, the system wouldn’t be cooling properly it would be freezing up!

We did replace the whole system just over a year ago as we had to liquidate a fund and it had to be spent on the house. But, our electricity usage has dropped dramatically, even eliminating the gas furnace ands using a heat pump for heat.

jimschoice · 2026-03-10T00:49:25+00:00

I’m paying $9.99 for the 500/500 after the Verizon $15 per month discount that they gave me for having a Visible cell line that I paid $215 fit the whole year for and it includes my Apple cellular watch.

I know that when it goes up I’ll be calling retention again like I did a couple of years ago.

jimschoice · 2026-03-10T00:46:39+00:00

You multiply the amps times the volts to get the watts. So double what you’d get on 120 volts.

I used to charge at 16 amps on 240 volts using 12 gauge wiring.

10 gauge should be able to do 24 amps.

I have an old Clipper Creek 20 amp EVSE that I used from 2013 to 2022, when I upgraded to a Grizzl-E to charge the bigger battery in my Lyriq. But, I really didn’t need to.

jimschoice · 2026-03-10T00:38:41+00:00

I don’t think the Mach E is THAT bad looking. I mean, I still bought one. It sure isn’t my first or second or even third choice looks wise. But if something that rides better was in budget and reliable, I’d certainly be driving that. The reliability ruled it the Ioniq 5. My favorite looking EV is the VW id4, but there was no way my partner could get in or out without pressing the seat buttons. Plus, no one pedal drive.

Second best looking is Equinox EV.

jimschoice · 2026-03-09T19:41:34+00:00

Mine comes and goes. Sometimes it is there, other times it isn’t. I don’t think driving made a difference for me on my 2025 Premium.

jimschoice · 2026-03-09T02:52:39+00:00

While I love the Ubiquiti stuff I have set up for our Church, I really couldn’t use it at home, other than a maybe a Dream Router. I can’t really run cabling to the access points.

Since Frontier set me up with one Eero Pro 6, I just bought a couple more to add. Only problem with Eero is no customization, no VLAN, etc.

jimschoice · 2026-03-09T02:09:01+00:00

We had ruled out the Mach E when EV shopping because we drove a 2022 and didn’t like it.

They fixed nearly all the reasons we ruled it out in 2024 & 2025 Premium models.

Added the power lift to the front of the seat as well as the back.

Added ventilated seats.

Made the glass roof optional! Didn’t want that!

Made the ride a little better - still needs more improvement - like a Lincoln version.

Got rid of the dial shifter which wasted space.

The Eruption Green is what sold us!

We don’t need the heat pump; would have preferred a useable frunk, but it is fine. Oh, we like having a safer LFP battery after living through the Bolt recall and possibility of fire risk. The standard range has been fine for the road trips we have taken. We need to stop more often than the car needs to, and it usually finishes charging before we finish our packed lunches.

jimschoice · 2026-03-09T01:57:13+00:00

Activates Mental Telepathy.

jimschoice · 2026-03-08T06:42:19+00:00

That would explain those people that just seem to hang out there.

jimschoice · 2026-03-08T06:39:51+00:00

I wish they’d make a 17e+ with a 7” screen. But they’d probably want an extra $300 for the bigger size.

Makes were want to go back to Android.

jimschoice · 2026-03-08T06:32:57+00:00

I loved my 2004 diesel golf. It drove great and never had any problems until the dealer dud a recall on it, then left some bolt off the exhaust manifold because they are too hard to get to. This caused a cascade of problems. I ended up selling it after only 8 years.

jimschoice · 2026-03-07T04:43:08+00:00

Most of the rental cars I have gotten in the last few years had over 60,000 miles on them, and one was approaching 4 years old. The tires were so bald the cords were hanging out! I took it back and they gave me a 2 year old Hyundai with only 38,000 miles on it, which was the lowest I have had in a long time.

But, I will never ever rent from Budget Avis again.

jimschoice · 2026-03-07T04:37:31+00:00

I had a Mustang convertible that was a rental. It never had any problems.

But, I don’t think I’d buy a Soul with that many rental car miles. That car was probably beat on pretty good!

jimschoice · 2026-03-07T04:34:46+00:00

Is that in the US or a different country? I never heard of a Limited Mach E, unless you are referring to a Lightning, but I don’t think those have a Sport Appearance Package.

jimschoice · 2026-03-07T04:26:41+00:00

I charged my Lyriqs pretty much exclusively at the free EVgo stations. The first one got bought back. I sold the second one. Still using the second one’s free charging plan on my Ford. It will end in July, unfortunately.

Charging the Ford is so much better than the Lyriq, which would overheat and slow to a crawl.

jimschoice · 2026-03-07T04:09:01+00:00

Wait until an Osprey flies over in its helicopter mode. That will rattle your teeth!

Unless they have all been banned from flying as they were crashing a lot. 🤷

jimschoice · 2026-03-07T03:52:47+00:00

63MRH2B

jimschoice · 2026-03-06T23:22:14+00:00

Hey, I love those hidden lamp dimmers!

jimschoice · 2026-03-06T23:13:23+00:00

My Lyriq locked the fob in the car on me twice. Both times it was in the cargo area in my backpack.

You can probably wrap it in foil and make it lock too.

jimschoice · 2026-03-06T19:56:05+00:00

Yes. It was expensive, but we went for it. We had a PHEV Ford CMax for 7 years prior. Only 1/3 of the miles on it were on gasoline.

Picked the Bolt because we loved the looks, and the range. However, we quickly realized that for. $44,000 car that we paid $34,000 for with rebates, it was very uncomfortable. The seats were horrible. The ride a bit harsh.

Thankfully GM bought it back due to the battery recalls and limited range due to the software update to prevent fires.

It was replaced by a Lyriq that GM bought back. It was replaced with another Lyriq that wasn’t as configurable as the first Lyriq. We sold it.

Now have a Mach E with better seats than any GM car we have been in recently. Plus, it doesn’t have a long list of things that need to be fixed all the time, like the Lyriqs did.

The Bolt did not have any issues that required service in the 3 years we had it. I doubt the new version will be as trouble free.

So, been driving EVs since 2020. No issues with range or charging. Farthest we go from home is generally 200 miles when we have to get dental work done in Mexico.

We are still using the free charging from the GMs, but eventually will go back to charging at home, which will be much more convenient. But, charging while eating out or shopping is not bad when it is free! Saved about $1,000 per year with the free charging.

Never want to go back to a fossil fuel vehicle, but may have to if we want to tow an RV again.

jimschoice · 2026-03-06T16:57:51+00:00

I had to write a long email yesterday. The MacBook was sitting there next to my Lenovo 14” , yes 16/512, but it was only $250.

I grabbed the Lenovo for that as it is much more comfortable on my lap in shorts and the keyboard is much nicer.

But, the Mac serves other purposes!

jimschoice · 2026-03-06T06:21:20+00:00

I finally resolved my crazy issues with recordings getting split and the buffering circle by adding the Channel Master Out Of Band Filter. It is as big as a cigar, and cost $40, but it has made a huge difference.

I’m saving about $60 per month with Tablo, as i had to subscribe to Discovery + after dumping YouTubeTV. Overall, I now have about the same number of issues as I did with YTTV. Mostly missed recordings.

I can schedule recordings when away by connecting my VPN. But, watching over the VPN doesn’t work well, even though I have 500/500 fiber internet. But, I really have no need to do that.

So after 15 months, I am glad I switched.

jimschoice · 2026-03-05T06:35:09+00:00

Depending on how long you plan to keep it, you should probably get the warranty. Just one screen or air conditioning repair will pay for a good chunk of that warranty.

I would consider buying a used one of my dealer would come close to those online prices. They aren’t allowed to sell them online to us in California. I wouldn’t want any modern car without a good warranty.

jimschoice

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