9th Dec 2009, 15:33

Inheritance tax is not paid by everybody, and it certainly does not come out of your salary like an annual tax. Ditto for capital gains -- it's a tax paid on profits from sale of investments, so it's not like an annual tax, and again does not come out of your salary. It is a lucky few who have extra money to make those extra investments, let alone earn profits on them. And in most places, the property tax IS the school tax. And finally, it is a lucky minority in this country who even REACH the 30% income tax bracket. Most folks are anywhere from 15% to 25%.

18th Dec 2009, 09:20

Okay, now that winter is here I have another complaint about this car. It takes FOREVER to warm up! If you let it sit and idle it will never warm up. The temp gauge just stays on "C" until you drive it. I have left it sitting for 15 minutes with the heat on high and it is still cold when I get in. Luckily it has the seat heaters to help out. A remote starter would almost be a waste of money on this car. My last 2.0 liter car, a Saab 92X, warmed up completely in less than 5 minutes. I know it was a flat 4, but I wouldn't have thought the Focus would be so poor in this area. Even when I jump on the highway headed home from work, it doesn't get really hot until at least 10 minutes or more... even at 65 mph.

Usually it isn't a big deal, but at 12 degrees this morning it was not a fun start to the drive in!! Still pleased overall though as this is a minor issue overall. Not too many super cold days here to contend with.

18th Dec 2009, 21:35

It's best to drive and slowly bring your vehicle up to operating temperature. I would never put a remote start and have my unattended vehicle unattended. Break a belt, lose oil pressure etc and you lose an engine. I know someone that damaged a head from overheating.

22nd Dec 2009, 09:30

Yes, I always do that for the first few miles at least, until the car has a chance to warm up a little. Remote starters are an excellent idea though if you have a car that warms up quickly. As far as the car being unattended, if you touch anything in the car, the car shuts off immediately so theft is out of the question.

Parts breaking while your car is at idle in the driveway is a very rare occurrence. You should be maintaining your car better if you think you might break a belt in the driveway while it is sitting. A broken belt wouldn't necessarily wreck the engine either. It would die eventually from no power because the battery wouldn't be getting a charge from the alternator anymore.

As far as losing oil pressure. Again, this would be a rare thing to happen at idle. My cars are usually under warranty while I have them, so if that were to occur while idling in the driveway, it would be covered. I also maintain them well and watch for signs of looming disaster like frayed belts or oil leaks. You'd be much more apt to see a broken belt or oil pressure loss happen at speed out on the road when the engine is under load and being revved up. If your car is in that bad of shape that this may happen while idling, you'd more than likely see some sign of it prior to the actual occurrence.

We've had remotes on a few different vehicles and never had a second thought about these type of scenarios occurring. You really shouldn't be wary of such convenient devices when you can avoid any potential problems by simple routine maintenance. Think about that the next time you are shivering behind the wheel in 0 degree's waiting for your car to warm up...

22nd Dec 2009, 12:07

"Parts breaking while your car is at idle in the driveway is a very rare occurrence."

I agree, besides, I'd rather have that happen in my driveway, than 10 minutes after I have left.

25th Dec 2009, 02:08

I got a 2009 Ford Focus, and never had a problem with it heating up quickly at idle. It only takes about 5 minutes to warm up, and I live in Canada. The only problem I've got is 17 inch tires are terrible in snow. Had to go and buy new rims and winter tires so I can drive the car instead of getting stuck all the time. I took my kids to school the other day, and it is only two minutes down the road. Took me about an hour to get back home, as I was stuck all the time trying to get back up the hill.

25th Dec 2009, 19:01

I'm only a young man - only 18 - and I must say that I enjoy reading these comments on various cars on this site. I admit bias on my part, because I am a domestic-only buyer. And from what I see, import-buyers seem to attack domestics more than vice-versa, but that's just me..

Now, where I live, I see many more older Fords and Chevy's than Toyotas or Hondas, and we have a Chevy dealer here as well and I often see newer Chevy's on the road (I live in a very small town). When I finally get into the market for buying a new car (probably a pickup, actually) I will most definitely look at Ford and Chevy. Ford probably being my first bet, because of my fathers Ford. It's hit 7 deer, has 350,000 miles on it, he's run it to little or no oil on the dipstick, the dealer said it needed a new tranny (still original tranny), and it's hauled many several-ton loads from Portland to where I live many times, and it still runs. Granted, you need a screwdriver to start it.

Now, I think it's safe to say all companies make bad and good stuff. Not EVERY vehicle Honda or Toyota will crank out will be flawless; and likewise for GM, Ford, Dodge, etc. Again, I am biased towards the American companies, and currently drive a 1990 Olds with almost 200,000 miles on it, and a 1988 GMC S-15 with 210,000 on it (I"m quite impressed with how this little pickup has held up...).

I don't understand any of this loss of 14,000,000 job stuff, but I do support the American companies, I think they build good stuff, and I think they are durable, capable vehicles. As you've read, I've had experience with Ford (As one guy put it, he thought my fathers pickup would make a good commercial for Ford!), as well as had some good luck with GM's. I, personally, don't like Toyotas or Hondas, and have had very little experience with them, and I don't think I will be dettered by "But they're just better!" arguments. I'll do my thing and you can do yours. I'll stick with my rugged Fords and Chevy's (As a sidenote, I have a lot of respect for Chevy keeping their vehicles simple, and offering a basic worktruck package that does what it needs to do, and doesn't have added-on crap on it), and don't take that as a shot at Honda or Toyota; that's just how I feel about them. Thank you for your time.