wish my luck would change

[Ryster]

I would probably keep the BMW, and sell my current paid-off vehicle to pay the taxes on the BMW. Then I would have a new, paid-off car with a warranty and be all set for another 5-8 years.

Having to pay sales taxes and state and federal income taxes on prizes like this is really a bummer.

One of my co-workers ended up on The Price is Right, and won the showcase showdown. They won $60,000 in prizes including a new car. They ended up with a $25,000 tax bill just from that win on the show. I recall some article years ago discussing that many contestants who win prizes (other than cash) on game shows do not even take them once they see the tax implications. The article also said that as soon as the contestant wins big, they are immediately ushered off stage and shown an estimated tax bill based on the prizes they just won. It is at that point that many contestants simply refuse the prizes and walk away empty handed.

A family friend's newlywed daughter went out to Hollywood for her honeymoon in the hopes of getting on the Price is Right. Her mother made the comment that she hoped they got on the show and won big because they could really use some "free stuff". Then the mom found out about the tax implications and called her daughter to warn her that if they won anything they would need to pay taxes on it. It kind of took the sails out of their excitement.

[boatman37]

lol. yeah the tax bill on the BMW was $9016. I don't remember exactly what i was left with but it was a little over $23,000. Not complaining cause $23k is still great. My son had a 2006 BMW 325xi and it was a great car. AWD and went anywhere. I wish i had bought it off him when he traded it.

lol @Rob on the lifesavers.

I forgot about the bowling balls. so i won 3 things in my life...lol. but yeah i will never buy Maytag again. My mother just said she was going to go buy a new dryer and i told her to avoid Maytag. Same with Ford. I have had bad luck and the attitude i got from them was horrible. last one i bought was 1998 and i will never buy another ever. things go bad but if you don't stand behind them or have poor customer service then i'll go elsewhere.

oh an di think my wireless router is going bad now...lol. and i sliced my hand putting the new storm door on...lol. yeah i have more than my share of bad luck

[Ryster]

I have had a couple of bad Fords as well. One was in the shop for 17 straight days, and after calling in a field engineer it was determined the truck was incorrectly assembled at the factory...entire section of welds missing on the frame. There was a section of the frame that was free floating and slamming against itself when going over bumps. They welded and refinished everything and that fixed that. Then a few months later the braking system went bad and had to be fixed twice in a matter of weeks, and then started going bad again. Instead of continually going to the service department, I traded it on another new Ford. Had that for maybe a year before having constant check engine lights and other issues. Twice was enough for me. Other family members have had great service with Fords, so who knows. Meanwhile, people talk about how bad GM and Chrysler products have been for them and I have had great service from GM and Chrysler vehicles.

Getting decent service and support with anything these days is difficult. It is hard enough to get a correct order from a take-out restaurant, let alone competent service on a car or quality service on something at the house. Kind of a shame really.

[boatman37]

My issues were a 1990 F150 needed a new engine at 45,000 miles. It was actually bad when I bought it with 20,000 miles but I limped through. Went through a quart of oil every 800 miles and got 8 MPG. It was the 5.0. They rebuilt it but it wasn't much better and the rear end was going bad due to incorrect lash settings from the factory but they refused to replace the gears. Then had a 1992 F150 that wasn't bad. Then a 1991 F150 that wasn't bad. Then a 1994 F250 that I bought with 25,000 miles on it. 4wd quit working a couple weeks later, battery would go dead after 2 days and nobody could figure it out after 3 shop visits, 2 new batteries and a check of electrical system. Then I took it to Nags Head from Pittsburgh and went through 6 quarts of oil going down and back. It had the 460. Then we bought a brand new 1996 Ford Windstar mini-van that blew a head gasket at 60,000 miles. Ford had recalled up to 1995 but not the 1996. I called them and their words were 'that is your problem'. So that was it for me and Ford. I have never had a GM or Chrysler that had as much trouble as any of them. The worst issue I can think of is the floor shifter in my wifes 2006 Jeep Commander quit shifting. Turns out a wire rubbed on something and shorted. They fixed it under warranty. That is the worst problem I have had on anything other than Ford.