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What kind of car do you drive?


mrags

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This is sorta what Im dealing with now. Had just started poking around to see what the car market looked like because I wanted to get into something bigger, and then my '03 350Z was stolen the day before Thanksgiving. Love Nissans, but need to stay in that 350 6-cylinder engine at the very least, so I'm looking at some Maximas in the 2008-2012 range.

 

I had a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport before that, and loved it as well. Thinking about getting back into something like it, but they dont make the Cherokee Sport anymore.

 

So right now, I'm looking on carmax.com, and have my search narrowed down to:

Nissan Maxima

Jeep Liberty Sport

Jeep Wrangler (4 Doors)

Jeep Grand Cherokee

 

I also considered some different Subarus and Audis, but the 5 CarMax locations around me dont have any good deals in stock for those. I'm open to researching other suggestions as well, so if you got them, let me hear them.

 

I bought my 350Z from CarMax and it was a great experience. I don't want to buy brand new, and I just can't trust any of the million used car dealers in Atlanta.

 

My goal for this week is to close with insurance, get a new car by Friday, and then get on the road to Buffalo to surprise my family for Xmas (as they think Im going to be stuck in Atlanta with no car, which is true right now). Wish me luck!

there are rarely good deals on used subaru's because they hold their value so well. i'd recommend a new impreza hatch which may well be not far from the cost of the vehicles you are looking at. if you go, test drive a wrx just for fun...

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I ended up getting a Lexus RX450h after many months of thinking about what to get. We have two boys. I had been driving an SUV, a Honda Pilot, and loved that for its versatility and that it was the most reliable car I have ever had. It had almost 99k miles on it so I thought that it would be a good idea to get a new car given the rates and the fact that dealers seem to be fairly motivated in general and at this time of year.

 

I have had the car for 8 days now. It drives great, has plenty of bells and whistles, and gets great mileage for a SUV (one day last week, I got 30 mpg). The only thing to keep in mind is that it does not have the load or towing capacity as a typical SUV. Other than that, it is a great car. Consumer Reports rates it very highly.

 

My wife has had a RX330 for about 8 years. Solid vehicle--no problems. Has a smooth car ride. She's trading it in for the Land Rover Sport.

Awesome to hear that Weo. I'm really looking into it most because of the features and the cost. Of course, as I said, I really like the F150 the most but in order for me to be happy with the Ford, it would have to be the FX4 and the 2013s are high 40s to low 50s. It's just too damn much for a truck/car. The 2012 Ram leftovers can be had anywhere from 35-40k for a model of be happy with. Haven't looked into the 2013s much yet though.

 

I bought it used in 2007 and it's been a great winter/weather vehicle. It was the "Sport" model and I ripped all the chooch sport decals and tail light covers etc. It's a solid towing truck also. The newer models are much more stylish than my metalic green machine!

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An '09 and a '12 Nissan Murano. They are one of the few models still built in Japan. I gave up on GM 30 years ago and hope Mr.Goodwrench is on a corner somewhere holding a cardboard sign!

Ive had very good friends that swear by Nissan. I like the Z and the Maximas but that's about it for me.

 

I hear ya with GM. Never.....Ever.... Been a fan. I've owned a few in my day and there's been nothing but problems with them. Some of them my own doing, but still, just seemed to rub me the wrong way ever since.

 

Pontiac Sunbird- Blown head gasket

Chevy Lumina- full electrical failure

Oldsmobile Alero- full failure on everything. Within 2 weeks after I bought it, 3 of the 4 window motors, AC motor, massive electrical problems (every light on the dash at all times). Luckily the Basil dealership fixed them all but some of the problems continued through the years. And of course the hood rusted out in just a few years.

 

Ok. Off my soapbox for now.

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I have a 99.5 (the did a facelift in the middle of the year) Audi A4 1.8t Quattro 5-speed. Love the car, the Quattro is fantastic and the turbo has been upgraded to a much larger one and can really pull. I still need to do a few things to it to really get it running at its full potential. There is nothing like the sound and pull of a turbo!

Edited by Marcellosaurus
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I have a 99.5 (the did a facelift in the middle of the year) Audi A4 1.8t Quattro 5-speed. Love the car, the Quattro is fantastic and the turbo has been upgraded to a much larger one and can really pull. I still need to do a few things to it to really get it running at its full potential. There is nothing like the sound and pull of a turbo!

nice. What mods do you plan on making?
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seems to me i need to be buying stock in car companies, everyone on here got a car older than dirt.

LOL, I was just gonna say something along the lines of Bills fans and Buffalonians in general are poor and don't have nice things. Old rusty cars. Beat up. Lots of miles. Missing parts. It must be Buffalos horrible job market. Lol.
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Ive had very good friends that swear by Nissan. I like the Z and the Maximas but that's about it for me.

 

Same here, 100%. Very good, reliable cars. My moms old Sentra is surprisingly great in the Buffalo snow. She's always driven a Datsun/Nissan since I was born. Before my 2003 350Z, I had a 1979 Datsun 280ZX. And the plan is to get into a Maxima (which is basically an expanded Z).

 

Also, if you like Nissans but want something "nicer", go with Infinitis. Same cars, made by Nissan, but they just charge you more for a smoother ride and more features.

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Same here, 100%. Very good, reliable cars. My moms old Sentra is surprisingly great in the Buffalo snow. She's always driven a Datsun/Nissan since I was born. Before my 2003 350Z, I had a 1979 Datsun 280ZX. And the plan is to get into a Maxima (which is basically an expanded Z).

 

Also, if you like Nissans but want something "nicer", go with Infinitis. Same cars, made by Nissan, but they just charge you more for a smoother ride and more features.

My fiancé has a Sentra. 07-08 I believe. She's paid it off so she's happy about that. I keep trying to talk her into an SUV which she wants but doesn't want another payment.

 

In regards to the Infinity. Not sure if you saw my earlier post about other cars I was looking at. I test drove an 07-08 (can't remember) that was 6speed manual. Absolutely loved it. I pulled out of the dealership and had my ass end fishtailing in 3rd gear. Hopped onto the highway and had her going 120 in seconds. I drove all the way from Buffalo to Rochester to look at her but the dealership refused to deal on price. I walked out and drive back to the MB dealership of Buffalo.

 

Looking back at it, I should have dropped the extra 2-3k (don't remember) on the Infinity. But it's prolly better I didn't because I would have killed myself by now driving that thing.

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i had a 94' XLT man. Bought it from my sister (funny a chick driving a Ranger right?) when she moved away. Actually, I didn't pay anything, just had to take over the payments. I kept that truck for a winter beater when I bought my Mustang years ago. Came out to start her up for the winter and put in a new battery and clean her up a but and she was in blocks. Someone stole all 4 tires, brakes, brake lines, old battery. It was going to be thousands to fix. I sold her for $200.

$200!!! Nobody has ever offered me more than $75 for my sister Darlene.
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Always was somewhat interested in the solstice GXPs. Despite the drawbacks in practicality for everyday driving, think it would be a good choice for a little weekend / toy car? I know on the surface it seems like the bang for the buck would be hard to beat!

It was the best car I've owned and it wasn't close. It had 270 hp at 2900 lbs, it absolutely flew. Turbo kicked it at 2600 RPM's and pinned your head to the seat. It was really a hidden gem. It performed like a high performance sports car, right now you can grab a used one for 12-18k.

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Bought a year ago a 2012 Fusion. Friend got me his retired employee discount which saved me some $500 over my best negotiated price. 4 cylinder with sun & sound package, a nice ride. Fast forward 6 months and my son totals my 02 minivan. So he works at a car dealer and set me up with a 07 Mariner. Great SUV, like it a lot.
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Bought a year ago a 2012 Fusion. Friend got me his retired employee discount which saved me some $500 over my best negotiated price. 4 cylinder with sun & sound package, a nice ride. Fast forward 6 months and my son totals my 02 minivan. So he works at a car dealer and set me up with a 07 Mariner. Great SUV, like it a lot.

Speaking of Ford Fusions. I absolutely LOVE the new ones. There's only 2 problems with them IMO.

 

First- the new Fusion is available in manual, but only with the smallest engine. WTF!!!! What is all that about Ford? Apparently Ford has some idiots in certain departments. Don't they realize that people that drive manuals want to drive fast?

 

Second- the center console is complete. It sweeps from armrest all the way to the dash. Great right? Well, tho one looks like absolute crap from the floor mount on up. It is extremely plain, and very cheap looking. Probably just the way the console controls and radio controls are. But I just don't like it. Looks better in the pic than IRL IMO.

 

http://www.google.com/search?q=ford+fusion+2013+interior+pictures&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2NrQUNOqAcu30gHg0YEQ&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=320&bih=504#i=37

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if hyundai keeps doing what they're doing they are going to be the new benchmark, very soon. the sonata (did i mention i like turbos) is an a great car at a great price. i could have gotten my warranty extended to 10 years /100k miles for $3k through hyundai and i'm still kicking myself that i didn't. no other car company has the balls to do this. did you just get a letter saying there gonna send you a check every year that you own based on your mileage and local gas prices cuz they overestimated epa mileage figures? i was stunned. this is amazing customer service.

This might interest you:

 

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2012/11/11/Auto-Outlook-Hyundai-Kia-revise-mileage/UPI-73621352629800/ecently

 

I attended an auto show this year - - great way to check out lots of different makes and models with no sales pressure. It helps me narrow down the list of what I want to eventually test drive when the time comes. I sometimes have headroom or legroom issues, so a few possibilities get thrown out based solely on ergonomics.

 

For the most part, my auto show visit confirmed what I already expected based on past test drives some years ago and what I have more recently read. The big surprise to me - - I had very low expectations for Hyundai models, but the Hyundai Elantra GT is now on my list of future models to test drive. I don't know anything about its power or handling, but it felt like comparable models that I sat in costing way more $$$, and the warranty is a plus.

 

Just my 2 won.

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This might interest you:

 

http://www.upi.com/B...2629800/ecently

 

I attended an auto show this year - - great way to check out lots of different makes and models with no sales pressure. It helps me narrow down the list of what I want to eventually test drive when the time comes. I sometimes have headroom or legroom issues, so a few possibilities get thrown out based solely on ergonomics.

 

For the most part, my auto show visit confirmed what I already expected based on past test drives some years ago and what I have more recently read. The big surprise to me - - I had very low expectations for Hyundai models, but the Hyundai Elantra GT is now on my list of future models to test drive. I don't know anything about its power or handling, but it felt like comparable models that I sat in costing way more $$$, and the warranty is a plus.

 

Just my 2 won.

elantra gt is based on their euro model the I30. meant to compete against other sport "hot" hatches like the golf, focus and mazda 3. we drove it and liked it. liked the variable suspension and it comes in leather with a 6 speed - as i said earlier this is rare. the car companies seem to think if you want a manual, you want inexpensive and stripped. humongous sun roof - it's reallly almost like a convertible. it's a bit slow off the start though. not gonna knock your head against the seat but if that doesn't matter to you i think it's a good deal. the best car in this segment, imo, is the focus st - it screams and has actual recaro racing seats. but there relatively hard to find (what is it with the companies not making enough to supply demand?). my business partner ordered one - supposed to take about 2 months.
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I bought my 350Z from CarMax and it was a great experience. I don't want to buy brand new, and I just can't trust any of the million used car dealers in Atlanta.

 

My goal for this week is to close with insurance, get a new car by Friday, and then get on the road to Buffalo to surprise my family for Xmas (as they think Im going to be stuck in Atlanta with no car, which is true right now). Wish me luck!

 

If you're looking at Audis check online and see what other luxury dealers have in stock. My experience is that they're willing to deal just to get the car off the lot. I bought my Acura at Lexus dealer here in Atlanta, our Tundra from an Audi dealer and the Lexus ...actually think it was a Lexus dealer, but it was used. Got great deals and had a pleasent experience every time. Definitely stick with used in Atlanta. Not worth worrying about a new car with all the road debris, semis (cracked windshields) and horrible drivers.

 

The Acura ('08 TL; 97K) replaced an '00 Accord two years ago that had 270K+ miles. Got in a minor fender bender and the adjuster took one look at the odometer and totaled it. The Accord is the only new car I have ever bought. For whatever reason, it ws only 500 bucks more than the used ones sitting on the lot at the time. Without that accident, I believe I'd still be driving it. Hoping to get to 300K on the Acura.)

 

Lexus ('99 RX300) has 170K miles. Only had to replace wear and tear items. Wife considering a new car, but the thing still runs like a top. Replaced a Dodge Avenger that was in the running for the Annual Biggest POS Car.

 

To the OP...highly recommend the Tundra if you're looking for a truck. Have had ours for two years now and it performs beautifully (towing horses.) Decent used market, as there's plenty of trade-ins from people who've babied there trucks. I guess the same could be said of all truck companies. I remember when we bought our first truck, it was mostly high mileage work trucks on the market.

 

When we first got it, it would be the only Toyota in the trailer lot at the local park. Now seeing (and know people) who are using the Tundra for tow/haul. I'd still stick with a 3/4 ton for anything with living quarters, but the Tundra easily handles a 3 horse slant load (goose neck/no living quarters.) If Toyota every gets in the Super Duty market, I'm in.

 

The Tundra replaced a '99 V10 F250 that was the bane of my existance. In fairness, the truck had a 180K on it when we sold it (2nd owners), but I was under the hood at least every other weekend. Don't want to know how much we sunk into it in parts/time/headaches. Mostly electrical/ignition/plug issues because of poor design (Known issues with the V10). Diesels are a whole different story and with a couple exceptions, most people I know are happy with their Ford diesels.

 

Obviously I lean towards Honda/Toyota. They've done more than enough to earn my loyalty. Additionally, I have quite a bit of work experience with Japanese companies... know how focused they are on quality...and these two companies are the gold standard they benchmark against.

Edited by Kevbeau
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for all you GM haters, check this out: http://www.insideline.com/buick/regal/2012/2012-buick-regal-gs-hits-162-mph-in-open-road-challenge.html. not your grandaddy's buick!

as much as I hate GM. There's a few autos I really like. My father has a 2012 LaCrosse. It is absolutely amazing IMO. I really like the Regal Turbo but hoped the interior would be more like te LaCrosse with the lighting strips all over and in the open areas in the doors and console. The other GM I like is the Tahoe and Avalanche. They are just so damn expensive.
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Wasn't a huge fan of the feel of the acuras. I haven't driven but just looking at them and sitting in them, they seem like they are really heavy, especially front heavy. Just feels like they are not nimble in the corners. But that's my opinion based in looks alone. But your probably used to that since the motors in the audis are pushed forward so far.

 

Haven't driven the AWD, but as an Acura owner, I'd completely agree with this. When I bought mine (about two years ago) I I test drove the @#$% out of the following. I'm in my car for at least two hours a day, so my primary interests were comfort and a decent powerplant that also got decent gas mileage. Also keep in mind it's the only FWD of the lot.

 

335 - Best perfomance by far. Blast to drive. Figured all that fun would cost me an arm and leg in tires & brakes.

G35/37 - Second best driving performance. Interior fit & finish left a little to be desired, but chalk it up to personal taste.

IS350 - Great performance, great fit & finish. Cramped Cabin

TL - Great fit and finish, Worst performance of the bunch, but it's a stacked deck. Felt it would be the most comfortable for my commute.

Edited by Kevbeau
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elantra gt is based on their euro model the I30. meant to compete against other sport "hot" hatches like the golf, focus and mazda 3. we drove it and liked it. liked the variable suspension and it comes in leather with a 6 speed - as i said earlier this is rare. the car companies seem to think if you want a manual, you want inexpensive and stripped. humongous sun roof - it's reallly almost like a convertible. it's a bit slow off the start though. not gonna knock your head against the seat but if that doesn't matter to you i think it's a good deal. the best car in this segment, imo, is the focus st - it screams and has actual recaro racing seats. but there relatively hard to find (what is it with the companies not making enough to supply demand?). my business partner ordered one - supposed to take about 2 months.

Thanks for the input on the Elantra GT. I share your preference for manual transmissions, especially in anything sporty. Handling is probably a little more important to me than speed, but I like fast as much as the next guy. My last 2 cars (with manual transmissions) had published 0-60 times of just over 7 seconds, and that's peppy enough for me.

 

Unless you really need a new car right away, there are advantages to ordering one. You can get exactly the options you want, and it makes it pointless for the salesman to try to convince you that you need to pony up more $ now to avoid the possibility that somebody else will buy the car out from under you. I also think it makes it more likely that the salesman will believe that I know exactly what I want, and I'm just shopping for the best price.

 

True story - - last time I bought a new car, we eventually agreed on a price for my order, and then they sent me to their "after-sale" guy to try to upsell me on stuff. I listened to and turned down insistent pitches for an extended warranty, and then for rust-proofing. The last pitch was for a service to engrave the vehicle ID number on certain parts that were the most likely to get stripped if the car was stolen. It came with a window sticker to notify potential thieves that the service was used, so that the thief would move on to a softer target.

 

I told the guy I wasn't interested, but asked how much he would charge just for the window sticker. He sighed, showed me the door and said they would call me when the car arrived. :rolleyes:

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Haven't driven the AWD, but as an Acura owner, I'd completely agree with this. When I bought mine (about two years ago) I I test drove the @#$% out of the following. I'm in my car for at least two hours a day, so my primary interests were comfort and a decent powerplant that also got decent gas mileage. Also keep in mind it's the only FWD of the lot.

 

335 - Best perfomance by far. Blast to drive. Figured all that fun would cost me an arm and leg in tires & brakes.

G35/37 - Second best driving performance. Interior fit & finish left a little to be desired, but chalk it up to personal taste.

IS350 - Great performance, great fit & finish. Cramped Cabin

TL - Great fit and finish, Worst performance of the bunch, but it's a stacked deck. Felt it would be the most comfortable for my commute.

 

Looking at the SH-Awd version with the 3.7 not the 3.5

 

as much as I hate GM. There's a few autos I really like. My father has a 2012 LaCrosse. It is absolutely amazing IMO. I really like the Regal Turbo but hoped the interior would be more like te LaCrosse with the lighting strips all over and in the open areas in the doors and console. The other GM I like is the Tahoe and Avalanche. They are just so damn expensive.

 

The interior is average with the top dog turbo, kinda disapointed

 

May just buy another certified audi a6. I wasn't gonna do that again, however when your 6'3" not much out there. Not a SUV guy. I like too much performance.

 

There are a ton of black cars in the TL 3.7 version. Dont want a black car.

Edited by roush
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The interior is average with the top dog turbo, kinda disapointed

 

May just buy another certified audi a6. I wasn't gonna do that again, however when your 6'3" not much out there. Not a SUV guy. I like too much performance.

 

There are a ton of black cars in the TL 3.7 version. Dont want a black car.

i'm wondering if you looked at the gs. it's an entirely different animal. the interior is very similar to many other euro sport sedans (not quite an audi but every bit as nice as a 3 series bmw which i find pretty uninspired) - baseball stitching, piano black dash, dials that are either backlit red or blue depending on the suspension setting you pick and the gs suspension setting is tight. the caddys are damn nice, too. we drove the 2 door cts with the vette engine cuz it comes in a std and awd - unfortunately (surprise!) they only had the auto, rwd on the lot. felt a bit unbalanced to me. just too much torque and for me to say that means a lot of torque. in awd and std tranny it might behave very differently. anyway, i think gm is making some very good cars now. these opel platforms are really nice and the chassis are truly great. now if opel and citroen/peugot merge as rumored there may be some even more interesting gm cars coming out. Edited by birdog1960
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if hyundai keeps doing what they're doing they are going to be the new benchmark, very soon. the sonata (did i mention i like turbos) is an a great car at a great price. i could have gotten my warranty extended to 10 years /100k miles for $3k through hyundai and i'm still kicking myself that i didn't. no other car company has the balls to do this. did you just get a letter saying there gonna send you a check every year that you own based on your mileage and local gas prices cuz they overestimated epa mileage figures? i was stunned. this is amazing customer service.

 

Nah, I bought my Sonata used and only new buyers qualified. I get ~36 mpg on the highway so that's in line with claims. I'm guessing that's because they run the front bumper way low like a NASCAR ride. I ended up catching mine on a bush and it tore right away. After some inspection I determined that it had torn away before and had been re-attached with some marine adhesive. I re-did it with some JB Weld and now park with the mind that everything is bottom-out risk. I did some Googling and found that the brackets used to attach the bumper are quite weak. No big deal for me as I intend to drive this car forever but that's something to keep in mind.

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Nah, I bought my Sonata used and only new buyers qualified. I get ~36 mpg on the highway so that's in line with claims. I'm guessing that's because they run the front bumper way low like a NASCAR ride. I ended up catching mine on a bush and it tore right away. After some inspection I determined that it had torn away before and had been re-attached with some marine adhesive. I re-did it with some JB Weld and now park with the mind that everything is bottom-out risk. I did some Googling and found that the brackets used to attach the bumper are quite weak. No big deal for me as I intend to drive this car forever but that's something to keep in mind.

yup. i lost some paint on a parking lot curb on my front bumper. doesn't seem loose though. never considered it might be that way for mileage reasons but that makes sense. it's low and barely noticeable but i'll be going to advance auto parts for some paint when it warms up. for what it's worth, i get 33 mpg highway in a 300+ hp car. they seem to know how to wring out the mileage.
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Wearing an all-white silk robe, I explore my vast gardens with a Segway, when I'm not in my Rascal. :D

 

LoL! We are not worthy! We are not worthy!

 

Four Cars, Truck... Lexus 460, Mercedes E350, Pontiac Wave, Hyundai Elantra Limited, GMC Denali.

I lucky to get the Pontiac Wave most days.

Just recently purchased the Elantra and am most happy with it.

 

Hey Mill... You got me on the Wave... Had to look that one up to see what they called it here in the States! :-)

 

How about all those high price european cars that are past their warranties that people buy. Not all gm cars are POS!

 

Who drives them past their warranty? Must be the poor men out there... ;-) :-P

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LoL! We are not worthy! We are not worthy!

 

 

 

Hey Mill... You got me on the Wave... Had to look that one up to see what they called it here in the States! :-)

 

 

 

Who drives them past their warranty? Must be the poor men out there... ;-) :-P

 

I do, had my A6 for over seven years and it has over 119000 miles.

 

Traded in my Volvo S60R for a boring Toyota Corolla in an effort to go green. :cry:

 

Sounds like a bad move to me! Must have fallen down and hurt yourself . Joking

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