Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

steine13 · February 2013

My rule is that if they leave it out it's probably because they want too little money but are embarrassed.

Seriously: No price = Next!

-m

jayrider · February 2013

Maybe folks have more choices in high mpg vehicles at thousands less than the Prius and maybe they realize that buying a new car to get better mpg is financially foolish.

jpp75 · February 2013

Most of the Hyundai and Kia's I've had as rentals were very well worn by the 20 - 25 k mark. It was usually things like the seats and controls looking rough and feeling used up. Definitely a huge difference between those and their American and Japanese counterparts with similar mileage.

jpp75 · February 2013

I've never been impressed with the Cruze as a rental and fortunately haven't had one in a few months, usually I can get an upgrade to something better, however occasionally at a really small airport or an offsite location you end up with something like that.

The Cruze isn't a bad car per se (at least not like the Citation and Cimmaron were) but compared to others in its class it's also not competitive.

ateixeira · February 2013

They sell tons of 'em, too.

roadburner · February 2013

Last year I was at IMS the week before the 500, and Chevrolet was offering test drives of several of their cars. Before you could drive a Camaro SS or a Corvette you first had to test drive a more sedate car. I took out a Cruze Eco with the manual transmission, and here is what I wrote about it in my monthly column:

A very nice little car. I sampled the six speed manual version and found it to be responsive and comfortable. The interior was attractive and appeared well designed and put together. The EPA mpg numbers are 28 city and 42 highway, and you can take one home for less than $20,000. It deserves serious consideration if you want a smaller car that is economical to drive yet doesn't feel cheap.

Now, most everyone here knows that I am hardly a fan of Gubmint Motors, but I have to give credit when it is due- and I stand by my evaluation.

breld · February 2013

I had a similar experience with the Cruze last year when I tested one out (same model as roadburner drove). Other than the sedan-only body style, the only thing I really didn't care for was the brakes.

Sandman6472 · February 2013

Today I was beaten out of a Nissan Altima and the only other choices were a Chevy Aveo, a Cruze and a 2012 Nissan Sentra. I gave the Cruze to a co-worker who really likes them and took the Sentra. With over 28k on the clock, it was pretty abused inside but it drove beautifully, like I was on a cloud! Very impressive and it didn't fuss when asked for abrupt acceleration. I had to hit 90 + a few times while making a passing move and the car performed very well. I can't wait to try a new '13 Sentra to see if it has been improved but this '12 model was very acceptable and I'm glad I chose it. I had a '13 Kia Forte yesterday and it was quite good also and I wouldn't feel unhappy having it as my dd...it was that good. The Elantra is still a better car but when the new '13 Forte debuts, then we'll really see how far Kia has come. I did get a $25 Visa card offer to test drive any Kia by the end of the month, so I'll probably go and try the Rio as this could be the wife's next ride...she really wants to downsize.

I drove a co-workers Cruze rental last week during our lunch stop. It was a fully outfitted '13 Cruze LTZ RS and I was totally unimpressed. Only had about 5k on the clock and I still think this is a sub par vehicle...my 7 year old Civic drives better, is quieter and more comfortable...this Cruze even had leather! Maybe it's me and I'm hoping that when I do get to try a Verano that I will be more impressed but as of now, I will avoid any Cruze if possible!

I've yet to drive a '12 Ford Fusion but had the opportunity to try the new '13 Fusion and honestly, it was just o k, nothing earth shattering or revolutionary in this segment, just o k. Definitely think the Sonata and the Optima are better in all areas and a better value. I'm trying to snag an older Fusion so I can make a fair comparison. I think the Focus is a better car but I am more into compact vehicles. At this point though, the Elantra is still the benchmark in this category as it does almost everything right. But this is my personal opinion and I don't mean to start any flame wars here. I am now in unique position to test most offerings in the market and I also come into this with a sort of special needs agenda as I put seat comfort at the top of my list on everything I get to drive. If I can't get comfortable, the whole experience is going to be a bit tainted as the pain will make me dislike any vehicle but that's just the way it is in my case. Luckily, I've really liked most of what I've got to drive so far with the exception of a few.

Here's hoping that I get to drive some interesting vehicles in the next few days that I haven't tried before. The Jetta, Verano and Sentra are on my immediate wish list.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

ateixeira · February 2013

Hmm, I didn't like the Sentra rental my wife got. Maybe yours was better equipped.

The new Sentra has a huge back seat, very impressive. Haven't driven it though.

We got a Kia Rio loaner shortly after the Sentra and we both liked that better.

corvette · February 2013

I had the old Sentra as a rental and liked it, which is one of the reasons I bought my current Altima. The Sentra I had was a stripped model, and most of my gripes were about the level of equipment it had--it drove nicely.

corvette · February 2013

Took the GLI on a trip around the Cumberland Falls area today. There are lots of nice curvy roads around there. I had a route planned out and uploaded to my Garmin (I brought it along for that reason), but it got confused several times along the way. Regardless of the route, I drove on some really fun roads. The GLI handles really well and is fun to drive. I averaged at least 31 MPG (I calculated 31.5 when I filled the tank, the trip computer read over 32), which I thought was impressive. I drove about 20 miles on the interstate and reset the second trip computer for that run--it reported 30 MPG at 80 MPH. One nice thing about the turbo is that you don't have to give it 100% throttle to accelerate briskly.

Now the bad: My left knee cramped up within a few hours, which is odd since the car is an automatic! I'm hoping it's related to the three miles I walked yesterday and not due to the positioning of the dead pedal, which is a large plastic molded affair and not a little piece of rubber glued to the carpet like the Altima. Also, the car now has exactly 1,000 miles and I'm able to measure some tire wear with my digital tire depth gauge, which doesn't bode well. :surprise:

gouldn · February 2013

The Forester threw a CEL and with 200.5k I don't blame it! So I stepped up the replacement activities today. I really didn't like the way the Prius V drove, but really like the idea of high MPG, so I tried a Plug In Prius today. They only have two trim levels, and the upper trim level is right at $40K ... um no. So i test drove the $32K version. Overall ... not a bad car, but no, I guess I cannot deal with the Prius driving experience. It was marginally better than the Prius V ... it's not horrible, it's just antiseptic ... if that's a word to describe the dull driving experience. The car itself was comfortable, and had neat electronic do-dads. Maybe it's time get over my experience of my 1993 Audi and give them another chance with the A3 tdi. Honestly though I think I'm gonna end up with a 2014 Forester Limited, provided the CVT isn't horrible. If I cannot deal with the CVT I'll probably go with the new RAV4 or maybe a Mazda CX5. I called the Redwood City Subaru dealer and even though their website shows one in stock .. they say there are NONE in stock until mid March.

I'm also flirting with the idea of throwing all ideals out the window and buying something silly ... like a used Boxter or S2K ... I DID dump all my motorcycles; can't I have something dangerous and non-practical?

corvette · February 2013

Well, you could always test drive a Jetta Hybrid... :P

gouldn · February 2013

Let's see ... turbo, hybrid, VW, first year model ... what could go wrong?

Sandman6472 · February 2013

Just finished packing a lunch and about to head out. Leaving Lauderdale at 7 a m as folks want to get home by 4ish if possible. You can tell it's season in Florida as there was traffic on both coasts yesterday...75 was just as bad as 95 and add in construction on both highways, well...driving can be a real test of patience at times. Why do northerners drive like crazy folk? No signals, pulling out in front into the left speed lane without a signal...I could go on! Yesterday I was mentally worn out by the time we got to the Tampa airport and luckily could relax on the return trip. I have both iPods with me so I'll have continuous tunes to listen to as I just close my eyes and veg on the way home. The music relaxes me and takes the stress away.

Here's to having a great day and hopefully I'll get a comfortable vehicle I've never driven before!

The Tired Sandman

:sick: :shades:

tommister2 · February 2013

Have you seen the Ford C-Max? The new issue of Motor Trend compared it to the Prius and they liked the Ford better. Might be worth a test drive for you.

ateixeira · February 2013

A roadster makes a great 2nd vehicle, but not a primary one.

Do check out the C-Max but make sure you try that back seat.

kyfdx · February 2013

I once had a delivery route that encircled Lake Cumberland, each day. Pretty scenery and curvy roads, but not that much fun in an Econoline..

michaellno · February 2013

Went away for the weekend to celebrate the wife's birthday. While we were out and about we started talking about cars for her.

She commented that she saw an ad for the fiat 500 - lease for $199 mo. So I jumped online with my phone and found a red "pop" model with automatic and alloys for under $18 grand.

Couldn't get her to go to the dealer to test drive, however. Figured that we wouldn't save the two hundred bucks (plus insurance ) each month.

But, at least she's thinking about something smaller to commute in and keep the Mazda for family duty.

corvette · February 2013

Come to think of it, I did get stuck behind a FedEx truck yesterday. :P

roadburner · February 2013

She commented that she saw an ad for the fiat 500 - lease for $199 mo. So I jumped online with my phone and found a red "pop" model with automatic and alloys for under $18 grand.

My Fiat "Studio" is hot to sell me an Abarth; I think that they want some cars in the hands of gearheads who will give then some visibility at HPDEs and such. So far I've been offered one for $2000 off MSRP, which means I can get one equipped the way I'd want for @$23,500. As I've said before, I really liked the one I test drove.

michaellno · February 2013

There are lots of 2012 500's still on the lots. Don't know what kind of deals are available off sticker; wife just likes that the 500 is "cute".

I think a problem would arise when she puts foot to throttle to find out that 101hp is a bit less than she's used to. Do they offer an abarth with the auto?
:sick:

roadburner · February 2013

Do they offer an abarth with the auto?

In Europe you can get an Abarth with a DSG, but I believe it has less horsepower than the US model- Europeans get several Abarth models, and the Abarth EsseEsse is the European equivalent of the US Abarth, In Europe our 500 Turbo is also called an Abarth- and there are several Special Editions as well.

jayrider · February 2013

They have a black Abarth in the mall. Wife and I looked it over. Very small but nicely appointed. Asked her if she would like to wake up one morning and take it on a road trip from coast to coast. "Absolutely," she said, "If I was still 18." I test drove one and it would be fine around town or on a short commute -- I'd really like to fit a set of golf cart tires on it and use it on the course. Heat and A/C. :shades:

stickguy · February 2013

no, not a car, but I finally got gas again in the Integra! Took a whopping 7 gallons. Worked out to be 23 MPG, over 2 months of mostly sitting and very short hops. Doubt it has really been warmed up fully more than 1-2 times since I had it!

so I took a little drive to burn off the gunk and moisture. About 20 miles, with 15 or so on a local semi-highway, so minutes at a time at 60-65. Seemed to enjoy it, and was running smoother when I got home.

fintail · February 2013

First week with the new car - city mpg - 95% of my driving so far - is averaging 24-25mpg, which already beats EPA estimates (surprising as traffic controls here are so stupid), where the old car was usually around 14mpg. If only that could translate into enough savings to cover the payment. No issues with the car yet, but I am taking it in tomorrow to have the gas door aligned and a loose exhaust tip fixed.

50 years of evolution:

No wonder the new car is 1000lbs heavier, it is bigger and thicker:

kyfdx · February 2013

Abarth at the Cincinnati auto show stickered at $28K. :surprise:

stickguy · February 2013

The 500 looks like a fun little around-town runabout, but really does not seem like a viable choice for Michael's wife to do her business travelling with.

ateixeira · February 2013

That's about 10 grand less than a loaded Mini.

tjc78 · February 2013

Love the pictures, sounds like you are enjoying the new ride.

28firefighter · February 2013

These are some outstanding pictures. Thanks for sharing!

mark156 · February 2013

What year is the Blue Mercedes and what number is on the back?
Great pics!

Mark156

roadburner · February 2013

Abarth at the Cincinnati auto show stickered at $28K.

The one I'm considering has the 17" wheels, leather seats, the "Comfort and Convenience" package(auto HVAC, SiriusXM, heated seats), the audio upgrade, and red mirror caps/stripes. MSRP is $26,600. I could do without the 17" wheels in which case the MSRP would be $25,400. The only other available options are a hole in the roof and navigation(which is little more than a pre-wired Bluetooth capable TomTom unit with a dash mounted backet).

nyccarguy · February 2013

Great pic! I love your D350. It is just stunning.

roadburner · February 2013

Nice!!! You can guess which one I prefer.

I'll have to do a "35 Years of Evolution" shot with my '02 and 328i.
Funny thing; I just received an invitation from our local M-B dealer to test drive one of their new cars- in exchange I get a $100 gift card to a very nice local restaurant. They are also offering up to $6,000 off some of their new inventory. I'm taking them up on it, but I want something small and nimble with three pedals, so I seriously doubt I'll be bringing anything home other than the gift card... :P

michaellno · February 2013

The 500 looks like a fun little around-town runabout, but really does not seem like a viable choice for Michael's wife to do her business travelling with.

Not necessarily true. Her new commute will be 22 miles - most of it interstate. The other driving she'll do is around town to different child care providers, so the nimbleness would work well. No long trips, and, given what we're learning about her new responsibilities, she won't need to haul around a lot of stuff (iPod, calendar and notebook).

fintail · February 2013

The old car is a 220SE, a fuel injected model. It is a late run first series fintail, just about to have its 50th birthday.

It feels a lot more related to the new car than the E55 was - engine clatter, not as fast, smoother ride.

Thanks for all the compliments on the pics, guys. I've taken side by side pics with all the cars I've owned alongside the old beast.

fintail · February 2013

Hmm, I should see if I can get a free meal out of my purchase too :shades: I ended up negotiating the new car to roughly 6K off, which was about 2500 under invoice. There are some deals to be had right now, I think the sales war is really in effect.

The old car has its positives, like lightness and visibility. The new car is certainly not small, and no third pedal for those of us in NA.

corvette · February 2013

Beautiful cars, fintail!

One of the features I've noticed on the GLI is the way the cornering lamps work--they are integrated into the headlight assembly but point to the side and provide quite a bit of light. When you activate the turn signal, they don't come on until you slow below 25 mph. I think that's a neat way for them to operate--it's one of those touches that makes a car feel special. Anyway, I suspect you'll notice a lot of things like that on the new Merc.

fintail · February 2013

Thanks.

My car has adaptive lights, which has cornering and high beam assist. It's cool to see the lights swivel with turns, and the high beam function is interesting - if you are in the city the lights are normal, but on empty dark road you can see the lights aim higher, then go low for oncoming cars. Also, all lighting on the car is LED/xenon. All of this stuff does feel special, gives a feeling that the money went somwhere.

mark156 · February 2013

WOW, a 1964 Mercedes 220SE... nice. I took the 1964 RR Silver Cloud III out today for a spin.... and it gets quite the attention. We'll have had it 15 yrs. this Oct., time sure goes by fast.

Mark156

28firefighter · February 2013

Hey fin-

Looks like your E55 is actually up on the lot at Barrier. Listed at just under $20k.

boomchek · February 2013

It's funny because the Fintail was probably quite large for its day, and looks like a decent size today, but the new E class looks gigantic parked beside it.

Sandman6472 · February 2013

Finally got a new Malibu in blue today and it was a pretty impressive ride! Had 1998 on the clock and had everything including Sirius/XM and a sunroof which I used the latter half of my trip...way cool! The day was absolutely perfect for it with sunny skies and temps in the lower 80's. Now this is a car I could get used to...and if they made it in a compact...might actually buy one, it was that good! And no, the Cruze just isn't the same...this Malibu drove like I was on a cloud, so smooth with effortless acceleration that I hi 90 + a couple of times and didn't even notice it! The power seat controls were easy to operate and I finally found the perfect driving position. This car just handled so nicely and just did everything right! This car is one of the top 3 that I have driven so far and the blue color looks so good on it, like it almost as much as the red color GM has. Now I'm very curious to try the Buick Regal and Lacrosse to see how similar they are. Funny, compared to the new Fusion, I like the Malibu better but to be fair, I really need to do the same Tampa run in the Fusion to really back up that statement. Here's hoping that tomorrow's choices will be that good.

They had the 10 cars lined up when we arrived and I let the others know that I really wanted to take the Malibu today. They also had a couple of Cruze's, a Corolla, a Flex, a couple of Elantra's, a Nissan Quest, a Chevy Captiva and an older Escape. The Flex looked very interesting and was going to be my 2nd choice if things had worked out differently. The Malibu had just come in off a week's rental in Miami and they drove the car about 500 miles. They left their gas receipt on the floor and filled it up at 7:03 this morning before dropping it off. The base cost for the week was $409, a bit expensive but being in season and it being a full size offering, I guess it's not that outrageous a price. One thing though I didn't like. The infotainment center was a bit confusing and I didn't have time to master it. I just listened to my usual sat channels of 6, 7 & 8 and was a happy camper. I screwed up the a/c a few times also, why can't they just make these systems as easy as possible? There's something to be said for 2 knobs on each side of the radio and easy buttons for the climate control. Just wondering if GM is gonna use the touch screen adaptation on the rest of it's cars eventually that's on the new Caddy...if so, they probably need to "dumb it down" for the tech challenged folks like myself! I just want excellent sound quality and easy peasy climate control on my vehicles...period!

So another outstanding day at work...to be honest, if I didn't need to get my car serviced on Wednesday, I probably would've wanted to work as I don't see this job as work...I get to have fun every day now and get paid to do it! Am also going to have the Mazda detailed and the headlights cleaned up that day also since we'll both be home. Her car is really a mess inside and out and this guy is so good, the car will look brand new. It's funny, he did mine a couple of weeks ago and a guy at work asked me when I got my new car. I laughed and told him that it's almost 7 years old now and he couldn't believe it. I do try to keep my dd in tip top shape and garaging it nightly really helps keep it looking new. And it's funny, after driving all these different makes and models, I'm just as happy to get back into my own car and drive home. Have no desire to trade at this point and once I get new brake pads up front, I'll be one happy camper. Why go out and spend $ when I still am happy with what I got! I did spot a potential next car at the Sunshine State bridge rest stop earlier. It was a beautiful red 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT...a real looker! I could tell it had the sports package as the tires had a small sidewall, so probably 17" tires on it. Personally, I'd stick with the 16" rolling stock for the better and smoother ride. This vehicle looked so good I could actually see myself having it on my side of the garage in a few years...right now am aiming for 2017 for that to happen which would be right after it's mid-generation change, a perfect time to buy. But time will tell as the timing would have to be correct.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472 · February 2013

I did get an offer to get a $25 Visa gift card for test driving a new Kia so plan to go over on Wednesday to see if the new Forte has arrived on the lot yet. If not, I'll either wait till they have one in stock or take out a new Rio for a little drive to see the difference between it and the new Hyundai Accent. I have a very strong suspicion that one of these are going to be the replacement for our '05 Mazda3s in our stable. I'll test the sedan as the wife doesn't like hatchbacks as much as I do. From the short drive I had in one while doing a lot to lot a few weeks back, it was a decent little runabout and I preferred the dash/interior layout compared to the Accent actually...just a bit more pleasing to the eye in my opinion. Having the Hyundai store right across the street is a really good incentive to purchase one, but my Honda store is in the same auto mall complex so this would not be a tragedy to buy the Kia. Looking forward to doing this. I'd try the Optima but the wife wants to go down in siz3 and not the other way around. But as long as the a/c continues to work, I don't see her giving up the Mazda for some time...we could even see upwards of 200k on this puppy as she really really loves this car!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

kyfdx · February 2013

That's about 10 grand less than a loaded Mini.

True... but, for the same $28K, I can buy a lesser optioned MINI Cooper S, that will run rings around that Abarth...

Speaking of excessive MINI pricing, there was a MINI John Cooper Works Countryman at the show... Sticker was $45K... :surprise: :surprise:

michaellno · February 2013

True... but, for the same $28K, I can buy a lesser optioned MINI Cooper S, that will run rings around that Abarth...

No matter how hard I try, when I configure a MINI on their website, I always manage to crack the $30K barrier.

Too much stuff to choose from, I suppose. Although, it's nice to be able to pick and choose the options individually.

For example, if I want HIDs on a Focus ST, I've got to get the Recaros. Unfortunately, since I'm - ahem - a bit larger around than most, I don't fit very well in the sport seats.

With the MINI, I can get Xenons as a standalone option.

qbrozen · February 2013

"run rings around" is a bit of an overstatement, don't ya think? We're talking fractions of a second in 0-60, 1/4 mile, and figure 8. And, base vs base, there is something like $2500 difference. You spend a little more and you get a little more with the MINI. That's all.

roadburner · February 2013

No matter how hard I try, when I configure a MINI on their website, I always manage to crack the $30K barrier.

My problems with the Mini include:

A local dealer with an extremely obnoxious new car sales manager who, among other things, wouldn't discount a new Countryman that had been in the body shop for over two weeks after being caught in a hailstorm- "Not gonna cut the price- not enough damage." Then there's the service department which has a 10-14 day wait to get booked in(By our sales guy's own admission).

The Abarth interior isn't all that fancy, but at least it doesn't look like Fisher Price designed the switchgear.

Here is what a very well respected BMW/Mini indie tech said in response to a question about replacing a manual gearbox in a Mini:

List price on those things is quite low by BMW standards. Of course, that's still no guarantee. We have a brand new one sitting under a bench here that failed right out of the box, and MINI refused to warranty it. The second one I bought to replace this one failed right out of the box, and they did warranty it. Third one worked long enough for the customer to wake up to the fact that these cars are junkers from new, and she dumped it.
Perhaps your friend can sell it as is, and use the money to buy a Le Car. 5 times the car for a lot less money.

I will note that he is very opinionated(who would have thought?) and I do know friends who have owned Minis with few to no issues.

For example, if I want HIDs on a Focus ST, I've got to get the Recaros.

I have a similar issue; I want the heated Recaros and the HIDs- but not navigation or that horrid MyFord Sucks interface. I'd also like a mechanical limited-slip in a FWD with that much power. And then Motor Trend reported that their test car overheated on the track, which wouldn't be fun. I guess I should be thankful that the hole in the roof isn't bundled in as well...

roadburner · February 2013

I'll take this M-B:

1986 190E 2.3-16

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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