Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

sb55

I've never been in an Ikea. There aren't any in Vermont (and that's the way we like it). But, my daughter who lives in Brooklyn has. It sounds like a zoo to go there.
With the drop in antique furniture prices, you can get something made with real wood for less $ than Ikea. I'd even rather shop at a Habitat for Humanity "thrift store" and get something slightly used that will last for longer than melamine.

oldfarmer50

I posted this some time ago when the seller wanted $4 or $5k. One of you said he'd like to have it.

Well, the seller must be getting desperate because it's down to where even I would think about buying.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/price-reduced-1987-lincoln/6350234636.html

Normally I wouldn't go that old but it looks in good shape for the price.

Then there's this one which which pushes my low milage, no rust, low price buttons.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-buick-regal/6339070943.html

I have no earthly need of any more cars but I continue to torture myself.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_z5zVITcnwE

explorerx4

SB55,
Your cow picture ties in nicely with an IKEA story.
We live in CT and one of my kids was moving to Madison Wisconsin where they got a job.
The 3 of us drove to just north of Chicago, rented a minivan and stopped at IKEA to buy an apartment full of furniture.
Van was completely full, could not fit a passenger.
2 loveseats, coffee table, TV credenza, desk, bed frame and mattress, tall dresser, long dresser and 2 end tables.
Took me 9 hours to put it all together, while they returned the van.
The tie in is, I enjoyed a few Spotted Cows after that.

fintail

Yay bidding war!

28firefighter said:

For those of you following at home we received 8 offers today. We are reviewing with our broker this evening, but the top two offers are 10% over ask.

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

SB55,
Your cow picture ties in nicely with an IKEA story.
We live in CT and one of my kids was moving to Madison Wisconsin where they got a job.
The 3 of us drove to just north of Chicago, rented a minivan and stopped at IKEA to buy an apartment full of furniture.
Van was completely full, could not fit a passenger.
2 loveseats, coffee table, TV credenza, desk, bed frame and mattress, tall dresser, long dresser and 2 end tables.
Took me 9 hours to put it all together, while they returned the van.
The tie in is, I enjoyed a few Spotted Cows after that.

Not sure if any of you watch the TV show "The Amazing Race", but I'll never forget the episode where they were asked to assemble an IKEA flat pack piece of furniture.

I think I would have poked my eyes out.

berri

I always liked the looks of the MkVII. Something about the greenhouse appeals to me. But watch out if air suspension!

stickguy

oh I would have aced that one. Done way too many of those (and other brands of put it together yourself stuff) in my time.

tjc78

stickguy said:

we go occasionally. try to pick a lower traffic time. First open on a Sunday, get the cheap breakfast. Not too bad. Also like the swedish meatball lunch. Usually find some kitchen gadget to buy, and we do get furniture occasionally. Brought a cube bookcase unit with us to college this year for the princess.

One of our locations is right near the South Philly Store so I stop in there a few times a year.  

The last time my wife and I were in there we had some food.  That cheap meal only cost me $300 on various items!!

driver100

Michaell said:

An IKEA opened in Denver a couple years ago, to great fanfare.

I agree - the place is a zoo. Been once, not likely to go back.

Now, a second one is planned for the metro area in the next year or so.

But the food is great. Breakfast for $1 or $2, meatball dinner for $5, Chicken or salmon for $7 or $8. Sometimes we need one item, like a reading lamp, but, it is interesting to see some of the latest design ideas.

I don't like the bed we bought for the Florida place though. It has 4 drawers for storage.....took hours to make it, and the big problem, we;ll never get it out of there. If I was to do it over again I would buy a bed, that easily comes apart.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
Last visit, I put together a bookcase, so it never ends.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

I posted this some time ago when the seller wanted $4 or $5k. One of you said he'd like to have it.

Well, the seller must be getting desperate because it's down to where even I would think about buying.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/price-reduced-1987-lincoln/6350234636.html

Normally I wouldn't go that old but it looks in good shape for the price.

Then there's this one which which pushes my low milage, no rust, low price buttons.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-buick-regal/6339070943.html

I have no earthly need of any more cars but I continue to torture myself.

Lincoln: How come the headlights are so fogged up? Last year I saw a guy in Florida parked at the side of a highway...he had a sign, I fix up your cloudy headlights. He didn't seem to busy.

Buick: How come he has all his junk on the front passenger seat. And why does the drivers seat look like it is sagging to the floor?

tjc78

So my large construction project is coming to and end.  It’s down to painting and final plumbing, electrical and carpet.  

Today was really the first contractor screw up.  The two bedrooms got painted the wrong color!   I called the contractor when I got home and asked for an explanation.  

Long story short, I know I had the rooms listed on paint chips but a conversation with one of us confused the foreman...

He basically said it was on him since he didn’t get it writing (email or text) and his painter will repaint the rooms tomorrow!  Can’t complain about the that.  

Someone mentioned nails in tires... I’ve had four in the last few months.  One on the previous Enclave, one on the Elantra and two already on the new Enclave.  The last one took out the tire as it was on the edge.   Luckily the dealer offers a “complimentary” 12 month road hazard and they replaced it for free.  

Michaell

tjc78 said:

So my large construction project is coming to and end.  It’s down to painting and final plumbing, electrical and carpet.  

Today was really the first contractor screw up.  The two bedrooms got painted the wrong color!   I called the contractor when I got home and asked for an explanation.  

Long story short, I know I had the rooms listed on paint chips but a conversation with one of us confused the foreman...

He basically said it was on him since he didn’t get it writing (email or text) and his painter will repaint the rooms tomorrow!  Can’t complain about the that.  

Someone mentioned nails in tires... I’ve had four in the last few months.  One on the previous Enclave, one on the Elantra and two already on the new Enclave.  The last one took out the tire as it was on the edge.   Luckily the dealer offers a “complimentary” 12 month road hazard and they replaced it for free.  

When we moved into our previous house (new build), there was still construction going on - about half the houses on the block were in some state of completion. I think we had 2-3 punctures in the time the houses were finished.

qbrozen

explorerx4 said:

@28firefighter, Looking good for you with the house sale. How do you handle 2 equal offers? go back and ask for a final?

Very unlikely they are equal. Probably different closing dates, different down payments, etc. To avoid any hangups, and given the choice, I'd be looking at a buyer with no current home to sell, biggest down payment, and pre-approved for more than they are spending.

28firefighter

We indeed had a crazy bidding war right up until the last minute. 9 offers in total, all with contingencies waived.

Crazy ride, but we are under contract. 

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

explorerx4 said:

@28firefighter, Looking good for you with the house sale. How do you handle 2 equal offers? go back and ask for a final?

Very unlikely they are equal. Probably different closing dates, different down payments, etc. To avoid any hangups, and given the choice, I'd be looking at a buyer with no current home to sell, biggest down payment, and pre-approved for more than they are spending.

Not quite that many variables but yes. All offers had all contingencies waived, less than 30 day close, with a two week free rent back. The differentiators were price and financial qualification. 

nyccarguy

Somebody mentioned tires from Costco. I had a similar experience. I bought 4 new Michelin LTX M/S Tires for our 2011 Honda Pilot. Costco was by far the cheapest and at the time had a $.01 or $1 mounting and balancing deal. So I ordered the tires. They took a little bit longer than I expected to come in. About a month later, I had a blowout on my way to pickup my son from Hockey Practice. No problem. It happened to be an unseasonably warm winter night (55 degrees), so I threw the spare on and called Costco the next day. They have to visually inspect the damage in order to cover it under their road hazzard warranty. Then they don't stock the tires I bought in the size i need. They had to order a new one from the warehouse/distribution center. By the time it came in, it was almost a week. Way too long to be driving on a spare donut tire.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

explorerx4 said:

@28firefighter, Looking good for you with the house sale. How do you handle 2 equal offers? go back and ask for a final?

Very unlikely they are equal. Probably different closing dates, different down payments, etc. To avoid any hangups, and given the choice, I'd be looking at a buyer with no current home to sell, biggest down payment, and pre-approved for more than they are spending.

Not quite that many variables but yes. All offers had all contingencies waived, less than 30 day close, with a two week free rent back. The differentiators were price and financial qualification. 

Contingencies mean nothing, though. Someone can have a home to sell and the mortgage company will have a contingency on the buyers to sell that house before they are given a mortgage on the new one. So buyers can waive all the contingencies they want but still not be able to close.

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

explorerx4 said:

@28firefighter, Looking good for you with the house sale. How do you handle 2 equal offers? go back and ask for a final?

Very unlikely they are equal. Probably different closing dates, different down payments, etc. To avoid any hangups, and given the choice, I'd be looking at a buyer with no current home to sell, biggest down payment, and pre-approved for more than they are spending.

Not quite that many variables but yes. All offers had all contingencies waived, less than 30 day close, with a two week free rent back. The differentiators were price and financial qualification. 

Contingencies mean nothing, though. Someone can have a home to sell and the mortgage company will have a contingency on the buyers to sell that house before they are given a mortgage on the new one. So buyers can waive all the contingencies they want but still not be able to close.

Sure. That was why we required letters from the lender indicating what had been done to get to the pre-approval. 

Also, very few people in this market have homes currently. Typically they are first time buyers or sold prior to entering the buyers market. 

Unique place I live in. 

Michaell

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

explorerx4 said:

@28firefighter,
Looking good for you with the house sale.
How do you handle 2 equal offers? go back and ask for a final?

Very unlikely they are equal. Probably different closing dates, different down payments, etc. To avoid any hangups, and given the choice, I'd be looking at a buyer with no current home to sell, biggest down payment, and pre-approved for more than they are spending.

Not quite that many variables but yes. All offers had all contingencies waived, less than 30 day close, with a two week free rent back. The differentiators were price and financial qualification. 

Contingencies mean nothing, though. Someone can have a home to sell and the mortgage company will have a contingency on the buyers to sell that house before they are given a mortgage on the new one. So buyers can waive all the contingencies they want but still not be able to close.

Sure. That was why we required letters from the lender indicating what had been done to get to the pre-approval. 

Also, very few people in this market have homes currently. Typically they are first time buyers or sold prior to entering the buyers market. 

Unique place I live in. 

Did you get over your asking price?

venture

pensfan83 said:

graphicguy said:

@pensfan83 ....What do you think of your Acura ASpec now that you've had a chance to live with it for a while?

I love it, some brief thoughts.

Driving: I haven't put a lot of miles on it yet but according to the computer I'm averaging around 22-24 MPG, mostly city driving with the car in Sport mode the entire time. I filled up last week so we'll see if that's an accurate figure when I do my manual calculation. The car is a blast to toss around and the AWD system is calibrated perfectly to keep it composed through hard turns. The steering (and the wheel itself is nicely proportioned in the right places) is also nicely weighted and gives good feedback in Sport mode and the acceleration is also very good. On my way to the airport very early Monday morning I opened it up a bit and the car definitely does not lack for power. The noticeable, and sometimes oddly timed, upshifts/downshifts are becoming less and less noticeable...as you noted that happened over time with you as well. I know it won't happen but this car would be amazing with a proper manual transmission.

Interior: I love the seats, they are contoured perfectly and the Alcantara is quite grippy. I still have some concerns over the long term wear but I'll keep it maintained so hopefully it's a non-issue. This is my first car with Android Auto and I love it, great integration, speed, and ease of use. The factory nav could be better but with the ability to throw Waze on the top screen it's a non-issue to me. And I don't know why some car buffs find the dual screen setup odd....I love it, it's great to have HVAC/seat controls/radio on a lower screen and still keep my phone on the upper screen. I would also echo your review of the sound system, I think it sounds better than the Bang & Olufsen I had in the A4. The entire interior is also put together very well, soft touch materials everywhere your eyes normally fall and your hands touch and hard plastics where they don't. The ambient lighting is a nice touch, lends a bit of color at night to an otherwise very dark interior.

Overall: This is a very solid car that does everything well, to excellent. It's not a sports car but I don't need it to be. It's very comfortable, entertaining to drive, and comes loaded to the gills. I haven't tested the adaptive cruise, lane keep, or other safety features but I'm sure they work fine. The exterior refresh and A-Spec touches make this a very handsome ride IMO and make it stand out from the crowd. My complaints are minor,some might call it nit picking. The side mirrors don't fold in and they don't auto dim, there are no USB ports for rear passengers, and the front/rear parking sensors go berserk when I pull it in the garage. The lack of USB ports for rear passengers is the most glaring for me because it means we have to route the chargers for the kids iPads or other devices to the front or not at all, which would be problematic for longer drives. Those are minor quibbles though and aren't anything that detract from the overall package.

Lastly, I know you don't lease but Acura has very good lease program benefits. $750 credit for lease end damages that rises to $1,500 if you lease/buy another Acura, rollover of up to 15,000 unused miles to a new Acura lease, forgiveness of half your mileage overage (up to 7,500 miles), and true 3 month pull ahead (payments actually waived). These benefits could make it hard to walk away so let's hope they up the ante with a TLX-Type S

Take it out and try the adaptive cruise. My money says you will love it (after getting used to it).

venture

This is about the 2018 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited I got around the 1st part of September so feel free to skip over this if you don’t care.

I needed to get away from the 2 local Ford dealers so I started the search for a replacement for my Fusion. I really liked the Fusion, but disliked the dealers. I wanted AWD again and didn’t want a SUV so that limited my options.

I usually try to get the higher grade of a mid-priced car rather than getting the least expensive of a high priced car.

The 18” tires feel about right, but the Goodyear Eagle LS2’s leave something to be desired if being aggressive. Driving normally they are fine. I plan on leaving them on for winter unless they are not good in the snow for my style of driving.

The exterior has large windows and is easy to see out of. That little triangle right behind the A pillar is glass. The styling is conservative without being frumpy.



If it were a little more aggressive looking though, it wouldn’t make me angry.



The only transmission is a CVT with paddle shifters that imitates a 6 speed auto.

more...

venture

The interior has perforated leather seats and double stitched accents. Bolstering is subdued. Almost everything is soft and squishy.



The center stack is good.



The area between the speedometer and tachometer is the info. center.



Rear seats are heated and A/C and heat vents go there as well as 2 powered USB ports.

This car has navigation with SiriusXM Traffic Weather & TravelLink, EyeSight (Pre-Collision braking, lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control, Lane keep Assist), Reverse Automatic Braking System, High beam assist, remote start, and a CD player. These models all have, LED steering responsive headlights and LED taillights, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, 6 cylinder 256 HP engine, LED fog lights, keyless access and push button start, a 576 watt 12 speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and probably other stuff.

We made 2 trips to Baltimore in the last week (360 miles round trip) to see the new grand son and it didn't miss a beat.

iluvmysephia1

Nice car, venture. And really good report on it. Subaru's rock!

driver100

iluvmysephia1 said:

Nice car, venture. And really good report on it. Subaru's rock!

+1 Sounds like a really nice car.

driver100

Firefighter.....Congrats on the feeding frenzy sale. How did you choose the winner?

oldfarmer50

berri said:

I always liked the looks of the MkVII. Something about the greenhouse appeals to me. But watch out if air suspension!

You forget, I had a Mark VIII. Only big repair while I owned it.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

This is about the 2018 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited I got around the 1st part of September so feel free to skip over this if you don’t care.

I needed to get away from the 2 local Ford dealers so I started the search for a replacement for my Fusion. I really liked the Fusion, but disliked the dealers. I wanted AWD again and didn’t want a SUV so that limited my options.

I usually try to get the higher grade of a mid-priced car rather than getting the least expensive of a high priced car.

The 18” tires feel about right, but the Goodyear Eagle LS2’s leave something to be desired if being aggressive. Driving normally they are fine. I plan on leaving them on for winter unless they are not good in the snow for my style of driving.

The exterior has large windows and is easy to see out of. That little triangle right behind the A pillar is glass. The styling is conservative without being frumpy.



If it were a little more aggressive looking though, it wouldn’t make me angry.



The only transmission is a CVT with paddle shifters that imitates a 6 speed auto.

more...

You say you didn't like the Ford dealers. What did they do to turn you off? In my limited experience I've seen both extremes. Not just Ford either.

dino001

venture said:

The interior has perforated leather seats and double stitched accents. Bolstering is subdued. Almost everything is soft and squishy.



The center stack is good.



The area between the speedometer and tachometer is the info. center.



Rear seats are heated and A/C and heat vents go there as well as 2 powered USB ports.

This car has navigation with SiriusXM Traffic Weather & TravelLink, EyeSight (Pre-Collision braking, lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control, Lane keep Assist), Reverse Automatic Braking System, High beam assist, remote start, and a CD player. These models all have, LED steering responsive headlights and LED taillights, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, 6 cylinder 256 HP engine, LED fog lights, keyless access and push button start, a 576 watt 12 speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and probably other stuff.

We made 2 trips to Baltimore in the last week (360 miles round trip) to see the new grand son and it didn't miss a beat.

Nice car. I'm a two-time Subaru owner, so I totally get the attraction. Subaru would include majority of the popular items in the standard and their 3.6 trims are usually quite opulent when comparing with other Japanese and domestic makes. I never particularly cared for the CVT, had it on a rental Legacy 2.0 during a two-week trip in Colorado. It was quite alright at low speeds, I found it underwhelming in highway acceleration situations (lots of noise not much acceleration). Perhaps it was the engine rather than the transmission. I'm sure 3.6 is has a much stronger response at highway speeds. The gas mileage was excellent, though - best in AWD class.

The biggest attraction of Subaru is safety. On top of AWD and EyeSight gadget, which both improve "active safety" (collision avoidance and handling), their crash test results are unparalleled in the segment. Subaru made a decision around early 2000s to build cars that will only perform at top level of every crash tests IIHS performs and they did. Unlike government, IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) has been steadily raising the standard, ever increasing difficulty and severity of crash test scenarios and introducing new measuring techniques, effectively moving the goal post in safety standard (which is how it should be), and Subaru has always cleared the bars, most of the time in first attempt. One year they had an issue with their new 2004 Legacy not passing side impact test at highest levele ("Good"). They immediately redesigned the door structure and requested a retest for 2005 model - and it passed. They present that safety angle in their commercials, but I don't think the public appreciates how really committed they are to that. When it comes to safety, people often think of Volvo, which was the pioneer of safety in 70s. In my opinion they are better in "being Volvo" today than Volvo itself. Despite commercials, Subaru's safety is a best kept secret.

How much did it cost?

venture

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

This is about the 2018 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited I got around the 1st part of September so feel free to skip over this if you don’t care.

I needed to get away from the 2 local Ford dealers so I started the search for a replacement for my Fusion. I really liked the Fusion, but disliked the dealers. I wanted AWD again and didn’t want a SUV so that limited my options.

I usually try to get the higher grade of a mid-priced car rather than getting the least expensive of a high priced car.

The 18” tires feel about right, but the Goodyear Eagle LS2’s leave something to be desired if being aggressive. Driving normally they are fine. I plan on leaving them on for winter unless they are not good in the snow for my style of driving.

The exterior has large windows and is easy to see out of. That little triangle right behind the A pillar is glass. The styling is conservative without being frumpy.



You say you didn't like the Ford dealers. What did they do to turn you off? In my limited experience I've seen both extremes. Not just Ford either.

They just won't listen to the customer and they don't follow up.

One said they ordered parts for 2 recalls and they would call me sometime in mid-July. I'm still waiting.
I paid for a remote start on my daughters car and showed the Customer Service human a picture of what I wanted along with the part number. She said that was the one they were going to install. It wasn't.

The other one - I went in for an oil change and state inspection at 8:30 am. I told them specifically that I had a dentist appointment at 11 am. When 10:45 rolled around and my car was not finished, the girl at the SC area said they were doing a recall on it. They didn't even ask - they just did it. Fortunately the dentist still took me, although an hour late.

There's more, but you get the point. Just listen!

venture

dino001 said:

venture said:

The interior has perforated leather seats and double stitched accents. Bolstering is subdued. Almost everything is soft and squishy.



Rear seats are heated and A/C and heat vents go there as well as 2 powered USB ports.

This car has navigation with SiriusXM Traffic Weather & TravelLink, EyeSight (Pre-Collision braking, lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control, Lane keep Assist), Reverse Automatic Braking System, High beam assist, remote start, and a CD player. These models all have, LED steering responsive headlights and LED taillights, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, 6 cylinder 256 HP engine, LED fog lights, keyless access and push button start, a 576 watt 12 speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and probably other stuff.

We made 2 trips to Baltimore in the last week (360 miles round trip) to see the new grand son and it didn't miss a beat.

Nice car. I'm a two-time Subaru owner, so I totally get the attraction. Subaru would include majority of the popular items in the standard and their 3.6 trims are usually quite opulent when comparing with other Japanese and domestic makes. I never particularly cared for the CVT, had it on a rental Legacy 2.0 during a two-week trip in Colorado. It was quite alright at low speeds, I found it underwhelming in highway acceleration situations (lots of noise not much acceleration). Perhaps it was the engine rather than the transmission. I'm sure 3.6 is has a much stronger response at highway speeds. The gas mileage was excellent, though - best in AWD class.

The biggest attraction of Subaru is safety. On top of AWD and EyeSight gadget, which both improve "active safety" (collision avoidance and handling), their crash test results are unparalleled in the segment. Subaru made a decision around early 2000s to build cars that will only perform at top level of every crash tests IIHS performs and they did. Unlike government, IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) has been steadily raising the standard, ever increasing difficulty and severity of crash test scenarios and introducing new measuring techniques, effectively moving the goal post in safety standard (which is how it should be), and Subaru has always cleared the bars, most of the time in first attempt. One year they had an issue with their new 2004 Legacy not passing side impact test at highest levele ("Good"). They immediately redesigned the door structure and requested a retest for 2005 model - and it passed. They present that safety angle in their commercials, but I don't think the public appreciates how really committed they are to that. When it comes to safety, people often think of Volvo, which was the pioneer of safety in 70s. In my opinion they are better in "being Volvo" today than Volvo itself. Despite commercials, Subaru's safety is a best kept secret.

How much did it cost?

I never cared for a CVT either. Remarkably they have managed to imitate a 6 speed automatic pretty well.

The 3.6 engine excels in the 40 to 80 mph range. I think it's considered a slow-poke for the class, but I don't know why. 0-60 times I guess. My boy racer days have come and gone though.

Sticker was a shade under $36k, but it has every option except for the side rubber thingys and ash tray (nickel & dime) things.

28firefighter

@Michaell - we ended up at 10% over asking price when the dust settled. 

fintail

That's awesome, have fun with the insanity. I've never dealt with anything like that personally. My prior condo sold at the peak of the prior bubble for full ask (it has just touched that price again, 11 years later), but it was in an outlying area, and did not have a bidding war.

I wonder if it will sell to a budding Amazon couple starting out, the daddy of a satellite child, or a corporate entity.

28firefighter said:

We indeed had a crazy bidding war right up until the last minute. 9 offers in total, all with contingencies waived.

Crazy ride, but we are under contract. 

28firefighter

Hard to know 100%. We know the individual who bought works in Tech (who doesn’t?) but they are decidedly foreign. 

snakeweasel

venture said:

The interior has perforated loleather seats and double stitched accents. Bolstering is subdued. Almost everything is soft and squishy. Rear seats are heated and A/C and heat vents go there as well as 2 powered USB ports. This car has navigation with SiriusXM Traffic Weather & TravelLink, EyeSight (Pre-Collision braking, lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control, Lane keep Assist), Reverse Automatic Braking System, High beam assist, remote start, and a CD player. These models all have, LED steering responsive headlights and LED taillights, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, 6 cylinder 256 HP engine, LED fog lights, keyless access and push button start, a 576 watt 12 speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and probably other stuff. We made 2 trips to Baltimore in the last week (360 miles round trip) to see the new grand son and it didn't miss a beat.

Nice car. I'm a two-time Subaru owner, so I totally get the attraction. Subaru would include majority of the popular items in the standard and their 3.6 trims are usually quite opulent when comparing with other Japanese and domestic makes. I never particularly cared for the CVT, had it on a rental Legacy 2.0 during a two-week trip in Colorado. It was quite alright at low speeds, I found it underwhelming in highway acceleration situations (lots of noise not much acceleration). Perhaps it was the engine rather than the transmission. I'm sure 3.6 is has a much stronger response at highway speeds. The gas mileage was excellent, though - best in AWD class. The biggest attraction of Subaru is safety. On top of AWD and EyeSight gadget, which both improve "active safety" (collision avoidance and handling), their crash test results are unparalleled in the segment. Subaru made a decision around early 2000s to build cars that will only perform at top level of every crash tests IIHS performs and they did. Unlike government, IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) has been steadily raising the standard, ever increasing difficulty and severity of crash test scenarios and introducing new measuring techniques, effectively moving the goal post in safety standard (which is how it should be), and Subaru has always cleared the bars, most of the time in first attempt. One year they had an issue with their new 2004 Legacy not passing side impact test at highest levele ("Good"). They immediately redesigned the door structure and requested a retest for 2005 model - and it passed. They present that safety angle in their commercials, but I don't think the public appreciates how really committed they are to that. When it comes to safety, people often think of Volvo, which was the pioneer of safety in 70s. In my opinion they are better in "being Volvo" today than Volvo itself. Despite commercials, Subaru's safety is a best kept secret. How much did it cost?

I never cared for a CVT either. Remarkably they have managed to imitate a 6 speed automatic pretty well. The 3.6 engine excels in the 40 to 80 mph range. I think it's considered a slow-poke for the class, but I don't know why. 0-60 times I guess. My boy racer days have come and gone though. Sticker was a shade under $36k, but it has every option except for the side rubber thingys and ash tray (nickel & dime) things.

i have a question regarding the CVT, how responsive is it from a dead stop?  The reason I ask is that I have never driven a car with a CVT but I have ridden a few bikes with one. With these bikes there was some play in the throttle where I could twist it and rev up the engine but not engage the transmission. So basically you start twisting the throttle and the bike ravs up somewhat before the bike moves forward. 

This is in contrast to my bike which has a dual Clutch transmission and even the slightest application of the throttle starts to engage the clutch and moves the bike forward. 

qbrozen

I think we, as a society, are just asking too much of our plastic wrap.

PF_Flyer

It IS interesting what you see as window substitutes

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

I posted this some time ago when the seller wanted $4 or $5k. One of you said he'd like to have it.

Well, the seller must be getting desperate because it's down to where even I would think about buying.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/price-reduced-1987-lincoln/6350234636.html

Normally I wouldn't go that old but it looks in good shape for the price.

Then there's this one which which pushes my low milage, no rust, low price buttons.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-buick-regal/6339070943.html

I have no earthly need of any more cars but I continue to torture myself.

Too few pictures. Does it leak? A/C work? Electrical gremlins? Wrecked? Did it have the air suspension which was known for problems?

Still, if it runs fine, HO 5.0, for $2,800, I'd pop for it.

Buick? I can't wrap my arms around that one. Not sure if it's the look, or the idea it's an old Buick, but can't do it.

Michaell

@venture - nice write up. Very similar to my wife's 2015 Outback - we, too, have the 3.6 H6 engine, and I'll second every one of your comments about it, and the transmission.

Love the active safety features, particularly the adaptive cruise control - great for long road trips here in the west. I think this one is a keeper for a good, long time. And, it doesn't hurt that it has only about 23,000 miles after 2.5 years.

Should we decide to sell or trade, we will get top dollar for it here in Colorado.

nyccarguy

@venture - nice write up on the Legacy. I'm really glad you are enjoying it. They seem to have made some steady improvements over my 2015 (which I thought was quite good, except for the lackluster acceleration). Funny you say you wanted to get away from the Ford Dealer, so you bought another Subaru. The dealership I bought and serviced my Legacy at was a Ford/Subaru store.

The adaptive cruise/EYESIGHT is incredible as is Subaru's record for safety. My neighbor hit a deer going 70+ somewhere in western (maybe on the Turnpike) in an Outback. His wife got hurt, but the EMTs were shocked that anybody walked away from the crash.

@28firefighter - great job with selling your place!

@graphicguy & @pensfan83 - I saw a Black TLX SH AWD ASPEC today. Sparkling clean. Very sharp!

ab348

venture said:

I never cared for a CVT either. Remarkably they have managed to imitate a 6 speed automatic pretty well.

The 3.6 engine excels in the 40 to 80 mph range. I think it's considered a slow-poke for the class, but I don't know why. 0-60 times I guess. My boy racer days have come and gone though.

Sticker was a shade under $36k, but it has every option except for the side rubber thingys and ash tray (nickel & dime) things.

That car looks pretty good - Subaru styling used to really turn me off because it didn't seem like they cared about styling much and the cars could look pretty stodgy. This one is better. The interior looks really nice. I am biased against CVTs but they are becoming commonplace now so I am guessing the newer ones work OK.

The one thing I can't get past with them are the engines. I hear they have improved them in recent years but so many stories about piston slap and other problems with their pancake engines really turned me off. That, and the sound. My neighbor's Subie sounds like a sewing machine, though I think his is a 4-cylinder. The other thing for me locally is that the dealer is inconveniently located and does not have the greatest reputation.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

venture said:

dino001 said:

venture said:

The interior has perforated loleather seats and double stitched accents. Bolstering is subdued. Almost everything is soft and squishy.



Rear seats are heated and A/C and heat vents go there as well as 2 powered USB ports.

This car has navigation with SiriusXM Traffic Weather & TravelLink, EyeSight (Pre-Collision braking, lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control, Lane keep Assist), Reverse Automatic Braking System, High beam assist, remote start, and a CD player. These models all have, LED steering responsive headlights and LED taillights, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, 6 cylinder 256 HP engine, LED fog lights, keyless access and push button start, a 576 watt 12 speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and probably other stuff.

We made 2 trips to Baltimore in the last week (360 miles round trip) to see the new grand son and it didn't miss a beat.

Nice car. I'm a two-time Subaru owner, so I totally get the attraction. Subaru would include majority of the popular items in the standard and their 3.6 trims are usually quite opulent when comparing with other Japanese and domestic makes. I never particularly cared for the CVT, had it on a rental Legacy 2.0 during a two-week trip in Colorado. It was quite alright at low speeds, I found it underwhelming in highway acceleration situations (lots of noise not much acceleration). Perhaps it was the engine rather than the transmission. I'm sure 3.6 is has a much stronger response at highway speeds. The gas mileage was excellent, though - best in AWD class.

The biggest attraction of Subaru is safety. On top of AWD and EyeSight gadget, which both improve "active safety" (collision avoidance and handling), their crash test results are unparalleled in the segment. Subaru made a decision around early 2000s to build cars that will only perform at top level of every crash tests IIHS performs and they did. Unlike government, IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) has been steadily raising the standard, ever increasing difficulty and severity of crash test scenarios and introducing new measuring techniques, effectively moving the goal post in safety standard (which is how it should be), and Subaru has always cleared the bars, most of the time in first attempt. One year they had an issue with their new 2004 Legacy not passing side impact test at highest levele ("Good"). They immediately redesigned the door structure and requested a retest for 2005 model - and it passed. They present that safety angle in their commercials, but I don't think the public appreciates how really committed they are to that. When it comes to safety, people often think of Volvo, which was the pioneer of safety in 70s. In my opinion they are better in "being Volvo" today than Volvo itself. Despite commercials, Subaru's safety is a best kept secret.

How much did it cost?

I never cared for a CVT either. Remarkably they have managed to imitate a 6 speed automatic pretty well.

The 3.6 engine excels in the 40 to 80 mph range. I think it's considered a slow-poke for the class, but I don't know why. 0-60 times I guess. My boy racer days have come and gone though.

Sticker was a shade under $36k, but it has every option except for the side rubber thingys and ash tray (nickel & dime) things.

i have a question regarding the CVT, how responsive is it from a dead stop?  The reason I ask is that I have never driven a car with a CVT but I have ridden a few bikes with one. With these bikes there was some play in the throttle where I could twist it and rev up the engine but not engage the transmission. So basically you start twisting the throttle and the bike ravs up somewhat before the bike moves forward. 

This is in contrast to my bike which has a dual Clutch transmission and even the slightest application of the throttle starts to engage the clutch and moves the bike forward. 

My BIL's 2015 Altima has a CVT and in sport mode performs like a smooth shifting traditional auto.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I posted this some time ago when the seller wanted $4 or $5k. One of you said he'd like to have it.

Well, the seller must be getting desperate because it's down to where even I would think about buying.



https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/price-reduced-1987-lincoln/6350234636.html

Normally I wouldn't go that old but it looks in good shape for the price.

Then there's this one which which pushes my low milage, no rust, low price buttons.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-buick-regal/6339070943.html

I have no earthly need of any more cars but I continue to torture myself.

Too few pictures. Does it leak? A/C work? Electrical gremlins? Wrecked? Did it have the air suspension which was known for problems?

Still, if it runs fine, HO 5.0, for $2,800, I'd pop for it.

Buick? I can't wrap my arms around that one. Not sure if it's the look, or the idea it's an old Buick, but can't do it.

The Buick is strictly a bargain transportation play. The idea of 100k miles of use for $3k appeals to me.

nyccarguy

@snakeweasel - If you didn't know the CVT wasn't a conventional automatic with a torque converter, you wouldn't know there was a difference. It works well off the line and for passing too.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

I think we, as a society, are just asking too much of our plastic wrap.

Now you have me wondering what happened to the glass. Bet there's a story there.

qbrozen

Wish I could have asked the driver what she thought the wrap was accomplishing. With the way it was flapping around, it wouldn't stand a chance of keeping the rain nor cold air out.

jmonroe

venture said:

The interior has perforated leather seats and double stitched accents. Bolstering is subdued. Almost everything is soft and squishy. The center stack is good. The area between the speedometer and tachometer is the info. center. Rear seats are heated and A/C and heat vents go there as well as 2 powered USB ports. This car has navigation with SiriusXM Traffic Weather & TravelLink, EyeSight (Pre-Collision braking, lane departure warning, Adaptive cruise control, Lane keep Assist), Reverse Automatic Braking System, High beam assist, remote start, and a CD player. These models all have, LED steering responsive headlights and LED taillights, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, 6 cylinder 256 HP engine, LED fog lights, keyless access and push button start, a 576 watt 12 speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and probably other stuff. We made 2 trips to Baltimore in the last week (360 miles round trip) to see the new grand son and it didn't miss a beat.

You're just trying to tick me off, huh? :@

jmonroe

jmonroe

I have a suggestion for you guys with road hazard tire problems and having to wait for your tire to come in. You can do what I have always done. When replacing tires, I keep the best tire to avoid what has been mentioned.

The ones I've kept would have gotten me at least 1000 miles of driving if I needed to use them while waiting for the replacement to come in. The only down side is having to store the tires and explain why it's in the corner of the basement when Mrs. j asks, "what are all those tires doing there"? :@

Just trying to help my poster buddies.

jmonroe

suydam

Wow, been out of town just a few days and there are pages of posts! You all are a chatty bunch! For this trip we got a Jeep Renegade as a rental through Budget via Costco. Nice vehicle for a rental. Push button start but not much other extra safety features. Leather seats. Very comfortable ride on the highway. Kinda bulky driving around town although the turning radius is good. Held all our suitcases and stuff. Very easy rental process both with pickup and return in Columbus, Ohio, which is not a large airport.