Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

nyccarguy

@driver100 - it all started about 2 1/2 years ago.  The lease was up on my 2011 BMW 328xi.  I wasn't in love with the new, 4cyl turbo 3 series cars.  Plus to get one equipped similarly to my Inline 6 powered 328xi I would have had to fork over well over $50K plus the lease (20K per year/$0 Down) would have cost me more than I was paying.

So I decided to go for something on the basic side.  Everything I needed (automatic, AWD, hot seats, digital climate control) for an affordable sticker price of somewhere right under $25K.  My Legacy was a little noisy which was to be expected coming from a bank vault quiet BMW.  It was also just adequately powered.  Again, I knew what i was getting in to by buying a car with 175 hp (4 cyl) vs the one I came from with a 240 hp (6 cyl).  It was comfortable, competent, compliant, and an overall perfect commuter car.

To be continued

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
Congrats on the new ride. Hope it works out well for you.

@driver100,
I decided I'm going to wait until the fall before looking at the SS again.
What is unproven about them? They have been for sale here for 4 years. plus they are sold in Australia.

nyccarguy

Thank-you @explorerx4

nyccarguy

Once I paid off my wife's Pilot last June, I had steadily been putting that money aside plus made some extra payments toward the Legacy.  There was nothing wrong with the car.  I maintained it fanatically at the dealer.  Their service department was wonderful.  I got a new Subaru with under 5K miles on it as a loaner.  Servicing was convenient and very reasonably priced.

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
What does it look like? I imagine you posted the details on CCBA, but I stay away from there.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

We looked at them last fall. It's a loaded vehicle, but I wasn't willing to pay 1k under MSRP.
These may be the same cars I looked at back then.
Ended up buying the Fusion, which is a good car, although engine is less the 1/4 the size of the engine in the SS.

Yes but the gas milage is 1/4 that of the Fusion.

Who cares? I'd go with the SS EVERY time; it's an Aussie interpretation of the iconic E39 M5.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
Congrats on the new ride. Hope it works out well for you.

@driver100,
I decided I'm going to wait until the fall before looking at the SS again.
What is unproven about them? They have been for sale here for 4 years. plus they are sold in Australia.

I don't think I said "unproven", but what my concern is a rare engine and car that I don't know how many GM mechanics will be trained to keep running. The car is sold in such minuscule numbers that if there is a problem it will be hard to get it fixed properly. I also am not so sure about how easy it will be to sell as a trade in. Gas mileage is poor and it will be an orphan after this year. Depreciation doesn't seem to be spectacular.....and that old technology. Edmunds talks about numb steering.

Depreciation etc....cost to drive...Edmunds

It would be kind of unique and would be fun for awhile. It depends on how much you want something that rare, but could be risky, and a fair amount of money when there are probably better cars available for more money. I always think getting a bargain for say $8000 less isn't a bargain if the car is problematic.

Not for me, but that is why they sell Chevy SS's and say a bmw 335 or a Genesis.

driver100

nyccarguy said:

@driver100 - it all started about 2 1/2 years ago.  The lease was up on my 2011 BMW 328xi.  I wasn't in love with the new, 4cyl turbo 3 series cars.  Plus to get one equipped similarly to my Inline 6 powered 328xi I would have had to fork over well over $50K plus the lease (20K per year/$0 Down) would have cost me more than I was paying.

So I decided to go for something on the basic side.  Everything I needed (automatic, AWD, hot seats, digital climate control) for an affordable sticker price of somewhere right under $25K.  My Legacy was a little noisy which was to be expected coming from a bank vault quiet BMW.  It was also just adequately powered.  Again, I knew what i was getting in to by buying a car with 175 hp (4 cyl) vs the one I came from with a 240 hp (6 cyl).  It was comfortable, competent, compliant, and an overall perfect commuter car.

To be continued

I understand completely.

We were underwhelmed when trading a 2008 335 for a 2013 328. Hard to go from a 6 to a 4 and be satisfied.
Also get underpowered Suburu.....thought we could get by with the Passat.
You can move down a bit....but a big jump backward is not easy.

You planned very carefully NYC, nicely planned and executed. Best wishes for the new ride.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

For those of you who don't follow Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous, I inked a deal yesterday to trade in my 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium with 47K miles for a CPO 2015 Infiniti Q40 AWD (G37x if you haven't kept up with Infiniti's nomenclature changes) with under 7,500 miles.  I'm very excited!

So G37 is now Q40? How come? I just got used to G35 going to G37 but at least that had something to do with engine changes.

Anyway, congrats. That's a nice car, I would like to have one. Did GG getting an Infinity sway you?

explorerx4

What's a better car for the money? You're not going to get a lot of BMW for 40k. You do realize this car has a well known Chevy small block V8, right? I have never bought a vehicle based on depreciation. I'll pay a little extra there to dive something I like.
Maybe I'll buy one of those vapor-benz E400 sedans.

stickguy

Q40? It looks like this one. In fact, it is this one.

http://www.pepeinfiniti.com/certified/Infiniti/2015-Infiniti-Q40-white-plains-dbce4ce40a0e0ae80ba064fb59458d8f.htm

roadburner

Last week the managing partner asked me to take every new 7er and 6er on a 4-6 mile run(it's a tough job, but someone has to do it). Man, the 7 Series is nice- especially the 750i M Sport. Still way too big for my tastes. That said, I really like the 650i Gran Coupe. It really drives smaller than it is. Make mine an Alpina B6:

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

OldFarmer......OK....impressions of driving a 50+ year old Mustang?

Impressions? Well I felt like I was 16 again. Totally different feel from cars today. This one was pretty tight, no rattles or wind noise even with the cloth top. One thing for sure I'm a fan of fuel injection now. Carbureted cars are not meant to be driven cold in 9 degree weather. Just like my old cars from the 60s and early 70s it bogged down on acceleration until it warmed up. This was the regular 289 that was base with the 66 GT so not a lot of power. Handling was what you'd expect. I imagine just about any modern car would take a turn better. All and all a lot of fun but definitely not a daily driver.

roadburner

Speaking of Alpinas, I found a 1990 B10 on Bring a Trailer. Only 75k miles- Gorgeous. All of my CCA friends are in full enabler mode trying to get me to bid on it...

suydam

stickguy said:

Q40? It looks like this one. In fact, it is this one.

http://www.pepeinfiniti.com/certified/Infiniti/2015-Infiniti-Q40-white-plains-dbce4ce40a0e0ae80ba064fb59458d8f.htm

Nice! Reminds me of my Maxima. Loved that car. Does it need premium fuel?

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

We looked at them last fall. It's a loaded vehicle, but I wasn't willing to pay 1k under MSRP.
These may be the same cars I looked at back then.
Ended up buying the Fusion, which is a good car, although engine is less the 1/4 the size of the engine in the SS.

Yes but the gas milage is 1/4 that of the Fusion.

Who cares? I'd go with the SS EVERY time; it's an Aussie interpretation of the iconic E39 M5.

So would I but explorerx4 was talking down his Fusion so I thought I'd offer a counterpoint. Nobody who buys a car like that worries about mpg.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

Speaking of Alpinas, I found a 1990 B10 on Bring a Trailer. Only 75k miles- Gorgeous. All of my CCA friends are in full enabler mode trying to get me to bid on it...

Oh yeah! Bid on it and at least see if you can get a deal on it.

stickguy

yeah, they spec premium for that (a major mental block for me!). No clue if it really has to have it.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

OldFarmer......OK....impressions of driving a 50+ year old Mustang?

Impressions? Well I felt like I was 16 again. Totally different feel from cars today. This one was pretty tight, no rattles or wind noise even with the cloth top. One thing for sure I'm a fan of fuel injection now. Carbureted cars are not meant to be driven cold in 9 degree weather. Just like my old cars from the 60s and early 70s it bogged down on acceleration until it warmed up. This was the regular 289 that was base with the 66 GT so not a lot of power. Handling was what you'd expect. I imagine just about any modern car would take a turn better. All and all a lot of fun but definitely not a daily driver.

I had a '67 289. What was the rear end ratio in the 66 GT? Mine had a 3.00 and it was peppy enough for me. I believe the normal ratio then was 2.89 or something a little longer than 3.00. I got the 3.00 because I had a locking differential ordered.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer,
Talking down my Fusion? I was just pointing out some of the differences.

@stickguy,
My F150 has a 36 gallon tank and I only fill it with 93 octane. Sometimes I have to break out the 2nd credit card to fill it.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

What's a better car for the money? You're not going to get a lot of BMW for 40k. You do realize this car has a well known Chevy small block V8, right? I have never bought a vehicle based on depreciation. I'll pay a little extra there to dive something I like.
Maybe I'll buy one of those vapor-benz E400 sedans.

From what I have read on the subject, the car is a blast to drive. My concern is if it takes 3 months to install a harness that won't burn on a fairly mainstream CTS which probably has sales of 100X what the SS will have, how long will it take to get a harness installed on this car? And, do they stock all the parts you will need? And what happens when a low volume car becomes an orphan car?

I wouldn't buy a car based on depreciation only and obviously I don't, but it just depends on your risk tolerance I suppose....I like as few complications as possible in my life, so I try to eliminate ones I don't need. Probably get a Charger R/T Scat Pack for a similar price.......more power, and more mainstream....also fun to drive (probably no manual though).

driver100

stickguy said:

Q40? It looks like this one. In fact, it is this one.

http://www.pepeinfiniti.com/certified/Infiniti/2015-Infiniti-Q40-white-plains-dbce4ce40a0e0ae80ba064fb59458d8f.htm

Very nice.....a good deal too!

explorerx4

A Scat Pack Charger is probably more rare than a Chevy SS. Every car becomes an orphan car at some point.

driver100

Then I wouldn't buy either one...but, that is just me. Maybe in my younger days I would have done it - I wouldn't care. These days, it seems I just want fewer complications, getting repairs, needing parts, having a breakdown in Medora North Dakota (Located within Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora is a tiny town of around 150 residents), trying to trade it in. I can see it now, could you tell me how much a wiper blade is for an Australian made Chevy SS? And what if the dealer you bought it from doesn't have it in stock? Ordering a new windshield or a front fender might take awhile. Just questions I would think about.

ab348

Speaking of delays by manufacturers, does your dealer have your E400 yet? Refresh my memory, how long have you been waiting for that?

jmonroe

nyccarguy said:

For those of you who don't follow Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous, I inked a deal yesterday to trade in my 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium with 47K miles for a CPO 2015 Infiniti Q40 AWD (G37x if you haven't kept up with Infiniti's nomenclature changes) with under 7,500 miles.  I'm very excited!

Congrats on the new ride, I'm sure you'll like it.

Right before I got my '15 Genny, Son #1 and I went to Cleveland for his '13 G37. Other than a deer running into it a few months ago he has had no problems with it. He probably has around 30K on it by now and he has no intentions of getting rid of it. Black on Black and it shines up nice.

If you had given me some advance notice I would have tried to talk Mrs. j into letting her '12 Legacy Limited with the 6 cyl. and 28K on it go to a poster buddy...but you blew that possibility now. :@

I'm sure you won't be wanting for more horses with your new toy.

Give us the first 1000 mile impression.

jmonroe

bwia

sda said:

Even we got some snow, wet and messy. It will probably melt this afternoon, temp is right at 32 and will warm later.

Very nice. Cute dogs frolicking in the snow. 

abacomike

@nyccarguy

I am so very happy for you, Bradd. Those Infiniti G sedans are truly great automobiles. Remember, I used to manage a dealership that sold Infiniti's. I really can't remember any major problems our service department had with G sedans. They were pretty trouble free. I do remember that Infiniti is not particular about fuel economy, but their engines are sublime.

Just enjoy your new ride in the best of health and happiness.

bwia

ab348 said:

Speaking of delays by manufacturers, does your dealer have your E400 yet? Refresh my memory, how long have you been waiting for that?

Speaking of E400, the 2017 wagon version is a beautiful car. According to Motor Trend, one out of two E400s built by MB is a wagon. So what is the German fascination with wagons, while we here in the US have graduated to the SUV.

thebean

ab348 said:

Speaking of delays by manufacturers, does your dealer have your E400 yet? Refresh my memory, how long have you been waiting for that?

...he asked, slowly jabbing the knife in.

explorerx4

Try find anything that shows an E400 sedan is sold in North America.

driver100

ab348 said:

Speaking of delays by manufacturers, does your dealer have your E400 yet? Refresh my memory, how long have you been waiting for that?

They held back delivery until I return home.....saved about 5 months worth of insurance and I will have 5 extra months of warranty and about 6000 fewer miles on it since we didn't drive it to Florida.

It's a nice extra Mercedes provided me with.

btw, I ordered in August but knew it wouldn't be delivered until December. Was delayed by our Canadian government while getting certified. Will be in the dealers ready to go when I need it....April 3rd (hopefully).
At least I have been told what is going on, not shrouded in mystery with no communication with the manufacturer and NO empty promises of help.

driver100

jmonroe said:

nyccarguy said:

For those of you who don't follow Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous, I inked a deal yesterday to trade in my 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium with 47K miles for a CPO 2015 Infiniti Q40 AWD (G37x if you haven't kept up with Infiniti's nomenclature changes) with under 7,500 miles.  I'm very excited!

Congrats on the new ride, I'm sure you'll like it.

Right before I got my '15 Genny, Son #1 and I went to Cleveland for his '13 G37. Other than a deer running into it a few months ago he has had no problems with it. He probably has around 30K on it by now and he has no intentions of getting rid of it. Black on Black and it shines up nice.

If you had given me some advance notice I would have tried to talk Mrs. j into letting her '12 Legacy Limited with the 6 cyl. and 28K on it go to a poster buddy...but you blew that possibility now. :@

I'm sure you won't be wanting for more horses with your new toy.

Give us the first 1000 mile impression.

jmonroe

JM, You should spring for a new Infinity for your wife the next time around

driver100

thebean said:

ab348 said:

Speaking of delays by manufacturers, does your dealer have your E400 yet? Refresh my memory, how long have you been waiting for that?

...he asked, slowly jabbing the knife in.

Yeh, big difference between a new model car with no real promise of a delivery date and no control over government red tape.......and a car sitting in a service bay for 3 months waiting for a part that hasn't been made yet.

driver100

This happened about 10 miles from where I live back home.


Accused impaired driver totals high-end McLaren sports car in Burlington

The driver of a high-end McLaren Spider sports car is facing impaired driving charges after he crashed into a hydro box on a tree-lined residential street in Burlington late Thursday night. Car valued at almost $400000!
It was a 23 year old kid!

What parent gives their kid a $400k car to drive?

I wonder if insurance will pay....since he was DUI.?

VIDEO

stickguy

what the heck is a hydro box?

abacomike

stickguy said:

what the heck is a hydro box?

Who wants to know?  

From a Mitsubishi website:

Hydroboxes

The Ecodan FTC5 Hydrobox models feature the Mitsubishi Electric fifth-generation controller which includes intelligent room temperature control as standard. This together with advanced weather compensation ensures the system delivers efficient, comfortable heating regardless of the season.

So it would seem that it is a system for heating areas.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

This happened about 10 miles from where I live back home.


Accused impaired driver totals high-end McLaren sports car in Burlington

The driver of a high-end McLaren Spider sports car is facing impaired driving charges after he crashed into a hydro box on a tree-lined residential street in Burlington late Thursday night. Car valued at almost $400000!
It was a 23 year old kid!

What parent gives their kid a $400k car to drive?

I wonder if insurance will pay....since he was DUI.?

VIDEO

Regardless of what anyone in here will say...that WILL NOT BUFF OUT.

As for the parents thingy, none in my hood.

jmonroe

jmonroe

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

what the heck is a hydro box?

Who wants to know?  

From a Mitsubishi website:

Hydroboxes

The Ecodan FTC5 Hydrobox models feature the Mitsubishi Electric fifth-generation controller which includes intelligent room temperature control as standard. This together with advanced weather compensation ensures the system delivers efficient, comfortable heating regardless of the season.

So it would seem that it is a system for heating areas.

Until you provided that high tech answer, I would have said a "hydro box" is a Canadian fire hydrant.

Shows you what I know about techy thingy's in Canada.

jmonroe

ab348

driver100 said:

The driver of a high-end McLaren Spider sports car is facing impaired driving charges after he crashed into a hydro box on a tree-lined residential street in Burlington late Thursday night. Car valued at almost $400000!
It was a 23 year old kid!

What parent gives their kid a $400k car to drive?

Probably a young "medical marijuana" entrepreneur. This is in Canada, remember.

driver100

stickguy said:

what the heck is a hydro box?

That is funny.....we use the term hydro instead of electric power. As in what was your electric (hydro) bill last month.

Most of our power plants have the name Hydro in them....as in Niagara Hydro Power.

My guess is most electricity came from hydro/power such as Niagara Falls.

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

This happened about 10 miles from where I live back home.


Accused impaired driver totals high-end McLaren sports car in Burlington

The driver of a high-end McLaren Spider sports car is facing impaired driving charges after he crashed into a hydro box on a tree-lined residential street in Burlington late Thursday night. Car valued at almost $400000!
It was a 23 year old kid!

What parent gives their kid a $400k car to drive?

I wonder if insurance will pay....since he was DUI.?

VIDEO

Regardless of what anyone in here will say...that WILL NOT BUFF OUT.

As for the parents thingy, none in my hood.

jmonroe

But, if anyone could buff it out....you the man!

ab348

driver100 said:

Yeh, big difference between a new model car with no real promise of a delivery date and no control over government red tape.......and a car sitting in a service bay for 3 months waiting for a part that hasn't been made yet.

I don't see a whole lot of difference. But whatever.

ab348

stickguy said:

what the heck is a hydro box?

According to the video it was actually a transformer box.

driver100

One big difference is.....let us say I wanted my car on the original date we expected it.....December 15th, and the car wasn't there........I am pretty certain my dealer would switch my order and let me choose another car, that would be in their best interest as well as mine. GG sure didn't get that opportunity.

Also, let's be realistic, a lot of the new models don't have deadline dates any more. They keep working on them and perfecting them, when they are ready they put them in the market. Making a new model is not an exact science any more...there are too many variables.

PF_Flyer

Mr_Shiftright said:

abacomike said:

cdnpinhead said:

abacomike said:

. . . by inviting complaints in an environment where millions of drivers watch the boards . . .

Millions? I'd say maybe a dozen or two.

I guess I overstated the popularity of the Forums - by a million and a half at the very least! 

No, no, we have lots of lurkers and one-timers....considerable number of visitors whom you never meet.

Absolutely. We're not in a private club here for sure. Many, many views of what we're posting, so far more eyeballs are viewing what you have to say than you might think when you post. You all are just the brave folks

fintail

People in BC call it "hydro" too.

For the identity of the McLaren crasher, IMO more likely spoiled devilspawn of a newly arrived "investor" type than wacky tobacky grower. It's an epidemic in Vancouver and Seattle (I see these kids flitting around in supercars often, sometimes they goof up, makes a strong case for progressive fines), likely is in the other real estate bubble/money laundering hotspot of the greater Toronto area as well. New money acquired through questionable means and an entitled lack of self-awareness are not a good combination. Grass growers are the epitome of clean business in comparison.

PF_Flyer

Are you having trouble figuring out how to use all of the technology in your car? If you're overwhelmed with how to operate your navigation system, bluetooth, park assist or other advanced technology feature, a reporter would love to talk to you about your experience.

Please send an email to PR@Edmunds.com by Friday, March 17, 2017.

qbrozen

The power windows are pure witchcraft.

;b

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

Are you having trouble figuring out how to use all of the technology in your car? If you're overwhelmed with how to operate your navigation system, bluetooth, park assist or other advanced technology feature, a reporter would love to talk to you about your experience.

Please send an email to PR@Edmunds.com by Friday, March 17, 2017.

Give him Mike's address.