Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

JMonroe....glad you are still with us. What a way to go, I can see the headline now;
Poor Lady is seen in Grocery Store Parking Lot Crying as The Police and Ambulance Workers Try to Pry Her Husbands Body Out of a Shopping Cart.
I say if you make it past 40 you are fortunate, past 50 is amazing, past 60 is a bonus, over 70 Double Bonus!
These days every trip out of your house is like taking your life in your hands :@

driver100

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

js06gv said:

graphicguy said:

Small Weber...propane. I think I paid $500. 11 yrs old and still going strong.

I second the Weber. Mine is the Genesis direct propane (hooks to house line) and I love it. I was apprehensive about spending $700 on a grille but when I did the math on the $200-300 grilles I had been replacing every 3-5 years it was well worth the spend. Have had it for 7 years now and I've only been through a set of grates, but that was more personal preference than anything else. They probably could've made it another couple of years.

So, you cook with a Genny, huh?

When my Charbroil konks out I'll have to try a Genny grill. I've heard good things about them too.

Just hope I can afford another heavily depreciating appliance.

jmonroe

Or if the Genny konks out first you can use it as the BBQ;


ou win either way.

How long did it take for you to realize that I'm a winner.

If you followed my lead you'd be on my team.

jmonroe

If I follow your lead I will probably get hit by a grocery shopping buggy

jmonroe

@oldfarmer50 said:
On the positive side you can always refuse to take your wife shopping again out of fear for your life.

OK wise guy, I'll tell her that if you stand in front of me when I say it. Any ole wimp can stand behind a guy with a big month. Are you in? :@

The @thebean said:
Doggone it @jmonroe, I paid good money to that "hit man" in the SUV to take you out.  Curse your Vulcan athleticism.  Now we're going to have to pay for that poor guy's Accord damage.  

Maybe you don't have to worry if you got the up grade policy that includes "Supplemental Parking Lot Coverage.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

Car buying story.

A guy I know at work just bought a 2005 Volvo SUV from a CoPart auction (XC90 I think) 200k+ miles. Evidently a rust free Texas car. Was top bid at $750 but they reneged and told him $750 was too low and they wanted $1000. He agreed to pay but why I don't know. It was listed as "needs axle". Turned out it needed 4....and bearings and a bunch of other stuff. As of now it's a $3400 car.

To contrast, the 2005 Sable I bought for $3550 with 1/4 the milage only needed the rear defroster fixed.

Am I wrong in thinking he got into this too deep? I've been there myself. Any of you ever ended up bailing a sinking boat?

roadburner

jmonroe said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
On the positive side you can always refuse to take your wife shopping again out of fear for your life.

OK wise guy, I'll tell her that if you stand in front of me when I say it. Any ole wimp can stand behind a guy with a big month. Are you in? :@

The @thebean said:
Doggone it @jmonroe, I paid good money to that "hit man" in the SUV to take you out.  Curse your Vulcan athleticism.  Now we're going to have to pay for that poor guy's Accord damage.  

Maybe you don't have to worry if you got the up grade policy that includes "Supplemental Parking Lot Coverage.

jmonroe

Your story sounds like an episode of my Small Claims Court- AKA: "The Gong Show."

Mr_Shiftright

It really depends on how much use he gets out of it. He's not in too deep in terms of total costs, so far, but he's pretty much doomed with a 12 year old Volvo with 200K+ miles. It wasn't such a great car the day it popped out of the factory....BUT....a good counter argument is that it DID go 200K+ miles.

So...coin flip on this one. He's got about another $1000 to spend before he is hopelessly buried in it.

Let's wish him luck.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

When @jpp5862 and I visited the Fiat / Alfa Romeo / Maserati dealer a month or so ago, they had just signed the agreement to also add McLaren.



The first vehicles had just been dropped off when we toured the lot with the GSM; he indicated that every mile put on the McLaren would reduce the value by $100.



Not sure if that's truth or hyperbole.

I'd venture a guess he is way off. First, nobody is coming in and knocking $100 off their offer on a new McLaren that has 1 mile on the odometer or $300 off for 3 miles, etc. "I need to get $1000 off my new $190k car, please get me one with 10 miles on it." Second, when the car is purchased, it is depreciating a HELL of a lot more than $100 for that first mile. 

Are there actually any records of a new car less than 24 hours old being traded-in to verify the steep depreciation "once you drive it off the lot" Seems to me that most are deterred from trading in a day old car by some low-ball offer, but has anyone really ever gone through with it?

Insurance companies argue you can't know what the loss/depreciation is unless you actually sell the car. Once you sell it, it becomes real, whereas everything else is just theory. I don't buy the argument, but that doesn't stop them from using it.

Depends on the car of course, as well as the availability of new ones, but for the most part, you'd be talking about the difference between what the next buyer is willing to pay for one that had a previous owner and one that did not, PLUS dealer profit. Then there is the added risk that the manufacturer could put trunk money on the new ones before you've been able to unload that used one, and make things even worse for you. If I was a dealer facing buying back such a lightly used vehicle, I know I'd want to cover my butt.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Car buying story.



A guy I know at work just bought a 2005 Volvo SUV from a CoPart auction (XC90 I think) 200k+ miles. Evidently a rust free Texas car. Was top bid at $750 but they reneged and told him $750 was too low and they wanted $1000. He agreed to pay but why I don't know. It was listed as "needs axle". Turned out it needed 4....and bearings and a bunch of other stuff. As of now it's a $3400 car.



To contrast, the 2005 Sable I bought for $3550 with 1/4 the milage only needed the rear defroster fixed.



Am I wrong in thinking he got into this too deep? I've been there myself. Any of you ever ended up bailing a sinking boat?

Depends on the model. I would think it is a 2.5T since a T6 would be on at least its 3rd transmission to make it 200k. In which case, it may have some life left in it. He needs to service the transmission pronto and have the rear output shaft inspected for leaking. If it is leaking, he needs to cut and run. Hell, hopefully the rear axles are actually functioning.

i disagree wholeheartedly with Shifty. The XC90 is a great driving SUV. One of the best at the time. You just couldn't count on it very long unless you were lucky enough to get a FWD 2.5T.

have I ever bailed on a car? Yes. Our first 190E with leaking head gasket and a '66 mustang I just could not afford to finish prior to leaving for college.

jmonroe

roadburner said:

jmonroe said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
On the positive side you can always refuse to take your wife shopping again out of fear for your life.

OK wise guy, I'll tell her that if you stand in front of me when I say it. Any ole wimp can stand behind a guy with a big month. Are you in? :@

The @thebean said:
Doggone it @jmonroe, I paid good money to that "hit man" in the SUV to take you out.  Curse your Vulcan athleticism.  Now we're going to have to pay for that poor guy's Accord damage.  

Maybe you don't have to worry if you got the up grade policy that includes "Supplemental Parking Lot Coverage.

jmonroe

Your story sounds like an episode of my Small Claims Court- AKA: "The Gong Show."

I'm sure you could post for days about some of your cases.

When things get a little slow in here you ought to tell a few of those tales. It would take the heat off some of my looong posts.

There may be only one guy in here that complains.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Car buying story.





A guy I know at work just bought a 2005 Volvo SUV from a CoPart auction (XC90 I think) 200k+ miles. Evidently a rust free Texas car. Was top bid at $750 but they reneged and told him $750 was too low and they wanted $1000. He agreed to pay but why I don't know. It was listed as "needs axle". Turned out it needed 4....and bearings and a bunch of other stuff. As of now it's a $3400 car.





To contrast, the 2005 Sable I bought for $3550 with 1/4 the milage only needed the rear defroster fixed.





Am I wrong in thinking he got into this too deep? I've been there myself. Any of you ever ended up bailing a sinking boat?

Depends on the model. I would think it is a 2.5T since a T6 would be on at least its 3rd transmission to make it 200k. In which case, it may have some life left in it. He needs to service the transmission pronto and have the rear output shaft inspected for leaking. If it is leaking, he needs to cut and run. Hell, hopefully the rear axles are actually functioning.

i disagree wholeheartedly with Shifty. The XC90 is a great driving SUV. One of the best at the time. You just couldn't count on it very long unless you were lucky enough to get a FWD 2.5T.

have I ever bailed on a car? Yes. Our first 190E with leaking head gasket and a '66 mustang I just could not afford to finish prior to leaving for college.

Sounds like we don't disagree at all regarding reliability.

driver100

jmonroe said:

roadburner said:

jmonroe said:

@oldfarmer50 said:
On the positive side you can always refuse to take your wife shopping again out of fear for your life.

OK wise guy, I'll tell her that if you stand in front of me when I say it. Any ole wimp can stand behind a guy with a big month. Are you in? :@

The @thebean said:
Doggone it @jmonroe, I paid good money to that "hit man" in the SUV to take you out.  Curse your Vulcan athleticism.  Now we're going to have to pay for that poor guy's Accord damage.  

Maybe you don't have to worry if you got the up grade policy that includes "Supplemental Parking Lot Coverage.

jmonroe

Your story sounds like an episode of my Small Claims Court- AKA: "The Gong Show."

I'm sure you could post for days about some of your cases.

When things get a little slow in here you ought to tell a few of those tales. It would take the heat off some of my looong posts.

There may be only one guy in here that complains.

jmonroe

It wouldn't be me complaining....I love watching court cases. If I had more time I would watch Hot Bench and Judge Judy and there are some of the copycat (kind of like a Genesis) judges that are OK. I like the process, usually one person is lying, and the judge deciphers the testimony to see who is the one lying. I think I learned some very valuable lessons that helped me in life and business, about how to detect and handle the liars. If you ask the right questions they usually hang themselves at some point

(btw, I am certainly not referring to anyone here)

imidazol97

For a minute while reading earlier posts, I thought the shopping cart escapade was leading to JM getting a new Bentley, errr I mean Genesis.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

It wouldn't be me complaining....I love watching court cases. If I had more time I would watch Hot Bench and Judge Judy and there are some of the copycat (kind of like a Genesis) judges that are OK. I like the process, usually one person is lying, and the judge deciphers the testimony to see who is the one lying. I think I learned some very valuable lessons that helped me in life and business, about how to detect and handle the liars. If you ask the right questions they usually hang themselves at some point

Judge Judy is using overt and subliminal clues to lying by the litigants. She asks several questions and observes the behavior. Later when she goes after the jugular on a few people, she observes the indicators of lying--notice she wants them to look at her while talking because some folks twitch their eyes away when they lie.

Some days I watch some of the 2 hours of JJ available on our cable every day. When JJ has a case involving cars, I cring because she operates on preset ideas about the value or a classic car, e.g., or seems clueless about the repair problems and shady garage guys ordinary people who don't make $30,000,000 a year have to suffer.

As to the copycats, most seem scripted to me. And they drag out a 10 minute case for 30 minutes. The Judy show is also scripted somewhat. She has those fits of rage and indigation and statements about they're wasting her time because she has sushi today for lunch... LOL, that I believe are intentional because the poll well with the target audience for the ratings. Judy has the highest number of advertisements for lawyers of any time slow in this major media market. That indicates the target audience is someone who may need the help of an attorney to drain their pockets helping them in court. Her show also has lots of ads for death insurance and catheters and Depends. Hmmmmm.

graphicguy

OF...been there on a car that was a money pit (a beautiful MGP GT that was about 15 years old when I got it). I've mentioned it in here before. It wasn't necessarily cheap (~$3,500, IIRC). But, it was a chunk of money I could ill-afford to lose. Everything you've heard about them is true. Car was gorgeous, garage kept, low mileage. But, electronic gremlins and carburetors that refused to stay adjusted were just two of the many frustrating, and seemingly unfixable, traits of the car. Cut my DIY teeth on that car.

The one saving grace, I sold it for what I bought it for, but not after sinking another 3 or so grand into it to keep it running.

Mustang? Different story! The only thing I had to "fix" was a broken cruise control. That was minor, though. Between 2K mile oil changes and tire rotations, a brake bleeding and refill, new multi-function stalk (the cause of the cruise control issue), some new wiring, hoses and belt....it's just about as good as the day it rolled out of the dealer's showroom.

But, it wasn't a $2,000 car to begin with, either.

Best "hoopty" investment? A $3,000 mid-90s Honda Civic with 150K miles that I shared with my (then) newly licensed son. Drove it for two years with nothing more than oil changes and gas. As reliable as a hammer. Sold it for what I bought it for.

jmonroe

I don't usually watch any of the so-called "reality shows" because they are the furthest from reality as you can get but every so often as I'm thumbing through the channels I land on one of those "judge" shows and I watch for a minute or two at the most. They are all the same just different participants.

Acting under the guise of reality the reality shows sure do attract audiences by the droves today. It sells, so it is copy-cated as fast as producers can think of another "judge" show to fill the cable channels with. Personally, I find it insulting and to insult my intelligence you have to be as low as whale poop.

Coincidentally, I saw something interesting about Judge Judy at the grocery store I was at before my parking lot incident yesterday. At the checkout counter I saw the cover of one of those rag papers that had a picture of Judge Judy and it said (don't hold me to this exactly because I only glanced at it for a mere second), "Judge Judy is learning how to live alone". Like I said this was a rag paper so I'm sure it sells...but not to me. I have to wonder about people who pay money to be insulted when they buy those rag papers. It's scary as hell but I know some of them are in the voting booths next me when I go to vote.

I feel bad for the now departed Judge Wapner since his original show at least started out somewhat real. Then the flood gates opened and we are now swamped with court room shows.

I guess I shouldn't say "we" because I don't allow myself to be insulted for more than a minute or two with anything that claims to be "reality" on TV.

I'm curious what our resident judge thinks of these shows.

jmonroe

graphicguy

Chalk this up to my inner derelict adolescence coming out, but it's been raining around these parts just about every other day for a week or so. Last night it was just "spitting" but the roads were still damp.

I was at one of those Interstate entrance ramps that has two lanes turning onto the ramp. As is usually the case, one of those lanes ends as the ramp narrows to merge onto the interstate.

I'm in the left entrance ramp lane (the one that does not narrow), and there's a Dodge Charger on my right (in the lane that DOES narrow). Just in case, I put the trans in manual shift mode. Light turns green, Charger punches it, giving me my cue to bow to the mighty Hemi, or take him down. I chose the latter.

We enter the sweeper onto the ramp and it's clear Charger guy isn't going to defer to me. OK....I let my turbo 6 banger wind out in 1st (this engine makes really good sounds in the mid-upper revs). I hit 2nd and really start to make serious speed while Charger man drops back. Not sure if I was faster? Whether he lost his nerve? But, as he dropped back, I look in the rearview for a split second and see his rear end dancing back and forth. Probably lost traction.

Anyway, usually those folks want another go round on flat, straight interstate. I was ready. But, he stayed back....way back behind me, in the safety of the right lane.

isellhondas

Two years ago we bought a Weber Performer and we just love it. It give the best of both worlds. You screw one of the small propane tanks under it that gets the charcoal going. I use a Weber chimney. I fill that with lump charcoal bush the ignite button and the burner gets the charcoal going. I give it about five minutes or less to get a good start on the charcoal. Then I turn off the burner and dump the coals into the bottom.

I spread them out a little and five minutes later it's ready.

No muss nor fuss, charcoal flavor without having to drag those heavy five gallon tanks around etc.

I think we paid around 400.00 for it.

murphydog

isellhondas said:

Two years ago we bought a Weber Performer and we just love it. It give the best of both worlds. You screw one of the small propane tanks under it that gets the charcoal going. I use a Weber chimney. I fill that with lump charcoal bush the ignite button and the burner gets the charcoal going. I give it about five minutes or less to get a good start on the charcoal. Then I turn off the burner and dump the coals into the bottom.

I spread them out a little and five minutes later it's ready.

No muss nor fuss, charcoal flavor without having to drag those heavy five gallon tanks around etc.

I think we paid around 400.00 for it.

My neighbor is a charcoal guy and he lucked in to one of these at an yard sale for $100. The couple was moving our of the country and was clearing everything out. It pretty much had never been used and was nearly brand new. There was an issue with the lid, but as usual Weber sent him the replacement part free of charge. I had given up on charcoal, but if my current gas Weber suddenly disappeared I would get one of these.

andres3

graphicguy said:

OF...been there on a car that was a money pit (a beautiful MGP GT that was about 15 years old when I got it). I've mentioned it in here before. It wasn't necessarily cheap (~$3,500, IIRC). But, it was a chunk of money I could ill-afford to lose. Everything you've heard about them is true. Car was gorgeous, garage kept, low mileage. But, electronic gremlins and carburetors that refused to stay adjusted were just two of the many frustrating, and seemingly unfixable, traits of the car. Cut my DIY teeth on that car.

The one saving grace, I sold it for what I bought it for, but not after sinking another 3 or so grand into it to keep it running.

Mustang? Different story! The only thing I had to "fix" was a broken cruise control. That was minor, though. Between 2K mile oil changes and tire rotations, a brake bleeding and refill, new multi-function stalk (the cause of the cruise control issue), some new wiring, hoses and belt....it's just about as good as the day it rolled out of the dealer's showroom.

But, it wasn't a $2,000 car to begin with, either.

Best "hoopty" investment? A $3,000 mid-90s Honda Civic with 150K miles that I shared with my (then) newly licensed son. Drove it for two years with nothing more than oil changes and gas. As reliable as a hammer. Sold it for what I bought it for.

What year did you get that mid-90's Civic?

Seems very close to my story with my then GF (now wife's) first car that I helped her get. It was 2002 and it was a '92 Civic DX Hatchback 4-speed Automatic Transmission w/ Air Conditioning and a good aftermarket stereo system. The car was in great shape for having 166,000 miles. Paid $3,500 plus fees & taxes since it was a used car dealer. We did have to put a little bit of money into it over 2 years, but it was reliable, got to 200K, and sold for $2,700 cash to a Honda Mechanic that was buying for his son.

suydam

I had a '95 very basic Honda Civic sedan, MT, like that. It was a terrific little car.

isellhondas

Any used Honda in decent condition will bring big money. If a person insists on using KBB on an exceptional one they will lose out to another eager buyer. A few models will literally break the bank.

A late 80's- early 90's Civic Wagon is a good example. If a person can possible find one with A/C, automatic and 4WD, they can name their price and get it!

1986-1991 Preludes. Find an SI and it'll break the bank. Perfect one would be a 1991 SI Automatic with A/C. Find a yellow one and you'll be in the money!

1996-2000 Civic Hatchbacks that haven't been butchered (good luck) Again, add an AT and AC and they will bring close to what they sold for new.

Any Accord - 1986-1993 EX's are the best and station wagons bring a bonus!

This said, these cars are near impossible to find. People scour the CL ads and other sources and snap these cars up. If you find one with under 150,000 miles you'll get bonus points!

driver100

graphicguy said:

OK....I let my turbo 6 banger wind out in 1st (this engine makes really good sounds in the mid-upper revs). I hit 2nd and really start to make serious speed while Charger man drops back. Not sure if I was faster? Whether he lost his nerve? But, as he dropped back, I look in the rearview for a split second and see his rear end dancing back and forth. Probably lost traction.
.

I was wondering if the Charger was going to fishtail a bit on the wet roads. It oly rained about once a month in Florida this year, but the roads were extremely slippery after it rained. The RWD C 250 can really slide out if you aren't careful......especially on left turns. I am really used to AWD which makes that almost impossible to happen it seems.

I don't don't race someone else these days - but sometimes I like to have the horses to get away from someone like the guy in the Charger.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Chalk this up to my inner derelict adolescence coming out, but it's been raining around these parts just about every other day for a week or so. Last night it was just "spitting" but the roads were still damp.

I was at one of those Interstate entrance ramps that has two lanes turning onto the ramp. As is usually the case, one of those lanes ends as the ramp narrows to merge onto the interstate.

I'm in the left entrance ramp lane (the one that does not narrow), and there's a Dodge Charger on my right (in the lane that DOES narrow). Just in case, I put the trans in manual shift mode. Light turns green, Charger punches it, giving me my cue to bow to the mighty Hemi, or take him down. I chose the latter.

We enter the sweeper onto the ramp and it's clear Charger guy isn't going to defer to me. OK....I let my turbo 6 banger wind out in 1st (this engine makes really good sounds in the mid-upper revs). I hit 2nd and really start to make serious speed while Charger man drops back. Not sure if I was faster? Whether he lost his nerve? But, as he dropped back, I look in the rearview for a split second and see his rear end dancing back and forth. Probably lost traction.

Anyway, usually those folks want another go round on flat, straight interstate. I was ready. But, he stayed back....way back behind me, in the safety of the right lane.

That Charger/Challenger platform is so heavy that I'm suprised that an owner would try to race anybody.

driver100

jmonroe said:

I don't usually watch any of the so-called "reality shows" because they are the furthest from reality as you can get but every so often as I'm thumbing through the channels I land on one of those "judge" shows and I watch for a minute or two at the most. They are all the same just different participants.

Acting under the guise of reality the reality shows sure do attract audiences by the droves today. It sells, so it is copy-cated as fast as producers can think of another "judge" show to fill the cable channels with. Personally, I find it insulting and to insult my intelligence you have to be as low as whale poop.

At the checkout counter I saw the cover of one of those rag papers that had a picture of Judge Judy and it said (don't hold me to this exactly because I only glanced at it for a mere second), "Judge Judy is learning how to live alone".

jmonroe

Are you saying imid and I have intelligence as low as whale poop?
At least we don't live in a fantasy world where we think our wannabe cars are real luxury cars

That article at the checkout counter probably was a story about how JJ's husband was taking Bridge lessons twice a week and she has to be alone for two evenings. I saw him a little while ago as a guest on Hot Bench and he was very good....pretty articulate fellow.....she should give him a show too. We could then have the Judge Channel, all courtroom 24/7.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Chalk this up to my inner derelict adolescence coming out, but it's been raining around these parts just about every other day for a week or so. Last night it was just "spitting" but the roads were still damp.

I was at one of those Interstate entrance ramps that has two lanes turning onto the ramp. As is usually the case, one of those lanes ends as the ramp narrows to merge onto the interstate.

I'm in the left entrance ramp lane (the one that does not narrow), and there's a Dodge Charger on my right (in the lane that DOES narrow). Just in case, I put the trans in manual shift mode. Light turns green, Charger punches it, giving me my cue to bow to the mighty Hemi, or take him down. I chose the latter.

We enter the sweeper onto the ramp and it's clear Charger guy isn't going to defer to me. OK....I let my turbo 6 banger wind out in 1st (this engine makes really good sounds in the mid-upper revs). I hit 2nd and really start to make serious speed while Charger man drops back. Not sure if I was faster? Whether he lost his nerve? But, as he dropped back, I look in the rearview for a split second and see his rear end dancing back and forth. Probably lost traction.

Anyway, usually those folks want another go round on flat, straight interstate. I was ready. But, he stayed back....way back behind me, in the safety of the right lane.

That Charger/Challenger platform is so heavy that I'm suprised that an owner would try to race anybody.

They used to say in home audio receivers you want to pay by the pound. The heavier the receiver/amplifier, the more value you were getting in whatever price you paid (pretty good indicator of quality unless you see bricks inside the case . With cars, it is the opposite I think. People pay a premium for size, but not really weight I think. People feel safe in large SUV's, but most SUV owners probably don't even know the curb weight of their own SUV.

graphicguy

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

OF...been there on a car that was a money pit (a beautiful MGP GT that was about 15 years old when I got it). I've mentioned it in here before. It wasn't necessarily cheap (~$3,500, IIRC). But, it was a chunk of money I could ill-afford to lose. Everything you've heard about them is true. Car was gorgeous, garage kept, low mileage. But, electronic gremlins and carburetors that refused to stay adjusted were just two of the many frustrating, and seemingly unfixable, traits of the car. Cut my DIY teeth on that car.

The one saving grace, I sold it for what I bought it for, but not after sinking another 3 or so grand into it to keep it running.

Mustang? Different story! The only thing I had to "fix" was a broken cruise control. That was minor, though. Between 2K mile oil changes and tire rotations, a brake bleeding and refill, new multi-function stalk (the cause of the cruise control issue), some new wiring, hoses and belt....it's just about as good as the day it rolled out of the dealer's showroom.

But, it wasn't a $2,000 car to begin with, either.

Best "hoopty" investment? A $3,000 mid-90s Honda Civic with 150K miles that I shared with my (then) newly licensed son. Drove it for two years with nothing more than oil changes and gas. As reliable as a hammer. Sold it for what I bought it for.

What year did you get that mid-90's Civic?

Seems very close to my story with my then GF (now wife's) first car that I helped her get. It was 2002 and it was a '92 Civic DX Hatchback 4-speed Automatic Transmission w/ Air Conditioning and a good aftermarket stereo system. The car was in great shape for having 166,000 miles. Paid $3,500 plus fees & taxes since it was a used car dealer. We did have to put a little bit of money into it over 2 years, but it was reliable, got to 200K, and sold for $2,700 cash to a Honda Mechanic that was buying for his son.

Andres....I want to say it was a '95 or a '96....a DX. Pretty basic. Crank windows. It did have an automatic and A/C but no cruise. Aftermarket stereo, which looked professionally installed. But, one of the rear speakers was blown out, so I had the fader turned to use only the front speakers, which were just OK. Didn't want to put any money into a mediocre stereo to make it just a little more mediocre so never replaced the rear speaker. The original owner worked just south of Columbus but lived near me. He used that Civic to commute...thus the high miles.

Great car. Not even my son, who barely knew how to drive, could hurt it.

Regarding AV Receivers and amps...once upon a time, it was thought that the heavier the equipment, the better it was.....bigger/heavier power supplies, heavier shielding, etc. Today, with digital amps, those same assumptions aren't neccessarily true.

ab348

GG's Cobra/Charger story reminded me of how addictive power can be. In the ATS today I was in traffic on an expressway and was stuck behind two members of the anti-destination league in the left lane who were dawdling along at 50mph while traffic passed them on the right. When I finally got an opening I pulled right and punched the accelerator to do the same. In no time at all I was doing 75+ even before I realized it. The turbo engine and gearing really likes that midrange. Glad there wasn't a cop lurking behind the overpass.

driver100

Thank goodness for Turbos!

remember the good old days when you would push the gas pedal to the floor, wait for the gears to go down, then, well, kind of get a bit of a surge of power in most cars.

andres3

ab348 said:

GG's Cobra/Charger story reminded me of how addictive power can be. In the ATS today I was in traffic on an expressway and was stuck behind two members of the anti-destination league in the left lane who were dawdling along at 50mph while traffic passed them on the right. When I finally got an opening I pulled right and punched the accelerator to do the same. In no time at all I was doing 75+ even before I realized it. The turbo engine and gearing really likes that midrange. Glad there wasn't a cop lurking behind the overpass.

If there was a cop lurking around, he should most definitely be ticketing the 2 anti-destination league members before even batting an eye at 75 MPH. Especially if the speed limit was 65 MPH.

Mr_Shiftright

I use speed for self-defense. I suppose it is self-evident, but until I bought my 4X4 truck, I guess I never realized that drivers like to push little cars like Minis around, but lay off the big boys. Road bullies!

houdini1

isellhondas said:

Any used Honda in decent condition will bring big money. If a person insists on using KBB on an exceptional one they will lose out to another eager buyer. A few models will literally break the bank.

A late 80's- early 90's Civic Wagon is a good example. If a person can possible find one with A/C, automatic and 4WD, they can name their price and get it!

1986-1991 Preludes. Find an SI and it'll break the bank. Perfect one would be a 1991 SI Automatic with A/C. Find a yellow one and you'll be in the money!

1996-2000 Civic Hatchbacks that haven't been butchered (good luck) Again, add an AT and AC and they will bring close to what they sold for new.

Any Accord - 1986-1993 EX's are the best and station wagons bring a bonus!

This said, these cars are near impossible to find. People scour the CL ads and other sources and snap these cars up. If you find one with under 150,000 miles you'll get bonus points!

I still pine for my 1979 Honda Accord 4-door. One of the first in Kansas City. 5 speed manual and 72 HP. Very peppy. Choice of color, either Ruby Red or Silver. I chose the red. A real little gem.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nj97t1w_nPk

andres3

I'm very happy to report I'm a very happy Audi fan again.

It might just be the dealer, but they are taking excellent care of me, and in my opinion, fully making up for Audi's failure to get them a part for a month so that my car sat in their shop for over a month.

I just had to let out a bit of a squeak of the wheel when they called me for their typical service follow-up customer service call. Service manager called me afterward, and said he fully agreed compensation was in order.

I was offered a month's note/payment (which is pretty heavy given a short 42 month loan period, although tempered by the 2.5 year old fully owned S4 traded in and put in as a down payment, or an Audi Car Service Contract for my 15K, 25K,35K, and 45K mile services.

Short of a breakdown or leak happening over the weekend, I think it is a no-brainer to take the service contract. I believe I'll call him back Monday and take the deal, and maybe have him throw in some Daytona Gray Pearl touch-up paint pens.

2 of the services are basically just oil changes, but the 25K is worth $180 at my indy shop, and the 35K includes a DSG service, so that's "the big one" about $450 by itself. Using dealership prices they probably value it at 50-70% more.

explorerx4

One of the reasons I hesitate to buy another small car is the reason Shifty mentioned.
So now that you have a truck, you are the bully boy?

oldfarmer50

isellhondas said:

Any used Honda in decent condition will bring big money. If a person insists on using KBB on an exceptional one they will lose out to another eager buyer. A few models will literally break the bank.

A late 80's- early 90's Civic Wagon is a good example. If a person can possible find one with A/C, automatic and 4WD, they can name their price and get it!

1986-1991 Preludes. Find an SI and it'll break the bank. Perfect one would be a 1991 SI Automatic with A/C. Find a yellow one and you'll be in the money!

1996-2000 Civic Hatchbacks that haven't been butchered (good luck) Again, add an AT and AC and they will bring close to what they sold for new.

Any Accord - 1986-1993 EX's are the best and station wagons bring a bonus!

This said, these cars are near impossible to find. People scour the CL ads and other sources and snap these cars up. If you find one with under 150,000 miles you'll get bonus points!

That's just crazy.

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

I use speed for self-defense. I suppose it is self-evident, but until I bought my 4X4 truck, I guess I never realized that drivers like to push little cars like Minis around, but lay off the big boys. Road bullies!

Funny you mention that. When I drive my wife's PT with it's girlie license plate I get cut off and generally abused. When I drive the Mustang people just seem to get out of the way.

Maybe when that see the 5.0 on the side they figure why bother trying.

isellhondas

houdini1 said:

isellhondas said:

Any used Honda in decent condition will bring big money. If a person insists on using KBB on an exceptional one they will lose out to another eager buyer. A few models will literally break the bank.

A late 80's- early 90's Civic Wagon is a good example. If a person can possible find one with A/C, automatic and 4WD, they can name their price and get it!

1986-1991 Preludes. Find an SI and it'll break the bank. Perfect one would be a 1991 SI Automatic with A/C. Find a yellow one and you'll be in the money!

1996-2000 Civic Hatchbacks that haven't been butchered (good luck) Again, add an AT and AC and they will bring close to what they sold for new.

Any Accord - 1986-1993 EX's are the best and station wagons bring a bonus!

This said, these cars are near impossible to find. People scour the CL ads and other sources and snap these cars up. If you find one with under 150,000 miles you'll get bonus points!

I still pine for my 1979 Honda Accord 4-door. One of the first in Kansas City. 5 speed manual and 72 HP. Very peppy. Choice of color, either Ruby Red or Silver. I chose the red. A real little gem.

One of the "old timers" at our store used to tell about what it took to buy a Honda in the late 70's early 80's. The customers would come in pick the color and accessories they wanted and leave a deposit. They would pay 600.00 over MSRP with no discounting. It would take around 6 weeks before their cars arrived.

If they didn't like that they could go down the street and buy a Toyota or something else.

I was one of those people. In 1979, I walked into Concord Honda in Northern California, ready to buy an Accord Hatchback. I was told the same thing and in a very nice and polite way. I let the salesperson know that I had never paid MSRP for any car much less OVER MSRP! He understood completely and suggested that I might be just as happy with a new Celica. He was right! I walked across the street, made my selection (silver) from about a dozen they had in stock. I still remember, it had every option except automatic and I paid 7400.00 for it. It still looked and ran like new four years later when I sold it at 98,000 miles for I think 4200.00. A great little car that I replaced with a 1983 Celica GT that was nicer in some ways but not nearly the tough little car the '79 was.

andres3

explorerx4 said:

One of the reasons I hesitate to buy another small car is the reason Shifty mentioned.
So now that you have a truck, you are the bully boy?

I find the aggressive vertical striped LED daytime running lights in the TTS get a lot of respect in people's rear-view mirrors. Left lane camping problems have gone down 50% since my S4 and A3 driving days. Who needs size when you have style and finesse?

ab348

isellhondas said:

I was one of those people. In 1979, I walked into Concord Honda in Northern California, ready to buy an Accord Hatchback. I was told the same thing and in a very nice and polite way. I let the salesperson know that I had never paid MSRP for any car much less OVER MSRP! He understood completely and suggested that I might be just as happy with a new Celica. He was right! I walked across the street, made my selection (silver) from about a dozen they had in stock. I still remember, it had every option except automatic and I paid 7400.00 for it. It still looked and ran like new four years later when I sold it at 98,000 miles for I think 4200.00. A great little car that I replaced with a 1983 Celica GT that was nicer in some ways but not nearly the tough little car the '79 was.

It was still like that here at the only Honda dealer in town in 1990 when the new Accord came out. I drove one, liked it, and wanted to buy it. They wouldn't even tell me the price until I gave them a deposit. Needless to say I walked and ended up with my GTI.

oldfarmer50

L

isellhondas said:

houdini1 said:

isellhondas said:

Any used Honda in decent condition will bring big money. If a person insists on using KBB on an exceptional one they will lose out to another eager buyer. A few models will literally break the bank.

A late 80's- early 90's Civic Wagon is a good example. If a person can possible find one with A/C, automatic and 4WD, they can name their price and get it!

1986-1991 Preludes. Find an SI and it'll break the bank. Perfect one would be a 1991 SI Automatic with A/C. Find a yellow one and you'll be in the money!

1996-2000 Civic Hatchbacks that haven't been butchered (good luck) Again, add an AT and AC and they will bring close to what they sold for new.

Any Accord - 1986-1993 EX's are the best and station wagons bring a bonus!

This said, these cars are near impossible to find. People scour the CL ads and other sources and snap these cars up. If you find one with under 150,000 miles you'll get bonus points!

I still pine for my 1979 Honda Accord 4-door. One of the first in Kansas City. 5 speed manual and 72 HP. Very peppy. Choice of color, either Ruby Red or Silver. I chose the red. A real little gem.

One of the "old timers" at our store used to tell about what it took to buy a Honda in the late 70's early 80's. The customers would come in pick the color and accessories they wanted and leave a deposit. They would pay 600.00 over MSRP with no discounting. It would take around 6 weeks before their cars arrived.

If they didn't like that they could go down the street and buy a Toyota or something else.

I was one of those people. In 1979, I walked into Concord Honda in Northern California, ready to buy an Accord Hatchback. I was told the same thing and in a very nice and polite way. I let the salesperson know that I had never paid MSRP for any car much less OVER MSRP! He understood completely and suggested that I might be just as happy with a new Celica. He was right! I walked across the street, made my selection (silver) from about a dozen they had in stock. I still remember, it had every option except automatic and I paid 7400.00 for it. It still looked and ran like new four years later when I sold it at 98,000 miles for I think 4200.00. A great little car that I replaced with a 1983 Celica GT that was nicer in some ways but not nearly the tough little car the '79 was.

I remember around that time the Rabbit diesel was da bomb! We went to the local VW dealer and got a super snotty attitude. Seems if you were deemed worthy you got the privledge of paying $1000 over MSRP.

We bought a Dodge Omni.

stickguy

well, they definitely taught you a lesson there.

suydam

We couldn't afford a new Honda back in 1988 so we bought a Mazda 323. That was a great car.

oldfarmer50

My latest day dream.

Would like a convertible or removeable/T top roof to let the wind blow through my 3 hairs. Just for nice day cruising. Wouldn't have to be powerful or fancy. A 6 cyl. auto would do fine.

I always had a thing for late 90s early 2000s Camaros. Like them better than the modern versions.



I know that the latest generation is superior in every way but I can't bring myself to like the style.

stickguy

I could live with a convertible Camaro of that generation.

for you, probably cheaper to trade the Mustang in on a convertible model.

Mr_Shiftright

explorerx4 said:

One of the reasons I hesitate to buy another small car is the reason Shifty mentioned.
So now that you have a truck, you are the bully boy?

No, not a bully, and never aggressive, but I just don't have to give an inch anymore. I'm not stupid enough to challenge a Ford Expedition in a Mini Cooper, but now I'm a 4600 lb,, body-on-frame, hi-lift player. I've noticed that people tend to play nice now in two-into-one lane merges.

Another way they like to beat up a Mini is how they'll jump right over into your lane and risk a head-on, when they are passing a bicycle, as if to say "well, he has room to move over, so I'll cross the double yellow". Don't see that with the truck opposing them.

roadburner

The biggest car in the RB fleet(not counting the 328i) is my 2 Series at 175" long. Suits me and Mrs. RB fine,

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

My latest day dream.

Would like a convertible or removeable/T top roof to let the wind blow through my 3 hairs. Just for nice day cruising. Wouldn't have to be powerful or fancy. A 6 cyl. auto would do fine.

I always had a thing for late 90s early 2000s Camaros. Like them better than the modern versions.



I know that the latest generation is superior in every way but I can't bring myself to like the style.

Have you ever driven one? I found it pretty incredibly awful. The build quality is atrocious and the interior more suited to a Yugo.

stickguy

but an SS convertible with a 6 speed stick is such decadent fun!

andres3

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

My latest day dream.



Would like a convertible or removeable/T top roof to let the wind blow through my 3 hairs. Just for nice day cruising. Wouldn't have to be powerful or fancy. A 6 cyl. auto would do fine.



I always had a thing for late 90s early 2000s Camaros. Like them better than the modern versions.







I know that the latest generation is superior in every way but I can't bring myself to like the style.

Have you ever driven one? I found it pretty incredibly awful. The build quality is atrocious and the interior more suited to a Yugo.

I remember teenagers who had these in the mid and late 90's who tried to do anything teenager like (hooligan fast driving) ended up with the car going into a wall/rail/curb. Atrocious handling too?

andres3

My 3-year old daughter blasted the Alltrack rear door open wide with her legs, and took a good little chip of paint off my TTS I think she understands my Audi is my other child now With the TTS, I have two kids.