Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

I didn't know Audi was doing 7,500 mile/year leases. I've seen a few Mercedes leases advertised like that. 

qbrozen

Hmmm...this is almost concerningly cheap:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2010-Volvo-XC60/Used-SUV/Parlin-NJ/7583672/Details.aspx

If this was an AWD T6, I'd be all over it:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2012-Volvo-S60/Used-Car/Parlin-NJ/8017524/Details.aspx

stickguy

Bradd, I could probably live with the 19s (if sidewall not too thin) to get that color combo and options set!

if it really bothered me, could probably trade down to standard wheels, and come out ahead $ wise.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

Hmmm...this is almost concerningly cheap:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2010-Volvo-XC60/Used-SUV/Parlin-NJ/7583672/Details.aspx

If this was an AWD T6, I'd be all over it:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2012-Volvo-S60/Used-Car/Parlin-NJ/8017524/Details.aspx

Smalls, you are killing me today.

That XC looks nice. It is a 2010, and 75K, so price could be fair, but still a good deal. I could live with it, but would prefer a tan interior.

I love that S60. I prefer the FWD anyway. And love the colors! Still, a touch pricey for a 2012, so I guess you are paying for the crazy low miles. Would certainly work for me.

qbrozen

Put it this way: that XC price is only $2k more than a similar one with 91k sold for at NJ auction this month. But, yes, I would very much prefer a tan interior.

The s60 color scheme is my fave by far. I'm just not looking for FWD this time around.

Michaell

@breld - you took the Audi back to the dealer where you bought it? That's in the wrong direction from work, isn't it?

Can't seem to catch a break. Let's hope they screw everything back together correctly.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

Hmmm...this is almost concerningly cheap:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2010-Volvo-XC60/Used-SUV/Parlin-NJ/7583672/Details.aspx

If this was an AWD T6, I'd be all over it:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2012-Volvo-S60/Used-Car/Parlin-NJ/8017524/Details.aspx

Dealer reviews on Yelp are not flattering.

qbrozen

I have purchase from him before. He is not for everyone, that is for sure.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

qbrozen said:

Hmmm...this is almost concerningly cheap:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2010-Volvo-XC60/Used-SUV/Parlin-NJ/7583672/Details.aspx

If this was an AWD T6, I'd be all over it:
http://torchlightmotors.com/2012-Volvo-S60/Used-Car/Parlin-NJ/8017524/Details.aspx

Dealer reviews on Yelp are not flattering.

And you'd think that the cars would be detailed before being photographed...

stickguy

I visited once, before I got my S40. Interesting place.

henryn

rny421 said:

Since we have had the 2012 S60 for two years, I started browsing to see what piqued my interest. Nothing for the money at this point (~$25k or less). I like the Mercedes GLC, and the Acura TLX, but they haven't come down in price yet. I wish the ILX offered AWD, as it would be a decent entry level "premium" sedan.

I got to thinking, has anyone used swapalease or lease trader? I wonder if anyone consistently uses it to get new cars - i.e. take over someone's lease for the remaining timeframe, then when that one is up, take over another lease. Assuming your situation is pretty flexible, meaning single or married without kids, drive few miles per year, and can sustain the possibility of having only one car for a month or two, it could be a pretty fun and an "inexpensive" way to churn cars. There are some pretty good deals to be had, and not to mention, some of these people might be desperate to get out of the car for many reasons, so they might be willing to haggle.

I have never driven an ATS, but I think like the looks of it enough to live with it for 15 months: http://www.swapalease.com/lease/details/2016-Cadillac-ATS.aspx?salid=1054353

I'm rather surprised that no one has commented on your post. About a year ago, maybe two years, I was looking at the same idea. I never went further than simply looking at the cars offered. I do believe that ATS is a very nice deal. Very nice.

henryn

sda said:

breld said:

So on Saturday, the "minimum oil level" warning came on in the SQ5, advising me to add no more than a quart of oil. Seemed kind of unusual to me, given it's a CPO vehicle with 7k miles on it. But Sunday morning I picked up a quart of oil and poured it on in. Sunday afternoon, the warning came back on.

With the sensor being defective is the crankcase now overfilled by a quart? Will the Audi garage drain some out?

Which sort of begs the question, did you check the oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you added oil?

If it wasn't actually low, then you would know that there was a problem with the sensor or the wiring.

If it was actually low, and this was a used car that I had recently purchased, the first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Establish a known baseline, and then monitor it carefully.

breld

Michaell said:

@breld - you took the Audi back to the dealer where you bought it? That's in the wrong direction from work, isn't it?

Can't seem to catch a break. Let's hope they screw everything back together correctly.

Nah - I took it down to McDonald (Audi Denver). They're happy to take on the warranty work.

And, before I left with the loaner yesterday, I mentioned the driver's side mirror didn't seem to tilt far enough outward. Just got a text saying they are ordering a new motor for that mirror.

Sheesh!

stickguy

Hard to tell what that ATS is, but I assume at the price, it is a base (teaser lease special) model, with the 2.5lNA 4

henryn

I would think the original purchaser (or leaser or whatever) had to put some money down to get a $299 per month rate on a Cadillac ATS, even if it is the "base model".

breld

nyccarguy said:

breld said:

I also took note of the computed gas mileage of the 2.0T loaner - it was at 24.7 mpg since whenever it was last reset. I'm around 20 mpg on my car - the difference isn't as great as I would have thought, so while 20 mpg isn't very good, I'm not losing any sleep over the improved mileage on the 2.0T.

The SQ5 is no worse, and may be even a bit better, on gas mileage than the S4. I assume the 8-speed automatic helps with that vs. the 6-speed manual. But the gas tank is significantly larger, at just under 20 gallons, so the range is around 450-475 miles, where I wouldn't get to 400 on the S4. Obviously it's more expensive to fill up, but I do appreciate the longer range between those fill-ups.

Thanks as always for the official @breld loaner car write up. I see a lot of the 2.0T Q5s in my neck of the woods. I have a watchful eye on my wife's friend's 2016 Q5 2.0T Quattro. She's about a year into a 3 year / 7,500 mile per year lease (22,500 total). I'll have to inquire about her buyout. Her car is dark blue with brown interior, has Nav, Pano Roof, 19" Wheels (I know, @stickguy would prefer a little more sidewall). It might make for a good buy compared to other CPO units out there.

The 19" wheels really add to the overall look of the car and differentiate it nicely. Considering I'm on 21" wheels and still find it comfortable tells me the 19's would be completely acceptable.

stickguy

Depends on the aspect ratio. If they are 45 or 50s, should have enough width to get adequate sidewall height.

sda

henryn said:

sda said:

breld said:

So on Saturday, the "minimum oil level" warning came on in the SQ5, advising me to add no more than a quart of oil. Seemed kind of unusual to me, given it's a CPO vehicle with 7k miles on it. But Sunday morning I picked up a quart of oil and poured it on in. Sunday afternoon, the warning came back on.

With the sensor being defective is the crankcase now overfilled by a quart? Will the Audi garage drain some out?

Which sort of begs the question, did you check the oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you added oil?

If it wasn't actually low, then you would know that there was a problem with the sensor or the wiring.

If it was actually low, and this was a used car that I had recently purchased, the first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Establish a known baseline, and then monitor it carefully.

Does the Audi have a dipstick? Some newer cars don't. My '06 VW Passat 2.0T was an oil burner, about 750/qt. That was the FSI engine. I believe the newer TSI doesn't have this issue but I would keep an eye on the oil level just in case.

ab348

I'm not sure that ATS is exactly as that webpage claims. It states it is a 2.0T Performance.

stickguy said:

Hard to tell what that ATS is, but I assume at the price, it is a base (teaser lease special) model, with the 2.5lNA 4

I thought that too, but somewhere in that page it says it is a 2.0T Performance. That was the next-to-top trim level although strangely it came with the base 17" painted wheels. Would have shift paddles, uprated suspension, etc.

henryn

sda said:

henryn said:

sda said:

breld said:

So on Saturday, the "minimum oil level" warning came on in the SQ5, advising me to add no more than a quart of oil. Seemed kind of unusual to me, given it's a CPO vehicle with 7k miles on it. But Sunday morning I picked up a quart of oil and poured it on in. Sunday afternoon, the warning came back on.

With the sensor being defective is the crankcase now overfilled by a quart? Will the Audi garage drain some out?

Which sort of begs the question, did you check the oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you added oil?

If it wasn't actually low, then you would know that there was a problem with the sensor or the wiring.

If it was actually low, and this was a used car that I had recently purchased, the first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Establish a known baseline, and then monitor it carefully.

Does the Audi have a dipstick? Some newer cars don't. My '06 VW Passat 2.0T was an oil burner, about 750/qt. That was the FSI engine. I believe the newer TSI doesn't have this issue but I would keep an eye on the oil level just in case.

Seriously? A car without an oil dipstick? Off to google. Yes, it's true. Boggles my mind, but it's true. Add this to the list of things that I will NOT compromise on. No cars with run flat tires, no cars without an oil dipstick (unless of course it doesn't have an internal combustion engine).

In the meantime, my apologies to @breld. "Assumptions are the mother of all ______."

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Congratulations Corvette!

We really ought to have some kind of centralized meet up and then all sell them back to the same dealer....

Oh, what? I just came from there!

mjfloyd1

henryn said:

sda said:

henryn said:

sda said:

breld said:

So on Saturday, the "minimum oil level" warning came on in the SQ5, advising me to add no more than a quart of oil. Seemed kind of unusual to me, given it's a CPO vehicle with 7k miles on it. But Sunday morning I picked up a quart of oil and poured it on in. Sunday afternoon, the warning came back on.

With the sensor being defective is the crankcase now overfilled by a quart? Will the Audi garage drain some out?

Which sort of begs the question, did you check the oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you added oil?

If it wasn't actually low, then you would know that there was a problem with the sensor or the wiring.

If it was actually low, and this was a used car that I had recently purchased, the first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Establish a known baseline, and then monitor it carefully.

Does the Audi have a dipstick? Some newer cars don't. My '06 VW Passat 2.0T was an oil burner, about 750/qt. That was the FSI engine. I believe the newer TSI doesn't have this issue but I would keep an eye on the oil level just in case.

Seriously? A car without an oil dipstick? Off to google. Yes, it's true. Boggles my mind, but it's true. Add this to the list of things that I will NOT compromise on. No cars with run flat tires, no cars without an oil dipstick (unless of course it doesn't have an internal combustion engine).

In the meantime, my apologies to @breld. "Assumptions are the mother of all ______."

It has a dipstick tube with a cap. You can order the dipstick. When I had my A6 3.0 TFSI I installed one. I think it's in my garage now...

nyccarguy

@mjfloyd1 - how do you like your RS7? I saw a black/black one the other day & it was sharp!

rny421

ab348 said:

I'm not sure that ATS is exactly as that webpage claims. It states it is a 2.0T Performance.

stickguy said:

Hard to tell what that ATS is, but I assume at the price, it is a base (teaser lease special) model, with the 2.5lNA 4

I thought that too, but somewhere in that page it says it is a 2.0T Performance. That was the next-to-top trim level although strangely it came with the base 17" painted wheels. Would have shift paddles, uprated suspension, etc.

You're right, it says it's a 2.0T AWD, which I took at face value. Of course there is no picture of the back end, but something I did notice is that it has the auto-stop feature on the tachometer. According to a press release, it sounds like that feature is only on the 2.0T and 3.6L V6 models, meaning the listing could actually be right!

qbrozen

henryn said:

So on Saturday, the "minimum oil level" warning came on in the SQ5, advising me to add no more than a quart of oil. Seemed kind of unusual to me, given it's a CPO vehicle with 7k miles on it. But Sunday morning I picked up a quart of oil and poured it on in. Sunday afternoon, the warning came back on.

With the sensor being defective is the crankcase now overfilled by a quart? Will the Audi garage drain some out?

Which sort of begs the question, did you check the oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you added oil? If it wasn't actually low, then you would know that there was a problem with the sensor or the wiring. If it was actually low, and this was a used car that I had recently purchased, the first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Establish a known baseline, and then monitor it carefully.

Does the Audi have a dipstick? Some newer cars don't. My '06 VW Passat 2.0T was an oil burner, about 750/qt. That was the FSI engine. I believe the newer TSI doesn't have this issue but I would keep an eye on the oil level just in case.

Seriously? A car without an oil dipstick? Off to google. Yes, it's true. Boggles my mind, but it's true. Add this to the list of things that I will NOT compromise on. No cars with run flat tires, no cars without an oil dipstick (unless of course it doesn't have an internal combustion engine). In the meantime, my apologies to @breld. "Assumptions are the mother of all ______."

I think that is pretty darned common these days

andres3

iluvmysephia1 said:

andres3 - my comment on high limits on the highway is that high speeds on the freeway are fine, as long as they're reasonable. The problem is in congested areas. We're cruising around the KC Metro lately, and yes, memories of Seattle traffic have come cropping up. In open areas when you want ta change lanes, they seem to want ta Mario Andretti-it around here. But meshing that with Standard Chevron drivers creates problems when people want to change lanes. They're cruising along at 65mph or so, and decide they want ta be in another lane. Sure, they're taught ta check their side mirrors first. Along comes Mario Andretti, and Standard Chevron pulls out right in front of him because he didn't see him after a quick check of his mirror. Most people don't do well with needing ta have lighting-quick reflexes on the freeway. It can get dangerous real quick, is what I'm saying.

Of course, I'm not saying I don't have lightning-quick reflexes.

I'd only add that you don't want to have speed limits set (as they currently are) for conditions representing miserable rush hour traffic. Of course you can't drive too fast for conditions, regardless of what the speed limit is. Those that disobey this principle are driving too fast for conditions, and in my opinion, that is a driver error unlike and dissimilar to speeding.

I believe our speed limits should be raised to reflect the safe and reasonable speed when traffic is non-existent, such as at 3:30 AM. That way if you happen to be alone on a Saturday afternoon you don't get a speeding ticket for driving perfectly safe.

Those people that miss seeing faster traffic when checking their mirrors need to do a better job of checking their mirrors. Perhaps they need to not rely upon the blinking side-assist light.

xwesx

I'm not sure if we're doing this right or not: When my wife needs a plumber, she calls me. Electrician? Me. Pretty much anything related to the house, the cars, or machines.... that's me (or, increasingly, my son). When I need a barber, stitcher, chef, artist, sage, nurse, etc., I know she's the one to call! At times this makes life more complicated, but it's also a lot simpler, and it also helps one appreciate all those things we take for granted every day.

My latest project was to paint the bumper and front quarter on my 08 Forester after the repair work from May. Not having a garage, I needed a time that was without pollen or rain (pretty much means the last three months were out!). I managed to accomplish part of the work on Sunday and the rest last night. I forgot to catalog stages 1-3 (or pre-start), but I first washed the car and scoured the metal and plastic to prep them for paint (stage 1). I followed this up with taping off and covering the areas of the car surrounding the parts needing paint (stage 2). Stage 3 was adding two coats of plastic adhesion promoter to the bumper shell.

Stage 4 - Primer


Stage 5 - Black paint to cover the primer (normally they would give me a dark primer for dark paint, but were out of stock, so this was to make up for that)


Stage 6 - Dark grey paint sub-coat


Stage 7 - metallic dark grey final color


Stage 8 - Clear coat (two iterations of this)




Final look.... it's darker than the other areas (as to be expected), but looks great for this car!

qbrozen

I'm here to torture you again, stickguy:
http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1A1481C2

xwesx

qbrozen said:

I'm here to torture you again, stickguy:
http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1A1481C2

Where's the diesel?!

henryn

qbrozen said:

henryn said:

sda said:

henryn said:

sda said:

breld said:

So on Saturday, the "minimum oil level" warning came on in the SQ5, advising me to add no more than a quart of oil. Seemed kind of unusual to me, given it's a CPO vehicle with 7k miles on it. But Sunday morning I picked up a quart of oil and poured it on in. Sunday afternoon, the warning came back on.

With the sensor being defective is the crankcase now overfilled by a quart? Will the Audi garage drain some out?

Which sort of begs the question, did you check the oil level on the dipstick BEFORE you added oil?

If it wasn't actually low, then you would know that there was a problem with the sensor or the wiring.

If it was actually low, and this was a used car that I had recently purchased, the first thing I would do would be to change the oil and filter. Establish a known baseline, and then monitor it carefully.

Does the Audi have a dipstick? Some newer cars don't. My '06 VW Passat 2.0T was an oil burner, about 750/qt. That was the FSI engine. I believe the newer TSI doesn't have this issue but I would keep an eye on the oil level just in case.

Seriously? A car without an oil dipstick? Off to google. Yes, it's true. Boggles my mind, but it's true. Add this to the list of things that I will NOT compromise on. No cars with run flat tires, no cars without an oil dipstick (unless of course it doesn't have an internal combustion engine).

In the meantime, my apologies to @breld. "Assumptions are the mother of all ______."

I think that is pretty darned common these days

I just spent the best part of an hour trying to research this. Information is sparse. The best I can determine, BMW started this trend, followed by Mercedes, then Audi. Yes, many modern cars do not have a transmission dipstick, I was already aware of that. But in all of my google searches, I did not find a single reference to any automobile manufacturer (other than the 3 listed above) who have actually done away with the oil dipstick.

Anyone here aware of any other manufacturer who has done away with the oil dipstick?

stever

Nice work @xwesx. Kind of looks like fun. May have to rattlecan my van one of these years. I'm kind of partial to Mondrian.

cdnpinhead

When BMW eliminated the dipstick and replaced it with what turned out to be an unreliable oil level sensor, my days of wishing to own one ended. That was about the same time they went to run-flat tires, which is an absolute non-starter for anyone who drives in the wide-open spaces of the West. I had a flat tire once in northern Nevada early one Sunday morning; put on my full-size spare and finished my drive home to Phoenix to have the tire repaired at my leisure later that week -- total non-event. If I'd had run-flats, I'd have been stuck in Winnemucca for a couple of days until a replacement was shipped in from the coast. Then, would the rudimentary tire shop be able to work with the very stiff run-flats? But I digress.

Turns out eliminating the dipstick prevents, in theory, some miniscule fraction of crankcase vapor from escaping, assuming the dipstick was not inserted. Would go a ways toward explaining why Audi has delivered cars with plugged dipstick tubes, which is how they'd be tested and rated. Then you can buy your own dipstick and forget about the troublesome level sensor. Much better solution than the BMW approach.

Two answers to questions no one asked which add cost and complexity at the cost of convenience and lower cost. Oh boy.

mjfloyd1

nyccarguy said:

@mjfloyd1 - how do you like your RS7? I saw a black/black one the other day & it was sharp!

I really like it. I have the air suspension and 21 inch wheels and it rides well. Insanely fast coming from a supercharged 3.0 A6. There are even ecu flashes pushing up HP and torque, but for me, right now, that seems crazy. It has the sport exhaust that backfires and farts and makes all sorts of rude noises. I find myself driving like a heathen just to hear the sounds. That leads to absolutely abysmal gas mileage but huge smile mileage (smiles per gallon)

nyccarguy

@breld - this is the kind of stuff that's scares the daylights out of me regarding Audi ownership. Can you imagine pulling into the dealer with your car 500 miles out of warranty, getting a call from your service advisor telling you that you need new electric motors in your rear view mirrors & a new gas tank among other things.

nyccarguy

mjfloyd1 said:

nyccarguy said:

@mjfloyd1 - how do you like your RS7? I saw a black/black one the other day & it was sharp!

I really like it. I have the air suspension and 21 inch wheels and it rides well. Insanely fast coming from a supercharged 3.0 A6. There are even ecu flashes pushing up HP and torque, but for me, right now, that seems crazy. It has the sport exhaust that backfires and farts and makes all sorts of rude noises. I find myself driving like a heathen just to hear the sounds. That leads to absolutely abysmal gas mileage but huge smile mileage (smiles per gallon)

A supercharged A6 is no slouch to begin with. Glad you like it!

mjfloyd1

nyccarguy said:

@breld - this is the kind of stuff that's scares the daylights out of me regarding Audi ownership. Can you imagine pulling into the dealer with your car 500 miles out of warranty, getting a call from your service advisor telling you that you need new electric motors in your rear view mirrors & a new gas tank among other things.

The 2012 MDX that I traded for a dirty diesel Passat needed a new alternator at 82K miles, had at least 4 power steering pumps and was still quite noisy, a belt tensioner, and had both actuator motors for the power mirrors replaced in the time that I owned it (till 117k miles). That Acuracare warranty paid for itself many times over.

qbrozen

henryn said:

I just spent the best part of an hour trying to research this. Information is sparse. The best I can determine, BMW started this trend, followed by Mercedes, then Audi. Yes, many modern cars do not have a transmission dipstick, I was already aware of that. But in all of my google searches, I did not find a single reference to any automobile manufacturer (other than the 3 listed above) who have actually done away with the oil dipstick.

Anyone here aware of any other manufacturer who has done away with the oil dipstick?

Jaguar and Land Rover, just to name 2 others. I'm sure there are more if we look hard enough. Surprisingly to me, Ferrari still has one.

stickguy

Q, nice looking Audi. great colors. A bit steep on miles for what I would want on one of these, but the price is not too bad.

man though, that autotrader interface, that is nasty to use.

and I have a a strong aversion to buying a used car in Brooklyn. May be irrational (or, maybe not), but it would take a lot to get me up there purchasing.

stickguy

I would miss a dipstick. Not as big a deal though as run flats. But I would still want one.

seems odd though that, with all the fancy displays these days, you don't get a nice actual read out, instead of a warning light. unless you do, and I didn't hear about it!

roadburner

stickguy said:

I would miss a dipstick. Not as big a deal though as run flats. But I would still want one.

seems odd though that, with all the fancy displays these days, you don't get a nice actual read out, instead of a warning light. unless you do, and I didn't hear about it!

My son's E90 and my 2er both allow you to measure the oil quantity, the newer car's method is a bit more involved but I also think it is more accurate.

corvette

My E90 had a read out you could pull up on the onboard computer. Always read "full."

nyccarguy

Anybody in the market for an ///M Sport Equipped E90 335d? They seem to be on the pricey side:

http://m.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=401255199&zip=10459&endYear=2017&pageLayout=list&sortBy=distanceASC&startYear=1981&searchRadius=100&mmt=[BMW[335D[]][]]

Or a plain old Sport Package E90 335d:

http://m.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=419783604&zip=10459&endYear=2017&pageLayout=list&sortBy=distanceASC&startYear=1981&searchRadius=100&mmt=[BMW[335D[]][]]

qbrozen

Both of those are incredibly unrealistic. Average is $13k at auction. Even the loaded super nice ones are only $15k.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Both of those are incredibly unrealistic. Average is $13k at auction. Even the loaded super nice ones are only $15k.

Agreed. Ambitious owners trying to find "the one" enthusiast looking for a SP or ///MSP equipped E90 335d perhaps? Or do you think they tried to trade in and believe they were "low balled" by what was actually a realistic price.

qbrozen

Ok, maybe I'm losing it, but I might actually like this beast.

Just need to knock about $3500 off that optimistic price.

stickguy

I think that goes too far.

qbrozen

But if I'm considering an H3 ....

;b

I really don't know why. I can't pinpoint my fascination other than the H3 just looks so cool. A far smarter choice would be the GLK, FX, Q5, XC60. At least they offer a bit of sportiness.

js06gv

qbrozen said:

Ok, maybe I'm losing it, but I might actually like this beast.

Just need to knock about $3500 off that optimistic price.

The Avalance I had from that same generation was one of the best vehicles I've ever owned. Sold at 8 yrs and 54K to a guy who works for me. He still has it at 120K and loves it. The EXT would have the 6.0L instead of the 5.3, so even better.

henryn

I absolutely cannot see spending $20k (or even $16k) on a 12 year old car. That just does not compute, to me.

qbrozen

BUT, its only about ... what? 25% of the MSRP? I usually focus more on miles anyway.

How about THIS for optimistic? That is still about 60% of the original MSRP.