Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy Time for an nother punch lol lol.

nyccarguy

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@nyccarguy Time for an nother punch lol lol.

Rubbing my chin - well it has been 2 years, 4 months, & 1 day, but who's counting?

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

For those of you who are following my Subaru saga, the noise that's been driving me bonkers is due to a faulty bearing in the right rear. The car needs another night at the dealer and will be ready by 11:00 AM. This will be fully covered under the car's power train warranty. I've got an EYESIGHT equipped Outback as a loaner! Thank you @Mr_Shiftright for your help!

You know what you have to do .... time to ditch the Legacy and find something more reliable.

Seriously! This dealership has been fantastic! I can't say enough good things about their service department. I always get an appointment within a reasonable time frame. I'm always given a loaner car with less than 5K on the odometer. Prices for service are reasonable for our area. The place is located conveniently between my house & my job. I drop the car off at night on my way home & pick it up the next day on my way home. There is never any high pressure up sell on things my car doesn't need.

sda

It is a rare pleasure when you have a dealership service department that is like your Subaru's. My favorite Honda dealer is still owned by the same group but has a new site and service manager. The last few visits have been met with a lot of up selling.

Mr_Shiftright

You know how it goes...one day a wheel bearing, then a glove compartment latch, then the clearcoat on the hood badge starts to flake---you don't want to take risks like this in an old vehicle!

thebean

Watching the Rolex 24 at Daytona and there are several Cadillac badged cars running in the Prototype category.  That's probably why the engineering staff doesn't have the time to get the harness designed for GG's CTS - they've been too busy working on the racecar.  

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy Time for an nother punch lol lol.

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy Glad your dealership service dapartement is an good one rair. to find.

tbirdmarco

the Nissan dealer whair my mom and brother go is not bad no upselling yet. only one problem. last week she whent for an oial change and tire rotation. the guy forgot to fully titen one of the lugnuts on one of the wheeles. she toke it rite back and they had another guy look at all of the whells and fix the problem. the other guy had gon home for the day. jeep dealer for my sister we shal see in an few munths. the sails dapartement was grate. will rite an posting about that soon.

tbirdmarco

Also we have ahd good luck with two hundai dealers around hear to. boath with sails and service.

28firefighter

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone.

I am lurking for the next little while we get settled at home. First night was a little rough - OK, a lot rough. But we have a lot of help now at home and are adjusting. 

The drive home was slightly terrifying - my mom described the car setup as a fortress. Mission accomplished. 

cdnpinhead

Forester update: The car is (finally) in, but I'm on a business trip, so need to modify my return to pick it up. More details later, but if the Denver contingent is still interested in a get-together, Sunday the 5th looks like the time. I'll be driving in from North Platte and expect to arrive early to mid-afternoon. The concept at the moment is to pick up the car first thing Monday and head for the desert (via the cabin, which is currently blessed with 30" of snow, hence the Subaru). Anyway, if you guys want to meet for a drink or dinner or whatever Sunday pm, let me know.

tjc78

Anyone drive a new CX-9 yet? Getting lots of good press, but I don't get it. Only 250 hp on 93 octane, no middle row captains chairs and a touch screen that looks added on. What am I missing here?

stickguy

Tom, sat in one today. huge inside. Very nice cabin. And I think like most of these turbos now, the HP # is not really that important. Torque is key, and the road tests have gotten good results for acceleration.

only thing I did not like, is the seat cushion seemed a little short, and not sure I could get it raised enough in front. That is one of my big hot buttons.

stickguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

You know how it goes...one day a wheel bearing, then a glove compartment latch, then the clearcoat on the hood badge starts to flake---you don't want to take risks like this in an old vehicle!

My SIL once traded in a car (well, this was her lame excuse) because it needed new wiper blades and the heads on the tape deck were dirty.

stickguy

attended car show today. due to other oblgations, got there at about 1:30, so prime time. it was crowded. Made it hot, but never really had to wait long for seat time. some quick random thoughts.

loved the new 5 series. fantastic seats. Loved them. and it looked sharp. danged expensive though.

The new Hyundai Ioniq was a nice package. can't wait to drive it.
New CR-V was really, really nice. they are going to sell a ton of them.
really liked the MB GLC and C class.
New Mini Countryman was nice. almost as good as the BMW X1, an Estoril one with sport seats. I am deeply in clove with sport seats with adjustable front cushion. Want bad.
New camry is a huge improvement. Going to do well. also interested in driving one

And my wife has become a real snob. She really liked the good stuff (MB and BMW). Might just be able to convince her to trade the RDX in on one of them!

sda

I don't think I'm alone in this I have traded many cars just because I wanted to.

tjc78

stickguy said:

Tom, sat in one today. huge inside. Very nice cabin. And I think like most of these turbos now, the HP # is not really that important. Torque is key, and the road tests have gotten good results for acceleration. only thing I did not like, is the seat cushion seemed a little short, and not sure I could get it raised enough in front. That is one of my big hot buttons.

Going to check it out next Sat. The loaded model seems very well equipped, but only comes with a reddish interior.   That would never fly with the wife.  

Michaell

cdnpinhead said:

Forester update: The car is (finally) in, but I'm on a business trip, so need to modify my return to pick it up. More details later, but if the Denver contingent is still interested in a get-together, Sunday the 5th looks like the time. I'll be driving in from North Platte and expect to arrive early to mid-afternoon. The concept at the moment is to pick up the car first thing Monday and head for the desert (via the cabin, which is currently blessed with 30" of snow, hence the Subaru). Anyway, if you guys want to meet for a drink or dinner or whatever Sunday pm, let me know.

If we pick a place that isn't a sports bar, we should have it to ourselves.

Can't speak for @breld, but I could probably meet up.

Michaell

stickguy said:

attended car show today. due to other oblgations, got there at about 1:30, so prime time. it was crowded. Made it hot, but never really had to wait long for seat time. some quick random thoughts.

loved the new 5 series. fantastic seats. Loved them. and it looked sharp. danged expensive though.

The new Hyundai Ioniq was a nice package. can't wait to drive it.
New CR-V was really, really nice. they are going to sell a ton of them.
really liked the MB GLC and C class.
New Mini Countryman was nice. almost as good as the BMW X1, an Estoril one with sport seats. I am deeply in clove with sport seats with adjustable front cushion. Want bad.
New camry is a huge improvement. Going to do well. also interested in driving one

And my wife has become a real snob. She really liked the good stuff (MB and BMW). Might just be able to convince her to trade the RDX in on one of them!

Stick - give me details about your RDX again. My sister is interested in them now. Found her a CPO 2013 with 45,000 miles for $23k at her local Acura dealer.

roadburner

28firefighter said:

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone.

I am lurking for the next little while we get settled at home. First night was a little rough - OK, a lot rough. But we have a lot of help now at home and are adjusting. 

The drive home was slightly terrifying - my mom described the car setup as a fortress. Mission accomplished. 

My son came home in the M6. I think he only rode in it a couple of times.

stickguy

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

attended car show today. due to other oblgations, got there at about 1:30, so prime time. it was crowded. Made it hot, but never really had to wait long for seat time. some quick random thoughts.

loved the new 5 series. fantastic seats. Loved them. and it looked sharp. danged expensive though.

The new Hyundai Ioniq was a nice package. can't wait to drive it.
New CR-V was really, really nice. they are going to sell a ton of them.
really liked the MB GLC and C class.
New Mini Countryman was nice. almost as good as the BMW X1, an Estoril one with sport seats. I am deeply in clove with sport seats with adjustable front cushion. Want bad.
New camry is a huge improvement. Going to do well. also interested in driving one

And my wife has become a real snob. She really liked the good stuff (MB and BMW). Might just be able to convince her to trade the RDX in on one of them!

Stick - give me details about your RDX again. My sister is interested in them now. Found her a CPO 2013 with 45,000 miles for $23k at her local Acura dealer.

we have a 2013, base AWD. only about 38K. For $23,000, I would sell her mine and buy something else! This a base car, or one with tech? If it is base, you could probably get a brand new 2017 for $10K more FWIW.

great car though in terms of reliability. Tech though, that is kind of dark ages, especially compared to what you get on a newer design. but fast. Guess it depends on what is important to you. Price does sound high.

Sandman6472

Up at my kids place and she fixed most of the problems with my devices. Just have to remember the original pw for iTunes and we're set. I might take a trip to the Apple store in Boca next week for their help with that issue. But my kid fixed everything else and set up my iPhone properly and even put the new waterproof case from Amazon.com on. Looking real good here.
Hard to believe my youngest will be 30 this year! But right now, at 62, am the happiest I've ever been in my life. If I didn't have my spinal issues, I'd be really over the moon but hey, G-d does these things for some reason, we're not to understand it all. But I am truly blessed in life...and I thank him daily.

The Sandman

28firefighter

roadburner said:

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone.

I am lurking for the next little while we get settled at home. First night was a little rough - OK, a lot rough. But we have a lot of help now at home and are adjusting. 

The drive home was slightly terrifying - my mom described the car setup as a fortress. Mission accomplished. 

My son came home in the M6. I think he only rode in it a couple of times.

I was brought home in my Dad'a Rabbit GTI. The intention for us was to do the same, but since my wife was post-C Section, they didn't want her getting into and out of a low car. 

cdnpinhead

Michaell said:

If we pick a place that isn't a sports bar, we should have it to ourselves.

Excellent! Yeah, I figured out a little while after I posted that I was talking about Super Bowl Sunday. As you can tell, I'm not much of a sports fan; sounds like you may not be either. Anyway, we can work out the details as the week unfolds.

breld

cdnpinhead said:

If we pick a place that isn't a sports bar, we should have it to ourselves.

Excellent! Yeah, I figured out a little while after I posted that I was talking about Super Bowl Sunday. As you can tell, I'm not much of a sports fan; sounds like you may not be either. Anyway, we can work out the details as the week unfolds.

I probably will be unable to join up - my older son has his baseball winter training that afternoon, and then we are hosting a party after that.  But I'll catch up with @Michaell on when/where you're meeting up and maybe I can drop in.  

sda

stickguy said:

attended car show today. due to other oblgations, got there at about 1:30, so prime time. it was crowded. Made it hot, but never really had to wait long for seat time. some quick random thoughts.

loved the new 5 series. fantastic seats. Loved them. and it looked sharp. danged expensive though.

The new Hyundai Ioniq was a nice package. can't wait to drive it.
New CR-V was really, really nice. they are going to sell a ton of them.
really liked the MB GLC and C class.
New Mini Countryman was nice. almost as good as the BMW X1, an Estoril one with sport seats. I am deeply in clove with sport seats with adjustable front cushion. Want bad.
New camry is a huge improvement. Going to do well. also interested in driving one

And my wife has become a real snob. She really liked the good stuff (MB and BMW). Might just be able to convince her to trade the RDX in on one of them!

I am just starting to see the new CR-V driving in the wild. They look bigger, which they are slightly. Local dealers are very thin on stock. I hope to drive one when I take one of our cars in for the next service.

tjc78

Cool topic, my kids both came home in Buicks. 2012 LaCrosse for my son and the 2015 Enclave for my daughter.

I'd have to ask mom to confirm but pretty sure I came home in a 76 Grand Prix.

fintail

I think I came home in my dad's 70 Mustang, which he held on to until I was about 5. Replacement was a Horizon, not exactly the same, but those were the times.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

For those of you who are following my Subaru saga, the noise that's been driving me bonkers is due to a faulty bearing in the right rear. The car needs another night at the dealer and will be ready by 11:00 AM. This will be fully covered under the car's power train warranty. I've got an EYESIGHT equipped Outback as a loaner! Thank you @Mr_Shiftright for your help!

You know what you have to do .... time to ditch the Legacy and find something more reliable.

Seriously! This dealership has been fantastic! I can't say enough good things about their service department. I always get an appointment within a reasonable time frame. I'm always given a loaner car with less than 5K on the odometer. Prices for service are reasonable for our area. The place is located conveniently between my house & my job. I drop the car off at night on my way home & pick it up the next day on my way home. There is never any high pressure up sell on things my car doesn't need.

Have you had to take in the Legacy for something else other than oil changes and this rear bearing?

nyccarguy

@andres3 - just regular scheduled maintenance.  Every 7,500 miles.  Oil & Filter Changes.  Differential fluid drain & fill at 15K & 30K.  I did a CVT fluid drain & fill & 30K.  Replaced the air filter & cabin filter myself.  Just had the rear brake pads changed & rotors resurfaced at 44K.  New snow shoes.  I had a thicker rear anti roll bar installed as well as a remote starter (40th birthday gift from Mom & Dad).  That's it.  Other than the fact that it can't get out of its own way, it has been a great ownership experience.  

I've had an Outback as a loaner and think it is a great car.  Once our Pilot starts to get up over the 100K mark, I'd seriously consider a 6cyl Outback for my wife as she has a short commute and they lease very well.  

We'd move the Pilot to when all 5 of us go somewhere.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

You know how it goes...one day a wheel bearing, then a glove compartment latch, then the clearcoat on the hood badge starts to flake---you don't want to take risks like this in an old vehicle!

My SIL once traded in a car (well, this was her lame excuse) because it needed new wiper blades and the heads on the tape deck were dirty.

Gee invite her over. Sounds like our kind of woman.

tbirdmarco

@stickguy THanks for the highlights on the car show you whent to.

tbirdmarco

@28firefighter You are welcome

tbirdmarco

@cdnpinhead Nice glad the new car finally came in. Cant wate to hear all about it when you have sum time to rite about it.

andres3

So Subaru of Irvine CA had a 3.6 Limited Standard model invoice just a smidgen under $34K. I didn't leave until I had offered 33,000 Washington's (+Tax, T, L, Fees), and that wasn't enough for them! $1,000 under invoice had them turn me away and go home.

No punch today due to Subaru thinking they can get top dollar on the Outback 3.6's, and they might be right as there is a lot of funny money in SoCal! However, I know that car's been sitting at least a week and has 135 miles on it now.

All-Track is starting to look a lot more attractive to us now.

sda

On Talking Cars on Consumer Reports, two of the staff members were joking they would be competing against each other about who would be driving the All-track. I know it is very similar to what you have yet very desirable.

corvette

andres3, maybe you should pick up a Subaru in Colorado and drive it back to CA--could be a fun road trip.

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Re: wiper blades, the Boschs (Bosches?) I put on the Murano about eight months ago were skipping and chattering on cold days. I ordered new ones for the front from Amazon (free shipping) and they arrived in two separate boxes. Much better with the new blades! Consumer Reports isn't kidding when they say that there aren't huge differences in quality between brands, but they all seem to be degraded by the six month mark.

andres3

corvette said:

andres3, maybe you should pick up a Subaru in Colorado and drive it back to CA--could be a fun road trip.

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Re: wiper blades, the Boschs (Bosches?) I put on the Murano about eight months ago were skipping and chattering on cold days. I ordered new ones for the front from Amazon (free shipping) and they arrived in two separate boxes. Much better with the new blades! Consumer Reports isn't kidding when they say that there aren't huge differences in quality between brands, but they all seem to be degraded by the six month mark.

I like the idea. Don't know if we have the time for it. Irvine was like 80 miles away as it is. Maybe mountainous areas where Subaru's are common-place makes for more supply and better pricing.

Of course, we stopped in Temecula along the way, and decided to eliminate the Forester from consideration. The Outback is better in our opinion, of course.

One thing of note in Subaru's, at any trim level, is you don't get height adjustment on the front passenger seat.

Sandman6472

Saw a beautiful 328i at the Nissan dealer on Friday. Starting to like these more and more and will definitely look at some when I'm in the market again. Had a four door plus a coupe but the coupe's doors looked to be pretty heavy and long. Need a shorter and lighter door with my spinal issues and even though almost no one ever rides in the back seat of my vehicles, better to have a four door just in case the kids stop by.
As much as I like the MB smaller vehicles, starting to like the BMW's better so should be interesting to see what I end up with, and also when I do it. 2019 is looking to be the perfect time since I plan to start my second retirement of that year if Plan B works out. Plan A was to end in December of 2017 but that might end up being a bit premature due to my son's and older daughter's weddings.
Anyways, no domestic I'd ever get besides the Buick Encore, maybe a Chevy Cruze but that one's a real long shot. Still prefer a foreign vehicle and will definitely give Lexus a shot at my business, an IS 200t would work nicely. Very similar to the 328i and probably almost as fun to drive. And with Lexus, one gets that wonderful Japanese reliability. There's something to be said for reliability especially when one gets older living on retirement income. Which is where we'll be by then, unless we win the lottery!

The Sandman

corvette

andres3 said:

One thing of note in Subaru's, at any trim level, is you don't get height adjustment on the front passenger seat.

That may be a feature usually included only on luxury brands and VWs. I don't think my Nissan has it (although the passenger seat is powered), but I would bet Infinitis do.

Sandman6472

Looks like my plans to move out of Florida will not be happening. My one daughter is now working in Kendall, south Miami while the daughter in West Palm, is looking with her boyfriend for a house south of us in the West Ft. Lauderdale area. So my plans to leave Florida, or at least swap coasts, have been put on a definite hold. No way could I do Chicago like our son, much too cold for us but, I was thinking North or South Carolina could work. Moderate winters with not awful summers. Would love the Pacific Northwest but know my wife would never move that far from the kids.
One good thing about having the girls near, my oldest was able to sync my new iPhone with my other Apple devices this weekend and paired the phone in the Golf, took her like a few minutes. I tried to do it the other night and after about a half hour of agony, just gave up knowing I'd be in West Palm on Saturday/Sunday. For their generation, tech comes so easily while I am totally clueless. All I know is she got me a new password and i.d. name and said to not try and change it. I had tried to link it all together on Thursday and made a total mess of things, I had so many passwords that even I got confused! Total nightmare but she was able to fix everything in a short amount of time and even set up the iPhone to optimal settings. Just like the eBay seller said, the phone was totally brand new and I saved so much by winning the auction.

The Sandman

cdnpinhead

corvette said:

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Premium w/ eyesight & a color that wasn't readily available. Buy--cash. I don't belong on this board since we only buy cars about every 6-8 years, but I chime in anyway. I love driving and seeing what's outside the windshield; the cars are secondary, especially now that maintainability has been kicked to the curb and all that one can hope to do is change filters and oil.

Different strokes. . .

andres3

cdnpinhead said:

corvette said:

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Premium w/ eyesight & a color that wasn't readily available. Buy--cash. I don't belong on this board since we only buy cars about every 6-8 years, but I chime in anyway. I love driving and seeing what's outside the windshield; the cars are secondary, especially now that maintainability has been kicked to the curb and all that one can hope to do is change filters and oil.

Different strokes. . .

Question on Eyesight: Is that just forward braking mitigation, or does it also include lane drift warning, blind spot monitors, and more?

My eyesight is the windshield and my own eyeballs. Comes standard for me.

nyccarguy

cdnpinhead said:

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Premium w/ eyesight & a color that wasn't readily available. Buy--cash. I don't belong on this board since we only buy cars about every 6-8 years, but I chime in anyway. I love driving and seeing what's outside the windshield; the cars are secondary, especially now that maintainability has been kicked to the curb and all that one can hope to do is change filters and oil. Different strokes. . .

Subaru does encourage some owner wrenching somewhat.  When you open the hood of your new Forester, you'll notice certain caps in the engine bay are yellow.  Those are fluids the vehicle's owner can check or change on their own.  

nyccarguy

andres3 said:

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Premium w/ eyesight & a color that wasn't readily available. Buy--cash. I don't belong on this board since we only buy cars about every 6-8 years, but I chime in anyway. I love driving and seeing what's outside the windshield; the cars are secondary, especially now that maintainability has been kicked to the curb and all that one can hope to do is change filters and oil. Different strokes. . .

Question on Eyesight: Is that just forward braking mitigation, or does it also include lane drift warning, blind spot monitors, and more? My eyesight is the windshield and my own eyeballs. Comes standard for me.

Eyesight is so much more than forward braking mitigation.  It is blind spot monitors (on the mirrors), lane departure warning, Lane keep assist (it nudges you back into the middle of the lane when activated), & adaptive cruise control.  Well worth the price of admission.  

cdnpinhead

What he said.

And, after what caused our beloved Pathfinder to be totaled, it's very appropriate. And, no, my wife doesn't read this board.

tjc78

corvette said:

andres3, maybe you should pick up a Subaru in Colorado and drive it back to CA--could be a fun road trip. cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease? Re: wiper blades, the Boschs (Bosches?) I put on the Murano about eight months ago were skipping and chattering on cold days. I ordered new ones for the front from Amazon (free shipping) and they arrived in two separate boxes. Much better with the new blades! Consumer Reports isn't kidding when they say that there aren't huge differences in quality between brands, but they all seem to be degraded by the six month mark.

It must be climate specific.  My Enclave is 27 months old with just about 24 k miles and the blades still work like new.  I'm doubting I'll replace them by the time it goes back in December 

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

corvette said:

andres3, maybe you should pick up a Subaru in Colorado and drive it back to CA--could be a fun road trip.

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Re: wiper blades, the Boschs (Bosches?) I put on the Murano about eight months ago were skipping and chattering on cold days. I ordered new ones for the front from Amazon (free shipping) and they arrived in two separate boxes. Much better with the new blades! Consumer Reports isn't kidding when they say that there aren't huge differences in quality between brands, but they all seem to be degraded by the six month mark.

It must be climate specific.  My Enclave is 27 months old with just about 24 k miles and the blades still work like new.  I'm doubting I'll replace them by the time it goes back in December 

I get Bosch Icons at the local chain auto store. They are about $20/each (not pair).

The store is only a 1/2 mile away. I don't even bother replacing them in pairs. If I'm really lazy, I let the guy there put the new one on.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

tjc78 said:

corvette said:

andres3, maybe you should pick up a Subaru in Colorado and drive it back to CA--could be a fun road trip.

cdpinhead, congrats! What trim level is the Forester? Buy or lease?

Re: wiper blades, the Boschs (Bosches?) I put on the Murano about eight months ago were skipping and chattering on cold days. I ordered new ones for the front from Amazon (free shipping) and they arrived in two separate boxes. Much better with the new blades! Consumer Reports isn't kidding when they say that there aren't huge differences in quality between brands, but they all seem to be degraded by the six month mark.

It must be climate specific.  My Enclave is 27 months old with just about 24 k miles and the blades still work like new.  I'm doubting I'll replace them by the time it goes back in December 

I get Bosch Icons at the local chain auto store. They are about $20/each (not pair).

The store is only a 1/2 mile away. I don't even bother replacing them in pairs. If I'm really lazy, I let the guy there put the new one on.

We've had the Outback 23 months and still have the original wiper blades. Work like a charm. For the MINI, the blade inserts are free so I'll get new ones every time it goes in for service.