Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

imidazol97

I buy the $5 Supertech replacement blades at Walmart. Replace them myself. The $6 Michelin brand looks like what used to be on the shelf at Walmart under the Anco brand. Replace them about every 6-9 months. I tried the highly marketed brands and decided I was paying for advertising and not additional quality.

A good technique for stopping smearing and jumping is to clean the windshield with SOS pads which I usually do during a light rain in my driveway. I've used the fine steel wool pads plain with Dawn when I'm out of SOS. Then I clean the wiper rubber with alcohol.

Wipers on my 14 Malibu are the originals and it was built in December 13.

One technique is I have replaced the driver's wiper and put the old driver side wiper on the passenger side. Usually I don't have a passenger if it's raining. Occasionallly my passenger complains if that side smears.

stickguy

Sonata blades are original. Not likely to ever change them. Jetta ones chatter so I do need to do them. That is 1.5 YO. Acura I think got replaced 2 times now. They work fine.

I do scrub them down when windows get cleaned, and use alcohol occasionally. I did once see a sharpener kit. Should have gotten it. Had alcohol pads and an edge tool, kind of like a knife sharpener. Was supposed to put a new sharp edge on it. No clue if it actually worked.

I like refills from dealer. Don't like replacing the frames on newer cars and you can't just buy inserts any longer other than at dealer.

rayainsw

Roadburner -
'As I posted in ELLPS, we just got our first two G30s- a 540i xDrive M Sport'
Once you have driven the 540, please post your impressions here ?
Thanks,
- Ray
If the stars align, I might be able to look seriously at one . . .

suydam

For almost any car I've owned the wiper blades tend to last about a year. I just get them changed when the car is in for an oil change. Will be interesting to see how they do in Southern California.

roadburner

rayainsw said:

Roadburner -
'As I posted in ELLPS, we just got our first two G30s- a 540i xDrive M Sport'
Once you have driven the 540, please post your impressions here ?
Thanks,
- Ray
If the stars align, I might be able to look seriously at one . . .

I really like the 540i M Sport; while it's still a bit big and heavy for my tastes it is a great car to drive. It definitely feels fast- I'm guessing 0-60 in the mid to high four second range. Handling is much more buttoned down than in the F10. The car I drove had M Sport brakes that were very easy to modulate and bring things to a halt right now. Inside the cockpit resembles a 7 Series with mainly detail improvements. The self centering turn signal and wiper stalks are gone, and the heated steering wheel button is mounted under the horn/SRS pad. Very impressive overall.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

Sonata blades are original. Not likely to ever change them. Jetta ones chatter so I do need to do them.

stickguy said:

I do scrub them down when windows get cleaned, and use alcohol occasionally.

Give a soaped Brillo or SOS pad a try. Go over the window using circles so you clean the glass in all directions. It might stop the chattering because it removes the road grim and oils--sort of like a clay bar for paint.

stickguy said:

I like refills from dealer. Don't like replacing the frames on newer cars and you can't just buy inserts any longer other than at dealer.

I hadn't thought about just replacing the rubber filler strip. I'll see if my dealer does sell those for the Malibu. I recall seeing the whole blades on display at my local Chevy store.

andres3

I might have located a Subaru Ambassador worth $500. Says negotiate your best price then present the coupon. So if I throw in another $500 to listen to TrueCar's price, and the Subaru dealership comes down $500, and the coupon covers the other $500 spread; we'd have a deal. Only no one wants to drive back up to Irvine to pick up a 135 mile "new vehicle."

I'd need to be paid $500 to do that.... so I'd consider maybe coming up just the coupon amount....so they'd still have to do $500 below invoice with the coupon taking me back to my $1K below invoice figure/offer.

nyccarguy

andres3 said:

I might have located a Subaru Ambassador worth $500. Says negotiate your best price then present the coupon. So if I throw in another $500 to listen to TrueCar's price, and the Subaru dealership comes down $500, and the coupon covers the other $500 spread; we'd have a deal. Only no one wants to drive back up to Irvine to pick up a 135 mile "new vehicle."

I'd need to be paid $500 to do that.... so I'd consider maybe coming up just the coupon amount....so they'd still have to do $500 below invoice with the coupon taking me back to my $1K below invoice figure/offer.

They are at invoice right now? What's the spread from sticker? About $2,200?

breld

nyccarguy said:

I'm starting to like BMWs again. This AM I saw a gorgeous Silver/Red 428xi Grand Coupe. Tonight on the way home it was a white with black trim, grill, & lip spoiler 340xi MSport.

I was thinking today about what you said here @nyccarguy, about "starting to like BMWs again."

Using the 3-series as an example, the F30 obviously changed a lot from the E90 in driving dynamics, not to mention the shift to the 4 cylinder turbo. When my wife and I had our E90s (she had two of them), we felt they offered something very distinctive from other competitors. With the F30 softening and becoming more like its competitors (IMO), it opened the door to consider those other vehicles. That was at least some of the reasoning for me considering all the Audis I had recently.

But once I started appreciating what this current crop of sport sedans offers (instead of directly comparing them to the previous E90), I came full circle back to BMW and am enjoying the F30 platform for what it is. While it may not be as tight as our previous 3's, it is nevertheless an engaging and enjoyable drive.

Or maybe I'm just getting older.

breld

Current issue of Automobile has an interesting comparison of their long-term Maxima and 340i. The point was to get on a track to see whether the Maxima lives up to Nissan's marketing hype as a sport sedan, using the 340i (an M-sport manual) as a benchmark.

All in all, they found the Maxima to hold its own quite nicely, though they admitted that also points to the "standard" set by the 3-series being softened.

That article piqued my interest, and a look at cars.com reveals that you can get one of these current gen Maximas for what seems like a steal. The looks certainly are polarizing, but they have caught my eye on the road a time or two.

breld

By the way, I test drove a Mustang GT this past weekend.

Oh boy, that was certainly different than anything else I've ever had (not unexpected). The salesperson allowed a pretty extensive drive, which was good since it took me half of the time just to get comfortable with the car - the long hood, the feel of the V-8 - very different feel from what I'm used to.

But once I did get comfortable, it was pretty darn cool. That rumble of the V-8 is something else - though the artificial sound coming through the speakers was a bit much (and seemingly unnecessary). The 6-speed stick was nice and crisp. And the steering felt heavy (in a good way).

I may have to scratch that itch at some point - though giving up the rear doors, usable rear seats and hatch in my current "fun" car will be difficult.

I'd also be curious to check out the Ecoboost version. During the drive, I asked the salesperson what his impressions were between the two - I mean, I'm curious as to how much the different engines transform the overall feel of the car; whether the Ecoboost has much lag; maybe the Ecoboost feels lighter on its feet. After a long pause, here's his response: "In the long run, I think the V-8 will be faster."

rayainsw

The 2018 Mustang GT intrigues me - a lot.
- Ray
Waiting to see if the production vehicle is as good
as the specs indicate it should be ...

mjfloyd1

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. 

First nights are always really rough. You are either up because they are crying or up watching to make sure that they are breathing since they are not crying...

rayainsw

28firefighter - Congrats.
- Ray
New baby = ALMOST as exciting as a new car ...

qbrozen

breld said:

Current issue of Automobile has an interesting comparison of their long-term Maxima and 340i. The point was to get on a track to see whether the Maxima lives up to Nissan's marketing hype as a sport sedan, using the 340i (an M-sport manual) as a benchmark.

All in all, they found the Maxima to hold its own quite nicely, though they admitted that also points to the "standard" set by the 3-series being softened.

That article piqued my interest, and a look at cars.com reveals that you can get one of these current gen Maximas for what seems like a steal. The looks certainly are polarizing, but they have caught my eye on the road a time or two.

really bugs me that they always compare to the 3-series, no matter what, it seems. The Maxima is 5-series sized.

nyccarguy

@breld

I wasn't overly impressed with the feedback when I drove the F30 328xi as a loaner car. That was back when they first came out in 2013. Now 4 years into the platform (time does fly), I'm sure BMW has taken some of the criticism it has received and made some revisions. I thought the F30 3 series was dynamically superior and faster than my E90, but I just didn't get that "feeling" from it.

ab348

I really liked the Mustang GT I drove for about a half-hour, except for the artificially-loud engine/exhaust noise in the cabin. I'd want to find a way to turn that off.

graphicguy

breld said:

By the way, I test drove a Mustang GT this past weekend.

Oh boy, that was certainly different than anything else I've ever had (not unexpected). The salesperson allowed a pretty extensive drive, which was good since it took me half of the time just to get comfortable with the car - the long hood, the feel of the V-8 - very different feel from what I'm used to.

But once I did get comfortable, it was pretty darn cool. That rumble of the V-8 is something else - though the artificial sound coming through the speakers was a bit much (and seemingly unnecessary). The 6-speed stick was nice and crisp. And the steering felt heavy (in a good way).

I may have to scratch that itch at some point - though giving up the rear doors, usable rear seats and hatch in my current "fun" car will be difficult.

I'd also be curious to check out the Ecoboost version. During the drive, I asked the salesperson what his impressions were between the two - I mean, I'm curious as to how much the different engines transform the overall feel of the car; whether the Ecoboost has much lag; maybe the Ecoboost feels lighter on its feet. After a long pause, here's his response: "In the long run, I think the V-8 will be faster."

If you're going down the Mustang road, don't even consider anything but a GT with the V8. The rest, no matter what the car rags say, are pretenders.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

andres3 said:

I might have located a Subaru Ambassador worth $500. Says negotiate your best price then present the coupon. So if I throw in another $500 to listen to TrueCar's price, and the Subaru dealership comes down $500, and the coupon covers the other $500 spread; we'd have a deal. Only no one wants to drive back up to Irvine to pick up a 135 mile "new vehicle."

I'd need to be paid $500 to do that.... so I'd consider maybe coming up just the coupon amount....so they'd still have to do $500 below invoice with the coupon taking me back to my $1K below invoice figure/offer.

They are at invoice right now? What's the spread from sticker? About $2,200?

They were at $500 over invoice. He might have hinted at $300 under as he mentioned with 2.5i that might be their rock bottom maybe do it deal. However, he was using it as an argument that the 3.6 deserved more as it was higher demand / lower supply and "special" But that is all conjecture. Bottom line is they didn't move from $500 over, and I was not moving from 1,000 under (well, started at 1,300 under).

Sticker is really close to $2,500 over invoice.

28firefighter

I would get a price from Heuberger Subaru on the car you want and use that as a baseline for negotiating. 

imidazol97

ab348 said:

I really liked the Mustang GT I drove for about a half-hour, except for the artificially-loud engine/exhaust noise in the cabin. I'd want to find a way to turn that off.

To disable in coupe:
"Ok so today I took it in to ford to have them disable it and after 2 hours they gave up. Tried to use IDS but that didn't work. HOWEVER.....after a bit more research online I discovered that there is a small mic located in the headliner just above the back seat. Pull your headliner back and unplug that mic and the noise is completely gone! Problem solved!"

tjc78

Seriously?  Only way to disable to unplug something.  Wow.  Only Ford...

Even Chrysler had a way to disable the talking cars by a hidden switch behind the glove box.  

stickguy

forgot another update from the car show. Apparently, between some combo of losing 50 pounds and becoming scrawny again, and Mazda making it roomier, I actually fit comfortably in a new Miata. None of the contortions I went through to wedge into my 2001 vintage model. So if I wanted one, I could do it. Though still has the minor issue of getting in and out of it (do they make a lifted CUV version yet?).

My wife did not complain about lack of room. She did comment on the access issue.

still, it is on the list to go try. Could work fine as a spare car. Just won't be using it for trips!

tbirdmarco

@breld My mom has an mixama of current jeneration in white have had it since September 2015 not long after they came out loves it. drives it all over good on road trips stands out big time nice all around car. have to figer out how to poste an pick. s trim cums with a lot for the base trim nave power seats locks windos. this car is leesed gos back next year trying to convince her to tirne it in this summer and get sumthing elce maby an b m w told her Lexis. we shal see. think she wants an s u v so maby new g m c acatia or maby one of the other new gm s u v s cumming out have to see lots of choices lol as you no.

tbirdmarco

@breld nice mustang is one of my favorates sat in the current jenaration love it wish could drive it lol. have to go with sumone to the dealer who can drive and take one out for an spin

sda

stickguy said:

forgot another update from the car show. Apparently, between some combo of losing 50 pounds and becoming scrawny again, and Mazda making it roomier, I actually fit comfortably in a new Miata. None of the contortions I went through to wedge into my 2001 vintage model. So if I wanted one, I could do it. Though still has the minor issue of getting in and out of it (do they make a lifted CUV version yet?).

My wife did not complain about lack of room. She did comment on the access issue.

still, it is on the list to go try. Could work fine as a spare car. Just won't be using it for trips!

Kudos on the weight loss. Any advice for me as I need to follow your lead?

tjc78

We should start up a thread about fitness, etc.  2016 was a good year for the wife and I.  We've both lost an extreme amount of weight. 

@stickguy, I knew you mentioned weight loss but awesome job. 50 lbs is great. 

stickguy

eat less, move more. And get a fitbit and let it run your life. everything in moderation, and cut out pure junk stuff, and minimize alcohol. Highly technical stuff!

I use the "500+500" method (pat. pend.). That is cut out 500 calories per day (and when you really analyze calorie counts, it isn't that hard in most cases). And add 500 more calories burned per day.

Using the standard ballpark of 3,500 calories = 1 pound (that does vary per person), 1000 per day total = 7,000 per week. That is going to roughly end up being 2 pounds lost per week, which is right about what I ended up doing on average.

I don't like drastic, and believe that no one can sustain it. But if you basically recalibrate to slow and steady, and keep at it, you can accomplish a lot (6 months to get to 50 on my plan).

nyccarguy

@andres3 - what's the competition like in your area? You said the dealer you went to was 80 miles away in Irvine. We've got lots of dealers here in CT/NY. There's one where I live in Stamford, another about 20 minutes north in Norwalk, CT, the dealer in NY where I bought & service my car which is about 20 minutes south of me, another 3 dealers within a 20 minute drive. Then there are the dealers in NYC & Long Island. There has got to be easily 15 Subaru dealers within an hour drive of my house.

suydam

In some places not so many. One reason that I wouldn't consider Subaru in Ohio was the lack of good dealer networks there.

henryn

stickguy said:

forgot another update from the car show. Apparently, between some combo of losing 50 pounds and becoming scrawny again, and Mazda making it roomier, I actually fit comfortably in a new Miata. None of the contortions I went through to wedge into my 2001 vintage model. So if I wanted one, I could do it. Though still has the minor issue of getting in and out of it (do they make a lifted CUV version yet?).

My wife did not complain about lack of room. She did comment on the access issue.

still, it is on the list to go try. Could work fine as a spare car. Just won't be using it for trips!

It could work for trips if you pack like Jack Reacher (literary reference there). A fictional character, in a whole series of best selling novels. He travels the world carrying only a toothbrush.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

@andres3 - what's the competition like in your area? You said the dealer you went to was 80 miles away in Irvine. We've got lots of dealers here in CT/NY. There's one where I live in Stamford, another about 20 minutes north in Norwalk, CT, the dealer in NY where I bought & service my car which is about 20 minutes south of me, another 3 dealers within a 20 minute drive. Then there are the dealers in NYC & Long Island. There has got to be easily 15 Subaru dealers within an hour drive of my house.

There's a decent amount less than a 40 minutes drive away. I think I've now found all of them, so that would be 4 in San Diego County.

The reason we went to Irvine is they have the only 3.6R Limited Outback without Eyesight and Nav which saves you $2K. All the other dealers always order them with the Eyesight and Nav. The few that might have been ordered sell quickly. I'm not the only one that thinks $2K is too much for those features; to each their own.

Also, a dealer up north about 50 miles had some interesting Foresters, but in the end we both lean towards the Outback now as the winner between the two (I especially like the Outback Limited's Ivory leather interior).

stickguy

henryn said:

stickguy said:

forgot another update from the car show. Apparently, between some combo of losing 50 pounds and becoming scrawny again, and Mazda making it roomier, I actually fit comfortably in a new Miata. None of the contortions I went through to wedge into my 2001 vintage model. So if I wanted one, I could do it. Though still has the minor issue of getting in and out of it (do they make a lifted CUV version yet?).

My wife did not complain about lack of room. She did comment on the access issue.

still, it is on the list to go try. Could work fine as a spare car. Just won't be using it for trips!

It could work for trips if you pack like Jack Reacher (literary reference there). A fictional character, in a whole series of best selling novels. He travels the world carrying only a toothbrush.

don't have to go quite that far. The Miata has always had a surprisingly large (well, to me) sized trunk. And the new one seems even bigger. plenty of space for a couple of weekend duffel bags of some sort.

Michaell

andres3 said:

nyccarguy said:

@andres3 - what's the competition like in your area? You said the dealer you went to was 80 miles away in Irvine. We've got lots of dealers here in CT/NY. There's one where I live in Stamford, another about 20 minutes north in Norwalk, CT, the dealer in NY where I bought & service my car which is about 20 minutes south of me, another 3 dealers within a 20 minute drive. Then there are the dealers in NYC & Long Island. There has got to be easily 15 Subaru dealers within an hour drive of my house.

There's a decent amount less than a 40 minutes drive away. I think I've now found all of them, so that would be 4 in San Diego County.

The reason we went to Irvine is they have the only 3.6R Limited Outback without Eyesight and Nav which saves you $2K. All the other dealers always order them with the Eyesight and Nav. The few that might have been ordered sell quickly. I'm not the only one that thinks $2K is too much for those features; to each their own.

Also, a dealer up north about 50 miles had some interesting Foresters, but in the end we both lean towards the Outback now as the winner between the two (I especially like the Outback Limited's Ivory leather interior).

My wife's Outback has the ivory leather. Looks great, but if you and the wife wear denim a lot, look out.

Can you special order a car and wait 6-8 weeks for it to be delivered? Finding what you want on the lot may be aggravating, as you're finding out.

28firefighter

My experience is that the outback 3.6 and Forester XT are not in frequent stock on dealer lots. Several dealers told me that they had better dealing ability on a special order than units in-stock. 

tjc78

Michaell said:

@andres3 - what's the competition like in your area? You said the dealer you went to was 80 miles away in Irvine. We've got lots of dealers here in CT/NY. There's one where I live in Stamford, another about 20 minutes north in Norwalk, CT, the dealer in NY where I bought & service my car which is about 20 minutes south of me, another 3 dealers within a 20 minute drive. Then there are the dealers in NYC & Long Island. There has got to be easily 15 Subaru dealers within an hour drive of my house.

There's a decent amount less than a 40 minutes drive away. I think I've now found all of them, so that would be 4 in San Diego County. The reason we went to Irvine is they have the only 3.6R Limited Outback without Eyesight and Nav which saves you $2K. All the other dealers always order them with the Eyesight and Nav. The few that might have been ordered sell quickly. I'm not the only one that thinks $2K is too much for those features; to each their own. Also, a dealer up north about 50 miles had some interesting Foresters, but in the end we both lean towards the Outback now as the winner between the two (I especially like the Outback Limited's Ivory leather interior).

My wife's Outback has the ivory leather. Looks great, but if you and the wife wear denim a lot, look out. Can you special order a car and wait 6-8 weeks for it to be delivered? Finding what you want on the lot may be aggravating, as you're finding out.

Lexol takes the blue from the jeans right off.   We get it on our light grey interior at times.  We don't wear jeans as often anymore so it's not nearly as bad.  

tjc78

stickguy said:

eat less, move more. And get a fitbit and let it run your life. everything in moderation, and cut out pure junk stuff, and minimize alcohol. Highly technical stuff! I use the "500+500" method (pat. pend.). That is cut out 500 calories per day (and when you really analyze calorie counts, it isn't that hard in most cases). And add 500 more calories burned per day. Using the standard ballpark of 3,500 calories = 1 pound (that does vary per person), 1000 per day total = 7,000 per week. That is going to roughly end up being 2 pounds lost per week, which is right about what I ended up doing on average. I don't like drastic, and believe that no one can sustain it. But if you basically recalibrate to slow and steady, and keep at it, you can accomplish a lot (6 months to get to 50 on my plan).

We based our diet on a Beachbody product called 21 Day Fix.  It uses a container system for portion control and a book with "approved" foods.   It's a great system and worked wonders for us.  

My wife went from a touch under 300 lbs after my daughter was born to 133.  3 lbs to go for her.  I've gone from 360 lbs (size 52 Pants / 4X shirt) to 191 lbs (36 waist / large shirt).  

She started on Oct 2015 right after our daughter was born and started Jan 2016.  I'm on maintenance mode pretty much but still doing the elliptical 5 days a week and watching my portions.   A little more open on the weekends and once a week we do a "cheat meal". 

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

eat less, move more. And get a fitbit and let it run your life. everything in moderation, and cut out pure junk stuff, and minimize alcohol. Highly technical stuff! I use the "500+500" method (pat. pend.). That is cut out 500 calories per day (and when you really analyze calorie counts, it isn't that hard in most cases). And add 500 more calories burned per day. Using the standard ballpark of 3,500 calories = 1 pound (that does vary per person), 1000 per day total = 7,000 per week. That is going to roughly end up being 2 pounds lost per week, which is right about what I ended up doing on average. I don't like drastic, and believe that no one can sustain it. But if you basically recalibrate to slow and steady, and keep at it, you can accomplish a lot (6 months to get to 50 on my plan).

We based our diet on a Beachbody product called 21 Day Fix.  It uses a container system for portion control and a book with "approved" foods.   It's a great system and worked wonders for us.  

My wife went from a touch under 300 lbs after my daughter was born to 133.  3 lbs to go for her.  I've gone from 360 lbs (size 52 Pants / 4X shirt) to 191 lbs (36 waist / large shirt).  

She started on Oct 2015 right after our daughter was born and started Jan 2016.  I'm on maintenance mode pretty much but still doing the elliptical 5 days a week and watching my portions.   A little more open on the weekends and once a week we do a "cheat meal". 

That's amazing. Congrats.

graphicguy

@tjc78.... great accomplishment. Good for you and your wife.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

My experience is that the outback 3.6 and Forester XT are not in frequent stock on dealer lots. Several dealers told me that they had better dealing ability on a special order than units in-stock. 

Don't Subarus come into port in Portland? Seems like it would be easy for them to snag one, in the PNW.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

eat less, move more. And get a fitbit and let it run your life. everything in moderation, and cut out pure junk stuff, and minimize alcohol. Highly technical stuff!

I use the "500+500" method (pat. pend.). That is cut out 500 calories per day (and when you really analyze calorie counts, it isn't that hard in most cases). And add 500 more calories burned per day.

Using the standard ballpark of 3,500 calories = 1 pound (that does vary per person), 1000 per day total = 7,000 per week. That is going to roughly end up being 2 pounds lost per week, which is right about what I ended up doing on average.

I don't like drastic, and believe that no one can sustain it. But if you basically recalibrate to slow and steady, and keep at it, you can accomplish a lot (6 months to get to 50 on my plan).

We based our diet on a Beachbody product called 21 Day Fix.  It uses a container system for portion control and a book with "approved" foods.   It's a great system and worked wonders for us.  

My wife went from a touch under 300 lbs after my daughter was born to 133.  3 lbs to go for her.  I've gone from 360 lbs (size 52 Pants / 4X shirt) to 191 lbs (36 waist / large shirt).  

She started on Oct 2015 right after our daughter was born and started Jan 2016.  I'm on maintenance mode pretty much but still doing the elliptical 5 days a week and watching my portions.   A little more open on the weekends and once a week we do a "cheat meal". 


Holy Cow!! That is amazing.

Portion control is very hard, without an aid, I would think. And, carving an hour out, 5-6 days per week is also hard, if you are working. Craft beer is my downfall. Lots of calories, and hungry the next day.

But, I'm pretty proud of losing ten pounds since October. I'm a little more mindful of my caloric intake, plus hitting the treadmill for an hour, at least 5-6 days per week. (4 miles/day).
Quitting my job helped with having time to exercise.

So... from 207 to 197... and, hopefully, headed to somewhere in the low-mid 180s.
One key for me, is to not do anything that I can't keep doing, ad infinitum.. Of course, this is on a lot smaller scale (pun intended) than you and your wife.

Really, congrats to both of you! I'm sure it will change your life.

fintail

That's amazing, congrats to you both. I have 20-30 lbs I'd like to drop, but have a hard time cutting out of the bad stuff, and I am too lazy to start real physical training (I jog, but don't mind it, it's a good stress release).

tjc78 said:

We based our diet on a Beachbody product called 21 Day Fix.  It uses a container system for portion control and a book with "approved" foods.   It's a great system and worked wonders for us.  

My wife went from a touch under 300 lbs after my daughter was born to 133.  3 lbs to go for her.  I've gone from 360 lbs (size 52 Pants / 4X shirt) to 191 lbs (36 waist / large shirt).  

She started on Oct 2015 right after our daughter was born and started Jan 2016.  I'm on maintenance mode pretty much but still doing the elliptical 5 days a week and watching my portions.   A little more open on the weekends and once a week we do a "cheat meal". 

stickguy

I used the elliptical too probably 5 days a week. Worked wonders. Our portion control was more eyeball though! And just healthier options to start. But we never went radical. I went from 207 to 157 but only actually planned to shoot for 180. My wife lost about 35 but has more to go, so I guess I'm just along for the ride. Even though she tells me to eat more!

Next step is to start doing strength training, and put back on some weight in the form of muscle!

andres3

So if we don't make a punch today (doubtful for Subaru, possibility with VW), we'll find out if the 0% financing at Subaru or the 1,000 loyalty rebate at VW are short-term, or long term tomorrow, since it is the last day of the month and technically both those incentives expire (unless they are extended).

andres3

In the meantime I crossed the 12,000 mile threshold in my TTS yesterday. That's a milestone, particularly for some in this Chronic Car Buyers Club.

henryn

I would be very surprised if the $1,000 loyalty rebate at VW is not extended. This is basically intended to entice the people doing the TDI buyback to buy a new VW when they turn in the TDI (worked with me!), and VW still has a lot of TDI's to buy back.

On the Subaru, I have no idea. From what I've been reading in here, apparently Subaru has become a rather high priced brand. I always had the impression (Subaru == cheap), but apparently they're becoming one of the "high priced spreads".

stickguy

Yeah, Subaru seems to be going for the premium mid tier market. Well equipped but higher priced vs much of the volume competition. Plus of course standard AWD for the slice of the market that cares (the sedan market that is).

andres3

henryn said:

I would be very surprised if the $1,000 loyalty rebate at VW is not extended. This is basically intended to entice the people doing the TDI buyback to buy a new VW when they turn in the TDI (worked with me!), and VW still has a lot of TDI's to buy back.

On the Subaru, I have no idea. From what I've been reading in here, apparently Subaru has become a rather high priced brand. I always had the impression (Subaru == cheap), but apparently they're becoming one of the "high priced spreads".

To be fair, the Outback interior (and VW) kind of toe that line between the "cheap" brands and the "luxury" expensive brands. In my mind Subaru's improved the interior of the Outback enough that it has some credibility, but the Forester is definitely typical Subaru hard plastics everywhere. Also, the Jetta no longer completes in my opinion with the interiors of the other VW's.

Acura tries to play with the big boys, but somehow seems to fall short (though the TL did have a nice interior).

henryn

I have to say that this new Passat R-Line that I just bought compares (in my mind) very favorably with an Accord or Camry costing $4k to $5k more. A lot of this is going to be individual preferences, of course. I like the fake leather that Volkswagen uses, always have. Much preferable to cloth seats (in my mind), and truth be told, I would take it over leather, especially for the difference in price.

And the 1.8T turbocharged engine has more torque, down low where you need it in city driving. Very preferable to a NA 4 cylinder engine.

The Accord Sport, which sells for around the same amount, does not have Satellite Radio (a necessity for me), nor blind spot monitoring (which I am rapidly becoming very fond of). And no power seat, another necessity for me.

Now the resale value will hold up much better on the Honda or the Toyota, that is a given. And one would expect the cost of repairs and maintenance to be much lower if you kept it for 10 years and 120k miles, but I am not going to do that.

andres3

henryn said:

I have to say that this new Passat R-Line that I just bought compares (in my mind) very favorably with an Accord or Camry costing $4k to $5k more. A lot of this is going to be individual preferences, of course. I like the fake leather that Volkswagen uses, always have. Much preferable to cloth seats (in my mind), and truth be told, I would take it over leather, especially for the difference in price.

And the 1.8T turbocharged engine has more torque, down low where you need it in city driving. Very preferable to a NA 4 cylinder engine.

The Accord Sport, which sells for around the same amount, does not have Satellite Radio (a necessity for me), nor blind spot monitoring (which I am rapidly becoming very fond of). And no power seat, another necessity for me.

Now the resale value will hold up much better on the Honda or the Toyota, that is a given. And one would expect the cost of repairs and maintenance to be much lower if you kept it for 10 years and 120k miles, but I am not going to do that.

Well, I ended up leasing a Kia Optima over buying the Optima, or leasing/buying the Accord Sport (couldn't live with the LX), and the Passat (though I hadn't heard of the R-Line at that time; maybe it wasn't out yet, would definitely be my trim of choice! SE too expensive, S too basic.

The Optima won out because with the 7-speed DSG I think the 1.6T might beat the Passat in a race (though I haven't looked up magazine figures). It also should get better mileage, and it has a lighter chassis. It has features the S lacked, and of course, the SE was much more money. Had the R-line been available for $20K or less, I might have chose differently. The Optima beat the Accord in my mind mainly because it was $50 less per month to lease, and the 19" wheels on the Accord Sport are overkill.

After 5,500 miles the Kia has proven very reliable. The VW TDI is gone at 19,779 miles (only problem was the leaking pano-roof/clogged drain hose. Got an email confirming receipt; should get an EFT transfer in 2 or 3 days.

The TTS has also proven very reliable at 12,050 miles. Only problem was the blind spot monitor sensors/software. Also, there's a recall, but it was so unimportant I haven't taken care of it and don't remember what it was.