NYC....I know I'm probably in the minority, but leasing (not one, but two) just doesn't make much financial sense to me. I'm sure someone will come up with a formula that shows it does make sense....depreciating asset, always under warranty, etc. I just can't wrap my arms around it, though.
Especially given the miles I drive. It's hard to justify leasing.
Wish me luck! I'm going in!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
NYC....I know I'm probably in the minority, but leasing (not one, but two) just doesn't make much financial sense to me. I'm sure someone will come up with a formula that shows it does make sense....depreciating asset, always under warranty, etc. I just can't wrap my arms around it, though.
Especially given the miles I drive. It's hard to justify leasing.
Wish me luck! I'm going in!
We expect a play-by-play!
2025 Jetta GLI Autobahn, 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE
Car drives great. Love the steering and the power. Looks great inside and out. I presented my "all in" @graphicguy offer. The salesman went to speak with his boss. I'm waiting for him to return.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Car drives great. Love the steering and the power. Looks great inside and out. I presented my "all in" @graphicguy offer. The salesman went to speak with his boss. I'm waiting for him to return.
Good Luck!
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
Ok guys. Thank-you for all of your support. I do have a pending punch to report. At the end of the month, I will be the proud owner of a 2015 Black/Black Infiniti Q40.
I'm just working out some of the little numbers. I want to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Ok guys. Thank-you for all of your support. I do have a pending punch to report. At the end of the month, I will be the proud owner of a 2015 Black/Black Infiniti Q40.
I'm just working out some of the little numbers. I want to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.
My son came home to visit this weekend, so I finally got to drive the A3. Man, that is a nice car. very fast. And he was demoing all the fancy features (drive modes, virtual dash). Amazing how many things it does. Very nice, and he loves it. A bit too cramped for me and the wife. Plus, very low, so climbing in and out of it.
I really think at this point a small CUV is what I will end up with. Really like the ease of getting in and out, and a better view of the road. Plus the convenience of the hatch.
the wife was commenting that she wanted some of the fancy features (navi, heated steering wheel). Basically all the stuff my car has. So a good option might be a nice CUV (new CX5?) that has all the goodies, that will become the primary car, pushing the RDX to spare car duty (meaning my car, and as soon as she adopts the new one, I can flip the Acura!). Going to be interesting.
I sent a link to the preview of the CX5 to the princess. She wants one. Bad. That could be the winner for us.
My son came home to visit this weekend, so I finally got to drive the A3. Man, that is a nice car. very fast. And he was demoing all the fancy features (drive modes, virtual dash). Amazing how many things it does. Very nice, and he loves it. A bit too cramped for me and the wife. Plus, very low, so climbing in and out of it.
I really think at this point a small CUV is what I will end up with. Really like the ease of getting in and out, and a better view of the road. Plus the convenience of the hatch.
the wife was commenting that she wanted some of the fancy features (navi, heated steering wheel). Basically all the stuff my car has. So a good option might be a nice CUV (new CX5?) that has all the goodies, that will become the primary car, pushing the RDX to spare car duty (meaning my car, and as soon as she adopts the new one, I can flip the Acura!). Going to be interesting.
I sent a link to the preview of the CX5 to the princess. She wants one. Bad. That could be the winner for us.
You'd be getting your daughter a CX5 too, or did you mean to say CX3 for her? That's the one you've been talking about. I just read a review of the CX3 in Truck Trend today. They love that rig, but went on and on about how noisy it was, road and engine, like it was missing insulation. I was surprised by that.
2024 Ram 1500 Longhorn, 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6
Ok guys. Thank-you for all of your support. I do have a pending punch to report. At the end of the month, I will be the proud owner of a 2015 Black/Black Infiniti Q40.
I'm just working out some of the little numbers. I want to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.
Did you factor in the speeding fines and increase in insurance rates?
Thanks for the thoughts on the CR-V. Actually leaning towards the EX vs Ex-L this time around. I just hate that they introduced the HR-V and moved the CR-V up in price.
I know. Honda used to require leather to get sat radio, but finally changed that in the past couple of years. I really want the power liftgate, but ah well.
I don't like the power hatch, so good for me! After looking at the features list, I did find something. Homelink. My wife would be annoyed, but I can live with clickers hanging on the visor to save $2,500.
Hello everyone. My name is Bradd. And I'm a Chronic Car Buyer.
I can give some details of my transaction now that things have settled a bit. I shot for the stars knowing full well that I wasn't going to get it. My Legacy isn't perfect. There is a big dent in the front right 1/4 panel from a hit in the parking lot at work. It has close to 47,000 miles. The car I was interested in and ended up buying has less than 7,500 miles on it and is in fantatstic shape.
The "internet price" of my 2015 Q50 AWD was $24,500. They told me the other night that they'd give me $12,000 for my Legacy. I put my offer together. $23,500 for the Q40, $13,500 for my Legacy, $265 to change my plates and register my car, $75 doc fee, $75 gas fee (fill the car up & all weather mats), & tax on the $10,000 ($635) difference. I gave them my number and told them to work it out anyway they want. I'll sign today, leave a deposit, and pick the car up by the end of the month.
They came back with an out the door number that was $600 & change above mine. He broke it down and they weren't going to budge off the $24,500 asking price (which @qbrozen said was a good price), but came up $1,500 on my trade to $13,500. I just have to get my snow tires off before I trade the Legacy in.
its a good price for a great car. It is the lowest mileage, CPO 2015 Q40 within a 200 mile radius. I'm taking the 0.99 % financing for 36 months.
My Q40 has a strong, 328 hp V6, balanced RWD based chassis, and I dig it's looks. It is the car I deserve... the dark knight.
Thank-you all for your help and support.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Hello everyone. My name is Bradd. And I'm a Chronic Car Buyer.
I can give some details of my transaction now that things have settled a bit. I shot for the stars knowing full well that I wasn't going to get it. My Legacy isn't perfect. There is a big dent in the front right 1/4 panel from a hit in the parking lot at work. It has close to 47,000 miles. The car I was interested in and ended up buying has less than 7,500 miles on it and is in fantatstic shape.
The "internet price" of my 2015 Q50 AWD was $24,500. They told me the other night that they'd give me $12,000 for my Legacy. I put my offer together. $23,500 for the Q40, $13,500 for my Legacy, $265 to change my plates and register my car, $75 doc fee, $75 gas fee (fill the car up & all weather mats), & tax on the $10,000 ($635) difference. I gave them my number and told them to work it out anyway they want. I'll sign today, leave a deposit, and pick the car up by the end of the month.
They came back with an out the door number that was $600 & change above mine. He broke it down and they weren't going to budge off the $24,500 asking price (which @qbrozen said was a good price), but came up $1,500 on my trade to $13,500. I just have to get my snow tires off before I trade the Legacy in.
its a good price for a great car. It is the lowest mileage, CPO 2015 Q40 within a 200 mile radius. I'm taking the 0.99 % financing for 36 months.
My Q40 has a strong, 328 hp V6, balanced RWD based chassis, and I dig it's looks. It is the car I deserve... the dark knight.
Thank-you all for your help and support.
Sounds awesome! Congrats!
2025 Jetta GLI Autobahn, 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE
excellent deal. Dropping 40,000 miles in the process is like dialing back 2 years. And you get another 70,000 miles almost of CPO warranty in the process.
Surprised though that they are willing to sit on the deal for 3 weeks (for whatever reason you need to wait until the end of the month).
if you want to make yourself feel better about the money, you just spent 10K to upgrade to a car that was originally close to 20K more expensive on MSRP.
@xwesx - the car "crapped out on you 40 miles outside of Fairbanks"??!!!
Holy cow!
Yeah, it literally did. Just driving along, everything seemed fine, then the engine hiccuped, died, and we coasted to the side of the road. During this episode, the glow plug light started flashing, engine MIL was on. It was a gone puppy. It will crank, but it just makes no effort to start at all.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
So, let's see if I can give a more compete account of the Q7 trip.....
We started the whole thing off with the crash of our 2010 Forester on the day prior to our flight. Not the best of memories, but all were okay (except the car), so I guess it has its good points.
On Thursday, March 2, I had expected to receive the titling paperwork from the dealership. They received payment a week prior, and I gave them a return envelope, prepaid, to send the paperwork back. I was very clear in that they needed to send it out on Monday for me to receive prior to departure. But, nothing. They "thought" they had sent it out, but weren't really sure, and were completely unable to provide a tracking number. So, I went to my local DMV to get a temp tag of some sort, except after an hour of waiting, they had only managed to get through three numbers (I was twelfth back when I arrived), so I just abandoned that and decided it was the dealer's problem.
I ran home, grabbed the family and baggage, and headed back into town. A friend gave us a ride to the airport, and I left my 2008 Forester at my office. The first flight left at 1740 local time that afternoon.
The flights were flawless: Both were on-time to leave and arrive, and we had no issues at all at any of the airports. We arrived at 0530 on Friday morning (local time) in Houston, where we had some breakfast and waited for our taxi. The driver arrived a few minutes late at about 0715, but the dealer didn't open until 0900, so it was no problem. The drive was estimated at no more than 90 minutes.
Our driver was fantastic, and he really helped the travel down to Webster go quickly. He also mentioned that the NASA space center was only a few minutes from our destination, and, since we had a little extra time before 9am, he took us over there and we were able to see some of the equipment on display (early flight capsule, space shuttle, 747 that carries it, etc). He then took us over to the dealership, and we arrived precisely at 0900.
When we walked in, there was a bustle of activity inside, a guy greeted me, and I asked to see my salesman. Another ten minutes later, he finally shows up, says he has the car ready, and out we go. Car seems mostly as expected, I told him about the issue with the plates and my frustration at their lack of action/responsiveness, and he just shrugs it off saying that it was out of his hands, blah blah. I asked if it was sent at this point, and, if not, then I would like to just take it with me. He fumbles about for a bit, comes back, and says he'll have to talk to the finance manager who doesn't get in until noon.... can I call back later? LOL.... no! I'm on the road, bozo! Guess what? The UPS stamp states pickup after 5pm that afternoon. Seriously....
Anyhow, I checked the fluids, loaded up the car, fueled up, and we were off.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Immediately I noticed how unbelievably smooth and quiet the car is. Seriously, this thing is so quiet that it makes my Passat seem noisy (and it wasn't - not at all!). So, that's a good sign.
We drove southwest to Kingsville to visit a good friend and his family. They, of course, went way overboard and had made up a massive (and tasty!) lunch. After 90 minutes, I had to insist that we get on down the road.... long days ahead! From there it was north to Austin, where we visited a friend who used to live here in Fairbanks. Again, about an hour and a half for that stop, then on to Lampasas, where we stopped for the night and I fueled up the car. 495 miles at 24.4 mpg. This was lower than I had expected, but we were also driving mostly very fast this day (>80), and there was often a stout headwind.
Day two started with some fresh donuts from a local shop at 0530, and then we managed to burn through the rest of Texas and into New Mexico. We fueled up in Moriarty, NM, with 607 miles on the ticker,. Economy was better at 26.8. Very little wind, but still >80 much of the day. and about this time the car starts telling me we need more diesel exhaust fluid, but that we have 1,500 miles of range before it won't let us restart it. We also stopped at Costco in Albuquerque to get some supplies (water, drinks, PB&J... the basics!), and finally wound up at El Morro National Monument for a restless night sleeping in the car. So, the Q7 is very comfortable for driving and sitting, but no so much for trying to manage four sleepers and gear. Not recommended!
Day three..... Oh, day three.
We started out early again - about 0500, and drove toward Flagstaff to visit Walnut Canyon National Monument. The DEF warning was dropping way faster than 1,500 miles range, and finally I added a gallon of DEF maybe 300 miles after the first warning, but the indicator was down to "50 miles range." Great.
Anyhow, Walnut Canyon - windy here... oh my was it windy! The cold was pretty biting, even for a subarctic dweller like myself! But, we were dressed for it, so we just hunched the shoulders and bore it. Amazing stuff. Our plan was an 0900 arrival and stay until 1100, but we showed up about thirty minutes late and stayed until noon. It was worth the stay, but probably would have been better had we been on time (more on that soon).
Next was a hop north on US89, where we took a 60-mile diversion to see the Grand Canyon. Bucket list item checked off. The wind was relentless, though. Ouch.
We filled up in Page, Arizona, with 559 miles on the ticker and 27.5 mpg. Speeds were still pretty fast as I was pushing nine over to shave off some time, and we spent the rest of the daylight hours on 89 north before we connected with I-15 in Utah. Sadly, after about a half-hour at a wonderfully quick 85 mph, we ran smack into a blizzard. Visibility was pretty awful, the road was busy, and many drivers just gave up on the concept of lane discipline. We managed to keep between 40 and 50 mph most of the time through this, and even had ourselves a little caravan of drivers that must have liked my Cool Aid. No interest in passing (made me do the trailblazing), but more than happy to follow. I don't blame them, though. Most of the traffic was driving 15-20 mph, which is a literal crawl when you still have hundreds of miles to go and have been at it since 0500 that morning!
We finally hit Provo at about 11pm, and the roads were much better as well as the snow being much lighter. Speeds picked back up, and the blizzard was only intermittent after that. I was tuckered out once we hit Clearfield, north of Salt Lake City, so I made a "stop early" request. No go. My wife was down for driving, so she swapped me out after we topped off (402 miles at 24.3 mpg), and drove us to Twin Falls, ID, for a hotel stay. We got in at about 0300 on Monday morning! Epic.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Day four, we slept a little later and got up at 0700. We hit the road soon after for a planned stop in Pendleton, OR, where I have family. I had sent a few odds and ends there (mounted snow tires, trailer hitch, cargo tray... you know, small stuff!), and needed to get them on/in the car before driving northward in earnest. But, wife had us staying in Abbotsford, BC, for the night, so we also had another drive after the Oregon stop.
Thanks to an hour gain into PST, we arrived at 1300 on Monday. We ran a couple of errands, then swapped tires, installed the hitch, mounted the cargo tray, and loaded up all in about four hours' time. Thankfully, we had some family assistance, so it was about as smooth as we could have expected it to go. We filled up before leaving town (525 miles at 26 mpg), and then headed off toward our night's stop. Anticipating a bed at 10pm was not good.... We arrived at the top of Snowqualmie Pass to find out that someone had committed vehicular suicide only twenty minutes earlier (I-90 was now closed), so we had to backtrack and take Stevens Pass.
That pass was really amazing in the amount of snow there. The roadside berms were so tall that a huge snowthrower (dump truck sized) could barely toss any more snow over the berm. But, traffic was relatively light, and drivers were staying within their abilities, so no issues. Just slower. About five hours slower.
We filled up in Bellingham (445 miles at 26.6 mpg), crossed the border in Sumas just after 0200, and were in bed slightly before 0300. Two nights in a row. I was feeling it!
Day five, we left Abbotsford at 0800 with what Google said was about a fourteen hour driving day. Thankfully, we shaved off a couple hours somehow and were only on the road until about 2100. Annoyingly, though, the DEF warning came back on and said we had 1,500 miles of range. Again, about 200 miles later, it was at critical low level, and I had to add more (2.5 gallons this time) in Cache Creek.
We stopped in Prince George to refuel (471.5 mile at 29.2 mpg), and discovered our best economy to date. It made sense given the somewhat lower speeds (60-65 mph) and lack of wind. Roads were pretty good through this part of the country, and no storms until we were on highway 16 (yellowhead) toward our destination: Smithers. Well, the snow wasn't terrible, and we were only mildly delayed (about thirty minutes) due to slower driving speeds. But, I had a migrane.... oh ouch it was bad. I went to sleep as soon as we arrived at the hotel. I did not pass Go, nor did I collect $200. LOL
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I was a little worried about whether the Q7 would start on the morning of Day Six. It was about eight degrees, and, while I had been adding some fuel stabilizer for diesel, I wasn't entirely confident in it. Well, the car fired up perfectly, so no worries there.
We were out by 0600 again, and tackled the Cassiar Highway that day. Lots of glare ice on that road, but still pretty good speeds. I think it took us about nine or ten hours to traverse its 450-mile distance. I have a couple of videos taken there that I'll link in a bit. We filled up twice on this day: Once at the base of the highway (304 miles at 31 mpg), and then again in Dease Lake (307 miles at 25 mpg), which is about 2/3 the way up the Cassiar.
Our daughter, who had a tough cough that I think she caught on the flights to Houston, somehow kneed herself in the head and was extremely upset about it. Her crying and coughing led her to gag and vomit all over the place in the car. It was pretty horrible. So, that was a half-hour stop to deal with that in the biting wind and cold and ice. My wife is awesome.
We didn't have any more trials that day, and pulled into Teslin, YT, at around 1900 for a good night's sleep.
Finally, this takes us to Day Seven. The fateful end of the trip.
We awoke to -15F temperatures, and, again, had no issues with the car starting. Vroom! It was ready to go. We were out by 0530 again, and stopped in Whitehorse to top off the tank after 414 miles at 24.5 mpg. I think these last two stations were using a winter blend (largely #1 diesel) of fuel, and this has a lower energy content than straight #2. Otherwise, not sure why the drop in fuel economy. There was some wind, but it was at our back as much as in front of us.
The weather was picture perfect (I have some to prove it!), and we rolled into the border at 1pm Alaska time after another hour gain. We then stopped in Tok for lunch before continuing on the final 200-mile stretch. Just after leaving from Tok, the DEF warning came on AGAIN with the 1,500 mile routine (which steadily dropped very fast as it had done in the past). Then, at about 1730, a mere forty miles from home, we were in Salcha traveling at 65 mph when the Q7 briefly stuttered, lights started flashing, the engine died, and we were stranded on the side of the road. FORTY MILES!! hahah
I dinked around with the car for a few minutes before deciding that this one was not a roadside patch and flagged down a passerby. His phone was not working due poor signal, so he took me up the road about five miles, I called a tow truck, and he took me back to the car. We broke out our winter gear and just hung out in the car before the driver finally arrived at about 1930. He loaded us up, took us into town, dropped off my wife at our 2008 Forester, then took me and the Q7 to a repair shop. My wife met us there, we off-loaded to the Forester, and headed home.
In bed by 2200, so not terrible, but the whole thing left me feeling a little hollow. Not the best ending to a trip like this (though, admittedly, not the worst either!).
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
@xwesx - great road trip summary. I LOVE all the pics and your detailed description. Definitely a grueling drive between the early wake ups, sick kid, & then the car dying on you 40 miles from home. I'm glad you like the Q7. Hopefully they find the problem and it's minor. Keep us updated.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
@stickguy - I've got to put off taking delivery for a few reasons. 1st, I need to have my snow tires taken off the Legacy and have the stock, all season tires mounted. The Q40 and my Legacy wear the exact same 225/55 R17 tires.
2nd, they are predicting "SNOWMAGEDDON 2017" for Tuesday. We are supposed to get at least a foot of snow. I'd rather not get all that salt and brine on my "new," black car. I'd also like to wait to put the snow shoes on the Infiniti until next season.
3rd, My mortgage and credit card bill are both due on the 17th of the month. I make my "Pilot payment transfer" into my savings account on the 20th of the month. The Legacy payment is due a week later on the 27th. So I have it set up in my head to reset the "bill clock" after I make my car payment.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
@xwesx - sorry, but its the editor in me: you said 29.2 was your best mileage to date, but then later reported a 31 mpg fillup. Did you see 31? That is pretty amazing, IMHO.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Hello everyone. My name is Bradd. And I'm a Chronic Car Buyer.
I can give some details of my transaction now that things have settled a bit. I shot for the stars knowing full well that I wasn't going to get it. My Legacy isn't perfect. There is a big dent in the front right 1/4 panel from a hit in the parking lot at work. It has close to 47,000 miles. The car I was interested in and ended up buying has less than 7,500 miles on it and is in fantatstic shape.
The "internet price" of my 2015 Q50 AWD was $24,500. They told me the other night that they'd give me $12,000 for my Legacy. I put my offer together. $23,500 for the Q40, $13,500 for my Legacy, $265 to change my plates and register my car, $75 doc fee, $75 gas fee (fill the car up & all weather mats), & tax on the $10,000 ($635) difference. I gave them my number and told them to work it out anyway they want. I'll sign today, leave a deposit, and pick the car up by the end of the month.
They came back with an out the door number that was $600 & change above mine. He broke it down and they weren't going to budge off the $24,500 asking price (which @qbrozen said was a good price), but came up $1,500 on my trade to $13,500. I just have to get my snow tires off before I trade the Legacy in.
its a good price for a great car. It is the lowest mileage, CPO 2015 Q40 within a 200 mile radius. I'm taking the 0.99 % financing for 36 months.
My Q40 has a strong, 328 hp V6, balanced RWD based chassis, and I dig it's looks. It is the car I deserve... the dark knight.
Thank-you all for your help and support.
Hello Bradd, my name is Steve and I'm also a CCB only I haven't had a fix in 42 months. I need help!
Did you buy a Q40 or Q50, you mention both. Congrats and enjoy!
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
@xwesx - great road trip summary. I LOVE all the pics and your detailed description. Definitely a grueling drive between the early wake ups, sick kid, & then the car dying on you 40 miles from home. I'm glad you like the Q7. Hopefully they find the problem and it's minor. Keep us updated.
X2, I really enjoyed your summary and pics.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
@xwesx - great summary of your trip, though I, too, am sorry about the ending. Also hoping the diagnosis and fix are relatively inexpensive.
I'm more curious about the whole DEF thing, though. In reading through the "What would it take you to buy a diesel" thread, it seems that you should get 10,000 miles easily between fill-ups. Is this a known problem with the 3.0 in the Q7? That seems to have soured your on the ownership experience, so far.
While everybody on the east coast is preparing for snowmageddon, it's predicted to be in the 60's and 70's this week in Colorado. While this is nice, we've had a very dry winter and there have already been a few fires pop up here and there. March and April are generally the two snowiest months for Denver, so I hope we do get some much needed moisture. Had a bit of drizzle yesterday.
I increased my search radius for a Q40 to 250 miles and found 5 - 2 black and 3 "liquid platinum".
There is a black/black in the Springs with only 6600 miles on it - asking price is $23,989. Certified.
This is killing me, but there is no way my I could stretch my budget for this. Ugh.
@xwesx - sorry, but its the editor in me: you said 29.2 was your best mileage to date, but then later reported a 31 mpg fillup. Did you see 31? That is pretty amazing, IMHO.
LOL Okay, yeah. I wrote all that way too late in the day. It was an all-or-nothing deal.
We did the 29.2 tank just prior to the 31. IIRC, they were Bellingham to Prince George, then Prince George to Kitwanga, respectively. Somehow, the 29.2 seemed more significant to me at the time since it was a longer distance.
So, the writing was technically correct, yet also incorrect, since "to date" is easily interpreted to mean "as of now, this instant," rather than my intended meaning of "as of this point in the story."
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
@stickguy - I've got to put off taking delivery for a few reasons.
Sounds like pretty solid rationale to me! Delaying gratification for a few weeks, though.... that's like the antithesis of the American mindset these days!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
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Wish me luck! I'm going in!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
I'm just working out some of the little numbers. I want to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
My son came home to visit this weekend, so I finally got to drive the A3. Man, that is a nice car. very fast. And he was demoing all the fancy features (drive modes, virtual dash). Amazing how many things it does. Very nice, and he loves it. A bit too cramped for me and the wife. Plus, very low, so climbing in and out of it.
I really think at this point a small CUV is what I will end up with. Really like the ease of getting in and out, and a better view of the road. Plus the convenience of the hatch.
the wife was commenting that she wanted some of the fancy features (navi, heated steering wheel). Basically all the stuff my car has. So a good option might be a nice CUV (new CX5?) that has all the goodies, that will become the primary car, pushing the RDX to spare car duty (meaning my car, and as soon as she adopts the new one, I can flip the Acura!). Going to be interesting.
I sent a link to the preview of the CX5 to the princess. She wants one. Bad. That could be the winner for us.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2024 Ram 1500 Longhorn, 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2025 MB GLE450e - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2015 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5
I actually like the EX also. I think it finally includes everything I require for a change (usually there is 1 or 2 things missing that annoy me!)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2015 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I can give some details of my transaction now that things have settled a bit. I shot for the stars knowing full well that I wasn't going to get it. My Legacy isn't perfect. There is a big dent in the front right 1/4 panel from a hit in the parking lot at work. It has close to 47,000 miles. The car I was interested in and ended up buying has less than 7,500 miles on it and is in fantatstic shape.
The "internet price" of my 2015 Q50 AWD was $24,500. They told me the other night that they'd give me $12,000 for my Legacy. I put my offer together. $23,500 for the Q40, $13,500 for my Legacy, $265 to change my plates and register my car, $75 doc fee, $75 gas fee (fill the car up & all weather mats), & tax on the $10,000 ($635) difference. I gave them my number and told them to work it out anyway they want. I'll sign today, leave a deposit, and pick the car up by the end of the month.
They came back with an out the door number that was $600 & change above mine. He broke it down and they weren't going to budge off the $24,500 asking price (which @qbrozen said was a good price), but came up $1,500 on my trade to $13,500. I just have to get my snow tires off before I trade the Legacy in.
its a good price for a great car. It is the lowest mileage, CPO 2015 Q40 within a 200 mile radius. I'm taking the 0.99 % financing for 36 months.
My Q40 has a strong, 328 hp V6, balanced RWD based chassis, and I dig it's looks. It is the car I deserve... the dark knight.
Thank-you all for your help and support.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Surprised though that they are willing to sit on the deal for 3 weeks (for whatever reason you need to wait until the end of the month).
if you want to make yourself feel better about the money, you just spent 10K to upgrade to a car that was originally close to 20K more expensive on MSRP.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Your story got me looking - I too found a black/black Q40 AWD. 18,000 miles for $24,000.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
We started the whole thing off with the crash of our 2010 Forester on the day prior to our flight. Not the best of memories, but all were okay (except the car), so I guess it has its good points.
On Thursday, March 2, I had expected to receive the titling paperwork from the dealership. They received payment a week prior, and I gave them a return envelope, prepaid, to send the paperwork back. I was very clear in that they needed to send it out on Monday for me to receive prior to departure. But, nothing. They "thought" they had sent it out, but weren't really sure, and were completely unable to provide a tracking number. So, I went to my local DMV to get a temp tag of some sort, except after an hour of waiting, they had only managed to get through three numbers (I was twelfth back when I arrived), so I just abandoned that and decided it was the dealer's problem.
I ran home, grabbed the family and baggage, and headed back into town. A friend gave us a ride to the airport, and I left my 2008 Forester at my office. The first flight left at 1740 local time that afternoon.
The flights were flawless: Both were on-time to leave and arrive, and we had no issues at all at any of the airports. We arrived at 0530 on Friday morning (local time) in Houston, where we had some breakfast and waited for our taxi. The driver arrived a few minutes late at about 0715, but the dealer didn't open until 0900, so it was no problem. The drive was estimated at no more than 90 minutes.
Our driver was fantastic, and he really helped the travel down to Webster go quickly. He also mentioned that the NASA space center was only a few minutes from our destination, and, since we had a little extra time before 9am, he took us over there and we were able to see some of the equipment on display (early flight capsule, space shuttle, 747 that carries it, etc). He then took us over to the dealership, and we arrived precisely at 0900.
When we walked in, there was a bustle of activity inside, a guy greeted me, and I asked to see my salesman. Another ten minutes later, he finally shows up, says he has the car ready, and out we go. Car seems mostly as expected, I told him about the issue with the plates and my frustration at their lack of action/responsiveness, and he just shrugs it off saying that it was out of his hands, blah blah. I asked if it was sent at this point, and, if not, then I would like to just take it with me. He fumbles about for a bit, comes back, and says he'll have to talk to the finance manager who doesn't get in until noon.... can I call back later? LOL.... no! I'm on the road, bozo! Guess what? The UPS stamp states pickup after 5pm that afternoon. Seriously....
Anyhow, I checked the fluids, loaded up the car, fueled up, and we were off.
We drove southwest to Kingsville to visit a good friend and his family. They, of course, went way overboard and had made up a massive (and tasty!) lunch. After 90 minutes, I had to insist that we get on down the road.... long days ahead! From there it was north to Austin, where we visited a friend who used to live here in Fairbanks. Again, about an hour and a half for that stop, then on to Lampasas, where we stopped for the night and I fueled up the car. 495 miles at 24.4 mpg. This was lower than I had expected, but we were also driving mostly very fast this day (>80), and there was often a stout headwind.
Day two started with some fresh donuts from a local shop at 0530, and then we managed to burn through the rest of Texas and into New Mexico. We fueled up in Moriarty, NM, with 607 miles on the ticker,. Economy was better at 26.8. Very little wind, but still >80 much of the day. and about this time the car starts telling me we need more diesel exhaust fluid, but that we have 1,500 miles of range before it won't let us restart it. We also stopped at Costco in Albuquerque to get some supplies (water, drinks, PB&J... the basics!), and finally wound up at El Morro National Monument for a restless night sleeping in the car. So, the Q7 is very comfortable for driving and sitting, but no so much for trying to manage four sleepers and gear. Not recommended!
Day three..... Oh, day three.
We started out early again - about 0500, and drove toward Flagstaff to visit Walnut Canyon National Monument. The DEF warning was dropping way faster than 1,500 miles range, and finally I added a gallon of DEF maybe 300 miles after the first warning, but the indicator was down to "50 miles range." Great.
Anyhow, Walnut Canyon - windy here... oh my was it windy! The cold was pretty biting, even for a subarctic dweller like myself! But, we were dressed for it, so we just hunched the shoulders and bore it. Amazing stuff. Our plan was an 0900 arrival and stay until 1100, but we showed up about thirty minutes late and stayed until noon. It was worth the stay, but probably would have been better had we been on time (more on that soon).
Next was a hop north on US89, where we took a 60-mile diversion to see the Grand Canyon. Bucket list item checked off. The wind was relentless, though. Ouch.
We filled up in Page, Arizona, with 559 miles on the ticker and 27.5 mpg. Speeds were still pretty fast as I was pushing nine over to shave off some time, and we spent the rest of the daylight hours on 89 north before we connected with I-15 in Utah. Sadly, after about a half-hour at a wonderfully quick 85 mph, we ran smack into a blizzard. Visibility was pretty awful, the road was busy, and many drivers just gave up on the concept of lane discipline. We managed to keep between 40 and 50 mph most of the time through this, and even had ourselves a little caravan of drivers that must have liked my Cool Aid. No interest in passing (made me do the trailblazing), but more than happy to follow. I don't blame them, though. Most of the traffic was driving 15-20 mph, which is a literal crawl when you still have hundreds of miles to go and have been at it since 0500 that morning!
We finally hit Provo at about 11pm, and the roads were much better as well as the snow being much lighter. Speeds picked back up, and the blizzard was only intermittent after that. I was tuckered out once we hit Clearfield, north of Salt Lake City, so I made a "stop early" request. No go. My wife was down for driving, so she swapped me out after we topped off (402 miles at 24.3 mpg), and drove us to Twin Falls, ID, for a hotel stay. We got in at about 0300 on Monday morning! Epic.
Day four, we slept a little later and got up at 0700. We hit the road soon after for a planned stop in Pendleton, OR, where I have family. I had sent a few odds and ends there (mounted snow tires, trailer hitch, cargo tray... you know, small stuff!), and needed to get them on/in the car before driving northward in earnest. But, wife had us staying in Abbotsford, BC, for the night, so we also had another drive after the Oregon stop.
Thanks to an hour gain into PST, we arrived at 1300 on Monday. We ran a couple of errands, then swapped tires, installed the hitch, mounted the cargo tray, and loaded up all in about four hours' time. Thankfully, we had some family assistance, so it was about as smooth as we could have expected it to go. We filled up before leaving town (525 miles at 26 mpg), and then headed off toward our night's stop. Anticipating a bed at 10pm was not good.... We arrived at the top of Snowqualmie Pass to find out that someone had committed vehicular suicide only twenty minutes earlier (I-90 was now closed), so we had to backtrack and take Stevens Pass.
That pass was really amazing in the amount of snow there. The roadside berms were so tall that a huge snowthrower (dump truck sized) could barely toss any more snow over the berm. But, traffic was relatively light, and drivers were staying within their abilities, so no issues. Just slower. About five hours slower.
We filled up in Bellingham (445 miles at 26.6 mpg), crossed the border in Sumas just after 0200, and were in bed slightly before 0300. Two nights in a row. I was feeling it!
Day five, we left Abbotsford at 0800 with what Google said was about a fourteen hour driving day. Thankfully, we shaved off a couple hours somehow and were only on the road until about 2100. Annoyingly, though, the DEF warning came back on and said we had 1,500 miles of range. Again, about 200 miles later, it was at critical low level, and I had to add more (2.5 gallons this time) in Cache Creek.
We stopped in Prince George to refuel (471.5 mile at 29.2 mpg), and discovered our best economy to date. It made sense given the somewhat lower speeds (60-65 mph) and lack of wind. Roads were pretty good through this part of the country, and no storms until we were on highway 16 (yellowhead) toward our destination: Smithers. Well, the snow wasn't terrible, and we were only mildly delayed (about thirty minutes) due to slower driving speeds. But, I had a migrane.... oh ouch it was bad. I went to sleep as soon as we arrived at the hotel. I did not pass Go, nor did I collect $200. LOL
We were out by 0600 again, and tackled the Cassiar Highway that day. Lots of glare ice on that road, but still pretty good speeds. I think it took us about nine or ten hours to traverse its 450-mile distance. I have a couple of videos taken there that I'll link in a bit. We filled up twice on this day: Once at the base of the highway (304 miles at 31 mpg), and then again in Dease Lake (307 miles at 25 mpg), which is about 2/3 the way up the Cassiar.
Our daughter, who had a tough cough that I think she caught on the flights to Houston, somehow kneed herself in the head and was extremely upset about it. Her crying and coughing led her to gag and vomit all over the place in the car. It was pretty horrible. So, that was a half-hour stop to deal with that in the biting wind and cold and ice. My wife is awesome.
We didn't have any more trials that day, and pulled into Teslin, YT, at around 1900 for a good night's sleep.
Finally, this takes us to Day Seven. The fateful end of the trip.
We awoke to -15F temperatures, and, again, had no issues with the car starting. Vroom! It was ready to go. We were out by 0530 again, and stopped in Whitehorse to top off the tank after 414 miles at 24.5 mpg. I think these last two stations were using a winter blend (largely #1 diesel) of fuel, and this has a lower energy content than straight #2. Otherwise, not sure why the drop in fuel economy. There was some wind, but it was at our back as much as in front of us.
The weather was picture perfect (I have some to prove it!), and we rolled into the border at 1pm Alaska time after another hour gain. We then stopped in Tok for lunch before continuing on the final 200-mile stretch. Just after leaving from Tok, the DEF warning came on AGAIN with the 1,500 mile routine (which steadily dropped very fast as it had done in the past). Then, at about 1730, a mere forty miles from home, we were in Salcha traveling at 65 mph when the Q7 briefly stuttered, lights started flashing, the engine died, and we were stranded on the side of the road. FORTY MILES!! hahah
I dinked around with the car for a few minutes before deciding that this one was not a roadside patch and flagged down a passerby. His phone was not working due poor signal, so he took me up the road about five miles, I called a tow truck, and he took me back to the car. We broke out our winter gear and just hung out in the car before the driver finally arrived at about 1930. He loaded us up, took us into town, dropped off my wife at our 2008 Forester, then took me and the Q7 to a repair shop. My wife met us there, we off-loaded to the Forester, and headed home.
In bed by 2200, so not terrible, but the whole thing left me feeling a little hollow. Not the best ending to a trip like this (though, admittedly, not the worst either!).
Here's a couple videos (unedited) of the drive:
Cassiar Highway ice, about 100 miles from the southern end....
Cassiar Highway, about forty miles later.
And, driving around Kluane Lake in the Yukon Thursday morning. Frozen or thawed, this area is beautiful.
Grand Canyon
Car loaded and dirty....! (Just south of Cache Creek, BC) If you can believe it, the hatch opened perfectly with this load on....
Walnut Canyon
Frasier River Gorge
North end of Cassiar Highway
Outside of Haines Junction
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2nd, they are predicting "SNOWMAGEDDON 2017" for Tuesday. We are supposed to get at least a foot of snow. I'd rather not get all that salt and brine on my "new," black car. I'd also like to wait to put the snow shoes on the Infiniti until next season.
3rd, My mortgage and credit card bill are both due on the 17th of the month. I make my "Pilot payment transfer" into my savings account on the 20th of the month. The Legacy payment is due a week later on the 27th. So I have it set up in my head to reset the "bill clock" after I make my car payment.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Did you buy a Q40 or Q50, you mention both. Congrats and enjoy!
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I'm more curious about the whole DEF thing, though. In reading through the "What would it take you to buy a diesel" thread, it seems that you should get 10,000 miles easily between fill-ups. Is this a known problem with the 3.0 in the Q7? That seems to have soured your on the ownership experience, so far.
While everybody on the east coast is preparing for snowmageddon, it's predicted to be in the 60's and 70's this week in Colorado. While this is nice, we've had a very dry winter and there have already been a few fires pop up here and there. March and April are generally the two snowiest months for Denver, so I hope we do get some much needed moisture. Had a bit of drizzle yesterday.
I increased my search radius for a Q40 to 250 miles and found 5 - 2 black and 3 "liquid platinum".
There is a black/black in the Springs with only 6600 miles on it - asking price is $23,989. Certified.
This is killing me, but there is no way my I could stretch my budget for this. Ugh.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
We did the 29.2 tank just prior to the 31. IIRC, they were Bellingham to Prince George, then Prince George to Kitwanga, respectively. Somehow, the 29.2 seemed more significant to me at the time since it was a longer distance.
So, the writing was technically correct, yet also incorrect, since "to date" is easily interpreted to mean "as of now, this instant," rather than my intended meaning of "as of this point in the story."
I hope the fix for whatever happened to the Q7 is simple and inexpensive.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2025 MB GLE450e - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman