Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Sandman6472

Which is probably why I won't end up buying one I suspect. Think deep down, I really want a BMW, either 320 or 328 to be totally honest. I loved the size of that 128 I drove and a shame they no longer make those...a 128 with the 4 cylinder turbo would be exactly what I'd want, something I would trade the Golf in for tomorrow if they made them! That time I drove the white over coral 128i I was let down by how heavy it felt driving it! Didn't care much for the 6 under the hood either, felt my Golf drove so much better! I know the sales guy was a bit disappointed I didn't like as much as he did. Again, a timing thing because that first day I went in after having driven the black over beige 328i convertible in West Palm, I stopped by the local BMW store and saw up close my first 128i. It was love at first sight! Even though it was a white over black edition, I had stars in my eyes!
But fate stepped in I guess because the battery was dead, and they told me I'd have to come back at a later time to test drive it! It was lunch time and no one showed much interest about swapping out the battery there and then, maybe they couldn't but they let me walk. Ended up not going back but timing was off I guess. Do remember talking with the wife later that day and any BMW was taken off the table!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

But again, timing is a funny thing. After coming home from our local Italian place tonight, we both were so stuffed, we sat down and the Mecum auction was on so we started to watch. Up comes a '57 T-Bird and I remark how cool it was and it sold for a crazy $19K! Remarked what a cool vehicle it was and how much I'd love a classic, a convertible, as a toy since we've decided to stay in Florida for the next few years. I know she likes convertibles from the time I had my '03 Sentra and all the rentals I got as they tried to fix it properly. Got a few drop tops and she loved taking a ride in the early evenings, top down, cruising the neighborhood.
Eventually, a vehicle I always loved came on, a light blue over white '69 Pontiac Firebird drop top and it was pristine. Sold pretty high as I recall but again, I said that would be the perfect toy for us, she agreed. At dinner, she mentioned we should take a stop over at the nearby Mazda store after we eat to check out the 3. She also mentioned looking at the Kia Forte after I pointed out the "S" model I showed her in the parking lot. Those were her final two choices back in 2014 before I mentioned the Audi A3.
I've found over the years, I need to get her at the right time when she's in a playful mood to get her to do things she'd never ever do if she had the time to think about it. So, I just need all the planets to align properly to get "our toy" I suspect. I just need to get her in that same mood she was in at dinner to start looking at vehicles and I will commence in the next few weeks. Summer's here, tax season's over, the kids are all settled so it's just us and she wants me to do more with her.
Am thinking my timing couldn't be much better!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Neighbor's on our cul-de-sac's 2009 Elantra caught on fire Thursday morning about 3 a m it seems. I slept right through it, wife heard something and neighbor right nest door said yeah, fire engines were there and it even got the garage door and stucco over garage in flames also. Looks pretty major in daylight and front of Elantra is pretty much toast! Neighbor also said the windows blew out because of the heat but I slept through the whole ordeal!
Figure the insurance will total it but the wife was asking me how could something like that happen since it was parked and all, middle of the night. What could've started the fire? Guess somethings in life just happen but wow, got me thinking. My vehicle's, both actually, are parked in our garage 99% of the time and I park in front of the a/c's air handler. If something like that happened to us, it could do some rather heavy damage to the interior of our house. Had me thinking earlier just as we turned the lights off, what if that happened in our garage!!! Who would cover that damage for the house and the vehicle...the homeowner's or auto insurance???

The Sandman

imidazol97

If I owned an Elantra, I'd do some checking to see what has been determined to be the cause of a number of fires that I found on the net. This is one of some I found on the net:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/07/26/family-escapes-after-car-fire-spreads-to-house/

benjaminh

imidazol97 said:

Don't know 'bout an A3 and a Golf, but if I owned an Elantra, I'd do some checking to see what has been determined to be the cause of a number fires that I found on the net. This is one of some on the net:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/07/26/family-escapes-after-car-fire-spreads-to-house/

Yikes.

suydam

That seems like such a specific, rare event! Life is too short to spend it worrying about any possible disaster that could (but 99.99% of the time won't) happen.

js06gv

sandman_6472 said:

Neighbor's on our cul-de-sac's 2009 Elantra caught on fire Thursday morning about 3 a m it seems. I slept right through it, wife heard something and neighbor right nest door said yeah, fire engines were there and it even got the garage door and stucco over garage in flames also. Looks pretty major in daylight and front of Elantra is pretty much toast! Neighbor also said the windows blew out because of the heat but I slept through the whole ordeal!
Figure the insurance will total it but the wife was asking me how could something like that happen since it was parked and all, middle of the night. What could've started the fire? Guess somethings in life just happen but wow, got me thinking. My vehicle's, both actually, are parked in our garage 99% of the time and I park in front of the a/c's air handler. If something like that happened to us, it could do some rather heavy damage to the interior of our house. Had me thinking earlier just as we turned the lights off, what if that happened in our garage!!! Who would cover that damage for the house and the vehicle...the homeowner's or auto insurance???

The Sandman

Your poor neighbor will unfortunately have two claims, an auto and a homeowners, because he can't have a liability claim against himself. If, for instance, a friend was visiting and it was his car that caught fire and damaged the resident's house, that auto policy would cover both (collision on the car and liability on the house).

imidazol97

I wonder if Hyundai might be responsible for damage to car and house if a specific cause in the Elentra is found to be the cause.

corvette

js06gv said:

Your poor neighbor will unfortunately have two claims, an auto and a homeowners, because he can't have a liability claim against himself. If, for instance, a friend was visiting and it was his car that caught fire and damaged the resident's house, that auto policy would cover both (collision on the car and liability on the house).

Yeah, it would be nice if they offered some sort of deductible combining between two policies for related claims, especially if the policies are all with the same company--i.e., if a tree falls on two of your cars and destroys both of them and damages your house, you only pay the highest deductible (usually the homeowners) and no deductible on the other two.

js06gv

corvette said:

js06gv said:

Your poor neighbor will unfortunately have two claims, an auto and a homeowners, because he can't have a liability claim against himself. If, for instance, a friend was visiting and it was his car that caught fire and damaged the resident's house, that auto policy would cover both (collision on the car and liability on the house).

Yeah, it would be nice if they offered some sort of deductible combining between two policies for related claims, especially if the policies are all with the same company--i.e., if a tree falls on two of your cars and destroys both of them and damages your house, you only pay the highest deductible (usually the homeowners) and no deductible on the other two.

There are options with some insurance companies now where the insured will only pay one deductible within a given policy. So if your three cars are damaged by hail, you pay one deductible instead of three.

js06gv

imidazol97 said:

I wonder if Hyundai might be responsible for damage to car and house if a specific cause in the Elentra is found to be the cause.

Yes, if there is a suspected defect, the insurance company will subrogate against the manufacturer per their investigation. I can tell you though, based on 23 years working in the insurance claims field, they are difficult cases to win. More widespread and known issues are a little easier. I can't remember all the specifics, but back when Ford had a cruise control problem that caused vehicles to catch fire while parked there was a lot of subrogating going on.

kyfdx

Son's '95 M3 overheated today.. Might be a goner.

Mr_Shiftright

Ohhhh....you don't want to overheat that engine...the heads like to bend and sometimes crack.

Well maybe he caught it in time? Let's hope so! He could pressure test it and see what's what. If that doesn't show up anything, and it isn't eating oil, he's probably okay.

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ohhhh....you don't want to overheat that engine...the heads like to bend and sometimes crack.

Well maybe he caught it in time? Let's hope so! He could pressure test it and see what's what. If that doesn't show up anything, and it isn't eating oil, he's probably okay.

I'm guessing the engine is gone.. Towed it to the mechanic. Guess we'll find out this week.

stickguy

If the rest of the car is nice, have some fun. Maybe an engine swap

kyfdx

stickguy said:

If the rest of the car is nice, have some fun. Maybe an engine swap

Yeah.. it only has 224K miles..

It's already an M3.. the engine is the best part..

stickguy

Lotta miles. Got moneys worth.

Someone might take it, if they have a wreck with a good drivetrain to swap in.

stickguy

I want no part of paying for upkeep, but this car is gorgeous. Love the he color combo.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2011-jaguar-xf-4dr_sedan-used-16396054.html

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Lotta miles. Got moneys worth.

Someone might take it, if they have a wreck with a good drivetrain to swap in.

It definitely has value.. $1500-$2500, even with a blown engine, I think.

If he had totaled it, could have pulled $3000 just for the drivetrain.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

I want no part of paying for upkeep, but this car is gorgeous. Love the he color combo.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2011-jaguar-xf-4dr_sedan-used-16396054.html

Beautiful car. Better not let my sister see that, she'd trade her Benz in a heartbeat. She misses her Jag (an older S Type no less).

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I want no part of paying for upkeep, but this car is gorgeous. Love the he color combo.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2011-jaguar-xf-4dr_sedan-used-16396054.html

It is a bit high. $16k should take it. It has already had 2 owners.

stickguy

I like this. And 2009 does not seem that old. But man, in some ways, just seems decades antiquated. Head unit screen, no backup cam, just old school.

https://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Honda/2009-Honda-Accord+Sdn-Cherry+Hill+NJ-b3907c020a0e0adf53250b5d1f73e3fc.htm?searchDepth=3:36

ab348

From reading your description before I clicked on the link I assumed it was the previous generation "Whale" Accord, not this one.

For all their popularity, I don't think I've ever ridden in one. Funny thing, I don't recall any auto journo review of it complaining about all the hard plastic and multitude of confusing buttons in this. I guess Honda is immune to that sort of thing.

stickguy

That is the whale accord. The mid 2000s models, like I had, were petite in comparison. The boat came out for 2008. The current version I think in 2013, and they shrank it a bit.

xwesx

Pretty color combo. Not sure what is going on with all those white flecks in the paint, though. @ab348, you're not kidding about all those buttons! LOL

benjaminh

ab348 said:

From reading your description before I clicked on the link I assumed it was the previous generation "Whale" Accord, not this one.

For all their popularity, I don't think I've ever ridden in one. Funny thing, I don't recall any auto journo review of it complaining about all the hard plastic and multitude of confusing buttons in this. I guess Honda is immune to that sort of thing.

The reviews of the 2008-2012 Accord did sometimes complain about the buttons. I owned a 2008 that had—believe it or not—slightly more complicated controls, because it was a Navi. It's not quite as bad as it looks, but almost lol! Once you got used to the controls it made sense to me and was more or less easy to use. Good car. But my 2016 Accord is a better in almost every way—and the controls are fewer and easier to use.

qbrozen

Kind of drooling over this a little
http://www.internationalautosportinc.com/mobile/mdetails.aspx?VID=266059171

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Kind of drooling over this a little
http://www.internationalautosportinc.com/mobile/mdetails.aspx?VID=266059171

That's nice!  Sport Seats are definitely a plus.  I'd worry about the "lifetime fill" transmission fluid & if the transfer case has ever had the fluid changed.

stickguy

love the colors on that one.

kyfdx

Nice equipment.. just needs a stick-shift.

When they started putting the black carpets together with the tan interior, it really helped a lot.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

Kind of drooling over this a little
http://www.internationalautosportinc.com/mobile/mdetails.aspx?VID=266059171

That's nice!  Sport Seats are definitely a plus.  I'd worry about the "lifetime fill" transmission fluid & if the transfer case has ever had the fluid changed.

60k is a good time for those fluids.

stickguy

just looked at the full ad and all the pictures. That really is nice.

what do they use for the radio display? The pop up Navi screen? Can't possibly jam that onto the little tiny screen that has the temp and fan speed!

roadburner

Boy, the truck is nice. I'm glad it isn't located any closer to Casa RB...

stickguy

You just got rid of one, and now want another?

It certainly would work for me though!

fintail

Truck? Did I miss something?

stickguy

I think he means the blue X3

Mr_Shiftright

kyfdx said:

Nice equipment.. just needs a stick-shift.

When they started putting the black carpets together with the tan interior, it really helped a lot.

People buying SUVs don't want stickshifts.

Miles are comforting for this car.

Michaell

A bit of a time capsule, this:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/05/rare-rides-vintage-subaru-gl-charming-desert-fox/#more-1571474

Mr_Shiftright

Simple, practical...what's not to like?

benjaminh

Michaell said:

A bit of a time capsule, this:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/05/rare-rides-vintage-subaru-gl-charming-desert-fox/#more-1571474

Blast from the past. But yikes on the price.

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

kyfdx said:

Nice equipment.. just needs a stick-shift.

When they started putting the black carpets together with the tan interior, it really helped a lot.

People buying SUVs don't want stickshifts.

Miles are comforting for this car.

Don't care about people. Just me.. It's an E46 platform. They are a blast with a stick shift.

roadburner

stickguy said:

You just got rid of one, and now want another?

It certainly would work for me though!

Sure, it's an M Sport with the more muscular engine- and 140k fewer miles.

roadburner

fintail said:

Truck? Did I miss something?

The X vehicles have always been known as trucks on BMW internal documents. And so they are...

fintail

LOL OK then, I guess it will make the SAH bloggermoms in Bellevue feel rugged. Also "SAV"s

roadburner said:

The X vehicles have always been known as trucks on BMW internal documents. And so they are...

qbrozen

I never realized the X3 is so darned heavy. More than 2 tons and a 0-60 longer than 7 secs. My EX is a sportscar in comparison. I guess beggars can't be choosers, but I'm not sure I'll be happy very long with such a decrease in performance.

fintail

You could win car shows in Seattle with that Rommel-edition Subie. Cool car, price will be wacky, but there are few nice ones left. Something to buy and hold, these will only have more of a cult with time.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

I never realized the X3 is so darned heavy. More than 2 tons and a 0-60 longer than 7 secs. My EX is a sportscar in comparison. I guess beggars can't be choosers, but I'm not sure I'll be happy very long with such a decrease in performance.

That's why I thought rowing it with a manual transmission might not seem as pleasant as it first sounds.

Sandman6472

Just got out of a QX80 about an hour ago, a virtual beast on the road. To darn heavy and sucked the petrol on each acceleration. Who in their right minds buys these barges anyways? It was a white over black leather, nice enough, but that size was just ridiculous no matter how one looks at it. Felt totally out of my element and had to drop it off at the local Hard Rock Cafe Hotel in Hollywood Florida, the one the Seminole Indians own and run. Place reeks of smoke and when I had to drop the keys off at the concierge desk, asked why it was so smokey in the building. they laughed, showed me an ash tray and said smoking is allowed all over the resort! I know that's one place that we'll never spend a dime in! Hate cigarette smoke, tested positive when they tested me for allergies awhile back. Can't stand the smell and have asked people to take it away from any area I've been into because it effects my breathing so badly. Lost a couple of friends over this but hey, if they want to smoke and potentially kill themselves, do it somewhere else!
I lost an older sibling to smoke related cancer, she was a chimney there for awhile, so I have zero tolerance on this kind of stuff. A nice life snuffed out at 57 because of tobacco and her inability to stop. Left 2 teenagers and a husband, went into hospital for a small procedure on a Thursday and by Sunday, dead after being put into a coma, cancer all over her insides. Total waste!!! Just have zero tolerance on cigarettes and smokers now!!!

The Sandman :@

pensfan83

Stopped into the BMW dealer to test drive the loaner X1 only to find out they sold it.  They had a brand new 2017 with Tech, Cold Weather, Driver Assistance Plus, and Premium package. 

My initial impressions are positive.  It's smooth, decent pickup, and bigger than I expected inside.  Nothing really blew me away but it did everything well and it would fit the bill if I settled on a CUV.  I read a few reviews beforehand and some feel it doesn't drive like a BMW should but having never owned one I have no point of reference.  I thought it drove and handled fine and can see why it's a popular vehicle.  The equipment level was about what I would want though it's a little unsettling how quickly the price swells when option boxes are checked.

As for my car they offered $22,300 which is right in the ballpark of what I received when I asked in the trade value thread.  Unfortunately I still have 4 payments left and while they were willing to try and work out a deal it involved rolling at least several of the payments into the new lease which isn't necessary since I'm fine on mileage.  They also informed me they don't offer a security deposit program any longer as of May 1st.  That part is disappointing but I really liked the vehicle and it's one I'll definitely circle back to in the fall.

Michaell

Just got back from the Subaru dealer. Outback has fresh oil and rotated tires. 

Just not thrilled with the business practices though. When I made the appointment was told I'd get a 10% "afternoon" discount. Ok, cool. 

Pull in to the service area and get greeted. Quoted $35 for the oil change; would I like to add a tire rotation for $26 more? Sure, I don't think they've been rotated yet. Complimentary 25 point inspection. Am told it will be an hour or less. 

45 minutes later, car is done. And I'm presented a bill for $74, after the discount. What? Told the advisor I was quoted $60 or so. She goes back to the keyboard and magically reduces my bill to $55. 

Completely ruined the experience for me. 

BTW, all tires are at 5mm; it was suggested I look into replacing them at the end of the summer. These are the OEM Bridgestones with less than 20,000 miles on them. Thoughts?