Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tjc78

Must be Turanza EL400s...  i barely got 27k out of a set of those on my Avalon.  I've said it before here, overall I've had the best service from any set of Michelins I've owned.  My Grand Marquis had 50k on a set and they were far from done.  

pensfan83

I had to replace my Pirelli Cinturato P7s at 20K. They at least made it that far. The Goodyears on my Fusion were done at 17K.

Bought a set of Continental SureContacts

stickguy

the infamous Blowtenzas. Do nothing well, but still wear out early. Not a good combo.

The RDX goes in for service this Thursday. Will be interesting to see what they say, but pretty sure it will be time to replace them. Back in December the tire place was pushing that, since the lowest was close to 4 MM. That was about 2K miles ago. Most likely they are now right about 4, but I will probably wait until later in the fall (before winter sets in) and I break 40K. Which, in 5 years, seems respectable to me on a car like this.

If I had to replace tomorrow, I would go with the Cooper CS5. Well reviewed, and easily the best deal in my size. 2nd choice was on of the Pirelli models (scorpion maybe?).

Michaell

If I didn't have dog(s) on my lap I'd go check.

I put Coopers on both our VUEs; I thought they were pretty good tires.

Just checked Discount Tire; prices range from $94 to $213 each. I'll have to run the possibility of Michelins past the exchequer, when the time comes.

Mr_Shiftright

5mm = 6/32nds. So, you have a little time. I'd wait 'til mid-Sept. if I were in Colorado.

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

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.

We have that exact equipment on our 2016 X1.  List price just short of $47k right?  It absolutely does not ride like other X series vehicles, which is not a bad thing - just different. We love ours. 

fintail

In traffic today, I noticed an X3 could be a truck compared to say an NX or a QX50

I will say I like the "soccer ball" (as I call them) wheels on some X vehicles.

stickguy

Hmm. I like this color. Pretty sure most people don't. I kinda like the car too!

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2015-bmw-3_series_gran_turismo-certified_328i_xdrive_gt_awd_gran_turismo_navigation-used-16403552.html

I like this too. I think. Not sure how bright this blue is in person. Price is decent I guess, but miles a tad steep.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2014-bmw-x1-certified_x1_xdrive28i_awd_m_sport_ultimate_navigation-used-15853290.html

js06gv

I put new Michelins on my truck 2 weeks ago. I had just crossed 49K on the original Bridgestone Alenzas, which was the first set in a long time that contradicted my "all OEM tires are crap" theory. The tires were a little pricey but after the rebates they were comparable to another set of Bridgestones. I also put Michelins on my wife's Mustang a couple of months ago. Only got 20K out of the OEM set of Pirellis, but not out of the ordinary for a performance tire and on par with what I got out of the set on her 2011 Mustang. Might have been able to stretch them another 2K. Oh, and prior to heading over to Discount Tire I used the line lock feature a couple of times and shredded what remaining tread I had off the rear tires. Had my neighbor record it and made for a nice video! It felt great acting like a 16 year old.

I hadn't ever purchased Michelins before, but they just happened to be the right combination of mileage warranty, price and high ratings that made them attractive for both vehicles. Ride and lack of road noise very good so far. Will see how well they hold up in the long run.

28firefighter

Folks, I'm realizing we haven't heard from @henryn in a while. I know @xwesx noticed it a while back, too. Has anyone been in contact?

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Folks, I'm realizing we haven't heard from @henryn in a while. I know @xwesx noticed it a while back, too. Has anyone been in contact?

I've been holding my "tongue."

I know that people come and go for many reasons; I just hope that he has something good going on that took him away! Or, maybe he realized that his multi-car purchase in short order this winter meant that he needed to take a little break from CCBA....

ab348

xwesx said:

I know that people come and go for many reasons; I just hope that he has something good going on that took him away! Or, maybe he realized that his multi-car purchase in short order this winter meant that he needed to take a little break from CCBA....

Maybe he got tired of the endless chatter about every BMW offered for sale here. Seriously, the title of the group may need to change.

Michaell

I just reviewed the paperwork on the Outback - turns out the tires are 5/32", not 5MM.

Guess I'll be tire shopping later this year.

stickguy

Certainly should have live. Even 4 I think is the conservative number. Unless snow is coming. If they hit 3, sell.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Certainly should have live. Even 4 I think is the conservative number. Unless snow is coming. If they hit 3, sell.

I'm hoping the snow we saw last week is it for the season. Wife did complain a bit about the handling when she drove through it.

Now we'll have t-storms off and on all summer. Likely to replace them this fall, though we've seen snow in September in the past.

I'll have the local tire store evaluate them as well.

tommister2

ab348 said:

I know that people come and go for many reasons; I just hope that he has something good going on that took him away! Or, maybe he realized that his multi-car purchase in short order this winter meant that he needed to take a little break from CCBA....

Maybe he got tired of the endless chatter about every BMW offered for sale here. Seriously, the title of the group may need to change.

I don't mind the fan boys as much as the haters bother me. I really like my Camry and Civic. It's fine that other people don't, but some people make too big a deal about it. We all have different tastes, styles and needs. That's what makes the world go round. 

I like the BMW chatter. I personally have never owned one and most likely never will, but I've learned a lot about them by monitoring this forum. 

28firefighter

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

andres3

28firefighter said:

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

Guess we need to work on recruiting "Porsche" fans in order to broaden our diversity on these forums.

roadburner

I also like Jeep Wranglers, Porsches, and GT350s...

xwesx

andres3 said:

28firefighter said:

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

Guess we need to work on recruiting "Porsche" fans in order to broaden our diversity on these forums.

I did post some Porsche photos last week; that should do us for another month or so.

Mr_Shiftright

andres3 said:

28firefighter said:

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

Guess we need to work on recruiting "Porsche" fans in order to broaden our diversity on these forums.

I was just going to pipe up!

fintail

Some Rolls-Royce, Pagani, Bugatti etc fans could make things interesting, too

suydam

28firefighter said:

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

Three other makes I'm never going to own! Of course I never owned anything by GM until recently.

roadburner

In the "not quite a BMW news, my wife is stil

stickguy said:

Hmm. I like this color. Pretty sure most people don't. I kinda like the car too!

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2015-bmw-3_series_gran_turismo-certified_328i_xdrive_gt_awd_gran_turismo_navigation-used-16403552.html

I like this too. I think. Not sure how bright this blue is in person. Price is decent I guess, but miles a tad steep.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2014-bmw-x1-certified_x1_xdrive28i_awd_m_sport_ultimate_navigation-used-15853290.html

The 3er GT is a bit awkward looking in person, but it's a very nice drive. It's based on the stretched 3er that is sold in China, so it has a longer wheelbase with a bit more rear legroom.
The LeMans Blue on the X1 is not as bright as Estoril Blue. I like both.

stickguy

The Acura dealer is getting fancy. I have a service appointment tomorrow. Today get an email from internet sales manager, saying hey saw the appointment, and since I am one of a few that takes such good care of my RDX, they want to make anagressive offer on it. So, stop in and see them while I am there.

I told the wife about it. Not sure she will be enthused.

Michaell

stickguy said:

The Acura dealer is getting fancy. I have a service appointment tomorrow. Today get an email from internet sales manager, saying hey saw the appointment, and since I am one of a few that takes such good care of my RDX, they want to make anagressive offer on it. So, stop in and see them while I am there.

I told the wife about it. Not sure she will be enthused.

Sounds like the sales side is mining data from the service side for opportunities.

TSX?

andres3

suydam said:

28firefighter said:

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

Three other makes I'm never going to own! Of course I never owned anything by GM until recently.

So you said the same thing about GM 5 or 10 years ago? Never say never.

suydam

andres3 said:

suydam said:

28firefighter said:

For what it's worth, some of us are also VW, Audi, and Mercedes fans as well!

Three other makes I'm never going to own! Of course I never owned anything by GM until recently.

So you said the same thing about GM 5 or 10 years ago? Never say never.

Yes, that was my point! Never say never -- but unlikely!

Michaell

Just looked at the tires on the Outback

Bridgestone Dueler H/P (Sport AS)

225/60-18

stickguy

For all that off roading you do?

I am getting a loaner tomorrow. Daughter hoping for an ILX. Just have to make sure she is authorized to drive it too!

Michaell

stickguy said:

For all that off roading you do?

I am getting a loaner tomorrow. Daughter hoping for an ILX. Just have to make sure she is authorized to drive it too!

I don't think the Outback has even seen a dirt road since we've owned it.

Hadn't realized they were 18's; the CX-7 had 19's and they looked like rubber bands around the wheels. The 60 series aspect ratio makes the Outback tires looks somewhat normal.

stickguy

RDX has 235/60 18s. Nice meaty sidewall on those papers! Almost makes the wheels wife proof.

xwesx

Michaell said:

Hadn't realized they were 18's; the CX-7 had 19's and they looked like rubber bands around the wheels. The 60 series aspect ratio makes the Outback tires looks somewhat normal.

Outback has some pretty large tires on it anymore. To think, my 1996 Outback had something like 195/70R15s on it. LOL.

My neighbor just purchased a new Outback a few weeks ago. He was commenting on how much larger the tires are than his prior 2009 Forester that it replaced, and asked me if I was interested in his old tires. I took a look, but they were at probably 6/32" tread, which is about when I replace my tires, so I recommended that he put them on CL for a quick (and cheap) sell.

However, he also commented that he had never purchased a set of winter rims for his Forester, and that his stock alloys took a fair beating from all the seasonal tire change outs they did. I offered him the stock rims (17") from my 2010 Forester, since I now have five sets of rims and only two cars. I told him I would give him a "cheap" price on them, which I set at $300, but he initially seemed shocked that I suggested that number. I don't think he realizes that these would be gone in a matter of days if I put them on CL for $500..... !

Michaell

Just poking around the tire options at Discount. Found I can get the same tire as I have on my Jetta (Bridgestone Ecopia 422) for $135/each.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

The Acura dealer is getting fancy. I have a service appointment tomorrow. Today get an email from internet sales manager, saying hey saw the appointment, and since I am one of a few that takes such good care of my RDX, they want to make anagressive offer on it. So, stop in and see them while I am there.

I told the wife about it. Not sure she will be enthused.

I got a call from our Chrysler dealer yesterday saying they'd make an aggressive offer on our vehicle, even if we aren't interested in buying a new one. Yeah, ok.

kyfdx

Michaell said:

Just poking around the tire options at Discount. Found I can get the same tire as I have on my Jetta (Bridgestone Ecopia 422) for $135/each.

Check Costco, and your local Firestone store, if you have those.

kyfdx

Also, watch for the load factor on an Outback vs your Jetta.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

Michaell said:

Just poking around the tire options at Discount. Found I can get the same tire as I have on my Jetta (Bridgestone Ecopia 422) for $135/each.

Check Costco, and your local Firestone store, if you have those.

Not a Costco member (I have Sam's Club), and I know there is a Firestone store in my old home town (15 minutes away).

kyfdx said:

Also, watch for the load factor on an Outback vs your Jetta.

True enough. We load up the Outback with a lot of stuff (furniture, mostly, but stuff from the garden store from time to time).

breld

Speaking of tires, we noticed one of the snow tires on the step-daughter's Jetta was abnormally worn down, just through the center of the tire. Took it into the tire store since it's time to put the regular all-seasons back on anyway - turns out two of the tires were abnormally worn down, and the other two were worn enough to where they weren't any better than all-seasons at this point.

That's after 14,000 total miles on the car (2 snow seasons). I guess I'll be looking for some new snow tires next winter - shocking really.

stickguy

these look like a screaming deal in your size. Pretty good reviews.

http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=32980&frb=B

I really like these. but a little more expensive. But not my money!

http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=34063&frb=B

andres3

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

For all that off roading you do?

I am getting a loaner tomorrow. Daughter hoping for an ILX. Just have to make sure she is authorized to drive it too!

I don't think the Outback has even seen a dirt road since we've owned it.

Hadn't realized they were 18's; the CX-7 had 19's and they looked like rubber bands around the wheels. The 60 series aspect ratio makes the Outback tires looks somewhat normal.

You need to find a dirt road! Test the AWD. My TTS has even seen a gravel road already, and the S4 saw a dirt road when it was raining. Sure, it wasn't comfy, but I was able to go anywhere the Jeeps were going since the road was well-graded. However, those big JEEP tires people use in Arizona make the dirt turn into undulations that'll shake and vibrate your sticky mount right off the dash.

Michaell

stickguy said:

these look like a screaming deal in your size. Pretty good reviews.

http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=32980&frb=B

I really like these. but a little more expensive. But not my money!

http://www.mavistire.com/tire-brands/item.asp?id=34063&frb=B

I've already prepped the wife that the new shoes will run $150-200 per.

xwesx

breld said:

Speaking of tires, we noticed one of the snow tires on the step-daughter's Jetta was abnormally worn down, just through the center of the tire. Took it into the tire store since it's time to put the regular all-seasons back on anyway - turns out two of the tires were abnormally worn down, and the other two were worn enough to where they weren't any better than all-seasons at this point.

That's after 14,000 total miles on the car (2 snow seasons). I guess I'll be looking for some new snow tires next winter - shocking really.

Curious as to what brand you had on it, as well as which tires were worn. She could have an alignment issue that needs to get sorted out! The issue could also just be the amount of time spent on dry roads, the way she drives it (hard cornering is really tough on winter tires over dry roads), or the brand of tire. Blizzak, Michelin, Continental: These wear very quickly. Even on largely snow and ice, these are all used up in about 20,000 miles.

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

pensfan83 said:

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.

We have that exact equipment on our 2016 X1.  List price just short of $47k right?  It absolutely does not ride like other X series vehicles, which is not a bad thing - just different. We love ours. 

Yes, $46,5XX. It rode and drove fine for me and I almost wanted to drive an X3 to compare them but I held off. It's easy to see why you love yours, I definitely see myself owning one assuming it leases well.

pensfan83

stickguy said:

The Acura dealer is getting fancy. I have a service appointment tomorrow. Today get an email from internet sales manager, saying hey saw the appointment, and since I am one of a few that takes such good care of my RDX, they want to make anagressive offer on it. So, stop in and see them while I am there.

I told the wife about it. Not sure she will be enthused.

I have an appointment as well for a recall but I dodged that bullet thankfully.

nyccarguy

"...after 14,000 total miles on the car (2 snow seasons). I guess I'll be looking for some new snow tires next winter - shocking really."

cmon @breld.  Who are you trying to kid here?

stickguy

the Jetta is the kids school car. that will probably stay.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

"...after 14,000 total miles on the car (2 snow seasons). I guess I'll be looking for some new snow tires next winter - shocking really."

cmon @breld.  Who are you trying to kid here?

This is his daughter's (leased) Jetta. Not going back early.

kyfdx

You guys don't have any imagination... that Jetta could be gone in an instant. It needs snow tires!!

Sandman6472

Took the Versa in for the airbag recall this morning. Only took a bit over 2 hours so let my kid sleep and I stayed to wait. For a 2009 vehicle, drives really nice still with only a tire sensor light on which they can't seem to find out why. Not a lover of the CVT tranny on it but if our situation was different, wouldn't feel to bad having it for my d d. Luckily, that's not the case, thank G-d!
The A3 has the same tires Pensfan mentioned and 3 out of the 4 are due for replacement soon since we had to replace one for that bubble it had. Wife said she wants three more of the same so, that's what we'll do in short order. She's about to hit 29K and so far, so good. Doubt she'll go for another Audi to be honest and that's o k with me. Because I am still keeping a BMW on my short list and kicking myself about letting that brown over brown unit go that was at the Honda store. it was the perfect vehicle for me and loved the color combo, as it was different. But, when the time comes, know I'll have no problem finding the perfect vehicle for me as me second retirement gift. And right now, wish it were tomorrow because I am quite ready to stop working right now, honestly! I haven't been feeling so well lately and the new med I got was just too strong, kept me in a sleepy stupor most of the day. Spoke with doc and went back on the old one and will go from there!

The Sandman