Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tbirdmarco

anyone doing any car looking! today?

nyccarguy

Thanks guys!

incidentally, there's always so lot of talk about how today's factory paint "ain't what it used to be.".  My Mom's Cayenne had 5 wads of hardened yellow tree sap on the hood.  They've been there for months.  Maybe even a year.  I was sure the sap had bonded itself or eaten into the clear coat by now.  Using A LOT of elbow grease, some bug & tar remover, and my Orbital & Machine Polish 3 (on high speed), I successfully removed the sap.  After a quick polish and wax, the Porsche's hood is perfect and bright as the day it was delivered 2 years and 40K+ Mike's ago.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

so, after all the Porsche talk the last few days while I was on vacation, I lost track of the good and bad years. But this one, I love the colors on it. How much of a roulette wheel spin is this one?

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2003-porsche-911_carrera-certified_911_c2_6_speed_coupe-used-16668230.html

I also like the colors on this Boxster, and I think it is after the years that are bad? Just the wrong number of petals.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2010-porsche-boxster-certified_boxster_tiptronic_automatic_convertible-used-10575960.html

Actually, it sounds weird, but according to what I've read on the Porsche Club of America statistics about IMS bearing failures, the lower the mileage, the higher the risk. So what that means is: "if it's gonna go, it's likely to be sooner than later".

Of course, there are high mileage failures, too, but if you plot out all the failures, many fall on the low mileage side.

Also that price seems quite high to me. You can buy a Cabriolet 4 for that money. Dealer seems to think low miles is worth more--I think that's not an asset on this particular type of car.

fintail

Modern paint seems to chip easier than I would like, even on MBs. But I think thanks to clearcoat, modern paints can really come to life with some elbow grease, and are easier to maintain. It may not be the best example due to age and care, but I have had my E for over a year now, and it could pass for a brand new car.

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys!

incidentally, there's always so lot of talk about how today's factory paint "ain't what it used to be.".  My Mom's Cayenne had 5 wads of hardened yellow tree sap on the hood.  They've been there for months.  Maybe even a year.  I was sure the sap had bonded itself or eaten into the clear coat by now.  Using A LOT of elbow grease, some bug & tar remover, and my Orbital & Machine Polish 3 (on high speed), I successfully removed the sap.  After a quick polish and wax, the Porsche's hood is perfect and bright as the day it was delivered 2 years and 40K+ Mike's ago.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Problem area #2:

Nice work!!!

corvette

Nice work, NYC! Barely noticeable now. Can you reattach the air dam? 

nyccarguy

corvette said:

Nice work, NYC! Barely noticeable now. Can you reattach the air dam? 

Where there's a will, there's a way;)

Michaell

The daughter may have found something else to replace the MINI. Her best friend is heading to Las Vegas to get married later this week. Her car decided it was a good time to cough up the transmission, so she's rented a car for the drive. 

I didnt see it, but daughter says it's a Lincoln MKZ - is that the Edge equivalent? I thought it was the Fusion, but the Lincoln nomenclature is a bit confusing. 

stickguy

she wants to go from a mini to that barge? Dang.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, still Fusion-based but you might not readily observe that unless someone told you. It's well-disguised.

tbirdmarco

@Michaell yes that is the car simeler to the Fuzian! have to sit in one and have mom drive one she was interested in one of those to maby next weekand! an test drive is an order! told her she has to start doing sum test drives so when the time comes she nos what she wants to get next!

corvette

MKZ = Fancy Fusion. Had one as a rental when I went to Seattle. Not a fan. The 3.7 liter engine felt sluggish. There were fit and finish issues. Infotainment was decent. I think the 2.0T Ecoboost is standard or available now, so the engine may be better. Other than the infotainment and safety features, the driving experience was worse than Mom's 15 year old Volvo S80.

Michaell

corvette said:

MKZ = Fancy Fusion. Had one as a rental when I went to Seattle. Not a fan. The 3.7 liter engine felt sluggish. There were fit and finish issues. Infotainment was decent. I think the 2.0T Ecoboost is standard or available now, so the engine may be better. Other than the infotainment and safety features, the driving experience was worse than Mom's 15 year old Volvo S80.

Apparently, this is an SUV, so not the MKZ.

I know the MKC is the Escape equivalent; MKX is the Edge (I just looked it up).

I know the daughter isn't a sedan kind of person.

And, anything longer than the MINI won't fit in that side of the garage - it barely fits to begin with.

tjc78

corvette said:

MKZ = Fancy Fusion. Had one as a rental when I went to Seattle. Not a fan. The 3.7 liter engine felt sluggish. There were fit and finish issues. Infotainment was decent. I think the 2.0T Ecoboost is standard or available now, so the engine may be better. Other than the infotainment and safety features, the driving experience was worse than Mom's 15 year old Volvo S80.

I'm not sure what the engine actually is but I know on the MKZ you can get a 400 HP AWD drive version.  That one can't be sluggish.  

stickguy

Daughter texted today. Got stuck in traffic next to a truck load of new Camry. Said not bad looking, and I should look at them for her for next year. Going to pop out to dealer Wednesday night and scope one out.

pensfan83

The MKC is the Lincoln equivalent of the Ford Escape. My parents looked at one last year before they settled on another Escape. Other than the nameplate they couldn't justify paying more for basically the same vehicle. I'm sure there were some differences but not enough to justify the price difference.

Michaell

Interesting conversation at the house this morning. Daughter asked which was more of a luxury car - the Infiniti or the Lincoln. Wife immediately responded "Infiniti". She said the Lincoln is an old persons car. I said both were luxury brands. 

Then, she wanted to know which was faster. Compared to what? Both have more hp than the MINI. 

She said she priced out the MKX - was pretty expensive , even for her. I figure $48k, and that's with the base V6. Close to $50k if you upgrade to the 2.7 twin turbo. 

stickguy

That's at least double what my princess will be looking to pay next spring after graduation. She wants another car like the Jetta, for no more money. Likely will be a starter cheap lease for her.

28firefighter

My issue is that for $50k, there are other vehicles I'd rather get than an MKX, which is especially true if the space needs weren't there.

roadburner

I cannot see ever owning a new or late model Lincoln- to me they are the automotive equivalent of Sominex. The last Lincoln that was fun to drive was the LS and as usual Lincoln screwed the pooch marketing it. I loved my dad's 1986 Mark VII LSC, but those days are also long gone...

andres3

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@andres3 congrads to your parrants on there new car!

Well, I think the ES 300H is a boring car. It is FWD and gets over 40 MPG in the City though. Also, I think Lexus has really worked on making very fine interiors with high quality leathers. Not sure about the analog clock though. I'm sure it is super quiet and super smooth and comfortable.

However, I'd say the 2017 Lexus is still a totally different car than the '03 ES 300 my Dad still owns. 14 years changes a lot. They have voice recognition that my Father has already complained doesn't like his voice. Navigation which is what they are trying to do the voice commands for in the first place.

Plus, the old ES300 is a guzzler that isn't very fast at all.

Still, I understand the desire for something different. Other than financially, I sort of regret the Kia. It is too different than the German cars. Honda controls and interfaces are closer to Audi's. Kia is the exact opposite.

For example, it is hard for me to get used to these things in the Kia:

1. Foot Pedal E-Brake
   
2. Manual Stick Control of DSG requires flip to left rather than flip to right.
   
3. Windshield wipers have opposite slow/intermittent to fast direction than Audi controls.
   
4. Gas tank fill-up is on the right side.
   

Someone once said driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car fast. I'm not so sure about that. I think part of the limitation is that it is rolling on Low-Rolling Resistance Michelin tires which squeal at hilariously low limits in the twisties. On the bright side, they grip and squeal at the same time.

There was a Civic Sport that I humbled in the Kia; mosly with my driving skills though; mostly maintaining pace. That Civic handles well though; as in parts they pulled away a bit.

andres3

fintail said:

Probably not much more than 10K above a loaded Camry hybrid - maybe worth it for the refinement, prestige, dealer experience, and maybe resale.

andres3 said:

The parents decided on a brand new Lexus ES300h. Turns out the ES wasn't too big for them after all, and they got the Hybrid tech and mileage they were seeking for mostly city driving; $43K + taxes & fees.

When a brand gives you absolutely trouble-free reliability and durability, it is hard to go elsewhere I think.

I'd give the Camry interior a 5 out of 10, the Avalon interior a 7 out of 10, and the Lexus ES interior a 9 out of 10. Each one a couple notches better than the other in consecutive order.

Make the ES RWD, button down the suspension, and put a V8 in it and you'd have a helluva car! Oh wait, that's the LS

corvette

pensfan83 said:

The MKC is the Lincoln equivalent of the Ford Escape. My parents looked at one last year before they settled on another Escape. Other than the nameplate they couldn't justify paying more for basically the same vehicle. I'm sure there were some differences but not enough to justify the price difference.

I think the MKC offers a 2.3 liter turbo engine. Too much money for what is basically an Escape, though. 

fintail

A friend of mine has an MKZ lease, it is up soon and he's open to another one. I think he told me he is receiving offers, and these things can lease well if you get the right promo. He just turned 40, so he's bringing the average age stat waaaay down, no doubt. His is the hybrid variant, all options but pano. He's had no issues with it, aand likes that it is unique yet inconspicuous, as he has to park in an alley, and doesn't want it to be a target.

fintail

GS-F

I assume the ES has better ICE than the Camry or Avalon too, which in current/old form don't seem to match the competition in terms of gadgetry - the screens seem ancient.

andres3 said:

I'd give the Camry interior a 5 out of 10, the Avalon interior a 7 out of 10, and the Lexus ES interior a 9 out of 10. Each one a couple notches better than the other in consecutive order.

Make the ES RWD, button down the suspension, and put a V8 in it and you'd have a helluva car! Oh wait, that's the LS

qbrozen

roadburner said:

I cannot see ever owning a new or late model Lincoln- to me they are the automotive equivalent of Sominex. The last Lincoln that was fun to drive was the LS and as usual Lincoln screwed the pooch marketing it. I loved my dad's 1986 Mark VII LSC, but those days are also long gone...

I think the Continental looks great. Driving it may be an entirely different story, however.

Mr_Shiftright

Car and Driver's road test revealed some road dynamics and powertrain responses that definitely need attention, but overall they rather liked the car. It seems to need further development, and, so what's new.

But I am intrigued by the 30-way power seat.

andres3

qbrozen said:

corvette said:

Pretty

Agree; wish they had more brown on the door panels. I feel short-changed.

Michaell

My step daughter is 29; she'd bring that Lincoln average down. 

She mentioned the MKC; not sure if it has the equipment she is looking for. 

andres3

kyfdx said:

Audi has the best interiors

I agree, but I do have two criticisms:

1) the old man shifter stalk for the auto transmission is OK in the Q5, Q7, or A8, but should be banished from sportier cars like the A4/S4.

2) I don't like the tacked-on I-Pad on the dash look. Go back to the '10-'15 A4/S4 interior.

By the way, word on the street is that the TTRS is a track performance bargain. Car sales people like to justify additional dealer mark-up by saying it'll beat 100,000 dollar cars around the track.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

Thanks guys!

incidentally, there's always so lot of talk about how today's factory paint "ain't what it used to be.".  My Mom's Cayenne had 5 wads of hardened yellow tree sap on the hood.  They've been there for months.  Maybe even a year.  I was sure the sap had bonded itself or eaten into the clear coat by now.  Using A LOT of elbow grease, some bug & tar remover, and my Orbital & Machine Polish 3 (on high speed), I successfully removed the sap.  After a quick polish and wax, the Porsche's hood is perfect and bright as the day it was delivered 2 years and 40K+ Mike's ago.

I think German cars get good paint jobs in general. Maybe why they charge extra for every color but flat black, flat red, and flat white.

cdnpinhead

roadburner said:

The last Lincoln that was fun to drive was the LS and as usual Lincoln screwed the pooch marketing it.

This is most certainly true.

Ask me how I know.

xwesx

andres3 said:

I think German cars get good paint jobs in general. Maybe why they charge extra for every color but flat black, flat red, and flat white.

That's one thing I noticed immediately about the 2013 Passat TDI I bought last August: The paint quality on it was just on a whole different level from what I was used to seeing (Subaru, Ford, etc.) Even after three years of solid use (it had about 42,000 miles), it was just stunning.

I guess I am having a hard time describing... it just seemed to have a depth to it. Consistent, clear, substantial. Even wet/filthy, which is pretty much the only way it was when I owned it, it shined.

pensfan83

I'll 3rd that. The paint on my Fusion, particularly on the lower front doors, started suffering from a breakdown in the clearcoat in a few spots after a few years, a stark contrast to the Audi whose paint is still very much factory fresh. Both cars were/are fully detailed semi-annually, garaged, and never saw a tunnel wash. Both were subjected to salted roads as well but as @xwesx noted the paint just seems more substantial and resistant to the elements.

28firefighter

I can attest to the paint quality. If I looked at the paint wrong on our Escape or Mazda3 it felt like it would it would chip. The paint on the BMW seems especially well done, with my VW not being far behind it.

cdnpinhead

Well, it may chip and fade, but at least it looks like it was put on with a roller. That's been my experience with the "environmentally-friendly" coatings that have been slapped on my cars for the past couple of decades.

Oil paint rules.

tbirdmarco

@andres3 you have to get an nother Jerman car to have with the outy and vw alltracks you have! when the leese on the Kia is up! and glad your mom likes her car. yes the new one is a lot different than the old one! that is for shore! how things keep on evolving it is what it is!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy cant wate to hear all about your TOyota dealer visit on Wensday! night! and your thaughts! on the car!

ab348

I remember being in traffic next to a new Fusion painted black a while back. Even though the car was clean and shiny, the orange peel on the quarter panel was shocking.

sda

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

I think German cars get good paint jobs in general. Maybe why they charge extra for every color but flat black, flat red, and flat white.

That's one thing I noticed immediately about the 2013 Passat TDI I bought last August: The paint quality on it was just on a whole different level from what I was used to seeing (Subaru, Ford, etc.) Even after three years of solid use (it had about 42,000 miles), it was just stunning.

I guess I am having a hard time describing... it just seemed to have a depth to it. Consistent, clear, substantial. Even wet/filthy, which is pretty much the only way it was when I owned it, it shined.

That color is one of my favorites, and I think the Passat is a handsome car. It will age well.

sda

Though not an immediate need I am starting to look for my next car as our daughter will need a car in about a year. She may get the Accord or her grand parent's Camry, not sure yet. I would like to give the Accord to my in laws so they have a newer car, but things can change. I haven't said anything to them yet. Mid size cars fit me well and I doubt I will be buying new. The Mazda6 has always gotten good reviews, especially for the driving experience. I've had several Mazdas in the past and liked them. Has anyone had experience with the Mazda6, good/bad?

stickguy

now this, my friends, is a real Cadillac.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2006-cadillac-dts-used-16664692.html

Mr_Shiftright

Reminds me of my old uncle Gus's car. He used to have a roll of bills in his pocket, tied with a rubber band. He drive that Cadillac with a big cigar in his mouth, and say things like "I got cash (taps his pocket). A man needs walkin' around money..."

pensfan83

Carriage roof? Check. Gold package? Check. Vogue wheels/tires? Check. Definitely a keeper

corvette

I'm interested in using some of the off-road capabilities of the Z71 and would like to take a stab at some light off-road trails that are open to the public, but can't seem to find a good resource for finding them in my area. Any tips?

kyfdx

Good luck. Take your wallet. A man needs some walking around money. (For when you are walking)

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice car! you posted above! shore good hiway crozer!

tbirdmarco

@kyfdx lollollol

xwesx

corvette said:

I'm interested in using some of the off-road capabilities of the Z71 and would like to take a stab at some light off-road trails that are open to the public, but can't seem to find a good resource for finding them in my area. Any tips?

Most areas have off-road clubs, possibly forums. Those are probably your best resource for practical knowledge of local trails.

rayainsw

Hmmmmm ...

"Woodcliff Lake, NJ – August 1, 2017… Sales of BMW brand vehicles decreased 14.8 percent in July .. "
compared to U.S. sales in July 2016.