Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

carnaught

qbrozen said:

I really can't get past the looks of the new one. But congrats on 54 mpg.

All about personal taste, not everyone’s cup of tea. Think it looks edgy, and certainly not like anything else .

28firefighter

@carnaught - Congrats on the punch! I'm not a Prius fan myself, but I don't think anyone here can really argue with 54 MPG. I agree that the interior is very Tesla-like - I'm sure that is intentional.

cdnpinhead

Gee -- who would think that anyone on here might be judgmental?

Either way, it's been long enough that I think that everyone who chooses to drive a Prius isn't taking a political position. I'm almost over the Pious thing, but not quite.

ronsteve

roadburner said:

@carnaught - congrats on the Prius Punch!  Someone has got to be the 54 mpg yin to my 18 mpg yang.

Yes, thank you for saving the gas that my 2er and Wrangler will use...

I guess based on this punch I wouldn't need to feel bad about going with a T6 Volvo when I get my punch... 

ronsteve

stickguy said:

probably a fun car. I would be happy with the FWD 2.0T version too, if it was also all loaded up with goodies like this T6. For about 2/3 the price.

And about 2/3 the fuel cost. 

Still wondering how insistent these Volvo plants are on the premium. Looks like the newer T5s, including the 2.5 at least achieved their numbers on regular. 

When the difference was 20 cents a gallon it wasn't a big deal, but now with a 60 or 70 cent spread it's something to think about. 

Michaell

@carnaught - congrats on the punch! As an extra car, you can't really go wrong with the Prius. And, happy wife, happy life.

Sandman6472

Personally, I like that Prius and it should do exactly what it's intended to do. Would love 54 mpg's right now to be honest with all the driving I do! But honestly, looking more towards the Elantra GT that Stick loves so much. Saw one parked today as we were going into the maintenance area near the airport, a lot of Lyft & Uber drivers park over there since it's so close and the cops aren't making them move. It was in a blah silver color but it still looked good. Curious to see how it compares to my Golf and if it's something I could live with for a few years? Like the Kona also but not sure I'd like the looks after some time. And the power seats in the GT are very back friendly, a big requirement for any vehicle I get.
Even though it's nuts, the Mini Cooper is still on my short list, crazy as that sounds. So is the 2018 Camry but parking will be an issue there as it won't fit on my side of the garage. But first things first, need to get over to CarMax to get an estimate. Shifty looked up my vin in CarFax, and the recent 3/28 accident hasn't showed up yet, but if asked about ever being in an accident, of course I'd have to say yes. And that's gonna ding the trade price for sure, estimating $1k to $1.5K, and that's a pretty big hit for a nice looking and driving vehicle.

The Sandman

(P.S. And it's really best for me to get a vehicle under 175" so it'll fit without much drama in our garage. And it's probably going to be something foreign. "Cheap to keep" makes the most logical sense but right now, not sure I really want to be logical. Maybe it's time to push the envelope a bit and do something totally unlike me!!)

qbrozen

carnaught said:

I really can't get past the looks of the new one. But congrats on 54 mpg.

All about personal taste, not everyone’s cup of tea. Think it looks edgy, and certainly not like anything else .

Oh, it has many many edges, that's for sure. ;b

ab348

I'm looking for the section of the CCBA bylaws that will allow us to revoke @carnaught 's membership here.

Congrats or condolences, feel free to use whatever one fits.

graphicguy

@carnaught.....cool car. Congrats on the punch!

corvette

28firefighter said:

Q50 leases are getting awfully cheap in the NJ/CT area. Looks like we are in the mid 200s with first month, DMV, and MSDs at signing for a 3.0T Q50. A lot of car for the money. Even less if you qualify for Infiniti VPP.

That sounds awfully tempting as a more comfortable Mustang replacement. I’ve not driven the new model though. I’m sure the 3.0T is a hoot. 

Congrats, carnaught! I really like the color, and I didn’t know Toyota had gone to the iPad on the dash in the Prius, but I’m sure it will do lots of neat things. I prefer the exterior styling of the previous gen Prius, though. 

qbrozen

@stickguy
that volvo auction ends today. Over $13k already. I just watched the driving videos for the first time. Makes the car seem like a pretty miserable ride: very stiff, jittery, and noisy with a jumpy clutch.

fintail

Good colors on the Prius.

stickguy

if I could actually get an infiniti like that for less than $300/month without a big DP, no brainer to dump the Elantra on the kid and treat myself!

in July, I need the experts here to help nail down what the best killer deal is. I can handle taking it to the dealership and spending the day there passive-aggressively driving them nuts "negotiating".

iluvmysephia1

carnaught - congrats on the punch! Toyota's styling on that one harkens me back to that '62 Dodge Dart I liked for some reason...the new Prius is so unusual looking it looks like a styling puzzle of sorts. But 54mpg, hey, that's certainly diggable!

kyfdx

@carnaught Congrats!

nyccarguy

corvette said:

28firefighter said:

Q50 leases are getting awfully cheap in the NJ/CT area. Looks like we are in the mid 200s with first month, DMV, and MSDs at signing for a 3.0T Q50. A lot of car for the money. Even less if you qualify for Infiniti VPP.

That sounds awfully tempting as a more comfortable Mustang replacement. I’ve not driven the new model though. I’m sure the 3.0T is a hoot. 

Congrats, carnaught! I really like the color, and I didn’t know Toyota had gone to the iPad on the dash in the Prius, but I’m sure it will do lots of neat things. I prefer the exterior styling of the previous gen Prius, though. 

How did I miss @28firefighter ‘s post about cheap Q50 3.0T leases?  Dealers on lease hacker or people posting ?

nyccarguy

@corvette

I haven’t driven a Q50 either.  I can tell you from my 1 year worth of experience so far, that my Q40 is very comfortable as a daily driver and just has gobs of power for merging & passing.  It allows me to drive like a hooligan when I want and I also feel like I’m driving an “adult car.”  

jpp75

@carnaught Congrats on the Prius! As others have said it's a great car for a runaround. Styling is always subjective and as long as you (or Mrs. @carnaught) like it that's all that matters!

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

@corvette

I haven’t driven a Q50 either.  I can tell you from my 1 year worth of experience so far, that my Q40 is very comfortable as a daily driver and just has gobs of power for merging & passing.  It allows me to drive like a hooligan when I want and I also feel like I’m driving an “adult car.”  

The Q50 is a great car and at those prices almost a no brainer, but having owned the G37 and the Q50 I think you'll find the Q50 is more of an "adult car" and offers less chances to be a hooligan.

nyccarguy

jpp5862 said:

nyccarguy said:

@corvette

I haven’t driven a Q50 either.  I can tell you from my 1 year worth of experience so far, that my Q40 is very comfortable as a daily driver and just has gobs of power for merging & passing.  It allows me to drive like a hooligan when I want and I also feel like I’m driving an “adult car.”  

The Q50 is a great car and at those prices almost a no brainer, but having owned the G37 and the Q50 I think you'll find the Q50 is more of an "adult car" and offers less chances to be a hooligan.

Speaking of "non-adult" cars, I put a new battery in the Prelude the other day and compounded off the excess wax from the last time I detailed the car before the winter. I did a terrible job, it was cold in my garage and the lighting is sub par at best.

Hopefully I'll start driving the Prelude again soon. Waiting for the weather to warm up a bit.

28firefighter

@stickguy - my understanding is that a confluence of events has made the cars this cheap in the northeast and it likely won't stay this way next month.

@nyccarguy - Right now one broker and one supposed non-broker are going toe-to-toe to move Q50s in NJ/NY/CT. It's a bit of a mess actually, but the end is the consumer wins.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

@stickguy - my understanding is that a confluence of events has made the cars this cheap in the northeast and it likely won't stay this way next month.

@nyccarguy - Right now one broker and one supposed non-broker are going toe-to-toe to move Q50s in NJ/NY/CT. It's a bit of a mess actually, but the end is the consumer wins.

Very interesting. That one broker seems to have done well and has made quite a name for himself over there. Looks like he's raised his fee recently to weed out the "lookie-loos." The dealer he uses seems to be using a different bank than IFS. They are charging a much higher MF than IFS, but it easily gets bought down by less than $3K in MSDs and is offset by the very generous discount.

Q40 will be paid off in 24 short months

I assume the broker and non-broker (salesman) are working different dealerships

28firefighter

nyccarguy said:

28firefighter said:

@stickguy - my understanding is that a confluence of events has made the cars this cheap in the northeast and it likely won't stay this way next month.

@nyccarguy - Right now one broker and one supposed non-broker are going toe-to-toe to move Q50s in NJ/NY/CT. It's a bit of a mess actually, but the end is the consumer wins.

Very interesting. That one broker seems to have done well and has made quite a name for himself over there. Looks like he's raised his fee recently to weed out the "lookie-loos." The dealer he uses seems to be using a different bank than IFS. They are charging a much higher MF than IFS, but it easily gets bought down by less than $3K in MSDs and is offset by the very generous discount.

Q40 will be paid off in 24 short months

I assume the broker and non-broker (salesman) are working different dealerships

All of the deals are through IFS as I understand - I think IFS raised the MF this month pretty significantly, but I haven't done any digging into it, so you could be right. Either way, you can do MSD to reduce it down to near zero.

There is some drama, but you're correct, different dealers.

stickguy

So if I walked into my local dealer, I would not be offered close to that deal?

breld

@carnaught - congrats on the Prius! I've always been impressed with how they drive.

Based on your foreboding words, I thought you may be posting about a purchase of something like a Chevy Spark, or something REALLY ugly, like a BMW i3.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

So if I walked into my local dealer, I would not be offered close to that deal?

Probably not, not without some serious work.

kyfdx

Fat tires, ready for action

Michaell

28firefighter said:

nyccarguy said:

28firefighter said:

@stickguy - my understanding is that a confluence of events has made the cars this cheap in the northeast and it likely won't stay this way next month.

@nyccarguy - Right now one broker and one supposed non-broker are going toe-to-toe to move Q50s in NJ/NY/CT. It's a bit of a mess actually, but the end is the consumer wins.

Very interesting. That one broker seems to have done well and has made quite a name for himself over there. Looks like he's raised his fee recently to weed out the "lookie-loos." The dealer he uses seems to be using a different bank than IFS. They are charging a much higher MF than IFS, but it easily gets bought down by less than $3K in MSDs and is offset by the very generous discount.

Q40 will be paid off in 24 short months

I assume the broker and non-broker (salesman) are working different dealerships

All of the deals are through IFS as I understand - I think IFS raised the MF this month pretty significantly, but I haven't done any digging into it, so you could be right. Either way, you can do MSD to reduce it down to near zero.

There is some drama, but you're correct, different dealers.

I can confirm that the MF on the Q50 went up significantly for April.

iluvmysephia1

Don't one of us regulars lease a BMW i3?

stickguy

Roadburner has one. So does breld.

tifighter

breld said:

@carnaught - congrats on the Prius! I've always been impressed with how they drive.

Based on your foreboding words, I thought you may be posting about a purchase of something like a Chevy Spark, or something REALLY ugly, like a BMW i3.

i3? Nobody here would be THAT crazy...

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

nyccarguy said:

28firefighter said:

@stickguy - my understanding is that a confluence of events has made the cars this cheap in the northeast and it likely won't stay this way next month.

@nyccarguy - Right now one broker and one supposed non-broker are going toe-to-toe to move Q50s in NJ/NY/CT. It's a bit of a mess actually, but the end is the consumer wins.

Very interesting. That one broker seems to have done well and has made quite a name for himself over there. Looks like he's raised his fee recently to weed out the "lookie-loos." The dealer he uses seems to be using a different bank than IFS. They are charging a much higher MF than IFS, but it easily gets bought down by less than $3K in MSDs and is offset by the very generous discount.

Q40 will be paid off in 24 short months

I assume the broker and non-broker (salesman) are working different dealerships

All of the deals are through IFS as I understand - I think IFS raised the MF this month pretty significantly, but I haven't done any digging into it, so you could be right. Either way, you can do MSD to reduce it down to near zero.

There is some drama, but you're correct, different dealers.

I can confirm that the MF on the Q50 went up significantly for April.

I haven't checked the Q50 boards lately. Very interesting (no pun intended).

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

Very interesting. That one broker seems to have done well and has made quite a name for himself over there. Looks like he's raised his fee recently to weed out the "lookie-loos." The dealer he uses seems to be using a different bank than IFS. They are charging a much higher MF than IFS, but it easily gets bought down by less than $3K in MSDs and is offset by the very generous discount.

Q40 will be paid off in 24 short months

I assume the broker and non-broker (salesman) are working different dealerships

The broker you are referring to is incredibly knowledgeable and was very gracious with providing some feedback to me when I was in the market last year. If I was pressed for time and needed a good deal quickly I wouldn't hesitate to use his services.

houdini1

Have fun with the new car carnaught, love the color, and gas is over $3.00 a gal as we speak and supposed to go higher. That screen looks like a Tesla, but the Prius, overall, is probably a better car.

carnaught

Thanks to all of you who gave their (charitable) positive comments and congratulations.

To the others, sorry, but my Mercedes, and the Audi A4 in the family allows me to retain my CCBA membership, in good standing .

kyfdx

carnaught said:

Thanks to all of you who gave their (charitable) good wishes. To others, sorry, but my Mercedes, and the Audi A4 in the family allows me to retain my CCBA membership, in good standing.

Don't worry about the snobs..

Sandman6472

The Golf was possessed this morning with some weird messages coming up and then a red triangle which I took a pic of. Called the collision place and left word. Will wait till the new parts come in and see if "Reagan" shows up again in the next few days. Think it's a possible sign from above that the Golf's days are numbered here at Casa Sandman. Also got a letter from my insurance company yesterday basically explaining what comes next. They basically said for all my out of pocket expenses, go after hid insurance company and if that don't work, go after the guilty party! First, I'll call Windstream and see if I can get my rental last week covered and possibly my deductible. If not, got the guys address and will either write him a nice letter or use the courts if absolutely necessary. My kid is finding out about the diminished value claim and how that all works.
But, think it's time to get serious about something to replace the Golf with. I need to have reliable transport, especially now with another gig starting. Have no time to sit at home with no wheels while folks try to discover what's wrong and how to fix it. Bottom line, Golf shoulda been totaled and used as a great parts vehicle as I doubt mine's the only other one in the state that's had an accident!!
And hell, thought this nightmare was finally over!!! Not!

Arrrgggghhhhhh :@

carnaught

@sandman_6472, sorry you have to go through that ordeal on top of being the victim. I’m not litigious but sounds like you may have to lawyer up. Keep us informed. We’re here for you.

Mr_Shiftright

sandman_6472 said:

The Golf was possessed this morning with some weird messages coming up and then a red triangle which I took a pic of. Called the collision place and left word. Will wait till the new parts come in and see if "Reagan" shows up again in the next few days. Think it's a possible sign from above that the Golf's days are numbered here at Casa Sandman. Also got a letter from my insurance company yesterday basically explaining what comes next. They basically said for all my out of pocket expenses, go after hid insurance company and if that don't work, go after the guilty party! First, I'll call Windstream and see if I can get my rental last week covered and possibly my deductible. If not, got the guys address and will either write him a nice letter or use the courts if absolutely necessary. My kid is finding out about the diminished value claim and how that all works.
But, think it's time to get serious about something to replace the Golf with. I need to have reliable transport, especially now with another gig starting. Have no time to sit at home with no wheels while folks try to discover what's wrong and how to fix it. Bottom line, Golf shoulda been totaled and used as a great parts vehicle as I doubt mine's the only other one in the state that's had an accident!!
And hell, thought this nightmare was finally over!!! Not!

Arrrgggghhhhhh :@

If you get a red triangle you are supposed to read the messages that accompany it on the IC display.

andres3

ronsteve said:

stickguy said:

probably a fun car. I would be happy with the FWD 2.0T version too, if it was also all loaded up with goodies like this T6. For about 2/3 the price.

And about 2/3 the fuel cost. 

Still wondering how insistent these Volvo plants are on the premium. Looks like the newer T5s, including the 2.5 at least achieved their numbers on regular. 

When the difference was 20 cents a gallon it wasn't a big deal, but now with a 60 or 70 cent spread it's something to think about. 

In my sample of 1 turbocharged car not requiring premium fuel, I've had to do a fuel system cleaning at 18,000 miles rather than the usual 45K interval. Perhaps it was Service overselling, but I'm suspicious of turbo engines claiming 87 is OK now.

What use is cheaper fuel if you have to do a walnut blasting service twice as often? I know the standard fuel system and induction cleaning doesn't include walnut blasting, but just saying.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

sandman_6472 said:

The Golf was possessed this morning with some weird messages coming up and then a red triangle which I took a pic of. Called the collision place and left word. Will wait till the new parts come in and see if "Reagan" shows up again in the next few days. Think it's a possible sign from above that the Golf's days are numbered here at Casa Sandman. Also got a letter from my insurance company yesterday basically explaining what comes next. They basically said for all my out of pocket expenses, go after hid insurance company and if that don't work, go after the guilty party! First, I'll call Windstream and see if I can get my rental last week covered and possibly my deductible. If not, got the guys address and will either write him a nice letter or use the courts if absolutely necessary. My kid is finding out about the diminished value claim and how that all works.
But, think it's time to get serious about something to replace the Golf with. I need to have reliable transport, especially now with another gig starting. Have no time to sit at home with no wheels while folks try to discover what's wrong and how to fix it. Bottom line, Golf shoulda been totaled and used as a great parts vehicle as I doubt mine's the only other one in the state that's had an accident!!
And hell, thought this nightmare was finally over!!! Not!

Arrrgggghhhhhh :@

If you get a red triangle you are supposed to read the messages that accompany it on the IC display.

Could just be bad luck and bad timing, and not accident related.

However, you won't convince me of that. It's just happened too many times.

My next insurance claim will include billable hours spent on the claim at $100/hour Time is irreplaceable. $100/hour is getting off really easy in my view.

andres3

kyfdx said:

carnaught said:

Thanks to all of you who gave their (charitable) good wishes. To others, sorry, but my Mercedes, and the Audi A4 in the family allows me to retain my CCBA membership, in good standing.

Don't worry about the snobs..

I think a lot of the Prius ill-will is generated by Toyota drivers who tend to be less than average out in the real-world.

I'm being nice.

nyccarguy

carnaught said:

Thanks to all of you who gave their (charitable) positive comments and congratulations. To the others, sorry, but my Mercedes, and the Audi A4 in the family allows me to retain my CCBA membership, in good standing .

@carnaught - whether you buy or lease a Prius or a Porsche, a Punch is a Punch!  That my friend is what keeps us all going;)

andres3

Michaell said:

@carnaught - congrats on the punch! As an extra car, you can't really go wrong with the Prius. And, happy wife, happy life.

My parents got rid of their Prius pretty fast. It didn't age well. It aged super fast. A bit tinny and a rattler if you ask me. I don't think it had 30K miles yet.

Maybe the newest ones are better.

They are loving their E300h hybrid Lexus.

A lesson learned, you don't go from a ES 300 Lexus to a Prius in your old age! But like I said, maybe the latest are better.

stickguy

Sandy, scroll through the messages if that is what the symbol means. I seem to recall that feature on the Jetta. But, anytime you have that much work done, entirely possible you will need some touch up work. But, can't blame you for wanting to move on. I too at this point have no tolerance for dealing with problems and having to go back and forth to the dealer, even if under warranty. And I don't even really need a car!

stickguy

the Volvo just asks for regular. Premium is not going to keep it any cleaner. Just want to stick with quality fuel (top tier) so even RUG will be good for it.

I know that on my elantra, in the maintenance section, they require a bottle of their fuel system cleaner each oil change (or maybe annual, but somewhat frequent), Unless you use top tier fuel all the time (which I do). And that car is set to run on RUG.

tbirdmarco

 Car note congratulations on the punch it’s a punch that’s all that matters how much you said a third Court unit wasn’t so one that’s always you’re happy and like it that’s all that matters 

tbirdmarco

 Hope the ones don’t return send man up to you if you wanna hold off or start seriously looking for another ride 

andres3

stickguy said:

the Volvo just asks for regular. Premium is not going to keep it any cleaner. Just want to stick with quality fuel (top tier) so even RUG will be good for it.

I know that on my elantra, in the maintenance section, they require a bottle of their fuel system cleaner each oil change (or maybe annual, but somewhat frequent), Unless you use top tier fuel all the time (which I do). And that car is set to run on RUG.

How much is this bottle of fuel cleaner?