Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

guss

one a quasi-exotic

Lambo....Ferrari....Porsche ?

And what do you mean, just popped up ? Come on now, you were looking for a reason to get rid of the Jeep.

michaellno

Thanks for the report on the Traction T/A's. The L series has 215/55-16.

I cannot get them soon enough. Had a few inches of snow last night and elected to work from home today as I really don't want to slide off the road.

We don't get a lot of "wet" weather here, but do get a fair amount of snow - the snow rating on tirerack.com was pretty favorable as well.

roadburner

Lambo....Ferrari....Porsche ?

Good guess; one is an 80s vintage 911, the other is an 87 Lotus Esprit Turbo. I know I'd probably end up regretting the Lotus, but I've always loved the purity of design exhibited by the early Giugiaro cars:

kyfdx

Get the Porsche...

Otherwise, you'll have to keep the Jeep and buy a trailer to tow the Lotus around... :surprise:

roadburner

I've been checking out some of the Lotus forums, and the impression I get is that having some mechanical aptitude and a good mechanic goes a long way toward making Esprit ownership bearable. The problem is when a poseur buys one because it's an "exotic" babe magnet and scrimps on service and/or jury-rigs any repairs. I'm under no illusion that ownership would likely be problematic, but it's still tempting.
As for the Porsche, it's a 1982 911SC:



Then I have a friend who wants to sell me his gorgeous 2002tii:

qbrozen

the SC would be much more fun, methinks. Although I HATE the spoiler on those things. SCs are pretty pricey, though. I guess 2002s are, too, though.

kyfdx

Looks nice.. I'm partial to the Carreras from '84 on...

Great looking tii...

woodyww

leasing is a stupid idea for a CCBA member

Are you looking at the: 2008 Pilot 4WD Featured Special Lease
$259.00 per month for 36 months. $1,999.00 total due at signing.?

I assume it's a base model? Still, that's a LOT of vehicle for the $$. Heck, if I really like a vehicle, I usually keep it for around 10 years......If I really needed a vehicle, I'd sure be looking at that Pilot lease.....

roadburner

Great looking tii...

To be honest, when all's said and done if I do pull the trigger on something a bit unusual it will probably be another BMW. After fooling with Bimmers for a quarter of a century methinks it's just easier to stick with what you know. This tii is special in that the owner has fitted a lot of period-correct Turbo and Alpina parts and accessories. Check out the engine:

kyfdx

So... how much for the Bimmer?

roadburner

So... how much for the Bimmer?

That's what I'm waiting on; I think that the car was offered to me because the seller knows I'm even more obsessive-compulsive about care and maintenance than he is... :surprise:

kyfdx

The 911 could be a lot of fun... I don't see that Lotus the same way..

As cool as the 2002 is... it isn't really a modern car.. You could drive the 911 to work every day.. but, the 2002 is an old car to play with... no matter how nice that example (and, it's really, really nice... )

tifighter

How exactly is this helping again?

Seriously, the Pilot MF is so low that it makes sense to do this one as a 'sign and drive' and put the down into the payments...that way you don't lose that money if something goes sideways later in the lease. The interest is something like 0.7% on the AWD's. :surprise:

I may need to really check this out over the weekend...

guss

The Porsche and Bmw are the smart choice...but how many Lotuses(Loti ?) do you see in a day ?

tifighter

My best friend had a 82 SC coupe; the only issue he ever had was that the hood release snapped 4 times. Weird...he would replace it with a brand new cable and, snap, there goes another one. Other than that, no issues, and he ended up selling it for more than he paid for it...

Personally, my weakness is an Alfa 1750GTV coupe. Let's say a '71... :shades:

kyfdx

I had an '84 Carrera.. Owned it from '90-'94.. so, I'm biased..

It's still the coolest car I've ever owned...

roadburner

Personally, my weakness is a Alfa 1750GTV coupe. Let's say a '71
The local Alfa dealer had a dark blue 1973 2000 GTV on his lot back in 1979. I was oh so tempted but I was going off to school and there wasn't an Alfa dealer or mechanic in that area. I've also had a weak spot for Giulias of the same vintage; it's one of the few cars that makes an '02 look streamlined...

roadburner

As cool as the 2002 is... it isn't really a modern car.. You could drive the 911 to work every day.. but, the 2002 is an old car to play with... no matter how nice that example (and, it's really, really nice...

That's the thing; I've got a daily driver so day to day practicality isn't a major concern. Still, the 2002 is modern enough that it can keep up with traffic and the A/C will even cool the car down slightly if you run the fan at full speed... :P
I've even read a few articles -none from Roundel- claiming that 2002 prices are poised to move upward, but I've heard that before. I'm thinking that the only ones which might appreciate are the Baur cab, the Touring, the Turbo, and the occasional really REALLY clean and original pre-'74 tii.

stickguy

Got tempted to swing by the Volvo dealer. Loca one is offer what sounds like a good deal on a new S80:

$379/mo., 36 months, 12K/yr. No CC or SD, something like $1,200 drive off (1st payment, and $795 bank fee.

MSRP just a tic over 40K.

andreterrett

I've always been a MBZ guy myself but last year I bought a certified used 2003 Volvo S60. Its been pleasurable. I've put just over 38k miles on it in about 11 months of ownership. I haven't had any problems with it (but if I did everything is covered under the certified warranty). The only issue I will report is that Volvo seems to go through lamp bulbs very fast. The mechanic said its because of the day time running lamps. Otherwise, its a comfortable ride, and as you can tell by the miles I put on it, I do a lot of highway driving. The seats are very comfortable, the gas mileage is acceptable (premium required). The distance between oil changes is nice too at just over 7k miles for me using regular oil (not synthetic). It seems to burn up a set of tires too, I put new ones on at initial purchase and with about three months worth of rubber left I'll have to replace them again by the spring.

tifighter

V70's and Cross Countrys are well known to eat thru bulbs, so I think Volvo's DRLs are 'special'.

corvette

On my mother's S80, I discovered that, on the rear license plate, the bulbs from an auto parts store don't fit properly and often fail to light up. The ones from Volvo work fine!

roadburner

I know that the later model BMWs don't like copper base bulbs. I was always getting phantom "Lamp Out" indications on my wife's E39 528i, but I switched to Sylvania Osram silver base bulbs with a bit of dielectric grease and that was the end of my problems with that issue.

michaellno

But I did get the new tires installed onto the L-series yesterday.

First impression is that they seem taller than the Coopers that got replaced.

Quiet ride .. have only driven it home from the tire shop - less than 10 miles. Snowing hard today and have chosen to work from home.

[Deleted User]

Snowing hard today and have chosen to work from home.

Good call, my normally 20 minute commute was an hour and a half today :mad:

michaellno

Sorry to hear about your commute this morning.

Yeah, that's one of the nice things about my employer .. they don't mind too much where your body is physically. I usually go into the office, but when the weather is bad (or is predicted to be bad), I can simply stay home and do everything I can do from the office.

Today, it's nice to be home as the wife didn't have to go into work this morning - they closed the school district today so she's got the day off.

To stay on topic - if nothing else, working from home helps keep the miles down on my car!

woodyww

Cars, trucks, tires, rims, shocks, seats, parts? Sno-blowers? Houses? A bmw 2002? M3? An old Subie??? Even a saturn? Some of those cool garage toys/upgrades for people with killer garages?

IMHO Things started going downhill here when Akangel bought the Pilot--nothing like owning a reliable, nice performing car you really like to lessen the drama.

BTW, I'm keeping my 10 y.o. 5-series wagon until it keels over (or I do).......knock wood. But I keep thinking a nice used Z4 would help keep it company.....

kyfdx

Instead of a new Porsche... I'm getting a finished basement.. Does that count?

bumpy

I've bought about 2/3rds of a new suspension for the SE-R, new struts for the Accent, shop manuals for the S2000, and I need a new radiator for the truck. I don't think my fortwo is going to arrive before 2009.

lilengineerboy

A new to me Litespeed Catalyst is on its way, and I think I have almost enough 9 speed Dura Ace parts to build it up. I think it should be ~17 lbs, which is a little bit more than the Cannondale 2.8 but hopefully the titanium frame will be a little more comfortable/forgiving then the ultra stuff aluminum one.
I have been checking for a winter beater...there is a '91 Isuzu Impulse (Geo Storm) around here that might get looked at.

stickguy

went to the mall tonight and draffed the wife over to the G35 they had on display. She said it was nice, but we weren;t inthe market for a car.

Women.

I did stop at a car lot, and even went inside and talked to a slaes guy and his SM. All that to get a price on a used BMW (2000 323 Wagon, I think I mentioned it before XMas), Came out and quoted "book value is $11,995, want to make an offer?" SM said they were having a big sale, and the customers can name the price, so I gave a flippant in that case, $75 shot. He heard it as $7,500, and actually perked up, and said he would present it to the owner, would I take it today for that, etc.

I think that was even a good price, based on what I got from WWTIV. And probably what I would look to pay if I really needed to buy it.

Gotta get back looking for a car for my son. There is a mid-90's Camry (the last decent one, when they still looked like a jelly bean) at a local gas station (just appeared) that looks OK. Might have to check that one at.

What I should do is get him something, then try to get a to good to pass up offer on my car, drive his until he gets a licensse, then I have the needed excuse to get myself something new!

And the car show is this Sunday. Good times.

guss

I think it should be ~17 lbs

Steel is real baby, gosh it must be nice to weigh under 200lbs. I picked up a used Jamis last winter for my 200+ body, but if I could, the Litespeed would be at the top of my list.

I went to the car show the other night, the Astra 3 door turned into my current want.

michaellno

Nothing car related, but I have picked up a few things lately:

--> tires for the L-series

--> wireless keyboard and mouse for my laptop when I work at home

--> Odyssey putter and two pairs of Callaway golf shoes

Everything is fine here in the land of Saturn.

Question for everyone out there who has to maintain all the cars for the family -- do you ever feel like a fleet manager for a business? I guess I feel that way because I'm at the Saturn dealer so frequently. I'm starting to get to know the sales folks real well.

bumpy

Not a fleet manager, but I'm starting to feel like I run a repair shop. I have to put a new breather hose, CV boots, and tie rod end boots on the SE-R. There's always something...

roadburner

I haven't bought much of anything for my cars, save a new battery for the Wrangler. As for other purchases...

> I picked up a new front wheel and a set of Pirelli Diablos for the Speed Triple

>I've spent way too much money on eBay- mostly for BMW and Mazda diecasts and model kits.

And of course, I'm always considering possibilities- such as...

>Buying the tii

>Selling the S3 and buying a new Scrambler or T100(Methinks that the S3 is almost too fast for my 51 year old body)

And so it goes...

tifighter

I have a Litespeed Ghisallo (seen here with my Subie). Not only do you get stupid low weight, but there is no weight limit on the frame. All is good. Then my friend went out two weeks ago and bought a Scott Addict R3; we weighed it at the local bike shop last weekend and it came in at 14.8 lbs! :surprise: Just sick...he'd better ride some hills with that thing.

jlawrence01

Question for everyone out there who has to maintain all the cars for the family -- do you ever feel like a fleet manager for a business?

With a 2007 Chevrolet Impala and a 2007 Toyota Corolla, there have been exactly four oil changes, one new set of WINTER wipers, and a gallon of bug juice in the past 12 months.

Now on the fleet side, there have been two transmissions (1995 p/u trucks) and about 24 tires. And the Canadian guy with $2400 brake job.

lilengineerboy

I have a Litespeed Ghisallo (seen here with my Subie). Not only do you get stupid low weight, but there is no weight limit on the frame. All is good

Wow, just wow. That thing is beautiful. The Catalyst is a late 90s frame, the pre-cursor to the Tuscany. Its gotta be more comfy than the 2.8 Cannondale, so we will see. I actually just got it tonight via UPS. The headset is toast and its a 1" threaded steerer. I think I might be trying to pick up an old school Dura Ace one on eBay, as the only 1" threaded headset I can find online is the $10 Tange one.

Oh, and the Isuzu sold on craigslist which cause my wife to breathe a sigh of relief.

stever

With a '97 Outback and a '99 Quest, there have been exactly two oil changes, one set of regular wiper blades and a gallon of bug juice in the last 12 months. And a set of front brake pads on the Outback.

Plus some crawling around under the dash unhooking the Outback alarm system last week when I couldn't get it to disarm. :shades:

Don't ask me about the ~$1500 of deferred maintenance I need to have done in the spring....

We usually buy a new car every decade but my wife isn't paying any attention to my hints about replacing the Quest, and its 10th anniversary is on December 31. I hate it when people own bikes worth more than my cars, lol.

Where's the Chronic Dealer Avoidance discussion anyway?

lilengineerboy

You know, up until this year, I always had at least one "needy" vehicle. Now we have an 05 Legacy and an 07 Accord, and they just go. The Accord has free oil changes so its hard to even justify doing that.
The '93 Accord, '96 Contour, '93 Civic, and '91 Isuzu all had needs and overlapped a bit so I did start to feel like every weekend was fixing one of the two or three we had a the time. The high point was when we had the Contour and the Accord as that was the first time in our lives we had two air conditioned vehicles. We were living the high life.

akangl

Was a new computer. Hubby pestered me enough and I finally replaced my 6 year old desktop, was getting harder to find software that would run on Windows ME, lol.

Pilot has 16k on it, will be 7 months old in 5 days. Still flawless except for a couple quirks with the auto start, will get that taken care of when I get back to Fairbanks.

I love my Pilot, can't see myself giving it up anytime soon. Nice to see you guys finally stopped placing bets on me!!!

roadburner

Over the past twelve months...
2007 Mazdaspeed3- 5K and 10K services(dealer)
2004 X3- oil change(home), Oil Service(dealer N/C), alignment(dealer), ATF and transfer case fluid change(dealer)
1999 Wrangler- oil change(home), coolant flush(indep. shop), battery(home)
1996 Speed Triple- oil change(home)
1995 318ti- final drive oil change(home), Inspection II(indep. shop), thermostat(dealer)

The oil changes on the Mazda are free, so I only pay for the additional services such as inspections, tire balance/rotations, etc., as well as for the Mobil 1 oil which I provide. I planned to do ALL the services on the Wrangler and ti myself, but time constraints and family obligations encouraged me to farm the work out.
Knock on wood, I don't expect any big ticket maintenance expenses over the coming year. The local Ducati/KTM/Suzuki dealer picked up the Triumph franchise so I'm going to let them look over the Speed Triple as well as fit the new front wheel and tires. The Mazda and the ti will see a few track events, and I suspect that the Mazda will finish off its OEM Bridgestones after a couple of days of hot laps.

tifighter

Nice to see you guys finally stopped placing bets on me!!!

Now let's not get hasty...

woodyww

used BMW (2000 3-series Wagon)

I test drove a new 2000 3-series Wagon, stick, SPP, not many other options, back in.....2000. Drove like a go-cart. If I lucked onto a nice one for $7500 now, I'd sure be interested......

2 wagons, just what I need. Big wagon, little wagon.....I like it!.....oh wait, "Touring".....way cooler.....

roadburner

I test drove a new 2000 3-series Wagon, stick, SPP, not many other options, back in.....2000. Drove like a go-cart. If I lucked onto a nice one for $7500 now, I'd sure be interested......

There was a 2001 325iT on eBay a couple of months ago; it had been special ordered and picked up on ED. The sled was optioned almost exactly as you described- Ti Silver/black leather... I was going to bid on it but it ended up going for something like $3K over the "Buy it Now!" price.

guss

it ended up going for something like $3K over the "Buy it Now!" price

I have seen that happen a few times. To me thats like paying over sticker on a new car. The seller must be happy, but who ever gave him the "buy it now" price did not do him any favors.

heeply

Your next move...

...Toyota Camry All-Trac.

I traded my 86 VW Quantum Syncro for a 89 Camry All-Trac. As much as I like the All-Trac, I still miss the Syncro

lilengineerboy

I love those old Audis and I know I shouldn't. Another option would be a Mitsubishi Galant VR4 or the Galant GSX (non-turbo AWD). Or for that matter, the Civic wagon with "real time" 4wd...or a Subaru.
We have a '05 Legacy wagon now and have really enjoyed it.

woodyww

...Toyota Camry All-Trac

I like it--I almost traded my '86 Toyota P/U for a new Camry All-Trac in the late 80's. During the Sept. year end clearance days. Blew off a great deal, as I remember, due to wanting a saab I think......

roadburner

Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks the 2002tii is Way Kewl. :surprise: