Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

Prelude goes into the shop for some fresh oil, filter, brake fluid, & an alignment before I do the car control clinic with it this Saturday.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

Prelude goes into the shop for some fresh oil, filter, brake fluid, & an alignment before I do the car control clinic with it this Saturday.

Nice! Have fun!

stickguy

not my favorite color interior, and probably better without the 18: wheels, but this is nice looking and pretty well loaded, and seems like a decent price for one.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2017-mercedes~benz-cla-certified_cla250_4matic_sport_awd_camera__navigation-used-16676255.html

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

not my favorite color interior, and probably better without the 18: wheels, but this is nice looking and pretty well loaded, and seems like a decent price for one. http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2017-mercedes~benz-cla-certified_cla250_4matic_sport_awd_camera__navigation-used-16676255.html

No HID/Xenon Lights.  Those wheels are grotesque.

28firefighter

It was way more effort and hassle for the person taking over. Virtually no effort for me. 

corvette

stickguy said:

not my favorite color interior, and probably better without the 18: wheels, but this is nice looking and pretty well loaded, and seems like a decent price for one.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2017-mercedes~benz-cla-certified_cla250_4matic_sport_awd_camera__navigation-used-16676255.html

I think the wheels are okay, but hard pass for me on the Mercedes Jetta.

Sandman6472

Rims wouldn't be a deal breaker but do prefer 17" to be honest and like the color. But, a bit similar to our A3 which I'm really liking every time I get behind the wheel, which ain't much. Whenever we go out, wife drives unless I take it for petrol.
Stick, think I've gotta agree with ya , the Sport's nice and all but the GT with the 1.6T and the power driver seat would be the Elantra for me, unless I really liked the Limited. That's why I need to try them back to back to see. But obviously, that didn't happen which kinda pissed me off. But now just ain't the time. Honestly!
Got to feeling ill at dinner last night, so came home and slept until 8 am this morning. Was feeling ill all day and didn't eat much. When my kid came home and made me something to eat, suddenly felt nauseous and had to lie down for a few minutes. Odd...very odd!! Ate a little bit, for the strength, and relaxed until about 10, then went to bed. We decided that going into work tomorrow wouldn't be the brightest idea so went back to Plan A which was to start Monday the 11th. Let the boss and lead driver know that I wasn't quite ready to come back and they were all in agreement, come back when you feel you should. So taking another few days to relax. Probably the smartest idea. Will stay home and relax. Think the physical therapy got to me yestrerday, thinking back, so when he called today and asked to come back, told him Tuesday would be better, as I was lying down and had work tomorrow. Even though plans changed about 2 hours later, didn't call him back...just want to rest.
Could this be a sign from above that maybe, just maybe, my working days are really over...maybe I should retire again, for good? I know the kids would agree that I should but the wife, she'd like me to stop when she does which is something I won't do. I want to stop at the end of 2019 to be honest or would consider the end of 2020. Will be 66 in 2020 and could get my s s with not taking it early. But, thinking 2019 might just be the year to go!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

If I do in fact keep the Golf, will most likely have the brakes checked and if needed, will get them fixed. If decide to trade, will just do nothing and see what happens. But thinking the prudent thing to do is to keep it and fix them brakes. Still waiting to hear about the D V case also. And from my insurance company about what's going to happen there. I finally got a copy of my Hertz rental to my claims adjuster the day before she went on a weeks vacation. So, hopefully, I'll be getting something back from the other kids insurance which would be the proper thing to do. His fault, he needs to pay up!!
The Sandman

roadburner

sandman_6472 said:

Rims wouldn't be a deal breaker but do prefer 17" to be honest and like the color. But, a bit similar to our A3 which I'm really liking every time I get behind the wheel, which ain't much. Whenever we go out, wife drives unless I take it for petrol.
Stick, think I've gotta agree with ya , the Sport's nice and all but the GT with the 1.6T and the power driver seat would be the Elantra for me, unless I really liked the Limited. That's why I need to try them back to back to see. But obviously, that didn't happen which kinda pissed me off. But now just ain't the time. Honestly!
Got to feeling ill at dinner last night, so came home and slept until 8 am this morning. Was feeling ill all day and didn't eat much. When my kid came home and made me something to eat, suddenly felt nauseous and had to lie down for a few minutes. Odd...very odd!! Ate a little bit, for the strength, and relaxed until about 10, then went to bed. We decided that going into work tomorrow wouldn't be the brightest idea so went back to Plan A which was to start Monday the 11th. Let the boss and lead driver know that I wasn't quite ready to come back and they were all in agreement, come back when you feel you should. So taking another few days to relax. Probably the smartest idea. Will stay home and relax. Think the physical therapy got to me yestrerday, thinking back, so when he called today and asked to come back, told him Tuesday would be better, as I was lying down and had work tomorrow. Even though plans changed about 2 hours later, didn't call him back...just want to rest.
Could this be a sign from above that maybe, just maybe, my working days are really over...maybe I should retire again, for good? I know the kids would agree that I should but the wife, she'd like me to stop when she does which is something I won't do. I want to stop at the end of 2019 to be honest or would consider the end of 2020. Will be 66 in 2020 and could get my s s with not taking it early. But, thinking 2019 might just be the year to go!!

The Sandman

I'll be 67 when my term ends in December 2024; I'm definitely out at that point, as my wife and I had previously agreed the May primary was my last campaign. At our election party one of my attorney friends asked my wife if I was thinking of running for a second term. She replied, "If he does will you do my divorce for free?"
So yes, I'm finished in 2024...

nyccarguy

Question for the "track junkies:"

I got a call from the Good Year place that i took my prelude to before I go to the Car Control Clinic tomorrow. They told me one of the front struts (Koni Yellow) is bad and is hitting the frame. I'm going to have to get a new one (or maybe 2) from Koni. It isn't going to happen by tomorrow. Should I just take my Infiniti instead to the track?

Mr_Shiftright

I don't understand the "hitting the frame" part. Did they mean bottoming out? Seems you would have noticed that right quick. Maybe you need to get on the lift with them and have them point out what they are talking about.

qbrozen

Confused here as well.
need more input.

28firefighter

Mercedes is gone. Now the Saab can live inside and I can stop hearing about how difficult it is getting out of the garage with a car parked in the driveway (we have a bizarre curved driveway)

corvette

I’d take the Infiniti, since it will also perform well on the track, and it sounds like you drive it more than the Prelude. 

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

I don't understand the "hitting the frame" part. Did they mean bottoming out? Seems you would have noticed that right quick. Maybe you need to get on the lift with them and have them point out what they are talking about.

I'm going to have to check it out myself when I pick the car up.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Confused here as well.
need more input.

Will get it for you

roadburner

I can't see how a worn shock can "hit the frame" unless a mount is broken or the shock housing is bent or damaged.

nyccarguy

roadburner said:

I can't see how a worn shock can "hit the frame" unless a mount is broken or the shock housing is bent or damaged.

It definitely isn't worn. It barely has 5,000 miles on it.

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

I can't see how a worn shock can "hit the frame" unless a mount is broken or the shock housing is bent or damaged.

It definitely isn't worn. It barely has 5,000 miles on it.

I'm with RB. Sounds like they're saying the mount broke or the housing has had some sort of damage. Or, maybe they just mean the shock is leaking and there is no more "absorb" to the shock absorber.

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

I still don’t see anything wrong

Sandman6472

So glad I stayed home today, feeling much better.

The Sandman

fintail

Maybe another estate sale bargain?

98 Maxima 42K miles $2K. Not sure if that's a reflection or a bumper quirk. I never minded the look of these, boring but pleasant.

28firefighter

fintail said:

Maybe another estate sale bargain? 98 Maxima 42K miles $2K. Not sure if that's a reflection or a bumper quirk. I never minded the look of these, boring but pleasant.

Those are nice rides. When it breaks, donate it. The low mileage actually worries me in a 30 year old car. 

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Lower spring perch appears to be cockeyed, so the spring is bulging inward and rubbing slightly when extended.

got a pic of the other side for comparison?

stickguy

Maxima is exactly like my 98. I had an SE in that color. Looks good in that 1 picture. Hard to go wrong for the price. Of course, I highly doubt this one is a 5 speed!

qbrozen

Had the fam over at Great Adventure this eve and saw Kia had vehicles on display scattered throughout. Out front was a Stinger. Silver is not a good color for that car, IMHO. Inside, one of the vehicles that caught my eye was the Nero. I got closer to take a look. Sticker shock ensued. $30k! And, to boot, no leather nor moonroof at that price!! Wow

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

Lower spring perch appears to be cockeyed, so the spring is bulging inward and rubbing slightly when extended.

got a pic of the other side for comparison?

No.  But as long as the car drives good, it should be OK. That’s something that needs to be re-installed?  

qbrozen

At some point, I'm sure it would break the rest of the way off. Send the pic to Koni. Maybe they'll warranty it. Alternatively, maybe somebody with some talent could repair it through welding. The actual removal and installation is quite easy.

Searched around and found this pic. This is what it should look like.

rny421

I just took my Sky in for an oil change and an inspection. Turns out I put less than 1,000 miles on it last year
I almost wonder if it's worth keeping, as it will need new tires soon. I think if the trunk was more usable, we'd be able to take it on trips, and put more miles on it.
Although, it is paid off, and has less than 30k miles - so I might as well just hang onto it.

stickguy

I liked those, but the absolute lack of storage space was always a drawback. Not that my wife was likely to agree to taking trips in a sports car. When I had my Miata, never did anything with it but drive around on nice days, mostly by myself.

rny421

Yeah, the trunk space is laughable. The thought did cross my mind of either getting rid of the Sky, and upgrade the S60 or getting rid of the TLX and Sky and upgrading to a daily driver convertible - but I don't think manual, AWD convertibles exist anymore, and I would probably get tired of a convertible as a DD.

Then I also thought of the fact that the money could be used on projects we'd like to do around the house..... or towards buying a new house.

It's ironic that I'm so indecisive in my personal life when my career relies on me making decisions. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mr_Shiftright

That's because in your career if you are indecisive it that you'd be fired or demoted.

But in our personal lives, we can't fire ourselves. We have great job security

benjaminh

Until yesterday I hadn't considered getting a plug-in hybrid, because there was no model for sale in my state that interested me. The Honda Clarity plug-in, however, went on sale here in Kentucky a couple of month ago. It's a weird looking car about the size of an Accord, and has an all electric range of c. 47 miles. After that it works as a hybrid and has a total range of c. 340 miles. The list price of the entry-level model, which is more or less equivalent in features to an Accord EX, is c. 34k.

Our current older car, a 2013 Accord CVT, already gets good mpg, and is estimated by the epa to have annual fuel costs of about $1450 a year. The Clarity is estimated to cost about $700 for electricity and gas for a possible savings of about $750 a year.

But seemingly more significant I just realized is that there is a $7500 federal tax credit for vehicles like this one, a Tesla, Leaf, etc.

If in several months a discount of c. 4k could be achieved on the Clarity, that would of course put the price at c. $30k. Subtracting our trade-in of c. 11k would then put it at c.19k. And then taking off the 7500 tax credit leaves c. 11,500 left (I realize the tax credit actually comes in c. April, but we could probably put the equivalent amount down in anticipation of this). TTL might add c. $1500 or so, but that still seems to mean that with the trade-in the Clarity would be c. 13k. Honda is already offering 3 year financing on this model of .9%, which would give a monthly payment of about $367.

I'm not sure if we want this car at all (my wife seems quite dubious) but the math seems maybe somewhat compelling? Or does it?

stickguy

that is not exactly attractive. But I doubt that you can justify it purely on fuel cost savings. But, if you want a new car anyway, then it could be a fine choice.

corvette

Do you get the full $7,500 credit with a plug in hybrid? I thought that was only for a 100% electric vehicle. 

I will temporarily be in a higher tax bracket this year and it would very much make sense for me to buy something that qualifies for the credit if there were anything that interested me. 

sda

benjaminh said:

Until yesterday I hadn't considered getting a plug-in hybrid, because there was no model for sale in my state that interested me. The Honda Clarity plug-in, however, went on sale here in Kentucky a couple of month ago. It's a weird looking car about the size of an Accord, and has an all electric range of c. 47 miles. After that it works as a hybrid and has a total range of c. 340 miles. The list price of the entry-level model, which is more or less equivalent in features to an Accord EX, is c. 34k. Our current older car, a 2013 Accord CVT already gets good mpg, and is estimated by the epa to have annual fuel costs of about $1450 a year. The Clarity is estimated to cost about $700 for electricity and gas for a possible savings of about $750 a year. But seemingly more significant I just realized is that there is a $7500 federal tax credit for vehicles like this one, a Tesla, Leaf, etc. If in several months a discount of c. 4k could be achieved on the Clarity, that would of course put the price at c. $30k. Subtracting our trade-in of c. 11k would then put it at c.19k. And then taking off the 7500 tax credit leaves c. 11,500 left (I realize the tax credit actually comes in c. April, but we could probably put the equivalent amount down in anticipation of this). TTL might add c. $1500 or so, but that still seems to mean that with the trade-in the Clarity would be c. 13k. Honda is already offering 3 year financing on this model of .9%, which would give a monthly payment of about $367. I'm not sure if we want this car at all (my wife seems quite dubious) but the math seems maybe somewhat compelling? Or does it?

You may want to read the recent review from Consumer Reports.  They may overstate some of their concerns, but good to know as you weigh your decision.

benjaminh

corvette said:

Do you get the full $7,500 credit with a plug in hybrid? I thought that was only for a 100% electric vehicle. 

I will temporarily be in a higher tax bracket this year and it would very much make sense for me to buy something that qualifies for the credit if there were anything that interested me. 

If you owe/have paid more than $7500 in federal income tax you can get the full amount for some plug-in hybrid or electric models. There's an irs form that tells you which ones quality for the full amount, and which are partial (c. $3500 or so).

benjaminh

sda said:

...You may want to read the recent review from Consumer Reports.  They may overstate some of their concerns, but good to know as you weigh your decision.

I don't subscribe to CR any more. Any chance you'd give a brief summary of their concerns with the Clarity?

Kelly Blue Book in this 2-minute review says the Clarity plug in is their "best buy" in this segment....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SkgFPrdEPM

sda

benjaminh said:

sda said:

...You may want to read the recent review from Consumer Reports.  They may overstate some of their concerns, but good to know as you weigh your decision.

I don't subscribe to CR any more. Any chance you'd give a brief summary of their concerns with the Clarity?

Kelly Blue Book in this 2-minute review says the Clarity plug in is their "best buy" in this segment....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SkgFPrdEPM

From Consumer Reports:

The Clarity comes in three versions: an electric, a plug-in hybrid, and one powered by hydrogen. The plug-In hybrid is the most practical version for everyday use, and has a 48-mile all-electric range before the gas engine kicks in. It takes 2.5 hours to recharge with a 240-volt charger, and 12 hours on 120 volts. The car works well in electric-only mode, but in hybrid mode, the engine makes a loud ruckus. The ride is comfortable, but its handling is awkward because the body leans in corners, and the steering response is sluggish. The cabin is roomy but we found the front seats uncomfortable because of their short bottom cushion and lack of lower back support. All versions come standard with forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking, but Honda uses a passenger-side video feed instead of a blind-spot warning system that covers both sides. The Clarity also uses Honda's unintuitive push-button gear selector. The FCV fuel-cell version has a claimed driving range beyond 300 miles, and it takes 3 to 5 minutes to fully fuel it with hydrogen. The electric version has a short EPA-rated range of 89 miles.

roadburner

I was really impressed with the 330e; if I had the extra $$$ I'd consider one for my daily driver. A co-worker at BMW was leasing one and the car was returning 75 mpg.

nyccarguy

The car control clinic was awesome today!  I had a blast!  It was a picture perfect day outside.  I highly recommend doing a car control clinic if you have a chance.  We worked on Emergency braking, Braking modulation, Slalom, Skidpad, & Emergency lane change & braking.  Then we got to do all of them then let loose on the road course.  The Prelude (and I) faired quite well.  I was given positive feedback on my crisp, smooth shifting, how smoothly as fast I went through the slalom (didn’t hit 1 cone), and how well I made midcorner corrections.  1 instructor commented on how impressed he was by my Prelude (he daily drives and tracks an ///M2).  2 of the instructors even asked if this was really my 1st time.  Here are some photo highlights.

carnaught

Not sure how those electic mpg’s are calculated.

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

stickguy

looks like fun. Who put that on, and what did it cost? My Sport should be a good option for one of those.

breld

corvette said:

Do you get the full $7,500 credit with a plug in hybrid? I thought that was only for a 100% electric vehicle. 

I will temporarily be in a higher tax bracket this year and it would very much make sense for me to buy something that qualifies for the credit if there were anything that interested me. 

I was also surprised to find that the Clarity qualifies for the full $7,500 credit - I believe it has to do with the electric range and/or the battery size.  

In colorado, we get an additional $5,000 state credit. That makes it compelling, but the Clarity doesn’t necessarily seem like a great choice.  I’d rather go with the Bolt.