Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

sda

Keep the T&C long term. It is a good ride, cheap to run and operate. It will hard to replace it with another similar vehicle without spending $$$. Have fun with your other vehicles, buy and sell as you want. I'm still somewhat bummed that you sold your DTS so quickly. lol

Sandman6472

Very intrigued by the new Nissan Kicks. Love the size and looks from the few I've seen on the road. Really need to test one but am afraid that I just might do something dumb...like buy one on the spot!! Usually not a spontaneous person, he'll, it took me about 6 weeks to finally buy my new iPhone, as I kept going back and forth about keeping my old one for another year. But once they got the color phone I wanted and hit my price point, I just did it. Bought it from "Offer Up", an app that matches local folks who are selling stuff. Was lucky to have found an honest person to sell me a real Apple unit instead of a counterfeit phone. The lady brought this up to me and said to always be careful going forward. So far, after 8 weeks of ownership, it's been just perfect. Selling my old one has not been so easy as folks want me to basically just give it away. Just want a fair price for it as it's really in perfect shape/condition.
But being someone who really thinks things through too much, this is gonna take some time!!!

Sandman6472

Drove a newish Kia Niro today and was very impressed by the way it drove. Very smooth through the power band and no clue it was a hybrid. A good size for me and the inside was finished very nicely just not crazy about the exterior. Think the Hyundai Ionig looks worse outside and I truly hate that split rear window. But plan to test one also just to see if it drives just like the Niro, which I think it will. Driving a vehicle with mileage up around 50 mpg's would be a welcome change, something I just might do one day soon!! But it will have to be a rash decision because if I think it too long, it won't happen!! But don't want a repeat of my Tucson mistake again any time soon especially once I retire. Too costly to be honest!!!

nyccarguy

Sandy - getting rid of that’s tuscon is one of the best moves you’ve ever made!  You love your Golf!

Sandman6472

Yes, it was the best and right move. I now know how you feel about your Prelude and that inner and outer smile we get just seeing our vehicles! Most folks don't get it, my wife doesn't nor do my kids but we folks in these forums do. We get how just looking at it makes our heart rate go up and to drive it is pure heaven. How we just live a machine really, a machine that just gets us from point A to point B. We folks in Edmunds get it, that pure joy a piece of metal hives us. Yes Bradd, I do love my Golf!!!

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

@qbrozen - Have you scheduled your Stelvio to go in for the recall yet? I'm nervous to even have the dealer touch the car because it's been problem free...

I have not. Actually just got the notice in the mail on Sat. But this week is pretty busy for me so I have not even opened it. 

Can't say I blame you about having the dealer touch it.

28firefighter

Mine is going in Friday 10/26. Called this morning. 

stickguy

I like the CX3, but it is a bit too small to be our family car. I know my wife would find it cramped. I could get away with one as my car, but only if she had a nicer one to be our go places together and travel car. So not buying one any time soon. The CX5 is probably a better option for me. only a couple inches longer than my Elantra, and just about as roomy inside as the RDX. And supposed to be nice to drive.

pensfan83

@28firefighter that sales rep was still at the Audi dealer. Not a real big selection of A4's but if you want a Q5 you're definitely in luck. We test drove a white over gray 2018 A4: P+, Cold Weather, Sport Package. Good night to go too as they weren't really busy and we were able to take the car on 71 for a few miles. My friend came away pretty impressed with the overall package.

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

@28firefighter that sales rep was still at the Audi dealer. Not a real big selection of A4's but if you want a Q5 you're definitely in luck. We test drove a white over gray 2018 A4: P+, Cold Weather, Sport Package. Good night to go too as they weren't really busy and we were able to take the car on 71 for a few miles. My friend came away pretty impressed with the overall package.

Excellent! I really like the current A4. I also happen to like that particular dealer. 

benjaminh

stickguy said:

I like the CX3, but it is a bit too small to be our family car. I know my wife would find it cramped. I could get away with one as my car, but only if she had a nicer one to be our go places together and travel car. So not buying one any time soon. The CX5 is probably a better option for me. only a couple inches longer than my Elantra, and just about as roomy inside as the RDX. And supposed to be nice to drive.

Here's KBB's mostly positive review of the Mazda CX-5. They do have some small demerits, including some interior trim bits that scratch easily, a lack of lumbar support for the seats, and the lack of CarPlay/Android Auto. They also note that the CX-5 has less power than a CR-V, and also gets lower mpg than a CR-V. But it looks good! My guess is that the Hyundai Santa Fe at least has CarPlay, although it doesn't look as nice and almost certainly won't handle as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TAD8Jc0s8

tbirdmarco

Nice on all posted above

henryn

sda said:

Keep the T&C long term. It is a good ride, cheap to run and operate. It will hard to replace it with another similar vehicle without spending $$$. Have fun with your other vehicles, buy and sell as you want. I'm still somewhat bummed that you sold your DTS so quickly. lol

The problem with the DTS was slow leaks in all 4 wheels. I went through 3 tire shops, spent $900 on a new set of Michelins, and all 4 wheels still had slow leaks. The worst one would set off the TPMS warning after 3 days. I looked around for a new set of wheels, but I couldn't find anything I thought would look good for less than about $2k all in. I decided to cut my losses and move on.

I like my new truck (only about 3 months in on that), I'm keeping it for a while. I would like to have a fun car, but don't have any place to park it, unless I get rid of the minivan. Which, I agree, is probably not a brilliant idea. I have a DJ gig this Saturday (private party, Halloween, outdoors) and I will need quite a bit of equipment. Two big PA speakers, stands, cables, mixer, computers, table to hold the mixer and computers. I could carry all of that in the truck, but it's a lot easier and handier in the minivan.

xwesx

henryn said:

The problem with the DTS was slow leaks in all 4 wheels. I went through 3 tire shops, spent $900 on a new set of Michelins, and all 4 wheels still had slow leaks. The worst one would set off the TPMS warning after 3 days. I looked around for a new set of wheels, but I couldn't find anything I thought would look good for less than about $2k all in. I decided to cut my losses and move on.

I like my new truck (only about 3 months in on that), I'm keeping it for a while. I would like to have a fun car, but don't have any place to park it, unless I get rid of the minivan. Which, I agree, is probably not a brilliant idea. I have a DJ gig this Saturday (private party, Halloween, outdoors) and I will need quite a bit of equipment. Two big PA speakers, stands, cables, mixer, computers, table to hold the mixer and computers. I could carry all of that in the truck, but it's a lot easier and handier in the minivan.

Can't disagree with the easier/handier sentiments! You might consider a small enclosed trailer, if you wanted the space, the handiness, but not the vehicle. A 5x8 would probably be equivalent to the space in the T&C, or a 6x10/12 would let you upsize in a fairly significant way. Plus, you could build out organization in there that would make planning for and pulling off gigs a breeze.

henryn

^^^ but then I would have to pay rent to store the trailer somewhere!

stickguy

Your side yard charges rent?

henryn

I have about 5.5 feet on either side of the house. And the gate leading into the back yard is only about 36 inches. You have to remember, I live inside the loop, high density, small lots.

nyccarguy

henryn said:

I have about 5.5 feet on either side of the house. And the gate leading into the back yard is only about 36 inches. You have to remember, I live inside the loop, high density, small lots.

I thought everyone in TEXAS lived on a ranch like in the TV show DALLAS. The state is big enough.

tbirdmarco

Lol lol New York   Car guy. I  thaught. The same lol lol 

tbirdmarco

I hear you sandy on liking an car that  fokes outside. Of these forms don’t  get 

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

Not a bad way to spend $360 per month.  It’s a 6-Speed Stick too.

corvette

Can't you get a full size truck for around $400 / month?

28firefighter

There is a broker on leasehackr doing that same 6spd Tacoma Sport in the mid 200s after tax. Tundras in the mid-upper 300s. Based out of Philly. 

nyccarguy

corvette said:

Can't you get a full size truck for around $400 / month?

Don’t know.  That $360 I posted is with 18K per year.  It was very cheap compared to the other Tacoma TRD Sports on Honcker.

Drivingfool

Up nice and early today but need to stay home. The paint guy is coming at 9 and then having a new fan w/light kit being swapped out at 2:30ish as one of the blades broke off and it's just a matter of time before it beheads me in my "office"!
The Mrs. is freezing up in Indianapolis so rearranged my schedule a bit this week. Only have to work another 4.5 hours this week so going in on Thursday. She returns on Monday late afternoon so glad she's made a small vacation out of it. My oldest got her closing date scheduled for next month and just made the moving arrangements...am taking about 10 days off to help her so going to Indiana was just impossible.
Time to get back into bed for a bit as am falling asleep here as I type.

tbirdmarco

 Mike the truck posted above corporate and 20 firefighter, did a lot for the Mommy sounds like I would jump all over that if I could ha ha. Sandy glad things are looking up for your family, would your daughter got her closing fee for her house. Awesome your wife had a nice mini vacation, I bet she can’t wait to return to warmer Florida. Enjoy your day always good to get up Braden  always say best to get up early regardless I feel like if I sleep late I waste most of the day and feel tired. Just me though. Enjoy the day everyone. Will be back in here leader. 

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

There is a broker on leasehackr doing that same 6spd Tacoma Sport in the mid 200s after tax. Tundras in the mid-upper 300s. Based out of Philly. 

Last year, same truck... $250/mo.+tax, $630 due at signing.
36/12

stickguy

I saw that truck (loaded, stick, 36kish sticker) for 24/10 recently in the $280 range, just first payment DAS. Was tempting. 2 years is probably more than enough time with one for me, and no way I would want to do 1,500 miles a month in one!

And even if a full sized truck is the same price, still way too big for me. At least I can get a Tacoma in the garage!

nyccarguy

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

There is a broker on leasehackr doing that same 6spd Tacoma Sport in the mid 200s after tax. Tundras in the mid-upper 300s. Based out of Philly. 

Last year, same truck... $250/mo.+tax, $630 due at signing.
36/12

That was last year! How's your son like it BTW?

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

There is a broker on leasehackr doing that same 6spd Tacoma Sport in the mid 200s after tax. Tundras in the mid-upper 300s. Based out of Philly. 

Last year, same truck... $250/mo.+tax, $630 due at signing.
36/12

That was last year! How's your son like it BTW?

He likes it.. I like it.

Even as a dedicated stick-shift driver, he says it would be a better vehicle with an automatic.

ab348

The exterior look of those and the sitting-on-the-floor driving position really make me wonder about why they are so popular.

The other week I was at the local Toyota dealer and drove around to the back of their service dept. I was astounded to see, first, a fully-equipped rolling frame with engine, suspension and wheels sitting outside right next to a literal stack of shiny brand-new frames. Must have been 4 or 5 of them. Amazing.

corvette

Went to the local (highly rated) locksmith to get a spare smart key for the G37. They got it programmed and the emergency key cut in only ten minutes. $125 plus tax. The smart key appears to be lightly used, but that’s about the same price I was expecting to pay for buying a used smart key off of eBay and paying to have it programmed, so much more convenient to just go to the locksmith. 

Drivingfool

The house was stuccoed today and the concrete driveway is already in place. From the pics, saw the outside lights on each side of the garage being on so we know they have power in the house. Kitchen's already done except for the granite countertops with bathrooms also only needing the granite installed. Still saying that closing to occur on the 31st with the walk through on the 29th. Figure the kid and wife can do that since I'll be taking at least 10 days off to stay with her and just be there while folks deliver things. I want to gift her the fans for the house but she's being a bit resistant and wanting to do it all on her own. Will wear her down and just go to the Home Depot up the street and buy them for her.
Hoping that once the wife sees the place, she'll agree with me about putting a deposit down sooner than later and purchase a home there. Ready to go by mid 2019 if necessary!

tbirdmarco

Nice nice driving foool.   On the  progress. On the daughters  house 

tbirdmarco

Nice on all else above 

corvette

Dude at the bar (with his wife) at my local watering hole looked remarkably like the jerk at the Lexus dealer who unsuccessfully tried to sell me a 2011 G37x with a bad CarFax. To top it off, the dude on the other side of me was smacking his lips and sucking through his teeth the whole time he was there. Now, I have to go there another (more peaceful) night to make up for the bad experience!

On a better note, I got new floor mats to replace the icky looking ones in the G37 today. I also ordered a remote starter from WarmCarNow. This one is like the one I had on the Murano and Mustang (hit the lock button three times to start), but also has cellular connectivity so that you may start your car from your phone, no matter how far away you are. I'll try to post a review once I install it.

In the meantime, I'm driving the Tahoe, which has remote start (which times out after 10-15 minutes), but no heated seats, and the OnStar is too old to allow starting via cell phone. GM does it right, other than the relatively short timeout (which I think is an industry standard for OEM remote starters). The rear defogger and heated mirrors and seats (if OEM equipped, which again, unfortunately, the Tahoe is not), will also turn on when remote start is activated.

stickguy

personal preference, but of every option you can possibly add, for me remote start is probably the last one that I would ever use.

stickguy

still dealing with the back/nerve issue. took my car out today for first time since it started. The RDX is definitely more comfortable for it than the Elantra!

tjc78

I have to agree GM does remote start well.   I use it a few times a year.  Comes in handy if we have crap weather and the windshield is iced up.  

Car turns on heated seats, rear defrost and heater. In the summer it turns the AC on.  

Starting from the app is nice at work since I don’t have to leave my office which is too far from the parking lot to work with the fob. 

henryn

corvette said:

Dude at the bar (with his wife) at my local watering hole looked remarkably like the jerk at the Lexus dealer who unsuccessfully tried to sell me a 2011 G37x with a bad CarFax. To top it off, the dude on the other side of me was smacking his lips and sucking through his teeth the whole time he was there. Now, I have to go there another (more peaceful) night to make up for the bad experience!

On a better note, I got new floor mats to replace the icky looking ones in the G37 today. I also ordered a remote starter from WarmCarNow. This one is like the one I had on the Murano and Mustang (hit the lock button three times to start), but also has cellular connectivity so that you may start your car from your phone, no matter how far away you are. I'll try to post a review once I install it.

In the meantime, I'm driving the Tahoe, which has remote start (which times out after 10-15 minutes), but no heated seats, and the OnStar is too old to allow starting via cell phone. GM does it right, other than the relatively short timeout (which I think is an industry standard for OEM remote starters). The rear defogger and heated mirrors and seats (if OEM equipped, which again, unfortunately, the Tahoe is not), will also turn on when remote start is activated.

I take it the weather is cold where you are? It's actually cool here this week (high 70, low 59 today). I find myself using the remote start on my new F150. 10 or 15 seconds of the A/C running before I get in does make a difference.

corvette

henryn said:

I take it the weather is cold where you are? It's actually cool here this week (high 70, low 59 today). I find myself using the remote start on my new F150. 10 or 15 seconds of the A/C running before I get in does make a difference.

Actually not super cold, in the 40s, but it got there really quickly, and the windows are fogged up, so I've been starting the car before leaving in the morning.

stickguy said:

personal preference, but of every option you can possibly add, for me remote start is probably the last one that I would ever use.

I thought so, too, until I had it on the Yukon I used to own.

xwesx

The weather has been remarkably warm here. Not sure whether I should be glad of this or not! It rained heavily yesterday (would have likely been >12" of snow in years past), and I expected it to be icy this morning, but low temp bottomed out a couple degrees above freezing.

I feel a little bad for the hares. They are all fully decked out in their winter-white coats, and there has yet to be appreciable snow! I imagine the raptors are enjoying it, though.

As for auto-start, like with cell phones, mine is the only family I know that doesn't have this feature on our cars. I don't pre-heat mine, and my wife prefers to go start hers before she gets moving. I do use it on the one car I have that came with the feature, but usually just as I'm walking up to it!

stickguy

It still couldn't use it, since I park in the garage.

jpp75

28firefighter said:

There is a broker on leasehackr doing that same 6spd Tacoma Sport in the mid 200s after tax. Tundras in the mid-upper 300s. Based out of Philly. 

I need this.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

Dude at the bar (with his wife) at my local watering hole looked remarkably like the jerk at the Lexus dealer who unsuccessfully tried to sell me a 2011 G37x with a bad CarFax. To top it off, the dude on the other side of me was smacking his lips and sucking through his teeth the whole time he was there. Now, I have to go there another (more peaceful) night to make up for the bad experience! On a better note, I got new floor mats to replace the icky looking ones in the G37 today. I also ordered a remote starter from WarmCarNow. This one is like the one I had on the Murano and Mustang (hit the lock button three times to start), but also has cellular connectivity so that you may start your car from your phone, no matter how far away you are. I'll try to post a review once I install it. In the meantime, I'm driving the Tahoe, which has remote start (which times out after 10-15 minutes), but no heated seats, and the OnStar is too old to allow starting via cell phone. GM does it right, other than the relatively short timeout (which I think is an industry standard for OEM remote starters). The rear defogger and heated mirrors and seats (if OEM equipped, which again, unfortunately, the Tahoe is not), will also turn on when remote start is activated.

Definitely looking forward to your review of the remote start installation.  I had the dealer add the OEM remote starter to my Subaru.  It’s one thing I actually miss about the car.

pensfan83

We've always managed to keep our garage relatively clutter free and confine any projects that usurp the space to the warm months so we've never had the need for a remote start. Now that we have 3 cars though one of them is parked outside until the Prelude gets garaged for the winter and by one of them I mean mine

stickguy

not sure of the model lines, but there is a 27 month lease right now on an SR, MSRP 33,7xx, for $275/month with $280 DAS. Not too shabby.

roadburner

I had put off recycling about 4 years worth of oil changes, so I took 50 quarts of used oil to my local indie shop. Managed to transport it all in the jeep without spilling any. Now to clean off the workbench...

fintail

Same here, around 70 yesterday and today, near 80 on the coast (offshore flow). Pretty crazy for mid-October. My place faces south with no shade, so it has been warm inside - I've almost turned on the AC, but it cools off with the windows open after sundown.

I've never had a car with remote start, as it just isn't that cold here even in the depths of winter, and I usually am parked inside.

xwesx said:

The weather has been remarkably warm here. Not sure whether I should be glad of this or not! It rained heavily yesterday (would have likely been >12" of snow in years past), and I expected it to be icy this morning, but low temp bottomed out a couple degrees above freezing.
have that came with the feature, but usually just as I'm walking up to it!