Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tbirdmarco

Common all an few not days for an few punches in hear 

nyccarguy

Drivingfool said:

SEL had nice seats with a nicer seating surface plus the bottom cushion was a bit longer in front. Had some more chrome accents outside, remote start button and the aux/usb inputs. Larger wheels and nicer alloys. There's some more but offhand, forgot. Do have the book about the 2015 Golf line-up on my old desk so will go find it and read it.

Have you ever driven a GTI?

Drivingfool

Did a run to Vero Beach today and I got a 2018 Nissan Altima SL to drive back down. Has SAT radio and other safety stuff and drove pretty nice though one can tell it's got a CVT under the hood. Dark blue color, looked nice. Wanted one of the Jeep Wranglers but my lead wasn't in charge so the other lead gave me the Altima since it wasn't going back to their office. Didn't use much petrol to be honest.
Can't wait for the 2019 Altima's to hit Hertz's inventory. They tweaked the front and rear fascia so it looks a bit more mature. There's always the luck of the draw on these longer out of town trips. Now my lead knows what I prefer and usually throws me what I'd have chosen in the first place. It's greatly appreciated to. But for these longer trips, like something I've never drove before if possible. But today's Altima was just fine, though the Sentra would've worked also. Vero Beach has a small airport, my first time there. Going home was a breeze.
Jumped on State Rd. 60 and went west to I-95 and at Jupiter, got onto the turnpike. Yeah I know, Jupiter's just past Mars, lol!

corvette

My gripe with the current Altima is that they finally decided to offer AWD, which is a premium feature a lot of people in snowy regions clamor for, then require it to be paired with the antiquated 2.5 liter normally aspirated engine and don't offer it with the new 2.0 turbo.

nyccarguy

Does @qbrozen have the honor and distinction of 2018’s last Punch with his stellar non-disclosure 330xi ex loaner lease?

I realized earlier this evening that our 2017 Pilot turned a year old on 12/23.  We clocked about 17,000 miles in year 1 with the Pilot.  So yes, for those of you keeping track (and who among us isn’t) I haven’t punched my card in 1 year & 4 days.  

corvette

nyccarguy said:

Does @qbrozen have the honor and distinction of 2018’s last Punch with his stellar non-disclosure 330xi ex loaner lease?

I mean, the year's not over, yet!

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

ronsteve said:

I'm noticing that the real MPG in my RDX is about 1-1.5 mpg short of what the computer is indicating, and usually close to the combined number. Granted after 3 months of ownership it's a fairly small sample.

I've been on about this for years -- on-board mpg computers are always 5 - 10% optimistic, based on years of data on several cars.

On my 2 Series the OBC is actually 6-10% pessimistic. The X1 is only 1-2% optimistic. Every other BMW(and the Clubman) has always been 5-10% optimistic.

sda

nyccarguy said:

Does @qbrozen have the honor and distinction of 2018’s last Punch with his stellar non-disclosure 330xi ex loaner lease?

I realized earlier this evening that our 2017 Pilot turned a year old on 12/23.  We clocked about 17,000 miles in year 1 with the Pilot.  So yes, for those of you keeping track (and who among us isn’t) I haven’t punched my card in 1 year & 4 days.  

Boo hiss! Lol. It has almost been 5 years since my last punch, the Pilot in 1/14, and the Accord 9/13. Incredibly long time for me. Both are doing well, 85k on the Accord, 130k on the Pilot.

benjaminh

qbrozen said:

it works through wifi for some odd reason. So in order for it to work, you have to select both the car's BT and the car's wifi.

Is the problem fixed to your satisfaction now?

roadburner

On my 2 Series and X1 a new text is indicated by an envelope icon in the iDrive display. At that point you can either have Siri or the ConnectedDrive read the text.

Michaell

A little help, please?

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/53779/ford/x/should-i-buy-out-my-lease-please-help-long-story-but-i-feel-like-i-must-explain-myself#latest

Michaell

And, another one ….

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/53766/general/x/should-carmax-take-back-the-car#latest

qbrozen

benjaminh said:

it works through wifi for some odd reason. So in order for it to work, you have to select both the car's BT and the car's wifi.

Is the problem fixed to your satisfaction now?

So far so good. Gotta play with more settings and see how it does on an actual drive, which should be today when we go pick up my Alfa that has been stranded at the dealership since  Wed.

laurasdada

Monday will mark the 5 year anniversary of my Jag XF punch. Bittersweet, as I bid a fond farewell to my '09 Jag XK. But, as I've noted, I just so enjoy the XF, no true regrets.

Likely no last minute purchase, although a local Alfa dealer is advertising $8500 off msrp on '18 Giulia's, $3500 off '19s. A good start.... But, between QB, Car and Driver and some other anecdotal evidence, not sure I'm ready to gamble on an Alfa as I did on my Jags. At least Jag never left the USA...

2019 is a possibility, depending upon my son's summer plans/requirements. Or given the fact I'll be driving an out of warranty >5 yo Jag!

28firefighter

Been driving my Mom’s 2015.5 V60 T5 Cross Country while home. I have to say, I absolutely love it as a family car. It has swallowed all our stuff up with ease including 3 suitcases and a stroller (far better than even the X1 or Alfa), fits Sam’s monstrous car seat easily, and is very comfortable. It’s no race car but the power is more than ample. 

My only complaint is that the trim they got does not include xenons or a power rear hatch. Has BLIS, cross traffic, collision warning, front and rear park assist, and Nav, though. 

Adding one to our list (CPO) to replace the BMW. 

kyfdx

I love the V60 (especially the non-CC). Great looking cars. I'd need a T6, though.

au1994

28firefighter said:

Been driving my Mom’s 2015.5 V60 T5 Cross Country while home. I have to say, I absolutely love it as a family car. It has swallowed all our stuff up with ease including 3 suitcases and a stroller (far better than even the X1 or Alfa), fits Sam’s monstrous car seat easily, and is very comfortable. It’s no race car but the power is more than ample. 

My only complaint is that the trim they got does not include xenons or a power rear hatch. Has BLIS, cross traffic, collision warning, front and rear park assist, and Nav, though. 

Adding one to our list (CPO) to replace the BMW. 

Don’t blame you as long as its a 19. The 18’s are still going to have the old school tech if that’s important to you.

I love a Volvo wagon!!

28firefighter

My issue with the 2019 is that it is likely to be special order only which means deals on leases are unlikely. The old model is a great value CPO and I’m perfectly fine with the design and old infotainment. 

tifighter

You’d get everything on your wishlist at the Platinum level save for cross-traffic; I don’t think that was available. T6 never made it to the CC. I guess they reserved it for the XC70 or something.

au1994

28firefighter said:

My issue with the 2019 is that it is likely to be special order only which means deals on leases are unlikely. The old model is a great value CPO and I’m perfectly fine with the design and old infotainment. 

In that case you can likely find a smokin’ deal. This spring one of the local dealers still had 1 2017 CC and 2 2017 V60’s.

qbrozen

Further review of the 330:
seats are great. They have definitely improved them since my 135. I’d say they are about 2nd to volvo now, out of all those I’ve tried. 

Controls are mostly well done. Only complaint I have is the lack of syncing left and right climate controls. Oh, and that the central locking button is in the middle of the dash, so you have to climb in before you can unlock the doors for others. Other choice is to change the settings so all doors unlock when you grab the driver’s handle. Not a real safe idea for many folks. 

Suspension could use tightening up. Bounces more than a sports sedan should. Steering is rather heavy but it is responsive and precise.

Engine is coarse and unpleasant sounding, but it gets the job done, which matters more. Trans is not up to par with either my Alfa’s nor Caddy’s 8-speed boxes. It is a bit sluggish to downshift and upshifts in manual mode are rough. Most people probably wouldn’t notice, I don’t think.

All in all, a good car, certainly. Not worth the sticker, though. Probably about 15% overpriced, IMHO. If Alfa could improve the relatively minor day-to-day stuff on the Giulia, it would be the hands-down champ of this particular comparison.

mjfloyd1

When I hear a BMW 4 cylinder accelerating, I think of a Singer sewing machine. Very strange sound. 

tbirdmarco

love the above QB on your new ride Common all an few not days for an few punches in hear 

stickguy

been getting updates from Stick Jr. He picked up the G70 after work. So far he seems amazed by it. Including the 5 pounds of owners manual he is plowing though. Found the lane keep + ACC to be very relaxing on the highway. And the power is intoxicating. 75-85 happened real quick. And being black, it is already dirty. And will probably stay that way for a few months now, given where he lives.

stickguy

got home from holiday travel last night. Was going to take the new car out today but it was pouring buckets, and lakes in the roads (at least got a free car wash!) so the TLX stayed in the garage. Going out adventuring tomorrow, assuming my illness does not progress to something closer to death!

Drivingfool

Busy day at work yesterday and today. Going in tomorrow as we're really that busy, think 5 of us are going in. There's talk about going in Sunday but no definite word yet. Monday we're to report at 7 am as we're closing shop around 2 I've been told but will believe it when I see it. Figured I'm feeling o k and haven't been down since Tuesday. Off next Tuesday and probably will also take off Thursday depending on their needs. Then going back to my 24 hour/week schedule and tweaking it down to 20 as the year progresses.
Still enjoy it once I get there...getting up and out is the issue. But I take my time and usually go to bed early the night before.

anonymousposts1

stickguy said:

been getting updates from Stick Jr. He picked up the G70 after work. So far he seems amazed by it. Including the 5 pounds of owners manual he is plowing though. Found the lane keep + ACC to be very relaxing on the highway. And the power is intoxicating. 75-85 happened real quick. And being black, it is already dirty. And will probably stay that way for a few months now, given where he lives.

The Camry and Highlander both have radar cruise. I never thought much of it before and didn’t really care whether our next car had it or not. It definitely makes trips easier. Our trip back from Florida was much more relaxed than before.

qbrozen

Drove the x2 tonight. Go figure, it sounds WAY better than mine. Rides better in a straight line, too. 

anonymousposts1

qbrozen said:

Drove the x2 tonight. Go figure, it sounds WAY better than mine. Rides better in a straight line, too. 

In the Camry, holding the door handle for another 3 seconds after the drivers door unlocks will unlock all the doors. Maybe bmw has something similar programmed?

nyccarguy

anonymousposts1 said:

stickguy said:

been getting updates from Stick Jr. He picked up the G70 after work. So far he seems amazed by it. Including the 5 pounds of owners manual he is plowing though. Found the lane keep + ACC to be very relaxing on the highway. And the power is intoxicating. 75-85 happened real quick. And being black, it is already dirty. And will probably stay that way for a few months now, given where he lives.

The Camry and Highlander both have radar cruise. I never thought much of it before and didn’t really care whether our next car had it or not. It definitely makes trips easier. Our trip back from Florida was much more relaxed than before.

Our Pilot has Adaptive Cruise and it is one of my favorite features.  The punch that replaces the Infiniti will have it (sorry to everybody, no punch pending).

nyccarguy

I have to say that I'm disappointed with Apple for the 1st time. I got my new iPhone XR yesterday. I backed up my iPhone 6 Plus to my iMac. I went to "restore" the backup on the new XR and the computer told me I had to 1st update the iOS software to the latest version on the old iPhone 6. That literally took over 2 hours last night. Now the software on the new XR needs to be updated. I came down to the basement at about 5:30 this AM to start this process. I don't think it is going to be anywhere near done by the time I have to leave for work in the next 10 minutes. Coffee is made. Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work I go!

benjaminh

mjfloyd1 said:

When I hear a BMW 4 cylinder accelerating, I think of a Singer sewing machine. Very strange sound. 

Our new CR-V turbo does sound a bit like a roaring sewing machine. Turbos in general sound less refined imho. That's something I like about our new Acura—the engine and transmission make a very nice sound.

tjc78

nyccarguy said:

I have to say that I'm disappointed with Apple for the 1st time. I got my new iPhone XR yesterday. I backed up my iPhone 6 Plus to my iMac. I went to "restore" the backup on the new XR and the computer told me I had to 1st update the iOS software to the latest version on the old iPhone 6. That literally took over 2 hours last night. Now the software on the new XR needs to be updated. I came down to the basement at about 5:30 this AM to start this process. I don't think it is going to be anywhere near done by the time I have to leave for work in the next 10 minutes. Coffee is made. Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work I go!

I’ve been through this when I upgraded my wife’s 7 plus to IPhone X.  It did take a long time because it failed once

From now on I’ll always make sure both phones are running the exact same version before backing up and restoring. 

au1994

qbrozen said:

Further review of the 330:
seats are great. They have definitely improved them since my 135. I’d say they are about 2nd to volvo now, out of all those I’ve tried. 

Controls are mostly well done. Only complaint I have is the lack of syncing left and right climate controls. Oh, and that the central locking button is in the middle of the dash, so you have to climb in before you can unlock the doors for others. Other choice is to change the settings so all doors unlock when you grab the driver’s handle. Not a real safe idea for many folks. 

Suspension could use tightening up. Bounces more than a sports sedan should. Steering is rather heavy but it is responsive and precise.

Engine is coarse and unpleasant sounding, but it gets the job done, which matters more. Trans is not up to par with either my Alfa’s nor Caddy’s 8-speed boxes. It is a bit sluggish to downshift and upshifts in manual mode are rough. Most people probably wouldn’t notice, I don’t think.

All in all, a good car, certainly. Not worth the sticker, though. Probably about 15% overpriced, IMHO. If Alfa could improve the relatively minor day-to-day stuff on the Giulia, it would be the hands-down champ of this particular comparison.

Based on my experience with 330 loaners and test drives, this is a dead on accurate assessment.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Drove the x2 tonight. Go figure, it sounds WAY better than mine. Rides better in a straight line, too. 

It's a different engine. Also, different configuration and exhaust routing. Not surprising that it sounds different.

qbrozen

I know its all different. My surprise comes from the fact that the X2 is a luxo cruiser and the 330 is supposed to be the sports sedan. So you’d think the 330 would sound the part while the x2 would not, yet the opposite is the reality.

stickguy

when I test drove a few weeks back I actually liked the 330 much better than the X1. It seemed smoother and quieter to me.

28firefighter

Our 2016 X1 sounds like a coffee grinder when it accelerates. Its a bit sluggish off the line but once moving is quite nimble. 

roadburner

qbrozen said:

I know its all different. My surprise comes from the fact that the X2 is a luxo cruiser and the 330 is supposed to be the sports sedan. So you’d think the 330 would sound the part while the x2 would not, yet the opposite is the reality.

Well, the F3x was never as well received as previous iterations of the 3 Series. Not a bad car, but not up to BMW's sport sedan reputation. My primary problem with the car was that it needed to be optioned in a particular way to actually perform the way that you expect a BMW to perform. 

ronsteve

Little update to previous chatter about my RDX... made the trip to Nashville and back yesterday and really don't want to talk about football.

Was about a quarter of the way through the tank when we started, so plenty of range to get there but definitely not enough for the round trip. Turns out I should have stopped about 25 miles sooner on the way down. Got past the last of the sub-$2 regular but still had time to burn before we were supposed to meet a friend. So I found myself refueling in the city. Regular was $2.499... mid was $2.949 and premium $3.399. Fortunately that Shell doesn't limit the use of Kroger points, so I put in mid-grade for $2.249/gal. Calculated 25.9 mpg for a mostly-highway tank, compared to 26.5 indicated on the computer.

I'm finding the RDX prefers to cruise at least 75mph on the Interstates. When I settle in at 70ish on the Gene Slider, the VCM seems to cut in and out, allowing these weird little 100-200rpm fluctuations that seem most common at the bottom of a hill. Also easy to catch the engine napping on the next climb, so I'd say maybe 4 times in 300ish miles of highway cruising it kicked down to 5th. Might not sound like a lot to some folks, but it's still an adjustment after the Volvo turbo. Approaching 44K on the clock, 4300 of those are mine.

henryn

benjaminh said:

mjfloyd1 said:

When I hear a BMW 4 cylinder accelerating, I think of a Singer sewing machine. Very strange sound. 

Our new CR-V turbo does sound a bit like a roaring sewing machine. Turbos in general sound less refined imho. That's something I like about our new Acura—the engine and transmission make a very nice sound.

I'm surprised more manufacturers haven't gone the route taken by Ford on their turbo vehicles -- generate pleasing exhaust sounds and play them through the speakers.

corvette

ronsteve said:

I'm finding the RDX prefers to cruise at least 75mph on the Interstates. When I settle in at 70ish on the Gene Slider, the VCM seems to cut in and out, allowing these weird little 100-200rpm fluctuations that seem most common at the bottom of a hill. Also easy to catch the engine napping on the next climb, so I'd say maybe 4 times in 300ish miles of highway cruising it kicked down to 5th. Might not sound like a lot to some folks, but it's still an adjustment after the Volvo turbo. Approaching 44K on the clock, 4300 of those are mine.

I hardly even notice the cylinder deactivation on the Tahoe. If you pull up the instant fuel economy, it will tell you if it's in V8 or V4 mode. At interstate speeds, V4 only shows up on completely flat ground (or downhill), and generally below 80 MPH. Any uphill grade at all puts it back in V8 mode. I haven't monitored it at more moderate speeds. I really think the fuel economy benefits are fairly minor, but I think most of the tweaks being implemented nowadays are minor.

sda

I don’t think the VCM in our Pilot has made a measurable difference in mpg. Often when the ECO light comes on it is accompanied by a low frequency shudder/vibration which is a little annoying. It will often switch between all cylinders and ECO, which feels like a subtle transmission shift. Gas mileage on trips is typically 21-22, and very rarely 23+ per the trip computer, in reality, less.

tbirdmarco

Injoyed reading all in hear all. 

corvette

Fixed the brake pedal on the Tahoe. It's squeaked the whole time I've had it and I've tried oiling and greasing every pivot point. Did some research and it turns out that the part that was squeaking is where the piston goes through the firewall, against a rubber grommet. Applied some white lithium grease, and now it's all quiet!

au1994

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

I know its all different. My surprise comes from the fact that the X2 is a luxo cruiser and the 330 is supposed to be the sports sedan. So you’d think the 330 would sound the part while the x2 would not, yet the opposite is the reality.

Well, the F3x was never as well received as previous iterations of the 3 Series. Not a bad car, but not up to BMW's sport sedan reputation. My primary problem with the car was that it needed to be optioned in a particular way to actually perform the way that you expect a BMW to perform. 

The steering and handling on my 13 335i sedan was embarrassing for a BMW. I understand it has gotten better but the few loaners I’ve had say different. The steering is a notch tighter now but the chassis set up is still not as taut as any of the E series 3’s.

au1994

Took the Crosstrek to the lake today to drop off a load to the contractor. 25 mpg with the rack still on!!

tbirdmarco

Corvette  nice glad it is fixed 

tbirdmarco

va is nice I am bord now how ever lolType your comment

tbirdmarco

What is everyone up to for New Year’s Eve  not up to much this year