Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

laurasdada

Got a mailer from my local BMW shop, $6k off MSRP on any in stock 2018 230i. Good start, and they have all of one in stock (Xi, black on black). So, thanks for that.

stickguy

pensfan83 said:

Last car had all service covered under Audi Care so never had to worry about cost. Like others I'm apprehensive on what I'll be shelling out for the fluid and filter changes.

Acura dealers always have coupons. For normal service, no more than $40-60 (oil change and rotation). At 15k, might call for rear diff fluid.

Acura’s are cheap to run even using the dealer.

Michaell

The service advisor at the dealer said we'd probably be getting coupons to knock that price down.

But, will absolutely check the manual to see what is required. We did the diff fluid at 15K, so not sure it needs to be done again.

Oil and filter - last oil change was 5/2018, but only 5000 miles ago; could be time for that again
CVT - maybe?
Brakes - nope; inspection sheet from today noted the linings between 7.8MM (front) and 8MM (rear)
Tires - maybe a rotation, but I get that for free from the shop that installed them. All have 9/32" tread on them

For the record, the dealer I visited today was NOT the dealer I purchased the car from, but a dealer closer to where I live. Couldn't get the Outback into the selling dealer until March at the earliest.

While there have been a couple of small recalls on the Outback, it's been an incredibly reliable and comfortable car. Kinda big and cushy, which is a nice contrast to the Jetta. Will be 4 years old at the end of the month, and we see no reason to exchange it for something else.

The MINI is scheduled for an appointment next Saturday; got told yesterday the service light came on. Probably just a simple service, which is prepaid. It only has 37K on it after 5 years.

Michaell

Old car ID requested:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/54362/general/x/what-kind-of-car-id-this#latest

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

Old car ID requested:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/54362/general/x/what-kind-of-car-id-this#latest

We got that!

mjfloyd1

Sandman6472 said:

Got my second letter from the local VW store to come in and see about getting a new 2018 VW Golf SE. From their website, all I see is a 2019 unit, black over black. Doubt I'd go for another Golf SE as I'd prefer an SEL model which unfortunately, is no longer made. But even though it might be wise to trade now that it's just gone over the 50K mark, just not willing to do it for another Golf at this time. Only real difference is the additional safety nannies and the new infotainment system. Not enough reason to trade it as it still drives nice. Had the tires rotated on Tuesday plus the oil change two weeks ago, though that was a bit premature due to the last invoice of an oil change getting blown under the seat when I had the windows and sunroof open on the expressway. Tires are wearing evenly and VW did say I need to replace the windshield wipers plus the rear window wiper but this I already knew. They are all a particular size and need to be gotten from VW. Last time, the nearby Audi/VW indie store got them for me so I'll need to go over there and order them.

One reason to trade is the 6yr / 72k mile warranty on the new VW’s.

My favorite reason has always been “because I can”

mjfloyd1

stickguy said:

Last car had all service covered under Audi Care so never had to worry about cost. Like others I'm apprehensive on what I'll be shelling out for the fluid and filter changes.

Acura dealers always have coupons. For normal service, no more than $40-60 (oil change and rotation). At 15k, might call for rear diff fluid. Acura’s are cheap to run even using the dealer.

I took my Acura to the Honda dealer. Even cheaper

henryn

https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/138-gen-5-2015-2019/426946-30000-mile-service-2015-outback-2-5-a.html

Interesting thread for you here on the 30k service on an Outback...

Michaell

henryn said:

https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/138-gen-5-2015-2019/426946-30000-mile-service-2015-outback-2-5-a.html

Interesting thread for you here on the 30k service on an Outback...

Thanks for the link. I'm not a DIYer for maintenance. I'll see what this dealer thinks should be done for 30k, then ask the dealer I bought from what they cover.

roadburner

laurasdada said:

Got a mailer from my local BMW shop, $6k off MSRP on any in stock 2018 230i. Good start, and they have all of one in stock (Xi, black on black). So, thanks for that.

AWD?
Meh.

andres3

qbrozen said:

andres3 said:

They might swear by them because they don't have to pay the repair and tow truck bills. Law enforcement doesn't seem too concerned about how tax payer money is spent.

Pretty sure if cops were breaking down and unable to chase the bad guys or get to the scene, they'd be vocal about it.

https://youtu.be/y9feVp0RZvQ like this?

andres3

I had to replace the CR2025 battery in my key FOB for the VW Alltrack. 26,000 miles in and I'm already spending $4.75 for two new batteries (only needed one but I have a backup for next time now). At this rate I should catch up to my expenditures on the '95 Dodge by the year 2222.

corvette

That's what happens when you park a hot vehicle on dry grass. *shrugs*

marcogallo1986

Yea

tjc78

andres3 said:

They might swear by them because they don't have to pay the repair and tow truck bills. Law enforcement doesn't seem too concerned about how tax payer money is spent.

Pretty sure if cops were breaking down and unable to chase the bad guys or get to the scene, they'd be vocal about it.

https://youtu.be/y9feVp0RZvQ like this?

Ha ha ... I had a trooper snag me from the other side and come get me just like that, however, his Crown Vic didn’t catch on fire.  

Went up fast.  

qbrozen

@andres3
vette beat me to it. Stopping your hot car on dry brown grass is not the car’s fault.

nyccarguy

henryn said:

https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/138-gen-5-2015-2019/426946-30000-mile-service-2015-outback-2-5-a.html

Interesting thread for you here on the 30k service on an Outback...

I'm far from a DIY as far as maintenance goes, but I do remember the air filter & cabin filter are simple to replace. Buy the parts online (amazon or subaruonlineparts) and youtube how to replace them. It literally took 15 minutes.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

pensfan83 said:

Last car had all service covered under Audi Care so never had to worry about cost. Like others I'm apprehensive on what I'll be shelling out for the fluid and filter changes.

Acura dealers always have coupons. For normal service, no more than $40-60 (oil change and rotation). At 15k, might call for rear diff fluid.

Acura’s are cheap to run even using the dealer.

Same on mine. Although, at 15K I had to add rear differential fluid change (SH AWD) which was around $75. I replaced the engine and cabin filters myself in about 5 minutes for about $20. Oil and filter changes with tire rotations run about $50-$60 with coupon, but I think it’s a little more since I have the 3.5L.

Still, one of the cheapest cars I’ve ever owned for maintenance.

My guess......I’m up-to-date for the rest of this year on maintenance, unless for some unforeseen reason I start driving more than 10K-12K miles/year. Maintenance on the TLX for the rest of this year should equal $0.

stickguy

The RDX should ask for service in the next couple of weeks (it’s down to 20% on the MM). About 53k now on it, so I assume will call for rear diff again.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

The RDX should ask for service in the next couple of weeks (it’s down to 20% on the MM). About 53k now on it, so I assume will call for rear diff again.

If it’s like the TLX, rear diff fluid change should be once the first 15K miles, and then every 30K miles thereafter.

stickguy

Yup. I had it done at 15 so expecting it.

This will be the first time in about 4 years I see the MM codes. We put so few miles on it, I hit 12 months before 15%, so the services called for never popped up (I took it in at the year mark anyway). So was up to service writer to figure it out, and he never suggested anything.

Mr_Shiftright

corvette said:

That's what happens when you park a hot vehicle on dry grass. *shrugs*

The catalytic gets red hot on a high speed run! That's why most of them have shields in place.

omarman

That pursuit was pretty scary even before the fire. Looked like the FHP car was passing motorists on the right on the berm next to a guardrail at 130 mph. At least the officer told the motorist to "Go!" Seemed like a lotta bang for no bucks.

breld

I've been going back and forth on whether (or really when) to unload the Miata. Knowing I'll move on eventually anyway, it may be nice to free up the debt before we close on our new house.

Carvana has offered $22,200, which I think is very fair - the only thing that bugs me is that it was almost $1,000 higher just a few weeks ago...but I put off making the decision and let it expire.

I'm guessing that's a fair if not generous offer - Q what do you think? It's a 2017 Miata RF Club w/Brembo/BBS and Appearance packages, manual of course. 9,600 miles.

carnaught

breld said:

I've been going back and forth on whether (or really when) to unload the Miata. Knowing I'll move on eventually anyway, it may be nice to free up the debt before we close on our new house.

Carvana has offered $22,200, which I think is very fair - the only thing that bugs me is that it was almost $1,000 higher just a few weeks ago...but I put off making the decision and let it expire.

I'm guessing that's a fair if not generous offer - Q what do you think? It's a 2017 Miata RF Club w/Brembo/BBS and Appearance packages, manual of course. 9,600 miles.

Ach...the eagle is circling it’s prey, LOL.

28firefighter

Maybe wait until Spring unless you need the capital for closing...

henryn

I just watched the video of the police car pursuing and then burning up. That was most definitely not a Crown Vic, not at 142 mph. Hemi Charger probably?

And on the subject of parking a hot catalytic converter on dry grass, I guess that trooper never watched The Sopranos.

breld

28firefighter said:

Maybe wait until Spring unless you need the capital for closing...

I was thinking that may be the way to go. We don't need to do it for closing - it just makes it a little cleaner.

Plus...once I have my extra garage space, the Miata can reside at home all the time and I don't have to commit to it for a whole weekend (or anytime for that matter). It'll just be available at my disposal.

28firefighter

I'm dying to get the Viggen out for a few days. Still not clear enough out to do it since I really don't want to drive it on snow and ice (not that I can't, just don't want it exposed to the brine).

qbrozen

breld said:

I've been going back and forth on whether (or really when) to unload the Miata. Knowing I'll move on eventually anyway, it may be nice to free up the debt before we close on our new house.

Carvana has offered $22,200, which I think is very fair - the only thing that bugs me is that it was almost $1,000 higher just a few weeks ago...but I put off making the decision and let it expire.

I'm guessing that's a fair if not generous offer - Q what do you think? It's a 2017 Miata RF Club w/Brembo/BBS and Appearance packages, manual of course. 9,600 miles.

Not very generous. Have you checked Vroom? That is about $500 under auction value.

breld

I have a request into Vroom, but haven't heard back yet. They were a bit lower than Carvana about a month ago.

Thanks for the feedback - if it's not one of these seemingly inflated offers some of us have been getting, I'm not that motivated to do anything.

stickguy

just keep it. especially with the new garage bay to look forward too, right in time for peak spring top down weather!

28firefighter

Apparently my Dad is talking thinking about narrowing down his fleet of cars next year. You'll recall that he has just for him a Cayenne Turbo, a Stelvio, a Porsche 968, and a 2012 Ford Focus (my sister's old car).

Come August 2020, his plan is to return the Stelvio, sell the Cayenne, sell the Focus, and "gift" me the 968. He wants to get a lower key higher performance hybrid SUV of some kind (think XC90 T8) that he doesn't have to worry as much about putting heavy miles on. He might also get a second fun car of some kind that is a bit newer than the 968.

Saying all of this out loud, I have no idea how he ended up so far down this path of basically being able to start his own rental fleet...

stickguy

now that I have had the TLX for a while, I can confirm that it has really good handling. It does drive like a sports sedan. Lots of grip, firm steering with some feel. Does just fine on the twisties. The wider (245 series) A Spec tires probably help a bit (plus I think it is a sport tuned suspension). But, no sacrifice in ride quality. And not that I am used to the size, it does not feel as big.

I also signed up for the 6 month XM "your trial period is up" deal (for when the trial ends a month from now), But, not sure I will keep it after that. I can stream, plus I have XM on my phone (from the RDX plan) so if I really wanted to, I think I can play that through the car. But lately, of all things, I have been playing CDs!

I have a ton of them, and wanted to test the stereo using one so I dug out a box. And then went through a couple more, and loaded one of my old CD cases with 20 disks. with that, plus iTunes and Pandora, Amazon (I guess) I should have plenty of music options (without even dipping into FM). If I can stream MLB games through that app, won't need XM to listen to games either.

henryn

If you have a little time, you can rip several hundred CDs and store the MP3 files (or even better, M4A) on a single USB stick and just leave that plugged in. And yes, that's legal if you already own the CDs.

stickguy

I have a bunch in iTunes. Problem is my computer crashed and I have it all on an external hard drive. I set up my phone and itunes account on my laptop, but that doesn't capture all the CDs I imported. So I need to find that file and get it copied into the new itunes account. I have no idea if I could just copy the whole thing onto a USB stick though. I need a millennial to help with all this!

one problem with the USB option is I can't use it when I have the phone plugged in for carplay. At least itunes is good there.

henryn

What you only have one USB port? That can't be right. I have two on my 2016 Chrysler T&C, and I think three on my 2018 F150. Isn't the TLX supposed to be a high class luxury car?

stickguy

only 1 streams through the car audio. The spares just charge. You would have to pick one to be the input source anyway, so couldn't use more than one at the same time.

stickguy

this is quite pretty. A touch old school of course. and probably not a smart financial move. Plus might be a little tight getting an 80 pound lab in the back seat!

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2007-jaguar-xk-2dr_convertible-used-18561793.html

henryn

stickguy said:

this is quite pretty. A touch old school of course. and probably not a smart financial move. Plus might be a little tight getting an 80 pound lab in the back seat!

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2007-jaguar-xk-2dr_convertible-used-18561793.html

Better you than me, Kemo Sabe

mjfloyd1

Well, crap. I just got diagnosed with type 1 (insulin dependent ) diabetes at age 54.   Hopefully will get continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump soon. 

stickguy

sorry to hear that. At least it was caught and you can deal with it. Hopefully you can make lifestyle changes too to help mitigate the effects.

suydam

I’m so sorry to hear. Hope you can find ways to manage it going forward.

mjfloyd1

I’ll be fine. Just watch carbs and get used to really sore fingers from blood glucose checks. That will get better when I get a continuous monitor and insulin pump. It was just unexpected and no family history of DM. Could be worse. 

Mr_Shiftright

Ta-DA! Finally sold the Mini Cooper. It was hard. It was very hard. Craigslist is like a magnet for every derelict and psychopath in a 50-mile radius. Finally sold it through Facebook. A nicer clientele, all in all.

corvette

Congrats! How involved were the airbag repairs?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, the airbag repair was interesting. Apparently many years ago somebody took the seat out for some reason, and in doing so re-routed the wiring harness for the seatbelt pre-tensioner. In doing so, they put the harness in interference with the seat rail, and so, over time, many years later, the wiring was destined to screw Shiftright out of a sure sale and cost him an additonal $200 bucks. Thus does God make everything beautiful.

corvette

Sounds like something a dealer would do on a warranty repair!

Mr_Shiftright

That’s why I hire top talent to work on my car.

breld

Perhaps someone can help me out with wheel specs and wheel spacers.

So...I assumed the OEM wheels off a 2018 A4 would be an exact fit for our 2018 A5. I did check Tirerack to confirm that aftermarket wheels for both models would be the same specs.

But...yesterday, when I got the A4 wheels put on, I immediately noticed that they were noticeably "inset" from the fender.

So with further research (which I should've done prior to purchasing them), I now realize the A5 wheels are an 18 x 8.5 ET29, while the A4 wheels are 18 x 8 ET40. I'm thinking Tirerack probably includes some spacers or something along those lines to compensate for the difference in offset?

So...if I want to keep the OEM wheels, is it a simple matter of getting some spacers to make it look right? Or do I have a bigger problem?

Thanks for any insight.