Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

my mower is gas. string trimmer mow is gas but I don't like it. used to have a battery powered one, and will go back to that eventually (if I don't retire from mowing first!). Edger is corded electric. Just a minor hassle dragging the cord out and making sure to not run it over, but I don't do that every week anyway so no big deal.

Mr_Shiftright

corvette said:

One of my neighbors has a corded electric and seems to do fine.

I'm not sold on the lithium ion electrics. I considered them four years ago and again this time, and I'm not convinced that the battery longevity makes them economical. The included battery is supposed to be good for 40 minutes of mowing time. Let's say I need 25 minutes. If the battery is no longer good for 25 minutes after 3 years use, I'm out $150 for a new battery, or toss the mower entirely and buy a new one.

I will say that I have both a Black & Decker cordless weed trimmer and a leaf blower, with interchangeable batteries, and have had no issues with battery longevity, so perhaps, like other consumer electronics, they've improved.

I have a battery lawn mower. It's great for smaller lawns but you're dead in about 30 minutes. Seems to have enough power, though. Batteries don't swap out so you have to wait a bit for a recharge.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

corvette said:

One of my neighbors has a corded electric and seems to do fine.

I'm not sold on the lithium ion electrics. I considered them four years ago and again this time, and I'm not convinced that the battery longevity makes them economical. The included battery is supposed to be good for 40 minutes of mowing time. Let's say I need 25 minutes. If the battery is no longer good for 25 minutes after 3 years use, I'm out $150 for a new battery, or toss the mower entirely and buy a new one.

I will say that I have both a Black & Decker cordless weed trimmer and a leaf blower, with interchangeable batteries, and have had no issues with battery longevity, so perhaps, like other consumer electronics, they've improved.

I have a battery lawn mower. It's great for smaller lawns but you're dead in about 30 minutes. Seems to have enough power, though. Batteries don't swap out so you have to wait a bit for a recharge.

How Tesla-esqe!

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

I have a battery lawn mower. It's great for smaller lawns but you're dead in about 30 minutes. Seems to have enough power, though. Batteries don't swap out so you have to wait a bit for a recharge.

Either an egregious design flaw, or a brilliant understanding of the target market by providing a built-in beer break every 30 minutes!

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

corvette said:

One of my neighbors has a corded electric and seems to do fine.

I'm not sold on the lithium ion electrics. I considered them four years ago and again this time, and I'm not convinced that the battery longevity makes them economical. The included battery is supposed to be good for 40 minutes of mowing time. Let's say I need 25 minutes. If the battery is no longer good for 25 minutes after 3 years use, I'm out $150 for a new battery, or toss the mower entirely and buy a new one.

I will say that I have both a Black & Decker cordless weed trimmer and a leaf blower, with interchangeable batteries, and have had no issues with battery longevity, so perhaps, like other consumer electronics, they've improved.

I have a battery lawn mower. It's great for smaller lawns but you're dead in about 30 minutes. Seems to have enough power, though. Batteries don't swap out so you have to wait a bit for a recharge.

How Tesla-esqe!

roadburner

It looks like we might see the return of the Mazdaspeed 3. I'm in if it comes with a manual and runs the quarter in the very low 13 second range.

fintail

Been meaning to get a little gallery of new car pics, but in the 13 days since delivery, I think it has rained for 11. Thanks mother nature!

graphicguy

Have an electric snowblower. It runs on two rather large Lithium batteries. 2 seasons in, I’m getting about 45 minutes “plow time”. If I have any complaint, it’s the fact that it’s made mostly of plastic to keep the weight down. Not quite as tough as my old Toro two stroke, which it replaced. Then again, the electric is a whole lot easier to start and has zero maintenance.

qbrozen

roadburner said:

It looks like we might see the return of the Mazdaspeed 3. I'm in if it comes with a manual and runs the quarter in the very low 13 second range.

Link gives me a Page Not Found error.

Low 13s is a big ask. Even the Type R doesn’t do that.

henryn

A friend of mine has a 2013 Mazda 3, very fancy, top of the line. I don't fit. I can't drive it, and can barely ride in it. I'm thinking I may go down for a test fit in a new GLI. And if I do fit, then a test drive is in order. And then.... well, this is CCBA, after all.

henryn

I have a Kubota ZG20 ZTR riding mower. It’s about 15 years old, and cost a bundle when it was new. I used to mow a two acre home and horse pasture, back in the day. Kept the mower when I sold the place in the country to move back to town. It is a blast, I look for excuses to use it.

On the subject of electric, I have an EGO cordless string trimmer and absolutely love it. Greatest thing since sliced bread. When new (3 years ago), it would run for 40 to 45 minutes on a charge. That is now down to about half (22 to 25 minutes), so I have an extra battery now. In addition to being very powerful, and starting first time every time, there are some additional unexpected benefits. The greatly reduced noise level is one. But perhaps the best unexpected benefit – the motor stays cool. I can tuck the motor (head of the unit) under my arm, and extend the cutting end way down in a ditch, one handed. You try that with any gas powered unit, you are going to burn a hole on the underside of your arm.

nyccarguy

henryn said:

A friend of mine has a 2013 Mazda 3, very fancy, top of the line. I don't fit. I can't drive it, and can barely ride in it. I'm thinking I may go down for a test fit in a new GLI. And if I do fit, then a test drive is in order. And then.... well, this is CCBA, after all.

That’s the spirit!

roadburner

My first ZTR was a Dixon 5424. 42" mower with a single cylinder Briggs & Stratton purchased in 1999. The first year I had it the motor mount cracked and punched a hole in the oil filter. No tell tale or gauge, so I toasted the motor. When I took it to my shop for repair I was told Dixon would replace the bad motor with a new twin B&S if I paid for the larger blade clutch that it required- $100. Needless to say I accepted the deal.
In 2007 I wanted something larger so I bought a Cub Cadet Commercial Enforcer 54. A 54" cut with a Kawasaki twin. I kept the Dixon and usually use them both on the 2.5 acres I keep mowed. When my son was at home we mowed as a team and knocked everything out in 45 minutes.

I've since read that mowing your yard no more often than every two weeks is beneficial to honeybees and other pollinators. Since I don't have any neighbors or the typical Neo-[non-permissible content removed] HOA, two weeks it is.

stickguy

2 weeks? when the grass is growing quick (like now, or if it gets raining) I sometimes have to do it every 4-5 days or it gets too long to push the mower through! I do enjoy a nice summer drought.

roadburner

stickguy said:

2 weeks? when the grass is growing quick (like now, or if it gets raining) I sometimes have to do it every 4-5 days or it gets too long to push the mower through! I do enjoy a nice summer drought.

I’ve never cut the yard more often than every week. The Cub Cadet in particular will cut through about anything. At most I may have to slow down a bit. 

Michaell

I usually have to do it weekly.

fintail

When I lived at home and mowed the lawn, it was weekly - that way it virtually never needed bagging. It also took advantage of my OCD tendencies, so I got mowing in certain patterns, edging more often than was probably needed, ensuring nothing grew between any sidewalk or driveway cracks/seams etc.

tjc78

Wife and I are without kids tonight so out and about enjoying some bar food and tasty beverages.  She sees a commercial for a BMW and blurts out.. you should get rid of the Elantra for one of those.  

I told her not to enable ... ha ha 

ab348

tjc78 said:

Wife and I are without kids tonight so out and about enjoying some bar food and tasty beverages.  She sees a commercial for a BMW and blurts out.. you should get rid of the Elantra for one of those.  

I told her not to enable ... ha ha 

Happy wife, happy life.

henryn

roadburner said:

My first ZTR was a Dixon 5424. 42" mower with a single cylinder Briggs & Stratton purchased in 1999. The first year I had it the motor mount cracked and punched a hole in the oil filter. No tell tale or gauge, so I toasted the motor. When I took it to my shop for repair I was told Dixon would replace the bad motor with a new twin B&S if I paid for the larger blade clutch that it required- $100. Needless to say I accepted the deal.

Now that brings back some memories. After my father retired (around 1984 +/-), he and one of his retired buddies ran a Dixon dealership. More or less, sorta kinda, part time thing. Those Dixons were a lot of fun, but they weren't really very strong. But they were my introduction to ZTR mowers, just as they were for many others.

28firefighter

tjc78 said:

Wife and I are without kids tonight so out and about enjoying some bar food and tasty beverages.  She sees a commercial for a BMW and blurts out.. you should get rid of the Elantra for one of those.  

I told her not to enable ... ha ha 

Time it right and downright affordable..

stickguy

yeah, my wife never says stuff like that.

but we were talkng about cars for some reason when out earlier, and I mentioned "only 2.5 years until mine gets returned", and she pointed out that by then, hers would need to be replaced. So she came up with the correct plan on her own. Or just reminding me what I told her we were doing!

corvette

This may not affect many here, but I know some recent Mazdas have the same sort of issue. I like to listen to podcasts on my phone and I use Waze for navigation. My G37 does not have Bluetooth audio streaming. It does have a USB port, however, the USB port does not deliver as much power as a modern high power charger. My phone will drain the battery over the course of a few hours when using Waze and streaming podcasts while connected to the car's USB port. This is not ideal for road trips, so I'm investing in one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/HIGHROCK-Enhancer-Female-Charge-Extension/dp/B00NIGO4NM

stickguy

so do you have 2 USB ports, or are you using a portable power supply for the 2nd input?

corvette

The G has only one USB port built in. I'll connect the power-only cable from the splitter to the lighter socket adapter I use for the phone when I'm not streaming audio. (In that instance, I just let Waze give directions through the phone's built in speaker rather than through the car audio system.)

breld

So @roadburner, what is it you heard or read on the Mazdaspeed3?  

Michaell

@breld

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27127908/mazda-considers-mazdaspeed-3-hot-hatch/

tjc78

corvette said:

This may not affect many here, but I know some recent Mazdas have the same sort of issue. I like to listen to podcasts on my phone and I use Waze for navigation. My G37 does not have Bluetooth audio streaming. It does have a USB port, however, the USB port does not deliver as much power as a modern high power charger. My phone will drain the battery over the course of a few hours when using Waze and streaming podcasts while connected to the car's USB port. This is not ideal for road trips, so I'm investing in one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/HIGHROCK-Enhancer-Female-Charge-Extension/dp/B00NIGO4NM

Cool item. The 2013 Tahoe at work suffers from that problem too. I may grab one of those and throw it in there.

kyfdx

ab348

One can only wonder what the owner was thinking to make him/her believe that was (a) necessary and (b) a good idea.

roadburner

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

2 weeks? when the grass is growing quick (like now, or if it gets raining) I sometimes have to do it every 4-5 days or it gets too long to push the mower through! I do enjoy a nice summer drought.

A guy in my town had a Ford F150 modified in a similar fashion. He'd keep it in the garage if  there was any chance of rain. 

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

Obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer. All that money spent and (s)he probably drove down the value of that Jeep by at least 25% and looks silly drinking it around to boot.

xwesx

graphicguy said:

Obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer. All that money spent and (s)he probably drove down the value of that Jeep by at least 25% and looks silly drinking it around to boot.

No doubt, and such a tough pill to swallow, at that!

marcogallo1986

 Thank you for letting us know about that Corvette. What is it they did the jeep above can’t see it. Just curious 

marcogallo1986

 I like that TJC, now you know where your next car should be. Ha ha ha 

marcogallo1986

 Well all the talk about with the mowers. 

henryn

I have seen Jeeps prepared that way for rock crawling. But never a 4 door. And (above) is no sillier than the 4 door Jeep I saw recently with rubber band tires.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, if you'd go rock crawling in a cocktail dress.....

28firefighter

Back to reality. Flew in late last night to Vancouver and then drove home. Got in around 2am. 

While surfing the net at 37k feet, this came up on my alerts:
https://www.michaelsvolkswagen.com/new-Bellevue-2019-Volkswagen-Jetta+GLI-Autobahn-3VW5T7BU4KM145030

Not sure how I feel about pure gray with the autobahn wheels. Prefer the black wheels from the 35th Anniversary edition. 

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Back to reality. Flew in late last night to Vancouver and then drove home. Got in around 2am. 

While surfing the net at 37k feet, this came up on my alerts:
https://www.michaelsvolkswagen.com/new-Bellevue-2019-Volkswagen-Jetta+GLI-Autobahn-3VW5T7BU4KM145030

Not sure how I feel about pure gray with the autobahn wheels. Prefer the black wheels from the 35th Anniversary edition. 

With those wheels, I'd prefer white paint.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

Back to reality. Flew in late last night to Vancouver and then drove home. Got in around 2am. 

While surfing the net at 37k feet, this came up on my alerts:
https://www.michaelsvolkswagen.com/new-Bellevue-2019-Volkswagen-Jetta+GLI-Autobahn-3VW5T7BU4KM145030

Not sure how I feel about pure gray with the autobahn wheels. Prefer the black wheels from the 35th Anniversary edition. 

I like the grey with those wheels personally.  The black 35th anniversary wheels do look sharp on some colors.

Definitely a nice lookin ride.  I’m looking forward to hearing some more of your driving impressions.

28firefighter

I’ve been intentionally resisting a test drive. I don’t want to be tempted. 

Michaell

28firefighter said:

I’ve been intentionally resisting a test drive. I don’t want to be tempted. 

Me, too.

Though I'd like to do a back to back - the GLI and one of those Alltrack stick shifts @breld linked to recently.

sda

28firefighter said:

I’ve been intentionally resisting a test drive. I don’t want to be tempted. 

I really like the new GLI. I do wish they had a/c vents for the back seat passengers and had the fog lights from the R-type and SEL premium. Not a huge fan of gray and would prefer a lighter color interior. That said, that wouldn't keep me from buying one. And everything considered, the price is reasonable. My 95 Jetta GLX VR6 with black leather that I bought new was around $23k IIRC. There is no comparison to the tech, safety, performance, refinement between the 1995 and 2019.

fintail

Caught a brief dry break this afternoon (it started sprinkling again as I drove home), wiped down the new chariot, and snapped some pics. I am still quite pleased with the car, it is a level of refinement and tech I haven't experienced before. Of course, this comes at a price, but I can say without hesitation that this is a fine automobile:





Inside, a nice place to be:







Fun in the cargo area, I like the hidden compartment:








The 362hp heart:

nyccarguy

Lookin good @fintail !  Enjoy!

qbrozen

graphicguy said:

looks silly drinking it around to boot.

Drinking was definitely involved. 

ab348

Very nice, Fin. What do they call that interior colour?

stickguy

Bradd, I actually don't like that gray on the GLI. Partly the wheels (which I don't think match the car, any color) but it just does not look right to me. But, that is why they make different colors!

Fin, I can't believe in this safety nanny world, they still make a rear facing 3rd row.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

Bradd, I actually don't like that gray on the GLI. Partly the wheels (which I don't think match the car, any color) but it just does not look right to me. But, that is why they make different colors! Fin, I can't believe in this safety nanny world, they still make a rear facing 3rd row.

The Teslas have an optional rear facing 3rd row