Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

marcogallo1986

@ stick guy, glad it 100% worked out with the finance guy at the Acura dealer getting your sister-in-law improved for the lease on the new RDX very nice.

marcogallo1986

Good morning all, hope that everyone had a good week, happy Friday everybody. Anyone doing any car looking this weekend?

marcogallo1986

@jmonro. Sure, would love to meet you if you go to the car show when and where ha ha Ha.

marcogallo1986

@ New York car guy, wow your sons bar mitzvah came up fast remember you talking about it months ago, very nice and I’m sure all will go well this weekend. And congratulations to your son.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

Look what finally showed up on Carvana: https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/1308761

That took a while... Looks like they threw a new set of off-brand tires on it.

stickguy

Putting cheap tires on and raising the price as if it had good ones drives me nuts. Those would have to come off.

And for some reason, they shipped it to Indiana.

corvette

Looks like Hercules tires are made by Cooper, so they may actually be decent, but still not a premium brand.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

Looks like Hercules tires are made by Cooper, so they may actually be decent, but still not a premium brand.

I was trying to see what kind of tires they put on it. Where do you see they are Hercules Tires?

corvette

nyccarguy said:

corvette said:

Looks like Hercules tires are made by Cooper, so they may actually be decent, but still not a premium brand.

I was trying to see what kind of tires they put on it. Where do you see they are Hercules Tires?

360 view, zooming in:


Hercules Roadtour 455 Sport:
https://www.herculestire.com/tire-details/Hercules/Roadtour-455-Sport

28firefighter

Turned in the X1. Completely uneventful and the BMW lease turn-in process is really streamlined. Inspection recorded on the iPad and a copy of all forms emailed to me after.

$350 disposition fee waived, $300 mileage credit will be applied to the i3, and security deposits to be refunded in a few weeks via direct deposit.

A very fond farewell to the car we brought S home from the hospital - served us very very well.

Sandman6472

Didn't make it to the auto show, wasn't feeling that great when I woke up. Then my wife calls and makes it to downtown Ft. Lauderdale and at McDonalds. Her purse is sitting in our family room chair! So, met her for lunch, she took me out for my birthday, and all is good. Still have a lot of time to get there. Thinking of going on Tuesday but driving my Golf to the Hollywood Tri-rail station and then getting a Lyft down and back to Miami. It's a bear of a drive to the convention center plus have to pay to park. This way, I could relax and sit in the back and get picked up after the show. The wife said it's a good idea since she really does not want to go. Said she would but...she won't enjoy it like I will. And I do get in and out of so many vehicles which ain't her speed. So, that's the current plan but I need to feel my very best to attempt to do this. And today, it wasn't gonna happen. Knew that the minute I got up to take my meds. So glad I took off in the first place to be honest as I would've called out.
Still playing phone tag with Enterprise. She called while we were having wings for lunch, my hands were a mess and it was too noisy to talk. Crazy really!

Sandman6472

While driving home, saw this red over parchment Lexus CT 200H at the local Toyota store used area. Turn around and turns out it's a 2017 with just 18,004 on the clock. Needs a decent detail, and got on Autotrader and could only find 2016 models with this being the only 2017 one. Have always loved those and at one time, test drove a bunch but didn't pull the trigger. Many have a sunroof but this 2017 unit does not which isn't the end of the world. Plan to go over and give it a test drive. The Lexus store across the street has a few but all 2016 models with some more miles but lower prices which makes sense. Shows price of $21,990 on Autotrader plus whatever dealer fee there is. 43 city/40 highway which ain't too bad.
Have had hybrid on my mind for awhile now but the Hyundai ones are the only ones I've looked out online. After driving the A3 last night on the way to dinner, I saw how much I really want some safety nannies on my next vehicle. Every time a vehicle passed, this yellow light went on and saved me big time when I tried to go over right into the middle lane but someone else was there. Right there and then, I saw how good those things can be. The Ioniq is a odd looking vehicle but the Limited's have all the safety nannies that I'm after plus great mpg's. I know hitting 60K isn't that many miles but, starting to maybe, possibly want to look for a Golf replacement.
Figured I'll try the Lexus first just to see if it's as loud as I remember it being. Then I can check out the Hyundai and see what's it's driving dynamics are. Hopefully the 2020's will be here soon but knowing me, I'd want to wait to do anything until at least December 28th or there abouts. Seem to prefer even numbered vehicles.

qbrozen

Bad news. The Chevy is still not a happy camper. Noise has continued to worsen. After the axles made no difference, I elevated all 4 tires off the ground, put her in gear, and slid under. It seems the transfer case is making a racket. I’ve read this is common and most people replace them. That is big bucks, though. I am pondering either cutting my losses now or attempting a rebuild myself. Problem is, thus far, I have been unsuccessful in finding the bearings and seals it would require. I may have to disassemble before having parts in hand so I can match up what I need. Sigh.

sda

qbrozen said:

Bad news. The Chevy is still not a happy camper. Noise has continued to worsen. After the axles made no difference, I elevated all 4 tires off the ground, put her in gear, and slid under. It seems the transfer case is making a racket. I’ve read this is common and most people replace them. That is big bucks, though. I am pondering either cutting my losses now or attempting a rebuild myself. Problem is, thus far, I have been unsuccessful in finding the bearings and seals it would require. I may have to disassemble before having parts in hand so I can match up what I need. Sigh.

You are brave. Can you get a used one from a wrecking yard.

breld

Test drove this this evening...

breld

Liked it a lot. Something a bit different than an X5. It’s a GLE 400, which seem fairly rare in my search. And love the brown color over beige interior and the AMG exterior package.

Not that I’d necessarily move on it too quickly, but I knew someone had just taken it out when I got there, and by the time I returned from my test drive, they had committed to buying it.

Oh well...I’m not exactly ready to conclude my search anyway.

But I was going to ask the Mercedes folks here their opinions of the GLE and what key options to look for.

corvette

@qbrozen how frustrating! Remind me of my co-worker's saga with his Subaru Crosstrek. He took it in to the dealer due to oil consumption. He was just under the 100k mileage limit for the service campaign on it. Got a new long block (and a loaner car for weeks). Then, they called him to tell him there was a recall on valve or lifter springs in the engine. Another loaner car. Once he got the Crosstrek back, it started making a squealing noise which got louder. It has a timing chain, but they did remove the serpentine belt to do the thing with the valve or lifter springs. Google led him to believe it may actually be a problem with the manual transmission... He still loves it, but just wants it to run properly, although he also likes the Outbacks he's been getting as loaner cars.

28firefighter

Sharp car. Paging @mjfloyd1 to CCBA Ward.

stickguy

Breld, bigger than I care for (and some of the reviews, maybe CR, were not that great) but I love that color combo.

stickguy

Q, at least you know why it was for sale, and at a good price, and they too, your lower offer anyway.

at this point, can't be worth that much with the issues, so might as well take it apart and see what you can do. I assume it is one of those jobs where the cost is 95% labor, and 5% parts, so if the labor is free, won't cost too much.

or can you ditch it entirely and turn it into FWD? Or is that just something you can pull off on a Volvo?

qbrozen

stickguy said:

Q, at least you know why it was for sale, and at a good price, and they too, your lower offer anyway.

at this point, can't be worth that much with the issues, so might as well take it apart and see what you can do. I assume it is one of those jobs where the cost is 95% labor, and 5% parts, so if the labor is free, won't cost too much.

or can you ditch it entirely and turn it into FWD? Or is that just something you can pull off on a Volvo?

Was wondering that same thing. I don’t know the answer yet.

I did spend some time perusing Carvana, though. Uh-oh.

mjfloyd1

28firefighter said:

Sharp car. Paging @mjfloyd1 to CCBA Ward.

Checking in... I've been avoiding working in hospitals (the inefficiency just sucks the life out of me) and traveling to surgery centers in Indianapolis and Columbus IN..

Wife really likes the Q7. So - happy wife and I am allowed to live and possibly be happy...
It really didn't need new front tires and has lots of treadlife left at all corners.

Still need to have another PSA drawn sometime this month. I'd encourage all males around 50 to get a PSA drawn and take care of issues as early as possible. If you are not one that believes in PSA as an indicator of prostate cancer then at least have a digital rectal/ prostate exam...

Stepping off soapbox.

28firefighter

Don’t blame you re: hospitals.

You also had a GLE right that you just traded? Or was that a GL?

stickguy

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

Q, at least you know why it was for sale, and at a good price, and they too, your lower offer anyway.

at this point, can't be worth that much with the issues, so might as well take it apart and see what you can do. I assume it is one of those jobs where the cost is 95% labor, and 5% parts, so if the labor is free, won't cost too much.

or can you ditch it entirely and turn it into FWD? Or is that just something you can pull off on a Volvo?

Was wondering that same thing. I don’t know the answer yet.

I did spend some time perusing Carvana, though. Uh-oh.

point, click, ship. can get you in a lot of trouble.

At least you are in cheap. The advantage (and risk) of shopping the cheap car market. If you aren't paying labor rack rates, and know when to cut bait, just not much financial exposure.

mjfloyd1

28firefighter said:

Don’t blame you re: hospitals.

You also had a GLE right that you just traded? Or was that a GL?

We had a 2014 GL350

https://www.nalleybmw.com/used/Mercedes-Benz/2014-Mercedes-Benz-GL-Class-in+Atlanta-d68830220a0d04fe67324c266f0b3f08.htm

andres3

andres3 said:

Sounds like Costco is going to try and avoid accepting my mileage warranty claim on the Pilot Sport 4S's. A bunch of BS about uneven wear.

Well, there are a thousand Discount Tires I can take a swing with!

I got Discount to take responsibility for sending 3 4S's tires back to Michelin. Grudgingly accepted that the 4th tire had 5/32nds on the inside tread, stubborn rubber. 3 out of 4 is better than 2, and certainly better than zero at Costco.

andres3

I remember my Dad's '82 Accord having a "5-Speed" badge on the back, for the manual transmission.

andres3

roadburner said:

tjc78 said:

I’m surprised I’ve never owned a Honda or Acura. Great cars... maybe someday.

Back in 1984 my girlfriend(now wife) had her heart set on a new Accord Hatchback; unfortunately, EVERY dealer in the Cincinnati area wanted to play games- talking only payments and not price, asking for a deposit before taking an offer to the sales manager, etc. We never really considered a Honda again, and my wife soon became enamored with European cars. While not Honda's fault, those dealers probably cost them a life-long customer...

Nah, Honda lost some of their mojo. She'd of moved on just like I did.

They make good reliable cruisers, but they are no longer innovative.

corvette

andres3 said:

I got Discount to take responsibility for sending 3 4S's tires back to Michelin. Grudgingly accepted that the 4th tire had 5/32nds on the inside tread, stubborn rubber. 3 out of 4 is better than 2, and certainly better than zero at Costco.

Nice! I've never seriously attempted to claim a tire mileage warranty, but glad it worked out for you. The Coopers on the G37 will probably lose traction due to age before the tread wears down, and the Yokohamas on the Tahoe were installed by the previous owner, so I have no idea on the time or mileage on them.

Sandman6472

So far, am pleased with the Goodyear Eagle GT's I got about 6 weeks ago. The $60 off for installation and the $100 gift card I've been using this past week helped soften the blow also. O% interest if I pay them off the Goodyear c c if paid before the 6 month mark was also not hard to take and I've already paid off 1/2 that amount already. Could tell a difference in the way the car drove immediately and hoping this will be the last set I put on this vehicle.
Never shopped at Goodyear before as I've gone to Tires Plus for years but got a great deal on a tire that wasn't on my radar. Originally was looking at some Assurance rubber but the sales guy pointed out the bigger rebate on the GT's and another of the sales guys there commented how much he liked 'em on his VW CC. Preferred the tread pattern on the Assurance ones but in the end, the extra $ won out and I haven't looked back.
Also decided to re-up the 3-year four wheel alignment Tires Plus offers as the price of just doing it once wasn't that much less than the policy and it's still transferable once to another vehicle should I have something different before October 19th of 2022, something I can most likely bet on! I'm also a bit anal about the steering wheel being super straight, so I do use it more than most. It's about 97% perfect right now but plan to have it done within a few weeks again just to get it to 100%.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

Q, at least you know why it was for sale, and at a good price, and they too, your lower offer anyway.

at this point, can't be worth that much with the issues, so might as well take it apart and see what you can do. I assume it is one of those jobs where the cost is 95% labor, and 5% parts, so if the labor is free, won't cost too much.

or can you ditch it entirely and turn it into FWD? Or is that just something you can pull off on a Volvo?

Was wondering that same thing. I don’t know the answer yet.

I did spend some time perusing Carvana, though. Uh-oh.

point, click, ship. can get you in a lot of trouble.

At least you are in cheap. The advantage (and risk) of shopping the cheap car market. If you aren't paying labor rack rates, and know when to cut bait, just not much financial exposure.

I started to talk to the wife about it last night and she put a quick stop to it. I have to fix what I’ve got. LOL.

If the convo had progressed, I was going to mention the fair deal Carvana has on a 2016 C-max Energi SEL w/45k miles for $13k. Or the bright green Soul with 37k for $12k. Oh well.

nyccarguy

Just curious, if you had to pay to replace that transfer case (assuming that’s the problem), what would it cost?

mjfloyd1

andres3 said:

roadburner said:

tjc78 said:

I’m surprised I’ve never owned a Honda or Acura. Great cars... maybe someday.

Back in 1984 my girlfriend(now wife) had her heart set on a new Accord Hatchback; unfortunately, EVERY dealer in the Cincinnati area wanted to play games- talking only payments and not price, asking for a deposit before taking an offer to the sales manager, etc. We never really considered a Honda again, and my wife soon became enamored with European cars. While not Honda's fault, those dealers probably cost them a life-long customer...

Nah, Honda lost some of their mojo. She'd of moved on just like I did.

They make good reliable cruisers, but they are no longer innovative.

Honda must be waiting for their VTEC to kick back in.

I did test drive a Hyundai Pallisade and was shocked at how nice it was especially for the price.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Just curious, if you had to pay to replace that transfer case (assuming that’s the problem), what would it cost?

I’ve read $2500.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

Just curious, if you had to pay to replace that transfer case (assuming that’s the problem), what would it cost?

I’ve read $2500.

That's not bad. Same price (including labor) at the Porsche Dealer.

And my Dad wants to know if the transmission in your Equinox was ever rebuilt.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

Just curious, if you had to pay to replace that transfer case (assuming that’s the problem), what would it cost?

I’ve read $2500.

That's not bad. Same price (including labor) at the Porsche Dealer.

And my Dad wants to know if the transmission in your Equinox was ever rebuilt.

I couldn’t tell ya.

And having similar pricing to a Porsche is NOT a good thing. LOL.

I found one fellow online who tried to do his own rebuild. He called all over and nobody could source the bearings anymore. His only choice, other than $2500 at the dealer, was a junkyard unit for $250.

mjfloyd1

Hopefully this is the right part

https://www.partshotlines.com/parts/chevrolet/equinox/transfer-case-assy.html

stickguy

if they are being rebuilt, the parts must exist someplace. Can you pull the unit out and send it to a shop that does rebuilds? Has to be a lot cheaper if you are doing the removal and install.

Or is the way it works now that you just get someone else's rebuilt and send yours in for the core deposit? Probably easier, and a lot quicker, and price would be the same.

corvette

You'd think one of the remarketing companies would get in the business of rebuilding them. Ford has issues with the power transfer units in their CUVs, as well.

roadburner

A few shops now rebuild the xDrive transfer cases- ditto for providing the parts for DIY.
New ones can be had for under $1800.

corvette

For anyone curious about the rattling copper pipes at my house - I think I figured out what the problem was. I had flushed the water heater out shortly before the problem began. I purged all of the air out of the pipes, but neglected to purge what I assume was a small air bubble on the T&P relief valve. Once I did that, the problem disappeared.

Amazingly, when I flushed the water heater, I put the drain hose in a bucket to see how much sediment would come out, and didn't see any (or any rust), even though it had been six months since I previously flushed it. I keep the temperature set fairly low (below 120 degrees), so that probably helps keep the amount of sediment down.

qbrozen

mjfloyd1 said:

Hopefully this is the right part

https://www.partshotlines.com/parts/chevrolet/equinox/transfer-case-assy.html

Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

if they are being rebuilt, the parts must exist someplace. Can you pull the unit out and send it to a shop that does rebuilds? Has to be a lot cheaper if you are doing the removal and install.

Or is the way it works now that you just get someone else's rebuilt and send yours in for the core deposit? Probably easier, and a lot quicker, and price would be the same.

So far, I have not read of any rebuilds. It is either an NOS complete unit for about $1500, or the junkyard.

mjfloyd1

This place has rebuilt transfer cases and offers rebuild kits but looks like you would need to call

https://www.transfercaseking.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0vTtBRBREiwA3URt7lH_ZsJ6udhtBptoBrM4BcVDNFjTLI-1MnZJU6Fdv5wk_MOKAMzBAxoCHuAQAvD_BwE

breld

Q - what’s auction/trade on something like this? Cause it seems to be priced well.

2019 Jeep GC Trailhawk. 12k miles. Hemi. Pretty basic option wise, other than what comes on a Trailhawk .

https://www.echopark.com/used/Jeep/2019-Jeep-Grand+Cherokee-e03142830a0e0a6b691c1603c9133d0d.htm

28firefighter

For a moment I was very excited because I read Trackhawk instead of Trailhawk.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

For a moment I was very excited because I read Trackhawk instead of Trailhawk.

Me too, but a regular GC with a Hemi is still a nice rig. I don’t know about that decal on the hood though.

We had some very nasty, rainy, & windy weather on Wednesday night/Thursday AM. The cover blew off of my Prelude. I took that as a sign from the car gods that I should drive it today. Got home from work & had to run some local errands (pick up suit for son’s bar mitzvah next week). Damn do I love the way that car drives!

corvette

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

if they are being rebuilt, the parts must exist someplace. Can you pull the unit out and send it to a shop that does rebuilds? Has to be a lot cheaper if you are doing the removal and install.

Or is the way it works now that you just get someone else's rebuilt and send yours in for the core deposit? Probably easier, and a lot quicker, and price would be the same.

So far, I have not read of any rebuilds. It is either an NOS complete unit for about $1500, or the junkyard.

If you go the junkyard route, I'd try to change the fluid before installing, if possible.

stickguy

so, got another test drive in. wife did not even complain! Helps that we have been making $50/pop to do them.

Drove a nice red Santa Fe 2.0T limited AWD. pretty much top of the line. Sucker was loaded. all the usual safety stuff of course. But also tons of convenience goodies. leather heated/ventilated seats, memory, fancy stereo, power extending thigh support, 8 way power passenger seat, gigantic pano roof, HUD, auto lights/wipers. pretty much anything my car has, and more. And the wife appreciated the button to turn off the auto stop/start was right next to the parking brake button. Though the one time it did it, she found it a lot less annoying than in the Sube.

very roomy and comfortable inside. Super nice seats (both sides), and great visibility, especially to the front and sides. Very easy to maneuver, and really felt smaller than it is in tight spaces. Size wise, hit the mark. on the large size of compact/mid-size I guess. maybe a few inches longer than a CRV or CX5. tons of cargo room, and very roomy rear seat area. but not too big and bulky (the Pallisade parked next to it seemed giant in comparison).

drove nice (though it was not a long tour, and the wife did most of it). But I found the ride/steering to be fine, it was quiet and smooth. And the one time I got to punch it (turning from a stop sign onto a bigger road) a modest stab of the gas pedal and I hit 50 deceptively quickly. so no worries about keeping up with traffic, or feeling like it was a step back from the RDX.

overall we both really liked it. The wife said it felt right to her, and she liked how it drove. Plus the layout of the controls was simple, user friendly, and pretty similar to our previous Hyundais. With the 10 year warranty, we could see buying one and keeping it a long time.

So, firmly on the list, and ahead of the OB.

stickguy

also stopped at the BMW palace to see an X3. Annoyingly, even with at least 14 cars inside, no X3 to sit in. so just looked at a couple out front, without being able to get in. Looked nice. a lot more expensive per the sticker, So I needed to plant the seed of a service loaner to get that close to even the top of the budget! Will go back some other tiit