Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
You must be at Avon Old Farms.
As you know, it's a high end prep school with a very nice campus.
Lots of hockey pro's have attended school there.
Brian Leetch and Jonathan Quick come to mind.

Close. We were at Westminster in Simsbury.

explorerx4

@pensfan83,
I watched one of the video's and it was great!
Sent the link to my kids, they will enjoy it.

stickguy

found a used car dream on FB marketplace tonight near me. I better rush over before someone else snaps it up.

Only $3,500! For a 2004 BMW 745, 142K big miles on it, and they admit that it "smokes sometimes".

I mean, what could possibly go wrong there, right?

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
Another high end prep school a few miles up the road from AOF.
Did you happen to drive through Farmington?

jmonroe

Hey @xwesx, I know you don't hang out in Cars and Conversations anymore but maybe you should. You see, our poster buddy @qbrozen was inquiring about cruises to Alaska for himself, wife and his 4 kids. Our other poster buddy @stickguy suggested that he just fly up to Alaska and have you pick the family up then stay with you for a week. I understand the @qbrozen clan can really pack away the food and would appreciate it if you can provide all meals and especially a midnight buffet spread each night for the weeks stay.

I think you gotta head on over there and defend yourself. If somehow @q thinks that would be a little bit too much to ask for, Mrs. j and I wouldn't be too much of an imposition and besides she eats like a bird. Will be interesting to see how this works out.

jmonroe

corvette

@stickguy any modern car has to be pretty far gone before it “smokes sometimes.” You’re essentially picking a cigar butt off the ground and seeing how many puffs you can get out of it before your fingers get burnt.

stickguy

Might be closer to picking up a random handgun to play Russian roulette with, but that works too!

stickguy

jmonroe said:

Hey @xwesx, I know you don't hang out in Cars and Conversations anymore but maybe you should. You see, our poster buddy @qbrozen was inquiring about cruises to Alaska for himself, wife and his 4 kids. Our other poster buddy @stickguy suggested that he just fly up to Alaska and have you pick the family up then stay with you for a week. I understand the @qbrozen clan can really pack away the food and would appreciate it if you can provide all meals and especially a midnight buffet spread each night for the weeks stay.

I think you gotta head on over there and defend yourself. If somehow @q thinks that would be a little bit too much to ask for, Mrs. j and I wouldn't be too much of an imposition and besides she eats like a bird. Will be interesting to see how this works out.

jmonroe

to be fair, I also suggested they do the Iditarod, so they see the "real" Alaska from the inside!

corvette

Discovered my dishwasher is leaking water when running. Appears to be a common problem with this model, a 7 year old Kenmore, and required replacing the sump/drain basin ($55 plus shipping) and removing/reinstalling a bunch of parts which are connected to it. I never liked this dishwasher anyway and am ordering a Bosch.

jmonroe

stickguy said:

jmonroe said:

Hey @xwesx, I know you don't hang out in Cars and Conversations anymore but maybe you should. You see, our poster buddy @qbrozen was inquiring about cruises to Alaska for himself, wife and his 4 kids. Our other poster buddy @stickguy suggested that he just fly up to Alaska and have you pick the family up then stay with you for a week. I understand the @qbrozen clan can really pack away the food and would appreciate it if you can provide all meals and especially a midnight buffet spread each night for the weeks stay.

I think you gotta head on over there and defend yourself. If somehow @q thinks that would be a little bit too much to ask for, Mrs. j and I wouldn't be too much of an imposition and besides she eats like a bird. Will be interesting to see how this works out.

jmonroe

to be fair, I also suggested they do the Iditarod, so they see the "real" Alaska from the inside!

Do they have concession stands along that route where @xwesx can use his credit card or will he have to bring a picnic basket?

jmonroe

jmonroe

corvette said:

Discovered my dishwasher is leaking water when running. Appears to be a common problem with this model, a 7 year old Kenmore, and required replacing the sump/drain basin ($55 plus shipping) and removing/reinstalling a bunch of parts which are connected to it. I never liked this dishwasher anyway and am ordering a Bosch.

You should post this in Car and Conversations. Dishwashers is the favorite subject over there. No one knows how to fix them but they like the subject. Must be in round 20 by now.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

Y

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
Another high end prep school a few miles up the road from AOF.
Did you happen to drive through Farmington?

Yes. Got off of 84@ exit 31

28firefighter

My wife told me today that she loves the i3 and it is the smartest car acquisition I’ve made in years.

I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

My wife told me today that she loves the i3 and it is the smartest car acquisition I’ve made in years.

I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

My wife hasn't really warmed up to the hyundai. She doesn't want to drive it at night nor on drives longer than 30 mins. I'll be allowed back on the road in another week, so I'll be taking it everywhere I go at least. That is if it isn't too painful getting in and out of it.

stickguy

is it just too small for her, so she doesn't feel safe in it? And why does night make a difference?

I do know that my wife is really used to driving a car that sits higher, and never really liked driving my sedans since they were much lower. Not that she couldn't, or wouldn't if needed, but really prefers the higher seating position of the RDX (and the vans before it) since she has been driving them for 25 years now.

stickguy

this one looks like the big brother to TJC's S60. Striking car. Long.

https://www.royaleasing.com/details-2018-volvo-s90-t5_awd_momentum-used-lvy982mk9jp020028.html

fintail

Fancy, some alums must have forked over a pretty penny for that. Was it a game involving the school, or are they nice and let others use when they don't need it?

If I every win a massive lottery, I am putting up a number of rinks here. Speaking of these costs, I had a game this afternoon, and was talking to a teammate about youth sports (he has 2 kids, I think one or both play hockey and baseball - a few players on my team are into it with their kids). He estimates it's about a 15K annual expense.

nyccarguy said:

@fintail - check out the rink on campus at the prep school my 13 year old played at today. It’s in your neck of the woods @explorerx4

stickguy

more cruising the listings. Now this one, I like a lot. Seems to have all the important goodies (LEDs, Burmeister). And I love the color combo. I am sure my wife would find it very comfy and snazzy. And probably have no clue how to do anything with the infotech. Not to mention probably could not get it into gear without help. Other than that of course, no worries!

https://www.eimports4less.com/details-2019-mercedes~benz-glc-certified_glc300_4matic_awd_navi_led_cam_pano_blis-used-wdc0g4kb6kv146467.html

fintail

Nice colors and proper options there. Looks like a clean car. The 2020 facelift should expedite depreciation.

kyfdx

corvette said:

Discovered my dishwasher is leaking water when running. Appears to be a common problem with this model, a 7 year old Kenmore, and required replacing the sump/drain basin ($55 plus shipping) and removing/reinstalling a bunch of parts which are connected to it. I never liked this dishwasher anyway and am ordering a Bosch.

I've had a Bosch for about six or seven years. Amazingly quiet. No issues except for one factory recall, which was repaired gratis. (power cord). So quiet, that there is an LED that shines on the floor, to let you know it's running.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

is it just too small for her, so she doesn't feel safe in it? And why does night make a difference?

I do know that my wife is really used to driving a car that sits higher, and never really liked driving my sedans since they were much lower. Not that she couldn't, or wouldn't if needed, but really prefers the higher seating position of the RDX (and the vans before it) since she has been driving them for 25 years now.

I don’t think it is a matter of feeling safe.claims it isn’t a comfy car. She does like sitting a little higher most of the time. Night vision is part of it, where she says the higher seating helps not being blinded by every oncoming car. I definitely get that, too, but it doesn’t bother me enough to dictate what I drive.

nyccarguy

fintail said:

Fancy, some alums must have forked over a pretty penny for that. Was it a game involving the school, or are they nice and let others use when they don't need it?

If I every win a massive lottery, I am putting up a number of rinks here. Speaking of these costs, I had a game this afternoon, and was talking to a teammate about youth sports (he has 2 kids, I think one or both play hockey and baseball - a few players on my team are into it with their kids). He estimates it's about a 15K annual expense.

nyccarguy said:

@fintail - check out the rink on campus at the prep school my 13 year old played at today. It’s in your neck of the woods @explorerx4

We weren't playing the team from the school. They must rent out the rink to the "city" team. I guess most of the schools up that way do that. The other school that @explorerx4 , Avon Old Farms does the same thing. The school has photos up of their alumni that attend D1 schools. Avon Old Farms has a whole list of Alumni who play or played in the NHL (Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quik...)

I don't pay anywhere near that. Maybe $5K for my 2 kids. Maybe $6K - $6,500 if you factor in the travel & hotel stays (I don't scrutinize those expenses). My 10 year old son gets reduced tuition because he is a goalie. We get a discount because we live in the city that the team plays in. They also give a sibling discount.

I've had my truck for a little over 4 months and have over 9,300 miles on it.

pensfan83

You've pretty much doubled me up already.

stickguy

I just passed 13 months last week. Have not crested 7,300 miles yet.

corvette

kyfdx said:

corvette said:

Discovered my dishwasher is leaking water when running. Appears to be a common problem with this model, a 7 year old Kenmore, and required replacing the sump/drain basin ($55 plus shipping) and removing/reinstalling a bunch of parts which are connected to it. I never liked this dishwasher anyway and am ordering a Bosch.

I've had a Bosch for about six or seven years. Amazingly quiet. No issues except for one factory recall, which was repaired gratis. (power cord). So quiet, that there is an LED that shines on the floor, to let you know it's running.

I had one at my old house and it was great. My parents got one when their Kitchenaid bit the dust. Consumer reports says they’re still good, so I doubt I can go wrong.

pensfan83

stickguy said:

I just passed 13 months last week. Have not crested 7,300 miles yet.

If we stay with Acura we should have about 12/13K to roll onto a new lease, which means we can take advantage of the RV that goes with the 7,500 allotment. Of course that still may not do much since RDX's lease pretty lousy.

28firefighter

I crossed 2100 miles this weekend on the i3, just shy of 4 months of ownership. And the even better news? I don't feel like flipping it yet!

kyfdx

1100 miles on the Fit.. 12 weeks today.

ab348

corvette said:

I had one at my old house and it was great. My parents got one when their Kitchenaid bit the dust. Consumer reports says they’re still good, so I doubt I can go wrong.

There is a cheap Bosch (Ascenta?) that apparently is not good. But the more expensive ones still seem to be fine.

Michaell

We bought a Bosch for our first house, as the family room with the TV was next to the kitchen. We chose it primarily due to how quiet it is.

No problems, and it was very quiet.

jmonroe

Michaell said:

We bought a Bosch for our first house, as the family room with the TV was next to the kitchen. We chose it primarily due to how quiet it is.

No problems, and it was very quiet.

It looks like this forum has transformed itself into Cars and Conversations #2. It was just a matter of time.

jmonroe

breld

We have Kitchenaid in our new house and all the appliances are working great thus far.

But to bring the conversation back to chronic car buying...

The Alltrack saga is officially over. Everyone knew it wouldn't end without a replacement.

Here's the short story for those not interested (I don't blame you) in the longer story of our shopping.

kyfdx

@breld At least you replaced it with a car in the same price range..

breld

kyfdx said:

@breld At least you replaced it with a car in the same price range..

Yeah! Give or take.

breld

This is how my wife describes it (she did as much over lunch with @michaell yesterday)...

"It's like you've been dating a pretty person most your life but then decide to see someone that is simpler and perhaps lower maintenance and easier to get along with. And then they cheat on you."

That's how she feels about the Alltrack.

breld

Alright...so longer story for those who are interested in the read.

Wife and I compressed a ton of research, conversations, analysis and actual test drives over the past week. She knew she wanted to get back into an SUV for the higher seating position, so the candidates were whittled down to the BMW X3, Porsche Macan, Audi Q5 and GLC Coupe. All of which were always going to be slightly used examples (probably service loaners).

The X3 just never grabbed her attention, other than possibly a lower cost alternative to the others. But once we started shopping, we found those less expensive ones weren't an apple to apples comparison with regard to options and features. So if she was gonna pay the same, she liked the others.

The Q5 was always a good option, but maybe too familiar given our recent Audis - it would have been like stepping right back into her A5, but with the higher seating position. Nothing wrong with that, but not all that exciting either. If she was going to go with a Q5, it was gonna have to be one all decked out with the Black Optic package and loaded up. A little hard to find, and pricey when you did.

I thought the Macan was the top choice all along, and strongly encouraged her to go that way. And we spent most of our Saturday at an Audi/Porsche dealership trying to make that work....

28firefighter

Well. That escalated quickly. Congrats to Mrs. @breld!

tifighter

Wasn't the Macan...problematic, before?

breld

Got to the dealership pretty much when they opened on Saturday and were pleasantly surprised to find a salesperson whom we had worked with before at a different dealership and really liked.

We talked Q5's a bit but it became clear quickly that the Macan was what drew her attention. So we focused on service loaners on the lot and identified 3-4 examples that could work. These were mostly 2018's with one 2019 thrown in.

Side story...this is obviously a nice dealership, selling Audis and Porsches, but it's also located on a sketchy road here in Denver. As my wife was walking the lot looking at Macans, she inadvertently (obviously) stepped in...well, human excrement.

The salesperson was clearly embarrassed and quickly went to get a rag and cleaner from the service shop to help clean her shoe. Now, this wasn't a strategic move, but I am thinking at this point, "man, we're gonna totally get a deal here today."

But, not the case...I think we've decided Porsche dealers aren't motivated to work too hard on the price. After a few hours of looking, driving and trying to work on price on a couple different models (one 2019 and one 2018), we just couldn't get to a price that we thought was reasonable and worth it on these service loaners.

breld

So...off to the Mercedes dealership to check out some used/loaner GLC Coupes.

Now...I know the general feeling on these types of vehicles. But the fact is, my wife has always been taken with these, and the GLC version in particular. She likes the higher seating position, loves the styling, and any sacrifice in the actual utility of the vehicle doesn't affect her use at all.

She had already looked at and drove a few used models the previous day and was really attracted to a black one at another dealership, but it was a little light on features.

This one is a 2019, has the AMG Line package (cosmetics), Burmester, Apple Carplay (very important to her), head up display (nice bonus), LED lights (not adaptive though), heated seats...everything she wanted, in the color she wanted. It doesn't have the parking assistance package or adaptive cruise, but she was fine with that. And she checked out the facelifted 2020 model and didn't seem to care much about the updates versus saving on the 2019.

This is the same dealership I was at a few months ago looking at a GLE (ended up with the V90 later that day), and they seemed eager to earn our business. They matched what I thought was a generous offer from Carmax on the Alltrack, and came down to what we thought was a fair price on the GLC (about 20% off MSRP for a 2019 w/4k miles, CPO).

And so...she is very happy.

breld

tifighter said:

Wasn't the Macan...problematic, before?

Uh, there's a star on the front, not a crest.

Are you referring to problems with the Macan itself, or my stepson's reaction to it (that led to the car swap)?

In any case, the Macan was fine, just expensive for routine maintenance. As for my stepson, I'm thinking maybe I never provided any update on this, as it's been a significant, albeit emotional, one.

Starting in December, our stepson's caregiver decided she was willing to take the next step in level of care and be his host home. Basically, he lives with her and comes "home" to us for a weekend a month. She gets compensated generously in that role, and it obviously has changed our daily life dramatically. Something like this was always the plan eventually...for many reasons, my wife started realizing that despite her son having special needs, there was still a draw to have him "move on" in some manner (he turns 24 this year), just as you would expect with any child.

So...more than anything, she is no longer driving 150-200 miles on a daily basis, and thus felt freed up to be a bit more indulgent in her car choice this time around.

stickguy

Congrats. With your seal of approval makes me more interested in that red GLC I posted yesterday!

graphicguy

@breld.....Big congrats to the Mrs. Nice....very nice! Clocked one in Jan, too. We’re off to a roaring start.

rayainsw

breld 'Alright...so longer story for those who are interested in the read.'
Congrats to you & Mrs. breld.
Many happy [s]miles !
- Ray
Waiting [ so patiently ] for my BMW to be built...

fintail

That's another thing I was thinking about, the mileage for these events, especially here out west there things aren't always so close. One guy was talking about going to a tournament in Spokane then Wenatchee then Portland - these are all several hundred mile round trips, to do it what seems like every other weekend might get tiresome. And then talking about flying to a tournament in California - either some of these salaries are higher than one imagines, there's a trust fund, or many of these people are highly leveraged. I often think it might be better to have a well stocked college fund than to sink a fortune into the hopes of getting a scholarship (as often the kids who get the scholarships come from backgrounds where mom and dad could have given the full ride anyway) - but if you get that scholarship, academics don't really matter, so I suspect that's an incentive.

Goalies are in a good position, many teams or leagues here will let them play free, especially at the adult level. If a goalie wants to play pick up or stick and puck, they'll get in for free.

I've had my car twice as long as your truck, and have 25% less miles on it.

nyccarguy said:

We weren't playing the team from the school. They must rent out the rink to the "city" team. I guess most of the schools up that way do that. The other school that @explorerx4 , Avon Old Farms does the same thing. The school has photos up of their alumni that attend D1 schools. Avon Old Farms has a whole list of Alumni who play or played in the NHL (Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quik...)

I don't pay anywhere near that. Maybe $5K for my 2 kids. Maybe $6K - $6,500 if you factor in the travel & hotel stays (I don't scrutinize those expenses). My 10 year old son gets reduced tuition because he is a goalie. We get a discount because we live in the city that the team plays in. They also give a sibling discount.

I've had my truck for a little over 4 months and have over 9,300 miles on it.

fintail

I won't get into the design elements, but congrats anyway! I think HUD is a fairly rare option on that too, especially on a non-AMG (full boat) model.

breld said:

So...off to the Mercedes dealership to check out some used/loaner GLC Coupes.

This one is a 2019, has the AMG Line package (cosmetics), Burmester, Apple Carplay (very important to her), head up display (nice bonus), LED lights (not adaptive though), heated seats...everything she wanted, in the color she wanted. It doesn't have the parking assistance package or adaptive cruise, but she was fine with that. And she checked out the facelifted 2020 model and didn't seem to care much about the updates versus saving on the 2019.
And so...she is very happy.

breld

stickguy said:

Congrats. With your seal of approval makes me more interested in that red GLC I posted yesterday!

Definitely gets my endorsement.

I know it seems funny (or maybe not that funny given our reputation) that my wife actually had a GLC300 SUV for a few months before. But she was seduced by the availability of the Polestar at that time.

Even just a few years later, we're both a bit more averse to the sporty special models for our daily drivers and appreciate the comfort and compliant behavior of my V90 and now, her GLC.

I was impressed with the ride quality and interior design and quality back when I drove her previous GLC up from Dallas. And I even shopped them a bit in my most recent search.

So yeah, I like that one you posted, especially the red - it's a pretty car and stands out in the sea of black and silver Mercedes.

Michaell

I had the chance to see the new GLC yesterday, when I met @breld and the missus for lunch. Didn't get a chance to look it over carefully, which I was planning to do, as I got pulled away during the meal to deal with an emergency at the cooking studio.

sda

Hopefully you’re not having too many emergencies with your new business. I admire you having your own business and wish you every success.

Sandman6472

Off today and got my tires rotated. The oil minder says time for an oil change "now" but, it's on a 5K schedule and I prefer doing it at 7500, give or take. VW says I can do a 10K interval but think that's a bit too long even though it calls for synthetic oil. What do most of y'all do who use synthetic? Just curios as to what most others do.