Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

andres3

28firefighter said:

You could park it out front with a giant lemon on it. That might be effective.

Now now... save the lemons for cars that prematurely bust a transmission, head gaskets, AND an air conditioning compressor for a perfect trifecta of high dollar repairs.

One big thing does not a lemon make.

Sandman6472

Have driven a few Mazda CX-5's at work lately and they really are a pleasure with gobs of power to move you forward. They all had the Bose audio system which is really quite good. I do hate the dash layout and that ridiculous dial thingy in the center, ditto for the volume control. Just wish they would do the dash like other automakers. Do plan to drive the CX-30 when I do get serious as I love the exterior and it being raised a bit is a big plus for me, easier egress/ingress. And the local Mazda store is real close to home, where we bought our '05 Mazda3S.
But also need to try the new Seltos and did see one in the flesh in front of the Kia store in Stuart Florida where we picked up vehicles for work. Local dealer still don't have any so will wait. But my biggest wait is for the new 2020 VW Golf. Need to see if the changes are enough to make me purchase another one, as I've never bought the same vehicle twice in a row. But, if it has a decent audio system and drives as nice or nicer than my current Golf, I could be in trouble here! Also want to give the mini Cooper Countryman a shot as I do like it a lot.
While at the Chevy store yesterday, saw a 2020 Trax Premier in white over black leather and it was impressive. Ridiculous asking price and the mpg's kinda sucked but like the way it looks and it's overall size.
So, not sure what I'll eventually end up with to be honest. And do I want another first year vehicle for a third time? Again, I just don't know but all I know is that, I've got the itch...and I want to scratch it...sooner than later!

Sandman6472

Glad my five day week is over. Working Sunday again but not sure about Thursday. They already asked if we're available and some of us said yes. But lead driver said there's no guarantee that they'll work us and he won't know anything till Wednesday afternoon. Regardless, I've cleared my Thursdays indefinitely so if they need me to work, I can. Mondays I won't work, so it's become the day i do all my important errands going forward. And if I have a bunch of Thursdays off, all the better for me though am enjoying these larger paychecks! And obviously G-d above seems to agree because my spinal issues have not caused me to miss any work days in a long while. The issues are still there but by taking my medications and being as careful as possible, have had no flare ups in a bit, which is fine with me. I don't overdue it and am very cognizant of how I move all the time which is probably helping. And also, loving this Enterprise gig so much more than the Hertz one...less travel time and no more going into Miami are just added perks.
And the news I wasn't supposed to hear about finally came out yesterday through a phone call. Seems like they skipped me with the 2019 holiday bonus. I've asked all the drivers and no one would answer me, until yesterday. Turns out they were all given one, and even though I was on the payroll until December 2nd, I was not included. I'm not happy about this and feel that I should've been included after all the hard work I put in last year. Only called out four days after my allergy surgery and worked every other week until I left. So it's a real slap in the face to be left out when I did so much and do deserve it.
Oh well, as my wife and daughter told me, life ain't fair. You're in a better place now so don't let that $25 gift card bother you. But hell, I'm human, and I feel like they let me down, big time. But learned a valuable lesson here, so time to move on and let it go!

stickguy

the holiday bonus was $25? Yeah, I don't think that is worth losing sleep over.

The new Golf, as with all recent models, looks to be very much like the prior one, just tweaked and updated. But not radically different. So if you like yours, you should like the new one!

I want to drive a CX30. Looks nice. basically a 3 hatch that has more cargo space, sits higher, and you can see out the backside! Not sure it will be big enough for our primary travel car, but we will no soon when we get a chance to scope one out.

28firefighter

You folks remember this one?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/los-gatos-2004-bmw-330i-zhp-e46/7060427054.html

Inquired and it was bought on BaT a year ago:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-20/

Not a new transmission - got new transmission fluid before the clutch. Much more sense.

Still too much money given the accident report and mileage. But for the right price....

stickguy

didn't keep it long. Nice looking car though. I am sure it would be fun, if not cheap, to own.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

Thanks guys - yeah, no one was injured in the accident this morning so that’s certainly the most important thing.

Definitely a good learning experience regarding ice, not that there’s much to do about it other than be more aware.

I didn’t even realize how bad it was until I got the call from him - if I had known I may have driven him myself. He talked to 2-3 friends who also got into accidents this morning.

What I did with one of my kids was to take him out to an iced over empty mall parking lot one early Sunday morning and let him feel a skid. He learned a lot but was scared to death the whole time.

Me? I had a ball.

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

".. . someone was just saying manuals don't fail . . . ",

Guilty, I guess. In the cars within my family, including my mother-in-law's, over the past several decades I've dealt with four automatic transmissions that needed to be completely rebuilt while the manuals that I prefer and that were driven 4 - 5X farther, none required maintenance beyond fluid replacement.

Yeah, I know, anecdotal.

Did the failures cluster in any particular brand? Were they CVTs or regular automatics?

breld

28firefighter said:

You folks remember this one?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/los-gatos-2004-bmw-330i-zhp-e46/7060427054.html

Inquired and it was bought on BaT a year ago:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-20/

Not a new transmission - got new transmission fluid before the clutch. Much more sense.

Still too much money given the accident report and mileage. But for the right price....

Love love the color combo.

Unfortunately he’s trying to recover his inflated, impulsive BaT money for it.

breld

oldfarmer50 said:

breld said:

Thanks guys - yeah, no one was injured in the accident this morning so that’s certainly the most important thing.

Definitely a good learning experience regarding ice, not that there’s much to do about it other than be more aware.

I didn’t even realize how bad it was until I got the call from him - if I had known I may have driven him myself. He talked to 2-3 friends who also got into accidents this morning.

What I did with one of my kids was to take him out to an iced over empty mall parking lot one early Sunday morning and let him feel a skid. He learned a lot but was scared to death the whole time.

Me? I had a ball.

Good idea. He did take a defensive driving course as part of his drivers ed that more or less did that same thing.

I give him a little bit of a pass since he was one of 4-5 similar accidents on the same road in the morning hour, but fact is he didn’t recognize the conditions for what they were.

He should now going forward. 😀

28firefighter

breld said:

28firefighter said:

You folks remember this one?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/los-gatos-2004-bmw-330i-zhp-e46/7060427054.html

Inquired and it was bought on BaT a year ago:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-20/

Not a new transmission - got new transmission fluid before the clutch. Much more sense.

Still too much money given the accident report and mileage. But for the right price....

Love love the color combo.

Unfortunately he’s trying to recover his inflated, impulsive BaT money for it.

Agree. I don’t think there is any planet he recovers what he paid BaT a year later, even with the work done.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Glad my five day week is over. Working Sunday again but not sure about Thursday. They already asked if we're available and some of us said yes. But lead driver said there's no guarantee that they'll work us and he won't know anything till Wednesday afternoon. Regardless, I've cleared my Thursdays indefinitely so if they need me to work, I can. Mondays I won't work, so it's become the day i do all my important errands going forward. And if I have a bunch of Thursdays off, all the better for me though am enjoying these larger paychecks! And obviously G-d above seems to agree because my spinal issues have not caused me to miss any work days in a long while. The issues are still there but by taking my medications and being as careful as possible, have had no flare ups in a bit, which is fine with me. I don't overdue it and am very cognizant of how I move all the time which is probably helping. And also, loving this Enterprise gig so much more than the Hertz one...less travel time and no more going into Miami are just added perks.
And the news I wasn't supposed to hear about finally came out yesterday through a phone call. Seems like they skipped me with the 2019 holiday bonus. I've asked all the drivers and no one would answer me, until yesterday. Turns out they were all given one, and even though I was on the payroll until December 2nd, I was not included. I'm not happy about this and feel that I should've been included after all the hard work I put in last year. Only called out four days after my allergy surgery and worked every other week until I left. So it's a real slap in the face to be left out when I did so much and do deserve it.
Oh well, as my wife and daughter told me, life ain't fair. You're in a better place now so don't let that $25 gift card bother you. But hell, I'm human, and I feel like they let me down, big time. But learned a valuable lesson here, so time to move on and let it go!

25 bucks? That seems pretty cheap. If you work 1000 hours before Dec. 1st at Enterprise you get a 4-5% profit sharing check. That’s about $450 for most of us.

How many hours a week do you work? Up here they can’t give you over 30 consistently because then they’ll have to give you health insurance.

graphicguy

fintail said:

That voice, chalkboard meet fingernails.

Parking brake does seem weird. On current gen MB, the brake is engaged when you select 'Park', automatically disengaged when you select a gear. No muss, no fuss. I can't recall when I last used a seek/scan on a radio - on my car everything is preset, on rentals, bluetooth streaming is the name of the game.

Thinking the same thing. I would discount this guy’s impressions for his presentation, alone.

I always put my parking brake on once I turn the car off. Call it habit, but I don’t have any issues with the car turning it on.

The radio? I don’t use XM or AM/FM (maybe to listen to a Reds game when driving). But, that would be only one preset. So, not a “thing” to me, either.

This guy tries hard to dis Mazda by damning it with faint praise.

graphicguy

@breld...as the saying goes. You can fix the car. Glad your son is fine.

graphicguy

@andres3 ....in my limited experience, tow companies in general aren’t very responsive. Not sure how they work, but I believe once you place a call to the manufacturers’ assistance line, they send out a call to any tow company with details and pick the one whose bid is the cheapest. Add to that, I’ve never had to have manufacturers’ assistance during normal business hours.

Last time I had to call for assistance, it was Easter Sunday. I think it took 4 hours.

I don’t recall AAA being any better. But, it’s been years since I’ve had AAA membership.

cdnpinhead

"Did the failures cluster in any particular brand? Were they CVTs or regular automatics?"

One GM (old Impala) & three Chrysler (Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision & a minivan), back when they were quite a lot simpler than today's auto transmissions. I don't think anyone even works on the new ones -- they just R & R them and ship the core back to the factory, at what I expect would be a pretty considerable expense.

28firefighter

My limited experience with AAA up here is they showed up considerably faster. Under 30 minutes and both times during rush hour. That’s why I keep it.

ab348

graphicguy said:

Thinking the same thing. I would discount this guy’s impressions for his presentation, alone.

I always put my parking brake on once I turn the car off. Call it habit, but I don’t have any issues with the car turning it on.

The radio? I don’t use XM or AM/FM (maybe to listen to a Reds game when driving). But, that would be only one preset. So, not a “thing” to me, either.

This guy tries hard to dis Mazda by damning it with faint praise.

McElroy has had a weekly TV show on PBS for many years, so its not like he just appeared out of nowhere. He also does a bunch of web things. I do find the parking break thing weird. I can see it automatically setting itself on when you put the car in park or shut it off. But setting the parking brake when you start the car makes zero sense to me.

The radio gripe is not a big issue for me either.

PS @graphicguy - I thought you had updated your signature with the Stinger? It is just showing the Acura right now.

cdnpinhead

We've had occasion to use Farmers' Insurance towing a few times on my daughter's ancient Honda and have been quite pleased with the response time and service. Looks like that's not so common as I thought.

roadburner

I only had one automatic fail- in my wife's Scorpio. It lost reverse. There was a TSB issued at about the same time but the car was long out of warranty. No issues with the other autoboxes, but then I also am proactive about maintenance.

kyfdx

I don't think that automatics are generally problematic on newer vehicles. But, at 100K+ miles, I'll rely on a manual, any day. I'd never buy an old car with a slushbox.

fintail

I know a lot of people who commute a long distance (to obtain "affordable" housing) and mile up their cars, I don't know anyone anecdotally who has recently lost a transmission. The last failures I remember in my circle of friends/family were my dad's late 90s Town and Country puking up a unit when nearly new (a lot of them did that, it seems), a friend's 03 Accord V6 losing one at about 70K (they all did that, covered under warranty) and my uncle's early Taurus lost a transmission, very common fault for the car, and it had 100K over it at the time.

If an old car has records, I wouldn't be too fearful - just budget in a potential issue.

corvette

My cousin had a late model Versa with a bad CVT. Low mileage, but no warranty because it was a salvage title vehicle. She sold it as is and bought a new Hyundai.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

I know a lot of people who commute a long distance (to obtain "affordable" housing) and mile up their cars, I don't know anyone anecdotally who has recently lost a transmission. The last failures I remember in my circle of friends/family were my dad's late 90s Town and Country puking up a unit when nearly new (a lot of them did that, it seems), a friend's 03 Accord V6 losing one at about 70K (they all did that, covered under warranty) and my uncle's early Taurus lost a transmission, very common fault for the car, and it had 100K over it at the time.

If an old car has records, I wouldn't be too fearful - just budget in a potential issue.

I managed to blow the Torqueflite in my 1969 Plymouth with drop patching hijinks. Drove it as a two speed for a while until I had it rebuilt for $190. That’s one transmission that deserved to fail but I always worry about it happening again to this day.

sda

roadburner said:

I only had one automatic fail- in my wife's Scorpio. It lost reverse. There was a TSB issued at about the same time but the car was long out of warranty. No issues with the other autoboxes, but then I also am proactive about maintenance.

I liked the Scorpio, especially in dark metallic blue or burgundy.

fintail

Funny, I remember doing neutral drops in my mom's old Tempo, it never seemed to mind - probably because the engine didn't develop enough power to harm the transmission. IIRC that car also didn't have a working lock that made you press a button to switch between directions, so you could change direction in motion. Probably not good for it, but it was sold on at 190K with the engine and transmission never opened.

I was riding in my uncle's Taurus when the transmission went out. A few days before he noticed the OD was engaging weird, but didn't pay it any heed. Then we went to the store, and it only had reverse.

oldfarmer50 said:

I managed to blow the Torqueflite in my 1969 Plymouth with drop patching hijinks. Drove it as a two speed for a while until I had it rebuilt for $190. That’s one transmission that deserved to fail but I always worry about it happening again to this day.

xwesx

breld said:

they must be magnetic or something.

They are! I swear, every time a vehicle goes off the road in an area where light posts exist, it is a guaranteed fact that the vehicle WILL hit a post. Every time. It's really crazy.

Sandman6472

OF, been working five days a week all of January but should go down to four starting this week. But he did ask about our availability for Thursday just in case. I've freed up my Thursdays going forward just in case, but just as happy to stay home to be totally honest. Wish I was offered my every other day schedule like Hertz gave me but not the case here. My spinal issues react better to an every other day schedule but when I asked at my interview, they said they really needed me Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday for this new team they were putting together and with my experience, wanted to include me. So I accepted the offer. And glad I did as overall, Enterprise is a better place to work. Hertz never offered us any kind of benefits so with getting a 401K and profit sharing now at Enterprise, much happier. And the little less in pay/hour is more than negated with no more tolls and the tiny amount of petrol used to get to the office. Hell, filled up my car last Monday and have driven about 28 miles since, the gauge has not moved yet. At this rate, I could fill the tank once a month and still have plenty left over. Totally loving that!
Think we'll be going down to 30 or under very soon now. Hoping come summertime, we're still working the original three days/week. Hertz never slowed down in the summertime which was great. Hoping we'll have the same thing here as I like the steady income since I bank almost 100% of it. We're able to live on just my government pension alone and continue to live under our means like we've always done. The only possible splurge this year will be if I decide to swap out my Golf for a new 2020 model vehicle and of course the oldest girl's wedding. Not sure how much she's going to ask us for so we shall see. I've set aside about $10K as it won't be a big affair, maybe 40 folks, and they both want small and intimate, fine with us.

corvette

I filled up the Tahoe on January 10. Still have over 3/8 of a tank even after using the remote start pretty much every day. I don’t think I’ve driven the G37 during that time, probably should drive it a few days this week.

explorerx4

@corvette,
We need more context.
I filled up my F150 on Jan 3, been just over 400 miles and have about 200 left, so guessing 1/3 left(excluding the reserve).

stickguy

was checking out some house listing near me. found this shot of the garage at one. Not sure the wife would consider this a reason to buy a small ranch, but works for me!

corvette

explorerx4 said:

@corvette,
We need more context.
I filled up my F150 on Jan 3, been just over 400 miles and have about 200 left, so guessing 1/3 left(excluding the reserve).

My office is about a mile from my house. My regular grocery is further out than that. I think the range shows 130 miles or so remaining, but I've probably only driven about that many miles on this tank. It doesn't seem to be calibrated for really short trips.

xwesx

Sandman6472 said:

I've set aside about $10K as it won't be a big affair, maybe 40 folks, and they both want small and intimate, fine with us.

Wow; my wife and I pulled off our wedding on the cheap compared to that! Your daughter's wedding should be quite the shindig!

xwesx

I managed to fill up my Q7 only three times between mid-May and mid-September this past year. I usually fill once every two weeks, with about 500 miles per tank, so this summer's use was well less than half of what I would have typically done.

rayainsw

Now that I am [ finally ] fully retired,
my fuel use has dropped by almost 3/4.
No longer commuting into Atlanta.
- Ray
Yay !

kyfdx

I quit commuting a little over three years ago.
1200 miles on the Fit in three months, and maybe 200 on the BMW since then.

jmonroe

stickguy said:

was checking out some house listing near me. found this shot of the garage at one. Not sure the wife would consider this a reason to buy a small ranch, but works for me!

I fleetingly thought about one of those years ago. Like I said, "fleetingly". Came to the conclusion I couldn't afford to do my own oil changes and tire rotations anymore and my friends and realatives couldn't afford me anymore either. You gotta be in the biz for that to work or someone who wants to raise their car to avoid flat-spoting their tires overnight...every night.

jmonroe

tjc78

Love the garage... who can identify the red seat?

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

was checking out some house listing near me. found this shot of the garage at one. Not sure the wife would consider this a reason to buy a small ranch, but works for me!

I used to work with a guy who had a garage like that. Two bays, one with a lift and one for the things he worked on.

explorerx4

I went to look again at a truck I was interested in, but it was gone.
Dealer websites can lag behind by quite bit.
They do have the same model as my truck, a year older and with 3x the mileage.
Interior looks like it has held up very well.
https://www.monacoford.com/certified/Ford/2016-Ford-F-150-glastonbury-ct-6ee38aa60a0e0a171983e9bd54137f85.htm?searchDepth=9:25

stickguy

I just don't understand paying that kind of money for a 4 YO truck with that many miles on it. Might as well just take advantage of the usual incentives and buy one new and just hang onto it long term.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
Have you seen the price of a new one?
Plus, it's a truck.

corvette

stickguy said:

I just don't understand paying that kind of money for a 4 YO truck with that many miles on it. Might as well just take advantage of the usual incentives and buy one new and just hang onto it long term.

It’s a Limited, probably stickered for $60k or more new. I’d guess $10k or so off sticker to buy new.

stickguy

so buy new. The first 4 years are about $350/month for the best years of it. Better than paying $36K for something with 65,000 miles already.

explorerx4

My truck listed for just over 68k, but i did get a nice discount as a leftover.
2017' had some nice powertrain upgrades like the 10 speed transmission and combo direct/port EFI.
$350 a month lease is not close unless you put down 10k.

stickguy

I went with the ballpark of $50k for that truck new, so $14k less for the 4 YO one, which averages out to about $350/month

explorerx4

Based on your numbers, it looks like you are just measuring depreciation.

corvette

I think I probably plucked $60k out of my head as what a fully loaded Lariat would cost, which is within spitting distance of the upper trims. Anyhow, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

stickguy

Poor Houdini. Chiefs playing a classic Andy Reed choke in a big game, game.

Looking ugly.

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

Based on your numbers, it looks like you are just measuring depreciation.

well, some moderate amount of extra interest if you take a loan. But point stands. If a new one is 50, and a 4 YO high miles one is 36, makes no sense to spend that much on the used one. Buy the new one, and take advantage of the cheap early years.