Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

benjaminh

Sandman6472 said:

....might have to raise my budget a bit to get something really nice. So might have to bring leasing into the equation, something we've never ever considered before....

The amazing thing sometimes about leasing, as some of us here have discovered, is that once in a while lease incentives make it cheaper to lease than to buy. And at the end of the lease term you always have the option of buying anyway. How many miles do you typically drive in a year? I ask because at my local Acura dealer this TLX low mileage lease (7500 miles a year) comes in at about the same monthly payment as something like a Civic, Jetta, or Elantra...

Acura Conquest/Loyalty Lease
Available to current owners of a 2010 or newer Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Genesis, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes Benz or Volvo vehicle. Lease a 2020 Acura TLX 2.4 8-DCT P-AWS for $199/mo. for 36 months. 7,500 miles/year. $2,999 due at signing, $0 security deposit.

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/newspecials.html

7500 miles is quite low, but if I understand it correctly all Acura leases have built in what's called "mileage forgiveness":

https://www.acurafinancialservices.com/leasing/loyalty-advantage

Again, if I'm reading this right, basically the charge is pretty low per mile if you go up to 7500 miles over your contracted figure. Since Acura "forgives" half of your miles, what that means is that you can drive another whole year's worth of mileage, all the way to 30,000 miles, for an addition charge of just $750—10 cents a mile. Basically for the equivalent of 3 additional payments of $250 you get a whole extra year of mileage.

This is good for me too, since by the end of the month I'll be close to 24,000 miles in the 20th month of my Acura TLX lease, which means I'm averaging so far about 1200 miles a month on my 1000 mile a month lease. My wife was freaking out about this, thinking that they were going to charge us an arm and a leg if I kept driving this much, but $750 isn't such a big deal, and in any case for various reasons I might end up at close to 36,000 at the end of the lease anyway.

Do other leases have this "mileage forgiveness" feature, or is that just Acura?

stickguy

that forgiveness is only if you lease another one though, right?

benjaminh

stickguy said:

that forgiveness is only if you lease another one though, right?

Here's what it says:

"Mileage Forgiveness
If you drive more than your contracted lease miles, we’ll waive one-half of your excess mileage (up to 7,500) when you lease or finance through Acura Financial Services (AFS). Plus if you choose to lease another new Acura with us, we’ll add an additional 1,000 miles to your base mileage amount.

Momentum Miles
If you have driven fewer than your contracted lease miles, your unused lease miles (up to 15,000 miles) will be rounded up to the nearest 1,000 and added to your next Acura Luxury Lease."

Now in your case stickguy you're probably going to be way under, but they've got you covered there too. Seems like you might have at least 10,000 extra miles at the end of your lease. And so next time if you lease another Acura you could easily go for that low cost/low mileage lease of 7500 a year without worry, because over three years it wouldn't be 22,500, but really a 32,500 mile lease.

kyfdx

roadburner said:

The ZHP has a short-throw shifter IIRC.

BMW Performance makes a shorter throw shifter (which I had installed).

The stock ZHP shift knob is nicely weighted. It is a great set up, as is.

pensfan83

The short shifter is very nice.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

it was a Hennessey.

https://www.saratogaford.com/new/Ford/2019-Ford-Shelby+GT350R-Saratoga-Springs-NY-12866-cab4ceb50a0e08f737bce079ecb6bda3.htm?searchDepth=2:2

also noticed in the background this odd Brodozer, I assume it is a custom job.

https://pictures.dealer.com/s/saratogafordfd/1558/f76042c7b75d334e4640da95e24c86efx.jpg

I never heard of them but that doesn’t mean anything. If you buy that thing take it easy leaving the dealership. There’s a speed trap just as you get on I-87.

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

roadburner said:

The ZHP has a short-throw shifter IIRC.

BMW Performance makes a shorter throw shifter (which I had installed).

The stock ZHP shift knob is nicely weighted. It is a great set up, as is.

Mine had a new OEM ZHP shift knob and boot installed. It’s lovely.

The weather here is awful today so it will be remaining in the garage.

stickguy

at 109K I think it will be a while before I save up enough. They do have a 2019 leftover 350 discounted to only $61K though. Getting closer to reality! Totally impractical for up there unless you want to make it a summer only car, and don't mind dodging potholes.

jmonroe

28firefighter said:

kyfdx said:

roadburner said:

The ZHP has a short-throw shifter IIRC.

BMW Performance makes a shorter throw shifter (which I had installed).

The stock ZHP shift knob is nicely weighted. It is a great set up, as is.

Mine had a new OEM ZHP shift knob and boot installed. It’s lovely.

The weather here is awful today so it will be remaining in the garage.

So, today is a perfect day to spruce up the interior. Afterall, that is where you will be spending all of your driving time. The exterior is just for show when you walk up to your car and for others to admire. You gotta take care of yourself first.

jmonroe

28firefighter

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

kyfdx said:

roadburner said:

The ZHP has a short-throw shifter IIRC.

BMW Performance makes a shorter throw shifter (which I had installed).

The stock ZHP shift knob is nicely weighted. It is a great set up, as is.

Mine had a new OEM ZHP shift knob and boot installed. It’s lovely.

The weather here is awful today so it will be remaining in the garage.

So, today is a perfect day to spruce up the interior. Afterall, that is where you will be spending all of your driving time. The exterior is just for show when you walk up to your car and for others to admire. You gotta take care of yourself first.

jmonroe

It’s a good idea. Thankfully the interior is in wonderful shape.

jmonroe

28firefighter said:

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

kyfdx said:

roadburner said:

The ZHP has a short-throw shifter IIRC.

BMW Performance makes a shorter throw shifter (which I had installed).

The stock ZHP shift knob is nicely weighted. It is a great set up, as is.

Mine had a new OEM ZHP shift knob and boot installed. It’s lovely.

The weather here is awful today so it will be remaining in the garage.

So, today is a perfect day to spruce up the interior. Afterall, that is where you will be spending all of your driving time. The exterior is just for show when you walk up to your car and for others to admire. You gotta take care of yourself first.

jmonroe

It’s a good idea. Thankfully the interior is in wonderful shape.

I'm sure if you get up close and personal, you can find something that needs touched up. Maybe a smudge or two on the glass. No sense wasting a good bad day when it comes to car care.

jmonroe

stickguy

spoken like the retired guy that doesn't have a toddler in the house!

corvette

My doggo rode in the G37 this weekend and felt the need to lick all the windows.

stickguy

I noticed the wifes car has a ton of slobber on the back door windows. Really need to take care of that today too,

pensfan83

Our doggo doesn't care much for pressing his nose against the glass but he sure loves to leave his fur behind. Despite having a seat cover in whatever vehicle he's riding in there's always some that needs swept up.

fintail

An old garage neighbor had an Explorer, and took his dog everywhere (dogs are a huge thing in the PNW, you're looked at as weird if you don't have one). The windows were so covered with slobber that I have to believe it compromised his visibility, it was kind of disturbing to my OCD clean sensibilities. If I find a fingerprint on a window, I go nuts. A rule when riding in my car is "don't touch the glass".

qbrozen

Ebay has become such a joke. They don’t allow sellers to leave negative for buyers. WTH? A buyer made an offer on my dad’s truck on Friday, which I accepted. Then he says he wants to come look at it. Hey, buddy, you look BEFORE you buy. Anyway, gave him my bro’s number, but he never called. I get a message this morn through ebay that he wants to cancel the purchase. What can I do about that? Absolutely nothing. I have to hit the cancel button and relist for free. Gee, thanks.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I noticed the wifes car has a ton of slobber on the back door windows. Really need to take care of that today too,

Do you have a dog?

jmonroe

corvette said:

My doggo rode in the G37 this weekend and felt the need to lick all the windows.

Doesn't sound like you attached the seatbelt. They're not just there for safety ya know.

jmonroe

stickguy

yes we have a dog. All the windows are now cleaned off. looks much better. Kids Jetta is all clean too. White silver paint does a great job hiding dirt. good thing, because that car was filthy.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

Ebay has become such a joke. They don’t allow sellers to leave negative for buyers. WTH? A buyer made an offer on my dad’s truck on Friday, which I accepted. Then he says he wants to come look at it. Hey, buddy, you look BEFORE you buy. Anyway, gave him my bro’s number, but he never called. I get a message this morn through ebay that he wants to cancel the purchase. What can I do about that? Absolutely nothing. I have to hit the cancel button and relist for free. Gee, thanks.

odd. I thought the whole premise of the site is that it worked off of feedback, since you have to have faith in the buyer/seller. I guess they are just all about getting as many fees as possible now.

roadburner

My dog only rides in the Wrangler. He's pretty well behaved and doesn't mess things up too much.

tjc78

Our dog doesn’t shed. Thank Goodness!!!!

stickguy

we have a yellow lab. He gets hair in cars that he has never been in. And I think can slobber a window from a good 10 feet away.

28firefighter

EBay, BaT, etc are not all binding. You’re basically bidding for the “opportunity” to buy at the price you bid. Lots of flakes on BaT lately, too.

stickguy

I am sure it is mostly on the honor system and they can't force you to buy (would be interesting to see a seller try to do it legally though). But that is the whole point of feedback, to call out the flakes and scammers so they can be ostracized.

qbrozen

Oh, I know it isn't binding, but you should get to leave negative so others know. As a seller, I can change settings as to who is allowed to bid/buy my items. One of those is "received X negatives in X days," yet that is obviously useless if negatives are not permitted.

And mine wasn't a bid, BTW, it was a fixed price with offers allowed. So someone makes an offer and I can accept or reject. I had it set to auto reject anything below a certain amount. After a few tries, he bumped his offer up enough to get through my auto-reject, and I accepted his offer.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Ebay has become such a joke. They don’t allow sellers to leave negative for buyers. WTH? A buyer made an offer on my dad’s truck on Friday, which I accepted. Then he says he wants to come look at it. Hey, buddy, you look BEFORE you buy. Anyway, gave him my bro’s number, but he never called. I get a message this morn through ebay that he wants to cancel the purchase. What can I do about that? Absolutely nothing. I have to hit the cancel button and relist for free. Gee, thanks.

You should use Craigslist. No flakey people there. 🤬

suydam

stickguy said:

qbrozen said:

Ebay has become such a joke. They don’t allow sellers to leave negative for buyers. WTH? A buyer made an offer on my dad’s truck on Friday, which I accepted. Then he says he wants to come look at it. Hey, buddy, you look BEFORE you buy. Anyway, gave him my bro’s number, but he never called. I get a message this morn through ebay that he wants to cancel the purchase. What can I do about that? Absolutely nothing. I have to hit the cancel button and relist for free. Gee, thanks.

odd. I thought the whole premise of the site is that it worked off of feedback, since you have to have faith in the buyer/seller. I guess they are just all about getting as many fees as possible now.

All the protections are for the buyer. Not much help for the seller.

suydam

stickguy said:

we have a yellow lab. He gets hair in cars that he has never been in. And I think can slobber a window from a good 10 feet away.

I have a black lab mix and I feel your pain. I have found that leather seats are easier to clean than cloth, which holds onto dog hair like glue.

Sandman6472

Stick, guess the kid and her ex haven't made up yet. My oldest went ahead and bought the house in St. Cloud and got a killer rate just based on her income. She came home end of May, moved into her house mid November and he came back that following March, almost a year ago. He found that the grass wasn't greener and she as able to move on with him. They seem happy, she seems happy, I'm staying out of it! But she knows I've always got her back. Hell, I was going to move up there for the next few years if things worked out the other way but guess this is all G-d's plan, so we just follow it.
Was kind of hoping your kid and he would get back together, as no relationship is perfect. Better to find out now I guess but it also is a great chance to work things out if possible. I know we hadn't planned for her moving home that May, but of course we said come like y'all did. That's what parents do, we're their touchstone when things go badly but also when things go well. Home is where their parents are, not just the physical house.
I'm just the eternal optimist in everything and was hoping they'd work it all out. Like I told my son minutes before they said "I do", be able to laugh and be able to compromise because you'll both be doing a lot of both. And it's not important to win every battle, but stay strong with your true belief system, and all will be fine. Am guessing he listened because they seem very happy with over two years married. And I for one am glad. It ain't easy, as we all know too well but, it's damn well worth it as long as both agree it's worth saving. Just hoping she'll find her true happiness soon be it with him...or with someone else!
Now, back to our automotive issues!

Sandman6472

Drove a Ford Edge a couple hours ago and it ain't a bad SUV by any stretch. Plenty of power off the line and easy to drive. Was very impressed actually. Drove a base Chevy Silverado first thing and hate that it didn't have a power drivers seat, could not get comfortable at all. No way to ratched up the seat and even having the seat close to the steering wheel didn't help. The one's with the power drivers seat are great because I can raise the seat up high enough to get comfortable. And I'm not the only driver with this same complaint. Chevy needs to fix this issue.
Was reminded again that Thursday is going to happen, so doing all my errands tomorrow since Thursday is already taken. No problem really but the extra time off is nice...but so is the extra income. Have decided that since I'm missing Sunday April 5th due to the kids needing me in St. Cloud, that I'm going to take a couple days off. They want me up there Friday the 3rd around 3 pm so either I'll work till noon or probably just take the whole day off and leave here about 10 am. Don't want to rush so best to take off that Friday and come home Monday morning, as I start work again on Tuesday. I can even work that Thursday afterwards to make up time if they want. A lot of the other guys take time off every now and then and many won't work over two days a week. I'm giving them as many as they need so don't see an issue taking these two days in early April. Have also heard that things slow down in the summer, so we'll see. Sundays might go away but since I was hired for three days a week, think that will stay as is. At Hertz, we were always busy in the summers.
Got word on Wednesday that another driver quit and they finally put my job up in Indeed.com, so they need drivers. Pity Enterprise won't let me work at both places because I would do a 3/2 schedule in the summer if they'd approve it. And really, I know nothing that I can give them so don't see the conflict here. BUt, as long as I keep my three days this summer, I'm good.

suydam

If things aren’t working out, better before the “I dos” than after.

stickguy

never know for sure but I don't think they are getting back together. She has not come to grips with it, but probably for the best. and the timing is probably fortuitous also, given where she is at in her internship program. this was a shock to her, but it also gives her a lot of options to look in different areas when the program ends in the summer, instead of being locked into living here.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Drove a Ford Edge a couple hours ago and it ain't a bad SUV by any stretch. Plenty of power off the line and easy to drive. Was very impressed actually. Drove a base Chevy Silverado first thing and hate that it didn't have a power drivers seat, could not get comfortable at all. No way to ratched up the seat and even having the seat close to the steering wheel didn't help. The one's with the power drivers seat are great because I can raise the seat up high enough to get comfortable. And I'm not the only driver with this same complaint. Chevy needs to fix this issue.
Was reminded again that Thursday is going to happen, so doing all my errands tomorrow since Thursday is already taken. No problem really but the extra time off is nice...but so is the extra income. Have decided that since I'm missing Sunday April 5th due to the kids needing me in St. Cloud, that I'm going to take a couple days off. They want me up there Friday the 3rd around 3 pm so either I'll work till noon or probably just take the whole day off and leave here about 10 am. Don't want to rush so best to take off that Friday and come home Monday morning, as I start work again on Tuesday. I can even work that Thursday afterwards to make up time if they want. A lot of the other guys take time off every now and then and many won't work over two days a week. I'm giving them as many as they need so don't see an issue taking these two days in early April. Have also heard that things slow down in the summer, so we'll see. Sundays might go away but since I was hired for three days a week, think that will stay as is. At Hertz, we were always busy in the summers.
Got word on Wednesday that another driver quit and they finally put my job up in Indeed.com, so they need drivers. Pity Enterprise won't let me work at both places because I would do a 3/2 schedule in the summer if they'd approve it. And really, I know nothing that I can give them so don't see the conflict here. BUt, as long as I keep my three days this summer, I'm good.

A lot of our drivers do Uber and Lyft when not working for the company. Have you ever thought of that? Your knowledge of the local roads would come in handy.

As to taking time off we have over a dozen drivers who just take off for the winter and come back in the spring. You probably rub elbows with them since they’re all snowbirds. Up here they’re hiring like mad. The company is doing so well we can’t keep the offices supplied. Wish they were a public company, I’d buy stock.

Sandman6472

No Lyft or Uber for me, would freak every time some stranger got into my car. Just couldn't do it. But even working just those three days I was hired for would be enough for me actually. Since it's tax season and Janet's so super busy with TurboTax, her regular gig plus her personal clients, best that I get out of the house on Sundays at least through tax season. I know my kids are concerned about me working so many days each week and my son just texted me earlier about cutting way back. But I really do enjoy the work, the getting paid part is just a perk really. Just getting to drive so many different vehicles each week really makes me happy. It's fun though I envy you and how many more places y'all get to go, wish we could do longer distances to be honest.
And dealing with my chronic pain is just part of my life now. When it's really bad, I just stay home and hibernate if you will. Would rather not be around folks because the pain just wipes me out sometimes. Like yesterday, was just best to let me be, my wife made some facial eye rolling when I tried to explain it which just makes it worse! It's like air, just because we can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Folks lots of times don't get chronic pain because it's internal, makes one feel horrible and with me, my walking and balance are off when I'm having a bad day. Her attitude just made it worse and though I let her know, doubt she really gets it. Only other who suffer from it get what's going on.
But for now, will continue to work until I'm ready to stop. And coming to Enterprise was the right move at the right time. So, will just keep taking things day by day while enjoying mt lemonade from the lemons I've been dealt!

Sandman6472

NY, just saw your post from the other forum from the 20th, I don't go into that forum much to be honest. Rent from a local office might save y'all some $. The airports charge certain fees that the local offices don't. So check with both or all the different rental companies to find your best price/best location. It might turn out to be cheaper/easier to do things this way. And less distraction also. See which offices are near your hotel, and go from there.
I know when we went to Chicago for the wedding, we found a Hertz HLE a few blocks from our hotel in the River North section of town. Close enough that we just walked over the day before we were to pick it up just to make sure all was in order and walked again the day we left as their driver was out with other customers. Our hotel charged $25/day to park on site so no way was I doing that. And since the Hertz HLE was only a few long blocks away, we just walked it. Came back to the hotel and picked up our luggage in their luggage holding area, and were off. Easy peasy.

kyfdx

Needs input:
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/60524/general/x/which-suv-is-more-balanced#latest

28firefighter

There is something ironic about owning 2 BMWs, one of which is old, and having the nearly new Subaru refuse to start on Monday morning.

tjc78

Yeah, that's pretty brutal. Does it seem to be the battery or something worse?

28firefighter

I think it is related to the brake system. Normally the pedal is soft enough to push down far enough to allow the sensor on the car to trigger and let the car start. This morning, the pedal was hard as a rock and at the top of its travel. I pushed on it as hard as I could and as the car attempted to start 3-4 times over, it softened enough and caught. Of course, by that point the car had flooded itself with fuel so it was not a pleasant start.

Wife drove it and said it is driving 100% like normal now - no lights, all gauges in the green, pedal feels fine and braking power is good. So I think its an early symptom.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

I think it is related to the brake system. Normally the pedal is soft enough to push down far enough to allow the sensor on the car to trigger and let the car start. This morning, the pedal was hard as a rock and at the top of its travel. I pushed on it as hard as I could and as the car attempted to start 3-4 times over, it softened enough and caught. Of course, by that point the car had flooded itself with fuel so it was not a pleasant start.

Wife drove it and said it is driving 100% like normal now - no lights, all gauges in the green, pedal feels fine and braking power is good. So I think its an early symptom.

I believe that's happened to our Outback on a few occasions. I can't remember what we did to resolve the problem, however. Hasn't happened in quite a long time, now.

Will be 5 years of ownership, this Friday. Just over 35,000 miles on it, and the wife says we are going to keep it for a long time.

Which is fine by me; it's a good car that does what it needs to do. It's just not very engaging.

Having lunch with @breld a week or two ago, he asked if I missed the Jetta. I told him I did - I enjoyed the fun factor of something that small and nimble.

Not sure if, or even when, I'll be back in the market again, however. No reason to have two cars, when we're only putting 7000 miles per year on the one car we do have.

The wife and I did talk a little about the next phase of our life, and the desire to move somewhere warmer. Nothing firm in place, other than that.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

I think it is related to the brake system. Normally the pedal is soft enough to push down far enough to allow the sensor on the car to trigger and let the car start. This morning, the pedal was hard as a rock and at the top of its travel. I pushed on it as hard as I could and as the car attempted to start 3-4 times over, it softened enough and caught. Of course, by that point the car had flooded itself with fuel so it was not a pleasant start.

Wife drove it and said it is driving 100% like normal now - no lights, all gauges in the green, pedal feels fine and braking power is good. So I think its an early symptom.

I believe that's happened to our Outback on a few occasions. I can't remember what we did to resolve the problem, however. Hasn't happened in quite a long time, now.

That's helpful to know. I want to get it looked at while it is under warranty, just so they have a record of it. The brake pedal felt a little mushy to me this morning, but it's hard to know if that was just in my head.

venture

28firefighter said:

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

I think it is related to the brake system. Normally the pedal is soft enough to push down far enough to allow the sensor on the car to trigger and let the car start. This morning, the pedal was hard as a rock and at the top of its travel. I pushed on it as hard as I could and as the car attempted to start 3-4 times over, it softened enough and caught. Of course, by that point the car had flooded itself with fuel so it was not a pleasant start.

Wife drove it and said it is driving 100% like normal now - no lights, all gauges in the green, pedal feels fine and braking power is good. So I think its an early symptom.

I believe that's happened to our Outback on a few occasions. I can't remember what we did to resolve the problem, however. Hasn't happened in quite a long time, now.

That's helpful to know. I want to get it looked at while it is under warranty, just so they have a record of it. The brake pedal felt a little mushy to me this morning, but it's hard to know if that was just in my head.

People on Subaru forums say that is Subaru quirky and is something endearing about the brand. I find it neither. Not that particular problem, but nuisance problems in general.

corvette

If something was causing the brake pedal not to be able to be pressed down far enough for the keyless system to detect it, that would probably prevent it from starting.

pensfan83

We've had a string of sunny, 45-55 degree days and an upcoming stretch of colder, wetter weather so I've been trying to get some seat time in the ZHP. All I can say is I'm really anxious for spring/summer and it wouldn't surprise me to have the truck see some longer stretches w/o use.

28firefighter

Amen to that. We have a stretch this week of nice weather, so planning to really put the ZHP through it's paces here, too. The weather cleared in the afternoon here yesterday and I drove it about 50 miles. It was glorious.

It does not look or feel anything like a car with 125k miles, that is for sure.

breld

Same in Denver - I'm looking forward to getting the 228i out this week.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

was chatting with my son earlier. he sent me a link to some hot rodded GT350 package at a dealer near him. had a whopping 832 HP I think. for $109,000. The upgrade package was about 37K. I told him the base car would be OK, though he pointed out that 540 HP might not be enough to safely merge onto the highway (apparently he is related to RoadBurner!)

we ended up chatting about what to do in the future. He was leaning toward a PU (Tacoma maybe) as a winter beater type, and a toy (he likes a Cayman) to go with it, instead of another expensive sedan that is not very practical for carrying stuff or bad weather duty!

I seem to remember reading that Ford had an arrangement with Rouch to modify Mustangs into screaming beasts while keeping the warranty.

Just thinking, if your son wants a truck he might consider a previous rental. I know our trucks get light duty...towing and plowing is prohibited. I think most of the mileage is run up driving them between offices as few people specifically rent trucks. Most go out to soccer moms when the mini van they booked isn’t available.

I rented a Ram pickup several years ago in order to bring some transplanted bushes up from Palmer. I could have made it work with my own fleet, but it just seemed easier to use a pickup for the messy job, and the rental was cheap enough that it would have cost me as much to drive my '69 C20 as it did to just rent the newer rig and use that.

Modern pickups are so cushy compared to the old days!

For our rental in Pittsburgh last year, they wanted to put us into a pickup, but my wife wasn't willing to consider it. As such, we ended up in that Santa Fe with the bald tires. LOL /sigh