Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

I am afraid to use it on the paver patio and take out the sand in between. The wife was fine with risking it! and I would never, ever, aim it at the car.

qbrozen

My old unit is probably 1500 psi or so. I never thought it did a good job of anything. I’d spray the car and still have to rub it with a sponge. And spraying mold off the deck or siding was a tedious process. I was going to use the new one today, even moved dad’s truck into position, but got busy with work. Maybe tomorrow, but I hear it won’t be nearly as warm.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Bought a power washer today. Finally caved after ages of wanting one - a Ryobi 1900 PSI unit.

We had gorgeous weather this afternoon, so I gave it a whirl and washed and waxed both the i3 and the Outback. The kiddo did some sidewalk chalk and my wife played with the dog. Felt normal for a change.

Good for washing cars and sidewalks (of chalk)!

xwesx

qbrozen said:

My old unit is probably 1500 psi or so. I never thought it did a good job of anything. I’d spray the car and still have to rub it with a sponge. And spraying mold off the deck or siding was a tedious process. I was going to use the new one today, even moved dad’s truck into position, but got busy with work. Maybe tomorrow, but I hear it won’t be nearly as warm.

Yeah, I don't think they work well for getting anything "truly" clean all by themselves, but they do a decent job of bulk cleaning, so that the amount of elbow grease you must add is minimal. I mostly use mine for cleaning rabbit hutches and wheels (&tires), but it also gets used for cars now and then. It is easy to think that it isn't doing a good enough job... until you try going back to the old "spray it down with a hose" technique.

jmonroe

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

Bought a power washer today. Finally caved after ages of wanting one - a Ryobi 1900 PSI unit.

We had gorgeous weather this afternoon, so I gave it a whirl and washed and waxed both the i3 and the Outback. The kiddo did some sidewalk chalk and my wife played with the dog. Felt normal for a change.

Ha. Just bought a new one for myself a couple of days ago. Have yet to open it. Its supposed to peak at 3200 psi. Strongest electric I could find.

WOW, 3200 PSI, that sounds like a paint remover not a paint cleaner. I don't remember the rating of my gas powered unit that has to be at least 10 years old but it ain't even close to your unit. Good luck with it.

jmonroe

Sandman6472

Those 2 door Jeep Wranglers look beautiful but aren't much fun to drive, all over the road! I prefer driving the bigger four door as the extra weight helps steady the ride. But having either as my daily driver, no thanks!
Was at the Acura store on Friday for about an hour after bringing down a Ford Fiesta they bought from us. Sat in all their vehicles in the showroom and must say the new RDX is gorgeous! They had it in a white over brown and it's such a nice vehicle. Hell, the TLX is no slouch either! The ILX left me cold as I felt like I was in a really fancy Civic for some reason. Think if they made it in a hatch, I'd like it so much more.
Ended up clocking out at 2 today. Kinda sad to say so long to those that showed up today. I think over these past couple of days, everyone has realized how much we enjoy the job and each others company. There's a lot of friendly banter going on between us all and everyone's personalities have begun to show. It'll be hard at first no to have that verbal volleyball on a daily basis like I've been having. Just hope that things will clear up as soon as possible because they'll be tons of work to do once we get called back. I mean, we'll be working non-stop for a few weeks I'm thinking. So, have a lot to look forward to which definitely helps one's outlook.

sda

The ILX is based on the previous generation Civic. The current ILX is much nicer since they made the 2.4 standard and other improvements. A friend of mine has a base 2016 ILX and is very happy with it.

ab348

Given the current circumstances it seems likely that car shopping and buying discussions will be very limited here for a while. I was thinking: what if we did a sort of fantasy buying discussion, the same way Fox is doing a racing simulation on TV this afternoon?

What I was considering was going back in time to some past period and looking at what was on the market back then to answer the "what car would you buy?" question. Could be an interesting exercise. We could do it here or in one of the classic car boards, and I leave it to the wisdom of the group to determine that. I thought here because of the number of active participants. I was thinking there was a big difference that happened in the market between the 1964 and 1965 model years, so we could start with '64 and move forward from there.

Anyway, just an idea.

stickguy

might as well! on the used side, the 1975 Opel Manta was my first big regret. that was an unreliable money pit. learned a lesson about oddball cars with expensive features (1 year only FI back when no one knew what that was). For a college student, should have stuck with my stone age simple AMCs!

on the new side, might as well start with the 1st one. Right out of college, was going to have a fairly long commute. Should have looked at all the things I was fixated on (SR-5 Toyotas, a GTI) instead of buying the first place I looked at, ending up with a Colt. Going back I would have saved a little driving my old Corolla to work and held out for what I really wanted.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Carvana sent me an email asking me to obtain a DEALER payoff letter from Hyundai. I sent HFS an email asking for that.

I wonder why Carvana wouldn't inquire? There could be different payoffs for Hyundai dealers vs. non-Hyundai dealers. And, it's possible that Hyundai wouldn't disclose those numbers to you.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

out of curiosity, I checked 2 local dealers, expecting to find what I did. out of 99 Wranglers listed, 95 of them were 4 door unlimited. And almost positive that 0 of them were manual transmissions.

one thing I did notice, Jeep seems to have a huge upcharge. the AT option is about $2,600 I think Seems steep these days. Wonder if you have to order special if you want a handshaker. I really though they would at least stock a few on this of all cars.

+$1495 for destination/handling..

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Those 2 door Jeep Wranglers look beautiful but aren't much fun to drive, all over the road! I prefer driving the bigger four door as the extra weight helps steady the ride. But having either as my daily driver, no thanks!
Was at the Acura store on Friday for about an hour after bringing down a Ford Fiesta they bought from us. Sat in all their vehicles in the showroom and must say the new RDX is gorgeous! They had it in a white over brown and it's such a nice vehicle. Hell, the TLX is no slouch either! The ILX left me cold as I felt like I was in a really fancy Civic for some reason. Think if they made it in a hatch, I'd like it so much more.
Ended up clocking out at 2 today. Kinda sad to say so long to those that showed up today. I think over these past couple of days, everyone has realized how much we enjoy the job and each others company. There's a lot of friendly banter going on between us all and everyone's personalities have begun to show. It'll be hard at first no to have that verbal volleyball on a daily basis like I've been having. Just hope that things will clear up as soon as possible because they'll be tons of work to do once we get called back. I mean, we'll be working non-stop for a few weeks I'm thinking. So, have a lot to look forward to which definitely helps one's outlook.

My ‘Dear John’ letter from the company said 45 days. Yikes! I hope it’s not that long.

One question is how this effects funding my Roth IRA. You can only put in up to what your earnings are for the year and I’ve already put in money for my wife and I based on what I thought I would make. If this shutdown substantially reduces my earned income, I may find that I’ve overfunded the account.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

Given the current circumstances it seems likely that car shopping and buying discussions will be very limited here for a while. I was thinking: what if we did a sort of fantasy buying discussion, the same way Fox is doing a racing simulation on TV this afternoon?

What I was considering was going back in time to some past period and looking at what was on the market back then to answer the "what car would you buy?" question. Could be an interesting exercise. We could do it here or in one of the classic car boards, and I leave it to the wisdom of the group to determine that. I thought here because of the number of active participants. I was thinking there was a big difference that happened in the market between the 1964 and 1965 model years, so we could start with '64 and move forward from there.

Anyway, just an idea.

If I could go back to the 60s I would loved to have a Dodge Charger with a 440 motor. I know everybody wants the 426 but the 440 was faster off the line.

sda

I understand the 440 was better daily driver where the 426 was temperamental and did best at the drag strip.

kyfdx

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Those 2 door Jeep Wranglers look beautiful but aren't much fun to drive, all over the road! I prefer driving the bigger four door as the extra weight helps steady the ride. But having either as my daily driver, no thanks!
Was at the Acura store on Friday for about an hour after bringing down a Ford Fiesta they bought from us. Sat in all their vehicles in the showroom and must say the new RDX is gorgeous! They had it in a white over brown and it's such a nice vehicle. Hell, the TLX is no slouch either! The ILX left me cold as I felt like I was in a really fancy Civic for some reason. Think if they made it in a hatch, I'd like it so much more.
Ended up clocking out at 2 today. Kinda sad to say so long to those that showed up today. I think over these past couple of days, everyone has realized how much we enjoy the job and each others company. There's a lot of friendly banter going on between us all and everyone's personalities have begun to show. It'll be hard at first no to have that verbal volleyball on a daily basis like I've been having. Just hope that things will clear up as soon as possible because they'll be tons of work to do once we get called back. I mean, we'll be working non-stop for a few weeks I'm thinking. So, have a lot to look forward to which definitely helps one's outlook.

My ‘Dear John’ letter from the company said 45 days. Yikes! I hope it’s not that long.

One question is how this effects funding my Roth IRA. You can only put in up to what your earnings are for the year and I’ve already put in money for my wife and I based on what I thought I would make. If this shutdown substantially reduces my earned income, I may find that I’ve overfunded the account.

I purposely wait until I’m certain of enough income, before I fund mine for the year. Pretty sure that you could contact your IRA administrator later in the year, if you need to withdraw funds. (not positive about that, though)

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

If I could go back to the 60s I would loved to have a Dodge Charger with a 440 motor. I know everybody wants the 426 but the 440 was faster off the line.

Basically what I have now. Just looks different from a Charger, but everything underneath and under the hood is the same.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Those 2 door Jeep Wranglers look beautiful but aren't much fun to drive, all over the road! I prefer driving the bigger four door as the extra weight helps steady the ride. But having either as my daily driver, no thanks!
Was at the Acura store on Friday for about an hour after bringing down a Ford Fiesta they bought from us. Sat in all their vehicles in the showroom and must say the new RDX is gorgeous! They had it in a white over brown and it's such a nice vehicle. Hell, the TLX is no slouch either! The ILX left me cold as I felt like I was in a really fancy Civic for some reason. Think if they made it in a hatch, I'd like it so much more.
Ended up clocking out at 2 today. Kinda sad to say so long to those that showed up today. I think over these past couple of days, everyone has realized how much we enjoy the job and each others company. There's a lot of friendly banter going on between us all and everyone's personalities have begun to show. It'll be hard at first no to have that verbal volleyball on a daily basis like I've been having. Just hope that things will clear up as soon as possible because they'll be tons of work to do once we get called back. I mean, we'll be working non-stop for a few weeks I'm thinking. So, have a lot to look forward to which definitely helps one's outlook.

My ‘Dear John’ letter from the company said 45 days. Yikes! I hope it’s not that long.

One question is how this effects funding my Roth IRA. You can only put in up to what your earnings are for the year and I’ve already put in money for my wife and I based on what I thought I would make. If this shutdown substantially reduces my earned income, I may find that I’ve overfunded the account.

I wouldn't worry about it. It'll all come out in the wash. When you file your taxes for 2020 do it via the H&R Block program. Just make sure before you start you click on the option, "I Don't Want to See Any Warning Pop Up Boxes...This is Cheating are You Sure You Want to Continue"? That's what I do.

jmonroe

rayainsw

1966 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 4-Speed

roadburner

A Wrangler doesn't drive like a Lexus, and it doesn't drive like a Cayman- but I've never driven a TJ-up Wrangler that wasn't fun to drive. They are short-coupled and you have to pay attention to driving, but I don't think that's a bad thing. If you are like the poor fool I ran into at my BMW dealer who told me he likes automatics because, "I want to get in the car and not have to do anything." then a Wrangler is not for you.

corvette

No punches for me for a while. Dealers and other non-essential businesses are closed in my state beginning tomorrow at 8 PM.

roadburner

Like I said over on Cars and Conversations, at least the two cars I have my eye on aren't going anywhere- so there's that.

suydam

roadburner said:

A Wrangler doesn't drive like a Lexus, and it doesn't drive like a Cayman- but I've never driven a TJ-up Wrangler that wasn't fun to drive. They are short-coupled and you have to pay attention to driving, but I don't think that's a bad thing. If you are like the poor fool I ran into at my BMW dealer who told me he likes automatics because, "I want to get in the car and not have to do anything." then a Wrangler is not for you.

Always one extreme or the other, aren’t you? Jeez, just because you don’t like trucks doesn’t mean you’re only into barges.

roadburner

Let me put this as simply as I can, the only vehicle I've ever driven that was "all over the road" was the hated 1973 Bronco(AKA "Steaming Pile") I inherited from my father. I've never driven a TJ or newer Wrangler that exhibited that characteristic. If you don't like driving Wranglers, that's fine- but at least describe the driving experience accurately.

Car and Driver on the 2020 Wrangler:
Although its handling has improved, it's still trucklike in comparison with today's refined SUVs and pickups.

Consumer Reports on the 2020 Wrangler:
Designed to excel on trails, the Wrangler's on-road behavior is still not on par with that of a modern SUV. The handling is better than before, with quicker steering and less body roll, but the Wrangler still doesn’t possess the reflexes and agility of a contemporary vehicle.

Something tells me if either magazine's test vehicle had a penchant for being "all over the road" it would have been mentioned specifically.

jmonroe

roadburner said:

A Wrangler doesn't drive like a Lexus, and it doesn't drive like a Cayman- but I've never driven a TJ-up Wrangler that wasn't fun to drive. They are short-coupled and you have to pay attention to driving, but I don't think that's a bad thing. If you are like the poor fool I ran into at my BMW dealer who told me he likes automatics because, "I want to get in the car and not have to do anything." then a Wrangler is not for you.

Funny but I don't remember ever being in your old BMW dealership. That guy had to be related to me. I learned to drive on a stick and even drove sticks for UPS for a couple years while working my way through night school. I hope to never drive one again but if I squint real hard I can almost get the attraction.

jmonroe

stickguy

I still love stick shifts. have not owned one for a few years now (last being my Integra I had for about 6 months). But do plan to get one again at some point. Just not sure if it would ever be my only car/DD (and by default the car my wife has to use if I need her car for some reason). so better chance it will be a toy/spare car or truck.

roadburner

jmonroe said:

Funny but I don't remember ever being in your old BMW dealership. That guy had to be related to me. I learned to drive on a stick and even drove sticks for UPS for a couple years while working my way through night school. I hope to never drive one again but if I squint real hard I can almost get the attraction.
jmonroe

My knock on that dork was not his preference for automatics, it was that his idea of driving meant "not having to do anything." Methinks that attitude ideally suits an Avalon or Lucerne driver, but not someone looking at a sport sedan. Of course that incident happened eight years ago, and I'd sadly guess that the current BMW poseur to enthusiast ratio is around 98% Poseur and 2% Enthusiast.
Or worse.

pensfan83

In what's likely our last foray out of the house for at least a week we, dog included, decided to take a scenic drive in the country today. Nice way to clear all of our minds before the coming week.

roadburner

We took a walk at a nearby park with some friends; easy to maintain social distancing and get some fresh air and exercise.

stickguy

I might have to make a quick run to the PO early in the week. should be fairly safe. Won't touch anything and should be empty (if not, won't go in). other than that, probably have to risk a quick hit into Aldis late in the week for a restock on perishables. That is about as isolated as I'm likely to get this week, about the same as last week.

but pretty sure I will have to throw in a couple of decent length drives, partly to see some scenery, but largely to get the cars some exercise before the batteries are dead!

roadburner

stickguy said:

I still love stick shifts. have not owned one for a few years now (last being my Integra I had for about 6 months). But do plan to get one again at some point. Just not sure if it would ever be my only car/DD (and by default the car my wife has to use if I need her car for some reason). so better chance it will be a toy/spare car or truck.

My only manuals are in the Club Sport and Wrangler; an automatic in either would be blasphemy.

carnaught

Hmm, I guess I'm not worthy of this board - you know, Avalon driver.

suydam

Me either! I remember many years back now I chastised my mother for buying an automatic (I’m always looking for better mpg) and she told me she had done her time driving a stick shift, and now “you young folks can do it.” Fast forward 40 years — now I understand that! Becoming your parents is weird.

cdnpinhead

It all comes down to that 2% enthusiast, 98% not thing. More and more people would rather ride (privately --don't want to deal with the public transit systems [if it exists] in most cities) than drive, and here we are. If you presently drive a vehicle with a manual transmission that you like, be prepared to own it for a long, long time, because there will be no replacement.

omarman

Like an old saying, "My parents got smarter as I grew older."

corvette

IMO, modern drive-by-wire throttles really gave electronically controlled automatics an improvement in terms of responsiveness. Once automatics started achieving MPG ratings which equalled or beat the equivalent manual in the same car, that signaled the end of the road for most of them.

roadburner

corvette said:

IMO, modern drive-by-wire throttles really gave electronically controlled automatics an improvement in terms of responsiveness. Once automatics started achieving MPG ratings which equalled or beat the equivalent manual in the same car, that signaled the end of the road for most of them.

In a car like the Club Sport a manual is essential because you have to keep the rpm above 4,000 or so to stay in the relatively narrow power band. The car penalizes you if you don't know how to drive. In contrast, a lot of the new turbo engines make peak torque from just off idle to 4,500 rpm or more, and in a car like that it's hard to find yourself in the wrong gear. Heck, an ancient two speed Powerglide would probably work if fuel economy wasn't a concern.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Those 2 door Jeep Wranglers look beautiful but aren't much fun to drive, all over the road! I prefer driving the bigger four door as the extra weight helps steady the ride. But having either as my daily driver, no thanks!
Was at the Acura store on Friday for about an hour after bringing down a Ford Fiesta they bought from us. Sat in all their vehicles in the showroom and must say the new RDX is gorgeous! They had it in a white over brown and it's such a nice vehicle. Hell, the TLX is no slouch either! The ILX left me cold as I felt like I was in a really fancy Civic for some reason. Think if they made it in a hatch, I'd like it so much more.
Ended up clocking out at 2 today. Kinda sad to say so long to those that showed up today. I think over these past couple of days, everyone has realized how much we enjoy the job and each others company. There's a lot of friendly banter going on between us all and everyone's personalities have begun to show. It'll be hard at first no to have that verbal volleyball on a daily basis like I've been having. Just hope that things will clear up as soon as possible because they'll be tons of work to do once we get called back. I mean, we'll be working non-stop for a few weeks I'm thinking. So, have a lot to look forward to which definitely helps one's outlook.

My ‘Dear John’ letter from the company said 45 days. Yikes! I hope it’s not that long.

One question is how this effects funding my Roth IRA. You can only put in up to what your earnings are for the year and I’ve already put in money for my wife and I based on what I thought I would make. If this shutdown substantially reduces my earned income, I may find that I’ve overfunded the account.

I wouldn't worry about it. It'll all come out in the wash. When you file your taxes for 2020 do it via the H&R Block program. Just make sure before you start you click on the option, "I Don't Want to See Any Warning Pop Up Boxes...This is Cheating are You Sure You Want to Continue"? That's what I do.

jmonroe

So your’re saying we can share a jail cell?

jmonroe

omarman said:

Like an old saying, "My parents got smarter as I grew older."

Yep, that's what I keep telling my son's but they're still fighting it. Some day. :@

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

No punches for me for a while. Dealers and other non-essential businesses are closed in my state beginning tomorrow at 8 PM.

I wonder if they can still do any business at all? I can’t imagine them having to pay all those floor plan expenses while their inventory keeps losing value. There could be millions involved for the big dealers.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

No punches for me for a while. Dealers and other non-essential businesses are closed in my state beginning tomorrow at 8 PM.

I wonder if they can still do any business at all? I can’t imagine them having to pay all those floor plan expenses while their inventory keeps losing value. There could be millions involved for the big dealers.

Family owned dealers are especially vulnerable, I'd guess.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I still love stick shifts. have not owned one for a few years now (last being my Integra I had for about 6 months). But do plan to get one again at some point. Just not sure if it would ever be my only car/DD (and by default the car my wife has to use if I need her car for some reason). so better chance it will be a toy/spare car or truck.

I’ve enjoyed the old fashioned sticks I’ve driven in buses and vans but strangely I didn’t like the modern short throw in newer cars like the Mustang. It felt....numb...for lack of a better word. Also, I don’t trust my skill shifting in a high power car. Maybe if I did it on a daily basis I’d feel different.

xwesx

roadburner said:

In a car like the Club Sport a manual is essential because you have to keep the rpm above 4,000 or so to stay in the relatively narrow power band. The car penalizes you if you don't know how to drive. In contrast, a lot of the new turbo engines make peak torque from just off idle to 4,500 rpm or more, and in a car like that it's hard to find yourself in the wrong gear. Heck, an ancient two speed Powerglide would probably work if fuel economy wasn't a concern.

Maybe it needs a CVT to keep it in the sweet spot.

sb55

roadburner said:

We took a walk at a nearby park with some friends; easy to maintain social distancing and get some fresh air and exercise.

Us too. There's usually an informal group walk after church and we do a 4 mile "around the block" walk. No church last week and there were a record 20 walkers, kind of spread out, but not too formally distant. Yesterday, there were only 6 and we were all seriously 6' apart.

Sandman6472

Stopped at Publix yesterday to pick up a few things. Folks were acting normally but there was a line at the sandwich counter where I was. No chicken products but managed to pick up a couple of steaks for dinner tonight. Figure I'll be going in very couple of days to get fresh stuff but luckily we have a lot of open supermarkets down here.

Sandman6472

Spoke with guy who hired me yesterday. We're on a "furlough" as he explained it. No work available right now but when it comes back, be ready to work, a lot! So we're not being truly laid off as we do have a job to come back to. Was glad to hear that.
Luckier than most as I still get my pension coming in each month. Haven't touched our retirement accounts yet as we're both still working. Don't plan on selling what few investments I've got, I'm only down on paper right now. Hell, I even bought some more shares last week when the new price was $10.00 below what I bought some at a few months back. Was it a smart move? Thought it was at the time but won't do anything else with it for the time being.
Still will have another check for one weeks work coming in a couple of weeks. But since we'll be home, won't be spending much except on groceries which we'd normally do. Might get a bit boring staying home daily but such is life. It would be that way if we were already retired so, will keep myself busy as there's plenty of things to go through and purge like my kids want me to do. I'll just be doing it a bit earlier than I had planned.
Funny thing is our crew has been texting each other daily and figure that will continue just so we can make sure that everyone's dong fine and doesn't need any help. A few guys have lost their wives to death or divorce so we've kinda bonded these past few months in the van. We all live somewhat near each other and I know I've let them all know to just holler if they need anything. Holler and I'll be there to lend a helping hand no matter what it is. Hoping this furlough won't last too long...I want to go back to work! It feels normal to work now, this staying home just isn't normal for me. Guessing I like working better than even I thought!

nyccarguy

Here's one for all of you old school Volvo fanatics:

https://www.smythevolvocars.com/used/Volvo/1986-Volvo-740-summit-nj-147f43e80a0e0a6b404338b558d399e7.htm

stickguy

I forgot they even had a diesel. Probably a dog. If it was a gas 5 speed, I would not mind having it.

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

No punches for me for a while. Dealers and other non-essential businesses are closed in my state beginning tomorrow at 8 PM.

I wonder if they can still do any business at all? I can’t imagine them having to pay all those floor plan expenses while their inventory keeps losing value. There could be millions involved for the big dealers.

I believe they can still do business so long as the showroom is closed. It will still hurts them a lot, though.

roadburner

There’s no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to short-throw manual shifters; a shorter throw=greater effort. I did install a short-throw shifter on my M6, and I found the increased effort to be an acceptable trade-off. YMMV.

stickguy

As long as no issues doing delivery, might as well. But can’t be many people trying to get a car now unless they are really desperate and careless. I could see them offering to do the deal but postpone delivery? If that makes any sense.