Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

California. IIRC if it is 1975+, you have to deal with BS aplenty.

oldfarmer50 said:

tifighter said:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-mercedes-benz-300sl-7/

Can’t pass emissions tests? Isn’t there some exception for antiques?

fintail

At least for now. I wonder what the downturn will do to the BaT or Bay Area style buyer. Then again, if he owns property in 650, no doubt he's fine. His asking prices on his site are a bit higher, so maybe indeed he just waits for the right buyer who isn't too concerned about price.

xwesx said:

Well, they clearly can afford to wait! Maybe they were just testing to see if the market really was depressed. They thought maybe BaT would be the exception, since they would possibly have a larger "captive" audience.

fintail

I suppose for a roughly $1/mile depreciation for a car of that MSRP, it was worth it if the car checked out. Might not have been any similar deals here in the PNW where Subies are lifestyle accessories as much as cars. If she ever tires of it, there probably won't be a problem finding a buyer.

jmonroe1 said:

I was all set to drive to Holidaysburg PA(@venture's hood) to get a new 2019 Legacy Limited with the 3.6R engine in burgundy over beige which was the ONLY color combo AND engine that I would consider. MSRP was a little over $35,400 but they would sell it for $33,500. I was about to make the maybe 120 mile one way trip when Son #1 found an IDENTICAL 2018 at a very reputable used car dealer about 6 miles from me for $27,200 with 7,200 miles on it. I thought that was a big enough savings so I bought it. But I know what you mean about Subie's holding their value. The very large Subie new car dealership about 3 miles from me had a couple 2017 Legacy Limited's with the 3.6R engine with around 15K miles for just under 30 grand. Those, even if they were the right color combo, wouldn't have been a good deal as far as I was concerned.

jmonroe

tifighter

fintail said:

At least for now. I wonder what the downturn will do to the BaT or Bay Area style buyer. Then again, if he owns property in 650, no doubt he's fine. His asking prices on his site are a bit higher, so maybe indeed he just waits for the right buyer who isn't too concerned about price.

xwesx said:

Well, they clearly can afford to wait! Maybe they were just testing to see if the market really was depressed. They thought maybe BaT would be the exception, since they would possibly have a larger "captive" audience.

He is higher end pricewise, but the quality seems to be there. He has some happy customers on BaT, and seems to have a good rep in the Bay Area MB community.

I liked that 123 coupe too.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

fintail said:

Did it depreciate much at all? Around these parts, a year old Subie will probably have an asking price $1000 less than a new one.

Cars age a lot better than during the malaise era, too. To paraphrase a saying, a 3 year old car today is better than a new car x years ago.

jmonroe1 said:

And then you have the odd ball like Mrs. j's 2018 Subie with 7200 miles on it that we got last April. The previous owner must have gotten bored with it and traded it in for a Porche. The Car Fax showed a Porche dealer had it before he sold it to a used car dealer friend of his who in turn sold it to us. I agree most one year old cream puffs don't take this route to the second owner but it happens just not very often. In the past when I bought used cars most were 3 years old and bought from a private party but that was back in the 70's and 80's. The car biz has changed a lot since then.

jmonroe

I was all set to drive to Holidaysburg PA(@venture's hood) to get a new 2019 Legacy Limited with the 3.6R engine in burgundy over beige which was the ONLY color combo AND engine that I would consider. MSRP was a little over $35,400 but they would sell it for $33,500. I was about to make the maybe 120 mile one way trip when Son #1 found an IDENTICAL 2018 at a very reputable used car dealer about 6 miles from me for $27,200 with 7,200 miles on it. I thought that was a big enough savings so I bought it. But I know what you mean about Subie's holding their value. The very large Subie new car dealership about 3 miles from me had a couple 2017 Legacy Limited's with the 3.6R engine with around 15K miles for just under 30 grand. Those, even if they were the right color combo, wouldn't have been a good deal as far as I was concerned.

jmonroe

Congratulations. You weren’t even on my radar as a buyer. With Jipsters activity did I miss your search?

If that Subie motor has the timing chain driven water pump the first thing I’d do is give it a coolant flush.

stickguy

probably easier to be top dollar, if your merchandise is 1 of 1, or at least cream of the crop.

fintail

I'll admit if I had 30 grand burning a hole in my pocket, it'd be hard to walk away from the SEC I linked. The later 560s can bring good money now, and that one is more fun, if maybe not the most elegant. I sometimes think what I'd get if I wanted another hobby car, and a 126 model is a frontrunner. Hard to go wrong with some 107s and 129s as well, lots of style for the money, just gotta find one with as few needs as possible.

The seller presents his stock well, and there's value in buying something that doesn't need work. He's also in a Klondike area for old MBs. I hadn't seen his listing site, thanks for sharing that.

tifighter said:

He is higher end pricewise, but the quality seems to be there. He has some happy customers on BaT, and seems to have a good rep in the Bay Area MB community.

I liked that 123 coupe too.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

fintail said:

Did it depreciate much at all? Around these parts, a year old Subie will probably have an asking price $1000 less than a new one.

Cars age a lot better than during the malaise era, too. To paraphrase a saying, a 3 year old car today is better than a new car x years ago.

jmonroe1 said:

And then you have the odd ball like Mrs. j's 2018 Subie with 7200 miles on it that we got last April. The previous owner must have gotten bored with it and traded it in for a Porche. The Car Fax showed a Porche dealer had it before he sold it to a used car dealer friend of his who in turn sold it to us. I agree most one year old cream puffs don't take this route to the second owner but it happens just not very often. In the past when I bought used cars most were 3 years old and bought from a private party but that was back in the 70's and 80's. The car biz has changed a lot since then.

jmonroe

I was all set to drive to Holidaysburg PA(@venture's hood) to get a new 2019 Legacy Limited with the 3.6R engine in burgundy over beige which was the ONLY color combo AND engine that I would consider. MSRP was a little over $35,400 but they would sell it for $33,500. I was about to make the maybe 120 mile one way trip when Son #1 found an IDENTICAL 2018 at a very reputable used car dealer about 6 miles from me for $27,200 with 7,200 miles on it. I thought that was a big enough savings so I bought it. But I know what you mean about Subie's holding their value. The very large Subie new car dealership about 3 miles from me had a couple 2017 Legacy Limited's with the 3.6R engine with around 15K miles for just under 30 grand. Those, even if they were the right color combo, wouldn't have been a good deal as far as I was concerned.

jmonroe

Congratulations. You weren’t even on my radar as a buyer. With Jipsters activity did I miss your search?

If that Subie motor has the timing chain driven water pump the first thing I’d do is give it a coolant flush.

What you missed is Mrs. j got her 2018 Subie last April. Just about time for it's one year party in our household. With only about 12K miles on it now I don't think I have to worry about a water pump flush or any other flushes for quite some time. I'm glad I got the 3.6R engine because I think Subie stopped using that engine in 2020. I had that engine in the 2012 Subie so insisted on getting it again although the 2012 had a 5 speed transmission. The 2018 has your hated CVT transmission but I don't mind how it drives. It has artificial shift points that pretty much mimic real shift points in multi speed transmissions. I'm pretty sure @28firefighter has the same engine/transmission in his 2019 Outback and I haven't heard him complain about it but you can always ask him what he thinks about his. All in all Subie makes a pretty good grocery getter. If I didn't like the 2012 I wouldn't have bought another one.

jmonroe

28firefighter

We love our Outback 3.6 Limited. It’s been the best car we’ve had. The 3.6 has outstanding power and, while not my favorite transmission ever, it is well matched to the engine.

It handles like a land yacht, but who cares? It is comfortable, has a metric crapload of space for activities, and it makes my wife happy.

Michaell

Ditto the comments above on our 2015 Outback Limited with the 3.6 engine. 35,000 miles in just over 5 years.

ronsteve

benjaminh said:

Beautiful pix of your car @tjc78. I don't have a glamour pic like that of my car, but I do have one of the TLX under a bridge from recently when I was going on a bike ride over the Lewis and Clark bridge. I also have a pic of my highest mpg ever, which was a highway drive of about 20 miles going c. 60 mph. The low gas prices and light traffic make this a nice time to enjoy our cars.

I've biked across that bridge more than a few times, but it's a more difficult spot (as is the Big Four, which is probably even worse) to keep proper social distance these days. Not to mention I'm not sure Indiana wants our Kentucky germs (or vice versa) right now. I will say the lighter vehicle traffic has opened up more parts of the day for just riding from home.

sb55

edit

explorerx4

@sb55,
Up to a certain point, maybe the 360?, service on a Ferrari is an engine out procedure.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

fintail said:

Did it depreciate much at all? Around these parts, a year old Subie will probably have an asking price $1000 less than a new one.

Cars age a lot better than during the malaise era, too. To paraphrase a saying, a 3 year old car today is better than a new car x years ago.

jmonroe1 said:

And then you have the odd ball like Mrs. j's 2018 Subie with 7200 miles on it that we got last April. The previous owner must have gotten bored with it and traded it in for a Porche. The Car Fax showed a Porche dealer had it before he sold it to a used car dealer friend of his who in turn sold it to us. I agree most one year old cream puffs don't take this route to the second owner but it happens just not very often. In the past when I bought used cars most were 3 years old and bought from a private party but that was back in the 70's and 80's. The car biz has changed a lot since then.

jmonroe

I was all set to drive to Holidaysburg PA(@venture's hood) to get a new 2019 Legacy Limited with the 3.6R engine in burgundy over beige which was the ONLY color combo AND engine that I would consider. MSRP was a little over $35,400 but they would sell it for $33,500. I was about to make the maybe 120 mile one way trip when Son #1 found an IDENTICAL 2018 at a very reputable used car dealer about 6 miles from me for $27,200 with 7,200 miles on it. I thought that was a big enough savings so I bought it. But I know what you mean about Subie's holding their value. The very large Subie new car dealership about 3 miles from me had a couple 2017 Legacy Limited's with the 3.6R engine with around 15K miles for just under 30 grand. Those, even if they were the right color combo, wouldn't have been a good deal as far as I was concerned.

jmonroe

Congratulations. You weren’t even on my radar as a buyer. With Jipsters activity did I miss your search?

If that Subie motor has the timing chain driven water pump the first thing I’d do is give it a coolant flush.

What you missed is Mrs. j got her 2018 Subie last April. Just about time for it's one year party in our household. With only about 12K miles on it now I don't think I have to worry about a water pump flush or any other flushes for quite some time. I'm glad I got the 3.6R engine because I think Subie stopped using that engine in 2020. I had that engine in the 2012 Subie so insisted on getting it again although the 2012 had a 5 speed transmission. The 2018 has your hated CVT transmission but I don't mind how it drives. It has artificial shift points that pretty much mimic real shift points in multi speed transmissions. I'm pretty sure @28firefighter has the same engine/transmission in his 2019 Outback and I haven't heard him complain about it but you can always ask him what he thinks about his. All in all Subie makes a pretty good grocery getter. If I didn't like the 2012 I wouldn't have bought another one.

jmonroe

Ok got it. I couldn’t tell since you don’t list your vehicles on your posts. If I owned an engine with an internal pump I’d be changing the coolant regularly. Ford has a couple of motors with those and they probably fired the engineers who designed them. I don’t hate all CVTs, just those old Jatco models.

qbrozen

With that kind of wasteful spending, I vote 09-14 California.

kyfdx

If he has the bucks, the 430 is the way to go

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

fintail said:

Did it depreciate much at all? Around these parts, a year old Subie will probably have an asking price $1000 less than a new one.

Cars age a lot better than during the malaise era, too. To paraphrase a saying, a 3 year old car today is better than a new car x years ago.

jmonroe1 said:

And then you have the odd ball like Mrs. j's 2018 Subie with 7200 miles on it that we got last April. The previous owner must have gotten bored with it and traded it in for a Porche. The Car Fax showed a Porche dealer had it before he sold it to a used car dealer friend of his who in turn sold it to us. I agree most one year old cream puffs don't take this route to the second owner but it happens just not very often. In the past when I bought used cars most were 3 years old and bought from a private party but that was back in the 70's and 80's. The car biz has changed a lot since then.

jmonroe

I was all set to drive to Holidaysburg PA(@venture's hood) to get a new 2019 Legacy Limited with the 3.6R engine in burgundy over beige which was the ONLY color combo AND engine that I would consider. MSRP was a little over $35,400 but they would sell it for $33,500. I was about to make the maybe 120 mile one way trip when Son #1 found an IDENTICAL 2018 at a very reputable used car dealer about 6 miles from me for $27,200 with 7,200 miles on it. I thought that was a big enough savings so I bought it. But I know what you mean about Subie's holding their value. The very large Subie new car dealership about 3 miles from me had a couple 2017 Legacy Limited's with the 3.6R engine with around 15K miles for just under 30 grand. Those, even if they were the right color combo, wouldn't have been a good deal as far as I was concerned.

jmonroe

Congratulations. You weren’t even on my radar as a buyer. With Jipsters activity did I miss your search?

If that Subie motor has the timing chain driven water pump the first thing I’d do is give it a coolant flush.

What you missed is Mrs. j got her 2018 Subie last April. Just about time for it's one year party in our household. With only about 12K miles on it now I don't think I have to worry about a water pump flush or any other flushes for quite some time. I'm glad I got the 3.6R engine because I think Subie stopped using that engine in 2020. I had that engine in the 2012 Subie so insisted on getting it again although the 2012 had a 5 speed transmission. The 2018 has your hated CVT transmission but I don't mind how it drives. It has artificial shift points that pretty much mimic real shift points in multi speed transmissions. I'm pretty sure @28firefighter has the same engine/transmission in his 2019 Outback and I haven't heard him complain about it but you can always ask him what he thinks about his. All in all Subie makes a pretty good grocery getter. If I didn't like the 2012 I wouldn't have bought another one.

jmonroe

Ok got it. I couldn’t tell since you don’t list your vehicles on your posts. If I owned an engine with an internal pump I’d be changing the coolant regularly. Ford has a couple of motors with those and they probably fired the engineers who designed them. I don’t hate all CVTs, just those old Jatco models.

You'll have to talk to the super powers that be here at Edmunds about why my cars aren't shown because they are in my profile. After they answer that ask them how my cousin @jmonroe1 is allowed to hack into my account and spout off thinking he's me. Pretty soon I'm going to get a bad rep because of that guy. :@

jmonroe

kyfdx

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

stickguy

Dump it.

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

,,, here at Edmunds about why my cars aren't shown because they are in my profile. After they answer that ask them how my cousin @jmonroe1 is allowed to hack into my account and spout off thinking he's me. Pretty soon I'm going to get a bad rep because of that guy. :@

jmonroe

So it's a family affair for you two?

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

If you did all of this yesterday, at least it wasn’t raining, blazing hot or frigid cold (as could have happened, sometimes all in the same day, around these parts).

stickguy

With that labor charge, weather was “the guys” problem, not his

kyfdx

stickguy said:

With that labor charge, weather was “the guys” problem, not his

This ^^^^^^^

Dropped it off this morning... That was his estimate. He is usually very close.

28firefighter

Well that is just crappy luck - I still like that Fit though.

Our friends have a 2015 Fit EX-L that they have been talking about getting rid of for something bigger (their other car is a Forester XT). After reviewing potential options, it became clear that keeping the Fit until the wheels fell off was probably the only choice that made good sense.

tifighter

fintail said:

I'll admit if I had 30 grand burning a hole in my pocket, it'd be hard to walk away from the SEC I linked. The later 560s can bring good money now, and that one is more fun, if maybe not the most elegant. I sometimes think what I'd get if I wanted another hobby car, and a 126 model is a frontrunner. Hard to go wrong with some 107s and 129s as well, lots of style for the money, just gotta find one with as few needs as possible.

The seller presents his stock well, and there's value in buying something that doesn't need work. He's also in a Klondike area for old MBs. I hadn't seen his listing site, thanks for sharing that.

tifighter said:

He is higher end pricewise, but the quality seems to be there. He has some happy customers on BaT, and seems to have a good rep in the Bay Area MB community.

I liked that 123 coupe too.

Well, I'd love to have a 4sp Pagoda, but the prices make me swallow too hard. So a good 107 or 129 is as close as I'll get, and the manuals appeal to me. Even though I truthfully realize that the character of these cars is probably better suited to the autobox.

andres3

Michaell said:

Ditto the comments above on our 2015 Outback Limited with the 3.6 engine. 35,000 miles in just over 5 years.

The 3.6 is a very good engine as I test drove both the 2.5 and 3.6 Subaru's with the crappy CVT transmission that I'm in the "hate it" camp with. The 2.5 fails to mask the CVT. The 3.6 succeeds at masking the CVT's shortcoming which is high praise indeed.

Indeed, I believe the only knock on the 3.6 from Subaru could be fuel economy.

fintail

I recall when decent driver 230SLs could be found all day long for under 20K - this was only around 20 years ago. Why not a 5-speed Pagoda, go all out! I've seen at least a couple over the years at the annual MBCA gathering.

I've heard the MB manuals of the era called "oar in a barrel", and the V8 107s a "German Buick" - a cruiser rather than a corner carver.

tifighter said:

Well, I'd love to have a 4sp Pagoda, but the prices make me swallow too hard. So a good 107 or 129 is as close as I'll get, and the manuals appeal to me. Even though I truthfully realize that the character of these cars is probably better suited to the autobox.

Michaell

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

Ditto the comments above on our 2015 Outback Limited with the 3.6 engine. 35,000 miles in just over 5 years.

The 3.6 is a very good engine as I test drove both the 2.5 and 3.6 Subaru's with the crappy CVT transmission that I'm in the "hate it" camp with. The 2.5 fails to mask the CVT. The 3.6 succeeds at masking the CVT's shortcoming which is high praise indeed.

Indeed, I believe the only knock on the 3.6 from Subaru could be fuel economy.

We get pretty much the EPA mileage - 20 or so around town, 26-28 on the highway.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

Ditto the comments above on our 2015 Outback Limited with the 3.6 engine. 35,000 miles in just over 5 years.

The 3.6 is a very good engine as I test drove both the 2.5 and 3.6 Subaru's with the crappy CVT transmission that I'm in the "hate it" camp with. The 2.5 fails to mask the CVT. The 3.6 succeeds at masking the CVT's shortcoming which is high praise indeed.

Indeed, I believe the only knock on the 3.6 from Subaru could be fuel economy.

We get pretty much the EPA mileage - 20 or so around town, 26-28 on the highway.

Same here.

xwesx

Rode my bike to work this morning... First ride of the season! It is still a bit wintery out there, but the temperature this morning was just under freezing (water was dripping off the roof, but there was a thin layer of ice over everything on the ground) and most of the roads are completely dry, so I figured it was time to scratch that itch.

Overall, it went very well! My body didn't fail, which was a big plus, and there was only one time I had to backtrack because one of the paths was not plowed out, so it still had about 18" of heavy/icy snow covering it. Aside from a few patches of ice due to overflow and/or drainage, it was smooth sailing. 14 miles, 55 minutes. It felt really good to be out there again, but I am "feeling it" in other ways now.

I am bumping up my goal for this year to 1,500 miles (up from 1,000 last summer, which I exceeded by 39 miles).

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe1 said:

,,, here at Edmunds about why my cars aren't shown because they are in my profile. After they answer that ask them how my cousin @jmonroe1 is allowed to hack into my account and spout off thinking he's me. Pretty soon I'm going to get a bad rep because of that guy. :@

jmonroe

So it's a family affair for you two?

I guess. Very typical, the black sheep side of the family always screws it up for the rest of us.

jmonroe

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

andres3

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Saved money, but not time

xwesx

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Saved money, but not time

In many cases, both. If you consider the time taken for setting up an appointment, taking in the car, dropping off, shuttles, loaners, etc. Heck, even my spending three hours last weekend tracing and verifying a fuel pump assembly failure on my 2008 Forester was still a time savings compared to a shop. $420 for the cost of the assembly, which hurts, but I'm sure I could at least double that for the final bill from the shop.

kyfdx

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Saved money, but not time

In many cases, both. If you consider the time taken for setting up an appointment, taking in the car, dropping off, shuttles, loaners, etc. Heck, even my spending three hours last weekend tracing and verifying a fuel pump assembly failure on my 2008 Forester was still a time savings compared to a shop. $420 for the cost of the assembly, which hurts, but I'm sure I could at least double that for the final bill from the shop.

It took me three minutes to drop off the car (1/2 mile away...).

I figured at $30/hour, I saved $600 over doing it myself, even if the parts were free.

You have to know your limitations.

sda

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Saved money, but not time

You can’t put a price on the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Money saved is the icing on the cake.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Saved money, but not time

Well, of course, YMMV. I don't have a shop anywhere near me. So that's easily 2 hrs between my wife and me, unless I sit at the shop waiting, in which case I'm still out 45 mins, minimum. So let's assume 3 hrs my own labor vs 45 mins. I'd save 2.25 hrs going to the shop, but paying $350. I'll take $155/hr for my own labor any day every day! Everyone has to do their own equation.

28firefighter

What is the calculation for doing it myself and then having to have a shop re-do it because I did it myself?

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

What is the calculation for doing it myself and then having to have a shop re-do it because I did it myself?

I think you cube it and multiple by pi.

28firefighter

I need to find my quadratic equation notes.

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
But then you sell the car right after it's fixed!

mjfloyd1

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Where did the $270 come from?

andres3

Speaking of do-it yourself work, I've been in the car washing business the last 2 afternoons:

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

What is the calculation for doing it myself and then having to have a shop re-do it because I did it myself?

There's a BMW shop here in Pittsburgh that is extremely reputable but its owner is renowned for turning away cars whose owner tried to wrench on it themselves and then had to bring it to the shop to be done the right way.

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

28firefighter said:

What is the calculation for doing it myself and then having to have a shop re-do it because I did it myself?

There's a BMW shop here in Pittsburgh that is extremely reputable but its owner is renowned for turning away cars whose owner tried to wrench on it themselves and then had to bring it to the shop to be done the right way.

Bill Ballon!

pensfan83

Yep!

pensfan83

Speaking of service the Tacoma's service minder came on the other day so I set an appointment for next week. They'll rotate the tires and top off fluids, no charge. We're now stockpiling mileage on that lease too

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

Ditto the comments above on our 2015 Outback Limited with the 3.6 engine. 35,000 miles in just over 5 years.

The 3.6 is a very good engine as I test drove both the 2.5 and 3.6 Subaru's with the crappy CVT transmission that I'm in the "hate it" camp with. The 2.5 fails to mask the CVT. The 3.6 succeeds at masking the CVT's shortcoming which is high praise indeed.

Indeed, I believe the only knock on the 3.6 from Subaru could be fuel economy.

We get pretty much the EPA mileage - 20 or so around town, 26-28 on the highway.

Same here.

Guys, I don't know how you get 20 MPG around town with a 3.6 Subie engine. I must be a lead foot. As I was getting out of the car just now coming home from flip house #2, my mileage showed 15.1 MPG and that has been all local driving. And that is for a full tank of gas because the low fuel warning popped up about 7 houses from my driveway.

jmonroe

suydam

20 mpg is terrible gas mileage! I had no idea they were that bad.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

Fit update: both front calipers seized. Rebuilt calipers, pads and rotors, labor: $600

Ouch. That's pricey. But I guess that makes sense retail-wise. Figure $80/caliper, $50/rotor, $50 pads = $310. 2 hrs labor at $120 ea. $240+$270=$550+tax.

Of course, it would have cost me maybe $250 and an afternoon. It is sometimes amazing to think how much I have saved over the years thanks to dad's training.

Now mosey on over to Cars and Conversations and try explaining that to @driver100. Good luck.

jmonroe