Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

I saw a very sharp looking Miata RF in Black the other day. That looks like a fun car to drive!

stickguy

tonight's adventure was the girls using my head as a guinea pig for learning to cut. Will wait until tomorrow to work on the plumbing after that excitement!

impressed by Moen customer service. In the middle of a pandemic, I called Tuesday at 9:30 AM, and the new part got her from NC by 11:30 AM Wednesday. Even Prime isn't that fast these days! will just work on that tomorrow morning when I am fresh.

corvette

tifighter said:

Today's random Craigslist posting is all about the color combo. Love to see something besides silver, white and black.

Gorgeous color combo!

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

yikes.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-land-rover-one-ten-23/

Think of what you could have done on a different car with $136k.

My thoughts exactly. I can't even... It's neat, but if I had that kind of money, give me one of those late model Super Duties that that guy in Texas has grafted an Excursion body onto, any day.

And, I've always kind of wanted one of the early generation Lexus LS cars, but even with something built like a brick outhouse, once you hit the 10-15 year mark, annoying things are probably going to start to go.

pensfan83

I read an article awhile back about someone who had bought one of the early LS cars with an absurd amount of miles (700K or something like that) but it ran just about perfectly and it was used as a DD. Wish I could remember what publication it was in.

corvette

I've heard those stories, and have heard of original owners getting to 500k with minimal repairs, etc... But, I have a fairly low tolerance for things that most people would ignore or learn to live with on an older car. If it drips fluids on my driveway, that's something that needs to be fixed. Suspension creaks when it's cold? Pay the man. Tires make too much noise, but have plenty of tread? Time for a new set.

Currently on a "witch hunt" with the new MacBook - it doesn't play nicely with one of the non-Apple chargers and cables I'm using with it, and I'm still trying to figure out whether it's the charger or the cable, or an interaction between the two.

stickguy

I read that too. I recall that he wanted to get it to 1,000,000 miles but just could not drive it enough, so he loaned it out to anyone that wanted to borrow it. So the car wandered the country for a while like a rental car, but he got it over the top!

fintail

The early LS is overbuilt in that bubble era tradition - if maintained, I have little doubt one could hit a million miles. Some things would need replacement, but it could do it. I have little doubt those cars were sold at a loss for the first several years to gain a following.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Other than wearing out fast did you have any other complaints with the Pirellis? Mine developed a whine at 10k.

Oh, well, the tires I'm replacing *are not* Pirellis. They are some incredibly cheap (as evidenced by their lack of longevity) brand called "Sentury." I suppose the tires worked fine in terms of grip and noise and whatnot. They were quite skittish in the rain last summer, but I'm pretty sure that was just because they were nearly bald. Honestly, I had never in my life kept tires down to that low of tread depth (they were barely reading 4/32" at the start of the summer and were at 2/32" by the end), so it was a first for me. Given he experience we had with that rental Santa Fe in Pennsylvania a couple years ago, maybe that is just par for the course with tires that low on tread.

This will be my first experience with the Pirelli brand. Hopefully the new tires are here tomorrow. Honestly, though, I'm not sure why I like getting new tires so much. Maybe it is just a psychological adapation to rationalize spending so much money on something so basic...?

xwesx

sb55 said:

I was thinking that. If we get too many cancellations, then let friends come up for a social distance BBQ and then maybe a driving tour of Northern VT. A trip from the Lake, then up over Smuggler's Notch and down through Stowe is always a favorite.

Heck ya; I'm game.

Maybe if I bring my weed trimmer, I can get a discount...?

xwesx

tifighter said:

Today's random Craigslist posting is all about the color combo. Love to see something besides silver, white and black.

Nice! That's the color combo I wanted to get on the Q7, but finding one (TDI) was tough to begin, but the fact the sellers of the two I did find felt like they were worth a mint ended up making the decision for me.

xwesx

fintail said:

With the fintail's turn signals being kaput, I guess I could get used to driving an Audi. Nice seeing one that isn't a CUV.

Hahaha, nice one. The lack of reactions tells me that your post was just short enough to either fly under the radar or soar high above.

I'll have you know that the signals in mine work just fine.

xwesx

kyfdx said:

@xwesx These are non-native ornamental trees. You don't get edible fruit.

Oh, well, GET RID OF IT!

tifighter

xwesx said:

tifighter said:

Today's random Craigslist posting is all about the color combo. Love to see something besides silver, white and black.

Nice! That's the color combo I wanted to get on the Q7, but finding one (TDI) was tough to begin, but the fact the sellers of the two I did find felt like they were worth a mint ended up making the decision for me.

Agreed on the combo. Of course, I recently had a brown Volvo wagon so I'm not exactly unbiased. I'm guessing that A5 was customer ordered, but if not, the sales manager had good taste.

tifighter

Let's get to today's random craigslist posting. Want a truck? Want a vette? Have some heavy equipment? Have we got the thing for you...

I admit I'd like to test drive this one, just to see what the heck it's like.

28firefighter

Well that's different.

fintail

Boomer dream car, I recall seeing those with a 10K ADM.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

Let's get to today's random craigslist posting. Want a truck? Want a vette? Have some heavy equipment? Have we got the thing for you...

I admit I'd like to test drive this one, just to see what the heck it's like.

Didn’t those retail in the mid $30s when they were new? That’s some low depreciation on a 15 year old car. Those had a 5.7L from the factory so did he LS swap in a 6.0L?

tifighter

oldfarmer50 said:

tifighter said:

Let's get to today's random craigslist posting. Want a truck? Want a vette? Have some heavy equipment? Have we got the thing for you...

I admit I'd like to test drive this one, just to see what the heck it's like.

Didn’t those retail in the mid $30s when they were new? That’s some low depreciation.

You made me go look. LS2 came on the 2005+. Started at $43K. The manual was an $800 option. Rated at 390hp, 0-60 in the mid-5's. Apparently, this is the one to have - they only made the LS2 with a manual in 05 and 06. Take rate was low, so it is pretty rare.

stickguy

I love it. Covers all the toy and “practical” spare toy car boxes!

suydam

Ah, yes. The ornamental pear. Prized By developers for fast growth —- and equally prone to falling over at the slightest wisp of wind. Or better yet, splitting in half.

tjc78

I'm not a huge fan, but I bet it's pretty fun to drive around in!

kyfdx

suydam said:

Ah, yes. The ornamental pear. Prized By developers for fast growth —- and equally prone to falling over at the slightest wisp of wind. Or better yet, splitting in half.

Or, in the case of our area, proliferating wildly along rocky terrain adjacent to interstates.
Semi-pretty, seeing all of those blooms in late March, until you realize they are over running the native flora.

I'll have to see if I have a picture of the one in my backyard. It's big and beautiful. And, living on borrowed time.

ab348

Up here, the somewhat loony "progressive" members of our city council have advocated for planting of "fruit and nut" trees on municipal ROWs next to streets to (quoting here) "giving those citizens suffering from food insecurity an opportunity to obtain fresh fruit and edible nuts". Of course we live in a welfare state here so food insecurity is largely a fiction, but no matter. A few voices pointed out the mess and the hazards this could create when ripe fruit drops or areas become overrun with scavenging critters. but no matter, they did it. No harvest has happened yet so presumably people are starving.

andres3

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Other than wearing out fast did you have any other complaints with the Pirellis? Mine developed a whine at 10k.

Oh, well, the tires I'm replacing *are not* Pirellis. They are some incredibly cheap (as evidenced by their lack of longevity) brand called "Sentury." I suppose the tires worked fine in terms of grip and noise and whatnot. They were quite skittish in the rain last summer, but I'm pretty sure that was just because they were nearly bald. Honestly, I had never in my life kept tires down to that low of tread depth (they were barely reading 4/32" at the start of the summer and were at 2/32" by the end), so it was a first for me. Given he experience we had with that rental Santa Fe in Pennsylvania a couple years ago, maybe that is just par for the course with tires that low on tread.

This will be my first experience with the Pirelli brand. Hopefully the new tires are here tomorrow. Honestly, though, I'm not sure why I like getting new tires so much. Maybe it is just a psychological adapation to rationalize spending so much money on something so basic...?

Low tread depth tires are terrible in the rain. New high tread depth tires are great in the rain. Ultra high or max performance summer tires are amazing in the rain as well. However, they don't like snow or ice.

I like new shoes on my cars, except when there's a puncture/flat issue. That's just bad timing. An irreparable puncture should only happen at the end of the tire's life. If one only had some luck

roadburner

ab348 said:

Up here, the somewhat loony "progressive" members of our city council have advocated for planting of "fruit and nut" trees on municipal ROWs next to streets to (quoting here) "giving those citizens suffering from food insecurity an opportunity to obtain fresh fruit and edible nuts". Of course we live in a welfare state here so food insecurity is largely a fiction, but no matter. A few voices pointed out the mess and the hazards this could create when ripe fruit drops or areas become overrun with scavenging critters. but no matter, they did it. No harvest has happened yet so presumably people are starving.

You will have wasps and bees by the thousands when the rotting fruit hits the ground. What a moronic idea.

venture

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Other than wearing out fast did you have any other complaints with the Pirellis? Mine developed a whine at 10k.

Honestly, though, I'm not sure why I like getting new tires so much. Maybe it is just a psychological adapation to rationalize spending so much money on something so basic...?

I thought it was just me.

qbrozen

AND THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
Not sure I've ever seen a thread closed before. Not even sure what it was about. (referring to the Conversations thread, for those who don't follow it)

Anyhoo, so my sister's story is ongoing, but here is where it stands. Rodo rep called sis and told her "oh, this guy at the Toyota store has closed 5-6 deals for us this week, so this will be no problem. He'll call you soon."

... 24 hrs later, nothing. So I told her let's just go through the broker. It will run $5/mo more in the end, but you would have choice of colors. She texted him at 4pm yesterday and had the deal locked and loaded by 5:30 on her #1 color choice (Cement) with sidesteps and black wheels. She heard from Rodo's toyota dealer about 7 through email where he said "we have a trainload of new trucks coming in. Call me if interested." WTH? Rodo rep reached out this afternoon and my sis told him she couldn't wait till the month's deals expired and went elsewhere. Informed him of what 'yota salesperson said and the rep was furious (according to sis), saying "this is our reputation these guys are messing with!" Oh well.

venture

qbrozen said:

AND THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
Not sure I've ever seen a thread closed before. Not even sure what it was about. (referring to the Conversations thread, for those who don't follow it)

I've seen it closed before for the same reason. Even after a polite warning a certain few just can't stop expressing their opinions - weather anyone wants to hear them or not.

abacomike

venture said:

qbrozen said:

AND THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
Not sure I've ever seen a thread closed before. Not even sure what it was about. (referring to the Conversations thread, for those who don't follow it)

I've seen it closed before for the same reason. Even after a polite warning a certain few just can't stop expressing their opinions - weather anyone wants to hear them or not.

What the moderators could do is suspend the "felons" for 7-14 days from the board without punishing the innocents along with the rule breakers.

But monitoring the site is not an easy job. There are those posters who just don't or can't curb their political biases.

Our moderators always do a great 👍 job, even when it gets out of hand. I wouldn't have the patience they possess. 😛

andres3

Now everyone go out and buy a nice new car!

abacomike

andres3 said:

Now everyone go out and buy a nice new car!

I'm trying hard to do that - believe me!

venture

abacomike said:

venture said:

qbrozen said:

AND THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
Not sure I've ever seen a thread closed before. Not even sure what it was about. (referring to the Conversations thread, for those who don't follow it)

I've seen it closed before for the same reason. Even after a polite warning a certain few just can't stop expressing their opinions - weather anyone wants to hear them or not.

What the moderators could do is suspend the "felons" for 7-14 days from the board without punishing the innocents along with the rule breakers.

But monitoring the site is not an easy job. There are those posters who just don't or can't curb their political biases.

Our moderators always do a great 👍 job, even when it gets out of hand. I wouldn't have the patience they possess. 😛

I agree Mike. They do a wonderful job.

When I was hosting chat rooms for Microsoft, I would eliminate the offenders after a few warnings.

stickguy

Hey, I bought during the pandemic. You people (other than Jip and Mike) are the ones letting us down!

carnaught

Wasn’t on the C & C board since early morning and now I see it’s been closed. I’m bummed .

stickguy

hopefully after a few days cooling off period it will re-open.

the way my house is falling apart I need someplace to ask questions! Today's fun was about 20' of my back fence blowing down. at least the fence guy is open!

stickguy

not sure if I posted an update on my 3rd base coaching for my sister's potential purchase. She looked at Subaru first and really liked the Forester. last weekend she stopped at Mazda. Liked the interior/tech set-up on the CX30 but found it a bit small, and A pillars restricted her view. The CX5 was a good size, and better sighlines, but she found the tech design a bit out of date. So I think that those models are off the list.

not sure if there is actually anything else on the list. I don't think she wants to look more upscale (though found the Volvo XC40 quite pretty!) because of the price. But, never say never.

qbrozen

I haven't bought a car since Jan. I'm starting to get the shakes.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

not sure if I posted an update on my 3rd base coaching for my sister's potential purchase. She looked at Subaru first and really liked the Forester. last weekend she stopped at Mazda. Liked the interior/tech set-up on the CX30 but found it a bit small, and A pillars restricted her view. The CX5 was a good size, and better sighlines, but she found the tech design a bit out of date. So I think that those models are off the list.

not sure if there is actually anything else on the list. I don't think she wants to look more upscale (though found the Volvo XC40 quite pretty!) because of the price. But, never say never.

Is she buying or leasing? If buying, new or used?

stickguy

qbrozen said:

I haven't bought a car since Jan. I'm starting to get the shakes.

how long have the Breld's been on the wagon? This might be some kind of record.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

not sure if I posted an update on my 3rd base coaching for my sister's potential purchase. She looked at Subaru first and really liked the Forester. last weekend she stopped at Mazda. Liked the interior/tech set-up on the CX30 but found it a bit small, and A pillars restricted her view. The CX5 was a good size, and better sighlines, but she found the tech design a bit out of date. So I think that those models are off the list.

not sure if there is actually anything else on the list. I don't think she wants to look more upscale (though found the Volvo XC40 quite pretty!) because of the price. But, never say never.

Is she buying or leasing? If buying, new or used?

new, though if it was something like the Volvo I touted the loaner concept. She was slightly willing to think about that. It will be a purchase and long term hold. The car before her 2009 TSX was the 2000 TL that I bought from her when she got the TSX in December 2008. So I expect the next car to go 10+ years (and should cross over her eventual retirement midway through it).

stickguy

I actually just sent her a link to a CRV Hybrid. Can't remember if I suggested that originally, and if so, what she thought about it! My mind ain't what it used to be.

corvette

qbrozen said:

So I told her let's just go through the broker. It will run $5/mo more in the end, but you would have choice of colors. She texted him at 4pm yesterday and had the deal locked and loaded by 5:30 on her #1 color choice (Cement) with sidesteps and black wheels.

The guy on Leasehackr? That's who I went through. Easy deal, will probably do again in 22 months if the same sorts of deals are on the table.

tjc78

No lease transfers on Volvo and I’m sure that lease is buried ... so I’m thinking his Volvo will be around a while!!

suydam

stickguy said:

not sure if I posted an update on my 3rd base coaching for my sister's potential purchase. She looked at Subaru first and really liked the Forester. last weekend she stopped at Mazda. Liked the interior/tech set-up on the CX30 but found it a bit small, and A pillars restricted her view. The CX5 was a good size, and better sighlines, but she found the tech design a bit out of date. So I think that those models are off the list.

not sure if there is actually anything else on the list. I don't think she wants to look more upscale (though found the Volvo XC40 quite pretty!) because of the price. But, never say never.

Forester’s strength has always been its visibility. It will be hard to find on any other model.

oldfarmer50

carnaught said:

Wasn’t on the C & C board since early morning and now I see it’s been closed. I’m bummed .

Last I check they just removed a bunch of even remotely political posts. Did something happen after that?

Anyway, I‘m reading about precipitous drops in used car prices. I imagine the high end cars you guy prefer would be less affected but the meat & potatoes basic car that I look at might be a bargain. I’m always on the look out for my son’s next a Uber car. My opinion on driving for ride share is that to make it work you need to reduce your capital investment by buying a basic car that is mostly depreciated. Otherwise the economics don’t seem to work. 10 year old +- domestic cars seem to fit the bill.

I see ads like this and wonder if I should take the plunge now or wait until I actually need one in a couple of years. It seems like some dealers are slashing prices big time.

https://www.easthillschevroletoffreeport.com/VehicleDetails/used-2011-Chevrolet-Malibu-LS-Freeport-NY/3591325703

Michaell

Calling all experts...

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/61070/lexus/x/my-lexus-ls430-has-199k-miles-is-it-time-to-replace-it-and-if-so-whats-as-good#latest

28firefighter

I’ve been making small purchases for the ZHP because I can’t help myself. New shoes, alignment, Bluetooth phone and audio module (coming next month).

Looking at swapping out the ZKW brand xenons with the AL OEM equivalent because the bowls are burnt on mine.

None of this expensive, either, because so many of the parts overlap with the regular E46.

stickguy

Farmer, that looks like a really good deal. Heck, if I was shopping for a cheap spare car I would consider it. Of course I would take myself out of it!

what is the age limit on those? That is about to be 10 model years old. Miles are great, so is price, as long as you can get a few years out of it.

but my opinion is not to buy something much before you need it. certainly not a couple years! Heck, who knows if Uber will still be the same by then. Is your son still working at all now?

stickguy

28firefighter said:

I’ve been making small purchases for the ZHP because I can’t help myself. New shoes, alignment, Bluetooth phone and audio module (coming next month).

Looking at swapping out the ZKW brand xenons with the AL OEM equivalent because the bowls are burnt on mine.

None of this expensive, either, because so many of the parts overlap with the regular E46.

what's the point of buying an older toy car if you can't buy some fun stuff for it?