Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

stickguy said:

nothing like the fun of cresting a hill in the wet in my RWD Nissan PU. No electronic nannies intervening with that!

I did that once in my '87 4runner. Wasn't even going very fast. Freshly renewed onramp and light rain. Like buttah on a hot pan. lol.

qbrozen

oh, speaking of trucks, my BIL came by with the Taco today. I took it for a brief spin. Its ... OK. I'm kind of surprised how they managed to make it ride like a previous-generation full-size truck, yet give you the seating room of a compact SUV. And what the hell is with the telescoping wheel? It moves in and out maybe 1 inch? What the heck is the point? I will say it is good looking, at least.

benjaminh

This guy is really a chronic buyer of expensive or even impossible to keep old cars. I was amazed that even after thousands of dollars of work this car couldn't be saved....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4qewQkYTTs

stickguy

I love these videos. and this is also a reminder not to buy an older BMW.

roadburner

stickguy said:

I love these videos. and this is also a reminder not to buy an older BMW.

No, it's a reminder not to buy an older BMW if you are completely clueless and not wired in to the people in the BMW community who know what they are talking about- and aren't pulling their learned opinions out of their *ss.
Remember the TV show that converted an E46 M3 to a manual because of how much it would cost to fix the SMG? I opined that the issue was the hydraulic pump- a much cheaper fix. Guess what? A tech columnist for the British magazine BMW CAR referenced the same show and reached the same conclusion- a bad pump. But of course the idjits on the tube are "professionals"... right.
Would I recommend a non-gearhead buy an E60 M5 or E9x M3? No, but the vast majority of I4/I6 BMWs are relatively easy to maintain if you have a modicum of mechanical ability(and common sense).
That said, the myths and legends that scare the unknowing away also make some very nice Bimmers more affordable- so I should probably avoid debunking them.

28firefighter

So, Hoovie’s Garage’s schtick is to buy the worst examples despite normal judgment because that’s how he generates revenue. The bigger the failure, the more clicks he gets. This Alpina was no exception. He tells everyone constantly not to do what he does, and yet in the video comments, we continue to see people mad that they did what he did and got burned - badly. In fact the exceptions on his channel are when he doesn’t buy the most ratted out examples.

WRT to Wheeler Dealers, a transmission swap is good TV (and something they hadn’t done before) and an E46 M3 6MT is more desirable than the SMG. So...

Both of these folks are making $$$ from their videos so, who is the idiot? I’m starting to think it is me for not being smart enough to think of it first.

tjc78

Exactly. The shows are popular and and making them $$.

In Hoovie’s case he gets to buy cheap examples off YT revenue, drive and beat on them all he wants and then sells them off at probably a net profit or small loss on paper.

Pretty smart IMO.

As a sidebar, I’m sure that the “Wizard” who fixes his cars isn’t hurting either.

Another great YT channel where the author does his own wrenching is WatchJRGo

28firefighter

Car Wizard has his own channel and is doing just fine thanks to Hoovie’s use of him.

stickguy

well, Edd is a master mechanic so I trust what he is doing. and no one without unlimited funds and no common sense will come out alive on something like that Alpina. But yes, and old school NA 4 banger with minimal electronics is doable, whether you want to DIY or not. Can't say the same about a later V8!

I do recall that SMG episode and the primary reason for the swap was that the manual was worth more (and of course, much more fun!). Who knows if they played up the problem with the unit or not, but they certainly could have repaired it instead. He is the guy that took apart the top of an air cooled 911 while in the car to replace some gear for the system that adjusts the runners for the valves (I know I described that wrong!) But one of those things where it was technically a unit that has to be replaced as a piece, when the problem was a little plastic gear that he managed to find for cheap, and took apart and replaced just that.

stickguy

I liked the mechanic. what a gig. after charging $6,000 or so to do all the work that was not actually the problem, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "I tried"

roadburner

28firefighter said:

So, Hoovie’s Garage’s schtick is to buy the worst examples despite normal judgment because that’s how he generates revenue. The bigger the failure, the more clicks he gets. This Alpina was no exception. He tells everyone constantly not to do what he does, and yet in the video comments, we continue to see people mad that they did what he did and got burned - badly. In fact the exceptions on his channel are when he doesn’t buy the most ratted out examples.

WRT to Wheeler Dealers, a transmission swap is good TV (and something they hadn’t done before) and an E46 M3 6MT is more desirable than the SMG. So...

Both of these folks are making $$$ from their videos so, who is the idiot? I’m starting to think it is me for not being smart enough to think of it first.

I’ve always been inclined to not express an opinion on something I know little to nothing about- so as an example, I won’t discuss the reliability of a particular car unless I’ve owned or dealt with one on an extended basis. As a result it irritates me to no end when clueless sheeple parrot fifth hand hearsay concerning a vehicle they have yet to even sit in.
But that’s just me.

28firefighter

So, then Hoovie’s garage isn’t for you! In the meantime, there is an Alpina B7 in KC that you can rescue for pennies on the dollar.

Michaell

Member wants to know if they should buy a former rental car:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/61304/general/x/what-is-your-experience-with-purchasing-a-rental-car#latest

ab348

Does anyone on here have Motor Trend TV as a streaming service? I do and am about to give up on it. It was sold as a streaming version of Discovery Velocity but with more content. It does have more content but almost all of it is crap - stuff like Dirt Every Day and Roadkill. It had some bizarre F1 series profiling each of the teams that uses a weird computer-generated voice as narrator which I found intolerable. It has some but not all of the programming that Velocity carries. It does have the full archive of Top Gear (when it is working right, which isn't often) and a number of recent Fifth Gear seasons from the UK, which isn't bad. And they had Steve Magnante do a few series of Junkyard Gold which is sometimes good entertainment. They went in whole-hog on Wheeler Dealers too, but the recent seasons of that are not very good, and they have a bunch of Mike Brewer programming as well which varies between tolerable and unwatchable. Most of what I see come up there is pretty crummy, and every time I have to re-up for the monthly fee I think about cancelling it. I wonder if its just me or if others feel the same way..

benjaminh

Chrysler Presents the Imperial for 1958....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrfF1vAfmq8&t=106s

breld

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

fintail

I can tell Hoovie doesn't exactly come from a working class family, but have you seen his house? Even in flyover country, it couldn't be cheap - his YT and merch revenue must be off the charts. And deservedly so, he makes some fun content - I don't like very many YT car personalities, but I find him entertaining.

I think the lesson on this Alpina is avoid old BMW V8s. I've seen my share of local examples also smoking in a way that would startle me even if the fintail did likewise.

sda

fintail said:

I can tell Hoovie doesn't exactly come from a working class family, but have you seen his house? Even in flyover country, it couldn't be cheap - his YT and merch revenue must be off the charts. And deservedly so, he makes some fun content - I don't like very many YT car personalities, but I find him entertaining.

I think the lesson on this Alpina is avoid old BMW V8s. I've seen my share of local examples also smoking in a way that would startle me even if the fintail did likewise.

They smoked worse than my 71 Vega with a scored block! Mosquito control.

fintail

When the fintail had a failing piston ring, it could smoke pretty nicely. Then the ring broke and would foul the plug, not as fun.

sda said:

They smoked worse than my 71 Vega with a scored block! Mosquito control.

Michaell

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

I like that color combo.

Since you've already had one, neither of the last two statements apply.

Sandman6472

My paternal grandpa loved his Mopar vehicles especially the Imperial. I can remember his 1958 with those cool tail lights. As I recall, he go a new one every two years and his last one was a 1967 four door, maroon with a black vinyl top. All cool cars that would spend half the year down in Miami Beach, Hallendale and eventually Aventura.

Sandman6472

Still on furlough though heard from a bud at Hertz that they started again last week, only working two days. Have not heard when we'll be called back but thinking around June 1st would seem reasonable. Making a bit more staying home actually but starting to get a bit lazy and definitely sleeping more.
Broward County will be opening more places come Monday morning. Even my barber texted his new hours and directions about how to make an appointment on the hour. Guess they need time after one client leaves to clean up the area correctly. Just glad I had that guy come to the house last week to do mine. Paid a little bit more but he did a great job and cleaned up nicely, wife had no clue where he even did it!
But, by next Monday, I'll be more then ready to return to a normal schedule.

tifighter

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

I like it. A little darker. Not all reds are equal. Even on something like a Corvette, which always scores high on the mid-life crisis index, a slight shade change in red makes a difference:

Hey Ladies!

vs

Older couple that likes to go weekend touring.

But I bought a red Model X so what do I know?

ab348

About half the Mazdas I see are painted that color which is really the only strike against it, being too common. Odd in that it is an extra-cost color but their regular selection of colors is pretty sparse and rather dismal, so perhaps that drives buyers to splurge.

Having been parked next to a Soul Red Mazda once I can attest that it is almost the exact same color as my Red Obsession ATS and is a very nice color choice. Especially on something like a Miata.

roadburner

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

I love that RF; I'd get one today if it packed about 100 more hp.

explorerx4

Hoovie has spawned a bunch in imitators who also now buy the cheapest 'XYZ' and post of their misadventures, either on the road or at the mechanic.

breld

roadburner said:

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

I love that RF; I'd get one today if it packed about 100 more hp.

Here’s your answer.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/index.php

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/a31759/first-drive-2015-flyin-miata-mazda-mx-5-v-8/

imidazol97

Michaell said:

Member wants to know if they should buy a former rental car:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/61304/general/x/what-is-your-experience-with-purchasing-a-rental-car#latest

Done. Hope it helps him/her.

stickguy

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

looks nice. When do you pick it up?

stickguy

I like both those Corvettes. But "hello ladies" is 12 YO and only 3,500 miles on it? Why bother to even buy one to do 300 miles a year? Not like it is a museum piece!

stickguy

roadburner said:

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

I love that RF; I'd get one today if it packed about 100 more hp.

easy enough. DIY too! Though I think this one is for an older model.

of course, could always go full Flyin Miata and drop a V8 in. that should have enough HP.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/custom-turbo-system-na6-chassis.html

Edit: For the new model. Seems like it takes very little time to install.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/bbr-stage-1-turbo.html

tifighter

stickguy said:

I like both those Corvettes. But "hello ladies" is 12 YO and only 3,500 miles on it? Why bother to even buy one to do 300 miles a year? Not like it is a museum piece!

The darker one appeals to me. Nice color, 25k miles and pretty well equipped. Plus manual tranny. I've never actually driven one so I can't say if it actually floats my boat. But mostly what I see locally are zee Germans in black, white, silver or grey. So at least this seems a little different.

kyfdx

The C6 is awesome. But, I would only want a coupe. The one I drove was a Z06, and 505 HP NA is a nice number...

It has a weird 7-speed manual, but with that torque, you only need two gears..

roadburner

I’m not a fan of mixed brand swaps. The turbo is something I would consider.

breld

With all the rumors that had been going around for awhile, I’m surprised Mazda never resurrected the Mazdaspeed3. And of course, that would lead nicely into a Mazdaspeed Miata.

breld

stickguy said:

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

looks nice. When do you pick it up?

I’m trying to hold on to the 228i a bit longer, but this time of year always makes another Miata tempting. Obviously I wish I had just held on to mine, but since I didn’t I’m pretty set on getting a 2019 with the 30 or so extra hp. Which means, holding out for those to be more available on the used market would be good.

So...probably next week.

explorerx4

Mazda has to figure out how to sell their mainstream offerings.

roadburner

breld said:

With all the rumors that had been going around for awhile, I’m surprised Mazda never resurrected the Mazdaspeed3. And of course, that would lead nicely into a Mazdaspeed Miata.

I was told that the 2.3 turbo used in the MS3 and MS6 wouldn’t fit in the Miata due to the camshaft driven fuel pump making the motor too long to fit.
Had Mazda continued building Mazdaspeed cars I would probably still have a Mazda in my garage. The current Mazda lineup is solid, but there isn’t anything entertaining enough to turn my head.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

Here's a M235i moron akin to M4 guy- fro a topic he started entitled "Feel like M235i isn't able to be driven hard":

By driven hard I mean mostly stuff like power sliding and donuts. After all, my engine seized at 46k because of doing donuts for like 20 seconds and it threw a rod bearing. Also I've been trying to have fun sliding it in the wet but with the e-lsd and dsc off it just completely spins out with any real throttle input. In sport plus the dtc doesn't let it spin or really slide. And since I have an auto throttle input is horrible as you're either giving it too little or too much and have to step into overdrive. My E39 540 with an open diff was easier to slide and I didn't have to worry about seizing my engine or another major eff up just because I'm having fun with the car.

Are my issues just because auto and no lsd? Or do others feel the same.
Inb4 "take it to the track if you want to drive hard". No

Couldn’t doing donuts for 20 seconds starve some engines of oil? No wonder it blew up.

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

This guy is really a chronic buyer of expensive or even impossible to keep old cars. I was amazed that even after thousands of dollars of work this car couldn't be saved....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4qewQkYTTs

I saw that yesterday on YouTube. I have to wonder, if that supercharger was bleeding oil so badly why didn’t Hoovie notice it when he bought it.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

Exactly. The shows are popular and and making them $$.

In Hoovie’s case he gets to buy cheap examples off YT revenue, drive and beat on them all he wants and then sells them off at probably a net profit or small loss on paper.

Pretty smart IMO.

As a sidebar, I’m sure that the “Wizard” who fixes his cars isn’t hurting either.

Another great YT channel where the author does his own wrenching is WatchJRGo

The “Weeeezird” has his own channel now.

qbrozen

roadburner said:

breld said:

With all the rumors that had been going around for awhile, I’m surprised Mazda never resurrected the Mazdaspeed3. And of course, that would lead nicely into a Mazdaspeed Miata.

I was told that the 2.3 turbo used in the MS3 and MS6 wouldn’t fit in the Miata due to the camshaft driven fuel pump making the motor too long to fit.
Had Mazda continued building Mazdaspeed cars I would probably still have a Mazda in my garage. The current Mazda lineup is solid, but there isn’t anything entertaining enough to turn my head.

they could have just kept modifying the stock engine like they did in '04.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

100% subjective...but what do you all think of Mazda’s Soul Red on the Miata RF?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809950084/overview/

Red and Black were the only colors I knew I didn’t want...but I’m reconsidering. This particular one came about as I was curious about what interior colors were offered other than black, and with what exteriors.

I like the tan leather interior - gives it nice contrast.

But too girly? Too mid-life crisis?

Love that color but the picture doesn’t do it justice. In the sun it really pops.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

benjaminh said:

This guy is really a chronic buyer of expensive or even impossible to keep old cars. I was amazed that even after thousands of dollars of work this car couldn't be saved....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4qewQkYTTs

I saw that yesterday on YouTube. I have to wonder, if that supercharger was bleeding oil so badly why didn’t Hoovie notice it when he bought it.

seemed that you needed to take it apart to find out. And they just assumed it was the valve seals (which probably were shot too).

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Still on furlough though heard from a bud at Hertz that they started again last week, only working two days. Have not heard when we'll be called back but thinking around June 1st would seem reasonable. Making a bit more staying home actually but starting to get a bit lazy and definitely sleeping more.
Broward County will be opening more places come Monday morning. Even my barber texted his new hours and directions about how to make an appointment on the hour. Guess they need time after one client leaves to clean up the area correctly. Just glad I had that guy come to the house last week to do mine. Paid a little bit more but he did a great job and cleaned up nicely, wife had no clue where he even did it!
But, by next Monday, I'll be more then ready to return to a normal schedule.

I just found out, that even though some people are being called back, my boss and about 3/4 of the management in our division got fired, not laid off. Yikes.

I got sick of the hippy hair and cut it myself today. I’ll know if I did a bad job if people start laughing.

The amount of money being thrown out by unemployment is insane. I’m torn between riding it for all it’s worth, then using the money for helping relatives or going back to work for 1/3 the pay.

I think I’m going to call and introduce myself to the new dispatcher and see if they need me.

stickguy

those are the real employees. at least you gig guys are not overhead, so will get called if and when business is there.

fintail

The UI money is needed to "lubricate" the economy as things slowly re-open. Don't feel bad about taking it if you can, and spend it - it is needed, and the point is to get it out there. This mess won't be helped by waiting for things to trickle down.

oldfarmer50

So that’s where my old Lincoln went.......Hoovie got it.

https://youtu.be/F45Il4MlokE

stickguy

I guess he is a fan of Geico and camels.

graphicguy

tjc78 said:

Exactly. The shows are popular and and making them $$.

In Hoovie’s case he gets to buy cheap examples off YT revenue, drive and beat on them all he wants and then sells them off at probably a net profit or small loss on paper.

Pretty smart IMO.

As a sidebar, I’m sure that the “Wizard” who fixes his cars isn’t hurting either.

Another great YT channel where the author does his own wrenching is WatchJRGo

Love all 3 of those YT channels. I’ll throw in Tavarish and Samcrac into the mix, too.

You want something really off beat, this guy prides himself in getting just about anything to run again....

https://g.co/kgs/MY9sVS

All these guys have a pretty nice stable of cars they keep around. Not a bad gig being a successful YouTube person with a penchant for cars.