Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

That was Doug DeMuro, who contributed at Jalopnik back when it was maybe better than today. He bought a Carmax mid 00s Range Rover, and it was bad enough, and he publicized it enough, that I think Carmax ended up changing their warranty policies.

andres3 said:

Wasn't it Jalopnik that used to play the game, "How much money can we make Carmax lose on an extended warranty?"

I think a Land Rover was the clear winner.

fintail

Yeah, what stickguy said.

To me, a SUV is truckish, preferably with some kind of truck-derived or trucklike structure. It doesn't have to be big, but there's usually a correlation. A G-Wagen is an SUV. A GLC is a CUV. GLS might be a bit of both. For smaller rigs, an old Pathfinder is a SUV, a newer one is a CUV at best, with heavy minivan roots. Most who think they have a SUV really have a CUV, and most need nothing more even if they aspire to that Escalade ESV.

IMO, 4-door "coupe" is more lame marketing babble - it's simply a sedan with a lower roofline. The British started the term with the Rover P5B "Coupe" and then M-B made it really popular with the milestone CLS, then others had to jump on board.

andres3 said:

For me these terms are interchangeable:

CUV=SUV
Wagon=Hatchback=Sportback=Avant

I know CUV's are more like tall wagons, but that's the way I look at it.

Now you have to add this:

4-Door Coupe = sportback

It seems all the latest sedans follow the A7 design bandwagon, and funny enough, I'm not a fan of it.

A 4-Door RS5 makes practical utilitarian sense, but 4 door coupes are just a bit odd to me.

fintail

They are pretty handsome, and like the E24, glassy.

I lived in a small town when I was a little kid, and I remember one would often visit at a church down the street from my house. I'd often ride by it on my bike, and slowly check it out - it had to be the only one in town, and seemed exotic.

It's also George McFly's car in 1985 and Chevy Chase's car in 'Nothing But Trouble' (sitting on period Lorinser wheels, IIRC), which adds cred.

tifighter said:

I do have a soft spot for the E23. A neighbor had one when I was a kid. Probably an 86, white, 735i. Liked it then, like it now.

xwesx

andres3 said:

I hope Hertz doesn't get Teslas, knowing their business model on gas charges, they'll take the market rate for electricity/power, multiply by 5, and then charge you by how many minutes it takes to recharge it, unless of course, you take the time to charge it yourself.

But, only if you fully charge within five miles of the return location... and they'll know for sure because they can track your every move via GPS. /sigh

28firefighter

Well. I need to go on a test drive.

https://jalopnik.com/heres-how-the-250-hp-mazda-3-turbo-stacks-up-to-other-h-1844312671

nyccarguy

fintail said:

That was Doug DeMuro, who contributed at Jalopnik back when it was maybe better than today. He bought a Carmax mid 00s Range Rover, and it was bad enough, and he publicized it enough, that I think Carmax ended up changing their warranty policies.

andres3 said:

Wasn't it Jalopnik that used to play the game, "How much money can we make Carmax lose on an extended warranty?"

I think a Land Rover was the clear winner.

Doug’s Land Rover mis-adventures were epic!

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

fintail said:

That was Doug DeMuro, who contributed at Jalopnik back when it was maybe better than today. He bought a Carmax mid 00s Range Rover, and it was bad enough, and he publicized it enough, that I think Carmax ended up changing their warranty policies.

andres3 said:

Wasn't it Jalopnik that used to play the game, "How much money can we make Carmax lose on an extended warranty?"

I think a Land Rover was the clear winner.

Doug’s Land Rover mis-adventures were epic!

Didn't he follow that up with an Aston Martin?

stickguy

speaking of Doug, one for Roadburner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKKCmgic8Fg

JustinS

Hi everyone, thought I would share my recent purchase story here.

I was driving a leased 2018 Lexus RX450h F-Sport but decided I was tired of the red interior, the overly bolstered seats being too firm for my liking, and an uninspiring drive. I had purchased a 2007 Acura TL Type-S from a local family back in February and had it inspected, everything supposedly checked out.

Fast forward to June and I decided I was fine with the Acura, so I sold my leased RX to a local Audi dealership who offered me about $3k more than the Lexus dealer offered. Less than two weeks later, I heard a suspension noise in the Acura and the CD changer wouldn't stop spinning. Brought it to the Acura dealer and they ended up finding a number of other issues. They quoted me almost $9k for everything. I trust that they weren't trying to rip me off, either because they told me I should just sell it (rather than pushing some repairs on me) and they weren't interested in buying it at all.

So that led me to feeling like I needed to buy a new car. Somehow I ended up deciding on a 2020 Lexus ES 350 even though I always considered these to be boring cars meant for an older crowd. I've put about 600 miles on the car in two weeks, and it's by far my favorite Lexus. We also have a 2019 UX 200 that we love, and I had a 2015 IS 350 F Sport before the RX.

Once the ES became an idea for me, I watched just about every YouTube review possible and they were almost all raving about the car. It's exactly how I feel about it. Silent like a vault, should be reliable for years to come, comfortable, and buttery smooth to drive. Quick, too!

It's a Luxury trim with some options such as power trunk, 12 inch screen with navigation and Mark Levinson sound, upgraded wheels, etc.

Here are a couple photos





One complaint I have, and that I'm wondering if anyone here has any advice for is the soft-touch dash. This material, while nice to the touch, scuffs very easily. We had the same issue in the RX. One time a pizza box gently touched it and we ended up with a scuff we never got out. The ES had a white mark on the dash, and instead of complaining to the dealer (I noticed it when I left the lot), I ended up using a wet microfiber towel and the line went away but now I have a white-ish scuff mark. Any recommendations for how to get this out?

corvette

Six speed auto on the Mazda3 sounds a bit outdated. Otherwise, sounds promising.

stickguy

nice looking car. Particularly the interior. Other than the grill that made me dizzy to look at!

Mazda has been using the 6 speed with the skyactive all along. It works fine in the real world. Performance is good, MPG is good, and it shifts well with less hunting (having, of course, fewer gears to move between!)

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

I like this:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/815342287/overview/

EDIT: Nevermind, title is rebuilt.

Sell it to that kid looking for advice on buying a rebuilt Honda.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

they smelled a bargain?

I wonder what their actual plan is though. Not likely that air travel (and airport rentals) is rebounding fully any time soon. Maybe aiming toward more local rentals to people without cars that previously would have bussed/trained/short hop flew but now want to drive instead?

Wonder if Hertz is going to be disappearing from airports, or the local offices, hence the shedding of units?

It’s funny you say that. At least locally, both companies are open at the airport but Hertz has it’s branch offices open while Enterprise does not.

Bankruptcy does not mean they are going out of business.

I was talking to my friend who works for Hertz about that subject. Hertz isn’t going anywhere but they could be bought up by another company. There’s been a lot of consolidation in the past 20 years.

I even hear that Elon Musk is interested in a position so he can put more of his cars out on the road.

I hope Hertz doesn't get Teslas, knowing their business model on gas charges, they'll take the market rate for electricity/power, multiply by 5, and then charge you by how many minutes it takes to recharge it, unless of course, you take the time to charge it yourself.

My concern would be for the dopes who rent them, not realizing that they aren’t gas powered and end up with dead batteries out in the desert.

ronsteve

stickguy said:

Mazda has been using the 6 speed with the skyactive all along. It works fine in the real world. Performance is good, MPG is good, and it shifts well with less hunting (having, of course, fewer gears to move between!)

How many gears is "enough" on an auto tranny? I'm not convinced that more is better. Six seems to be plenty, but that could be that the only 8-speed I've experienced was a bit shift-happy.

breld

@JustinS - congrats on the ES. Glad you’re so pleased with it. Certainly will hold its value well and be reliable along the way.

roadburner

ronsteve said:

stickguy said:

Mazda has been using the 6 speed with the skyactive all along. It works fine in the real world. Performance is good, MPG is good, and it shifts well with less hunting (having, of course, fewer gears to move between!)

How many gears is "enough" on an auto tranny? I'm not convinced that more is better. Six seems to be plenty, but that could be that the only 8-speed I've experienced was a bit shift-happy.

We have the ZF 8HP in two of our cars and they are excellent. The 8HP in my M235i shifts on the track when and where I would 99% of the time. It's even decent in Comfort mode, but putting the lever in the Sport gate is more entertaining.

breld

Motor Trend just did a luxury vs mainstream comparison and one was the Mazda CX-5 vs the Infiniti QX50.

They praised the performance of the 6 speed auto in the Mazda.

Then again, the QX50’s drivetrain is known to be its weak point.

breld

For those interested, they also did comparisons of the Grand Cherokee vs Discovery, WRX STI vs BMW 228i Gran Coupe and Stinger vs G70.

roadburner

Give me the GC, STi, and Stinger(RWD only).

28firefighter

Interesting comparing the STi and 228 GC. Those are not two cars I would group together...

28firefighter

This looks fun! I’d be happy to go look if anyone wants

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/K1LqdBzM/2013-volvo-c30-t-5-r-design

Michaell

28firefighter said:

This looks fun! I’d be happy to go look if anyone wants

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/K1LqdBzM/2013-volvo-c30-t-5-r-design

Ooo, that's sharp, even black on black.

breld

28firefighter said:

Interesting comparing the STi and 228 GC. Those are not two cars I would group together...

Agreed - it was interesting to read their thoughts on the cars themselves, but the comparison had me scratching my head.

ab348

corvette said:

Six speed auto on the Mazda3 sounds a bit outdated.

It's not a domestic car, therefore that dated transmission cannot be criticized. If it was domestic of course, the auto writers would be all over it like hard plastics.

oldfarmer50

ronsteve said:

stickguy said:

Mazda has been using the 6 speed with the skyactive all along. It works fine in the real world. Performance is good, MPG is good, and it shifts well with less hunting (having, of course, fewer gears to move between!)

How many gears is "enough" on an auto tranny? I'm not convinced that more is better. Six seems to be plenty, but that could be that the only 8-speed I've experienced was a bit shift-happy.

They say the Ford-GM 10 speed works pretty good.

stickguy

breld said:

28firefighter said:

Interesting comparing the STi and 228 GC. Those are not two cars I would group together...

Agreed - it was interesting to read their thoughts on the cars themselves, but the comparison had me scratching my head.

There was logic behind it. Price and function.

And the G70 easily beat out the Stinger. They definitely didn’t see it as the same car, different body.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

if you live in an area without snow, FWD is really fine for any of these. Especially smaller ones that are not all that powerful.

Up by me all the AWD SUVs have that flip feature that puts them on the roof during bad weather.

stickguy

Lovely Volvo but all black is a killer. Accident should help keep price down since it Involved extensive metal work.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Yeah, what stickguy said.

To me, a SUV is truckish, preferably with some kind of truck-derived or trucklike structure. It doesn't have to be big, but there's usually a correlation. A G-Wagen is an SUV. A GLC is a CUV. GLS might be a bit of both. For smaller rigs, an old Pathfinder is a SUV, a newer one is a CUV at best, with heavy minivan roots. Most who think they have a SUV really have a CUV, and most need nothing more even if they aspire to that Escalade ESV.

IMO, 4-door "coupe" is more lame marketing babble - it's simply a sedan with a lower roofline. The British started the term with the Rover P5B "Coupe" and then M-B made it really popular with the milestone CLS, then others had to jump on board.

andres3 said:

For me these terms are interchangeable:

CUV=SUV
Wagon=Hatchback=Sportback=Avant

I know CUV's are more like tall wagons, but that's the way I look at it.

Now you have to add this:

4-Door Coupe = sportback

It seems all the latest sedans follow the A7 design bandwagon, and funny enough, I'm not a fan of it.

A 4-Door RS5 makes practical utilitarian sense, but 4 door coupes are just a bit odd to me.

I always though of SUVs being built on a frame and thus more rigid for off road use while a CUV was unibody and not built for the trails. An old Cherokee was a SUV.

I’m still trying to classify my Kia Soul.

stickguy

The smaller Cherokee I think was unibody. Current GC too I think. But they definitely were SUVs.

stickguy

This is a tremendously cool car. Not even bid up all that much yet.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vYpZJvR/1990-peugeot-205-gti

oldfarmer50

JustinS said:

Hi everyone, thought I would share my recent purchase story here.

I was driving a leased 2018 Lexus RX450h F-Sport but decided I was tired of the red interior, the overly bolstered seats being too firm for my liking, and an uninspiring drive. I had purchased a 2007 Acura TL Type-S from a local family back in February and had it inspected, everything supposedly checked out.

Fast forward to June and I decided I was fine with the Acura, so I sold my leased RX to a local Audi dealership who offered me about $3k more than the Lexus dealer offered. Less than two weeks later, I heard a suspension noise in the Acura and the CD changer wouldn't stop spinning. Brought it to the Acura dealer and they ended up finding a number of other issues. They quoted me almost $9k for everything. I trust that they weren't trying to rip me off, either because they told me I should just sell it (rather than pushing some repairs on me) and they weren't interested in buying it at all.

So that led me to feeling like I needed to buy a new car. Somehow I ended up deciding on a 2020 Lexus ES 350 even though I always considered these to be boring cars meant for an older crowd. I've put about 600 miles on the car in two weeks, and it's by far my favorite Lexus. We also have a 2019 UX 200 that we love, and I had a 2015 IS 350 F Sport before the RX.

Once the ES became an idea for me, I watched just about every YouTube review possible and they were almost all raving about the car. It's exactly how I feel about it. Silent like a vault, should be reliable for years to come, comfortable, and buttery smooth to drive. Quick, too!

It's a Luxury trim with some options such as power trunk, 12 inch screen with navigation and Mark Levinson sound, upgraded wheels, etc.

Here are a couple photos





One complaint I have, and that I'm wondering if anyone here has any advice for is the soft-touch dash. This material, while nice to the touch, scuffs very easily. We had the same issue in the RX. One time a pizza box gently touched it and we ended up with a scuff we never got out. The ES had a white mark on the dash, and instead of complaining to the dealer (I noticed it when I left the lot), I ended up using a wet microfiber towel and the line went away but now I have a white-ish scuff mark. Any recommendations for how to get this out?

With the sun in Tampa and scuffable material I’d get a dash cover. I see them on half the cars down there usually put on AfTER the sun has done it’s work. Remove it when you sell.

I’m curious, what was wrong with the 2007 Acura that cost $9k and wasn’t caught by a PPI?

stickguy

So is this. I would love a clean, stock one of these. Or a GT-S

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rMDBxPbZ/1985-toyota-supra

explorerx4

The 10 speed Ford/GM trans skips gears as needed, doesn't use all 10 sequentially.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

Yeah, what stickguy said.

To me, a SUV is truckish, preferably with some kind of truck-derived or trucklike structure. It doesn't have to be big, but there's usually a correlation. A G-Wagen is an SUV. A GLC is a CUV. GLS might be a bit of both. For smaller rigs, an old Pathfinder is a SUV, a newer one is a CUV at best, with heavy minivan roots. Most who think they have a SUV really have a CUV, and most need nothing more even if they aspire to that Escalade ESV.

IMO, 4-door "coupe" is more lame marketing babble - it's simply a sedan with a lower roofline. The British started the term with the Rover P5B "Coupe" and then M-B made it really popular with the milestone CLS, then others had to jump on board.

andres3 said:

For me these terms are interchangeable:

CUV=SUV
Wagon=Hatchback=Sportback=Avant

I know CUV's are more like tall wagons, but that's the way I look at it.

Now you have to add this:

4-Door Coupe = sportback

It seems all the latest sedans follow the A7 design bandwagon, and funny enough, I'm not a fan of it.

A 4-Door RS5 makes practical utilitarian sense, but 4 door coupes are just a bit odd to me.

I always though of SUVs being built on a frame and thus more rigid for off road use while a CUV was unibody and not built for the trails. An old Cherokee was a SUV.

I’m still trying to classify my Kia Soul.

Soul of course is a hamster mobile. Or a compact hatch if you prefer. Whatever a golf is.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

nice looking car. Particularly the interior. Other than the grill that made me dizzy to look at!

Mazda has been using the 6 speed with the skyactive all along. It works fine in the real world. Performance is good, MPG is good, and it shifts well with less hunting (having, of course, fewer gears to move between!)

I'm sure the 6 Speed in the Mazda is fine. They are a simpler is better type of company. No need for 2, 3, 0r 4 gears more just to squeeze out an extra couple MPG on the EPA highway cycle.

That being said, I'm happy with the way the 6AT performs in my truck as well as the 9AT in my wife's Pilot. The 9AT is noticeably smoother since I had the fluid changed.

My best friend drives a 2017 Sierra 1500 Denali with the 6.2 & 6AT. He drove a 2020 Silverado with the 5.3 and 10AT and said it felt just as quick.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

Up by me all the AWD SUVs have that flip feature that puts them on the roof during bad weather.

That's not a feature, it's a bug caused by a loose nut behind the steering wheel.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

The smaller Cherokee I think was unibody. Current GC too I think. But they definitely were SUVs.

Pretty sure the Cherokee from the '90s is body on frame.

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
TFL does a lot of truck testing. 5.3/10 speed is about 2 seconds slower 0-60 than a 2017 6.2/6 speed.

stickguy

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

The smaller Cherokee I think was unibody. Current GC too I think. But they definitely were SUVs.

Pretty sure the Cherokee from the '90s is body on frame.

The compact XJ model (1994-2001, quite a long run) was unibody.

corvette

The Tundra is a six speed auto and feels like it could use a couple more gears. I'm sure it will get that with the redesign, which I think is slated for the 2022 model year. It will be interesting to see what they do with the Tacoma and 4Runner, I think those are scheduled a couple years later.

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
TFL does a lot of truck testing. 5.3/10 speed is about 2 seconds slower 0-60 than a 2017 6.2/6 speed.

I'll have to double check with him which engine the 2020 Silverado had that he drove.

JustinS

oldfarmer50 said:

JustinS said:

With the sun in Tampa and scuffable material I’d get a dash cover. I see them on half the cars down there usually put on AfTER the sun has done it’s work. Remove it when you sell.

I’m curious, what was wrong with the 2007 Acura that cost $9k and wasn’t caught by a PPI?

Oh, a ton of stuff. Wheel bearings, control arms, strusts, CD changer, brake calipers, etc.

graphicguy

@JustinS ....congrats on the new wheels. Very nice. Try Griots Garage (google them) for just about any solvent you could possibly need for your car. They’re bound to have something to address those scuffs.

Too bad about the Type-S. Those are very cool, collectible, in high demand, cars.

JustinS

graphicguy said:

@JustinS ....congrats on the new wheels. Very nice. Try Griots Garage (google them) for just about any solvent you could possibly need for your car. They’re bound to have something to address those scuffs.

Too bad about the Type-S. Those are very cool, collectible, in high demand, cars.

Thanks! I'll take a look. Yeah, the Type-S was fantastic and I really liked it. Just wasn't worth spending that much money on maintenance items that wouldn't increase the value at all. The dashboard was starting to crack really bad too, like a spiderweb design almost. Very common on these cars. Ended up getting $5k trade which is what I bought it for (minus spending a couple grand for a timing belt, water pump, etc).

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

This is a tremendously cool car. Not even bid up all that much yet.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vYpZJvR/1990-peugeot-205-gti

Is it the length of time that makes people forget how truly awful built those cars were? There’s a reason Peugeot never gained a foothold in America.

fintail

For your new car, I might go with 303 Aerospace protectant - the detailer nuts I know swear by it, and it apparently protects against UV.

Congrats on the car - ES might be the sweet spot for Lexus.

JustinS said:

oldfarmer50 said:

JustinS said:

With the sun in Tampa and scuffable material I’d get a dash cover. I see them on half the cars down there usually put on AfTER the sun has done it’s work. Remove it when you sell.

I’m curious, what was wrong with the 2007 Acura that cost $9k and wasn’t caught by a PPI?

Oh, a ton of stuff. Wheel bearings, control arms, strusts, CD changer, brake calipers, etc.

pensfan83

So fellow CCBA'ers it's the activity everyone loves, helping me spend $$$$. The Acura lease is up in 2 months and we've pretty much settled on 3 vehicles, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Passport, Acura RDX. We like them all for different reasons. The Acura looks good, drives better, and is the one where the best deal can be had based on current lease programs. The Passport is well rounded, has a lot of room, is easier to see out of than the RDX, but the driving experience is blander than the Acura. But the powertrain works well overall and again, it's a very nicely packaged vehicle. It's easy to see why @nyccarguy likes his Pilot so much. The Jeep is a late entry and only because the Mrs. reminded me about it. We've driven multiple trim variants and both powertrains and we've always liked them. The Hemi is great but inventory is usually limited and the upcharge isn't very palatable. The platform is also old but it and the exterior has aged very well IMO and Jeep's done a nice job of keeping it stocked with the latest technology.

So...any thoughts? Anything else we should add?

graphicguy

pensfan83 said:

So fellow CCBA'ers it's the activity everyone loves, helping me spend $$$$. The Acura lease is up in 2 months and we've pretty much settled on 3 vehicles, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Passport, Acura RDX. We like them all for different reasons. The Acura looks good, drives better, and is the one where the best deal can be had based on current lease programs. The Passport is well rounded, has a lot of room, is easier to see out of than the RDX, but the driving experience is blander than the Acura. But the powertrain works well overall and again, it's a very nicely packaged vehicle. It's easy to see why @nyccarguy likes his Pilot so much. The Jeep is a late entry and only because the Mrs. reminded me about it. We've driven multiple trim variants and both powertrains and we've always liked them. The Hemi is great but inventory is usually limited and the upcharge isn't very palatable. The platform is also old but it and the exterior has aged very well IMO and Jeep's done a nice job of keeping it stocked with the latest technology.

So...any thoughts? Anything else we should add?

Love me some Acura, so you know which way I'd vote...RDX. I like the Passport, too. Actually, think it's better than the MDX.

Jeep GC? I dunno. Regular ones are kind of blah in my book. If I were going to go in that direction, it would HAVE TO BE a Track Hawk!

xwesx

JustinS said:

Oh, a ton of stuff. Wheel bearings, control arms, strusts, CD changer, brake calipers, etc.

Sounds like normal things for a vehicle of that age/mileage (save for the CD changer... but who really uses those anymore in a car?).... and not overly difficult as a DIY project. The best part? All of those suspension and wheel items are directly related to one another, so you are basically just replacing all of it at once instead of a more common piece-meal. Parts themselves are not horrendously priced... I would estimate about $1,000... but labor cost at a shop would definitely boost that number way up.

I just replaced the struts, and a few other suspension parts, on my Audi Q7 last weekend.

Congrats on the new Lexus! I'll clone another set of remarks in saying that the front end is a bit of a time-warp for my eyes, but the rest of the car looks quite comfy and attractive! Sometimes it is tough to move on from a particular brand with which you have a lot of history, unless there is some major reason to fly that unbalances the decision to stay. And, there is nothing wrong with that at all.