You'd think the The sales tax issue would be easy to research on the NJ gov. website. Maybe not tho, I'd be calling them. I find it hard to believe that there are many states that won't give the sales tax credit on a trade, even if bought out of state, provided you have the sales invoice in good order.
You'd think, wouldn't ya? I even emailed the MVC last night. Response I received this morning was "You'll have to contact Maryland DMV." HUH? I wrote back, explaining that I am asking what tax I will be charged in NJ (thought that was apparent, but maybe I used too many big words).
BUTTTT... turns out its all for naught. Car was sold. Back to the search.
There is one in PA with just 22k miles. But its a 2002, its a V6, and its black on black. So that's 3 strikes. It would be cheaper, though. Any opinions?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Wash your mouth... er hands... out with Life Buoy, then its off to the bold boy spot with you to think about what you've said! ...err... typed!!
There is also an '03 in CT with 35k miles. Better color, but higher miles, obviously. Still, 35k is low. Oh, and its a GLX V6. Dealer's asking price is pretty high, though, at $11,995. I mean, that's nearly double its trade value.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Is new winter tires for the Pilot. Mine are *probably* ok, but the Pilot was a bit of a handful last winter, so I'm thinking new winter shoes is a good thing. With as few miles as I drive now the new ones should last the next 4 winters instead of 2 like years past.
I was going through oil change reciepts the other day and realized it took me 8 months to put 8,000 miles on the Pilot. Kinda sad but I think my 6 year/120k ESC is going to run out on time not miles........currently sitting at 43k after 26 months of ownership.
Our 09 Civic will be a year old in 2 weeks and its around the 26k mark, he puts on about 500 miles/week. Great car except for its tendancy to be an animal magnet. :sick:
Called about that black on black 2002 wagon. It has a bad carfax, too. Something about the PO driving it through a deep puddle and seizing the engine. If it received a new engine, I might still consider, but dealer says they cracked it open and replaced 1 piston and connecting rod. Yikes!
Sooo... it seems we're out of options. Unless I get the urge to call the dealer in CT and see if they are willing to knock $4k off their price.
Otherwise, we could always bite the bullet and buy the CPO one near home. Although i'd be negotiating out the warranty, so its not really CPO.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
You're sure paying your dues with this one. You wouldn't think it'd be this hard--"it's just a VW", it's not like you're looking for the perfect used M3 or Porsche or some-such.
Sometimes, if you're beating your brains out trying to find a certain used car make, best to move on to something else. Also, the iffy reliability of VW's could come back to bite you.....the one Passat I owned, I couldn't even pick it up from the incompetent VW dlr. service dept., w/o something else breaking on the way home.....
to sell my Accord. I'm just not happy with it. I will list it on some local media and see what happens. If no one bites I will finish out the lease and then bid farewell to new Hondas for a while. Makes me sad .. I have been a long-term advocate and pusher of Hondas. I sitll have an open claim with American Honda to see what they can do about my warping rotors. Just picked it up for the fourth time and they are warping again. I'm not sure if the issue is the brakes or that the dealer refuses to replace the rotors and will only turn them each time it's brought in.
Still trying to decide on that 02 IS300 with 125k. Seems like a good price but it is green .. which would be way down on the list of color preferences. It does have black interior and the manual so it's not all bad ... I'm just not sure about the green.
Wow, won't it cost a lot to sell the car in the middle of the lease?
I was irritated with my G6 (and thinking about trading, since it didn't quite qualify for the lemon law) after the repeated transmission issues, but it's running okay now, and I still have two years of B2B warranty left.
Edit: If they resurface your rotors enough times, they will probably end up too thin to be resurfaced at some point.
If they resurface your rotors enough times, they will probably end up too thin to be resurfaced at some point.
I don't even want to talk about that. The rotors on my L300 are "too thin" to be resurfaced, so they have to be replaced. Fronts have been swapped out twice in 87,000 miles, the rears once.
Since I've got you all here, a tech question for the group. My son - the owner of the '97 Mustang V6 - is putting together his Christmas list and is asking for a cold air intake. The part is less than $100, and he's got some buddies who state they can install it. Will this improve performance? The V6 is only rated for 150HP, so I can understand why he wants to increase it (he also wants a cat-back exhaust, but those run upwards of $400-500, which is out of my budget).
Thoughts?
He also wants to swap the stock 15" wheels with 17x8 wheels and new tires .. I explained to him that he has to be mindful of the unsprung weight he would be adding, though I suspect he wants to do that for the look, not the performance.
It will cost around $1500 ... The remaining lease payments are $11500 ... I know I have no intention of buying the car out at the end. Part of me agrees that $1500 is a lot to pay because of brakes. The other part says why pay $11500 when you can pay $1500 and be done with it now? I did not hear back from American Honda customer service today. Maybe if they pay to replace the rotors I can get past the current issues. But I am still going to list the car and see what happens.
We've had a couple of cars with the cold air intake. It seemed to "marginally" make a difference with HP and MPG. I say, if he wants it and it won't damage the car, go for it.
Since I've got you all here, a tech question for the group. My son - the owner of the '97 Mustang V6 - is putting together his Christmas list and is asking for a cold air intake. The part is less than $100, and he's got some buddies who state they can install it. Will this improve performance? The V6 is only rated for 150HP, so I can understand why he wants to increase it (he also wants a cat-back exhaust, but those run upwards of $400-500, which is out of my budget).
The improvement in performance is marginal, especially depending on state of tune of the rest of the car. New fuel filter, new plugs (get the Ford ones) and new plug wires (the Ford Motorsport 9mm ones) should give you a good baseline. None of that is super hard to do and you could do it together if that is agreeable. CAIs typically add more noise than power, but that isn't a terrible thing.
One other issue is if you live in a rainy/floody area, they can increase the risk of hydro-locking the motor. AEM makes this diaphragm that is supposed to prevent that. None of that is typically hard to install either, you can probably handle it if you read the instructions.
He also wants to swap the stock 15" wheels with 17x8 wheels and new tires .. I explained to him that he has to be mindful of the unsprung weight he would be adding, though I suspect he wants to do that for the look, not the performance.
You should check out craigslist in your area or eBay for take off stock GT wheels. They are OEM parts so you know they fit and meet the vehicle requirements, and they are probably not a whole lot heavier than what is on there now. I would wait until he needs new tires anyway though.
You might also remind him that anything he puts in to this car, a depreciating asset is money that can't go towards the ride of his dreams one day. I understand the desire to use the car as a means of expression, but its important to make sure he is cognizant of the time value of money.
Cold air intake should add about 2 to 5 HP depending on the manufacturer and the filter, and how well your son's car runs in it's current state.
I don't know how well the car currently runs - he's 1000 miles from me. I've been told that the car is in 'great' condition and was checked out by a mechanic before he bought it. My dad - the original curmudgeon - gave it an OK as well.
CAIs typically add more noise than power, but that isn't a terrible thing.
He's 20 .. what do you expect?
...if you live in a rainy / floody area,
Nope, he lives in Southern California, between LA and Santa Barbara. Some rain, but not enough to be concerned about.
You should check out craigslist in your area or eBay for take off stock GT wheels.
I'll pass that suggestion along to him, but I doubt it will stick. Boys will be boys. I do like the idea, however.
You might also remind him that anything he puts in to this car, a depreciating asset is money that can't go towards the ride of his dreams one day. I understand the desire to use the car as a means of expression, but its important to make sure he is cognizant of the time value of money.
Well, he's currently unemployed (as is 12% of the state of California), so he doesn't have any money to put into the car, which is why he's providing everyone he knows with his wish list for Christmas.
I've talked with him about it .. he doesn't want to go overboard .. just some nice wheels, the exhaust and CAI, plus a little "bling" on the interior. A couple of years ago, I got him a new stereo head unit for the Subaru I gave him. He never got around to getting it installed, so he still has it and wants to put it into the Mustang.
The ride of his dreams is - natch - either a WRX or an Evo. "Need for Speed" and the F&F movies made a big impact on him.
sitll have an open claim with American Honda to see what they can do about my warping rotors. Just picked it up for the fourth time and they are warping again. I'm not sure if the issue is the brakes or that the dealer refuses to replace the rotors and will only turn them each time it's brought in.
I've had that issue with my Pilot, I took it in, they turned the rotors, 2 weeks later they warped again. Its not horrible at the moment, so I just ignore it, I've driven much much worse as far as degree of warped. Its not too bad, just have to remember not to nail the brakes too hard or I really feel it, most of the time its just a slight vibration. After going through 5 sets of rotors in 15k miles with my Titan and finally just resorting to living with it, this one is minor, lol.
As far as the Pilot goes, I think its a case of too small brakes for the weight of the vehicle, same issue the Titan had. Brakes and quirky transmission aside, the Pilot has been beyond wonderful and my impression of Honda stays the same, especially since our Civic has been such a great car.
However as much as I love my Pilot, if I had to replace it I wouldn't buy another, I want a Suburban.
Since I've got you all here, a tech question for the group. My son - the owner of the '97 Mustang V6 - is putting together his Christmas list and is asking for a cold air intake. The part is less than $100, and he's got some buddies who state they can install it. Will this improve performance?
You won't see much of a gain-if any-on a normally aspirated stock engine. Probably 5 bhp tops. That said, a CAI can really wake up some turbo cars; the Mazdaspeed CAI I fitted to my MS3 adds @24 bhp.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I sitll have an open claim with American Honda to see what they can do about my warping rotors. Just picked it up for the fourth time and they are warping again. I'm not sure if the issue is the brakes or that the dealer refuses to replace the rotors and will only turn them each time it's brought in.
That is very disturbing, & ridiculous. How much could new rotors cost the mfg? How cheap are they? And, I think, turning rotors once might work, but usually new ones are the way to go. Also, it's a safety issue, if the brakes don't work, what good is the car (!!??)
You know, I think my '83 Honda Civic wagon had brake problems......
Most euro type cars need new rotors at ever brake service. They are too thin/soft to be turned at all and just wear with the pads.
Still as long as they are not huge rotors are for some specialty car, for example I know the cost for us to do brakes on a SC Range Rover is around 700-800 bucks an axle and I think retail to the customer is 1,100-1,200 bucks an axle, then the cost is not too bad.
Most euro type cars need new rotors at ever brake service. They are too thin/soft to be turned at all and just wear with the pads.
Exactly .. and, despite the Saturn badge on the hood, my car has more European DNA than most domestics. I've replaced the front pads and rotors twice, the rear pads twice and the rear rotors once. Oh, and the front calipers had to be replaced as well.
In fact, it's probably time to have the local independent shop take a look at the front pads again.
Drove yet another Passat today. Right price and all, but I was very disappointed in how it was taken care of. It looked like a car with much higher mileage than it really had. 40k on the ticker, but the condition was on par with the Forester we had 95k miles on when we traded it.
The latest news, though, is that I actually, unbelievably, have the wife considering a Mazda5! So we need to line one up for a test drive. I've been pushing this vehicle on her for 4 years now. Her response always was "Ugh. That's so ugly." Tough to argue with that. But she is now finally coming around to see practicality can overshadow looks.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The latest news, though, is that I actually, unbelievably, have the wife considering a Mazda5!
I've always liked those. Not that I have a need for a mini-minivan, but the concept is just so .... cool. And, for a while, you could get them with a stick.
Are you thinking new or used?
I like the compact people movers that are available in Europe .. not nearly enough of them are sold here, though I've heard that the Ford Focus C-Max will be coming in a year or two.
At the moment, only the Mazda 5 and the Kia Rondo are available. Since they came onto the market, I always thought they would be good for young, starter families.
The "minivan" concept, as introduced by Chrysler, have seen the vehicles grow in size so that the current models are as big as the old big 3 passenger vans from the 70's and early 80's.
I would love to see more of these make it over. Especially when I need to replace our Odyssey, sicne I sitll want cargo flexibility, but want to downsize considerably from the barge.
The only real drawback to the 5 IMO is the engine is a little on the weak side if you are going to load the van up. SImple remedy is to drop in the new 2.5l from the 6. Should give it enough juice.
Of course, a speed version would be might tasty too!
You can still get the 5 speed, but only in the base (sport) version, so no goodies like a moonroof.
also, while it seats 6, it is really a 4 passenger 9no middle bench) if you want to carry anything of size with you.
perfect though for a starter family, and really a good idea for empty nesters.
Wow--that's $2200 for a brake job, all 4, on a RR. But I guess if you can afford $70K for a premium Euro-car......
The last "brake job" I got, on a saab 9000, was $1000, & I wasn't happy. But it had 45K miles, & had only pads replaced until then. It needed pads, maybe a couple of calipers, & at least one rotor, maybe more. Before that, I had a brake job done on my bmw M6, cheaply, where they "turned the rotors", but the brakes were cr*p again, w/in 6 months.
Anon's story has kind of put me off hondas, for now. It'd be different if the mfg. (or dealer) wasn't being so cheap; I'd almost be parking the car in front of the dealer with a giant yellow LEMON sign on it.......
Don't know if you saw this, but one of the big mags made a Mazdaspeed5. They promised a follow-up article once the software issue they were having was resolved, but I have yet to see it.
Anyhoo, we still haven't found one to test drive (we are looking used). Dealership we chose to go to went out of business, apparently. Made out way down the road and test drove a used latest gen RAV4. I liked the handling and it was suprisingly peppy with the 4-banger, but it was not comfortable for me and we were put off by the tremendous amount of road and engine noise inside the cabin.
I have a feeling we'll still wind up back at the Passat. It will come down to a problem of finding one.
Interestingly, though, in my automatic searches that are emailed to me came a 2000 V70 SE with just 74k miles. Asking $4500 at a private dealer. Makes me wonder what is wrong with it, of course. Trade value is $4k.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I read that article. Fell into the catagory of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" until they discovered that the wiring harness was completely different design. Oops.
would have been much easier and cheaper to slap a turbo or supercharger on it!
Also, where is that Volvo? anywhere near SJ? I'd buy it if it was a rebuilt wreck or a hideous color!
I spend too much time looking at SS at the stuff for sale that would turn out to be a disaster, but how much trouble can you get into with a NA V70?
When I see what kind of lame used cars people are paying $5K for now (?!)......maybe this volvo has a salvage title or something, but I'd sure check it out......ASAP in case it's decent.....
I have no idea who the seller is, but I have seen his ads (always the same, in that small typeface) for the last year since I started looking at Craigs in NJ. Always pictures out in a street of parking lot.
actually, this one is lower miles than most, but I will say that from the pictures, his stuff looks very clean.
I actually love the colors on the V70, but the driver's leather looks like more than 74K of use, but I think that might be a common issue on these.
Still, with newer michelins, etc. for $4,500? A fine deal if it checks out clean.
Pretty sure it is no more than an hour from QB's place.
Stiener has the visiting scientist, and I don't think she is coming from Mi to check it out!
I want the darned thing for me. If that sucker was a local private owner with anything passing for records (and the every important good vibe), I would snap it up in a second and unload my Accord.
The case manager for Honda called and I have an appointment at the Honda dealer Tuesday to meet the service manager. She said they are going to try to figure out why I keep having this problem. I could save them time by telling them that once rotors are warped, the problem is that much more like to return when you turn them! I have an ad in autotrader. Overall, it's still a great car. It's just a matter of principle at this point. Besides, as a true CCB'er, what kind of member would I be if I didn't take this opportunity to switch to another ride?
The 02 Lexus looks like it may need a little work but nothing major. A couple of tires, a good cleaning, and some small maintenance items may be needed. The good news is that the timing belt and water pump were done at the dealer when the car had 102k. It's now at 125k so it should be while before it needs any major maintenance items.
The Mazda5 is a great concept. However, make sure you can live with it long-term. It still feels a little like an econo-box inside and the automatic 4 cylinder is peppy as long as you are going downhill. Gas mileage is OK but not great for a 4 cylinder. Why not try to find a used Toyota HIghlander or even a 01-03 RX300? They had an available 3rd row and seem to be a good compromise between the Passat and the Mazda5 ...
passat and lexus are certainly more powerful, but quite boring to drive. And no 3rd row, until the latest generation.
Also have to think any one of these with modest miles is going to be just as expensive as what you can get for the XC90, so why bother?
For the Accord, once they get the zone people involved, usually something happens. It is hard to believe they won't just say to throw on a fresh set of rotors. Maybe if you are really stubborn, you can get them to put on a set of good aftermarket ones, if you pay the difference between what the OEM ones cost?
Anyway, you will need to put new ones on before you can try to sell the car anyway, so if the Honda ones fix the problem, maybe you can actualy live for a while with it.
The Mazda5 is a great concept. However, make sure you can live with it long-term. It still feels a little like an econo-box inside and the automatic 4 cylinder is peppy as long as you are going downhill. Gas mileage is OK but not great for a 4 cylinder. Why not try to find a used Toyota HIghlander or even a 01-03 RX300?
I guess it depends what you are looking for; the Highlander is slightly less involving to drive then a plane on autopilot, but if you just want to sit and steer that is a reasonable choice. I don't think it buys you anything over the XC though.
The Lexus is very nice to sit in although still not very engaging to drive. As a "fill it and forget it" type vehicle with a fancy stereo and heated seats, it should get the job done.
She said they are going to try to figure out why I keep having this problem.
This is not like replacing the tiles on the Space Shuttle. Either the dealer & Honda are actually totally clueless about how to fix the brakes on a new Honda (??!), or they know the OEM rotors are cr*p, & are too cheap to replace them (with New cr*ppy OEM rotors probably).
I assume Lexus uses quality brake parts; at least I've never heard of unusual problems......you read these stories about people with old LS400's that just seem to run forever practically.....
oopss... sorry, stickguy. Not sure why I confused you and steiner ... other than your names both start with "st."
OK... well... ya ready?
Sitting in the driveway right now is ... here it comes ... a black/black '09 Mazda5!
I don't know how, I don't know why. It just is.
Wife drove it and decided she'd rather have that than the Passat. She thought the Passat was more luxurious (of course), but she said the mazda is nice enough and the added practicality wins the vote. I'll tell ya, I think its plenty peppy. I couldn't keep from spinning the wheel taking off. It is a BIG difference compared to those vehicles with turbo lag. I could see it being weak passing on the highway, though. But not a big deal. We'll see how mileage works out. I'm figuring we'll see about 24mpg in our mixed driving. Is that great for a 4-cyl? No. But it is good for a 6-seater.
We went to this dealer JUST to check it out, maybe drive it, but had absolutely no intention of buying this particular one (it was used, in fact, with 22k miles). The dealer worked the deal REAL hard and we just couldn't turn it down.
He claims to have lost money but is hoping to make it up on my Infiniti (yeah, right). According to my best calculations, they made about $1,000 on us. Which is a GREAT deal for us, no doubt. They overallowed on my Infiniti by about $1500 and sold us the Mazda for ~$16k. Galves says its worth between $13k and $14k. So if you take the middle ground at $13,500, add in the overallowance on my trade, then that's where I come up with the $1k net. This now becomes the lowest markup I've ever paid on a used car, beating the XC90 by about $400.
All in all, its $3k more than we were looking to spend on an '07. Kinda tough to argue with the value of 2 years younger for only $3k, I think.
Just one task left, though, and that's going to the credit union on Monday to close with them and deliver the check to the dealer. Hopefully no hitches to worry about there.
Sooo... now onto selling the Volvo and finding myself a cheap commuter.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
early morning brain cramp. I meant to say the Highlander and Lexus were boring. And no, I have no illusions that my Accord is a sports car, but it is way better (especially with the stick) than a Toyota!
Sound like a good deal on the mazda. This way, when you are trading it in 6 months from now, you won't be losing so much money!
Is it a touring or a grand touring? Have to get at least to a touring to get the moonroof, and GT for the leather and bun warmers.
I was reading up on them yesterday since you brought the concept up. SHould be a nice little package, although probably a bit strained loaded up and whomping down the turnpike at 80!
No no no, you guys missed the IF I had to replace it part! I fully plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off or someone decides they want to remodel its body.
I really do love the Pilot, just wish it could pull the TT.....which has been sitting unused for 3 years now. If it could do that I'd never even DREAM of letting it go. If only we had kept old Ralphy.......but I think our landlord would have said not in this lifetime can that thing sit there, lol.
Actually, its a sport. But I worked a moonroof into the deal, too.
Just came back from running errands all over the place. Its really pretty enjoyable to drive. Its just so much more nimble than the XC90. Perfect for running errands like we just did. I could see where we might miss the Volvo or Infiniti when, as you said, barreling down the highway on long trips. But considering that's maybe 10% of the wife's driving, this car makes more sense.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Letting them cut a hole in the roof and put an aftermarket moonroof in? I didn't think anyone did that anymore.
Although yesterday when I was in the chevy dealer, they had, of all things, a fairly base Malibu on the floor with an aftermarket rood, and some rediculous price (I think it was 2K for the roof and a rear lip).
But, as long as it doesn;t leak, I guess you are good to go!
Probably wil be OK for the 6 months that matter anyway....
Had one put in our '03 Pilot. Had that over 2 years with no problems. Was better than factory, in fact, because it was BIGGER than factory ('03 didn't have factory moonroof ... but the later years did). So, no, it doesn't scare me. I mean, what do you think happens at the factory, anyway? Its not like they have 2 different cars depending on which receives a moonroof. They have one vehicle for all models and they cut a hole in those that get moonroofs.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Sooooo I've got this track record of keeping cars 3-5 years, but I gotta admit it takes about 2 years for my wanderlust to kick in. And on some level, this one actually makes some sense...
Current ride is a 2006 Volvo V70 2.5T... good for hauling stuff around and I don't mind when it looks like a bike shop exploded in the back, gets down the highway very nicely... but it's almost too smooth and the handling is soft.
Enter the object of this round of wanderlust... the Jetta SportWagen TDI. Anyone have any experience with the handling of these things, especially the possibly nose-heavy TDI? I'm thinking manual, because over the years I've remembered that it IS more fun to shift your own.
So am I insane? Uncle Barack has at least 1300 reasons I'm not. Good thing my local VW haus is quite inconvenient to any of my usual travels.
Comments
I even emailed the MVC last night. Response I received this morning was "You'll have to contact Maryland DMV." HUH? I wrote back, explaining that I am asking what tax I will be charged in NJ (thought that was apparent, but maybe I used too many big words).
BUTTTT... turns out its all for naught. Car was sold.
Back to the search.
There is one in PA with just 22k miles. But its a 2002, its a V6, and its black on black. So that's 3 strikes. It would be cheaper, though. Any opinions?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
not that you and your wife seem like the picky types that really care about the details, and a car is just an appliance, right?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Wash your mouth... er hands... out with Life Buoy, then its off to the bold boy spot with you to think about what you've said! ...err... typed!!
There is also an '03 in CT with 35k miles. Better color, but higher miles, obviously. Still, 35k is low. Oh, and its a GLX V6. Dealer's asking price is pretty high, though, at $11,995. I mean, that's nearly double its trade value.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I was going through oil change reciepts the other day and realized it took me 8 months to put 8,000 miles on the Pilot. Kinda sad but I think my 6 year/120k ESC is going to run out on time not miles........currently sitting at 43k after 26 months of ownership.
Our 09 Civic will be a year old in 2 weeks and its around the 26k mark, he puts on about 500 miles/week. Great car except for its tendancy to be an animal magnet. :sick:
Sooo... it seems we're out of options. Unless I get the urge to call the dealer in CT and see if they are willing to knock $4k off their price.
Otherwise, we could always bite the bullet and buy the CPO one near home. Although i'd be negotiating out the warranty, so its not really CPO.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Oops... How long has it been since that happened? If it's made it 10,000 miles or so, it might be okay, if the dealer knew what they were doing.
Sometimes, if you're beating your brains out trying to find a certain used car make, best to move on to something else. Also, the iffy reliability of VW's could come back to bite you.....the one Passat I owned, I couldn't even pick it up from the incompetent VW dlr. service dept., w/o something else breaking on the way home.....
Still trying to decide on that 02 IS300 with 125k. Seems like a good price but it is green .. which would be way down on the list of color preferences. It does have black interior and the manual so it's not all bad ... I'm just not sure about the green.
I was irritated with my G6 (and thinking about trading, since it didn't quite qualify for the lemon law) after the repeated transmission issues, but it's running okay now, and I still have two years of B2B warranty left.
Edit: If they resurface your rotors enough times, they will probably end up too thin to be resurfaced at some point.
I don't even want to talk about that. The rotors on my L300 are "too thin" to be resurfaced, so they have to be replaced. Fronts have been swapped out twice in 87,000 miles, the rears once.
Since I've got you all here, a tech question for the group. My son - the owner of the '97 Mustang V6 - is putting together his Christmas list and is asking for a cold air intake. The part is less than $100, and he's got some buddies who state they can install it. Will this improve performance? The V6 is only rated for 150HP, so I can understand why he wants to increase it (he also wants a cat-back exhaust, but those run upwards of $400-500, which is out of my budget).
Thoughts?
He also wants to swap the stock 15" wheels with 17x8 wheels and new tires .. I explained to him that he has to be mindful of the unsprung weight he would be adding, though I suspect he wants to do that for the look, not the performance.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Since I've got you all here, a tech question for the group. My son - the owner of the '97 Mustang V6 - is putting together his Christmas list and is asking for a cold air intake. The part is less than $100, and he's got some buddies who state they can install it. Will this improve performance? The V6 is only rated for 150HP, so I can understand why he wants to increase it (he also wants a cat-back exhaust, but those run upwards of $400-500, which is out of my budget).
The improvement in performance is marginal, especially depending on state of tune of the rest of the car. New fuel filter, new plugs (get the Ford ones) and new plug wires (the Ford Motorsport 9mm ones) should give you a good baseline. None of that is super hard to do and you could do it together if that is agreeable. CAIs typically add more noise than power, but that isn't a terrible thing.
One other issue is if you live in a rainy/floody area, they can increase the risk of hydro-locking the motor. AEM makes this diaphragm that is supposed to prevent that. None of that is typically hard to install either, you can probably handle it if you read the instructions.
He also wants to swap the stock 15" wheels with 17x8 wheels and new tires .. I explained to him that he has to be mindful of the unsprung weight he would be adding, though I suspect he wants to do that for the look, not the performance.
You should check out craigslist in your area or eBay for take off stock GT wheels. They are OEM parts so you know they fit and meet the vehicle requirements, and they are probably not a whole lot heavier than what is on there now. I would wait until he needs new tires anyway though.
You might also remind him that anything he puts in to this car, a depreciating asset is money that can't go towards the ride of his dreams one day. I understand the desire to use the car as a means of expression, but its important to make sure he is cognizant of the time value of money.
I don't know how well the car currently runs - he's 1000 miles from me. I've been told that the car is in 'great' condition and was checked out by a mechanic before he bought it. My dad - the original curmudgeon - gave it an OK as well.
CAIs typically add more noise than power, but that isn't a terrible thing.
He's 20 .. what do you expect?
...if you live in a rainy / floody area,
Nope, he lives in Southern California, between LA and Santa Barbara. Some rain, but not enough to be concerned about.
You should check out craigslist in your area or eBay for take off stock GT wheels.
I'll pass that suggestion along to him, but I doubt it will stick. Boys will be boys. I do like the idea, however.
You might also remind him that anything he puts in to this car, a depreciating asset is money that can't go towards the ride of his dreams one day. I understand the desire to use the car as a means of expression, but its important to make sure he is cognizant of the time value of money.
Well, he's currently unemployed (as is 12% of the state of California), so he doesn't have any money to put into the car, which is why he's providing everyone he knows with his wish list for Christmas.
I've talked with him about it .. he doesn't want to go overboard .. just some nice wheels, the exhaust and CAI, plus a little "bling" on the interior. A couple of years ago, I got him a new stereo head unit for the Subaru I gave him. He never got around to getting it installed, so he still has it and wants to put it into the Mustang.
The ride of his dreams is - natch - either a WRX or an Evo. "Need for Speed" and the F&F movies made a big impact on him.
Thanks to all for the quick feedback and advice.
I've had that issue with my Pilot, I took it in, they turned the rotors, 2 weeks later they warped again. Its not horrible at the moment, so I just ignore it, I've driven much much worse as far as degree of warped. Its not too bad, just have to remember not to nail the brakes too hard or I really feel it, most of the time its just a slight vibration. After going through 5 sets of rotors in 15k miles with my Titan and finally just resorting to living with it, this one is minor, lol.
As far as the Pilot goes, I think its a case of too small brakes for the weight of the vehicle, same issue the Titan had. Brakes and quirky transmission aside, the Pilot has been beyond wonderful and my impression of Honda stays the same, especially since our Civic has been such a great car.
However as much as I love my Pilot, if I had to replace it I wouldn't buy another, I want a Suburban.
6 months, tops.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
You won't see much of a gain-if any-on a normally aspirated stock engine. Probably 5 bhp tops. That said, a CAI can really wake up some turbo cars; the Mazdaspeed CAI I fitted to my MS3 adds @24 bhp.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Yes!! We're back in business! :shades:
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
That is very disturbing, & ridiculous. How much could new rotors cost the mfg? How cheap are they? And, I think, turning rotors once might work, but usually new ones are the way to go. Also, it's a safety issue, if the brakes don't work, what good is the car (!!??)
You know, I think my '83 Honda Civic wagon had brake problems......
When I got new rotors for my L300 from the dealer, I paid $90 each. I've got to believe the cost to the dealer was half that - $45.
Not too much for them to put new rotors on each time.
Still as long as they are not huge rotors are for some specialty car, for example I know the cost for us to do brakes on a SC Range Rover is around 700-800 bucks an axle and I think retail to the customer is 1,100-1,200 bucks an axle, then the cost is not too bad.
Exactly .. and, despite the Saturn badge on the hood, my car has more European DNA than most domestics. I've replaced the front pads and rotors twice, the rear pads twice and the rear rotors once. Oh, and the front calipers had to be replaced as well.
In fact, it's probably time to have the local independent shop take a look at the front pads again.
The latest news, though, is that I actually, unbelievably, have the wife considering a Mazda5! So we need to line one up for a test drive. I've been pushing this vehicle on her for 4 years now. Her response always was "Ugh. That's so ugly." Tough to argue with that. But she is now finally coming around to see practicality can overshadow looks.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
In our house when my wife undergoes a change of opinion like that it usually means that someone she knows has just bought one.
I've always liked those. Not that I have a need for a mini-minivan, but the concept is just so .... cool. And, for a while, you could get them with a stick.
Are you thinking new or used?
I like the compact people movers that are available in Europe .. not nearly enough of them are sold here, though I've heard that the Ford Focus C-Max will be coming in a year or two.
At the moment, only the Mazda 5 and the Kia Rondo are available. Since they came onto the market, I always thought they would be good for young, starter families.
The "minivan" concept, as introduced by Chrysler, have seen the vehicles grow in size so that the current models are as big as the old big 3 passenger vans from the 70's and early 80's.
The only real drawback to the 5 IMO is the engine is a little on the weak side if you are going to load the van up. SImple remedy is to drop in the new 2.5l from the 6. Should give it enough juice.
Of course, a speed version would be might tasty too!
You can still get the 5 speed, but only in the base (sport) version, so no goodies like a moonroof.
also, while it seats 6, it is really a 4 passenger 9no middle bench) if you want to carry anything of size with you.
perfect though for a starter family, and really a good idea for empty nesters.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The last "brake job" I got, on a saab 9000, was $1000, & I wasn't happy. But it had 45K miles, & had only pads replaced until then. It needed pads, maybe a couple of calipers, & at least one rotor, maybe more. Before that, I had a brake job done on my bmw M6, cheaply, where they "turned the rotors", but the brakes were cr*p again, w/in 6 months.
Anon's story has kind of put me off hondas, for now. It'd be different if the mfg. (or dealer) wasn't being so cheap; I'd almost be parking the car in front of the dealer with a giant yellow LEMON sign on it.......
Anyhoo, we still haven't found one to test drive (we are looking used). Dealership we chose to go to went out of business, apparently. Made out way down the road and test drove a used latest gen RAV4. I liked the handling and it was suprisingly peppy with the 4-banger, but it was not comfortable for me and we were put off by the tremendous amount of road and engine noise inside the cabin.
I have a feeling we'll still wind up back at the Passat. It will come down to a problem of finding one.
Interestingly, though, in my automatic searches that are emailed to me came a 2000 V70 SE with just 74k miles. Asking $4500 at a private dealer. Makes me wonder what is wrong with it, of course. Trade value is $4k.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
would have been much easier and cheaper to slap a turbo or supercharger on it!
Also, where is that Volvo? anywhere near SJ? I'd buy it if it was a rebuilt wreck or a hideous color!
I spend too much time looking at SS at the stuff for sale that would turn out to be a disaster, but how much trouble can you get into with a NA V70?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
When I see what kind of lame used cars people are paying $5K for now (?!)......maybe this volvo has a salvage title or something, but I'd sure check it out......ASAP in case it's decent.....
actually, this one is lower miles than most, but I will say that from the pictures, his stuff looks very clean.
I actually love the colors on the V70, but the driver's leather looks like more than 74K of use, but I think that might be a common issue on these.
Still, with newer michelins, etc. for $4,500? A fine deal if it checks out clean.
Pretty sure it is no more than an hour from QB's place.
Hey, he should check it out for me!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Probably bout 45mins from me.
Should send your visiting scientist from work to check it out.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I want the darned thing for me. If that sucker was a local private owner with anything passing for records (and the every important good vibe), I would snap it up in a second and unload my Accord.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The 02 Lexus looks like it may need a little work but nothing major. A couple of tires, a good cleaning, and some small maintenance items may be needed. The good news is that the timing belt and water pump were done at the dealer when the car had 102k. It's now at 125k so it should be while before it needs any major maintenance items.
The Mazda5 is a great concept. However, make sure you can live with it long-term. It still feels a little like an econo-box inside and the automatic 4 cylinder is peppy as long as you are going downhill. Gas mileage is OK but not great for a 4 cylinder. Why not try to find a used Toyota HIghlander or even a 01-03 RX300? They had an available 3rd row and seem to be a good compromise between the Passat and the Mazda5 ...
Also have to think any one of these with modest miles is going to be just as expensive as what you can get for the XC90, so why bother?
For the Accord, once they get the zone people involved, usually something happens. It is hard to believe they won't just say to throw on a fresh set of rotors. Maybe if you are really stubborn, you can get them to put on a set of good aftermarket ones, if you pay the difference between what the OEM ones cost?
Anyway, you will need to put new ones on before you can try to sell the car anyway, so if the Honda ones fix the problem, maybe you can actualy live for a while with it.
Oh, is this one a lease or a buy?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I guess it depends what you are looking for; the Highlander is slightly less involving to drive then a plane on autopilot, but if you just want to sit and steer that is a reasonable choice. I don't think it buys you anything over the XC though.
The Lexus is very nice to sit in although still not very engaging to drive. As a "fill it and forget it" type vehicle with a fancy stereo and heated seats, it should get the job done.
This is not like replacing the tiles on the Space Shuttle. Either the dealer & Honda are actually totally clueless about how to fix the brakes on a new Honda (??!), or they know the OEM rotors are cr*p, & are too cheap to replace them (with New cr*ppy OEM rotors probably).
I assume Lexus uses quality brake parts; at least I've never heard of unusual problems......you read these stories about people with old LS400's that just seem to run forever practically.....
OK... well... ya ready?
Sitting in the driveway right now is ... here it comes ... a black/black '09 Mazda5!
I don't know how, I don't know why. It just is.
Wife drove it and decided she'd rather have that than the Passat. She thought the Passat was more luxurious (of course), but she said the mazda is nice enough and the added practicality wins the vote. I'll tell ya, I think its plenty peppy. I couldn't keep from spinning the wheel taking off. It is a BIG difference compared to those vehicles with turbo lag. I could see it being weak passing on the highway, though. But not a big deal. We'll see how mileage works out. I'm figuring we'll see about 24mpg in our mixed driving. Is that great for a 4-cyl? No. But it is good for a 6-seater.
We went to this dealer JUST to check it out, maybe drive it, but had absolutely no intention of buying this particular one (it was used, in fact, with 22k miles). The dealer worked the deal REAL hard and we just couldn't turn it down.
He claims to have lost money but is hoping to make it up on my Infiniti (yeah, right). According to my best calculations, they made about $1,000 on us. Which is a GREAT deal for us, no doubt. They overallowed on my Infiniti by about $1500 and sold us the Mazda for ~$16k. Galves says its worth between $13k and $14k. So if you take the middle ground at $13,500, add in the overallowance on my trade, then that's where I come up with the $1k net. This now becomes the lowest markup I've ever paid on a used car, beating the XC90 by about $400.
All in all, its $3k more than we were looking to spend on an '07. Kinda tough to argue with the value of 2 years younger for only $3k, I think.
Just one task left, though, and that's going to the credit union on Monday to close with them and deliver the check to the dealer. Hopefully no hitches to worry about there.
Sooo... now onto selling the Volvo and finding myself a cheap commuter.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Sound like a good deal on the mazda. This way, when you are trading it in 6 months from now, you won't be losing so much money!
Is it a touring or a grand touring? Have to get at least to a touring to get the moonroof, and GT for the leather and bun warmers.
I was reading up on them yesterday since you brought the concept up. SHould be a nice little package, although probably a bit strained loaded up and whomping down the turnpike at 80!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Yeah, that's more like it! I feel exactly the same way.
No no no, you guys missed the IF I had to replace it part! I fully plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off or someone decides they want to remodel its body.
I really do love the Pilot, just wish it could pull the TT.....which has been sitting unused for 3 years now. If it could do that I'd never even DREAM of letting it go. If only we had kept old Ralphy.......but I think our landlord would have said not in this lifetime can that thing sit there, lol.
Just came back from running errands all over the place. Its really pretty enjoyable to drive. Its just so much more nimble than the XC90. Perfect for running errands like we just did. I could see where we might miss the Volvo or Infiniti when, as you said, barreling down the highway on long trips. But considering that's maybe 10% of the wife's driving, this car makes more sense.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Although yesterday when I was in the chevy dealer, they had, of all things, a fairly base Malibu on the floor with an aftermarket rood, and some rediculous price (I think it was 2K for the roof and a rear lip).
But, as long as it doesn;t leak, I guess you are good to go!
Probably wil be OK for the 6 months that matter anyway....
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Current ride is a 2006 Volvo V70 2.5T... good for hauling stuff around and I don't mind when it looks like a bike shop exploded in the back, gets down the highway very nicely... but it's almost too smooth and the handling is soft.
Enter the object of this round of wanderlust... the Jetta SportWagen TDI. Anyone have any experience with the handling of these things, especially the possibly nose-heavy TDI? I'm thinking manual, because over the years I've remembered that it IS more fun to shift your own.
So am I insane? Uncle Barack has at least 1300 reasons I'm not. Good thing my local VW haus is quite inconvenient to any of my usual travels.