Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

au1994

Well, hows this for weird. Just got an email from Vroom letting me know that the check is in the mail complete with tracking number.

Lightning fast compared to the earlier process.

breld

I'm almost at 3,000 miles on my Supra, and I've noticed my average fuel consumption is around 28 mpg.

Makes me feel a bit guilty - need to push the car harder.

tifighter

3000 miles sounds pretty good for your fun car. I might be near 1000 added on the Z4 by now. Smoky September hasn't helped.

28firefighter

I'm coming up on 1 year of ownership with the i3 and 6 months of ownership of the ZHP. The i3 has just over 3400 miles. I've added just over 1500 to the ZHP.

breld

Love me some steel blue...

https://www.emichchevrolet.com/VehicleDetails/used-2005-BMW-330xi-Sedan-Lakewood-CO/4656839013

Last year of the E46 sedan, great color...wonder if it really is a manual, or if the Chevy dealer just put the standard description in there. Can't seem to find a BMW vin decoder that works these days.

kyfdx

Our first E46 was Steel Blue.

AWD on an E46 is not a positive, from a driving standpoint. You can really feel the difference.

stickguy

Buy it cheap so you can sell it cheap! Money put. Looks like at least 3 separate instances or radiator replaced. Among many other things.

28firefighter

I'd say given the age, it would be about due for another cooling system overhaul. I'd be astonished of the valve cover gasket, vanos oil line, and oil pan gasket didn't need some love, too. The latter is a serious effort because it is an AWD.

28firefighter

I'm sure this seller will find someone to pay them close to $10k for this fine piece of machinery...NOT.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-bmw-328ic/7200045530.html

stickguy

I forgot it was an Xdrive. I would only buy a RWD if I was taking the plunge.

corvette

28firefighter said:

I'm sure this seller will find someone to pay them close to $10k for this fine piece of machinery...NOT.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-bmw-328ic/7200045530.html

"...no lowballs. In no rush to sell. Cash is king... No joyrides must have cash in hand for test drive... 4th owner of this car."

28firefighter

Yes, cash is king. How much will they pay me to take it?

stickguy

Interested thing to stress, that it’s slow. Probably safer that way.

And no Emissions equipment or airbag? Good luck getting that inspected and insured.

Michaell

My racing buddy had another first lap incident....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y3zGYBurbY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2LKGu93ikfVf2v7o-lDtyiAOW7vJCjQC5nOoXhdCsJicR9J7Fe1ncDerA

28firefighter

There is no safety inspection in WA and emissions checks disappeared this year. I always found the PA inspection/emission process to be a huge pain each year, but given the number of true hoopties I see on the road out here, I'm starting to think it is probably a good thing...

sda

Does PA still have a strict policy on the amount of rust that is allowed? I remember my late friend was always having to have what I thought to be relatively minor rust fixed before it would pass inspection.

qbrozen

Michaell said:

My racing buddy had another first lap incident....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y3zGYBurbY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2LKGu93ikfVf2v7o-lDtyiAOW7vJCjQC5nOoXhdCsJicR9J7Fe1ncDerA

As soon as they rubbed in the corner, he should have kept a closed eye on them and made some distance between his car and them. I know I would have. Saw that coming long before he hit his brakes.

mb_enthusiast

corvette said:

mb_enthusiast said:

mjfloyd1 said:

mb_enthusiast said:

Porsche can't get their story straight. The service manual clearly says that the 30k mile service is an oil and filter change plus spark plugs. I speak to two of the three dealerships, and they claim that Cayenne S 30k is a 'regular' service without spark plugs but several other items. They told me that spark plugs come at 40k despite the manual stating otherwise. So...the two less expensive dealerships were at $495 and $825 without those spark plugs. I declined to do the service at the Exchange today. They ended up only fixing two of the three broken clips because they apparently missed the other. Three months and they need to order another one. Porsche service... Initially, I considered allowing them to do an oil change, but that was $300... Ugh. I don't mind maintenance costs—par for the game. However, the lack of transparency and wildly different pricing is so different from what I've experienced with other luxury brands—Mercedes and Audi, chiefly.

Porsche- you can pay me now or you can pay me later. Maybe they think they are "saving" you from a return trip for the spark plugs in 2k miles?

No, two out of three are claiming that spark plugs are at 40k, not 30k—even though the manual says it is at 30k! The maintenance booklet literally says that at 30k it's an oil and filter change and spark plugs. Nothing else is mentioned in contrast to the other service intervals.

Can you take it to an independent mechanic for the spark plug swap? Might be less expensive.

I've decided to take it to my indie for the oil and filter change. I will do the spark plugs when the manual says to do the spark plugs—when it gets to 30k... Oil and filter change is half the price of the Porsche Exchange. The Porsche Exchange reported to Carfax that they changed the oil and filter. Can you believe that!?!?

mjfloyd1

Have you looked at the oil on the dipstick (assuming that it has one)? Maybe they did change it

28firefighter

breld said:

Love me some steel blue...

https://www.emichchevrolet.com/VehicleDetails/used-2005-BMW-330xi-Sedan-Lakewood-CO/4656839013

Last year of the E46 sedan, great color...wonder if it really is a manual, or if the Chevy dealer just put the standard description in there. Can't seem to find a BMW vin decoder that works these days.

The VIN decoder I looked at says it is an automatic - FYI.

xwesx

au1994 said:

Loving the Land Cruiser. Made our first road trip this weekend and it was very comfortable and roomy. Tech needs an update and there is a bluetooth adapter that would allow me to stream, get CarPlay etc. Gas mileage...well lets just say there’s a trade off to everything.

Fairly comparable to the Subaru in every way!

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

My racing buddy had another first lap incident....

As soon as they rubbed in the corner, he should have kept a closed eye on them and made some distance between his car and them. I know I would have. Saw that coming long before he hit his brakes.

With that dash layout on the screen, I thought it was a video game. Actually, the only thing that made me think otherwise was the "oof!" noise the driver made when another car T-boned him.

I love the writing on the mirror, though: "Objects in mirror are losing."

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

My 6 year old daughter put a 2" gouging scratch into the side of my TTS by throwing the Tiguan rear right door into it at the end of its swing of travel.

Time for a part out!

Oh, that's rough! My daughter did that with our cars, too. That earned her years of "child lock" on the door nearest her. She was hopping mad about that. but I don't know whether she realizes just how close I was to killing her.

My son and his little gal pal were having fun throwing rocks in our driveway and managed to shatter the windshield on my car. They were about 9 at the time. I blame her for leading him astray.

sda

oldfarmer50 said:

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

My 6 year old daughter put a 2" gouging scratch into the side of my TTS by throwing the Tiguan rear right door into it at the end of its swing of travel.

Time for a part out!

Oh, that's rough! My daughter did that with our cars, too. That earned her years of "child lock" on the door nearest her. She was hopping mad about that. but I don't know whether she realizes just how close I was to killing her.

My son and his little gal pal were having fun throwing rocks in our driveway and managed to shatter the windshield on my car. They were about 9 at the time. I blame her for leading him astray.

Spank, spank!

oldfarmer50

breld said:

I'm almost at 3,000 miles on my Supra, and I've noticed my average fuel consumption is around 28 mpg.

Makes me feel a bit guilty - need to push the car harder.

I noticed my gas mileage dropped right after I put a Borla exhaust on the car. Now I find myself reving a little higher to hear the sweet spot. I also find myself cornering a little more aggressively now that I have the Pilot Sports instead of the whining of the Pirellis.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

Love me some steel blue...

https://www.emichchevrolet.com/VehicleDetails/used-2005-BMW-330xi-Sedan-Lakewood-CO/4656839013

Last year of the E46 sedan, great color...wonder if it really is a manual, or if the Chevy dealer just put the standard description in there. Can't seem to find a BMW vin decoder that works these days.

The mileage is up there although not too bad for it’s age. Is that vintage prone to any expensive breakdowns? Might make a nice little weekend cruiser if you can get a deal on it.

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

I'm sure this seller will find someone to pay them close to $10k for this fine piece of machinery...NOT.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-bmw-328ic/7200045530.html

I think it needs an alignment. I see the camber is off a little.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

My racing buddy had another first lap incident....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y3zGYBurbY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2LKGu93ikfVf2v7o-lDtyiAOW7vJCjQC5nOoXhdCsJicR9J7Fe1ncDerA

Man, that is the worst rush hour traffic I’ve ever seen!

oldfarmer50

sda said:

Does PA still have a strict policy on the amount of rust that is allowed? I remember my late friend was always having to have what I thought to be relatively minor rust fixed before it would pass inspection.

That’s one thing NY doesn’t care about for all it’s obsessive meddling. I’ve run cars until the frame was literally coming apart and it would still pass. I hear MA is very sensitive about rust though.

roadburner

sda said:

oldfarmer50 said:

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

My 6 year old daughter put a 2" gouging scratch into the side of my TTS by throwing the Tiguan rear right door into it at the end of its swing of travel.

Time for a part out!

Oh, that's rough! My daughter did that with our cars, too. That earned her years of "child lock" on the door nearest her. She was hopping mad about that. but I don't know whether she realizes just how close I was to killing her.

My son and his little gal pal were having fun throwing rocks in our driveway and managed to shatter the windshield on my car. They were about 9 at the time. I blame her for leading him astray.

Spank, spank!

Violation- You should have posted a Trigger Warning to ward off any hand-wringing bedwetters out there...

stickguy

saw the used Forester again. while walking tonight. 2012 Touring. 138,000 miles so a bit steep. That would definitely need a serious PPI. And IMO records of new head gaskets and a replacement tranny!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

saw the used Forester again. while walking tonight. 2012 Touring. 138,000 miles so a bit steep. That would definitely need a serious PPI. And IMO records of new head gaskets and a replacement tranny!

September seems to be the month that cars for sale sprout on lawns like mushrooms. Don’t know it’s because they bought something new or they suspect the old one won’t make it through the winter.

stickguy

I think might be an old person "no longer needing it". Has handicapped tags on it.

tjc78

Volvo sunroof stuck open. I guess I better hope it doesn't rain.

Switch is good because I can hear the relay clicking. I tried restarting the car , and Googling a reset procedure with no help.

Guess I'm off to the dealer tomorrow.

stickguy

not supposed to rain tonight at least.

see, proof to the wife, why your car needs to go in the garage!

hey, can bring it here. I got an empty garage bay! Can see how one looks in there.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

not supposed to rain tonight at least.

see, proof to the wife, why your car needs to go in the garage!

hey, can bring it here. I got an empty garage bay! Can see how one looks in there.

CCBs helping CCBs. I love it.

nyccarguy

Got an email from Toyota last week saying there was 1 year left on my lease. The email said I should have 15,000 miles on the truck. I pulled in the driveway last night with 22,700.

graphicguy

breld said:

My 1990 Civic Si was red, but I’ve rarely had any thought of getting another red car since then.

This is pretty though...

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/821333586/overview/

It’s red. It’s a manual transmission. It sounds like it’s all loaded up with the “good” engine. It’s red. You must!!!!!!

mjfloyd1

I’d only replace the Mini with that BMW. No way I’d trade Supra or red hot chili pepper

mjfloyd1

Be careful of those clutches on manual transmission cars - they can be wonky and go out at any time 😂

tjc78

stickguy said:

not supposed to rain tonight at least.

see, proof to the wife, why your car needs to go in the garage!

hey, can bring it here. I got an empty garage bay! Can see how one looks in there.

Thanks! Bringing it to the dealer in a little bit. Getting a ride back. Have movers coming at 2:30 for a quote. My head is spinning right now so much to do.

We planned settlement for our house one day before the new house. We will just sleep at the shore. Of course that’s the last weekend there, so I have deal with winterizing that the same weekend we move in. I’m thinking I will have to suck it up and “pay the guy” to do it

stickguy

Things moving quick.

I remember having that much going on at the same time. I’m too old now. Better left to you kids!

tjc78

Yes they are. Grrrr no loaners at Volvo. Waiting for shuttle.

tjc78

OMG I just heard someone get quoted $366 for a battery. Wow

mjfloyd1

OEM battery and programming. I’m not surprised.

Our MB GL350, when the alternator froze and broke the serpentine belt, it ended up draining the battery. They told me they tried to charge it but it was too far gone. They wanted $450 I think to replace it.

I went to pep boys and brought a battery with me when I picked it up.

Strangely it started right up at the dealership. I went ahead and changed the battery at home because we were traveling to FL and didn’t want to get into any problems.

stickguy

This one sold for what seems like a reasonable price. I always liked these.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/K1dd5N0j/1992-toyota-mr2

stickguy

This one got called right by this group. Red flags held it back. On the plus side, if a bunch hit the market after the gen 8 comes out, could make for some good used buys!

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3zZNB7mN/2018-volkswagen-golf-gti-se

28firefighter

The GTI seller seems like a real treat.

qbrozen

That GTI's twin sold at Manheim at the end of august for $23k. Go figure.

stickguy

I think the weird history on the intake and tune turned off the community. Just smelled like a story hidden in there that you may not want to hear.