Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

sda

At this point I could have sold the Accord and banked the $$. The cars essentially stay parked at home anyway. Now I’m finding weak excuses to take the Passat out for a drive.

kyfdx

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

He is buying the car. $8K or less is his budget. He has the cash.

Clean looking Cav

2007 MKZ

2007 Frontier 2wd

2007 Sienna

Other than the Frontier, all of those vehicles would cause him to need anti-depressants. So far his vehicles have been:

1992 Legend
1987 325iS
1995 M3
2017 Tacoma

And, that Frontier has 200K+ miles.

I'll link the ad for the Forester. It's pretty nice, one-owner, great CarFax..

stickguy

that is why I was fine with exiting my lease a year early. I barely drive enough to keep the RDX exercised. keeping 2 cars going required just driving around to warm up the engine.

kyfdx

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:

Car shopping today with my son. Tacoma lease is up in December.

Checked out a 2012 Forester 2.5 X with manual transmission. 125K miles. One owner, with a great Carfax. Looked and drove well. Asking $6950. (at small lot)

2004 Forester with stick.. 170K miles for $3950, at a Toyota dealer. Once we looked at it, decided not to drive it.

Spent 40 minutes at Carmax getting a bid on the Tacoma. Mentioned several times that it was a lease to be bought out. Finally, talked to someone in the business office. They can't buy leases from US Bank. US Bank will only sell to third party dealers that are in their "network". IOW, if a dealer doesn't write US Bank leases, they won't sell them the vehicle. Pretty reasonable bid, though ($29K). Unfortunately, it does me no good.

I admire your confidence that you can buy cars with that kind of milage without getting stuck with a lemon. I don’t have the smarts or the equipment to evaluate car like that so I usually stick with low mileage ones.

Do you hire out a PPI, buy an extended warranty or are you that mechanically inclined?

He is buying the car. $8K or less is his budget. He has the cash. Credit isn’t good enough to lease, or get a loan on a more expensive vehicle.

You have to start somewhere.

Does he have any prejudice against domestics? Maybe a nice boring Buick or Chevy? For about $8k I got a Fusion with under 30k miles.

He needs something with some utility. He has a 100 lb dog. Just got engaged and bought a house with his fiancee. Cyclist, so he needs to be able to take his bike, etc.. A sedan just won't cut it.

Plus, he likes cars..

kyfdx

2012 Forester

kyfdx

graphicguy

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

He is buying the car. $8K or less is his budget. He has the cash.

Clean looking Cav

2007 MKZ

2007 Frontier 2wd

2007 Sienna

That Cavalier is at what I thought was a BHPH place....unless they’ve changed their business model.

The others are at Rallye Motors....been around a long time and carry quality used cars. I like that MKZ as a run around car.

mjfloyd1

@roadburner

https://www.jaguarsouthshore.com/used/BMW/2020-BMW-M2-b0f39c820a0d0cc7718aff508ae3314a.htm

Northern IN but not a manual- at least you like the color

Drat - just noticed it has hole in the roof that you don’t want

qbrozen

Crud. Bad luck. Started the Charger yesterday and she has a loud tick. It would seem she has likely been struck by the all too common seized lifter issue. Ugh!

stickguy

you got more hooptie action going on at this point than JR and Hoovie combined.

latest episode of the car wizard, they were making fun of Hoovies SLS AMG, and making DIY hooptie fixes with electrical tape.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

He is buying the car. $8K or less is his budget. He has the cash.

Clean looking Cav

2007 MKZ

2007 Frontier 2wd

2007 Sienna

That Cavalier is at what I thought was a BHPH place....unless they’ve changed their business model.

The others are at Rallye Motors....been around a long time and carry quality used cars. I like that MKZ as a run around car.

Rallye is a pretty good place. I don't know if John or Ralph are still there, though.

mjfloyd1

qbrozen said:

Crud. Bad luck. Started the Charger yesterday and she has a loud tick. It would seem she has likely been struck by the all too common seized lifter issue. Ugh!

Will you tackle that repair yourself?

roadburner

28firefighter said:

At the moment there is a 540i xDrive M Sport loaner that I’m swooning over.

But I waffle throughout the day.

I have to admit that I'm tempted by this 5er. Nice color combo, M Sport, M Sport Brakes, and not too many nannies.

breld

I really like the current 5er. Not sure how it’d fit in to my fleet at the moment, but I’ve owned one each of the last 3 generations, so I suppose a new one is bound to find its way into our garage at some point. 😀

@roadburner, that one is really nice. @28firefighter, what are the colors on the loaner you’re swooning over?

28firefighter

That is equipped exactly like the one I’m interested in.

breld

mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner

https://www.jaguarsouthshore.com/used/BMW/2020-BMW-M2-b0f39c820a0d0cc7718aff508ae3314a.htm

Northern IN but not a manual- at least you like the color

Drat - just noticed it has hole in the roof that you don’t want

I’ll take it. I’d prefer the hole in the roof.

stickguy

love the colors on that 540. seems nicely equipped. Still bigger than I would need, but that identical configuration in a 3 series would be just the right size!

breld

@roadburner - anything against the m550i other than a higher price?

28firefighter

Personally I’ve been conditioned not to do BMW V8s. Also I love their 6 cylinder power plants.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

2012 Forester

Well, if he must but I think it’s pretty inconsiderate to not let a bunch of crotchety old folks make his decisions for him.😤

Seriously, if he likes the Subie he should buy what makes him happy.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Crud. Bad luck. Started the Charger yesterday and she has a loud tick. It would seem she has likely been struck by the all too common seized lifter issue. Ugh!

How many miles on that engine? Has it been sitting a while? That might make it tick. I’ve delivered some cars that had a definite tick on start up but they had been sitting for a couple of weeks.

I just watched a video on that issue and they claim the problem didn’t start until 2009 so you may be in the clear. Hope so because that’s a heck of an expensive engine job.

stickguy

seafoam it and hope for the best.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

Crud. Bad luck. Started the Charger yesterday and she has a loud tick. It would seem she has likely been struck by the all too common seized lifter issue. Ugh!

How many miles on that engine? Has it been sitting a while? That might make it tick. I’ve delivered some cars that had a definite tick on start up but they had been sitting for a couple of weeks.

I just watched a video on that issue and they claim the problem didn’t start until 2009 so you may be in the clear. Hope so because that’s a heck of an expensive engine job.

I didn’t read/see that about ‘09+. Got a link?

Only 79k miles. Was not sitting long, and engine has been dead smooth till now.

Will I tackle myself? Seems likely.

roadburner

breld said:

@roadburner - anything against the m550i other than a higher price?

I'm just gun-shy about the V8s; I'd much rather have an M340i.

mjfloyd1

breld said:

mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner

https://www.jaguarsouthshore.com/used/BMW/2020-BMW-M2-b0f39c820a0d0cc7718aff508ae3314a.htm

Northern IN but not a manual- at least you like the color

Drat - just noticed it has hole in the roof that you don’t want

I’ll take it. I’d prefer the hole in the roof.

Me too

Good to hear from you @breld.

Michaell

Took the Outback in for its annual oil change - just over 7000 miles in the past year.

Dealer sent me a coupon, so I walked out only $28 lighter in the wallet.

Walked the lot - they have a absolute ton of Crosstreks, including the new 2021 Sport trim with the larger 2.5 engine in it. Stickered for $30K, and they added a bit of anodized gold to the steering wheel trim - not a fan.

Also spotted a used 2017 GTI S with 21,000 miles on it, priced at $22K

Equipped with a DSG, which @breld thinks is now the preferred transmission (sorry @kyfdx)

mjfloyd1

You just never know when a clutch will go out...😂

corvette

Looks like The Car Wizard is now hawking baldness treatments. The channels I follow on Youtube have posted a bunch of new content in the past couple of days. Makes it hard to get caught up on the backlog of 90 Day Fiance episodes I have on Hulu.

qbrozen

So, I decided to take a look at the ML first today. Thought I’d search for the oil leak and then pull a valve cover to determine if the head bolts are original.

Man! What a PITA! They used T30 torx bolts everywhere on this thing, and no room to get a tool to some of them. I wound up stripping one and then spent an hour cutting it off. Luckily, I somehow managed to cut the bolt while only scratching the valve cover, so I don’t have to replace anything but one bolt.

Anyhoo, prior to that, I could not definitively identify the leak. There is just NO room under there to see anything. There was some oil pooled in the bell housing, so that is concerning BUT i also spotted some drips higher up, so it is possible it is just gathering there rather than coming from the RMS. Now, the selling dealer claimed his mechanic replaced the valve cover gaskets “not because they were leaking but just preventative.” Yeah, right. What I found was some sealant used in the back corner, and wetness there that would indicate it wasn’t doing the job. My guess is the cover was never pulled and some moron spread sealant in that corner instead.

On to the $64k question: does it have the original headbolts? ....drumroll ....

Yes, of course it does. Because that is my luck.

28firefighter

Is the head bolt job complicated and require a new headgasket? Or can you change the head bolts one at a time without breaking the seal?

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Is the head bolt job complicated and require a new headgasket? Or can you change the head bolts one at a time without breaking the seal?

I’m going the one-at-a-time route since there has been no indication anything has gone wrong yet to compromise the head gaskets. So not a horrible job, I don’t believe. Looks like the cams have to come out.

stickguy

good luck. That is definitely into "the guy" territory for most of us!

I know I have seen this done recently. Might have been the car wizard? Or one of the many Youtube repair channels. Other than getting to them, it did not appear to be a particularly complicated process. Assuming you have the right tools and know what you are doing!

28firefighter

stickguy said:

good luck. That is definitely into "the guy" territory for most of us!

I know I have seen this done recently. Might have been the car wizard? Or one of the many Youtube repair channels. Other than getting to them, it did not appear to be a particularly complicated process. Assuming you have the right tools and know what you are doing!

Wheeler dealers is where I saw it. Ant replaced the head bolts on the 2001 Viggen.

stickguy

I saw that episode. But I am almost possible I saw someone do it on this MB engine. .Problem is, I have watched so many different channels I can't remember who did it.

stickguy

I think the one I remembered was legit street cars, who thought he had to do them but checked and didn't.

this was the first hit on the search (have not watched it yet, but pretty sure this video is what QB is going to attempt. Hopefully not out in the snow).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJO1qNnhxw4

tjc78

Card officially punched! As quick an easy a pickup as possible. We were in and out in one hour and ten minutes.

I’ll take pictures tomorrow and go over the whole process with the broker.

28firefighter

Congrats!

roadburner

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

Is the head bolt job complicated and require a new headgasket? Or can you change the head bolts one at a time without breaking the seal?

I’m going the one-at-a-time route since there has been no indication anything has gone wrong yet to compromise the head gaskets. So not a horrible job, I don’t believe. Looks like the cams have to come out.

That's the same way we did it on the M20 "small" sixes found in the E28, E30, and early E34 sedans. It's usually an effective workaround.

roadburner

Want: 1993 M5 Touring

corvette

roadburner said:

Want: 1993 M5 Touring

$27,500 and 2 days of bidding remaining. IMO, already an insanely high price.

I'm sure parts availability is better now, but in the late 1980s, my dad's boss and the boss' best friend took a road trip to Florida in the friend's grey market BMW. It broke down in Atlanta and needed engine components shipped from the mother country to repair, which took months.

roadburner

corvette said:

roadburner said:

Want: 1993 M5 Touring

$27,500 and 2 days of bidding remaining. IMO, already an insanely high price.

I'm sure parts availability is better now, but in the late 1980s, my dad's boss and the boss' best friend took a road trip to Florida in the friend's grey market BMW. It broke down in Atlanta and needed engine components shipped from the mother country to repair, which took months.

I used to be East Coast Tech Advisor for the M Register(E24 M6 and E28/E34 M5). A large percentage of the cars were gray market. You need to know who to call.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

Crud. Bad luck. Started the Charger yesterday and she has a loud tick. It would seem she has likely been struck by the all too common seized lifter issue. Ugh!

How many miles on that engine? Has it been sitting a while? That might make it tick. I’ve delivered some cars that had a definite tick on start up but they had been sitting for a couple of weeks.

I just watched a video on that issue and they claim the problem didn’t start until 2009 so you may be in the clear. Hope so because that’s a heck of an expensive engine job.

I didn’t read/see that about ‘09+. Got a link?

Only 79k miles. Was not sitting long, and engine has been dead smooth till now.

Will I tackle myself? Seems likely.

Look in the video description. It make mention of 2009+ having the issue.

https://youtu.be/inPUz3pCHa0

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

Is the head bolt job complicated and require a new headgasket? Or can you change the head bolts one at a time without breaking the seal?

I’m going the one-at-a-time route since there has been no indication anything has gone wrong yet to compromise the head gaskets. So not a horrible job, I don’t believe. Looks like the cams have to come out.

Wow with those two engine jobs looming you’re going to a busy lad.

nyccarguy

stickguy

5 series touring? Nice looking.

roadburner

There used to be a company on the east coast which built E34 M5 Tourings. You provided the 525i Touring and they installed the M5 parts from a wrecked E34 sedan. It was a professional job, but the "real" M5 Tourings are more valuble.

nyccarguy

I was crawling along in traffic the other AM and this guy was next to me. The car was in great shape & a stick too.

stickguy

a few more ideas for QB "while he is in there".

Man, I need one of those C classes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Nw3uHGA1k

breld

Had lunch with @jpp75 this afternoon and then he joined me to go look at an M2:

https://www.automotive-imports.com/vehicle-details/used-2017-bmw-m2--denver-co-id-39321276

Cool dealership - it comes up often based on my searches but I’ve never actually visited it. Very car enthusiast-oriented. The owner came by to chat about their M2 but also was interested in looking at the Supra.

The M2 is a DCT - I probably would have been a bit more excited about a manual, but as it was I was really impressed with the trannie and of course the car overall. I wouldn’t rule out the DCT.

Having recently owned the 228i, I was shocked at how distinct the M2 looks in comparison. I had looked at a couple M240i’s yesterday and they’ve always turned my head, but the look of the M2 blew me away. The body “kit” and wider wheel arches make a significant impact.

stickguy

so what were the terms on the key swap?

My son mentioned the Supra recently as an option he is considering next year. Also some sort of 2 or 4 series. I suggested that since he is probably still going to be a 1 car person, and at least the BMW version has a nominal back seat and some trunk room.