Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

xwesx said:

I just received confirmation that the purchasing paperwork arrived back at the NY dealer today. So, hopefully delivery on Monday or Tuesday is doable. There's supposed to be another big storm in the area, at least in the lakes area, so all of you in the region take care over the holiday... and have a little fun in the snow!

snow is evil.

with all the pandemic changes, it looks like my wife realistically can now work from home permanently (I already did). So the only real impediment to moving before we retire (instead of after) is not longer in place. We looked around a bit up in NY/VT/NH and I was willing to pull the trigger, if she was willing to offload her collection of "stuff" for the move.

She should have taken me up on it in the fall when I said we should look at the houses near Saratoga I kept sending her links to. Because last week they got 35" of snow in that storm. Only an insane person would choose to move into that kind of insanity. I'm going to Tennessee instead (even if it might be by myself!)

explorerx4

@tjc78,
That's your old countertop?

ab348

Michaell said:

.

Did tech support fix something to allow pictures again?

Yes, a fix was implemented today.


Well, let's check that out.



In the famous words of Mel Allen, How about that!

ab348

This must be recall season as today GM announced a rather large one too:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/gm-recalls-trucks-and-suvs-plus-buick-and-chevrolet-sedans

More than 624,000 trucks and SUVs are affected by the larger of these call-backs. Faulty vehicles include the following models:

2019-21 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2019-21 GMC Sierra 1500
2020-21 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500
2020-21 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500
2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe
2021 GMC Yukon XL

The issue with these vehicles has to do with the front, center-position seat belt. This restraint's mounting brackets may not be properly secured to the seat frame, which can cause injury or death in a crash.

If you drive a 2010 to 2013 Buick Lacrosse, a 2012 to 2013 Buick Regal or a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, you should expect a recall notice in the mail as well. Around 213,000 of these sedans have a potential rear-suspension problem. Affected vehicles were sold or registered in nearly half the states of the union, including Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The issue with these affected cars has to do with rear suspension toe links. Ironically, these critical components may have received too much of a corrosion-preventing coating. Over time, this too-thick layer can become brittle and flake off, exposing the underlying metal to the elements, making it more likely to corrode and potentially break.

mjfloyd1

mjfloyd1

Hey it’s working!

Strangely after driving it for 3.5 hours and hitting bugs, it did not look freshly detailed when I arrived back home. They call me Captain Obvious

tjc78

explorerx4 said:

@tjc78,
That's your old countertop?

No that’s the new house. I’m pretty surprised the original owners didn’t go with quartz over the granite. That’s the new rage.

28firefighter

Looking good, @mjfloyd1!

andres3

mjfloyd1 said:

Hey it’s working!

Strangely after driving it for 3.5 hours and hitting bugs, it did not look freshly detailed when I arrived back home. They call me Captain Obvious

You didn't have a big RAM truck 3 feet in front of you though

tjc78

28firefighter said:

Looking good, @mjfloyd1!

Indeed. Nice ride!

andres3

So who else is making this a real December to remember?

au1994

mjfloyd1 said:

yeah, that’s awesome. Love that color combo even though I tend to avoid black interiors here in GA.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

So who else is making this a real December to remember?

I have a big bow that I intend to put on the Fiat. LOL.

andres3

qbrozen said:

andres3 said:

So who else is making this a real December to remember?

I have a big bow that I intend to put on the Fiat. LOL.

How are you liking the Fiat so far? Any dash lights yet?

The S4 is clear so far; though I suspect one of the engine mounts is more degraded than it should be as I can feel the engine idling a bit, and in the S4, it should feel like a tank with an engine that doesn't vibrate at all.

mjfloyd1

andres3 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

Hey it’s working!

Strangely after driving it for 3.5 hours and hitting bugs, it did not look freshly detailed when I arrived back home. They call me Captain Obvious

You didn't have a big RAM truck 3 feet in front of you though

I had lots of vehicles in front of me and I still made it home with 2 key fobs!

And second place is the first loser😂

I kid (kinda). I was quite pleased with 28 mpg in eco pro mode at 80 mph

kyfdx

mjfloyd1 said:

Hey it’s working!

Strangely after driving it for 3.5 hours and hitting bugs, it did not look freshly detailed when I arrived back home. They call me Captain Obvious

Looks great!

qbrozen

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

andres3 said:

So who else is making this a real December to remember?

I have a big bow that I intend to put on the Fiat. LOL.

How are you liking the Fiat so far? Any dash lights yet?

The S4 is clear so far; though I suspect one of the engine mounts is more degraded than it should be as I can feel the engine idling a bit, and in the S4, it should feel like a tank with an engine that doesn't vibrate at all.

I didn't move from where she parked it after bringing it home UNTIL TODAY. She went up to her sisters, leaving me to take my son to the barber. I didn't want to uncover my Dodge, so we took the Fiat. Based on the smell emanating from it upon our return, I'd venture to say it has never once been thrashed the way I thrashed it. But no bad lights, no bad sounds. It is a lovely little car.

mjfloyd1

The dealership was great. It is hard to believe that a town that small has a BMW dealer. They were great. I pointed out a scratch on an interior panel (0.25 inch) and they are giving me a check for $200. They offered to order the piece and install it for free but that's 7 hours round trip... pass)

corvette

It's kind of weird, the nearest large-ish city to that place is Evansville, so they probably cast a really wide net on the geographical area that would buy there or have service done there.

cdnpinhead

tjc78 said:

I’m pretty surprised the original owners didn’t go with quartz over the granite. That’s the new rage.

Oh, the humanity.

mjfloyd1

They make vehicles demos or loaners. They probably are a large volume dealer.

I'm a UE grad. Go purple aces. Last year they beat UK. Gotta like that

explorerx4

One of my kids is going to upgrade the kitchen.
The 'reno' who already redid their master bathroom, does like quartz.
He said it was a man product made from left over junk.
I think stickguy might also have the same countertop, as do we.

breld

I’ll be following up @mjfloyd1’s purchase with my own M40i...it’s in detail now and I should be in finance soon.

Has that happened before where two members purchase largely identical vehicles so close to each other?

corvette

My old place, when I redid the kitchen, I put in a laminate countertop which had a semi-reflective finish on the top which mimicked quartz. Combined with a new backsplash, new paint on the cabinets, and a new sink and dishwasher, I think it turned out well.

breld

I made the final decision on the M40i after driving a few PHEV SUVs this morning - XC60 T8, Q5 e55 and X3 xdrive30e.

I liked all of them actually - thought they all blended in the electric driving nicely. The Volvo was a used 2018 that they priced dearly. On the other two, with roughly $10-11k of tax incentives I thought it could be good timing to get one. The Audi inventory was scarce, deals were not to be had. BMW was better. But in all cases the trade offers were thousands less than what I was getting at the dealership with the used M40i.

The BMW dealer even was kind enough to run the history report on the used one I was considering - I told them it was priced so well that they offered to do so. I think they thought it might be sketchy, but they saw all the service history done on time (they actually sold the car) and agreed it was a good deal. So, we parted ways on good terms after I had a good chat with the sales manager about his M2 Comp (manual)!

explorerx4

Who's going to be #3?

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

Hey it’s working!

Strangely after driving it for 3.5 hours and hitting bugs, it did not look freshly detailed when I arrived back home. They call me Captain Obvious

Meh.... looks pretty darn good to me! Congrats!

oldfarmer50

Test.

xwesx

andres3 said:

So who else is making this a real December to remember?

Definitely. I'm not sure what that means, though. I'm sure I'll remember it.

xwesx

andres3 said:

in the S4, it should feel like a tank with an engine that doesn't vibrate at all.

Have you been in a tank? I think that it would need blown engine mounts and no exhaust system to even try competing...

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

I was quite pleased with 28 mpg in eco pro mode at 80 mph

What?! Shameful! There's no sense in putting a car like that in eco mode! LOL On a serious note, that's great economy for such a vehicle... and with a gas engine! What is the vehicle's weight?

xwesx

breld said:

I’ll be following up @mjfloyd1’s purchase with my own M40i...it’s in detail now and I should be in finance soon.

Has that happened before where two members purchase largely identical vehicles so close to each other?

Yes, I think so. Maybe not *quite* that close, but didn't we have a flurry of GTI buys a couple years back, and maybe there was another cluster of another make... Acuras, was it?

xwesx

corvette said:

My old place, when I redid the kitchen, I put in a laminate countertop which had a semi-reflective finish on the top which mimicked quartz. Combined with a new backsplash, new paint on the cabinets, and a new sink and dishwasher, I think it turned out well.

Looks like a nice update! The black appliances are almost jarring in their contrast, but I'm sure it looked good in situ.

mjfloyd1

oldfarmer50 said:

Test.

My first car was an 82 Mustang with a straight 6 and AT. Black with red guts. I still have a soft spot

mjfloyd1

xwesx said:

mjfloyd1 said:

I was quite pleased with 28 mpg in eco pro mode at 80 mph

What?! Shameful! There's no sense in putting a car like that in eco mode! LOL On a serious note, that's great economy for such a vehicle... and with a gas engine! What is the vehicle's weight?

No idea. It is what it is.

mjfloyd1

breld said:

I made the final decision on the M40i after driving a few PHEV SUVs this morning - XC60 T8, Q5 e55 and X3 xdrive30e.

I liked all of them actually - thought they all blended in the electric driving nicely. The Volvo was a used 2018 that they priced dearly. On the other two, with roughly $10-11k of tax incentives I thought it could be good timing to get one. The Audi inventory was scarce, deals were not to be had. BMW was better. But in all cases the trade offers were thousands less than what I was getting at the dealership with the used M40i.

The BMW dealer even was kind enough to run the history report on the used one I was considering - I told them it was priced so well that they offered to do so. I think they thought it might be sketchy, but they saw all the service history done on time (they actually sold the car) and agreed it was a good deal. So, we parted ways on good terms after I had a good chat with the sales manager about his M2 Comp (manual)!

Which one are you getting? I'm fine with the pleather. The hifi stereo is more than adequate too

stickguy

looked similar to my granite. New Venetian Gold. Pretty common, at least when we did the kitchen (2011). If I do new house (hopefully soon) I will go with Quartz.

Nice looking X3. When we were shopping for the new family car, I really liked the BMW but the wife decided on the RDX instead (partly because of cost difference. I explained about the service loaner option, but she really wanted brand brand new). I loved the XC60 also, but she did not like something about how it drove. Her car, her choice.

At one point, it was GTIs for everybody, and we did have a flurry of TLXs.

nyccarguy

@mjfloyd1

Love the X3 M40i! Looks fantastic in silver!

28firefighter

Any pictures @breld?

stickguy

look at the silver one. and pretend it is white!

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Test.

Oooh, that's pretty.... but why not post a photo of your own car?!

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

xwesx said:

mjfloyd1 said:

I was quite pleased with 28 mpg in eco pro mode at 80 mph

What?! Shameful! There's no sense in putting a car like that in eco mode! LOL On a serious note, that's great economy for such a vehicle... and with a gas engine! What is the vehicle's weight?

No idea. It is what it is.

Looks like about 4,400#. I thought it looked bigger than that in the photos. Still, pretty decent returns for 80 mph driving!

Michaell

stickguy said:

looked similar to my granite. New Venetian Gold. Pretty common, at least when we did the kitchen (2011). If I do new house (hopefully soon) I will go with Quartz.

Nice looking X3. When we were shopping for the new family car, I really liked the BMW but the wife decided on the RDX instead (partly because of cost difference. I explained about the service loaner option, but she really wanted brand brand new). I loved the XC60 also, but she did not like something about how it drove. Her car, her choice.

At one point, it was GTIs for everybody, and we did have a flurry of TLXs.

Wasn't there a spate of Stelvios?

Michaell

Mystery car pix!

stickguy

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

looked similar to my granite. New Venetian Gold. Pretty common, at least when we did the kitchen (2011). If I do new house (hopefully soon) I will go with Quartz.

Nice looking X3. When we were shopping for the new family car, I really liked the BMW but the wife decided on the RDX instead (partly because of cost difference. I explained about the service loaner option, but she really wanted brand brand new). I loved the XC60 also, but she did not like something about how it drove. Her car, her choice.

At one point, it was GTIs for everybody, and we did have a flurry of TLXs.

Wasn't there a spate of Stelvios?

forgot about that short lived wave of cheap leases!

breld

I’ll post some pics in the morning when the lighting is better.

So I ended up with the 2018 Alpine White over black sensatec. Premium pkg, driver assistance and driver assistance plus, Harman Kardon, Apple CarPlay and wireless charging, adaptive M suspension.

I forgot to mention that they dropped their no haggle price by $700 today, so that was a nice surprise, when I was already happy with their price.

Michaell

breld said:

I’ll post some pics in the morning when the lighting is better.

So I ended up with the 2018 Alpine White over black sensatec. Premium pkg, driver assistance and driver assistance plus, Harman Kardon, Apple CarPlay and wireless charging, adaptive M suspension.

I forgot to mention that they dropped their no haggle price by $700 today, so that was a nice surprise, when I was already happy with their price.

Seems like the algorithms that determine pricing worked in your favor.

qbrozen

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

looked similar to my granite. New Venetian Gold. Pretty common, at least when we did the kitchen (2011). If I do new house (hopefully soon) I will go with Quartz.

Nice looking X3. When we were shopping for the new family car, I really liked the BMW but the wife decided on the RDX instead (partly because of cost difference. I explained about the service loaner option, but she really wanted brand brand new). I loved the XC60 also, but she did not like something about how it drove. Her car, her choice.

At one point, it was GTIs for everybody, and we did have a flurry of TLXs.

Wasn't there a spate of Stelvios?

We’ve had a number of alignments. I believe just 2 Stelvios. There was, of course, the VW TDI rush. I believe we had a small run of CTSs? The aforementioned Acuras. 2-3 Tacos, I think. Probably some others.

nyccarguy

A couple of interesting cars I have seen in Manhattan over the last couple of weeks:

mjfloyd1

Remind me again who amongst us figured out the VW TDI buyback (so that I was able to partake)?