Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

Tired of seeing yourself too frequently at the country club or that hot new 5 star restaurant in town? Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Or, you just have an affinity for long roofs?

I present to you the Wraith Shooting Brake....

au1994

Ohhh I like it!!! Don’t kill the dream and tell me the price just yet.

Michaell

au1994 said:

Ohhh I like it!!! Don’t kill the dream and tell me the price just yet.

Hadn't planned on sharing the price. But, it is beautiful, for sure.

tifighter

Yeah, I get the appeal.

28firefighter

Looks like it should have the turning radius of Titanic.

nyccarguy

I hate shooting brakes

qbrozen

Michaell said:

Tired of seeing yourself too frequently at the country club or that hot new 5 star restaurant in town? Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Or, you just have an affinity for long roofs?

I present to you the Wraith Shooting Brake....

I remember that when it was called the CTS Wagon. Dodge Magnum.

stickguy

Obviously not an unbiased reviewer, but dang this barge is seriously nice, and tons of features. If it drives as good as they claim, should be a real winner.

one of the last of the NA luxo cars (well, trucks? CUVs?) left. Might be good if you want to keep it for a decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fk2ObjdvnQ

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

I hate shooting brakes

Heresy!

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

Tired of seeing yourself too frequently at the country club or that hot new 5 star restaurant in town? Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Or, you just have an affinity for long roofs?

I present to you the Wraith Shooting Brake....

I remember that when it was called the CTS Wagon. Dodge Magnum.

Only if you lose two doors and add a V12

andres3

corvette said:

Elliot Alvis posted a nice follow-up on the Hellcat he sold on Carsandbids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWBxsOS8U1U

A whole lot of whine in the video. Bottom line is a low reserve benefits no one other than the auction site. Either go no reserve or put the reserve you actually want! You pay for it after all! It's not like Cars & Bids gave him a reserve for free. They just managed to talk him down; which he sees as a mistake, and hopefully a lesson learned.

A high reserve means you think it is worth more than other people do. That's all.

Lastly, part of being a good negotiator is knowing when you have a good deal in front of you (Carmax offer in this case) and then taking it and pulling the trigger. Even the best offer in the world is useless if you don't accept it.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

I think I math'ed myself out of the camaro. I'm thinking, best case, I get it for $325/mo sign and drive. Then let's say I use it for 4 months, making 3 payments in the process. Then, let's say, I get someone to pay $2k to take it over. That's only about $1k in my pocket. Even less after the SAL fee, which I think is a couple hundred bucks. Is $800 worth the fight and the hassle? Methinks not.

Now a Challenger 392 on the other hand ...

Challenger 392 is fast and has a wonderful exhaust from the factory but it is HUGE. The most unsportscar-like vehicle I’ve ever driven. Drag car maybe but certainly not tossable.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

IMHO, like I said before, the video proof is there that the car was beat on, so it decreased the value in this instance. Subie dealer, if smart, is basically laundering the car. They pretty much paid dealer auction value for it.

Were the POs doing anything other POs have not? No. But the video proof is still there. Buyers want to think of their new spouse as ... virginal ... a movie showing otherwise is good reason to call off the wedding. Again, just MHO.

I think you hit the nail right on the head.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Tired of seeing yourself too frequently at the country club or that hot new 5 star restaurant in town? Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Or, you just have an affinity for long roofs?

I present to you the Wraith Shooting Brake....

Isn’t that just a Dodge Magnum?

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Tired of seeing yourself too frequently at the country club or that hot new 5 star restaurant in town? Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Or, you just have an affinity for long roofs?

I present to you the Wraith Shooting Brake....

Isn’t that just a Dodge Magnum?

Look up about 5 posts.

andres3

Did anyone see CR's review of the new TLX? I was reading a few recent CR issues the other day, and wow, they pretty much panned it as a wannabe luxury car with only "pretend" sportiness and "pretend" luxury. It was pretty harsh.

Perhaps an Acura Exec ran over a CR editors/writer's dog.

stickguy

well, that is not their kind of car anyway.

andres3

stickguy said:

well, that is not their kind of car anyway.

Some GM lovers would have you believe CR is infatuated with Honda. What do you mean "not their kind of car??"

andres3

Repost from another thread where I mentioned I was reading some recent issues of CR:

Lastly, in those recent CR mags I read the other day, there was an article about disputing the constant, regular, and numerous error prone ways of the 3 big credit bureaus. In the article, it suggested that if and when you lose a dispute, that you can hire a consumer affairs specialized lawyer to sue the 3 credit agencies and get your way to have the record corrected, and that the lawyer fees will be billed to the losing party.

Almost made me want to revisit my case with Kia Financial and the inaccurate credit bureaus.

Almost..... I have bigger issues to worry about... from a health concern, to finding a new job, to having my first track weekend on March 13/14 after not having been on the track since before COVID over a year ago in November of 2019.

Brembo RE-10 pads, or ISweep 3000 for less than half on the front of my BBK? ISWEEP says it'll take 3 weeks to supply, which is cutting it close in this world. REAL close considering COVID delays, and the fact car parts makers notoriously miss deadlines.

I have 4 mm on the left, 3 mm on the right, and if it was one track day I'd use the exisitng. But the 3 mm scares me for 2 track days, even if the RE10's are a full blown endurance track racing pad.

Michaell

andres3 said:

Repost from another thread where I mentioned I was reading some recent issues of CR:

Lastly, in those recent CR mags I read the other day, there was an article about disputing the constant, regular, and numerous error prone ways of the 3 big credit bureaus. In the article, it suggested that if and when you lose a dispute, that you can hire a consumer affairs specialized lawyer to sue the 3 credit agencies and get your way to have the record corrected, and that the lawyer fees will be billed to the losing party.

Almost made me want to revisit my case with Kia Financial and the inaccurate credit bureaus.

Almost? What’s stopping you, if there is no downside?

roadburner

CR gave an absolutely glowing review of the M235i.. I kind of felt like Jerry Seinfeld in the episode where he finds out that the girl he was dating had been dumped by Newman.

corvette

andres3 said:

Did anyone see CR's review of the new TLX? I was reading a few recent CR issues the other day, and wow, they pretty much panned it as a wannabe luxury car with only "pretend" sportiness and "pretend" luxury. It was pretty harsh.

That does sound harsh. They seem to be somewhat critical of Honda, but think anything with a Toyota badge is the bee's knees. Their reliability ratings suggest a 15-year old Toyota is just as dependable as a new one.

andres3 said:

In the article, it suggested that if and when you lose a dispute, that you can hire a consumer affairs specialized lawyer to sue the 3 credit agencies and get your way to have the record corrected, and that the lawyer fees will be billed to the losing party...

Somewhat related... my insurance company decided to reimburse me for the rental expense I incurred while having the windshield camera recalibrated. I don't yet have their official explanation, but I've read the tea leaves, and I have some suspicions. I'll try to post again once I have a stronger belief about their reasoning.

andres3 said:

Almost..... I have bigger issues to worry about... from a health concern, to finding a new job, to having my first track weekend on March 13/14 after not having been on the track since before COVID over a year ago in November of 2019.

Brembo RE-10 pads, or ISweep 3000 for less than half on the front of my BBK? ISWEEP says it'll take 3 weeks to supply, which is cutting it close in this world. REAL close considering COVID delays, and the fact car parts makers notoriously miss deadlines.

I hope you receive positive news about your health concern! I've never heard of ISweep, but have definitely heard of Brembo. Were the stock pads decent? If so, that would also be a contender, for me.

ab348

corvette said:

andres3 said:

Did anyone see CR's review of the new TLX? I was reading a few recent CR issues the other day, and wow, they pretty much panned it as a wannabe luxury car with only "pretend" sportiness and "pretend" luxury. It was pretty harsh.

That does sound harsh. They seem to be somewhat critical of Honda, but think anything with a Toyota badge is the bee's knees. Their reliability ratings suggest a 15-year old Toyota is just as dependable as a new one.

I suspect I'm not the only one who saw this coming though, even from C&D, who, while they may not like Hondas of late as much as they do Toyotas, still tend to give them a pass (the Accord being a perpetual 10 Best entry for the last few decades being the best example of that). By being bigger, heavier, slower and with less interior room, it doesn't surprise me. I don't know what Honda was thinking.

andres3

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Repost from another thread where I mentioned I was reading some recent issues of CR:

Lastly, in those recent CR mags I read the other day, there was an article about disputing the constant, regular, and numerous error prone ways of the 3 big credit bureaus. In the article, it suggested that if and when you lose a dispute, that you can hire a consumer affairs specialized lawyer to sue the 3 credit agencies and get your way to have the record corrected, and that the lawyer fees will be billed to the losing party.

Almost made me want to revisit my case with Kia Financial and the inaccurate credit bureaus.

Almost? What’s stopping you, if there is no downside?

A few things, maybe I forgot to mention I have a lot going on in my life right now:

1. I may have to have surgery for a medical issue that recently arose and hopefully it's not more then that; I'll know more after my appt. next Monday.
2. I am currently actively looking for a new job as my essential work and services ran out at the end of 2020.
3. Trying to help my 7 year old learn to read and write as the SD school district has failed her (COVID 19 a big part of the reason).
4. Trying to get my car prepped for a track weekend March 13/14 (and February is a SHORT month), as it has been well over a year since I've been out on the track due to COVID.
5. My record keeping wasn't an A+ earlier, but about a month ago I did some early spring cleaning and threw out some or even all of the documents and documentation I would need to give to the lawyer to build our case.
6. Given #5 and others, it just isn't worth the time anymore. When I did #5, I had decided to move on; I will live with that decision.

andres3

corvette said:

andres3 said:

Did anyone see CR's review of the new TLX? I was reading a few recent CR issues the other day, and wow, they pretty much panned it as a wannabe luxury car with only "pretend" sportiness and "pretend" luxury. It was pretty harsh.

That does sound harsh. They seem to be somewhat critical of Honda, but think anything with a Toyota badge is the bee's knees. Their reliability ratings suggest a 15-year old Toyota is just as dependable as a new one.

andres3 said:

In the article, it suggested that if and when you lose a dispute, that you can hire a consumer affairs specialized lawyer to sue the 3 credit agencies and get your way to have the record corrected, and that the lawyer fees will be billed to the losing party...

Somewhat related... my insurance company decided to reimburse me for the rental expense I incurred while having the windshield camera recalibrated. I don't yet have their official explanation, but I've read the tea leaves, and I have some suspicions. I'll try to post again once I have a stronger belief about their reasoning.

andres3 said:

Almost..... I have bigger issues to worry about... from a health concern, to finding a new job, to having my first track weekend on March 13/14 after not having been on the track since before COVID over a year ago in November of 2019.

Brembo RE-10 pads, or ISweep 3000 for less than half on the front of my BBK? ISWEEP says it'll take 3 weeks to supply, which is cutting it close in this world. REAL close considering COVID delays, and the fact car parts makers notoriously miss deadlines.

I hope you receive positive news about your health concern! I've never heard of ISweep, but have definitely heard of Brembo. Were the stock pads decent? If so, that would also be a contender, for me.

No, the stock pads would be decent with a beginner novice level track driver on all-season tires. I'm driving the TTS way harder and better then that, on sticky summer rubber. That means more speed through the turns which means more speed at the end of the straights, which means more braking required for turns, more often/frequently. The OEM pads can't handle that at all.

The RE10's are like a full bred top of the line racing pad, no compromise and they like heat so much they ask you to give them more when you give them a lot. They just work better and better the hotter they get. The problem might be the wear they cause when they are cold; which might be more then at the track (at least for the rotor).
They are noisy and dusty, but not completely obnoxiously so. They also bite enough in the cold so they aren't dangerous.

I have ISweep3000's on the rear, and that did balance the car's braking when a prior rear pad was causing twitchiness likely from having RE10's up front, and a lesser pad in the rear. The ISWEEPS solved that twitch at the 3000 level, but the rears take only about 20% of the abuse the front gets.

Lastly, remember by "cold" I mean 50-80 degrees ambient temperatures right when starting the car in sunny San Diego.

breld

I'm taking the Supra in for its first service later this afternoon.

Just sayin'...I deserve some kudos for that.

tjc78

breld said:

I'm taking the Supra in for its first service later this afternoon.

Just sayin'...I deserve some kudos for that.

The question is .. Do you return home in it! I hope it’s a stand-alone dealer so all you’ll be able to browse is Toyota’s.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

breld said:

I'm taking the Supra in for its first service later this afternoon.

Just sayin'...I deserve some kudos for that.

The question is .. Do you return home in it! I hope it’s a stand-alone dealer so all you’ll be able to browse is Toyota’s.

There is a Dodge dealer "sort of" next door. I'm hoping to meet up with @breld, as I'll be in the neighborhood at about the same time.

Camry or Avalon TRD is on my "like to see" list...

tjc78

I’m sure I’d like the Avalon TRD... but I just can’t move past that awful front end. Maybe in black it’s better? I haven’t seen one in the wild.

I haven’t looked at the numbers but I’d be willing to be Toyota is selling a fraction of the Avalon’s it used to sell from 2000 to 2008 or so.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

I’m sure I’d like the Avalon TRD... but I just can’t move past that awful front end. Maybe in black it’s better? I haven’t seen one in the wild.

I haven’t looked at the numbers but I’d be willing to be Toyota is selling a fraction of the Avalon’s it used to sell from 2000 to 2008 or so.

Nobody wants sedans anymore, it seems.

And, from the drivers seat, you can't see the grille.

xwesx

Michaell said:

Tired of seeing yourself too frequently at the country club or that hot new 5 star restaurant in town? Want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Or, you just have an affinity for long roofs?

I present to you the Wraith Shooting Brake....

Oh, it's a Dodge Magnum version 2.0!

xwesx

qbrozen said:

I remember that when it was called the CTS Wagon. Dodge Magnum.

Damnit. I'm always too slow.

Hey, at least OF and I backed up Q on his original assertion: This thing is all Magnum, slightly reimagined.

xwesx

andres3 said:

I have 4 mm on the left, 3 mm on the right, and if it was one track day I'd use the exisitng. But the 3 mm scares me for 2 track days, even if the RE10's are a full blown endurance track racing pad.

Leave the current pads on for the first day, then swap to new pads before the second day. Gotta get your money's worth!

And, seriously... has it really been nearly a year already with this whole COVID thing?! Man. This is nuts.

xwesx

andres3 said:

I have ISweep3000's on the rear, and that did balance the car's braking when a prior rear pad was causing twitchiness likely from having RE10's up front, and a lesser pad in the rear. The ISWEEPS solved that twitch at the 3000 level, but the rears take only about 20% of the abuse the front gets.

Lastly, remember by "cold" I mean 50-80 degrees ambient temperatures right when starting the car in sunny San Diego.

My brother is a big fan of Akebono brake pads. He doesn't do many track days; as with you, the street is his track 99% of the time.

tjc78

Michaell said:

tjc78 said:

I’m sure I’d like the Avalon TRD... but I just can’t move past that awful front end. Maybe in black it’s better? I haven’t seen one in the wild.

I haven’t looked at the numbers but I’d be willing to be Toyota is selling a fraction of the Avalon’s it used to sell from 2000 to 2008 or so.

Nobody wants sedans anymore, it seems.

And, from the drivers seat, you can't see the grille.

I know but it’s bad. A buddy used to say beauty is just a light switch away... however it does get light out.

pensfan83

andres3 said:

Did anyone see CR's review of the new TLX? I was reading a few recent CR issues the other day, and wow, they pretty much panned it as a wannabe luxury car with only "pretend" sportiness and "pretend" luxury. It was pretty harsh.

Perhaps an Acura Exec ran over a CR editors/writer's dog.

There's definitely warranted criticism and thus far we have zero regrets about replacing the previous gen TLX with an RDX, but I don't think it's quite as dour as they portray it. What really baffles me though s how they bungled the interior packaging. Bigger in most dimensions yet every publication pans the tight rear seat. I'd still like to test drive one sometime but I doubt another TLX would grace the garage unless it was the Type S.

carnaught

Sorry, but from a guy who has the grill some can’t move past on his Avalon, I think that RR Wraith wagon is butt ugly.

explorerx4

I'm not sure what the attraction is to an Avalon model that is slower, gets worse fuel economy and has a worse ride than the traditional model is.

sda

It seems CUs biggest gripe is their dislike of the push button shifter and infotainment system that doesn't have a touch screen.

qbrozen

God help me, I did it. I reached out to about half a dozen dealers with LT1 Camaros.

Thing is .. I REALLY hate my job. So I've been looking for any and all ways to make money in some other form. Part of that is looking to flip cars. lol. Yeah, I know. And, no, leases would certainly not be the norm, but why turn down any sources of income? I also reached out to someone about an older low-mileage Jag on craigslist that maybe I could flip on one of those auction sites.

stickguy

sda said:

It seems CUs biggest gripe is their dislike of the push button shifter and infotainment system that doesn't have a touch screen.

being one of the few here that actually has been living with the interior, and initially thinking it would be a problem, IMO the situation is very overblown. Sorta like the weird shifters on a BMW, if you get in one cold it might be confusing, but if you are shown how it works, you quickly get used to it and it becomes a non issue.

not having a touch screen is fine by me. I never found them easy to use while driving, and it lets the main screen be higher up and further back, so easier to see while driving. And the touchpad, once you get used to it, is actually a good idea.'

the button shifter, I still think is a gimmick, but easy enough to use once you get the hang of it.

so to sum up, if those are the only 2 complaints, it is more of a test drive issue and not a LT live with it issue.

oh, back seat room? Last thing on my list to care about!

stickguy

qbrozen said:

God help me, I did it. I reached out to about half a dozen dealers with LT1 Camaros.

Thing is .. I REALLY hate my job. So I've been looking for any and all ways to make money in some other form. Part of that is looking to flip cars. lol. Yeah, I know. And, no, leases would certainly not be the norm, but why turn down any sources of income? I also reached out to someone about an older low-mileage Jag on craigslist that maybe I could flip on one of those auction sites.

Next stop is a youtube channel. Not sure if you have to move to Wichita for that though.

tjc78

carnaught said:

Sorry, but from a guy who has the grill some can’t move past on his Avalon, I think that RR Wraith wagon is butt ugly.

It’s a great car. I’ve owned two of them, but IMO the older ones were better looking.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

God help me, I did it. I reached out to about half a dozen dealers with LT1 Camaros.

Thing is .. I REALLY hate my job. So I've been looking for any and all ways to make money in some other form. Part of that is looking to flip cars. lol. Yeah, I know. And, no, leases would certainly not be the norm, but why turn down any sources of income? I also reached out to someone about an older low-mileage Jag on craigslist that maybe I could flip on one of those auction sites.

Wow, if you’re serious I’d proceed slowly. Can you fix these cars if you end up with a lemon? Watch Flying Wheels on YT if you want to get the feel of a small operation.

28firefighter

Post detail shot (from the detail guys)


I knew it’d clean up well!

stickguy

sharp.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
I like Flying Wheels, too.
He is a car dealer, so I don't always like how he explains what he does, but it's not easy being the little guy.
Bought my Explorer from a small family dealership.
Sales dept is the owner, 2 new sales people, 1 used sales person, internet sales person, and finance guy.
They don't have a front desk or receptionist.

breld

So I show up to the Toyota dealership for my service, and after a short wait, an advisor comes up and asks when I made the appointment. Long story short, I should have been told that they didn't have a technician qualified to work on the Supra.

So I made an appointment at the dealership I purchased it from, which apparently is capable changing the oil on a BMW, I mean, Toyota.

Annoying.

corvette

qbrozen said:

Thing is .. I REALLY hate my job. So I've been looking for any and all ways to make money in some other form. Part of that is looking to flip cars. lol.

Flipping is a tough market, it seems like you'd have to invest a lot of energy in trying to buy the right ones at the right price.

I've been at my current job for over five years and it's starting to grate on me. Keep in mind, the longest I've ever stayed at a full time position is six years. Maybe I'm becoming old and cranky, but I'm getting extremely disillusioned with more and more requirements being piled on from up high (if X happens, you need to do Y, if you see A, you have to notify B ) and no extra support for the people who are expected to implement the requirements.

breld

Also, I stopped by the Ford dealer next door to inquire a bit about the Mach E. Mostly, I just wanted to know what the expected delivery date is for current orders, and whether deposits are refundable (Ford's website says it's up to the dealership).

The first salesperson said he didn't know much about the Mach E and went to find someone who did. A different salesperson came by and simply said there are none on their lot (I figured) and they didn't know when even their first Mach E's will be arriving. So, certainly no information on delivery times for current orders.

And then after some back and forth with his sales manager, he concluded that deposits are non-refundable.

The real kicker...as I walked away in the parking lot, I noticed a Mach E in their service bay.

Sounds like it will be a very competitive EV, but it may be a chore to find a Ford dealer that I can stand to work with.