Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

My latest tale of woe actually has a good outcome. Tried to open my garage door this morning, not only was it stuck (iced shut), but I couldn't tell whether the opener was in a stopped position or not, so I hit the button a couple more times, and, in something I can only describe as the reverse of "paintless dent repair," the opener pulled the top panel completely out of shape. I went inside to discover the track bowed downwards and the chain loose.

Since I'm in an orthopedic boot, I'm not attempting any DIY heroics, so I called the garage door repair company. They came out a few hours later, banged the top panel of the garage door back into shape, installed a reinforcement brace, and put the chain of the door opener back on its guide. They did not have the correct size brace, so didn't charge me for that. The total damage was only $122, and they will charge me an additional $24 next week for the part (no service call charge) when they come back with the correct brace.

That stings. Late in his life my father was losing a step and called me one morning to tell me his garage door was broken. I cam over and hit the button and watched the door go up an inch or so and the top panel bowed in but wouldn’t move further.

Turned out he had locked it the night before and forgot. Got the key, unlocked it and it opened fine.

Good one. I can relate.

One time my Dad called and said he couldn't get his car started. After all the usual questions I drove to his place and started the car on the first turn of the key. It ended up that he wasn't putting his foot on the brake pedal when turning the key.

My son’s friend is storing his car at our house while he’s doing military service. We run it once a month to keep the battery charged. Starts fine.

He came home on leave and took the car to run local errands. A day later he calls my son and says the car won’t start. The implication as I saw it was that the friend was somehow holding my son responsible.

My son, who knows absolutely nothing about cars tells him to call AAA. He does this and calls back an hour later and tells us that he had forgotten to put the car in Park. :@

laurasdada said:

Stick, the "out of warranty" is in my mind, one of the reasons I'm considering moving on from the XF. Until the trunk electrics (and phantom "hood is open" warning now, probably related to same circuit) issue, the out of warranty XF has had nary an issue. But, the car, like many, is digital; both electric issues I've had in ownership came with no warning. Working in the morning, not working that same night. And, that is my fear, something more ominous may happen sans warning. My independent shop has gracefully declined to diagnose the problem, they don't want to get too deep into Jag electronics. Contemplating going to the dealer, or a Jag specialist. It might just be a busted wire! But, likely a lot of $ for an 8 (model) y.o. Jag.

Both A7s I''m looking at have warranty into the fall of '21, and as used, they're half the original msrp in pricing. But, still more expensive than new Mazda. And, since I"ve had reliable British car for 7+ years, perhaps I will be equally lucky with a used Audi, which I'm considering just a stopgap to my next car. Perhaps an electric in '23?

Didn't note A6/7 on CRs used cars to avoid list (online, at least), other than for 2015.

AB348: I don't think I noted any issues with latest A7, the gas and tire inflation are on the dealer. Clicking sound I"d have to take a closer look at, but dealer was closing as I finished the test drive. But, maybe I do just want a Jag. Which are like hen's teeth lately, I think Covid hit Coventry hard, the only '21 Jags in my area are a few F-Types and F-Paces.

I think I"ve ruled out Macan, if I"m going to buy a Porsche, it should be a 911 or Boxter/Cayman. But, never say never.

Forgive the ramblings, this really is the first time in my car life that I don't know exactly which car I want. I"m not sure why the ennui, perhaps just the general state of the world.

I've tried to like Audis but they have just never given me that "gotta have it" vibe. I'm equally indecisive, but I still think the 2ers replacement will either be an M2 Comp, M4 Comp, a Supra 3.0, or(a long shot)a RWD F-Type S or R.

ab348

laurasdada said:

I've never considered leasing, pride of ownership thing (and I tend to keep cars 5+ years). But, perhaps now's the time to consider?

If I were in your shoes I might be so inclined, actually.

I assume there are sites that show the most screamin' lease deals available at any point in time which might be one way to go. Or you could look for the best lease deal on a subset of vehicles that are most interesting to you. Or somewhere in between, knowing that it is just for 3 years or so.

sda

laurasdada said:

Stick, the "out of warranty" is in my mind, one of the reasons I'm considering moving on from the XF. Until the trunk electrics (and phantom "hood is open" warning now, probably related to same circuit) issue, the out of warranty XF has had nary an issue. But, the car, like many, is digital; both electric issues I've had in ownership came with no warning. Working in the morning, not working that same night. And, that is my fear, something more ominous may happen sans warning. My independent shop has gracefully declined to diagnose the problem, they don't want to get too deep into Jag electronics. Contemplating going to the dealer, or a Jag specialist. It might just be a busted wire! But, likely a lot of $ for an 8 (model) y.o. Jag.

Both A7s I''m looking at have warranty into the fall of '21, and as used, they're half the original msrp in pricing. But, still more expensive than new Mazda. And, since I"ve had reliable British car for 7+ years, perhaps I will be equally lucky with a used Audi, which I'm considering just a stopgap to my next car. Perhaps an electric in '23?

Didn't note A6/7 on CRs used cars to avoid list (online, at least), other than for 2015.

AB348: I don't think I noted any issues with latest A7, the gas and tire inflation are on the dealer. Clicking sound I"d have to take a closer look at, but dealer was closing as I finished the test drive. But, maybe I do just want a Jag. Which are like hen's teeth lately, I think Covid hit Coventry hard, the only '21 Jags in my area are a few F-Types and F-Paces.

I think I"ve ruled out Macan, if I"m going to buy a Porsche, it should be a 911 or Boxter/Cayman. But, never say never.

Forgive the ramblings, this really is the first time in my car life that I don't know exactly which car I want. I"m not sure why the ennui, perhaps just the general state of the world.

The A4 has a good repair record per CU. It would be quieter than the Mazda and is of higher caliber overall. It is smaller than your XF however.

breld

@laurasdada - it’ll be fun seeing what you end up with. That fact that you’re looking at a Mazda3 and A7 just shows how open you are to evaluating cars on their own merit!

Can’t remember if you’ve tried out an S5 yet? Could strike a nice balance between the larger A7 and the smaller, sportier nature of the Mazda3.

Leasing certainly isn’t a bad idea. I used to think I wouldn’t feel that pride of ownership with a lease, but for the few I’ve had that doesn’t tend to be the case. Just a different way of financing and accepting a certain ownership term. Not like you can’t buy it out at any time.

stickguy

I just suggested leasing since you mentioned the car being a placeholder for a few years before maybe dipping toe into the EV waters.

qbrozen

breld said:

Just a different way of financing and accepting a certain ownership term.

Like 3 mos vs 1?

stickguy

Drove my (likely) soon to be new car today. Princess is visiting for the weekend and the car was filthy, so I took it over to the spray it yourself place to get the heavy salt, and mostly all the bird poop, off of it. Looks much better after $3 invested.

Drives OK. I don't adjust everything to fit me (annoys the owner) and for some reason, my daughter who is about 5' 2", has the seat adjusted down on the floor. I would set it much higher. Not super fast, but roomy and has good features. For occasional use it should be fine (and does get great MPG) but I suspect I would get wandering eye before too long.

The dump it on my son at the end of the year plan, that one has legs. a win win win plan is rare!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Drove my (likely) soon to be new car today. Princess is visiting for the weekend and the car was filthy, so I took it over to the spray it yourself place to get the heavy salt, and mostly all the bird poop, off of it. Looks much better after $3 invested.

Drives OK. I don't adjust everything to fit me (annoys the owner) and for some reason, my daughter who is about 5' 2", has the seat adjusted down on the floor. I would set it much higher. Not super fast, but roomy and has good features. For occasional use it should be fine (and does get great MPG) but I suspect I would get wandering eye before too long.

The dump it on my son at the end of the year plan, that one has legs. a win win win plan is rare!

Are you sure you trust the negligent previous owner to have taken proper care of it? I mean, bird poop and salt? Come on.

stickguy

she lives on a very nice street lined with trees. That have birds in them. And that she parks under. Does not end well.

When I get that car back, it is getting a serious detail. Might even consider farming this one out to a pro! or at least a good cleaning/clay/wax and interior work. Will even buy some detailing tools maybe.

28firefighter

Can’t speak highly enough of using a pro when a car is too far gone. Was worth every penny on the 5er because, at some point, it’s just daunting.

laurasdada

I haven't driven an S5, I haven't quite warmed up to the interior. Superficial of me! But, I should.

Sam the Mazda man encouraged me to buy this weekend, hinting at specials that won't be available come Tuesday. But, as much as I do like the 3, and likely it would be less $ than my other potential choices (used), at this stage in my life, don't think it's right for me. But, for my son, yeah.

/RB, it's nice to know that someone as focused in their style of driving/cars can be as undecided as me!
Further distraction for me, just signed a realtor contract to sell the swingin' bachelor pad condo...

laurasdada

I think I can understand about a bit tough to warm up to Audi. It is a coolly efficient German machine. The A7 interior is quite lovely, if a bit Xmas tree-ish at night. The engine is strong, a great design with the hatch. And, a nice GT drive. But, again, coolly efficient. As a GT fan, that's not bad at all. But for backroad twisties, not the car.
And, it is a bit unique, I don't see them everywhere around here. And that's a selling point to me. Again, I'm superficial!

sda

laurasdada said:

I haven't driven an S5, I haven't quite warmed up to the interior. Superficial of me! But, I should.

Sam the Mazda man encouraged me to buy this weekend, hinting at specials that won't be available come Tuesday. But, as much as I do like the 3, and likely it would be less $ than my other potential choices (used), at this stage in my life, don't think it's right for me. But, for my son, yeah.

/RB, it's nice to know that someone as focused in their style of driving/cars can be as undecided as me!
Further distraction for me, just signed a realtor contract to sell the swingin' bachelor pad condo...

Have you driven the Mazda6?

js06gv

Hello fellow CCBA’ers. It’s been awhile for me and I’ve got well over a years worth of posts to catch up on, but I added a toy to the fleet and wanted to pop in here. I’ve wanted a Wrangler for several years now, and kept telling myself I’d get one when I was done paying for my daughter’s college education. That happened last May, and I happened upon this one and picked it up the day after Christmas. It’s a lightly used 2019 with just over 17K, with wheels/tires/lift/steps already done. The color is a little out there and was a 1-year only shade, but 1) I couldn’t be too picky with it being used 2) it had all of the options (17 grand worth on the sticker) I would’ve ordered myself and 3) with the mods on it the deal was right. And the color is starting to grow on me with time.

I’ve gone off road with my father-in-law several times in Colorado in his ‘10 Rubicon, which is what gave me the bug. I’m amazed at how civilized these are nowadays, relatively speaking. It’s a blast to drive but also nice to not have to daily it if I don’t want, with other cars to choose from. Plus like I’m sure is the case with most people these days, I don’t go too many places to begin with. I am out of garage space though, so I flip between this or my truck staying out. Going to have a little more driveway poured soon so I don’t have to jockey vehicles as much. It took a little convincing the wife to add ANOTHER car to the fleet, but that’s what this group is all about. Now she’s got to put up with a new mod box showing up nearly every day.

Pic is from today as we got a small dusting in North Texas.

28firefighter

I love that color!

corvette

@js06gv - I love that color! And that is similar to how I would want one equipped if I ever got one (steps and fixed roof).

roadburner

Nice! My Jeep is in the heated garage and the 2er is sitting out...

ab348

I think that Jeep is a great color. Don’t think I have ever seen it before.

[Deleted User]

Nice ride @js06gv! Great color combo, enjoy it!!!

xwesx

corvette said:

I kind of like this:

Unreal. If it wasn't for the hideous wheels, I would say it was very well done. Crazy labor of love, but very well done nonetheless.

stickguy

corvette said:

@js06gv - I love that color! And that is similar to how I would want one equipped if I ever got one (steps and fixed roof).

same with me on the color. And with the lift and tires, look like it will go just about anywhere!

cdnpinhead

The experience and skill of the driver kicks in at times like this.

stickguy

xwesx said:

corvette said:

I kind of like this:

Unreal. If it wasn't for the hideous wheels, I would say it was very well done. Crazy labor of love, but very well done nonetheless.

that thing is amazing. Always good on one of these when it is hard to tell if they took and old one and stuck all the new stuff in, or reskinned a new one.

xwesx

dad23 said:

Nice ride @js06gv! Great color combo, enjoy it!!!

Agreed! It looks great and should be a nice one for years to come.

laurasdada

That is a great color, cool Jeep!

fintail

Nice, if I was going to pick a Jeep color, that would be it. The world needs more blue cars!

js06gv

fintail said:

Nice, if I was going to pick a Jeep color, that would be it. The world needs more blue cars!

It’s funny. I got to thinking today about vehicles I’ve bought used vs. new. Almost all of my purchases have been new, but of those I bought used this Jeep, my Trans Am, motorcycle and boat are all blue so I’m doing my part!

oldfarmer50

js06gv said:

Hello fellow CCBA’ers. It’s been awhile for me and I’ve got well over a years worth of posts to catch up on, but I added a toy to the fleet and wanted to pop in here. I’ve wanted a Wrangler for several years now, and kept telling myself I’d get one when I was done paying for my daughter’s college education. That happened last May, and I happened upon this one and picked it up the day after Christmas. It’s a lightly used 2019 with just over 17K, with wheels/tires/lift/steps already done. The color is a little out there and was a 1-year only shade, but 1) I couldn’t be too picky with it being used 2) it had all of the options (17 grand worth on the sticker) I would’ve ordered myself and 3) with the mods on it the deal was right. And the color is starting to grow on me with time.

I’ve gone off road with my father-in-law several times in Colorado in his ‘10 Rubicon, which is what gave me the bug. I’m amazed at how civilized these are nowadays, relatively speaking. It’s a blast to drive but also nice to not have to daily it if I don’t want, with other cars to choose from. Plus like I’m sure is the case with most people these days, I don’t go too many places to begin with. I am out of garage space though, so I flip between this or my truck staying out. Going to have a little more driveway poured soon so I don’t have to jockey vehicles as much. It took a little convincing the wife to add ANOTHER car to the fleet, but that’s what this group is all about. Now she’s got to put up with a new mod box showing up nearly every day.

Pic is from today as we got a small dusting in North Texas.

Very nice and just in time for that nasty weather. I like some of the other cars in your fleet as well.

au1994

js06gv said:

Hello fellow CCBA’ers. It’s been awhile for me and I’ve got well over a years worth of posts to catch up on, but I added a toy to the fleet and wanted to pop in here. I’ve wanted a Wrangler for several years now, and kept telling myself I’d get one when I was done paying for my daughter’s college education. That happened last May, and I happened upon this one and picked it up the day after Christmas. It’s a lightly used 2019 with just over 17K, with wheels/tires/lift/steps already done. The color is a little out there and was a 1-year only shade, but 1) I couldn’t be too picky with it being used 2) it had all of the options (17 grand worth on the sticker) I would’ve ordered myself and 3) with the mods on it the deal was right. And the color is starting to grow on me with time.

I’ve gone off road with my father-in-law several times in Colorado in his ‘10 Rubicon, which is what gave me the bug. I’m amazed at how civilized these are nowadays, relatively speaking. It’s a blast to drive but also nice to not have to daily it if I don’t want, with other cars to choose from. Plus like I’m sure is the case with most people these days, I don’t go too many places to begin with. I am out of garage space though, so I flip between this or my truck staying out. Going to have a little more driveway poured soon so I don’t have to jockey vehicles as much. It took a little convincing the wife to add ANOTHER car to the fleet, but that’s what this group is all about. Now she’s got to put up with a new mod box showing up nearly every day.

Pic is from today as we got a small dusting in North Texas.

I love it! Jeeps have always been able to pull of bold colors.

nyccarguy

Why get the 6-Speed & Dinan Tune with out the SPORT SEATS?

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/30OWWQQR/2010-bmw-335i-xdrive-sedan

28firefighter

Because, someone convinced the original owner that it wasn’t worth the extra money when they ordered. I’m assuming this was a special order.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Why get the 6-Speed & Dinan Tune with out the SPORT SEATS?

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/30OWWQQR/2010-bmw-335i-xdrive-sedan

On an E90 the lack of sport seats is a deal breaker. The base seats are absolutely miserable.

roadburner

Someday I hope to dump every one of my BMWs and transition to a exponentially higher level of coolness...

laurasdada

Does that skew the Corvette's age demographic down year or two? At least there's no gold chains...

Re: The Mazda 6; my father had one, I drove it often. Unfortunately, as with the new 3, I found just a bit too much road noise to my liking. And, it was pre-turbo, so not the quickest. But, handsome, comfortable with decent handling.
Mazda SM emailed me today, hoping I had a nice experience and noting that certain incentives expire today. Too bad my son's not yet ready to buy, but I'm guessing Mazda will make more.

nyccarguy

Nothing particularly impressive about it, but I did see the Aston Martin SUV yesterday. Photo Credit to my 11 year olds son.

sda

You’re training your son well to be a future member of CCBA.

fintail

Your 11 year old has a son? Wow

I see those things base at nearly 180K, makes a G seem like good value.

nyccarguy said:

Nothing particularly impressive about it, but I did see the Aston Martin SUV yesterday. Photo Credit to my 11 year olds son.

Michaell

Member looking for replacement of Durango R/T

laurasdada

Drove another A7 today, short road trip to RI. Basically the same as the one I drove Saturday, but with my preferred "nougat" interior.
Driving again allowed me more compare/contrast to the Jag:

Jag still wins the ride/handling mix. Jag seat offers more bolstering, but Audi more adjustment.
By far, Audi MMI is better than my Jag system; the interior of the Audi is the Starship Enterprise, my Jag is more SS Minnow. Jag works, and is fairly simple, but the Audi is just more in depth, crisp and responsive. And Jag steering wheel controls feel of more quality, easier to use. But, the Audi dash wins in the functionality department, much configuration of space between speedo and tach.
Interesting, this Audi had three new tires, and wheels had a decent amount of road rash. Which sales dude said he'd have service buff out. Like other A7, the cupholder lid was a bit wonky.
I really like the A7, the hatch utility would come in handy with upcoming moves.

The dealer i visited was a Caddy/Alfa/Maerati dealership. Forgive me, but my eyes kept wandering to the one very red Alfa 4C and the multiple Giulia's on the floor. I sat in a couple of Giulias, could probably get a new '20 for less than the used '17 A7. But, well, Alfa.. so pretty...

The wind shifts daily, I may test a Macan S this week (used, of course, likely an '18).

tifighter

Shoot, if you're driving that many different A7's, test drive a Model S just for fun. And any other big hatchback you can think of.

28firefighter

Seems like you’re trying to force the A7 and not loving it. I’d move on.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

Why get the 6-Speed & Dinan Tune with out the SPORT SEATS?

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/30OWWQQR/2010-bmw-335i-xdrive-sedan

I think the owner got a good price for that.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

Someday I hope to dump every one of my BMWs and transition to a exponentially higher level of coolness...

Ha ha that will probably be me by the time I can get a Corvette without an ADM.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Seems like you’re trying to force the A7 and not loving it. I’d move on.

My experience with the A7 was.... Great space usage with the hatch, for sure. It's actually a very comfortable sedan (even though it has a hatch, you'd never really know until you tried opening the "trunk"). However, I hated, and will always hate, the horrible shifter in those things; the design is simply unforgivably bad.

laurasdada

Not to be too psychologically self-analyzing, but (hopefully not like many here...) I've had much loss in my family since Thanksgiving time; perhaps I"m not ready to "lose" the Jag.

I really do like the A7; I hadn't even noticed the shifter. Of course, I"ve been using the Jag hockey puck shifter for seven years, so maybe a "stick" type shifter just seems normal. Although, the hockey puck has become quite natural to me.

I'm just trying to figure out if my 7+ year old, 68k mile Jag is a ticking time bomb. It still drives incredibly well, still looks good and fits me well. I don't want to put myself in a position where I "have" to buy a car.

I don't think I"m quite ready to go all electric yet, but like all, am keeping my eye on the developments. Interesting article on Edmunds regarding their "true" battery range vs. EPS estimates for a few of the popular electrics. The Porsche Taycan does well, but, like all things Porsche, at a price.

corvette

28firefighter said:

Seems like you’re trying to force the A7 and not loving it. I’d move on.

Ditto... I've been poking around for things I might be interested in to replace the Tundra when the lease is up in a year, and there really is no "free lunch" in terms of cost of ownership. Yes, there are a handful of attractive lease deals on some new models. If you're buying used, something like a Toyota or Honda is really expensive, but they also tend to be mechanically very similar across model generations, using a lot of the same parts that have proven themselves for decades (although I am still baffled by Honda's refusal to dump the timing belt on its V6--I think it may be the last mainstream production engine to use a belt).

corvette

I had trouble falling asleep the other night, and, inspired by one of the YouTube car guys, typed up a "driven list" of every car I can remember having driven. I won't repost it here, but notably absent from the list are any Lexus ever, any Panther platform vehicle, any modern Mazda, any Miata ever, and most Mercedes.

sda

Based on all the current cars with timing chains that fail somehow, generally not the chain but the tensioners and supporting hardware, a timing belt is fairly simple and inexpensive maintenance. I would not have thought that years ago as I thought having a timing chain instead of a timing belt was a real plus. With all the failures around 100k and needing replacement, might as well just have a timing belt which is typically less involved and less expensive to replace. I don’t know of any manufacturer calling for
timing chain replacement at a given interval, but those with a timing belt generally specify at xx miles, or xx months, timing belt maintenance required.

Michaell

Member needs advice on taking over a lease

stickguy

I doubt I could come close to remembering everything I have driven. Would definitely take a while to type out even what I do remember.