Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

@laurasdada

What a bummer that you bought the A7. Now I'm going to have to tone down my hate for the Audi shifter.

Oh, I mean congratulations! Pics soon!

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

@stickguy - you might be on to something

https://www.cars.com/articles/ranger-gladiator-ridgeline-canyon-which-has-the-best-bed-and-tailgate-409453/

Nice. The Ridgeline has actually won a lot of these, in the magazines too.

greg128

I noticed on Carvana there are more "Purchase Pending" and "On Hold" vehicles than I have seen in the past. I also noticed that there are "Coming Soon" vehicles already sold. Higher car prices new and used are coming as indicated by this:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-auto-prices-soaring-20210223-2bpk5cqrpjd7zkpy6nviao4obi-story.html
I assume this is an indication of a coming inflationary trend. Combine that with low and middle income families with children and old cars receiving up to $10k in stimulus money, that will send prices even higher.

explorerx4

If you want a cheap Ridgeline, buy a used Legacy and take off the trunk lid.
You've got AWD, 4 doors and and open bed in the back.

Sandman6472

We had a used 1976 Toyota Celica in the family to. My older brother bought it used but it was an automatic and a darker brown inside and out. Was truly a great driver and was always sorry that it wasn't mine. I had gotten that death trap 1976 Izuzu Opel the same day as he got the Celica. He just had more cash than I did at the time and I didn't want an orange '76 Datsun 210 4-door or a new Datsun FX. Looking back, should've bought the slightly used 210 from my parents friends around the corner as they did keep it nice. I always regretted it each time the a/c blew warm on the Opel, which happened a lot.
At the time, my older sister had a new 1976 Datsun 210 2-door with the 4-speed. Nice enough vehicle though I hated the tranny, knew I'd get an automatic. Hey, I was young, stupid and didn't have a whole lot of cash!

laurasdada

Thanks for the congrats, all. Now that I've used it, I can understand your hate of the shifter, Wes! You shouldn't have to figure out/get used to a shifter! Even the Jag rotary was simpler than this... But, I'll live with it (as opposed to not moving?!).
As expected, to charge from 4 miles of zap left to full charge, took a LONG....time on the old 120 volt outlet; like 16 hours? I'll consider a 240 volt in the new garage next year. Maybe join Chargepoint and Blink etc., although there are a few free Chargepoint stations in my area. This is why I'm not ready for fully electric yet; I've got no worries of range anxiety; having to find an available and working electric charging station.
I'll put pix on the agenda and figure out the posting here.
So, after 7.25 years of Chronic Car Shopping, and not anonymously, I have bought! Can't wait for the tax credit, apologies to those who feel I've taken advantage of an unjust system.
And, can we all have a moment of silence for the wonderful 2013 Jaguar XF.....................................

Thank you.

oldfarmer50

greg128 said:

I noticed on Carvana there are more "Purchase Pending" and "On Hold" vehicles than I have seen in the past. I also noticed that there are "Coming Soon" vehicles already sold. Higher car prices new and used are coming as indicated by this:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-auto-prices-soaring-20210223-2bpk5cqrpjd7zkpy6nviao4obi-story.html
I assume this is an indication of a coming inflationary trend. Combine that with low and middle income families with children and old cars receiving up to $10k in stimulus money, that will send prices even higher.

This guy explains it and it’s not encouraging.

https://youtu.be/ho6ywfJO1P0

jpp75

Congrats @laurasdada look forward to hearing about your experience with the PHEV!

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

greg128 said:

I noticed on Carvana there are more "Purchase Pending" and "On Hold" vehicles than I have seen in the past. I also noticed that there are "Coming Soon" vehicles already sold. Higher car prices new and used are coming as indicated by this:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-auto-prices-soaring-20210223-2bpk5cqrpjd7zkpy6nviao4obi-story.html
I assume this is an indication of a coming inflationary trend. Combine that with low and middle income families with children and old cars receiving up to $10k in stimulus money, that will send prices even higher.

This guy explains it and it’s not encouraging.

https://youtu.be/ho6ywfJO1P0

good that we will have options with the princesses Jetta in 6 weeks. Either Carvana/Carmax will be desperate for supply and offer her a lot, or I will just keep it for less than what it would cost to buy a comparable used car these days.

stickguy

that was a really good video. I have always heard of the tax refund season price bump. But he really nailed down the specifics.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

greg128 said:

I noticed on Carvana there are more "Purchase Pending" and "On Hold" vehicles than I have seen in the past. I also noticed that there are "Coming Soon" vehicles already sold. Higher car prices new and used are coming as indicated by this:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-auto-prices-soaring-20210223-2bpk5cqrpjd7zkpy6nviao4obi-story.html
I assume this is an indication of a coming inflationary trend. Combine that with low and middle income families with children and old cars receiving up to $10k in stimulus money, that will send prices even higher.

This guy explains it and it’s not encouraging.

https://youtu.be/ho6ywfJO1P0

good that we will have options with the princesses Jetta in 6 weeks. Either Carvana/Carmax will be desperate for supply and offer her a lot, or I will just keep it for less than what it would cost to buy a comparable used car these days.

I think a relative car is usually the best deal since you know it’s history. I can’t see buying anything for the foreseeable future. Why compete with people who have no impulse control? I haven’t seen the market this disrupted since cash for clunkers.

nyccarguy

@laurasdada

Congrats! Cannot wait to see the pictures!

nyccarguy

Put your sunglasses on:

nyccarguy

nyccarguy said:

I watched that TFL review on the Ridgeline. Driving the Pilot for the past week, I have no doubts that their review is nothing less than 100% accurate. That red paint with the gold wheels and the HFP package is just gaudy in my opinion. Given that I’ve used my truck to tow exactly once (and that was a trailer & kayaks my Prelude could handle), payload capacity and how much can I fit in the bed & back seat matter most to me. The Ridgeline’s bed seems to be a lot more shallow than my Tacoma. I’d also have to check the rest of the bed dimensions. They did a nice job with the 2021 facelift.

I’ve watched a few more Ridgeline videos. That HPD package might look cool in person. I also saw a review where a guy bought a 2021 Black Edition Ridgeline in White.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Put your sunglasses on:

Holy hell. Someone actually thought "oh yeah, gotta have that!"

fintail

Thanks, I hate it.

OTOH, I still like this idea (save for the price):

nyccarguy said:

Put your sunglasses on:

corvette

fintail said:

Thanks, I hate it.

OTOH, I still like this idea (save for the price):

nyccarguy said:

Put your sunglasses on:

I didn't think the new Bronco was that expensive?!?

Michaell

corvette said:

fintail said:

Thanks, I hate it.

OTOH, I still like this idea (save for the price):

nyccarguy said:

Put your sunglasses on:

I didn't think the new Bronco was that expensive?!?

I’m sure a dealer somewhere will try to stick a $50k ADM on one.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

greg128 said:

I noticed on Carvana there are more "Purchase Pending" and "On Hold" vehicles than I have seen in the past. I also noticed that there are "Coming Soon" vehicles already sold. Higher car prices new and used are coming as indicated by this:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-auto-prices-soaring-20210223-2bpk5cqrpjd7zkpy6nviao4obi-story.html
I assume this is an indication of a coming inflationary trend. Combine that with low and middle income families with children and old cars receiving up to $10k in stimulus money, that will send prices even higher.

This guy explains it and it’s not encouraging.

https://youtu.be/ho6ywfJO1P0

good that we will have options with the princesses Jetta in 6 weeks. Either Carvana/Carmax will be desperate for supply and offer her a lot, or I will just keep it for less than what it would cost to buy a comparable used car these days.

I think a relative car is usually the best deal since you know it’s history. I can’t see buying anything for the foreseeable future. Why compete with people who have no impulse control? I haven’t seen the market this disrupted since cash for clunkers.

At least I don't need a car. So if it is a good deal, I can just take it over. At least when she comes to visit there will be a car here. If she can get a Carvana type overpay, she can sell it to them and I just won't buy anything for a while. I am good either way. I could of course try to personal sale it after she leaves.

fintail

Close, it's a new Defender with a bunch of accessories and a nice ADM.

Still gets me that the fintail's color combo is available as a special order on those - would be fun if was possible on the whole range (of course, the special order packages combine for like 20K).

corvette said:

I didn't think the new Bronco was that expensive?!?

cdnpinhead

oldfarmer50 said:

Why compete with people who have no impulse control?

Are you serious? You do know what board this is, don't you?

stickguy

I am not worried about that. I don't live anywhere near Colorado.

breld

Boy, this is a nostalgic comparison test.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a35884953/1992-fun-four-cylinder-two-door-showdown/

Michaell

breld said:

Boy, this is a nostalgic comparison test.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a35884953/1992-fun-four-cylinder-two-door-showdown/

A class of vehicle that really no longer exists.

au1994

breld said:

Boy, this is a nostalgic comparison test.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a35884953/1992-fun-four-cylinder-two-door-showdown/

That was a nice walk down memory lane.

stickguy

I looked at half of those at one point. I still like the concept. Not much left in it. Civic hatch is a 4 door, but I’m OK with that.

graphicguy

breld said:

Boy, this is a nostalgic comparison test.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a35884953/1992-fun-four-cylinder-two-door-showdown/

Fun read....a few of those I’ve actually driven.

corvette

I never realized the Corrado was sold here with a four banger, I thought they all had the VR6. The 240SX from that era are pretty highly sought after as drift cars.

Michaell

I can't remember the last time I saw an Impulse (or Geo Storm) of that era on the road.

stickguy

I know where to find a few of those Preludes!

I looked seriously at that generation Celica when they first came out. Or maybe the prior one, since must have been about 1988. Whatever replaced the wedge models.

Closest I came to one of these back then was the size class smaller. Colt GTS and civic S. But I did have an Integra (next generation) for a short while. And a Celica GT, mid - 70s.

All 4 cyl, manuals. So I guess I did play in this sandbox!

I’d love a modern version. But getting with 4 doors, is actually fine by me. Still really hard to find now. Civic sport, might be it?

stickguy

These look nice way overdue for a makeover. Still on the large size, and really hate the trend to huge, blocky front ends you can’t see over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vaB8QHtVbI

sda

I drove the Corrado when they first came out. I liked it but thought it should be more powerful and less noisy. My 89 Jetta GL Wolfsburg felt more refined. My sister bought new a 90 Celica STX automatic in the dark (almost black) green. I tried to convince her to buy a trim level higher as the STX was just an ST with a spoiler and alloy wheels. No pw, pl, or cc that she had in her 86 Grand Am. She liked the Celica but regretted not listening to me as she missed the convenience features of her Grand Am. Like most Toyotas, the Celica provided trouble free motoring.

au1994

sda said:

I drove the Corrado when they first came out. I liked it but thought it should be more powerful and less noisy. My 89 Jetta GL Wolfsburg felt more refined. My sister bought new a 90 Celica STX automatic in the dark (almost black) green. I tried to convince her to buy a trim level higher as the STX was just an ST with a spoiler and alloy wheels. No pw, pl, or cc that she had in her 86 Grand Am. She liked the Celica but regretted not listening to me as she missed the convenience features of her Grand Am. Like most Toyotas, the Celica provided trouble free motoring.

The STX brought back a funny memory...I’m class of 90 and there was a guy in my class that got one for graduation. He swore up and down that STX stood for Stick, Turbo, All wheel drive. I tried telling him that he did not in fact have a Celica All-Trac Turbo (which would have been something!) but just a base model with stickers. He didn’t care for that.

breld

I remember wanting that Impulse so bad, but it was quite a bit more expensive than the Civic Si I ended up with at graduation (also class of 90). That "Handling by Lotus" marketing made a big impact on my 17 year old mind.

My older brother had been really interested in the previous gen Impulse but never pulled the trigger. If memory serves, that was actually quite nice, before they transitioned into a shared platform with the Geo Storm.

explorerx4

Had a couple of kids by then, so those 2rd coupes off he radar.
Plus already had the Mustang by then.

breld

explorerx4 said:

Had a couple of kids by then, so those 2rd coupes off he radar.
Plus already had the Mustang by then.

I'm sure you meant "2 dr" as in 2 door, but I read your post as "turd coupes."

breld

Had to look up info on the old Impulse. This is fun...got a real kick out of the old '80's commercial.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/03/31/lost-cars-of-the-1980s-1983-1989-isuzu-impulse

kyfdx

My wife had a '90 240SX when we got married. Hatchback, just like the one in the picture. But, automatic, and those darn motorized mouse shoulder belts.

I hated that car.

explorerx4

@breld,
Oops, dyslexia(did I spell that in the correct order?)

Looks like Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale has started.
https://youtu.be/pJhZ5ITf0s8

sda

kyfdx said:

My wife had a '90 240SX when we got married. Hatchback, just like the one in the picture. But, automatic, and those darn motorized mouse shoulder belts.

I hated that car.

When I met my wife she had an 89 240 SX coupe, two tone blue, dark blue interior, 5sp. Looked very clean, she loved it. I never rode in it as soon after we started dating her house partially burned and her car with it. It was a lightening strike, no injuries thankfully. It was replaced with an Altima GXE 5sp. ugh

pensfan83

I was never really a fan of the 4th gen Prelude from the exterior styling to the interior ergonomics. You almost never see 2G Integra GS-R's anywhere, in fact I forgot there even was a GS-R before the 3rd generation was released in 1994.

breld

I don't pine for another 4th gen Prelude, but at the time, man did I love that thing. I was looking for either a used '91 Prelude or a new Civic Coupe EX, maybe a Del Sol. So when the '93 Prelude Si came available I was so stoked to get what felt like a huge upgrade.

ab348

I'm surprised they gave the Talon/Eclipse/Laser first place. They were quite desirable cars at the time though and I remember lusting after one for a bit but was put off by the Chrysler connection. Surprised they seemed to not be too thrilled with either the Acura or the Toyota. I thought the styling of that generation of the Celica was a step backwards from the previous generation (the one which replaced the wedge) which I thought was a very nice design. A buddy of mine had a Corrado G-Lader 4-cyl in the mid-'90s and it was troublesome. I liked the looks of it though.

Speaking of retrospective road tests, did I even mention this one that featured my Cutlass?

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/09/comparison-test-1968-oldsmobile-cutlass-s-1968-ford-mustang-gt/

fintail

I remember in HS I knew a girl who's mom had a new ~93 Prelude Si, interior seemed ultra-modern with the recessed dash design. In a small town, that car might as well have been a new Bentley.

sda

ab348 said:

I'm surprised they gave the Talon/Eclipse/Laser first place. They were quite desirable cars at the time though and I remember lusting after one for a bit but was put off by the Chrysler connection. Surprised they seemed to not be too thrilled with either the Acura or the Toyota. I thought the styling of that generation of the Celica was a step backwards from the previous generation (the one which replaced the wedge) which I thought was a very nice design. A buddy of mine had a Corrado G-Lader 4-cyl in the mid-'90s and it was troublesome. I liked the looks of it though.

Speaking of retrospective road tests, did I even mention this one that featured my Cutlass?

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/09/comparison-test-1968-oldsmobile-cutlass-s-1968-ford-mustang-gt/

Thanks for sharing that article again. I love your Cutlass. Does it also have the Olds AM/FM radio? I couldn't see it clearly. The 8 track player looks like the same one that was in our 69 Olds 98 and 72 Cutlass Supreme. Rather than the 8 track mounted separately and under dash, IIRC GM/Delco combined the 8 track with the AM/FM head unit in the full size cars in 71, then intermediates in 73.

laurasdada

Back in the day (and, oh how I miss back in the day days...), our first group ski house. One of the principals had a 240sx, great to drive. But, he didn't put snow shoes on it, as the house was higher on a hill, during any decent snowfall he had to park it, at best, midway up and walk or hitch a ride. I had fwd (Mitsu Mirage Turbo, followed by Acura Integra. Then boxy domestic salesman type cars), no snows, but no problems in ascending to the castle on the hill.
The next season, the 240sx became an original Pathfinder, two door in maroon. An impressive looking beast. Hilarity ensued.

laurasdada

Quick first picture, electric charging port on driver's side.

ab348

sda said:

Does it also have the Olds AM/FM radio? I couldn't see it clearly. The 8 track player looks like the same one that was in our 69 Olds 98 and 72 Cutlass Supreme. Rather than the 8 track mounted separately and under dash, IIRC GM/Delco combined the 8 track with the AM/FM head unit in the full size cars in 71, then intermediates in 73.

You just made me realize after I looked for one that I don't actually have a picture of the radio in my car. I'll have to take care of that once it comes out of hibernation. It has the proper AM/FM I found for it many years ago. It looks identical to this found pic.

stickguy

How far can that go on just electric?

laurasdada

Stick, it's rated at 24 miles electric only. Haven't tested fully yet, but in the couple of days I've driven it, the range has shown 325 for gas, and started at 34 miles for electric. After driving ~40 miles, gas range remains at 325 miles. Electric decreased to 4, but I fully charged it Tuesday night.