Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

How about a 4 door hardtop mini?

28firefighter

I'm investigating it - though they aren't leasing particularly well. We are making a big investment in a much needed landscaping/hardscape project in front of our home, so I'd prefer not to outlay more cash to purchase right now (especially after all the $$$ that went into the Touring).

breld

I said it with the Supra sale, but I'll say it again, how can Carvana be providing such high buy bids?

Their offer on the Leaf is $4,100 higher than Vroom. And they were pretty much in line with Vroom a few months ago.

I completed all the paperwork on my end to hand them the Leaf so we'll see - I read that they didn't accept Nissan leases, but that may have changed more recently, as Vroom and Carmax apparently do. Guess I'll find out.

breld

stickguy said:

How about a 4 door hardtop mini?

I've always found those to be awkward at certain angles - like too many lines going on in too small of a space.

I much prefer the Clubman or Countryman for the extra doors.

stickguy

I chatted with a neighbor this AM. he just got a new 4 door, to replace an early generation 2 door. I think it looked better than the bulkier one (countryman? The one with the hatch)

stickguy

A couple more links from the son today. He seems to be browsing carmax now. First was a 2018 bmw 550. Dark blue over brown. Doubt he’d really buy the model, but he loved the color combo. 2nd was a medium gray over saddle Jag F type coupe. That was pretty. He was trying to convince himself that other than no back west, it really wasn’t that impractical! Not the car I’d pick when I was planning to do a lot of projects on my new house. But it was pretty.

Michaell

breld said:

stickguy said:

How about a 4 door hardtop mini?

I've always found those to be awkward at certain angles - like too many lines going on in too small of a space.

I much prefer the Clubman or Countryman for the extra doors.

+1

Michaell

stickguy said:

I chatted with a neighbor this AM. he just got a new 4 door, to replace an early generation 2 door. I think it looked better than the bulkier one (countryman? The one with the hatch)

The Countryman is the "SUV" like one.

The Clubman has the clamshell doors in the back. I had one as a loaner the last time the Countryman was at the dealer.

stickguy

I hate those clamshell doors. When we shopped minis, we went in to look at a countryman. But after trying both, liked the hardtop better.

Michaell

stickguy said:

I hate those clamshell doors. When we shopped minis, we went in to look at a countryman. But after trying both, liked the hardtop better.

I actually didn't find it too distracting when I drove it.

But, to each his own.

xwesx

stickguy said:

I don't care how much a fill up costs. Just how often how to do them, and the total amount I have to spend per month!

True! And, that's one thing I do love about my Q7! ~500 miles per tank, only need to fill once every two weeks during normal commute driving.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

In other news, my wife is asking (not demanding) that I send the touring back to my dad when practical for both of us in favor of something a little newer that she can drive.

Not a Camaro. She said it’d be fun but not practical.

The problem? I can’t think of a single vehicle at a reasonable price point that really excites me.

Why can't she drive your ZHP? That's a practical fun car for the whole family!

28firefighter

She doesn't drive stick and has no interest in learning.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

She doesn't drive stick and has no interest in learning.

Oh, ouch. And yet she's still a keeper? That's love, there!

explorerx4

@driver100,
Better get Mike Holmes, at least he does a good job.
12-14 years out of a roof is a short lifespan unless there is a venting problem.

au1994

28firefighter said:

In other news, my wife is asking (not demanding) that I send the touring back to my dad when practical for both of us in favor of something a little newer that she can drive.

Not a Camaro. She said it’d be fun but not practical.

The problem? I can’t think of a single vehicle at a reasonable price point that really excites me.

I agree. GTI, GLI, A3 kinda come to mind if thats considered reasonable. I think any 3 series is out due to price. If she nixed a Camaro, I assume that would kill the Mustang too.

pensfan83

Had the truck in for its 15K service and it needs tires. OEM is around $800 installed, Cooper is $665 installed after a $70 rebate. The Cooper tires will be fine for 4 more months.

stickguy

That’s really short lifespan. I would be really ticked if I had to put tires on at lease end in that few miles.

sda

pensfan83 said:

Had the truck in for its 15K service and it needs tires. OEM is around $800 installed, Cooper is $665 installed after a $70 rebate. The Cooper tires will be fine for 4 more months.

Only 15k on OEM tires? I thought truck tires went the distance. ouch.

stickguy

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

In other news, my wife is asking (not demanding) that I send the touring back to my dad when practical for both of us in favor of something a little newer that she can drive.

Not a Camaro. She said it’d be fun but not practical.

The problem? I can’t think of a single vehicle at a reasonable price point that really excites me.

I agree. GTI, GLI, A3 kinda come to mind if thats considered reasonable. I think any 3 series is out due to price. If she nixed a Camaro, I assume that would kill the Mustang too.

I can think of something interesting in just about any glass of vehicle. The real trouble is narrowing it down to one class. Need to figure out if there any any must have (feature or functionality) deal breaker to at least start whittling the choices down! When you don’t technically even need a back seat, it’s a wide range.

I do tend to focus on upcoming models though. So GTI, Maverick and Santa Cruz are high on the list. Next Civic depending on models. All assuming I want new. That’s all just off top of my head.

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

Had the truck in for its 15K service and it needs tires. OEM is around $800 installed, Cooper is $665 installed after a $70 rebate. The Cooper tires will be fine for 4 more months.

Mine are still original at almost 35K miles. What happened?

stickguy

Also, are the tires low on tread? Or somehow otherwise “bad” (worn funny). I think they just fo a cursory depth check. So if they pass lease turn in, ride em out!

Otherwise, I’d hit up some cheap used tires place to see if they can do it for a lot less.

pensfan83

I wish I knew, I'm baffled. The truck isn't flogged, the wear is even to my eye, and I admittedly didn't even notice they were worn because who would think that would even happen? I've towed some heavy loads but generally not more than a few hundred miles and only a handful of times. But they are at 3/32 all around.

@nyccarguy the OR has different tires but still. We're replacing them now and getting our money's worth.

pensfan83

kyfdx

pensfan83 said:

Had the truck in for its 15K service and it needs tires. OEM is around $800 installed, Cooper is $665 installed after a $70 rebate. The Cooper tires will be fine for 4 more months.

I got the stock Toyos at Discount Tire... the price was good, though it escapes me, at the moment. (last May)
TRD Sport

We were around 33K, and I knew they wouldn't pass... So, extending the lease for six more months made me feel better about it.

sda

Honda used to (and might currently) have a clause in the lease that allowed for a specific $$ allowance at turn in to cover dings, tires, etc. Perhaps that applies here?

corvette

sda said:

Honda used to (and might currently) have a clause in the lease that allowed for a specific $$ allowance at turn in to cover dings, tires, etc. Perhaps that applies here?

At 15k, I don't think he will make it to lease end before they're completely bald. Hopefully, the replacements will have better longevity and he won't have to replace them again before the lease is over.

corvette

@pensfan83 - this sounds fishy to me--the OE tires on the TRD Off-Road are supposed to be Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar. 640 tread wear rating, and they would have a 60k mileage warranty if they weren't OEM tires. Lots of reviews on Tire Rack claiming they got 60k or more.

Assuming you're not doing a lot of burnouts, I'm not sure how yours are completely shot so soon.

stickguy

I’ll go with burnouts.

Acura I think gave you $750 credit for turn in costs.

stickguy

Actually, instead of tires, shop it to Carvana. Sell it to them, and it’s their problem!

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Actually, instead of tires, shop it to Carvana. Sell it to them, and it’s their problem!

Can't remember... but, if he has a US Bank lease, you can't sell it.

explorerx4

I doubt a Taco can do a burnout.

xwesx

pensfan83 said:

Had the truck in for its 15K service and it needs tires. OEM is around $800 installed, Cooper is $665 installed after a $70 rebate. The Cooper tires will be fine for 4 more months.

15,000 miles and it needs tires already?! That hurts.

Carvana / Vroom isn't a bad idea. I don't think they ask you how much tread is on the tires, only how many miles.

xwesx

explorerx4 said:

I doubt a Taco can do a burnout.

That depends entirely on how much hot sauce you add.....

nyccarguy

Just got my 1st Pfizer shot.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Just got my 1st Pfizer shot.

Good deal.

pensfan83

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

Actually, instead of tires, shop it to Carvana. Sell it to them, and it’s their problem!

Can't remember... but, if he has a US Bank lease, you can't sell it.

One pay with TFS but not interested in selling.

pensfan83

corvette said:

@pensfan83 - this sounds fishy to me--the OE tires on the TRD Off-Road are supposed to be Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar. 640 tread wear rating, and they would have a 60k mileage warranty if they weren't OEM tires. Lots of reviews on Tire Rack claiming they got 60k or more.

Assuming you're not doing a lot of burnouts, I'm not sure how yours are completely shot so soon.

Beats me, I'm as perplexed as you are. No abuse whatsoever unless you count the Mrs demolishing the landscaping at DD as abuse.

ronsteve

nyccarguy said:

Just got my 1st Pfizer shot.

Let us know how things are Saturday or Sunday. I'm scheduled for 2nd Moderna next Friday.

qbrozen

pensfan83 said:

Can’t tell much on pic 1, and pic 3 looks like maybe a little low. But pics 2 and 4 show plenty of life.

corvette

@qbrozen I was thinking they looked a little more worn in the center, but hard to tell from pics... I have a Fowler X-Tread digital depth gauge, and I measure all four grooves when I check the tires.

au1994

pensfan83 said:

Personally, I’d put at least 2k more on those unless they were getting slippery in the rain.

au1994

stickguy said:

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

In other news, my wife is asking (not demanding) that I send the touring back to my dad when practical for both of us in favor of something a little newer that she can drive.

Not a Camaro. She said it’d be fun but not practical.

The problem? I can’t think of a single vehicle at a reasonable price point that really excites me.

I agree. GTI, GLI, A3 kinda come to mind if thats considered reasonable. I think any 3 series is out due to price. If she nixed a Camaro, I assume that would kill the Mustang too.

I can think of something interesting in just about any glass of vehicle. The real trouble is narrowing it down to one class. Need to figure out if there any any must have (feature or functionality) deal breaker to at least start whittling the choices down! When you don’t technically even need a back seat, it’s a wide range.

I do tend to focus on upcoming models though. So GTI, Maverick and Santa Cruz are high on the list. Next Civic depending on models. All assuming I want new. That’s all just off top of my head.

If its anything goes, IE more than sedans, then yes my shopping list is wide as the Sargasso Sea...Pilot, Ridgeline, Gladiator, Maverick, Santa Cruz, Wrangler, Tacoma, TLX, GTI all have my interest in my various schemes. And those are just for me. When I add the choices for my wife to complement those, the list easily doubles.

Surely therapy is cheaper...

sda

au1994 said:

stickguy said:

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

In other news, my wife is asking (not demanding) that I send the touring back to my dad when practical for both of us in favor of something a little newer that she can drive.

Not a Camaro. She said it’d be fun but not practical.

The problem? I can’t think of a single vehicle at a reasonable price point that really excites me.

I agree. GTI, GLI, A3 kinda come to mind if thats considered reasonable. I think any 3 series is out due to price. If she nixed a Camaro, I assume that would kill the Mustang too.

I can think of something interesting in just about any glass of vehicle. The real trouble is narrowing it down to one class. Need to figure out if there any any must have (feature or functionality) deal breaker to at least start whittling the choices down! When you don’t technically even need a back seat, it’s a wide range.

I do tend to focus on upcoming models though. So GTI, Maverick and Santa Cruz are high on the list. Next Civic depending on models. All assuming I want new. That’s all just off top of my head.

If its anything goes, IE more than sedans, then yes my shopping list is wide as the Sargasso Sea...Pilot, Ridgeline, Gladiator, Maverick, Santa Cruz, Wrangler, Tacoma, TLX, GTI all have my interest in my various schemes. And those are just for me. When I add the choices for my wife to complement those, the list easily doubles.

Surely therapy is cheaper...

I doubt it. It is more fun to drive therapy than drone on to a therapist.

stickguy

I hope that the country moves enough back to normal by the fall that I can start going out and doing some looking, and actual test driving. I really miss doing that.

andres3

corvette said:

nyccarguy said:

Nice lookin S4 Prestige at a local Ford dealer.

The ad says 13,505 miles, but the odo shows 24,929. Just an honest oversight, I'm sure. But, it also looks like they reported the 13,505 to CarFax and now it shows a mileage inconsistency on the report. And, the previous owner or lessee apparently didn't take it to a dealer for service, but did take it to Valvoline to get the oil changed once. #facepalm

That's a damn shame as I don't believe any of Valvoline's oils meet any of VW's/Audi's specs. Could be a good grocery getter though.

andres3

graphicguy said:

nyccarguy said:

Nice lookin S4 Prestige at a local Ford dealer.

https://www.stamfordford.com/used/Audi/2018-Audi-S4-433e8fe20a0e0a171251749a770679b2.htm

Price seems kinda high for a car that looks like it had the warranty clock punched in 2017.

Had this conversation with my son the other day. Given I’ve owned both an S4 with the V6 turbo, and the Stinger with the V6 turbo, they essentially drive the same. They really do. Understandable given the engineering and management.

Even some of the switchgear in the interior is similar. The suspension feels very similar between the two, also.

The big difference, even though the Stinger is using essentially the same tech and very similar engineering, the S4 is WAY MORE expensive to maintain. That said, it will also hold its resale value WAY MORE than the Stinger, too.

Unless you owned an 18+ S4, you had a Supercharged V6 S4, or a naturally aspirated V8 going back further. Turbo 6 would be going way way way back.....

Maintenance? Just oil changes, brakes, and tires. Oh yes, the DSG service every 35-45,000 miles. It's not that expensive. I still get my synthetic Audi spec oil changes for about $100 (no coupon). How much is a Stinger oil change?

xwesx

ronsteve said:

nyccarguy said:

Just got my 1st Pfizer shot.

Let us know how things are Saturday or Sunday. I'm scheduled for 2nd Moderna next Friday.

Yeah, I'm up for #2 tomorrow morning.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Can’t tell much on pic 1, and pic 3 looks like maybe a little low. But pics 2 and 4 show plenty of life.

Looks like they are wearing a little faster in the middle than they should; what is the inflation level? Maybe drop them back some and let them go for another 5K.

roadburner

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

I hate those clamshell doors. When we shopped minis, we went in to look at a countryman. But after trying both, liked the hardtop better.

I actually didn't find it too distracting when I drove it.

But, to each his own.

It doesn't bother me either. FWIW, I replaced the thermostat on my Clubman(it was throwing a code) and it's now returning 38-40 mpg on my daily commute.