Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

graphicguy

I like Throttle House, too. They do a good job....and are (mostly) entertaining along the same line as a budget Top Gear! Agree with them about the Bronco Sport, since I test drove one. It’s a Ford Escape that drives like a truck. No doubt it has some off road credibility. But, if you want to go off road, just get a 4 Runner or a Jeep and be done with it. In short, I wasn’t as impressed with the Bronco Sport as some. But, Ford will sell every one of them they can produce, and will strain to keep up with demand. That’s only because it “looks” rugged, though. The rest of it uses K Mart materials and average build quality. Personal opinion, but you can do better for about the same price, elsewhere.

YouTube car shows.....I like just about all of them, with a few exceptions. I used to like The Fast Lane Car (TFLC) until one of the head presenters brought his son on board, who has proved to be a doofus and at best, argumentative without having any sort of vehicle reviewing cred. That one’s off my list.

The other is Raiti’s Rides....again, someone who has a GoPro but little, if any, knowledge of vehicles over all. He tried to be a design critic, but fails, miserably.

I do like the guy from the New York Times.....Tom Voelk’s “Driven” show. I like the other Canadians, on The Straight Pipes, Motormouth as well as the ones we talk about here....WatchJRGO, Hoovies Garage, mustie1.

nyccarguy

kyfdx said:

corvette said:

nyccarguy said:

This is the current market for these: 2001 - relatively low mileage - stick - seems well maintained - bone stock

That doesn't seem like a terrible price for late-1990s / early-2000s nostalgia, but how special was an LS? I remember the GS-R and Type R being desirable, but don't know the specifics of the way Integras were configured.

The LS was one step from the bottom I think... Nothing special. Secretary's car

They had an RS which had hub caps & no moon roof. Definitely a secretary's car with an automatic (they said the same thing about the Prelude). I don't like the black with beige cloth combo.

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

au1994 said:

nyccarguy said:

au1994 said:

@nyccarguy - What did you decide to do on the Pilot? Any shopping this week?

I think the timing is right to either try to sell or trade in the Pilot. It’s been an insanely crazy week here to say the least. I’m going to try and set up a test drive of the Highlander tomorrow afternoon/evening.

I’ll let you know my impressions.

Cool! Anything else in the running?

As of now, no. The Highlander seems to be leasing exceptionally well and there seems to be a decent amount of inventory. I've been happy with my Tacoma. The service department has been good thus far. I asked my wife if she had some free time today so I can set up an appointment for her to test drive it. She said: "As long as you like it, I'm sure I'll be fine with it." So I'm going to set up an appointment to test drive it this afternoon on my way home. If I like it, I'll start emailing dealers for pricing and have her test drive it next week.

Give Toyota credit...once they find a winning formula they stick to refining it until they have few peers in the space. The Tacoma and the Highlander (along with the 4 Runner) are perfect examples of that. While, I didn’t spend much time in a Highlander while I was recently shopping, I did sit in one and got to inspect in and around it. The one I sat in had the 3.5L V6, which is a wonderful motor. It had Lexus levels of build and materials, too.

Be interested in how you like the drive. Have fun!

rayainsw

"Thanks for scaring me, I’m getting the second Moderna in a few hours"
Had my second Moderna shot 3+ weeks ago.
No issues beyond the same slight soreness at the vaccination site.
- Ray
Just 1 more data point...

stickguy

Bradd, don’t listen to her. That’s a trap comment! At least you are smart enough to make her drive it first. Why not just swing by your house on the test drive?

stickguy

That’s the same year and model integra I had. But bought it for $2,700. And sold it for the same about 6 months later. It did have 175k on it and wasn’t that clean, but it was solid and rust free. This was also probably 6 years ago? 7? I’m losing track of time.

Great cars, but I didn’t fit. Not enough headroom.

ronsteve

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

laurasdada said:

Have yet to figure out the wacky "timer" method of charging the A7. I've set every setting, pushed every button and have yet to have the timer shut off charging at the appointed time. I think I only have one more trick up my sleeve, then I'm suing Audi/VW for emotional distress.

Did I mention I'm fully Moderna'd? Second shot shut me down the next day, still residual fatigue the following day. Today, right as rain. It didn't really hit me until ~21 hours after the shot, I thought I was gonna get away with no/little side effect. Way to go, immune system!

Thanks for scaring me, I’m getting the second Moderna in a few hours.

You're male. It will be an average reaction for you. According to my wfie's theory, the Moderna is hardest on women especially the second shot. I don't know where she got that propaganda or fact: might have been some women-oriented talk show.

Good luck.
I recommend generic ibuprofin.

I had seen a couple different articles that said that females and younger people were more prone to the vax side effects. A couple of my co-workers got shut down pretty hard for a day (male/20s/Pfizer, male/40s/moderna) while my running partner and her roomie (both female/40/Pfizer) had minimal impacts.

It's kinda like cars, if you think about it... one person can get a lemon from Honda or Toyota while another can own a string of Chryslers and never have a problem. (C'mon, give me credit for that appropriate bridge!)

ronsteve

Seems like there has been a little disconnect lately between the trade side and retail side, but I know it's going away. Carvana is still at $16,4 on my '15 RDX at 78K, and that might continue to make me itchy. I'm sure there are still a few cars out there that dealers got in inventory comparatively cheap a couple months ago.

This price may or may not be catching up to the recent bump in wholesale, but I do find the 2-tone interior oddly appealing. https://www.carmax.com/car/20139152 Carmax is at $14,7 on the trade side, which after the tax credit is only ~800 shy of Carvana.

It's just a hard sell at home when there's nothing local to actually test drive.

explorerx4

The Telluride is still the pick of 3 row CUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29411864/2020-kia-telluride-reliability-maintenance/

C&D Highlander/Telluride comparison.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a31975111/2020-kia-telluride-vs-2020-toyota-highlander/

au1994

explorerx4 said:

The Telluride is still the pick of 3 row CUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29411864/2020-kia-telluride-reliability-maintenance/

Its really, really nice. Do they lease any better now? I know a few months ago they did not.

tjc78

explorerx4 said:

The Telluride is still the pick of 3 row CUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29411864/2020-kia-telluride-reliability-maintenance/

Yes but you can lease something 10K more expensive for a lesser payment.

kyfdx

au1994 said:

explorerx4 said:

The Telluride is still the pick of 3 row CUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29411864/2020-kia-telluride-reliability-maintenance/

Its really, really nice. Do they lease any better now? I know a few months ago they did not.

Actually, nothing wrong with the lease program.

It's more the selling price and lack of incentives.

tjc78

@nyccarguy
If you like the Pilot I can’t see you not liking the Highlander. I’ve ridden in several and it’s typical Toyota. As was pointed out it’s a little smaller than the Pilot but not all that much.

When we transitioned from the Enclave to the XC my wife noticed it felt a little smaller (which it is) but in real world use that size difference hasn’t hurt our hauling ability at all. Maybe it’s the way it was designed. The Enclave’s third row may have been a touch better, but since the XC can fit three across in the middle we never use it.

stickguy

walked past an older Nissan PU today. Really what I need, and some brand should make again. Basically like this one. Just seemed like a nice size. Usable bed, reasonably roomy inside, and not overly tall or wide, and not a hood that looks like the landing deck on an aircraft carrier. Probably fits in the garage too.

too bad these are like Tacomas now, and silly prices even with major miles.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/841344232/overview/

tjc78

Is a Ridgeline that much bigger? I still think that would be a good fit for you.

stickguy

Ridgelines are still pretty big. I think about 210-212" long. So close to a foot longer than an Odyssey, and I assume about as wide as a Pilot/Passport. Far from F150 size though.

Maverick footprint still looks like the sweetspot. Just need them to release actual details!

Just looked up that Nissan 4 door. Seems to be about 72" wide and 193" long. So about the size of a Camry. Seems perfect to me!

fintail

I'm at least a couple decades away from that, unless I win a powerball or get an inheritance from an unknown rich relative

corvette said:

Work from home has been a blessing dealing with my foot injury. That, and having parents who are enthusiastic about babysitting their granddog!

@fintail - For some reason, I thought you retired?

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

The Telluride is still the pick of 3 row CUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29411864/2020-kia-telluride-reliability-maintenance/

C&D Highlander/Telluride comparison.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a31975111/2020-kia-telluride-vs-2020-toyota-highlander/

Good read @explorerx4. Thanks. I like the way the Telluride looks. It gets fantastic reviews too. They are very much in demand right now and as such command a Selling price either at )or very close to MSRP.

28firefighter

My Jeep is officially in the build process + in paint.

tjc78

kyfdx said:

au1994 said:

explorerx4 said:

The Telluride is still the pick of 3 row CUV's.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29411864/2020-kia-telluride-reliability-maintenance/

Its really, really nice. Do they lease any better now? I know a few months ago they did not.

Actually, nothing wrong with the lease program.

It's more the selling price and lack of incentives.

So they still lease like crap relative to MSRP!

tjc78

stickguy said:

Ridgelines are still pretty big. I think about 210-212" long. So close to a foot longer than an Odyssey, and I assume about as wide as a Pilot/Passport. Far from F150 size though.

Maverick footprint still looks like the sweetspot. Just need them to release actual details!

Just looked up that Nissan 4 door. Seems to be about 72" wide and 193" long. So about the size of a Camry. Seems perfect to me!

I didn’t realize they were that long, I thought only slightly bigger than the Pilot.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

This is the current market for these: 2001 - relatively low mileage - stick - seems well maintained - bone stock

https://www.acuraofwappingersfalls.com/used/Acura/2001-Acura-Integra-Wappingers+Falls+New+York-8e960f7e0a0e0a173da4c897e698ce33.htm

Most of the Integras out there now for sale have double the miles, have been modded to death, & all seem to have an unpainted (2000 - 2001) front bumper/nose.

That’s about 4 times what I paid for my 2000 convertible in 2018 with 30k fewer miles. Of course a desirable Honda will be worth more than an equivalent domestic but still a big premium.

It’s getting to the point where anything with wheels is going for $5k.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

laurasdada said:

Have yet to figure out the wacky "timer" method of charging the A7. I've set every setting, pushed every button and have yet to have the timer shut off charging at the appointed time. I think I only have one more trick up my sleeve, then I'm suing Audi/VW for emotional distress.

Did I mention I'm fully Moderna'd? Second shot shut me down the next day, still residual fatigue the following day. Today, right as rain. It didn't really hit me until ~21 hours after the shot, I thought I was gonna get away with no/little side effect. Way to go, immune system!

Thanks for scaring me, I’m getting the second Moderna in a few hours.

You're male. It will be an average reaction for you. According to my wfie's theory, the Moderna is hardest on women especially the second shot. I don't know where she got that propaganda or fact: might have been some women-oriented talk show.

Good luck.
I recommend generic ibuprofin.

My wife claims that men have it easier on everything.

fintail

5K is the new 2500, 2k is the new 1K (or less) beater.

Kind of like even in my once-attainable area any crackshack with a roof and 4 walls in a demilitarized zone is worth 200K now, and anything one might actually want, well, if you have to ask.

And for fun, shop ~10 year old Tacoma 4x4s with 150K or more on the clock. It's a wild world out there.

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s about 4 times what I paid for my 2000 convertible in 2018 with 30k fewer miles. Of course a desirable Honda will be worth more than an equivalent domestic but still a big premium.

It’s getting to the point where anything with wheels is going for $5k.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

walked past an older Nissan PU today. Really what I need, and some brand should make again. Basically like this one. Just seemed like a nice size. Usable bed, reasonably roomy inside, and not overly tall or wide, and not a hood that looks like the landing deck on an aircraft carrier. Probably fits in the garage too.

too bad these are like Tacomas now, and silly prices even with major miles.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/841344232/overview/

That’s a crazy price but for a 20 yo vehicle with under 50k miles, sky’s the limit.

[Deleted User]

28firefighter said:

My Jeep is officially in the build process + in paint.

I can't remember, are they still built in OH? I always thought it be fun to be able to go and watch them build it, drive it home from there. I'd love to do that from Bowling Green some day!

breld

So, anyone have an educated guess on when the bubble bursts on the used car market?

Lots of factors I suppose...when supply is able to ramp back up (chip shortages), economy factors, gas prices, etc.

breld

By the way, my Supra purchased new for $47.7k, sold to Carvana for $49.2k and listed for $52.6k is pending purchase.

au1994

breld said:

By the way, my Supra purchased new for $47.7k, sold to Carvana for $49.2k and listed for $52.6k is pending purchase.

🤔

au1994

I prefer the Palisade over the Telluride on looks so I checked the local dealer site, exactly one Palisade in inventory. A Calligraphy model at about $49k.

They do have 47 Santa Fe’s though.

Toyota dealer is down to 5 Tacoma’s, all 2wd SR models.

To borrow @fintail’s analogy...If you pulled a hunk out of the junkyard and slapped a lawn mower engine in it, Vroom would probably hit you at 10k.

28firefighter

dad23 said:

28firefighter said:

My Jeep is officially in the build process + in paint.

I can't remember, are they still built in OH? I always thought it be fun to be able to go and watch them build it, drive it home from there. I'd love to do that from Bowling Green some day!

Yep - Toledo! I asked if I could do that, actually. Apparently not equipped to do factory delivery.

au1994

breld said:

So, anyone have an educated guess on when the bubble bursts on the used car market?

Lots of factors I suppose...when supply is able to ramp back up (chip shortages), economy factors, gas prices, etc.

I’m not up to speed on when the chip shortage may end, but that will increase new inventory so that would impact these bids.

If/when gas hits the pain point level (high 3’s or 4) that will kick V8 truck and SUV numbers down a bit.

Economy? Who knows...it looks to be doing pretty well. Things are open back up and I see help wanted signs all over the service industry places. A good economy is going to drive both new and used markets IMHO.

Don’t forget tax refunds are on the way eventually. That usually stimulates some sales along with some well timed incentives from the manufacturers.

breld

Well, I'm certainly hoping the used car market, at least for SUVs, settles a bit this summer or fall.

The trade offer from Polestar for the X3 was higher than any other offer, and they're offering a $2,000 incentive when you trade in an ICE vehicle. With that $2k, it's pretty much what I paid for the X3, so I'm taking the opportunity for an easy "reset."

The plan (best laid plans and all) would be to just have the Polestar 2 for the summer (for me, the wife still has her MINI) and then fill the third garage space in the fall.

explorerx4

Found an online retailer(in Cali) who sells replacement(same brand and style) window shutters.
10 sets of what I need is $930 plus shipping and tax.
The shutters are manufactured locally, so I called manufacturer to see if I could buy locally.
They gave me the name of a local distributor, so I went up to see them.
$700 out the door and I can pick them up next week.
Definitely worth a phone call to find out where I could get them.

au1994

breld said:

Well, I'm certainly hoping the used car market, at least for SUVs, settles a bit this summer or fall.

The trade offer from Polestar for the X3 was higher than any other offer, and they're offering a $2,000 incentive when you trade in an ICE vehicle. With that $2k, it's pretty much what I paid for the X3, so I'm taking the opportunity for an easy "reset."

The plan (best laid plans and all) would be to just have the Polestar 2 for the summer (for me, the wife still has her MINI) and then fill the third garage space in the fall.

I forget, what’s happening to the Leaf?

corvette

explorerx4 said:

The shutters are manufactured locally, so I called manufacturer to see if I could buy locally.
They gave me the name of a local distributor, so I went up to see them.
$700 out the door and I can pick them up next week.
Definitely worth a phone call to find out where I could get them.

Yeah, it's possible they would have shipped them to the place in Cali just to end up shipping them back to you!

breld

au1994 said:

breld said:

Well, I'm certainly hoping the used car market, at least for SUVs, settles a bit this summer or fall.

The trade offer from Polestar for the X3 was higher than any other offer, and they're offering a $2,000 incentive when you trade in an ICE vehicle. With that $2k, it's pretty much what I paid for the X3, so I'm taking the opportunity for an easy "reset."

The plan (best laid plans and all) would be to just have the Polestar 2 for the summer (for me, the wife still has her MINI) and then fill the third garage space in the fall.

I forget, what’s happening to the Leaf?

At some point, I'll turn it back in as an early termination, but there's no particular rush on that. I called to get a quote for the early term charge, and it's pretty nominal - around $600. That's less than the difference between what Carmax offered and the buyout, so may as well keep it for now.

It served its purpose - allowed me to evaluate my interest in an EV, and even with the early term cost it was a fairly inexpensive way to do that.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

By the way, my Supra purchased new for $47.7k, sold to Carvana for $49.2k and listed for $52.6k is pending purchase.

The greater fool theory.

xwesx

au1994 said:

breld said:

Well, I'm certainly hoping the used car market, at least for SUVs, settles a bit this summer or fall.

The trade offer from Polestar for the X3 was higher than any other offer, and they're offering a $2,000 incentive when you trade in an ICE vehicle. With that $2k, it's pretty much what I paid for the X3, so I'm taking the opportunity for an easy "reset."

The plan (best laid plans and all) would be to just have the Polestar 2 for the summer (for me, the wife still has her MINI) and then fill the third garage space in the fall.

I forget, what’s happening to the Leaf?

It blew away.

explorerx4

@corvette,
I should have posted this on another thread, but I agree, it would have been too strange to order them from some place in CA, just to have them shipped back here.

ateslijojuk

anonymousposts said:

I recently tallyed up our purchases and came to a grand total of 34 cars in 9 years. I think I am addicted to car shopping period. I get excited when coworkers are looking for cars because I get to help them look and give them advice.

I defintely need a cheaper hobby. For anyone who is interested here is my list .. in no particular order.

1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo
1990 Toyota Tercel
1982 Toyota Tercel SR5
1987 Toyota Celica GTS
1987 & 1988 Toyota Corolla FX16 GTS
1997 Toyota RAV4 2 door

1991 Nissan 300ZX TT

1989 Honda Civic wagon
1993 Honda Civic EX coupe
1996 Honda Civic EX sedan
1998 Honda Civic EX sedan
(2) 2000 Honda Civic SI's
(2) 2002 Honda Civic SI's
2003 Honda Civic SI
1991 Honda Accord EX sedan
1992 Honda Accord EX sedan
1999 Honda Accord EX sedan
2001 Honda Accord EX V6 coupe
2003 Honda Accord EX-L coupe
2004 Honda Accord EX-L sedan
2004 Honda Odyssey EX-RES

1993 Acura Vigor
1990 Acura Integra
1991 Acura Integra
1992 Acura Integra
1994 Acura Integra

1995 Lexus GS300
(1)
1994 Lexus LS400

2000 Chevrolet Silverado

1997 Dodge Dakota

2001 Mazda Protege ES

seriously did you buy and sell so many cars?

Michaell

ateslijojuk said:

anonymousposts said:

I recently tallyed up our purchases and came to a grand total of 34 cars in 9 years. I think I am addicted to car shopping period. I get excited when coworkers are looking for cars because I get to help them look and give them advice.

I defintely need a cheaper hobby. For anyone who is interested here is my list .. in no particular order.

1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo
1990 Toyota Tercel
1982 Toyota Tercel SR5
1987 Toyota Celica GTS
1987 & 1988 Toyota Corolla FX16 GTS
1997 Toyota RAV4 2 door

1991 Nissan 300ZX TT

1989 Honda Civic wagon
1993 Honda Civic EX coupe
1996 Honda Civic EX sedan
1998 Honda Civic EX sedan
(2) 2000 Honda Civic SI's
(2) 2002 Honda Civic SI's
2003 Honda Civic SI
1991 Honda Accord EX sedan
1992 Honda Accord EX sedan
1999 Honda Accord EX sedan
2001 Honda Accord EX V6 coupe
2003 Honda Accord EX-L coupe
2004 Honda Accord EX-L sedan
2004 Honda Odyssey EX-RES

1993 Acura Vigor
1990 Acura Integra
1991 Acura Integra
1992 Acura Integra
1994 Acura Integra

1995 Lexus GS300
(1)
1994 Lexus LS400

2000 Chevrolet Silverado

1997 Dodge Dakota

2001 Mazda Protege ES

seriously did you buy and sell so many cars?

Oh, you should see the stories from some of the members here.

Welcome aboard.

stickguy

and you have some very nice taste in cars.

nyccarguy

Just got home from my Highlander test drive. Overall, it is a very nice package. Soft touch, materials. Well laid out controls. Taut but comfortable ride. The interior was quiet. Enough power. It did feel like it was a bit too small for us. I also found the center console to be very intrusive. I couldn’t get comfortable.

stickguy

I saw a Telluride and Palisade at the same intersection tonight. They look ginormous.

take a look at a Traverse? also large.

tjc78

stickguy said:

I saw a Telluride and Palisade at the same intersection tonight. They look ginormous.

take a look at a Traverse? also large.

Those and Enclave are as big as you get without going Tahoe/Expedition

stickguy

not sure how big you need when you also have a PU. But a Highlander seems like a barge to me.

tifighter

Well, this isn't helping to sell it-

28firefighter

tifighter said:

Well, this isn't helping to sell it-

Now that’s funny.

fintail

That song is in the rotation a bit on Lithium.

I wish the "jutting tablet" design fad would wane, still looks bad IMO, things can be integrated better.