Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

But then she has to pick them up each day. So we're kinda stuck.

Although, we work in the same complex, so we could always swap each day. But that's kinda silly, I think. Besides, daycare is only 3 miles from home, so once I drop them off, I have all the room I need for my commute.

Only sad part is that the 300Z is going to be very neglected now. There will only be 1 day a week I could drive it to work if the weather is nice. I also think the wife's bimmer is going to fall by the wayside. I have the feeling I'll wind up selling that in the Spring.

boomchek

Congrats on the newest addition to your family!

I'm still overjoyed with my first born who's 3 months old now. I honestly wanted to name him Aston Martin, but my wife wouldn't go for it, so we settled on Aston for his middle name. :shades:

fezo

Hey, congratulations!

I can think of a dozen cars that would be perfect for you now. Unfortunately they are ones you've sold in the past year or so.....

tifighter

Unfortunately they are ones you've sold in the past year or so.....
:P

michaellno

Unfortunately they are ones you've sold in the past year or so.....

What, you mean like the Volvo and the Infiniti? I thought he sold those so he could afford the new kid ....

boomchek

Huh, are you referring to me or q? I've been stuck with my Jeep Patriot for over a year now, oh my,,.,,,, :surprise:

michaellno

I've been stuck with my Jeep Patriot for over a year now, oh my....

Do you feel stuck with it? The more I see of them, the more I like them ... simple, honest, rugged little trucklet.

ghulet

actually, we were considering a Patriot (4x4, stick) as a replacement for our 2001 Wrangler; how DO you like it, or not?

andre1969

for having a soft spot for the Patriot. It seems like a good combination of size, interior room, economy, price, etc, and isn't too bad on the eye. And it seems a lot roomier than the Caliber or Compass. Better looking, too. The Caliber makes me think of some old late 40's car that someone tried to update to modern times, while the Compass makes me think too much of a Gremlin!

fezo

No. no. Aiming at q. He's a fun target on this topic. :P

He might well have sold the others to afford the baby. Good choice if he did.

Both yo guys did something I never did - produce a boy. I've got 4 girls. Even the one that we adopted is a girl. If I wanted a boy that badly you'd have to figure I could have controlled that one! Well, I could but opted not to.

ghulet

yeah, the styling on the Compass leaves me cold; as for the Caliber, I don't mind it, but if that and the Patriot cost about the same (and they do, more or less), and since they're built on the same platform, I'd guess the Jeep, generally, will have better resale value. I do like the looks of the Patriot, it's kind of a 3/5 scale Cherokee. I'm with you, Andre: I was surprised, when I checked one out at the Chicago Auto Show, the amount of room, fuel economy and in particular, the price (we saw one, pretty much a 'stripper', that was less than $17k!!). Even fully loaded, they're under $25k. We'd probably opt for one somewhere in between.

qbrozen

4 girls??!
Oh, good grief. How old? I didn't want to deal with even one when it came to dating time, so I'm very happy with what I've been alloted.

Yes, I sold the Infiniti and Volvo to afford the baby. The Infiniti wasn't all that roomy, anyway. Not bad, mind you, and better than the Benz, which is all I'm looking for now. But I definitely want something cheaper than the G35x.

If I drop my wagon requirement, I find a ton of affordable options. Here are just a few of the potentially interesting options:
Mazda6s 5spd
Altima 2.5s 5spd
Sentra SpecV

Thing is, I keep swearing up and down every darned time I get a car that "the next one will be a wagon." They are just so difficult to find, and when you do find them, they are gone quickly.

qbrozen

I don't know if anyone remember, but we bought my sister a Caliber when they were pretty new. She still has it and they really like it. I like it, too, but not really for myself. It leaves alot to be desired in the driving dynamics department (our Mazda5 absolutely blows it away in that department). But for those who want a compact ute of sorts, I think its a solid choice. As I stated back when we bought it, I found it way nicer and more enjoyable than the CRV she traded in on it.

kyfdx

Congratulations on the new addition!!

Couldn't get the wife to cooperate on the tax deduction thing, huh?

I'd trade my wife for a car... but, my son? NO way! :P

qbrozen

Ugh. Tell me about it. I told the kid he's already punished for all he's put me through, like missing the deduction we desperately need, making me go out in a blizzard with pneumia to dig out the car and drive to the hospital for a false alarm, etc.

boomchek

As basic transportation the Patriot does just fine. It's not refined or smooth like a CRV, and it won't get you in trouble for speeding as it isn't fast, but it's about $5k cheaper than any competition and it's very versatile.

The good stuff we like about it:

-lots of headroom. I'm 5'10" and there's still about 6 or more inches of headroom left.
-standard front and curtain airbags, plus standards ABS, Traction, and Stability Control are huge pluses for a vehicle in this price range.
-we took it camping and went on logging and dirt roads and it did fine for a FWD version which mine is.
Lots of utility such as:
-the built in rechargeable LED flashlight in the cargo area,
-the flat folding front passenger seat (wife can sit in the back seat and change our son on the folded front passenger seat).
-plastic cargo floor easy to clean
-115v outlet nice for recharging cameras, phones, etc without having to use 12v adapters
-aux hookup for ipod on the stereo (nice to have in a low priced vehicle)
-stain resistant seats

What we don't like about it:

-CVT transmission sounds whiney, makes car feel so sloooooooow (I have a 2.0L FWD version)
-rear seat legroom not that great, with rear facing baby seat in the middle it pushes against my seat and I can't move it back much further
-plastics inside kinda cheap but it doesn't bother me much
-high beams not much brighter than low beams
-fuel economy not the best. I'm getting 250-300 miles on a tank of gas (11 gallons) but then I'm used to Honda Civic fuel economy and this Jeep has the aerodynamics of a brick and weighs quite more so I shouldn't be comparing them.

Other than that for every day driving it does the job and looks half decent, so I can't complain. We drove it to San Francisco a year ago (about 1000 mile trip each way) and it did great and gave us no headaches at all.

I recommend it and for the money I think it's a decent buy. A comparable Rav4 or CRV costs at least $5k to $10k more (at least here in Canada) so it makes this Jeep a great value.

fezo

Yep. 4 of 'em. Oldest will be 21 on Saturday (I'll be, er, older the next day). I've already demanded to know who her designated driver is when she goes out for her birthday. Then I have a 17 year old and a pair of 8s. The 8 year olds are the funny pair. We were going through adopting a girl from China (to do a good thing - we knew we could still make one of our own) when halfway through the process indeed we did make one of our own. We had already decided that we'd go through with things if that happened so we did. Carrie (the bio) was 9 months old when we got the word that Claire was ready to be picked up. She was also 9 months old. Actually they are close enough in age that we do not know which one is older because we don't have a time of day for Claire's birth. I went with my oldest who was then 13 over to China to pick her up. This is how I got started on Odys......

Any of your choices you mentioned on the car front would work fine and keep the finances in order I'm sure.

False labor in the storm? Ouch! A woman I used to work with went into labor in the 1978 blizzard. They had to get the ambulance through all that (in Jackson). She made it!

qbrozen

Yup. 5am that Sunday morning I was out there shoveling through ~2 feet of the white stuff. Luckily dad has a plow in Toms River. He plowed himself out, then came and plowed my driveway. Drive wasn't too bad with the snow-tire-shod Benz. Took me about 45 minutes to make the trip from Jackson to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune.

lilengineerboy

1st off, congrats on the new addition! More young feet to help with bleeding brakes!

2nd: If I drop my wagon requirement, I find a ton of affordable options. Here are just a few of the potentially interesting options:
Mazda6s 5spd
Altima 2.5s 5spd
Sentra SpecV

Nissan QR25DE not so hot. I really like the spec V because as a 6-speed manual, it has a limited slip differential. I don't know if I like it enough to deal with the 2001~2004 or 5 issues with the engine.

qbrozen

Ok. I've been comparing specs and considering more. It seems the Sentra doesn't make a whole lot of sense after all. With very similar HP/weight ratio, the Mazda3s offers more backseat room.

But, what issues do you speak of with the 2.5? And do those apply to the Altima? Cause that still seemed like a viable option to me. Big back seat and decent output in a 3k-lb package.

I haven't ruled out a bimmer, either. Did I post this one before? It keeps calling me.
6-speed 540i

My only concern with the above is gas mileage. I wonder what I could realistically expect with the stick. 21mpg is the EPA highway number. Granted, that's about what I got with the G35x and pretty much what I get with the Benz now, but I was shooting for much better next time. Still....

fezo

Born in Neptune. huh? Was the older one born in Pluto? Yeah. Yeah. Old joke...

Three of mine were born in Toms River. The fourth in Youxian, Hunan. That last one is an extreme daddy's girl.

Nice to have a dad with a snow plow. My dad paid snow plow guys rather than being one who plowed. That said he was a real wheeler dealer so he could always get out. No longer with us which still hurts.

Now that I think of it 45 minutes Jackson to Neptune in that was pretty impressive!

ghulet

If I drop my wagon requirement, I find a ton of affordable options. Here are just a few of the potentially interesting options:
Mazda6s 5spd
Altima 2.5s 5spd
Sentra SpecV


Of these, I vote for the Altima, hands down. Probably the least fun to drive of the three, but it's the least expensive, has the fewest miles, has the most room and likely gets the best MPG, but you knew all that already . I think as to interior room, the Sentra might be a wash with the Benz, and I don't think the 540i is much better, probably, plus think of the gas and repairs on that one--and I seriously doubt you'd get anywhere near 21 mpg, though the manual helps.

ghulet

.....though, naturally, I'm suspect of the 'miles not listed', especially at this price:

link">http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=271069689&dealer_id=563540&car- - -

Also seen in Chicago area (did search of all manual wagons under $10k):

2000 BMW 528i wagon, silver/black, 131k $7295
2006 Focus ZXW, tan,150.6k miles(new brakes and clutch) $3995
2000 Saab 9-5 wagon, green/tan w/107k, $3895
lots and lots of Subaru wagons w/manuals (have you ruled these out?)

stickguy

Q, JRL just popped up with a sweet sounding 1999 V70 T-5, 5 speed over on SS. Looks super clean. Not cheap, but also not common.

qbrozen

Geesh. Yer not kidding. That is a dear price, indeed. At that price, I gotta go with the 540i vs that, frankly.

According to the specs, the 5-series offers about 3 inches more rear legroom than my Benz. Yeah, not a tremendous difference, but maybe enough.

I could be wrong, but I don't think repairs are a big issue on that car. At least not according to advice I've gotten around here. Yeah, of course the gas is an issue, but, man, just think about the fun factor!

stickguy

you were optomistic in your link title. That is a 5 speed, not a 6 speed.

nice car, not that I would trust a dealer in paterson, but if you know what you are doing, the price is right for the miles.

I test drove a 2001 (new) when I almost got a 525i. Man, what a rocket. have a good lawyer on speed dial to keep your license.

No, it won't get good mileage, but probably not that much different than your Infiniti did. But it has to be worth it. And the back seat is not huge, but plenty of room for a kid and a car seat.

Not as reliable as a 6 cylinder model, but I seem to recall them not being too bad. As long as you don't require a working cup holder, you are good to go.

go take a look. That doesn't cost nuttin!

anonymousposts

Congratulations on the new addition.

I second what was said about the NIssan 2.5L engine. The Altima was on my list when I bought the Camry but I was not confident in it's long-term reliability based on what I found. It seems there are serious problems with the 2.5L engine and the new models are having some glitches with the CVT and still some engine issues.

We are having a "snow" day here in GA. We had some light wintry precipitation which froze solid when the temp went down in the teens last night. They closed my place of business today and all local schools. Gee drove the Camry today and said it did great in the conditions. The traction/skid control worked to get him up a slick hill in our neighborhood and he was able to lock the tranny into gear to minimize slipping. As the days go by I love this car more and more.

I did get a chance to drive his IS250 a couple of days ago. Gee has had it since March 2009 and it has only 8,200 miles. 2,000 of those miles were put on between the trip home from Boston in it and the trip to Florida to get the windows tinted. He has had zero issues with it. It did get me thinking about the current wagon search ... what about a Lexus IS300 SportCross? Not the most practical car in the world but it is a reliable wagon that should be rather affordable right now.

tifighter

This might be regional, but the SportCross prices I've seen lately are ridiculous. The owners think they are collectible car, and ask appropriately. Its not a M Coupe, guys. :P But, they don't seem to last a long time on the market either. E46 wagons seem like a much better value to me...even at our high SF prices...

tifighter

I just looked on CL. Here's an example. You'd think it was an Enzo. Don't get me wrong...I like these cars, but geesh.

fintail

"You know how rare these are and what their potential is. "

Yeah, to keep depreciating, just slower than the normal sedans.

boomchek

^^ HOSTS PLEASE REMOVE THIS SPAM ^^

stever

Shoot us an email and we may see it faster. (Thanks N.)

qbrozen

Huh. That's a shame. Guess I gotta rule out the Nissan, then.

So I think that pretty much leaves me Mazda3 or BMW of some sort.

Stickguy -- 5-speed, huh? For some reason, I thought all those were 6s, even back then. Not that it needs 6, other than for lower cruising rpms, perhaps. I would go check it out, but it is a long drive just to kick the tires.

that same seller does have a mazdaspeed Protege, though.

qbrozen

stickguy, what makes you say that 540 is a 5-speed? My Galves tells me 6-speed and wiki confirms this. It was a 6-speed getrag.

tifighter

What about a Mazda6 wagon?

qbrozen

was considering that, but then realized the mazda3 offers the same amount of rear seat space in a lighter and more fuel efficient package.

stickguy

you don't have to pay this bill! I thought the 6 speed came in later. The 6 cyl. had a 5 speed, that I know.

Frankly, the 540 has so much power, a 3 speed would be more than enough (my Gremlin and Duster did just fine with one of those!)

Don't see many of those protege speeds. Wonder how that one drives?

For what you are looking at, the 2002 325iT from a couple weeks back (ebay sale at $8,100) was probably the best of the bunch.

Just finished reading the local autoshopper free supermarket book. J&S (Mt. Holly) had a nice looking 2007 325ix. Only 16K! Probably due to the 113K miles on it...

Even I don't put that many miles on it with my current (but temporary) 90mi/day commute. I don't think... Although I did put on about 20K in 7 months on the Accord doing it...

ghulet

Proteges are great cars, and really fun to drive, even in their most basic form (neighbor had an '01 or '02 DX 2.0 stick that I drove occasionally, it was a HOOT). For most, a little hyper (high-reving) on the highway, and I don't necessarily think I'd want to haul kids around in one all the time (they're small, a bit insubstantial, not bad on room but not great, either). If you had a really low budget, I wouldn't argue against one, but a newer ProtegeSpeed probably wouldn't be in the running versus something a bit more, eh, mature(?) at the same price if I had to haul people around. I'm just sayin'.

andre1969

on the Nissan 2.5? Main reason I'm wondering is because I've considered getting an Altima, off and on, ever since the 2002 redesign. My Mom and stepdad bought a 2008 Altima 2.5SL. I think it might have about 20,000 miles on it, mainly because they've taken a few long trips with it. They also have a 1999 Altima with about 300,000 miles, that they use for commuting, running around, etc. They held onto it after they got the new one because it was pretty worthless as a trade in.

Isn't the 2.5 just a slightly enlarged 2.4, or is there more to it? Did Nissan do something to it in more recent years to cheapen it?

qbrozen

check out the reliability report here on Edmunds or msnautos (both identical ... go figure). In addition to failing camshaft and crankshaft position sensors, there is an explanation of how screws inside the intake manifold can come loose and damage the engine, possibly to the point of needing a complete replacement engine! :surprise:

qbrozen

yeah, that bimmer wagon was pretty good. Not sure how I feel about $8k on a 100k-mile car, though.

autotrader hasn't been working for me for a couple of days. Anyone else able to access it? I'm curious about that green '00 wagon I posted for you, stickguy. Is it still on there? This was the link I gave you back at that time. Like I said, though, autotrader not coming up at all for me.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=271165352

I figured I'll have to keep my options open to sedans, too. I mean, talking backseat space, it is the same as their wagon counterparts. So a Mazda3s or bimmer sedan should be open for consideration, too. Although I really want a wagon, I could at least be happy with the fact that the sedan versions are lighter.

What I'm trying to do is hold out till March, though. Things are happening at work, potential raise, etc. Plus there is the whole tax thing to worry about (I will owe money). So it would be impetuous to buy something right now.

roadburner

yeah, that bimmer wagon was pretty good. Not sure how I feel about $8k on a 100k-mile car, though.

Back in 2005 I sold my 1997 528iA for $10,000; it had 130k on it.

stickguy

I looked for that green wagon right after christmas, and it was gone from the web site. Now they have a blue 2001 iT, with 115K on it, for $9,995. Don't think so (it is an automatic too).

Sedans are fine, but hatch/wagons are just so much more convenient. I mostly want it so I can drag my lab around with me, without having to trade off for the minivan.

Also, with the BMW, I found them to be more comfortable in the back seat, since sometimes the seatback reclines, but mostly because you get more headroom. Also better rear visibility usually (not with the mazda3 though).

If the benz is working, nurse it through the winter and see what the situation looks like after tax time, work issues, and a couple months of double day care bills!

Man, I liked the period after day care was over, but before college tuition started (although for some people, it might not be any different than the day care expense).

boomchek

buddy, quit spamming the boards again

bumpy

Isn't the 2.5 just a slightly enlarged 2.4, or is there more to it? Did Nissan do something to it in more recent years to cheapen it?

Nope, completely different engine family. The 2.4 was the old KA engine that dated back in various forms to the late '80s. The 2.5 is a QR.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_QR_engine

michaellno

So, the VUE was pulling to the right, so I took it to the dealer. Needed an alignment, but, what's odd is that in order to do that, some parts had to be added to the rear suspension to make it happen. Something call "cam bolts", which are not added at the factory.

Go figure.

Given that I was there for a few hours this morning, I had some time to wander the Saturn lot as well as the Subaru, Cadillac/Saab and VW/Mazda/Volvo lots nearby.

Observations:

1) No '09 VUE's or Outlooks in inventory. Just a couple of Sky's and a handful of Auras. Salesman pushed sorta hard into me trading in my 92K L300 for a new Aura. Initial offer of $7K off sticker, plus perhaps another $2K dealer discount. I also qualify for $2K of GM points, plus whatever my L300 would fetch in trade. This would take a $28K Aura XR 3.6 to $17K - trade value. Nice deal, but not in the market at the moment.

2) Took a close look at the Cadillac SRX - nice vehicle, though I suppose it's really just a gussied up VUE. However, hard to justify $35-45K for it. I know it's not a novelty, but the power liftgate was kinda cool. I suspect my wife would love it. Also, $11K off the remaining Saabs in stock - which weren't many.

3) Subaru dealer had a VW GTI Farenheit in that garish orange color. I think it was an '07, but had 49K on the clock. Ouch. The same dealer also had a Protege5 on the lot. No price on it, however.

bumpy

Something call "cam bolts", which are not added at the factory.

Camber bolts? It seems odd that they wouldn't be in there at all. Maybe the old ones froze up and broke when they tried to do the alignment, and had to be replaced. Or maybe the originals weren't adjustable?

michaellno

According to the dealer, they don't come on the car from the factory, and had to be installed in order to complete the alignment.

Whatever .. the work is done and I've paid the bill, so I'm not gonna worry too much about it now.

kplacer

I think that if I had a 92K L300 and someone was offering to take it on trade, I would at least let them give me a number. That is not a car I would want to have in my fleet these days. You might get one heckuva sweet deal on that leftover Aura.

qbrozen

This has got to be an odd duck.
A cloth seat, manual trans, 7-seat, dual-moonroof Disco???