Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

I'm starting to see the "new" TLX on the road here and there. Sharp looking car. Last night I saw a Dark Grey A Spec with Red Interior. As much as I like the way the A-Spec model looks, those wheels & low profile tires aren't meant for these roads.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

the trop in an abomination for a baseball game!

True... at least we had really good seats, and saw Cole/Chapman team up for a 1-0 shutout.

corvette

@laurasdada - thanks for the tour guide of the Boston area. I have never been, but plan to visit within the next few years!

benjaminh

Michaell said:

MINI is at the dealer again, this time for an oil change.
....They also noticed that 2 of the tires are at 4mm, and recommended replacement. I called our tire store and learned the current set are 5 years old with 22,000 miles on them. A new set is on order, and will run $900 to install and warranty them....

I'm shocked your tires lasted only 22k, which is not even as long as bias-ply tires lasted back in the 1970s if you didn't get the steel-belted radials. So if only two of the tires are worn, did you really need to get all four replaced?

At my last oil change I was thinking the dealer might warn me about the Goodyear Eagles on my TLX since they have almost 40k on them, but they rotated them and said they were looking good. So it seems like I have another year and another 12k miles until I need to get new ones, but if doing it today I might get these BF Goodrich tires, which I just learned is a discount brand of Michelin. I could also get a new set of the oem tires for about the same money, but the Costco standard warranty includes rotation, balance, and puncture repair. When it comes time, I wonder if the dealer will match the Costco price. Probably not. Plus I see it's a "member only item."

benjaminh

For a a bit more I could get the Michelin Touring tires that supposedly last up to 80,000 miles. Maybe that's the better choice? Or for even more there are the Michelin Primacy tires, which seems like more of a performance tire for driving those winding roads that I enjoy. Hmm.

Michaell

benjaminh said:

Michaell said:

MINI is at the dealer again, this time for an oil change.
....They also noticed that 2 of the tires are at 4mm, and recommended replacement. I called our tire store and learned the current set are 5 years old with 22,000 miles on them. A new set is on order, and will run $900 to install and warranty them....

I'm shocked your tires lasted only 22k, which is not even as long as bias-ply tires lasted back in the 1970s if you didn't get the steel-belted radials. So if only two of the tires are worn, did you really need to get all four replaced?

At my last oil change I was thinking the dealer might warn me about the Goodyear Eagles on my TLX since they have almost 40k on them, but they rotated them and said they were looking good. So it seems like I have another year and another 12k miles until I need to get new ones, but if doing it today I might get these BF Goodrich tires, which I just learned is a discount brand of Michelin. I could also get a new set of the oem tires for about the same money, but the Costco standard warranty includes rotation, balance, and puncture repair. When it comes time, I wonder if the dealer will match the Costco price. Probably not. Plus I see it's a "member only item."

As noted earlier, the MINI is tuned to be a "sporty" car, so the tires wear faster. Price of owning the brand.

It's also AWD, so you don't want to run different tread depths as this could harm the AWD systems.

It's cheaper than buying a new (or used) car, and restarting the payment clock. The MINI is paid for, and still has les than 50,000 miles on it, so we're OK investing in maintenance and repair costs to keep it running.

henryn

qbrozen said:

@henryn said:

If I'm remembering right, there are people hanging out here who can check a carfax? Not actually give you a copy, but look at it and tell you if there are any concerns?

1FTNF1CF8DKF44119

I am able to see only this.

Thanks a million, much appreciated. This tells me what I needed to know, no odometer rollbacks, no accidents, no funny business. I'm going over to look at it this afternoon.

henryn

xwesx said:

This sale to Carvana is turning into quite the goat rope.

My mother was supposed to get the photos needed, but she only managed part of them. She also took a few interior photos, and I felt there was enough damage on the center console trim that I should disclose that. After doing so, the offer went *up* by $300 to $15,348. Seriously.

Hopefully they will get me the rest of the needed documentation tomorrow and I can get this thing in motion.

Carvana did not ask me for any photos when I was selling them the T&C a few weeks back. They wanted images of my drivers license and the title. I had to go back a second time, as they wanted both front and back images of each. Wait a minute, they did want one picture of the vehicle itself, the odometer.

Things went very smoothly went I went to turn in the vehicle. I picked up a rock chip on the windshield days before, and I was afraid they would ding me for that, but not one word.

As to valuation, on the day I finalized the deal (accepted their offer), the price went up about $60 between morning and afternoon. That was when I was out buying the Pacifica, so I wouldn't be without transportation.

stickguy

That installed price on the BFGs is a steal.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

That installed price on the BFGs is a steal.

Yeah, those tires are a real bargain. And they are maybe better than the Goodyear Eagles that came with the car? The BF Goodrich g-force are W-rated, which I had to look up. Obviously W is the rating after V, which are already high speed tires. Given the fastest speeds I've ever gone for a few seconds passing a truck on the Interstate, Q-rated tires would probably be all I'd ever need. But I don't think Q tires are even made for my size of tire as far as I can tell. Anyway, the BF Goodrich g-force tire is rated up to 168, which silly. But I assume cruising on the highway at 75 it might last even longer than the rating of 45,000 miles? Anyway, per mile the Michelin T + H is even less than the BFG.

sda

I just read that 2021 will be the last year for the Mazda 6. The Mazda CX3 gets the boot, too.

benjaminh

Sad about the Mazda 6. I admired the 626 starting back in the mid-1980s.

sda

benjaminh said:

Sad about the Mazda 6. I admired the 626 starting back in the mid-1980s.

Yep, the first car I bought after graduating from college was a used 80 Mazda 626 coupe 5 sp. It was rwd as well. This is it next to the 76 Sunbird I traded for it. That is it in the background. I was taking farewell pics of the Sunbird--my college ride.

kyfdx

Since no one asked why we are flying into PVD..
Allegiant Airlines. Non-stop from CVG, round-trip
$270 total for two passengers plus one checked bag.

Couldn't pass it up.

stickguy

My 1991 626 5 door was a great car. One of my favorites. Sad to see the 6 go but I guess the 3 can cover sedan needs.

But what happened to the new model with straight 6 engine? Just getting a new name?

stickguy

kyfdx said:

Since no one asked why we are flying into PVD..
Allegiant Airlines. Non-stop from CVG, round-trip
$270 total for two passengers plus one checked bag.

Couldn't pass it up.

A bargain.

sda

stickguy said:

My 1991 626 5 door was a great car. One of my favorites. Sad to see the 6 go but I guess the 3 can cover sedan needs.

But what happened to the new model with straight 6 engine? Just getting a new name?

I think Mazda is still going to bring that to market, not sure under what designation. A stab in the dark at this point.

xwesx

benjaminh said:

For a a bit more I could get the Michelin Touring tires that supposedly last up to 80,000 miles. Maybe that's the better choice? Or for even more there are the Michelin Primacy tires, which seems like more of a performance tire for driving those winding roads that I enjoy. Hmm.

It really depends on how many miles you drive annually. If you only drive 12,000 miles, those 80,000 mile tires will last you around seven years, which I think is too long for a daily driver, as the compounds used today tend to start showing some signs of deterioration within 4-5 years. 80K tires are a good choice for drivers that put 15K or more on the ticker annually.

kyfdx

Costco had a deal on these, when I replaced the GTI tires, last October.
https://tires.costco.com/Product?ItemNo=1441357&tirename=michelin-pilot-sport-all-season-4&partno=34320&width=225&aspect=40&rim=18

I think it was about $660 OTD, including sales tax.

xwesx

henryn said:

Carvana did not ask me for any photos when I was selling them the T&C a few weeks back. They wanted images of my drivers license and the title. I had to go back a second time, as they wanted both front and back images of each. Wait a minute, they did want one picture of the vehicle itself, the odometer.

Things went very smoothly went I went to turn in the vehicle. I picked up a rock chip on the windshield days before, and I was afraid they would ding me for that, but not one word.

As to valuation, on the day I finalized the deal (accepted their offer), the price went up about $60 between morning and afternoon. That was when I was out buying the Pacifica, so I wouldn't be without transportation.

Mine is the same in terms of what Carvana wants. She took those interior photos for me so I could better determine how to portray the car when keying in all the various bits of information they asked for in the original appraisal/offer. I felt the damage was enough to reassess my first choices, yet they still offered me more.

My mother called first thing this morning to make sure she understood what I needed in the photos (both front AND back!), so hopefully I can get all that uploaded this afternoon.

Good luck with your visit to the F150!

xwesx

stickguy said:

kyfdx said:

Since no one asked why we are flying into PVD..
Allegiant Airlines. Non-stop from CVG, round-trip
$270 total for two passengers plus one checked bag.

Couldn't pass it up.

A bargain.

Yeah, that's very impressive! You might make up for it with the cost of a rental car, though! I was looking at flying down to Oregon very soon due to my grandmother's failing health, and the *cheapest* I could find a rental car out of Seattle is $150/day. PER DAY!

It costs me $600-700 to fly anywhere! Well, okay... not Anchorage; that's more like $270... for one ticket...

kyfdx

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

kyfdx said:

Since no one asked why we are flying into PVD..
Allegiant Airlines. Non-stop from CVG, round-trip
$270 total for two passengers plus one checked bag.

Couldn't pass it up.

A bargain.

Yeah, that's very impressive! You might make up for it with the cost of a rental car, though! I was looking at flying down to Oregon very soon due to my grandmother's failing health, and the *cheapest* I could find a rental car out of Seattle is $150/day. PER DAY!

It costs me $600-700 to fly anywhere! Well, okay... not Anchorage; that's more like $270... for one ticket...

I have a pretty good corporate deal. $200 total for the four days.

stickguy

Wes, that Crosstrek was in your mothers name? Thought you bought it. Or did she just still have the registration and title with it?

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

@henryn said:

If I'm remembering right, there are people hanging out here who can check a carfax? Not actually give you a copy, but look at it and tell you if there are any concerns?

1FTNF1CF8DKF44119

I am able to see only this.

Thanks a million, much appreciated. This tells me what I needed to know, no odometer rollbacks, no accidents, no funny business. I'm going over to look at it this afternoon.

In this market, a truck that new for that price is a bargain. I’d be there yesterday will a fist full of hundreds.

benjaminh

xwesx said:

benjaminh said:

For a a bit more I could get the Michelin Touring tires that supposedly last up to 80,000 miles. Maybe that's the better choice? Or for even more there are the Michelin Primacy tires, which seems like more of a performance tire for driving those winding roads that I enjoy. Hmm.

It really depends on how many miles you drive annually. If you only drive 12,000 miles, those 80,000 mile tires will last you around seven years, which I think is too long for a daily driver, as the compounds used today tend to start showing some signs of deterioration within 4-5 years. 80K tires are a good choice for drivers that put 15K or more on the ticker annually.

In the 35 months of my lease so far I've put 40k miles on the car—so I'm at almost 14k miles a year. But I have ambitions to move that up to c.15-18 with some bucket list road trips. The Michelin warranty says up to 6 years, and so if I actually drive that much over the next 6 years it would probably be worth it. But as you mention, replacing in 5 years might be better.
https://www.michelinman.com/auto/assistance/warranty

benjaminh

sda said:

benjaminh said:

Sad about the Mazda 6. I admired the 626 starting back in the mid-1980s.

Yep, the first car I bought after graduating from college was a used 80 Mazda 626 coupe 5 sp. It was rwd as well. This is it next to the 76 Sunbird I traded for it. That is it in the background. I was taking farewell pics of the Sunbird--my college ride.

How was the Mazda to drive compared to the Sunbird?

corvette

kyfdx said:

Since no one asked why we are flying into PVD..
Allegiant Airlines. Non-stop from CVG, round-trip
$270 total for two passengers plus one checked bag.

Couldn't pass it up.

Hope it's a short flight--you know their seats don't recline, right? (Here in the 'ville, Allegiant is what you get stuck with flying back from Vegas if you don't book the Southwest flight at least a month or two in advance.)

We are supposed to get a new carrier offering nonstop service to NOLA this summer, but I checked the dates and times, and it looks less than ideal.

corvette

benjaminh said:

In the 35 months of my lease so far I've put 40k miles on the car—so I'm at almost 14k miles a year. But I have ambitions to move that up to c.15-18 with some bucket list road trips.

How long left on your lease?

28firefighter

Allegiant is fine. Assuming you have a plane and a non timed out crew. If either of those happen the delays are terrible.

corvette

One of the answers I've read about tire wear on (most) European cars had to do with alignment settings. The person who wrote about it said that most European brands specify (I think) a lot of negative rear camber to make the car feel more planted to the road. Supposedly, this works, but increases tire wear beyond what would be considered "normal" on most other brands.

28firefighter

Jeep is supposedly in port. Waiting on delivery to the dealer. The wait is killing me.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Jeep is supposedly in port. Waiting on delivery to the dealer. The wait is killing me.

Port? What port? I thought these were built in Toledo?

Wouldn't it have shipped by train? I'm pretty sure that's how our Outback got to the dealer from the factory in Indiana.

kyfdx

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

Since no one asked why we are flying into PVD..
Allegiant Airlines. Non-stop from CVG, round-trip
$270 total for two passengers plus one checked bag.

Couldn't pass it up.

Hope it's a short flight--you know their seats don't recline, right? (Here in the 'ville, Allegiant is what you get stuck with flying back from Vegas if you don't book the Southwest flight at least a month or two in advance.)

We are supposed to get a new carrier offering nonstop service to NOLA this summer, but I checked the dates and times, and it looks less than ideal.

It's under 2 hours. We just flew them to Florida, with a similar flight time.
Their seats are better than they were 5 years ago, but anything over 2.5 hours is a little much. There are negatives. No plane to pull into service right away, if one breaks down. But, they seem to have few issues, compared to Frontier or Spirit, or other budget airlines.
But, all non-stop!

benjaminh

corvette said:

benjaminh said:

In the 35 months of my lease so far I've put 40k miles on the car—so I'm at almost 14k miles a year. But I have ambitions to move that up to c.15-18 with some bucket list road trips.

How long left on your lease?

It ends July 2nd. I'm planning to buy it out.

28firefighter

@Michaell said:
Port? What port? I thought these were built in Toledo?

Wouldn't it have shipped by train? I'm pretty sure that's how our Outback got to the dealer from the factory in Indiana.

Kent Rail Yard south of Seattle.

au1994

sda said:

I just read that 2021 will be the last year for the Mazda 6. The Mazda CX3 gets the boot, too.

That’s sad, its a great car that gets forgotten. Beautiful interior and the driver-ist of the mainstream sedans.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

@henryn said:

If I'm remembering right, there are people hanging out here who can check a carfax? Not actually give you a copy, but look at it and tell you if there are any concerns?

1FTNF1CF8DKF44119

I am able to see only this.

Thanks a million, much appreciated. This tells me what I needed to know, no odometer rollbacks, no accidents, no funny business. I'm going over to look at it this afternoon.

In this market, a truck that new for that price is a bargain. I’d be there yesterday will a fist full of hundreds.



I just bought it, waiting on uber to pick me up at the house to go back and get the truck. The truck is solid, drives good, owned for last several years by a retired gentleman. I asked if he were flexible on the price, and he said yes, but not too much. He wasn't going to take $9,000 as he thought Carmax would pay that much. I replied I was sure they would pay more than that, and offered $10,500. He accepted readily. He's happy, I'm happy.

I'm certain I could have gotten it for less, but I already feel half guilty over this amount, so ...

laurasdada

Leaving on a jet plane for LA/SF on Sunday. Renting cars, not inexpensive but cheaper than buying.
New England is a lovely place to visit and live. Not inexpensive, but in the world of you get what you pay for, I believe that you do here. And, remember, more cows in Vermont than people!

Michaell

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

@henryn said:

If I'm remembering right, there are people hanging out here who can check a carfax? Not actually give you a copy, but look at it and tell you if there are any concerns?

1FTNF1CF8DKF44119

I am able to see only this.

Thanks a million, much appreciated. This tells me what I needed to know, no odometer rollbacks, no accidents, no funny business. I'm going over to look at it this afternoon.

In this market, a truck that new for that price is a bargain. I’d be there yesterday will a fist full of hundreds.

I just bought it, waiting on uber to pick me up at the house to go back and get the truck. The truck is solid, drives good, owned for last several years by a retired gentleman. I asked if he were flexible on the price, and he said yes, but not too much. He wasn't going to take $9,000 as he thought Carmax would pay that much. I replied I was sure they would pay more than that, and offered $10,500. He accepted readily. He's happy, I'm happy.

I'm certain I could have gotten it for less, but I already feel half guilty over this amount, so ...



Gotta update your signature line, again. You don't mess around when it comes to buying vehicles, do you?

Michaell

28firefighter said:

@Michaell said:

Port? What port? I thought these were built in Toledo?

Wouldn't it have shipped by train? I'm pretty sure that's how our Outback got to the dealer from the factory in Indiana.

Kent Rail Yard south of Seattle.

Got it. Must be exciting!

We had to wait for both the daughter's MINI to be trucked in from the port in CA, and we "reserved" the Outback a couple of weeks before it arrived at the dealer.

qbrozen

@sda said:
I just read that 2021 will be the last year for the Mazda 6. The Mazda CX3 gets the boot, too.

I expected that. They pretty much prematurely replaced the CX3 with the CX30.

ab348

I’m sure the 8 people who bought a Mazda 6 will be very disappointed. Along with all the auto journos.

laurasdada

My father had a Mazda 6, which became a CX-5. Which explains the (perhaps just temporary) demise of the 6.

Maine, a very large and lovely state. Where you can saddle and ride the black flies!
Freeport for shopping (LL Bean); Old Orchard Beach for honky tonk amusement (similar to Weirs Beach/Laconia NH); Portland for food and eclectic shopping. Sunday River/Bethel Inn area for golf and summer mountain activities. Bangor, for hanging a left to go to Eastern Canada! North, much wilderness and Moose. Perhaps squirrel, too.

au1994

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

@henryn said:

If I'm remembering right, there are people hanging out here who can check a carfax? Not actually give you a copy, but look at it and tell you if there are any concerns?

1FTNF1CF8DKF44119

I am able to see only this.

Thanks a million, much appreciated. This tells me what I needed to know, no odometer rollbacks, no accidents, no funny business. I'm going over to look at it this afternoon.

In this market, a truck that new for that price is a bargain. I’d be there yesterday will a fist full of hundreds.

I just bought it, waiting on uber to pick me up at the house to go back and get the truck. The truck is solid, drives good, owned for last several years by a retired gentleman. I asked if he were flexible on the price, and he said yes, but not too much. He wasn't going to take $9,000 as he thought Carmax would pay that much. I replied I was sure they would pay more than that, and offered $10,500. He accepted readily. He's happy, I'm happy.

I'm certain I could have gotten it for less, but I already feel half guilty over this amount, so ...



Major kudo’s on the deal. I’ll reiterate my suggestion to flip

Kidding, if you are happy and he is happy, happy motoring as the old ad used to say.

Michaell

Picked up the MINI earlier this afternoon. Just under $100 for the oil change, and as noted, the crankshaft seal was replaced (again, this time under warranty).

I asked the SA about that - would we see the same problem in another 18 months? He honestly didn't know - he's seen them fail after a year, and he's seen others last 7 years. Something to consider.

Which got me thinking .. I pulled out the MINI file and started a spreadsheet with all the maintenance and repair costs we've incurred over the years. When we bought it, our daughter decided to get both the extended warranty and the prepaid maintenance program (her money, her decisions).

For all the celebrating I've done about the reliability, I may have to take some of that back.

@Sandman6472, you may want to pay attention to this part, as I know you've been contemplating a MINI

Highlights (or, lowlights, depending on your perspective)

Replace the water pump at 10,000 miles
Repair a kinked washer hose at 18,000 miles
New tires and 4-wheel alignment at 26,000 miles
Brake fluid flush at 26,000 miles
New remote batteries around 33,000 miles
New battery and registration at 38,000 miles
Replace thermostat, water pump pulley and front crankcase seal at 42,000 miles
Replace oil pan gasket at 44,000 miles
Brake fluid flush, DI service, diff fluid service and coolant flush at 47,000 miles
Replace front crankcase seal at 48,000 miles
Possibly new tires at 48,000 miles

I'm not looking for any feedback about services I could have skipped, or deferred. Again, daughter's car, daughter's decision on what to get done

A little over $4K for everything, which I suppose isn't bad over 7 years of ownership.

Is it reliable? I don't think it's ever left her stranded, and the run-flat tires have done their job - when she's picked up a puncture, they were able to get her to a tire shop.

How much longer will it be with us? Good question - not sure when my daughter's patience with the maintenance and repair costs will run out. I suspect that once that point is reached, we'll be shopping for a replacement pretty quickly.

laurasdada

My father had a 6, which turned into a CX-5. Which explains the (temporary?) demise of the 6.

Maine: Big and beauty state, eh. Quaint waterfronts (Ogunquit, summer theater, too. IF open); Freeport for shopping (LL Bean home base); Old Orchard Beach for honky tonk amusement (a la Weir's Beach on Winnepesaukee); Portland for food and eclectic shopping. Bethel/Sunday RIver area for golf, mountain activities; Bangor, for hanging a right and heading to eastern Canada, eh! Farther north, much lakes and wilderness. Moose, and perhaps, squirrel.

I love NE!

ab348

Really, for 7 years of maintenance and repair history, the Mini doesn’t sound much different from a typical BMW.

Automotive News also reports this BMW USA news:

Michaell

laurasdada said:

My father had a 6, which turned into a CX-5. Which explains the (temporary?) demise of the 6.

Maine: Big and beauty state, eh. Quaint waterfronts (Ogunquit, summer theater, too. IF open); Freeport for shopping (LL Bean home base); Old Orchard Beach for honky tonk amusement (a la Weir's Beach on Winnepesaukee); Portland for food and eclectic shopping. Bethel/Sunday RIver area for golf, mountain activities; Bangor, for hanging a right and heading to eastern Canada, eh! Farther north, much lakes and wilderness. Moose, and perhaps, squirrel.

I love NE!

I had a phone conversation with a co-worker, who lives on an island off the coast of Maine, about an hour north of Portland. She says it's 1/2 mile to walk to her mailbox.

I've been to the LL Bean location in Freeport - pretty impressive, and I'm not that much of an outdoors kind of guy.

fintail

Speaking of CX5, saw one today towing a boat, and it was far from a dinghy. Fun to see something like that being used, but with modern cars I worry about transmissions.

rayainsw

http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/
- Ray
Currently about 2 miles north of Ogunquit...