Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

breld said:

Speaking of Camrys, @michaell shared with @jpp75 and I yesterday about being behind a Camry TRD with a pretty obnoxious spoiler. That prompted me to do a little research on Camry models...so yes, they can indeed get into the upper $30k's.

The garish TRD model aside, the current Camry is actually quite handsome, and I'll give Toyota kudos for maintaining the good ol' V6 as an option. Is there any other family sedan available with one anymore?

As I mentioned elsewhere, a dweeb in a Camry TRD(but I repeat myself) wanted to race my M235i from a roll while I was driving to SC; if my wife had not been riding shotgun I would have obliterated him.

tifighter

I have people that want to race all the time when I'm driving the X. Don't know what it is about that car, but it really brings them out.

breld

And that's specific to the X? Not the Y or your previous 3?

tifighter

Yes, the X. Maybe because it's red. The other day, it was a guy in a white R8. Looking over, revving it up, etc.

xwesx

Speaking of Tesla, I saw a red 3 pulling out of a driveway on the way to work this morning. I think that's my fourth sighting (including my friend's new Y) in as many weeks (and none were the same car). They must be proliferating!

stickguy

ah, a drawback to a full EV. You can get into a stoplight revving duel!

tifighter

Audi guy made enough noise for both of us.

tifighter

It looks like this race has been done before -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt0SQeX0LrQ

breld

I had it the other way a while back - a Model 3 was next to me in my Supra at a stoplight and he just took off at the green light. I didn't engage at all.

Teslas are just stupid fast. The problem (and danger) is when drivers who don't have experience with performance cars or didn't "grow into it" are all of a sudden put in a car that accelerates like an exotic.

mjfloyd1

@greg128 - I’m also glad that your son was ok

I am a contrarian and think that car damage will buff right out...🙃

stickguy

Once in a while I end up watching an episode of some bogus street outlaws show where they drag race. Or one of the YouTube channels I follow, and they have a Tesla show up. Will smoke a whole lotta fast cars, and I assume have some tricks going on (software, battery boost, etc).

explorerx4

@greg128,
Glad your son is ok.
That Equinox is still worth a fortune in catalytic converters and computer chips.

greg128

Thank you all for the good wishes concerning my son's accident. He does have some neck pain but basically
he is fine. I have considered an Avalon when researching a car for the wife 2 years ago. We got a 2018 Buick Lacrosse from Carvana (1 year old with 14,000 miles) . At the time the comparable Avalons had a detuned version of the 300HP Camry v-6 with 260-ish HP. Also the Tech was panned for being outdated. They were cheaper than a comparable used Camry V-6. which were a few thousand more than the Buick at the time The 2019 or 2020 version corrected those shortcomings and aside from the humungous gaping grill were very nice looking.

If and when I replace the wife's Buick I will be looking for a medium to larger sedan with N/A V-6 using regular gas that is relatively quick, quiet, comfortable, and Tech-rich (wife got spoiled) The Avalon will probably be at the top of the list and GM will have lost another customer. The Lacrosse is a great car and we would have looked forward to getting a now non-existent new model.

28firefighter

Glad you're back, @mjfloyd1 !

roadburner

I saw this just around the corner from our condo. It’s nice to see a classic that’s driven daily- not locked away in a cocoon by an owner who wets his pants at the thought of driving it in a heavy dew...

au1994

roadburner said:

I saw this just around the corner from our condo. It’s nice to see a classic that’s driven daily- not locked away in a cocoon by an owner who wets his pants at the thought of driving it in a heavy dew...

Yummy

xwesx

roadburner said:

I saw this just around the corner from our condo. It’s nice to see a classic that’s driven daily- not locked away in a cocoon by an owner who wets his pants at the thought of driving it in a heavy dew...

Aye, but even if he didn't, the dew might.

mjfloyd1

roadburner said:

I saw this just around the corner from our condo. It’s nice to see a classic that’s driven daily- not locked away in a cocoon by an owner who wets his pants at the thought of driving it in a heavy dew...

I certainly worry when people pull out in front of me with my drum brakes

nyccarguy

@roadburner

That’s a ‘66 with a ‘67 hood just like my Dad’s. Gorgeous color!

explorerx4

This one isn't too bad either.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

I have people that want to race all the time when I'm driving the X. Don't know what it is about that car, but it really brings them out.

I remember once driving my hooptie C4 Corvette and having some kid in a C6 (with twice the horsepower) challenge me to a duel on the interstate. I shook my head at his stupidity and kept driving.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

I had it the other way a while back - a Model 3 was next to me in my Supra at a stoplight and he just took off at the green light. I didn't engage at all.

Teslas are just stupid fast. The problem (and danger) is when drivers who don't have experience with performance cars or didn't "grow into it" are all of a sudden put in a car that accelerates like an exotic.

Certainly, off the line, an EV is faster than any car I’ve driven because they have all their torque instantly available.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I saw this just around the corner from our condo. It’s nice to see a classic that’s driven daily- not locked away in a cocoon by an owner who wets his pants at the thought of driving it in a heavy dew...

Those side pipe indicate that the car is a driver and not a trailer queen.

corvette

Elliot Alvis has discussed his dad's similar vintage Corvette, and how it was a mistake to have it restored to NCRS standards, because if you actually drive it, the paint will burn off some of the exhaust components ($$$$$), therefore, it's effectively a museum piece.

graphicguy

Haven’t had anyone give me the “c’mon” at a stoplight with the TLX. Had a bunch try it when I had the Stinger, though. And, it wasn’t those who could actually beat the Stinger, stoplight to stoplight. It was usually some kid in a wide tired, bad stereo, fart can Civic or Corolla. Those were dispatched with prejudice always and with disparagement.

tjc78

@graphicguy said:
Haven’t had anyone give me the “c’mon” at a stoplight with the TLX. Had a bunch try it when I had the Stinger, though. And, it wasn’t those who could actually beat the Stinger, stoplight to stoplight. It was usually some kid in a wide tired, bad stereo, fart can Civic or Corolla. Those were dispatched with prejudice always and with disparagement.

I took out one of those the other day in my Wife’s XC90. It was pretty damn funny!

fintail

When I had the AMG cars, wannabe racers were not an unknown occurrence. Subaru, Honda, and Audi guys seemed most likely to get excited. I seldom played, but not never. The wagon is faster on paper than even the E55, but it is ignored by most, which is fine with me.

sda

fintail said:

When I had the AMG cars, wannabe racers were not an unknown occurrence. Subaru, Honda, and Audi guys seemed most likely to get excited. I seldom played, but not never. The wagon is faster on paper than even the E55, but it is ignored by most, which is fine with me.

I prefer a sleeper. Whoosh.

fintail

Me too. These were old timey AMG which would have probably gone un-noticed without the badge and maybe exhaust. Modern ones can be a little too flamboyant - gills and vents and wings etc don't do much for me, part of being fast is the element of surprise.

sda said:

I prefer a sleeper. Whoosh.

explorerx4

I just saw a TRD'd out Honda Accord.

ab348

Neighbor 3 doors up has a friend or relative with a new TRD Camry. White w/black roof and of course that gawdawful wing. Aside from that thing on the trunk lid it is a nice-looking car.

kyfdx

@nyccarguy Like this?

andres3

roadburner said:

breld said:

Speaking of Camrys, @michaell shared with @jpp75 and I yesterday about being behind a Camry TRD with a pretty obnoxious spoiler. That prompted me to do a little research on Camry models...so yes, they can indeed get into the upper $30k's.

The garish TRD model aside, the current Camry is actually quite handsome, and I'll give Toyota kudos for maintaining the good ol' V6 as an option. Is there any other family sedan available with one anymore?

As I mentioned elsewhere, a dweeb in a Camry TRD(but I repeat myself) wanted to race my M235i from a roll while I was driving to SC; if my wife had not been riding shotgun I would have obliterated him.

In recent memory, I can think of a couple of occasions, but few and far between actually for someone to "challenge" me. The Red S4 doesn't seem to get challenged though I recall a freeway exception years and years ago.
Recently, was driving the TTS, and it excited a Charger with a Hemi in front of me. The problem was traffic was relatively heavy with a bunch of impeders spread across all 5 lanes of 163 N going into the I15 merge north. I was getting off just before the merge in less than 2 miles anyway, but traffic was just too heavy to show him who was really boss. Would have been a perfect opportunity to win a quick race and declare the race over just as quick by exiting.

Other memories..... I've used high speed acceleration to put people in their places. Hondas can be pretty quick, and a technique I've used is to let them think they are fast, and then I choose a safe spot to show them what high speed acceleration looks like; particularly effective in the S4 as it has long legs to run. It's basically loafing in top gear at 90 MPH (7 speed).

Disclaimer: This has all occurred in Mexico if anyone is tracking my posts or phone.

nyccarguy

@kyfdx - exactly. That’s a better view. I saw it from the front and didn’t like it at all.

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

@kyfdx - exactly. That’s a better view. I saw it from the front and didn’t like it at all.

Took that picture a couple of weeks ago, when on vacation. Forgot I had it.

nyccarguy

Emission Systems Problem light came on in the Pilot just before. No driveability issues. Looks like we’ll be using the truck for the rest of the weekend. I’ll drop it off Tuesday at the mechanic.

henryn

So I was looking around online, used TrueCar to look at prices for the Kia K5 Gt. Average price paid is 1.7% above MSRP. Unbelievable.

henryn

nyccarguy said:

Emission Systems Problem light came on in the Pilot just before. No driveability issues. Looks like we’ll be using the truck for the rest of the weekend. I’ll drop it off Tuesday at the mechanic.

That's two strikes on the Pilot, right? My ex-wife would have been car shopping immediately after the second strike, no third strike allowed.

sda

Hard to believe. Once the dust settles and inventory increases I suspect the depreciation on the K5 will be high, similar to the Passat. The K5 looks nice and seems to be a competitive offering.

nyccarguy

@henryn said:
That's two strikes on the Pilot, right? My ex-wife would have been car shopping immediately after the second strike, no third strike allowed.

You are correct! This is the 2nd strike on the Pilot in about 5 weeks.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

Emission Systems Problem light came on in the Pilot just before. No driveability issues. Looks like we’ll be using the truck for the rest of the weekend. I’ll drop it off Tuesday at the mechanic.

Adios!

mjfloyd1

@nyccarguy said:
Emission Systems Problem light came on in the Pilot just before. No driveability issues. Looks like we’ll be using the truck for the rest of the weekend. I’ll drop it off Tuesday at the mechanic.

Might want to check emissions warranty as it is usually longer than the bumper to bumper warranty- then it might be covered by Honda.

Also check your gas filler cap.

nyccarguy

@mjfloyd1 said:

@nyccarguy said:
Emission Systems Problem light came on in the Pilot just before. No driveability issues. Looks like we’ll be using the truck for the rest of the weekend. I’ll drop it off Tuesday at the mechanic.

Might want to check emissions warranty as it is usually longer then the bumper to bumper warranty- then it might be covered by Honda.

Also check your gas filler cap.

It’s a cap less fuel filler.

28firefighter

After a proper exterior detail and some ceramic spray wax.

sda

Yep, my wife would serve it divorce papers and give it a kick with a pointy boot.

carnaught

@28firefighter, really nice shine you’ve got there.

corvette

The Tundra hit 12k today, which puts me 3k under the allotted mileage on the lease. I hope to make it up with some road trips. I also noticed that the replacement windshield has a vertical distortion along the right side. No way am I dealing with replacing it again for something like that!

corvette

Also found this beauty in the parking lot of my local pub. It was debadged other than an xdrive badge on the deck lid.

nyccarguy

@corvette - it looks like a tennis ball

28firefighter

@corvette said:

Also found this beauty in the parking lot of my local pub. It was debadged other than an xdrive badge on the deck lid.

Blinded by the light…