Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

Dirt looks good on the Tundra. Visited Teddy Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch today!

tjc78

@benjaminh said:
Yeah. For $4k the Advance package for the TLX does have a lot of nice extras from my pov. Makes it a pretty expensive car, but adding up what each feature is subjectively worth to me I come up with a total of c.6k—so it seems "worth it" in a "the more you buy the more you save way." If you don't drive much the 7500 a year lease might make it more possible. And since you're a current Volvo owner you'd be eligible for the 2500 conquest incentive. Still, I bet in most ways your Volvo is just as nice, and maybe even nicer.

TLX Advance Package:
Adaptive Damper System $1000
LED Fog Lights $200
Rain-Sensing Windshield Wipers $400
Power-Folding Side Mirrors $400
LED Puddle Lights $200
Acoustic Front Side Glass $200
Windshield De-Icer $400
Natural Open-Pore Wood Trim $600
16-Way Power-Adjustable Front Sport Seats $400 (vs 12-way for the other trim levels)
Perforated Milano Premium Leather with Contrast Stitching & Piping $100 (unique seat design for advance)
Ventilated Front Seats $200
3-Level Heated Rear Outboard Seats $400
Heated Steering Wheel $400
ELS STUDIO 3D® Premium Audio with 17 Speakers including 4 Highline™ Overhead Speakers $400
Wireless Charger $200
10.5-Inch Head-Up Display (HUD) $400
Surround-View Camera System $400

I do still like my previous generation TLX. It's solid, luxurious, and sporty. And, knock on wood, nothing has gone wrong with it so far. Right now I'm thinking I'll keep till it's ten years old or so.

But thank goodness they ditched the Goodyear tires for the new generation of TLX. Now the Advance package cars anyway seem to get Michelins.

My Volvo isn’t fully loaded (missing Advanced, and B&W) but does have a lot of the features in the Advanced packages that would be tough to give up.

I really love HUD and I’m sure the active dampers are a nice option to have.

Curious how they will lease come next August/September. Volvo has a 4 year warranty so I may extend 3/4 months if the deals still aren’t there.

kyfdx

@corvette That's a long trip with that fuel mileage!

explorerx4

About 4 1/2 minutes in, he narrator shows Maverick's in all available colors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM9iSXwdwUQ

jpp75

corvette said:

Dirt looks good on the Tundra. Visited Teddy Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch today!

I agree, it suits the truck well. A picture popped up on my phone the other day from a couple of years ago when I had taken the Tacoma down some dirt/mud roads in Wyoming, made me miss it a little.

nyccarguy

The EcoBoost V6/10AT combo in my rental F150 XLT continues to impress me. As someone who isn't a traditional "truck buyer," I can't imagine a sweeter powertrain. It shows me how unrefined and almost archaic my Tacoma's powertrain & suspension tuning is.

sda

nyccarguy said:

The EcoBoost V6/10AT combo in my rental F150 XLT continues to impress me. As someone who isn't a traditional "truck buyer," I can't imagine a sweeter powertrain. It shows me how unrefined and almost archaic my Tacoma's powertrain & suspension tuning is.

Could that mean a Ford XLT is in your future?

stickguy

Fun parking the beast In The city?

qbrozen

@Sandman6472 said:
That Santa Cruz is really quite stunning to be honest! If I needed a truck, that would be on my short list for sure but have no need for one.

It is not a truck, so you can still consider it.
Think of it for what it is: a CUV with an open trunk.

stickguy

It’s a modern Baja, or El Camino.

Real popular in other countries.

And with the window shade cover, not even open!

jmonroe1

corvette said:

Dirt looks good on the Tundra. Visited Teddy Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch today!

So what you’re saying is, you didn’t want to get your new baby, the Prius, dirty right?

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

About 4 1/2 minutes in, he narrator shows Maverick's in all available colors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM9iSXwdwUQ

Could someone explain the advantages/disadvantages of having the bed integrated in to the body of those trucks?

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
The maverick is a unibody design, so no separate chassis(not BOF).

nyccarguy

@stickguy said:
Fun parking the beast In The city?

It’s much wider than my Tacoma. My daughter had a blast sitting in the middle front seat last night when we went for a ride. I’ll have to check the specs and see how much longer it is than my Tacoma.

JustinS

marcogallo1986 said:

Congratulations Justin on the purchase of your new Hyundai Santa Cruz. You’re the first one and I think that’s white right love it. All the reviews I’ve seen through another colors. Black looks nice on this truck to as well but wipe the best. What dealer did you deal with, can you give us all the details please. How much do you win?

Thanks @marcogallo1986! I really like the white on this vehicle. Most reviews are showing the sage gray (green) or blue color from what I have seen. Redline Reviews showed it in white and I immediately knew that was the color for me.

I had the car delivered to my home in Tampa from Miami. The dealership was Braman Hyundai. They also sell BMW, Mini, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Bugatti. Pretty great experience.

This was the first time I have paid MSRP ($41,200 for this trim level) for a car, but they were more than fair on my trade value and then I had the tax savings on top of that, so the overall deal was solid and something I was comfortable with.

au1994

qbrozen said:

@Sandman6472 said:

That Santa Cruz is really quite stunning to be honest! If I needed a truck, that would be on my short list for sure but have no need for one.

It is not a truck, so you can still consider it.

Think of it for what it is: a CUV with an open trunk.

Lol, whatever you call them, I don’t thing Ford and Hyundai are going to have a problem selling a ton of them. Once the initial demand is satisfied, it will be interesting to see how sales go.

stickguy

Santa Cruz will be interesting. But Ford is going to sell a bazillion Mavericks, if they can get them made. And dont completely botch the launch.

tjc78

@stickguy said:
Santa Cruz will be interesting. But Ford is going to sell a bazillion Mavericks, if they can get them made. And dont completely botch the launch.

A lot of “if’s” there.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:

Santa Cruz will be interesting. But Ford is going to sell a bazillion Mavericks, if they can get them made. And dont completely botch the launch.

A lot of “if’s” there.

Yup.. plus the SC is already on the road. Hyundai sure has a lot of CUVs. I can't keep them straight, by size.

stickguy

Well, Ford having a smooth new model launch is far from a given.

Parts supply will limit sales, not demand. That I will bet on, that they will sell as many as they can make.

marcogallo1986

Good afternoon everybody, I wish there was a way to keep me logged in to my Facebook that I used to be able to do it for months at a time, and then will have the occasional login this is crazy any solutions anyone can suggest. Crazy-login each time I wanna post a comment or respond to someone’s comment. Hope everyone’s having an awesome Tuesday anyway. Justin so glad you had a great experience with your dealer in Tampa Florida. They deliver the car to your home very very good in the deal was solid and you’re happy that’s what matters. Yeah You see the reviews the cars are in other colors agreed, but the white is beautiful I’m usually a red or blue guy, but I’m starting to like white a lot more on Cars lately maybe because I’m getting older ha ha Ha. And for me it’s easy to see at night to what helps being visually impaired Ha ha ha. Glad you’re getting a lot more truckloads of cars in considering there’s a shortage at the rental car company Sandman. I was wondering when I read your comment, have you had bought a new car yet or still waiting and shopping around and looking at all the fun. Don’t know if the Santa Cruz would fit in your garage or not for a maverick which ever one you like better maybe they seem small enough but I don’t know. Might be like too big. That’s nicer neighbors got a new Tucson and black you’re very very nice from what I hear, I want to check one out a dealer soon once all this madness calms down and supply builds, the bubbles going to burst eventually last forever all the craziness madness. I’m glad your daughter’s current accent is doing great wow she’s had a pretty much almost 2 years already. How was your daughters cruise also a while back? Nice to see you Jay Monroe what are you up to for today are you trying to behave yourself? No we don’t behave because good trouble like me because that’s what we do, good trouble, not bad trouble. New York car guy, I’m glad you’re loving the F150, could I be your next truck to replace the back. All right I think I covered all enjoy the rest of the day everyone chat more later. Everyone try to behave ha ha Ha ha ha.

stickguy

Marco, just log into Edmunds directly and bookmark the forums. Usually your browser will keep you logged in.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
The maverick is a unibody design, so no separate chassis(not BOF).

That’s what I mean. It seems odd to have a unibody truck. Is there any potential to over stress the body when carrying a heavy load? Does the unibody give it a better ride?

I imagine it’s cheaper to build that way but I’ve seen the way traditional trucks flex under load and I wondered if basically building a car without a trunk lid would cause any problems when you hauled stuff at max capacity.

kyfdx

It isn't really a truck, any more than a Subaru Baja was a truck.

Marcogallo1961

Thank you so thick guy for the help. stick guy that is. I try to login to admin‘s directly without going through Google or Facebook. Will you send me the link to reset my password. So now I logged in with my Google hopefully this is better than Facebook. We shall see, I had to create a new user name so this is me same person. no idea why I wouldn’t send me the link to my email I try to couple times within a couple of hours so I said let’s try another way.

explorerx4

The Maverick has modest official payload and towing limits.
Some Ram 1/2 ton trucks are rated under 1K payload.
That's a very conservative number.
The Santa Cruz payload is basically the same as a Honda Ridgeline.
I have no idea if there is a standard or if the manufacturer just puts a number out there.
Some manufacturers have a lot of experience building truck type vehicles and others do not.

au1994

kyfdx said:

It isn't really a truck, any more than a Subaru Baja was a truck.

Call it a truckette, trucklet, ute or whatever. Similar vehicles are sold in big numbers in ROW.

I think they could prove to be very popular. The younger, outdoors set would seem to be a great target audience for them. I don’t think they will pull from the F150 or Ram customer but rather the RAV4 or Crosstrek customer.

I find them both appealing and it should be interested if other manufacturers follow along. I know VW, for sure, has one of these they sell elsewhere thats pretty cool looking.

kyfdx

I think they will sell like crazy.

explorerx4

Way cheaper lifestyle statement than a Wrangler Unlimited.

au1994

Ouch

explorerx4

Gladiator would be a closer comparison, but I have to say most of the W-U's I see are driven by middle age women.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
The maverick is a unibody design, so no separate chassis(not BOF).

That’s what I mean. It seems odd to have a unibody truck. Is there any potential to over stress the body when carrying a heavy load? Does the unibody give it a better ride?

I imagine it’s cheaper to build that way but I’ve seen the way traditional trucks flex under load and I wondered if basically building a car without a trunk lid would cause any problems when you hauled stuff at max capacity.

Back in 1961 Ford built a “unibody” pickup of sorts - though it still had a frame, the body mounted on it was unitized - and soon encountered some issues in real-world applications.

https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/02/looking-back-1961-1963-ford-f100-unibody-pickups.html

stickguy

It's basically a station wagon without the roof over the back, but with a rear bulkhead instead. If anything might be stiffer than the CUV it is based on. But the primary reason is smaller and lighter, and they can use an existing platform. They just aren't big enough, or likely to try and tow or carry enough, to cause any problems.

for what a santa cruz is, Unibody makes perfect sense. It isn't trying to be a Ram HD or tow your 5th wheel trailer.

qbrozen

I think they’ll sell well at first, then die off. Maybe 3 or 4 years before they decide to kill it off. Just my WAG, but heavily based in history.

Sandman6472

I like the Santa Cruz but just not sure I'd be the kind of customer to buy one. Thinking a small CUV will be just perfect for my needs.
After talking with some guys at work and having a co-worker drive the Golf, the majority think that slight nano second of no power is turbo lag and swapping out the spark plugs will most likely not improve the situation. Telling them that when I start out in "S" mode instead of "D" mode, the slight lag isn't there, makes them agree that new spark plugs are a waste. Seems a lot of turbos do this and changing the spark plugs will probably do nothing with this issue. So, think I'll just cancel the appointment and save myself $165. Their conclusion seems logical to me and haven't noticed a lot of gas consumption since new either. I might stop by & have them check out the brake fluid to see if it might not need to be replaced. Replaced the original brake fluid back at the 30K service so thinking that at 68K, might be time to do this again. But will see if he can just look at the fluid and see if it still looks in good shape. Figure if it's really black, he'll tell me and he'll just put new fluid in there. Original pads & rotors all around with no noises whatsoever, just wish the pedal grabbed a little bit higher. But don't want to throw money at something that doesn't need to be done right now.
Still, haven't driven anything out there that makes me want to swap out my keys with, maybe just best to keep what I got for now and keep on looking as new entries hit the market. At my age, think I'll maybe have two or three more cars in my future so this next one I want to be a fun one like the Golf has been over these past 6.5 years. Think it best to just get what I want & not worry about the price.

roadburner

I found a new M2C in Texas- only $2k more than the 2019 in Cincinnati. It's definitely tempting- Hockenheim Silver, 3 pedals, and the Exec Package.
Then there's this.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

It isn't really a truck, any more than a Subaru Baja was a truck.

So it’s the same deal as this:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-chevrolet-el-camino-12/

I guess I never heard of any of those breaking in half.

stickguy

roadburner said:

I found a new M2C in Texas- only $2k more than the 2019 in Cincinnati. It's definitely tempting- Hockenheim Silver, 3 pedals, and the Exec Package.
Then there's this.

new for the same price as used is an easy call.

That Z is sharp looking. they did a nice job on the interior too, and the performance package upgrades sound like serious driver stuff. Won't be seeing other ones too often either if you want exclusivity.

28firefighter

@roadburner said:
I found a new M2C in Texas- only $2k more than the 2019 in Cincinnati. It's definitely tempting- Hockenheim Silver, 3 pedals, and the Exec Package.
Then there's this.

I’m like 75% sure the seats on the new 400z are from the same parts bin as my BILs 05 G35….

28firefighter

@roadburner - I have the solution for you. Buy an M2C, a Supra, and a 400z. Drive them. Make a YouTube series testing them. Sell the ones you don’t like best. Profit.

tjc78

@Sandman6472 said:
I like the Santa Cruz but just not sure I'd be the kind of customer to buy one. Thinking a small CUV will be just perfect for my needs.
After talking with some guys at work and having a co-worker drive the Golf, the majority think that slight nano second of no power is turbo lag and swapping out the spark plugs will most likely not improve the situation. Telling them that when I start out in "S" mode instead of "D" mode, the slight lag isn't there, makes them agree that new spark plugs are a waste. Seems a lot of turbos do this and changing the spark plugs will probably do nothing with this issue. So, think I'll just cancel the appointment and save myself $165. Their conclusion seems logical to me and haven't noticed a lot of gas consumption since new either. I might stop by & have them check out the brake fluid to see if it might not need to be replaced. Replaced the original brake fluid back at the 30K service so thinking that at 68K, might be time to do this again. But will see if he can just look at the fluid and see if it still looks in good shape. Figure if it's really black, he'll tell me and he'll just put new fluid in there. Original pads & rotors all around with no noises whatsoever, just wish the pedal grabbed a little bit higher. But don't want to throw money at something that doesn't need to be done right now.
Still, haven't driven anything out there that makes me want to swap out my keys with, maybe just best to keep what I got for now and keep on looking as new entries hit the market. At my age, think I'll maybe have two or three more cars in my future so this next one I want to be a fun one like the Golf has been over these past 6.5 years. Think it best to just get what I want & not worry about the price.

Your car is due for plugs whether or not it fixes the problem. I’d have it done.

I also don’t think you are experiencing turbo lag. I can’t explain it well, (perhaps someone else can) but I think for fuel economy many cars when stopped some how disconnect the transmission from the engine (I’m guessing electronically with a valve or decreasing the fluid pressure) and then have a slight delay when taking your foot off the brake to the gas.

Both of our Volvos do it. Now just like you, if you put the car in Dynamic (sport) that disconnect/delay is gone and the second you release the brake the car responds to throttle input quicker.

Turbo lag on the modern engines is usually imperceptible at moderate throttle. You may notice it if you mash the gas from a start but that’s not what you are describing.

xwesx

Agreed about the regular maintenance for the plugs. It's not like you'll do it yourself at a later date, so you might as well have the maintenance done now if you already have the appointment and are overdue.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

roadburner said:

I found a new M2C in Texas- only $2k more than the 2019 in Cincinnati. It's definitely tempting- Hockenheim Silver, 3 pedals, and the Exec Package.
Then there's this.

new for the same price as used is an easy call.

That Z is sharp looking. they did a nice job on the interior too, and the performance package upgrades sound like serious driver stuff. Won't be seeing other ones too often either if you want exclusivity.

I’ve driven that Infinity 3.0L turbo and it is very quick.

ab348

+2 on @tjc78 and @xwesx comments above, Sandy. The plugs need doing regardless, so do them.

My question for you is this re. the lag you are feeling - when did it start? I assume it is something new? It could well be fuel-related, either a fuel filter clogging, a weak high-pressure fuel pump, or something else in the fuel delivery system.

sda

x3 Change the plugs. Audi/VW seem to call for replacement at more frequent intervals so don't second guess it. The Q5 and Passat also have that delay pulling from a stop. The severity of the delay seems to be how quick you get on the throttle, it hesitates then moves away with a burst of power. I've found that 'rolling' into the throttle eliminates that feeling and I can still quickly speed off. Of course driving in 'S' is always fun.

au1994

The new Z is awesome and definitely gets my vote!

qbrozen

My guess is the Nissan Z won’t be quick enough for you, @roadburner . Still being built on the ancient FM platform, so expect it to be porky for its size. With 350 lb-ft torque, I doubt it will have strong pull out of corners.

roadburner

@sda said:
x3 Change the plugs. Audi/VW seem to call for replacement at more frequent intervals so don't second guess it. The Q5 and Passat also have that delay pulling from a stop. The severity of the delay seems to be how quick you get on the throttle, it hesitates then moves away with a burst of power. I've found that 'rolling' into the throttle eliminates that feeling and I can still quickly speed off. Of course driving in 'S' is always fun.

My old X3 and the Clubman both called for a plug change at 100k miles. I was late by over 12k miles on both. I noticed no difference in performance or economy in the case of the X3, but the Clubman picked up power and economy. My wife even noticed the difference in the Clubman.

sda

roadburner said:

@sda said:

x3 Change the plugs. Audi/VW seem to call for replacement at more frequent intervals so don't second guess it. The Q5 and Passat also have that delay pulling from a stop. The severity of the delay seems to be how quick you get on the throttle, it hesitates then moves away with a burst of power. I've found that 'rolling' into the throttle eliminates that feeling and I can still quickly speed off. Of course driving in 'S' is always fun.

My old X3 and the Clubman both called for a plug change at 100k miles. I was late by over 12k miles on both. I noticed no difference in performance or economy in the case of the X3, but the Clubman picked up power and economy. My wife even noticed the difference in the Clubman.

I do find it curious that the Q5 required its first spark plug change at 35k. The intervals are every 40K thereafter. The Passat requires every 40k. It seems most manufacturers have the interval at 100-105k. Not sure why the intervals are so short on Audi/VW. I know there were issues with the coil packs in the early 2000s, guess they're being over cautious.

nyccarguy

sda said:

roadburner said:

@sda said:

x3 Change the plugs. Audi/VW seem to call for replacement at more frequent intervals so don't second guess it. The Q5 and Passat also have that delay pulling from a stop. The severity of the delay seems to be how quick you get on the throttle, it hesitates then moves away with a burst of power. I've found that 'rolling' into the throttle eliminates that feeling and I can still quickly speed off. Of course driving in 'S' is always fun.

My old X3 and the Clubman both called for a plug change at 100k miles. I was late by over 12k miles on both. I noticed no difference in performance or economy in the case of the X3, but the Clubman picked up power and economy. My wife even noticed the difference in the Clubman.

I do find it curious that the Q5 required its first spark plug change at 35k. The intervals are every 40K thereafter. The Passat requires every 40k. It seems most manufacturers have the interval at 100-105k. Not sure why the intervals are so short on Audi/VW. I know there were issues with the coil packs in the early 2000s, guess they're being over cautious.

IIRC, my Mom's Cayennes called for new Plugs at 40K miles. On the 2011, my parents paid out of pocket for it. On the 2016 they bought prepaid maintenance for up to 50K miles.