Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

Yet another answer to a question no one asked.

It's all driven by the quest for better CAFE results, although I'd posit that downsized/lighter cars would be a simpler approach.

stickguy

it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

tjc78

@stickguy said:
it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

The safety systems and their associated wiring, modules and sensors add a lot of weight.

benjaminh

I like red leather interiors, but for whatever reasons red cloth doesn't have quite the same effect for me. But anyway, the engine in the Si is improved over the previous generation according to this 3-minute video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEADsisy0AA

https://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1463638

"As we mentioned earlier, Hondata picked up their own 2022 Si a few days ago. They told us they'd be hitting the dyno but we weren't expecting to see a video so soon from them. As you can see in the video, the 2022 Si's L15CA engine put about 222hp to the hubs, which is around 20hp more than a stock 10th generation L15B7-equipped Civic Si was able to do on the same dyno. Peak torque appears to actually be down slightly with the L15CA, but it makes more torque sooner than the L15B7, and holds a flatter curve up to higher rpms. The older Si's L15B7 engine peaks at around 2800 rpm and holds an advantage over the newer engine until around 4300 rpm, but then the 2022 Si's L15CA takes over from that point and holds the advantage all the way to the rev limiter. Similarly, the L15CA holds an advantage in torque delivery everywhere below about 2600 rpms, with a healthy 50+ lb-ft advantage at its peak of around 2300rpms."

stickguy

So they really didn’t make it less powerful.

All that internet angst for nothing!

jmonroe1

@tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:
it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

The safety systems and their associated wiring, modules and sensors add a lot of weight.

You’d think by now someone would have figured out how to do all that stuff wirelessly.

jmonroe

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:

@tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:
it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

The safety systems and their associated wiring, modules and sensors add a lot of weight.

You’d think by now someone would have figured out how to do all that stuff wirelessly.

jmonroe

Ha ha. OMG could you imagine the hackers with that? It would be like remote controlled cars out there.

ab348

It's odd how Honda is giving a stated SI HP figure that is 5 less than the previous model. You would think if the new one was more powerful they would be shouting that from the rooftops.

Roadshow did their usual softball new-model review: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2022-honda-civic-si-first-drive-review/?ftag=CAD13782fc&bhid=25416315718523622077081880631938&mid=13606898&cid=534354260

They gave us 5 or 6 pictures of the iPad-glued-to-the-dash, but no clear ones of the back seat. However, it appears that the front seats are using different cloth from those in the rear. Odd.

jmonroe1

@tjc78 said:

@jmonroe1 said:

@tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:
it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

The safety systems and their associated wiring, modules and sensors add a lot of weight.

You’d think by now someone would have figured out how to do all that stuff wirelessly.

jmonroe

Ha ha. OMG could you imagine the hackers with that? It would be like remote controlled cars out there.

Maybe more like bumper cars.

jmonroe

sda

tjc78 said:

@jmonroe1 said:

@tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:

it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

The safety systems and their associated wiring, modules and sensors add a lot of weight.

You’d think by now someone would have figured out how to do all that stuff wirelessly.

jmonroe

Ha ha. OMG could you imagine the hackers with that? It would be like remote controlled cars out there.

I wasn't thinking of that...I was thinking what a grind it would be to keep everything linked and live. A separate screen would need to be provided just to show a schematic of what wasn't playing nice.

nyccarguy

Here’s a picture of my Mom’s Atomic Silver 2022 RX 350 AWD. Doesn’t count as a punch.

stickguy

Nice color. I also like their platinum.

au1994

Color is awesome!

corvette

Looks great!

breld

xwesx said:

breld said:

I’ve had some influence at my office…

Whoa! Yours has license plates! Did you need instructions on what to do with them when they arrived?

I watched how to do it on Youtube.

sda

@stickguy It appears you made the deadline ordering the Maverick Hybrid. Ford is no longer taking orders on the Hybrid until next summer. Sold out.

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

Ha ha. OMG could you imagine the hackers with that? It would be like remote controlled cars out there.

I can picture the tech support now.
"I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble, sir. I'm going to ask you to unplug it, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in."

stickguy

I’m apparently a dealer tech now. Right after my last oil change the car popped up on the Home Screen that there was a system update available. Never got that to work last time (dealer did it for me) but yesterday I pulled out the owners manual. Turns out I needed to connect car to a WIFI network. But man using draw pad to enter the access key was impossible. But I figured out if I fired up CarPlay it connected through that. So 20 minutes later, update all done. And now I know the trick.

Cars now like updating your phone or computer. No idea what the updates were though. Looked same to me.

stickguy

sda said:

@stickguy It appears you made the deadline ordering the Maverick Hybrid. Ford is no longer taking orders on the Hybrid until next summer. Sold out.

I got in about 2 weeks before they closed up 2022. Won’t open up for 2023 until sometime in the summer. I have no build date of course but they were supposed to schedule a bunch of builds today for all of January. That should help clear the backlog. Plus they had built some and were holding at the plant but now shipped (got official release a couple of days ago)

Should be some retail deliveries by Xmas hopefully.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Here’s a picture of my Mom’s Atomic Silver 2022 RX 350 AWD. Doesn’t count as a punch.

It actually looks nice from that angle. Just don't show us a full frontal.

xwesx

breld said:

I watched how to do it on Youtube.

Oh! What a smartypants! Of course you would.

xwesx

"Repair Mistakes and Blunders" from the latest RockAuto newsletter:

In college, back in the 70s, I had an old beat-up '57 Chevy. Its most redeeming quality was that it ran---at least most of the time!

One hot Texas, 100 plus degree day, I knew that the battery was all but drained, but not to worry. I had plenty of friends that would help me push-start it. About noon, we started out. Since there were five of us, I was not needed to push - just steer.

We pushed it a block; it did not start. We pushed it around the corner and down another block; it did not start. The guys were getting really tired, and it was HOT! Finally, when we had gone all around the block and were back at our original starting point, one of the guys yelled, "Do you have the key on?"

Without replying, I sheepishly turned on the key. BOOM! it went, as all that unburned gasoline exploded out the tailpipe.

I was looking in the mirror, and you should have seen those guys dance around with the most panicked looks on their faces. I also heard some words that I cannot repeat here!

Moral, if it will not start, always make sure the key is turned on!

I got a huge laugh out of this, as it reminded me very much of one (of many) time helping my best friend push-start his 1979 VW Rabbit (diesel)....

corvette

@stickguy - I’ve gotten one or two of those over the air updates for the Tundra’s infotainment, so I guess that qualifies me to be a dealer tech, as well.

stickguy

I wonder how many people get them on the Acura, because you have to be connected, and go into the menu and start the update. And being connected isn’t that straight forward. Maybe dealers just check and do it when in for service.

qbrozen

I'm in for a cool lawn ornament. That's my limit, though, thanks to the $225 buyer fee that gets tacked on.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

I'm in for a cool lawn ornament. That's my limit, though, thanks to the $225 buyer fee that gets tacked on.

Had a chance to buy a '96 Range Rover 400, in 2020. They wanted $500 for it. Wife convinced me not to do it.

stickguy

$500 for a decoration sounds about right. Park it by an outback restaurant. Could be a good farm beater. Scary but still kinda cool.

stickguy

This one have the RB package? Slick top and executive.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3o2ozqb2/2019-bmw-m2-competition

jmonroe1

@nyccarguy said:

Here’s a picture of my Mom’s Atomic Silver 2022 RX 350 AWD. Doesn’t count as a punch.

Just by accident you had to show that color, huh? 😫

jmonroe

qbrozen

oh, man, forget the sprinter. let's gooooo!

corvette

That RR is an “Eco Edition,” so you know it will be cheap to operate!

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
I got in about 2 weeks before they closed up 2022. Won’t open up for 2023 until sometime in the summer. I have no build date of course but they were supposed to schedule a bunch of builds today for all of January. That should help clear the backlog. Plus they had built some and were holding at the plant but now shipped (got official release a couple of days ago)

Should be some retail deliveries by Xmas hopefully.

@qbrozen said:
I'm in for a cool lawn ornament. That's my limit, though, thanks to the $225 buyer fee that gets tacked on.

Wow, a Rover with more than 200K miles. I can’t even guess how many rack hours that thing endured.

jmonroe

au1994

I find the wagon and the M2 equally desirable.

andres3

breld said:

Apparently there are two new GTIs on the lot at my local dealer.

https://www.vw.com/en/inventory.html/__app/inventory/results/golf-gti.app?zip-app=80016

Both DSG Autobahn trims in Yellow. MSRP of $41,025.

I've been of the belief that the Golf R doesn't add a proportional amount of driving enjoyment over the GTI, but I do think I'd spend the extra few grand over an Autobahn GTI.

Instead, I'd be happy going with the SE trim (with the manual), like my last one (now @kyfdx's) and keep the plaid seats. Still about $35k, but quite the bargain compared to the insane used prices (that is, if the VW dealer will play ball at MSRP).

You must like spinning your front tires; that happened a lot in my Jetta test drive. I'm too used to 4-wheel go power.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
oh, man, forget the sprinter. let's gooooo!

I’m sure it’s been done… but I always thought it would be cool to turn one of those into an Impala SS wagon.

andres3

breld said:

Got the call from our Audi dealership today that my wife's A4 Allroad is entering production in a few days.

I broke the news to him that she chose to go with the M340i instead, stating that she was attracted to the more performance-oriented vehicle instead of the wagon body style.

He went on to say how the HP figures don't tell the whole picture - that the A4 is plenty fast. I thought that was a funny comeback, since the obvious one would have been to say they could have sold us an S4.

And yes, before I returned their call I did let my wife know that I'm sure we could trade out the M340i for the wagon if she still wanted it...that we didn't have to cancel the order. She declined.

I would have pointed out how the RS6 is a wagon, more sporty and more performance oriented, but I bet he didn't have any on the lot to sell....

explorerx4

@tjc78.
The wagon has the Impala SS drivetrain.

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

I’m sure it’s been done… but I always thought it would be cool to turn one of those into an Impala SS wagon.

I'm staring at it thinking ... "maybe black out some trim, slap some Cragars on it ... "

xwesx

qbrozen said:

oh, man, forget the sprinter. let's gooooo!

I saw that one, too. I always liked those cars "back in the day." Not sure I could stomach the price tag on this one. Despite being dusted off, it doesn't look like it's had the most loved life to me.

qbrozen

xwesx said:

I saw that one, too. I always liked those cars "back in the day." Not sure I could stomach the price tag on this one. Despite being dusted off, it doesn't look like it's had the most loved life to me.

I'm curious ... what do you see wrong with it? I was thinking it is pretty damned clean. It will probably go for WAY more than I want to pay.

ab348

The only obvious negative is the condition of the steering wheel leather wrap, but a specialist could deal with that. The interiors on these are pretty dismal and unattractive, but this one seems to be in OK shape.

andres3

roadburner said:

Several RWD M340i used cars have popped up in my area, but I think that the only four door I'd truly be happy with is an M3.

I think I could be truly happy with a M340i as long as it gave 50K+ miles of very reliable service.

andres3

breld said:

xwesx said:

breld said:

I’ve had some influence at my office…

Whoa! Yours has license plates! Did you need instructions on what to do with them when they arrived?

I watched how to do it on Youtube.

My instructions for front license plates is put them in the round file.

However, I do not wish to resurrect the argument of the so-called supposed societal good coming from adding a few ounces of aluminum to every car front nose in America potentially outweighing the negative aesthetics.

stickguy

Any punks feeling lucky tonight?

https://www.royalmotorsnj.com/details-2013-jaguar-xjl-used-sajwj2gd1d8v57553.html

stunning color combo though.

corvette

Yes, that color combo is ideal.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

it's a viscous circle. Make cars heavier, add power to compensate, then add more radical tricks to try and shave a few tenths of a MPG off. Cut 1,000 pounds and just as fast with a lot less power, and get better mileage without gimmicks.

https://youtu.be/C46OCZLR5r8

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

sda said:

@stickguy It appears you made the deadline ordering the Maverick Hybrid. Ford is no longer taking orders on the Hybrid until next summer. Sold out.

I got in about 2 weeks before they closed up 2022. Won’t open up for 2023 until sometime in the summer. I have no build date of course but they were supposed to schedule a bunch of builds today for all of January. That should help clear the backlog. Plus they had built some and were holding at the plant but now shipped (got official release a couple of days ago)

Should be some retail deliveries by Xmas hopefully.

Sounds like the perfect car to flip since they will be unavailable anywhere else.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

oh, man, forget the sprinter. let's gooooo!

I like the color. Hope you have a lot of kids to take out for ice cream.

roadburner

I hate to admit it, but I find this sled interesting. If only it was RWD...

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

sda said:

@stickguy It appears you made the deadline ordering the Maverick Hybrid. Ford is no longer taking orders on the Hybrid until next summer. Sold out.

I got in about 2 weeks before they closed up 2022. Won’t open up for 2023 until sometime in the summer. I have no build date of course but they were supposed to schedule a bunch of builds today for all of January. That should help clear the backlog. Plus they had built some and were holding at the plant but now shipped (got official release a couple of days ago)

Should be some retail deliveries by Xmas hopefully.

Sounds like the perfect car to flip since they will be unavailable anywhere else.

when mine comes in hybrids will be hard to get.