Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

I lean towards small coupes, but I'd gladly take this big four door sedan.

ab348

xwesx said:

05:40 was a moment for @fintail to be proud.

The MB wagon was leading a line of econoboxes around that curve at what looked like funeral procession speed, but the "Race Taxi" Porsche still was able to spin out. I think that was intentional.

laurasdada

For those afraid of Audi, here's some definitive information to assuage any fears: 9+ months and almost 7200 miles of trouble free driving! And, it's a PHEV! So, there you go.

Still a wonderful car for what it is, fast, smooth, quiet, useful, lovely, economical and well screwed together (especially the interior). Handling...ok but early limits. Not that I had high expectations.

It suddenly dawned on me (yup, I'm old and slow) that, although my Jag XF was AWD, 90% of the torque normally was routed to the rear wheels, adding to my perception of much more fun and tossable nature than the A7. Of course, neither is a lightweight, but the XF wins the fun factor, while the Audi makes the Jag tech look like, well, Jag tech. Still, I miss it.

Moving in a month, have a bunch of home furnishing to do. Then, perhaps, begin again the upgrade of the wife's CX-5.

Happy/Merry to all!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Farmer, order a Maverick XL. Poverty spec. Just add AWD and the 4K tow package. Still in the lower 20s, but get a warranty and no pre-existing rust. Will do everything a beater Ranger would. Heck, trade in the Soul on it. I bet it would be easy access for you wife too.

kill two birds with one stone.

Interesting, although the cargo van would be the vehicle I’d be replacing. What’s the threshold height on the Maverick? On the Soul it’s 13” off the ground with a seat height of about 26”. I find that just right for the wife.

It would be nice if she could get into two of my vehicles.

I had the Soul into the dealer yesterday for a recall and I’m disappointed they didn’t throw me a buy bid while I was there. Only 16k miles on a 2019 would seem desirable. Heck, today I just drove a 2019 Honda Ridgeline that the company just bought used with 46k miles on it. Low mileage cars must be getting scarce.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

qbrozen said:

I’m thinking about farming out my Coronet work. I was out there today and everything I started getting my hands in needed some fab work. For example, the new power brake booster needs new holes drilled in the firewall, not a big deal, but also a larger center hole, so I guess I’d need a specific size hole saw that I don’t own. Alright, onto the next… headers. Oh, hmmm… that will require cutting off the ends of the old pipes and welding new ends on. Not my forte, and would be almost required to have a lift. Maybe I should put the heads back on. Uhhh… water jacket is pretty nasty after sitting, so that should be flushed out but my hoses are shut off for the winter and I really don’t want rusty water all over my garage floor. Sigh

This is starting to sound like a project that should be packaged up and sold to the next guy that feels like working on it. So do the math and figure out if you spend the fairly large $ amount to have it finished, will it net you more than unloading it now?

I disagree. If you give up that beauty you regret it forever. If sorting out some mechanicals is all it needs (and you can afford it) nothing will be more rewarding than driving it around when you’re finished.

That’s the 440, right? I’ve driven those and the sound will make you swoon. Totally unrefined power, like riding a wild beast bareback. Modern engines may be more horsepower and faster but getting your foot into a 60s big block is something else entirely.

stickguy

laurasdada said:

For those afraid of Audi, here's some definitive information to assuage any fears: 9+ months and almost 7200 miles of trouble free driving! And, it's a PHEV! So, there you go.

Still a wonderful car for what it is, fast, smooth, quiet, useful, lovely, economical and well screwed together (especially the interior). Handling...ok but early limits. Not that I had high expectations.

It suddenly dawned on me (yup, I'm old and slow) that, although my Jag XF was AWD, 90% of the torque normally was routed to the rear wheels, adding to my perception of much more fun and tossable nature than the A7. Of course, neither is a lightweight, but the XF wins the fun factor, while the Audi makes the Jag tech look like, well, Jag tech. Still, I miss it.

Moving in a month, have a bunch of home furnishing to do. Then, perhaps, begin again the upgrade of the wife's CX-5.

Happy/Merry to all!

my son is still in love with his S4, and keeps talking about buying the lease out at the end. I try to temper his enthusiasm for that. But still has 2.5 years to go on that lease so plenty of time for circumstances to change!

sda

stickguy said:

laurasdada said:

For those afraid of Audi, here's some definitive information to assuage any fears: 9+ months and almost 7200 miles of trouble free driving! And, it's a PHEV! So, there you go.

Still a wonderful car for what it is, fast, smooth, quiet, useful, lovely, economical and well screwed together (especially the interior). Handling...ok but early limits. Not that I had high expectations.

It suddenly dawned on me (yup, I'm old and slow) that, although my Jag XF was AWD, 90% of the torque normally was routed to the rear wheels, adding to my perception of much more fun and tossable nature than the A7. Of course, neither is a lightweight, but the XF wins the fun factor, while the Audi makes the Jag tech look like, well, Jag tech. Still, I miss it.

Moving in a month, have a bunch of home furnishing to do. Then, perhaps, begin again the upgrade of the wife's CX-5.

Happy/Merry to all!

my son is still in love with his S4, and keeps talking about buying the lease out at the end. I try to temper his enthusiasm for that. But still has 2.5 years to go on that lease so plenty of time for circumstances to change!

Or buy it out and get a good extended warranty. Our 2016 Q5 that we bought in 7/19 with 26k has been a joy to own and is my wife’s favorite vehicle ever. At 48k it looks and drives as new, and, yes, has a reputable extended warranty until 105k or 7/2024.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

Farmer, order a Maverick XL. Poverty spec. Just add AWD and the 4K tow package. Still in the lower 20s, but get a warranty and no pre-existing rust. Will do everything a beater Ranger would. Heck, trade in the Soul on it. I bet it would be easy access for you wife too.

kill two birds with one stone.

Interesting, although the cargo van would be the vehicle I’d be replacing. What’s the threshold height on the Maverick? On the Soul it’s 13” off the ground with a seat height of about 26”. I find that just right for the wife.

It would be nice if she could get into two of my vehicles.

I had the Soul into the dealer yesterday for a recall and I’m disappointed they didn’t throw me a buy bid while I was there. Only 16k miles on a 2019 would seem desirable. Heck, today I just drove a 2019 Honda Ridgeline that the company just bought used with 46k miles on it. Low mileage cars must be getting scarce.

I did some digging. not something that normally gets reported, but maverick truck club is a bunch of geeks and they had the answer. one guy calculated it to be just about 26" (seat bottom height). An owner measured and said it was just about 24", but that was an average and the seat (well, drivers) could go up and down so it seems like a good estimate for the passenger seat. Step in is pretty low, for a truck, and I assume would be about the same as an escape or your soul. Definitely more carlike than big PU like.

ease of ingress/egress will be a big selling point to my wife when she finally sees one tomorrow. If she had to clamber into it like an F150 (or even a Tacoma) she would likely turn thumbs down. I never did manage to find one to show her or sit in.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Believe it or not, in this market I can’t tell if that’s a joke or not.

stickguy

sda said:

stickguy said:

laurasdada said:

For those afraid of Audi, here's some definitive information to assuage any fears: 9+ months and almost 7200 miles of trouble free driving! And, it's a PHEV! So, there you go.

Still a wonderful car for what it is, fast, smooth, quiet, useful, lovely, economical and well screwed together (especially the interior). Handling...ok but early limits. Not that I had high expectations.

It suddenly dawned on me (yup, I'm old and slow) that, although my Jag XF was AWD, 90% of the torque normally was routed to the rear wheels, adding to my perception of much more fun and tossable nature than the A7. Of course, neither is a lightweight, but the XF wins the fun factor, while the Audi makes the Jag tech look like, well, Jag tech. Still, I miss it.

Moving in a month, have a bunch of home furnishing to do. Then, perhaps, begin again the upgrade of the wife's CX-5.

Happy/Merry to all!

my son is still in love with his S4, and keeps talking about buying the lease out at the end. I try to temper his enthusiasm for that. But still has 2.5 years to go on that lease so plenty of time for circumstances to change!

Or buy it out and get a good extended warranty. Our 2016 Q5 that we bought in 7/19 with 26k has been a joy to own and is my wife’s favorite vehicle ever. At 48k it looks and drives as new, and, yes, has a reputable extended warranty until 105k or 7/2024.

I did say when he mentioned it this weekend to invest in an Audi extended warranty though I imaging that will have a nosebleed price.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I lean towards small coupes, but I'd gladly take this big four door sedan.

I thought BMW V8s were no bueno?

qbrozen

Ok, don’t all clamor for once over this gem.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Chevrolet-Caprice-/403374166647?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

roadburner

I stopped by my nearest Ford dealer(Bill Collins) to check out the new Bronco. Some things never change; just like my last visit, all the alleged "salesmen" were clustered around the bullpen having an animated discussion. There were three other people in the showroom and they were also being studiously ignored. Another black mark is that the dealer is now installing those moronic Pulse brake light flashers, so at night your car will look like hundreds of low-rent Asian econoboxes sold by the Oxmoorons dealer group. If I didn't hate those Pulse flashers enough, I checked out the website and found that they posted a screed on the dangers of speed.

stickguy

gotta say, not what I was expecting when I clicked the link. In a strange way, I kinda like it. A really weird El Camino. Probably would hate driving it though.

amazed that somebody bid $13K on it already. I assume it is a 1-0ff custom so definitely not finding parts for it!

stickguy

got an interesting Email today from the local Hyundai dealer (TJC's place). Seems they are offering a Volvo-style monthly subscription for their EVs. All in including insurance, can switch out cars monthly, all that usual stuff. Not sure what kind of time commitment there is. If none, it is really just a fancy rental car program. I am curious about the price, but not enough to download the app and register to find out.

https://www.burnshyundai.com/hyundai-evolve.htm?ibp-adgroup=EV_Target&utm_source=ztblast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=decemberevolve&utm_content=know-ev

xwesx

stickguy said:

gotta say, not what I was expecting when I clicked the link. In a strange way, I kinda like it. A really weird El Camino. Probably would hate driving it though.

amazed that somebody bid $13K on it already. I assume it is a 1-0ff custom so definitely not finding parts for it!

Same here. Not at all what I was expecting. But, I kinda like it. I like it a heck of a lot more than an '86 Caprice, anyway!

qbrozen

I got another one. Not modified in the styling department, but mechanically modified in a way that defies all logic.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-toyota-land-cruiser-fj60-96/

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Ok, don’t all clamor for once over this gem.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Chevrolet-Caprice-/403374166647?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

Now you’re trying way too hard.

Do you really want to be the loving owner of the freak of the neighborhood?

jmonroe

qbrozen

@jmonroe1 said:
Now you’re trying way too hard.

Do you really want to be the loving owner of the freak of the neighborhood?

jmonroe

You won’t see me driving it!
I mean, if it had a 454 big block ….

fintail

That one is the hotter version of my car. It'd be fun to take the fintail around the 'ring, keeping right of course.

xwesx said:

ab348 said:

Well, it's that time of year again... the best of 2021's Nurburgring mishaps. More of BMW drivers being... well, BMW drivers. Though Porscheophiles have nothing to brag about here either.

My favorite of all was the bone-stock appearing Mini that shut down the track.

https://youtu.be/Xc9Gph96hXs

05:40 was a moment for @fintail to be proud.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

I got another one. Not modified in the styling department, but mechanically modified in a way that defies all logic.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-toyota-land-cruiser-fj60-96/

hard to get your head around replacing one of the most reliable powertrains ever with something out of a 90s Rover.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

@jmonroe1 said:

Now you’re trying way too hard.

Do you really want to be the loving owner of the freak of the neighborhood?

jmonroe

You won’t see me driving it!

I mean, if it had a 454 big block ….

it will fit. You go the tools and the passion. Go for it.

roadburner

I saw a couple of cars online that were borderline interesting and against my better judgment I filled out the "Contact us!" form- even including my phone number. Normally I get an email and phone call in about one nanosecond- but so far I haven't received anything from either dealer...

corvette

Handshaker… what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=617292895

qbrozen

@corvette said:
Handshaker… what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=617292895

Hell, grab it, detail it, and throw it on C&B. Will go for triple.

28firefighter

@qbrozen said:

@corvette said:
Handshaker… what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=617292895

Hell, grab it, detail it, and throw it on C&B. Will go for triple.

Not with over 200k miles…

stickguy

One of the sites just had a high miles stick x5. No clue what it went for.

qbrozen

@28firefighter said:

@qbrozen said:

@corvette said:
Handshaker… what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=617292895

Hell, grab it, detail it, and throw it on C&B. Will go for triple.

Not with over 200k miles…

I was being slightly hyperbolic when I said triple, but it ain’t far off.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9nLLe5QJ/2004-bmw-x5-30i

Never underestimate the stupidity of these auction buyers. Someone just bid $30k, out of the gate, on a volvo 240. That is flat out insanity.

qbrozen

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-volvo-240-wagon-5/

au1994

I told my wife I’d get her the Volvo. She wasn’t amused.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

I found an M240i xDrive in Illinois. It has everything I want, but two things I don't- AWD and a hole in the roof...

Dealership? Which one? I’ll take your scraps.

explorerx4

I ran across some video the other day of someone prognosticating about the next group of collectibles.
Square Volvo's were on the list.
Guess someone took it as gospel.

graphicguy

28firefighter said:

I’m going to guess with a cracked block it wasn’t running as well as one might think for as long as one might hope.

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

sda said:

@xwesx Between you and @andres3 your mechanical issues with the Audis is not giving me the warm and fuzzies about long term ownership of our Q5 or VW. I hope it isn’t a serious problem. Bah humbug!

The VW Tiguan has been stellar up to 19K miles now, and the TTS continues to rack them up and is fine nearing 54K miles.

The S4 is catastrophic engine failure of course.

Metal and junk and shavings everywhere. They tried to clean the oil housing and oil cooler but they are beyond saving; just uncleanable. Don't want to introduce old engine metal to the new engine, so ordering an aftermarket housing to save some money on plastic as German plastic is expensive, and went OEM oil cooler as that has metal components and it was only $100 more than aftermarket.

Latest message from the shop:

Looks like we had to disassemble the supercharger as well. There’s a bunch of crap inside it along with metal shavings as well. I’m hoping we can get most of it out and cleaned out from behind the intercoolers so we don’t have to replace them.

The water jacket in the block broke causing coolant and oil to mix everywhere.

It probably is easier to replace than "fix" things.

Looks like a 2022 finish on this repair job.

Am I getting this right, the engine block actually failed? That would seem to be a manufacturing defect. Should Audi stand behind something like that? Blocks don’t usually crack, at least not internally.

Exactly what I was thinking. Also thinking the term “catastrophic failure” is an apt description. Personally, I’d try to find out what the scrap value would be for it. Have to be decent money to part it out.

Refresh my memory….what has Audi said?

Audi said it was highly unlikely help could be provided in my case. They said a "buyback claim" was my best bet, but in CA lemon law doesn't apply to used cars nor old cars, nor cars over 18,000 miles I believe. Seemed like a lost cause in talking to several knowledgeable sources.

Perhaps a media campaign would have done the trick, but I want to get the car fixed sooner rather than "later." For 11 months and 12K+ miles the car was running just fine. It's fully loaded, prestige model, with a good record (no collisions) and is clean. With used car prices right now, made sense to fix it.

Yeah…Audi isn’t going to touch that one. I agree with @28firefighter. That block has had issues for a long while to get to the point it is today. Could be previous owner overheated it. Could be previous owner’s lack of maintenance. Problems just took a while to manifest. Could be a myriad of other things. If it came from a BMW dealer, they have no skin in the game, either.

This is just my opinion (and we know how much that’s wroth), don’t take the time to file buyback paperwork….too many miles, too many title changes, too many hands have touched it. You can try, I suppose. Audi in OH allows for arbitration via BBB. But, if Audi doesn’t agree to come to the arbitration table, and the car isn’t under warranty, I’m not thinking even that would be a possibility, unless you can get an Audi expert (or two) to testify the block had a manufacturing defect of some sort from the factory….AND….it took a while for it to show up. But, it’s more likely Audi would just claim “abuse” as the cause.

Not sure what a new motor would cost, but it can’t be too far off replacing a block, water jackets, etc, etc, etc.

mjfloyd1

Would proof of maintenance via carfax or Audi dealer make any difference with Audi or would they just claim abuse? Makes you wonder if prior owner abused it and knew something was up.

I believe he was at $19k but now needs intercooler and possibly supercharger due to metal fragments. It is going to be expensive it sounds like. Ouch.

roadburner

@corvette said:
Handshaker… what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=617292895

My store ordered 2 E53 X5s with manuals. One was a custom order and the other was ordered by mistake. I almost bought one. It was very clean and had the SP- but no CWP so I passed.

corvette

Got the 20k service done on the Tundra. The service writer alerted me that, if I wanted to take advantage of the free tire rotation at 25k, I would need to come in before the odometer read 25,999 miles, which is about 2,500 miles from now. I think I'll pass and just take it to Discount Tire for a free rotation when it's actually due.

tifighter

After one closed mountain pass and 8 hours of driving, we’ve made it to Nordic ski week. The Y was did well, and I can’t complain about the Pirellis. Grip was not an issue. Hope my skis can do the same.

nyccarguy

How is the Colorado clan doing? Are any of you in the path of that wild fire?

nyccarguy

@tifighter said:
After one closed mountain pass and 8 hours of driving, we’ve made it to Nordic ski week. The Y was did well, and I can’t complain about the Pirellis. Grip was not an issue. Hope my skis can do the same.

Enjoy! My family and I are skiing for the day at Hunter Mountain (not too far from @oldfarmer50). Conditions here aren’t optimal (high 30s to 40s, sunny in the am, cloudy and drizzling in the PM), but we had fun.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

How is the Colorado clan doing? Are any of you in the path of that wild fire?

We aren’t, but I do have some friends and family who have evacuated.

sda

Any word from @stickguy? I thought he was picking up the Maverick today. I hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy 2022!

stickguy

stickguy

You rang?

explorerx4

@stickguy,
Congrats, looks great! What do you think of it after an hour?

Sandman6472

I like it! And this is coming from someone who's just not a Ford guy. But this...I really like!!!

stickguy

obviously the deal went through. Pretty quick process since I had pretty much gotten all the details in place (financing approved, and added to the insurance) with the sales manager. Longest part was waiting for the salesperson they assigned to finish his previous delivery. He gave us the keys to check it out while he wrapped up. Thankfully the wife liked it so I did not have the awkward task of telling them to scrap the deal!

Salesguy really just gave us the manual and keys, then a very fast visit to F&I guy to sign and we were on our way. One question about adding anything and when I said No, that was it. No actual delivery (in terms of showing us anything) which was fine by me. More like picking up a rental at the airport!

Car was very straightforward and simple to use. Great vehicle for old people. Perfect slide in height to the seats, and simple tech with actual buttons! But only took about 30 seconds to have CarPlay up and running. Plugged the phone in, recognized immediately, hit accept a couple of times on screen and phone and all set. Still need to connect phone to bluetooth but have not had a chance to read the manual or play with it yet.

had about 1/2 hour drive home from NE Philly. So some local city streets, then some time on I95 then local NJ highways. A good test to prove that it does drive nice, and is not at all "trucky" or an issue on tight roads. Really does feel and drive like a compact CUV with a longer butt. Probably a smoother ride too with the longer wheelbase. Seemed to get good MPG on the ride home which was nice.

very smooth ride. Pretty quiet. Sneaky fast. Comfy seats and very clear controls. Still have to figure it out and get used to everything but so far, impressive design. They put a lot of thought into the details. Even has a nice set of Michelin Premacy tires on it.

took the wife for a ride and she said she liked it. And that it was not at all as big as she expected (outside) but was very roomy inside (which it is).

hardest thing to get used to? No XM. Will have to figure out the whole streaming thing, but until then, back to terrestrial radio!

stickguy

first thing we did was finally clean all the junk out of that side of the garage. All stuff to donate or give away that we let linger. Now it is in the dining room, so the wife will probably get to it sooner. Maverick fit easily. There is actually more side clearance (it is not as wide as the Acura). and after organizing I had plenty of space in the front. Enough room to easily walk in front or back with the garage door down.

will take some getting used to having the limited view out the back, but out the front is amazing. Huge windshield, square corners and big side windows make it easy to maneuver.

28firefighter

Congrats, stick! Way to get a punch in under the wire!

stickguy

I assume that will be the cherry on top for the year. But never count Breld or QB out!

Michaell

@stickguy - thanks for the write up.

Has me quite intrigued.