Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

qbrozen said:

I hadn't been keeping up on the '22 Civic Si info. Occurred to me last night to see how that stacks up to the sporty compacts I'm looking at. Dealer close to me even has my preferred color in stock (orange). $28k seems not too bad these days. But then I read up on it. Very disappointed to find out they have stepped backwards in a big way performance-wise. Scratch that off the list.

If you can find a dealer to sell you an Si at MSRP, may as well buy it, enjoy it, and flip it.

I would.

stickguy

santa cruz could do the job too of course. beach duty, or kids sports (like hockey or football) with lot of dirty, smelly bags are nice to keep out of the cabin.

breld

One of my local Honda dealers is advertising a new 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition, with the "contact for price" tag.

What the heck...I clicked on the request price link. I received an email stating I needed to call the dealership. I won't bother with that, but will be curious if they reach out to me. I imagine there's a markup of at least $10,000.

stickguy

breld said:

qbrozen said:

I hadn't been keeping up on the '22 Civic Si info. Occurred to me last night to see how that stacks up to the sporty compacts I'm looking at. Dealer close to me even has my preferred color in stock (orange). $28k seems not too bad these days. But then I read up on it. Very disappointed to find out they have stepped backwards in a big way performance-wise. Scratch that off the list.

If you can find a dealer to sell you an Si at MSRP, may as well buy it, enjoy it, and flip it.

I would.

mine wanted $2,500 over sticker. Plus their usual (on all cars) $795ish accessories package (mud flaps, trunk tray, wheel locks).

I watched a lot of reviews on the Si when they all dropped. I think it is getting a bad rap from people that just looked at a few specs, because it dropped something like 5HP, even though the torque curve improved. No, it will not beat a C8 in a drag race, but it is still a quick car, designed to hustle along on windy roads. And it does that really well (especially considering the MSRP in the 20's). Ride, handling (LSD), gearbox are all very well done and everybody that drove it loved the experience. On the road it scoots.

Maybe I am the only person that does not drag race my cars? Doing 4K clutch dumps from a dead stop is not part of my normal driving. Merging and going from 30-60 quickly (stuff like that) is of interest though.

stickguy

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

Maverick will be much more comfortable though.

Oh yeah, that’s right…seats, seats, seats.

jmonroe

actually I don't know how good the Wrangler seats are. I just meant ride comfort, noise level, all that stuff that can get tiring in a JEEP if that isn't your bag.

qbrozen

breld said:

If you can find a dealer to sell you an Si at MSRP, may as well buy it, enjoy it, and flip it.

I would.

0-60 in 7.1. No, thanks.

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

Agreed. Other than both being 4-door vehicles, nothing alike.

Both have all-wheel-driving capability, both have similar interior space, both have similar utility. Acceleration is not far different. Jeep is certainly more off-road oriented, but, from a day-to-day functionality standpoint, I think they are quite similar.

ab348

One thing I don't quite understand in the rush to electrification is why PHEV models seem to be getting largely overlooked. I see them as being ideal for someone like myself. You get a battery big enough for 20 or 30 miles, an electric motor powerful enough to let you run on it in the city, and a gas engine that eliminates all range anxiety about longer trips.

au1994

stickguy said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

Maverick will be much more comfortable though.

Oh yeah, that’s right…seats, seats, seats.

jmonroe

actually I don't know how good the Wrangler seats are. I just meant ride comfort, noise level, all that stuff that can get tiring in a JEEP if that isn't your bag.

I find mine very comfortable, I like the upright seating position. Longest seat time is about a 100 mile trip but there were no issues at all. Noise level is definitely there, its no Lexus but again, I think its fine. I understand it to be a little worse in the backseat vs the front. Ride is what it is. Solid axle and (relatively) short wheelbase.

I know it sounds like a marketing tool but I tell anyone considering one, “Its not an SUV, its a Jeep”. I absolutely insist on a thorough test drive. If you think its just going to be a butchier Cherokee, Equinox, Rogue or whatever, you’ll be disapointed.

Michaell

ab348 said:

One thing I don't quite understand in the rush to electrification is why PHEV models seem to be getting largely overlooked. I see them as being ideal for someone like myself. You get a battery big enough for 20 or 30 miles, an electric motor powerful enough to let you run on it in the city, and a gas engine that eliminates all range anxiety about longer trips.

Agreed. Best of both worlds.

qbrozen

LOVE the phev. Really was great for us in our time with it, and I look forward to having it back.

As for the Jeep ... the 4xe does not drive like any Wrangler I have ever previously experienced.

On the car news, the dealer in Va informed me she is still working on the WRX deal. They are unfamiliar with NJ, so that's been the holdup. We'll see.

au1994

The JL is an improvement over the JK in terms of ride, refinement etc and the JK was a vast improvement over the TJ. The 4xe is a bit better than a std JL thanks to the additional ~800 lbs from the battery.

Counting the tank from the dealer, I’ve gone through 5 tanks of gas since September. That’s awesome. Sitting at 3328 miles as of today.

stickguy

ab348 said:

One thing I don't quite understand in the rush to electrification is why PHEV models seem to be getting largely overlooked. I see them as being ideal for someone like myself. You get a battery big enough for 20 or 30 miles, an electric motor powerful enough to let you run on it in the city, and a gas engine that eliminates all range anxiety about longer trips.

I agree. It is a great solution. Even the hybrid Maverick, not a plug in, gets phenomenal mileage in local use.

qbrozen

So someone else at the dealership just called. Our numbers are basically aligned. They didn't come down on the doc fee BUT their MF (.00085) is lower than what I found (.001), but RV a point lower. Sounds like a recent change or I back calculated wrong. I dunno. In any case, it comes out within $3 of what I sent them originally. I said $2500 DAS and $399 and it calculates to about $2500 and $402 with this new info.

28firefighter

Is this for the old style or the new design?

qbrozen

2021
AND it is my first choice color WR Blue Pearl.
AND very few port-installed accessories. Only thing missing I would have opted for is the armrest extension.
Mirror Compass w/ homelink $359.00
All-Weather Floor Liners $132.00
Cargo Tray $121.00

qbrozen

And, yes, we're going to wind up with 2 bright blue vehicles in the driveway when the 4xe arrives. The Sprinter is also blue but it is a very muted grey blue.

carolinat

I’d consider a 4Xe if a two door was available, but as it is, the Willys two door I’ve optioned has an MSRP of a tick under $50k, and a similarly equipped Sahara 4Xe would run around $61k so even with the tax credit I would have to drive the 4Xe for some time before I started saving money.

28firefighter

carolinat said:

I’d consider a 4Xe if a two door was available, but as it is, the Willys two door I’ve optioned has an MSRP of a tick under $50k, and a similarly equipped Sahara 4Xe would run around $61k so even with the tax credit I would have to drive the 4Xe for some time before I started saving money.

The value on the 4xE really is not on a purchase - it is on a lease. If you compare a Willys 2 door lease with a Sahara 4xE lease, my guess is the 4xE wins by a mile.

carolinat

@breld said:
One of my local Honda dealers is advertising a new 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition, with the "contact for price" tag.

What the heck...I clicked on the request price link. I received an email stating I needed to call the dealership. I won't bother with that, but will be curious if they reach out to me. I imagine there's a markup of at least $10,000.

Nothing aggravates me me more than when you click on the “request a price” button and you get a stupid response like that.

carolinat

@28firefighter said:
The value on the 4xE really is not on a purchase - it is on a lease. If you compare a Willys 2 door lease with a Sahara 4xE lease, my guess is the 4xE wins by a mile.

No lease. I’m buying it for the long haul.

andres3

Anyone here want to buy a used Audi 2015 S4 Motor in great shape except for a couple things? Less than 44K miles; all it needs is a new timing chain and piston 1. No biggie.



I know what I have, no lowballs!

sda

andres3 said:

Anyone here want to buy a used Audi 2015 S4 Motor in great shape except for a couple things? Less than 44K miles; all it needs is a new timing chain and piston 1. No biggie.



I know what I have, no lowballs!

What a mess! Hopefully the new engine is running flawlessly.

stickguy

Is that version still timing chain by the firewall?

I now watch Rainman ray on YouTube (a mechanic in a shop). All repairs, very informative. Just had to do a valve cover replacement on a Q7 3.2l. And made a comment about how weird it was to see the timing gear in the back when he popped it out.

Fans of German cars might not appreciate some of his running commentary on that repair (“because, Germany”) about some of the design choices.

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

Anyone here want to buy a used Audi 2015 S4 Motor in great shape except for a couple things? Less than 44K miles; all it needs is a new timing chain and piston 1. No biggie.



I know what I have, no lowballs!

From the looks of it that engine design should last around 44K miles, give or take.

jmonroe

andres3

sda said:

andres3 said:

Anyone here want to buy a used Audi 2015 S4 Motor in great shape except for a couple things? Less than 44K miles; all it needs is a new timing chain and piston 1. No biggie.



I know what I have, no lowballs!

What a mess! Hopefully the new engine is running flawlessly.

It is. The new engine is pure bliss with smooth quiet operation with no dummy lights on in the dash. Shop deserves some well earned praise for a job well done, but it cost me.

Had to add one new fuel injector as only 5 of the 6 came out the old engine, one was apparently stuck, and all the other stuff I mentioned added up. Breaking it in gently and then all hell breaks loose at 1,000 miles. Under warranty of course.

If Audi ever extends the warranty on the HPFP that's the culprit for all this carnage that'll be one nice after the fact warranty claim.

The car is so quiet!! A quiet and comfortable power sport sedan.

kyfdx

New member needs advice

breld

I visited my BMW dealership over my lunch break with the intention of reacquainting myself with the X5 (PHEV or not) and getting an appraisal on the Volvo, even though I knew it wouldn’t hold until order delivery. I figured it’d be good to at least gauge the dealership’s appetite for the XC90 as compared to other offers.

The short story is I’m having a little coffee and pastry while the snow tires are being swapped off my Volvo so I can trade it later this week.

28firefighter

What on earth.

breld

So…

Test drive of the X5 (gas version) confirmed the things I like about it over the Volvo…smooth I-6, smoother transmission, more athletic drive, better tech and more comfortable seats. I know that last point may be hard to believe…the R-design seats are way firmer than the Inscription massaging seats I had on the V90.

By the drive was over I had decided to go ahead and place an order for the PHEV…I was told the next two month’s allocations were spoken for and we’d probably be looking at an April build and May delivery.

By the time we got back, the salesperson mentioned someone just backed out of theirs this weekend and it just became available. I figured chances were slim that it came close enough to what my wife and I wanted to take the earlier delivery, but then he started with, “phytonic blue with m-sport” and my hopes grew.

So it literally is exactly what we built online in anticipation of ordering, but with $4,400 of extras for which we didn’t check the box….Merino leather upgrade, Exec package over premium, rear heated seats and M sport brakes.

So…Phytonic Blue over Tartufo Extended Merino Leather, Driving Assistance Professional, Luxury Seating, M Sport, Parking Assistance, Exec Package, Climate Comfort, M Sport Brakes (blue calipers) and the extended shadowline (yes, I will not have to buy the black trim pieces for once).

Dealer discount of $2,000, plus $1,000 loyalty rebate and they can front the $2,500 state tax rebate for the PHEV. And they don’t have any additional D&H. Not the greatest deal ever, but pretty darn good in this market. And it qualifies for the full $7,500 federal rebate.

I had a few offers on the XC90…Vroom, Carvana and KBB “instant offer.” The Carvana was way low for some reason…like $14k lower than Vroom. They split the difference between KBB and Vroom and gave me $58k for the Volvo.

And I should get it this week!

tjc78

Congrats! I guess some of us saying Q will edge you out lit the fire!

I knew we wouldn’t own the same car for long!

28firefighter

We're not worthy, we're not worthy...

au1994

Awesome! Talk about being in the right place at the right time…

kyfdx

If I bought more than one EV in a year, I'd have to start calculating additional Roth conversions, to take advantage of $15K in tax credits...

tifighter

Bravo @breld , well played.

tifighter

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

Am I the only one who has noticed that we all tend to eventually gravitate to the same cars over time?

Oh yeah…the GTI, 4xe and TLX have all been favorites at one point in time and of course all things BMW.

I haven't owned any of these, myself. But Breld assured me this was the year we were all getting M2's, so there's still hope.

explorerx4

Is that the first buy of 2022?

au1994

I have a feeling its going to be fun watching @breld and @qbrozen trade blows all year.

breld

au1994 said:

I have a feeling its going to be fun watching @breld and @qbrozen trade blows all year.

I’ll bet on Q leading this year. I just got lucky on the early punch.

ab348

tifighter said:

Bravo @breld , well played.

Bah! It IS the 10th of January after all. He will need to up his pace for the rest of the year.

tifighter

breld said:

au1994 said:

I have a feeling its going to be fun watching @breld and @qbrozen trade blows all year.

I’ll bet on Q leading this year. I just got lucky on the early punch.

Yeah.


How's the fun car search going?

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Have you been checked for Lyme disease?

No, but it's crossed my mind even though I never had any other symptoms associated with it. Not sure what's up, but I'm starting to get tired of it.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
We're not worthy, we're not worthy...

Breld is the Yankees and I’m the T-ball team.

qbrozen

Seriously? LOL.
You’ll beat me by a few days, I think. I have signed the preliminary papers on the WRX. They are mailing the “real” copies and I have to turn those around, THEN I can get it picked up. So, going by Terry’s adage that the deal aint done till the tires cross the curb, my deal won’t be official till maybe Monday.

Oh, and they talked me into financing. Not that they had to push hard. Funny enough, wife and I were driving to pick up the Benz when one of the F&I reps called. He said something about how the payment isn’t much more to finance. Which I already knew, but, with her present, it was easier to let her hear it and have her be part of the decision than to suffer the eye rolls later. So $2500 down and $400/mo lease or $450/mo finance at the 2.49% 72-mo special. I muted him and asked her and she said “yes, finance it.” So I did. I put more down to make the payment $420, though, just because.

So, @breld, did you make any money flipping the xc90?

xwesx

roadburner said:

28firefighter said:

9 months. Excellent custom order process setup they have there.

When I worked at BMW we could order an X3/4/5/6 from BMW Manufacturing in less than three weeks- assuming no BMW Individual(pricey paint/upholstery) options were specified.
I don't know what the situation is now.

Yeah, I imagine that, in a better world, none of these orders would be taking the sort of time they are now. Someday, perhaps, we will get closer to building on demand.

mjfloyd1

@breld said:
So…

Test drive of the X5 (gas version) confirmed the things I like about it over the Volvo…smooth I-6, smoother transmission, more athletic drive, better tech and more comfortable seats. I know that last point may be hard to believe…the R-design seats are way firmer than the Inscription massaging seats I had on the V90.

By the drive was over I had decided to go ahead and place an order for the PHEV…I was told the next two month’s allocations were spoken for and we’d probably be looking at an April build and May delivery.

By the time we got back, the salesperson mentioned someone just backed out of theirs this weekend and it just became available. I figured chances were slim that it came close enough to what my wife and I wanted to take the earlier delivery, but then he started with, “phytonic blue with m-sport” and my hopes grew.

So it literally is exactly what we built online in anticipation of ordering, but with $4,400 of extras for which we didn’t check the box….Merino leather upgrade, Exec package over premium, rear heated seats and M sport brakes.

So…Phytonic Blue over Tartufo Extended Merino Leather, Driving Assistance Professional, Luxury Seating, M Sport, Parking Assistance, Exec Package, Climate Comfort, M Sport Brakes (blue calipers) and the extended shadowline (yes, I will not have to buy the black trim pieces for once).

Dealer discount of $2,000, plus $1,000 loyalty rebate and they can front the $2,500 state tax rebate for the PHEV. And they don’t have any additional D&H. Not the greatest deal ever, but pretty darn good in this market. And it qualifies for the full $7,500 federal rebate.

I had a few offers on the XC90…Vroom, Carvana and KBB “instant offer.” The Carvana was way low for some reason…like $14k lower than Vroom. They split the difference between KBB and Vroom and gave me $58k for the Volvo.

And I should get it this week!

Good thing that it was Phytonic blue. Any other color would have been Phytin words

tifighter

qbrozen said:

Seriously? LOL.

So, @breld, did you make any money flipping the xc90?

Healthy chirping between competitors. You love to see it.

xwesx

andres3 said:

If Audi ever extends the warranty on the HPFP that's the culprit for all this carnage that'll be one nice after the fact warranty claim.

The car is so quiet!! A quiet and comfortable power sport sedan.

Wow; the fuel pump turned out to be the originator of all that?! Seems like VAG has been dealing with fuel pump issues for at least the last decade. I know that the two-liter TDI had issues with the HPFP for a time as well.

corvette

explorerx4 said:

Is that the first buy of 2022?

Yes, for both @breld and the group in general. I'm sure it won't be the last for either.

stickguy

I should have held off a day, and gone to get mine New Year's day instead of eve! I think they were open.