Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

stickguy said:

Breld, you are a machine. So the bed requirement was just a lame excuse afterall?

To be honest, the bed of the Santa Cruz does make more sense. But clearly more of a justification than anything else, as it was easy to pivot away from that to the Bronco.

We’ve never had a hard time spinning things to fit what the heart desires. (And let’s be honest, cars are more of an emotional thing than anything for this group)

breld

And, it’s gonna be a while before we would actually take delivery of the Bronco.

A lot can happen between now and then.

[Deleted User]

stickguy said:

only way to find out is to click submit and send them the paperwork!

Yep, hit submit and all the info for the Tacoma came up, so wasn't really surprised.

cdnpinhead

stickguy said:

Seems pointless if you aren't going off roading.!

Ya think?

ab348

You know things are priced at insane levels… or maybe not considering how few likely remain.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-plymouth-volare-3/

explorerx4

@ab348,
HA HA even has a branded title.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

You know things are priced at insane levels… or maybe not considering how few likely remain.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-plymouth-volare-3/

Almost any modern 4cyl would outpower that emissions choked 318.

corvette

Pretty sure my Prius would beat that Golf 2.0 in a drag race. Also, those engines had a timing belt that required regular service. I think the common wisdom at the time was that the tensioner and water pump should also be done at the same time.

qbrozen

And, it’s gonna be a while before we would actually take delivery of the Bronco.

A lot can happen between now and then.

I know this is crazy talk ... but she needs to try out other vehicles first. Namely, a Wrangler. Many reviews still put it ahead of the Bronco.

breld

qbrozen said:

And, it’s gonna be a while before we would actually take delivery of the Bronco.

A lot can happen between now and then.

I know this is crazy talk ... but she needs to try out other vehicles first. Namely, a Wrangler. Many reviews still put it ahead of the Bronco.

Absolutely - we’ll have time to change our minds several times.

stickguy

you mean buy and sell a Santa Cruz and a Wrangler before the Bronco even arrives. Plus a few others most likely.

stickguy

ab348 said:

You know things are priced at insane levels… or maybe not considering how few likely remain.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-plymouth-volare-3/

I was expecting a much higher price. This doesn't seem out of line. For a non-rusty one? They have a little bit of a cult following and there certainly can't be many more like this around. Plenty of nostalgia too. Not sure what you will do with it. Could pretty it up and put in a collection, or just keep it as a weekend cruiser to the ice cream parlor.

if you wanted to get frisky, could make an interesting resto mod of some sort. Still a lot of fans of RWD mid-sized wagons. Real easy to double the HP (or more) and upgrade suspension/brakes/steering while keeping the interior and exterior mostly stock.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

And, it’s gonna be a while before we would actually take delivery of the Bronco.

A lot can happen between now and then.

I know this is crazy talk ... but she needs to try out other vehicles first. Namely, a Wrangler. Many reviews still put it ahead of the Bronco.

I’ve driven both and the Bronco feels much bigger inside. Better ride IMO too.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

28firefighter said:

I was right with this one until the bad catalytic converter. That seems strange. And here in Seattle, I’d just as soon believe it was stolen…

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/seattle-2003-vw-golf-gls-low-miles-one/7439611482.html

You could always try the lacquer thinner trick on the cat.

Or Cataclean- which worked on my X3.

roadburner

The only tthing that would replace the Wrangler is another Wrangler- or perhaps a D90. I found a 2020 Unlimited Sahara at a local dealer equipped exactly as I would have optioned it. Thing is, the miles are a bit high and so is the price- although the price has been cut by $2k.
The plan would be to sell the X1 and the TJ- but I hate to get rid of either one. The Wrangler is a hoot and the X1 is fun to drive even though it's slow.
My wife still floats the idea of flipping the X1 and 2er for a X3 M40i, but it's no faster than the 2er and doesn't handle as well. I'd take an X3 M Comp, but that's too pricey. That said, I haven't owned a true M car for 27 years, so I'm way overdue. ///M or nothing, methinks.

corvette

I've been driving the Prius the past couple of days, and it's really a cheerful and cheap car to drive around town. The ride quality has the choppiness of a small car, and the handling is as wallowy as any other early-2000s Toyota, but for running errands, it doesn't matter. This tank is averaging in the low 30-MPG range due to making a lot of short trips (1-2 miles) and the engine not being able to warm up, and starting the car to allow it to preheat on very cold days.

qbrozen

Humorous side note. Not sure I mentioned it, but one of the TPMS sensors broke when I changed the tires on the Escape, so the light has been on for a few weeks. When I changed the alternator and plugs a couple of weeks back, I put in a new sensor in that wheel. I then discovered it requires a special tool to "wake up" the sensor. A weird series of brake presses and key cycles to get it into learn mode, then you go around with this electronic tool to get each sensor to signal to the computer.

I bought a tool from Amazon for $15, and when I tried to use it, the old sensor in the front-left wheel would react, but the new sensor in the front-right would not. Sigh. No real consensus online as to whether the problem is a non-OEM sensor not working with the car or the cheap tool unable to talk to the non-OEM sensor. I know I ordered the right frequency sensor, so I took a chance on getting a slightly more expensive tool ($25) that will talk to more sensors. Got a chance to try it today. Man, this was silly. First sensor would not respond to new tool, so I tried old tool to which it previously responded and got it to work. Go to next wheel and try the new tool. Nothing. UGH. Well, nothing to lose, so I tried flipping the switch from Ford to GM ... it worked. Go to 3rd wheel and try old tool - nope. New tool set to GM - nope. New tool set to Ford - yup. Go to 4th wheel and that responded to the old tool. Go back in car and it tells me the setup is complete and the light is out. For now.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Humorous side note. Not sure I mentioned it, but one of the TPMS sensors broke when I changed the tires on the Escape, so the light has been on for a few weeks. When I changed the alternator and plugs a couple of weeks back, I put in a new sensor in that wheel. I then discovered it requires a special tool to "wake up" the sensor. A weird series of brake presses and key cycles to get it into learn mode, then you go around with this electronic tool to get each sensor to signal to the computer.

I bought a tool from Amazon for $15, and when I tried to use it, the old sensor in the front-left wheel would react, but the new sensor in the front-right would not. Sigh. No real consensus online as to whether the problem is a non-OEM sensor not working with the car or the cheap tool unable to talk to the non-OEM sensor. I know I ordered the right frequency sensor, so I took a chance on getting a slightly more expensive tool ($25) that will talk to more sensors. Got a chance to try it today. Man, this was silly. First sensor would not respond to new tool, so I tried old tool to which it previously responded and got it to work. Go to next wheel and try the new tool. Nothing. UGH. Well, nothing to lose, so I tried flipping the switch from Ford to GM ... it worked. Go to 3rd wheel and try old tool - nope. New tool set to GM - nope. New tool set to Ford - yup. Go to 4th wheel and that responded to the old tool. Go back in car and it tells me the setup is complete and the light is out. For now.

Not perfectly understandable.

jmonroe

stickguy

need one of those high end autel scan tools? Seem to work wonders on Youtube channels!

I know that the ones I have seen them use for TPMS seem to work easily, but definitely look like they call a whole lot more than $15-$25

roadburner

I installed new tire and wheel sets on my Mazdaspeed as well as my wife's E90 328i. The Mazda sensors connected automatically. On the 3er I just had to reset them using the same procedure used when the tire pressure is adjusted.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Humorous side note. Not sure I mentioned it, but one of the TPMS sensors broke when I changed the tires on the Escape, so the light has been on for a few weeks. When I changed the alternator and plugs a couple of weeks back, I put in a new sensor in that wheel. I then discovered it requires a special tool to "wake up" the sensor. A weird series of brake presses and key cycles to get it into learn mode, then you go around with this electronic tool to get each sensor to signal to the computer.

I made the mistake of putting sensors in the wheels I bought this summer for both the Forester and the Crosstrek. I found out that those require some Mickey Mouse process like that as well. So, I said screw it; I never minded a dash light or two.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Humorous side note. Not sure I mentioned it, but one of the TPMS sensors broke when I changed the tires on the Escape, so the light has been on for a few weeks. When I changed the alternator and plugs a couple of weeks back, I put in a new sensor in that wheel. I then discovered it requires a special tool to "wake up" the sensor. A weird series of brake presses and key cycles to get it into learn mode, then you go around with this electronic tool to get each sensor to signal to the computer.

I bought a tool from Amazon for $15, and when I tried to use it, the old sensor in the front-left wheel would react, but the new sensor in the front-right would not. Sigh. No real consensus online as to whether the problem is a non-OEM sensor not working with the car or the cheap tool unable to talk to the non-OEM sensor. I know I ordered the right frequency sensor, so I took a chance on getting a slightly more expensive tool ($25) that will talk to more sensors. Got a chance to try it today. Man, this was silly. First sensor would not respond to new tool, so I tried old tool to which it previously responded and got it to work. Go to next wheel and try the new tool. Nothing. UGH. Well, nothing to lose, so I tried flipping the switch from Ford to GM ... it worked. Go to 3rd wheel and try old tool - nope. New tool set to GM - nope. New tool set to Ford - yup. Go to 4th wheel and that responded to the old tool. Go back in car and it tells me the setup is complete and the light is out. For now.

Sounds like the previous owner went shopping at the junk yard and just grabbed whatever fit.

au1994

qbrozen said:

Humorous side note. Not sure I mentioned it, but one of the TPMS sensors broke when I changed the tires on the Escape, so the light has been on for a few weeks. When I changed the alternator and plugs a couple of weeks back, I put in a new sensor in that wheel. I then discovered it requires a special tool to "wake up" the sensor. A weird series of brake presses and key cycles to get it into learn mode, then you go around with this electronic tool to get each sensor to signal to the computer.

I bought a tool from Amazon for $15, and when I tried to use it, the old sensor in the front-left wheel would react, but the new sensor in the front-right would not. Sigh. No real consensus online as to whether the problem is a non-OEM sensor not working with the car or the cheap tool unable to talk to the non-OEM sensor. I know I ordered the right frequency sensor, so I took a chance on getting a slightly more expensive tool ($25) that will talk to more sensors. Got a chance to try it today. Man, this was silly. First sensor would not respond to new tool, so I tried old tool to which it previously responded and got it to work. Go to next wheel and try the new tool. Nothing. UGH. Well, nothing to lose, so I tried flipping the switch from Ford to GM ... it worked. Go to 3rd wheel and try old tool - nope. New tool set to GM - nope. New tool set to Ford - yup. Go to 4th wheel and that responded to the old tool. Go back in car and it tells me the setup is complete and the light is out. For now.

Maybe I started drinking too early, but that all made sense

explorerx4

Video of Stickguy taking delivery of his Maverick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUfEy4FfVmM

stickguy

Well, the dealership in North Philly wasn’t quite like that. But now I will be calling myself Johnny Mav for short.

graphicguy

28firefighter said:

I have an irrationally strong want for this.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/d/snohomish-1994-acura-legend-gs/7439385814.html

Not irrational at all. It’s a legendary Acura Legend. (See what I did there? Groan!)

ab348

I always thought the latter-year versions of these were something that could have been built even longer, much like Land Rover. I discovered this operation that deals in Cherokees exclusively. Business looks very good as they seem to have little inventory.

https://davisautosports.com/cheorkee-xj-for-sale

[Deleted User]

Wasn't there another company doing something similar with the old Grand Wagoneers? I've seen a few go through the auctions on TV pulling some serious do-ray-me. I found one: https://vigilante4x4.com/

au1994

The XJ does have its own cult following. They can take a phenomenal amount of abuse on the trail and the aftermarket is quite healthy in typical Jeep fashion.

https://wagonmaster.com/

This group has been around for a while. If it grew on tree’s I’d be there in a second.

In other news, my BiL ordered a Grand Cherokee 4xe. I think it came in at $61k. No word on when he might see it.

qbrozen

My TRX "has landed." Not sure when it will be ready to pick up. Maybe EOW.

Here is my quandry: I'm still not sure how I will handle the money. On one hand, I was thinking of paying cash, but that involves a much bigger tax hit than leasing. I'm not sure, however, what the acq fee is for my region for Ram right now, and that may even change this week with the new numbers. Cash would help with a quicker turnaround, as well, and squash any issues with 3rd-party lease buyout. BUT, then it leaves me without enough cash on hand to pull off a one-pay lease on the Wrangler if it should happen to arrive before I sell the Ram. If I lease the Ram, it is a big credit weight and could take as long as 2 mos before everything is settled and I can sell. It would leave me the ability to one-pay the Wrangler, but it is possible I wouldn't even get approved with such a large Ram lease on file. What about a relatively large cap reduction?

Opinions?

28firefighter

I'll save the suspense - given what I've seen on LH and some of the wrangler forums, I'd expect if you lease the TRX you will not get approved on the 4xE.

Seems like the tax hit would be pretty significant on the TRX, possibly eating up all your profit, right?

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

I'll save the suspense - given what I've seen on LH and some of the wrangler forums, I'd expect if you lease the TRX you will not get approved on the 4xE.

Seems like the tax hit would be pretty significant on the TRX, possibly eating up all your profit, right?

Ha. No, not even close. I'm expecting around $15k net. Extra tax would be $3k vs whatever the acq fee is.

If they approve me by myself on the TRX, the 4xe could go under the wife's name. Or, worst case scenario, I have to pass on the Chapman 4xe and await the one I have on order in DC, which is still in the "gathering parts" stage, and it is the one I'd want to keep anyway.

I may not have a choice anymore as I just saw the Amex bill from Xmas. Lol.

I could do a one-pay on the Ram, but, if I'm not mistaken, that means I need to expect a refund check from CCAP on the unused interest after the lease is bought out. Is that correct? Or do they deduct that amount from the buyout??

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

I'll save the suspense - given what I've seen on LH and some of the wrangler forums, I'd expect if you lease the TRX you will not get approved on the 4xE.

Seems like the tax hit would be pretty significant on the TRX, possibly eating up all your profit, right?

Ha. No, not even close. I'm expecting around $15k net. Extra tax would be $3k vs whatever the acq fee is.

If they approve me by myself on the TRX, the 4xe could go under the wife's name. Or, worst case scenario, I have to pass on the Chapman 4xe and await the one I have on order in DC, which is still in the "gathering parts" stage, and it is the one I'd want to keep anyway.

I may not have a choice anymore as I just saw the Amex bill from Xmas. Lol.

I could do a one-pay on the Ram, but, if I'm not mistaken, that means I need to expect a refund check from CCAP on the unused interest after the lease is bought out. Is that correct? Or do they deduct that amount from the buyout??

I'm not sure on the one pay since I haven't done it - I'd think they just deduct it from the buy out.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

My TRX "has landed." Not sure when it will be ready to pick up. Maybe EOW.

Here is my quandry: I'm still not sure how I will handle the money. On one hand, I was thinking of paying cash, but that involves a much bigger tax hit than leasing. I'm not sure, however, what the acq fee is for my region for Ram right now, and that may even change this week with the new numbers. Cash would help with a quicker turnaround, as well, and squash any issues with 3rd-party lease buyout. BUT, then it leaves me without enough cash on hand to pull off a one-pay lease on the Wrangler if it should happen to arrive before I sell the Ram. If I lease the Ram, it is a big credit weight and could take as long as 2 mos before everything is settled and I can sell. It would leave me the ability to one-pay the Wrangler, but it is possible I wouldn't even get approved with such a large Ram lease on file. What about a relatively large cap reduction?

Opinions?

Do you have a HELOC?

qbrozen

No HELOC

breld

That's a lot of extra taxes for sure, but my opinion would be to purchase it, as leasing just seems to get more and more restrictive these days. Owning it would give you so much more flexibility for the exit plan.

henryn

qbrozen said:

Humorous side note. Not sure I mentioned it, but one of the TPMS sensors broke when I changed the tires on the Escape, so the light has been on for a few weeks. When I changed the alternator and plugs a couple of weeks back, I put in a new sensor in that wheel. I then discovered it requires a special tool to "wake up" the sensor. A weird series of brake presses and key cycles to get it into learn mode, then you go around with this electronic tool to get each sensor to signal to the computer.

I bought a tool from Amazon for $15, and when I tried to use it, the old sensor in the front-left wheel would react, but the new sensor in the front-right would not. Sigh. No real consensus online as to whether the problem is a non-OEM sensor not working with the car or the cheap tool unable to talk to the non-OEM sensor. I know I ordered the right frequency sensor, so I took a chance on getting a slightly more expensive tool ($25) that will talk to more sensors. Got a chance to try it today. Man, this was silly. First sensor would not respond to new tool, so I tried old tool to which it previously responded and got it to work. Go to next wheel and try the new tool. Nothing. UGH. Well, nothing to lose, so I tried flipping the switch from Ford to GM ... it worked. Go to 3rd wheel and try old tool - nope. New tool set to GM - nope. New tool set to Ford - yup. Go to 4th wheel and that responded to the old tool. Go back in car and it tells me the setup is complete and the light is out. For now.

I’ve had a few glitches with TPMS sensors myself. Last year, when I replaced / upgraded the wheels on my 2013 F150 XL work truck, I purchased new TPMS sensors. The originals were still working and I could have transferred them to the new wheels, but they were already 8 years old and the average life expectancy is given as 7 years. Buying the genuine Ford OEM parts would have cost me nearly $200, and the ones sold by Discount Tire were nearly that expensive. On Ebay, the Chinese knockoffs go for about $30 with mixed reviews. I decided to chance it, and went with the Chinese knockoffs. Discount Tire moved my nearly new tires off of the original steel wheels onto my new aluminum wheels, installed the cheap TPMS sensors, and activated them no problem. I was watching through the window while the man activated the sensors, and everything went quite smoothly.

But .. you knew there was going to be a “but”, right? Anytime I drive the truck for more than 10 or 15 minutes, I get a message “Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor Failure”. I ignore it, keep driving, and in a few more minutes the error message will clear itself. I assume this means that one of the four TPMS senders is failing intermittently, but there is no way to know which one. My choices at this point are to replace all 4 TPMS sensors with the right parts, for $200 plus labor, or to live with it. This being a now 9 year old work truck, I choose to live with it. If this were a new $50k truck, I would undoubtedly make a different decision.

I did some searching online, and there appears to be no way to disable the TPMS system.

sda

The old fashioned fix, put black tape over the light. Check tire pressure on a regular basis. I was almost tripped up once, looking to buy a used car to use for a daily driver to work. I was about to make an offer on the car and noticed I didn't see the oil light coming on when starting the car. Black tape was hiding that light. I peeled the tape back and found it was glowing when the car was running. Could have been a minor issue, such as a bad sending unit. But the fact the owner was trying to hide it, no dice.

corvette

@qbrozen said:
No HELOC

They’re handy things to have, especially if you have a decent amount of equity in your house.

tjc78

Why wouldn’t you be approved for two leases with the same bank? I have two Volvo leases solely in my name. Both were first payment only OOP.

I’d try the lease and then if it gets dicey with the 4XE just have your wife sign for it.

Ahh.. the dreaded January CC bill. My wife did us a solid this year and with the way she bought it was spread over two statements.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
I'll save the suspense - given what I've seen on LH and some of the wrangler forums, I'd expect if you lease the TRX you will not get approved on the 4xE.

Seems like the tax hit would be pretty significant on the TRX, possibly eating up all your profit, right?

I hadn’t seen that. Are they listing a reason?

28firefighter

They just seem to be trying to crack down on flippers/exporters/etc and I think one of the metrics is orders and finance accounts per household.

Also, just logically - the TRX is an 80-100k truck...

tjc78

Makes sense. The leasing companies are taking all the fun out of this!

Michaell

tjc78 said:

Makes sense. The leasing companies are taking all the fun out of this!

In all fairness, they are the owners of the vehicle, when you lease.

ab348

qbrozen said:

No HELOC

Maybe you could just put it on your black Amex card.

qbrozen

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

No HELOC

Maybe you could just put it on your black Amex card.

Sorry to disappoint, but mine is only dark blue.

I've opted for the one-pay. Fingers crossed this all works out. My appt is Fri afternoon.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

No HELOC

Maybe you could just put it on your black Amex card.

Sorry to disappoint, but mine is only dark blue.

I've opted for the one-pay. Fingers crossed this all works out. My appt is Fri afternoon.

The problem with a single pay lease, is you are prepaying finance charges, as well. Will that be factored into the lease payoff, if paid off early? I worry that you'll pay $3000 extra, that you can't recoup.

corvette

kyfdx said:

I worry that you'll pay $3000 extra, that you can't recoup.

Interesting. That may be a cost of doing business if you're planning to resell it at a profit.

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

No HELOC

Maybe you could just put it on your black Amex card.

Sorry to disappoint, but mine is only dark blue.

I've opted for the one-pay. Fingers crossed this all works out. My appt is Fri afternoon.

The problem with a single pay lease, is you are prepaying finance charges, as well. Will that be factored into the lease payoff, if paid off early? I worry that you'll pay $3000 extra, that you can't recoup.

CCAP earns the rent charge monthly when calculating the buy out, even on One Pay. He should be fine there.

28firefighter

In other news, I went to buy a CL Subaru and got hustled good. Car was fine, as described. Owner had title that wasn't in his name and had no driver's license to verify his identity. Threw an absolute hissy fit when I walked away and threatened me. Probably would have done more if we weren't in public. Demanded money for his time spent showing me the car - started getting physically agitated. Ended up giving him $100 to go away. I stayed there for a while after he left to make sure I wasn't followed.

That's enough for me, I think.