Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

henryn said:

You have to be careful saying anything negative about a Jeep Wrangler. They have almost a cult like following in some circles. If you really want to be ostracized in here, dare to say anything negative about any BMW.

LOL.. don't be so sensitive. Own your opinions!

kyfdx

corvette said:

Property tax on the Tundra went up from $545 last year to $647 this year. Supposedly the state is going to reduce it retroactively. I'm sure it will be a mess trying to get the refund back from US Bank.

Yeah... that won't be pretty.

stickguy

Saw my first Maverick In The wild. Parked near an XL at Aldis. Looked like area51 color. I really don’t like those steel wheels.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Yes, all the Wranglers I’ve driven have that darty feel to them although the four door doesn’t porpoise as much because of the longer wheelbase. The Bronco is much better ride quality IMO and feels more spacious.

Have you driven the 4xe?* Curious how you feel that stacks up against the other 4-door wranglers in your experience. I haven't driven a non-4xe JLU, so I don't have a basis of comparison. I just know the 4xe JLU is rides far far better than I ever expected. Wife said the same. Could be we just had super-low expectations. lol.


*With properly inflated tires.

au1994

henryn said:

You have to be careful saying anything negative about a Jeep Wrangler. They have almost a cult like following in some circles. If you really want to be ostracized in here, dare to say anything negative about any BMW.

I tell everyone that asks about mine that its not an SUV, CUV or truck. Its a Jeep. I know that sounds like a marketing campaign but its the best way to describe it. It gets poor mileage, rides rough, its loud and storage is minimal. But you can take the top and doors off, go just about anywhere straight off the lot and add more accessories than your wallet or spouse can tolerate.

The 4xe is better than the std JL due to the additional weight and less aggressive tires. Overall they have evolved. The JL is better than the JK which was better than the TJ. But its still an off-road designed vehicle with solid axles, stout suspension and usually more aggressively treaded tires. Its not going to ride like a Lexus.

I encourage them to take a very thorough test drive. Highways, side streets, curves, known rough roads etc and then make a decision.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Yes, all the Wranglers I’ve driven have that darty feel to them although the four door doesn’t porpoise as much because of the longer wheelbase. The Bronco is much better ride quality IMO and feels more spacious.

Have you driven the 4xe?* Curious how you feel that stacks up against the other 4-door wranglers in your experience. I haven't driven a non-4xe JLU, so I don't have a basis of comparison. I just know the 4xe JLU is rides far far better than I ever expected. Wife said the same. Could be we just had super-low expectations. lol.


*With properly inflated tires.

No, the company hasn’t acquired any that I know of so I can’t judge or compare. Particularly, I can’t comment on the off road capabilities which I’m guessing the Jeep excels.

I don’t think I’ve ever driven a rental car that had properly inflated tires.

breld

Regarding Rivian's announcement, my build went from something like $76k to $94k.

You can get back down close to the original pricing by sacrificing options that were standard, such as the quad motors (as opposed to the newly available dual motors) and the long-range battery. While the resulting performance is probably still more than adequate, the concept of taking away the features that were marketed as standard obviously doesn't sit will with me.

I believe @jpp75 canceled his order last night, and I'll be doing the same shortly.

breld

And yes, EV charging is a very hot topic in the apartment industry.

We have been approached by Tesla to have them fund the installation of chargers in several of our communities, which would be for public use. Supposedly, the chargers will be branded Tesla but allow non-Tesla vehicles to charge as well.

And it's obviously a big consideration in our new development.

tifighter

Yes, Tesla is opening up superchargers to other brands, because the passed infrastructure bill will give them something like 6 billion reasons to do so. Which is worth about 2 gigafactories at the moment. And Elon has already hinted on the last earnings call that another gigafactory will be announced by year's end. Scaling will continue.

qbrozen

reached out to the Ford salesperson I got the Mach E from to inquire about a Lightning order. I'm very confused with the info I'm finding online. I've likely missed the boat (no, not a jab at the VW mishap).

tifighter

I haven't cancelled my Rivian R1S reservation yet. I always thought it was too cheap...there is no way a 135kWh battery SUV should be cheaper than a 100 kWh Model S. And Tesla's manufacturing costs are way lower than Rivian's are today. Still, the sudden email to reservation holders, many of whom have reserved 3 years ago with their $1000 deposit, came out of left field to many since it applied to pretty much everyone. And no coincidence, the stock is down 13% today, or about $7.2 billion. Just seems like a mess all around.

28firefighter

Someone just posted that plastic door sill guards and leather seats are delaying Jeep builds. Womp womp.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Someone just posted that plastic door sill guards and leather seats are delaying Jeep builds. Womp womp.

good thing mine are built. Problem is getting it shipped!

28firefighter

You know what one shouldn't do? Keep putting a car they've already sold into the selling tools. For a change, values went up on the Jeep...

stickguy

I still haven’t put my new one in. Gonna let that sleeping dog lie.

roadburner

henryn said:

You have to be careful saying anything negative about a Jeep Wrangler. They have almost a cult like following in some circles. If you really want to be ostracized in here, dare to say anything negative about any BMW.

I own both- so be warned...

tifighter

roadburner said:

henryn said:

You have to be careful saying anything negative about a Jeep Wrangler. They have almost a cult like following in some circles. If you really want to be ostracized in here, dare to say anything negative about any BMW.

I own both- so be warned...

Oh, we know, RB. We know...

corvette

@stickguy - kind of agree with you on the XL steel wheels. I may paint mine black for contrast.

Michaell

corvette said:

@stickguy - kind of agree with you on the XL steel wheels. I may paint mine black for contrast.

Flat or gloss black?

corvette

@Michaell said:
Flat or gloss black?

Undecided. Could go crazy and go with gold or something.

Michaell

corvette said:

@Michaell said:

Flat or gloss black?

Undecided. Could go crazy and go with gold or something.

Bronze seems all the rage, at the moment.

sda

corvette said:

@Michaell said:

Flat or gloss black?

Undecided. Could go crazy and go with gold or something.

Nah, find some chrome spinner wheel covers and start a trend.

andres3

I'm not sure if I mentioned it but the S4 was in the shop again. Related to the engine replacement in a way.

So first, the shop owner and I had a little back and forth over email tussling and spatting over whether I should tow the car to his shop for a "low oil pressure" warning that seemed to go on at idle but went away as soon as you move.

I tried to "suggest" he get it towed. He said I should tow it in; that he wouldn't drive it. I suggested it was a warranty issue. He reminded me it may very well be a warranty issue, but that only covers parts and labor

I'm thinking... engine's under warranty; why should I waste money a tow truck; I'm covered if the engine blows..... But I'm not that evil or spiteful, so I tow it in.

They warrantied the motor oil, the HPFP (again), and said the real problem though, was the aftermarket oil housing they had suggested as a cost savings (giving me the option to save money or not with OEM). Replaced with OEM and problem went away with oil pressure sensor. The sensor knew the plastic housing wasn't German Don't try and fool the Germans!!!

Anyways, they sent the oil off to a lab to make sure it wasn't a bad batch of oil or if it tells anything else.

I have to pay the delta between the junk oil housing part and the OEM oil housing (that's fair). But there better be zero labor on this bill. Car's ready to pick up.

andres3

On the brighter side, the TTS runs like brand new again with new spark plugs, I believe my TTS is spec'd at .031" and the gap was .040 so very worn out. I drive it hard, so I suppose it's possible that happened in 19K miles but I'm suspicious the Dealership's free maintenance is less than correct. The receipt shows they claim they did the spark plugs at 35K service. They also didn't do the Differential fluid at 35K like the car's maintenance schedule suggests; had my shop do it at 54K miles.

stickguy

in the truck forum someone had a picture of their XL wheels. They kept the rim part silver, and the hubcaps, but sprayed the wheel center black. that looked pretty sharp.

explorerx4

Regarding Rivian, I'm thinking they can't produce all the reservations, so they are separating the wheat from the chaff. That is not a shot at them, although I don't know how much they raised prices.
@nyccarguy,
Toyota does have a good red color.

corvette

@stickguy - I didn't think the XL had hubcaps?

roadburner

au1994 said:

I tell everyone that asks about mine that its not an SUV, CUV or truck. Its a Jeep. I know that sounds like a marketing campaign but its the best way to describe it. It gets poor mileage, rides rough, its loud and storage is minimal. But you can take the top and doors off, go just about anywhere straight off the lot and add more accessories than your wallet or spouse can tolerate.

The 4xe is better than the std JL due to the additional weight and less aggressive tires. Overall they have evolved. The JL is better than the JK which was better than the TJ. But its still an off-road designed vehicle with solid axles, stout suspension and usually more aggressively treaded tires. Its not going to ride like a Lexus.

I encourage them to take a very thorough test drive. Highways, side streets, curves, known rough roads etc and then make a decision.

As many of you know, the main reason I bought my TJ was to use it as a parade car in the 2002 election- and to ensure a UAW endorsement. I had heard all of the knocks on the Wrangler; abysmal ride/handling, poor HVAC performance, uncomfortable seating- the works. When I bought it in May 2002 I fully intended to sell it in early November after the election.

As it turned out, my wife, son, and I liked the Jeep so much that I sold our 1993 Pathfinder SE instead. I used it as my DD from May 2002 to July 2007 when I bought a new Mazdaspeed3. I still drive it to work a couple of times per month; the only thing I'd consider replacing it with is another Wrangler- although I could be tempted by a D90 with an I6 if I had some extra walking around money...

corvette

Read a couple of articles on TTAC today... GM deleting the rear entertainment system from their full size SUVs... nothing of value lost there, IMO. Kids these days generally have numerous handheld devices which get replaced/upgraded/updated on a more frequent basis than their parents' vehicles.

And one on the "worst" cars you can buy with a tax refund. I don't know any of these people who get these alleged $9,000-15,000 tax refunds, but I'm guessing it must be a somewhat common occurrence?

sda

At least for us, losing the rear entertainment system would not be noticed. When we bought our CPO 2010 Pilot EXL with rear entertainment, I don’t think it was used more than a half dozen times in 6 years. My daughter always had a hand held device to entertain her. I’m glad I didn’t pay the premium for that system if I had bought the Pilot new, when purchased used it doesn’t add much to the resale price.

qbrozen

truck still didn't leave.

sda

qbrozen said:

truck still didn't leave.

Grrr. Did they reach out to you with an explanation?

explorerx4

Price of gas just went way up, cough cough.

henryn

corvette said:

Read a couple of articles on TTAC today... GM deleting the rear entertainment system from their full size SUVs... nothing of value lost there, IMO. Kids these days generally have numerous handheld devices which get replaced/upgraded/updated on a more frequent basis than their parents' vehicles.

And one on the "worst" cars you can buy with a tax refund. I don't know any of these people who get these alleged $9,000-15,000 tax refunds, but I'm guessing it must be a somewhat common occurrence?

I received a $15k tax refund last year, April of 2021, for my 2020 taxes. I was working contract (self-employed contract, double social security, etc) and paying in a lot in taxes, quarterly estimated tax payments. I had been doing that for about 10 years, and had the numbers down pretty close. Then I fell sick in August of 2020, missed a bunch of work, and just decided to go ahead and retire. This left my total income for the year much lower than I had estimated, and there was a one time tax break for missing work due to Covid, and one way or another I got back a little over $15k.

Which I did not use to buy a car. And I have decided to not do so this year either. I was giving very serious consideration to a new F150, $5k discount ordering from Ford, and very high offer from Carvana on my old work truck. But the list price (MSRP) on a new F150 XLT, equipped the way I like, has gone up from around $43.5k to 53k between 2018 and 2022. That's around a 24% increase. Add in only a $5k discount, when I got $10k off in 2018, so effectively going from $33.5 to $48k, a 43% increase in 4 years. I'm going to sit this one out and wait for better times.

Fingers crossed that better times are coming.

stickguy

corvette said:

@stickguy - I didn't think the XL had hubcaps?

center caps.

stickguy

fintail

Even my employer out here has a couple chargers now. I saw a Volt at one once or twice, and a PHEV Cayenne is often there, kind of an oddball vehicle in this area.

I suspect we'd need gas prices to double to get critical mass for that for the average apartment building. as rents are effectively being gouged for many right now - I doubt landlords will swallow that expense, and I suspect with inflation and gouged rent, many renters are being squeezed so much, a new EV isn't in the cards.

tifighter said:

It's full every morning. So, the only time I ever use charging infrastructure is on a trip of 3+ hours, which is not a daily event. And even then, superchargers have me covered.

Clearly, apartments are the challenge for the future. But another geopolitical gas price surge might be the motivation needed to get more buildings to make the change.

qbrozen

@sda said:
Grrr. Did they reach out to you with an explanation?

Not yet.

Michaell

Colorado guy strikes!

henryn

stickguy said:

The 2013 F150 work truck that I bought last year had very similar steel wheels with a center cap. I really didn't like those wheels, so I bought some aluminum OEM wheels on Craigslist and had my tires moved over. I like the looks a lot better now, wheels really do a lot for the overall appearance.

corvette

@stickguy - interesting, I didn't notice the center cap. The two tone look with the silver edges and center cap looks retro, but I think I'd go with solid black on everything.

jmonroe1

Michaell said:

Colorado guy strikes!

Why? Because he could.

A young guy down the street from me has an F-150 that is pretty jacked-up. LED’s underneath and lighting behind the rims too. If he saw that I think he’d interpret that as a challenge.

jmonroe

stickguy

interesting. Reminds of something I used to see maybe 20 years ago near Trenton (I think outside a body shop). But it was a 1990ish Eldorado body on the monster truck chassis.

Sandman6472

"Medical editor", sounds impressive but, what does it really mean? I was lucky, everyone knew what a "mailman" was but I'd get them thinking when I said, "letter carrier". I was your basic blue collar worker who went to college first. Looking back, that was a major mistake to be honest as I really didn't need my education. As long as I could read and knew directions, I was good to go.
And now, like OF, I work for Enterprise as a "vehicle transporter". Was hired to work in the vehicle relocation part of the company, bringing the sold vehicles to their new owners, but the pandemic changed that a bit so now we do the first part but also bring vehicles to the locations to rent. I keeps us pretty busy and I can see an uptick in things these last few months. I'm cool with that as I usually work 3 days/week but will usually take on an occasional Sunday and since I quit my Toyota gig, my boss knows that I'm ready any Sunday I'm needed. It really is a cool job as I like to drive & we get to try almost everything in the market place. I actually look forward to going into work!

28firefighter

Look at those seats! I want to buy it and furnish my office with it.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/seattle-1994-jeep-grand-cherokee-limited/7453116997.html

28firefighter

Someone save me from myself. Only $6700 upfront and the balance due in the form of spousal support post divorce.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/mountlake-terrace-2007-audi-a4-avant-6mt/7453090454.html

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

Someone save me from myself. Only $6700 upfront and the balance due in the form of spousal support post divorce.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/mountlake-terrace-2007-audi-a4-avant-6mt/7453090454.html

I don’t see how you can pass that up. 🤷‍♂️

stickguy

other than being black over black, that is a nice looking Audi. And it needs nothing! Says so right in the ad!

I actually have a really good indy Audi shop that is within walking distance too!

stickguy

Jeep seats do look comfy in a 1970s Barcalounger kind of way.

I might actually trust the Audi more than that Jeep. Though the Jeep might cost less per breakdown.

28firefighter

Someone save me from myself.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/mountlake-terrace-2007-audi-a4-avant-6mt/7453090454.html> @stickguy said:

other than being black over black, that is a nice looking Audi. And it needs nothing! Says so right in the ad!

I actually have a really good indy Audi shop that is within walking distance too!

Saves on the Uber rides back and forth.