Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

Member needs help - extend lease 6 months, or buy it out?

corvette

pensfan83 said:

The first rule of owning a ZHP is that you do not discuss the sale of the ZHP publicly. Second rule is that you must sell to a poster in this thread.

I call dibs after @Michaell

nyccarguy

@28firefighter said:
Can't thank @breld enough for making this such a smooth transaction - probably the easiest private sale I've ever done, in person or online. And I'm happy that it is going to a great home for now!****

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:
Sounds more like work to me.

jmonroe

Says the “retired” guy who flips houses.

tjc78

@breld
Nice buy. Great looking car and color.

qbrozen

I feel left out

Michaell

qbrozen said:

I feel left out

With that signature line?

qbrozen

@Michaell said:
With that signature line?

None of it is from the inner circle. Once again, last picked at dodgeball.

28firefighter

@qbrozen said:

@Michaell said:
With that signature line?

None of it is from the inner circle. Once again, last picked at dodgeball.

Wait. You got picked for dodgeball?

nyccarguy

This asking price has got to be more than the car's original MSRP. 18 days on Car Gurus.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=638649670&zip=10451&referrer=/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=10451&city=Bronx&incremental=all&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&sortBy=relevance&location=%5Bobject+Object%5D&state=NY&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&marketExtension=include&relevanceConfig=relevance-v2&searchRadius=0&isNewSearch=false&numRecords=25&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&searchRadius=0&makeCode1=ACURA&modelCode1=INTEG&clickType=listing

mjfloyd1

Two Audis on C&D most reliable cars list???

https://www.caranddriver.com/research/g32878986/most-reliable-cars/?utm_source=facebook_dda&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=dda_fb_cd_m_am_g32878986&src=arb_dda

qbrozen

@mjfloyd1 said:
Two Audis on C&D most reliable cars list???

https://www.caranddriver.com/research/g32878986/most-reliable-cars/?utm_source=facebook_dda&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=dda_fb_cd_m_am_g32878986&src=arb_dda

Looking back only 3 years, though. So this is short-term reliability. I’d call it initial quality, personally.

pensfan83

@corvette said:
I call dibs after @Michaell

Well, ZHPs tend to migrate east so you're in luck

breld

nyccarguy said:

This asking price has got to be more than the car's original MSRP. 18 days on Car Gurus.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=638649670&zip=10451&referrer=/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=10451&city=Bronx&incremental=all&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&sortBy=relevance&location=%5Bobject+Object%5D&state=NY&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&marketExtension=include&relevanceConfig=relevance-v2&searchRadius=0&isNewSearch=false&numRecords=25&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&searchRadius=0&makeCode1=ACURA&modelCode1=INTEG&clickType=listing

Definitely a bit more than original MSRP - I want to say they were in the low-$20k’s? My brother and best friend both had 1994 GS-R sedans.

The crazy thing is, in this market, it doesn’t strike me as that bad!

nyccarguy

breld said:

nyccarguy said:

This asking price has got to be more than the car's original MSRP. 18 days on Car Gurus.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=638649670&zip=10451&referrer=/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=10451&city=Bronx&incremental=all&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&sortBy=relevance&location=%5Bobject+Object%5D&state=NY&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&marketExtension=include&relevanceConfig=relevance-v2&searchRadius=0&isNewSearch=false&numRecords=25&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&searchRadius=0&makeCode1=ACURA&modelCode1=INTEG&clickType=listing

Definitely a bit more than original MSRP - I want to say they were in the low-$20k’s? My brother and best friend both had 1994 GS-R sedans.

The crazy thing is, in this market, it doesn’t strike me as that bad!

Yes. Especially since there are barely any out there with less than 100K miles. A lot have between 180 & 220K miles. They have also been "modded" to death.

qbrozen

Trip to Myrtle in the Jeep wasn’t bad. I wound up not even needing the hitch platform. For once, the wife packed minimally.

Nobody complained, nobody got carsick. Well, maybe the dogs complained a little. Fuel mileage is pretty horrific. Started out with the average reading over 26 and now we are at 20. So we obviously have been well below 20 for the trip. Sadly, I found I have no reasonable access to an outlet in the garage here. The one hooked to my meter is too far for the cable to reach. I could get an HD 50’ extension, but that would cost more than I’d save while here.

Speaking of fuel, we went to fill up today. Found ourselves bear a costco station. Lines were 10 deep at best. I was not doing that. Went around the corner and found the first station with no lines and only 5 cents more per gallon. So I coughed up the mighty 75 cents to save myself a half hour and the fuel of idling in line. What the heck are people thinking? Talk about stepping over a dollar to save a dime.

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@jmonroe1 said:

Sounds more like work to me.

jmonroe

Says the “retired” guy who flips houses.

Now that we’ve started work on flip #4, I’ve decided to take on more of an executive role in our biz. I don’t do any of the heavy lifting. I just directed the young guys (friends of Grandson #1) doing the demo work how to go about doing that and how to pack the dumpster to make the best use of the space. I never thought an index finger could get so sore from just pointing.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

This asking price has got to be more than the car's original MSRP. 18 days on Car Gurus.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=638649670&zip=10451&referrer=/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=10451&city=Bronx&incremental=all&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&sortBy=relevance&location=%5Bobject+Object%5D&state=NY&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&marketExtension=include&relevanceConfig=relevance-v2&searchRadius=0&isNewSearch=false&numRecords=25&searchByDma=false&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=INTEG&makeCodeList=ACURA&searchRadius=0&makeCode1=ACURA&modelCode1=INTEG&clickType=listing

The miles are what makes it rare. Probably somebody’s weekend toy.

oldfarmer50

mjfloyd1 said:

Two Audis on C&D most reliable cars list???

https://www.caranddriver.com/research/g32878986/most-reliable-cars/?utm_source=facebook_dda&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=dda_fb_cd_m_am_g32878986&src=arb_dda

Funny that Encore got picked since it’s twin Traxx gets roasted in the press.

henryn

qbrozen said:

Trip to Myrtle in the Jeep wasn’t bad. I wound up not even needing the hitch platform. For once, the wife packed minimally.

Nobody complained, nobody got carsick. Well, maybe the dogs complained a little. Fuel mileage is pretty horrific. Started out with the average reading over 26 and now we are at 20. So we obviously have been well below 20 for the trip. Sadly, I found I have no reasonable access to an outlet in the garage here. The one hooked to my meter is too far for the cable to reach. I could get an HD 50’ extension, but that would cost more than I’d save while here.

Speaking of fuel, we went to fill up today. Found ourselves bear a costco station. Lines were 10 deep at best. I was not doing that. Went around the corner and found the first station with no lines and only 5 cents more per gallon. So I coughed up the mighty 75 cents to save myself a half hour and the fuel of idling in line. What the heck are people thinking? Talk about stepping over a dollar to save a dime.

I have observed similar behavior myself, and it always amazes me. Some people are just obsessed with getting the lowest possible price.

ronsteve

@henryn said:
I have observed similar behavior myself, and it always amazes me. Some people are just obsessed with getting the lowest possible price.

If it was only a nickel per gallon difference I definitely wouldn’t waste the time! I pick my spots for getting gas at Costco, and around here I’m usually saving 50-60 cents a gallon.

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
I know they are cheap but those rooftop bags are not very aerodynamic.
One time one of my BIL's met his neighbor in Florida and they decided to drive back together.
They both had V8 4WD Explorers, but my BIL had a hard rooftop box and the neighbor a soft one.
The neighbor always had to stop to fill up first and took 5 more gallons of gas at each stop.

jmonroe1

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

Trip to Myrtle in the Jeep wasn’t bad. I wound up not even needing the hitch platform. For once, the wife packed minimally.

Nobody complained, nobody got carsick. Well, maybe the dogs complained a little. Fuel mileage is pretty horrific. Started out with the average reading over 26 and now we are at 20. So we obviously have been well below 20 for the trip. Sadly, I found I have no reasonable access to an outlet in the garage here. The one hooked to my meter is too far for the cable to reach. I could get an HD 50’ extension, but that would cost more than I’d save while here.

Speaking of fuel, we went to fill up today. Found ourselves bear a costco station. Lines were 10 deep at best. I was not doing that. Went around the corner and found the first station with no lines and only 5 cents more per gallon. So I coughed up the mighty 75 cents to save myself a half hour and the fuel of idling in line. What the heck are people thinking? Talk about stepping over a dollar to save a dime.

I have observed similar behavior myself, and it always amazes me. Some people are just obsessed with getting the lowest possible price.

I’ll never understand how people will drive to the other end of the county to save 2 cents on a gallon of gas.

I don’t belong to Costco because it’s at least 10 miles from me but I do belong to Sam’s that is less than 4 miles from me. Anytime I see the sign for gas as I enter the Sam’s store it’s never more than 3 cents less per gallon than the Marathon station I use that is almost always on my return path when going home which NEVER has a line to get gas. And I know Marathon is top tier gas, not sure about Sam’s. Maybe I’m more affluent than I give myself credit for.

jmonroe

benjaminh

My local Costco in is selling regular at $3.81, while the Thornton's gas station a few blocks away is at 4.07. Our CR-V only takes a little more than 11 gallons in a typical fill-up, but that's still $3 per tank. The Costco card that you have to use anyway saves an additional 4%, so we save about $4.60 per tank at current prices. I haven't actually calculated it before now, but that's more than I thought. We fill that car up about 40 times a year, which means a savings of about $180 a year. Especially with inflation as it is every little bit helps.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Can't thank @breld enough for making this such a smooth transaction - probably the easiest private sale I've ever done, in person or online. And I'm happy that it is going to a great home!

For a minute or two, anyway.

laurasdada

Picking the time to go to Costco is key; Friday nights worked well for me. Rarely a long wait (sometimes none), and now with the PHEV, no gas burning if I have to wait. But, Costco is now the old boss. BJs or GasBuddy guidance, meet the new boss.

tifighter

Bad news for welders-

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

Trip to Myrtle in the Jeep wasn’t bad. I wound up not even needing the hitch platform. For once, the wife packed minimally.

Nobody complained, nobody got carsick. Well, maybe the dogs complained a little. Fuel mileage is pretty horrific. Started out with the average reading over 26 and now we are at 20. So we obviously have been well below 20 for the trip. Sadly, I found I have no reasonable access to an outlet in the garage here. The one hooked to my meter is too far for the cable to reach. I could get an HD 50’ extension, but that would cost more than I’d save while here.

Speaking of fuel, we went to fill up today. Found ourselves bear a costco station. Lines were 10 deep at best. I was not doing that. Went around the corner and found the first station with no lines and only 5 cents more per gallon. So I coughed up the mighty 75 cents to save myself a half hour and the fuel of idling in line. What the heck are people thinking? Talk about stepping over a dollar to save a dime.

I have observed similar behavior myself, and it always amazes me. Some people are just obsessed with getting the lowest possible price.

I’ll never understand how people will drive to the other end of the county to save 2 cents on a gallon of gas.

I don’t belong to Costco because it’s at least 10 miles from me but I do belong to Sam’s that is less than 4 miles from me. Anytime I see the sign for gas as I enter the Sam’s store it’s never more than 3 cents less per gallon than the Marathon station I use that is almost always on my return path when going home which NEVER has a line to get gas. And I know Marathon is top tier gas, not sure about Sam’s. Maybe I’m more affluent than I give myself credit for.

jmonroe

I look at the gas price app and stop at one station or the other as I’m running errands. Most time it works out that I’ll be passing the less expensive station and I’ll stop.

Today however, I was looking at the app and a station a good 20 miles away had PUG for about 40 cents less. Fortunately, the one car that requires premium is overdue for a joy ride.

au1994

tifighter said:

Bad news for welders-

They are robots anyway.

ab348

au1994 said:

tifighter said:

Bad news for welders-

They are robots anyway.

Elon better watch out. I wouldn't want to have a few hundred robot welders gunning for me.

andres3

Sometimes going for cheaper gas gives you a good excuse to drive a fun car some extra miles.

Also, it is to spite the gouging owner of the more local gas station.

Similar to driving 100-120 miles to save $200-$400 bucks on an automobile at a dealership in LA when the ones in San Diego think there's an oligopoly.

corvette

ab348 said:

Elon better watch out. I wouldn't want to have a few hundred robot welders gunning for me.

He's not worried. Also, on a completely unrelated note, he says to wish everyone a happy April 20.

benjaminh

The names VW uses from my pov don't help US sales. I.D. Buzz? Buzz sort of equals Bus? I.D.4? What does the 4 stand for? I.D.=identification? Some of their other names like Arteon also seem puzzling to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5lDAX_3474

kyfdx

benjaminh said:

The names VW uses from my pov don't help US sales. I.D. Buzz? Buzz sort of equals Bus? I.D.4? What does the 4 stand for? I.D.=identification? Some of their other names like Arteon also seem puzzling to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5lDAX_3474

All their EVs use the ID designation: Intelligent Design

Sandman6472

Picked up brand new Mitsubishi's at the local dealer yesterday and the day before, it was Mazda CX-5's, so we are buying new vehicles when we can. Last couple of weeks, tractor trailers were dropping of Ford Escape's, Edge's & Mustang convertibles. Our sold lot is slowly emptying out, a good thing. Plenty of folks renting so now, just waiting on the chip shortage to end but no one has a real handle on when that might happen.
Worked with other groups these last couple of days as our lead has called out twice already. Gotta a strong feeling that his days with us are numbered as he was taking calls from jobs he found on Indeed.com last week. But do get it as he's a young kid, under 40, working a couple part time gigs and now working over 40 hours combined. Only trouble is he gets no health benefits as he's a part timer at both gigs. Sure, he's pretty healthy but, we all need health insurance. And not being in a committed relationship currently means he can stay the course. But after hearing bits & pieces of his phones calls last week, think his days with us are truly numbered. But since our fourth driver in our team left last month, figured it's just a matter of time till we see some more changes at work. So, we'll just see what happens & luckily, all the other folks are pretty nice people so I'm not worried about changing work teams. Going forward though, not going to be so open about my private life as sometimes, it can come back to bite ya. Best to tell folks as little as possible!

breld

For VW’s EVs I prefer the names over the numerical designations. Not saying they’re the best names, but I liked the ID Crozz concept name over ID.4. And as quirky as it is, I don’t think the ID.Buzz should turn into something as non descriptive as ID.5.

graphicguy

You’re now a Buckeye! Welcome!

explorerx4 said:

Back from adventures in Ohio.

Currently we live in a five-four-and a door center hall colonial, but we are moving to Ohio to be closer to the grandkids.
New house under construction is basically a 3-2 ranch with a loft area that has an additional bedroom and full bath.

While we were their we picked out the granite, carpeting and flooring. So many choices. Made my head spin.

Towed a one way U-Haul trailer out there and put the contents in some rental storage, also U-Haul.
If I tow again, I'm going to get a tow bar with a 4 inch drop instead of the 2 inch drop I have now.
Trailer was tipped back even when loaded.
Also, some tow bar insulators to quiet the hitch, especially when empty.
Explorer, 4 cyl turbo, towed great. Kept speed to 65. got about 18 MPG in Tow/Haul mode.
Adaptive cruise is really great for towing.
When the trailer was hooked up, BLIS, rear view camera, reverse sensors and cross traffic alert were all automatically disabled. It does let you 'save' the trailer. Not sure what that does.
Brought back a bunch of wardrobe and small and medium boxes, filled just about the whole cargo area.
Wasn't able to use the rear view mirror the whole trip there and back.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

You’re now a Buckeye! Welcome!

I think you can get a shot for that...

explorerx4

@graphicguy,
I'm getting there, will be a few more months before we actually move, estimated mid July.
Will probably make another trip or 2 out there before then.

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

You’re now a Buckeye! Welcome!

explorerx4 said:

Back from adventures in Ohio.

Currently we live in a five-four-and a door center hall colonial, but we are moving to Ohio to be closer to the grandkids.
New house under construction is basically a 3-2 ranch with a loft area that has an additional bedroom and full bath.

While we were their we picked out the granite, carpeting and flooring. So many choices. Made my head spin.

Towed a one way U-Haul trailer out there and put the contents in some rental storage, also U-Haul.
If I tow again, I'm going to get a tow bar with a 4 inch drop instead of the 2 inch drop I have now.
Trailer was tipped back even when loaded.
Also, some tow bar insulators to quiet the hitch, especially when empty.
Explorer, 4 cyl turbo, towed great. Kept speed to 65. got about 18 MPG in Tow/Haul mode.
Adaptive cruise is really great for towing.
When the trailer was hooked up, BLIS, rear view camera, reverse sensors and cross traffic alert were all automatically disabled. It does let you 'save' the trailer. Not sure what that does.
Brought back a bunch of wardrobe and small and medium boxes, filled just about the whole cargo area.
Wasn't able to use the rear view mirror the whole trip there and back.

I’d say he’s a tax dodger. He’s already mentioned how he’ll be saving on taxes compared to the rich folks in Connecticut. Maybe being a tax dodger is the first step towards tax cheating. Would be nice to have a little company in here.

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

@jmonroe1 said:
I’d say he’s a tax dodger. He’s already mentioned how he’ll be saving on taxes compared to the rich folks in Connecticut. Maybe being a tax dodger is the first step towards tax cheating. Would be nice to have a little company in here.

jmonroe

My wife is a CPA / MBA so I’m out

breld

Picking up the X5 this afternoon, and supposedly the ZHP is to be delivered today.

It's like a holiday!

au1994

breld said:

Picking up the X5 this afternoon, and supposedly the ZHP is to be delivered today.

It's like a holiday!

You should wear some lederhosen in celebration.

ab348

au1994 said:

breld said:

Picking up the X5 this afternoon, and supposedly the ZHP is to be delivered today.

It's like a holiday!

You should wear some lederhosen in celebration.

Or play this while it is being rolled off the truck.

https://youtu.be/s2IaFaJrmno

benjaminh

Edmunds gives a full test to this $170k car and likes it, although the real world highway range is 505 rather than the advertised 520.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj9-fkJJH70

breld

ZHP has been delivered and is sitting in its new home. Fits in well and is the final piece of the fleet (for now). Thanks @28firefighter!

The shippers don’t give you much advanced notice of pickup and delivery, but I have to say it was a very smooth process. Worth it over the flight and 20 hour drive home that I was contemplating.

au1994

Said in my best Chandler Bing voice “could that car BE any shinier?”

28firefighter

au1994 said:

Said in my best Chandler Bing voice “could that car BE any shinier?”

Actually, yes, it can. We had a run of spring here over the last few weeks and it is covered in pollen (by my standards) just from when the garage was opened pulling the Tesla in and out.

au1994

28firefighter said:

au1994 said:

Said in my best Chandler Bing voice “could that car BE any shinier?”

Actually, yes, it can. We had a run of spring here over the last few weeks and it is covered in pollen (by my standards) just from when the garage was opened pulling the Tesla in and out.

Getting to the end of the season here in GA. I just don’t even bother to wash for about 4-6 weeks and it kills me.

ab348

Another big recall, this time from Ford, for 2021 pickup wiper arms, apparently every single one of them:

https://www.cars.com/articles/unarmed-and-dangerous-ford-lincoln-recall-653000-vehicles-for-windshield-wipers-449384/

Sounds like cost-cutting that went too far.