Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

Michaell said:

If I'm reading your signature block right, I count 7 in the fleet, with two more on the way (and, that's excluding the ML63).

Not everything needs a garage spot. Fiat, WRX, and Coronet in the 3-car; Volvo and Charger in the new garage; Escape (too late now to protect it) and Jeep (because charging) outside. Maybe she'd want the Sprinter in the new garage ... but that would require higher roof and door. hmmm... hadn't thought of that. I have no idea how long the Jeep will be with me anyway. It is quite possible it will go away when the Sprinter arrives. Maybe. Possibly.

I would check zoning, of course, but I've heard rumors they don't care about garages in my town.

henryn

I bought one of those, back around 2007 or 2008 when I was living out in the country. 24 feet wide, 50 feet long, with two roll up doors and one walk door. Including the concrete slab, it was about $16k. But that was 15 years ago.

And that included the installation, a crew showed up and erected the building in one day. A very good investment, in my opinion. When we sold that place a few years later, the appraiser told me the building added about $20 to $25k to the price.

andres3

mjfloyd1 said:

@andres3 said:

I'm not sure those features are worth $500 at brand new purchase, and certainly not worth another $500 to calibrate every 3 years or so.

You should have your Indy do the alignment and recalibration. That will increase the value of your car due to their excellent reputation 😂🤣

I don't know about that but it will certainly be cheaper adding to the bottom line.

andres3

explorerx4 said:

@corvette,
When is it not 'nice'?

When it hits the BRAKES for no "legitimate" reason when I'm changing lanes.

ab348

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:

corvette said:

Is it really a four car if it's 36' long? Maybe four shorter cars. Definitely not two Sprinters nose to nose.

If I own 2 sprinters, I'd better be a fleet service.
Even my monstrous Coronet is a hair under 17', so I figured 36' overall is enough.
And, realistically, it would probably only ever have 2 cars in it. The rear half would be all the tractors, bikes, mowers, and whatever else. At which point, the 3-car attached garage would actually have 3 cars!

If I'm reading your signature block right, I count 7 in the fleet, with two more on the way (and, that's excluding the ML63).

I'm guessing he figures at least 2 vehicles will always be in the shop.

explorerx4

@andres3,
Some systems are better than others. Mine has gotten tripped up a few times but overall works very well.
Even the most aggressive setting does leave more room to the vehicle in front of mine than I would prefer.

corvette

@explorerx4 @andres3 - yeah, that's the other thing, if you are approaching a slower moving vehicle and getting ready to change lanes or even in the process of same, it will sometimes trip and hit the brakes.

andres3

qbrozen said:

I may take the money and build a garage.
This popped up as an ad for me. $14k'ish for a 4-car garage with doors on both ends. Well, OK, door openings. Suppose I gotta add cost for the doors, and then there is the concrete slab under it. And electrical. I guess maybe $22k or so all-in.
https://www.versatube.com/building-kits/garages-buildings/frontier-garage-24-w-x-36-l-x-9-h

29 gauge sheet metal.... that's like paper thin. I'd ask what the upgrade cost is for something that doesn't get dented while playing ping pong and/or Badminton.

andres3

corvette said:

@explorerx4 @andres3 - yeah, that's the other thing, if you are approaching a slower moving vehicle and getting ready to change lanes or even in the process of same, it will sometimes trip and hit the brakes.

I HATE the feature. I HATE most nanny features. I'm sure some are better than others, and the VW is probably set on a "sensitive/conservative" setting rather than aggressive, but I don't know how to change it. Especially active nanny features are hated. Fortunately, other than the Tiguan (wife's car), and free Audi loaners, I've avoided them.

corvette

False alarm on Maverick production being suspended. The CSR was confusing "ordering" with "production."

henryn

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

I may take the money and build a garage.
This popped up as an ad for me. $14k'ish for a 4-car garage with doors on both ends. Well, OK, door openings. Suppose I gotta add cost for the doors, and then there is the concrete slab under it. And electrical. I guess maybe $22k or so all-in.
https://www.versatube.com/building-kits/garages-buildings/frontier-garage-24-w-x-36-l-x-9-h

29 gauge sheet metal.... that's like paper thin. I'd ask what the upgrade cost is for something that doesn't get dented while playing ping pong and/or Badminton.

The building I had was the default sheet metal, so probably 29 gauge. I did specify the heavier tubes for the framing, 12 gauge instead of 14 if I recall. My present carport is the default sheet metal and the default tube frame, and it has held up very well for the last 7 or 8 years. Will it survive a hurricane? H___ no, but then neither will anything else around here.

If you want hurricane proof, you need to move to Minnesota.

nyccarguy

Guy on Long Island with a 56K mile 2000 White Type SH Prelude in excellent shape that needed the timing belt, water pump, balance shaft seal… service that mine does sold rather quickly. The dude was asking $12K.

Another guy on Long Island has a ‘96 Si Automatic (4th Gen) with 95K ish miles. He was asking $10K and has slowly dropped his price to under $9K…

au1994

nyccarguy said:

Guy on Long Island with a 56K mile 2000 White Type SH Prelude in excellent shape that needed the timing belt, water pump, balance shaft seal… service that mine does sold rather quickly. The dude was asking $12K.

Another guy on Long Island has a ‘96 Si Automatic (4th Gen) with 95K ish miles. He was asking $10K and has slowly dropped his price to under $9K…

Based on my experience with my ZHP, if you sell the Prelude you will immediately and forever regret it. It’s not like a person or pet that you miss every day but when I see one on the street or a beautiful one pops up on BaT it sets off some serious pangs of regret.

corvette

@nyccarguy - keep it unless you really need the cash. When you want to buy an identical one five or ten years later, they will be even more rare and expensive.

nyccarguy

Oh. Make no mistake: I’m not looking to sell. I’m just lookin “cause, you know.”

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

some funny business went on at that dealership, I'm convinced. I dropped it off Friday morn and we had a very severe thunderstorm front roll through in the overnight before Saturday. Now I'm seeing the pics the adjuster took and it is pretty obvious to me they left the moonroof open. Sigh. I need to go over there to get stuff out of the truck, at which point I'll take a closer look. Not sure what, if anything, I can do about it. Not like they'll admit to it.

Man, that’s got to be frustrating. We’re there other signs that the roof was open like wet carpets or seats?

I once had my convertible serviced and there was a big t-storm before I could go get it. When I arrived, the interior windows were wet. Either the roof seals leaked or they left the top down. Never could figure it out.

Sandman6472

It must've rained on Wednesday afternoon because when we got back to our office around 5:15, I opened the drivers door to get in and all the windows inside were fogged up. Put on the defroster right away and it was gone pretty quickly but it led me to thinking. When I had that accident back in 2018, they had to replace the rear drivers side door and obviously took the interior guts out of my original one to put in the new one. Ever since then, when a vehicle goes past me, I hear it coming from that back door, that outside noise, something I never did hear with my OEM door. I did bring it back once to complain since the repair supposedly came with a lifetime warranty as long as I owned it. They took it out back for a short time & came back and said it's all good, nothing is wrong. I disagreed but they refused to do more.
Well, I still hear the outside noise to this day and it got me thinking. It's not the first time the inside windows have fogged up after some humid rain. Still think the rear door wasn't put on properly & maybe I need to go back and again, ask them to check it out and tweak it if need be. Since it was a very expensive repair, just over $8K, think it should have been done right and especially given the lifetime guarantee, I shouldn't hear any noise. Quite annoying and I sometimes have to close the door twice as on the first try, it doesn't sound like it closed properly. Have nothing to loose if I do take it back, the worst they could say is "no", nothing is wrong.
Just plain annoying!

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

It must've rained on Wednesday afternoon because when we got back to our office around 5:15, I opened the drivers door to get in and all the windows inside were fogged up. Put on the defroster right away and it was gone pretty quickly but it led me to thinking. When I had that accident back in 2018, they had to replace the rear drivers side door and obviously took the interior guts out of my original one to put in the new one. Ever since then, when a vehicle goes past me, I hear it coming from that back door, that outside noise, something I never did hear with my OEM door. I did bring it back once to complain since the repair supposedly came with a lifetime warranty as long as I owned it. They took it out back for a short time & came back and said it's all good, nothing is wrong. I disagreed but they refused to do more.
Well, I still hear the outside noise to this day and it got me thinking. It's not the first time the inside windows have fogged up after some humid rain. Still think the rear door wasn't put on properly & maybe I need to go back and again, ask them to check it out and tweak it if need be. Since it was a very expensive repair, just over $8K, think it should have been done right and especially given the lifetime guarantee, I shouldn't hear any noise. Quite annoying and I sometimes have to close the door twice as on the first try, it doesn't sound like it closed properly. Have nothing to loose if I do take it back, the worst they could say is "no", nothing is wrong.
Just plain annoying!

Could the weather stripping not be installed correctly? How about checking between the repaired door and the other side to see if they match exactly.

qbrozen

Insurance company finally replied and said the buyback is $4200. No, thanks. Not worth the headache.

corvette

Smart move to wash your hands of it.

28firefighter

@qbrozen said:
Insurance company finally replied and said the buyback is $4200. No, thanks. Not worth the headache.

You should email samcracc. This will be an excellent special for him to never fix.

ab348

qbrozen said:

Insurance company finally replied and said the buyback is $4200. No, thanks. Not worth the headache.

Send the insurance company a thank-you card. They're doing you a favor.

kyfdx

Windows 11? Any thoughts on whether to upgrade or not? I use Chrome for my browser, if that has any bearing on your answer. This is my personal desktop.

corvette

@kyfdx I've tabled that decision until October, 2025, when Windows 10 support ends (likely ending security patches as well). My Windows 10 laptop (which I'm also presently using as a desktop) will be nine years old at that point and will probably be used only for running Quicken, as I plan to move my documents, photos, and data to a Mac mini in the near future. The Windows 10 laptop is not officially compatible with Windows 11, although a lot of people with unsupported hardware seem to have no trouble upgrading to 11.

kyfdx

@corvette Thanks. I have an Edmunds laptop, but upgrades are up to them, not me.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Insurance company finally replied and said the buyback is $4200. No, thanks. Not worth the headache.

————————————————-

Once again you should be glad you have that insurance co. They saved you twice with same car. Can’t do much better than that. Even @andres3 would like a company like that.

jmonroe

henryn

kyfdx said:

Windows 11? Any thoughts on whether to upgrade or not? I use Chrome for my browser, if that has any bearing on your answer. This is my personal desktop.

I still support PCs for many people, family, friends, neighbors, former co-workers. I have answered this question for many people. My basic answer is don’t bother unless there is a specific feature you want or need. If you want to use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), yes, definitely upgrade. Or Microsoft Phone Link, or run Android phone apps on your computer, yes, upgrade. Or if you have to use two computers regularly, say a company computer and your personal computer, you will want to keep them in sync.

But if you’re only using one computer regularly, and your primary use is the web (Chrome, Firefox, whatever browser you like), then don’t bother to upgrade. The changes to the interface will annoy you, and there is really nothing to gain for you.

I have actually started recommending ChromeBooks for some people, something that I never thought I would do.

henryn

qbrozen said:

Insurance company finally replied and said the buyback is $4200. No, thanks. Not worth the headache.

The price for totaled cars can be surprisingly high. But then, the prices charged by junk yards for used parts is truly amazing, so there it is ...

kyfdx

henryn said:

kyfdx said:

Windows 11? Any thoughts on whether to upgrade or not? I use Chrome for my browser, if that has any bearing on your answer. This is my personal desktop.

I still support PCs for many people, family, friends, neighbors, former co-workers. I have answered this question for many people. My basic answer is don’t bother unless there is a specific feature you want or need. If you want to use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), yes, definitely upgrade. Or Microsoft Phone Link, or run Android phone apps on your computer, yes, upgrade. Or if you have to use two computers regularly, say a company computer and your personal computer, you will want to keep them in sync.

But if you’re only using one computer regularly, and your primary use is the web (Chrome, Firefox, whatever browser you like), then don’t bother to upgrade. The changes to the interface will annoy you, and there is really nothing to gain for you.

I have actually started recommending ChromeBooks for some people, something that I never thought I would do.

Thanks...

I bought a Chromebook about 18 months ago, when my inherited Macbook died. It was good for what I needed (occasional trip out of town), but I'm on my desktop 95% of the time.

When Edmunds provided me with a PC laptop, I gave the Chromebook to my wife, who likes it a lot.

qbrozen

@henryn said:
The price for totaled cars can be surprisingly high. But then, the prices charged by junk yards for used parts is truly amazing, so there it is ...

I saved the mechanic from himself/ He still wanted it. Told him I already mailed the title.

mjfloyd1

@breld - you should pick this up when you are up by Chicago

https://www.motorwerks.com/inventory/used-2019-mclaren-720s-performance-rwd-2d-coupe-sbm14dca4kw003382/

Michaell

I may start a go fund me for this.

jmonroe1

@Michaell said:
I may start a go fund me for this.

———————————————-

How much extra do you think you’re paying for windowless indoor impound lots?

jmonroe

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

If I'm reading your signature block right, I count 7 in the fleet, with two more on the way (and, that's excluding the ML63).

Not everything needs a garage spot. Fiat, WRX, and Coronet in the 3-car; Volvo and Charger in the new garage; Escape (too late now to protect it) and Jeep (because charging) outside. Maybe she'd want the Sprinter in the new garage ... but that would require higher roof and door. hmmm... hadn't thought of that. I have no idea how long the Jeep will be with me anyway. It is quite possible it will go away when the Sprinter arrives. Maybe. Possibly.

I would check zoning, of course, but I've heard rumors they don't care about garages in my town.

I'd be worried about its durability. It really doesn't look like it would be up for long-term use, so I'd rather spend more to have something of better quality.

henryn

qbrozen said:

Not everything needs a garage spot. Fiat, WRX, and Coronet in the 3-car; Volvo and Charger in the new garage; Escape (too late now to protect it) and Jeep (because charging) outside.

Do you need to be outdoors to charge an EV? I really don't know, and I don't recall reading anything about that.

28firefighter

Update on the G35:

He repaired the power steering and that’s done. He cannot find any evidence of oil pressure loss, oil leakage, or anything concerning at this point. He cleared the codes and they haven’t returned. He’s going to give it the business today and Monday and let me know.

qbrozen

@henryn said:
Do you need to be outdoors to charge an EV? I really don't know, and I don't recall reading anything about that.

Garage fires from Bolts and Teslas may not be exactly commonplace, but why take the unnecessary risk?

qbrozen

@xwesx said:
I'd be worried about its durability. It really doesn't look like it would be up for long-term use, so I'd rather spend more to have something of better quality.

I found out my town won’t allow a steel building. Looking into pole-type construction now. Not even sure why those are cheaper, to be honest, especially since I’d still do a cement pad.

corvette

Went into the service menu on the Prius to test the 12v battery and the results were not good after not driving it much for a few weeks. It was nearly dead (low 11v range) in accessory mode, and the car threw the red triangle of death when I turned the ignition on without pressing the brake to allow it to start the engine, putting a light load on the battery. 9 point something volts at that point. I pulled the battery and connected it directly to the Battery Tender. Found a date code on the side showing August, 2018, so it's nearly four years old.

Once fully charged, I plan to reconnect everything and test how it does when not started for a week or so, then decide whether or not to replace the battery. Looks like it's about $300 with tax for another Optima Yellow Top, so I'd rather be a little more convinced that it's needed before dropping that much money. Bonus: Despite my best efforts, the hatch latched itself shut with the battery disconnected, so installation will not be the reverse of removal. I'll have to crawl in the back seat and reinstall it that way.

stickguy

PS steering fluid leak can mimic oil. so fix what they can find, and give it a try and see what happens.

henryn

corvette said:

Went into the service menu on the Prius to test the 12v battery and the results were not good after not driving it much for a few weeks. It was nearly dead (low 11v range) in accessory mode, and the car threw the red triangle of death when I turned the ignition on without pressing the brake to allow it to start the engine, putting a light load on the battery. 9 point something volts at that point. I pulled the battery and connected it directly to the Battery Tender. Found a date code on the side showing August, 2018, so it's nearly four years old.

Once fully charged, I plan to reconnect everything and test how it does when not started for a week or so, then decide whether or not to replace the battery. Looks like it's about $300 with tax for another Optima Yellow Top, so I'd rather be a little more convinced that it's needed before dropping that much money. Bonus: Despite my best efforts, the hatch latched itself shut with the battery disconnected, so installation will not be the reverse of removal. I'll have to crawl in the back seat and reinstall it that way.

What, is the battery under the rear seat? I have had a few cars like that, the first being a VW Bug back in the 60s, and the last being a 2006 Cadillac DeVille.

corvette

It's in the hatch area, but you have to remove the floor panel, the under-floor storage, and a trim panel to get to it. And it's a lot easier to get to if you have the hatch open.

Sandman6472

My hood strut seems to have failed in the Golf, guess I should've had the mechanic fix it when he had it in for it's oil/filter change a couple weeks back. Completely forgot about that & surprised he didn't mention it as he had to prop it open when he poured the fresh oil into the engine. I get help now when I add more fluid to the windshield washer reservoir but I hate to ask for help. Not a big deal but would like it to work. My co-worker is a whiz with vehicles, he just got his '94 Civic coupe back on the road after rebuilding the engine & other stuff. Maybe I should get with him to fix it. Probably not a hard repair but one must have the right part & tools to do it plus the know-how also.

jmonroe1

@Sandman6472 said:
My hood strut seems to have failed in the Golf, guess I should've had the mechanic fix it when he had it in for it's oil/filter change a couple weeks back. Completely forgot about that & surprised he didn't mention it as he had to prop it open when he poured the fresh oil into the engine. I get help now when I add more fluid to the windshield washer reservoir but I hate to ask for help. Not a big deal but would like it to work. My co-worker is a whiz with vehicles, he just got his '94 Civic coupe back on the road after rebuilding the engine & other stuff. Maybe I should get with him to fix it. Probably not a hard repair but one must have the right part & tools to do it plus the know-how also.

Broom stick handles never wear out.

jmonroe

corvette

Maybe search for a YouTube video, a lot of them can be changed out with just a small flathead screwdriver.

stickguy

yeah, the hood struts are one of the easiest things on a car to do.

cdnpinhead

henryn said:

My basic answer is don’t bother unless there is a specific feature you want or need.

But if you’re only using one computer regularly, and your primary use is the web (Chrome, Firefox, whatever browser you like), then don’t bother to upgrade.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I have the 11 gizmo waiting on my bar at the bottom, and every few weeks I have to do gymnastics to not "upgrade."

Just remember the Microsoft motto: Everything's different and nothing is better.

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

henryn said:

My basic answer is don’t bother unless there is a specific feature you want or need.

But if you’re only using one computer regularly, and your primary use is the web (Chrome, Firefox, whatever browser you like), then don’t bother to upgrade.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I have the 11 gizmo waiting on my bar at the bottom, and every few weeks I have to do gymnastics to not "upgrade."

Just remember the Microsoft motto: Everything's different and nothing is better.

Also, Microsoft will never offer anything that doesn't suck- unless they decide to start building vacuum cleaners.

jmonroe1

@cdnpinhead said:
Thank you. Thank you very much. I have the 11 gizmo waiting on my bar at the bottom, and every few weeks I have to do gymnastics to not "upgrade."

Just remember the Microsoft motto: Everything's different and nothing is better.

————————————————

Back in my working days we had automatic upgrades and most of the time it drove us nut until we learned how to use it or usually found “work arounds”. I remember an IT guy once say, when he was worn out from helping folks, “just because it looks different it IS different”.

jmonroe

venture

cdnpinhead said:

henryn said:

My basic answer is don’t bother unless there is a specific feature you want or need.

But if you’re only using one computer regularly, and your primary use is the web (Chrome, Firefox, whatever browser you like), then don’t bother to upgrade.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I have the 11 gizmo waiting on my bar at the bottom, and every few weeks I have to do gymnastics to not "upgrade."

Just remember the Microsoft motto: Everything's different and nothing is better.

I've had that thing sitting there, taunting me, for months. I'm not going to do it either.