Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

I saw a Veloster N in Black this AM. The guy was driving rather conservatively. Nice looking hatch.

jmonroe1

iluvmysephia1 said:

I don't know who else likes Foghat on here but they were the hardest working rock and roll band in the business. I saw them at least 6 times as well as Aerosmith. But I love their lead and slide guitarist Rod Price. He passed in 2005 and Lonesome Dave Peverett, rhythm guitarist and lead singer, died of kidney cancer in 2000. I saw Foghat with Dave Peverett in Yakima, WA, at their State Fair on October 1, 1999. My arm was sore after the show because I felt so electrified and good from their music that every time Roger Earl, drummer, hit the drums I pumped my hand in to the air. Very fun time was had by all. They are numero uno in my book of all time.

Growing up just 15 miles north of Seattle I was able to drive downtown or take a bus down Aurora Ave. and see a show myself if I wanted to. Shows were at The Seattle Center Coliseum, The Seattle Arena, The Moore Theater, the Paramount Theater (site of the great Guess Who album 'Live at the Paramount' - one of the best live albums of all time), the Showbox or Parker's Lounge (on the west side of Aurora Ave. about halfway to the city from Edmonds, where I grew up. Occasionally they'd have a show at the old Kingdome (I saw Aerosmith there in 1976) or the Tacoma Dome.

Back to cars, the fact that old vintage VW Beetle's can float doesn't come in to my memory. No, my friends and I never picked a Bug up and stuck it in a tree, nor did we turn off the highway and splash a Bug in to one of the local waterways.

I learned how to drive stick in Dad's '66 VW Fastback (great light car with few rattles) but never drove a VW Bug. Hence the curiosity. But I'm not sure that warrants a purchase of one. My love of the VW Beetle Bug is fading...slowly. I'm thinking of other ideas and even thinking of holding my cards exactly as they are. One love, one couple, one car.

Peace.

Sounds like you’re about to make a prophet out of @cdnpinhead.

Question for the Edmunds mods. How many points does he get for making that call?

jmonroe

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

I saw a Veloster N in Black this AM. The guy was driving rather conservatively. Nice looking hatch.

@breld and I test drove a used Veloster N a few months back. Pretty decent ride.

roadburner

@28firefighter said:
I’m surprised no one here has driven/picked up an Elantra N. I’m very curious personally.

I like it a lot, but it’s bigger than I prefer. Couple that with manuals being rare and absurd ADMs and I have to pass.

28firefighter

There are a few available at MSRP near me. It’s tempting.

au1994

28firefighter said:

There are a few available at MSRP near me. It’s tempting.

nudge, nudge…

iluvmysephia1

I was crushing on the Veloster a couple of years ago. The best deal I could find was in OKC. I passed on it but still like that car. I'd get it in a 6-speed stick and black with red accents or white or red. Hyundai build quality is super good and you'll have that Warranty backing you up. They look smaller than a vintage VW Beetle inside, however!

28firefighter

@au1994 I know. We shall see. Working on an interim Mach E until our ordered Model Y comes in.

@iluvmysephia1 needing a warranty implies you keep a car long enough to use it. Not applicable in my case, generally.

iluvmysephia1

1975 VW Beetle in red with a 1600DP engine

Well that didn't last very long. I'm back in love again. This sample was built in 1975 in Wolfsbug, Germany, and they list its miles as only 5,225. Wow. That is low! Of course they mean the car's rebuilt engine mileage. This one is close by - Albuquerque to be exact, and selling for $5,000. If this one has spent most of its life in the desert down here, this one would be ideal. I do like the standard Bug's more than Baja Bugs, with the exception being that one for sale in Tucson at the beginning of this business week. What a Baja Bug!

But I'd be perfectly happy with this one. The hunt's afterburners were just re-ignited - sort of like hearing Uncle Ted Nugent rip a tweaky note momentarily then letting his guitar slink back to a mindblowing straight-ahead rock and roll melody like...Ted Nugent. Ted was left off of someone's list of Top 100 guitarists of all-time and he didn't like that very much.

That's OK, Ted, people that make lists often have an agenda to fulfill.

iluvmysephia1

1974 VW Beetle in orange fade-o-paint


I just discovered this Bug in Clovis, NM, the owner listed this car just 15 hours ago. If I stick with this hunt I will find and locate the target just fine. They want $3,500 for this one that they say has only 35,087 miles. This one is now my #1 prospect but the day is young.

Isn't it a man's perogative to change his mind?

graphicguy

Thinking I couldn't sell to anyone here in these threads. I'm too much of an impulse buyer. I see something I like, or am able to flip whatever's in my garage and pocket a few greenbacks. All of a sudden, there's a new steed sitting in the GG Estate.

graphicguy

As an aside, I will personally donate a Benjamin to the American Heart Association if ANY VW Bug purchase is made by ANYONE in this thread in the next 30 days!

qbrozen

@iluvmysephia1 , I'd have to see more of each to personally decide if the extra $1500 is worth it. If it does have a fresh engine, that could be enticing, but I'd want to know HOW it was built. Is it pushing more HP or not? Condition condition condition ... the orange is faded but I'm not spotting any obvious rust in that one pic. The red, on the other hand, looks like it may have some issues along the bottom edge and where the fenders meet the body (typical areas). For $3500, if the orange runs well and has no rot hiding under it, that's a steal. Better not snooze.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
There are a few available at MSRP near me. It’s tempting.

Drive it like you stole it for a month or two and then flip it.

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

As an aside, I will personally donate a Benjamin to the American Heart Association if ANY VW Bug purchase is made by ANYONE in this thread in the next 30 days!

You’re all heart. You could have made that a grand and you’d still have it two months from now.

jmonroe

henryn

iluvmysephia1 said:

Back to cars, the fact that old vintage VW Beetle's can float doesn't come in to my memory. No, my friends and I never picked a Bug up and stuck it in a tree, nor did we turn off the highway and splash a Bug in to one of the local waterways.

I attended college in Beaumont, Texas, which was famous (or infamous) for heavy rains and street flooding. It was not at all unusual to see a Beetle floating, I even did it myself once (*not on purpose!)

One of my friends had a Honda 350 motorcycle, which he "lost" in a flooded street intersection. He was quite concerned that a big truck might come along and run over it, so a bunch of us went over and dived for the motorcycle. We used a 100' extension cord to drag it out after we found it, then set it up in his dorm room, disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled.

graphicguy

jmonroe1 said:

graphicguy said:

As an aside, I will personally donate a Benjamin to the American Heart Association if ANY VW Bug purchase is made by ANYONE in this thread in the next 30 days!

You’re all heart. You could have made that a grand and you’d still have it two months from now.

jmonroe

You’ll get no argument from me.

tifighter

Last night I pulled out the second and third row seats from the Montero. As in nearly 160 lbs of seats. But it does open up things nicely.

28firefighter

tifighter said:

Last night I pulled out the second and third row seats from the Montero. As in nearly 160 lbs of seats. But it does open up things nicely.

It is shockingly clean back there.

henryn

henryn

tifighter said:

Last night I pulled out the second and third row seats from the Montero. As in nearly 160 lbs of seats. But it does open up things nicely.

I keep the middle seats folded down in my Pacifica, giving me a large flat area to carry stuff. I usually leave the 3rd row seats in the upright position, as the cavity behind those seats, with easy access from the rear door, is very convenient for loading groceries.

Those fold into the floor middle seats in the Pacifica are a big selling point to me. With every other minivan, you have to store the seats somewhere, which is a pain.

au1994

henryn said:

🤮

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

It is shockingly clean back there.

my thoughts exactly

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
my thoughts exactly

Previous owner obviously did not have kids

jmonroe1

henryn said:

————————————————-
Looks like the supreme grade is a real bargain at that station. Makes you wonder how they can sell it so cheap compared to the price difference the stations around my hood charge for it. It would be a real shame not to be driving the Genny when pulling into that place.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

my thoughts exactly

Previous owner obviously did not have kids

————————————————
Either that or the previous owner had a mighty good shop vac like mine.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

Gorgeous '98 Type SH with 63K miles just sold for $27K

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3yXjWEP7/1998-honda-prelude-type-sh

au1994

Wow, that was really nice!

ab348

At over $6 a gallon, it seems sillier than ever for gas retailers to still be clinging to the ridiculous tenths of a cent pricing.

explorerx4

Here's one for Q.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rMeLl8aZ/1992-autozam-az-1

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

A friend sent me a picture of gas pumps from a Manhattan station and RUG was $6.19.

I’ll have to get some PUG soon and the cheapest so far in my area is $5.33. The search continues.

qbrozen

explorerx4 said:

Here's one for Q.
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rMeLl8aZ/1992-autozam-az-1

I've been keeping an eye on those. They command a pretty penny here. Average auction price in Japan is 18k USD.

sda

ab348 said:

At over $6 a gallon, it seems sillier than ever for gas retailers to still be clinging to the ridiculous tenths of a cent pricing.

I agree 100%. Do they price fuel the same way in Canada?

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

At over $6 a gallon, it seems sillier than ever for gas retailers to still be clinging to the ridiculous tenths of a cent pricing.

————————————————-
Every little bit helps and furthermore it’s the principle of it.

jmonroe

stickguy

This would be a great toy.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3ve8YnZv/2006-mazda-mx-5-miata

ab348

sda said:

ab348 said:

At over $6 a gallon, it seems sillier than ever for gas retailers to still be clinging to the ridiculous tenths of a cent pricing.

I agree 100%. Do they price fuel the same way in Canada?

Unfortunately yes.

carnaught

Bump

iluvmysephia1

@iluvmysephia1 , I'd have to see more of each to personally decide if the extra $1500 is worth it. If it does have a fresh engine, that could be enticing, but I'd want to know HOW it was built. Is it pushing more HP or not? Condition condition condition ... the orange is faded but I'm not spotting any obvious rust in that one pic. The red, on the other hand, looks like it may have some issues along the bottom edge and where the fenders meet the body (typical areas). For $3500, if the orange runs well and has no rot hiding under it, that's a steal. Better not snooze.

I agree with your assessment, qbrozen - the orange one is priced to sell compared to the red one in ABQ. There's no real reason to pay $1,500 more for the red one. I don't like red that much more than orange. In fact, advantage orange for this car. I'd even get used to the small lack of orange paint on the hood because where are we more when we drive? We're in the cool cabs of our rigs! We get out to go to the store or pay the ghastly station attendant. Or we park it at home and go in the house. Mostly it's paint looks decent. I'll be doing some thinking about it and you're right, don't doddle. Last time I looked at it (about 6 hours ago on Facebook) it had 19 saves IIRC. I'll look again here in a few minutes but I'm sure it's gone up. Others are making their play on it as I type.

qbrozen

I'll tell ya what... the clean tailpipes, bumpers, and trim kind of bodes well, IMHO. I like the faded orange. I think it fits. Heck, you've got me wanting to look. Good thing I'm way over here in the rust belt.

sda

qbrozen said:

I'll tell ya what... the clean tailpipes, bumpers, and trim kind of bodes well, IMHO. I like the faded orange. I think it fits. Heck, you've got me wanting to look. Good thing I'm way over here in the rust belt.

The paint may be oxidized, quickly improved with a polishing compound and waxing. Looks like it a has tinted glass as well. I wonder if it originally had a/c, that was feeble at best but better than nothing.

ab348

QB and iluv are a very dangerous combination, like nitro and glycerin. Listen for the BOOM!

mjfloyd1

@ab348 said:
QB and iluv are a very dangerous combination, like nitro and glycerin. Listen for the BOOM!

It doesn’t “bug” me🤣😂

qbrozen

So, here's a question ... is the Gloria a punch yet? I mean, I paid for it and have export certificate in hand. But maybe I don't own it until I have a NJ title? What do ya think?

corvette

I don't have it listed as a punch yet. Sometimes, I will put ordered cars on the list as tentative, but if they didn't go through, they'd be deleted.

I had my first "dead traction battery" experience in the Prius this morning... Saw the battery had zero bars, pressed accelerator to make a right turn from a stop, and nothing. A second later, the gas engine fired up, and made a very modest amount of power (noticeably lower than normal). Not sure what happened, it seemed to hold a decent charge once I drove it a bit. Apparently you are supposed to drive the car 30 minutes or more on a regular basis, which I haven't been doing. Will probably try to do that this weekend.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

This would be a great toy.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3ve8YnZv/2006-mazda-mx-5-miata

$7800 three days out. Expect it to go to outrageous levels in the last minute.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
So, here's a question ... is the Gloria a punch yet? I mean, I paid for it and have export certificate in hand. But maybe I don't own it until I have a NJ title? What do ya think?

Yep. Money has transferred hands. That’s good enough for me. I can’t wait to see more pics of that thing.

Is it on a boat yet? Have to have all the paper work first and the dealer will have to get it to port I assume.

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

Yep. Money has transferred hands. That’s good enough for me. I can’t wait to see more pics of that thing.

Is it on a boat yet? Have to have all the paper work first and the dealer will have to get it to port I assume.

Yes, it boarded 5/16. Physical papers arriving Monday or Tues via DHL. Expected in Baltimore 6/25, although they seem to be a little behind schedule.

nyccarguy

I charged my 4Xe at a L2 charger for the 1st time. Went to dinner at a Yard House. They had complimentary electric charging. Pulled into the parking lot with 0 or 1 mile left of battery power. Walked around the mall & had dinner (no drinks). I started the Wrangler up and had 21 miles of charge. Drove 9ish miles home and plugged in for the rest of the night.

Today I drove approximately 50 miles on battery power.

tifighter

28firefighter said:

It is shockingly clean back there.

Yeah, I’m liking what I have to work with so far-

tjc78

qbrozen said:

tjc78 said:

Yep. Money has transferred hands. That’s good enough for me. I can’t wait to see more pics of that thing.

Is it on a boat yet? Have to have all the paper work first and the dealer will have to get it to port I assume.

Yes, it boarded 5/16. Physical papers arriving Monday or Tues via DHL. Expected in Baltimore 6/25, although they seem to be a little behind schedule.

Awesome. Expect some delays. Just asked the wife and she said Port of Baltimore has been backed up a bit (just like all the others)