Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

makes sense. less techy is better. and who wants to spend 60k+ on a fancy SUV and take it bashing across the rocks and getting all scratched up?

corvette

First gen RAV4 seems like an odd choice. I thought it was a typical "soft roader," although it offered both two and four door configurations. I don't think it had a low range or a manual transfer case.

pensfan83

We're headed to Gatlinburg, TN in a week for a wedding. Anyone who has been there have recommendations on family friendly activities, restaurants, wineries, breweries, or distilleries?

pensfan83

@nyccarguy said:
Took the Prelude out for a spin this afternoon. Jumped it with the Highlander to get it going. Drove with my 13 year old son about 3 miles to the Sunoco. The engine spins nice and smooth. Idles at a little less than 1K RPM. The tires are completely shot (which I’ve known for a while). They make this horrible noise even at speeds around 30 MPH. Brought the jumper cables with me, shut the car off, filled it up with 11+ gallons of 93 Octane. Got back in the car to fire it up and…. Crickets. Got a jump from a nice Spanish guy in a beat up Mazda B series pickup. Made it home without issue. Shut the car off in the driveway and attempted a restart. Nothing.

I haven't even brought mine out for the season yet. Maybe mid June. Too much other stuff going on right now.

Did you get the TB service done yet?

corvette

pensfan83 said:

We're headed to Gatlinburg, TN in a week...

My condolences.

Haven't been there since I was a kid. My understanding is that Pigeon Forge has overtaken Gatlinburg in terms of popularity due to the expansion of Dollywood (which either didn't exist or was in its infancy when I was there). The Biltmore mansion in Asheville is a couple of hours away, and is a nice attraction. Of course, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is nearby, as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway. You're also not far from the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway, both famous motorcycle / driving roads.

benjaminh

"May 25, 2022
By: Dan Mihalascu
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq sold out a mere four hours after orders opened on May 19, the automaker revealed. GM's luxury brand opened the order banks at 9 am and by 1 pm the 2023 Lyriq had sold out, Cadillac spokesman Michael Albano told the Detroit Free Press.

"This week marked a historic moment in Cadillac's journey to an all-electric future as the brand's first EV went on sale. Customer demand for the Lyriq has matched our expectations and we look forward to exceeding their expectations when they take delivery of their Lyriq."Michael Albano, Executive Director of Cadillac Communications.

....It's safe to say Cadillac is planning a production run of more than 20,000 vehicles for the 2023 Lyriq...

For customers who didn't manage to secure a 2023 Lyriq, the company opened a preorder waitlist. According to Cadillac's official website, waitlist members may have the chance to order a 2023 Lyriq when one becomes available or will have the first opportunity to preorder the 2024 Lyriq. To make it to the list, customers must pay a fully refundable $100 deposit to a Cadillac dealer of their choosing.

Speaking about Cadillac Lyriq customers, the brand’s first-ever production EV appears to be quite an effective conquest vehicle, as approximately 70% of buyers are new to the brand."

https://insideevs.com/news/588048/2023-cadillac-lyriq-sold-out-70percent-buyers-are-new-to-brand/

Seems like a good start for GM's EVs, but 20k is obviously a small production number. In 2022 Tesla will probably sell more than 300,000 Model Ys in the US.

stickguy

Gotta start someplace.

graphicguy

Gatlinburg……Been a LONG time since I was there. My son was an infant and I was still married.


I recall staying right downtown at a Marriott. They were sold out but since I had status with them, they found a suite for us to stay in that had a real live living room, with a real live fireplace.

Hillbilly Golf, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, hiking, and salt water taffy are memories that stick out.

1996-ish?

Pigeon Forge was there. It just wasn’t as big of a tourist trap as Gatlinburg.

kyfdx

jmonroe1 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

Paywall says “U no read”.

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I thought our dues were going to get rid of pay walls.

jmonroe

You have to sign up for the deluxe plan.

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

@nyccarguy said:

Took the Prelude out for a spin this afternoon. Jumped it with the Highlander to get it going. Drove with my 13 year old son about 3 miles to the Sunoco. The engine spins nice and smooth. Idles at a little less than 1K RPM. The tires are completely shot (which I’ve known for a while). They make this horrible noise even at speeds around 30 MPH. Brought the jumper cables with me, shut the car off, filled it up with 11+ gallons of 93 Octane. Got back in the car to fire it up and…. Crickets. Got a jump from a nice Spanish guy in a beat up Mazda B series pickup. Made it home without issue. Shut the car off in the driveway and attempted a restart. Nothing.

I haven't even brought mine out for the season yet. Maybe mid June. Too much other stuff going on right now.

Did you get the TB service done yet?

Not yet. I am waiting on slew of parts from hondapartsnow.com. There is also an issue with my mechanic. Maybe he's in the hospital or worse. I've been trying to get a hold of him for the last 2 - 3 weeks. The phone at the shop doesn't pick up, his cell phone mailbox is full, and he hasn't answered my texts.

kyfdx

pensfan83 said:

We're headed to Gatlinburg, TN in a week for a wedding. Anyone who has been there have recommendations on family friendly activities, restaurants, wineries, breweries, or distilleries?

Tons of kid-friendly activities. Family friendly? Not so much. Nature/hiking is the best part.

pensfan83

Thanks everyone, but not what I wanted to hear haha. We're doing Disneyland later this summer too, gluttons for punishment I guess.

tifighter

Michaell said:

@tifighter - huh - looks like you picked up your Montero at just the right time

Sweet. Retirement secured.

jmonroe1

@kyfdx said:
You have to sign up for the deluxe plan.

————————————————-
Oh, so it was a bate-and-switch thingy.

jmonroe

kyfdx

jmonroe1 said:

@kyfdx said:

You have to sign up for the deluxe plan.

————————————————-

Oh, so it was a bate-and-switch thingy.

jmonroe

"bait"

tifighter

Speaking of the Montero, a few changes happened over the weekend.
A set of 06 Montero wheels were included with the auction. 17” vs the original 16”. I had them refinished and mounted with slightly larger 32” tires.

Carplay, with forward and backup cameras secured.

Work on the interior camping setup will be next.

jmonroe1

@kyfdx said:
"bait"

————————————————
Yeah, I noticed that after I made my post. Close enough for this place, though. And should be expected from a standard dues rate paying member.

jmonroe

28firefighter

Love it, @tifighter

corvette

@tifighter - I love the old-school trip computer / compass at the top of the dash. Very retro.

stickguy

Nice job. Really modernized it. With those meats should be very capable off road.

nyccarguy

@tifighter

Looking sharp!

imidazol97

Delete

xwesx

Michaell said:

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

@tifighter - huh - looks like you picked up your Montero at just the right time

Synopsis? It is behind a pay wall.

Folks are looking at alternatives to expensive classic off-roaders like the Defender. The first gen Montero was mentioned specifically, as was the first gen RAV4.

Okay, so, in other words, "Cha-ching!" for those folks! LOL

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Not yet. I am waiting on slew of parts from hondapartsnow.com. There is also an issue with my mechanic. Maybe he's in the hospital or worse. I've been trying to get a hold of him for the last 2 - 3 weeks. The phone at the shop doesn't pick up, his cell phone mailbox is full, and he hasn't answered my texts.

Oh, no..... Hopefully it is not 'worse'.

xwesx

tifighter said:

A set of 06 Montero wheels were included with the auction. 17” vs the original 16”. I had them refinished and mounted with slightly larger 32” tires.

Majorly beefy! How are they with road noise?

au1994

Montero looks great @tifighter. What tires are those?

au1994

corvette said:

First gen RAV4 seems like an odd choice. I thought it was a typical "soft roader," although it offered both two and four door configurations. I don't think it had a low range or a manual transfer case.

Correct. No low range or manual transfer case. I looked at them when they first came out and that turned me off of them. Ended up with a Tacoma SR5.

jmonroe1

@xwesx said:
Majorly beefy! How are they with road noise?

————————————————-
Probably like @oldfarmer50’s thrashing machine with a bad muffler.

jmonroe

pensfan83

@nyccarguy said:
Not yet. I am waiting on slew of parts from hondapartsnow.com. There is also an issue with my mechanic. Maybe he's in the hospital or worse. I've been trying to get a hold of him for the last 2 - 3 weeks. The phone at the shop doesn't pick up, his cell phone mailbox is full, and he hasn't answered my texts.

I'm trying to find, get this, washer nozzles because according to "the guy" I'm lucky he passed them for inspection last fall. Not a good enough spray pattern for him. But when it was at the dealer for an alignment I asked them and they looked at me weird and said that as long as they function that's what the law requires. And that's why I hate how PA handles inspections.

sda

Does PA still require any rust holes on the body panels be patched? I remember a good friend having to patch the smallest rust hole on the bottom of his front fender to pass inspection.

qbrozen

au1994 said:

Montero looks great @tifighter. What tires are those?

BFGoodrich KO2

au1994

pensfan83 said:

@nyccarguy said:

Not yet. I am waiting on slew of parts from hondapartsnow.com. There is also an issue with my mechanic. Maybe he's in the hospital or worse. I've been trying to get a hold of him for the last 2 - 3 weeks. The phone at the shop doesn't pick up, his cell phone mailbox is full, and he hasn't answered my texts.

I'm trying to find, get this, washer nozzles because according to "the guy" I'm lucky he passed them for inspection last fall. Not a good enough spray pattern for him. But when it was at the dealer for an alignment I asked them and they looked at me weird and said that as long as they function that's what the law requires. And that's why I hate how PA handles inspections.

Is it April 1st?

jmonroe1

@pensfan83 said:

@nyccarguy said:
Not yet. I am waiting on slew of parts from hondapartsnow.com. There is also an issue with my mechanic. Maybe he's in the hospital or worse. I've been trying to get a hold of him for the last 2 - 3 weeks. The phone at the shop doesn't pick up, his cell phone mailbox is full, and he hasn't answered my texts.

I'm trying to find, get this, washer nozzles because according to "the guy" I'm lucky he passed them for inspection last fall. Not a good enough spray pattern for him. But when it was at the dealer for an alignment I asked them and they looked at me weird and said that as long as they function that's what the law requires. And that's why I hate how PA handles inspections.

————————————————-
I never heard that one before. I think some of those inspection guys shoot from the hip. In any case you need to find another inspection garage.

jmonroe

qbrozen

Speaking of upgrading plans ... I wound up choosing Inc Authority to help with the formation of my LLC. Lots of "free" offerings, but then the push starts. Oh, you need this and that and the other thing. I kept it fairly minimal and coughed up like $179.

Then the pestering started today. Some scare tactics about protecting myself. From everything I have read, since I am the only member, not all of this stuff should be necessary. BUT, Ok, I'll play the game a bit. Told the rep I'd think about it and to call back later. I searched online and found other services where they offer these documents, such as Operating Agreement and Articles of Organization, for free, while then wanting upcharges for stuff this other company is already providing me. Let's see how this mix n' match method works out. I sent the 2 documents back to Inc Authority and asked "is this what you are looking for?" I suspect the rep will find something wrong with them and explain how I should use their service instead for an additional $249.

jmonroe1

@au1994 said:
Is it April 1st?

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I’ve heard it said over the years that Pittsburgh is behind the times but even we ain’t that far back with our calendar.

jmonroe

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Speaking of upgrading plans ... I wound up choosing Inc Authority to help with the formation of my LLC. Lots of "free" offerings, but then the push starts. Oh, you need this and that and the other thing. I kept it fairly minimal and coughed up like $179.

Then the pestering started today. Some scare tactics about protecting myself. From everything I have read, since I am the only member, not all of this stuff should be necessary. BUT, Ok, I'll play the game a bit. Told the rep I'd think about it and to call back later. I searched online and found other services where they offer these documents, such as Operating Agreement and Articles of Organization, for free, while then wanting upcharges for stuff this other company is already providing me. Let's see how this mix n' match method works out. I sent the 2 documents back to Inc Authority and asked "is this what you are looking for?" I suspect the rep will find something wrong with them and explain how I should use their service instead for an additional $249.

We filed our LLC in Colorado and only paid the $50 filing charge to the state. And, ours is a partnership.

pensfan83

@qbrozen said:
Speaking of upgrading plans ... I wound up choosing Inc Authority to help with the formation of my LLC. Lots of "free" offerings, but then the push starts. Oh, you need this and that and the other thing. I kept it fairly minimal and coughed up like $179.

Then the pestering started today. Some scare tactics about protecting myself. From everything I have read, since I am the only member, not all of this stuff should be necessary. BUT, Ok, I'll play the game a bit. Told the rep I'd think about it and to call back later. I searched online and found other services where they offer these documents, such as Operating Agreement and Articles of Organization, for free, while then wanting upcharges for stuff this other company is already providing me. Let's see how this mix n' match method works out. I sent the 2 documents back to Inc Authority and asked "is this what you are looking for?" I suspect the rep will find something wrong with them and explain how I should use their service instead for an additional $249.

Just wait until you open a bank account

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

@qbrozen said:

Speaking of upgrading plans ... I wound up choosing Inc Authority to help with the formation of my LLC. Lots of "free" offerings, but then the push starts. Oh, you need this and that and the other thing. I kept it fairly minimal and coughed up like $179.

Then the pestering started today. Some scare tactics about protecting myself. From everything I have read, since I am the only member, not all of this stuff should be necessary. BUT, Ok, I'll play the game a bit. Told the rep I'd think about it and to call back later. I searched online and found other services where they offer these documents, such as Operating Agreement and Articles of Organization, for free, while then wanting upcharges for stuff this other company is already providing me. Let's see how this mix n' match method works out. I sent the 2 documents back to Inc Authority and asked "is this what you are looking for?" I suspect the rep will find something wrong with them and explain how I should use their service instead for an additional $249.

Just wait until you open a bank account

Yeah - need to make sure you aren't actually Marty and Wendy Byrde.

tifighter

qbrozen said:

au1994 said:

Montero looks great @tifighter. What tires are those?

BFGoodrich KO2

Or K-Bro 2, as the flat brimmed wearing Toyota peeps call them.

explorerx4

What about insurance? Has that been mentioned?

tifighter

xwesx said:

tifighter said:

A set of 06 Montero wheels were included with the auction. 17” vs the original 16”. I had them refinished and mounted with slightly larger 32” tires.

Majorly beefy! How are they with road noise?

I haven't had much time on them yet, TBH. But so far pretty good in town. I did order the C load rated LT tires as an E load seemed like overkill, with load ratings more suited for 3/4 ton trucks.

tifighter

corvette said:

@tifighter - I love the old-school trip computer / compass at the top of the dash. Very retro.

Yeah, someone suggested I pull that out to make space for the new receiver.

Oh hell no.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

Does PA still require any rust holes on the body panels be patched? I remember a good friend having to patch the smallest rust hole on the bottom of his front fender to pass inspection.

I know Vermont is picky about rust but strangely NY is not. I suppose if your frame had holes that you could throw a cat through you might fail but I have had many a rust bucket pass.

There are many YouTube videos on how to patch up rust with spray foam and Bondo so that it will pass. I’ve used a few myself.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Speaking of upgrading plans ... I wound up choosing Inc Authority to help with the formation of my LLC. Lots of "free" offerings, but then the push starts. Oh, you need this and that and the other thing. I kept it fairly minimal and coughed up like $179.

Then the pestering started today. Some scare tactics about protecting myself. From everything I have read, since I am the only member, not all of this stuff should be necessary. BUT, Ok, I'll play the game a bit. Told the rep I'd think about it and to call back later. I searched online and found other services where they offer these documents, such as Operating Agreement and Articles of Organization, for free, while then wanting upcharges for stuff this other company is already providing me. Let's see how this mix n' match method works out. I sent the 2 documents back to Inc Authority and asked "is this what you are looking for?" I suspect the rep will find something wrong with them and explain how I should use their service instead for an additional $249.

A LLC is a good idea particularly if you have substantial personal assets. I just went sole proprietorship with the farm but thinking back I was lucky nobody ever tried to soak me with a lawsuit. The phrase “you can’t get blood from a turnip” may have made them think twice.

corvette

@breld
@Michaell
@jpp75

I will be in the Denver area June 9th through the 11th and in Estes Park from the 7th through the 9th. If you have any restaurant recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I'd also be up for a meetup if any of you are free.

qbrozen

Michaell said:

We filed our LLC in Colorado and only paid the $50 filing charge to the state. And, ours is a partnership.

NJ will get ya at every turn.

$129/yr for the biz license. And I haven't even started on the dealership license yet. Another set of fees goes with that. Then I need 2 types of insurance, apparently.

corvette

KY does that, too. You pay a small fee every year to the SOS to file the annual report for the LLC. But the real kicker is the minimum $175 limited liability entity income tax, which has to be paid every year even if your limited liability entity consists of only hopes and dreams.

Michaell

corvette said:

@breld
@Michaell
@jpp75

I will be in the Denver area June 9th through the 11th and in Estes Park from the 7th through the 9th. If you have any restaurant recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I'd also be up for a meetup if any of you are free.

I'm pretty sure I can make a meet and greet.

Been years since I've been to Estes Park, so no help from me there.

Where in Denver will you be staying?

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

We filed our LLC in Colorado and only paid the $50 filing charge to the state. And, ours is a partnership.

NJ will get ya at every turn.

$129/yr for the biz license. And I haven't even started on the dealership license yet. Another set of fees goes with that. Then I need 2 types of insurance, apparently.

Insurance is a different story. General business insurance and workers comp insurance for our teenaged employees.

Sales tax for the few hard items we sell, filed and paid quarterly.

Best of luck - I'm interested to see how this plays out for you.

tifighter

corvette said:

@breld
@Michaell
@jpp75

I will be in the Denver area June 9th through the 11th and in Estes Park from the 7th through the 9th. If you have any restaurant recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I'd also be up for a meetup if any of you are free.

I'll be there (DEN) the 7th through the 10th. I'll have what he's having...