Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

explorerx4

Octane usually has a bigger effect on turbo engines than NA.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

I don’t know what the current PP involves but my Mustang runs just fine on 91 octane even with the new tune. Previously it ran fine on 87 octane.

Doesn’t the new Z have a computer that adjusts the timing? I haven’t heard of a car that actually knocked due to octane in the last 20 years.

I'm sure in normal driving, it would be fine. Magazine tests are far from normal driving. Since I would never track a car on 91, I really have no idea what it would do. Keep in mind, it could be they were testing a mule that was programmed differently than a production car would be. I'm sure you've seen, especially for turbo cars, you can get tunes that REQUIRE 93 octane and people do report issues, such as knock, if they run less, and I believe the tuners even warn against possible engine damage. It also seems odd to me they'd report knock but not get a CEL. So a couple of "fishy" clues there that something was up with that test car.

jmonroe1

My 2 cents on this bolster thingy:

If your wife likes and maybe even looks forward to how the bolster hugs her when she’s driving for relatively short periods of time when she’s in the car, you ain’t doing enough of that when she’s not in the car.

jmonroe

tjc78

Our Volvos require 91. My mom used our XC90 and the tank was pretty low. She put in 87, I swear it felt a little sluggish but didn’t knock and ran fine.

28firefighter

@jmonroe1 said:
My 2 cents on this bolster thingy:

If your wife likes and maybe even looks forward to how the bolster hugs her when she’s driving for relatively short periods of time when she’s in the car, you ain’t doing enough of that when she’s not in the car.

jmonroe

Well that took a straight left turn to awkwardville.

explorerx4

Usually the computer just pulls timing from the engine when knock is detected.

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:
My 2 cents on this bolster thingy:

If your wife likes and maybe even looks forward to how the bolster hugs her when she’s driving for relatively short periods of time when she’s in the car, you ain’t doing enough of that when she’s not in the car.

jmonroe

Hey now! We strive for a “G” rating in here.

andres3

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

@xwesx said:

No thanks. I think I've scratched that itch at this point.

————————————————

Well, after all the work you’ve done and still have to do on your Audi engine, I’d be surprised you’d ever want to say the word Audi again let alone get another one.

jmonroe

Sometimes tackling a difficult job, and successfully getting it done, can give you a real sense of accomplishment. And that sense of accomplishment can spill over on to the object you were working on, making you feel more attached, making you view it more favorably.

Not always, but sometimes.

As long as something else significant doesn't break every 3 or 4 months continually.

55,555 miles in the TTS.
49,xxx miles in the S4.

andres3

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

@xwesx said:

No thanks. I think I've scratched that itch at this point.

————————————————

Well, after all the work you’ve done and still have to do on your Audi engine, I’d be surprised you’d ever want to say the word Audi again let alone get another one.

jmonroe

Sometimes tackling a difficult job, and successfully getting it done, can give you a real sense of accomplishment. And that sense of accomplishment can spill over on to the object you were working on, making you feel more attached, making you view it more favorably.

Not always, but sometimes.

As long as something else significant doesn't break every 3 or 4 months continually.

55,555 miles in the TTS.
49,xxx miles in the S4.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
Looks like a good time to flip the Mav.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/dealer-marks-up-2022-ford-maverick-by-nearly-22k-the-price-of-another-maverick-updated/ar-AAZMIVS?ocid=hponeservicefeed&cvid=2bc649fc40e34510b88cfea4834f5c72

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

@jmonroe1 said:

My 2 cents on this bolster thingy:

If your wife likes and maybe even looks forward to how the bolster hugs her when she’s driving for relatively short periods of time when she’s in the car, you ain’t doing enough of that when she’s not in the car.

jmonroe

Well that took a straight left turn to awkwardville.

————————————————
Only when you try to make it awkward. Read my post again, I was talking about “hugging” your wife.

To keep this car related when you turn that’s on you.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

@xwesx said:

No thanks. I think I've scratched that itch at this point.

————————————————

Well, after all the work you’ve done and still have to do on your Audi engine, I’d be surprised you’d ever want to say the word Audi again let alone get another one.

jmonroe

Sometimes tackling a difficult job, and successfully getting it done, can give you a real sense of accomplishment. And that sense of accomplishment can spill over on to the object you were working on, making you feel more attached, making you view it more favorably.

Not always, but sometimes.

As long as something else significant doesn't break every 3 or 4 months continually.

55,555 miles in the TTS.
49,xxx miles in the S4.
————————————————-
You gotta learn that you don’t have to double clutch when posting.

jmonroe

tifighter

breld said:

fintail said:

Looks like a fair option load, I see distronic, pano, leather, surround view. Might be interesting to see what else it has, go to a vin decoder (I am too lazy)

breld said:

So my wife is attracted to this:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d30bfdc8-a941-4ef2-a26b-ed3376b44cdb/

2020 E450 wagon. Only 10k miles with an original MSRP of $82,610 (the sticker was in the glove compartment). Seems well equipped.

Asking $68k. Last year of the “real” wagon without the all road treatment.

Seems to be priced fair compared to KBB trade, but what does that mean these days?

Per the window sticker:

Macchiato Beige/Black Leather
19” AMG Twin 5-Spoke Wheels
Illuminated Door Sills
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
Panorama Sunroof
Active Multicontour Front Seats w/Massage
Black Headliner
3-zone Climate Control
Lowered Suspension w/Selective Damping
Soft-close doors
LED Logo Projectors
Driver Assistance Package
Parking Assistance Package
Exterior Lighting Package
Warmth and Comfort Package
AMG Line Exterior
Premium Package

My wife’s favorite feature…the bolsters that adjust and “hug” you when you turn. 😀

I do like their Warmth and Comfort package. When I was looking at the coupes and cabs, ahem, that package was pretty rare.

henryn

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I don’t know what the current PP involves but my Mustang runs just fine on 91 octane even with the new tune. Previously it ran fine on 87 octane.

Doesn’t the new Z have a computer that adjusts the timing? I haven’t heard of a car that actually knocked due to octane in the last 20 years.

I'm sure in normal driving, it would be fine. Magazine tests are far from normal driving. Since I would never track a car on 91, I really have no idea what it would do. Keep in mind, it could be they were testing a mule that was programmed differently than a production car would be. I'm sure you've seen, especially for turbo cars, you can get tunes that REQUIRE 93 octane and people do report issues, such as knock, if they run less, and I believe the tuners even warn against possible engine damage. It also seems odd to me they'd report knock but not get a CEL. So a couple of "fishy" clues there that something was up with that test car.

It isn't always a matter of "requires" 93 octane, but in some cases appreciably better performance can be achieved. Car and Driver did some testing on this a few years back. Mostly it didn't make a big difference, but on an F150 with the twin turbo ecoboost engine, the 1/4 mile times improved by a full half second. Which is a significant improvement.

the quarter-mile stretched from 14.0 to 14.5 seconds, with trap speed falling 4 mph. Tapped into the Ford's CAN bus, we recorded a peak boost pressure roughly 1.9 psi lower during acceleration runs on regular gas, down more than 10 percent compared with the 18.1-psi peak on premium. The high-octane gas also helped when soft-pedaling the accelerator, elevating 75-mph fuel economy from 17.0 to 17.6 mpg. That won't make a financial case for running 93 octane, but then you didn't buy the expensive engine as a rational choice. You can think of this EcoBoost engine's more aggressive high-octane tune as a sort-of sport mode that can be switched on or off with every fill of its 36.0-gallon tank.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Usually the computer just pulls timing from the engine when knock is detected.

The last car I saw that knocked on 87 octane was my kid’s 93’ Cadillac that specified premium fuel for the 4.9L.

All the cars in the Enterprise fleet run on 87 octane. Would some of them get a bit more power on 91 or 93? Probably.

breld

LOL on the hugging comments. I had some responses but we'll just move on.

We pick up our Rivian in about an hour. Everything seems to be in order in advance, so here's hoping to an efficient process. They offered a good trade on the M340i and since that is being replaced one way or another, we figured we'd take the trade and run.

So for the M340i replacement...after all the musings yesterday, I believe she is back on to the M440i that she special ordered. The E450 wagons are still in the running though. The problem with the Macan is that it's priced just below original MSRP. I know that's not terribly unusual these days, but we're kinda struggling with that concept. If it was a 2022, I'd be more comfortable with it, but for a 2021 not so sure, particularly with the updates they made for 2022.

But who knows...these things can change at a moment's notice.

breld

Here's that Macan...

https://www.schompbmw.com/inventory/used-2021-porsche-macan-s-awd-sport-utility-wp1ab2a5xmlb31055/

Sure is tempting...that night blue is the color she had always wanted.

fintail

tifighter said:

breld said:

fintail said:

Looks like a fair option load, I see distronic, pano, leather, surround view. Might be interesting to see what else it has, go to a vin decoder (I am too lazy)

breld said:

So my wife is attracted to this:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d30bfdc8-a941-4ef2-a26b-ed3376b44cdb/

2020 E450 wagon. Only 10k miles with an original MSRP of $82,610 (the sticker was in the glove compartment). Seems well equipped.

Asking $68k. Last year of the “real” wagon without the all road treatment.

Seems to be priced fair compared to KBB trade, but what does that mean these days?

Per the window sticker:

Macchiato Beige/Black Leather
19” AMG Twin 5-Spoke Wheels
Illuminated Door Sills
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
Panorama Sunroof
Active Multicontour Front Seats w/Massage
Black Headliner
3-zone Climate Control
Lowered Suspension w/Selective Damping
Soft-close doors
LED Logo Projectors
Driver Assistance Package
Parking Assistance Package
Exterior Lighting Package
Warmth and Comfort Package
AMG Line Exterior
Premium Package

My wife’s favorite feature…the bolsters that adjust and “hug” you when you turn. 😀

I do like their Warmth and Comfort package. When I was looking at the coupes and cabs, ahem, that package was pretty rare.

I have it on my car. Heated steering wheel becomes an enjoyable luxury, and I enjoy the heated console lid, as I often rest my arm there. On a cold day here, these along with the heated door armrest make it a cozy environment.

stickguy

@explorerx4 said:
@stickguy,
Looks like a good time to flip the Mav.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/dealer-marks-up-2022-ford-maverick-by-nearly-22k-the-price-of-another-maverick-updated/ar-AAZMIVS?ocid=hponeservicefeed&cvid=2bc649fc40e34510b88cfea4834f5c72

Make me an offer!

kyfdx

breld said:

Here's that Macan...

https://www.schompbmw.com/inventory/used-2021-porsche-macan-s-awd-sport-utility-wp1ab2a5xmlb31055/

Sure is tempting...that night blue is the color she had always wanted.

That's the next car on my wife's list. But, I doubt she'd be happy with black interior, after having her current combo (metallic white over saddle brown)

tifighter

breld said:

LOL on the hugging comments. I had some responses but we'll just move on.

We pick up our Rivian in about an hour. Everything seems to be in order in advance, so here's hoping to an efficient process. They offered a good trade on the M340i and since that is being replaced one way or another, we figured we'd take the trade and run.

So for the M340i replacement...after all the musings yesterday, I believe she is back on to the M440i that she special ordered. The E450 wagons are still in the running though. The problem with the Macan is that it's priced just below original MSRP. I know that's not terribly unusual these days, but we're kinda struggling with that concept. If it was a 2022, I'd be more comfortable with it, but for a 2021 not so sure, particularly with the updates they made for 2022.

But who knows...these things can change at a moment's notice.

Well, at least you know the Rivian will fit in the garage.

mjfloyd1

breld said:

Here's that Macan...

https://www.schompbmw.com/inventory/used-2021-porsche-macan-s-awd-sport-utility-wp1ab2a5xmlb31055/

Sure is tempting...that night blue is the color she had always wanted.

9946 miles on a 2021 that has already had two owners for the original MSRP. Are you sure that you haven’t already owned and traded this one?😂

breld

Michaell

Happy birthday, Mrs. @breld!

Nice gift you got there.

tifighter

I do like that blue. Almost a polestar truck.

Michaell

tifighter said:

I do like that blue. Almost a polestar truck.

Huh - I hadn't seen it that way until you mentioned it.

28firefighter

Really really nice, @breld ! How long before it goes on cars and bids - too much profit to leave on the table there.

ab348

That’s the damndest F-150 I’ve ever seen.

breld

28firefighter said:

Really really nice, @breld ! How long before it goes on cars and bids - too much profit to leave on the table there.

My plan is to actually use it as my primary driver for a little while to see how much I like it and whether it could be the large utility vehicle in the fleet, replacing the X5.

On the way home, my wife and I decided she's gonna try out the X5 as her primary for a while to see if she'd like to take it over and be her all-in-one.

So...we'll see. But yes, the potential profit is tempting. Though the auctions have settled quite a bit lately...I suspect over time they may simply reflect current MSRP, perhaps with a modest premium. And that's still a decent profit compared to the pre-March 2022 pricing.

breld

And I was behind a semi on the way home and caught a rock on the windshield...so quite a star before I even got it home!

explorerx4

@breld,
That's a tough one.
Call a glass company right away just in case they can stop it from spreading.
Yours is a very nice color combination.
...and how were behind anyone with 800+ HP?

tjc78

And the GoAT is at it again. Congrats. Love the color

oldfarmer50

breld said:

Beautiful. Instead of a spare tire it comes with a spare wife.

corvette

ab348 said:

That’s the damndest F-150 I’ve ever seen.

You would not know it from a test drive, but it's far heavier than an F-150. Despite the weight, I think the exterior dimensions are somewhere in between a Ranger and F-150.

@breld - congrats, looks like you might need to install a second charger in the garage! That stinks about the windshield.

carnaught

CONGRATS, to the Grand Poobah. Beautiful rig!

stickguy

Love the color. Still can’t come to terms with the front end though.

ab348

What is the stated purpose of the hatch in the side? It reminds me of the old "golf club door" on cars from the 1920s.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

What is the stated purpose of the hatch in the side? It reminds me of the old "golf club door" on cars from the 1920s.

———————————————-
Another case of what’s old is new again.

jmonroe

28firefighter

Serious question, best answered by Q, probably. Someone buys this car: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-1994-toyota-crown-royal-wagon/7512256946.html

How difficult is it to source parts for repairs (mechanically)? That’s ignoring body work…

mjfloyd1

@28firefighter said:
Serious question, best answered by Q, probably. Someone buys this car: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-1994-toyota-crown-royal-wagon/7512256946.html

How difficult is it to source parts for repairs (mechanically)? That’s ignoring body work…

Someone will find that wagon attractive. I am not that person 🤣👍

mjfloyd1

@stickguy said:
Love the color. Still can’t come to terms with the front end though.

Ignore the front end. The business end is the back where the inflatable kayaks go.

mjfloyd1

@breld said:
And I was behind a semi on the way home and caught a rock on the windshield...so quite a star before I even got it home!

At least it doesn’t need paintwork. I’d much rather have to replace the windshield.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Serious question, best answered by Q, probably. Someone buys this car: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-1994-toyota-crown-royal-wagon/7512256946.html

How difficult is it to source parts for repairs (mechanically)? That’s ignoring body work…

good question. I personally would have held out for a 2Jz since that was sold here. The 1jz never was. Could some parts be shared? Beats me. Possibly. Probably. I wouldn't want to be the one to find out AFTER buying it.

xwesx

Wow; that is one homely car (the 1JZ), done up in true Toyota "wagon" style! They were always really good at taking a sedan, slapping a cap on it to make it a wagon, giving it a big of the ol' ugly treatment, and sending it on out the door....

mjfloyd1

@qbrozen said:
good question. I personally would have held out for a 2Jz since that was sold here. The 1jz never was. Could some parts be shared? Beats me. Possibly. Probably. I wouldn't want to be the one to find out AFTER buying it.

@qbrozen - did you get the pulley modified to work on your crown?

henryn

xwesx said:

Wow; that is one homely car (the 1JZ), done up in true Toyota "wagon" style! They were always really good at taking a sedan, slapping a cap on it to make it a wagon, giving it a big of the ol' ugly treatment, and sending it on out the door....

I thought that was the very definition of a station wagon. Not necessarily the "ugly treatment", but "take a 4 door sedan and slap a cap on the rear end".

mjfloyd1

Somehow the upcoming BMW M3 Touring (probably not for US consumption) looks more attractive to me

explorerx4

The raised roof on the Crown wagon gives me a hearse vibe.

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

Serious question, best answered by Q, probably. Someone buys this car: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/bellevue-1994-toyota-crown-royal-wagon/7512256946.html

How difficult is it to source parts for repairs (mechanically)? That’s ignoring body work…

Imported “legally”? How many other ways are there?

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

Imported “legally”? How many other ways are there?

You mean you don't know a guy?