Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

@qbrozen - what did you bid?

@breld - congrats on the Mini. I’m assuming the hunt is on for a 6-Speed manual in Blue now?

@explorerx4 - on behalf of the state of CT, I would like to thank you for your many decades of support through property tax, sales tax, & of course income tax revenue;)- good luck and best wishes to you as you move to Ohio.

@stickguy - all good things to you as you now own multiple properties.

au1994

Congrats on the Mini. Nothing wrong with a little red pocket rocket.

Good luck on the moves and closing. Hope they all go safe and smooth!!

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

@qbrozen - what did you bid?

I only put in $5k so that I would have been in it for ~$7500 in the end. Not ready to take a bigger risk yet. But, obviously, even at triple my bid, I wouldn't have gotten my hands on it.

On a more reasonable note, a late entry to the auction was a '95 Mazda Lantis Type R. Very interesting. But I found evidence of only 1 having been for sale in the states, and it was $6k. Thinking I could maybe, hopefully get $7k for it, I offered ~$2500, which would be $5k to my door. No dice. They want ~$4750. Obviously, that prices me out.

rayainsw

Breld -
Congrats on the Mini!
Best of luck with it!
Any final thought on your time with the M340i?
Just curious...
- Ray
M340i driver - for another few months...

explorerx4

@breld,
Thanks. Big unknown right now is if everything will fit on the moving truck(26 ft).
If not, I'll have to rent a trailer for the overflow.
This mover is load on Aug 3 deliver Aug 5.
Other movers were saying up to 10 days for delivery due to going on 53 ft trailer with a shared load.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

@28firefighter - congrats! I look forward to hearing your impressions.

And I really like that color.

Normally I wouldn’t like a slate grey non color like that but the red trim really makes the car stand out. I was looking at grayish-white Mach 1 last year which looked good because of several orange and black trim colors on the hood and sides. Perhaps those new colors are really just a blank page on which to install various color accents.



I see explorerx4 had the same thoughts. Must be in the Mustang owner genes.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Our Genie garage door opener won't work after a power outage, needing me to climb a ladder to take the plug out and re-insert it. It's past annoying and dangerous right now and have no clue why. Anyone else have a clue here? When I called the company, they were clueless as I suspected. Never had this issue with my Sears units in the past but this time, went with Genie after hearing positive things. Maybe I should've bought Liftmaster!!

I’d guess some sort of circuit breaker trip or internal fuse. Did you keep the owner’s manual?

xwesx

@breld said:
Quick pic of the interior of the Mini - really nice gray leather in contrast to the mostly plain black interiors in the minis. That went a long way in sealing the deal.

Oh wow. That’s quite attractive!

corvette

@breld - very nice! I am also fond of that interior. What year is it?

breld

corvette said:

@breld - very nice! I am also fond of that interior. What year is it?

Fresh off the boat - 2023.

sda

xwesx said:

And, I promised that I would have the Q7 running "for sure" by Wednesday night.

Well....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd2ENIHZtsw


I have it running! And, I managed to make it through the initial shakedown run (sorry, Q!). I even drove it to work this morning.

That's tremendous! Enjoyed your start up clip.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

@jmonroe1 said:
@xwesx, It’s always a relief when a major engine job results in a successful start. Just curious how long it took for the engine to quiet down. Those are scary noises but I heard it starting to quiet down before you ran out of tape.

Congrats on your hard work.

jmonroe

Diesel. That’s just what it sounds like. 🤷‍♂️

—————————————-—
I missed the fact that your Audi is a diesel. I guess they are a little quieter today than years ago when a diesel sounded like a bucket of bolts especially when first started. How long did it take you to get used to that sound? I don’t think I’d ever get used to that.

With a lot of the cars I’ve owned you almost had to squint to hear the engine running when the hood was closed.

jmonroe

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

I missed the fact that your Audi is a diesel. I guess they are a little quieter today than years ago when a diesel sounded like a bucket of bolts especially when first started. How long did it take you to get used to that sound? I don’t think I’d ever get used to that.

With a lot of the cars I’ve owned you almost had to squint to hear the engine running when the hood was closed.

jmonroe

Well, J, we have a lot of Subarus and old trucks in our family, so a little bit of engine noise has never been alarming. However, when I put the engine cover on it and close the hood, one might never realize it is a diesel unless they saw the tag on the back. Honestly, it is very quiet - the insulation certainly helps a lot. What you hear in that video is as loud as it gets unless I'm really getting on it such as pulling a trailer up a steep hill or something.

Within the spectrum of diesel engine noise, comparing to, say, a Cummins diesel (think RAM, not Freightliner) or Ford Powerstroke, this thing is whisper quiet. It is noticeably louder than the 2L TDI that I had in the 2013 Passat.

xwesx

breld said:

corvette said:

@breld - very nice! I am also fond of that interior. What year is it?

Fresh off the boat - 2023.

Impressive! I heard tell the manufacturers were going to delay 2023 production until 2024 due to the shortage of microchips. Glad to know that is just a myth (that I may or may not have started).

corvette

For those keeping score at home, I thought that perhaps @breld's purchase of two vehicles in a single week's time was unusual, but the Google doc appears to show two other instances of him making two punches in a single week, as well as two instances of two punches in a single day.

au1994

corvette said:

For those keeping score at home, I thought that perhaps @breld's purchase of two vehicles in a single week's time was unusual, but the Google doc appears to show two other instances of him making two punches in a single week, as well as two instances of two punches in a single day.

We don’t call him the king for nothing!!

jmonroe1

corvette said:

For those keeping score at home, I thought that perhaps @breld's purchase of two vehicles in a single week's time was unusual, but the Google doc appears to show two other instances of him making two punches in a single week, as well as two instances of two punches in a single day.

———————————————-
I don’t envy his tax bill on cars. Of course he probably subscribes to the @jmonroe philosophy on taxes…it’s downright unAmerican not to cheat on taxes.

jmonroe

andres3

breld said:

Quick pic of the interior of the Mini - really nice gray leather in contrast to the mostly plain black interiors in the minis. That went a long way in sealing the deal.

Those seats look like they are made for skinny hips and butts.

tifighter

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

breld said:

Quick pic of the interior of the Mini - really nice gray leather in contrast to the mostly plain black interiors in the minis. That went a long way in sealing the deal.

Those seats look like they are made for skinny hips and butts.

————————————————-
Well, it is a Mini, right?

jmonroe

jmonroe1

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

————————————————-
Who says they don’t?

jmonroe

au1994

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

Kinda like the old Subway punch card.

Michaell

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

xwesx

Michaell said:

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

In @breld's company, yes. It earns you a badge of shame.

Slacker.

au1994

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

Kinda like the old Subway punch card.

Michaell

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

In @breld's company, yes. It earns you a badge of shame.

Slacker.

I learned early on in my friendship with @breld that I'll never be able to keep up.



Though, I have bought one more Subaru than he has.

breld

Quick impression on the new GTI:

As expected, very familiar feel to the last version, which is a good thing. The styling is sharp in person. This was the Autobahn version, and the leather seats are nice…they added some color to them and they’re ventilated, so I wouldn’t shun them in favor of the plaid anymore.

As I mentioned, all the haptic buttons and absence of a single dial or knob is annoying. It wouldn’t stop me from buying one though - I imagine you simply get used to it.

Impressive features now on the GTI (and other VWs) - head up display, ventilated seats, heated rear seats, nice digital cockpit display. Helps swallow the $40k price.

tjc78

Punch!! This was all my wife.

Terrible pictures from our neighbor’s garage since we have to have it lowered (the roof) 3” to fit in ours

2022 Icon i6l Street legal cart (LSV)

tjc78

Kinda makes the point of the RAM null and void.

breld

Not sure if supply issues are getting better or we were just lucky, but the MINI dealer did have a few nice hardtops available. The red one was ordered by someone else who then changed their order to get the silver top instead of white. Doubt it would have lasted long on the lot, so we were lucky, since it was pretty much exactly how my wife would want one.

Since we’re repeat customers, they discounted the car $1,500, which we were pleased with. And it was already a few thousand less than the GTI Autobahn, so bonus.

tjc78

Congrats on the latest Mini @breld!

jmonroe1

Michaell said:

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

In @breld's company, yes. It earns you a badge of shame.

Slacker.

I learned early on in my friendship with @breld that I'll never be able to keep up.



Though, I have bought one more Subaru than he has.

————————————————
Hell, I’ve probably bought one more Subie than you have.

jmonroe

Michaell

jmonroe1 said:

Michaell said:

tifighter said:

tifighter said:

Has Mini given you the punchcard yet?

Congrats!

I mean, I kid, but really, you've probably generated more total revenue for Mini USA than at least a third of the marketing department. They should at least give you the tenth one free.

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

We've bought two - does that earn us anything?

In @breld's company, yes. It earns you a badge of shame.

Slacker.

I learned early on in my friendship with @breld that I'll never be able to keep up.



Though, I have bought one more Subaru than he has.

————————————————
Hell, I’ve probably bought one more Subie than you have.

jmonroe

Bought one, inherited one.

explorerx4

@tjc78,
Were you planning on driving the Ram to/onto the beach?

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Our Genie garage door opener won't work after a power outage, needing me to climb a ladder to take the plug out and re-insert it. It's past annoying and dangerous right now and have no clue why. Anyone else have a clue here? When I called the company, they were clueless as I suspected. Never had this issue with my Sears units in the past but this time, went with Genie after hearing positive things. Maybe I should've bought Liftmaster!!

I’d guess some sort of circuit breaker trip or internal fuse. Did you keep the owner’s manual?

What it sounds like is a failure to boot on the first attempt. When the power fails, and then comes back on, it does not come "up" completely. It powers on, but fails to come ready. When you pull the plug and reinsert, it boots up successfully. Why is it doing that? Heck if I know. But I have seen computers exhibit the same behavior.

explorerx4

@henryn,
Low voltage to start can result in failure to initialize some component.
I learned this with my Mustang when it generated an airbag fault code.
Once I figured that out, I always charged the battery before starting it if it sat around for a while.
Have you ever seen the Apollo 13 movie? Not totally dissimilar.

tjc78

explorerx4 said:

@tjc78,
Were you planning on driving the Ram to/onto the beach?

Yes you can do that in the off season, but the main purpose was to be able to throw all the beach gear in the bed.

Cart will be the vehicle of choice for the beach.

Sandman6472

I've tried the circuit breaker trick but it doesn't seem to work. I have to physically pull the plug & re-insert it. Annoying as h-ll and when I called last time about it, no one could answer as to why. They said to just keep doing what I'm doing when it does happen. Needless to say, if we ever do need a new garage opener, I won't be considering a Genie product!

jmonroe1

Sandman6472 said:

I've tried the circuit breaker trick but it doesn't seem to work. I have to physically pull the plug & re-insert it. Annoying as h-ll and when I called last time about it, no one could answer as to why. They said to just keep doing what I'm doing when it does happen. Needless to say, if we ever do need a new garage opener, I won't be considering a Genie product!

————————————————-
That’s strange in fact it’s downright puzzling. Are you sure you turned off the breaker to the garage door. You can verify that by trying the inside door button when you have the breaker in the off position. If the door still works find the right breaker.

Appliances are really pretty dumb when it comes to power at its plug. It doesn’t know if it’s been unplugged or that there is no power at the receptacle. I’d try it again and leave the breaker off for at least 10 seconds which should allow the persnickety component in the opener to reset. Heck, leave the breaker off and get a beer or an ice tea.

jmonroe

xwesx

Agreed. If unplugging the cord works, then resetting the power should too. It might also be an option to put a "smart" plug at that location, then you can just flip the switch in that single outlet right from the convenience of your phone.

When my son first introduced me to these, I thought they were gimmicky. Then, I came to really appreciate them. Now, as they seem to continue to proliferate in my house, I'm starting to think that "smart" is a hellacious misnomer for these.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

Agreed. If unplugging the cord works, then resetting the power should too. It might also be an option to put a "smart" plug at that location, then you can just flip the switch in that single outlet right from the convenience of your phone.

When my son first introduced me to these, I thought they were gimmicky. Then, I came to really appreciate them. Now, as they seem to continue to proliferate in my house, I'm starting to think that "smart" is a hellacious misnomer for these.

————————————————
If nothing else, the companies that sell these do-dads are pretty smart.

Jmonroe

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

breld said:

@28firefighter - congrats! I look forward to hearing your impressions.

And I really like that color.

Normally I wouldn’t like a slate grey non color like that but the red trim really makes the car stand out. I was looking at grayish-white Mach 1 last year which looked good because of several orange and black trim colors on the hood and sides. Perhaps those new colors are really just a blank page on which to install various color accents.



I see explorerx4 had the same thoughts. Must be in the Mustang owner genes.

That color(Fighter Jet Gray) and the black and orange striping are part of the Mach 1 Appearance Package.

tifighter

Cancel everything! Look what is in my inbox-

The market might be getting better, but apparently not at Hinshaws Acura.

corvette

@tifighter - that is the Acura version of the Honda Crossturd, if memory serves. Not many made, IIRC.

ab348

A beak-nose Crosstour must be a pretty rare bird - hence the collector's item pricing.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

A beak-nose Crosstour must be a pretty rare bird - hence the collector's item pricing.

I don’t follow Acura pricing but that price doesn’t seem unusual in today’s market. How many miles on it?

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

breld said:

@28firefighter - congrats! I look forward to hearing your impressions.

And I really like that color.

Normally I wouldn’t like a slate grey non color like that but the red trim really makes the car stand out. I was looking at grayish-white Mach 1 last year which looked good because of several orange and black trim colors on the hood and sides. Perhaps those new colors are really just a blank page on which to install various color accents.



I see explorerx4 had the same thoughts. Must be in the Mustang owner genes.

That color(Fighter Jet Gray) and the black and orange striping are part of the Mach 1 Appearance Package.

I was tempted to buy one just like that until I found out that the “new” car was being used as the sales manager’s personal hot rod and wasn’t really new.

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

I don’t follow Acura pricing but that price doesn’t seem unusual in today’s market.

That's what I was thinking. I found a second gen RDX with tech package at a local dealer, which even showed a recent timing belt service at an Acura dealer on the Carfax, but the dealer which had it for sale has a terrible reputation, so I'm not really interested.

28firefighter

I love cars. I love car shopping. The dealer experience right now is enough to make me consider a new hobby. That’s saying something given how bad it was before.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
I love cars. I love car shopping. The dealer experience right now is enough to make me consider a new hobby. That’s saying something given how bad it was before.

It was a breath of fresh air buying the golf cart. Recently established local business right in town. Dealt directly right with the owner and his wife. Didn’t even attempt to bargain. We know the market and prices and were thrilled to find what we were looking for in stock for immediate delivery. We had financing lined up, but his was as good so gave them the assumed kick back.

We have an issue with the grade of our garage so the one we bought won’t fit in by about 2-3”. His personal cart (OMG it’s like a luxury car) was 2” lower and he gave us that for a test for so he knows exactly what components to buy to lower the canopy.

Luckily our neighbor is storing at night for us until the parts come in. He has the exact model in red.

Radio silence from the broker for the RAM since Monday.