Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

breld said:

Okay…so…

Wife decided to take advantage of the still-crazy market for the Bronco and get into something more comfortable and useful for her needs. And just like that, we’re a Mercedes couple.

I have to say that I'm tempted by an AMG coupe or sedan; I'd prefer a "real" AMG with a hand built engine. That said, today I had a bit of fun with a CLA 35; it had the AMG exhaust and the driver had it in Race mode. It sounded nice- especially for an inline four.

My buddy who works for the multi line luxury car dealer says that Mercedes has the best inventory at his store. According to him, Mercedes has about 75 new vehicles in stock followed by BMW with about 35. The Honda division has zero. Orders only.

mjfloyd1

@breld said:
I’ll do you all the favor and get these out of the way…

Well, that will keep her happy for a few weeks….

Didn’t she already have a GLC (or two)?

Are you gonna black out all that trim for the next owner?

What did I miss?

You missed:

Where are you going to put the stinky inflatable kayaks?😳

mjfloyd1

M2 pictures were deleted. Perhaps you could tell who posted them by the garage contents??

mjfloyd1

This M2 rear rendering looks so much better to my eye.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

My friend in sales at my BMW dealer texted me that they had just received a 2023 M240i xDrive; it was a customer ordered car but she wanted me to check it out prior to delivery. Melbourne Red over Tacora Red leather. It looks better than it sounds as Tacora is a brownish red that doesn't clash with the vivid Melbourne exterior. As I've mentioned before, the instrument binnacle is gone- replaced buy a flat screen that stretches across about two-thirds of the dash. The beer tap shift lever has been replaced by a sliding switch. I'm not especially fond of either change. If you could change the screen layout like you can on some other cars I'd be more receptive. She also told me that they have a M240i in Status 111, which means any thing can be changed-colors, upholstery, options- and RWD cars are now available. She expects it to flip to Status 112 in the next couple of weeks, so time is of the essence. She also said it would be delivered in late November or early December- other dealers told me it would be a six month wait. My wife says to go for it, but I'm still not 100% sold on the idea.

If you don’t, let me know. I still think I can make a nice profit on the Accord, and the BMW….is….well…..RED!

sda

I thought Honda dealers only got allocations, dealers only received what Honda sent. “You get what you get and don’t pitch a fit.” Customer orders were not accepted. Has that changed?

breld

xwesx said:

breld said:

I’ll do you all the favor and get these out of the way…

Well, that will keep her happy for a few weeks….

Didn’t she already have a GLC (or two)?

Are you gonna black out all that trim for the next owner?

What did I miss?

Hey, no fair! If you're gonna ask 'em, you also gotta answer 'em!

That’s a fair point.

A few weeks? Oh she’ll probably keep this at least through the winter.

This is her 3rd GLC - apparently it’s becoming her “go-to” compact SUV. What’s interesting is that both times she has had GLCs, she either went into or came out of a MINI. So…having both together sort of makes sense!

She would have preferred the night package, but the chrome trim looks sharp with the dark gray exterior.

breld

qbrozen said:

@breld said:

I’ll do you all the favor and get these out of the way…

Well, that will keep her happy for a few weeks….

Didn’t she already have a GLC (or two)?

Are you gonna black out all that trim for the next owner?

What did I miss?

Is it any different than the other ones she had?

It’s a different color? Is that what you mean?

Well, she last had the coupe version, but went back to the more traditional (and less maligned) SUV body style, which is what her first one was.

And her last one was a 2020, just before the 2021 refresh. So, there are some nice updates to this new one.

Other than that, it’s largely the same as her previous GLCs. But after looking at the usual suspects…Q5, X3, even the Range Rover Velar, she was still drawn to the GLC.

For the record, it’s a 2022 GLC300…has the AMG exterior package and wheel upgrade, premium “lite” package, heated steering wheel, surround camera, pano roof. No Burmester, which is a bummer. But those wheels…I have wheel envy.

This dealership is notorious for having market adjustments on everything in inventory, which was a turn off in the past, but with the brand new 2023 GLC hitting lots within months and a dozen or so 2022s on the lot, they seemed anxious to make a deal. Which meant a modest discount off sticker and what I thought was a very aggressive trade on the Bronco.

The Bronco was super cool and she got to enjoy it for the spring and summer. But she decided she’d give up the character of it in exchange for more creature comforts and an overall more comfortable and practical (for her needs) SUV. So, enjoying it for 5k miles and then taking advantage of the appreciation worked well for her…She got this new GLC for her Bronco plus $3k. Felt like a good trade and she’s happy.

[Deleted User]

Those last three words are all that matter @breld, "and she's happy."

breld

The MB dealer had an EQB (EV version of the GLB) in the showroom, so I spent some time checking that out. I was mostly impressed with the roominess both from the driver’s seat and the second row, considering it’s relatively small size. This was the more powerful trim, the EQB350. Light on options, including a delete of power seats, but at $60k for an electric SUV, seemed somewhat reasonable.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

sda said:

Was rust beginning to start underneath? Could be a blessing so you can nip it in the bud and add your own treatment.

I haven't looked under there since the trip (I left the trailer in Oregon after a long day of driving, so it was just a dump-and-run), but the areas I saw that had flaked away after the initial drive home last year had light surface rust.

I need to take some time to raise it up and take a good look next summer.

————————————————
Do you think it’ll last that long?

jmonroe

corvette

I have not been driving the Prius since its hybrid battery threw a failure code in late July or early August. Effectively, the battery is providing no assist due to the error condition, and there is a 1-2 second lag from hitting the accelerator until the engine spools up enough to provide forward propulsion. That's in the city. I didn't chance it on the highway or up hills.

After extensive research, I settled on an aftermarket battery with new cells which showed an estimated delivery date in August. After ordering the battery, I reached out to the seller to confirm the ship date. He replied that the August ship date was inaccurate and that I was probably 2-3 shipments out, but offered a refund if that wouldn't work for me. He then updated the website to indicate that the next shipment was expected in November (but I assume from his email that mine would not be shipped then, as it was supposedly 2-3 shipments out). I accepted the offer of a refund and waited... and waited. Reached out to confirm whether he had processed the refund and heard crickets. The refund did not appear until I filed a chargeback on my credit card.

It appears Toyota no longer sells OE replacement batteries and may have even had a "fire sale" on them during the pandemic to try to clear out stock, so these cars are stuck with whatever solutions the aftermarket can provide. I have an appointment with a vendor which provides on-site hybrid battery replacement on Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

tjc78

Did you try sourcing one from a junk yard? I’d assume they sell them.

stickguy

they do. I seem to recall hearing that batteries get snapped up quickly (though that might have been related to the Leaf).

bigger problem is, I would bet that the majority of Priuses (Priii?) end up in the scrap yard because the batteries crapped out.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

breld said:

Okay…so…

Wife decided to take advantage of the still-crazy market for the Bronco and get into something more comfortable and useful for her needs. And just like that, we’re a Mercedes couple.

I have to say that I'm tempted by an AMG coupe or sedan; I'd prefer a "real" AMG with a hand built engine. That said, today I had a bit of fun with a CLA 35; it had the AMG exhaust and the driver had it in Race mode. It sounded nice- especially for an inline four.

My buddy who works for the multi line luxury car dealer says that Mercedes has the best inventory at his store. According to him, Mercedes has about 75 new vehicles in stock followed by BMW with about 35. The Honda division has zero. Orders only.

Wait wait ... have I missed something here?

"multi line luxury car dealer" and "Honda" in the same breath?

ab348

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

My son passed his permit test yesterday!

I know it isn't inexpensive, but I highly recommend the 1 or 2 day Teen School at the BMW Performance Center- followed by the 1 day Street Survival course.

I dunno… advising someone’s newly-licensed kid to learn to drive like a BMW driver just seems… unadvisable. 😄

oldfarmer50

sda said:

I thought Honda dealers only got allocations, dealers only received what Honda sent. “You get what you get and don’t pitch a fit.” Customer orders were not accepted. Has that changed?

I don’t know how Honda is doing it these days but by buddy says that every car carrier that rolls in only has pre-sold units and there is no on site inventory.

I suppose it could be just this one store.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

I have not been driving the Prius since its hybrid battery threw a failure code in late July or early August. Effectively, the battery is providing no assist due to the error condition, and there is a 1-2 second lag from hitting the accelerator until the engine spools up enough to provide forward propulsion. That's in the city. I didn't chance it on the highway or up hills.

After extensive research, I settled on an aftermarket battery with new cells which showed an estimated delivery date in August. After ordering the battery, I reached out to the seller to confirm the ship date. He replied that the August ship date was inaccurate and that I was probably 2-3 shipments out, but offered a refund if that wouldn't work for me. He then updated the website to indicate that the next shipment was expected in November (but I assume from his email that mine would not be shipped then, as it was supposedly 2-3 shipments out). I accepted the offer of a refund and waited... and waited. Reached out to confirm whether he had processed the refund and heard crickets. The refund did not appear until I filed a chargeback on my credit card.

It appears Toyota no longer sells OE replacement batteries and may have even had a "fire sale" on them during the pandemic to try to clear out stock, so these cars are stuck with whatever solutions the aftermarket can provide. I have an appointment with a vendor which provides on-site hybrid battery replacement on Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

That seem to be a pretty poor commitment to the brave new world. I read a similar story about someone who bought a 2011 Ford Focus hybrid only to find six months lather that the battery was bad. A replacement cost more than the car and since Ford no longer made the batteries he was SOL.

roadburner

ab348 said:

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

My son passed his permit test yesterday!

I know it isn't inexpensive, but I highly recommend the 1 or 2 day Teen School at the BMW Performance Center- followed by the 1 day Street Survival course.

I dunno… advising someone’s newly-licensed kid to learn to drive like a BMW driver just seems… unadvisable. 😄

Yes, it's terrible.

Sandman6472

My read drivers door has been wonky for the last year or so and wouldn't close properly, I could hear traffic like it was right there. Was right near their shop after therapy last Tuesday so stopped over on the way home. The repair is guaranteed for as long as I own the vehicle so told them what's up. He's out within 5 minutes and says that metal thing in the middle of the door frame had come loose so the door wouldn't close and left a space, thus me hearing the outside road noise. His mechanic tightened it all up & now, door closes properly with no outside road noise. It even sounds better when closed, a good "thunk" and no movement at all. I had stopped in a few years back, maybe in 2019, and the guy then blew me off basically, telling me it's all fine. Well, it's now just over 4 years since the repair, 4/18, and I had had enough.
This time, my advisor who was in charge of the repair came out and I explained to him the issue. I thought it was the different door edge guard they put on, they couldn't match the VW ones I got from their parts department, so put on whatever they could find. They look larger so thought that was the issue. When done, he said that wasn't the issue but that that horseshoe looking piece in the middle of the door had come loose and was causing the issue. Now, everything is tight, no more road noise & no more pushing in on the door after it's closed. Nice that he was there and followed up on their guarantee of their work. Has been annoying me for the last few years to be honest.
So with the door repaired & a pro-rated new battery installed, should be good for another couple of years as expecting to own it at least for that long.

pensfan83

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

breld said:

Okay…so…

Wife decided to take advantage of the still-crazy market for the Bronco and get into something more comfortable and useful for her needs. And just like that, we’re a Mercedes couple.

I have to say that I'm tempted by an AMG coupe or sedan; I'd prefer a "real" AMG with a hand built engine. That said, today I had a bit of fun with a CLA 35; it had the AMG exhaust and the driver had it in Race mode. It sounded nice- especially for an inline four.

My buddy who works for the multi line luxury car dealer says that Mercedes has the best inventory at his store. According to him, Mercedes has about 75 new vehicles in stock followed by BMW with about 35. The Honda division has zero. Orders only.

Wait wait ... have I missed something here?

"multi line luxury car dealer" and "Honda" in the same breath?

Well, MAINLY luxury brands. MB, BMW, MINI, Maserati etc.

I guess Honda is there so the horsey set can buy something for the maid.😆

Sandman6472

Good luck to the state of Florida and those in any other state that might be affected from Hurricane Ian! Looking like it's getting a bit stronger and still moving on a more westerly north-westerly track at the moment, so it's still a bit too early to tell where it's going to hit the U S. Has been a very quiet year until lately but now, boom, things are starting to happen. Stay safe folks and get your supplies and we should survive it all. Just annoying to go through, the worst part watching & waiting really.
Good luck all!!

henryn

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

Perhaps it's just the dealer "pre-selling" the cars before they arrive, nothing to do with the car company itself.

mjfloyd1

henryn said:

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

Perhaps it's just the dealer "pre-selling" the cars before they arrive, nothing to do with the car company itself.

Yep. The CRV hybrid touring that I bought was one “not yet spoken for” and not yet on the lot. Most seem to be pre sold before they arrive

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

Perhaps it's just the dealer "pre-selling" the cars before they arrive, nothing to do with the car company itself.

So you have to buy the car sight unseen? I suppose they’re all doing it these days but maybe that explains the story my buddy told me of the 70 year old guy who wanted a car RIGHT NOW and ended up with a Honda Pilot with gold pimp wheels.

sda

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

That is my understanding as well.

kyfdx

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

It's been a minute... but, the sales managers at my local Honda dealers said they could see what's in the pipeline (either at port, or at US factories), and request specific vehicles, if they were tagged for their region. So, you couldn't order, but they could possibly grab one in port, or dealer swap.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

Perhaps it's just the dealer "pre-selling" the cars before they arrive, nothing to do with the car company itself.

So you have to buy the car sight unseen? I suppose they’re all doing it these days but maybe that explains the story my buddy told me of the 70 year old guy who wanted a car RIGHT NOW and ended up with a Honda Pilot with gold pimp wheels.

————————————————-
Are you sure it wasn’t the pimps car?

jmonroe

stickguy

yeah, Honda does not do orders for personal builds but they can see what is coming and you can reserve an incoming unit.

ronsteve

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

I thought Honda dealers only got allocations, dealers only received what Honda sent. “You get what you get and don’t pitch a fit.” Customer orders were not accepted. Has that changed?

I don’t know how Honda is doing it these days but by buddy says that every car carrier that rolls in only has pre-sold units and there is no on site inventory.

I suppose it could be just this one store.

Maybe they know what they'll be getting, and have it sold before it arrives?

roadburner

I prefer to order to my specs, but only on cars with lots of option choices. When I bought my MS3 my only choices were trim level and color, so ordering was pointless.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

Perhaps it's just the dealer "pre-selling" the cars before they arrive, nothing to do with the car company itself.

So you have to buy the car sight unseen? I suppose they’re all doing it these days but maybe that explains the story my buddy told me of the 70 year old guy who wanted a car RIGHT NOW and ended up with a Honda Pilot with gold pimp wheels.

————————————————-
Are you sure it wasn’t the pimps car?

jmonroe

It may have been. If I remember the story correctly, the guy wanted a car quickly and it would take weeks to get what he wanted but they had another customer cancel his order. They said he could get a car right away if he was flexible.

nyccarguy

@pensfan83 - is the Aegean Blue On the Civic Si the same as on the Integra? I saw a Blue Integra ASpec on Friday. It looked great!

mjfloyd1

Acura apex blue pearl (B621P) has a different paint code than Honda Aegean blue metallic (B504P)

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

pensfan83 said:

As far as I know Honda, and likely by extension Acura, do not do orders. I asked about ordering an Aegean Blue Civic Si and was told that that Honda sends whatever fills the dealer's allocation without regard for trim, colors, etc.

Perhaps it's just the dealer "pre-selling" the cars before they arrive, nothing to do with the car company itself.

So you have to buy the car sight unseen? I suppose they’re all doing it these days but maybe that explains the story my buddy told me of the 70 year old guy who wanted a car RIGHT NOW and ended up with a Honda Pilot with gold pimp wheels.

————————————————-
Are you sure it wasn’t the pimps car?

jmonroe

It may have been. If I remember the story correctly, the guy wanted a car quickly and it would take weeks to get what he wanted but they had another customer cancel his order. They said he could get a car right away if he was flexible.

————————————————-
That’s the pimp I was talking about.

jmonroe

xwesx

breld said:

The Bronco was super cool and she got to enjoy it for the spring and summer. But she decided she’d give up the character of it in exchange for more creature comforts and an overall more comfortable and practical (for her needs) SUV. So, enjoying it for 5k miles and then taking advantage of the appreciation worked well for her.

And, a fun, memorable trip when she went to pick up the Bronco!

sb55

@oldfarmer50 said:
I don’t know how Honda is doing it these days but by buddy says that every car carrier that rolls in only has pre-sold units and there is no on site inventory.

I suppose it could be just this one store.

Is that the Automaster store up in Shelburne, VT?
They sell Mercedes. BMW and Honda.

oldfarmer50

sb55 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I don’t know how Honda is doing it these days but by buddy says that every car carrier that rolls in only has pre-sold units and there is no on site inventory.

I suppose it could be just this one store.

Is that the Automaster store up in Shelburne, VT?

They sell Mercedes. BMW and Honda.

No, this one is down by Albany NY.

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

@pensfan83 - is the Aegean Blue On the Civic Si the same as on the Integra? I saw a Blue Integra ASpec on Friday. It looked great!

@mjfloyd1 is on the mark, different colors. There's also a Long Beach Blue Pearl for Acura PMC editions. It looks particularly good on the TLX Type S with the copper wheels. That red is also calling out to @graphicguy

au1994

I wouldn’t kick that white one out of the garage.

stickguy

I like all 3 colors

Michaell

au1994 said:

I wouldn’t kick that white one out of the garage.

Ditto.

ab348

stickguy said:

I like all 3 colors

Very patriotic!

xwesx

Whoa, buddy! It is a wet mess here in northeastern Ohio right now. I think we've had about three inches of water on us since yesterday morning, and it just keeps coming down. I'm feeling rather soggy at the moment. Most of the yard/s around us looks like a (growing) lake!

henryn

xwesx said:

Whoa, buddy! It is a wet mess here in northeastern Ohio right now. I think we've had about three inches of water on us since yesterday morning, and it just keeps coming down. I'm feeling rather soggy at the moment. Most of the yard/s around us looks like a (growing) lake!

What's the story there? You're not in the path of any tropical storms or hurricanes, at least not that I've heard.

xwesx

I don't know. Just a "lake effect" storm, from what I hear, but I'm pretty sheltered when it comes to current events.

We are supposed to leave for home first thing on Wednesday morning, so this certainly makes getting prepared to go a bit challenging. Haha! /sigh

I wonder how the weather is a bit west of here at @explorerx4 's new digs!?

andres3

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

My son passed his permit test yesterday!

I know it isn't inexpensive, but I highly recommend the 1 or 2 day Teen School at the BMW Performance Center- followed by the 1 day Street Survival course.

Should be mandatory for all teenagers really!!!! It's not just for their sake, but for the others they'll involve in their negligence otherwise.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

I have not been driving the Prius since its hybrid battery threw a failure code in late July or early August. Effectively, the battery is providing no assist due to the error condition, and there is a 1-2 second lag from hitting the accelerator until the engine spools up enough to provide forward propulsion. That's in the city. I didn't chance it on the highway or up hills.

After extensive research, I settled on an aftermarket battery with new cells which showed an estimated delivery date in August. After ordering the battery, I reached out to the seller to confirm the ship date. He replied that the August ship date was inaccurate and that I was probably 2-3 shipments out, but offered a refund if that wouldn't work for me. He then updated the website to indicate that the next shipment was expected in November (but I assume from his email that mine would not be shipped then, as it was supposedly 2-3 shipments out). I accepted the offer of a refund and waited... and waited. Reached out to confirm whether he had processed the refund and heard crickets. The refund did not appear until I filed a chargeback on my credit card.

It appears Toyota no longer sells OE replacement batteries and may have even had a "fire sale" on them during the pandemic to try to clear out stock, so these cars are stuck with whatever solutions the aftermarket can provide. I have an appointment with a vendor which provides on-site hybrid battery replacement on Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

That seem to be a pretty poor commitment to the brave new world. I read a similar story about someone who bought a 2011 Ford Focus hybrid only to find six months lather that the battery was bad. A replacement cost more than the car and since Ford no longer made the batteries he was SOL.

Coyote Swap time!!!!!

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

Whoa, buddy! It is a wet mess here in northeastern Ohio right now. I think we've had about three inches of water on us since yesterday morning, and it just keeps coming down. I'm feeling rather soggy at the moment. Most of the yard/s around us looks like a (growing) lake!

Imagine if you were back in Alaska and it was 3 FEET of snow.😩