Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

au1994

Tending to agree with you @nyccarguy. I’ve had just a few issues in addition to this one. CEL popped up and went away on its own after about a week. I had the code read and it was emissions related. Other one was the infotainment crapped out briefly. Wouldn’t function but also wouldn’t shut off even when the Jeep was off. Fixed that by pulling a fuse for a minute and reinstalling.

Sandman6472

We also had the "when to fully retire" talk about a week ago. I just turned 68 but have been having increased medical issues. I even told my pain doctor last week that I have more bad days then good these past few months, I just feel like doing nothing most of the time. Told me that he can't really up my meds but he doesn't think I should I should stop working completely as he thinks getting out & being with folks is good for me. He did agree that maybe going down to two days/week might be the way to go so am looking into that. The wife is a year younger than me and loves her part time TurboTax gig. She goes up to 40 hours during tax season for them even though she's an independent contractor for a CPA in Ft. Lauderdale two days a week. Many of her personal clients are dying off, as they are all getting older. She said she's just not ready to stop all together quite yet, so we've put this discussion on hold and will revisit it again after tax season is over to re-evaluate.
Thinking that once season ends here in South Florida, going down to two days each week might just work for me. Our health insurance comes from medicare & my government policy so we're all set there. We own the house & the vehicles outright so just have the regular overhead to deal with monthly. We've always lived under our means so not a problem there. She plans to take social security at 70, I don't get mine as it's not even enough to pay for my medicare monthly payment. I figure we'll both keep our current vehicles another couple of years unless major issues crop up which I don't for see happening. I'll be at 73K in about a week and she's probably close to 75K as the girls went up to Epcot for a few days & probably added a good 500 miles or so.
We did talk about what we might do once we do replace the current fleet. Think she's leaning towards a Kia/Hyundai product next time as she prefers the long warranty and the reliability they offer. She's already asked me to not get anything wider than what I've got now as our garage is a bit tight. The Golf's width is 70.8" and most vehicles I've considered are all around the same width. Right now, am leaning towards a Mini Cooper Countryman to be honest. Drove a couple at work recently and really liked them especially their great visibility. But their prices to purchase and to maintain have me thinking of going back to "cheap to keep"as I've talked about before.
So, time will tell here. Both are behaving themselves & I'm still not driving more than 40 or so miles each week. Have driven the Accent a few times these last few days and as an appliance to get one from point A to point B, it works perfectly but I want/need something with more punch to it, it needs to move when I push the accelerator and want a bit more bells & whistles to be honest. So, think it'll be interesting when I do get super serious about replacing the Golf. Luckily my gig at Enterprise let's me drive a large variety of new vehicles. Just hope the supply/price issues end sooner than later as now is just not the right time to make a move.

Sandman6472

Am not, and never have been a Ford person but, I do like the new Maverick a few of the members in this forum have bought. It's a perfect sized vehicle with much practicality. And the price is very affordable for what one gets. The ability to also get a hybrid makes it even more practical. Haven't had a chance to drive one yet but if it drives like the new Bronco does, should be a lot of fun. Just wish the Edge was a bit smaller to be honest as it's my favorite Ford product. Not crazy about the new Escape after driving a few of them. Wish they could take the current Edge and shrink it to the EcoBoost size & I'd be a happy camper!

stickguy

It drives different than the big bronco. If you’ve driven a bronco sport it should be a lot like that (same platform). It drives smaller than it is (length) IMO it’s actually pretty narrow, certainly for a truck.

laurasdada

I LOVE my 4Xe, but have ZERO desire to own it for 1 mile outside of the warranty period.

I feel similarly about the A7e; love it for what it is. But, as with many cars these days, it's a computer wearing tennis shoes. Still have ~28 months of warranty left. Most technical gremlins have been resolved by reboot/reset. A couple of recalls, but no show stoppers.
Although, I kept the Jag 3.25 years out of warranty with no drama, financial or technical... But, you know, fool me once...

corvette

@stickguy - the “pull twice to open the hood” instead of having a secondary latch hidden where you can’t find it is a nice touch. I’ve looked at the mod to add hood struts, but they seem expensive. Also, the EcoBoost engine cover seems to be out of stock everywhere, so I guess that’s a discussion for another day.

stickguy

I think I opened the hood maybe 2 times in 11 months. I’m not bothering with those mods!

The tailgate damper is popular too.

corvette

Amazon says my tailgate damper is supposed to get here today. I already removed the tie down on the left side to make room for it. I thought I was going to have to buy a set of Torx sockets to get a T-50, but discovered that I already had a full set in my toolbox.

carnaught

Speaking of Amazon, seems they fired 10,000 workers at the end of last week. And with the upcoming Christmas rush…hmm.

sda

au1994 said:

Here’s a weird and concerning one…

Saturday we went to a college football game, my screen name should give you a hint as to which one.😀. The 2 hour drive down and back in the 4xe are uneventful. I find the Jeep comfortable but it is noisy particularly for the backseat passenger. Successfully navigate all of the Atlanta traffic and construction mess and we get home fine.

Sunday I get up to run some errands and the Jeep is dead, dead, dead. Those that have one will know, but my screen near the speedo lit up with its usual message and the infotainment screen woke up but there is zero action when I press the start button. I made sure it was in park and even tried to put it into neutral and the shifter wouldn’t move.

Under the hood I go and straight to the fuse box. I check a few of the usual suspect (starter, ECM, etc) fuses and they are all seated and in working order. Then I notice 2 large ones that have come unseated and viola, problem solved.

It does scare me a bit that if these popped out and bricked the Jeep, what would have happened if it did this while moving in interstate traffic? It was locked up. Steering absolutely would not move, no shifter.

If you graduated from the university that I think you did, that is where my BIL graduated as well. The issue with your Jeep would concern me as well. Perhaps it is an issue with a TSB to prevent it from happening again?

henryn

nyccarguy said:

au1994 said:

Here’s a weird and concerning one…

Saturday we went to a college football game, my screen name should give you a hint as to which one.😀. The 2 hour drive down and back in the 4xe are uneventful. I find the Jeep comfortable but it is noisy particularly for the backseat passenger. Successfully navigate all of the Atlanta traffic and construction mess and we get home fine.

Sunday I get up to run some errands and the Jeep is dead, dead, dead. Those that have one will know, but my screen near the speedo lit up with its usual message and the infotainment screen woke up but there is zero action when I press the start button. I made sure it was in park and even tried to put it into neutral and the shifter wouldn’t move.

Under the hood I go and straight to the fuse box. I check a few of the usual suspect (starter, ECM, etc) fuses and they are all seated and in working order. Then I notice 2 large ones that have come unseated and viola, problem solved.

It does scare me a bit that if these popped out and bricked the Jeep, what would have happened if it did this while moving in interstate traffic? It was locked up. Steering absolutely would not move, no shifter.

I LOVE my 4Xe, but have ZERO desire to own it for 1 mile outside of the warranty period.

Having a warranty isn't going to help you if you're dead because the steering wheel suddenly would not move while in 70 mph traffic. I would think that is "electrically assisted steering", not fly-by-wire, and the steering would still work albeit a little stiff. I do not know, that is just a guess. Anyone know the actual answer?

tifighter

Are we guessing on where @qbrozen C&B auction will finish at yet? A few hours to go…

sda

nyccarguy said:

@sda - I’m still amazed at how well that generation TL has held up. Still looks great!

Thanks! I try to wash it at least every other week and wax it twice a year. It is a daily driver that my daughter commutes to college. I am hoping it will last until she graduates. The guy that does some yard work for me asked me yesterday if I wanted to sell it yet. He asks me each time he sees me, lol.

Michaell

carnaught said:

Speaking of Amazon, seems they fired 10,000 workers at the end of last week. And witht the upcoming Christmas rush…hmm.

These were corporate layoffs, not anything related to the delivery side of the business.

qbrozen

Heard back from the dealer... I don't know what to call it. Dealer service? Anyway, he says there is nothing of concern. That I am allowed to designate an agent, which is what they are, to obtain what I need, to handle records at the office, etc. I've also looked through all the applications and see nothing that states "you can't do this." So, I don't know. I think I might write to an impartial party in GA to just bluntly ask.

nyccarguy

tifighter said:

Are we guessing on where @qbrozen C&B auction will finish at yet? A few hours to go…

I won't guess, but I've been watching it closely and keep hoping for the best for him.

nyccarguy

@stickguy

Give us your credit card number so we can bid up @qbrozen 's Gloria!

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

au1994 said:

Here’s a weird and concerning one…

Saturday we went to a college football game, my screen name should give you a hint as to which one.😀. The 2 hour drive down and back in the 4xe are uneventful. I find the Jeep comfortable but it is noisy particularly for the backseat passenger. Successfully navigate all of the Atlanta traffic and construction mess and we get home fine.

Sunday I get up to run some errands and the Jeep is dead, dead, dead. Those that have one will know, but my screen near the speedo lit up with its usual message and the infotainment screen woke up but there is zero action when I press the start button. I made sure it was in park and even tried to put it into neutral and the shifter wouldn’t move.

Under the hood I go and straight to the fuse box. I check a few of the usual suspect (starter, ECM, etc) fuses and they are all seated and in working order. Then I notice 2 large ones that have come unseated and viola, problem solved.

It does scare me a bit that if these popped out and bricked the Jeep, what would have happened if it did this while moving in interstate traffic? It was locked up. Steering absolutely would not move, no shifter.

I LOVE my 4Xe, but have ZERO desire to own it for 1 mile outside of the warranty period.

I think I'll just hold on to my prehistoric TJ. At least it's easy and relatively cheap to fix.

nyccarguy

T Minus 15 minutes and counting

Sandman6472

Am totally willing to get a 2024 Chevy Bolt to be honest but the other vehicle will have to be a gasser just in case there are issues with getting power to the chargers. Since we live in an area that gets frequent hurricanes, this could be a real issue if we lose power for a long period of time. Luckily, we live quite close to my work place where I could easily be picked up by the chase van if necessary. They finally installed about 10 charging stations at our office as Enterprise bought a bunch of Volvo ev's that some of the office workers get to use. So, if I did get a Bolt, charging would not be an issue at all.I'd like to drive one before I commit but none of the local Chevy dealers seem to have a unit for potential customers to try. I've driven a Polestar and a Tesla at work but I'd definitely need more seat time before I make a long term commitment to be honest. Doubt there would be any issues but I need more time behind the wheel before putting a deposit down. But, with my current driving situation, I really am a great candidate for an EV.

stickguy

got a little bidding war going!

QB, gotta say, you do a really good listing and follow up in the discussion the way you should.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen - this is awesome to watch!

xwesx

qbrozen said:

I want the Durango version. Very much.

My supervisor has one. Quite a beast (the car, the car)!

tifighter

If I'm remembering what he was in it for correctly, that turned out okay.

stickguy

Fun run at the end! $8,500, hope that is what you wanted out of it.

au1994

Nicely done! $8500 seems like a solid sale.

Michaell

Congratulations, @qbrozen

Seems like a good price - I know you mentioned something around $9K back when you first got it.

tifighter

Now we can say we all remember when QBMax was a small company.

Michaell

tifighter said:

Now we can say we all remember when QBMax was a small company.

Are you saying he's "QBMin" at the moment?

qbrozen

8500 is right where I thought ... well, HOPED ... it would go. I'm pleased with it.
10500 would have made me ecstatic. lol.
I attempted some egging on in the end like the auctioneers do. Wonder if that will be frowned upon. ha.

xwesx

Nice outcome on the Gloria! Higher than I figured it would go. I think I said $7,500 before the auction.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

8500 is right where I thought ... well, HOPED ... it would go. I'm pleased with it.
10500 would have made me ecstatic. lol.
I attempted some egging on in the end like the auctioneers do. Wonder if that will be frowned upon. ha.

Saw that! "Comes with a full tank of premium." LOL

nyccarguy

Congrats @qbrozen! Way to go!

Michaell

@qbrozen - so, the $64 question is ... will you use C&B again?

Michaell

The Accord Coupe is at almost $11K, with one day left.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

The Accord Coupe is at almost $11K, with one day left.

Think that will go for $15K?

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

The Accord Coupe is at almost $11K, with one day left.

Think that will go for $15K?

I would not be surprised, in the least.

But, every mile you drive in it will probably reduce the value by $2.

So, what's the point?

qbrozen

Michaell said:

@qbrozen - so, the $64 question is ... will you use C&B again?

Probably.
It is definitely stressful to have to wait till the end for people to bid. I wish they would give people the option of spot bidding or using a more Ebay-based method of putting in your max and then it bids automatically for you up to your max.

28firefighter

As I said over on cars and conversations after the Meta layoffs, this is a needed inspection of what sustainable growth looks like for big tech. It’s going to be bumpy and, for those close to it, deeply uncomfortable since employment has generally been very stable amongst the big names.

qbrozen

I would love this if it was a manual.

stickguy

I saw that too, and even liked the very unique color. than saw the automatic and lost interest!

tjc78

@laurasdada said:
I LOVE my 4Xe, but have ZERO desire to own it for 1 mile outside of the warranty period.

I feel similarly about the A7e; love it for what it is. But, as with many cars these days, it's a computer wearing tennis shoes. Still have ~28 months of warranty left. Most technical gremlins have been resolved by reboot/reset. A couple of recalls, but no show stoppers.
Although, I kept the Jag 3.25 years out of warranty with no drama, financial or technical... But, you know, fool me once...

I don’t think I’d own either of mine out of warranty. Having said that, the XC90 hasn’t needed a repair yet… other than dealing with the warped rotors which I’ll do on the next service.

That powertrain in the Volvo is super complicated with both a turbo and a supercharger to cause problems.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

@laurasdada said:

I LOVE my 4Xe, but have ZERO desire to own it for 1 mile outside of the warranty period.

I feel similarly about the A7e; love it for what it is. But, as with many cars these days, it's a computer wearing tennis shoes. Still have ~28 months of warranty left. Most technical gremlins have been resolved by reboot/reset. A couple of recalls, but no show stoppers.

Although, I kept the Jag 3.25 years out of warranty with no drama, financial or technical... But, you know, fool me once...

I don’t think I’d own either of mine out of warranty. Having said that, the XC90 hasn’t needed a repair yet… other than dealing with the warped rotors which I’ll do on the next service.

That powertrain in the Volvo is super complicated with both a turbo and a supercharger to cause problems.

When is the lease on the XC90 up? What plans do you have to replace it?

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

Around here there are many small lots. I guess it’s because they are close to the Manheim auction. There used to be a couple of drivers who were retired from the auto business and now rented out their lots to others. Renting from a previously established owner might be a way to meet all the regulatory requirements.

Could a commercial real estate agent be someone to help locate a place?

Been through a few agents already. They seem to give up when faced with the same challenges I’ve been facing for the past 6 mos.

Well, that sucks.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

@qbrozen - so, the $64 question is ... will you use C&B again?

Probably.
It is definitely stressful to have to wait till the end for people to bid. I wish they would give people the option of spot bidding or using a more Ebay-based method of putting in your max and then it bids automatically for you up to your max.

I can’t even imagine how crazy that was driving you. All in the last 13+ minutes. I was waiting for one of those guys to throw out the $10K number just to end the back & forth. Bravo my friend!

tjc78

@Michaell said:
When is the lease on the XC90 up? What plans do you have to replace it?

Just made payment 24 so a year to go. Wife hasn’t said but if it’s up to me I’ll be chasing a lease on something.

I’d consider another XC90 or a 60. Grand Cherokee is always a good choice as well. Wife would love a 4XE version.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

When is the lease on the XC90 up? What plans do you have to replace it?

Just made payment 24 so a year to go. Wife hasn’t said but if it’s up to me I’ll be chasing a lease on something.

I’d consider another XC90 or a 60. Grand Cherokee is always a good choice as well. Wife would love a 4XE version.

Aren't the kids getting bigger? Can't see you downsizing to a -60.

GC? Yeah, the new ones are certainly handsome, and it'll go with your Ram nicely.

breld

Got a message today that my Model Y is ready for delivery. Seemed like a good idea earlier in the Summer when we placed the order, but I think I’ll pass on it (and lose the $250 deposit unfortunately). I would actually prefer it over my Polestar, but the value just isn’t the same as it was a year ago. Other than upgraded wheels, this is the same as the one we bought (and flipped) just over a year ago, and it’s priced almost $20k higher. Besides, used ones (even slightly used) are finally priced lower than new…what a crazy concept!

tjc78

@Michaell said:
Aren't the kids getting bigger? Can't see you downsizing to a -60.

GC? Yeah, the new ones are certainly handsome, and it'll go with your Ram nicely.

Yes they are, but we use the truck most of the time now and even a 60 (or equivalent) would be big enough for the 4 of us.

I suggested a sedan to my wife and she wasn’t against that either, so in other words I have zero idea what will replace it lol

stickguy

T, you have a lot more flexibility now that you have the Ram. if you have to carry something bulky, there you go! might be short 1 seat though without the 3rd row (unless you have 2nd row captains chairs). but if that is not an issue, if your wife wants a sedan, or a small CUV, anything should work!