Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

andres3

tjc78 said:

I’ve never had a problem with Best Buy, but maybe because of being in corporate retail for 20+ years now I’m a little more sensitive to retailers.

14 day return policy is a non starter for Best Buy. I bet they count Holidays as part of the 14 days too.

xwesx

Sorry for the harsh time on employment, y'all. Hopefully it will be nothing more than a shake-up of the routine (and distant memory) at this time next year.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

151,000 miles on that Malibu? Hard pass, but for the price, could make an OK car for a HS kid. cheap enough, and if they dent it up, who cares?

It already has been dented up. 3 years ago. Minor front damage, or so they say.

andres3

2013 S5 with only 39,000 miles but it was in a "minor" collision as described by the seller, so minor, it is salvaged title.

So minor, they are asking $19,700.

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

OK @roadburner it’s time to wake up. I want your opinion about a used X3 that Son #1 decided to buy from a Benz dealer in Oregon for his wife.

You might be out of luck. I think he’s been drummed out of the BMW club for buying a M-B. 😜

mlevine

Have a MB C250 2014 got in 2017 off lease. Only has about 65,000 miles but starting to have issues with oil leaking. Is the 1.8 liter turbo engine problematic?

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

OK @roadburner it’s time to wake up. I want your opinion about a used X3 that Son #1 decided to buy from a Benz dealer in Oregon for his wife. Yes, I said Oregon, with all the cars in this country he found one there . It has the color and options he wanted. He said nothing local came close. Other than being on the other side of the world this is what I know:

2018 X3, M40i

Mileage: a couple ticks over 28K (supposed to be a real cream puff)

Engine: B58

He saw service records via Carfax and the oil was changed every 8/9K miles at the BMW dealer that sold the car when it was new.

Before he bought it he talked to 2 local BMW indie shops here in the Burgh area that he’s heard are reputable about what they thought of the reliability of the engine/automatic 8 speed tranny and generally the car itself. They both thought it was a reliable car. They volunteered that they would go with more frequent oil changes like around 7500 miles. When my son said he planed on doing them himself at 5/6K they said, “even better” but thought that was an overkill. And both recommended using Liqui Moly 0W-20 oil.

The BMW indie shop in Oregon that he used for the PDI thought the car was in great shape other than the brakes were at around 20% remaining life. He negotiated a price reduction based on that. I didn’t want to ask him what he paid but from our conversation it sounded like the mid 30’s.

He has already ordered the recommended oil and a Mann filter and plans to do an oil/filter change this weekend if the car is delivered on Thursday/Friday like he’s been told. He also plans to get an oil analysis from Blackstone (I think that’s the outfit you use).

So, what are your thoughts about his purchase and plans for oil/filter changes.

Thanks.

jmonroe

That's a very nice vehicle. The B58 motor paired with the ZF 8HP is a solid powertrain. A 10k OCI using an oil that has the correct BMW approvals is fine. Me, I'd run an LL-01 approved oil- 5W-30 or 4W-40.
As for other fluids, I’d change the coolant(BMW) and brake fluid(DOT4) every two years The AT, TC, and final drives should have a drain and fill at 60k. The TC should have the adaptations reset when the fluid is changed. North of 60k miles expect the motor to need an oil filter housing gasket and/or a
valve cover gasket.
FCP Euro and the BMW Mini Parts Store are my go-to online parts sources.
I'd check and see if his local dealer and/or indies offer a BMW CCA discount. Even if they don't he should probably join as you get rebates on new and CPO BMWs and access to a tech advisor and ombudsman.
He might also want to check out the British magazine Total BMW as it usually offers useful technical and DIY info.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

jmonroe1 said:

OK @roadburner it’s time to wake up. I want your opinion about a used X3 that Son #1 decided to buy from a Benz dealer in Oregon for his wife. Yes, I said Oregon, with all the cars in this country he found one there . It has the color and options he wanted. He said nothing local came close. Other than being on the other side of the world this is what I know:

2018 X3, M40i

Mileage: a couple ticks over 28K (supposed to be a real cream puff)

Engine: B58

He saw service records via Carfax and the oil was changed every 8/9K miles at the BMW dealer that sold the car when it was new.

Before he bought it he talked to 2 local BMW indie shops here in the Burgh area that he’s heard are reputable about what they thought of the reliability of the engine/automatic 8 speed tranny and generally the car itself. They both thought it was a reliable car. They volunteered that they would go with more frequent oil changes like around 7500 miles. When my son said he planed on doing them himself at 5/6K they said, “even better” but thought that was an overkill. And both recommended using Liqui Moly 0W-20 oil.

The BMW indie shop in Oregon that he used for the PDI thought the car was in great shape other than the brakes were at around 20% remaining life. He negotiated a price reduction based on that. I didn’t want to ask him what he paid but from our conversation it sounded like the mid 30’s.

He has already ordered the recommended oil and a Mann filter and plans to do an oil/filter change this weekend if the car is delivered on Thursday/Friday like he’s been told. He also plans to get an oil analysis from Blackstone (I think that’s the outfit you use).

So, what are your thoughts about his purchase and plans for oil/filter changes.

Thanks.

jmonroe

That's a very nice vehicle. The B58 motor paired with the ZF 8HP is a solid powertrain. A 10k OCI using an oil that has the correct BMW approvals is fine. Me, I'd run an LL-01 approved oil- 5W-30 or 4W-40.
As for other fluids, I’d change the coolant(BMW) and brake fluid(DOT4) every two years The AT, TC, and final drives should have a drain and fill at 60k. The TC should have the adaptations reset when the fluid is changed. North of 60k miles expect the motor to need an oil filter housing gasket and/or a
valve cover gasket.
FCP Euro and the BMW Mini Parts Store are my go-to online parts sources.
I'd check and see if his local dealer and/or indies offer a BMW CCA discount. Even if they don't he should probably join as you get rebates on new and CPO BMWs and access to a tech advisor and ombudsman.
He might also want to check out the British magazine Total BMW as it usually offers useful technical and DIY info.

————————————————
Thanks for the response, I’ll pass your info onto him.

Do you think an oil analysis is good to do if for nothing else other than it would give him a baseline for the engine at mileage the car had when he bought it?

Thanks again.

jmonroe

venture

The Genius at my BMW dealer bought my Legacy trade-in.

jmonroe1

venture said:

The Genius at my BMW dealer bought my Legacy trade-in.

————————————————
I thought a genius is a smart person. I guess there are exceptions regardless of where you work. He probably won’t be there the next time you drop in.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

venture said:

The Genius at my BMW dealer bought my Legacy trade-in.

That's cool. How'd you find out?

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

jmonroe1 said:

OK @roadburner it’s time to wake up. I want your opinion about a used X3 that Son #1 decided to buy from a Benz dealer in Oregon for his wife. Yes, I said Oregon, with all the cars in this country he found one there . It has the color and options he wanted. He said nothing local came close. Other than being on the other side of the world this is what I know:

2018 X3, M40i

Mileage: a couple ticks over 28K (supposed to be a real cream puff)

Engine: B58

He saw service records via Carfax and the oil was changed every 8/9K miles at the BMW dealer that sold the car when it was new.

Before he bought it he talked to 2 local BMW indie shops here in the Burgh area that he’s heard are reputable about what they thought of the reliability of the engine/automatic 8 speed tranny and generally the car itself. They both thought it was a reliable car. They volunteered that they would go with more frequent oil changes like around 7500 miles. When my son said he planed on doing them himself at 5/6K they said, “even better” but thought that was an overkill. And both recommended using Liqui Moly 0W-20 oil.

The BMW indie shop in Oregon that he used for the PDI thought the car was in great shape other than the brakes were at around 20% remaining life. He negotiated a price reduction based on that. I didn’t want to ask him what he paid but from our conversation it sounded like the mid 30’s.

He has already ordered the recommended oil and a Mann filter and plans to do an oil/filter change this weekend if the car is delivered on Thursday/Friday like he’s been told. He also plans to get an oil analysis from Blackstone (I think that’s the outfit you use).

So, what are your thoughts about his purchase and plans for oil/filter changes.

Thanks.

jmonroe

That's a very nice vehicle. The B58 motor paired with the ZF 8HP is a solid powertrain. A 10k OCI using an oil that has the correct BMW approvals is fine. Me, I'd run an LL-01 approved oil- 5W-30 or 4W-40.
As for other fluids, I’d change the coolant(BMW) and brake fluid(DOT4) every two years The AT, TC, and final drives should have a drain and fill at 60k. The TC should have the adaptations reset when the fluid is changed. North of 60k miles expect the motor to need an oil filter housing gasket and/or a
valve cover gasket.
FCP Euro and the BMW Mini Parts Store are my go-to online parts sources.
I'd check and see if his local dealer and/or indies offer a BMW CCA discount. Even if they don't he should probably join as you get rebates on new and CPO BMWs and access to a tech advisor and ombudsman.
He might also want to check out the British magazine Total BMW as it usually offers useful technical and DIY info.

————————————————
Thanks for the response, I’ll pass your info onto him.

Do you think an oil analysis is good to do if for nothing else other than it would give him a baseline for the engine at mileage the car had when he bought it?

Thanks again.

jmonroe

It wouldn't hut to have an analysis done. If he doesn't change the oil himself he will need to have the shop collect a sample as there's no dipstick where a vacuum pump would work.
Also, I'd be happy to answer any other questions he may have.

roadburner

andres3 said:

So how rare is a 2018 M240i with an Automatic and a LSD combination?

Very rare- the M differential was either installed at the port or later by a dealer.

jmonroe1

It wouldn't hut to have an analysis done. If he doesn't change the oil himself he will need to have the shop collect a sample as there's no dipstick where a vacuum pump would work.
Also, I'd be happy to answer any other questions he may have.
————————————————
Thanks for getting back to me about the oil analysis. That’s my thinking also.

I guess my son is running out of things to do. I don’t know how that’s possible given he’s in the midst of working on his flip and a few rentals he’s acquired lately. But, he’s planning on doing an oil/filter change this weekend if the car arrives as scheduled on Thursday or Friday. He’s already ordered the BMW approved oil and even plugs. I don’t think he’s going to change plugs right away but he wants them for when he has even more time on his hands. Pretty sure he’s going to have Blackstone Labs do the oil analysis.

It must be nice to be young and energetic like that. I don’t even want to think about what’s for dinner tonight.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead

jmonroe1 said:

It must be nice to be young and energetic like that. I don’t even want to think about what’s for dinner tonight.

I heard this phrase many years ago, in New Mexico, as I recall -- I was 10.

My get up and go has got up and went.

Now I understand.

venture

nyccarguy said:

venture said:

The Genius at my BMW dealer bought my Legacy trade-in.

That's cool. How'd you find out?

He text me about trying to register it in his name to get Subaru Starlink to work. (That's the remote start, lock & unlock doors, car locater and "stuff".)

I had to cancel it in my name first. I didn't remember but, evidently it's a subscription. Now they are trying to refund me $9.39. If I knew (remembered) that I would have just given him my password.

venture

cdnpinhead said:

jmonroe1 said:

It must be nice to be young and energetic like that. I don’t even want to think about what’s for dinner tonight.

I heard this phrase many years ago, in New Mexico, as I recall -- I was 10.

My get up and go has got up and went.

Now I understand.

I remember Barney Rubble saying that - I think.

explorerx4

...also Aerosmith(Sweet Emotion).

roadburner

As Good As I Once Was

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQrapQ4d0Y

tjc78

… but I’m as good once as I ever was!

au1994

Who in the world is this guy that grunts when he gets out of bed and sometimes makes a tentative first step on stairs to make sure the knee is going to hold??

Oh yeah, thats me! 😡

jmonroe1

au1994 said:

Who in the world is this guy that grunts when he gets out of bed and sometimes makes a tentative first step on stairs to make sure the knee is going to hold??

Oh yeah, thats me! 😡

————————————————
That reminds me of the story I heard years ago when I was in my 40’s about a senior citizen you said, “you know you’re old when you bend down to tie your shoes and you ask yourself…is there anything else I can do while I’m down here”? I hate to admit it but I’ve come close a couple times.

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

A friend bought a 2016 Honda pilot with 105k miles for $14k. Carfax showed it was recently imported from Puerto Rico. I warned of it being a flood car and that it needed timing belt and water pump at 106k miles. They liked that it had no rust and bought it. I tried…

jmonroe1

mjfloyd1 said:

A friend bought a 2016 Honda pilot with 105k miles for $14k. Carfax showed it was recently imported from Puerto Rico. I warned of it being a flood car and that it needed timing belt and water 1pump at 106k miles. They liked that it had no rust and bought it. I tried…

————————————————
No rust is a good thing. Ask @oldfarmer50. Not to worry, they probably got that car out of the flood waters before it had a chance to rust. Unfortunately electricity travels faster than that. Again not to worry, it could have all new fuses just like a new car.

jmonroe

corvette

au1994 said:

Who in the world is this guy that grunts when he gets out of bed and sometimes makes a tentative first step on stairs to make sure the knee is going to hold??

Oh yeah, thats me! 😡

When I see high school classmates on social media, I often wonder who all those old people are.

stickguy

rich Rebuilds (on Youtube) has an Audi E-Tron EV now that was a flood car. That is interesting watching them try to sort that disaster out. Combine water + all that EV tech, x100 for the complexity of an audi, and it might be an impossible mission.

corvette

Big Al has bought a few flood cars. Kind of hit and miss, but since it seems like he's paying under $1k for them, also pretty low stakes, given that, if not easily fixable, he could (in most cases) just part them out and get his money back.

qbrozen

My son discovered that the buyer… or at least someone in the household… started a ticktock for the Gloria I sold them. Really useless stuff thus far. Some of it disparaging racist commentary. I’m very disappointed.

corvette

That stinks. I know you want your imports to go to households which will appreciate them.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

A friend bought a 2016 Honda pilot with 105k miles for $14k. Carfax showed it was recently imported from Puerto Rico. I warned of it being a flood car and that it needed timing belt and water 1pump at 106k miles. They liked that it had no rust and bought it. I tried…

————————————————
No rust is a good thing. Ask @oldfarmer50. Not to worry, they probably got that car out of the flood waters before it had a chance to rust. Unfortunately electricity travels faster than that. Again not to worry, it could have all new fuses just like a new car.

jmonroe

Every time I buy a rust free Florida car I wonder if I’ll find it was sleeping with the alligators. So far I haven’t been bit by the car or the gator.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
My son discovered that the buyer… or at least someone in the household… started a ticktock for the Gloria I sold them. Really useless stuff thus far. Some of it disparaging racist commentary. I’m very disappointed.

Not much content there at all. They could have at least talked about the car.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

My son discovered that the buyer… or at least someone in the household… started a ticktock for the Gloria I sold them. Really useless stuff thus far. Some of it disparaging racist commentary. I’m very disappointed.

I hope it wasn’t racist stuff about the Chinese whose spy agencies own TicToc. He could wind up in a gulag making Nikes.

ab348

TikTok is a scourge.

nyccarguy

mjfloyd1 said:

A friend bought a 2016 Honda pilot with 105k miles for $14k. Carfax showed it was recently imported from Puerto Rico. I warned of it being a flood car and that it needed timing belt and water pump at 106k miles. They liked that it had no rust and bought it. I tried…

'16 was the 1st year of the new body style that ran through 2022. '16s had problems with the 9-Speed Automatic Transmission on the Touring and Elite models, especially if you use it to tow anything heavier than a jet ski. LX & EX models came equipped with a 6-Speed Automatic. The HPFP on our 2017 Touring AWD went bad at around 85Kish miles and was replaced under either a TSB or a Recall.

mjfloyd1

Earlier MDX had torque converter issues but they were good with warranty and out of warranty replacements

ab348

Went to the supermarket earlier and encountered a shiny new-looking F-150 4-door 4wd that was so long it took up both parking spaces in the closet row of the disabled parking section. Trucks that big should be banished to park where RVs and buses need to go.

tjc78

@ab348 said:
TikTok is a scourge.

It is no different than You Tube Shorts or Facebook Reels

Quick mindless content to kill some time or give you a distraction to your workday.

Yeah they probably data mine your device but so does every other app and website. If they want to see what I’m searching have at it.

corvette

@qbrozen - not sure whether you are set up to import from countries other than Japan, but I went down an internet rabbit hole and discovered that the second generation Suzuki Cultus, sold here as the Suzuki Swift and Geo Metro, had a turbocharged three cylinder version in other countries, as well as a sedan version which wasn't sold here, and was offered with AWD in Japan and later in Europe. It was also rebadged as a Subaru Justy. There might be some opportunities among those models to bring something rare to the US.

Sandman6472

Brought some sold Nissan Altimas to the local Nissan dealer today. Went inside to wash my hands and as I'm walking out, spy a beautiful red Sentra on the showroom floor. See the Mulroney sticker on the dash & give it a quick look...couldn't believe what I saw! A $3995 Admn. Fee added to the price! On a Nissan Sentra SV! Now that's plain bat-sh-t crazy in my opinion. I'd think right now, as more dealers are getting in a decent amount of inventory, that these crazy extra fees would be gone. And we're not talking about a high priced vehicle here...an almost entry level econobox. Just blew my mind & something I'd never even consider paying to be honest.
One of my co-workers gave me a good laugh today when he told me that I'm on the "never-ending quest" like Don Quioxte of "Man Of La Mancha" fame. He was referring to my never-ending search for a newer vehicle which we both had a big laugh about. We had just delivered a few vehicles to an Enterprise Sales office and I saw a Mini Cooper Countryman on the lot, so of course, I went over to check it out. But we both just fell out when he mentioned me and the never-ending quest because it's so true. And speaking Of Mini Cooper's, we were at the dealer yesterday and I found a couple of nice looking Countryman S's, one was an all cooper color which really caught my eye. Just popped in that cooper color. Also saw a white roof and side view mirrors over a light gray combo which also looked pretty cool. Didn't bother to ask about their Admn. Fees because I'm betting they still have them. Even this location is starting to get more inventory in so maybe they're more flexible now on waiving these crazy extra fees.
After being in the rental car business these past ten years, have found it really is the perfect retiree gig if one wants to make some extra income. Like the few of y'all that just got laid off, I as also in the same boat back in October of 2010. Fired due to my being on a limited duty status, but in my case, they lied about the situation to justify their actions. It's terribly unfair what y'all are going through so I do understand. Unfortunately, I went into a deep depression a few months later but I think the mental anguish on top of the intense physical pain I was going through landed me in such a bad state. I know you guys will bounce back very quickly & land on your feet...G-d has closed a door so to speak but will open a window when the time is right. I pray that everything will work out in a very positive way sooner than later!

Sandman6472

Ordered my new iPad tablet earlier for pick-up today. Decided to go with Best Buy anyways as it was the easiest buying situation. The trade-in worked correctly on the computer this time and sure, it was $10 less than Apple offered for it, Apple would've made me jump through a bunch of hoops to get the extra few bucks and it really wasn't worth it to me at this juncture. Just want an easy buying process with no packing up of a product and sending it off to Apple & then having to wait on their decision. Did that when I got my new MacBook Air a few years back and they sent me back my MacBook Pro saying it was damaged in some way which I knew it wasn't. They just wasted my time plus the local Apple store is farther away. Bottom line...was just easier all the way around to go through Best Buy. Like many purchases, just got to that point where I was done over thinking it. Wanted a newer tablet with double the gigs for a decent price which is what I'm getting later this morning. Life is too short to over think this small purchase!

tommister2

I got the Ford email today stating that my Maverick hybrid order is scheduled for production. They say it will be built the week of March 6. Guess I won the hybrid lottery!

stickguy

congratulations. I have given up on ever seeing mine. so if it shows up will be found money!

tifighter

Submitted without comment-

qbrozen

tifighter said:

Submitted without comment-

Interesting. I saw a posting for WRXs at a discount. Conflicting information.

qbrozen

tommister2 said:

I got the Ford email today stating that my Maverick hybrid order is scheduled for production. They say it will be built the week of March 6. Guess I won the hybrid lottery!

I got an email 2 days ago that our Wagoneer order has gone into production.

Michaell

tifighter said:

Submitted without comment-

Huh - the dealer where we got our Outback shows 292 cars in inventory (or, in transit).

henryn

tifighter said:

Submitted without comment-

I liked the crack about:
“Seattle and Denver moments away from an identity crisis.”

Subaru is definitely a regional thing.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

Submitted without comment-

Don’t forget Vermont as well. When we bring a Subie to a Vermont office it’s like Christmas to them.

Sandman6472

Don't see many Subaru's down here in South Florida but have driven a few. Been a bit busy these past few weeks as seem to be a lot of new vehicles hitting the street daily. But the last couple of days, have brought a bunch of sold cars to their new homes. The majority of them have over 64K or more on them. Just happy to have a full days work to do as we've been getting back to the office around 6 pm or later most nights. I want to work at least 8 or 9 hours each scheduled day if possible, the more the better. Am already there, so why not get the extra hours. Glad to have the 3 days a week I have and not actively looking for any more though don't mind working an extra Saturday or Sunday if the need a body. It's tax season and my wife is basically working 7 days every week, at least every other week so, she'd rather have me out making the money.

Sandman6472

Seems like CD rates are pretty good right now so getting into some now. We like to do a 6 month CD for next years taxes which are due in mid-November. Just lets us know that we've already allocated those funds so we can just send a check when the time comes. Will also do a few year long CD's as the rates beat what banks are paying on regular savings accounts. Might as well make some extra on funds that are just sitting there, not doing much. Saw an ad for Edward Jones in the local city magazine, so called the lady there & got some favorable rates. Since they're all FDIC insured, figured why not just do it as it's been pretty successful in the past.