Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ab348

corvette said:

This seems like a huge move against consumers. Are GM execs infuriated at the idea that a ten year old car might acquire or maintain modern infotainment just because its owner bought a new phone?

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/gm-confirms-its-dropping-apple-carplay-and-android-auto-from-2024-evs/

They say it’s only for their forthcoming EVs with all of the tech geegaws that implies, like SuperCruise and EV-only services. Those things are essentially a computer with wheels and an electric motor. They are going to be electronically tethered to the GM home office was long as they are on the road.

roadburner

My wife has mentioned that she may eventually replace the X1 with a Mercedes. She’s been completely corrupted now.

Michaell

roadburner said:

My wife has mentioned that she may eventually replace the X1 with a Mercedes. She’s been completely corrupted now.

Find her a nice GLB35; that's about the same size as the X1, but a lot more punch.

stickguy

we have (well, she has no) intention of doing anything with the RDX in the foreseeable future, other than pay it off in 2 years or less. But, always have to be prepared just in case it disappears suddenly.

and I have no idea what we would do. we don't really "need" 2 cars (at least not 2 nice/expensive ones), especially planning to transition into retirement. And the new maverick will have enough goodies to serve as the primary car, especially since she does not drive much.

so we would likely get a 2nd car to be "hers", but it does not have to be big or too fancy. could try to talk her into a Kona sized car. Or a CRV if she wants to stay in the same size range. Baby Subaru? Who knows.

corvette

I've gone back and forth on the engine cover and the fender insulation for the Maverick. Given that the reviews of people who have done either of them are decidedly mixed, I'm inclined to just save the $60+ (for the fender insulation), and [I forget what] for the engine cover and live without them, especially since I think mine, as-is, is very refined and composed considering its size and price class.

stickguy

I remember some discussion about fenders but never noticed anything wrong or missing with mine. Engine cover means nothing to me (plus I probably had the hood open 4 or 5 times, max!) I actually like being able to see everything easily instead of hiding leaks, etc. under a plastic cover.

not sure if the other covers even fit the hybrid, or just the Eco.

corvette

Supposedly, the engine cover deadens the sound of the direction injection tick. I think that the fact that it's built on a modern platform which is shared with more expensive vehicles (Escape, Bronco Sport, as well as [possibly--my speculation] the next generation Edge) yields a bit of a bonus in terms of its overall composure.

stickguy

I never found the engine particularly noisy. Sometimes could hear a little ticking from the injectors, but that was just part of the ambiance. It really is not noticeable or objectionable (to me). Though the Lariat is quieter overall (acoustic windshield helps, not sure what else is different)

stickguy

OK. I absolutely love this. Must be an incredible blast to drive. some sorting needed (definitely beyond my meager DIY skills) and could be an issue in NY since they have real inspections (which I assume include emissions).

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9l5n8jBG/1981-fiat-x1-9

also saw this. my favorite "big" truck (it probably looks like a Ranger though compared to a current generation F150). The perfect configuration to make it maneuverable, plus it looks great. and the 4.6 with a 5 speed stick. Love it, and probably clean underneath based on where it comes from. Would never find something this clean in the rust belt.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rk6QdxLL/1998-ford-f-150-xlt-4x4

akangl

Another punch may be incoming….

mjfloyd1

@tifighter said:
A few from the cars and coffee at Griots this morning.
Not sure about that Testarossa
Senna’s 92 Monaco winning McLaren
This made me laugh

The license plate and plate surround on that Lotus

OMG Becky
Look at her butt
😂

ab348

nyccarguy said:

Funny you say that. The reason I'm not chasing the WRX is that I'm working on something that will solve my "Highlander is too small problem." It wouldn't be right to make my wife drive it on a daily basis.

I went back to your posts on the Highlander/potential replacement after I saw this comparison today. It's on a Canadian site so most here likely would not have seen it. Some interesting tidbits here, including the first coverage I've seen of the new CX-90.

https://www.autoguide.com/car-comparisons/best-3-row-suv-new-mazda-cx-90-vs-7-rivals

tjc78

@corvette said:
@tjc78 - I'm assuming 12% will easily get you home. I'm not familiar with the modern NEV/golf cart market, but I think I'm biased towards the old-school gasoline ones because the engines are no more complicated than a lawn mower. This probably goes back to hearing nightmarish stories about the old electric golf carts with a bank of lead acid batteries which had to have their water constantly topped off, and eventually, even with all of that tending, the entire bank of batteries would have to be replaced ($$$). I'm assuming the cost of ownership on those was well above that of a gasoline powered equivalent.

I had just pulled in. Started off at 33% and probably did about 6-7 miles. It hadn’t been charged in two weeks, so with the cool weather the charge runs down.

When we use it during the summer more often the charge stays high and we charge it every night. We’ve had it for 9 months and haven’t had to add water yet. I’ll check it again soon. Batteries should last 5 years and cost about $1000 to replace.

We will probably trade out of this one before that for a model that has the lithium battery pack.

stickguy

Applied for a job today at Carvana. Wife keeps saying to get into a business that interests me, so might as well be the car business!

stickguy

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

Funny you say that. The reason I'm not chasing the WRX is that I'm working on something that will solve my "Highlander is too small problem." It wouldn't be right to make my wife drive it on a daily basis.

I went back to your posts on the Highlander/potential replacement after I saw this comparison today. It's on a Canadian site so most here likely would not have seen it. Some interesting tidbits here, including the first coverage I've seen of the new CX-90.

https://www.autoguide.com/car-comparisons/best-3-row-suv-new-mazda-cx-90-vs-7-rivals

I have no need for something that jumbo, but the Mazda sounds really impressive. Gonna be up there in price though!

also sounds like Honda did a nice job on the Pilot upgrades.

explorerx4

61K+ US for the Mazda.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

Applied for a job today at Carvana. Wife keeps saying to get into a business that interests me, so might as well be the car business!

They are actually hiring? What for? People to clear out their offices? ;b

stickguy

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

Applied for a job today at Carvana. Wife keeps saying to get into a business that interests me, so might as well be the car business!

They are actually hiring? What for? People to clear out their offices? ;b

sounded like a location manager/coordinator of some kind.

but it said you had to drive cars around frequently, so I figured, why not?

oh, discount on purchases too!

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

61K+ US for the Mazda.

sounds like that was the absolute loaded version (actually it sounded like the review of a BMW)

I would save the $7k and get the non-turbo version. still has a ton of power from the I6. But that is going to be the option for people who are more interested in driving dynamics and style than just price. Probably hoping to steal some buyers away from the Euro brands (BMW and Volvo) and certainly Acura.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

oh, discount on purchases too!

I'm sure they'd be thrilled to sell you whatever you want.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

Applied for a job today at Carvana. Wife keeps saying to get into a business that interests me, so might as well be the car business!

They are actually hiring? What for? People to clear out their offices? ;b

sounded like a location manager/coordinator of some kind.

but it said you had to drive cars around frequently, so I figured, why not?

oh, discount on purchases too!

Friends and family discount?

jmonroe1

@qbrozen said:
I'm sure they'd be thrilled to sell you whatever you want.

————————————————
Since @stickguy seems to like almost everything, I don’t think he can afford to take this job.

jmonroe

breld

stickguy said:

explorerx4 said:

61K+ US for the Mazda.

sounds like that was the absolute loaded version (actually it sounded like the review of a BMW)

I would save the $7k and get the non-turbo version. still has a ton of power from the I6. But that is going to be the option for people who are more interested in driving dynamics and style than just price. Probably hoping to steal some buyers away from the Euro brands (BMW and Volvo) and certainly Acura.

Still an inline-6 turbo in the cheaper version, just detuned. So, not bad.

Should be a nice alternative to the Acura, but doubt it will steal sales from BMW.

ab348

I was somewhat surprised that Mazda finally made the Great Leap Forward to an 8-speed automatic (though the lowly CX-9 is still saddled with the obsolete 6 speed box), and even more surprised that their infotainment system is still the old not-up-to-stuff thing they have offered for several years.

akangl

And the punch has been made. Sold the Ram to a little independent lot and bought a 2019 Silverado 3500HD High Country with 31k miles on it. Didn’t get the home run deal I wanted but they came off asking by $2k which for a dually diesel is pretty good in this market.

No trip to the states this year though, had to choose truck or trip and considering how much faith we didn’t have in the Ram, truck seemed like a better option.

stickguy

nice color. I wouldn't want to take that into a parking lot though.

mjfloyd1

@akangl said:
And the punch has been made. Sold the Ram to a little independent lot and bought a 2019 Silverado 3500HD High Country with 31k miles on it. Didn’t get the home run deal I wanted but they came off asking by $2k which for a dually diesel is pretty good in this market.

No trip to the states this year though, had to choose truck or trip and considering how much faith we didn’t have in the Ram, truck seemed like a better option.

Nice. It will be clean for a block, maybe

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
nice color. I wouldn't want to take that into a parking lot though.

————————————————
You park it around the side where the other barge’s park.

jmonroe

stickguy

jmonroe1 said:

@stickguy said:

nice color. I wouldn't want to take that into a parking lot though.

————————————————

You park it around the side where the other barge’s park.

jmonroe

moor it out in the harbor, and take a ferry in?

laurasdada

Visited BMW dealer in the old 'hood, where wife bought her 330xi. Which got t-boned 6 months later...
Anyway, needed to use restroom, the symbols for the men's room was the M\\ symbol. For the Women's room, same symbol but upside down! Nice.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

OK. I absolutely love this. Must be an incredible blast to drive. some sorting needed (definitely beyond my meager DIY skills) and could be an issue in NY since they have real inspections (which I assume include emissions).

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9l5n8jBG/1981-fiat-x1-9

also saw this. my favorite "big" truck (it probably looks like a Ranger though compared to a current generation F150). The perfect configuration to make it maneuverable, plus it looks great. and the 4.6 with a 5 speed stick. Love it, and probably clean underneath based on where it comes from. Would never find something this clean in the rust belt.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rk6QdxLL/1998-ford-f-150-xlt-4x4

If I recall correctly, cars that old don’t require emissions testing in NY. My 84’ Corvette didn’t and as a bonus the inspection fee was less.

That pick up looks nice. The 4.6L is a great engine. I can’t imagine how high the bids will go in the last minute.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Applied for a job today at Carvana. Wife keeps saying to get into a business that interests me, so might as well be the car business!

Sales or delivery?

oldfarmer50

“ oh, discount on purchases too!”

Enterprise employees get a $1000 discount. What does Carvana offer?

stickguy

No clue. Haven’t heard back from them.

jmonroe1

@oldfarmer50 said:
“ oh, discount on purchases too!”

Enterprise employees get a $1000 discount. What does Carvana offer?

————————————————
You farming (sorta an intended pun) yourself out to the highest bidder?

jmonroe

tifighter

Have watched a few reviews of the new M2 since the embargo ended and the thoughts seem mixed. It’s certainly fast, and while you can get a manual, everyone seems to agree that the powertrain was clearly tuned to work better with the automatic. Apparently you can definitely feel the weight increase. The Throttle House review was particularly critical about how they made it competent but much less fun. Then there’s the looks. Kind of a shame, really. Disappointed.

andres3

tifighter said:

Have watched a few reviews of the new M2 since the embargo ended and the thoughts seem mixed. It’s certainly fast, and while you can get a manual, everyone seems to agree that the powertrain was clearly tuned to work better with the automatic. Apparently you can definitely feel the weight increase. The Throttle House review was particularly critical about how they made it competent but much less fun. Then there’s the looks. Kind of a shame, really. Disappointed.

Weight seems to be the new "easy" cost cutting ritual lately. With everyone getting used to bloated SUV's, apparently the weight gain is becoming standard in cars.

tifighter

Now here's something-

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-ford-ranger-6/

roadburner

tifighter said:

Have watched a few reviews of the new M2 since the embargo ended and the thoughts seem mixed. It’s certainly fast, and while you can get a manual, everyone seems to agree that the powertrain was clearly tuned to work better with the automatic. Apparently you can definitely feel the weight increase. The Throttle House review was particularly critical about how they made it competent but much less fun. Then there’s the looks. Kind of a shame, really. Disappointed.

I for one don't regret passing on a new M2; I can't believe it's only about 100 pounds lighter than the C43- and the "Design by LEGO" styling is underwhelming at best...

Michaell

Is it just me or does the new M2 give off a WRX vibe with the styling, especially around the rear fenders?

stickguy

seems from reading that the biggest problem the M2 has is the 240i. that is already absurdly fast but quite a bit cheaper (I think?)

stickguy

tifighter said:

Now here's something-

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-ford-ranger-6/

I love this. I actually daydreamed about doing this as a hobby car. Though probably RWD to keep it simpler. This looks very clean though. I guess it makes sense that the V8 would fit fine, since the bay is long enough for an I4, and wide enough for a V6.

seems cheap now for what it is. Could be a fun thing to have. Good enough to pretty much drive anywhere like a normal truck, and plenty of functionality with the 6' bed.

stickguy

danged rabbits....

this looks very clean, especially underneath. But does have recent collision damage and a branded title. and still it is a 4 door AT putt putt mobile. This price, seems nuts. those most out there have 100k more miles, and rust, so what do I know?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-volvo-240-20/

this though, is gorgeous. Had a lot of work in the last couple years to freshen it up. And a minute left, going cheaper than the Volvo!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2002-bmw-m3-convertible-108/

explorerx4

That Ranger is cool. Getting some bids with an hour to go.

stickguy

Ranger got into a bidding war, ended up at $22,250. Still probably a decent deal. assuming it would not be cheap to recreate it.

stickguy

M3 only got to $16,750. Barely more than the Volvo!

tjc78

Ranger is cool. I’d like to know more about the 5.0. Those can vary in power pretty substantially depending on what version. Curious as to why they wouldn’t have pulled a complete FI system from a Fox Body. It’s multiport, plug and play, and pretty self contained.

corvette

That is a relatively well optioned 240 wagon. I had forgotten that Volvo waited until the passive restraint mandate took effect in 1990 to include a driver airbag on those.

qbrozen

@corvette said:
That is a relatively well optioned 240 wagon. I had forgotten that Volvo waited until the passive restraint mandate took effect in 1990 to include a driver airbag on those.

You mean sedan? I missed a wagon post if there was one.

corvette

Yes, I meant sedan. D'oh!