Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

venture said:

Michaell said:

ab348 said:

Because I’m in Canada I haven’t paid much attention to the details of the $7500 US EV rebate. But I thought there was some production threshold where it went away for a manufacturer after selling X-number of units. Is that no longer true?

There used to be a cap where once 200,000 vehicles were made, the manufacturer no longer qualified for the credit. With the new regulations that went into effect last year, that has gone away, but replaced by both an income limit and an MSRP cap on the vehicles ($55K for cars, $80K for SUVs and trucks)

My Subaru dealer said there is a $7,500 rebate on a lease, but not on a buy. The Subaru web site appears to bear that out.

Is that normal?

EDIT: That's on a Solterra of course.

Yes, that seems to be accurate

corvette

I'm jealous of all of ya'll getting unsolicited Carvana buy bids!

pensfan83

I got one for Tacoma #1 that's now been gone 19 months. Still less than what Vroom paid me.

qbrozen

@corvette said:
I'm jealous of all of ya'll getting unsolicited Carvana buy bids!

I’ve gotten about a dozen. I’ll send you some so you feel better. I think it is their revenge on me for using their website to value cars I don’t own.

andres3

sda said:

Given the past history of VW/Audi 2.0t engines having timing chain and oil consumption issues as the engines age I am being cautious and am changing the oil/filter every 5k/6mo or there abouts. The interval called for is 1 yr or 10k. VW/Audi spec synthetic, dealer serviced. Hopefully that pays off in the long run.

5K miles change intervals is a good rule of thumb, and check the dipstick at 2,500 miles in, if it's half down, that means your burning a quart/5,000 miles, easy to just throw half a quart in between oil changes. I find the oil consumption is mostly occurring in the 4-7K rev range; meaning, when I'm driving it hard.

andres3

benjaminh said:

Compared to what things were even six months ago, this is an okay deal. Not that I want it. I feel my 2018 TLX is a much better car for me, with a better engine and transmission, better rear visibility, etc.

It's a shame Acura is using the same cheap CVT they put in Honda's. It is as if they've waived the white flag and have given up on making a good transmission.

oldfarmer50

Wait, I thought it was Honda and Toyota CVTs were the good ones. Unlike those used in Nissan and a few other brands.

Unless you’re referring to the concept of CVTs in general.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

Wait, I thought it was Honda and Toyota CVTs were the good ones. Unlike those used in Nissan and a few other brands.

Unless you’re referring to the concept of CVTs in general.

Good with the caveat that it's a CVT, which is like saying it's good for being bad.

ronsteve

@andres3 said:
It's a shame Acura is using the same cheap CVT they put in Honda's. It is as if they've waived the white flag and have given up on making a good transmission.

I wonder how much more they’re getting for a manual…

corvette

I had seen the Judge Joseph Holt Home on maps several times while scouting potential hiking locations, so decided to stop by today since it was a short detour. I think it is an event venue and is otherwise only open to the public on special occasions, but I got to walk around the outside and the graveyard. It's a beautiful old home.



That's the Maverick in the background. It continues to excel at quiet, composed highway cruising, in addition to being an excellent around-town daily driver. IMO, the overall driving experience is that of a more expensive vehicle.

I completed the upper trails at Jeffreys Cliffs outside of Hawesville. I did the lower trails a few weeks back, and those are more picturesque but also had much steeper inclines. The upper trails are relatively flat once you ascend to the top of the cliff area.

explorerx4

I don't intend to buy anything until incentives get better but my first choice F150 is no longer listed on the dealer website.

roadburner

My goal at this point is to find a nice JK or else a 2015 Xterra and cut back to four cars.
I'm still extremely happy with the C43; A couple of my friends kidded me about getting an old man's car-until I took them for a ride in it. On a similar note, I called a police detective to discuss a case but the first words out of his mouth were, "I heard you traded your BMW for a Mercedes- is that true?"

corvette

A used Xterra was on my short list for a short term vehicle after my Tundra lease ended. I like them.

benjaminh

andres3 said:

It's a shame Acura is using the same cheap CVT they put in Honda's. It is as if they've waived the white flag and have given up on making a good transmission.

Yeah, I agree with that. My TLX has an 8-speed DCT that I really like, and which was unique to the brand. Probably saves Acura something like $1k per car to just go with a CVT from Honda. But I suppose that's part of what makes the starting price of 32k possible.

sda

roadburner said:

My goal at this point is to find a nice JK or else a 2015 Xterra and cut back to four cars.
I'm still extremely happy with the C43; A couple of my friends kidded me about getting an old man's car-until I took them for a ride in it. On a similar note, I called a police detective to discuss a case but the first words out of his mouth were, "I heard you traded your BMW for a Mercedes- is that true?"

Small world..

sda

I really wanted to like the new Integra and do for the most part. But Acura is stingy with standard features on all but the ASpec Tech model and even it doesn’t have rear seat ac vents. Even the entry level Integra should have satellite radio, dual climate control, adjustable lumbar support and rear seat ac vents. I agree, keeping the DCT would have been a big plus.

corvette

jmonroe1

sda said:

I really like the color of this A6. It is easy to see the common styling language between my silver VW Passat and the Audi.

————————————————
Were you out shopping for glasses or rib eyes?

jmonroe

qbrozen

hmmmm... debating on making an offer on a Crossfire SRT6 coupe with 98k miles. Roof and spoiler have bad clearcoat. Some broken interior pieces. Awful wheels. I see a recent auction on C&B but in far better color sold for $10,400. I'm thinking if I could get it to my door for $6k, I could be OK on it, even if it sells for, let's say, $8500. The biggest issue I see is that it has an airbag light on. Ugh. Maybe I should throw out a super lowball bid and get it to my door for $5k, if they accept.

sda

I could use new glasses and a rib eye sounds good. Nope. Was browsing at Best Buy which is located on the opposite side of the parking lot.

tifighter

qbrozen said:

hmmmm... debating on making an offer on a Crossfire SRT6 coupe with 98k miles. Roof and spoiler have bad clearcoat. Some broken interior pieces. Awful wheels. I see a recent auction on C&B but in far better color sold for $10,400. I'm thinking if I could get it to my door for $6k, I could be OK on it, even if it sells for, let's say, $8500. The biggest issue I see is that it has an airbag light on. Ugh. Maybe I should throw out a super lowball bid and get it to my door for $5k, if they accept.

Unless there is some personal interest (or unbelievably cheap), this sounds like more work than it's worth. Germans and dash lights are a slippery slope.

stickguy

It’s 20 year old Mercedes tech with Chrysler kibitzing on top. Unlikely to end well.

qbrozen

alright... how about this one? 2012 X5 diesel with 124k miles. Indications are it is in need of a urea tank replacement. Not a huge deal from the preliminary research I've done. What's she worth?

They also have an orange C30 T5 manual with 112k, but asking price is a pretty absurd $9k. Clearcoat has failed on the mirrors, so I'm concerned about other areas not easily seen in pics.

stickguy

I like the the Volvo if you can get it really cheap!

tifighter

You can always try to pre-sell that C30 to @jpp75 those cars are his kryptonite.

nyccarguy

I got my Prelude back tonight! I had a laundry list of mechanical parts replaced. The car passed state emissions & is ready to go! It rolled over 161,000 miles on the way home!

qbrozen

I put in offers on both the X5 and C30. My X5 bid is only $1100 under “reserve.” My c30 bid, however, is thousands lower than their reserve.

sb55

@qbrozen said:
I put in offers on both the X5 and C30. My X5 bid is only $1100 under “reserve.” My c30 bid, however, is thousands lower than their reserve.

Usually the reserve is “secret “. How do they let you know?

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

hmmmm... debating on making an offer on a Crossfire SRT6 coupe with 98k miles. Roof and spoiler have bad clearcoat. Some broken interior pieces. Awful wheels. I see a recent auction on C&B but in far better color sold for $10,400. I'm thinking if I could get it to my door for $6k, I could be OK on it, even if it sells for, let's say, $8500. The biggest issue I see is that it has an airbag light on. Ugh. Maybe I should throw out a super lowball bid and get it to my door for $5k, if they accept.

The SRT version is the most desirable version. I considered one back in 2005 until I saw the $50k price tag. 330hp if I remember correctly.

The only problem is it’s schizophrenic construction. Because of its Mercedes SLK underpinnings no Chrysler dealer will touch it and because of its Chrysler body the Mercedes dealer is similarity disinclined. That makes it almost unrepairable.

nyccarguy

Thank-you everyone for your help and support. Today I got my 2001 Prelude Type SH back from the shop. It passed CT State emissions. I had new tires installed, new suspension perches, new front sway bar bushings, new rear sway bar bushings, & end links, new plugs, wires, distributor, EGR valve, PCV Valve, valve cover gasket, Thermostat, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, balance shaft seals, pa belt, aC belt, rear bearings, front pads, front rotors, rear pads, rear rotors. Now I just have to drive it and enjoy;)

stickguy

Sounds like brand new. Enjoy for sure!

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

Thank-you everyone for your help and support. Today I got my 2001 Prelude Type SH back from the shop. It passed CT State emissions. I had new tires installed, new suspension perches, new front sway bar bushings, new rear sway bar bushings, & end links, new plugs, wires, distributor, EGR valve, PCV Valve, valve cover gasket, Thermostat, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, balance shaft seals, pa belt, aC belt, rear bearings, front pads, front rotors, rear pads, rear rotors. Now I just have to drive it and enjoy;)

————————————————
WOW, can you still afford to gas it up?

Good luck with it.

jmonroe

benjaminh

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-04-23/commentary-its-not-easy-being-a-green-motorist-in-california

"Commentary: I’m ready to trade in my electric car. Here’s why
BY MARIEL GARZA, APRIL 23, 2023

....Yes, there are significantly more public charging stations than when I first got behind the wheel of my Kia Niro EV in January 2020. But there are also significantly more electric vehicles vying to use them — and still vast areas of the state without a single fast charger. Chargers are more reliable now, but still not quite good enough. In 2020, it felt like half the public chargers I tried to use weren’t working. These days, l find only about a quarter are out. This jibes with the experience of researchers who checked public fast chargers at 181 charging stations in the Bay Area last year and found that about 23% weren’t functional....

It’s not uncommon to locate a charging station and discover that all the chargers are in use or blocked by cars not charging. Or, most frustratingly, the chargers may be offline or nonfunctional — which you may not discover until you park, plug in and try to start the charger. And even if the stars align and you find an available charger that works, it may shut off mid-charge with no warning or reason. When I chose an electrical vehicle, I knew that meant an extra 30 minutes in travel time for each charging stop during a road trip. But I did not count on the time wasted by having to, for example, backtrack to another station or one out of my way because the charging station on my route was not working.

I did not count on having to wait 60 minutes to charge because the fast charger is not charging very fast today. Or having to spend the wait time baking in the sun because the charging station on the side of a hot freeway has no shade. Honestly, who thought that was a good idea? I didn’t count on having to download a half-dozen apps because each charger company has its own. I could fill up a book recounting the many frustrating and absurd experiences I have had charging my car over the last three years and three months — and I haven’t even hit 23,000 miles on the car yet."

explorerx4

There are 9 charging stations listed in a 20 radius of where I live.
That does not include some I have seen a car dealers.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

Thank-you everyone for your help and support. Today I got my 2001 Prelude Type SH back from the shop. It passed CT State emissions. I had new tires installed, new suspension perches, new front sway bar bushings, new rear sway bar bushings, & end links, new plugs, wires, distributor, EGR valve, PCV Valve, valve cover gasket, Thermostat, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, balance shaft seals, pa belt, aC belt, rear bearings, front pads, front rotors, rear pads, rear rotors. Now I just have to drive it and enjoy;)

Still looks great! I know you will enjoy having it on the road again!

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

The only problem is it’s schizophrenic construction. Because of its Mercedes SLK underpinnings no Chrysler dealer will touch it and because of its Chrysler body the Mercedes dealer is similarity disinclined. That makes it almost unrepairable.

Good thing my shop is me.

qbrozen

sb55 said:

Usually the reserve is “secret “. How do they let you know?

This is at an online dealer auction. The reserve is secret until it doesn't sell, then it goes up for making straight offers and they show the reserve at that point. Not really a big fan of this site so far (ACV Auctions). I heard about it through youtube reviews. For the most part, seems like a site where dealers are trying to get at or above retail prices and/or dump problem cars.

Side note: I saw a new Corolla GR bid up past $60k. WTH?

I came within $100 of buying an old 302-powered Bronco ('92, IIRC). Kind of glad someone outbid me at the last second. Would have been a bigger project than I want right now. Probably big money in it if done right, though. The buyer paid $7600.

corvette

qbrozen said:

Good thing my shop is me.

Unfortunately, that means the warranty is also you.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Good thing my shop is me.

Something I would never say.. ^^^^^^

stickguy

Doesn’t help the parts situation though.

andres3

benjaminh said:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-04-23/commentary-its-not-easy-being-a-green-motorist-in-california

"Commentary: I’m ready to trade in my electric car. Here’s why
BY MARIEL GARZA, APRIL 23, 2023

....Yes, there are significantly more public charging stations than when I first got behind the wheel of my Kia Niro EV in January 2020. But there are also significantly more electric vehicles vying to use them — and still vast areas of the state without a single fast charger. Chargers are more reliable now, but still not quite good enough. In 2020, it felt like half the public chargers I tried to use weren’t working. These days, l find only about a quarter are out. This jibes with the experience of researchers who checked public fast chargers at 181 charging stations in the Bay Area last year and found that about 23% weren’t functional....

It’s not uncommon to locate a charging station and discover that all the chargers are in use or blocked by cars not charging. Or, most frustratingly, the chargers may be offline or nonfunctional — which you may not discover until you park, plug in and try to start the charger. And even if the stars align and you find an available charger that works, it may shut off mid-charge with no warning or reason. When I chose an electrical vehicle, I knew that meant an extra 30 minutes in travel time for each charging stop during a road trip. But I did not count on the time wasted by having to, for example, backtrack to another station or one out of my way because the charging station on my route was not working.

I did not count on having to wait 60 minutes to charge because the fast charger is not charging very fast today. Or having to spend the wait time baking in the sun because the charging station on the side of a hot freeway has no shade. Honestly, who thought that was a good idea? I didn’t count on having to download a half-dozen apps because each charger company has its own. I could fill up a book recounting the many frustrating and absurd experiences I have had charging my car over the last three years and three months — and I haven’t even hit 23,000 miles on the car yet."

If they had consulted with me, I could have foresaw and warned them of many of those issues. Even with a diesel I was very concerned about lack of charging...er... refilling stations. Turned out not to be an issue because most gas stations have a diesel pump. But I foresaw issues. Most gas stations have a down pump at all times too; not 25% because they have many pumps, and not as much of an issue because gas fills fast. Still, I'm surprised that people didn't realize charging stations might be less reliable than fuel pumps.

tjc78

@nyccarguy said:
Thank-you everyone for your help and support. Today I got my 2001 Prelude Type SH back from the shop. It passed CT State emissions. I had new tires installed, new suspension perches, new front sway bar bushings, new rear sway bar bushings, & end links, new plugs, wires, distributor, EGR valve, PCV Valve, valve cover gasket, Thermostat, timing belt, tensioner, water pump, balance shaft seals, pa belt, aC belt, rear bearings, front pads, front rotors, rear pads, rear rotors. Now I just have to drive it and enjoy;)

Awesome!! Just in time for the nice weather

jmonroe1

benjaminh said:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-04-23/commentary-its-not-easy-being-a-green-motorist-in-california

"Commentary: I’m ready to trade in my electric car. Here’s why
BY MARIEL GARZA, APRIL 23, 2023

....Yes, there are significantly more public charging stations than when I first got behind the wheel of my Kia Niro EV in January 2020. But there are also significantly more electric vehicles vying to use them — and still vast areas of the state without a single fast charger. Chargers are more reliable now, but still not quite good enough. In 2020, it felt like half the public chargers I tried to use weren’t working. These days, l find only about a quarter are out. This jibes with the experience of researchers who checked public fast chargers at 181 charging stations in the Bay Area last year and found that about 23% weren’t functional....

It’s not uncommon to locate a charging station and discover that all the chargers are in use or blocked by cars not charging. Or, most frustratingly, the chargers may be offline or nonfunctional — which you may not discover until you park, plug in and try to start the charger. And even if the stars align and you find an available charger that works, it may shut off mid-charge with no warning or reason. When I chose an electrical vehicle, I knew that meant an extra 30 minutes in travel time for each charging stop during a road trip. But I did not count on the time wasted by having to, for example, backtrack to another station or one out of my way because the charging station on my route was not working.

I did not count on having to wait 60 minutes to charge because the fast charger is not charging very fast today. Or having to spend the wait time baking in the sun because the charging station on the side of a hot freeway has no shade. Honestly, who thought that was a good idea? I didn’t count on having to download a half-dozen apps because each charger company has its own. I could fill up a book recounting the many frustrating and absurd experiences I have had charging my car over the last three years and three months — and I haven’t even hit 23,000 miles on the car yet."

————————————————
I couldn’t have said it better myself.

No, I don’t like the price of gas but I’m not ready to cut off my nose to spite my face.

jmonroe

pensfan83

Spotted in Daytona Beach @qbrozen

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

oldfarmer50 said:

The only problem is it’s schizophrenic construction. Because of its Mercedes SLK underpinnings no Chrysler dealer will touch it and because of its Chrysler body the Mercedes dealer is similarity disinclined. That makes it almost unrepairable.

Good thing my shop is me.

I didn’t realize you were that talented. How about parts availability? Otherwise I’d love to have one. I got to drive the NA version when Chrysler had a track day promotion. Very cramped but fun.

carnaught

“No, I don’t like the price of gas but I’m not ready to cut off my nose to spite my face.”

jmonroe


Then you would no longer look like Dean Martin 😉.

tifighter

@qbrozen said:

Side note: I saw a new Corolla GR bid up past $60k. WTH?

The asking prices I’ve seen for the Morizo edition cars are well above that, so I guess someone must think there’s money to be made.

jmonroe1

carnaught said:

“No, I don’t like the price of gas but I’m not ready to cut off my nose to spite my face.”

jmonroe

Then you would no longer look like Dean Martin 😉.

————————————————
Good point.

jmonroe

explorerx4

There are others cheaper than this one. SXT is V6 model.
https://www.autonationchryslerdodgejeepramhouston.com/new/Dodge/2023-Dodge-Charger-cad292dd0a0e0a9218874b2f02499be5.htm

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
I didn’t realize you were that talented.

I changed the headbolts on an AMG V8. Nothing scares me.