Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tjc78

That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.

roadburner

@tjc78 said:
That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.

My wife just talked with her; she’s still fighting with the dealer.

stickguy

is a 2002 Boxster an IMS engine?

28firefighter

@stickguy said:
is a 2002 Boxster an IMS engine?

Yeppers.

28firefighter

@roadburner said:

@tjc78 said:
That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.

My wife just talked with her; she’s still fighting with the dealer.

This entire story is absolute insanity. Why did you have to find the TSB? Why would the dealer care what happens to the windshield - wouldn’t Honda reimburse?

mjfloyd1

qbrozen said:

@mjfloyd1 said:

Yep I traded 335 convert for Rubicon then rubicon for X3m40i then x3m40 for4xe. Nothing wrong with Jeep and it probably makes sense to keep it with RIG 3.99 and BMW takes PUG

So you want to go backwards? Meh. Life is too short. Find something different.

Going backwards isn’t so bad assuming that you have a wireless backup camera 😂

stickguy

28firefighter said:

@stickguy said:

is a 2002 Boxster an IMS engine?

Yeppers.

that might be a minor wrinklie then. local dealer has one coming in with 75K on it. No clue if it has been remediated (or if there is any proof of it). So might not be the smartest idea!

ab348

fintail said:

Yeah, Nissan has a great rep lol. Big Altima Energy in car dealer form.

Yeah, their biggest crime is likely selling Nissans in any form to unsuspecting buyers. 😲

28firefighter

@stickguy said:
that might be a minor wrinklie then. local dealer has one coming in with 75K on it. No clue if it has been remediated (or if there is any proof of it). So might not be the smartest idea!

$3-$4k and you can get the clutch and rear main seal done at the same time.

stickguy

a $13,000 toy starts to get a lot more expensive that way!

28firefighter

$13k is a lot for a base Boxster without a maintenance pedigree IMO

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

A few weeks ago, my wife mentioned that one of her friends has a newer Honda and that the paint is peeling off of the roof. I did some online searching and found that there is a TSB that addresses the issue. So, she took it to the local dealer. The service manager took pictures and said the photos needed to be sent to Honda for approval. Fair enough, but since then it has been a fiasco. No calls or updates, no returned calls, etc. The last straw was last week- she was sent an agreement to sign that stated that the windshield would need to be removed and that she would be responsible for paying for if it was broken by the dealer.
She complained to Honda USA and Honda is apparently siding with her. However, the damage is done; the friend has said she will never buy another Honda. Just another example of how the dealer experience can completely destroy any brand loyalty...

When the paint bubbled on the Mustang hood I went through the same thing (manufacturer approval) but no windshield or other funny stuff. Later when the problem reoccurred in a different spot the dealer fixed it for good will. I’ve since had service done there that I could have had done elsewhere. Dealer experience can also create a loyal customer.

stickguy

28firefighter said:

$13k is a lot for a base Boxster without a maintenance pedigree IMO

I don't actually know what it has. But it is at the Porsche dealer so I assume it will be gone through, and must be in good shape or they would not touch it. And of course they will charge a lot extra!

if nothing else, gives me a chance to try one out, something I have never done.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
Let us know if they let you drive it.

roadburner

@28firefighter said:

@roadburner said:

@tjc78 said:
That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.

My wife just talked with her; she’s still fighting with the dealer.

This entire story is absolute insanity. Why did you have to find the TSB? Why would the dealer care what happens to the windshield - wouldn’t Honda reimburse?

She was getting quotes from body shops for a repaint of the roof and hadn’t checked with the dealer. I figured that it would not hurt to check. I sent her the TSB and told her to print it out and take it to the dealer so that they wouldn’t blow her off - although it’s evident that they are still trying.

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

@stickguy,
Let us know if they let you drive it.

ok, but can't see any reason they wouldn't. I am old with gray hair, so their target demographic!

nyccarguy

Not sure if the picture is clear enough, but the vanity plate reads: R R8TD

explorerx4

@stickguy,
I've never been in a Porsche dealership, so I just want to know.

stickguy

I actually had some nice chats because at our old house, it was next to the VW dealer and when service was closed at VW you had to go to Porsche to pay and get your keys. So I always checked out the eye candy on the floor. And the sales guys tended to be quite chill. Not that I ever asked to drive anything special!

corvette

I don't normally do these Klarna / Afterpay things, for various reasons [1], but the terms on the Discount Tire offer when I got tires for the Prius were a little more enticing, so I signed up. Interestingly, you get almost a two month grace period, plus 0% financing, and four equal payments over the next four months. I will say that, prior to this email, I tried to log in to Synchrony to confirm the payment schedule, and got very scant information as to when the payments would be drafted, nor did there appear to be an option to switch bank accounts (I didn't need to do so, but I noticed it).

[1] I normally pay for everything with a rewards credit card and pay the balance in full at the end of the month, unless I have a card with a 0% promotion. Most of the Afterpay type financing offers I've seen are for four equal payments in two week increments, which usually doesn't extend the grace period substantially if they are being charged to my credit card. This deal drafts directly from my bank account, and offers a longer effective grace period. Also, most of the Afterpay type offers I've seen are for lower stakes items ($100 price range).

oldfarmer50

I never use any service that requires access to my accounts. I may be paranoid but I don’t trust any company or government entity with that power.

tjc78

@oldfarmer50 said:
I never use any service that requires access to my accounts. I may be paranoid but I don’t trust any company or government entity with that power.

How do you pay your bills, with checks?

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Not sure if the picture is clear enough, but the vanity plate reads: R R8TD

ok... but what does it mean? What's the first R for? And is the rest R8 turbodiesel? I'd think not, but who am I to judge?

venture

roadburner said:

A few weeks ago, my wife mentioned that one of her friends has a newer Honda and that the paint is peeling off of the roof. I did some online searching and found that there is a TSB that addresses the issue. So, she took it to the local dealer. The service manager took pictures and said the photos needed to be sent to Honda for approval. Fair enough, but since then it has been a fiasco. No calls or updates, no returned calls, etc. The last straw was last week- she was sent an agreement to sign that stated that the windshield would need to be removed and that she would be responsible for paying for if it was broken by the dealer.
She complained to Honda USA and Honda is apparently siding with her. However, the damage is done; the friend has said she will never buy another Honda. Just another example of how the dealer experience can completely destroy any brand loyalty...

My Subaru dealer used to be really good. They negotiated a fair price without much pain, and the service department did what you wanted without trying to squeeze the last nickel out of you. That, sadly, has changed, at least as far as service is concerned.

I get mail from them almost weekly, email at least monthly, they used to call every once in a while until I told them to stop, and every time I go in for service some simpleton approaches me, almost before I get in the building, about trading in the car and what my new payment would be. It's getting tiresome.

I'm looking for something to replace the BMW and my wife's Ascent is due to be replaced with something a little smaller. I think she would possibly be interested in the new Forester (if they ever introduce it) and I was thinking about a Legacy Sport. We are looking at other makes first. Two of her friends have CRVs and they both had trouble with them so that's out.

This dealer experience is teetering on the brink.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
ok... but what does it mean? What's the first R for? And is the rest R8 turbodiesel? I'd think not, but who am I to judge?

I don’t understand it either.

mjfloyd1

R rated (I assume like a movie is R rated) and it is a R rated Audi since it’s a R 8

laurasdada

I don't use autopay, but I do use EFT from my CU to creditors; I schedule each payment as they come due. Lets me keep track of spending and keep $ in my highest yielding accounts (as the CU pays ~nothing in interest) until those times I have to replenish the CU for bill pay.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

@tjc78 said:

That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.

My wife just talked with her; she’s still fighting with the dealer.

This sort of thing makes me crazy. Some dealers and manufacturers try to convince us (the public) that the sleazy practices of the past are just that....in the past. They, I read about this Nissan dealer and the Honda dealer you referred to, and it appears it's getting worse, not better.

Add to that, my experience with a local Ford dealer and the local experience with a Kia dealer when I had my Stinger, and none of this is isolated. It's more the norm than the exception.

jmonroe1

@corvette said:
I don't normally do these Klarna / Afterpay things, for various reasons [1], but the terms on the Discount Tire offer when I got tires for the Prius were a little more enticing, so I signed up. Interestingly, you get almost a two month grace period, plus 0% financing, and four equal payments over the next four months. I will say that, prior to this email, I tried to log in to Synchrony to confirm the payment schedule, and got very scant information as to when the payments would be drafted, nor did there appear to be an option to switch bank accounts (I didn't need to do so, but I noticed it).

[1] I normally pay for everything with a rewards credit card and pay the balance in full at the end of the month, unless I have a card with a 0% promotion. Most of the Afterpay type financing offers I've seen are for four equal payments in two week increments, which usually doesn't extend the grace period substantially if they are being charged to my credit card. This deal drafts directly from my bank account, and offers a longer effective grace period. Also, most of the Afterpay type offers I've seen are for lower stakes items ($100 price range).

————————————————
That would have been more informational if you showed us your CC number.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@qbrozen said:
ok... but what does it mean? What's the first R for? And is the rest R8 turbodiesel? I'd think not, but who am I to judge?

————————————————
I’m glad I’m not the only one that didn’t get it. Maybe we’re under the same rock.

jmonroe

roadburner

graphicguy said:

This sort of thing makes me crazy. Some dealers and manufacturers try to convince us (the public) that the sleazy practices of the past are just that....in the past. They, I read about this Nissan dealer and the Honda dealer you referred to, and it appears it's getting worse, not better.

Add to that, my experience with a local Ford dealer and the local experience with a Kia dealer when I had my Stinger, and none of this is isolated. It's more the norm than the exception.

In my case Ford and Kia are also essentially out of contention, again due to the lack of competent local dealers. So it goes...

ab348

tjc78 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I never use any service that requires access to my accounts. I may be paranoid but I don’t trust any company or government entity with that power.

How do you pay your bills, with checks?

No, he digs up one of the many large pickle jars he has buried out i the back 40 and pays with cash.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

breld said:

Finally got my youngest son a new car and the 2012 MDX has been officially retired after 155k faithful miles.

Unlike his older brother (and much of the buying population), he really keyed in on sedans, liking the sleeker style over an SUV. His mom insisted on AWD, so that narrowed the choices down considerably. We considered the Altima, Legacy and a Mazda3 before landing on a Kia K5. After testing all these options, he was clearly most enthusiastic about the Kia, and I couldn’t blame him. Handsome styling that you don’t see every day, the 1.6T engine, a traditional 8-speed auto and a nicely tuned suspension make it a very impressive vehicle for the price.

All our kids like and appreciate their vehicles, but my youngest is the only one who shows the kind of enthusiasm that could carry on our family obsession tradition.

Very nice first vehicle. Much better than my Neon. I'll take bets with anyone and everyone here this K5 roundly beats the Neon for reliability too. Is it a lease? If so, take multiple photos of the multiple key fobs.

Well, since the two cars are separated by 20-30 years of improvements, I’d hope so.

If that's the working theory I'd hate to see the reliability of a '75 or '65 Chrysler product from before the Neon by 20 or 30 years.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

A few weeks ago, my wife mentioned that one of her friends has a newer Honda and that the paint is peeling off of the roof. I did some online searching and found that there is a TSB that addresses the issue. So, she took it to the local dealer. The service manager took pictures and said the photos needed to be sent to Honda for approval. Fair enough, but since then it has been a fiasco. No calls or updates, no returned calls, etc. The last straw was last week- she was sent an agreement to sign that stated that the windshield would need to be removed and that she would be responsible for paying for if it was broken by the dealer.
She complained to Honda USA and Honda is apparently siding with her. However, the damage is done; the friend has said she will never buy another Honda. Just another example of how the dealer experience can completely destroy any brand loyalty...

When the paint bubbled on the Mustang hood I went through the same thing (manufacturer approval) but no windshield or other funny stuff. Later when the problem reoccurred in a different spot the dealer fixed it for good will. I’ve since had service done there that I could have had done elsewhere. Dealer experience can also create a loyal customer.

Indeed, when Audi management made the right decision and replaced my whole AC system in the '06 A3 because I was only at 53,000 miles when I got to the dealership (which meant the AC compressor blew at 52 to 52.8K miles) under a goodwill extended warranty (no cost to me) I felt OK agreeing to the service manager's "dealership" pricing for a brake job that was due while they were working on the A/C system.

I didn't feel gouged at all, but it did remind me to find a good indy shop for brake jobs in the future.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I never use any service that requires access to my accounts. I may be paranoid but I don’t trust any company or government entity with that power.

How do you pay your bills, with checks?

Yes. I may be the last person on the planet to do so.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

tjc78 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I never use any service that requires access to my accounts. I may be paranoid but I don’t trust any company or government entity with that power.

How do you pay your bills, with checks?

No, he digs up one of the many large pickle jars he has buried out i the back 40 and pays with cash.

But it’s getting harder to find businesses that will accept money that smells like dill and vinegar.🤣

BTW no real old coot would use pickle jars, too much chance you’d break them with the shovel. You use old plastic coffee cans, no rust and they seal better.

jmonroe1

@oldfarmer50 said:
Yes. I may be the last person on the planet to do so.

————————————————
Don’t go giving yourself too much credit. We pay all our bills by writing checks. In fact they are 7 bills in my mailbox right now waiting for the mail man to pick them up. However, we use our credit card for everything else and I mean everything. I can’t remember the last time I paid cash for anything.

Believe me, you wouldn’t want to see my Visa card especially after we used it while on vacation at Myrtle Beach two weeks ago and buying a dishwasher before we left.

jmonroe

explorerx4

I only mail checks at the Post Office. Too much check washing going around.

nyccarguy

@explorerx4 said:
I only mail checks at the Post Office. Too much check washing going around.

One of the nitwits I employ (worker isn’t really the appropriate way to describe him) has some sort of issue and doesn’t have direct deposit or a bank account. He cashes his payroll check at a check cashing place. Well, a few months back something happened (nothing is ever this guy’s fault) and the check cashing place didn’t dispose of the check properly. His payroll check got washed and good god was it easy for people to cash these checks at local bank branches.

I got a call from a woman claiming to be the assistant branch manager at the JP Morgan Chase branch on Grand Street in Manhattan (Chinatown). I asked her some questions before I proceeded to answer hers. She asked me if I knew or wrote a check to someone named _____ ______. I said no. Why? She proceeded to tell me that this person had cashed 2 checks already today and she just happened to get me as the tellers were backed up. The Assistant Branch Manager told me that she started asking the woman questions and the woman closed her bag up and left.

I asked her what made the woman look suspicious. She told me she is from the Bronx (where my business is located) and is the only non Asian person in that bank branch (employee or customer), so when someone who clearly wasn’t Asian (and very dark) tried to cash a payroll check it raised a huge red flag.

kyfdx

Where I live, a bank won't cash a check, unless the person with the check has an account there. They won't even cash a check drawn on their bank.

Imagine thinking that writing a check is safer than using your bank's online bill pay.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

breld said:

Finally got my youngest son a new car and the 2012 MDX has been officially retired after 155k faithful miles.

Unlike his older brother (and much of the buying population), he really keyed in on sedans, liking the sleeker style over an SUV. His mom insisted on AWD, so that narrowed the choices down considerably. We considered the Altima, Legacy and a Mazda3 before landing on a Kia K5. After testing all these options, he was clearly most enthusiastic about the Kia, and I couldn’t blame him. Handsome styling that you don’t see every day, the 1.6T engine, a traditional 8-speed auto and a nicely tuned suspension make it a very impressive vehicle for the price.

All our kids like and appreciate their vehicles, but my youngest is the only one who shows the kind of enthusiasm that could carry on our family obsession tradition.

Very nice first vehicle. Much better than my Neon. I'll take bets with anyone and everyone here this K5 roundly beats the Neon for reliability too. Is it a lease? If so, take multiple photos of the multiple key fobs.

Well, since the two cars are separated by 20-30 years of improvements, I’d hope so.

If that's the working theory I'd hate to see the reliability of a '75 or '65 Chrysler product from before the Neon by 20 or 30 years.

Cars of that vintage would make your Neon look good.

ab348

Drove past the huge Autoport lot today where the cars are brought ashore from the massive ocean-crossing car carriers arriving here before others are loaded for shipment to Europe and elsewhere. It is mostly domestic pickups outward bound, while the arrivals are everything from econoboxes to off the scale exotics. Today pickings were slim as inventory seemed low compared to what it once was. There were a bunch of M-Bs, fewer BMWs, and a handful of Porsches. The most prevalent model I spotted was a large swarm of Dodge Hornets that I guess had just arrived from Italy.

explorerx4

A large swarm, really? HA HA

venture

I've been looking around at something to replace the BMW, but not having much luck finding anything I like. I keep going back to Subaru for some reason. Maybe because I am used to them. I don't know.

I should do something soon before my local dealership goes totally to hell.

Maybe I'll get one of these:

mjfloyd1

I have no words

kyfdx

Other than the wheels and the color.. I like it!

nyccarguy

If you would have take a photo from a different vantage point, you'd be able to see that Highlander & MDX MUCH better.

tjc78

@mjfloyd1 said:
I have no words

A far cry from the handsome E39 and E46 sedans and coupes. Ugh.

kyfdx

Cayman needs a new headliner. $700. 😕

au1994

Gotta pay to play