Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

corvette said:

Made it to Dearborn this afternoon. Traffic on I-75 was heavy the entire way and I barely got to use the cruise control--kind of made me regret not renting a Tesla so I would have Autopilot. I still had 3/8, but went ahead and topped off the tank, since the GF and I will be driving around a decent bit the next two days when she's here. The Maverick's OBC said I got 32.7 MPG. I calculated it manually and that figure came out to 31.7 MPG. Very impressed, either way!

mine easily got over 30 on a highway run. It was impressive for a turbo. the Hybrid tends to get high 30s highway, depending on how fast I am going. but has broken 40 on some runs. I think my OBC ran about 1 MPG optimistic too. Close enough for me! And I believe there is a way to recalibrate it if it bothers you.

stickguy

went to dinner tonight and there was a mustang GT convertible in the lot, so I pointed it out to the wife (part of my campaign to swap her out of a CUV to a sporty car). She actually liked this one, mostly because it was a nice light ice blue/silverish color I have never seen on one before. I think it was probably from the 2005-2010 or so vintage but looked brand new.

not sure she would like driving one of those though. the 2 series of Mini, still think one of those would work.

Michaell

stickguy said:

went to dinner tonight and there was a mustang GT convertible in the lot, so I pointed it out to the wife (part of my campaign to swap her out of a CUV to a sporty car). She actually liked this one, mostly because it was a nice light ice blue/silverish color I have never seen on one before. I think it was probably from the 2005-2010 or so vintage but looked brand new.

not sure she would like driving one of those though. the 2 series of Mini, still think one of those would work.

I'll give you credit for being brave enough to have two vehicles in upstate NY, neither of which is AWD.

stickguy

I went to college up here with nothing but RWD. One I think had baldish snows on the back (or maybe that was just HS) and my Opel had some sort of all seasons (1970s version). So FWD with quality tires and all the electronics, almost overkill.

plus if I snows I keep the car in the garage because I am terrified of subjecting it to brine and salt and rotting out the underneath.

I really need to add a winter beater to the fleet! Right now, that is the Acura. if I ever do inherit the Sentra, might keep that around to serve as 2nd car and snow buggy.

Michaell

stickguy said:

I went to college up here with nothing but RWD. One I think had baldish snows on the back (or maybe that was just HS) and my Opel had some sort of all seasons (1970s version). So FWD with quality tires and all the electronics, almost overkill.

plus if I snows I keep the car in the garage because I am terrified of subjecting it to brine and salt and rotting out the underneath.

I really need to add a winter beater to the fleet! Right now, that is the Acura. if I ever do inherit the Sentra, might keep that around to serve as 2nd car and snow buggy.

That makes sense.

I've gone 30 years in Colorado with mainly FWD and no snow/winter tires.

laurasdada

I've gone 30 years in Colorado with mainly FWD and no snow/winter tires.

Same here, lifetime skiing in New England w/FWD and all seasons. Until the '13 XF, did I cross to the AWD side (RWD bias most of the time, though).

kyfdx

@stickguy I can imagine your wife, the first time she fires up the V-8 on a GT convertible.

qbrozen

@andre1969 said:
Hey everyone, the "other" Andre here. Haven't been over here in ages, because my car buying hasn't been that chronic, to be honest! I've only had two new vehicles in my life: a 2000 Intrepid base model purchased back in November 1999, and then a new, but leftover, 2012 Ram bought in September 2012.

Despite their reputation, my Intrepid was a pretty good car, but a hit and run in the parking lot totaled it in November 2009, with about 150,000 miles on it. And yes, the original 2.7 V6 and even more amazing, the original automatic transmission! The damage wasn't that bad, but it was enough to rip a pretty substantial wiring harness apart, and that made a bunch of idiot lights turn on. Part of me wanted to hang onto it and try fixing it, but insurance laws in Maryland make it not so easy to do that. I think I would have had like 90 days to get it fixed, and inspected, and would just get a salvage title, so I figured the car had a good run, let it go.

I replaced it with a used 2000 Park Ave Ultra, that only had about 56,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, that car didn't age well, and needed a ton of work, so I took it off the road in early 2016, and used the Ram as my daily transportation. My Dad passed away in early 2017, and I inherited his '03 Regal LS. Used that as my daily driver. It only had about 67,000 miles on it when I started driving it, and I took it to 108,000. Even though that's not really high mileage, the transmission was starting to go. And the plastic intake manifold. Muffler, other emissions components, and both rear windows stopped working, so it was shades of those late 70's downsized GM intermediates (Malibu, LeMans, et al) that had the stationary rear door windows that people still gripe about today when they see one of those posted on a classic car forum.

So, this past Tuesday, I drove off in this...
And came back home in this...
Here's me doing a corny pose with it at the dealer...
And, at home with its cousin...

Congrats.
I’m curious: are they marking up the 5.7 R/Ts? Or are they reserving that nonsense for Scats and higher?
I have an odd confession: I love the B5 blue, and it would make sense next to my similarly colored ‘67 Dodge, but it is down on my list behind Plum Crazy, Hemi Orange, Sinnastick, and possibly F8 Green.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

went to dinner tonight and there was a mustang GT convertible in the lot, so I pointed it out to the wife (part of my campaign to swap her out of a CUV to a sporty car). She actually liked this one, mostly because it was a nice light ice blue/silverish color I have never seen on one before. I think it was probably from the 2005-2010 or so vintage but looked brand new.

not sure she would like driving one of those though. the 2 series of Mini, still think one of those would work.

There’s one way to find out, rent one for the day and let her try it out. There are always a few at the airport.

Would love to get a GT convertible of that era but the prices even for a 2005 are pretty steep.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

went to dinner tonight and there was a mustang GT convertible in the lot, so I pointed it out to the wife (part of my campaign to swap her out of a CUV to a sporty car). She actually liked this one, mostly because it was a nice light ice blue/silverish color I have never seen on one before. I think it was probably from the 2005-2010 or so vintage but looked brand new.

not sure she would like driving one of those though. the 2 series of Mini, still think one of those would work.

I'll give you credit for being brave enough to have two vehicles in upstate NY, neither of which is AWD.

RWD in the north is not that problematic if you know how to drive them and use ordinary caution like not trying to use them as a snow plow during a blizzard. I drive my RWD cargo van all winter without problems and it doesn’t have traction control or ABS.

Last winter one of our Vermont offices gave me a Mustang GT to take over the mountain near Killington. The traction and stability control was so good that I barely slid at all (except when I wanted to).😉

stickguy

yes we get some snow up here. But it is not that frequent, and it gets cleared. Most people never really have to actually drive on the snow. Just because it is piled up on the sides of the road from the plows, does not mean the road is covered. Usually by the next day the road surfaces are cleared. So don't go out in the middle of the snow storm.

might be different if you live out in the boonies on a mountain with just dirt roads, but most of us around here just live in Suburbia and drive on normal roads and highways!

roadburner

My wife and I got around fine in our 3 Series and 5 Series fitted with Michelin winter tires. I need a Jeep Wrangler or similar because our farm road doesn't get plowed and I occasionally need to drive over a fallen tree or else pull it out of the way.

nyccarguy

@stickguy

I saw a trailer with 3 brand new mustangs on it. Ford has done a fantastic job keeping the styling modern & retro at the same time.

mjfloyd1

@tjc78 said:

@mjfloyd1 said:
I have no words

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

And that’s not even the worst angle to view it - you can’t see the beaver teeth from this angle

stickguy

Passed a dark blue E46 convertible with top down in a parking lot today and pointed it out to the wife and said we could get one of those. She just said OK. I think she is buying into this plan. Should have gone to the dealer today but it was hard work day. Next week for sure the. BMW/mini dealer gets a visit!

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Passed a dark blue E46 convertible with top down in a parking lot today and pointed it out to the wife and said we could get one of those. She just said OK. I think she is buying into this plan. Should have gone to the dealer today but it was hard work day. Next week for sure the. BMW/mini dealer gets a visit!

————————————————
I think Mrs. @stickguy is at the point where she just lets you talk. Kinda like in one ear and out the other.

jmonroe

roadburner

Today we test drove a 2021 GC Trailhawk and a 2021 Sahara Unlimited. My wife and I both preferred the Wrangler. Now to decide whether we want a Rubicon or Sahara and whether we want an I4 turbo, V6, or the 4xe PHEV.

mjfloyd1

Did the Jeep Wrangler drive like a Jeep Wrangler?😂

oldfarmer50

I think I should jump on this bargain:

https://www.liatoyotaofcolonie.com/viewdetails/new/4t1c11bk9ru108701/2024-toyota-camry-4dr-car?type=cash

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

I think I should jump on this bargain:

https://www.liatoyotaofcolonie.com/viewdetails/new/4t1c11bk9ru108701/2024-toyota-camry-4dr-car?type=cash

Print that out and take it to the dealer. Love to see what they say about it.

stickguy

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
I think Mrs. @stickguy is at the point where she just lets you talk. Kinda like in one ear and out the other.

jmonroe

She got there 20 years ago.

We also are meeting with builder Monday morning to design the new house so timing is, well, interesting.

jmonroe1

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I think I should jump on this bargain:

https://www.liatoyotaofcolonie.com/viewdetails/new/4t1c11bk9ru108701/2024-toyota-camry-4dr-car?type=cash

Print that out and take it to the dealer. Love to see what they say about it.

————————————————
Too late, they already gave it to me.

jmonroe

corvette

NAIAS was fun. They were offering ride alongs on an indoor track with various EVs, including Cadillac, VW, BMW, Ford, Tesla, and Chevrolet. We heard a rumor that the fire marshal put the kibosh on the more spirited driving they were doing yesterday, and we noticed during the time we were there, the F-150 Lightning driver modified his launch technique to reduce wheel spin. It was still a good time. Ford, Jeep, and RAM had indoor off-road courses with ride alongs. We didn’t do any of those, but they were impressive looking. Very “Detroit three” centric, although Toyota had a pretty big spread. Most of the European vehicles were locked or behind ropes.

qbrozen

@roadburner said:
Today we test drove a 2021 GC Trailhawk and a 2021 Sahara Unlimited. My wife and I both preferred the Wrangler. Now to decide whether we want a Rubicon or Sahara and whether we want an I4 turbo, V6, or the 4xe PHEV.

Why not a Trackhawk? You know you want to.

Or, if it must be a wrangler, get a 392.

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

Did the Jeep Wrangler drive like a Jeep Wrangler?😂

Yes- it was just an excruciating experience.

roadburner

@qbrozen said:

@roadburner said:
Today we test drove a 2021 GC Trailhawk and a 2021 Sahara Unlimited. My wife and I both preferred the Wrangler. Now to decide whether we want a Rubicon or Sahara and whether we want an I4 turbo, V6, or the 4xe PHEV.

Why not a Trackhawk? You know you want to.

Or, if it must be a wrangler, get a 392.

I’d buy a 392 in a heartbeat if I had the budget for it.

pensfan83

@28firefighter H2P

28firefighter

@pensfan83 said:
@28firefighter H2P

Love love love.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@roadburner said:

Today we test drove a 2021 GC Trailhawk and a 2021 Sahara Unlimited. My wife and I both preferred the Wrangler. Now to decide whether we want a Rubicon or Sahara and whether we want an I4 turbo, V6, or the 4xe PHEV.

Why not a Trackhawk? You know you want to.

Or, if it must be a wrangler, get a 392.

IMO, putting an engine like that in a high center of gravity vehicle is just asking for trouble.

oldfarmer50

On Thursday we spotted a 64’ GTO pulling into a deli as we were pulling out. 2 speed auto. Hard to imagine living with a transmission with only two speeds.



Not that color, more like a yellow beige.

fintail

A high school friend of mine had a 69 Nova with a 307 and 2 speed Powerglide. I think under hard acceleration, it would stay in 1st until nearly 60 mph.

oldfarmer50 said:

On Thursday we spotted a 64’ GTO pulling into a deli as we were pulling out. 2 speed auto. Hard to imagine living with a transmission with only two speeds.


Not that color, more like a yellow beige.

ab348

Yeah, the GM 2-speed automatics were more like having a second and third gear with no first gear.

pensfan83

@28firefighter said:

@pensfan83 said:
@28firefighter H2P

Love love love.

Not the result we wanted but fun was had.

corvette

Couldn’t resist the photo opp at the mother ship.

explorerx4

Does anyone think that if the Big 3 strike goes on for a while, we will have a return to 202x used car prices?

au1994

explorerx4 said:

Does anyone think that if the Big 3 strike goes on for a while, we will have a return to 202x used car prices?

Define ‘a while’ but yes.

roadburner

It looks like the Rubicon 4xe I found has sold. It was black with brown leather and most every option box was ticked. I'll double-check tomorrow. My wife absolutely loved it, despite the awful handling, horrible ride quality, and unbearable noise at interstate velocities.
I don't know how Jeep manages to sell them...

On a related note, on another board I mentioned that I thought that the ride quality of my C43 was more than acceptable and one guy posted that he bought one and that the ride was so terrible he sold it shortly after taking delivery. I was tempted to reply that he could have saved some serious money by having his hemorrhoids treated instead.

explorerx4

We are headed to South Bend for next Saturday's game.
Decided to push off the new vehicle search until after that.
Don't want to take a brand new vehicle on a long trip with so few break in miles.

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
IMO, putting an engine like that in a high center of gravity vehicle is just asking for trouble.

Sure. But there are even worse offenders than the Jeep. G63, X5M, and TRX, just to name a few.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Does anyone think that if the Big 3 strike goes on for a while, we will have a return to 202x used car prices?

It can’t help. I’m already seeing the YT experts predicting dealer gouging. All depends on how long it goes on. The big 3 built up an oversupply in inventory in anticipation so maybe only custom orders might be affected.

I asked the boss if the company would be aversely affected and he said no because they now have plenty of cars so the rental companies won’t be outbidding the public.

Also, the non-union manufacturers may be able to ramp up production to take advantage. Toyota, I hear has been deliberately holding back to maintain prices so they may have the ability to fill the gap.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

Does anyone think that if the Big 3 strike goes on for a while, we will have a return to 202x used car prices?

It can’t help. I’m already seeing the YT experts predicting dealer gouging. All depends on how long it goes on. The big 3 built up an oversupply in inventory in anticipation so maybe only custom orders might be affected.

It might be connected: my local Chev store said they had bought 30 used cars in Michigan recently to bolster their used lot, because they have few trucks (vehicles) on their new line. They're sold before they come in. Their service dept was prepping the used vehicles they had gotten to put out on the used car line. They were only doing oil changes (and tire rotations) Friday other than the used car prep.

I'm guessing they felt they could profit when the strike hit and if the strike leads to a shortage from high prices on used.

stickguy

Carvana will be sitting pretty again!

I’m glad I’m full up on new cars for the foreseeable future. Might delay my convertible conversion plan but we met with builder today to discuss our plans so that could be on hold until this time next year!

I did design in a stand alone extra combo garage/shed though. Moved the house over to allow room. Will do that after we recover from buying it and moving! Might be working an extra year to pay for it, but should be a worthwhile trade off.

roadburner

It turns out the 4xe is still available. We’ll look at it tonight or tomorrow.

pensfan83

roadburner said:

It turns out the 4xe is still available. We’ll look at it tonight or tomorrow.

Remind me again what this is supposed to replace? Just the TJ or the TJ and the X1? Would you use to commute in if your mileage falls within the electric only range?

ab348

roadburner said:

It turns out the 4xe is still available.

I guess the prospective buyer who said they wanted it must have actually taken it for a test drive.

roadburner

pensfan83 said:

roadburner said:

It turns out the 4xe is still available. We’ll look at it tonight or tomorrow.

Remind me again what this is supposed to replace? Just the TJ or the TJ and the X1? Would you use to commute in if your mileage falls within the electric only range?

The TJ and the Mini- and possibly the X1 when my term is up in January 2025. And yes, the range would just about cover my daily commute so I'd drive it.

nyccarguy

Getting the Cross Climate 2s installed on the Highlander later this evening (5:30 PM) at Costco. We are going to look at a few colleges over the next several weeks (Ithaca, Vermont, American, Brandies, High Point) along with a hockey tournament sprinkled in (Marlboro, MA) so I'm happy to make the switch now. For logistical reasons (my wife won't be home in time), I took the Highlander to work and my wife is driving the Tacoma that doesn't have running boards. She's 5'4".

roadburner

So the salesperson called me last night and told me that the Rubicon 4xe sold. I’m leaning towards waiting for another Rubicon to show up. Unfortunately most of them lack all of the features I want- LED headlamps, CWP, and premium sound. The one that got away had most every option save the power top which I do not want under any circumstances.

stickguy

Can’t you still order one? I seem to recall that’s what the Jeep flipper crew did in the past. Spec out your unicorn and get exactly what you want.

stickguy

@nyccarguy said:
Getting the Cross Climate 2s installed on the Highlander later this evening (5:30 PM) at Costco. We are going to look at a few colleges over the next several weeks (Ithaca, Vermont, American, Brandies, High Point) along with a hockey tournament sprinkled in (Marlboro, MA) so I'm happy to make the switch now. For logistical reasons (my wife won't be home in time), I took the Highlander to work and my wife is driving the Tacoma that doesn't have running boards. She's 5'4".

I’ve been to Ithaca and Burlington. Both nice towns. Better like hills in Ithaca though.