Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tifighter

It’s why I bought mine from a dealer 40 miles away.

pensfan83

Most dealers on the east coast have been discounting these for months now. And an ADM on a non Type S Integra is laughable.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

New Car Prep?
Propack?
Adjusted Market?

Don't forget to tip your waitress

Like Whitney said, “crack is whack”. They obviously didn’t get the memo.

ab348

Here’s an overview of the new Land Cruiser, appropriately enough, in the desert, not its usual North America habitat of the shopping mall.

https://youtu.be/6V4gX-cvldM?si=7d4_zYRLUKRJmbM8

stickguy

Looks very chunky.

cdnpinhead

Chunkiness is next to godliness?

One never knows these days.

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

Chunkiness is next to godliness?

One never knows these days.

You're comment might cause others to accuse you of weightism. Shame on you for mocking the gravitationally challenged!

tjc78

@cdnpinhead said:
Chunkiness is next to godliness?

One never knows these days.

Looks better than the new Santa Fe

jmonroe1

breld said:

For kicks, just went on the Toyota and Lexus websites to build a LC and a GX550. The mid-level LC with premium package is $69,535 and a similarly equipped (premium plus) GX is $70,350.

You can save $4,600 on the LC by excluding the premium package (stereo upgrade, leather seats, moonroof, HUD, etc.), but then again, you can also opt for the "base" premium GX with similar savings.

————————————————
I could be wrong but I don’t think folks buying in that segment are worried about $4,600.

If it were me I’d buy what I like unless the delta is ridiculous.

jmonroe

au1994

stickguy said:

Looks very chunky.

Yeah, I’m a LC Fan Boy and I don’t know about that…

Sandman6472

On Page 3100...this forum seems to be pretty popular. I know it's the first place I go when I come into the website. Was at the supermarket earlier today and this guy came over and asked me what year my Golf is. Was amazed that it was a 2015 model. Chatted for a moment & told him as much as I'd like to get something from this decade, I just can't seem to get that invested in anything currently out there. He got it I guess & said his vehicle is over 7 now and nothing out there he really wants to trade it for.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:

If you are spending that much anyway, why would you want to give up all the goodies and get a “stripper”?

Personally, I’d prefer without. Heck, if leather was standard and cloth an option, I’d pay for cloth (within reason) and I’d pay for a moonroof delete.

qbrozen

@tjc78 said:

@cdnpinhead said:
Chunkiness is next to godliness?

One never knows these days.

Looks better than the new Santa Fe

Funny enough, I was about to comment on the new Santa Fe. Am I in the minority when I say I kinda like it?

qbrozen

I give props to that Acura dealer for their choice of grammar. “Market adjustment” is active language, indicating they are adding the money. “Adjusted market” is passive and darn if they can do anything to control that pesky market. “It’s the market’s fault!”

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

New Car Prep?
Propack?
Adjusted Market?

Don't forget to tip your waitress

————————————————-
Based on what I’ve been hearing those markups a seem reasonable.

I’ve mentioned before, I think it was in January 2021, when Son #1 wanted a Telluride, he finally found a dealer in Atlanta that had one equipped just like he wanted and their Market Adjustment was $16K. No, he did not buy it.

jmonroe

xwesx

I don't know. It's strange. Not nearly as strange as it once was (like around 2005 timeline). I think this is the first time I've seen a wheel arch that is both angular and rounded, which is certainly a divergence from prior trends. After looking at it for a few minutes, I think I'll call it an improvement over prior iterations, possibly the best looking Santa Fe to date.

qbrozen said:

Funny enough, I was about to comment on the new Santa Fe. Am I in the minority when I say I kinda like it?

ab348

qbrozen said:

Funny enough, I was about to comment on the new Santa Fe. Am I in the minority when I say I kinda like it?

I have not yet seen one in the flesh, but I kinda like it too from the pics I’ve seen. Having said that, Hyundai styling sometimes doesn’t age well, but so far I give it a thumbs-up.

explorerx4

Back in the 90's Ford went with the everything oval design.
Hyundai is going with the everything H design.

mjfloyd1

@Sandman6472 - if you want a Mini countryman s then get a mini countryman s. Life is short and a little extra money for maintenance and premium petrol isn’t going to break you. You would also have a vehicle with a warranty.

qbrozen

finally took the truck for a test drive today. She's definitely got some grunt, and it sounds good when winding it out, too. Powertrain seems great. Needs a good interior sterilizing. Oh, and the XM is currently working. lol.

Only thing I'm not completely liking is the handling. Having never driven one new, I can't say if it is supposed to feel this way or if parts are worn. I'm currently pondering and researching what I could do with the suspension. I believe dropping it a couple of inches would be beneficial. I'd also want stiffer shocks. It is a pretty comfortable ride, it just gets a little scary when hitting bumps on a fast curve. Kits that drop 4" rear and 2" front seem to be fairly popular. I'd also like to take the tires up a bit from their current ~30" height to 33". So an overall lower center of gravity by a few inches and closing up a good 5-6" of fender gap. Tires on it are in good shape, though, so I won't be so quick to swap them out.

stickguy

at that age and mileage, the suspension and steering is definitely going to be tired and loosened up. Though my limited experience says that new state is still in the vague/floating/wandering range.

explorerx4

Acura MDX S Type vs Ford Explorer ST vs Genesis GV80 in the wet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_b_O9aTQEQ

andres3

corvette said:

andres3 said:

Given my wife's recent run in with another bad driver in San Diego, there's no way in hell I'm overpaying for a rental car while her Tiguan is fixed (again).

Sorry to hear about her bad luck... if the bad driver is at fault, shouldn't their insurance be picking up the rental costs?

Yes, but the at-fault driver is playing a game of "made up story." Insurance company is playing dumb and saying go through our own insurance for now.

pensfan83

@ab348 said:
I have not yet seen one in the flesh, but I kinda like it too from the pics I’ve seen. Having said that, Hyundai styling sometimes doesn’t age well, but so far I give it a thumbs-up.

Having seen one in person I'm not a fan of the styling when viewed from behind but everything else is pretty nice. I like the blockier look.

corvette

qbrozen said:

Funny enough, I was about to comment on the new Santa Fe. Am I in the minority when I say I kinda like it?

Saw it at the Chicago auto show and liked it. Styling takes cues from Land Rover. The H-shaped DRLs are a nice touch.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

@au1994 said:

I had a Camry SE for a rental last week. Put nearly 400 miles on it or 1 tank of gas. Some impressions:

• despite the ‘SE’ moniker there was nothing sporty about it. I think 203 hp so it didn’t get in a hurry but once up to speed it was fine.
• quiet and smooth on the highway. could easily have conf calls or talk in the car over some rough roads.
• A little low so not exactly easy to get out of. Could be that I am so used to SUVs.
• Good mpg. I didn’t put pen to paper but the car calculated 35 mpg.
• Driver had power seat and tilt/tele wheel but it still took a minute to find a comfortable driving position.
• Passenger was all manual and there were some grumbles about getting comfortable.

Not exactly my cup of tea but I can see why they sell. Especially back in the day when they leased very well.

If the X1 took a puke and there were deals to be had, I’d consider one as a replacement for Jr.

Did you happen to notice how many miles were on it?

The SE is meant to be sporty looking. I agree it would make a fantastic commuter. Tried and true power train. 8 Speed Automatic. Gets the job done. Available AWD.

I have my eye on a ‘23 Camry owned by a guy at work. He gets the urge to trade every three years and if the stars align I’ll get first dibs on it in 2026. Since he takes it to Florida in the winter it should be rust free and fairly low milage.

Closer to home the purchase of the F-150 probably won’t happen. I got a bunch of texts today from the “internet sales” person at the dealership asking if I was still interested. I said I was but we were $1150 apart. She asked her manager and he got stubborn and wouldn’t budge on the price. I left it that if they wanted me to get close to their number I’d need an extended warranty as part of the deal.

I have a feeling that they are waiting for some wild-eyed buyer with a big tax refund to pay full boat. Maybe if it's still there in a month they’ll get tired of paying floor plan and give me a call.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

In case anyone is shopping-

Two guys at work made another EV trip to Mannheim near Harrisburg PA with a Tesla this time. 7 hour round trip for a gasser, 15 for the Tesla. It was a nightmare of broken chargers, occupied chargers, long lunches while charging or finding that an hour of charging only gained 5% because of the cold.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

At the local Acura dealer for service this morning, but had to share the sitcom going on next door-

I keep seeing videos that the market is collapsing and dealers are getting desperate but that and my recent experiences says dealers still think it’s 2022.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

New Car Prep?
Propack?
Adjusted Market?

Don't forget to tip your waitress

The truck I was looking at had a “theft deterrence” fee of $299. The best I can figure that was some kind of vin etching scam. Somebody must spend nights making up these names.

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

Two guys at work made another EV trip to Mannheim near Harrisburg PA with a Tesla this time. 7 hour round trip for a gasser, 15 for the Tesla. It was a nightmare of broken chargers, occupied chargers, long lunches while charging or finding that an hour of charging only gained 5% because of the cold.

Isn't Tesla's nav (or the nav in EVs in general) supposed to direct you away from crowded/broken chargers?

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Only thing I'm not completely liking is the handling. Having never driven one new, I can't say if it is supposed to feel this way or if parts are worn. I'm currently pondering and researching what I could do with the suspension. I believe dropping it a couple of inches would be beneficial. I'd also want stiffer shocks. It is a pretty comfortable ride, it just gets a little scary when hitting bumps on a fast curve. Kits that drop 4" rear and 2" front seem to be fairly popular. I'd also like to take the tires up a bit from their current ~30" height to 33". So an overall lower center of gravity by a few inches and closing up a good 5-6" of fender gap. Tires on it are in good shape, though, so I won't be so quick to swap them out.

Close inspection and/or replacement of ball joints and tie rod ends. If it didn't feel harsh over the bumps, then may not need struts/shocks, but might as well swap them out so you have a fresh start. You could go way deeper with kits and whatnot, but you probably don't need that in order to get the best bang for the buck.

au1994

qbrozen said:

finally took the truck for a test drive today. She's definitely got some grunt, and it sounds good when winding it out, too. Powertrain seems great. Needs a good interior sterilizing. Oh, and the XM is currently working. lol.

Only thing I'm not completely liking is the handling. Having never driven one new, I can't say if it is supposed to feel this way or if parts are worn. I'm currently pondering and researching what I could do with the suspension. I believe dropping it a couple of inches would be beneficial. I'd also want stiffer shocks. It is a pretty comfortable ride, it just gets a little scary when hitting bumps on a fast curve. Kits that drop 4" rear and 2" front seem to be fairly popular. I'd also like to take the tires up a bit from their current ~30" height to 33". So an overall lower center of gravity by a few inches and closing up a good 5-6" of fender gap. Tires on it are in good shape, though, so I won't be so quick to swap them out.

Glad it’s a winner. Would love some before and after pics when you get a good detail on it. I am fairly mechanically inept but have driven some tired cars in my day and it sounds like all the suspension bits need a refresh. That should tighten it up. I did notice the tires looked good but some 33’s would fill that gap up nicely.

ab348

qbrozen said:

Only thing I'm not completely liking is the handling. Having never driven one new, I can't say if it is supposed to feel this way or if parts are worn. I'm currently pondering and researching what I could do with the suspension. I believe dropping it a couple of inches would be beneficial. I'd also want stiffer shocks. It is a pretty comfortable ride, it just gets a little scary when hitting bumps on a fast curve. Kits that drop 4" rear and 2" front seem to be fairly popular. I'd also like to take the tires up a bit from their current ~30" height to 33". So an overall lower center of gravity by a few inches and closing up a good 5-6" of fender gap. Tires on it are in good shape, though, so I won't be so quick to swap them out.

I'm not sure that lowering it is such a great idea. That would really limit your potential market for selling it since few pickup buyers want a lowered truck. If you are keeping it for yourself of course then ignore that comment. Otherwise new bushings up front and new shocks would probably go a long way.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Two guys at work made another EV trip to Mannheim near Harrisburg PA with a Tesla this time. 7 hour round trip for a gasser, 15 for the Tesla. It was a nightmare of broken chargers, occupied chargers, long lunches while charging or finding that an hour of charging only gained 5% because of the cold.

Isn't Tesla's nav (or the nav in EVs in general) supposed to direct you away from crowded/broken chargers?

I dont’t know, maybe these guys didn’t know how to work the systems, although the driver is a pretty smart guy. He was at least able to download apps to make the whole charging thing work. I couldn’t do that on my flip phone, i’d be crying on the side of the road.

Does the EV know that all the chargers are in use? That was their biggest problem.

stickguy

Teslas network tells you that in the car.

tifighter

@oldfarmer50 said:

Does the EV know that all the chargers are in use? That was their biggest problem.

Tesla routes you to the nearest supercharger, shows you how many are available in real time as you travel to it and may reroute to a different one if it’s full and you can make the distance.

If he “downloaded apps” to charge at non-superchargers, then, well, good luck.

breld

I was touring our local properties in Denver yesterday and one of my co-workers drove us all around in his GV80. I really like all the Genesis products, but what struck me is how refined the suspension is in my Audi and wife's X5 versus the Genesis. The GV80 is a fine product and impressive for their SUV debut, but it made me realize that there are some things under the skin that take time to evolve.

au1994

breld said:

I was touring our local properties in Denver yesterday and one of my co-workers drove us all around in his GV80. I really like all the Genesis products, but what struck me is how refined the suspension is in my Audi and wife's X5 versus the Genesis. The GV80 is a fine product and impressive for their SUV debut, but it made me realize that there are some things under the skin that take time to evolve.

That makes me feel better. My wife really liked the GV70 but I strongly nudged her to the Q5. One of the things she really enjoys is its quiet ride.

roadburner

breld said:

I was touring our local properties in Denver yesterday and one of my co-workers drove us all around in his GV80. I really like all the Genesis products, but what struck me is how refined the suspension is in my Audi and wife's X5 versus the Genesis. The GV80 is a fine product and impressive for their SUV debut, but it made me realize that there are some things under the skin that take time to evolve.

As I've said before, at 67 years of age my future vehicle purchases will likely be confined to Germans and Jeeps- although a Saleen Dan Gurney Mustang is still on my wish list.

andres3

roadburner said:

breld said:

I was touring our local properties in Denver yesterday and one of my co-workers drove us all around in his GV80. I really like all the Genesis products, but what struck me is how refined the suspension is in my Audi and wife's X5 versus the Genesis. The GV80 is a fine product and impressive for their SUV debut, but it made me realize that there are some things under the skin that take time to evolve.

As I've said before, at 67 years of age my future vehicle purchases will likely be confined to Germans and Jeeps- although a Saleen Dan Gurney Mustang is still on my wish list.

So I guess that rules out the 4-cylinder Mustangs......?

mjfloyd1

@roadburner said:
As I've said before, at 67 years of age my future vehicle purchases will likely be confined to Germans and Jeeps- although a Saleen Dan Gurney Mustang is still on my wish list.

Looks like only 300 of the Saleen Dan Gurney Stangs were made. Looking for a needle in a haystack

nyccarguy

Quick vehicle maintenance/mileage update. Dropped off the Tacoma on Thursday night to get its 10K service on Friday. Picked up the Tacoma last night & dropped off the Highlander for its 45K tire rotation. Picked up the Highlander today and drove immediately to the car wash. It came out nice. Thursday the Highlander will be 2 years old. We’ve racked up over 45,000 miles on it since we bought it new.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Quick vehicle maintenance/mileage update. Dropped off the Tacoma on Thursday night to get its 10K service on Friday. Picked up the Tacoma last night & dropped off the Highlander for its 45K tire rotation. Picked up the Highlander today and drove immediately to the car wash. It came out nice. Thursday the Highlander will be 2 years old. We’ve racked up over 45,000 miles on it since we bought it new.

Uh, isn't Thursday the 29th? A day that only comes around every 4 years?

If you meant the 28th, then our Outback will celebrate it's 9th anniversary with us. Only 61,000 miles in those 9 years.

corvette

Congrats, @nyccarguy! I haven't driven the Maverick in over a week, since I'm trying to run a tank of Shell V-Power through the Volt to try to clean possibly dirty fuel injectors, but should complete that task tomorrow.

nyccarguy

@Michaell said:
Uh, isn't Thursday the 29th? A day that only comes around every 4 years?

If you meant the 28th, then our Outback will celebrate it's 9th anniversary with us. Only 61,000 miles in those 9 years.

Yes. I meant the 28th. I wonder when our Highlander will pass your Outback as far as mileage goes.

xwesx

November.

28firefighter

@xwesx said:
November.

This guy maths.

Sandman6472

At 75,550 on the Golf right now and in my 10th year of ownership. Up to date on all maintenance but do need to clean it out a bit as have a lot of "stuff" that needs to be put in the trash. Had planned to do this on Saturday but ended up working a seven hour day. Since I was feeling pretty good, said I'd work when they asked me on Tuesday. Turned out to be a very easy day with a couple of runs up to Palm Beach Airport to pick up a few vehicles. Not sure why they sent us so far to pick up vehicles but we get paid to drive...not think! As OF will attest, it really is a great part time gig with every day being different. For a guy like me, driving newer vehicles all the time is a dream come true. Just wish we could drive longer distances like OF does up north. I used to drive the whole state of Florida when I was an independent contractor, and loved it. Nothing like opening all the windows and sunroof, turning on the tunes and driving for a few hours! I get why a bunch of my co-workers have been doing this for over ten years already.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Congrats, @nyccarguy! I haven't driven the Maverick in over a week, since I'm trying to run a tank of Shell V-Power through the Volt to try to clean possibly dirty fuel injectors, but should complete that task tomorrow.

Have you considered using one of those dedicated injector cleaners that you ad to the gas for better cleaning? I’ve even seen videos of products that you spray into the intake that are supposed to be effective.

Of course, pulling an injector to look at the spray pattern first, might let you know if you’re headed in the right direction. Or have you done that already?

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

At 75,550 on the Golf right now and in my 10th year of ownership. Up to date on all maintenance but do need to clean it out a bit as have a lot of "stuff" that needs to be put in the trash. Had planned to do this on Saturday but ended up working a seven hour day. Since I was feeling pretty good, said I'd work when they asked me on Tuesday. Turned out to be a very easy day with a couple of runs up to Palm Beach Airport to pick up a few vehicles. Not sure why they sent us so far to pick up vehicles but we get paid to drive...not think! As OF will attest, it really is a great part time gig with every day being different. For a guy like me, driving newer vehicles all the time is a dream come true. Just wish we could drive longer distances like OF does up north. I used to drive the whole state of Florida when I was an independent contractor, and loved it. Nothing like opening all the windows and sunroof, turning on the tunes and driving for a few hours! I get why a bunch of my co-workers have been doing this for over ten years already.

True dat! (I felt embarrassed to even type that) Thursday I got to drive a 5.0 Mustang convertible from Burlington to Albany. No snow or ice on the roads so I had fun going through the mountains near Ironville in the Adirondacks.

What a car like that with only 20k miles was doing up there I’ll never understand.