Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

Congrats @28firefighter

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

I’ll grab some shots soon - my wife has absconded with it for errands.

I went to look at it this morning. It was in immaculate shape - really impressively so. Drove great, near new tires, near new brakes, no service needed - in other words, properly prepared for sale. No smells, no rattles, no runs, no hits, no errors.

What sealed the deal was they had just dropped the price again this morning and then cut me a deal on a warranty. That plus the remaining emissions warranty.

From test drive to closed deal and driving away was under an hour.

Very pleased.

————————————————
Congrats on the deal. They must have stolen it to drop the price twice in what I assume was a relatively short time. Do you know how long they had it? In any case good for you. Sounds like a real cream-puff.

When Mrs. @28firefighter gets home and there is still daylight, we’re waiting for pics.

jmonroe

28firefighter

fintail

Michaell said:

fintail said:

Kind of an anti CCB now - today is the 5th anniversary of taking delivery of the wagon (and on that note roughly the 29th anniversary for the fintail). The car has been flawless and is still an immense pleasure to drive, it does everything well and is subtle about it. I think the styling has aged well too - was out for an early errand the metallic white paint was glowing in the sharp early morning sun - not perfectly captured by the phone, but you get the point, aged pretty well for a 5 year old car, doesn't seem old:

That wagon is certainly sharp.

I feel the same way about our Outback. Just celebrated it's 9th anniversary with us and it still looks fresh. It's been a workhorse, hauling everything from dog kennels (with dogs) to 20 bags of mulch to small and medium sized furniture to and from the cooking studio.

I think we might be at a time when many cars are aging well, both design wise and for operation. Some age better than others, and no doubt the owner is a big impact, but many 5 year old cars don't look very dated right now. I wonder if there will be a big shift in design to hasten that - but at MB anyway, it is a slow evolution - the replacement for my wagon looks identical from a distance, with only minor differences. Some Subarus seem to evolve slowly too - probably helps resale value as well.

When I moved to Spokane, I made a few trips with the wagon loaded up with my more precious items, other than hauling some lawn care/landscaping things, that's all it has hauled.

fintail

roadburner said:

fintail said:

Kind of an anti CCB now - today is the 5th anniversary of taking delivery of the wagon (and on that note roughly the 29th anniversary for the fintail). The car has been flawless and is still an immense pleasure to drive, it does everything well and is subtle about it. I think the styling has aged well too - was out for an early errand the metallic white paint was glowing in the sharp early morning sun - not perfectly captured by the phone, but you get the point, aged pretty well for a 5 year old car, doesn't seem old:

I'm still enamored with my C43; I can't think of anything that I would want to replace it with.

Yeah, if something happened to the car, I don't know what I would want to replace it with - I can't think of much else I'd want that I could afford. When you still look back at the car after parking, still fuss about keeping it looking pristine, and still look it over inside and appreciate it, it's the right one.

roadburner

@28firefighter said:

Looks nice- congrats!

tifighter

@28firefighter said:

Nice. I expect a minimum of 10 ski days next year with that…

tifighter

@tifighter said:
Track day today. Woohoo.

To follow this up, lots of fun today at the local HPDE. It’s amazing how intense the day gets when you’re really focusing on the line and brake points. And the CTR is really impressive. Instructors came up to me in the morning to tell me that the car is a giant killer with a good driver. That’s not me, but I did get the point by and passed a GT3RS, multiple BMWs, etc. Had a long chase with the 6MT Supra pictured above but got by him eventually; he had good exit speed onto the straight but I could reel him in on the corners. Which surprised me in a FWD hatchback. No chance with that M5 Competition, though…

28firefighter

@tifighter said:

@28firefighter said:

Nice. I expect a minimum of 10 ski days next year with that…

We have more than that planned so far. All going to hinge on whether my guy does basketball for winter.

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

————————————————
Nice but how about a pic or 2 of the interior that Audi is known for.

jmonroe

au1994

Congrats! The Audi looks great!

rayainsw

28firefighter -
Looks very sharp! Congrats! Enjoy!
- Ray
Enjoying my SUV more than I expected...

breld

@28firefighter - congrats on the Audi!

xwesx

kyfdx said:

I had my Audi diesel for 5 months, and only spent $110 on repair.

Me too!

xwesx

Congrats, @28firefighter ! You'll have to let me know when you are ready to move on from it. I'm still a sucker for a good TDI (too?). Does that one have the 3.0 in it?

28firefighter

xwesx said:

Congrats, @28firefighter ! You'll have to let me know when you are ready to move on from it. I'm still a sucker for a good TDI (too?). Does that one have the 3.0 in it?

Sure does! Same one as your Q7.

28firefighter

Turns out I have a 5 day 250 mile return policy on it, so my goal is to beat the snot out of it this week to make sure all is OK.

explorerx4

@28firefighter,
Congrats, but I'm digging out the prayer beads just in case.

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

Excellent. I see roof racks, you still ski, right? Sounds like a winner.

nyccarguy

@tifighter

You seemed impressed with your Civic Type R's stock track capabilities in stock form. Do you plan to modify it at all other than tires? I've seen a bunch of posts and videos from this guy named Honda Pro Jason (yes, Mr. & Mrs. Jason named their son Honda Pro). He's had a short shifter kit installed as well as a lighter exhaust, and of course a tune. This stuff is of course all provided (I assume) free of charge for him to promote (or influence) and if it should fail will be replaced promptly at no cost to him...

tifighter

@nyccarguy said:
@tifighter

You seemed impressed with your Civic Type R's stock track capabilities in stock form. Do you plan to modify it at all other than tires? I've seen a bunch of posts and videos from this guy named Honda Pro Jason (yes, Mr. & Mrs. Jason named their son Honda Pro). He's had a short shifter kit installed as well as a lighter exhaust, and of course a tune. This stuff is of course all provided (I assume) free of charge for him to promote (or influence) and if it should fail will be replaced promptly at no cost to him

Were I to mod it for track use, it would be -1” on the wheel size, higher temp brake fluid (stock pads are decent). Obviously you could do a lot more, but I’d max myself out on learning the track before doing much else.

Maybe I’ll make a post about my more detailed thoughts on the car from the weekend if anyone is interested.

nyccarguy

tifighter said:

@nyccarguy said:
@tifighter

You seemed impressed with your Civic Type R's stock track capabilities in stock form. Do you plan to modify it at all other than tires? I've seen a bunch of posts and videos from this guy named Honda Pro Jason (yes, Mr. & Mrs. Jason named their son Honda Pro). He's had a short shifter kit installed as well as a lighter exhaust, and of course a tune. This stuff is of course all provided (I assume) free of charge for him to promote (or influence) and if it should fail will be replaced promptly at no cost to him

Were I to mod it for track use, it would be -1” on the wheel size, higher temp brake fluid (stock pads are decent). Obviously you could do a lot more, but I’d max myself out on learning the track before doing much else.

Maybe I’ll make a post about my more detailed thoughts on the car from the weekend if anyone is interested.

I'm interested for sure!

28firefighter

Me too

mjfloyd1

@28firefighter said:
Me too

Probably need to take the roof racks off of the TDI for track use 😂

corvette

I ended up doing the NY auto show yesterday evening due to scheduling issues. Infiniti made a big splash with the all new QX80. They only had one on display, but there were several stations showcasing its features. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis were very well represented. One of the local car clubs had member cars on display on the first level, alongside the ubiquitous indoor EV ride-along track. I got to ride in a Lexus RZ there, but all of the other stations were EV brands I'd ridden in before. I also rode in an Ariya for comparison, and it seemed to handle the simulated potholes better than the Lexus. Honda's booth was several sizes too large. Toyota had a new Land Cruiser (I assume a base/lower trim model, because it had cloth seats), but it was locked. There were several cars from the show Downey's Dream Cars, and quite a few exotics. The Volvos all were behind a rope, but you could sit in the Polestars. It was well attended, but not crowded at all--I got there about 4. I'm sure it helped doing it on a weekday.

xwesx

Nice, @corvette ! Photos or it didn't happen.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

I ended up doing the NY auto show yesterday evening due to scheduling issues. Infiniti made a big splash with the all new QX80. They only had one on display, but there were several stations showcasing its features. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis were very well represented. One of the local car clubs had member cars on display on the first level, alongside the ubiquitous indoor EV ride-along track. I got to ride in a Lexus RZ there, but all of the other stations were EV brands I'd ridden in before. I also rode in an Ariya for comparison, and it seemed to handle the simulated potholes better than the Lexus. Honda's booth was several sizes too large. Toyota had a new Land Cruiser (I assume a base/lower trim model, because it had cloth seats), but it was locked. There were several cars from the show Downey's Dream Cars, and quite a few exotics. The Volvos all were behind a rope, but you could sit in the Polestars. It was well attended, but not crowded at all--I got there about 4. I'm sure it helped doing it on a weekday.

Last year the NY Auto Show was 90% EVs. Sounds like it is the same this year.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
This year there are more EV's because they can't sell them.

corvette

corvette

Sandman6472

Have seen a few video's of the new 2025 Nissan Kicks on YouTube and like what I saw. The "SR" model really looked nice in that red over gray color combo. Size looks to be around 171"'s, give or take, so would definitely fit on my side of the garage. I don't really need "AWD" like we have on the Kona but not necessarily a deal killer. Love that it has a Bose audio system especially with speakers in the headrests. Has a CVT tranny, not my favorite but Nissan has improved them so much since the one in our 2009 Versa. Drove a new Sentra and Altima at work this week and the CVT wasn't awful and something I think I could live with. Overall, the 2025 Nissan Kicks has gone on Sandman's Short List for his potential new vehicle.

Was very happy that the Golf drove nicely on last weekends quick trip to Orlando. No codes or lights came on and the last 4-wheel alignment is still about as good as it can be. Used cruise control for part of the trip but had a lot of traffic on the turnpike Sunday afternoon. Took me almost 3 hours to get home as there was bumper to bumper traffic in West Palm Beach where the construction continues. Left St. Cloud at 11:45 and pulled into our place at 2:30, driving straight through. Average speed was at 74 mph and was passed by 90% of the other vehicles but didn't really care. Wasn't in a hurry and just wanted to get home safely. My daughter made it back to St. Augustine in just about 2 hours which I was glad to hear. She's loving the job up there but let on that there's a new hospital opening in Jupiter sometime in mid-2025 and she's hoping to transfer there. We'd all be thrilled as it's just about an hour and fifteen minutes to our place which would be great. So we'll have to see how things pan out.

Sandman6472

Drove a couple of beat up Ford trucks yesterday to the Manheim auction in Ft. Lauderdale. One was a F150 and the other, a F250. The 150 had around 93K on the clock and drove nicely for so many miles. The F250 had over 145K on the clock but it drove very roughly and had a lot of play in the front end. Interior was in really rough condition with coffee stains all over the seats and I could tell it was really abused in it's lifetime. Preferred the 150 to be honest and just showed me why I prefer smaller vehicles. Took it nice & easy on I-95 and stayed in the right lane the whole way down from West Palm Beach and luckily we had some bumper to bumper traffic once we hit Pompano Beach.

Volunteered to sit out a morning run from Pompano Beach to Jupiter driving new Nissan Frontier trucks as there were three vehicles for four drivers. Guess I jumped to soon as should've volunteered to sit out the last run with the F250's. Next time, I won't volunteer so fast!

Michaell

The MINI went in yesterday for it's annual oil change and service - a few things popped up during the inspection that needed to be attended to.

(reminder - the car will be 10 years old on 4/12, and has just over 66,000 miles on it)

The valve cover was leaking - $1000 to replace
New spark plugs - $170
Coolant, 4WD fluid and DI service (was last done 3 years ago) - $950
Oil change - $100

Not my decision to have these done; daughter approved all of it.

Still cheaper than a new car payment.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

The MINI went in yesterday for it's annual oil change and service - a few things popped up during the inspection that needed to be attended to.

(reminder - the car will be 10 years old on 4/12, and has just over 66,000 miles on it)

The valve cover was leaking - $1000 to replace
New spark plugs - $170
Coolant, 4WD fluid and DI service (was last done 3 years ago) - $950
Oil change - $100

Not my decision to have these done; daughter approved all of it.

Still cheaper than a new car payment.

Shocked at the cost of the valve cover gasket, impressed at how cheap the plugs were.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

The MINI went in yesterday for it's annual oil change and service - a few things popped up during the inspection that needed to be attended to.

(reminder - the car will be 10 years old on 4/12, and has just over 66,000 miles on it)

The valve cover was leaking - $1000 to replace
New spark plugs - $170
Coolant, 4WD fluid and DI service (was last done 3 years ago) - $950
Oil change - $100

Not my decision to have these done; daughter approved all of it.

Still cheaper than a new car payment.

Shocked at the cost of the valve cover gasket, impressed at how cheap the plugs were.

I thought the same thing - plugs on the Outback were much more (and, there are 6 of those).

Not the gasket - here is the actual description:

Engine Valve Cover Assembly: air/oil separator failing causing oil leak at boost tubes. recommend replacement
The Valve Cover provides protection to the camshafts and other cylinder head components from outside elements such as dirt and debris found in any environment. It also prevents engine oil from splashing into the engine bay.

breld

The Colorado contingent here are planning a trip to the Denver Auto Show this weekend. Given the continued reduction in dealer participation, I doubt there will be anything of particular interest to report, but it's still a good time.

Notably absent are BMW/MINI, Mercedes, Volvo (maybe some for the EV section), and Acura. Interestingly, Polestar has a small space, as does INEOS. The EV test track has taken the place of the Jeep off-road coarse.

tjc78

I wonder if the cost of the plugs would go up if the other repair wasn’t being done. Most likely a “while we are in there” sort of thing.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

I wonder if the cost of the plugs would go up if the other repair wasn’t being done. Most likely a “while we are in there” sort of thing.

Yeah, that may be true.

Almost $2500, all in. I paid about $2200 a year or so ago for the 60K service on the Subaru, so I'm not sure that I'd say the MINI is expensive to maintain, comparitavely.

Of note - a yellow Rivian R1S was in the showroom, and there was a bright red Paceman John Cooper Works on the forecourt (no listed price - you have to scan a QR code for that - but it had 99,xxx miles on it).

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

The MINI went in yesterday for it's annual oil change and service - a few things popped up during the inspection that needed to be attended to.

(reminder - the car will be 10 years old on 4/12, and has just over 66,000 miles on it)

The valve cover was leaking - $1000 to replace
New spark plugs - $170
Coolant, 4WD fluid and DI service (was last done 3 years ago) - $950
Oil change - $100

Not my decision to have these done; daughter approved all of it.

Still cheaper than a new car payment.

Shocked at the cost of the valve cover gasket, impressed at how cheap the plugs were.

I thought the same thing - plugs on the Outback were much more (and, there are 6 of those).

Not the gasket - here is the actual description:

Engine Valve Cover Assembly: air/oil separator failing causing oil leak at boost tubes. recommend replacement
The Valve Cover provides protection to the camshafts and other cylinder head components from outside elements such as dirt and debris found in any environment. It also prevents engine oil from splashing into the engine bay.

Don't forget your Outback's spark plugs are mounted horizontally on the side of the engine where it might be difficult to get to. They might have to remove both wheels and fender liners for access.

au1994

@corvette said:

Oh man, that CRX!

xwesx

I'm surprised that a manufacturer like Volvo would even bother to show up for a car show if they're just going to treat their cars like museum pieces and set them well behind an accessible area! I could get just as much out of that experience from looking at their website. /facepalm

Thanks for sharing the photos, corvette! I'd like to make it to an auto show one day, but it seems like I've missed the heyday.

sda

The TL is at the Acura dealer waiting for the passenger air bag sensor. I wasn't disappointed, they found much to suggest for maintenance. Valve cover gaskets, valve adjustment, spark plugs, timing belt service to name a few. The timing belt service is $1700! I am only having the sensor replaced. I will shop around for the other services but am tempted to leave well enough alone. The car is only worth $1500 or so trade in. Perhaps $3000 if I sell it privately? They did say the car was in nice condition overall.

Michaell

sda said:

The TL is at the Acura dealer waiting for the passenger air bag sensor. I wasn't disappointed, they found much to suggest for maintenance. Valve cover gaskets, valve adjustment, spark plugs, timing belt service to name a few. The timing belt service is $1700! I am only having the sensor replaced. I will shop around for the other services but am tempted to leave well enough alone. The car is only worth $1500 or so trade in. Perhaps $3000 if I sell it privately? They did say the car was in nice condition overall.

What could you buy for $3000 now that would be as nice, or as reliable, as the Acura? This is what it takes to keep an older car on the road.

A new replacement for the MINI (which was $38K 10 years ago) would probably be in the $35-40K range, if not more, if I could find something (I'd recommend a hybrid or PHEV SUV for her).

But, we are now starting to talk about an exit strategy for the cooking studio - maybe in the next 3 years, we'd sell it off. Would clear out a lot of space in our garage and basement, for sure.

nyccarguy

sda said:

The TL is at the Acura dealer waiting for the passenger air bag sensor. I wasn't disappointed, they found much to suggest for maintenance. Valve cover gaskets, valve adjustment, spark plugs, timing belt service to name a few. The timing belt service is $1700! I am only having the sensor replaced. I will shop around for the other services but am tempted to leave well enough alone. The car is only worth $1500 or so trade in. Perhaps $3000 if I sell it privately? They did say the car was in nice condition overall.

How many miles are on it currently?

When's the last time you had the timing belt service performed? Have you ever had the valve cover gasket replaced?

28firefighter

@sda - I'd find a good indy, show him the list from the dealer, and see what they actually suggest.

VCG can probably wait for a bit, I don't know why it would need a valve adjustment, but spark plugs and timing belt are probably not a bad idea - my guess is you can get both done for $1200-$1300 all in.

Is the TL timing belt an interference one? If so and it hasn't been done in the last 100k you probably are due.

mjfloyd1

May be able to get those done at a Honda dealer for less as well. That what I always did with MDX.

nyccarguy

"What could you buy for $3000 now that would be as nice, or as reliable, as the Acura? This is what it takes to keep an older car on the road."

I asked myself this over the past few years when I have to put another few thousand into the Prelude. It was the clutch a few years ago, then all the work I had put into it last year. This year I'm having a new radiator put in and whatever else they find to make the car "right."

breld

@nyccarguy - well, that Prelude of yours is challenging to replace to say the least. So sort of worth the "investment."

A GR86 or BRZ could do the trick if it comes time to replace it, at least in spirit. Still a nice analog 4 cylinder experience with a stick shift...albeit with the rear wheels being driven, which could be a welcome thing.

Was browsing listings of manual Supras and Zs yesterday. A local dealer has a new manual Supra available, at least according to their website. And there are a few Z's starting to become available. From what I've read (and having owned the Supra), I imagine the Toyota/BMW is a better vehicle, but I much prefer the look of the Z.

tifighter

I see Supras everywhere. So you know what to do @breld …

nyccarguy

breld said:

@nyccarguy - well, that Prelude of yours is challenging to replace to say the least. So sort of worth the "investment."

A GR86 or BRZ could do the trick if it comes time to replace it, at least in spirit. Still a nice analog 4 cylinder experience with a stick shift...albeit with the rear wheels being driven, which could be a welcome thing.

Was browsing listings of manual Supras and Zs yesterday. A local dealer has a new manual Supra available, at least according to their website. And there are a few Z's starting to become available. From what I've read (and having owned the Supra), I imagine the Toyota/BMW is a better vehicle, but I much prefer the look of the Z.

If anything, I am spending the money and will b able to drive the Prelude during the nice weather to offset some of the miles on whatever my current daily driver is. Currently the Tacoma.

If I were to replace it, it would have to be kind of a 2 for 1. With a child starting college next year (who has been in private school for the last 2 years) and another who is currently enrolled in private school this year & next year, I can't financially justify replacing the Prelude (with a car payment) and having another car payment (Tacoma).

Practically I could get away with a Civic Si, WRX, or Integra A Spec. Knowing what I know about depreciation, I could theoretically stretch and get myself a Civic Type R, drive it for a few years, & not loose a ton of money on it.