Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

venture said:

My oldest grandson is looking to buy his first car. He wants a Nissan Altima AWD for some reason. Probably a 2022 or 2023 with his budget.

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

Does he have Big Altima Energy? "BAE" for short Does he like to drive 90 on the shoulder, weave through traffic, cut people off, avoid any and all vehicle maintenance, "customize" his vehicle with tack ons and stickers?

Really, I am sure the cars are fine if you care for them and maintain the CVT by the book. Maybe a value proposition spec for spec.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen said:

@venture said:
My oldest grandson is looking to buy his first car. He wants a Nissan Altima AWD for some reason. Probably a 2022 or 2023 with his budget.

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

Reasons not to?
1. CVT
2. CVT
3. CVT
4. SEE reasons 1-3

I didn’t want to be the guy sounding the “Nissans are junk alarm,” but @qbrozen ssud it perfectly! What’s your grandson’s budget? Have you looked at Subarus?

fintail

jmonroe1 said:

fintail said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:

@explorerx4 said:

Here's one for tjc78.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-lincoln-continental-mark-v-14/

Pretty nice example. Same colors as my 79 Town Coupe was.

@oldfarmer50

210 HP in 1978 wasn’t too bad. I’ve driven these.. feels quicker than you’d think for such a boat.

Well, those emissions choked big blocks still had a lot of torque so maybe I’m being overly harsh.

————————————————-
At least back in that era you could do somethings about those factory installed engine choking emission systems. You can’t do much, if any, of that today. I disconnected the vacuum line from the EGR valve and installed a catalytic converter “test pipe” on several of my cars and friends cars that vastly improved the performance of those cars. Those were very easy to do mods.

Not anymore. The car manufacturers have all but eliminated the shade tree mechanics.

jmonroe

I remember my dad telling me about removing some emissions junk from my mom's mid 70s T-Bird (460), I guess it might have made a difference, and I don't think something that age would even have a check engine light. I have a memory of riding up the driveway on my big wheel and seeing the Bird, hood up, and my dad removing stuff.

Haven't seen a Cybertruck yet, and I am ok with that. Even here in Spokane, Rivians of all varieties are common sights.

————————————————-
I only had big block GM V8 engines back then and none of my cars had a CEL. The only lights I remember were the ALT and TEMP lights. Not even an OIL light that I can remember on those engines.

I’m sure your dad saw results from his tinkering otherwise he wouldn’t have tinkered. Almost everyone I worked with back them had their hoods up doing something on the weekends, even if it was just a weekly engine oil and transmission oil check via the dipstick, which BTW, will be obsolete and only seen in museum cars in the not too distant future.

jmonroe

Even on newer cars, I remember my dad did all maintenance from oil changes to tune ups to brakes, starter/alternator replacements, etc - I have almost no memory of any car going to a dealer for service. Maybe a different (silent generation) mindset, and I think he also enjoyed it to some level. We even had the used oil corner of the backyard back 40 These days, other than relatively minor adjustments, I am not too into it.

venture

nyccarguy said:

@qbrozen said:

@venture said:

My oldest grandson is looking to buy his first car. He wants a Nissan Altima AWD for some reason. Probably a 2022 or 2023 with his budget.

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

Reasons not to?

1. CVT

2. CVT

3. CVT

4. SEE reasons 1-3

I didn’t want to be the guy sounding the “Nissans are junk alarm,” but @qbrozen ssud it perfectly! What’s your grandson’s budget? Have you looked at Subarus?

He's 19. I have no idea why he seems to be stuck on Altima's. He said he doesn't want to spend much more than $20-$22K. He's not a car guy - obviously.

I've looked at Subaru's. He doesn't want a C/SUV. That leaves him the Legacy. He's driving a CrossTrek now so the Impreza is out.

I don't know how I had my nose dragged into this.

kyfdx

Last week was one year with the Cayman. Drove it 1560 miles. Not bad, considering my total driving is around 6K/yr

venture

stickguy said:

venture said:

My oldest grandson is looking to buy his first car. He wants a Nissan Altima AWD for some reason. Probably a 2022 or 2023 with his budget.

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

interesting choice for a kid. How old is he? Practical at least, assuming he really needs AWD. a FWD should be a lot simpler, and somewhat cheaper.

I agree about the AWD. I'm not going to talk him out of it though. If he has a wreck in the snow you know whose fault it would be then.

qbrozen

@venture said:
He's 19. I have no idea why he seems to be stuck on Altima's. He said he doesn't want to spend much more than $20-$22K. He's not a car guy - obviously.

I've looked at Subaru's. He doesn't want a C/SUV. That leaves him the Legacy. He's driving a CrossTrek now so the Impreza is out.

I don't know how I had my nose dragged into this.

Just to be clear, this isn’t a complaint about CVTs being soulless. They are junk and it WILL fail on him. Avoid at all costs.

qbrozen

@fintail said:
Does he have Big Altima Energy? "BAE" for short Does he like to drive 90 on the shoulder, weave through traffic, cut people off, avoid any and all vehicle maintenance, "customize" his vehicle with tack ons and stickers?

I had no idea that was a thing. And hilarious to me to read this now when, just yesterday, we were behind an Altima in traffic who decided to make the shoulder a new lane and take off.

explorerx4

Camry is available with AWD.

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

@qbrozen said:

@venture said:

My oldest grandson is looking to buy his first car. He wants a Nissan Altima AWD for some reason. Probably a 2022 or 2023 with his budget.

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

Reasons not to?

1. CVT

2. CVT

3. CVT

4. SEE reasons 1-3

I didn’t want to be the guy sounding the “Nissans are junk alarm,” but @qbrozen ssud it perfectly! What’s your grandson’s budget? Have you looked at Subarus?

well, Subarus don't help with reason 1-4 from Q. The Nissans, I have watched some videos (including the car wizard) and it seems to be a case where you get hosed believing the manufacture telling you they never need service. So change the fluid at least every 30K miles, don't abuse it, and most likely it will outlast the rest of the car! Especially if you don't drive a ton of miles.

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

Camry is available with AWD.

not in his price range. Venture did not specify but I assume this is a used car purchase. So I will caveat my earlier comment. You can be OK with a Nissan if you maintain it right, but only if you buy it new. Never, ever, ever buy one used (well, you will save money of course but from a risk standpoint).

stickguy

took my 25' tape measure and some flags to the new house today and mocked up some garage/shed locations, and because that was so much fun, did the same for a patio. Should be able to get a reasonably sized patio in the place available for it, after an argument with the wife about how big it should be, and that it can't go on top of the egress window well. Or into the tree line behind the house. But we will figure that out.

after trying various positioning of a garage, confirmed that even the smallest one (12x20) would be too big for the spot (too close to the house) so we are settled on putting the driveway extension in to create an extra parking spot (or 2) at the top (it is a side entry garage) and will put the shed at the top of that. Will sit so the front is a couple of feet in front of the back line of the house, then we will run the fence from the house to the side of the shed (with the gate there), then run off the far back corner of the shed to the back of the yard. Turning the shed into some free fencing, and putting more acreage inside the fence for the dog to run around.! It will be out of the way there, and I can have the ramp run right onto the driveway making accessing the equipment (snow blower or mower) very convenient.

corvette

@qbrozen said:
I had no idea that was a thing.

It’s definitely a thing.

corvette

Washed, clay barred, and polished the Volt yesterday. I think I’m going to have someone touch up the paint before I put a sealant on. I could do that myself, but there are a lot of small scratches, and I don’t have the patience to do that many.

stickguy

looks like new.

fintail

corvette said:

It’s definitely a thing.

Maybe even a little unfair as plenty are driven by normies - I have a relative with one, she's a ~middle aged woman who works for a bank, has probably never gone more than 10 over the limit in her life, and no doubt gets it serviced by the book. But they seem to attract an element, maybe due to maker marketing and the secondary market. And to be fair, the OG/1st gen Altima always seemed like a nice little car to to me.

Related:

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

venture said:

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

The Big Altima Energy group on Facebook can probably give him a few reasons.

He probably heard that black Altimas were chick magnets.😎😎

oldfarmer50

venture said:

nyccarguy said:

@qbrozen said:

@venture said:

My oldest grandson is looking to buy his first car. He wants a Nissan Altima AWD for some reason. Probably a 2022 or 2023 with his budget.

I can't think of a reason for him to not do this, other than for what it is.

Reasons not to?

1. CVT

2. CVT

3. CVT

4. SEE reasons 1-3

I didn’t want to be the guy sounding the “Nissans are junk alarm,” but @qbrozen ssud it perfectly! What’s your grandson’s budget? Have you looked at Subarus?

He's 19. I have no idea why he seems to be stuck on Altima's. He said he doesn't want to spend much more than $20-$22K. He's not a car guy - obviously.

I've looked at Subaru's. He doesn't want a C/SUV. That leaves him the Legacy. He's driving a CrossTrek now so the Impreza is out.

I don't know how I had my nose dragged into this.

Nissan builds some nice engines..The 3.5L V6 is relatively powerful and the 2.5L 4cyl. Can get 40mpg. I assume they have improved the CVTs as well.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

took my 25' tape measure and some flags to the new house today and mocked up some garage/shed locations, and because that was so much fun, did the same for a patio. Should be able to get a reasonably sized patio in the place available for it, after an argument with the wife about how big it should be, and that it can't go on top of the egress window well. Or into the tree line behind the house. But we will figure that out.

after trying various positioning of a garage, confirmed that even the smallest one (12x20) would be too big for the spot (too close to the house) so we are settled on putting the driveway extension in to create an extra parking spot (or 2) at the top (it is a side entry garage) and will put the shed at the top of that. Will sit so the front is a couple of feet in front of the back line of the house, then we will run the fence from the house to the side of the shed (with the gate there), then run off the far back corner of the shed to the back of the yard. Turning the shed into some free fencing, and putting more acreage inside the fence for the dog to run around.! It will be out of the way there, and I can have the ramp run right onto the driveway making accessing the equipment (snow blower or mower) very convenient.

Careful of setback requirements.

mjfloyd1

@corvette said:

Washed, clay barred, and polished the Volt yesterday. I think I’m going to have someone touch up the paint before I put a sealant on. I could do that myself, but there are a lot of small scratches, and I don’t have the patience to do that many.

Dr color chip or similar is pretty easy

roadburner

I desmogged my Monte Carlo- removing the air pump and EGR along with adding a Q-Jet, Crane cam, and a recurved distributor. The catalytic converter on the M6 fell off in the garage one Saturday and I had no option but to replace it with a Jet-Hot coated h-pipe. The Bavaria and 2002 were already desmogged when I bought them.

corvette

We had a very brief period of high winds here right after noon today, and my power went out right after I finished reheating leftovers for lunch. After a couple of hours, I fired up the generator to keep the fridge running. The map is still showing 1,684 separate "events" and almost 60k people without electricity. It wasn't too hot out today, but it was getting stuffy, so I schlepped the window unit down from the attic and put it in my bedroom window. It was unhappy about being connected to a 100' extension cord, but eventually started.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

took my 25' tape measure and some flags to the new house today and mocked up some garage/shed locations, and because that was so much fun, did the same for a patio. Should be able to get a reasonably sized patio in the place available for it, after an argument with the wife about how big it should be, and that it can't go on top of the egress window well. Or into the tree line behind the house. But we will figure that out.

after trying various positioning of a garage, confirmed that even the smallest one (12x20) would be too big for the spot (too close to the house) so we are settled on putting the driveway extension in to create an extra parking spot (or 2) at the top (it is a side entry garage) and will put the shed at the top of that. Will sit so the front is a couple of feet in front of the back line of the house, then we will run the fence from the house to the side of the shed (with the gate there), then run off the far back corner of the shed to the back of the yard. Turning the shed into some free fencing, and putting more acreage inside the fence for the dog to run around.! It will be out of the way there, and I can have the ramp run right onto the driveway making accessing the equipment (snow blower or mower) very convenient.

Careful of setback requirements.

I know where the lot lines are. We made sure there was enough space for the garage. We just don't want to put it there. a shed can pretty much go wherever we want it.

roadburner

corvette said:

We had a very brief period of high winds here right after noon today, and my power went out right after I finished reheating leftovers for lunch. After a couple of hours, I fired up the generator to keep the fridge running. The map is still showing 1,684 separate "events" and almost 60k people without electricity. It wasn't too hot out today, but it was getting stuffy, so I schlepped the window unit down from the attic and put it in my bedroom window. It was unhappy about being connected to a 100' extension cord, but eventually started.

For once we didn't lose a tree just a few branches on the drive. We're now waiting on the final round of storms.

ronsteve

fintail said:

corvette said:

It’s definitely a thing.

Maybe even a little unfair as plenty are driven by normies - I have a relative with one, she's a ~middle aged woman who works for a bank, has probably never gone more than 10 over the limit in her life, and no doubt gets it serviced by the book. But they seem to attract an element, maybe due to maker marketing and the secondary market. And to be fair, the OG/1st gen Altima always seemed like a nice little car to to me.

Related:

What I usually notice with Altimas is the bumper cover(s) detached on one or more corners and flapping in the breeze.

kyfdx

RE: Setback requirements. In a lot of places, you can place a detached garage right on the property line, if you choose.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

RE: Setback requirements. In a lot of places, you can place a detached garage right on the property line, if you choose.

Setbacks are what caused us to move into our current house.

We wanted to rebuild the deck in our last home. Had a deck guy come by and look at the existing deck, then he went to the city to pull permits. That's when he found out our current deck didn't meet code, and that a new deck would be considerably smaller.

Wife said "no way", started looking at houses on-line that morning, and by the end of the day we had an offer in on our current house.

nyccarguy

@Michaell said:
Setbacks are what caused us to move into our current house.

We wanted to rebuild the deck in our last home. Had a deck guy come by and look at the existing deck, then he went to the city to pull permits. That's when he found out our current deck didn't meet code, and that a new deck would be considerably smaller.

Wife said "no way", started looking at houses on-line that morning, and by the end of the day we had an offer in on our current house.

When we bought our house, it had a very small deck. Maybe 8’ off the back of the house and 12’ wide. There was maybe enough room for a grill and a small round table with chairs. A few years ago we had that torn down and a new deck put up. There is a creek on our property that is considered wetlands. Nothing can be built within 50’ of the wetlands with a variance. They don’t want you to build right up to the 50’ mark. We had plans drawn up and approved. The contractor marked out the footprint and called the city for inspection. One corner of the deck was 4” from the 50’ mark. Since the property isn’t straight, the rest of it was at least a foot or more away. We had to make the deck a full foot shorter. We do love it so much!

kyfdx

We have a small covered porch off the first floor, rear, under the roofline.

But, our setbacks are maxed out. We have a patio, five steps down off the kitchen, because we couldn't have a deck. Our lot is just 70' X 109'. 9' setback on the side, 30' and 35' front and back. Our footprint is 52' X 44'.

It's amazing how 52' in width restricts you, when you have a 1st floor MBR. 54'-56' and we could have slightly modified any number of stock floor plans. But, 52' required custom plans.

stickguy

we don't really have issues with the lot lines, since it is 3/4 of an acre. We do have a 20' buffer at the back where we can't take out trees (though mother nature cleared some of that for us). it does make the back yard somewhat shallow (but very wide) so we are putting a patio in instead of a deck so that it doesn't cut the yard in half (since a big tree right at the edge of the buffer is directly back from the sliding door a deck would be in front of.) Plus I don't like hassling with decks.

the space where the garage would have to go is somewhat constrained by a slope, some drainage, and another treed area, which basically would push it pretty close to the house, leaving a 6-7' alley between the 2 structures which would not really look nice.

kyfdx

Steve McQueen’s Jag

corvette

@kyfdx - I take it you made a stop at the Petersen? I may try to go in the fall.

kyfdx

corvette said:

@kyfdx - I take it you made a stop at the Petersen? I may try to go in the fall.

Yes.. they do a guided tour on Saturday mornings of "The Vault", in the basement. There were just three of us on the tour, so pretty nice.

28firefighter

Took my nephew to the LeMay Museum yesterday for the Shinka JDM exhibit. Super cool.

kyfdx

That's a cool place. We were there in 2017.

ab348

nyccarguy said:

There is a creek on our property that is considered wetlands. Nothing can be built within 50’ of the wetlands with a variance. They don’t want you to build right up to the 50’ mark. We had plans drawn up and approved. The contractor marked out the footprint and called the city for inspection. One corner of the deck was 4” from the 50’ mark. Since the property isn’t straight, the rest of it was at least a foot or more away. We had to make the deck a full foot shorter. We do love it so much!

I might have been tempted to re-route the creek to be another foot away.

corvette

@28firefighter - the LeMay Collections at Marymount is also pretty neat, but not as polished.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

took my 25' tape measure and some flags to the new house today and mocked up some garage/shed locations, and because that was so much fun, did the same for a patio. Should be able to get a reasonably sized patio in the place available for it, after an argument with the wife about how big it should be, and that it can't go on top of the egress window well. Or into the tree line behind the house. But we will figure that out.

after trying various positioning of a garage, confirmed that even the smallest one (12x20) would be too big for the spot (too close to the house) so we are settled on putting the driveway extension in to create an extra parking spot (or 2) at the top (it is a side entry garage) and will put the shed at the top of that. Will sit so the front is a couple of feet in front of the back line of the house, then we will run the fence from the house to the side of the shed (with the gate there), then run off the far back corner of the shed to the back of the yard. Turning the shed into some free fencing, and putting more acreage inside the fence for the dog to run around.! It will be out of the way there, and I can have the ramp run right onto the driveway making accessing the equipment (snow blower or mower) very convenient.

Careful of setback requirements.

I know where the lot lines are. We made sure there was enough space for the garage. We just don't want to put it there. a shed can pretty much go wherever we want it.

Not in my town.

explorerx4

To get a shed, we need HOA approval and city engineering approval.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell said:

Setbacks are what caused us to move into our current house.

We wanted to rebuild the deck in our last home. Had a deck guy come by and look at the existing deck, then he went to the city to pull permits. That's when he found out our current deck didn't meet code, and that a new deck would be considerably smaller.

Wife said "no way", started looking at houses on-line that morning, and by the end of the day we had an offer in on our current house.

When we bought our house, it had a very small deck. Maybe 8’ off the back of the house and 12’ wide. There was maybe enough room for a grill and a small round table with chairs. A few years ago we had that torn down and a new deck put up. There is a creek on our property that is considered wetlands. Nothing can be built within 50’ of the wetlands with a variance. They don’t want you to build right up to the 50’ mark. We had plans drawn up and approved. The contractor marked out the footprint and called the city for inspection. One corner of the deck was 4” from the 50’ mark. Since the property isn’t straight, the rest of it was at least a foot or more away. We had to make the deck a full foot shorter. We do love it so much!

When I put up my little table to sell vegetables from the farm I had to get a permit to put up a sign and they wanted me to hire a surveyor to site it. I managed to get a work around using the existing survey of the house. When I put up the sign the inspector claimed I put the post 2” off from the actual permitted location but in his great generosity allowed it to remain.

kyfdx

@qbrozen
Found you a Peugeot

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-peugeot-205-roland-garros-edition-3/

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

To get a shed, we need HOA approval and city engineering approval.

————————————————-
Don’t be a scaredy-cat. Do what you want and beg for forgiveness later if someone rats you out.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell said:

Setbacks are what caused us to move into our current house.

We wanted to rebuild the deck in our last home. Had a deck guy come by and look at the existing deck, then he went to the city to pull permits. That's when he found out our current deck didn't meet code, and that a new deck would be considerably smaller.

Wife said "no way", started looking at houses on-line that morning, and by the end of the day we had an offer in on our current house.

When we bought our house, it had a very small deck. Maybe 8’ off the back of the house and 12’ wide. There was maybe enough room for a grill and a small round table with chairs. A few years ago we had that torn down and a new deck put up. There is a creek on our property that is considered wetlands. Nothing can be built within 50’ of the wetlands with a variance. They don’t want you to build right up to the 50’ mark. We had plans drawn up and approved. The contractor marked out the footprint and called the city for inspection. One corner of the deck was 4” from the 50’ mark. Since the property isn’t straight, the rest of it was at least a foot or more away. We had to make the deck a full foot shorter. We do love it so much!

When I put up my little table to sell vegetables from the farm I had to get a permit to put up a sign and they wanted me to hire a surveyor to site it. I managed to get a work around using the existing survey of the house. When I put up the sign the inspector claimed I put the post 2” off from the actual permitted location but in his great generosity allowed it to remain.

————————————————-
Gee, wasn’t that magnanimous of him? You gotta love folks that know how to use their power like that.

jmonroe

corvette

The utility company is estimating it could be late Wednesday night before power is restored at my house. I found the nearest gas station that had power, refilled my 2-gallon can, and also filled a 5-gallon kerosene can (don't tell the po-po--I no longer use the kerosene heater I bought it for). I'm grateful to have a generator.

Looks like everyone will be working from home tomorrow, since the office is also out of power.

kyfdx

Yikes! That's a long time

explorerx4

We were without power for 9 days one time, October 2012. We had a small generator. Ran the fridge during the day and a space heater at night.
A couple of other times power was out for 3 or 4 days.

stickguy

no HOA where we are going. and we have a nice fresh survey with the new house so won't have any issues. Not close to the buffer zone, and 40'+ from the side lot line.

corvette

It actually came back on a little after 4. I’ve got lawn mower gas for years, lol.

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

@qbrozen
Found you a Peugeot

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-peugeot-205-roland-garros-edition-3/

that's pretty sweet.

Definitely not in a place right now to buy something else.

corvette

The Peugeot looks like something you'd seen in an episode of Keeping Up Appearances. I drove by the Bucket residence on my trip to the UK in 2018.