Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

it got overcast so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. got the Acura washed. Too late for a full wax but I pulled out the Griot's quick detailer spray, gave it a coating and wiped it down after using the clay mitt (love that thing). Very quick process, and it looks nice and shiny and feel smooth. Water was beading on the hood OK when I rinsed it, so this should keep it until later in the summer when I can do a complete job on it.

suydam

We were in kind of a hurry when we bought the Blazer so we didn’t have time to have the sales rep show us some of the features of the vehicle. Went in today and spent 1/2 hour getting a demonstration of a few things we couldn’t figure out ourselves. There is so much tech on cars these days and every vehicle puts controls in different places or uses different icons. Definitely a learning curve!
There’s no start or off button on the Chevy (like Tesla), so every time I get in the Kia now I have to remember I actually have to turn the car on!

explorerx4

I would love to have one of these but I have no idea where the price comes from.
They definitlely don't depreciate like an EV.
https://www.philfitts.com/VehicleDetails/used-1993-Ford-Mustang-Cobra-New_Castle-PA/5796175340?cto_pld=7hfLcJovAQD_IUfBagjcdA&edmcid=15086&edminv=1FACP_42D7PF157439&utm_adgroup=253427&utm_campaign=edmunds_ad_solutions_ext&utm_content=1FACP42D7PF157439&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=edmunds&utm_term=used_extension

roadburner

For two days in a row I was able to attack one of my favorite on ramps without any bed-wetting slowpokes putting a damper on the fun. It starts as a hard left from a traffic light, then the corner opens up and transitions into a right sweeper. As often happens in the C43, I ran out of courage before I ran out of grip- the car feels much faster than it is. As usual, my bride didn't even look up from the book she was reading.

stickguy

Well, the cobra comes with a free oil change. Might explain asking 82k.

au1994

roadburner said:

For two days in a row I was able to attack one of my favorite on ramps without any bed-wetting slowpokes putting a damper on the fun. It starts as a hard left from a traffic light, then the corner opens up and transitions into a right sweeper. As often happens in the C43, I ran out of courage before I ran out of grip- the car feels much faster than it is. As usual, my bride didn't even look up from the book she was reading.

Even if it was an R model, thats a crazy number.

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

I would love to have one of these but I have no idea where the price comes from.
They definitlely don't depreciate like an EV.
https://www.philfitts.com/VehicleDetails/used-1993-Ford-Mustang-Cobra-New_Castle-PA/5796175340?cto_pld=7hfLcJovAQD_IUfBagjcdA&edmcid=15086&edminv=1FACP_42D7PF157439&utm_adgroup=253427&utm_campaign=edmunds_ad_solutions_ext&utm_content=1FACP42D7PF157439&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=edmunds&utm_term=used_extension

————————————————
You said you don’t know where the price comes from. I’m pretty sure to come up with $82K for that Mustang someone pulled it out of their you know what. BUT, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

The BAT auction on that 4,900 mile '01 Prelude Type SH ends in a few hours. Currently high bidder is $36,101. One of the few auctions (either on BAT or C&B) where some of the the commenters aren't completely ripping the car to shreds.

nyccarguy

@Michaell

Check your PM.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell

Check your PM.

Saw it - and replied.

nyccarguy

roadburner said:

For two days in a row I was able to attack one of my favorite on ramps without any bed-wetting slowpokes putting a damper on the fun. It starts as a hard left from a traffic light, then the corner opens up and transitions into a right sweeper. As often happens in the C43, I ran out of courage before I ran out of grip- the car feels much faster than it is. As usual, my bride didn't even look up from the book she was reading.

Very frustrating sometimes when you just want to open it up. After driving the Prelude home about an hour from the mechanic, I ran some errands with it on Saturday including a run to Costco. On the way home, my plans for a spirited drive were crushed by a landscaping truck that didn't stop at a red light and turned in front of me, then continued to slowly chug its way up the uphill on ramp...

In the words of the great Captain Jack Sparrow: "If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it"

explorerx4

@jmonroe1,
That's not an unusual price to be listed for one of those with low mileage.
This place has 3 of them and this has the lowest asking price. The other 2 are listed for over 100k.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?zip=44039&inventorySearchWidgetType=AUTO&sortDir=ASC&sourceContext=carGurusHomePageModel&distance=50000&sortType=BEST_MATCH&endYear=1993&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=d352&startYear=1993#listing=388640538/NONE/DEFAULT

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@jmonroe1,
That's not an unusual price to be listed for one of those with low mileage.
This place has 3 of them and this has the lowest asking price. The other 2 are listed for over 100k.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?zip=44039&inventorySearchWidgetType=AUTO&sortDir=ASC&sourceContext=carGurusHomePageModel&distance=50000&sortType=BEST_MATCH&endYear=1993&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=d352&startYear=1993#listing=388640538/NONE/DEFAULT

————————————————-
With “Too Few Comparables”, why not? I guess somebody has to set the bar.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

Prelude with under 5K miles sold for $60K on BAT!

explorerx4

Those auction bids can be fun to watch near the end.

stickguy

Cross low mile collectible prelude off my shopping list!

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

Prelude with under 5K miles sold for $60K on BAT!

————————————————
Just curious. Now that yours is all dolled up and road worthy, how much do you think you can get for it?

jmonroe

corvette

Punch pending. Also, a hearty #$%*-off to our local franchised dealership cartels. I have had to go out of state to purchase the 2013 GLI, the 2020 Tundra, the 2022 Maverick, and now this one, which they are going to deliver.

Also, I got a $9,175 instant cash offer on the Volt though KBB, and three dealers who want me to come by to see whether they are willing to offer more.

kyfdx

corvette said:

Punch pending. Also, a hearty #$%*-off to our local franchised dealership cartels. I have had to go out of state to purchase the 2013 GLI, the 2020 Tundra, the 2022 Maverick, and now this one, which they are going to deliver.

Also, I got a $9,175 instant cash offer on the Volt though KBB, and three dealers who want me to come by to see whether they are willing to offer more.

In Nashville?

nyccarguy

@kyfdx said:
In Nashville?

A gentleman never tells

nyccarguy

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Just curious. Now that yours is all dolled up and road worthy, how much do you think you can get for it?

jmonroe

Looking at it from a buyer’s point of view -

The good

It is a final production year 2001 Prelude Type SH.

In the last 4 - 5 years and only 4,000 miles it has had a lot of deferred & preventative maintenance. I don’t want to bore you all with the details again!

It starts up, runs, drives, & stops.

The bad

AC doesn’t work. That will be next spring’s project.

The sunroof drains are clogged and water gets in the car when it is left outside.

The hood has scratches on it from my kids cleaning the snow off of the car. The paint on the spoiler is faded….

I don’t know. Maybe $6-$7K ish.

stickguy

if you don't want to deal with the drains at least get the poor thing a cover! I have seen them cleaned out with compressed air. They can be a bit of a pain to get to though, with having to pull trim off.

andres3

benjaminh said:

Although my wife seriously considered a 2025 Camry hybrid, the Toyota dealer's high prices, and even more my wife's desire for an all-wheel-drive station wagon, in the end ruled the day. Below are pix of my wife's new 2024 Outback Premium in Crimson Pearl with option package 15. List price was $36k exactly, but they took $2000 off list and we got the 1.9% financing from Subaru (Financing from Toyota would have been 5%, costing around $2.5k more in interest). Was a pleasant buying experience overall, although as usual it took a long time. After the test drive I let my wife take off in her current car, the CR-V that we are lending long-term to our daughter who just graduated from college, while I did the paperwork. When it was all done I drove home in my Acura, while our salesperson kindly drove my wife's car to her. As Consumer Reports has said a few times, the Outback has a surprisingly "luxury" ride. It's kinda like the Subaru Buick wagon from my pov. Anyway, we like it, and our car search is finally done. We did get the 10 year/100k Subaru Gold warranty with 0 deductible for $2500. Covers almost everything. Haven't bought car warranties lately, but with the worries about the CR-V's 1.5 turbo I kinda wish I had for that one. Anyway, some peace of mind, since we hope to keep her new Outback long-term.

Thank you for not contributing to more gray-scale cars out on the road!

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

Just curious. Now that yours is all dolled up and road worthy, how much do you think you can get for it?

jmonroe

Looking at it from a buyer’s point of view -

The good

It is a final production year 2001 Prelude Type SH.

In the last 4 - 5 years and only 4,000 miles it has had a lot of deferred & preventative maintenance. I don’t want to bore you all with the details again!

It starts up, runs, drives, & stops.

The bad

AC doesn’t work. That will be next spring’s project.

The sunroof drains are clogged and water gets in the car when it is left outside.

The hood has scratches on it from my kids cleaning the snow off of the car. The paint on the spoiler is faded….

I don’t know. Maybe $6-$7K ish.

______________________________________
Thanks for letting us know.

For that price and since you really like it, you might as well run it till the wheels fall off.

jmonroe

andres3

Extended Warranties!!!!! Now that I believe in them for used cars, have any of you heard of Safeguard? One of the used car lots selling Porsche's uses them and says they use Porsche service centers, 3 years/36K for $3,000. Sounds like a no-brainer, even with the high deductible of $250.

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

Extended Warranties!!!!! Now that I believe in them for used cars, have any of you heard of Safeguard? One of the used car lots selling Porsche's uses them and says they use Porsche service centers, 3 years/36K for $3,000. Sounds like a no-brainer, even with the high deductible of $250.

————————————————
You should shop around. I’ve heard Endurance is good but I have never used them myself. $250 deductible seems high to me but check others just to satisfy yourself.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

I would love to have one of these but I have no idea where the price comes from.
They definitlely don't depreciate like an EV.
https://www.philfitts.com/VehicleDetails/used-1993-Ford-Mustang-Cobra-New_Castle-PA/5796175340?cto_pld=7hfLcJovAQD_IUfBagjcdA&edmcid=15086&edminv=1FACP_42D7PF157439&utm_adgroup=253427&utm_campaign=edmunds_ad_solutions_ext&utm_content=1FACP42D7PF157439&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=edmunds&utm_term=used_extension

Well, Graphicguy had a newer one he could have sold you a lot cheaper.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
I haven't forgotten that.

qbrozen

Clearing moonroof drains can vary by vehicle. I’ve done shorter runs with a coat hanger. The minivan was impossible until I finally tried Drano. Worked perfect.

I wouldn’t risk compressed air, personally, unless you can guarantee keeping the pressure low. But something like 100 psi from a compressor could easily burst a drain line or blow off a plastic connector.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Clearing moonroof drains can vary by vehicle. I’ve done shorter runs with a coat hanger. The minivan was impossible until I finally tried Drano. Worked perfect.

I wouldn’t risk compressed air, personally, unless you can guarantee keeping the pressure low. But something like 100 psi from a compressor could easily burst a drain line or blow off a plastic connector.

The good news is that an unbent coat hanger is longer than his whole car, so it should work well enough.

nyccarguy

Not sexy at all, but here’s my new Radiator and Silicone Hoses:

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

Just curious. Now that yours is all dolled up and road worthy, how much do you think you can get for it?

jmonroe

Looking at it from a buyer’s point of view -

The good

It is a final production year 2001 Prelude Type SH.

In the last 4 - 5 years and only 4,000 miles it has had a lot of deferred & preventative maintenance. I don’t want to bore you all with the details again!

It starts up, runs, drives, & stops.

The bad

AC doesn’t work. That will be next spring’s project.

The sunroof drains are clogged and water gets in the car when it is left outside.

The hood has scratches on it from my kids cleaning the snow off of the car. The paint on the spoiler is faded….

I don’t know. Maybe $6-$7K ish.

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

Just curious. Now that yours is all dolled up and road worthy, how much do you think you can get for it?

jmonroe

Looking at it from a buyer’s point of view -

The good

It is a final production year 2001 Prelude Type SH.

In the last 4 - 5 years and only 4,000 miles it has had a lot of deferred & preventative maintenance. I don’t want to bore you all with the details again!

It starts up, runs, drives, & stops.

The bad

AC doesn’t work. That will be next spring’s project.

The sunroof drains are clogged and water gets in the car when it is left outside.

The hood has scratches on it from my kids cleaning the snow off of the car. The paint on the spoiler is faded….

I don’t know. Maybe $6-$7K ish.

String trimmer line can often unclog sunroof drains.

stickguy

I was trying to think of a skinny wire that would be stiff enough but able to bend to do the job, and never thought of trimmer wire. That should do it.

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

Not sexy at all, but here’s my new Radiator and Silicone Hoses:

————————————————
You’re right, if you thought that was sexy, we’d have scheduled you for an examination.

jmonroe

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Not sexy at all, but here’s my new Radiator and Silicone Hoses:

Drive it down my way and I'll detail it for you.

corvette

14/2 Romex is fairly thin and pliable, as well, but stiffer than weed trimmer line.

nyccarguy

@roadburner said:
Drive it down my way and I'll detail it for you.

I’d gladly drive down and spend the weekend detailing the car with you!

nyccarguy

@roadburner said:
String trimmer line can often unclog sunroof drains.

Thanks! A few google results gave the same suggestion. String trimmer sounds like a good starting point.

pensfan83

The important thing is it's still functional, you can always improve the appearance. There are a number of places that will recondition the valve cover for you when if you find yourself with a repair where it needs to come off (i.e. timing belt service) or you can snap up one already refinished.

oldfarmer50

pensfan83 said:

The important thing is it's still functional, you can always improve the appearance. There are a number of places that will recondition the valve cover for you when if you find yourself with a repair where it needs to come off (i.e. timing belt service) or you can snap up one already refinished.

Make sure to get chrome valve covers, flames painted on the sides and a huge muffler for an extra 50 hp.🤣🤣

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

The important thing is it's still functional, you can always improve the appearance. There are a number of places that will recondition the valve cover for you when if you find yourself with a repair where it needs to come off (i.e. timing belt service) or you can snap up one already refinished.

For a very long time, when it was my daily driver I was able to keep the Prelude in excellent shape. When it was 10-11 years old, people would often ask if it was new and couldn't believe the car was a discontinued 2001. The less I drove it, the more I (for lack of a better word) neglected it. It still looks good from 10 feet away. The important thing is that it drives great! Solid. No squeaks or rattles.

oldfarmer50

Was someone asking about warranties?

https://youtu.be/Ou05-9dh0OE?si=pZoJ-UTOzyRQ-Vew

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

pensfan83 said:

The important thing is it's still functional, you can always improve the appearance. There are a number of places that will recondition the valve cover for you when if you find yourself with a repair where it needs to come off (i.e. timing belt service) or you can snap up one already refinished.

Make sure to get chrome valve covers, flames painted on the sides and a huge muffler for an extra 50 hp.🤣🤣

Don’t forget the yellow spark plug wires for an instant 10 hp more.

Michaell

Anyone want to jump in here? Member has questions about EV pickups and towing.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Anyone want to jump in here? Member has questions about EV pickups and towing.

Saw another cyber truck in Vermont yesterday. Mom said if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything so……

imidazol97

i Saw my third Cybertruck in a week on an interstate ramp.
Today i saw this.
I'm trying to decide which is better.
I think I'll go with this one.

I do like Musk's forward looking ideas.

corvette

The Ariya has landed… I told the guys when they pulled up at my office that I had just lost a bet with my boss that they’d run out of juice on the way here.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Anyone want to jump in here? Member has questions about EV pickups and towing.

Saw another cyber truck in Vermont yesterday. Mom said if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything so……

————————————————
Is that supposed to be the nice way of not being nice?

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Anyone want to jump in here? Member has questions about EV pickups and towing.

Saw another cyber truck in Vermont yesterday. Mom said if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything so……

————————————————
Is that supposed to be the nice way of not being nice?

jmonroe

I don’t dislike Musk like some do but the cyber truck just grates me for some reason. I don’t like the concept with it’s limited towing range and I think it just looks ugly to my eyes.

jmonroe1

corvette said:

The Ariya has landed… I told the guys when they pulled up at my office that I had just lost a bet with my boss that they’d run out of juice on the way here.

————————————————
Looks nice, good luck with it.

I haven’t kept up and/or forgot what you’ve posted, so is it new or a used?

jmonroe