Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

pensfan83

My hope is one day Musk is nothing more than a footnote or at best remembered only through pop culture trivia games.

andres3

pensfan83 said:

My hope is one day Musk is nothing more than a footnote or at best remembered only through pop culture trivia games.

And no Teslas in your Garage! Who'd of thunk!

suydam

Nice Nissan! Is it a compact SUV? It has a pretty long range, doesn’t it?
I am very interested to hear about its features. I am loving my Blazer EV!

venture

Now here's something you don't see every day. Thank goodness.

fintail

pensfan83 said:

My hope is one day Musk is nothing more than a footnote or at best remembered only through pop culture trivia games.

A modern Howard Hughes but with infinitely thinner skin and less self-awareness.

corvette

jmonroe1 said:

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

New, leftover 2023. Great delivery experience considering the salesman and the porter that followed him in a Rogue had an almost 6-hour roundtrip. The salesman offered via text beforehand and again once they arrived to go over the features with me. I declined both times and told him I usually just read the manual. They also offered to find a nearby charger and go charge the car, which I again declined, since it had 12 miles of range and only had to make it a mile to get to my house.

So, I've only driven it a mile or so, but I think it's a bit odd that it doesn't have a Qi charger as standard equipment. Otherwise, it's very well equipped. The power driver's seat has an exit function, which is a bit over the top for a midrange Nissan (I could see that in a Maxima, maybe), and it doesn't really need it. There's a setting which appears to disable it, but it didn't appear to make any difference. So, I guess I need to follow through on my promise to read the manual.

I will probably need to invest in some sort of upgraded charging. Currently, it's drawing 12A from my 15A outside garage circuit, which is also shared with my house's radon fan. If I can get by with charging at 120V, I'd prefer a dedicated 20A socket on the side of the house. Or, I could have a 50A 240V socket installed (which the included charger would work with). That shouldn't be terribly expensive, because the location where I would want it is only a few feet away from the circuit panel.

corvette

suydam said:

Nice Nissan! Is it a compact SUV? It has a pretty long range, doesn’t it?

Yes, it's about the size of a Rogue, but feels plenty roomy inside. Many of the trim levels do have a long range (weird steps of trim levels on that model), but unfortunately, mine has a range of a little over 200 miles. The upper trims get close to 300 and the base Venture+ FWD model is slightly over 300 because it has a larger battery (and is more expensive than the one I got).

roadburner

I found a tuner I trust who offers a mild Stage 1 tune for my C43; it adds 30 hp and 44 lb-ft of torque with no other modifications. I am really glad that I held out for a car delimited to 155 mph; the speed limiter is stored in the CPC module rather than the ECU, so unless I wanted to shell out over $1,000 I'd be stuck with the laughable 133 mph top speed. Once it's out of warranty the fun ramps up a bit...

stickguy

you tracking it?

roadburner

stickguy said:

you tracking it?

Next year- after I retire. I do plan to take it to the 1/8 mile drag strip this year to see how it compares to my M235i and my friend's Weistec tuned 2009 E63.

ronsteve

nyccarguy 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.

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.

I was always impressed at how well my brother's Japan-built Hondas and Acuras aged. So free of rattles. The US-built ones like my Accord and RDX seem much more prone to rattle.

venture

There's been a little movement on my attempt to get Mrs. venture into something smaller than her Ascent. She admitted that she would probably like something a little smaller. I mentioned also better gas mileage which she seemed to like.

She definitely wants another Subaru. The Outback does not appeal to her for some reason, but the new Forester does.

Green is her favorite color and there is a green one coming to my dealer next week that my sales guy has my name on.

Possibly a punch coming.

stickguy

For some reason I really like the crosstrek

breld

stickguy said:

For some reason I really like the crosstrek

Well you’re not alone. They’re super popular, particularly here in CO (and other regions too).

Speaking of, wife and I think we’re gonna help her daughter get into a new car sooner than later. Her Jetta is having some minor issues, and has about 65k miles. Instead of starting to pay for repair bills, we will likely put her into a new vehicle.

She’s always liked sedans (this is her second Jetta) but she surprised us by expressing interest in a sub-compact SUV for ease of hauling equipment for her job. I thought she may have some brand snobbishness (where would she get that?) but she was sending us pics of Crosstreks and Kia Niros that caught her eye, so she’s been super open-minded, which I appreciate.

We’re thinking a budget of $25-30k, which allows for some mid-level trim small SUVs, but also brings into things like a Civic hatch or an Integra. One of the local Acura dealerships has CPO service loaners (2024 with low miles) for $29k, which seems like a nice deal. That’s about the same as a Civic Hatch EX-L, so I guess that would come down to personal preference.

Looks like we’ll be shopping Saturday.

breld

@corvette - congrats on the Ariya. I find them intriguing and will be interested to hear your impressions.

ab348

corvette said:

suydam said:

Nice Nissan! Is it a compact SUV? It has a pretty long range, doesn’t it?

Yes, it's about the size of a Rogue, but feels plenty roomy inside. Many of the trim levels do have a long range (weird steps of trim levels on that model), but unfortunately, mine has a range of a little over 200 miles. The upper trims get close to 300 and the base Venture+ FWD model is slightly over 300 because it has a larger battery (and is more expensive than the one I got).

Did you have much/any choice in terms of trim levels/range/colors?

corvette

Our office is closed today, so my doggo and I headed down to my parents' house to celebrate a late Father's Day as well as an early birthday for my dad. The Ariya only had about 30% charge, so I stopped at a nearby Ford dealer that had just installed DC fast chargers. About $13 to go from 30% to 65%, which was plenty to get us there. Despite having much lower profile tires, the Ariya rides a lot better than the Maverick. The radar cruise is easy to use. The alertness monitor is kind of annoying. You get a green "hands on wheel" confirmation when your hands are on the wheel at 9 and 3. If you vary from that position or take one hand off the wheel for more than about 3-5 seconds, it turns red and gives you a warning. I think it can be turned off. While I was stopped, I figured out how to turn off the exit function for the driver's seat. I'm fine without it. Ended the trip at around 19% charge and have it charging on 120V at my parents' house now. I also enabled the charging cord lock to try to deter people from stealing the charger. And, it has an optional approach function to lock and unlock the doors, which works well. Lots of neat lighting effects inside and out.

My dog is 14 and has become increasingly anxious about riding in the car as she's gotten older. I was hopeful that the EV experience wouldn't be as hard on her since there's no engine running, so I only gave her 1/4 of a Trazodone before we left. That was a mistake--she was a hot mess even when we were parked at the charger. She eventually settled down somewhat. Now that we're here (and the meds are still in her system), she's pretty much laid down and rested the entire time.

corvette

ab348 said:

Did you have much/any choice in terms of trim levels/range/colors?

Not really. At the dealer that was willing to deal, they had only the one 2023 in my trim level, and one of the same color and a black one that was a higher trim level, FWD with the larger battery.

andres3

ronsteve said:

nyccarguy 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.

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.

I was always impressed at how well my brother's Japan-built Hondas and Acuras aged. So free of rattles. The US-built ones like my Accord and RDX seem much more prone to rattle.

Made sure my wife's prior 2 Civic's were Japanese built and nothing but good things to say. Had the typical Honda owner experience of being able to sell the new car warranty for a penny and come out 100% profitable on the transaction.

The American built Accord was decidedly an average experience, but it was a good car.

roadburner

I paid off the Wrangler in April and my FICO score was 829; in May it dropped to 805.
Go figure.

suydam

120v is pretty skimpy in terms of charging an EV — in an hour you might get 3-4 miles. I like mine to be charged quickly at a fast charger to at least 80% and then I’m done for a few weeks till it’s time to recharge. The dealer charged mine fully when we picked it up, and we haven’t had to recharge yet.
My dog does well with her own car seat. She just sacks right out. We bought a second one for the Blazer. We’ve driven up and down the state and cross country too. As long as she’s with us she’s happy. Her anxiety is being left behind.

stickguy

roadburner said:

I paid off the Wrangler in April and my FICO score was 829; in May it dropped to 805.

Go figure.

I can't wait to see what happens to ours with what we have going on. Will pay off the little remaining mortgage balance on the current house, and not take out one on the new place. I assuming buying a house for cash will set off big deadbeat red flags and tank our score. We are immediately applying for a HELOC though, so maybe having access to a lot of credit will jump our score back up! no clue what the frequent big CC balances appearing now will make them think.

stickguy

suydam said:

120v is pretty skimpy in terms of charging an EV — in an hour you might get 3-4 miles. I like mine to be charged quickly at a fast charger to at least 80% and then I’m done for a few weeks till it’s time to recharge. The dealer charged mine fully when we picked it up, and we haven’t had to recharge yet.
My dog does well with her own car seat. She just sacks right out. We bought a second one for the Blazer. We’ve driven up and down the state and cross country too. As long as she’s with us she’s happy. Her anxiety is being left behind.

I am really tempted to get into an EV for our "fun" car, if that even makes any sense. So would not be fun, more like just different for a 2nd car and fast in a straight line! I don't think there are really any sporty car EVs, at least not ones I could afford to lease. But given our situation (a 240 outlet in the garage, and vast majority of driving relatively close to the house) we are perfect candidates for an EV. We take the Maverick on vacation anyway now (haul the beach stuff) and that would continue.

corvette

120V will be fine, I'm working from home from their house tomorrow and Friday, so I'll have a full charge by the time I leave... can't beat the price!

xwesx

corvette said:

120V will be fine, I'm working from home from their house tomorrow and Friday, so I'll have a full charge by the time I leave... can't beat the price!

What a mooch! Haha. I did the same thing with the hybrid Pacifica when I was in Oregon back in March, but I only got 34 miles out of the deal.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

corvette said:

120V will be fine, I'm working from home from their house tomorrow and Friday, so I'll have a full charge by the time I leave... can't beat the price!

What a mooch! Haha. I did the same thing with the hybrid Pacifica when I was in Oregon back in March, but I only got 34 miles out of the deal.

————————————————
I assume you stayed at a relative or friends place. To get only 34 miles I think someone yanked the plug in the middle of the night. Then plugged it in before you got up in the morning.

jmonroe

stickguy

its a plug in hybrid. that was a full tank.

nyccarguy

Changed my profile picture:

explorerx4

Can you imagine staying at someone's house and taking a couple of gallons of their gas so you can get home not at your expense? The entitlement.

cdnpinhead

It's a testament to the decency of these boards that no one seems to worry about fuzzing out their number plates. It's not like that . . . out there.

roadburner

corvette said:

120V will be fine, I'm working from home from their house tomorrow and Friday, so I'll have a full charge by the time I leave... can't beat the price!

The 4xe gets treated like an EV 90% of the time; it charges completely in under 12 hours. The electric range is over 27 miles so the IC motor rarely -if ever- kicks on during the week. I try to run on gas an hour or so every month or so but that's about it.

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

Can you imagine staying at someone's house and taking a couple of gallons of their gas so you can get home not at your expense? The entitlement.

Yes, I could imagine my daughter doing that!

tifighter

@explorerx4 said:
Can you imagine staying at someone's house and taking a couple of gallons of their gas so you can get home not at your expense? The entitlement.

A couple of gallons of gas is $15 to $20. In my town, a 0 to 100% charge for an Ariya would be about $5. Not free, but he might use just as much value on toilet paper depending on the host’s casserole that night.

benjaminh

venture said:

...She definitely wants another Subaru. The Outback does not appeal to her for some reason, but the new Forester does...

We did some comparisons between the Outback and the Forester, and for us the Outback seemed like better value. Since the 2025 Forester is almost all-new and has gone up in price, the 2024 Outback actually has a slightly lower list price, even though usually it's the reverse since the Outback is a longer and slightly more luxurious vehicle. Also because the Forester is new, discounts are difficult to find, while we were offered $2k off list right away for the Outback. Currently there's 1.9% financing on the Outback for 48 months, while for the Forester it's 5.9%. For a four year loan the higher interest costs about $3k more. The Outback has 75.6 cubic feet of storage with the seats folded, compared to 69 for the Forester. The Outback with the standard engine can tow up to 2700 pounds, while the Forester is limited to 1500 pounds. The Forester has a 16 gallon tank, which is fine, but the Outback's 18 gallon tank allows for more miles between fill-ups. The Outback also has standard cross bars for the roof rack, which are an extra-cost accessory for the Forester. And a small thing is that the rear windows on the Outback go all the way down, while on the Forester they only go down about 2/3rds of the way. The new Forester no-doubt has improvements, but being a mostly new model might have less reliability, while the current generation Outback has been out for about five years and we hope has the bugs worked out.

Since Mrs. Venture is used to the turbo power in the Ascent, I wonder how she will feel about the standard boxer engine. It's enough power for us, but it's on the slow side when accelerating or passing. A turbo is available for the Outback as an option, but only the standard engine is available on the Forester.

Whatever you decide, you may know that Subaru has a guaranteed trade-in program. You enter your vin at their site and they give you a set trade-in value as long as your Subaru is in good condition.

https://www.subaru.com/gtp.html

kyfdx

I love Discount Tire!

Michaell

kyfdx said:

I love Discount Tire!

Both the MINI and the Outback have tires purchased from Discount. They are great to work with.

stickguy

That was pretty random, but I’m happy for you!

kyfdx

Slow leak in my wife's runflat tire. Monday, it's 12 lbs low. I air it back up.. By last night, it's back to 12 lbs low, again.

Went on-line last night, and booked a service appointment for 0945 today. Got there at 0925. At 1010, I'm leaving with a flat repair at no cost. (small nail).

This is pretty typical service from them. I just wish they were a little closer to my house. (about 15 miles)

28firefighter

@kyfdx said:
I love Discount Tire!

I love lamp.

jmonroe1

kyfdx said:

Slow leak in my wife's runflat tire. Monday, it's 12 lbs low. I air it back up.. By last night, it's back to 12 lbs low, again.

Went on-line last night, and booked a service appointment for 0945 today. Got there at 0925. At 1010, I'm leaving with a flat repair at no cost. (small nail).

This is pretty typical service from them. I just wish they were a little closer to my house. (about 15 miles)

————————————————
Patch or plug?

jmonroe

corvette

I am pretty sure DT follows the Rubber Manufacturer Association guidelines and uses an umbrella plug, which is a kind of like a plug and patch combined.

nyccarguy

"Since Mrs. Venture is used to the turbo power in the Ascent, I wonder how she will feel about the standard boxer engine."

She'll be checking the turbo box!

Michaell

Speaking of tire inflation, my sister and BIL have spent this week bringing their oldest son home from college in Spokane.

They met up in Portland, and have been driving south in his 2015 Jetta with over 100K on it. The TPS light came on and discovered that each of the 4 tires was about 10 PSI low. Sheesh!

They spent last night in our hometown of Oxnard, and will complete the trip today, as they bring home some of the furniture from mom's house via UHaul truck (the buyers wanted a majority of the furniture used to stage the house, it turns out).

xwesx

benjaminh said:

Whatever you decide, you may know that Subaru has a guaranteed trade-in program. You enter your vin at their site and they give you a set trade-in value as long as your Subaru is in good condition.

https://www.subaru.com/gtp.html

Pffht. That's so useless. It only applies for up to eight years from the vehicle's in-service date. Who'd trade in a car that new?!

xwesx

Michaell said:

They spent last night in our hometown of Oxnard, and will complete the trip today, as they bring home some of the furniture from mom's house via UHaul truck (the buyers wanted a majority of the furniture used to stage the house, it turns out).

Well, congrats to them (and you?) on getting the house sold... as well as dealing with so much of the furniture the easy way!

stickguy

If they people who are buying our house had asked about it I would have sold them every piece of furniture. Would have simplified the move quite a bit! And we kinda want to replace a lot of it anyway (but I still won’t since I am cheap).

stickguy

I never have lived near a discount tire store. I assume they might be affiliated with a different chain name around here.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I never have lived near a discount tire store. I assume they might be affiliated with a different chain name around here.

38 states
1100 stores

Also, bought Tire Rack

pensfan83

They finally opened a DT close (15 minutes) to us but I've been using the same family owned shop for tires since I was a teenager. When I needed tires for the Prelude last year DT was cheaper but the indie shop has always done right by my family so until they close the doors or sell the business I'll continue to patronize them whenever possible.

stickguy

NY and NJ must be 2 of the 12 outliers.

Though at the pace I am going might never buy tires again in my life so what does it matter!

Though they just opened a newly built town fair tire store close by. Maybe they will be good if needed.