Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

explorerx4

There is a difference between the US market and the Global market.
Q3 numbers should be out early next month.

pensfan83

graphicguy said:

I know I’m knee deep in EV world shopping….I research the daylights any time I plan a big purchase. Good article…

https://electrek.co/2024/09/10/ev-sales-have-not-fallen-cooled-slowed-or-slumped-stop-lying-in-headlines/

Good thing that that was in this thread or you'd cause a crap storm if it were elsewhere.

suydam

Good luck! You are doing the test driving for the rest of us!
For me, I thought the Blazer hit all the right notes for what we wanted. We also test drove the Ioniq but liked the bigger size of the Blazer, and since it handles very well, why not have more room? So I don’t know much about other choices out there. Interesting to hear your reports!

ab348

suydam said:

Good luck! You are doing the test driving for the rest of us!
For me, I thought the Blazer hit all the right notes for what we wanted. We also test drove the Ioniq but liked the bigger size of the Blazer, and since it handles very well, why not have more room? So I don’t know much about other choices out there. Interesting to hear your reports!

Since your Blazer is on the virtually identical Ultium platform as the Equinox, is it also glitchy and full of rattles, with ghosts turning systems on and off and hatches opening randomly, with screens that go black and require restarting the vehicle to reactivate?

laurasdada

graphicguy said:

@laurasdada ...just looked at the nearest Lucid retailer. They are 2 hours away. that's a non-starter, particularly for service.

Understandable. But, for (some?) services, they will come to you.

I've got two Lucid Studios in the area, Boston and Natick. Each ~ 1hour drive. The one in Natick is dangerously close to my wife's favorite jewelry store (where I've also bought several watches; I'm not that innocent...), so my potential Lucid could be even more expensive than anticipated.

suydam

ab348 said:

suydam said:

Good luck! You are doing the test driving for the rest of us!
For me, I thought the Blazer hit all the right notes for what we wanted. We also test drove the Ioniq but liked the bigger size of the Blazer, and since it handles very well, why not have more room? So I don’t know much about other choices out there. Interesting to hear your reports!

Since your Blazer is on the virtually identical Ultium platform as the Equinox, is it also glitchy and full of rattles, with ghosts turning systems on and off and hatches opening randomly, with screens that go black and require restarting the vehicle to reactivate?

No, but thanks for asking if my new ride is trash. Actually it’s a very solid vehicle. We did have a few things we needed to figure out, but that was us learning the tech.

Michaell

@graphicguy - since you're researching EVs, you should check out Polestar. @breld had one for a while, and I found it to be quite competent.

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

Love JRGo. Sometimes he gets into the weeds on things non automotive related (like his lake house). But, overall I like his vehicle related vids.

He spent a lot more time with the GM Google UI than I did. But, I ran into many of the same issues. I agree. It seems like they got only so far and ran out of budget. So, it was left unfinished. I also noticed that BlueTooth connection was spotty. IT seems like rebooting the system (turning the vehicle off and on again), like rebooting it, would solve those issues. But, that's a huge hassle.

Agree about CarPlay and Android Auto. Even though the UI is Google based, even if I had Android Auto, I'd be frustrated. Having come from the tech industry myself, I can see where it would be maddening the more I got used to it and tried to do most of the things I do with the tech in my vehicles.

GM's system IS NOT better than CarPlay....not by a huge margin. Whomever within GM thought it was a good idea to drop CarPlay for what looks to be a step into subscription services which they can charge for, should be fired...immediately.

Having it glitchy (as he spoke about with BluTooth) makes the problems that much worse.

Yes, the screens are nice. The UI? Half Baked, at best!!!!!!

I wonder how that affects the Honda Prologue, since it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

On a separate note, it seems most of the EVs I looked at can be had at 30% off MSRP, if not more.

Interesting phone call with the Lexus sales person last night. I bought up the fact that the RX450 was out of the running because of its short range. She said the dealership would loan me an ICE vehicle if I'm ever going on a long trip for no charge.

I know the local Lexus dealership (Performance Lexus) offers service loaners at no charge. Add to that, loaners for long trips for EV customers, I have to wonder how many loaner vehicles they have in their arsenal? It has to be a bunch.

————————————————
And good luck getting that loaner when you want it. I can hear it now, “sorry Mr. @graphicguy but we don’t have a loaner for you that week (regardless of how early you try to book one). Can you reschedule your vacation 2 weeks from that date, OK”?

It’s pretty bad when a dealership feels they have to offer an ICE loaner for their EV customers because they have range anxiety when going on vacation.

Lots of improvements have to be made to EV’s before I decide to get one or there are no more gas stations.

jmonroe

pensfan83

@28firefighter

https://m.facebook.com/DaveNAndys/

I for one am thrilled that at least one Oakland staple lives on.

graphicguy

@suydam said:
No, but thanks for asking if my new ride is trash. Actually it’s a very solid vehicle. We did have a few things we needed to figure out, but that was us learning the tech.

Didn’t intend to “trash” your vehicle. I test drove the Equinox twice. I liked the looks of it.

Assuming Blazer EV would be similar. Thought the drivetrain and suspension were quite good!

Best wishes on your Blazer EV!

graphicguy

@Michaell …Polestar dealer is a couple hours away in Columbus.

Given Cincinnati isn’t a small city, kind of surprised one of the big, multi-brand dealership owners couldn’t get a Polestar or Lucid dealership here!

28firefighter

@pensfan83 said:
@28firefighter

https://m.facebook.com/DaveNAndys/

I for one am thrilled that at least one Oakland staple lives on.

We walked around Oakland while we were there and for as similar as it looks, it feels way…cleaner. Just not the same edge without The O, Peter’s, etc.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

@Michaell …Polestar dealer is a couple hours away in Columbus.

Given Cincinnati isn’t a small city, kind of surprised one of the big, multi-brand dealership owners couldn’t get a Polestar or Lucid dealership here!

I guess I'm surprised, too.

Time to update your signature line!

ab348

suydam said:

ab348 said:

suydam said:

Good luck! You are doing the test driving for the rest of us!
For me, I thought the Blazer hit all the right notes for what we wanted. We also test drove the Ioniq but liked the bigger size of the Blazer, and since it handles very well, why not have more room? So I don’t know much about other choices out there. Interesting to hear your reports!

Since your Blazer is on the virtually identical Ultium platform as the Equinox, is it also glitchy and full of rattles, with ghosts turning systems on and off and hatches opening randomly, with screens that go black and require restarting the vehicle to reactivate?

No, but thanks for asking if my new ride is trash. Actually it’s a very solid vehicle. We did have a few things we needed to figure out, but that was us learning the tech.

I was pretty sure it wasn't. If the account of the supposed experience was accurate the many reviewers would have it all over YT.

ETA: The dreaded Cloudflare timeout screen returned trying to post this!

explorerx4

@graphicguy,
Hope you enjoy your EV experience.

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

@pensfan83 said:
@28firefighter

https://m.facebook.com/DaveNAndys/

I for one am thrilled that at least one Oakland staple lives on.

We walked around Oakland while we were there and for as similar as it looks, it feels way…cleaner. Just not the same edge without The O, Peter’s, etc.

We had dinner a couple Fridays ago at a restaurant on N Craig St (Butterjoint, highly recommend) and afterward decided to walk around a bit and made our way over to Schenley Plaza. My wife commented that it seemed really unusual for so many people, most of which were college age and it being a Friday no less, to be just hanging around a park in the city relaxing at a later hour. I think the effort to make that area more pedestrian and resident friendly is helping, in addition to the upkeep you mentioned.

xwesx

I'm sure that a specialty vehicle not having an extremely close dealer is an inconvenience compared to mainstream brand availability. However, a couple hours isn't terrible unless you are needing to visit on a frequent basis, and that just shouldn't be the case with a new vehicle. For me, it certainly wouldn't be far enough away to write off at least trying out a potential lease, even if I didn't want to deal with the distance for the long haul.

Of course, I'm biased because I had to drive seven hours (370 miles) to visit my nearest Audi dealer when my Q7 was under warranty....

explorerx4

The house cleaners for the next door neighbor just pulled up in a Mercedes EQB.

xwesx

Haha; must be a great gig!

tjc78

@xwesx said:
Haha; must be a great gig!

It’s its leased they are probably paying less than nicely equipped Camry.

Mercedes continues to fire sale their EVs

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

suydam said:

ab348 said:

suydam said:

Good luck! You are doing the test driving for the rest of us!
For me, I thought the Blazer hit all the right notes for what we wanted. We also test drove the Ioniq but liked the bigger size of the Blazer, and since it handles very well, why not have more room? So I don’t know much about other choices out there. Interesting to hear your reports!

Since your Blazer is on the virtually identical Ultium platform as the Equinox, is it also glitchy and full of rattles, with ghosts turning systems on and off and hatches opening randomly, with screens that go black and require restarting the vehicle to reactivate?

No, but thanks for asking if my new ride is trash. Actually it’s a very solid vehicle. We did have a few things we needed to figure out, but that was us learning the tech.

I was pretty sure it wasn't. If the account of the supposed experience was accurate the many reviewers would have it all over YT.

ETA: The dreaded Cloudflare timeout screen returned trying to post this!

I’m not sure was Cloudflare is but I saw that name pop up when my online banking had a glitch. My son also had problems on a discussion form unrelated to Edmunds. I wonder if the problems are all related.

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

The house cleaners for the next door neighbor just pulled up in a Mercedes EQB.

————————————————-
Good for them but they should probably take a cue from doctors who chose to drive Buicks rather than flaunt their wealth to the patients they were visiting. I guess that since doctors don’t make house calls anymore they probably have a pair of Bentley’s in their garage.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@jmonroe1,
I'm used to seeing the house cleaners drive a Sentra or Rogue or Corolla.
Come to think of it, I did see cleaners at another house driving an Audi or Lexus SUV.
We would never hire anyone to clean the house, cut the lawn or to not make our own meals.
It's funny, because the old guys are out mowing the lawn and the younger people hire someone.
The world has changed. It's just different from how we do things.

corvette

I guess I’m an old guy out mowing my lawn and cleaning my own house. I do dine out a lot, though.

stickguy

Explorer, some of that is just time available. Some of us old dudes have nothing better to do, and the young guys with a few kids are stretched too thin!

though somehow I got to SS eligible age and am swamped at work and sucking wind with zero time to do much else, so I am definitely doing something wrong!

explorerx4

@stickguy,
My wife and I worked for 40+ years full time, had 2 kids.
The kids did tons of activities, T Ball, Dance, Orchestra, Crew, Student Government, Field Hockey and on and on.
Also, parents to look after too, for years, many times daily.
Like I wrote earlier, the world has changed.

fintail

Anecddotally, I don't know any my age with housekeepers or yard crews, but I know a few boomers who use them

tjc78

Well… we have a lawn crew and a cleaning team. I’m 46

Reasons for that -
We aren’t home at our primary residence for 90% of the summer and most weekends in the fall and spring. We spend them at the shore and that recreation is something we work very hard for. We still do our gardens and seasonal planting, power washing when needed .. etc

Cleaning team -
They come every two weeks. In all honesty their job is easy because we are pretty clean people (no clutter, clean dishes as soon as we use them, etc). We just like the way they do it and they get behind things, do our showers, etc that we don’t always have time to get to.

It’s about your priorities. Ours are focused around the kids activities, our hobbies and weekends/summers at the beach.

I’m certainly not going to miss a great a day at the shore mowing the lawn when I can pay a team less than $50 and they do it better and quicker than I ever could.

au1994

tjc78 said:

Well… we have a lawn crew and a cleaning team. I’m 46

Reasons for that -

We aren’t home at our primary residence for 90% of the summer and most weekends in the fall and spring. We spend them at the shore and that recreation is something we work very hard for. We still do our gardens and seasonal planting, power washing when needed .. etc

Cleaning team -

They come every two weeks. In all honesty their job is easy because we are pretty clean people (no clutter, clean dishes as soon as we use them, etc). We just like the way they do it and they get behind things, do our showers, etc that we don’t always have time to get to.

It’s about your priorities. Ours are focused around the kids activities, our hobbies and weekends/summers at the beach.

I’m certainly not going to miss a great a day at the shore mowing the lawn when I can pay a team less than $50 and they do it better and quicker than I ever could.

This.

I just got a lawn crew a month ago when our son went to college. My travel schedule is up right now so the last thing I want to do on the weekend is yard work.

We’ve had house cleaners for 3 years now and had another crew pre-Covid. Similar reasoning, I’m just not any good at it and my wife works a lot of long hours so I don’t want her cleaning toilets on the weekend.

We do clean and maintain the yard at the lake ourselves. Its so small it doesn’t take a lot of time and frankly, it doesn’t feel as much like work!

ab348

Breaking news!:

https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/newsroom/detail/0000000826

I'm sure rumbling, bumbling, stumbling, GM will benefit greatly from Hyundai and their reputation for making only the most robust, rock-solid, high-quality vehicles, powertrains and systems. Yes, indeedy.

tjc78

@au1994 said:
This.

I just got a lawn crew a month ago when our son went to college. My travel schedule is up right now so the last thing I want to do on the weekend is yard work.

We’ve had house cleaners for 3 years now and had another crew pre-Covid. Similar reasoning, I’m just not any good at it and my wife works a lot of long hours so I don’t want her cleaning toilets on the weekend.

We do clean and maintain the yard at the lake ourselves. Its so small it doesn’t take a lot of time and frankly, it doesn’t feel as much like work!

Good point! I do travel for work as well! Those weeks I’d never have time for the lawn

explorerx4

You can get a new electric Bronco for less than 5K!
https://ford-bikes.com/products/bronco-electric-mountain-bike?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=Acquisition&utm_id=458318&cto_pld=h1TyJpq_AQCKf0zpP5F7qA&variant=44678195937514

qbrozen

explorerx4 said:

You can get a new electric Bronco for less than 5K!
https://ford-bikes.com/products/bronco-electric-mountain-bike?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=Acquisition&utm_id=458318&cto_pld=h1TyJpq_AQCKf0zpP5F7qA&variant=44678195937514

Buy online or in-person at participating Ford dealers
Easy assembly, ready to ride
Complies with US e-bike laws
Made to Order in 90 days

Well, which is it? It can't be ready to ride if it requires assembly, regardless of how easy. And I can't even decipher that last bullet. So I can order 90 days from now? But why am I waiting 90 days if it is already made? So weird.

roadburner

au1994 said:

tjc78 said:

Well… we have a lawn crew and a cleaning team. I’m 46

Reasons for that -

We aren’t home at our primary residence for 90% of the summer and most weekends in the fall and spring. We spend them at the shore and that recreation is something we work very hard for. We still do our gardens and seasonal planting, power washing when needed .. etc

Cleaning team -

They come every two weeks. In all honesty their job is easy because we are pretty clean people (no clutter, clean dishes as soon as we use them, etc). We just like the way they do it and they get behind things, do our showers, etc that we don’t always have time to get to.

It’s about your priorities. Ours are focused around the kids activities, our hobbies and weekends/summers at the beach.

I’m certainly not going to miss a great a day at the shore mowing the lawn when I can pay a team less than $50 and they do it better and quicker than I ever could.

This.

I just got a lawn crew a month ago when our son went to college. My travel schedule is up right now so the last thing I want to do on the weekend is yard work.

We’ve had house cleaners for 3 years now and had another crew pre-Covid. Similar reasoning, I’m just not any good at it and my wife works a lot of long hours so I don’t want her cleaning toilets on the weekend.

We do clean and maintain the yard at the lake ourselves. Its so small it doesn’t take a lot of time and frankly, it doesn’t feel as much like work!

With my wife volunteering to cut the front yard with the EGO electric mower I'm able to cut the remainder of the grass in around 75 minutes. I only cut it every 10-14 days and I'm able to listen to F1 podcasts so time flies by.

corvette

pensfan83

tjc78 said:

@au1994 said:

This.

I just got a lawn crew a month ago when our son went to college. My travel schedule is up right now so the last thing I want to do on the weekend is yard work.

We’ve had house cleaners for 3 years now and had another crew pre-Covid. Similar reasoning, I’m just not any good at it and my wife works a lot of long hours so I don’t want her cleaning toilets on the weekend.

We do clean and maintain the yard at the lake ourselves. Its so small it doesn’t take a lot of time and frankly, it doesn’t feel as much like work!

Good point! I do travel for work as well! Those weeks I’d never have time for the lawn

Given that I'm not even in town for most of this month and the kids have school and their sports we farmed out yardwork to a company for the month and may go the rest of the mowing season too. I'm 50/50 on keeping them beyond that right now.

suydam

Why are some people so judgy over these things? If you have the income and want to prioritize time, why not have a cleaner and a gardener? Or if you have a good system set up to clean yourself, go for it. I don’t see a moral value to either scenario.

au1994

corvette said:

Wow. That seems way low. Or maybe all of the golfers and boaters were out the day they took the survey.

stickguy

I have to make a decision on next year. I expect to need to mow at least a couple of times this year (if not it means my grass never came in!) so will have a baseline of how long it takes with the push mower. If too long I am either getting a rider or farming it out. Probably buying the mower since one year of a service would more than pay for it. Just need a baby one.

graphicguy

Just posted on the OTHER thread, the lease payments on a Honda Prologue were $100 LESS/month than a CR-V Hybrid Touring (the top model). They were also throwing in one of these for free if you lease or purchase a Prologue....
https://motocompacto.honda.com/

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
Seems pretty straight forward.
Order the bike.
It will be built within 90 days of your order.
Do final assembly and it's ready to go(batteries included).

nyccarguy

I gave up cutting the lawn years ago. I have 1 acre of property. the landscaper charges me $50 a week and does a phenomenal job. I had a self propelled push mower. It would take me 3 hours to cut the grass, then 45 minutes to do the edging and trim. When I need shrubs pruned, he shows up with an army and the job gets done right. They are fast & clean up well.

fintail

tjc78 said:

Well… we have a lawn crew and a cleaning team. I’m 46

Reasons for that -

We aren’t home at our primary residence for 90% of the summer and most weekends in the fall and spring. We spend them at the shore and that recreation is something we work very hard for. We still do our gardens and seasonal planting, power washing when needed .. etc

Cleaning team -

They come every two weeks. In all honesty their job is easy because we are pretty clean people (no clutter, clean dishes as soon as we use them, etc). We just like the way they do it and they get behind things, do our showers, etc that we don’t always have time to get to.

It’s about your priorities. Ours are focused around the kids activities, our hobbies and weekends/summers at the beach.

I’m certainly not going to miss a great a day at the shore mowing the lawn when I can pay a team less than $50 and they do it better and quicker than I ever could.

That's a good price, all services I know of charge more than that here, and my yard isn't particularly huge nor all grass (relatively dry area, maybe a third of it is rock beds - and the price to have a service treat the rocks for weeds was laughable - I will do it myself). Several of the older people I know in the neighborhood have a lawn service, and at their age I just might do the same. If one can afford it and wants the ease, why not.

I'll call someone for bigger electrical or plumbing projects, and I had a crew clean the roof earlier this year. I want my tub regrouted, and no way I am doing that unpleasant job. But for washing the house/paved areas, yardwork, minor paint and trim work, especially housecleaning, etc I can handle it, and I don't consider myself to be the most handy. I'll certainly detail my own cars, too.

xwesx

graphicguy said:

Just posted on the OTHER thread, the lease payments on a Honda Prologue were $100 LESS/month than a CR-V Hybrid Touring (the top model). They were also throwing in one of these for free if you lease or purchase a Prologue....
https://motocompacto.honda.com/

What the.... That is hilarious! Nice execution, though.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

Breaking news!:

https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/newsroom/detail/0000000826

I'm sure rumbling, bumbling, stumbling, GM will benefit greatly from Hyundai and their reputation for making only the most robust, rock-solid, high-quality vehicles, powertrains and systems. Yes, indeedy.

————————————————-
Well, GM has needed help for a while now but I didn’t think Hyundai would be the helping hand they needed. As long as GM doesn’t have anything to do with the Genesis model I’m fine with that.

jmonroe

graphicguy

jmonroe1 said:

ab348 said:

Breaking news!:

https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/newsroom/detail/0000000826

I'm sure rumbling, bumbling, stumbling, GM will benefit greatly from Hyundai and their reputation for making only the most robust, rock-solid, high-quality vehicles, powertrains and systems. Yes, indeedy.

————————————————-
Well, GM has needed help for a while now but I didn’t think Hyundai would be the helping hand they needed. As long as GM doesn’t have anything to do with the Genesis model I’m fine with that.

jmonroe

Agree that GM needs help, especially as the world turns towards EVs. JM...your Hyundai is a good example of their robust build and reliability. 9 years old and still driving as new.

But, as it stands, the article points to a ''Non-binding letter of intent". So, at this juncture, there's really nothing to it.

All speculation, but maybe Hyundai wants a leg up in the Pick-up Truck market. Their SUVs/CUVs are already robust, regardless of drivetrain used.

Kirstie_H

I just got word from Vanilla that the fix for the intermittent server errors has rolled out to our site. Please let me know if you continue to experience the errors, though!

Sandman6472

Paid $170 last month to get the Golf tinted which I felt was fair and was in-line with most places I called. Sure, it did cost me $100 to get the old tint removed about a month before but, it had turned purple and started to bubble in areas...just made the vehicle look old & tired. Am quite happy with the new tint I got.

Next Thursday I get the recall done, some kind of pump for the fuel system. They told me to use up most of the petrol in the tank so I let it go down to the red area before then. Noticed today that the last fill at BJ's was on August 14th and right now, still have just above a 1/4 left in the tank. Figure I'll be in good shape by next week and will go to BJ's after I pick it up at the dealer. And speaking of the Golf, saw my first commercial today for the 2025 Nissan Kicks. Right now, it's on my short list to replace the Golf. Size wise, I'm good and do like the two-tone paint job I could get. Plus it has a decent Bose audio system with speakers in the headrests. I n o longer want to go after market with an audio system as it's just too much. Personally, don't want to put anymore $ into the Golf and figure that by the time I am ready to pull the trigger, it'll be over 10 years old. And if I can find another vehicle that fits all my criteria plus puts that sh-t eating grin on my face, which the Golf still does by the way, I'll treat myself. Figure if I'm going to continue to work for a few more years, might as well get myself something shiny & new! And owning a Nissan product does not scare me after owning a VW and Audi.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Anecddotally, I don't know any my age with housekeepers or yard crews, but I know a few boomers who use them

I’m the yard crew for my place.

explorerx4

You should get an Elantra. They are tough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJkcefw0Q8&t=382s