Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

benjaminh

ab348 said:

Interesting update for the Outback. The styling doesn't look bad. Make or break will be the interior though, which has always been a weak spot.

I think the interior of the current Outback is very pleasant and functional, and really almost as nice as my 2018 Acura TLX. The Subaru Foresters my parents owned (a 2001 and 2011) both seemed kinda rough and crude, but the current generation Outback has a very nice interior, at least starting at the premium trim. The base trim level on the Subarus does still seem Spartan.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Gotta love the carfax on this one.
https://www.kayserford.net/used/Ford/2019-Ford-Mustang-900634a1ac182e1e720c9cbcc40799f5.htm

He was obviously driving a Mustang like it was meant to be.🤣🤣

I get a laugh from the dealer listing the the motor as a “5.0 ti-vct” as if that was something special and hadn’t been on all 5.0L engines since 2011.

[Deleted User]

Very nice @kyfdx, enjoy!!!

sda

Great news @benjaminh !

breld

Congrats on the Macan @kyfdx! Looks great.

ab348

benjaminh said:

I think the interior of the current Outback is very pleasant and functional, and really almost nice as my 2018 Acura TLX. The Subaru Foresters my parents owned (a 2001 and 2011) both seemed kinda rough and crude, but the current generation Outback has a very nice interior, at least starting at the premium trim. The base trim level on the Subarus does still seem Spartan.

For me the biggest detriment is the center stack and that big vertical screen. I just don’t like that look.

Michaell

I'm a member of the Outback group on FB, and there have been a lot of complaints about the infotainment system in the latest iteration of the Outback.

Glitchy, requires multiple updates, the touch screen delaminates for some folks.

I'm OK with my system in the 2015.

benjaminh

That's a benefit of getting a car that's been out for a few years, because seemingly it's been debugged. The large 11.6 inch screen for the Outback came out at then end of 2019 as a 2020 model. We got ours at the end of the 2024 model year, and so Subaru had four years to improve it and fix it, and so far we haven't had any problems with it, knock on wood. We slightly prefer having the screen integrated into the dash rather than having a screen tablet style on top of the dash. And it's convenient how it connects to AndroidAuto wirelessly when you get in the car. The maps, directions, and so on are just there whenever you need them. The large size is more convenient and easier to use than the screen in the 2018 CR-V, which is about half the size. The button icons are bigger and easier to use. When in navigation mode the map itself is just more useful because it can be larger and show more of where you are and where you're going. The one limitation is that on start up it takes a half a minute or so to become fully functional, but the same thing is true with our CR-V and TLX. In contrast to our older cars the Subaru now just gets software updates free and over the air, rather than needing to go to the dealer.

stickguy

My sister has a newer forester. Last summer her sound went away and I had to disconnect the battery for her to reset it.

We looked at the outback before getting the current RDX. Wife probably would not have ever agreed to getting another station wagon but I liked it. Deal breaker though was having to go through about 3 touch screens to turn off the auto stop start feature. It was very annoying in that car and I hate it in general so it is a must that if you can’t defeat it permanently that it is a simple button to tap every time you start it. RDX is nice. Right next to the shift buttons so part of the muscle memory routine!

benjaminh

Re: auto stop/start. A couple of years ago Subaru revised the screen so that the button to turn that off is right on the home screen as soon as you start the car. One touch and it's off for that trip. But when you next start the car you need to turn it off again if you don't want it. I thought I'd be doing that, but it turns out I don't mind it and like saving the gas/$.

benjaminh

The Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid seems like a good value for around $40k, esp. since it gets c. 35 mpg city and highway. I actually like the boxy styling. Only 190 inches long, and yet the third row seems pretty good for this kind of vehicle. I'd probably take this over the Acura ADX for the same price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hq_twUOGTM

jmonroe1

kyfdx said:

@benjaminh That’s good news!

————————————————
Yes, I’ll second that…very good news.

jmonroe

ab348

benjaminh said:

The Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid seems like a good value for around $40k, esp. since it gets c. 35 mpg city and highway. I actually like the boxy styling. Only 190 inches long, and yet the third row seems pretty good for this kind of vehicle. I'd probably take this over the Acura ADX for the same price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hq_twUOGTM

I agree, and I like the styling, though they need to start making them in colors other than that Range Rover green which about 3/4 of those I see are sprayed in. It’s amusing over in the Mazda CX-90 forums to see the contortions the Mazda fanboys go through trying to insist that their much more expensive and so far very glitchy vehicle is better than the Hyundai. Most of that comes down to them saying that the Hyundai will fail sooner or later. Personally I would trust the Santa Fe more than the CX-90 in its current state of development or lack thereof.

tjc78

One thing that always surprised me on our Volvos was that once you turned off start/stop it was off forever. Even one step further it was tied to profile. Wife doesn’t mind it so on her profile it was on. It was off on mine.

The Ram is like @stickguy RDX. The button is in the same grouping as the hockey puck shifter is so easy to hit right before shifting into gear.

kyfdx

I think the Macan is like the BMW. Once you choose to turn it off, it stays that way, until you select it again. I don't think it's in the profiles, though.

Of course, spent most of yesterday getting my wife's phone paired, and her seats adjusted and into the memory.

kyfdx

One other weird observance.

The Macan has a regular automatic shifter. PRND. So, when you come to a stop, shift the lever fully into park. Just like your 1995 Accord.

Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the "beer tap" shifter on the BMW. Just push in on the button on the side of the shifter. (and, I drive a stick-shift.. lol)

The Macan is probably great for the parking valet, though. They don't have to figure out how to engage it.

kyfdx

More fun facts..

The 20'' tires on the Macan have more sidewall height than the 19" tires on the X3

stickguy

I solve the Valet issue by never using one.

explorerx4

I'm pretty sure my Explorer shifts into Park if you are in Drive, stopped, and open the door.

stickguy

my Maverick does that

tifighter

@benjaminh said:
The Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid seems like a good value for around $40k, esp. since it gets c. 35 mpg city and highway. I actually like the boxy styling. Only 190 inches long, and yet the third row seems pretty good for this kind of vehicle. I'd probably take this over the Acura ADX for the same price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hq_twUOGTM

Paging @28firefighter …

28firefighter

@tifighter said:

@benjaminh said:
The Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid seems like a good value for around $40k, esp. since it gets c. 35 mpg city and highway. I actually like the boxy styling. Only 190 inches long, and yet the third row seems pretty good for this kind of vehicle. I'd probably take this over the Acura ADX for the same price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hq_twUOGTM

Paging @28firefighter …

@tifighter and I hit the auto show here in Seattle this afternoon. I think the Santa Fe was my dark horse favorite. Reminds me a lot of all the best parts of the Ford Flex in a more manageable size. Plus hybrid.

tifighter

The show-

stickguy

I miss the car show now that I left Philly. I think there is one in Albany. Probably a cheesy little one but I will go anyway! At some point I will take a weekend trip to NYC to hit that one. Have not been there since about 1977.

stickguy

more fun than my day of trying to run myself into the ground instead of quitting my job, collecting SS, and acting like Driver.

spent the early part of the day assembling yet more shelves for the shed, then moving everything that belonged in it out of the garage and into the shed and starting to reorganize the garage. still have some boxes to unpack but I need to swap out one of the shelves first. It is much cleaner now and quite a bit more room. since it was in the driveway I washed the truck.

then had to come in and clean out the pantry and demo out all of the wire shelves and patch up the 82 holes left behind. Will have to paint all that over in the morning. The wood cabinetry is going in on Tuesday. The wife is very happy that she can finally put away everything for real now (well, in a couple of days she can). will make the downstairs a lot neater.

ab348

The next chapter will involve looking for all the things whose temporary locations you had finally committed to memory but now cannot find in their new locations.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I miss the car show now that I left Philly. I think there is one in Albany. Probably a cheesy little one but I will go anyway! At some point I will take a weekend trip to NYC to hit that one. Have not been there since about 1977.

There was usually one in the MVP arena in early November each year. This year it was 1st -3rd. You missed it this time. It wasn’t too shabby the last time I was there but nothing like the NY Auto Show.

stickguy

really? I have been swamped with house stuff and work but don't remember seeing one ad for that.

Rats

stickguy

ab348 said:

The next chapter will involve looking for all the things whose temporary locations you had finally committed to memory but now cannot find in their new locations.

we got smart. Just left it all piled up in the corner of the kitchen. Can't miss it!

Michaell

@tifighter and @28firefighter - any glaring omissions from the show this year?

The one in Denver last year didn't have quite a number of brands. Wondering if the marketing budgets have been slashed and/or there isn't a ROI by being there.

stickguy

found this one for my princess. She loved it. Got heart palpitations about the sticker price. Apple, tree.

https://www.mcgovernvolvocarsalbany.com/new/Volvo/2025-Volvo-XC40-albany-ny-09dce0e0ac181641fef60292b1061aa5.htm

28firefighter

@Michaell said:
@tifighter and @28firefighter - any glaring omissions from the show this year?

The one in Denver last year didn't have quite a number of brands. Wondering if the marketing budgets have been slashed and/or there isn't a ROI by being there.

No Porsche brand representation (though PCA was there and they had several EVs there), no Jag, no Land Rover, no Infiniti. I didn’t see Chrysler or Dodge, but Jeep and RAM were represented. Cadillac wasn’t there either but again, the Lyriq was represented in the EV area.

Michaell

stickguy said:

found this one for my princess. She loved it. Got heart palpitations about the sticker price. Apple, tree.

https://www.mcgovernvolvocarsalbany.com/new/Volvo/2025-Volvo-XC40-albany-ny-09dce0e0ac181641fef60292b1061aa5.htm

Would she consider used? My sister got her 2019 XC40 a couple years back for something like $38K - T5, AWD, Denim over Blonde. Pretty low miles, IIRC.

tjc78

@stickguy said:
more fun than my day of trying to run myself into the ground instead of quitting my job, collecting SS, and acting like Driver.

spent the early part of the day assembling yet more shelves for the shed, then moving everything that belonged in it out of the garage and into the shed and starting to reorganize the garage. still have some boxes to unpack but I need to swap out one of the shelves first. It is much cleaner now and quite a bit more room. since it was in the driveway I washed the truck.

then had to come in and clean out the pantry and demo out all of the wire shelves and patch up the 82 holes left behind. Will have to paint all that over in the morning. The wood cabinetry is going in on Tuesday. The wife is very happy that she can finally put away everything for real now (well, in a couple of days she can). will make the downstairs a lot neater.

Sounds like my day yesterday. Wife wanted to decorate so I helped with that and also purged a ton of stuff. Came up with about seven trash bags. When we were done there were 10 empty totes. A small win.

stickguy

I wish my wife would purge stuff. Getting rid of anything is a major ordeal. So I usually end up buying more shelves instead.

was up early to walk the dog (we are dog sitting) so at 7:00 I was in sanding down the last coat of spackle. Will paint tonight after he goes home, plus my son is helping me move some beds and a shelf later so I am sure there will be more spots needing touchup.

stickguy

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

found this one for my princess. She loved it. Got heart palpitations about the sticker price. Apple, tree.

https://www.mcgovernvolvocarsalbany.com/new/Volvo/2025-Volvo-XC40-albany-ny-09dce0e0ac181641fef60292b1061aa5.htm

Would she consider used? My sister got her 2019 XC40 a couple years back for something like $38K - T5, AWD, Denim over Blonde. Pretty low miles, IIRC.

Have not gotten that far. He CX30 lease ends in June so we will go test driving in the spring at some point. She asked about buying instead of leasing this time and I told her it would depend on their situation at the time, and the car she decides to get. But a CPO of some sort would make a lot of sense if the discount was good enough. She might be better off buying now, but that would probably make more sense with something a bit more budget friendly since they are getting married in June and planning to house shop in the fall. $$.

Sandman6472

Do like that small Volvo but again, a bit too big for my situation. So, just will wait things out but have a feeling a 2025 or 2026 GTI will be my next vehicle. As long as it has a decent audio system, I'm good honestly. Will have to get used to a smaller sidewall but that shouldn't be an issue. Prefer the alloys from the 2023 model but since those seem to change every few years, not an issue. And will not rule out a loaner if need be. Now if I get the coolant and brakes done, then all bets are off and it'll stay with us a bit longer. Figure spending maybe $500 or so and wait till the 2027's come out. Also good that the tires are pretty decent with just all being a year old. I'm a pretty patient guy and can wait till exactly what I want comes into view. Was also very surprised how nice the Kona drove last week. Forgot it has a turbo four as it accelerated very nicely. Drove a SEL at work the other day and a co-worker had to point out that it's got a different engine after I mentioned how nice it drove. As much as not wanting two of the same vehicles at the same time, maybe doing just that would've been the best thing!

Sandman6472

Truly wish Mazda would fix their infotainment system controls to a more logical set-up, as it's a safety hazard right now as far as I'm concerned. Taking ones eyes off the road for even a second is way too long for me. Just using two knobs has always worked up to now and see no reason to change. And time for the tablet phase to disappear already as it's totally dated at this point. If their going to continue with the high vehicle prices, we need to see some changes to justify the increases. Maybe I'm too picky but, I want what I want and am willing to stay out of the market until that time does come. Definitely helps that I don't have to purchase for the for seeable future even though I'm ready to. I'm just not thrilled with my limited amount of choices right now. Nothing excites me as much as what I've currently got...so why make a move! Show me something I have to have, and I'm ready to buy. As long as I can take it home.. tomorrow!!

ab348

Sandy, maybe you can refresh my memory: I was wondering if you ever drove/considered a Buick Encore GX as a replacement? They seem to get good reviews here on Edmunds.

tjc78

My Mom has a current CX-50 - I don’t find the knob setup all that troublesome. It does take a bit to get used to it, but once you get a feel for it and learn that you can also nudge it left/right it becomes no more distracting than a touch screen IMO.

In all honesty the CX-50 drives very nicely. Ride is firmer than most and it handles very well. Great steering too. A bit underpowered for me but I’m sure they have a more powerful engine option

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

really? I have been swamped with house stuff and work but don't remember seeing one ad for that.

Rats

Yeah, poorly publicized. I had to look it up to see if it happened this year.

imidazol97

ab348 said:

Sandy, maybe you can refresh my memory: I was wondering if you ever drove/considered a Buick Encore GX as a replacement? They seem to get good reviews here on Edmunds.

That's the tiny 3-cylinder turbo engine. After all the troubles with the 4-cylinder turbo in the 2015 Cruze, I'd be hard pressed to try a smaller turbo other than in a hybrid where the load on the engine isn't as high when more power is needed. A friend leased an Encore GX last year. She doesn't know it's a 3-cylinder. Just loves the heated steering wheel though. I'll have to check the Wiki, but it just looks like an Encore original with a larger body dropped on it and a smaller engine and a CVT.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

My Mom has a current CX-50 - I don’t find the knob setup all that troublesome. It does take a bit to get used to it, but once you get a feel for it and learn that you can also nudge it left/right it becomes no more distracting than a touch screen IMO.

In all honesty the CX-50 drives very nicely. Ride is firmer than most and it handles very well. Great steering too. A bit underpowered for me but I’m sure they have a more powerful engine option

answer: turbo

ab348

The Mazda turbo 2.5 does help the lethargy of the NA 2.5 but most reviewers aren’t blown away by it and the fuel economy is dismal. They seem to also have less than stellar reliability longer-term.

qbrozen

I think I’m making headway on the Alfa. New clutch hose seems to have solved the soft/disappearing pedal. I’m not sure I mentioned but it is noticeably down on power, stumbles off idle, and won’t rev smoothly past 3500rpms. I jumpered the VVT solenoid and it clicks on and off, so then I tried unplugging the MAF. Wouldn’t idle but I took it for a quick spin and the power was MUCH higher and it revved easily. New MAF on order.

qbrozen

Dang. This is pretty sweet for the money.

https://www.sq1auto.com/used/Alfa Romeo/2018-Alfa Romeo-Giulia-95767808ac18355bf624a96e12a11d16.htm

tjc78

Great interior on the Alfa.

Sandman6472

We did in fact drive the new 2024 Encore GX the same day the Mrs. bought her 2023 Kona, she felt it was too large for what she wanted...I liked the size, 171.4"and think the width at 71.4" could work so it's still on the list. Really need to do my own test drive on one to see if I could live with it. But, betting it would be just fine. I don't know if one can get the Bose audio on the Preferred model as I like those alloys much better. But will look into that if we even get that close.

28firefighter

What’s wrong with it that it’s had 5 previous owners…but yeah, lot of car for the $$.

Sandman6472

Was about to clock out from work today, and no phone! I was already back in my VW and almost had a heart attach! Look over, and see the chase van is still there and the lead driver is sitting in it. Open door, & there it was, on the front seat. He had no clue it was even there!!! Boy, was I happy to see it sitting there as it was already 1:57 and needed to be off by 2:00 pm. Same feeling we all get when we can't find our wallets or phones, that sheer feeling of panic races through your body & one feels like the heart will burst. Got my phone, clocked out & took a few minutes to calm down a bit before driving home. Funny thing, I usually check all my pockets on my cargo shorts/pants and wear that style just for the extra pockets for the wallet, cell phone, charger & charger cables. One never knows when the phone power will die out so a hand held charger is a must plus the cables to drive them all. Now that I've got the iPhone 15 Pro Max, no longer need the lightning cable and can use the regular usb-c cable. But since many of the older vehicles only have the usb-a connector, have to carry one of those also. Many of the newer vehicles have both but some, like VW products, only have the usb-c connection, so one needs to be prepared for this. Can't wait till the day we all use the usb-c cable and all vehicles have the usb-c connector. So glad Europe forced Apple to conform to the rest of the world & stop using that ridiculous lightning cord!