Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

If it has absolutely no needs, from mechanicals to cosmetics to consumables, it's not bad. Otherwise, your credit card balance will shoot up fast.

breld

Looks like you're leaving town just in time, what with 4+ inches of snow forecast for Wednesday.
 
Guessing the CX-9 is the vehicle of choice for the road trip - are you driving?

Yup - heading to mid-70 degree weather all week long in Anaheim.

Bit of a long drive from here, so we are flying. Enjoy our first snow of the season!

akangl

Enjoy our first snow of the season

You guys beat us to the snow, we haven't had any here, but I know up north they have. Hubby grumbles about it every week on his 250 mile commute to work.

I dropped off the winter tires for the Escort today, they offered to put them on for free.

michaellno

While Denver proper hasn't had any snow, where I live is about 1000' higher, and we had about 3" a couple of weeks ago.

This one's supposed to be pretty decent ... 3-6" in Denver, 5-8" for me. But, if the storm sets up in a particular way, then I could see up to 15" of snow by tomorrow night.

Of course, tomorrow is when I'm supposed to go into the office for my flu shot. We will see.

michaellno

Questions for all who post (and lurk) here.

What new car would you buy in the following categories.

(Domestic is Ford, GM, Chrysler; foreign is everybody else)

B car? (Fit, Sonic, etc.) Must be a manual transmission
Domestic 4 door sedan under $30K
Foreign pickup truck
2 seat sports car under $75K
Convertible
You're married with 3 kids - what do you get to haul the family around?
You can only have one car in your life for the next 10 years - what do you get?
Car you'd like to pick up with European Delivery
Indulgent, over-the-top, lottery winning purchase

qbrozen

Huh. Didn't realize you wound up with a GTI AND 530i. Interesting.

Yeah, they are quite different. I love the power of the bimmer ... but the seats are a bit too firm, the shifter is ridiculously balky, and the clutch is the 2nd heaviest I've ever owned (just behind a '79 CJ7). So those are my complaints. The car came with almost new tires and I have maybe 3/10ths tread left on the rear tires. haha. I did autoX it twice now, though. Just the past weekend was the 2nd. The crappy tires really let it down.

The GTI is a better commuting buddy. More tossable, of course, lighter clutch and shifter, more comfortable seats, and of course 28+ mpg. (although the last 2 tanks in the bimmer have seen 23mpg, which isn't too shabby at all.)

Ideally, I'd like to pay off the GTI and keep it around. But we probably all know that's a slim chance. I should do just that, though, and set my sights on a Porsche as my 2nd car.

qbrozen

B car? (Fit, Sonic, etc.) Must be a manual transmission
Fiat 500 Abarth

Domestic 4 door sedan
CTS-V if I could afford it. Regal turbo otherwise.

Foreign pickup truck
I'm not in touch with the pickup market

2 seat sports car under $75K
Porsche Cayman S

Car you'd like to pick up with European Delivery
Bimmer 1M

Indulgent, over-the-top, lottery winning purchase
458 Italia
(although only because you asked for NEW. I would never actually do this as I would rather use a couple hundred grand to buy several vehicles, mostly used/classics)

tjc78

B car? (Fit, Sonic, etc.) Must be a manual transmission
I'd buy a bike and save 15K. j/k Ford Fiesta

Domestic 4 door sedan under $30K
Ford Fusion

Foreign pickup truck
Toyota Tundra

2 seat sports car under $75K
Corvette

Convertible
Volvo C70

You're married with 3 kids - what do you get to haul the family around?
Any of the three Lambdas (Enclave, Traverse,Acadia)

You can only have one car in your life for the next 10 years - what do you get?
What I just got (Buick LaCrosse)

Car you'd like to pick up with European Delivery

Benz S550

Indulgent, over-the-top, lottery winning purchase
Maybach 62S

qbrozen

Oh, you edited it after I replied...

Convertible
Well, if I have to... a Boxster S

You're married with 3 kids - what do you get to haul the family around?
CTS-V wagon.

You can only have one car in your life for the next 10 years - what do you get?
CTS-V wagon.

au1994

B Car: Fiesta just to be different even though the Fit may be the better car.

Domestic 4dr: Regal, Turbo if it would fit under the 30k mark.

2 seater: Z4 to get my convertible fix in at the same time

Foreign P/U: Frontier ext cab 4x4 for the 2 days a year when the sunny south gets snow.

Family Hauler: CX-9. I just think these are darn good looking for what they are. Especially in the darker colors.

One car: That will never happen. :P

Euro delivery: I'll pick up my Z4 in Germany. Any flavor of BMW will do though.

Lotto purchase: Something Italian, but like has been mentioned, I would load up on classics and odd balls (Matador Barcelona coupe anyone?)

ateixeira

I'll play, let's see...

B car?

Sonic 6 speed, turbo, pending test drive. Not pretty but class leading HP and torque plus it's a 6 speed. If I'm disappointed in the Sonic, then a Kia Rio, 138hp, 6 speed manual. To be honest, though, I think the price is close enough that I'd step up in to a Subaru Impreza for the AWD.

Domestic 4 door sedan under $30K

I'm liking the look of the new Malibu. Fusion close 2nd. Chrysler 200 needs a full re-do.

Foreign pickup truck

Tacoma X-runner V6, manual transmission.

2 seat sports car under $75K

Miata. 3 of them. 2nd place: 4 of the Fiat 500C.

Convertible

Miata.

You're married with 3 kids - what do you get to haul the family around?

My 3rd kid is a dog, and you can't beat a minivan. I'd keep my 07 Sienna because the new ones are cheap-ified, the Ody is ugly, and Dodge's interior is only half-way there. If I had to get another one it would be a CPO 2010 Sienna, previous generation.

You can only have one car in your life for the next 10 years - what do you get?

Tough call. Assuming it has to meet all my needs, including AWD, space, etc, I would be comparing the Explorer and CX9. Still wish the EcoBoost engine came with AWD, though. If someone else is paying, gimme a Benz GL350 BlueTec diesel 4Matic.

Car you'd like to pick up with European Delivery

M3 sedan, but only if before the ugly redesigned one arrives. Else an A4 Avant Quattro.

Indulgent, over-the-top, lottery winning purchase

Someone beat me to the Ferarri 458 coupe, so make mine the folding hardtop model.

qbrozen

Sonic 6 speed, turbo, pending test drive. Not pretty but class leading HP and torque plus it's a 6 speed. If I'm disappointed in the Sonic, then a Kia Rio, 138hp, 6 speed manual. To be honest, though, I think the price is close enough that I'd step up in to a Subaru Impreza for the AWD.

FYi, there was a recent magazine comparo where, although the Sonic has the power, it weighs significantly more than all other B cars, so it was not the fastest. The Accent beat it by a couple of ticks (same as Rio).

corvette

B car with manual - Sonic turbo sounds nice but is disqualified under my "no GM" policy. Kia Soul is disqualified due to lack of cruise control on the manual transmission models (not sure it's a B car anyway). I'm going with the Ford Fiesta.

Domestic 4-door under $30k - fully loaded Focus, but would really rather have an Ecoboost version.

Foreign pickup truck - Honda Ridgeline

2 seat sports car under $75k - Cayman?

Convertible - Mercedes SL63 AMG

Married with 3 kids - Honda Odyssey Touring

One car for the next 10 years - probably a new Maxima, fully loaded

European Delivery - BMW M5

Lottery winner - Bugatti Veyron

ateixeira

Yeah, and here are some odd observations:

* Fit is geared so short that its 5th gear does 20.7mph per 1000rpm, Sonic does that in 4th (of SIX gears)
* Sonic may be the only car in the world with forged rims and drum brakes
* Why did C&D put the manual on the less sporty Accent, vs. the Rio5?

Sonic 1/4 mile was within one tenth of a second of the quickest car, it has the most skidpad grip, and did well in the slalom. It also has the most fuel capacity, so range would crush the Fit with the as-tested mpg. Fit is just geared too short.

Accent was quickest but Rio5 is supposedly the sportier one, too bad they saddled it with a slushbox. A manual Rio5 would have done better than that Accent.

Sonic's black eye was the weight (which you mentioned) and its drum brakes had tied the Fit for the worst stopping distances. How much would a set of rear discs really cost?

I guess it was also expensive. For that money I'd get a Cruze, but no hatch is available here. Maybe a diesel Cruze 5 door, if that ever made it here.

I'd also like to try SkyActive engines in the Mazda2 and Mazda3.

Any how, I don't really want my engine screaming at 75mph, which would be 3623 rpm in a Fit. My mom owns one and highway trips in that car are painful. It is a great city car if that's all you expect from it, though. True for most B-segment shoppers, I suppose.

ateixeira

my "no GM" policy

Sonic was designed in Korea, I think. Probably by the remnants of Daewoo, now GM-DAT.

Soul is neat, but yeah, not quite (?) B-segment. Toaster segment? I like 'em, but again, I think I'd spend a bit more to get something more substantial. Even these B-segment cars can break $20 grand.

qbrozen

I don't know why GM can't figure out how to put their vehicles on diets. They need to learn quick or they are going to get in trouble (again) when the CAFE skyrockets.

ateixeira

Well, I said the same thing about Korean cars one/two generation ago, and they have managed to diet with success. Look how quick and efficient the Accent was in that test - I'm sure weight has a lot to do with it.

ab348

B car: It's going to be a penalty box no matter what, so might as well be a bit whimsical and go for the Fiat 500 convertible.

Domestic 4 door sedan under $30K: I just bought a Buick Regal Turbo and love it so far.

Foreign pickup truck: Nobody makes a small one any more, so pass.

2 seat sports car under $75K: Corvette

Convertible: Mustang GT

You're married with 3 kids - what do you get to haul the family around?: Ford Flex

You can only have one car in your life for the next 10 years - what do you get?: Impossible - but I'll say an Infiniti M

Car you'd like to pick up with European Delivery: Any Porsche 2-seater

Indulgent, over-the-top, lottery winning purchase : Audi R8

andres3

Might as well make that the Audi R8 GT version, 560 HP (+40 HP), and about 150 pounds lighter than the regular "joe blow" V10 R8.

corvette

"Sonic was designed in Korea, I think."

I believe the Cruze was too. I don't care where it was engineered or built, if it has a GM badge on it, I'm not buying it because I don't like the way they treat their customers.

I would consider owning something like an old Fleetwood or newer Impala SS, but never anything with a warranty that I might reasonably expect GM to stand behind.

ateixeira

Sounds like someone had a bad experience with GM...I had a similar experience with Ford but that was quite a while ago. I'd give them another shot at this point.

Sandman6472

Guess the G6 really burned ya...GM should've stepped up to the plate for ya much sooner. Are you still happy with the Altima? Talking with the wife today on the way to another doctor appointment & she seems to think the Civic will be my last car...I've only put about 600 miles on it since I was let go from Uncle Sam last October...and that in about 5 years, I won't be able to drive anymore. I tend to disagree & think I still have one more car in my future...and plan to make it something out of character for me!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

corvette

I'm still happy with the Altima. Wish it had some additional options, but it's been extremely dependable.

Sorry to hear of your medical issues, and I hope you have many more cars in your future. Somebody's got to keep the economy going after all!

houdini1

I don't blame you at all for your stance on GM. They must hold classes on how to deny warranty claims.

My wife and I have driven nothing but Lexus's for the past ten years, mainly because our dealer and Lexus Corp. are so customer friendly. Their cars are great, a little overpriced but worth it to me because of customer service. I think that is a big reason for their success.

GM and others would probably be shocked at the cars they could sell if they took a page out of the Lexus book.

qbrozen

A bit up there in price (not looking to increase my current payment), but still awfully tempting.

michaellno

A bit up there in price (not looking to increase my current payment), but still awfully tempting.

Holy crap, that is a low price for what you're getting. And, only 26K miles.

tjc78

Q, that is a nice machine there. 400HP and a 6spd, hard to beat that performance for the asking price.

corvette

GM never flat out denied a warranty claim for me (preferring instead to fail to fix the problem), but after six repair attempts for the same issue, denied my lemon law claim several times before agreeing to buy back the car. In the beginning, I would have accepted a "trade buyback" where I would get credit for another new GM vehicle, if they had taken their lumps and been pleasant to deal with, but they wanted a fight to the death.

I understand that some other manufacturers will admit their mistakes and repurchase a vehicle that has had multiple repair attempts with much less hassle.

andres3

That sounds like GM from what I've heard.

some of those "fight the customer classes" include training on making up excuses like your warranty start date is the date of manufacture, not the date of purchase! LOL (granted, this was an extended warranty claim).

ateixeira

Seems like a deal to me, a well kept CTS-V for the price of a base Buick Verano.

I know which one I'd choose...

ateixeira

other manufacturers will admit their mistakes and repurchase a vehicle that has had multiple repair attempts with much less hassle

Back in high school I did a term paper on lemon law cars and in my research, the funny thing was that Honda had no lemons at all in the state where I was focusing.

I came to find out they basically replaced those cars before that happens.

It's win-win. The customers were happy, while Honda gets those cars out of circulation and so they can improve their reliability scores.

YMMV, this was late 1980s....

andres3

That CTS-V is the prior generation one though, with the Cobalt quality interior at best. I suppose Corvette owners would be used to that, but a GTI owner might not enjoy being inside such a dilapidated sparten interior.

stickguy

well, if they take it back as a "courtesy trade", it doesn't get branded as a lemon, so can be resold with a clean title too.

not sure what has to qualify as a manufacturer buy back branding.

fezo

Q, you really have to stop posting things like that. The problem is all the dealers you check are in my range of where I'd go and I end up agonizing over the same cars. Damn! This one is a real prize to me. I'd live with the "spartan interior."

Of course today I am doing something that will not make people in this thread happy. I've got the 00 Accord with @ 240K on it in for a timing belt, exhaust work, two tires and the plugs (which have at least 120K on them). All told it's maybe $1,300 but it will keep teh car going another year or two.

My daughter that drives it really doesn't like the stick. I am toying with selling the van, splitting the proceeds with her and let her take on a car payment for a four year old or so Camry, Accord, Altima.... You get the idea. $15K tops and prefer less. Feel free to suggest.

michaellno

I am toying with selling the van, splitting the proceeds with her and let her take on a car payment for a four year old or so Camry, Accord, Altima.... You get the idea. $15K tops and prefer less. Feel free to suggest.

Makes sense .. can she afford a small payment on something newer and more reliable?

You could probably find an '07-'08 Fusion or Malibu for not much money.

In fact, after 5 minutes on Auto Trader, I found this.

qbrozen

So I sent the wife the links to the Benz and Caddy. Her response was "No. Pay off what you have and get the Porsche you want."

corvette

When they finally bought back my G6 (a voluntary cash repurchase), GM informed me that it would be branded a lemon, but when I ran a check on the VIN on Carfax a few months later, there was no indication that it had received the appropriate branding. Yet another reason to spurn GM.

roadburner

My dealer has a new M Sport 135i in LeMans Blue. Black interior, aluminum trim, H-K sound, satellite radio, heated seats, premium package, and DCT. I could do without the DCT and I'd prefer the gray interior, but it is a very sweet looking car. One of the sales guys had one on a two year lease and he kept the camber plates, and other track pieces, when he turned it in(he's getting a 1er M Coupe)- and he'd let me have them for cheap. Oh well...

stickguy

my theory is, if you are buying new, there should be no "I would prefer" or "I can do withouts" involved. Save those for shopping used.

why not just order one exactly to your specs if you are willing to pony up the coin for a new one on the lot? And euro delivery it.

tjc78

That CTS-V is the prior generation one though, with the Cobalt quality interior at best.

Its not that bad. The new genertion is much nicer, but that interior doesn't look like it will be falling apart anytime soon.

Q, it looks like you just got the OK for a Porsche.... print and keep that email for future reference!! :P

ateixeira

Print and frame it!

akangl

No news is good news. They sent the head to a machine shop on Friday and I haven't heard anything yet. I'll check tomorrow, but I would think by now the machine shop would know if it was cracked or warped.

The kid is going nuts without a car, he says he feels guilty for always borrowing his dad's car and feels guilty that we are having to spend money to fix his. No worries, wasn't his fault the headgasket blew, I know he drives that car like its fragile.

houdini1

Would that little jewel top $50K?

tjc78

The kid is going nuts without a car, he says he feels guilty for always borrowing his dad's car and feels guilty that we are having to spend money to fix his.

You are very nice fixing it for him. I was on my own at that age, having to pay for my own insurance and repairs. At the time my Parents' 95 Neon and 92 Caravan weren't very appealing to me to drive, so I had good motivation to keep my car running well.

isellhondas

" Yet another reason to spurn GM"

That G6 was more than likely sold with Lemon Law disclousure.

Car Fax is FAR from being accurate! They miss things all of the time!

They report bumper scratches as ACCIDENTS yet they often fail to report really bad accidents!

I suspect this is what happen. Happens all of the time!

akangl

Car Fax is FAR from being accurate! They miss things all of the time!

That is so true. My dad wrecked his truck twice in 2 months, first was a near head on with another car, about $2500 damage to his truck. That one was reported, the second one was a rollover, approx $12k damage to the truck. That one isn't on the car fax. I've seen used trucks with welded frames and obvious repairs with a clean car fax. Heck, my '11 Pilot has a clean car fax.

My son's car has an accident report on car fax, it hit a curb and cracked an alloy wheel, no other damage. I replaced the steel wheel with a matching used alloy wheel after we got it.

I laugh when a salesguy tells me a used car has a clean car fax, 9 times out of 10 I can find a repair. My little brother worked at a body shop for a year, he taught me well.

akangl

You are very nice fixing it for him. I was on my own at that age, having to pay for my own insurance and repairs.

That was the original agreement when I bought him the car and he did go out and find a job, but after he lost that job he hasn't been able to find another.

So, we pay for insurance, gas, and repairs, but in return he runs errands and drives me around when needed. He's good about making a tank of gas last 2 weeks and very good about not getting speeding tickets.

roadburner

Nope; MSRP is $46,300. I could get it for invoice(@$42,700)

Sandman6472

Am at the dealer now, got here at 6:45 and they're checking out the car. Spoke with Honda, again, yesterday and they said a regional guy will call me back.
Just heard, it's not the compressor...it's an air mixture servo(?) and it'll cost $166 minus my 10% coupon. Since I haven't done much work here, they said it's doubtful Honda will step up, so having it fixed right now. Will still try for some kind of compensation but the service manager said go ahead...but doubt you'll get anything from Honda. Well, much better than a $840 repair, so am pleased about that. Yay!

Still think they should cover it due to the fact that I've been complaining to them since the start of 2010, but it's their choice. Still, with the low mileage on the car, seems a bit premature for a failure. If I do buy another car in the future, I will keep this in mind. If they'd step up & offer some assistance, I'd have a more favorable opinion to buy another Honda. Hyundai, with their longer warranty period, is looking pretty good right now! We'll see what will happen here...don't let me down Honda!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

tjc78

and it'll cost $166 minus my 10% coupon

Any A/C repair that cheap is a good thing! I agree it shouldn't have went, but $1000 A/C repairs are not uncommon. My Mother spent about $1300 five or so years ago when the A/C in her 96 Thunderbird went. FWIW that car only had about 40K on it.