Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

I'd buy it, drive it a while, then sell it.

I thought that was the modus operandi for any car you bought? :P

steine13

I'd get an older Miata..Nicely used ones can be had for around $2500.

I'll take three, please.

At least around here, all you'd get for that kind of money is a rat and a headache.

-Mathias

akangl

Then I wimped out. I can't seem to pull the trigger and let the Titan go. So, its Zippy and the Dodge that will be leaving as soon as the new truck gets here. I've looked at SUVs and other trucks but I'm driving the one I love most of all. Every time I think I want a new car I ask myself "am I going to be happy with this for X years?" The answer is always no, then I get into my Titan and drive away. I'm done, not looking anymore. Will buy the Titan out of the lease instead of buying a new car.

Hubby ordered a 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 dually Cummins/auto 4x4, will be here end of June early July.

andre1969

I sat in one at the auto show, and it didn't seem too bad inside. The Solstice I sat in felt more cramped. I also sat in an S2000 and was really disappointed, because it was really tight. And of all the little 2-seat roadsters, I think that one was my favorite, style-wise.

guss

Is the fastest of that group and is my favorite in the styling dept. also .But, it is really cramped.

I have yet to try a Z3, they seem to be coming down in price since the Z4 has been out a while. The Z4 has to be the least attractive 2 seat roadster i have seen in a long time. That flame surfacing does nothing for me.

qbrozen

oh, i really like the Z4 styling.

Also like the S2k, but as everyone else pointed out, its too cramped. I sat in a used one for about 20 minutes trying to convince myself I could make it work. Obviously, I was not successful.

andre1969

I kinda like the Z4's style. I thought the Z3 was sexier, though. My main beef about the Z4 is that up close, they just look cheaply assembled. I rememeber seeing a few at the Philly auto show, and the paint on them looked really weak. And when you opened the hood, the engine bay just looked unfinished and sloppy. And the fenders were shimmed! Well, okay, it's not like they used half a quarter roll's worth like GM might have done back in the 60's, but still...I thought shims went the way of the carburetor?

If it were a lesser, cheaper car I probably wouldn't care, but c'mon, this thing is a BMW!! I know everybody's getting hurt by competition and cost cutting, but on something like a BMW I don't expect it to show up so flagrantly.

rockylee

:surprise:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109882

Rocky

corvette

Cost-cutting in the new 3-series:
* No height-adjustable belts.
* No lamps or reflectors on an open door's edge facing traffic coming up from behind.
* No metallic paint under the hood or inside body cavities--it's the same color as the primer. I'm sure there's a coat of flat paint over the primer in the body cavities, but if you're going to have the gall to charge extra for metal-flake paint, don't be skimpy with it.

In spite of that, I still love the car. 12,400 miles and counting.

I don't know what to look for on the fenders... Are you talking about making the sheetmetal 3/4 of the way boxed like the new F-150?

michaellno

Wow ... no adjustable belts in the 3-series?

Every car in my stable (Focus, L300 and VUE) has this feature. Quite nice when you are 5'11" and your wife is 5'3".

That's one of those things that you don't think about it until you don't have it.

For example, the wife's VUE does not have heated mirrors. Didn't realize it until we had the first snow after buying it. Previous vehicles that she drove (Explorer, Expedition, VW New Beetle) all had it. Nice to have here in Colorado; my L300 has it.

Re: Z4. The last time I went to the auto show, I made it a point to sit in all the 2-seat roadsters, just to see which ones I fit into. The Z4 fit me the best -- the seat went back far enough, I could see all the gauges, my head didn't pop over the top of the windshield, there was enough elbow room. Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of the 'flame-surfacing' on the sides, but I think I could live with it.

qbrozen

interesting, but i have no idea why they think it competes with the Elise when it costs almost $30k more.

woodyww

What does a *2006 Dodge Ram 3500 dually Cummins/auto 4x4* go for these days? Sounds like a Major Vehicle.

As one of us in the Lower 48, I'd love to hear more sometime about what kind of vehicle is needed in AK, & why? About all I know about Alaska is from history books, & from that excellent TV show from way back in the 1990's......uuummmmm.......can't think of the name right now.....Northern Exposure!

michaellno

I spent a week in Anchorage a number of years ago on business and found that, at least in the city, most any car will suffice. Just like any major city that gets lots of snow, I would think that the roads are kept pretty clear.

Can't really speak for any other areas ... I was there in May, and rented a GMC Jimmy "just because". Took a drive to Seward and a regular car would have gotten me there just fine. The roads that I took were all paved.

The one thing that I do notice is that the price of used vehicles is pretty crazy, as I'm sure jolie would attest to. Take a look at the classified at www.adn.com (Anchorage Daily News) and you'll see what I mean.

Not a huge number of roads to be found in Alaska; for example, you cannot drive to the state capital (Juneau) as there are no roads connecting it to the rest of the state. Must use either air or ferry to get there.

I'm sure Jolie can expand on this.

woodyww

Man I dunno know. I think between a used Z3, Z4, or S2000, I'd just go between whatever one(s) I'd found at the best price, in the best condition.

I don't know about the opinions expressed re: the Z4 regarding build quality. But if I found a nice used one at a great price, that's what I'd go for. That or an E46 3-series. The "flame surface" critiques of the Z4.......personally, I think they look great, but then, I've drunk the "bmw cool-aid"....

tifighter

I had a Z3; let me weigh in. I originally was looking for a Miata but could not fit in it. No way, no how. I am 6'3" and 210 lbs. Not only was the seat travel limited, but the non-tilt steering wheel gave me major clearance issues when using the clutch. The S2K was pretty tight too, but slightly better. Also, I'm not crazy about the S2K image. The Z3, with height adjustment on the seat, was definitely the most comfortable, and it felt more solid to boot. Nice torquey six was a great all-arounder and I never had any problems with the car. The Z4 is nice but was out of my price range. But I did sit in one and it seemed a little bit roomier than the Z3. Another car I really liked was the MR2 spyder; roomier than you'd think, THE most fun to drive, but has zip for storage. Still, its a winner.

gee35coupe

That is my usual MO. But the Miata would be VERY temporary. I've always liked em though. Especially the first gen. That little stubby stick is nice. I just barely can fit my 6'6' butt in there. But I'm used to that.
The more I drive my 1996 Civic the more I love it. This is our third silver 4 door 1996 5 speed Civic EX. And this it the best one as far as I'm concerned. I'm doing the brakes this weekend and having the timing belt done next week. After a quick trip to the junk yard for a few little nic-nacs, i may keep this car til 200k. I'm gonna post some pic on a cars[ace page one day.

corvette

The belt fits me fine (I'm 5'6"), so it's not something I worry too much about. I really missed having heated mirrors when I had the Altima--the apartment I lived in when I had the Altima was next to a body of water, and I often had fog on all the windows and mirrors in the morning.

It's also a nice touch to have weatherstripping at the bottom of the side windows that fits tight enough to wipe off any condensation. The 3 scores points here. The Jetta did this, but the Altima wasn't so good at that.

Keeping in mind I'm only 5'6", I found the S2000 to be cramped. I could probably do a Miata, Boxster, or Z3/Z4 as a daily driver.

sandman46

I was very impressed with the seats in the Sebring I had for a rental a couple of months ago. Since my accident last April, I need a very supportive seat with a decent sized head rest, as my neck down through my lower spine and legs have been affected. The power seat had a multitude of adjustments which worked for me. I sit on a pillow in my current Sentra, as the seats are like rocks and I hardly ever drive the Mazda3, but it's seats are also pretty hard.

Has anyone tried the seats in the new Civic EX and if so, how did they feel? We're going up to New Hampshire in June for my sons high school graduation and hopefully Alamo will have a nice selection of mid-sized cars that have a power drivers seat. The Malibu I had 2 years ago was unacceptable and was returned within a day for a power seated car.

The Sandman

gee35coupe

The new Civic seats were the best part of the car. They seemed to just wrap around me. They made me overlook how much I detest that new instrument panel. But then again, I'm 6'6' and about 220 lb. so your results may differ.

sandman46

I'm only 5'7" and weigh about 160 and have somewhat sort legs. I fit pretty well in both the Sentra and the 3, but have to sit on a pillow, which makes the ceiling pretty close to my head actually. Especially with the Sentra. Haven't found a better solution but have to find one soon. I have to back into any car I drive and then swing my legs over and in before I bring my cane in the car.
Am hoping the new Civic seats will be as comfortable as the Sebrings or I might have to look for another make. My focus has to be on comfort 1st, as the doctors tell me I will never get better...only worse.
Saw a Volve S240 up close today and was very impressed with the looks and size of it. If it's cloth seats turn out to be very comfortable, that couls also be in the running.

The Sandman :confuse:

stickguy

Funny, but the comfort of the drivers seat (or lack of same) was the deal breaker that took the civic off my list! I split the difference between you guys, at 6' even, but I have a long torso relative to my height I think.

Not enough adjustment, the bottom was lumpy in the wrong spots, and the non-adjustable lumbar support hit me wrong. Other than that, no problems!

You should like the S40, it is something I was going to recommend if you need back support and adjustability. Try a Jetta too, fantastic seats, and even power lumbar that even adjusts up and down (to go along with in/out).

Seats are a big issue for me, and I have passed on otherwise fine cars because I didn't like the seats.

guss

a chance(ok I went a little out of my way) to sit in a Caliber over the weekend and thought the seats were excellent.A friend of mine with a bad back gave them bad a bad review so I had to find out for myself. Head and legroom were good too. Chrysler products for the most part seem to have the interiors that fit me well.

I sat in a pretty loaded one that stickered for under $20k. Not a bad deal, but I would wait and pick up a used one in a couple of years.

guss

Why the '96? Was there something special compared to the '95 & '97 or is it just that is the model that keeps crossing your path.

gee35coupe

Same color and everything. Actually one of them was a 1998 though. So it's only 2 96's. But we've owned like 10 or so various Civics over the years. We're bound to repeat.

woodyww

All the Volvo seats I ever sat/drove in were probably THE best overall of any car seats I ever experienced. The only thing that would hold me back would be the recent reliability records of Volvos....but I remember wishing after a couple of Volvo drives that I could at least buy the seats for my living room.

Have you ever tried any bmw seats? the "Sport", & "Comfort" seats have a Zillion adjustments.

woodyww

I've been looking at the the new Rav4 brochure, & reading some of the reviews. It seems like a lot of vehicle for the $$--of course, with a Toyota, they nickel & dime for every option, & the Rav4 gets into the upper $20K area if you want it "loaded".

I like the fact that you get roughly as much cargo capacity as a 4Runner, with much better gas mileage, for less $$. (I know they are very different vehicles, & a Rav4 won't do everything a 4Runner can do like off-road). I like the pics too.....as if it's transcended the "cute-ute" look.....

sandman46

One of these was behind and then next to us on the way home about 10 minutes ago. I like what they've done with it for '07. Wonder if I could get one with auto and a power pack for under $20k out the door? If it's not to much bigger than the Sentra or Civic in length, it would fit on my side of the garage. A Camry sized car just won't fit, so I have a size limitation to contend with at the house.
The wife gave it a good look and said it was great and even liked the ride height. Hmmmmmm!!! The seats I know will also be a deal breaker for me. I'm tired of sitting on a pillow to drive and want a seat with a multitude of adjustments as I ain't never gettin' better according to all my doctors.

The Sandman :confuse:

woodyww

You can check out the prices, etc. on Edmunds or at http://www.toyotausa.com. The base RAV4 4cyl., FWD starts at $20,300.

I think trying to get great seats in a small Japanese economy car may be difficult(?). You might have to spend more--or get a bigger car. I know Mercedes used to offer "orthopedic" seats as an option--I suppose you could look for a used M-B with those, but might be hard to find.

Would the seating position of a small SUV be better than a small car, & at least eliminate the pillow?

corvette

...I ain't never gettin' better according to all my doctors.

That stinks! I didn't realize the accident you had was as bad as it was.

andre1969

isn't the greatest in the world. No real injuries to speak of, although I did pull a muscle that just never seems to get fully better. I'll think I'm fine again, and then do something strenuous and bam...I'm right back where I was again.

It seems like once upon a time, cars had more support in the lower part of the backrest, than they do today. Unless you get the lumbar adjustment option, but then it seems to hit me funny. Otherwise, many modern cars forced me into a slumping position; it's like they're too hollowed out towards the bottom of the backrest, but then there's too much padding up where your shoulders are.

akangl

After test driving many vehicles lately in our search for a new truck I found that the lumbar was the worst option in the world. I have a pinched siatic (sp?) nerve and it doesn't take much to aggrevate it. Chevy truck seats hurt, Ford truck seats hurt, the only one that was comfortable was the leather seats in the Dodge, the cloth was way too hard. First thing I do when I get into a vehicle is make sure the lumbar is all the way off and not out in any way.

The Titan has been a comfortable truck for the most part, but long distances (over 200 miles) bother me. Zippy I can tolerate for 15 miles or so then my back hurts. If I would have had this back problem when I was working at Walmart I would have never been able to commute like I did.

Heated seats are nice too........too bad the driver's side one in the Titan is trying to bite the dust!

sandman46

It's almost a year and almost no improvement. Such is life. A postal truck I was driving hydroplaned after a small rain shower and the truck felt like it was on ice...no traction whatsoever. It jumped a curve & smashed head on into a rather large palm tree. Was home for 2 1/2 months and so drugged out that I have almost no memory of last may, june & part of july. Needless to say, I no longer carry mail!

I might check out a CRV also.

The Sandman :confuse:

growwise

Any suggestions on how to improve upper back support on a car seat? Something in the line of cutting out a piece of thick cushion and strapping it right below headrest. I have pain mostly in thoracic part of spine (upper part) and cervical region (neck) too.

tifighter

Stop it; you guys are making not wanna get older with all this talk about your backs. :P

Can't I just enjoy my youth in peace?

british_rover

You need to look into an older Merc/BMW that has the sport package with the 16 way contour seats. On most of those cars you can adjust the upper third of the seat back independently from the rest and on the BMW's at least they have the leg rest extention for your thighs.

stickguy

try a back store, or look on the internet for one. They have all kinds of different pillows/cushions, so you might find one that does what you want.

sandman46

These stores are awesome, I got a coccyx cushion there so I can sit at my new position at work. It's basically that Tempurpedic bed material in a seat cuschion with a carrying handle. I can actually sit for longer stretches of time with it. Still fighting workers comp to pay the bill for it. So far they have denied it eventhough I supplied my orthopedic's perscription. I'd have bought it either way though...simply amazing.
We also just got a topper for our bed from Overstock.com. It's a 3" pad made of the same memory foam that's on the bed commercial on t v. Definitely helps me to sleep at night.
A friend at work sells cars and today he invited me to go with him to the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami auto action. He says in the late afternoon, they leave the keys in the cars and you can go sit in as many as you'd like. He agreed with me that the only way to tell if a drivers seat will be comfortable enough is to sit in as many of my choices that I can back to back. A great way to compare seats.

The Sandman

corvette

Sometimes, you can tell right away that a seat doesn't fit well, other times, it takes 30 minutes or so before you know for sure, but the auction should help you get some ideas of what you want to look at further...

If it's for your back, it will be easier to convince the wife.

Have fun at the auto auction. It's interesting to be able to see a couple thousand late model cars run through the lanes!

woodyww

Just an idea: go to a Volvo store, & maybe a bmw store, & sit in as many new & used cars as possible. I really think you have to "pay up" for good car seats. I read the edmunds review of the bmw X3, & they were raving about the seats, the sport seats I think.

My current car--a bmw E39 5-series--has very good seats. Power, heated, leather, seat memory, but no lumbar adjust. Very comfortable on long trips. I don't think they're as good as the best Volvo seats I've tried, or the "Sport", or "Comfort" bmw seats......but I've never been uncomfortable in them.

My back is so "bad", at least occasionally, that I'm kind of obsessed with good seating. I have an Aeron chair in my office/computer room. I also have one of those reclining Ekornes chairs that are about $1100 new, but I scored a nice used one for $350 or so on craig's list.....of course I screwed up my back more getting it into my bmw wagon, but at least I was comfortable driving home.

sandman46

A friend at work has a new 2006 and she's offered to let me try the seats, which I will take her up on. But I basically need a power seated car. The rentals that I've had have been great once I manipulated the controls to find a perfect position. I never needed a pillow in those cars. So I really think a car with a power seat will do the trick actually.
Another friend at work got an HHR last week and he said it has a partial drivers power lower seat. I did sit in the passenger seat and it wasn't as hard as my Sentra chairs. But I know a S40 will fit on my side of the garage, as the 3 is the same body shell and it fits nicely.

The Sandman

guss

Several years ago I bought a pump up lumbar for my Explorer. It was basically an air bladder that went under the seat fabric and attached to the seat frame with zip ties. It used a hand pump like a blood pressure monitor to add and take air out.

The company I bought it from went out of business but you may be able to find one at the back stores mentioned previously. I don't have a bad back, but it made the seating position alot more comfortable.

jjtj

There is a company called Rostra that makes aftermarket lumbar kits as well as seat heaters. They come with OEM looking controls and work well, and are not expensive. The seat heaters can be wired so that only the back part comes on if you want.. this is so it can be used for back relief in the warmer months, as well as for warmth in the winter. I thought about retrofitting my wife's minivan as she loves the heated seats in my truck but haven't got around to it just yet.

sandman46

Unfortunately, my problem is in my lower back way down across the whole back in the tailbone area, thus the difficulty sitting. I like a power bottom cushion so I can manipulate the pressure points in my butt area. The pillow method I use now in my Sentra just isn't working. The seats in the 3 aren't much better either, thus my dilemma.
Must be a sign from G-D, but the check engine light came on in the Sentra this morning and it's back in the dealer tonight. I assume it's the 4th coil that needs replacing, hopefully nothing else. The warranty runs out May 31st, so timing may be on my side here. Just wish dealers would be a little more proactive on things like this. But Enterprise gave me a Sorrento to use in the mean time. Nice truck but a bit to high for me, I need to be able to just slide across a seat. Time will tell!

The Sandman :confuse:

mark156

Sandman.. I realize my back problem is nothing compared to yours. Sitting is not the problem for me, it's standing; if I stand for a period of time my back starts to kill me and I have to sit down. At almost 48 yrs old, I will fight old age as much as I can!

I have the Multi-contour seats in my Mercedes E-430 that have air bellows that fill the lower and upper seat back separately. There is also a control for the sides to sqeeze you in. I think the seat is a 10 way power seat so there are tons of selections. I like to move my seat a lot, especially on driving trips.

To stay even more on subject, I went with my friend today to check out the new 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550. It's really nice but the exterior is not making a home run but it's OK. Since I sat in the back seat, I noticed there are two window switches on each door. No matter what side of the car you are on, you can lower either side from each door! (cool)!

Also, from the driver's front seat, you can adjust the passenger front power seat which can come in handy.

It's nice to help others pick out a car! :P

-mark156

sandman46

There's only one difference between you and me...I don't have the $ or income to afford such cars as you. Being a government worker makes my spending capacity at a much lower level than yours. And having 3 kids in college come this August, things will be even tighter. I do think I could swing a Volvo S240 with my grandmother's generous inheritance, but that would mean I'd need to get the car price down to around $20k plus T,T & L. My logical part of my brain tells me to fund my Roth IRA account first, which I plan to do.
It's funny, growing up my parents were pretty well off and had Cadillacs and Lincolns every 2 years. My career with the post office moved me into a lower tax bracket than I had growing up. I'm not complaining mind you, it was my choice and I'm content with it. But as I'm getting older and my body's breaking down on me, it would've been nice to be able to afford a car that I really like that was also back friendly.
Time will tell on how all this will play out. Who knows, I may even hit the lottery here in Florida this week!

The Sandman :sick:

mark156

Sandman, I'm not sure which is better, to have a lot of amenities when you are a kid and then have a medium income as an adult or haveing a low-medium income and having a higher income as an adult? I was raised on a tight budget as we had a large family. We had basic Plymouth's sedans and basic Dodge wagons... growing up in the 60's.. Our big fancy new car was an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon... it even had a tailgate power window!... at least it had air-conditioning... for 1969, our first car with air! I had to buy my first car on a part-time job. The only child that was given a car was my youngest sister so she was the spoiled one; she deserved it being the last child. She's a cool sis now!

So, I guess I've done better than my parents financially but they raised a close and wonderful family which you cannot put a price on. Seven kids and my parents 60 yrs of marriage (mom is gone now), we count our blessings! (raised Catholic but not practicing).

May your back heal with the next lottery winning! :P

mark156

sandman46

Our family was just the opposite. My mom died this past December and now the lawyers will have a field day as I go against my siblings. So it's good that you realize how well you had it growing up. I don't have many fond memories of growing up and am totally estranged from the other 3 siblings over $. A sad comentary indeed.
I have a Sorrento LX rental car now and it's just to big and way tall for me. So maybe a small ute will work for me. Am still partial to the S40 though but I hear Volvo reliability isn't that great. Luckily, I don't need to buy anything right away. I have the luxury of time and eventhough the Sentra with only 28k miles on it will bring the most for a trade in or a private sell now, I'm just not gonna jump into anything. I'm patient and will try many cars and seats before this process is done. As long as the back and neck hold out...I'm game!

The Sandman :confuse:

corvette

Wow, that stinks... Divorces and inheritance disputes really tend to bring out the worst in people.

When I was a wee lad, my parents had a succession of GM products. Dad had GMC trucks and vans for his electronics store, and Mom had Pontiac sedans and wagons. Later, Dad closed his business and started commuting a good deal away from the town where we lived, and he bought Hondas and loved them for their economy. Mom has had Volvos since 1990... Despite plenty of missteps, things have turned out better than expected for all of us. Even though I am often a pessimist, I have a lot to be thankful for!

stickguy

I think the S40 has been OK. You might also be able to find a nice CPO one.

guss

If the Sentra works for you in every way but the seat you can get that changed. I know it is not a popular to do so in this forum,keeping it for anything more than a burned out lamp would be ridiculous.

But, there are aftermarket seats(like Recaro) that can be installed for less than a grand. Aftermarket companies that build handicap vans can modify the seat frame if needed.

Just a thought.