Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

british_rover

See that is what you get for ownign a boring automobie. Nothing like that would happen to a BMW, Merc, Land Rover, Audi etc.

lemmer

Picture a 12' retaining wall right up against an incredibly narrow lane of traffic following a blind corner. The wall has tons of kudzu hanging over the top. It looks like a dead tree (or a really big dead branch) rolled down the hill and got caught up in the kudzu as it went over the wall. It was hanging like a pendulum about 2' into the lane of traffic. I had a car right next to me and couldn't get over. It sounds like an explosion. Looking at it again, I see the paint is just a little cracked over where the mirror housing attaches.

jaserb

The Miata has around 103k miles. It could pass for 20k, though - it's really that nice. You could eat out of the engine compartment.

I'd considered setting up the Alfa for track duty, but I couldn't have done it for much less than the Miata went for and I'd much rather flog a Miata around the track anyway, since they can be more easily replaced.

I'll put up some pics of the stable once I have everything in the same state...

-Jason

qbrozen

Miata will eat the alfa's lunch around a track, anyway.

the alfa just doesn't put down the power well, plus it flexes like a wet noodle compared to the miata.

ALOT of engine work, some weight-saving mods, a roll bar, a chassis brace, and some konis ... then maybe the alfa would be ready. Like you said, a $2500 miata is a much better bet.

Honestly, I think I'd sell my alfa for a miata like the one you are describing. Its sad, but true.

corvette

Looking at what a similarly-equipped 2004 3-series with 45,000 miles is worth, I think mine may only depreciate $3,000 or so per year from where it is now. I think the big hit comes after the warranty expires.

On the way home, I swung by the Honda dealer in Elizabethtown and test-drove a Pilot. It was a demo model with 5,000 miles on it. Obviously, not as responsive as my 3-series (or as the X3), but it didn't feel trucklike, either, and the engine was incredibly smooth. It's hard to hit "D" on the gear selector, and the demo model had a rattle on the passenger side towards the end of the test drive... Arrrgh! I would feel okay about owning one of those out of warranty, though.

The salesman also suggested I take a look at the new CR-V when they come out. I know it's a Honda, but I'm not sure I want a first-model-year anything.

corvette

Hey, a package deal! Sounds like you did really well!

astegman

I hit a log hanging from the sky this morning in my RX300. It pretty much tore off my passenger side mirror and put a couple of minor scratches on the side. I figure the damage will just enough to fail to meet my insurance deductible.

About 2 years ago or so, I tore off the passenger side mirror of my RX300 as I was backing out of my garage. My fault completely - I simply and utterly misjudged how close I was. I was going maybe 1-2 mph, but the thing tore off and fell to the ground! So, I took it to the dealer and had to pay $500 for a new one. I was given a loaner car for the week (a filthy, smelly hideous Taurus). And to add to the "joy," when I called after a day or so to see how the repair was going, the service manager said that just as they were attaching the new mirror, the repair guy dropped it and shattered it!! So they had to order another one and start over! Ah, memories!! Needless to say, I've been totally paranoid about exiting my garage since then!

jaserb

In a straight line, it's probably not a bad race. My Alfa is a warmed over '74 (read, some 400 lbs lighter than yours) with 10.4:1 pistons, 4:56 rear axle, hi lift cams, and Webers. I'm still breaking in the engine so I haven't really gotten into it yet but I know it has substantially more power than the stock motor and WAY more power than an 80s car. The handling I'd describe as "fun" rather than "fast". Lots of flex and body lean, but predictable and enjoyable. There's just no getting around the fact that the Miata is a 30-some year newer design. With the fat sway bars and Konis on this Miata it handles like a go-kart.

But the Alfa kicks the Miata's tail on looks, style, and sound.

-Jason

lemmer

$500 is about what I figured. I think I will just watch eBay for a used one the same color as my car.

cccompson

Yup, my wife drives an '05 Pilot - sweet truck - the only new vehicle we've ever had that has NEVER had to go back to the dealer for anything whatsoever. It's only drawback is lousy gas mileage.

woodyww

This is the RX300 with 100K+ miles, & the refurbished Taliban interior? (Sorry, I stole the "Taliban interior") thing from Terry).

I think: It's quite possibly a Sign from God (it could be, right?) to sell the "stupid Lexus". What else could explain "logs hanging from the sky"?

lemmer

The Taliban interior now passes for that of an average used car. It took 15-20 hours of scrubbing/steam-cleaning with the seats removed to get rid of the funk and a month of driving with the windows open every morning to get rid of the remnants of smell.

I still can't stand driving it. It is so boring. All the little scratches, etc. that I thought I could live with drive me nuts. Also, beige Lexus interiors look horrible to me.

I still haven't fixed the dent in back (about $800), but I did put 18" wheels and tires from a RX400H on it. I have thoughts of putting it on eBay as is with the old tires and seeing if I could get back out of it without losing too much money.

Funny thing is, I would certainly buy another Lexus. Considering what it has been through, mine seems to have held up pretty well. Maybe if I could find a decent GS400...

qbrozen

But the Alfa kicks the Miata's tail on looks, style, and sound.

Certainly no argument here.

I was wondering if you beefed it up during the rebuild. I guess that answers my question.

I didn't even know you could go 10.4:1 in the 2 liter. Interesting. I've thought about tearing mine down ... but then I always decide to wait until it actually breaks... which obviously has not happened.

corvette

As far as getting rid of smells, I have an old leather chair that smelled kind of musty when I got it, so I soaked the padding with Febreze (through the seams and buttonholes) several times. Repeated treatments used about a gallon of the stuff, but it no longer smells.

As far as it being so boring, I have thought for a while that if I were driving something that was lux enough (something like an LS430 or Q45), I'd be less interested in responsive handling and appreciate the soft, silent ride and really nice interior. Your experience tells me I may be wrong.

woodyww

I found the RX300 I drove once (right after they first came out) to be among the most boring vehicles I'd ever driven. Also, the seats were mediocre IMO, & I really disliked the "Space-pod" dash & front interior.

I also drove a slightly used LS430 a few years ago. Loved the interior, & the NAK. sound system. Handling was mediocre; even on wide sweeping curves it was "floaty", like an '80's Buick maybe. But I'm not saying I wouldn't buy a mint condition used one at the right price--it was so cushy I could see trying to overlook the handling.

I've never driven a GS. Seems like it might be a great alternative (?) to a bmw.

Only Lexus I've driven that really turned me on was an SC400. I almost bought a new one in 1993 I think. I lusted after that car, had the color picked out & everything, but then I bought a 5 y.o. bmw (M6). I still have the old SC300/400 brochures tho.....

michaellno

...I really disliked the "Space-pod" dash & front interior.

When we were looking at SUV's for my wife a couple of years ago, I thought the Toyota Highlander would be a perfect vehicle for her. She saw the interior and immediately commented that it looked like the inside of a minivan. That ended the conversation quickly.

graphicguy

Ahhhhh....yes....the Lexus SCs. I thought those cars were drop dead gorgeous. I had the opportunity to drive one a couple of years ago in 'Vegas, no less (owned by a busines aquaintance). What it had in looks, it totally fell down in the driving dept....mushy...heavy feeling. I remember thinking that my rental Malibu could probably out handle it.

That's the Lexus (and to more of an extant, Toyota) way, I s'pose.

Being a card carrying member of the CCBA group, I would have probably been seduced by the looks. Get tired of driving it within 6 months and go looking, again.

gsemike

Those cars were the hottest thing when they were new but look so incredibly dated now. Those cars could have gotten into the 50s with the V8 back then and now they go for 1/10 of that.

albell

Of the many cars I have owned, the RX300 was by far my least favorite...and my kids'. Never has any car caused so much, uh, up-heaval (if you catch my drift.) Our weekly trips to the country -- on the twisty Taconic Parkway in NY, became so bad because of the excessive body roll that we had to get rid of it, or the country house, or the kids. We decided to keep the latter two. :P

sandman46

I was on the Taconic back in June and I guess the real twisty's began after the Briarcliff-Ossining area. My rented Impala LTZ was a blast to drive on the roads up there though. For a full sized car, it has amazing grip especially in the rain. Being an economy car driver since the mid 70's, I was duly impressed with the great job The General did on the new Impala!

The Sandman

albell

They have poured major bucks into widening and straightening most of that road. The last major unrenovated section is now between I-84 and US Rt 6. Elevation changes, tight, two lanes with no shoulders...my wife hates driving it. Me, I just cinch up the seatbelt, throw the airmatic into sport mode, and let her deal with the kids...

akangl

Never has any car caused so much, uh, up-heaval (if you catch my drift.)

I know that feeling. I get car sick super easy and that was a major problem I ran into while test driving trucks. I really liked the Chevy but even driving it made me car sick which is quite a feat. Only thing I found that didn't cause my stomach to want to vacate the premesis was the Dodge.

I've owned a few vehicles over the years that caused me to get car sick, so I learned to take test drives on the roughest, windiest, most frost heaved road I could find. I figure if it doesn't make me sick on that road I'll be fine.

Speaking of driving, I better get moving, its time to hook up the TT and go fishing!!

corvette

Trying to get perspective, here. A couple of friends heard about my car trouble and opined that, unless the aircon ceased to function whatsoever, I had nothing to complain about, and shouldn't have bothered trying to get my car fixed. And the rattles? Again, nothing to complain about.

I'm inclined to discredit that opinion because (1) they aren't car enthusiasts (translation: they Just Don't Get It), and (2) they are better known to the posters here as the mother-daughter team that recently purchased a yellow Taliban Edition VW Beetle.

The one idea they did come up with that I can agree with is that I will not be happy with a car I consider to be too boring--but, I'm not convinced (as they are) that I would find anything other than a small, German sedan to be boring.

woodyww

If you have an advanced bmw addiction, I'm not sure I'd take automotive advice from people who just bought a Taliban Edition VW Beetle. (Occasionally, non-car buffs can give good advice to a car nut in the midst of an obsession, but it sounds like these 2 have their own car-nuttiness going on).

If--the bmw gives you more trouble, & hopefully it won't--you might be willing to trade off the nth degree of performance for some type of Japanese vehicle perhaps. Or sell it, & buy a CRV, + an older 3 or 5 series for $5K or $10K for the summers.

A lot of the most crazed bmw addicts own older ones, & just deal with repairs, but then you really need a good indie bmw mechanic nearby, as the dealer service is so expensive.....

corvette

I was sort of thinking along those lines. That's really the purpose of this topic, isn't it, to provide everyone with a willing enabler?

I might consider keeping this one past the warranty period (in spite of the rattles), if I had a spare vehicle to drive, but that will depend on my budget in a year or two...

british_rover

want to bid for the ablity to pay 5,000 dollars or more over MSRP for a new camaro?

Stupid people click here. :sick: :mad: :confuse:

lemmer

Turns out that for me a GS is not a good alternative to a BMW. My neighbor's brother came by with a 2000 GS300 that he wanted to sell. It was far more boring to drive than I thought it would be. Although, at 131,000 miles it was a still as solid as a rock. The guy still had not changed the timing belt and the oxygen sensor needed replacement. He was hoping to get a minimum of $11,500. I passed.

A guy in my office is selling a very plain, one owner '95 240SX with 155K miles on it. Problem is, it is an automatic. I still might buy it if it is cheap enough.

corvette

High bidder's user name is similar to Terry's...

2009? By the time it gets here, Chevrolet will be very late to the "retro" party.

corvette

Maybe a GS430 would be less boring. A powerful engine can sometimes spice up an otherwise uninteresting car.

28firefighter

The GS400/GS430 is like a completely different car from the GS300..

The 300 is a total yawn...but the 430 has the kick in the pants that the 300 needed

anonymousposts

Virginia. It's a more probable scenario than CT. But we are still undecided. Virginia Beach seems like a nice place to live but then again, so is Georgia. Especially with a cheap house at a bargain basement interest rate.

corvette

And, if memory serves, many improvements including a home theater in Georgia?

I think this applies to everyone in the CCBA club--a New Scientist article talking about how "sleeping on it" is best for complex decisions:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8732

growwise

You guys are amazing. Lexus is boring? I wish I could afford one right now. I really like the IS250's seats. They are very supportive. Check em out. But then its rear quarters are cramped so ES350 would be an excellent choice. A bit more premium for a v6 camry but hey its a solid car.

growwise

Ah the peach state. Loved Athens/ATL while I was down there. Nothing like catching the bulldogs playing in sanford stadium. Is it UGA5 now the mascot? Athens would be packed with all the red tshirts. Drive for an hour on 316 is it? I forget. Been a while. Classic city is beautiful.

Anyways back to ATL, loved norcross and buckhead. Didnt care much for Dekalb and Decatur counties. Gwinnett was great. Only other place I'd take over ATL in southeast is Miami. If you are sick of sailing near the gorgeous keyes :P you can always drive to Orlando to catch some theme parks.

anonymousposts

It's been the permanent home for both of us our entire lives. It might be a possibility for us to keep the house we are in now and rent a place in Va Beach until we figure out if we like it or not. We still aren't sure. I am going to call my boss Monday and get the ball rolling pending a visit to the new place and final terms of the promotion.

We shall see what happens.

tifighter

We all know that CCBA-ers are always looking for the next car. My question is, what car do you wish you still had?

I feel stupid sometimes for getting rid of an Audi. Heck, I feel stupid for saying I feel stupid for getting rid of an Audi. But really, I had a 91 90 Quattro 20v with the sport package that was a grip-meister; stiffer factory suspension, silk sport seats and rode like a skateboard. Always worried that something was going to break, but it never stranded me (more than I can say for the first Audi I had). Easy car to get attached to and a whole lotta fun to drive. Sold it to get a Honda Accord V6 coupe that I could never bond with.

Anyone else?

anonymousposts

my 2001 Accord EX V6 coupe and my 1999 Accord EX 5-speed. I also kind of regret getting rid of my Odyssey.

tifighter

My Accord was a 00 EX V6 coupe. If there is one car my SO misses the most, that might be it...

kyfdx

Well... I can't top that one... You really should have kept that Audi...

But, the car I was always sorry I sold was an '84 911 Targa... I bought it in 1990, and sold it in '94.. At the time it had just over 70K miles.. The paint still looked brand new..

My child had just been born, and I was worried about $10K engine rebuilds, etc, etc..

Now, I realize that you can always have more kids... But, try getting the wife to let you have another Porsche!

bumpy

I only have two that left at all. The Citation is gone and I give thanks for that every day. I do miss the '88 Sentra sometimes. It was a well-worn beater by the time I let it go, but sometimes I wish I still had it around to transplant a deturbo'ed CA18DE and kick around in a 2200-pound, 8000-rpm heap. I'm sure it's part of a bridge in China by now, but I found something else to scratch my high-rpm itch. More on that later. :shades:

nippononly

my '88 RX-7, and my '82 Supra.

The RX-7 was the biggest pain in the butt to keep running and guzzled the gas like a monster truck but was also the most singular driving experience I ever had. There is NO substitute for a rotary. None.

The Supra was a tired old car with 200K on the clock, but I had it for years and had it set up just the way I liked it. It only had 146 hp in '82 but had a wonderfully smooth straight 6 that pulled like a racehorse. Not to mention it was still running strong....I finally sold it when I got my '97 Subaru Outback Sport - now that I have mostly gotten trucks out of my system, I wish I had kept that OBS too.

corvette

I also have nostalgia for a VW product. I had a 1999 Jetta VR6 with nearly every option. Kept it long enough to bond with it, but it left me stranded twice. Got rid of it because of its unreliability and awful dealer service, but I did love driving it. It didn't hold a candle to the more expensive German cars, but the Jetta was more responsive and had more road feel than most of the other (Japanese and American) small cars of its day, and the VR6 was the smoothest of the engine choices, and lacked the turbo lag that was a defining characteristic of the 1.8T.

qbrozen

I still miss my Z.

I also miss my first car, the '79 CJ7, but that was lost to a phone pole and tree, so there's nothing I regret about the loss (well, ok, maybe taking a different route home that night in the ice storm), I would just like another one someday.

kyfdx

That's how I lost my '76 CJ-5... to a roll-over..

Your excuse is better, though...

qbrozen

was that on or off pavement?

akangl

My question is, what car do you wish you still had?

For me it would be *Taburbitha* my lifted 1990 Suburban. I still look for her, but haven't seen her since the night she was traded in. She needed a ton of $$$ thrown at her (new engine, transmission, rear pinion) but she was still an awesome truck.

Other than that probably the 1994 Chevy K2500 454 x-cab because it was paid for, stupid move trading it in on an Exploder, there was nothing wrong with the truck other than its appetite.

kyfdx

Well... I was supposed to be ON... but, a little inattention, and the front wheel dropped off the edge into the ditch... rural road.. and rolled it down the road sideways, 1 3/4 times.. Jeep ended up on its side, driver's door up..

No seat belt, no brains... no injuries... young and stupid... AND lucky

qbrozen

ouch!

I had my lapbelt on when the car cracked open like an egg (spare tire caught the pole and the front bumper caught the tree). Also no injuries. I did cry like a baby, though, at the loss of my jeep. Alot of blood, sweat, and tears went into that beast.

kyfdx

I loved mine... got it in 1980.. killed it in '82..

Paid $2800 for it, and the insurance company gave me $3200 for it after two years... not bad... It was pretty basic, but it had 31 X 10.5/15 tires and custom bumpers... Straight-6 and a 3-speed.. No radio.. I went six weeks one summer without putting the top on..

I only bought it because the guy had a set of stereo speakers that I wanted... so, I told him I would buy the Jeep at his asking price, if he threw in the speakers....

Young, single and a (relatively) good-paying job was a dangerous combination. :surprise:

qbrozen

sounds real similar to mine (although a 5 vs 7) ... just 10 years earlier.

$1k bought it with a carburetor that needed rebuilding. A $15 rebuild kit later and it was pretty darned reliable. The 258 I6 with the 3-speed stick and 32 (or 33, i forget)x10.5 on 15" chrome wagon wheels.

Oh, you would have liked this ... no back seat or radio, so my mom (good ole mom) built me a custom box for the rear that had a padded top for seating and room to mount two 6x9s, a pioneer tape deck, and 200-watt amp inside. screwed it down right between the wheelwells. Pretty much theftproof unless you happened to be a thief with a sharp hatchet on hand.

Pop is a mad scientist, so he pulled the power brake booster and power steering out of a '75 cherokee and adapted them to the CJ. Oh, and let's not forget the power leather seats from an old junkyard Tbird. Made it the most comfortable cruising CJ you'd ever want to meet. I could steer it with one finger and stop on a dime. Like I said, alot of work went into it.

I figured I had about $4,000 into it by the time the accident happened. I got $1200 for it for parts. The windshield assembly (new frame, wiper assembly, glass, and chrome lightbar) is still in my parents barn. Been there for about 15 years now. I told the buyer $1500 and why it was that much. He said he didn't need the windshield assembly, so I took it off and sold him the rest for the 12.