Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

tom - I'm with you. My GT has ZERO options. Also, I found the power seat wasn't a good fit for me. I needed the lower manual seat.

on the mazda2 - thanks for the info. That's good to know. Did it say if it will have a Skyactiv engine?

No response from the Ford internet guy. I even tried calling. I just want to know when it will be there.

stickguy

well, finally got to the next step in the automotive upgrade process. selling the old one. Or at least trying to. I hope it goes quick just to be done with it.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/4664371494.html

Michaell

qbrozen said:

on the mazda2 - thanks for the info. That's good to know. Did it say if it will have a Skyactiv engine?

I think all Mazdas going forward will have Skyactiv technology. Not sure if the 2 will have a smaller engine than the 3, however. Japan will get a 1.3L gas and 1.5L diesel.

au1994

Volvo looks really clean Stick. Heres to hoping for a quick sale.

stickguy

I hope so. I never seem to guess right. Stuff I think should flood me with contacts just sits there. Stuff that seems undesirable I get swamped on.

qbrozen

asking price is fair enough.

corvette

Nice pics. The car looks clean for 100k+ miles.

stickguy

The detail I did on the weekend made a big difference. Plus cleaning out all my daughters stuff. I think it shows well. Just need someone to show up to show it to!

graphicguy

Stick...looks good. Fair price. I think you'll do fine.

iluvmysephia1

oldfarmer50-yep, the Mrs. and I were tooling down Hwy.54 ta El Paso ta get my computer's tower serviced. About 10 miles north of town the A/C quit on me. Then the info.center started flashing graphics of "temp." and "battery". I thought that maybe the alternator was failing or something. But with those warning signals I knew I had ta pull over and shut it off.

Had it towed into El Paso and it was looked at the following morning at a shop. I got that information (that the timing chain had slipped somehow) and had it towed to a Mitsubishi dealer to get another opinion. They said the same - a slipped timing chain. The Lancer GTS' timing chain slipped and when that happened it seized forward motion and broke the serpentine belt, overheated the radiator fluid which shot all over the engine, etc., etc.

The car wouldn't start back up, no compression left, engine shot. 129,900 some-odd miles on her. Only! Quite bummed out I started considering my options. The Kia/Mitsubishi dealer the car was towed to decided they would give me $2,000 in trade for my car. One engine was located that had 72,000 miles on it and they wanted $3,400 for it. As my wife and I sunk more and more in to despair I decided to start test driving cars to trade for. The Kia Soul or Nissan cube popped up in to my head more than the Optima, Altima (they have a Nissan dealership, too) but my wife doesn't like the cube and their salesman didn't pursue them for me. He wanted ta sell us a Kia. I test-drove a 2011 Kia Soul in clear white with a 5-speed stick and loved it.

Bought it for $13,800. It had 35,800 miles on it. They wouldn't dicker down on it and we needed a car. Told us that this Soul was a "high" trade and that the car holds its value well. Won the 2011 Safety Car of the Year Award. Loved it's drive and easier shifter than the '01 Sportage 4X4 had. So it became our 3rd Kia! Love the rig so far and plan on babying it just like our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Still want to learn more about why this blow-out happened at what I figure is still fairly low miles. The Long-Haul Warranty had since passed a while back on the car.

stickguy

I assume there was no change interval on the timing change? That is supposed to be one of the selling points on them. The problem is, while the chain may last, all the other parts (sprockets, tensioners) may not, and if you don't go in to replace it like with a belt, they never get looked at.

nyccarguy

stick

the ad & the car look great. It will sell. just be patient.

stever

iluvmysephia1 said:

Love the rig so far and plan on babying it just like our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS..

There's the problem - cars need to be driven hard.

If that goes against your grain, loan it to me for a week or two.

graphicguy

stever said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Love the rig so far and plan on babying it just like our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS..

There's the problem - cars need to be driven hard.

If that goes against your grain, loan it to me for a week or two.

Although usually said tongue in cheek, a mechanic I trust implicitly used to repeat the mantra "drive it like you stole it" in relation to adding to a car's longevity. New car's in particular he says that. Used cars he said the same thing, with the caveat that if they blow up in short order, they weren't in good shape to begin with.

stever

I think there's some truth in it too - there's been a long running "debate" about breaking engines in "hard" in the motorcycle crowd and lots of people swear by it.

I generally drive pretty sedately but I don't believe in coddling cars either.

qbrozen

So the Ford call center contacted me today and guilted me into heading over to the dealership that emailed me, even though the man on the phone could not tell me if the Fiesta I was interested in was even there. He did ensure me that they would have plenty of 2015 Fiestas I could pick from to test drive.

It is in my way home anyway, so although I knew it was a waste, I figured what the hell. Turns out my salesperson wasn't even working today, so the head of the internet dept came to talk to me. He was not pleased with the call center and could not even figure out where the car i was quoted on in the email came from. He finally determined that it was one still in the list to be built and was slated to go to a dealership in PA. In any case, he had no 2015s. But he'd let me know when they got a manual 1.0 in. Oh well. I did sit in a 2013 on the showroom floor. Guess that one has been there a while, huh? The seat was quite hard and there was NO backseat legroom with the driver's seat set for me. How they managed less rear seat room than the mazda2 is beyond my comprehension. I dont know if the 2015 is any different, so I won't rule it out just yet.

stickguy

functionally the 2015 is going to be the same, room wise.

I think the 2, or a stretch to a Fit, is the way to go.

or, for probably less than fit money, there was that Launch model Golf I found for less than 19K.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

well, finally got to the next step in the automotive upgrade process. selling the old one. Or at least trying to. I hope it goes quick just to be done with it.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/4664371494.html

That car cleaned up real good. From the way you were talking I half expected to see dents and ripped seats.

The Volvo cultists should be knocking down your door.

oldfarmer50

iluvmysephia1 said:

oldfarmer50-yep, the Mrs. and I were tooling down Hwy.54 ta El Paso ta get my computer's tower serviced. About 10 miles north of town the A/C quit on me. Then the info.center started flashing graphics of "temp." and "battery". I thought that maybe the alternator was failing or something. But with those warning signals I knew I had ta pull over and shut it off.

Had it towed into El Paso and it was looked at the following morning at a shop. I got that information (that the timing chain had slipped somehow) and had it towed to a Mitsubishi dealer to get another opinion. They said the same - a slipped timing chain. The Lancer GTS' timing chain slipped and when that happened it seized forward motion and broke the serpentine belt, overheated the radiator fluid which shot all over the engine, etc., etc.

The car wouldn't start back up, no compression left, engine shot. 129,900 some-odd miles on her. Only! Quite bummed out I started considering my options. The Kia/Mitsubishi dealer the car was towed to decided they would give me $2,000 in trade for my car. One engine was located that had 72,000 miles on it and they wanted $3,400 for it. As my wife and I sunk more and more in to despair I decided to start test driving cars to trade for. The Kia Soul or Nissan cube popped up in to my head more than the Optima, Altima (they have a Nissan dealership, too) but my wife doesn't like the cube and their salesman didn't pursue them for me. He wanted ta sell us a Kia. I test-drove a 2011 Kia Soul in clear white with a 5-speed stick and loved it.

Bought it for $13,800. It had 35,800 miles on it. They wouldn't dicker down on it and we needed a car. Told us that this Soul was a "high" trade and that the car holds its value well. Won the 2011 Safety Car of the Year Award. Loved it's drive and easier shifter than the '01 Sportage 4X4 had. So it became our 3rd Kia! Love the rig so far and plan on babying it just like our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Still want to learn more about why this blow-out happened at what I figure is still fairly low miles. The Long-Haul Warranty had since passed a while back on the car.

Wow, bummer. The timing belt on most of those motors usually gets changed at 60,000 miles. I hope you weren't on the original belt.

xwesx

Aren't they still on the original Mazda2 design? If so, I don't see how you came to that conclusion on the back seat room for the two cars. My experience is opposite. I even have four adults ride in my car on a not-too-infrequent basis, and we all have sufficient space (even the pair of 250# guys, though I'm sure they'd *prefer* a little more). Head room was the big killer for me on the Mazda2.

I had to slouch down quite a bit to fit, but that was a tall order given the lack of room for the knees.

iluvmysephia1

oldfarmer - that's just it- the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS had a timing chain - not a timing belt. And the service manual didn't specify changing the timing chain. I know that if you have a timing belt you have to change them at the 60,000 mile mark. The Lancer GTS had a timing chain. No service required according to the Mitsubishi manual for the car. Very frustrating deal for us, but, you know, that used to be about how long cars would last. Either less than 100,000 miles or a titch over 100,000 miles.

stever - I didn't baby the '08 Lancer GTS that much - I actually punched it a lot - I got a lot of enjoyment out of driving that car hard. Freaked my wife out many, many times while punching it. The car drove and handled so well. It was a ball ta drive, that it was. Oh well. Life goes on with a 2011 Kia Soul. A decent replacement for the Lancer GTS.

stever

I still wanna see your Soul, even if you won't let me get near it. Got pics?

oldfarmer50

"...It is in my way home anyway, so although I knew it was a waste, I figured what the hell. Turns out my salesperson wasn't even working today, so the head of the internet dept came to talk to me. He was not pleased with the call center and could not even figure out where the car i was quoted on in the email came from. He finally determined that it was one still in the list to be built and was slated to go to a dealership in PA. In any case, he had no 2015s. But he'd let me know when they got a manual 1.0 in. Oh well. I did sit in a 2013 on the showroom floor. Guess that one has been there a while, huh? The seat was quite hard and there was NO backseat legroom with the driver's seat set for me. How they managed less rear seat room than the mazda2 is beyond my comprehension. I dont know if the 2015 is any different, so I won't rule it out just yet...."

That sounds like the 2015 Mustang with the impossible low price at the NJ dealer I posted about. I wonder if Ford gives their dealers a list of cars being built so that if a customer is interested in a particular option configuration they can just claim it off the line.

That dealer just emailed me again asking if there were any questions they could answer.

Well, yeah. How about answering my original question about the price of the car they were advertising? Duh!

qbrozen

xwesx said:

If so, I don't see how you came to that conclusion on the back seat room for the two cars.

By sitting in them. I set each driver's seat where I would need it, then got out and opened the back door. Probably had a good 4-6" between the back seat bottom and the front seat in the mazda2, while there was maybe an inch, if that, in the fiesta. It was so nobody would be able to even get their legs in there, unlike the Mazda. Headroom was only an issue in the ford, but that did have a moonroof, which I'm wondering if it caused an issue because I had no choice but to put the driver seat to the floor to fit, which may have compromised rear seat room (although I also had Mazda seat to the floor but the way these seats tilt as they go up and down could have a big effect).

Stick - that golf you speak of would be $3k more than the Honda.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

That dealer just emailed me again asking if there were any questions they could answer.

Well, yeah. How about answering my original question about the price of the car they were advertising? Duh!

AS PMD says over on his Autoextremist blog, that is notgonnahappen.com...

stickguy

Q, I thought the Fit was pushing 19k? The Golf I saw in person had an MSRP of 18.8k. So not sure what it could be had for, but was definitely under 19 grand. No, not 16K, but a hell of a lot more car!

iluvmysephia1

stever - I'll work on getting a pic or two of my '11 Kia Soul on here today, K?

stever

Sure - my place or yours?

(I was looking up trade-in values this morning for the van. The numbers aren't pretty, but it got us moved. Loving Las Cruces).

qbrozen

Fit LX manual is under $16500. I stopped and looked today and crawled around it. Wow that thing is cavernous. And it looks so much better in person. I like it alot. If it drives well (they had no sticks) we may have a winner. 

While I was out, I swung by the hyundai dealer who had an Elantra GT stick. Was there for quite a while. Drove that and poked around an Accent. What bugs me is that they are the same price. I dont get it. Anyhoo, i wasn't completely sold on the elantra. It is a nicer car, yes, but it just didnt put a smile on my face, to state it simply. It kept letting me know that it did not want to be hustled. 

In any case, the dealer pissed me off. They are all about being a one-price dealer. But apparently, that price is essentially sticker minus rebates. HOWEVER, what really took the cake was that they had a "one-price" sticker on the car and another "one-price" on the worksheet they stuck under my nose. And both were thousands more than Truecar. I decided to do them a favor and at least point out that they should get their numbers straight if they want to stick with  this format. So that was that.  

Oh, another funny interaction was the salesman pulling up the Fit vs Elantra comparison on his ipad to try to sway me. He was embarassed to find how impressive the Fit numbers stack up in all but hp/tq. He even gave me the chance to see that the Fit has a whopping 5" more rear legroom! So he dropped that method right quick.

iluvmysephia1

Let's do this. Here's one shot of it, stever.

Those are wheel covers, I've got small 15" tires and wheels. I've noticed cheap pop-on wheel covers are getting better for your $15. In my opinion,anyway!

We luv our Soul. It is a more practical vehicle than the '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS and actually just as fun ta drive. It doesn't have the "pop"off the line of the Lancer GTS and there's more lean-in when cornering (obviously), but Kia has done a fine job on this rig.

Several Alamogordo friends have commented on how much they like it and how much room inside for driver/passengers. It is easy to get in and out of, too, and that seems to be a big hit for several people.

jayrider

qbrozen said:

Fit LX manual is under $16500. I stopped and comparison on his ipad to try to sway me. He was embarassed to find how impressive the Fit numbers stack up in all but hp/tq. He even gave me the chance to see that the Fit has a whopping 5" more rear legroom! So he dropped that method right quick.

If you like the ride and handling, you can't go wrong with a Fit. Very roomy, cheap to own and great resale.

tommister2

oldfarmer50 said:

tommister2 said:

Mustang deal done - 2014 Mustang GT, Ruby Red with charcoal interior. I pick it up Saturday. Happy happy

Excellent! What kind of numbers are we talking about?

MSRP $33980. My price was $31649 (just a hair under invoice as best I can tell) plus $299 processing fee. I used the $3000 in rebates instead of special financing. They offered 1.79% for 60 months which I gladly accepted.

Last month the rebate was $500 more but I hesitated and lost...oh well. My wife insisted on Ruby Red and I could only find 4 cars within 500 miles so it was fish or cut bait time. I'm happy with my choice

stickguy

Did some more looking today. Wife is shockingly agreeable to it these days. Thought I found Bradd's car at the Sube dealer, but wrong blue (they had a twilight blue in the showroom, which until I looked back I thought was his color). A premium without moonroof too.

that was a nice color. we were thinking cosmic gray (black guts) but after seeing twilight, we think that is a nicer color. And I love the ivory/black 2-tone interior.

I was happy to just look (it was pouring most of the afternoon) but after leaving my wife alone with the salesguy (had to take a call), she decided "sure, we can take a test drive". This time, she drove and I shotgunned. Impressive car overall. She liked it a lot too (though found the gas pedal very touchy). so she was fine with it if it happens.

Part deux,après la pause

stickguy

anyway, to continue. also stopped next door at VW. Had a nice platinum golf SE in the showroom (good thing with the rain) so we crawled all over that. Skipped the test drive though. Wife did like it more than I expected (except for the skinny little tires!). very roomy that little buggy. She said she was fine if that is what I wanted, but she probably preferred a bigger (more mature?) car. It would be my car though.

and I decided to leave my daughter out of things. She can drive what we make available. if not to her standards, walking and buying her own were options!

Did not look at the Camry again. Would not buy that until I sold the Volvo in any case, and by the time I am ready, may be a moot point, since the one I liked could be gone. Removing temptation!

anyway, after driving the Legacy again, it really is an extremely nice car. Features, room, visibility, comfort, handling, etc. and superb MPG ratings for an AWD car this size.

I think if I get something nice (a keeper) soon it will be that, unless I save some $ and get a Golf, which I could always pass down. This is assuming I don't just go for the cheapest blow-out lease I can find!

stickguy

one more stop. Hit the Acura dealer and sat in a TLX in the showroom. Very nice car. good value. super comfy seats. looked very sharp in person. If it drives as nice as it shows, should be a winner.

though the V6 tranny buttons set-up was a bit overdone. At least the 4 cyl has a normal shifter.

Still too rich for my blood, but a few years down the road? Heck yeah it will be on the list!

ab348

jayrider said:

If you like the ride and handling, you can't go wrong with a Fit. Very roomy, cheap to own and great resale.

I gather that on the previous Fit the ride & noise could be pretty bad. Presumably it has gotten better, but it definitely would need a test drive.

stever

iluvmysephia1 said:

Let's do this. Here's one shot of it, stever

Looks good, could definitely see myself in that. Like the wheels too.

stickguy

may be having a change of plans. Partly because I have had no hits on the Volvo, and how nice it cleaned up. If I don't get any action, instead of slashing the price I may just throw new struts/shocks on it, and keep for a while. And sell the old TL instead. That should move quick, I hope.

new suspension will only be = about 3 payments on a lease. Would still be able to go down to no car payments and no spare cars out in the road.

so unless something pops with the Volvo in the next week, on to plan B after we get back from a long weekend mini vacation. I also sound a bottle of touch up paint on my workbench for the TL that I did not know I had. A sign from above.

rae52

ab348, I drive an '11 Fit Sport. Aside from some tire noise on concrete/cement roads, the ride is tuned to be firm so one can toss it into a curve and enjoy themselves. "It is NOT a bad ride!"

iluvmysephia1

Looks good, could definitely see myself in that. Like the wheels too.


We'll eventually meet up in Alamo or over there in Las Cruces. We go there every couple a weeks. Got a bit much going on over here now ta meet up, though.

corvette

stickguy said:

may be having a change of plans. Partly because I have had no hits on the Volvo, and how nice it cleaned up. If I don't get any action, instead of slashing the price I may just throw new struts/shocks on it, and keep for a while.

Does it need new shocks/struts, or the OEM ones aren't firm enough, or both?

corvette

I am in Eureka Springs, AR driving some of the "motorcyclist recommended" backroads in the GLI. When I drove downtown, I think I actually got the DSG transmission to slip the clutch starting on a very steep incline at low speed. I know the traction control kicked in, but I got more of a burnt clutch smell than a burnt tire smell. Oh well, I would've done much worse with an actual stick shift.

stickguy

well, not sure how the OEM ones new compare to the aftermarket ones I would put on. Put at this point, it is mostly that the originals are just worn out. One of them seems to be leaking, probably from the same pothole that my daughter hit that bent the wheel I had to replace!

I could get by with it as is, but I suspect that fresh suspension and bushing stuff would make a major improvement on bad roads.

corvette

My law partner used to have a Maxima with 18" wheels and the original shocks (about 175k on them). It was brutal when it hit even a small pothole.

stickguy

yeah, the Volvo does not like potholes at all. Not bad on smooth roads though!

laurasdada

Saw a couple of interesting license plates today on shiny black cars; two ends of the spectrum:

Mercedes S Class: GIVE
Kia Forte: THNXMA

I would like someone to GIVE me a new MB S Class Coupe and I'd like to thank my MA for putting up with living with three guys talking about baseball, football and cars for so many years!

Or, did I misconstrue the Forte plate and the owner was actually thanking the state of Massachusetts? Of which I am a tax-paying citizen? If so, Mr./Ms. Forte, you are welcome!

corvette

I passed a current Toyota Avalon today and mistook it for a Corolla. It looks more like the same generation Camry than any other generation Avalon (the first gen was smoother and more sculpted than the Camry of the day, the second gen was a lot boxier than the Camry, the third gen was more European looking than the Camry, and the current one is a dead ringer for the Camry and Corolla. Since I mistook it for the smaller car, I guess they did a good job of making it look smaller, as well.

corvette

corvette said:

When I drove downtown, I think I actually got the DSG transmission to slip the clutch starting on a very steep incline at low speed. I know the traction control kicked in, but I got more of a burnt clutch smell than a burnt tire smell.

Must have been the tires. Research indicates that the DSG uses a wet clutch.

carnaught

"I passed a current Toyota Avalon today and mistook it for a Corolla..........and the current one is a dead ringer for the Camry and Corolla."

Hmmm....I don't see that at all, maybe a family resemblance, at most. Certainly nothing like a Mercedes CLA and CLS.

roadburner

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon