Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ab348

graphicguy said:

Mentioned awhile ago my best friend ordered a new Corvette. I went with him last night to pick it up.....
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EYuGjZmxZsXFA


Outstanding job Chevrolet!

I just cannot get used to black alloy wheels. Seems counter-intuitive. I think they look like cheap aftermarket jobs.

Was at the dealer today getting some work done on the Regal and this was in the showroom - I believe it is a 2004. There was nobody there to ask about it, but I assume it was the owner's personal car being offered for sale.

BTW, this is the place I mentioned earlier that also tries to sell Cadillacs out of this facility. You can see the customer service waiting area and sales cubicles in the background. Pretty pedestrian.

andre1969

I saw a couple of the current-gen Corvettes in person at the GM show in Carlisle PA this past summer. I'll admit, I wasn't impressed at first, from pics I've seen...for one thing, I just think a Corvette needs hidden headlights. But, the car was a LOT more impressive in person. It definitely looked like a quality car. I guess the old saying was true...GM really CAN move fast when its [non-permissible content removed] is up in the air!

stever

"However, in part thanks to new design regulations regarding pedestrian safety, hidden headlamps have largely become a thing of the past."

Whatever Happened to Pop-Up Headlights? (Slate)

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Mentioned awhile ago my best friend ordered a new Corvette. I went with him last night to pick it up.....
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EYuGjZmxZsXFA


Outstanding job Chevrolet!

The new Vette has to be one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen. Who can loan me the 85 large?

brian125

GM, says its new high performance 2015, ZO6 can hit 60 mph in 2.95 seconds and can finish a quarter mile in just under 11 sec.

There's a catch here, and it's a big catch: those crazy numbers are with the new 8-speed automatic. The 7-speed manual-equipped Z06 does zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds.

gee I hate to lose those few 1/10 of a seconds and have a soccer mom pass me.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Mentioned awhile ago my best friend ordered a new Corvette. I went with him last night to pick it up.....
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EYuGjZmxZsXFA


Outstanding job Chevrolet!

I just cannot get used to black alloy wheels. Seems counter-intuitive. I think they look like cheap aftermarket jobs.

Was at the dealer today getting some work done on the Regal and this was in the showroom - I believe it is a 2004. There was nobody there to ask about it, but I assume it was the owner's personal car being offered for sale.

BTW, this is the place I mentioned earlier that also tries to sell Cadillacs out of this facility. You can see the customer service waiting area and sales cubicles in the background. Pretty pedestrian.

Nice looking C-5. I think it's aged well. Hard to find a Corvette that didn't from the looks department.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

The new Vette has to be one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen. Who can loan me the 85 large?

I can loan you the money for the car, but you're on your own for the mandatory gold chains and spray tan...

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

I know that most employers won't hire for more than 29 hours any more to avoid the cost of providing mandated health insurance but 24 seems a bit extreme. I feel sorry for young folks just starting out.

I just started the first job I ever had which provides health insurance. The other places I've worked were too small to have such a luxury.

laurasdada

Holy premium unleaded gas, Batman! The Costco gas station near me just opened. Premium (93) is 22-30+ cents/gallon less than even the no name brand stations in the area! Time to join Costco!?

js06gv

Our Costco was 20+ cents cheaper than anyone else for regular too, at least earlier in the week. The travel app in my truck's infotainment system reports fuel prices. Sometimes it isn't 100% accurate but it was for Costco. Was worth the couple mile drive out of the way to fill up there.

xwesx

laurasdada said:

Holy premium unleaded gas, Batman! The Costco gas station near me just opened. Premium (93) is 22-30+ cents/gallon less than even the no name brand stations in the area! Time to join Costco!?

There's a trade-off, though. You have to risk life and limb, as well as wait in line thirty minutes to get your fuel! LOL

brian125

laurasdada said:

Holy premium unleaded gas, Batman! The Costco gas station near me just opened. Premium (93) is 22-30+ cents/gallon less than even the no name brand stations in the area! Time to join Costco!?

@laurasdada

Riddle me this?????????................... Why don't you have the Costco card already.

If you apply for the Costco amex card and use it for gas/ anything in the store you get money back on top of the best gas price in your area.

Being a member you will get to use the tire center. Every few months you will see a 80 dollar off coupon for a set of Michelins , Goodyear, etc. Not a bad deal. And they fill up tires with nitrogen and have full roadside hazard on all there tires. Free balance and tire rotation every 6k. The only problem is the selection is limited.

When my two boys lived at home we took full advantage of Costco tires for there vehicles. My one son would have all four tires replaced each year due to the roads and how he drove.

While your signing up drop the raffle ticket off for that new zo6 vet sitting in the front of the store.

ab348

What does a membership cost?

xwesx

ab348 said:

What does a membership cost?

Boom!

oldfarmer50

sb55 said:

Oldfarmer said:

Interesting you went to Cobleskill in the 70s. That was about the time I gave myself a self-taught Horticulture degree from there by obtaining the reading list for the courses and obtaining all the books on the sly from the campus bookstore. Told them I was buying the books for a sick relative who couldn't make it himself. They were probably just glad to make the sale.

I actually got a "Animal Husbandry" degree. I was a dairy farmer for a while after graduation. Too many 4:00 am milkings got pretty old fast when I was in my 20's. My next job was in a factory in NYC. Big change, and I commuted for 30 years. I ended up buying the company and I was able to semi-retire before age 55 after I sold it in 2007. My wife thinks that we work harder at our Vermont summer cottage rental business than we ever did before. (It has morphed/grown into a 6 month rental season). But, I love it and can "putter" all day.

Ain't nobody that works harder than a dairy farmer...no way, no how.

oldfarmer50

Worth it or not?

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/4684627299.html

I've always been intrigued by the 1 series even though the last time I was at the auto show the snobby salesman wouldn't let me sit in it to see if I fit.

kyfdx

Interesting problem.. someone have any information for this guy?

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/30041/porsche/x/junk-title-porsche#latest

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

Worth it or not?

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/4684627299.html

I've always been intrigued by the 1 series even though the last time I was at the auto show the snobby salesman wouldn't let me sit in it to see if I fit.

Nice car. I like it a whole lot better at $19K, though!

Mr_Shiftright

I sent him the Colorado instructions for filing for Salvage Title. I also warned him that a late model Porsche with a Salvage title would be worth no more than a parts car, and that Colorado actually stamps the words "Rebuilt from Salvage" right into the door frame. That'll be an interesting selling point. Poor guy, sounds like he got screwed big time. We gotta always remember the "if it sounds too good to be true..." mantra.

kyfdx said:

Interesting problem.. someone have any information for this guy?

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/30041/porsche/x/junk-title-porsche#latest

oldfarmer50

Re: corvette discussion.

http://www.powernationtv.com/post/corvette-z06-sprints-to-60-mph-in-less-than-3-seconds

stickguy

Now I am confused again. Had some time so stopped at Honda. Drove an accord sport. Liked it much better than the ex. Did some twistie roads, and had surprising grip and firm steering. A little harder ride, but that us a good thing. Still far from rough. Very nice seats too. And looks sharper.

Also sat in a Camry SE. Not bad. But not as nice.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

Worth it or not?

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/4684627299.html

I've always been intrigued by the 1 series even though the last time I was at the auto show the snobby salesman wouldn't let me sit in it to see if I fit.

Well, the owner is either a liar or a moron. The 1 Series is not as common as a 3 Series, but they certainly aren't "rare" - especially in automatic guise. On top of that, there is no such thing as an "M3 Package." There is an M Sport package, but this car doesn't have it. Oh yeah, there is a Check Control warning in the picture of the cluster- note the red triangle in the odometer display. I'd pass...

roadburner

I keep coming back to the 2010 Challenger SRT8 that is at a CJD dealer in the same group as my BMW dealer. Low miles, stick, no sunroof, and with nearly 3 years and 86k miles of CPO warranty left. And qbrozen advises that at $29,997 it is priced extremely low.

oldfarmer50

"...I'd pass..."

Good eye. Could that symbol show if he just had the key turned to acc. Or is that a specific light that would only show when running? What's a "check control" light mean?

I'd need someone like you to go with me before I'd ever buy a BMW out of warranty. I wouldn't know a M sport package from a pack of M&Ms.

qbrozen

That was exactly how my 1 was equipped. He's also incorrect about it having every option since it is missing iDrive. I've honestly forgotten what that exclamation point could mean. I believe it could be any number of things, including low windshield washer fluid or low tire pressure. A more serious problem would display a more serious light. It is a decent price with those miles, but I'll warn you now that these things are pretty damned fragile in my experience. Expect to see extra lights on that dash very very often.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

"...I'd pass..."

Good eye. Could that symbol show if he just had the key turned to acc. Or is that a specific light that would only show when running? What's a "check control" light mean?

I'd need someone like you to go with me before I'd ever buy a BMW out of warranty. I wouldn't know a M sport package from a pack of M&Ms.

Like qbrozen said, it could mean a number of things, you click to a menu in the cluster called
"Check Control" and it tells you what the issue is.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

That was exactly how my 1 was equipped. He's also incorrect about it having every option since it is missing iDrive. I've honestly forgotten what that exclamation point could mean. I believe it could be any number of things, including low windshield washer fluid or low tire pressure. A more serious problem would display a more serious light. It is a decent price with those miles, but I'll warn you now that these things are pretty damned fragile in my experience. Expect to see extra lights on that dash very very often.

That's why I'd most likely lease a new one and turn it back before the dash started flashing on my dime.

A coworker bought a 2006 3 series which just hit 100k. Major transmission problem which multiple dealer visits and $8,000 haven't been able to fix. They don't seem to age well.

stickguy

They can, but you want one that had OCD maintenance done. They don't like to be neglected.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

That was exactly how my 1 was equipped. He's also incorrect about it having every option since it is missing iDrive. I've honestly forgotten what that exclamation point could mean. I believe it could be any number of things, including low windshield washer fluid or low tire pressure. A more serious problem would display a more serious light. It is a decent price with those miles, but I'll warn you now that these things are pretty damned fragile in my experience. Expect to see extra lights on that dash very very often.

That's why I'd most likely lease a new one and turn it back before the dash started flashing on my dime.

A coworker bought a 2006 3 series which just hit 100k. Major transmission problem which multiple dealer visits and $8,000 haven't been able to fix. They don't seem to age well.

That's a dealer problem- not the vehicle. A rebuilt transmission from BMW for that car is $4500- so the dealer has picked that guys pocket for over $3,000 at the very least. My son's 2004 X3 is nearing 170k miles with no transmission problems. Ever. Come to think of it, out of the ten BMWs I've owned, only one has required transmission work; my 1973 Bavaria's four speed manual needed to be rebuilt because a prior owner used the wrong oil- and not enough of it at that...

Michaell

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

That was exactly how my 1 was equipped. He's also incorrect about it having every option since it is missing iDrive. I've honestly forgotten what that exclamation point could mean. I believe it could be any number of things, including low windshield washer fluid or low tire pressure. A more serious problem would display a more serious light. It is a decent price with those miles, but I'll warn you now that these things are pretty damned fragile in my experience. Expect to see extra lights on that dash very very often.

That's why I'd most likely lease a new one and turn it back before the dash started flashing on my dime.

A coworker bought a 2006 3 series which just hit 100k. Major transmission problem which multiple dealer visits and $8,000 haven't been able to fix. They don't seem to age well.

That's a dealer problem- not the vehicle. A rebuilt transmission from BMW for that car is $4500- so the dealer has picked that guys pocket for over $3,000 at the very least. My son's 2004 X3 is nearing 170k miles with no transmission problems. Ever. Come to think of it, out of the ten BMWs I've owned, only one has required transmission work; my 1973 Bavaria's four speed manual needed to be rebuilt because a prior owner used the wrong oil- and not enough of it at that...

My sister has a 2006 (?) 330i ZHP with over 130K on it and I don't think she's had any transmission issues with it.

stickguy

After discussing our car situation with the wife, we have come up with a new plan (can't wait til the kid hears it!). After thinking about how infrequently she actually would have to make the 8 hour drive home, the need for a new (or nearly new) car is less than I thought. Plus, at the beginning or end of the year, we would be going to with the RDX to tote all the junk, so I could drive along in the Volvo. maybe 1 time a year (at Xmas) she would need to solo (with some riders, so not alone just not with us!). So if the first time I need to worry is December, 2015, I ain't worried.

the Volvo would be better to be sitting in a student lot. Already pre-dented, dinged and scratch from being at HS for 1.5 years. Will not be getting much use, mostly running around local to shopping and off campus activities (of which she has a few already). So might as well use the known quantity vs. buying some other used car that I have to debug.

Plus, I just got back from a 300ish mile trip to NY to visit my dad. Volvo did just fine. Cruised right along, and even got 33 MPG (per the TC) on the highway run up, and 31 overall running around town. But man, that front end is terrible on bad road patches. Cringe at the banging and crashing.

so, I was going to do that anyway if keeping it for me. So will get new struts and bushings all around. And while it is in, might as well get the rest of the upcoming maintenance done a little early. Timing belt, water pump, rear brake pads, brake/trans fluid change. Do all that, and it should be good for plenty of more (hopefully reliable) miles. and will drive much better.

Plus, now that I detailed it in and out, actually looks pretty good. Stereo works well too.

worst case, it gets needy, and I dump it later. Best case, it doesn't cause any real problems, and gets her through to graduation.

stickguy

oh, part II to "the plan" is that I just need a car purely for me, sometime between now and New Years when she would be taking it back (or I would drop it off at the end of January).

since the current short list has 4 2015s, no rush there and year-end sales makes sense. the other is a 2014 Accord Sport, and that would be a this week decision. At least with college duty out of the mix, I have a bunch more option. Even a manual if I really wanted to!

The remaining question will be do I buy or lease for me. Lease of course maximizes cash flow. But buying is cheaper for a keeper.

Daughter will be perturbed, something that teenage girls are good at. But if the choice is Volvo or ride the bus and bum rides, she will live with it. The new suspension should make her happy.

roadburner

stick- your reasoning is the same as mine- let the kid have the oldest most miled-up car. It should easily last for a few more years at that level of use...

stickguy

I agree RB. My only worry is a 105# girl with a broken down car on the side of 95. That road from Richmond through Delaware is just evil. So, not actually having to do the drive makes it much easier to justify taking the Volvo, and basically leaving it in NC.

stickguy

and just out of curiosity, I just ran the #s on a buy vs. lease scenario on the Accord Sport. based on the lease deals (and $1,500 lease cash), and using the same sales price and .9%/60 financing deal, leasing and buying it out (assuming the full buyout + DMV fees + tax being financed at 2.9%, which I would not do) actually comes out cheaper than putting down a modest amount (4K) and financing the rest for 5 years).

so I can put down $3,500 less now, pay it off over 6 years instead of 5, and pay less in total over those 6 (counting interest) with better than $100 lower payments the first 3 years (aka the college years)? Plus, a "give it back and walk away" out after 36 months. In this case, really seems like a no brainer to me to take the lease even if I am planning to buy it.

roadburner

stickguy said:

I agree RB. My only worry is a 105# girl with a broken down car on the side of 95. That road from Richmond through Delaware is just evil. So, not actually having to do the drive makes it much easier to justify taking the Volvo, and basically leaving it in NC.

I see your point; we do have AAA Plus and my son has enough automotive knowledge that he wouldn't do something totally stupid- but it's still a concern.

Michaell

The hailstorm that damaged the MINI last Monday was pretty large. A "catastrophe Crew" was dispatched to Denver to handle the large volume of claims.

Took it in today for the evaluation - will get the estimate tomorrow. Hood (bonnet) will be replaced completely. Roof, front quater panel and both drivers side doors need repairs.

I'm guessing 5 figures for eveything to be fixed.

The good news is that my daughters' office mate has an extra car that she might loan her - late model Camaro convertible. That would be interesting.

oldfarmer50

"...daughter will be perturbed..."

Tell her she is entering the real world where she is no longer a princess and this is how people in the real world get by.

stickguy

she probably figured anything better was too good to be true. And last time she was telling me how much she needed a car, and I mentioned letting her "borrow" the Volvo, she wanted to take me up on it. The old, anything is better than nothing concept.

corvette

V70R manual, probably not very many of these imported?

stickguy

Not common for sure, but I have seen them around. Silver is blah, but I love the blue interior. that one does look clean. would want a serious PDI by an expert (there are some expensive systems like the AWD that can be problematic). Knock a couple grand more off, and I'm in!

stickguy

I did drive a V60 stick some years ago. Quite the hot rod. Drove like a Swedish muscle car. quite fun.

qbrozen

the V70R 6-spd is fairly rare, but I've definitely seen several for sale (because I frequent that board, though).

Went and filled up the Fit this morn. OBC was at 41.7, my calculation showed 39.83. So the computer is about 5% generous. PLUS, the speedometer is a bit generous (as in all Hondas), so Reality may be closer to 38.

stickguy

Still not bad

When I was at the hinds dealer Saturday in NY, they had 5 or 6 on the main lot. No clue how many at satellite lot. All were EX or Exl models with a roof. So much for basic transportation.

1 red like yours. Looked good in person. Rest were black of silver of course.

breld

Stick - I really liked the Accord Sport when I drove it. No sunroof though - something you certainly value. If you can get okay with that, it's a great car for the money.

laurasdada

Holy price per gallon inflation, Batman! Previously posted bargain priced Costco PUG has jumped .14/gallon! I wonder if there was a one week "Grand Opening" price? Still, .10/gal less than next least expensive that I"m aware of, but is it worth paying $50/yr? I'm not sure I need the rest of Costco services, but I'll evaluate. Shouldn't be needing new tires for at least a few years, XF sneakers only have ~9500 miles on 'em. Not shopping for a family, so no 5 gallon just of mayo required...

nyccarguy

@stickguy


The Legacy is my first car since my 1st (1992 Beretta GT) car to not have a sunroof. I did use it a lot in the BMW and in my Prelude, but 1 week into ownership and I don't miss it thus far.

A few things I'm starting to notice (good and not so good) since the Legacy has become my daily driver a little more than a week ago:

The Legacy has proved itself to be a great commuter. It soaks up bumps and road imperfections nicely. The ride is smooth, but not floaty at all. This AM, it was 42 degrees when I left so the seat heaters proved their worth even on the lowest setting. I really like the small, leather wrapped steering wheel. The Bluetooth and Voice Recognition work fantastic.

I got 482.8 miles on my 1st tank of gas. The car took 17.069 gallons (18.5 Gallon Tank) of 87 octane ($3.559) for an average of 28.29 mpg. So I should be able to easily achieve 500 mile tanks.

The 3 things I've noticed so far that bug me are:

The placement of the clock. I've got to take my eyes off the road and look down to see what time it is.

No lever on the inside of the trunk. I'm used to having a small handle on the inside of the trunk to close it. Now I've got to put my hands on the car's dirty trunk to close it.

Distance to Empty: This AM I get into the car and it says my DTE is 40 miles. Plenty for me to get to work, then up to Costco this afternoon on my way home. I jump on 95 (3.5 miles from my house and now the DTE is down to 30 miles. Ok, fine, it will stay steady or go back up. I'm still fine with my original plan. The whole trip down 95, it reads 30 miles. All of the sudden, I look down and it goes from 30 to - - - -. So I stop for gas when I get off the highway. No big deal. I'm just used to my BMW and my wife's Pilot which let you run the car all the way down:) Now I know for the future.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@stickguy


The Legacy is my first car since my 1st (1992 Beretta GT) car to not have a sunroof. I did use it a lot in the BMW and in my Prelude, but 1 week into ownership and I don't miss it thus far.

A few things I'm starting to notice (good and not so good) since the Legacy has become my daily driver a little more than a week ago:

The Legacy has proved itself to be a great commuter. It soaks up bumps and road imperfections nicely. The ride is smooth, but not floaty at all. This AM, it was 42 degrees when I left so the seat heaters proved their worth even on the lowest setting. I really like the small, leather wrapped steering wheel. The Bluetooth and Voice Recognition work fantastic.

I got 482.8 miles on my 1st tank of gas. The car took 17.069 gallons (18.5 Gallon Tank) of 87 octane ($3.559) for an average of 28.29 mpg. So I should be able to easily achieve 500 mile tanks.

The 3 things I've noticed so far that bug me are:

The placement of the clock. I've got to take my eyes off the road and look down to see what time it is.

No lever on the inside of the trunk. I'm used to having a small handle on the inside of the trunk to close it. Now I've got to put my hands on the car's dirty trunk to close it.

Distance to Empty: This AM I get into the car and it says my DTE is 40 miles. Plenty for me to get to work, then up to Costco this afternoon on my way home. I jump on 95 (3.5 miles from my house and now the DTE is down to 30 miles. Ok, fine, it will stay steady or go back up. I'm still fine with my original plan. The whole trip down 95, it reads 30 miles. All of the sudden, I look down and it goes from 30 to - - - -. So I stop for gas when I get off the highway. No big deal. I'm just used to my BMW and my wife's Pilot which let you run the car all the way down:) Now I know for the future.

Subaru and Hyundai must source their DTE equipment from the same vendor. My E-GT does exactly the same thing ... DTE goes from 30 to --- on the display.

Wife's Mazda shows numbers all the way to 0.

ab348

On the DTE... I wonder if the computer needs more mileage to give it a better sense of driving patterns and gas mileage.

Michaell

ab348 said:

On the DTE... I wonder if the computer needs more mileage to give it a better sense of driving patterns and gas mileage.

Nope .. I've got almost 18,000 miles on my Hyundai, and every tank behaves the same with regards to the DTE calculation.