Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

Yup Michael - from looking at the VIN decoder, that wagon is loaded well for "its time" but doesn't have blind spot, rear camera, or even parking sensors.

No warranty left either. I'd still be interested, but I like and trust my BMW mechanic.

tifighter

Yeah, I'm liking that find @breld. How much bigger is this than a F30 wagon in terms of interior space, I wonder? I bet they are pretty close.

stickguy

That is a nice looking wagon. But, I'm not in the position to spend that kind of money on a 5 YO car with almost 50K on it, completely on my dime for anything that goes wrong.

the Accord? That is an interesting choice. Not sure what a 2014 leftover would have gone for last month when I was looking. Probably about 20K, with the only problem being you had to find one of the 2 existing in the country at the time!

nice low miles. Knock it down to 16 grand, and we be talking.

stever

breld said:

So....she takes some responsibility, but places most of the blame on the fact that the Ody has a indiscrete warning light and no audible chime to warn of low fuel.

My wife ran errands yesterday and complained that the low fuel light came on as she was nearing home. Then she said she didn't notice the miles to empty gauge since I had it set for the direction and temp. Then she said she missed the plain old gas gauge we had in the Quest.

Er, sweetie, the far left gauge on the dash is the regular gas gauge.

We ran down the hill for some shopping an hour ago and miles to empty was 30 at first, then the Lo Fuel flashing light came on. The station was ~8 miles away. It only held 18.2 gallons (our record on this van is 19.6 iirc).

Kind of a good excuse for a new car though. Maybe next year....

stickguy

If my wife let the car run out of gas, i would leave her there to teach her a lesson. We don't run the cars low in our household.

Mr_Shiftright

Best be careful. Some cars' fuel pumps do not like to run out of gas.

ab348

I have a punch to report!

Was going to buy out the lease on the Buick Regal Turbo now that the lease has ended, but ended up getting something new!

Now have a new 2014 Cadillac ATS4 2.0T, Obsession red, sunroof. Here it is:

slorenzen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Best be careful. Some cars' fuel pumps do not like to run out of gas.

Yep, and after you've heated them up a few times, they will fail you at the WORST times, too.

Like, on the bay bridge at rush hour, or out in eastern Oregon on a secondary road, where you won't see another car for 3-4 hours...

Ask me how I know this...

Sandman6472

Yep, she wants those safety features the Mazda3 I Touring has but wondering, does it have alloys? I am a lover of nice alloy wheels as I really hate those plastic wheel covers that always fall off unless they are bolted on like Honda does...think alloys always give a vehicle a more upscale look. Don't want to go above a 17" wheel either, another reason I didn't like in the Mitsu Outlander Sport SE, 18" wheels which just add to the price when new sneakers are needed. She told me the Accent and Elantra GLS don't have these safety features but wondering if the Elantra Limited does, but that would mean getting a sunroof which I know she don't want. Feature wise, looking like the Mazda3 I Touring checks all the boxes and hopefully there's a charcoal colored one as we don't want another silver vehicle!
The search continues though and really think she'll pull the trigger the last week of December or around Thanksgiving if they have a good sale. One thing she did say was that the Mazda store was pretty empty while the Hyundai place was filled with buyers...gotta tell you something right there! Think their warranty has a lot to do with it plus they are producing some very nice vehicles that people really want, reminds me of Honda back in the early to mid 80's! But really, her Mazda has been pretty reliable and never stranded her...the a/c issues started later on and that's been the major issue as I recall...it's been stellar really.

The Sandman

stickguy

yes, the touring has alloys. 16", so you actually get a decent amount of sidewall too, and cheaper tires. It really is quite loaded.

breld

ab348 said:

I have a punch to report!

Was going to buy out the lease on the Buick Regal Turbo now that the lease has ended, but ended up getting something new!

Now have a new 2014 Cadillac ATS4 2.0T.

Congrats! That looks like a lot of fun. I assume it was a great deal to have swayed you from your first intention of buying out your lease.

corvette

Congrats, ab348, and great photo! We are at 29 cars for the year.

fintail

Congrats! I assume it was a blowout deal, as your Regal had a super cheap purchase. Or did you buy it out and sell it back at a profit? Does the ATS have any cool toys?

ab348 said:

I have a punch to report!

au1994

breld said:

If this would've been available before I bought my 535 earlier this summer....

M-sport 5-wagon

Very nice. Its the 'baby got back' version of my ZHP, right down to the wheels!

nyccarguy

@ab348‌

Mazel-Tov & Congrats on the ATS! I like the color! Enjoy!

ab348

fintail said:

Congrats! I assume it was a blowout deal, as your Regal had a super cheap purchase. Or did you buy it out and sell it back at a profit? Does the ATS have any cool toys?

About $7K off sticker and first lease payment waived. No complaints there. The ATS has polished wheels, sunroof, CUE (which is really cool) and Bose surround sound.

Sandman6472

She has 16" now on the '05 S so if she buys, we can take the locking lug nuts with us for the new one. Mentioned this the other night when she came home from her test drive, why pay for them again since we already have the Mazda locking lugs.

The Sandman

stickguy

anyone want to spot me a few bucks? Because I really, really want this.

stickguy

though since you are paying for it (the royal You), I will take an ecoboost instead to save some money.

Sandman6472

In a turbo engined vehicle, is it better to go with synthetic over dino or does it not make any difference? I was so hesitant about getting the 1.6 ecoboost in the 2014 Escape SE that I passed on it and all the stuff I found online just made me happy with my decision. Have driven a few at the job and some have driven real poorly but suspect that was due to their having so many different drivers. I liked the C-Max I drove across the state better than the Escape and I did play around with getting one but they are a bit on the pricey side. But that was before I got my job so maybe it would've been a good move.

Spoke with some folks at the West Palm Beach gig and am waiting to hear back about the possibility of going back for the season a couple days a week, just not sure. My wife might have a 3 to 4 month accounting gig down in Marathon 8 hours a month starting in December which would entail her sleeping over and of course me doing the driving for her. Could be fun to get away a few times and all I'd have to do is drive like I do now. She won't find out till next week but I said sure, count me in. Not totally sure if I want to get back on the road with that other company but figure for the season, it might be worth it to make a few extra bucks since Hertz is going to keep us at about 24 to 27 hours per week. They sent me home at 1 today since I was over my hours so might be worth it to make an extra couple of hundred a month at West Palm. Will find out by the end of the week and figure I can work Saturdays when not at Hertz and either Sunday and Wednesday or Thursday...I'd like at least one day off and don't want to get exhausted like I did in March and April!

The Sandman

roadburner

Over on the Bob is the Oil Guy site there are a bunch of "experts" discussing the shortcomings of the EcoBoost as well as other turbocharged direct injection engines(of course none of these idiots own one). I think that some turbo/DI motors may have issues but the "problems" are being amplified by these internet know-nothings.
I would run synthetic in any turbo motor; it's cheap insurance. Me, I run synthetic in everything that moves under its own power- including my ZTR mowers.

roadburner

Mustang GT Shootout: 2014 vs. 2015

Michaell

I use semi-synth in the CX-7. Closing in on 60K miles and no issues ... so far.

jayrider

roadburner said:

Mustang GT Shootout: 2014 vs. 2015

The review makes sense but doesn't take into account the emotional aspect of getting the newest, best thing.

graphicguy

Another punch....a Cadillac CTS Performance.......

rayainsw

Wow - 2 Caddys in a week?

Congrats to both 'punchers' - and good luck!

= Ray

Feels like I am falling behind here...

au1994

Nice.

Congrats to both of the recent Caddy punches!

stickguy

Nice compare on the mustang. For probably 95% of buyers 95% of the time! the improvements are worth it. Especially considering you could still up the ante with a performance pack.

Mr_Shiftright

I suspect that those guys cannot accept the fact that the maxim-- "There's No Substitute for Cubic Inches" --has been disproven by modern turbo systems. You'd think that after a Mitsubishi Evo drubbed a Lamborghini on Top Gear, they would have learned.

Old biases die hard after all.

roadburner said:

Over on the Bob is the Oil Guy site there are a bunch of "experts" discussing the shortcomings of the EcoBoost as well as other turbocharged direct injection engines(of course none of these idiots own one). I think that some turbo/DI motors may have issues but the "problems" are being amplified by these internet know-nothings.
I would run synthetic in any turbo motor; it's cheap insurance. Me, I run synthetic in everything that moves under its own power- including my ZTR mowers.

graphicguy

rayainsw said:

Wow - 2 Caddys in a week?

Congrats to both 'punchers' - and good luck!

= Ray

Feels like I am falling behind here...

Get on the stick, Ray. What's wrong with you?

;D

rayainsw

Wrong ?
Lack of funds [ not earmarked
for other worthy causes ]
That's all....
= Ray
Otherwise almost ready . . .

jayrider

rayainsw said:

Wrong ?
Lack of funds [ not earmarked
for other worthy causes ]
That's all....
= Ray
Otherwise almost ready . . .

The lack of funds excuse never stopped me before I retired.

rayainsw

LOL - it actually just slows me down....

= Ray

MIGHT have a test drive scheduled for Sunday.....

ab348

jayrider said:

rayainsw said:

Wrong ?
Lack of funds [ not earmarked
for other worthy causes ]
That's all....
= Ray
Otherwise almost ready . . .

The lack of funds excuse never stopped me before I retired.

Before I retired I was quite frugal in my spending. Always tried to save, pay off my mortgage, drove sensible cars.

Now that I'm retired all heck is breaking loose.

jayrider

ab348 said:

jayrider said:

rayainsw said:

Wrong ?
Lack of funds [ not earmarked
for other worthy causes ]
That's all....
= Ray
Otherwise almost ready . . .

The lack of funds excuse never stopped me before I retired.

Before I retired I was quite frugal in my spending. Always tried to save, pay off my mortgage, drove sensible cars.

Now that I'm retired all heck is breaking loose.

Might as well, the only thing you can take with you is a good meal.

corvette

graphicguy,
What year is your CTS? Looks nice.

roadburner,
I bought a riding lawn mower this year and switched to Mobil 1 at the first oil change. Now that I've relocated, I'm trying to sell the house which necessitated the riding lawn mower, so I guess someone will get a good deal on a very lightly used John Deere.

nyccarguy

What's a good deal? How much would shipping on that sucker be?

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

What's a good deal? How much would shipping on that sucker be?

Wimp. Fly out and drive it home.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

nyccarguy said:

What's a good deal? How much would shipping on that sucker be?

Wimp. Fly out and drive it home.

Lol

ab348

I've created a folder with a few pics of the new 2014 ATS. More to come once the weather improves around here.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5ur3BZejEHGTkg2b3JuNE9RaFU&usp=sharing

stickguy

very sharp. Next time I am nearby, I need to stop at the caddy dealer and scope out a CTS and ATS. Interesting to compare them side by side.

Sandman6472

The wife wants me to ask in here...has anyone ever had an issue with push button start systems? She's seriously considering the Mazda but it's got the push button start and she's just not sure. I drive many at work but don't have to live with one on a daily basis. So any stories, good or bad, please let me know.

The Sandman

suydam

I just love it. It's the first car I've ever had with it and I hope all future ones will.

stickguy

after 2+ years with the Acura, no problems. And you can tell her that mu wife in particular is addicted to it. She would never let me get another car without it. She loves not having to fish in her (overstuffed) pocketbook to find them. Plus, no keyring dangling to hit you in the knee.

once you get it, you don't want to go back.

jayrider

Your keys stay in your pocket or purse. My wife says it has to be on any future car purchase.

stickguy

jay, at the risk of being branded sexist, but I said early on that this was an option geared toward women. Even though I too am quite fond of it, having the keys out is much less of an issue for me.

Sandman6472

She plans to try the Kia Rio, Kia Forte and VW Jetta soon though I've also mentioned the Verano and Cruze just to see what the domestic side is like. Just found out that she's up for a temp accounting job in Marathon, the Keys, starting in December and they will pay her mileage so the time table could be moved up a bit. Her plan is to take me along on a Wednesday morning, work the afternoon and the next morning and then back up to Lauderdale the next afternoon. This would necessitate a stay over night for us so she picked the Wednesday/Thursday days so I could come along and do the driving. Whatever she gets will be more economical than my Tuscon so we'll see. Mentioned that we could take the Tuscon but I'd take the mileage check even though I prefer her to use her own vehicle, as she does also. So hopefully the purchase timetable will be moved up till the Thanksgiving weekend.

She loves the safety things on the Mazda but would like the longer warranty that Hyundai/Kia offers. Not sure what else to look at though. And as of last week, the a/c is no longer functional at all and with just over 136k on the clock, not worth fixing in my opinion since we're going to get [non-permissible content removed] for it anyways. So lots to consider here but if this new temp gig comes through, she'll know Monday when she and her boss go down to get the contracts signed and all, I thinking Thanksgiving weekend might be her new trigger point.

The Sandman

stickguy

the Mazda has 5 years on the powertrain. And you know they are reliable and overall well made, so IMO that is not a big factor. Certainly not something that would lead me to get a lesser car.

stop giving her more things to look at, even though none of them come close dynamically to the Mazda. Just drop subtle hints about how great it is!

Darn, I think I am getting emotionally involved here. If she ends up with something like a Rio, and may have a breakdown!

stickguy

go with "safety things that will be looking out for you every time you drive, or a warranty 6 years from now that you probably won't even use"

jayrider

stickguy said:

jay, at the risk of being branded sexist, but I said early on that this was an option geared toward women. Even though I too am quite fond of it, having the keys out is much less of an issue for me.

Risk away. I love the push button start as well. I'm not happy that my 40k msrp LaCrosse has a standard key. They cheaped out on me ----- the deal was great so I let it slide ---THIS time.