Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

The SRT8 Saga continues; I did a bit of digging and found I can upgrade the stock sound system to the optional level with a Mopar kit. Pretty easy to do and less than $1,000. Since we got hit with 3" of snow I doubt that anyone is looking at RWD Hemis with summer tires. So I have a diabolical plan...

The sled has been on the lot since late July; I credit the presence of three pedals and the lack of a hole in the roof- which are major pluses for me. If it is still there on Black Friday I'm making them a take it or leave it offer- and part of the deal will be that they sell me the upgrade kit at dealer cost. If they take it, fine. If not? Well, my latest oil analysis shows the Mazda's engine is in excellent shape after 146k miles- so I'll wait until something else strikes my fancy...

stickguy

Steve, while the $ hurts to do in one shot, there is something to be said for not having to worry about problems and just enjoying nice new stuff, and not having to worry about replacing anything.

xwesx

stickguy said:

Steve, while the $ hurts to do in one shot, there is something to be said for not having to worry about problems and just enjoying nice new stuff, and not having to worry about replacing anything.

No there's not! What is this guy talking about?!

stevedebi

stickguy said:

Steve, while the $ hurts to do in one shot, there is something to be said for not having to worry about problems and just enjoying nice new stuff, and not having to worry about replacing anything.

Yeah, that is one advantage to counter two payments... they were about 6 months apart FWIW.

Sandman6472

Well, saw 2 charcoal 3's om the way to work and it is really dark so it'll be the Liquid Silver I suspect. Wife's real busy with work right now, she's just signed on with Intuit to work for them part time from home during tax season fielding questions from consumers. Don't know all the details yet. And her boss decided he wants to do the Marathon gig after all...think his wife is behind that since she heard I went down with my wife and plan to do it every month...so he is taking that gig over. I think next week will be the week and they have already sold the vehicle she wanted. Her sales lady is cool with this as she knows we're going to purchase from her now. And after this, we're out of the market until I help my oldest once her Versa hits 100k, in about 40k miles. LuckilyI do get to drive almost everything under the sun at work!

The Sandman

corvette

I wouldn't worry about the one you like selling, especially with a popular trim level. They can do a dealer trade without incurring a lot of expense with any dealer within about half a day's drive--they just have to pay someone (or possibly two people) to drive to the other dealer and come back. The dealer got my GLI from a dealer in Ohio.

nyccarguy

Speaking of the Challenger. I just built my own R/T on the Dodge website:

6 - Speed Stick
Cold Weather Group
Super Track Pack
Driver Convenience Group

$34,575 MSRP

Incentives? Oh yeah baby!

$1,000 regional bonus cash
$1,000 USAA rebate

Yummy!

Mr_Shiftright

yeah but does it have 470 HP?

nyccarguy

No, but what is the standard issue 5.7L HEMI? 375 horsepower. That's about 200 more hp than my Legacy. I'm sure I could make it work:)

Mr_Shiftright

Man never satisfied. Man need MORE power.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

Man never satisfied. Man need MORE power.

Which is why the Hellcat exists!

rayainsw

The Challenger's 6.4L V8 is rated at 485HP & 475TQ.
= Ray
More than I can justify.....

jpp75

@sandman_6472‌

Congrats on the Mazda 3, by far the best choice and your wife will be happy for another 10 years!

jpp75

Michaell said:

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your impending purchase!

Like stick, the only down side is that you're out of the market, so no more looking / thinking / buying stories for the time being.

Who's next? breld, you've been awfully quiet lately. I know you've been looking, any chance you'll pull the trigger soon?

I'd be next if I could get rid of this Fusion.

tifighter

Should I be embarrassed to admit to liking this one?
12 Cayenne

Special ordered?

qbrozen

why would that embarrass you? I mean, other than the ridiculous price and awful color combo, I like it.

tifighter

The classic "its a manual, its worth nothing for trade" and "its a manual, its worth everything at sale" dealer tactic.

nyccarguy

tifighter said:

Should I be embarrassed to admit to liking this one?
12 Cayenne

Special ordered?

Don't be embarrassed, but be forewarned that you'll have to get cozy with the service manager at the dealership. Looks like the tires are fairly new. You should get 20K - 25K out of a set of those 21" wheels. In the next 15K miles that DI engine is going to need new plugs, brakes, various filters, & an oil change.

Porsche parts aren't cheap & their service depts are damn expensive.

roadburner

rayainsw said:

The Challenger's 6.4L V8 is rated at 485HP & 475TQ.
= Ray
More than I can justify.....

That's why I'm looking at a 2010 6.1- it only makes 425 hp...

jayrider

Mr_Shiftright said:

Man never satisfied. Man need MORE power. <

Especially man with Low T.

stickguy

RB, that is obviously dangerous to drive on public roads. I would not even dare trying to merge on the highway with only 425.

the only solution is to immediately put on a supercharger after you finish upgrading the tin can and string stereo. That should get you up near 600, which might be just enough to keep up with traffic.

rayainsw

'only 425' LOL

nyccarguy

@Michaell‌

Thanks again for your help!

sda

Nycarguy, great reviews in Consumer Reports and USA Today about the 2015 Legacy. If I was in the market it would be on my list. Just turned 27000 miles this morning, after 14 months on my 13 Accord EX. Been a pleasure to own and drive so far.

nyccarguy

@sda‌

I can't say enough good things about my Legacy. I definitely made a smart decision buying it. I'm starting to see more and more of them on the road.

How's your Pilot treating you?

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell‌ Thanks again for your help!

Did they pull the trigger?

nyccarguy

No. Not yet. It's my best friend who just leased a 2015 Tahoe LT for himself 2 weeks ago (after trading in his leased Wrangler that he had for 6 months). I'll post more when more info is available.

stickguy

Bradd, you are making me regret not just going with the Legacy. I got distracted by all the shiny toys. Which I might regret the first time we get 2" of snow and I can't get out of the driveway thanks to the lousy in the snow tires!

nyccarguy

What kind of tires does it have?

stickguy

Hankook. it is a Korean thing. From digging around on the Net, some of them are rated quite poorly in the snow (fine overall in wet and dry though). The Optima ones were bad, but CR has another model (Ventus?) as above average, so who knows.
'
these are a brand new design ("Kinergy GT with Kontrol technology"). literally just appeared on Tirerack today, and no reviews to be found anywhere. So I guess I will find out the first time it snows. They seem fine in the dry. Not noisy, handling seems good, no squeals when I pushed a little on a winding road. So should be fine if they handle snow OK (not that I plan to drive in it much even if it does snow a lot again).

Hopefully they would have learned something and improved the winter capabilities with a new design.

I guess most important aspect? That they have good tread life, so I don't have to replace them before I turn the lease back in!

this is them. They do look stylish at least.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Kinergy+GT&partnum=155VR7H436&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Hyundai&autoYear=2015&autoModel=Sonata&autoModClar=Limited

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

No. Not yet. It's my best friend who just leased a 2015 Tahoe LT for himself 2 weeks ago (after trading in his leased Wrangler that he had for 6 months). I'll post more when more info is available.

Ooooohh...that hit had to be painful.

nyccarguy

No. He got out of it relatively clean.

jayrider

stickguy said:

Hankook. it is a Korean thing. From digging around on the Net, some of them are rated quite poorly in the snow (fine overall in wet and dry though). The Optima ones were bad, but CR has another model (Ventus?) as above average, so who knows.
'
these are a brand new design ("Kinergy GT with Kontrol technology"). literally just appeared on Tirerack today, and no reviews to be found anywhere. So I guess I will find out the first time it snows. They seem fine in the dry. Not noisy, handling seems good, no squeals when I pushed a little on a winding road. So should be fine if they handle snow OK (not that I plan to drive in it much even if it does snow a lot again).

Hopefully they would have learned something and improved the winter capabilities with a new design.

I guess most important aspect? That they have good tread life, so I don't have to replace them before I turn the lease back in!

Just came back from adding air to all 8 tires in the garage -- now my knees are killing me. A nice cup of coffee, two Tylenol and a donut will put me back to normal.

nyccarguy

Stick

You made a fantastic choice. You leased, so in 3 years you'll be done (& done with paying for college too). You didn't just get "a few" shiny toys, you got them all - Pano Roof, Navigation, Heated Steering Wheel (I think that's what you said). You don't need to worry about long term reliability or durability. You'll be done with tuition payments and damn near close to paying off the RDX, so you can focus on something YOU really want (That you can blow me off the road with while I'm still driving my 175 hp Legacy with no sunroof )

stickguy

Oh part of the plan getting thus was to pay off the RDX early. I don't want two payments. Just haven't quite gotten around to it yet!

sda

It has been a true Honda. Regular maintenance, no issues. Wife loves it. We had an 06, a car in between. She says it is like having an old friend back, but only better. My only gripe is gas mileage. Even thou only 2wd, 17 around town and rare to get much more than 22 mpg highway. Runs great, however.

I can't say enough good things about my Legacy. I definitely made a smart decision buying it. I'm starting to see more and more of them on the road.

How's your Pilot treating you?

nyccarguy

@sda‌

We've got a little over 56K on the odometer. Full synthetic oil changes, a set of brakes, tires. Ours is a gas sucker too. My wife does mostly in town driving and averages 16 mpg. There have been quite a few tankfuls in the 13 & 14 mpg range.

The Pilot never faired very well in any "3 row SUV Comparo Tests," but it hits all the right buttons for us. We bought it a few months before our daughter was born (she's going to be 3 in 2 weeks). It fit 3 Britax Marathon car seats across the 2nd row (using 3 sets of LATCHes), and even a set of LATCHes on one of the 3rd row seats. Lots of passenger room & cargo room. 4WD capability.

My biggest problem isn't the poor fuel mileage per say. I just wish it had longer range. 360 miles on a vehicle of its size it just unacceptable.

My wife doesn't love it. She'd rather be driving a car, Pilots are literally all over the place (especially in Polished Metal Metallic).

It is a keeper though. We are only about a year & a half away from paying it off.

stickguy

range ticks me off too. Biggest issue with the RDX. a 16 gallon tank on that is just not enough. 250 miles around town, and down below 1/4 tank. Even a good highway run (where I might get an honest 28) is still in the low 300s. I would have to run it until the light came on and hypermile to 30 to even sniff 400.

Big difference to the Sonata (ditto the legacy). An easy low-mid 30s on a highway run, off an 18.5 gallon tank, is camel territory! Heck, I picked up mine 11 days ago (will be 2 weeks saturday!) and the MTE counter just finally dropped below 300 today.

I use the N. Carolina test. My daughter's school is about 440 miles away. If a car can't reach that without stopping (or be sucking fumes at the end) it doesn't have enough range.

stickguy

oh, even with that gripe, we still love the RDX. that is on at least the 10 year plan. Just going to try and scale back a bit on the heavy duty miles piling on, shifting as many trips to the new car as possible. As long as we aren't taking everything we old, why not? I am paying for the miles, might as well use them!

nyccarguy

I dig being a Subaru owner. It's almost what I'd imagine BMW ownership used to be before they started leasing out "the ultimate driving machine" to anybody with $2500 & $349 per month. I definitely see more than my fair share of 50, 60, & 70 year old drivers behind the wheel of Subies. I've also gotten a few "thumbs up" & "peace signs" from WRX & STI owners.

Tonight on my way home I passed a 2015 Outback. After I passed him, I flashed my hazards 1x to say thank-you. A little further up the road, he needed to squeeze in to avoid a left lane camper. I backed off the gas, flashed my brights to give him the OK to pass. It's nice to have camaraderie on the road. I get it while driving my Prelude from Integra & Older Accord drivers. I never felt I while I had my 328xi.

stickguy

I still feel guilty not getting the Sube. maybe for the next one I'll go for a WRX. Unless they get smart, an reissue a new version Legacy GT!

breld

Maybe if you never had looked at the Sonata, stick. But given that, I think if you would've gone with the Legacy, you would be thinking about the features you missed out on with the Hyundai, just like you're thinking about the Legacy now.

I guess what I'm saying is, both you and Bradd did great! Can't really go wrong - and if you had gone with the Legacy also, there wouldn't be as much variety on our forum here!

sda

I agree with both of you about lack of range, especially since I can get an easy 450 out of the Accord and still have1/8-1/4 tank left. Even with my 400 miles that I travel weekly for my work commute I only fill up once a week. Our Pilot is Bali blue. See plenty of those too. 62000 miles, 51000 when we got it in January .

stickguy said:

range ticks me off too. Biggest issue with the RDX. a 16 gallon tank on that is just not enough. 250 miles around town, and down below 1/4 tank. Even a good highway run (where I might get an honest 28) is still in the low 300s.

Sandman6472

Wife called on the way to work, the "a/t" light came on but about 10 minutes later, it went off. Told her it's time, she said yep, I want the Mazda so told her to call her sales lady and see if she can find us a silver I Touring with the added things we want. Told her if that price quote was an otd one, then we'd come on in by Saturday and do the deal. She mentioned that she likes the Rio size but wants the safety stuff but she doesn't like the A3 price point...said the logical choice is the Mazda. So, hopefully they can locate a silver one for her and then we're going to buy! Hoping to test drive tomorrow afternoon with a Saturday pick up but could even do a Saturday/Sunday pick up at this point. The time has finally come!!!


The Sandman

xwesx

I don't have any issues with a per-tank range at 350-400 miles. I mean, it would be *nice* to have a longer range, but I don't think those are too short. Perhaps it is a matter of perspective:

I've never had a vehicle with more range than that, so why should I pine for it? My C20 and Econoline had me looking for the next fill after 200-250 miles, so I was thrilled when we bought our 1996 Outback and were able to drive *at least* 100 miles further without a second thought. The fact that every car since then has had the same practical range as that does not bother me one bit.

Now, after I get a diesel to replace my Fiesta one of these days, I'll probably have a different perspective on this whole range thing.

Sandman6472

When full, the range of the Tucson is at 367 miles which isn't that bad though 400 would be so much better. I usually do a 60 mile round trip when I go to work, 3 days one week and 3.5 days the following one and can usually go 10 days before a fill up since I don't drive much on my n/s days. Now that we're about ready to purchase the Skyactive Mazda3, hope to be putting miles on that puppy when we're both home. Hopefully the range will be closer to 500 but will have to see once we fill the tank. Haven't driven one yet and told the wife I will drive the one she intends to purchase since she's the one that needs to be happy here.

The Sandman

stickguy

well, local when the MPG falls into the 17/18 range, on a 16 gallon tank the light will be on well before 250 miles. Plus I never try to let it go below 1/4 tank, so effectively that is a 12 gallon comfort zone!

Sandy, you are right. It is time. Get in there and get a deal done.

nyccarguy

@sandman_6472‌

The A/T light is a sign from above! Let's punch that card! Hopefully your wife will be OK until Saturday. Keep us posted on the details & you know we want pics once you take delivery. The Mazda 3 is a fantastic car.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell‌

Thanks again for your help!

Did they pull the trigger?

He pulled the trigger. So the original "deal" was $1000 Down and $759 per month (39 months/20K per year). This is for a very lightly equipped LT Tahoe (Black). He walked away from that deal and told the dealership's GM (who is the owner's son that my best friend has personally bought 2 Tahoes from and referred close to 20 - 25 sales). The GM says to him: "If $759 is too much, then tell me where you want to be."

So my best friend does the logical thing and pulls a number completely out of his rear end and sticks to it. $699 gets me to sign.

Today the GM calls him back and says he can do $719 per month and not a penny less. GM also says "or if you can come up with another $1000 down, I can get you into a Tahoe LT (Silver) with all the equipment you want for $739 (which equates to $764). So he's taking the Silver Tahoe.

henryn

D__n, Tahoes are expensive. I just recently bought a used one (2005, with 111k), and definitely like it. The only reason I bought it was because it was several thousand dollars cheaper than a pickup (similar year, similar equipment, similar miles). I never even looked at what new ones are going for, that is insane!