Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

Wait 10 years until it has 120k on it, then you will be ready for it.

stever

Buying something off craigslist does have a certain appeal to it. I had email dealings with this dealer about a year ago and I wasn't impressed. The saleswoman was completely unable (more likely unwilling or oblivious) to answer the one question in my email - twice.

Michaell

stever said:

The local Kia dealer has a Soul+ with sunroof in stock in white. My wife is bugging me to go down and look at it so maybe I will. In a few days....

If I got moving I could actually beat @Michaell to the punch.

That's a nice Soul - they've always appealed to me in a utilitarian sort of way (like the Element, xB, etc.)

What exactly are you waiting for?

stickguy

My guess, he's too cheap to pay for it.

stever

Inertia has saved me a lot of money over the years. Dunno, just can't get too excited about buying a car. Spent a couple of hours yesterday getting a hat and down sweater online and checking out trekking poles. That was fun. Going to a dealer is just such a chore, especially one whose reputation precedes it (my banker rolled his eyes when I asked about them a few months back).

Michaell

I made another automotive related purchase today ... had a new garage door opener installed.

The original one lasted almost 15 years, so I suppose it was time. Guy who came out installed the new unit, programmed the punch code on the fixed remote mounted outside, and programmed the Homelink in both the Mazda and the MINI. In snowy 25 degree weather.

Much quieter.

tifighter

@stever trekking poles? Message sent.

slorenzen

Michaell said:

I made another automotive related purchase today ... had a new garage door opener installed.

The original one lasted almost 15 years, so I suppose it was time. Guy who came out installed the new unit, programmed the punch code on the fixed remote mounted outside, and programmed the Homelink in both the Mazda and the MINI. In snowy 25 degree weather.

Much quieter.

Years ago, I installed an opener and randomly set the code(over 1000 possibilities on the 12 position dip switch).

A few days later, I was talking to my neighbor across the street and down a couple, and he mentioned his door opening/closing randomly!

oops...

corvette

Hahaha, the new rolling code garage door openers are a little more secure than that. I still lock the deadbolt between the house and the garage when I leave or when I go to bed at night.

28firefighter

corvette said:

Hahaha, the new rolling code garage door openers are a little more secure than that. I still lock the deadbolt between the house and the garage when I leave or when I go to bed at night.

I do the same thing. My wife thinks I'm crazy. 

qbrozen

Ha. That door never gets locked at my house. Question on your new opener: how did you know it was time? Did it quit or was something else happening? Mine have been throwing a fit for over a year now. They won't open when too cold or open and stop and reverse every foot or so, as if there is a blockage. I had tried grease and wd40 with no luck, and even tightened the springs. Some synthetic spray gerease seems to have temporarily cured one of them but the other is still not happy and that one evens bounces in the final 2 feet or so of travel.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Ha. That door never gets locked at my house. Question on your new opener: how did you know it was time? Did it quit or was something else happening? Mine have been throwing a fit for over a year now. They won't open when too cold or open and stop and reverse every foot or so, as if there is a blockage. I had tried grease and wd40 with no luck, and even tightened the springs. Some synthetic spray gerease seems to have temporarily cured one of them but the other is still not happy and that one evens bounces in the final 2 feet or so of travel.

I came home from running errands yesterday and it only went halfway up. When I tried  pushing the button again I could hear the motor running but the belt was not moving. I think it may have slipped a gear or something along those lines.

Michaell

One other car shopping note from today. The sales person from the first dealership I reached out to last week called. It gave me a little bit of pleasure to tell her that we had already found another car at a different dealership and had made the deal

stickguy

I had to replace one of my openers a few years back. I think that one of the (likely plastic) chain wheels broke off. something like that. not a big deal, but just not something you could easily pop on and off. Might have been a case where you had to replace the whole motor? In any case, it was bad enough that it made sense to spend the extra $100-200 or some such to just put a new one in instead of ripping apart the old one and hoping it worked.

I did put up 2 in my first new house many years ago. I am long past being that ambitious, so the last one I just paid the repair guy to do it. excellent use of $75.

jayrider

stickguy said:

I had to replace one of my openers a few years back. I think that one of the (likely plastic) chain wheels broke off. something like that. not a big deal, but just not something you could easily pop on and off. Might have been a case where you had to replace the whole motor? In any case, it was bad enough that it made sense to spend the extra $100-200 or some such to just put a new one in instead of ripping apart the old one and hoping it worked.

I did put up 2 in my first new house many years ago. I am long past being that ambitious, so the last one I just paid the repair guy to do it. excellent use of $75.

The Genie screw drive opener I installed 15 years ago has been flawless. Just grease the drive once or twice a year. Since it came with a lifetime parts and labor warranty, I'm sure it will continue working indefinitely. Those warranties don't exist anymore as far as I know.

xwesx

Yeah, that's because the manufacturers really don't expect them to last that long any more, jayrider!

My grandparents had some Kenmore units they installed when they first built their garage in the early 1970s. Despite daily use, they both still worked flawlessly when they sold the house in 2007.

stickguy

mine were all kenmores. I would probably get something fancier, and a screw drive, if I get stuck replacing one again. hopefully I get to move before that happens.

Michaell

I had, and replaced it with, a lift master

fintail

Congrats on the Legacy - being in the PNW, ground zero for Subaru, I am already seeing the new style all the time. Big improvement from the prior model, looks wise.

berri

I've often wondered whether the PNW or New England sell more Subaru's? We had some friends visit last fall and their rental was a new Legacy. We both thought it was a nice car.

fintail

I know some Seatac rental agencies have Legacy in the fleets, Impreza was in the fleets a few years ago here, too. It's a completely mainstream brand here.

28firefighter

I live in a neighborhood just northwest of downtown Seattle and over half the cars parked on my street at any given time are Subarus. Forester and Impreza are the most popular, followed by Outback and Legacy. 

nyccarguy

New England is definitely ground zero for Subarus. They even have a separate distributor (Subaru of New England). Long before every manufacturer offered some kind of SUV or AWD/4WD, almost every driveway in New England had either an Audi, Jeep, or a Subaru as one of their cars. I see them all over the place.

Subarus were very popular among the faculty where I went to college in Ithaca, NY.

I can definitely see them being popular in CO as well as the PNW.

stever

First Subaru I ever saw was around 1978 in Evergreen Colorado. Seemed a bit primitive even compared to my '74 CJ-5 and it was so narrow. The owner was a motorcycle mechanic and she really sang the Subie's praises. It was a wagon.

Michaell

stever said:

First Subaru I ever saw was around 1978 in Evergreen Colorado. Seemed a bit primitive even compared to my '74 CJ-5 and it was so narrow. The owner was a motorcycle mechanic and she really sang the Subie's praises. It was a wagon.

Steve, the wife and I go to Evergreen a few times a year for a quick getaway. There is an independent Subie shop up there that also does some sales. Always some interesting models around getting worked on.

Yes, lots of Subarus here in Colorado - I find it odd that I've lived here 21 years and this is my first.

Well, I hope. Still have to negotiate a deal.

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

Ha. That door never gets locked at my house. Question on your new opener: how did you know it was time? Did it quit or was something else happening? Mine have been throwing a fit for over a year now. They won't open when too cold or open and stop and reverse every foot or so, as if there is a blockage. I had tried grease and wd40 with no luck, and even tightened the springs. Some synthetic spray gerease seems to have temporarily cured one of them but the other is still not happy and that one evens bounces in the final 2 feet or so of travel.

Had an el-cheapo garage door opener (Kenmore?) that came with the house when I had it built 20 years ago. Never had an issue, other than it operated pretty loudly. Replaced the garage door and opener with a new, heavy insulated door and LiftMaster (allegedly the best home unit they make). Motor, rails, belt, everything works fine except the sensors. Nothing blocking them. I had the installer come out 4 or 5 different times during the warranty period because it would only close the door half way, not close when using remotes, etc.

Lift master quit offering service because they said it was due to my "Homelink" in my cars Homelink says the remote in the car is fine, it's the remote sensors with the garage door opener.

I know the old, loud Kenmore would open with Homelink when I got within a 200' of my house. Now, I can practically be right on top of the the garage and it won't open no matter how many times I send the signal. Sometimes, I have to get out of the car and use the remote keypad to open it.

I'm "that close" to scrapping it and getting another....non Liftmaster, opener.

qbrozen

that's ridiculous. I can't believe they left you hanging like that.

I think about getting nice insulated doors and all that. The wooden ones are rotting away and I'm pretty sure that's the reason for the bouncing I mentioned. The wheels just are tracking straight anymore, and the one door definitely doesn't close flush with the floor. Its just an expense I don't want to deal with right now.

Ideally, I figure I'd really want to do it right and have the doors either go all the way up to the ceiling and then arch over, or get doors that roll up into a box above the door opening. That way I'm clear for a lift in the future if I so choose.

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

that's ridiculous. I can't believe they left you hanging like that.

I think about getting nice insulated doors and all that. The wooden ones are rotting away and I'm pretty sure that's the reason for the bouncing I mentioned. The wheels just are tracking straight anymore, and the one door definitely doesn't close flush with the floor. Its just an expense I don't want to deal with right now.

Ideally, I figure I'd really want to do it right and have the doors either go all the way up to the ceiling and then arch over, or get doors that roll up into a box above the door opening. That way I'm clear for a lift in the future if I so choose.

Q...I think it's a combination of things. First, Liftmaster isn't very supportive of their customers (recurring theme with me......SUPPORT YOUR CUSTOMERS). And, the reseller/installer didn't do a very good job.

Immediate neighbor has a "Genie". I think he paid ½ of what I paid for the Liftmaster door opener. His works great. Installed about the same time, too.

So, I'll probably look for a Genie opener here shortly. The current Liftmaster, while a hassle in decent weather, is really a big PITA when the weather is bad, like now.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

They won't open when too cold or open and stop and reverse every foot or so, as if there is a blockage. I had tried grease and wd40 with no luck, and even tightened the springs. Some synthetic spray gerease seems to have temporarily cured one of them but the other is still not happy and that one evens bounces in the final 2 feet or so of travel.

Sounds like the Sears unit friends had in Canton, Michigan, that I tried to work on. The thing wouldn't consistently go up/down. It seemed to be reacting to a clutch setting and thought it was slipping?

graphicguy said:

Had an el-cheapo garage door opener (Kenmore?) that came with the house when I had it built 20 years ago. Never had an issue, other than it operated pretty loudly. Replaced the garage door and opener with a new, heavy insulated door and LiftMaster (allegedly the best home unit they make). Motor, rails, belt, everything works fine except the sensors. Nothing blocking them. I had the installer come out 4 or 5 different times during the warranty period because it would only close the door half way, not close when using remotes, etc.

Lift master quit offering service because they said it was due to my "Homelink" in my cars Homelink says the remote in the car is fine, it's the remote sensors with the garage door opener.

.

That's when a letter or phone call to the main company selling the unit would have been on my platter. LiftMaster is the same as Chamberlain. I believe they're sold at Lowes for one.

I have had two Genie's that I installed here. Both bought at Lowes. Noisy screw drive but no problems from the unit. I did have a cable jump off the winding wheel and didn't figure it out until I started checking. Left the door operating at a slight angle. Did have both coaxial springs replaced that were put in with the insulated Raynor door 25 years ago. One broke. I couldn't easily find a replacement to do it myself. And I had the smarts to know the local door service could replace them quicker and more safely than I could.

stever

Those things are dangerous - my Ace Hardware guy back in Boise tried to fix his and the spring hit him in the head, barely missing his temple. And that was after the spring had rebounded off the back wall.

kyfdx

Yeah.... a garage door spring is not really a DIY item.

qbrozen

I've adjusted mine many times. Obviously, you should do so when the door is UP (the spring is at its most relaxed). Takes a bit of muscle, but its nowhere near scary. Maybe its just the type that I have.

imidazol97

kyfdx said:

Yeah.... a garage door spring is not really a DIY item.

I've adjusted mine in the past. It takes a very careful set of steps, such as marking the spring unwound so you know how many turns it has taken. You have to have two steel rods to use in the end piece to do the turning. And like working on automobiles, you never stand in the way of something that could be tossed if you lose control.

But mine had odd sized springs and the local company had to order them in. I just had them do both. Quick and easy and relatively cheap. Good for another 10,000 door cycles, the average life of the spring. Or was it 50,000 door cycles? I dunno.

qbrozen

yeah, mine are definitely different than yours. No turning of anything. It is a long spring that's hooked into the upright that attaches the end of the door track to the ceiling. The other end of the spring is attached to a pulley. There is a steel cable that is anchored to the track bracket attached to the door frame, wraps around the pulley, and anchors again to the door frame bracket. There are several positions on that door frame bracket to choose from to tighten/loosen the spring tension. Alternatively, you can shorten or lengthen the cable itself where it ties to the anchors. So I just unhook one of the anchors and adjust the cable. Having the pulley between me and the spring makes things easier.

qbrozen

So, different topic. Any good suggestions for a near luxo AWD wagon or mid-sized or larger sedan that could be had with, let's say, less than 50k miles for $12k or under?

Just as an example... a Buick Lacross, 2010 model, just misses the mark at about $15k.

A V50 might work, but they don't exactly grow on trees.

And, no, I don't put Subaru in this class.

Just wondering if i'm over looking anything.

stickguy

Sedan, how about an S60? The wagon part will seriously limit you. AWD and hatch is easier to find in the SUV or CUV world.

Fusion sedan? Ford 500 or Taurus AWD.

This for you to replace something, or someone else?

stickguy

Price might not work, but maybe a venza.

Passat 4 motion.

qbrozen

S60 has a really tight backseat, but its not out of the running. Gotta watch the year on that, though, considering transmission issues.

A small CUV would be OK, too, but luxo options but me into something too new, I think, unless I'm missing something.

Taurus SEL is a possibility. I did find one. As is maybe a Chrysler 300. Fusion AWD, unfortunately, is too new and expensive from what I can see.

I'm just noodling at this point. Maybe, possibly, I'd get the notion to sell the Fit and S70 and replace with 1 car the wife and I would share. Although it probably wouldn't work out because we both prefer to take our beaters in the foul weather. I'd also hate to lose my only current manual trans. I think I just gotta get to work on the volvo in the spring. That might make me feel better. She lets things go on it, and I don't find out until I get around to driving it maybe once a month. I believe it may have a busted spring in the rear at the moment and it struggles greatly when starting (new battery last year, so I don't know why). She's put about 40k on it since I did anything major to it, so I guess we're doing pretty good.

stickguy

do you really need AWD around here? Stick with FWD and get winter tires. give you a boatload more options.

nyccarguy

I'll poke around on autotrader for you later. I'd hate to see you give up the Fit and its manual trannie.

abacomike

mark156 said:

Hey guys, staying a away a few days and I have over 10 pages to read! Update: If you remember, I mentioned that we ordered a 2015 MB S550 4matic and we were to take delivery when the car arrived at the end of October. They super low-balled our two trades so we nixed the deal. A couple of days ago I received an email from the salesman saying that they still have the car and was there any way that we would reconsider. I said we'll be home in a couple of weeks and may give them a call. In the email he said that the "powers-that-be" will sharpen their pencil to make the deal work. The car's MSRP is $114K, what do you guys think would be a good second offer (not including the trades). I really didn't think we would reconsider as I was so angry.... time heals I guess. Or, it might be putting gasoline back on the fire. Mark156

Just to update you on the S550, there are many around that can be had for $3000-$4000 below dealer invoice due to big trunk money available.

jayrider

qbrozen said:

So, different topic. Any good suggestions for a near luxo AWD wagon or mid-sized or larger sedan that could be had with, let's say, less than 50k miles for $12k or under?

Just as an example... a Buick Lacross, 2010 model, just misses the mark at about $15k.

A V50 might work, but they don't exactly grow on trees.

And, no, I don't put Subaru in this class.

Just wondering if i'm over looking anything.

Try an awd Charger.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen‌

Rye Ford (Where I bought my Legacy) has a 2011 Taurus SEL AWD with 44K miles. They are asking $14,900.

nyccarguy

MB Motorsports in Tinton Falls, NJ has an '04 Lexus RX330 with 59K miles and a $12,995 asking price.

mark156

abacomike said:

mark156 said:

Hey guys, staying a away a few days and I have over 10 pages to read!

Update: If you remember, I mentioned that we ordered a 2015 MB S550 4matic and we were to take delivery when the car arrived at the end of October. They super low-balled our two trades so we nixed the deal. A couple of days ago I received an email from the salesman saying that they still have the car and was there any way that we would reconsider. I said we'll be home in a couple of weeks and may give them a call. In the email he said that the "powers-that-be" will sharpen their pencil to make the deal work.

The car's MSRP is $114K, what do you guys think would be a good second offer (not including the trades).

I really didn't think we would reconsider as I was so angry.... time heals I guess. Or, it might be putting gasoline back on the fire.

Mark156

Just to update you on the S550, there are many around that can be had for $3000-$4000 below dealer invoice due to big trunk money available.


Thank you so much for the information, it will certainly come in handy if we decide to move forward.

M156

qbrozen

nyccarguy - I did see that Lexus, actually. Just not sure I want to start with that many miles. As for the Taurus, I found an '08 with 48k miles at Gateway Toyota for $10,385. Also an '07 Chrysler 300 with 41k miles for $10,495.

Stick - I've tried to stay away from AWD for years now (my G35X was the last one, I think...or was it the XC90? hmmm). But I think my wife would feel better having it. She doesn't complain about the S70 with snow shoes, though.

Tell ya what, there was a gorgeous dark red (much like my Caddy color) newer S60 in the daycare parking lot this morn. Still a great looking car to my eyes.

qbrozen

Alright. Forget it. I've just come to my sense and realized there ain't no way in hell I want to pay almost the same money for a 7-yr-old car than for my 2015 Honda. At least not while giving up the Honda, that is. 

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Alright. Forget it. I've just come to my sense and realized there ain't no way in hell I want to pay almost the same money for a 7-yr-old car than for my 2015 Honda. At least not while giving up the Honda, that is. 

I agree. Stick (no pun intended) with the Fit. I personally deal with someone who has an RX350 of that vintage with well over 200,000 miles. He bought it as a CPO with 48K on it after his 2002 RX300 needed a transmission replaced at 460,000 miles.

Sandman6472

I like those RX 300's and almost bought a light blue one last year. A it big for my needs so nixed the idea...great vehicles though.

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Got my new smartphone the other day but it won't pair with my Golf. Already cleared the other cells off so not sure what the problem is. Will try again later but if it doesn't work, will have to stop over to the VW store to fix this. Got a larger cell and though not top line, it does what I need it to do. One is really lost these days without a good smartphone and I prefer an android one. Just not into the iPhone except the 6 Plus which is a bit more then I was willing to spend. Used the AT&T Next program which allows me to keep our current plan and let's me be able to pay it in full after the first month, which I plan on doing as I hate to owe anybody anything, ever!!!