Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

The other thing is that when you park on a snowy day after driving to work, the windshield is warm and wet with melted snow. After you park, that freezes and ices up your wipers.

Yep, that's the primary reason I do it.

jeffb0101

Hello, all. 

I am a longtime lurker, and have actually read through much of the history of the board. I have to say it was quite entertaining! It seems like this group has kept many manufacturers in business. 

I have had an odd mix of cars in my life. I would love to be a chronic buyer, but I hate negotiating. Here is what I've owned:

1989 Volvo 760 Turbo
1997 Nissan Maxima
1996 Infiniti J30t
2002 Mazda Millenia
2009 Toyota Camry SE
2006 Volvo XC90 T5
2012 Honda Accord EX-L

The XC90 and Camry were my two favorites. The Camry was totaled, and replaced by the XC90, which I've always loved. However, it began to have a no-start issue which could not be duplicated, so I ditched it for my practical (but not as fun) Accord. 

breld

Welcome @jeffb0101!

The J30t and Millenia certainly are interesting cars to have owned. I remember looking briefly at the Millenia back when they were on their way out.

fezo

"I can't help but wonder whether this actually makes them last longer or is just gimmicky over-engineering because someone thought it would be neat."

On a German car? Say it ain't so!

jeffb0101

@breld‌ , they both enjoyed their trips to the service department, that is for sure!

I didn't have to deal with the J30 as much as it was my high school/college car, so had parents for that one. However, the Millenia was my problem!

I got the Millenia when it came off lease, and it was generally an ok car. It wasn't the supercharged model, so it wasn't very powerful. It also had a lot of electrical problem (door lock actuators, keyless entry losing programming, electric tilt wheel stuck in exit position), but luckily it was CPO and most were covered.

Michaell

I took the Outback to the dealer this morning to get the window tint and clear bra installed. As a loaner, I got a CrossTrek XV in that bright tangerine color. The CVT is much more noticeable with the 2.0 engine, but overall it's a decent package.

stever

I've been trying to steer my sister to a CrossTrek - she's the one that first spotted them. She still wants a MINI though.

Michaell

stever said:

I've been trying to steer my sister to a CrossTrek - she's the one that first spotted them. She still wants a MINI though.

Countryman? If it's the "S" version, I would recommend that over the CrossTrek, if only for the extra power it has (181 vs. 148HP). If it's the NA version, then the jury is out. NA is FWD only, whereas the CrossTrek is full-time AWD.

stever

She does like having the AWD in her current '05 Forester, especially this winter. She's in NE VA and even had to have her drive plowed. That's rarely needed but snow isn't uncommon. As bad a driver as she is, she really needs a F-150 King Ranch, but at least with a Mini, she'd be less likely to cause mass carnage.

But posts like this make me want a Mini too.

qbrozen

Random question: Any of my fellow CCBs here in the Atlanta, GA area? I'm trying to convince my wife we need to move south. I was actually approached not long ago about a job in NC, but there is one in Atlanta that is calling my name. I have yet to even submit my resume, so its just talk at this point.

rayainsw

So - what exactly is the 'random question' ?
- Ray
Living in the area [ & working in midtown ] for 15 years now...

qbrozen

oh, that was the question.
I'll PM ya.

Mr_Shiftright

Minis are really fun. They sure got it right with the SC or turbo hatchbacks at least and the 6-speed manual trans.

I've been test driving some used "substitutes", like the Boxster (too cramped for long legs) and the C4/C5 Corvettes (you really have to want a Corvette in order to own a Corvette--it's more the parody of a sports car--too much of everything and not enough of some things) and the Honda S2000 (oooohhh, I did like that car but you really have to wind 'em up. I mean, it's hard to get one's head around the fact that at 5,000 rpm you still have a long way to go!), but none have been quite able to pry me out of the Mini. Perhaps a Mini convertible, although they are a bit precious-looking. I think a C5 Corvette is an excellent choice for a car if you want to kill yourself.

stever said:

She does like having the AWD in her current '05 Forester, especially this winter. She's in NE VA and even had to have her drive plowed. That's rarely needed but snow isn't uncommon. As bad a driver as she is, she really needs a F-150 King Ranch, but at least with a Mini, she'd be less likely to cause mass carnage.

But posts like this make me want a Mini too.

iluvmysephia1

You're living in ML now, iluv?

Hello, fintail. Yep-I decided I needed ta head north back to my home state of Washington. Got a job here in my field that will challenge me nightly, make me score the sleep studies, earn my RPSGT (Sleep Tech.) license within 6 months, etc. A few bucks more an hour, too. Although we'll need it because Washington state living costs more than southern New Mexico, even if we are in eastern Washington.

So far so good though my wife didn't really want to leave Alamogordo, NM. Lots of good friends and fellowship for her there.

corvette

Well, my neighbor who has an older Forester didn't even have shovel his driveway after the latest snow storm, so that's a plus for the high ground clearance and AWD...

fintail

Cool. I spent a bit of my childhood there. It's A LOT different there now than 30 years ago, when it was still kind of a farming town. Population has maybe doubled. That strip mall wonderland along Stratford Rd. was much less dense back in the day, and I remember when some areas that are now subdivisions were open fields full of the official flora of ML - the tumbleweed. I go back every few years, to see what's still there, and to eat at Chico's.

iluvmysephia1 said:

You're living in ML now, iluv?

Hello, fintail. Yep-I decided I needed ta head north back to my home state of Washington. Got a job here in my field that will challenge me nightly, make me score the sleep studies, earn my RPSGT (Sleep Tech.) license within 6 months, etc. A few bucks more an hour, too. Although we'll need it because Washington state living costs more than southern New Mexico, even if we are in eastern Washington.

So far so good though my wife didn't really want to leave Alamogordo, NM. Lots of good friends and fellowship for her there.

sda

breld said:

Welcome @jeffb0101!

The J30t and Millenia certainly are interesting cars to have owned. I remember looking briefly at the Millenia back when they were on their way out.

I had two Millenias. The first was a 96 which I leased for 24 months. It was the luxury model, neither was the S. Black, tan leather, Bose, cold weather package. I really enjoyed that car and thought I might buy it at lease end. However the residual was set too high and market value was $3000 less than what I could buy it for. Instead I bought a new , deeply discounted 98 , twighlight mica blue, tan leather, Bose, no cold weather package (bummer none available thus no heated seats, etc.). What I didn't realize is the 98 had been de contented and was not as nice as the 96. I quickly tired of the car, I guess because I had been essentially driving it since 96 and traded it for a loaded Cadillac Catera. Big mistake. Neither Millenias gave any trouble but admittedly I didn't have them for very long and drove each less than 30000 miles--so they were still new.

stickguy

Q, I am not a big fan of Atlanta to live in (or by). Of course, all from research, but the traffic is a mess, and a lot of the areas iffy.

But, I love NC, and do want to move down (still working on the wife, and logistics). I have though had a few prelim conversations with a recruiter about some stuff down there. If some company wanted to pick up the tab, I would leave tomorrow!

The difference in property taxes alone will make you cry (not to mention how much cheaper, depending on the exact area, the house will be). I could replicate my house, in a nice area (say, Cary) and the property taxes would drop 9-10K per year. that can buy a lot of car!

I do have favorite areas in NC. Big difference between the R-D area (RTP) and Charlotte.

My daughter is in college down there now, so I spent a lot more time visiting and researching latterly.

iluvmysephia1

Cool. I spent a bit of my childhood there. It's A LOT different there now than 30 years ago, when it was still kind of a farming town. Population has maybe doubled. That strip mall wonderland along Stratford Rd. was much less dense back in the day, and I remember when some areas that are now subdivisions were open fields full of the official flora of ML - the tumbleweed. I go back every few years, to see what's still there, and to eat at Chico's.

Hey, fin - interesting that you lived here back in the growing up years. Today my wife and I left the cats and dogs at home in ML and drove north to scope out Soap Lake. Man, what a mellow little community. The Indians explained to the white man how the 17 minerals in Soap Lake were beneficial to their bodies if they soaked in the lake for an hour or so. Whoa...heavy physical stuff, dudes. Tonight the theater was showing a play...I don't mind plays but I told the wife that I preferred a movie on Showtime/TMC/Encore on our DirecTV and she agreed with me. Cool. I will take her up on the play idea later, though, I could groove to a play one of these evenings....I took Drama back in high school or, rather, I took English that was taught by the Drama teacher. So we were taught about the joys of live theater whether we cared about that sort of thing, or not.

The job is going to be good for me here. I told the wife that retiring in Soap Lake might do us good. There's absolutely no stress whatsoever in Soap Lake. At all!

stickguy

OK, reaching out to the experts network, since towing is outside of my usual criteria. This is from a friend of mine (I was the one that years back got her to look at the G35 when it first came out, and she got one and loved it).

so, I know that we don't have a tow weight requirement, but can't be too high if he was thinking Forester. I usually think more robust if you really want to tow.

Assuming a small tow load, what sounds good?

"This is for a coworker. He is replacing a truck, looking at a smaller SUV. He looked at a Forester but apparently you can't tow with the newer model. He's looking at a Jeep ( I think a Cherokee).which I was thinking wouldn't be great for reliability. I told him I had a friend who is a car expert (you) and that I would pick your brain. Thoughts on Cherokee? Other suggestions? "

henryn

Tow what exactly? Approximately how many pounds, how big a frontal area (wind resistance)? It all matters.

I have towed everything from a small utility trailer, to a pop up camper, to a 10,000 pound fifth wheel.

stickguy

I shot her a note to get more details (like what he was looking to tow). I assume not too much, if he was looking at the Sube (which actually can tow 1,500#s, at least with a stick).

I think unless you want to just tow a utility trailer around town, or maybe a snow mobile trailer, a mid sizer (Pilot, Highlander, something like that) makes more sense.

henryn

In general, you're going to want 10 to 15% of the total weight of the trailer on the tongue (trailer hitch). If you're trying to pull 3000 pounds, and you put 15% of that on the hitch, you're talking 450 pounds. I would not want to try that with a Pilot. Now if your trailer, fully loaded with a snowmobile or whatever, comes in around 1200 pounds, then 15% would put you at 180 pounds tongue weight.

If you're pulling an enclosed trailer, with a high boxy front, the wind resistance is going to kill you as much as the weight.

au1994

qbrozen said:

Random question: Any of my fellow CCBs here in the Atlanta, GA area? I'm trying to convince my wife we need to move south. I was actually approached not long ago about a job in NC, but there is one in Atlanta that is calling my name. I have yet to even submit my resume, so its just talk at this point.

In the area (northern burbs) for 10 years now.

stickguy

I got a little more info on towing. The issue was the forrester just did not handle enough (like most of the compacts, it is 1500#). Still not sure what is being towed, but can't be anything too major if the tower is looking at compacts.

I recommended something a class bigger with a V6. Pilot is rated to 3K. Highlander up to 5K. Something in that class. Because if that isn't enough, you are back in a PU truck, or a Tahoe.

ab348

iluvmysephia1 said:

The job is going to be good for me here. I told the wife that retiring in Soap Lake might do us good. There's absolutely no stress whatsoever in Soap Lake. At all!

Looking at it in the map, it looks like there wouldn't be much of anything there! It really seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Google says the community leaders announced plans to build the world's largest lava lamp in 2002 as a tourist attraction though, so it has that going for it. Actually, it sounds like a neat place - I love that part of the world and the geology.

iluvmysephia1

ab348 - yeah, the Lava Lamp project appears to be on hold for now! But I read about that, too.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

I got a little more info on towing. The issue was the forrester just did not handle enough (like most of the compacts, it is 1500#). Still not sure what is being towed, but can't be anything too major if the tower is looking at compacts.

I recommended something a class bigger with a V6. Pilot is rated to 3K. Highlander up to 5K. Something in that class. Because if that isn't enough, you are back in a PU truck, or a Tahoe.

I think my Pilot is rated to tow 4500 lbs

stickguy

I'm sure a Forester, CRV, Rogue, etc. could drag 1500#s around. I just would not want to do it.

ab348

Toyota dealers of New England (?) are running ads on Boston TV now for the RAV4 and comparing it to the competition with stats. They seem to be making the Forester come out on the bottom, showing it to be the slowest of the competitors they mention (them being the fastest of course) and the Forester also having the worst braking distances, by quite a substantial margin.

boomchek

ab348 said:

Toyota dealers of New England (?) are running ads on Boston TV now for the RAV4 and comparing it to the competition with stats. They seem to be making the Forester come out on the bottom, showing it to be the slowest of the competitors they mention (them being the fastest of course) and the Forester also having the worst braking distances, by quite a substantial margin.

Manufacturers will always find a way to show advantage over competitors, sometimes with some silly statistics.

Biggest floor mats in class, biggest rear seat elbow room, most cargo space (calculating glove boxes and storage bin capacity to get that number), longest cruising distance on a tank of gas (not mentioning that the tank of gas is twice the size of the competitors, etc...

fintail

Reminds me of a Lexus GS ad that ran for some time, saying how it has "more horsepower" than the E-class. It has 4 more horsepower. Four.

The range comparisons are funny, too - my Bluetec had a theoretical 800 mile range, one that was likely easy to attain with the right roads, and its 23 gallon tank.

boomchek said:

Manufacturers will always find a way to show advantage over competitors, sometimes with some silly statistics.

Biggest floor mats in class, biggest rear seat elbow room, most cargo space (calculating glove boxes and storage bin capacity to get that number), longest cruising distance on a tank of gas (not mentioning that the tank of gas is twice the size of the competitors, etc...

fintail

I think my uncle still has a place in Soap Lake, but I don't know if he stays there. I passed through there year before last - maybe I'll make it over again this year or next. Not much going on in Soap Lake at all, it's a good retirement spot - 4 distinct seasons, no traffic, close enough to ML and Ephrata to have amenities (save for Costco), relatively affordable housing.

I don't think ML has a Hyunkia dealer though, you might have to go to Wenatchee, or even Yakima/Tri-Cities/Spokane for some cars. I remember seeing the 2nd gen Jetta introduced at the ML VW dealer (that has to be long gone), and I remember my dad looking at AMC Eagles there, too.

And yeah, I like the landscape and geology there too, I find it somehow soothing. Maybe because it reminds me of childhood, but I relax when I am out that way, in the high desert with abundant basalt formations.

iluvmysephia1 said:

Hey, fin - interesting that you lived here back in the growing up years. Today my wife and I left the cats and dogs at home in ML and drove north to scope out Soap Lake. Man
The job is going to be good for me here. I told the wife that retiring in Soap Lake might do us good. There's absolutely no stress whatsoever in Soap Lake. At all!

nyccarguy

@fintail‌

Funny you should say that. They run Lexus GS ads around here that show the GS is superior to the E & the 5 because it has a standard 6 cylinder engine and standard leather seats.

nyccarguy

Screamer ad caught my eye today:

2015 Prius Plug In Hybrid
$0 Down (cap cost reduction)
$149/ month plus tax with just Acq/DMV fees due at signing
12K per year for 24 months ($30K MSRP car)

nyccarguy

My mortgage refi was approved! Soon I'll be paying 1 full percent lower. Very exciting!

ab348

fintail said:

I think my uncle still has a place in Soap Lake, but I don't know if he stays there. I passed through there year before last - maybe I'll make it over again this year or next. Not much going on in Soap Lake at all, it's a good retirement spot - 4 distinct seasons, no traffic, close enough to ML and Ephrata to have amenities (save for Costco), relatively affordable housing.

I don't think ML has a Hyunkia dealer though, you might have to go to Wenatchee, or even Yakima/Tri-Cities/Spokane for some cars. I remember seeing the 2nd gen Jetta introduced at the ML VW dealer (that has to be long gone), and I remember my dad looking at AMC Eagles there, too.

And yeah, I like the landscape and geology there too, I find it somehow soothing. Maybe because it reminds me of childhood, but I relax when I am out that way, in the high desert with abundant basalt formations.

10 years ago when I visited, we stopped in Yakima to buy some provisions and I wasn't too impressed, to be honest. But maybe I'm wrong to judge based on a couple of hours time. That same trip we overnighted in Richland and while the hotel was nice enough, the city didn't do much for me, though I guess I would pick it over Yakima if I had a choice. They both seemed a bit scary to me.

jeffb0101

@sda‌

wasn't 98 the year of the first refresh? What did they do as far as decontenting?

Mine didn't have cold weather either, but most cars here in the south don't get those packages. It's a shame!

boomchek

nyccarguy said:

Screamer ad caught my eye today:

2015 Prius Plug In Hybrid
$0 Down (cap cost reduction)
$149/ month plus tax with just Acq/DMV fees due at signing
12K per year for 24 months ($30K MSRP car)

That's super cheap, especially considering you can virtually drive it without spending money on gas, or with minimal gas costs. Just pay for insurance and monthly payment. Probably cheaper than public transport.

stickguy

Dang. That is cheap.

fintail

I guess those are true. GS is in a funny place - the E, 5er, and GS are, in reality (non-tuned trims), pretty boring cars aimed at mature demographic. I believe the GS doesn't sell nearly as well, due to lack of cachet, and really dull design. I've seen blowout leases on them (barely more than ES) that put MB and BMW to shame - but I'd still rather have the design I like more, even though Lexus offers really cool striated metal trim on one package.

nyccarguy said:

@fintail‌

Funny you should say that. They run Lexus GS ads around here that show the GS is superior to the E & the 5 because it has a standard 6 cylinder engine and standard leather seats.

nyccarguy

I have an issue with short term leases here in CT. Thy make you get new plates for a leased car ($350) including registration for 1 year plus the Acq fee of $600 or so & the lease cost an extra $1000 or so.

fintail

You're very correct - Yakima and Tri-Cities both can be kind of rough, especially Yakima, which I believe is the drug distribution capital of the region, and has entire areas where people aren't really supposed to go at night. Kind of shocking for a small city of that size. Tri-Cities is probably a little nicer, definitely larger, but is all sprawl, reminds me of the south in a way, cheap land and lots of driving.

When I was a kid in ML, going to "the city" meant going to Yakima, as my dad had a lot of family there, so we'd visit. It's different now, for sure. Pretty much all family who lived there then have moved to outlying areas.

ab348 said:

10 years ago when I visited, we stopped in Yakima to buy some provisions and I wasn't too impressed, to be honest. But maybe I'm wrong to judge based on a couple of hours time. That same trip we overnighted in Richland and while the hotel was nice enough, the city didn't do much for me, though I guess I would pick it over Yakima if I had a choice. They both seemed a bit scary to me.

iluvmysephia1

fin - yeah, no HyunKia dealers in ML or Ephrata. There is a Kia dealer in Wenatchee and Spokane, however. I go to Wenatchee for my last night of work of my workweek.

stickguy

Jersey is the same. New registration. And the usual 200-300 doc fee.

breld

@nyccarguy - congrats on the refi. That's a great feeling to settle in on a nice low fixed rate.

Came real close to buying a Mazda3 today. They really stepped up on the trade for the BMW and got to a fair price on the Mazda. At the end of the day, we were $500 off and I just couldn't budge any more. They let me walk.

The good thing is that we had a nice extensive test drive, just the wife and I, of the Mazda3, and that pretty much cemented it for me. We had a shorter drive of the Civic Si in the morning, and compared to that, we just thought the Mazda felt more grown-up and refined, with little or no compromise in power.

I may still consider the Civic for its lower cost and better resale, but I'm hoping the Mazda dealership calls back Monday to do the deal. On the way home, I already had a call back from the salesperson, just wanting to let me know that they were still working on trying to get better bids on the trade.

jpp75

@nyccarguy‌ Congrats on the refi! My mother in law just did the same and saved about 2%

@breld Too bad the deal didn't work on the Mazda, but sounds like they still want to make it work, the 3 would definitely be my choice and I'm considering one for my next punch. Although @nyccarguy‌ is making Subaru sound very tempting.

qbrozen

@stickguy - Cary is what I was thinking, too. BUT, that would be a move for essentially the same job I have now. The wife says she would only do it if I was getting a job that has to do with cars in some way.

@au1994 - oh yeah? Where abouts? We've kind of zeroed in on the Milton/Alpharetta area (seem to be really good schools there).

corvette

qbrozen said:

@stickguy - Cary is what I was thinking, too. BUT, that would be a move for essentially the same job I have now. The wife says she would only do it if I was getting a job that has to do with cars in some way.

Well, don't forget about Spartanburg, SC (home of the BMW factory). Neat little town. Even if you make a move for the same job you have now, cost of living in the Carolinas should be substantially less than the northeast.

I like visiting Atlanta but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. Urban sprawl and traffic are both pretty bad there.

breld

A little annoying, but the Mazda dealership already called back.  I'm here closing the deal now.