Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Here I thought we were buying a house that needed nothing

Bwahahahahahahhaha!

Good one, Q!

On a serious note, though, I hope the "needs" you're dealing with already are minor....

slorenzen

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Here I thought we were buying a house that needed nothing

Bwahahahahahahhaha!

Good one, Q!

On a serious note, though, I hope the "needs" you're dealing with already are minor....

Yeah, I sent some coffee through my nose with that comment as well...

Turnkey doesn't last long, does it?

iluvmysephia1

I saw a white 2016 Scion iA here in Dodge City going the opposite direction on Wyatt Earp Blvd. this morning. I was like " hey, stop! Don't you know I need to look at you." Looked interesting enough that I needed mo-wa. Mo-wa, mo-wa, mo-wa!!

But, honey, it gets 31 city 41 highway with the manual transmission!

henryn

xwesx said:

stever said:

Interesting, WD-40 is more of a water displacer and not a lube.

I use some really nice lubricant called Sil Glyde on a variety of things including sporting equipment, the ball hitch on my clothes dryer, wheel lugs, you name it. It is great stuff, though it will collect dust (as it is tacky) over time, so I'm sure something like a garage door track would require periodic cleaning and reapplication.

Wait a minute, wait a minute -- "the ball hitch on my clothes dryer" ????

slorenzen

henryn said:

xwesx said:

stever said:

Interesting, WD-40 is more of a water displacer and not a lube.

I use some really nice lubricant called Sil Glyde on a variety of things including sporting equipment, the ball hitch on my clothes dryer, wheel lugs, you name it. It is great stuff, though it will collect dust (as it is tacky) over time, so I'm sure something like a garage door track would require periodic cleaning and reapplication.

Wait a minute, wait a minute -- "the ball hitch on my clothes dryer" ????

Yeah, I was wondering about that too, though he DOES live in Alaska...they're....DIFFERENT...up there...

Mr_Shiftright

Well you know, in case the kid wants to take it to college.....

qbrozen

some issues are major. we also have a home warranty, though. hopefully it works well. i haven't called them yet because one of the major issues is that an AC compressor is not kicking on. Worked during the home inspection, of course. But that was the last warm day of the year where we needed it, so there is no point in having them come out now. Once I do have them come, I'll also have them fix one of the water heaters that isn't coming on, either.

Michaell

iluvmysephia1 said:

I saw a white 2016 Scion iA here in Dodge City going the opposite direction on Wyatt Earp Blvd. this morning. I was like " hey, stop! Don't you know I need to look at you." Looked interesting enough that I needed mo-wa. Mo-wa, mo-wa, mo-wa!!

But, honey, it gets 31 city 41 highway with the manual transmission!

The automatic actually gets better mileage!

Michaell

qbrozen said:

some issues are major. we also have a home warranty, though. hopefully it works well. i haven't called them yet because one of the major issues is that an AC compressor is not kicking on. Worked during the home inspection, of course. But that was the last warm day of the year where we needed it, so there is no point in having them come out now. Once I do have them come, I'll also have them fix one of the water heaters that isn't coming on, either.

This doesn't look good.

Talked to the warranty company just now - one of the pieces that failed is not covered (pressure valve). Of course, that was half the amount of the plumbing bill.

And, they'll only reimburse me what they would have paid their plumber to do the job, not the amount I paid.

Can't wait to see what they'll come up with for the water remediation work.

stever

Michaell said:

This doesn't look good.

Talked to the warranty company just now - one of the pieces that failed is not covered (pressure valve). Of course, that was half the amount of the plumbing bill.

My realtor stuck a home warranty in our offer without asking and I didn't notice it right away. Make him take it out and got credited with the $500 at closing (researched the company, First American, and they had awful reviews. Most of them do - I think they spend most of their money wining and dining Realtors. Back before it was prohibited, they gave a lot of kickbacks to Realtors, and maybe some of that still goes on with fancy spiffs).

Had second thoughts when the water heater gave out, but those deals usually require a fee to check out the problem ($75) and even if they cover the problem, they'll only do the bare minimum and will use the cheapest outfit in town.

kyfdx

Doubt I would ever buy a home warranty with my own money..

iluvmysephia1

I have read that the Mazda clutch and stick shift setup is very nice, though. I'd need to row my own on the iA.

xwesx

slorenzen said:

Yeah, I was wondering about that too, though he DOES live in Alaska...they're....DIFFERENT...up there...

Now, slow down. Different isn't necessarily better, but in this case, yes, it is better. Much better. Haha!

Apparently, few of you have taken apart your clothes dryers. And, since likely not all dryers are created equally, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here (you're welcome).

I have reconditioned mine (twice now) in order to coax a little more life into a machine that would otherwise require retirement. That big drum that contains and spins your clothes is held in place by what looks like a minature fifth wheel attachment on the back of the machine. It is this dinky little ball (like what you'd have on your car's trailer hitch) on the back of the drum, and the connection between that and the cradle on the back of the unit that requires lubrication.... very durable lubrication!

The front of the machine has a felt gasket that encircles the opening on the front of the dryer, and the drum, which is completely open on the front, rides on it. So, if that felt gasket wears thin or the "ball hitch" goes dry in the back, then your dryer starts making squeaks, grumbles, and other noises that can be less than pleasing.

houdini1

iluvmysephia1 said:

I have read that the Mazda clutch and stick shift setup is very nice, though. I'd need to row my own on the iA.

One rag I read liked the manual and one liked the auto. Try them both.

imidazol97

xwesx said:

Apparently, few of you have taken apart your clothes dryers. And, since likely not all dryers are created equally, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here (you're welcome).

I don't recall mine having a ball. I've replaced the heater coil. I've replace the drive belt. Both on Whirlpool. I've checked my current Cabrio model Whirlpool dryer for uneven rolling on the front rollers holding the drum. Didn't seem worn after 5 years.

Most of these Whirlpool laundry items come apart very logically. Helps to have service manual or video from the web.

xwesx

imidazol97 said:

Most of these Whirlpool laundry items come apart very logically. Helps to have service manual or video from the web.

Yes, very logical, at least the dryer! Mine is a "Kenmore," but I think it is actually a rebadged Whirlpool, which is a rebadged..... Yeah, there are four or five different brands that are really the exact same machine. It takes me about thirty minutes to pull the whole thing apart, vacuum it out, re-lube it, maybe replace the felt bearing in the front, and have it up and running again.

The washing machine, though. Wow. That one is a completely different animal! I had to replace the bearings (like those on an automobile) on that drum a couple years back, and that project was NOT for the faint of heart! LOL

I also discovered that the spider arm on the back of the drum (this is what supports the basket with the clothes in it) was suffering some fairly substantial corrosion, so I'm certain that it is doomed to fail (catastrophically) one of these days; it is holding strong so far!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the machines. They're at nearly 11.5 years now with a likely average of a load per day during that time. I may be underestimating, considering that we did cloth diapers for both of our kids.

Sandman6472

We get a "service plan" every years for the appliances, electrical and light plumbing and we do use them. The toilets need adjustments with the master being original to the house. The guy who came last month said we need a new elongated toilet but we'll see. They've kept the oven working, the stove, the fridge though the ice maker went south and am using plastic ice trays now. They've worked on the washer and dryer and the a/c unit. Since I'm just not handy, I gladly pay the yearly fee and they keep everything running nicely.
I have put some funds away for a new oven/stove and side by side refrigerator since they are both approaching 28 years old and do not have replacement value on them. Have it on the hot water heater, still original though numerous parts have been replaced, and they've replaced the disposal twice already. Have noticed with the kids mostly gone now, we use everything less so call the company only about 4 times a year. Best $ I've spent here!!
Have talked about possibly staying here longer than we thought and if so, will probably do the kitchen since it is getting a bit thread bare in some places. Refacing the cabinets is a possibility along with new counter tops which go over the existing ones. Don't want to do a complete gut job but a less expensive project will probably work. There's not much in this price range out there now, $250K to $310K, so doing a small fix up would tide us over a few more years. All it takes is...$$$$$$!!!

The Sandman


P.S. Might be going to the auto show after all. My oldest mentioned she'd like to go see what's out there in her price point, around $20K or so and smallish. Really is the best place to go to comparison shop everything. Saturday is looking like it might work!!

Sandman6472

To any veterans in here, thanks for your service!!! It's greatly appreciated by us all!!! Think I speak for everyone when I say that!

The Sandman

stever

The last dryer I tinkered with had a big belt around the drum and when that snapped, the drum quit turning. And ice makers are a pain.

Auto shows, home shows, boat shows and the like bug me. Why pay for the privilege of shopping with a mob of folks when you can hit the dealers for free and get personal service if you wish?

iluvmysephia1

Never been to an auto show. Hey, sandman, don't forget the 2016 Scion iA for your kid ta look at. That car is absolutely loaded for that $15,700-$16,800 price point. Plus, they'll be having fun driving their car, not stuck with some appliance rig.

corvette

iluv, should I go ahead and pencil in a punch for you, and just leave the date blank?

ab348

corvette said:

iluv, should I go ahead and pencil in a punch for you, and just leave the date blank?

He might get one for free with all the tub-thumping that's going on here.

iluvmysephia1

Since the car's not a necessity for Mrs. iluvmysephia1 and I, and, she'll have an absolute conniption fit if she sees an iA in front of the apartment instead of the Soul when she gets back from Chicago, better not make a punch quite yet.

A lot of the sales pitches I'm casting are to keep my own interest keen and in focus. For the hunt.  I'm about 60% yes, 40% nabob on this pup right now. Today was a real positive Scion iA day, carnuts! To be continued.

rayainsw

VW sales challenges -

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100849_vw-diesel-scandal-is-hurting-prices-dealers-heres-how

qbrozen

Just browsing, as usual. Found some interesting things.

I am shocked at how cheap these are. That is actually quite overpriced since it is worth only about $2k as a trade. I think $5k is probably all the money.

Also a ridiculous price, but you gotta appreciate the miles. About a $5500-$6k car.

The wife would probably most like this, but at an obvious price. Around $11k on this one.

stever

That Subaru reminds me of the '97 I picked up in 2003. I paid closer to NADA than TMV but it only had 34,000 miles on it. I bet this creampuff will bring closer to $7k, if not more.

au1994

The ex took a similar Passat wagon with her. Pretty sure it was an 07 except white with tan interior. Man, thats some significant depreciation. The one we had was pretty loaded (Nav, roof etc) and stickered over 30k. I guess it is getting to be close to 10 yrs old now.

Handy vehicle. Fit a garage sale couch in the back once. This would make a nice alternative to a p/u for a Home Depot runner if you had the room.

iluvmysephia1

2016 Scion iA's -manual on the left and an automatic on the right

Cha-ching Cha-ching Cha-ching Cha-ching! Money car, men. The website pointed out the iA's drivetrains, but, the car's don't look different with different drivetrains.

I have about a week to decide on this "hunt" if I want to proceed...now. Or later. Wow - I just read the article below on the new 2016 Scion iA. Very, very complimentary of the new low-cost sports sedan. I thought it wasn't just me! Look at how they describe the car's fantastic driving dynamics. I just moved to 75% yes, 25% nabob on this beautiful little pup. I don't mind the "gaping maw" at all, anymore. I kind of like it now.

http://www.tflcar.com/2015/11/2016-scion-ia-budget-sports-sedan-review/

"After a while it isn't even noticeable." That's their comment on the "gaping maw" after driving around in the car for a while. This car would be a gas ta have ta cruise around Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and anywhere else I want ta go around the Great Plains area for a newcomer. They noticed the ghastly mileage was an average of 38 with the manual and only 31 with the automatic, too. Fancy that!

Mr_Shiftright

Too bad Colorado didn't have bigger license plates. I might take this into photoshop and see what I can do for that grill.

nyccarguy

au1994 said:

The ex took a similar Passat wagon with her. Pretty sure it was an 07 except white with tan interior. Man, thats some significant depreciation. The one we had was pretty loaded (Nav, roof etc) and stickered over 30k. I guess it is getting to be close to 10 yrs old now. Handy vehicle. Fit a garage sale couch in the back once. This would make a nice alternative to a p/u for a Home Depot runner if you had the room.

Funny you should say that.  We were a day too late to lease the exact car back in 2007.  I emailed the dealer on Friday night asking for a price as well as a break down of mf & residual for a 36 month/15K per year lease.    The sales woman broke everything down as I asked and emailed a credit app saying the the program expires today (last day of the month).  She said if we got the credit app in, that she could hold the deal for us.  I didn't check my email until Saturday after they closed.

We went to the dealer Monday AM, drove the car, liked it a lot.  Sales woman came back with the bad news.  VW credit was pushing financing instead of leasing that particular month.  Using the new month's program, the lease payment went from $399 to $445.  I wasn't willing to finance the VW long term nor take a 4 year lease which would have put me out of warranty during the lease term.  I told them I'd think about it.

My Dad happened to stop by the BMW dealer to check on the order status of his 2007 X5.  The salesman mentioned about some aggressive lease deals on the 2007 X3.  

So for $25 more per month than the Passat was going to cost me, I got my wife a 2007 X3.  The X3 catapulted me into this group.  Since then I've been a proud, card carrying CCBA member

Sandman6472

Saw an X1 and really liked it though still prefer the smaller 1 Series if I'd ever buy a BMW. At this point, like what we've got and with eleven months into my purchase with just under 12K, am very happy with my Golf. It's funny, whenever I see something I'd like to pursue and then drive it at work, always glad to get back into my VW and drive home.
Have driven a lot of Forte's lately and to be honest, they are one of the nicest vehicles at that price point. Seeing more of them in our fleet now. And last night, the last trip had me in a 2015 Fusion with a tad over 4K on the clock. Very impressive vehicle though the looks are kind of meh. Interior was really comfortable and everything was within easy reach. Still think Ford needs to dumb down their infotainment systems a bit but after a few minutes, found what I needed. Luckily it had XM working so I was a happy camper. Smooth acceleration and braking was not grabby at all. To be honest, liked it better that both the Camry and Accord and as nice as the Optima, Sonata and Passat...Ford did a great job here and if had to get a mid-sizer, this would be definitely on the list.
When we go to the airports to get vehicles, lately my lead driver has been pulling around some great choices for me. And even though I only drive them for about a 1/2 hour, get a pretty good feeling for how good, or bad these vehicles really are.

The Sandman

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Too bad Colorado didn't have bigger license plates. I might take this into photoshop and see what I can do for that grill.

No. Don't. Please.

fintail

Didn't someone here want a sport model or AMG A-class hatch? Kind of a WRX for adults, well, maybe:

iluvmysephia1

Fin, man, that hatch above means bid-ness! Man, I was trying to talk myself outta the little '16 Scion iA then I read that article I linked above and here we go again! They loved it's driving dynamics, the suspension, tires, engine tranny and clutch are just made for driving fun. It's a Mazda 2, of course it is! I'm leaning over to 80% yes on a possible punch now. The iluv planets are gonna have ta line properly up but I'm feeling enthused again!

qbrozen

Huh. Fiat 500X lease deal around here is $148/39 mos w/$1999 down. Should work out to around $235/mo with everything rolled in. Not bad, I think. Looks to be about $250/mo to step up to an "Easy" model to get things like Uconnect and auto trans.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Huh. Fiat 500X lease deal around here is $148/39 mos w/$1999 down. Should work out to around $235/mo with everything rolled in. Not bad, I think. Looks to be about $250/mo to step up to an "Easy" model to get things like Uconnect and auto trans.

FWD or AWD?

houdini1

iluvmysephia1 said:

2016 Scion iA's -manual on the left and an automatic on the right

Cha-ching Cha-ching Cha-ching Cha-ching! Money car, men. The website pointed out the iA's drivetrains, but, the car's don't look different with different drivetrains.

I have about a week to decide on this "hunt" if I want to proceed...now. Or later. Wow - I just read the article below on the new 2016 Scion iA. Very, very complimentary of the new low-cost sports sedan. I thought it wasn't just me! Look at how they describe the car's fantastic driving dynamics. I just moved to 75% yes, 25% nabob on this beautiful little pup. I don't mind the "gaping maw" at all, anymore. I kind of like it now.

http://www.tflcar.com/2015/11/2016-scion-ia-budget-sports-sedan-review/

"After a while it isn't even noticeable." That's their comment on the "gaping maw" after driving around in the car for a while. This car would be a gas ta have ta cruise around Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and anywhere else I want ta go around the Great Plains area for a newcomer. They noticed the ghastly mileage was an average of 38 with the manual and only 31 with the automatic, too. Fancy that!

Not only would it be fun driving, but you could convert the engine so it would run on plankton and just scoop your fuel up as you drive along the coast here in Kansas. If the big one ever hits.

graphicguy

Bradd.....wow! Did NOT see that one coming. Big congratz to you and your wife!

stickguy

Man GG, you need to keep up. That punch was back in 2007!

If you meant the X3.

stickguy

Iluv, if your dream is only a 15K little car, you are pretty low maintenance. Wife should be happy if that is all you want! at least it is something you can easily keep for 10 years. And think about the MPG.

especially since it seems the Soul was an emergency buy, not necessarily what you would have gotten if you had time to plan it out.

so what the heck. If the payment is the same, just stretched out another 1-2 years, it is like a free car! Especially if in the 2 years or whatever that it would take you to pay off the soul, you would get a new one anyway.

hey, if you need help rationalizing, you came to the right place!

graphicguy

stickguy said:

Man GG, you need to keep up. That punch was back in 2007!

If you meant the X3.

Damn....now I know I need more eye surgery. For some odd reason, I thought I read NYC was looking for a Passat (because of VW's woes and subsequent deals), but bought the X3 instead. I didn't see the dates mentioned, at all.

Long work day. Need a nice Basil Hayden before dinner

iluvmysephia1

stickguy, yep, that's why I keep comin' back here! No, you're right. I just checked the Mountain States Scion website. They've added two more Frost iA's so now they have 9 2016 Scion iA's. Only one is a stick Frost, there are  3 automatic Frost iA's in stock. And, I did another OK, KS, MO search and Mountain States is the only dealer keeping the Pure Pricing Scion format! The rest are adding their dealer markups of $1,000 or a little more. 

If for some reason we don't meet their credit score or otherwise standards, I might be stuck in DEN empty-handed. Ya never know. I've only been at this job for 3 months, but I've been working steadily for years. If I leave a job I get another one again in pretty short order.

If it doesn't work out the '11 Kia Soul will do me just fine. The gaping maw looks better in person-I've got to get ready. Hopefully Mt.States Scion gets more manual transmission iA's and doesn't sell their only stick before end of week next week.

stickguy

Just went over to the scion site and checked it out. Man, that baby is loaded nicely for that low price. I like the dark blue.

nyccarguy

@stickguy - thanks for clarifying for me

iluvmysephia1

The only color I can get is Frost if I want a 6-speed Scion iA. White is fine by me, blue or red, too. Two shades of blue are available. 

I know, backup camera, pushbutton start. Can you plug in your Android with an adapter and play your favorite YouTube videos through the car's stereo? Need to edumacate myself on some of this plug-in technology.

nyccarguy

The Legacy passes yet another test I didn't think it would be subjected to.  

My 9 year-old son plays travel hockey.  2 practices (at least) during the week & 2 games on the weekend.  The ice rink he plays at is on the complete opposite side of the city from where I live.  It cant be more than 6 miles, but there's no direct way to get there from here.  If you make every single traffic light on a Sunday AM it is 20 minutes.  Sometimes during rush hour it takes 40 - 45 minutes.  So we found a family on the team to carpool with.  They have twins Andre's age.  Their Mom likes to drop off which works out better for us.  I can always pick up because I don't get home from work until 6:30 pm.  

On days I have to pick up, I come home and switch cars.  It is just easy to throw the bags & sticks into the back of the Pilot.  Last night I didn't leave work until 6:15 & had to pick up at 7:30.  I had time to get to the rink, but not go home beforehand.  The twins have these giant hockey bags on wheels and my son has a duffle bag.  I thought for sure something was going to have to ride in the front seat, but The Legacy's trunk swallowed the 3 hockey bags & sticks.  I was impressed.  Plenty of room for the 3 boys in the back seat too.

qbrozen

Another temptation:
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/1GYEE637650126187/2005-cadillac-srx/

about $7500-$8k should buy it.

nyccarguy

Anybody in the market for a well maintained 2013 Lexus GS350 F-Sport AWD - liquid platinum/cabarnet interior? Almost 50K miles in 2 1/2 years (like I did on my 2011 328xi) seems like a lot compared to the low mileage cream puffs, but the car fax shows regular maintenance including new tires at 30K plus new brakes at 45K.

28firefighter

@nyccarguy it's amazing what our cars are capable of when we aren't looking for excuses to replace them.

nyccarguy

@28firefighter - so true. I'm running out of excuses:

The X3 we leased (in 2007 @graphicguy) was hers. It replaced a 7 year old Mazda Protege ES. What better excuse to punch the card than "we had a kid, need bigger vehicle."

2008 I bought my E30 325i. Project car. Cheap to buy.

Cash for clunkers rolls around in 2009. Miles were piling up on the X3 at an alarming rate. You're going to give me $3,500 for the car I paid $950 for? Where do I sign? Clunker punch - 2010 TSX.

The pending arrival of kid #3 made us punch in 2011. Pilot (still got it! Almost paid off)

I used the "Ive always wanted a BMW" card, it is an amazing deal on a leftover, & "payment will be similar" excuse to trade the TSX in & lease the 328xi in 2012.

Logical reason to punch the card last September. My lease was up. Bam! 2015 Legacy.