Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

robr2

roadburner said:

I actually talked to a couple of guys who drive their Elises year-round and they said that with the proper tires they can get around fine- as long as the snow isn't real deep.

On another forum, there is a bruhaha going on about the Alfa 4C and how to check and add window washer fluid with many saying how poorly designed the system is. Driving it in the winter would be difficult with such a convoluted system.

IMHO, who is going to drive a 4C in winter??

qbrozen

suydam said:

Except that the slang term for Godzilla is Gojira. So that's why I dont get it.

I also figure they meant Gojira at first, but if you lower your brow a bit and say Godzilla with an offensive japanese accent, you'll get it.

carnaught

Still not convinced how clever that plate is.

Mr_Shiftright

A joke does rather lose its punch if you have to spend 10 minutes explaining it, that's true.

suydam

That's nasty. Glad I don't know those folks.

imidazol97

I like the type that are easy for me to catch onto.
Like "Say ahh"on what's likely a car of a nurse, doctor,or cnp.

Mr_Shiftright

Remember the blue Plymouth Horizon with the license plate "BEYOND"?

I always liked the New Yorker cartoon that showed Godzilla wearing a license plate: I8NY

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Remember the blue Plymouth Horizon with the license plate "BEYOND"?

I always liked the New Yorker cartoon that showed Godzilla wearing a license plate: I8NY

Hey.. even I get those two..

Sandman6472

A year today of VW ownership and even with the few hiccups so far, totally love the vehicle. With my job, I get to drive about 60% of the vehicles out there and am always smiling when I get back into mine on the drive home which says something, at least to me. Was not sure if I made a mistake by trading the Tucson so early, after 375 days, but after driving a couple 2015's at work, am definitely sure I made the right decision at the time...it was just the wrong vehicle for me. Maybe another cuv and I would've kept it but I made the wrong choice and got out of it, not a logical or financially prudent decision but no looking back.
Since driving a bunch of new 2016 iron the last few weeks, must admit that there's a whole lot of great stuff out there and a great time to be buying new. Am glad that we both chose German makes this time, but I like mine more than the other half. To her, it's just a nicer appliance and if I play my cards right, will probably just take it from her in a few years when she wants something different. Luckily she's keeping her mileage to about 2/3 of mine and figure I'll just give her whatever the dealer would give on trade if it comes to that. As much as I like mine, I like hers just a bit more and will be happy to take it over...eventually. Luckily, I'm watching the maintenance and upkeep of the A3 very closely and it has been flawless!!

The Sandman

nelsonf

fintail said:

I am surprised the PC police keeping us safe from injustice let it through. Maybe I need to get "".

M4...hmmm..."1PT5PSI"?

nelsonf said:

Michaell said:

 OK folks, quiz time. 

 I saw a vanity plate the other day while delivering. I am wondering if one of you can figure out what type of car it was on. 

The plate read GOZIRA

GTR was my guess too. That's actually pretty clever, slightly offensive, and really funny all at the same time.

I wish I could could come up with something clever like that for an M4...

That's what happens when you turn off the traction control and punch it. M4's are pretty bad [non-permissible content removed].

stickguy

too bad Q already got his SUV. My favorite place has a nice looking SRX in for a lot less money. Love the colors on this one.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2007-cadillac-srx-4dr_v6-used-14465317.html

And for NYC and the other Infiniti geeks, they have a bunch of 2013 G37s pending coming in. a few colors, mostly loaded, and miles seem to all be in the 13,000 range. $22-23K. Lotta car for the monies.

Sandman6472

Have driven a few SRX's lately and meh is al I can say. The knobless infotainment system is a real joke as is the whole dash. This is a luxury vehicle for G-d's sake not a Flash Gordon rocket ship! Thanks but no thanks!!!

The Sandman

tjc78

The SRX Stick posted and the new one are completely different. The current one is a fancied up GMC Terrian, the older one was RWD/AWD and could be had with the V8.

@stickguy ... nice example there.

stickguy

That town car you liked sold Tom. But they do have a nice, 1 owner 1999ish GM for only $1,500 if you need a beater. Only about 248k miles too!

Michaell

stickguy said:

And for NYC and the other Infiniti geeks, they have a bunch of 2013 G37s pending coming in. a few colors, mostly loaded, and miles seem to all be in the 13,000 range. $22-23K. Lotta car for the monies.

Stop ... just, stop!



Must be nice to put 4K a year on a lease. 2 miles to the train station, 2 miles home.

Don't have that option here out west...

nyccarguy

These car companies are pure evil.  I got a postcard in the mail from Chrysler yesterday for $1000 off on top of any other incentives including friends and family.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

These car companies are pure evil.  I got a postcard in the mail from Chrysler yesterday for $1000 off on top of any other incentives including friends and family.

Chrysler? What would you get (hypothetically, of course)?

ab348

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

These car companies are pure evil.  I got a postcard in the mail from Chrysler yesterday for $1000 off on top of any other incentives including friends and family.

Chrysler? What would you get (hypothetically, of course)?

A big bowl of trouble.

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

These car companies are pure evil.  I got a postcard in the mail from Chrysler yesterday for $1000 off on top of any other incentives including friends and family.

Well at least it was for Chrysler. I don't think they really have anything that would pique your interest?

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

These car companies are pure evil.  I got a postcard in the mail from Chrysler yesterday for $1000 off on top of any other incentives including friends and family.

Chrysler? What would you get (hypothetically, of course)?

Hmmmmmmm.  Since you asked, I'll have to look into this more.  Does anything fit the bill?  Sophisticated 4WD system, chassis with Mercedes derived components, HEMI powered V8 engine, money factor of almost free, $2500 northeast bonus lease plus the $1000 coupon they sent plus friends & family...

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

These car companies are pure evil.  I got a postcard in the mail from Chrysler yesterday for $1000 off on top of any other incentives including friends and family.

Chrysler? What would you get (hypothetically, of course)?

Hmmmmmmm.  Since you asked, I'll have to look into this more.  Does anything fit the bill?  Sophisticated 4WD system, chassis with Mercedes derived components, HEMI powered V8 engine, money factor of almost free, $2500 northeast bonus lease plus the $1000 coupon they sent plus friends & family...



OK, I see your point.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Hmmmmmmm.  Since you asked, I'll have to look into this more.  Does anything fit the bill?  Sophisticated 4WD system, chassis with Mercedes derived components, HEMI powered V8 engine, money factor of almost free, $2500 northeast bonus lease plus the $1000 coupon they sent plus friends & family...

Me, I'd take a Scat Pack Challenger in Plum Crazy with three pedals and H-K sound...

rayainsw

nyccarguy -
'Sophisticated 4WD system, chassis with Mercedes derived components, HEMI powered V8 engine,'
Please not that you can no longer order AWD & the V8 together
- Ray
Not in the Northeast - anymore .....

nyccarguy

rayainsw said:

nyccarguy - 'Sophisticated 4WD system, chassis with Mercedes derived components, HEMI powered V8 engine,' Please not that you can no longer order AWD & the V8 together - Ray Not in the Northeast - anymore .....

You are correct.  On a Charger, you cannot get a V8 paired with AWD.  You definitely can on a Grand Cherokee.

rayainsw

Ah - true - thanks for the correction !

tjc78

stickguy said:

That town car you liked sold Tom. But they do have a nice, 1 owner 1999ish GM for only $1,500 if you need a beater. Only about 248k miles too!

Just broken in for a Panther

rayainsw

Also - another Chrysler product that you could buy
with both a V8 and AWD:

http://www.chrysler.com/hostd/windowsticker/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=1C4SDJCT2FC223513

Sandman6472

Drove a super nice 300 yesterday with just 3500 on the clock. Very nice driver and liked the interior, super comfy seats. Drive a lot of 200's but not impressed with the auto tranny...just not necessary to have a nine speed as it hunts too much. Really really like the new Cherokee's and though the mpg's suck, probably would still have it if I had bought one instead of the Hyundai Tucson...like the way it drives and found the seats comfortable. Seem to have a bunch of them in our fleet now as well as the totally pathetic Compass...the really need to improve the Compass, inside and out. Not a bad size but everything else about it needs to be tweaked truth be told.
Like the Challenger but hardly ever see them in our fleet. The one I did happen to drive a few years back was absolutely awesome to drive...got it up to speed rather quickly and enjoyed my short time with it!

The Sandman

iluvmysephia1

Like the Challenger but hardly ever see them in our fleet. The one I did happen to drive a few years back was absolutely awesome to drive...got it up to speed rather quickly and enjoyed my short time with it!


One of these in 6-speed stick form would be cool, I would think.

stickguy

Fell in love today. Parked next to a new Mustang, in a really dark green color. Chrome wheels. A GT. really striking. Was even a stick!

My wife even liked it, and said I should make that my next car (and we really won't need rear doors or a back seat by then). Took a picture of it and texted to my son, telling him it was my next car. He answered back that quite a coincidence, it was his next car too!

Sandman6472

Awesome! Think I'm leaning more towards the Challenger to be honest though seating could be an issue with my deteriorating spine. The ones at work I've driven have been awfully low to the ground and ingress/egress was definitely an issue. I know when my back really hurts, I can't get into the rear seats of the Caravan, Town & Country or whatever minivan we are using as a chase that day...I then seat in the front or one of the middle captains chairs. In my personal vehicle, I still sit on that Relax The Back cushion I've had for right after my accident, made of memory foam. After all these years, it still works as intended and lets me sit for hours in the drivers seat. One good thing about the Tucson I owned for a bit was that I had no problems getting in or out, could just slide across and I was set. But that great positive was just not enough to want to keep it long term. Getting a new Tiguan SE would've been the best thing to do back then and I just didn't listen to that little voice we all sem to have!!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

rayainsw said:

Also - another Chrysler product that you could buy
with both a V8 and AWD:

http://www.chrysler.com/hostd/windowsticker/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=1C4SDJCT2FC223513

Looks good @rayainsw , but we don't need 2 SUVs much less 2 SUVs with 3 rows of seats. Drove my Prelude to work today & got my performance fix

roadburner

The CPO 2015 Mustang I stupidly let get away was that color; Ford calls it "Guard." Unfortunately, the only new Performance Package GTs I can afford are base models with 1986 Hyundai cloth upholstery and 1967 transistor radio audio quality...

stickguy

Yeah, Guard. looks fantastic in person.

Hey, just ask the boss for a little Holiday bonus. I'm sure she will give it to you so you can get what you want.

Sandman6472

They laugh at me at work because I seem to like most of the newer vehicles at work, which I really do. Cars have been my passion since I was a little kid standing up watching my folks drive...it was an instant love affair! We always say that I need a house with 7 garage bays having one different vehicle for each day of the week. I really should've pushed harder a few years back for that BMW drop top or another one and just kept the Civic. Since I've been averaging 13K/years, they both would've still had low mileage on them since that convertible only had 37K on the clock and my Civic had 46K. I would've dealt with the moving of vehicles and having to keep one outside like NY does with no problems. The wife put a wrench in the works and to keep marriage harmony, I stupidly gave in which at the time was the course of least resistance. But once again, I had to put my wants on the back burner! Would've been the best solution but with a different BMW though. That one had a lot of cowl shake over railroad tracks and rough roads which really concerned me but maybe, that's normal in a BMW drop top. The silver one shook even worse though it had more miles on it. Also didn't want a black vehicle down here preferring a silver or that nice blue they had back then.

The Sandman

stickguy

they all have some amount of rattles and shakes. At least the ones I test drove did!

also, had to wash the Jetta today, as daughter arrived back from school for holiday break. Of course it was filthy again. As I was washing it, I realized again it was really the perfect size for me for a sedan. The Sonata is certainly a nice travel car, but the Jetta is, and certainly an AUDI, Volvo, or other similar sized unit would be just as nice. But more nimble around town.

I never have been a fan of large iron.

roadburner

My son brought the X3 home- 182k miles and still tight and rattle free. The interior shows some wear but mechanically it's solid(suspension has never been touched).

corvette

I'm anxiously awaiting the rain they keep calling for. My deck, driveway, and sidewalk have gotten "bird bombed" and the dog tracked some of it into my truck, right after I steam cleaned the carpets.

corvette

Paging roadburner... Your car's twin, with a supercharger, a worn out driver's seat, and missing an airbag. 

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=43235&endYear=1997&vehicleStyleCodes=COUPE%2CHATCH&showcaseOwnerId=67968&startYear=1981&firstRecord=100&engineCodes=4CLDR&engineCode=4CLDR&transmissionCode=MAN&numRecords=100&transmissionCodes=MAN&searchRadius=0&listingId=416311806&Log=0

roadburner

I really wanted a D/A supercharger kit, but they went out of production before I had spare $$$ to grab one. Probably good that the car is four hours away; I'd probably pay $6k-$7k if it checked out...

Mr_Shiftright

8 owners, 5 states, east coast, accident on CARFAX---I dunno.....not exactly pampered.

roadburner said:

I really wanted a D/A supercharger kit, but they went out of production before I had spare $$$ to grab one. Probably good that the car is four hours away; I'd probably pay $6k-$7k if it checked out...

roadburner

Well, it's one of less than 200 Club Sports out there- and they are incredibly simple to service and repair...

corvette

Devil's advocate... You could probably swap out the supercharged motor into your (more pampered) E36 body. 

Mr_Shiftright

Even assuming this car is okay, I don't think I'd use the word "simple" for repairs---more like straightforward. It's not a complex car, but things like replacing the timing case gasket (common problem) isn't a walk in the park for instance. It's not a 1965 Mustang, and it has a blower. You need a skill set and a tool set to work on it.

Bottom line with any used car, I think, is that you want one with good bones or you'll never make it right.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Even assuming this car is okay, I don't think I'd use the word "simple" for repairs---more like straightforward. It's not a complex car, but things like replacing the timing case gasket (common problem) isn't a walk in the park for instance. It's not a 1965 Mustang, and it has a blower. You need a skill set and a tool set to work on it.

Bottom line with any used car, I think, is that you want one with good bones or you'll never make it right.

If you are referring to the infamous "profile gasket," that problem was eliminated with a change in gasket composition in mid-1993. The rest of the gaskets are no more failure-prone than any other car.

Mr_Shiftright

Looks like a fun car in its own way. I'd want to dig into its service history, though, what with all the owners, the accident, the miles and the blower. Not exactly a virgin here. I'd much rather own an M3 than sink money to something like this.

kyfdx

I drove a Club Sport up at EAG. (slicktop, too!).

It was in rough enough shape, that they offered it to me for $3800, as is. Didn't drive badly, but I've seen how that goes, when you are paying someone else to repair it.

Mr_Shiftright

Here's another guy's saga with his 318 Club Sport. It's for sale, too.

1995 BMW 318 Ti Club Sport

Here's the same car RB found but priced at $6,900. Has a bit more info on the car

Tuner Tuesday

roadburner

It sounds like the lion's share of the cost was due to a M42 cylinder head that had been butchered previously. Mine is still good at over 140k.. A new radiator and hoses will run @$550, and the job is dead simple.

Mr_Shiftright

Well a used car is always a roll of the dice.