Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

some sort of "do you really want to do this?" override does make sense. Like having a traction control off switch. I recall reading about people in a car where you couldn't do that, getting stuck on snow where you needed to spin the tires a bit to get traction, but the car just sat there, refusing to do it.

the false alarms (such as when running down an open highway and suddenly the car throws out the anchor) might cause boxer damage.

Mr_Shiftright

I really hope I can avoid having any nanny gadgets like that on my next car. TC is ok because I can easily switch it off when I need to.

stever

Fine for you but what happens when the idiots turn their nanny gizmos off?

fintail

People who need nanny gizmos for survival probably shouldn't be driving to begin with. Race to the bottom, lowest common denominator.

It'll be interesting to see legal issues caused by automatic braking.

stever

It's my survival we're talking about. Crash avoidance from people like my sister who need every last nanny there is.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't believe there are "safe" cars or that any gadget will save you. I don't think this is a good mindset.

fintail

I don't think your sister should be on the road, Steve Although Seattle is plagued with hilariously inept drivers, she's probably no worse than average in her neighborhood, maybe even better than some.

I can imagine the auto-braking car over-doing it at speed, causing a chain reaction of other auto-brakers over-doing it, and non-auto brakers not being able to stop as fast. Lawyers will love this, and so will automakers using it as an excuse to raise prices.

andre1969

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

I'm looking for you. what is your tolerance for age and miles?

 And budget? 

I haven't really thought that much about age, mileage, and budget yet, either. I guess it just depends...if it's low-mileage and in nice condition, I'm willing to go with an older car.

What do y'all think of this? 2008 Altima hybrid, ~67K miles, $10,400. It's kind of a stripper model. But, I've always kinda liked the Altima, and being a hybrid it's a bit of an oddball, which I find appealing. Even though I said fuel economy isn't that big of a concern, it would be a nice bonus here.

Does anybody know much about the hybrid setup on these? I believe the hybrid components are outsourced from Toyota, and it's essentially the same stuff that goes into a Camry hybrid? I figure it should be fairly reliable...aren't hybrids usually pretty reliable, despite the added complexity? It wouldn't be the type of car you'd take a cross-country trip in, unless you were by yourself, since the trunk is tiny. But, the last time I even drove more than 200 miles away was last year, and that was to a classic car show, so I took my Catalina.

I have a gut feeling I won't like this car, once I actually look at it in person. But, you never know...

qbrozen

I could be totally off base, but I would think your minimal driving would be detrimental to a hybrid.

qbrozen

trolling ebay...
I find this strangely appealing.

This is on their website for $12k, which seems a little pricey to me.

Also dig this, although again kinda spendy with the straight 6 and 3-on-the-tree and what appears to be some rust issue behind the seat?

andre1969

qbrozen said:

I could be totally off base, but I would think your minimal driving would be detrimental to a hybrid.

I was wondering about that, actually. I know really short-trip driving like that is bad for a Diesel, but didn't know about hybrids. I think the biggest problem is that in my type of driving, the car would spend more time in the gasoline cycle than the electric cycle, as it would spend more time warming up and less time at full operating temperature. And when the car is warming up, isn't that a bigger drain on the batteries, which I'd think would trigger the gasoline cycle?

FWIW though, even though my commute to work is only about 5 miles round trip per day, I do enough other running around that it might put about 150-200 miles per week on the car. So that might help a bit.

qbrozen

that's what I was thinking: it would just be in gas mode alot on the short trips. The battery wouldn't be getting utilized much, which isn't good for it. I don't know. I guess find some stories of little old ladies driving hybrids back and forth to church for 10 years and see what that looks like?

suydam

Consumer Reports did not like the Altima hybrid and it was discontinued in 2011. Camry hybrid is much better if you want to go that route. But you'll be able to find a 1 or 2 year old Impala for WAAAY less than any Camry.

corvette

Oh, man, that makes me nostalgic for my old Altima. The hybrid was only sold in a few states, IIRC. No folding back seat / small trunk are negatives. Although it is a base model, you get auto climate control, steering wheel audio controls, and alloy wheels, compared to a base Altima. You could do a lot worse for $10,000. 

andre1969

If I really wanted to go the Altima route, I could get my Mom's 2008. I think it's a 2.5SL or something like that (4-cyl, with leather). It's pretty nice, and does have a sunroof. She's thinking about getting a new car, and would be trading this one in, and did ask if I wanted it.

I'll admit I do kinda like it...plus it's green, one of my favorite colors. But, I figure I'm also 45 years old, and maybe it's time to quit driving Mommy's hand-me-downs. Plus, I also have a bad memory of the last time she gave me a car. It was a 1986 Monte Carlo. I got t-boned while delivering pizzas in it. The car was totaled, and I went into the emergency room, but checked out okay other than a bump here and there and the typical adrenaline rush/mild shock (I remember the paramedic asking me if I knew who the President was, and I couldn't get his name out, but was able to say "Intern-dude", and I remember them chuckling over that )

But, I remember when I mentioned to them that I got into an accident and the car was totaled, the first thing out of their mouths was "well why were you driving THAT car?" (from my stepdad) and, get this..."I thought you'd use that car for only special occasions, and NOT delivering pizzas" (Mom). Nothing along the lines of, "Thank God you're okay!" or anything like that. And Mom did apologize later saying that of course she was glad I was okay, but that, she was also kind of hoping to see just how long that car would last. It was 12 years old and had 179K miles on it when she gave it to me, although I put another 13K on it in just three short months!

Oh, yeah, in 2002, Mom sold me my Granddad's old '85 Silverado, initially for $1200. I paid her $200, but then after that she kinda guilted me into taking in a semi-feral cat she had. She said I didn't have to pay her the remaining $1000 because I did that. Well, the cat was nothing but trouble, borderline psychotic. Peed in the furnace ducts in the living room. The second time it peed on my bed, I took it back to my Mom, along with a check for $1000, and said "Happy Mother's Day!" (it was around that time of the year).

iluvmysephia1

And she has this (bad) habit of hopping in and fastening her seatbelt as she drives off.

I had this bad habit for several years but thankfully grew out of it. It doesn't get you anywhere faster.

stickguy

Truck might be kinda fun Q. But get tired of it quick.

I do like the MG. but no pictures of the interior or engine! Red flag? You do get 10 of the same side shots though.

qbrozen

their website has the MG.
interior has some goofy touches.

I think that pickup would be a good starting point to drop in a crate engine and tranny, but the purchase price would have to be quite a bit lower to justify it because you'd still have maybe a $12k truck when finished.

andre1969

iluvmysephia1 said:

And she has this (bad) habit of hopping in and fastening her seatbelt as she drives off.

I had this bad habit for several years but thankfully grew out of it. It doesn't get you anywhere faster.

I had gotten into that bad habit myself, when I used to deliver pizzas. In fact, I had probably just fastened my seatbelt mere seconds before I got t-boned by that teenage girl in the parking lot, when she ran a stop sign on that fateful night I lost my Monte Carlo.

iluvmysephia1

I had gotten into that bad habit myself, when I used to deliver pizzas. In fact, I had probably just fastened my seatbelt mere seconds before I got t-boned by that teenage girl in the parking lot, when she ran a stop sign on that fateful night I lost my Monte Carlo.


Yeah, funny thing is is that I knew I was doing it, it's just that no thought went in to it whatsoever. Now, I hit the brake if I start rolling without my seatbelt on, fasten it, then go on. Anticipation groove of some kind, apparently.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

trolling ebay...
I find this strangely appealing.

This is on their website for $12k, which seems a little pricey to me.

Also dig this, although again kinda spendy with the straight 6 and 3-on-the-tree and what appears to be some rust issue behind the seat?

The MG is all wrong interior wise and is running a Weber carb of all things, so I suspect this is a down and dirty resto---ditto the Ford truck, which wasn't done correctly, or particularly well. The Kaiser rod looks well done.

andre1969

iluvmysephia1 said:

I had gotten into that bad habit myself, when I used to deliver pizzas. In fact, I had probably just fastened my seatbelt mere seconds before I got t-boned by that teenage girl in the parking lot, when she ran a stop sign on that fateful night I lost my Monte Carlo.


Yeah, funny thing is is that I knew I was doing it, it's just that no thought went in to it whatsoever. Now, I hit the brake if I start rolling without my seatbelt on, fasten it, then go on. Anticipation groove of some kind, apparently.

Another bad habit I had back in those pizza delivery days was putting the car into gear too quickly. You know how, when you first start a car, the engine revs up for just a moment, then drops back down? Well, I was getting to the point I'd throw it into gear so quickly the engine was still in that rev-up moment. The older cars I had didn't mind it so much, but once I got my 2000 Intrepid, if I shifted into gear too quickly, it wouldn't engage, and would just go into neutral. At first I thought there was something wrong with the car, especially since that transmission did have a bad reputation. But, the dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it, and one day I figured it out on my own...just wait a second or two before shifting into gear. I think it was some kind of protective feature built into the car, to keep from stressing the transmission.

qbrozen

wonder what he wants for the Kaiser.


edit: Oh MY! I found his website. $37,500!!!

qbrozen

He is off his meds

Mr_Shiftright

The Kaiser probably isn't worth that unless all the hidden spectacular-ness of it isn't in the photos for some reason. Morel like $22K?

The Crown Vic, even as a concours national prize winner, is perhaps a $70K--$75K car. The buyer base for this type of car is fading fast into Automobile Heaven.

qbrozen

i was thinking in the teens on the Kaiser because it looks like an older resto. But that's totally my gut feeling since I have no clue what it should be worth.

as to some other things he's got on there that jumped out at me: $20k for a porsche 914 1.7 with 122k miles!? $15k for a '74 Maverick? $35k for a Lark? All seem totally crazy to me.

henryn

The subject of the Buick LaCrosse came up, and I had the chance for an extended drive recently. A good friend recently purchased a 2015, used, with 10k miles. The depreciation on these is steep, indeed, do NOT buy new.

Two hour round trip, one hour going, one returning. Mostly highway, some city, a little on back roads. The engine and transmission are smooth and responsive, enough power for passing but not enough for any kind of thrills. Not as fast as my 2006 DTS, but reasonably close. The seats were comfortable, the entertainment system was a little complex, but not nearly as much as the Ford Sync system. I really couldn’t operate it on the road, but I didn’t have too much trouble when pulled over.

There was plenty of headroom (no sunroof), and the door opening is tall enough that entry and exit were fairly easy.

The steering is light, very little effort required to turn the wheel. Which tends to make the car feel lighter and more responsive. Which is nice around town, but not on the freeway. For a road trip, I would much prefer my Cadillac, for running errands around town, the Buick.



The verdict, for me – I will never own one. It is not available without the center console, which forces my right knee into a fully upright position. I could not drive for a full hour without pulling over to get out of the car and relax my knee and hip. This is not the worst center console I have ever seen (that honor goes to the Mustang), but it is quite intrusive.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

i was thinking in the teens on the Kaiser because it looks like an older resto. But that's totally my gut feeling since I have no clue what it should be worth.

as to some other things he's got on there that jumped out at me: $20k for a porsche 914 1.7 with 122k miles!? $15k for a '74 Maverick? $35k for a Lark? All seem totally crazy to me.

His prices are his First Amendment Rights being exercised. Asking prices often have no relation to actual market value.

jayrider

qbrozen said:

He is off his meds

His target buyer is someone on triple meds.

stickguy

A $15,000 plain maverick? Wow.

I do like a few of his units, putting aside price!

I drove right past that place last Saturday going to dinner. Might have to stop next time I am down that way!

ab348

qbrozen said:

trolling ebay...
I find this strangely appealing.

I LOVE that Kaiser! Now, who knows how well it drives, but the pics look good. I always liked the styling of those and I have never seen the club coupe version before. Wonder what the reserve is.

berri

Kaisers were kind of neat looking back in their day, but that 6 that had a reputation for overheating kind of hurt its reputation I think.

berri

Andre, for whatever reason people in family situations sometimes say and do stuff they'd never do in public. I just look at it as family sh.. and try to laugh at it all. I think its pretty common in many families really

qbrozen

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

trolling ebay...
I find this strangely appealing.

I LOVE that Kaiser! Now, who knows how well it drives, but the pics look good. I always liked the styling of those and I have never seen the club coupe version before. Wonder what the reserve is.

I would just want meatier tires and drop the rear back down. Seeing as how it was only 3200 lbs, I bet it gets down the road pretty well with 300hp. Wonder if he kept the stock 4.56 rear end. That would add to the giddy-up quite a bit.

stevedebi

andre1969 said:

qbrozen said:

I could be totally off base, but I would think your minimal driving would be detrimental to a hybrid.

I was wondering about that, actually. I know really short-trip driving like that is bad for a Diesel, but didn't know about hybrids. I think the biggest problem is that in my type of driving, the car would spend more time in the gasoline cycle than the electric cycle, as it would spend more time warming up and less time at full operating temperature. And when the car is warming up, isn't that a bigger drain on the batteries, which I'd think would trigger the gasoline cycle?

FWIW though, even though my commute to work is only about 5 miles round trip per day, I do enough other running around that it might put about 150-200 miles per week on the car. So that might help a bit.

If you don't need that much cargo room, you might consider a used 2013 C-Max Energi. You could plug it in and never run the gas engine on a daily basis. They can be had in the 10K range with decent miles.

stickguy

This sounded like it would be a nice car. Until I saw the pictures. Pretty sure that Lemko's 2007 doesn't have all these options. And definitely not OEM factory!

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2007-cadillac-dts-4dr_sedan_performance-used-14828081.html

fintail

I think you found Andre's next car. Like them yellow/orange-walls

stickguy said:

This sounded like it would be a nice car. Until I saw the pictures. Pretty sure that Lemko's 2007 doesn't have all these options. And definitely not OEM factory!

corvette

One of the delivery drivers at a local pizzeria has an older Super Duty. Not sure if it's an F-250 or a 350. How can that be economical?

berri

CTS might be a little small for Andre. He's used to those land yachts and barges.

stickguy

well, they have one of those too (just older and more miles). If this isn't big enough for you, buy a greyhound bus.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2003-cadillac-deville-4dr_sedan_dts-used-14694282.html

qbrozen

berri, its a DTS, not CTS. Almost 10" longer than a current LaCrosse. Hell, its longer than an Enclave!

Michaell

corvette said:

One of the delivery drivers at a local pizzeria has an older Super Duty. Not sure if it's an F-250 or a 350. How can that be economical?

You'd be surprised what I've seen co-workers drive for delivery duty.

I think you lose money every shift when you factor in the fuel costs on some of these.

Let's see, at the moment I can think of the following vehicles in use at my store:

CR-V
1990's A4
Ford SuperCrew pickup
Jeep Grand Cherokee
GMC Terrain
90's Civic
Jetta TDI
Newer Impreza 5-speed
mid 00's Accord Coupe 5-speed
Dodge Caliber (x2)
Jeep Liberty
Kia Sedona
Saturn VUE (gen 1 - FWD)

berri

Sorry, misread it. Looks bigger in that shot for some reason. Nice neighborhood.

iluvmysephia1

Another bad habit I had back in those pizza delivery days was putting the car into gear too quickly. You know how, when you first start a car, the engine revs up for just a moment, then drops back down? Well, I was getting to the point I'd throw it into gear so quickly the engine was still in that rev-up moment. The older cars I had didn't mind it so much, but once I got my 2000 Intrepid, if I shifted into gear too quickly, it wouldn't engage, and would just go into neutral. At first I thought there was something wrong with the car, especially since that transmission did have a bad reputation. But, the dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it, and one day I figured it out on my own...just wait a second or two before shifting into gear. I think it was some kind of protective feature built into the car, to keep from stressing the transmission.

andre, man, you probably saved your car's tranny by waiting that second or two!

iluvmysephia1

Another bad habit I had back in those pizza delivery days was putting the car into gear too quickly. You know how, when you first start a car, the engine revs up for just a moment, then drops back down? Well, I was getting to the point I'd throw it into gear so quickly the engine was still in that rev-up moment. The older cars I had didn't mind it so much, but once I got my 2000 Intrepid, if I shifted into gear too quickly, it wouldn't engage, and would just go into neutral. At first I thought there was something wrong with the car, especially since that transmission did have a bad reputation. But, the dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it, and one day I figured it out on my own...just wait a second or two before shifting into gear. I think it was some kind of protective feature built into the car, to keep from stressing the transmission.

andre, man, you probably saved your car's tranny by waiting that second or two!

Michaell

Meeting @breld  and family tomorrow for the Denver auto show. Ought to be fun! 

Mr_Shiftright

Let us know what he buys.

stickguy

make sure he leaves something for everyone else too.

breld

If only they actually sold cars at the show.

Yup - glad @Michaell and I finally get to hit the show together.

I'm hoping to see:

• New CX-9
  
• New Audi A4
  
• Cooper Clubman
  

But not counting on the CX-9 being there. I give the new A4 a chance at being there since they should be hitting dealer lots soon, and I imagine a clubman will be there since they are on the lots already.

Hopefully the BMW exhibit is better than last year, when they only had a handful of cars. Being enamored with the wife's "new" MINI, we're interested in taking a renewed look at their line. Personally, I'm drawn to the Paceman for no logical reason. I'll probably take some time to crawl around the XC90 and Q7 a bit.

Not even joking, this may the first time in a few years I'm attending the show without just having bought a car for myself within a month or two prior. Maxda3 was purchased a couple weeks before the show last year; Passat was leased within a couple months prior two years ago; and the 335i was the same three years ago. My goodness - I am so due!

Michaell

breld said:

If only they actually sold cars at the show.

Yup - glad @Michaell and I finally get to hit the show together.

I'm hoping to see:

• New CX-9
  
• New Audi A4
  
• Cooper Clubman
  

But not counting on the CX-9 being there. I give the new A4 a chance at being there since they should be hitting dealer lots soon, and I imagine a clubman will be there since they are on the lots already.

Hopefully the BMW exhibit is better than last year, when they only had a handful of cars. Being enamored with the wife's "new" MINI, we're interested in taking a renewed look at their line. Personally, I'm drawn to the Paceman for no logical reason. I'll probably take some time to crawl around the XC90 and Q7 a bit.

Not even joking, this may the first time in a few years I'm attending the show without just having bought a car for myself within a month or two prior. Maxda3 was purchased a couple weeks before the show last year; Passat was leased within a couple months prior two years ago; and the 335i was the same three years ago. My goodness - I am so due!

@breld - we've got lease numbers for the 2017 A4, so I suspect they are on the lots already. Hope there is one to see tomorrow.

My list of cars to see is a bit more, um, pedestrian.

Jetta
Fiesta ST (though I did sit in one last year; need to reacquaint myself)
Mazda 6

And, pretty much anything that will lease well later this year - sedan or hatch.