Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

andre1969

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

Per the owner's manual, at 30K oil, filter, brake fluid, tire rotations are required.

I have never owned a car that required brake fluid changes at 20K miles.

The last time I had my 2012 Ram in for servicing, they tried to push the brake fluid change. It wasn't in the service schedule in the owner's manual, but rather the dealer's recommendation In my case, it was because of the age rather than mileage. I had about 20,000 miles on it, but it was 3 years old. I passed. Now at around 23,000 miles, and 3 1/2 years.

berri

It's so sad that you really can't trust service advisors anymore at car dealers. It is like fighting a constant con job.

roadburner

berri said:

It's so sad that you really can't trust service advisors anymore at car dealers. It is like fighting a constant con job.

That's one reason I've stuck with my BMW dealer; no upsell attempts at all- my SA has even told me to postpone repairs.

andre1969

Now that I think about it, back when I had my 2000 Intrepid, the (different) dealer tried to start pushing for a bunch of stuff it didn't really need around the 30,000 mile mark. I remember them recommending a power steering flush, new spark plugs, and other assorted crap that seemed premature. Now granted, I got that car to around 30,000 miles in about 11 months, as I delivered pizzas back then, but some of that was a bit extreme I thought.

I did have the spark plugs changed around 51,000 miles. In theory they could go further, but I think a lot of that stop and go, short-trip driving did them in a bit quicker than longer highway type drives would have. I think the next set of spark plugs was around 130,000. Oh, and at 150,000, when the car was totaled, I STILL had never had the power steering flushed!

The only thing I went overboard with on that car was transmission servicing. The schedule called for 100K/50K "normal"/"severe" schedules, but I'm also convinced that's one reason why they had such a bad rap. I did the first one at 30,000, but forget the exact intervals for the rest. I tried to keep it around 30K, although one of them was at 130K (same as those spark plugs), so I might have done 30K, 60K, 90K, and 130K.

stevedebi

cdnpinhead said:

ab348 said:

I think I'd have to look at the cost/benefit/risk equation of doing that every 30K vs the cost of an extended warranty.

There isn't an extended warranty on the planet that suits the needs of people who drive their vehicles to 150 - 200K miles or more. Changing fluids, however, makes things last much longer.

The leasing cohort, "free" maintenance plans from the manufacturers, plus those who would rather be whipped with wet ropes than go without a warranty, tend to drive the notion that what used to be considered routine maintenance is, well, stupid.

This is why I only buy new cars.

Ford offers the C-Max an 8 year, 150K warranty that covers just about everything except wear and tear items.

berri

That's gotta be pricey!

Michaell

Last week at the auto show, @breld and I were talking about our next car.

I know, shocker, right?

Anyway, we were discussing our affinity towards hatches and wagons, and there are not many that also offer AWD.

But, there was one option, somewhat unloved, that represents a decent value used. I jumped on-line to see what was out there and found this in the next state over:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/660998437/overview/

This is just an example, but there are quite a few of these available in the low 20's.

Only one in Denver, but no pictures available yet.

Sandman6472

Stick, try and pay off your house as early as you can. It's a great feeling knowing that nut is gone and all that's left is the overhead and repairs that happen from time to time. After it's gone, ramp up on the retirement savings as one never really knows how much will be needed to continue living the same lifestyle or how many years we have left. Having my part time gig at Hertz has let us live without touching those retirement accounts and even adding to them. We don't throw money away on nonsense and really have everything we need. Sure, I want a new 50" t v but since I don't need one yet, we'll just wait till one of the older ones die. I hope to live a very long time and never want to have to go to the kids for help thus my keen interest in socking a lot away.

The Sandman

ab348

roadburner said:

You need to start patronizing competent mechanics. Seriously. Even a car that is driven strictly on the street should have the brake fluid changed at least every two years. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and as the moisture level increases the boiling point of the brake fluid decreases.

Well, there seems to be a huge difference of opinion on this point.

I just checked a bunch of manufacturer's service schedules. Started with my Cadillac - they say it gets changed at 150,000 miles or 10 years. Ford, Chevy, Mazda and VW don't mention it at all, though VW does claim the fluid gets checked at every service. Toyota says it gets changed every 30,000 miles. M-B says every 2 years.

The disparity is remarkable.

Sandman6472

I was lucky, my wife sold our townhouse in a day the second time we put an ad in the local newspaper...the first time, got no hits. Ad went in on a Friday, they cam on Saturday and gave her a deposit and came back on Sunday to put more cash down. They also wanted to make sure that I was serious about selling. We were so stunned as we had not yet even looked a homes...had a 2 and 1/2 year old, a 1 year old and another one on the way. Told my wife I wanted a two car garage with north/south exposure. She and her dad found a spec house a week later and bought it without me seeing it and our three week stay at her folks place turned into three months with all the delays but it all turned out for the best.
Very glad I have a very competent wife who is able to make decisions quickly. Am hoping she's still the same way as I want to move within the next couple of years even though not sure where we want to go. Should be a very wild ride as this all plays out but am looking forward to ending up in a nice but somewhat smaller home.

The Sandman

corvette

How common is it for both the left and right catalytic converter to go bad at pretty much the same time?

• December, 2015 - P0420 code (for left cat), did throttle body cleaning
  
• March, 2015 - P0420 code returns, replaced left catalytic converter
  
• Today - P0430 code (for right cat)
  

Truck has 145,000 miles. Each time the CEL has come on, it's about 60 seconds after I start the truck (way before the catalytic converters would have had time to warm up). Is there any significance to that? Anything else I should think of before I drop ~$260 on a second catalytic converter?

stever

sandman_6472 said:

Stick, try and pay off your house as early as you can. It's a great feeling knowing that nut is gone and all that's left is the overhead and repairs that happen from time to time.The Sandman

It was a great feeling selling out everything back in '99 and going on the road for a year. No debt, no deadlines, just driving around and seeing the sights.

Our last house was paid for, but the utilities made up for it. The current one will be paid off when I'm 92, lol. Don't really mind house debt so long as the cash flow works otherwise. My wife is freaking out a bit since the people who are coming to look at our house a second time want to know how fast we can move. Hm, I'm pretty sure we can move faster switching houses than cars.

Sandman6472

I dread moving as we've collected a lot of stuff the last 28 years we've been here. Think I need to start going through things soon but it will be hard as I am a keeper. I always think I'll use whatever sometime down the road but that sometime usually never happens. The wife has been very vocal about all "the stuff" and I think I get the message. Just have to have the right mindset to get this done.

The Sandman

kyfdx

corvette said:

How common is it for both the left and right catalytic converter to go bad at pretty much the same time?

• December, 2015 - P0420 code (for left cat), did throttle body cleaning
  
• March, 2015 - P0420 code returns, replaced left catalytic converter
  
• Today - P0430 code (for right cat)
  

Truck has 145,000 miles. Each time the CEL has come on, it's about 60 seconds after I start the truck (way before the catalytic converters would have had time to warm up). Is there any significance to that? Anything else I should think of before I drop ~$260 on a second catalytic converter?

Seems like the same crap running through both sides. I'd guess that's pretty normal. (not that I'm the one to ask.. lol)

kyfdx

Mortgage debt? Doesn't bother me. It's the real estate taxes that are over half as much as my house payment that seem a little excessive.

qbrozen

corvette said:

How common is it for both the left and right catalytic converter to go bad at pretty much the same time?

• December, 2015 - P0420 code (for left cat), did throttle body cleaning
• March, 2015 - P0420 code returns, replaced left catalytic converter
• Today - P0430 code (for right cat)

Truck has 145,000 miles. Each time the CEL has come on, it's about 60 seconds after I start the truck (way before the catalytic converters would have had time to warm up). Is there any significance to that? Anything else I should think of before I drop ~$260 on a second catalytic converter?

I agree that it would seem pretty normal as long as it was from standard use. I'd say 150k miles is just normal and therefore both going at the same time would be expected. Personally, I would have replaced both when the one bit it.

suydam

kyfdx said:

Mortgage debt? Doesn't bother me. It's the real estate taxes that are over half as much as my house payment that seem a little excessive.

I agree! Ours are very high and really add to the monthly load.

Sandman6472

Luckily, ours ain't too bad for where we live. The heat gets to be a bit tiresome come September/October but it really is beautiful down here. At the point that if another hurricane comes through, I'm outta here as I hate them and their aftermath. But besides that, South Florida isn't a bad place to live.
At this point, would love to live somewhere new, somewhere with some cooler weather for a longer part of the year. Once I finally do stop working, then it'll be time to seriously come to some major decisions about the rest of our lives.

The Sandman

stickguy

Don't get me started on property taxes. Well over 1/2 the mortgage payment goes to that.

Sandy, we also are buried in "stuff" (to use the PG word). But I'm the one that wants to clear it out, and my wife is the hoarder. Other than deciding where to go, dealing with that is going to be hardest part. Trying to deal with some of that now, so might be ready in a few years!

suydam

We are moving from a very large house to a very small condo. Culling is hard. But I find once I've let go of things I don't miss them. Doing it in stages helps. We have felt rather overwhelmed to have so much. I'm looking forward to a lighter footprint.

roadburner

I've said that I would downsize if I could find a condo with:
1. A four car garage
2. Neighbors that don't mind my home theater operating at THX reference levels.

Good luck with that...

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

Last week at the auto show, @breld and I were talking about our next car.

I know, shocker, right?

Anyway, we were discussing our affinity towards hatches and wagons, and there are not many that also offer AWD.

But, there was one option, somewhat unloved, that represents a decent value used. I jumped on-line to see what was out there and found this in the next state over:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/660998437/overview/

This is just an example, but there are quite a few of these available in the low 20's.

Only one in Denver, but no pictures available yet.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think I could ever drive a car that weird looking.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

I've said that I would downsize if I could find a condo with:
1. A four car garage
2. Neighbors that don't mind my home theater operating at THX reference levels.

Good luck with that...

You just need a condo situated in a National Park.

stever

Stuff is like coat hangers. We've pared down to practically nothing three times now and the stuff accumulates like crazy. And we aren't even shoppers.

So, I've made inquiries of probably six local and sort of local car dealers (mostly Kia and Buick) in the last two months. Walk in traffic must be booming (and Edmunds says it's so), because no one is following up with us or trying to sell us a car.

stickguy

Or your reputation precedes you Steve.

breld

Mr_Shiftright said:

Michaell said:

Last week at the auto show, @breld and I were talking about our next car.

I know, shocker, right?

Anyway, we were discussing our affinity towards hatches and wagons, and there are not many that also offer AWD.

But, there was one option, somewhat unloved, that represents a decent value used. I jumped on-line to see what was out there and found this in the next state over:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/660998437/overview/

This is just an example, but there are quite a few of these available in the low 20's.

Only one in Denver, but no pictures available yet.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think I could ever drive a car that weird looking.

I'm with @michaell - I like the look of the Paceman. The availability of a more practical package in the Countryman would probably keep me from going that way, but it wouldn't be due to the looks.

As @michaell knows from my reaction at the auto show, I'm currently enthralled with the new Clubman, especially with the availability of AWD. Probably wouldn't buy one new though, so it would be awhile before I indulged that way.

nyccarguy

@roadburner - 

tjc78

roadburner said:

I've said that I would downsize if I could find a condo with: 1. A four car garage 2. Neighbors that don't mind my home theater operating at THX reference levels. Good luck with that...

When I bought almost 11 years ago as a single guy everyone told me that I should buy a town house or condo.  The home theater was one of my biggest things and the second was at least a driveway to wash the cars. 

stickguy

I don't really want to go to a condo at this point. Just a smaller place with a more 1 floor layout. That will be much cheaper to carry!

Giving up the garage ain't happening. If possible, I want to go to at least 3 car, if not 2 and 2 (attached + stand alone garages)

roadburner

HOA's can be problematic as well- and the people who make up the HOA's governing body tend to be people who are disappointed that they can no longer be employed by the East German secret police. One guy I know has been told he can't work on his cars- even in his own garage with the door shut. Another friend was elected to his HOA board but soon resigned; he said that the other board members were so annoying, moronic, and power hungry that he couldn't trust himself not to bring his AR-15 to the next board meeting...

sda

I understand and appreciate the basis of an HOA. However, many have become too heavy handed and intrusive. Not being able to work on your car, even with the garage door closed is beyond reason. Our HOA does a pretty good job, but as in so many neighborhoods we do have a few that feel they must have the one and only word.

tjc78

How in the world can an HOA dictate what someone does in their own garage?  Wow, I'd loose my mind.   (What's left anyway). 

Michaell

We plan to paint the outside of our house later this year. We live in an HOA controlled community. The color choices, frankly, underwhelm us. 

So, we are picking our own colors and submitting them to the "architectural committee" for approval. 

Wish us luck. 

Oh, and we want to change our house numbers. We will see how that goes. 

stever

Images of an air gun user rotating tires in the condo garage next door come to mind....

suydam

Fortunately I could care less what the outside of the house looks like. Unlike my cars!

fintail

Liberty, justice, HOAs - one of these things doesn't belong.

The condo I lived in 10+ years ago even had rules about back-in and head-in parking. Meddling bored old people would snoop around out of boredom, probably bitter that they didn't realize it wasn't an age-restricted development until after they moved in. The condo was well-managed financially, anyway, and it actually appreciated in the 4 years I lived there.

Sandman6472

Yes, a one story place is a must as I don't do well with stairs...stairs and a cane can be problematic at times. A garage is always a good thing to have just to keep the vehicles out of the changing weather. And really, anything below 1500 square feet can get kinda small as we all need our private space to recharge. Hopefully that perfect place will reveal itself in a few years when we are finally ready.

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Our city is way too anal about certain things and we have gotten citied by the city a couple months back. Had the problems taken care of within days but now, they are bitching because my trash can be seen from the street sometimes! We have a recycling can plus a trash can and both can not fit on the outside slab by the side door as they are both larger than what we did have before the city went to larger containers. Seems I just can't win with this nutty city! They sometimes cross the line into crazy town and all we can do is comply as best we can.
I am so ready to pack up and go!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Audi did a great job of washing/vacuuming and checking the air pressures this morning. Told me it would be over an hour thinking I would leave but I said sure, I'm cool. Within twenty minutes, the A3 appears and took me a few since I forgot her license plate number. As I was saying to myself that the white A3 they backed in looks like ours, the attendant came over and said I was done. I was a happy camper and headed over to Home Depot for our new toilet seat.
Man, I do live an exciting life, lol!!


The Sandman

corvette

This is great, a bunch of amateurs with their pants on the ground steal vehicles from a dealership in Florida very inconspicuously. I especially love the one guy who gets into a 5-series and then gets out. I can only assume he figured out it wasn't a Sport Package car and, thus, isn't worth stealing.

Mr_Shiftright

You wouldn't have been the first person not to read the HOA fine print.

RE: Paceman---I tried to like it, really I did. and I'm a Mini fan from wayyy back. Looks like something big sat on it. It's wrong...it's just wrong. Right or wrong, I think the market agrees with me here.

fintail

I bet that E60 was one of the 12 that were manual, and he couldn't drive it. Either that or the E60 design language turned him off

laurasdada

Well, it is Spring and naturally a man's fancy turns towards chronically car shopping. So, from a local dealer's description of one of the many cars I shop:

"This superb-looking 2015 BMW ????? is the rare family vehicle you have been looking to get your hands on..."

Can you name that tune, er, BMW model from that brief description?

fintail

M6 Gran Coupe

breld

Mr_Shiftright said:

You wouldn't have been the first person not to read the HOA fine print.

RE: Paceman---I tried to like it, really I did. and I'm a Mini fan from wayyy back. Looks like something big sat on it. It's wrong...it's just wrong. Right or wrong, I think the market agrees with me here.

"It's wrong...it's just wrong" That's funny! Oh, the market most certainly agrees with you on the Paceman. Which, for me, makes it fairly attractive on the used market.

corvette

I had to consult BMW's website, which is minimally useful, because they have:

1. Too many models,
   
2. Too many trims,
   
3. Too many options, and
   
4. Too high MSRPs.
   

Could be any of the following:

• X1, X3, X4, X5, X6
  
• 3-series sedan, 3-series wagon, 3-series Gran Turismo
  
• 4-series Gran Coupe
  
• 5-series sedan, 5-series Gran Turismo
  
• 6-series Gran Coupe
  

Seriously, they should, at a minimum, consolidate the 3-series GT and the X4, as well as the 5-series GT and the X6. Also, the 4-series GC and the 6-series GC have little reason to exist when there is a 3-series sedan and 5-series sedan.

Mr_Shiftright

Everyone is trying to "out-niche" each other. I'm not sure who started this--one of those Germans.

Michaell

So, I've been thinking (uh-oh).

With a new job (hopefully) on the horizon, it looks like I'll probably be back to commuting to an office after 8+ years as a work from home employee.

I'll probably also cut back on the side job delivering pizzas.

Which means that I'll want something a bit nicer than an economy sedan or hatch for my next vehicle.

Setting a budget of $25K, and thinking that I might buy and hold this next car for a while, what do you suggest?

New Accord or Sonata, or used Infiniti or Audi?

This is, of course, 'what if', which we all love to do around here.

qbrozen

Definitely used luxo car is my vote. If going new, I might be thinking Encore over either of the choices you mentioned.

au1994

Michaell said:

So, I've been thinking (uh-oh).

With a new job (hopefully) on the horizon, it looks like I'll probably be back to commuting to an office after 8+ years as a work from home employee.

I'll probably also cut back on the side job delivering pizzas.

Which means that I'll want something a bit nicer than an economy sedan or hatch for my next vehicle.

Setting a budget of $25K, and thinking that I might buy and hold this next car for a while, what do you suggest?

New Accord or Sonata, or used Infiniti or Audi?

This is, of course, 'what if', which we all love to do around here.

Congrats and I hope the new job comes to fruition. I'd vote for a cpo German make.