Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

Sandy. the closest match is 205/50-17.

but, that has the same amount of sidewall (just narrower across the tread). Unless you want to change the overall diameter (which can impact the speedo), the only way to get more sidewall height is to get a smaller (16") wheel.

stickguy

hopefully other brands come out with replacements in that size. No clue why makers do silly stuff like that though. how hard is it to check to make sure you are using an available size?

This was an issue when Honda released the Oddysey touring with the weird Michelin run flat wheel/tire. Only existed at dealers, and there were not many in stock (if any). And that guy with the review, knows how people with weird size run flat tires (never stocked) feel while sitting around for 2 days waiting for UPS to podunkville.

getting a FS on a wheel as a spare is not a bad idea, if you can spare the room in the trunk.

stickguy

Now this one, I like. A lot more than a Scion ia even! Looks just like my jetta sport, but with the 1.4l and a manual trans! For only $17.3k, a lot of car for the money. if I needed something right now, would give it a look-see.

http://www.vwcolonial.com/VehicleDetails/new-2016-Volkswagen-Jetta_Sedan-1.4T_SE-Feasterville_Trevose-PA/2707868513?cs:e=edmp&cs:cid=1132067917815945&cs:a=pb_retention_retarget&cs:pro=cpb&cs:as=300x250&cs:pid=dap29

stickguy

even more of an oddball: the tightwad special. A stick shift wagon!

http://www.hamiltonvw.net/new-Hamilton-2016-Volkswagen-Golf+SportWagen-TSI+S-3VWA17AU8GM515389

Michaell

stickguy said:

Now this one, I like. A lot more than a Scion ia even! Looks just like my jetta sport, but with the 1.4l and a manual trans! For only $17.3k, a lot of car for the money. if I needed something right now, would give it a look-see.

http://www.vwcolonial.com/VehicleDetails/new-2016-Volkswagen-Jetta_Sedan-1.4T_SE-Feasterville_Trevose-PA/2707868513?cs:e=edmp&cs:cid=1132067917815945&cs:a=pb_retention_retarget&cs:pro=cpb&cs:as=300x250&cs:pid=dap29

I like it, too! Ticks all of my boxes and is a decent size, for not a lot more money than the iA.

iluvmysephia1

Hey, stick, I like that white Jetta. I'm trying to keep my purchase cost down to under $15,000. And Mountain States Scion keeps seeing to my needs. Fancy that!

stever, hey, yeah, I was just curious because I didn't remember if I ever asked you what you thought of the iA. Yeah, the Scion iA comes from the factory with Toyo Proxes 185/60R A27's. One review I read says that these are actually expensive tires - I haven't gone to DiscountTire.com ta look 'em up, yet, so I can't verify. Still have to fill out one of those Excel sheets MS Scion sent me for my trade-in. I've gotta see this one. Think I'll head ta Denver just to see them work this one out.

I don't see how they're gonna do it, honestly. And if all they can do is a payment of $400 a month I'm not doing it. I don't want that car that bad. I think that kid works on commission - he had a live one on the line with me, though. We'll see. Of course I'll fill you guys in on all the sordid details when they become available.

I looked up some movie theaters, clothing stores(the Mrs. is going to need something of her own from DEN), rock concerts on Friday, April 22nd, 2016(turns out Candlebox is playing somewhere that night) and CD/DVD/book stores that we could go to after our trip to MS Scion. Turns out there's a bunch of them. The plan is still alive, dudes.

Michaell

iluvmysephia1 said:

Hey, stick, I like that white Jetta. I'm trying to keep my purchase cost down to under $15,000. And Mountain States Scion keeps seeing to my needs. Fancy that!

stever, hey, yeah, I was just curious because I didn't remember if I ever asked you what you thought of the iA. Yeah, the Scion iA comes from the factory with Toyo Proxes 185/60R A27's. One review I read says that these are actually expensive tires - I haven't gone to DiscountTire.com ta look 'em up, yet, so I can't verify. Still have to fill out one of those Excel sheets MS Scion sent me for my trade-in. I've gotta see this one. Think I'll head ta Denver just to see them work this one out.

I don't see how they're gonna do it, honestly. And if all they can do is a payment of $400 a month I'm not doing it. I don't want that car that bad.

Yeah, I think it's going to come down to the trade value. Hate to see you drive all that way to get low balled on the Soul.

Any chance you can send them some pictures of the car and see if they can do a valuation before you make the trip? Or, work with a local dealer to have them evaluate the car and send the information to MS Scion?

stever

And you can stop at Carmax in Denver too for another number.

Michaell

stever said:

And you can stop at Carmax in Denver too for another number.

If I'm not mistaken, there's a CarMax just a few miles from the dealership where iluv is headed.

On 104th Avenue west of I-25, IIRC (haven't been to that side of town in years; @breld can be more specific).

iluvmysephia1

Any chance you can send them some pictures of the car and see if they can do a valuation before you make the trip? Or, work with a local dealer to have them evaluate the car and send the information to MS Scion?

Oh yeah, perhaps I didn't explain myself very well. We are going to do just that-work out as best we can what kind of shape mine's in inside and out, before I head over there. I have some pictures, too. But if I wasn't communicating with that young man from MS Scion, it will come out this business week on e-mail and on the phone. I have to have some kind of an agreement with them before I'll give them any money, too. Perhaps I could head over to Lewis Toyota here in Dodge and they could evaluate my car - great idea, Michaell!

I am not sure how they're going to do this right now. I have never had a salesman say something like that "Sir, we can buy your car anytime from you, whether you buy a new car from us or not." Huh? I told him that I would be trading in my car right after that. I don't really like this deposit given ahead of time idea, either.

kyfdx

sandman_6472 said:

Have 225/45/17's on both the Golf and A3 and would really prefer a wider sidewall, at least a 55" but doubt I'd do anything to change things. But thinking a 215/55/17 could work if I'm doing my calculations right and doubt there'd be any penalty in mpg's. But so far, tires are wearing very evenly and expect to see at least 40K on them, if not more. They are Continentals which should be a good brand. Procontact TX are what I have while the A3 has a Pirelli kind. Since I got the wheel/tire off an '15 Jetta SEL, think I got a better tire than regular Golf SE's had with the original alloys which I hated.
As of now, doing nothing but maybe in the future will look into this.

The Sandman

As @stickguy notes, you just can't do that. Those sizes are in no way comparable. The "45" part of the equation is just a ratio. Anything you do in that regard is likely to negatively affect the handling of the vehicle.

Just learn to dodge potholes. My summer tires have 1/2" less sidewall than your car... and, I've never had an issue, yet. (6 years)

stickguy

No tires are safe. Got a call from my SIL this AM. Needed name of a jersey based Acura dealer (she lives on Long Island, but was heading to south jersey on business). Now on a donut, thanks to some kind of curb on the belt parkway. Took out an almost brand new tire. Ripped the sidewall. And this is a big, fat SUV tire on an MDX.

Those roads around NY, little rubber band tires stand no chance. I notice on a lot of the car faxes I look at, BMWs from around NYC frequently show "replace tire" at low miles, sometimes more than once. And a downside to run flats. They are going nowhere with a shredded sidewall. At least a donut can get you around temporarily.

breld

Michaell said:

stever said:

And you can stop at Carmax in Denver too for another number.

If I'm not mistaken, there's a CarMax just a few miles from the dealership where iluv is headed.

On 104th Avenue west of I-25, IIRC (haven't been to that side of town in years; @breld can be more specific).

Yup - that's my side of town. That CarMax is within 5-10 minutes of Mountain States, so that would always be an option.

Speaking of sides of town, how much snow did you get @michaell? I heard from co-workers that the south side of metro Denver got as much as 2 feet of snow (which I think you confirmed). Up on the north end? We got snow but nothing accumulated - I literally had nothing to shovel on the driveway. Funny how different it can be!

andres3

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

the 5'er was nice looking, but kinda big. Liking the idea of a 2 series, or a nice 3 series, since there are tons of those around off lease. And they come in Blue!

Get the 2er; the F30 3ers are snoozers...

What do you think about the new M3? I visited a BMW dealer to take a looksie at the 2ers, and they had a row of M cars, and 4 M235i coupes! He told me they were going to sell the M2 for 20K over MSRP, and he's like wouldn't you rather have the M3 for 70? I hesitated to answer shocking him, lol.

He talked my head off about some sort of exclusive "Select" financing program BMW does with a balloon payment the end which makes your monthly payments small of course. He was so confident it was the greatest thing since sliced bread that if another dealer talked about the program, he said I should buy their car because he said salesman don't like to talk about it. For the life of me I couldn't find anything so special about it other than smaller monthly payments.

Michaell

breld said:

Michaell said:

stever said:

And you can stop at Carmax in Denver too for another number.

If I'm not mistaken, there's a CarMax just a few miles from the dealership where iluv is headed.

On 104th Avenue west of I-25, IIRC (haven't been to that side of town in years; @breld can be more specific).

Yup - that's my side of town. That CarMax is within 5-10 minutes of Mountain States, so that would always be an option.

Speaking of sides of town, how much snow did you get @michaell? I heard from co-workers that the south side of metro Denver got as much as 2 feet of snow (which I think you confirmed). Up on the north end? We got snow but nothing accumulated - I literally had nothing to shovel on the driveway. Funny how different it can be!

We ended up with about 22" total. Arms and back are sore from shoveling, but the driveway and back deck are clear.

stickguy

Andre, sounds an awful lot like a lease.

breld

stickguy said:

Andre, sounds an awful lot like a lease.

That's what I was thinking, except you're basically not getting a guaranteed residual. I imagine at the end of the initial loan term, you basically need to come up with that balloon payment in one form or another. You could trade it in, but you'd be stuck with any negative residual.

So, a lease payment without the benefits of the lease-end.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Andre, sounds an awful lot like a lease.

Not exactly a lease - it's called "BMW Select" and it's good to use in states where the entire sales price of a lease is subject to sales tax. MD, VA, GA and TX are the states I can think of.

Not sure I get the appeal of it, other than the car is in your name rather than BMW Financial Services.

breld

Michaell said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

stever said:

And you can stop at Carmax in Denver too for another number.

If I'm not mistaken, there's a CarMax just a few miles from the dealership where iluv is headed.

On 104th Avenue west of I-25, IIRC (haven't been to that side of town in years; @breld can be more specific).

Yup - that's my side of town. That CarMax is within 5-10 minutes of Mountain States, so that would always be an option.

Speaking of sides of town, how much snow did you get @michaell? I heard from co-workers that the south side of metro Denver got as much as 2 feet of snow (which I think you confirmed). Up on the north end? We got snow but nothing accumulated - I literally had nothing to shovel on the driveway. Funny how different it can be!

We ended up with about 22" total. Arms and back are sore from shoveling, but the driveway and back deck are clear.

Ever think about a snow blower? I love my little Honda one. I may only use it 3-4 times a year, but it's worth it.

Michaell

breld said:

Michaell said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

stever said:

And you can stop at Carmax in Denver too for another number.

If I'm not mistaken, there's a CarMax just a few miles from the dealership where iluv is headed.

On 104th Avenue west of I-25, IIRC (haven't been to that side of town in years; @breld can be more specific).

Yup - that's my side of town. That CarMax is within 5-10 minutes of Mountain States, so that would always be an option.

Speaking of sides of town, how much snow did you get @michaell? I heard from co-workers that the south side of metro Denver got as much as 2 feet of snow (which I think you confirmed). Up on the north end? We got snow but nothing accumulated - I literally had nothing to shovel on the driveway. Funny how different it can be!

We ended up with about 22" total. Arms and back are sore from shoveling, but the driveway and back deck are clear.

Ever think about a snow blower? I love my little Honda one. I may only use it 3-4 times a year, but it's worth it.

I actually owned one at the old house, but I never used it.

Got rid of it when we moved .. no room in the garage now.

stever

stickguy said:

I notice on a lot of the car faxes I look at, BMWs from around NYC frequently show "replace tire" at low miles, sometimes more than once. And a downside to run flats. They are going nowhere with a shredded sidewall. At least a donut can get you around temporarily.

Heh, posted just this morning:

A Spare Tire Would Have Made All the Difference - 2015 BMW M235i Convertible Long-Term Road Test

andres3

stickguy said:

parked next to a nice really dark blue 5 series today. Wife was in love. Her favorite color. She wants that on her next car, so I told her she could pick out the color on my next one (though I get to pick the car!), since she isn't getting one for a lot of years.

the 5'er was nice looking, but kinda big. Liking the idea of a 2 series, or a nice 3 series, since there are tons of those around off lease. And they come in Blue!

I saw a dark blue Golf Sportwagen TDI on the freeway the other day, a real nice looker and paint job. I would have chosen that color with a beige interior, but the wife chose the Tungsten Silver with black interior.

andres3

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Andre, sounds an awful lot like a lease.

Not exactly a lease - it's called "BMW Select" and it's good to use in states where the entire sales price of a lease is subject to sales tax. MD, VA, GA and TX are the states I can think of.

Not sure I get the appeal of it, other than the car is in your name rather than BMW Financial Services.

To me that's a negative. As someone who had a new perfectly built car tarnished by an accident and the resulting sub-Ingolstadt body shop standards, diminished value, and the like, I'd rather have the lease where you can "unload" all those problems at the end of the lease.

At first it seemed like a lease to me too! Then I realized you are buying it! I think it would be attractive if it was a 0 to 0.9% loan where you are basically getting free money or close to it for 60 months, but realize you are paying interest on that balloon from day 1 is the catch.

This guy seemed like a pretty slick personable salesman. He claimed BMW's keep their value so the balloon payment was always leaving owners with positive equity (the amount is close to 33% of cost at 60 months, but selected by BMW apparently).

andres3

breld said:

@iluvmysephia1 - well, I can vouch for the snow. It's not accumulating yet, but it's blowing sideways right now. And it'll continue through the weekend. So, yes, that Scion is not going anywhere this weekend.

On the non-refundable, I suppose the dealership can have an agreement stating as much, but I'm not so sure they can actually refuse to refund a deposit if you haven't taken delivery of the car. I think it's more of a tactic to make sure you're serious and to have you feel beholden to them.

In any case - good luck and if it get to that point, enjoy your drive out here. Next week will be much warmer!

Funny, when I mentioned my preference for a wild Yellow exterior red interior seat TT-S at the Audi dealer I previously bought from (with the guy I bought from), he said that sounded like a non-refundable deposit type car color selection for order. He said it wouldn't sell, and I replied back with a smile, "Oh, it would sell."

Either way, I wouldn't make an "order" for a car and put down a deposit unless I had every intent to buy it the day it comes in, regardless of whether it is refundable or not. As it stands, I could make half the deposit with the goodwill VW TDI card, LOL.

henryn

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Andre, sounds an awful lot like a lease.

Not exactly a lease - it's called "BMW Select" and it's good to use in states where the entire sales price of a lease is subject to sales tax. MD, VA, GA and TX are the states I can think of.

Not sure I get the appeal of it, other than the car is in your name rather than BMW Financial Services.

To me that's a negative. As someone who had a new perfectly built car tarnished by an accident and the resulting sub-Ingolstadt body shop standards, diminished value, and the like, I'd rather have the lease where you can "unload" all those problems at the end of the lease.

At first it seemed like a lease to me too! Then I realized you are buying it! I think it would be attractive if it was a 0 to 0.9% loan where you are basically getting free money or close to it for 60 months, but realize you are paying interest on that balloon from day 1 is the catch.

This guy seemed like a pretty slick personable salesman. He claimed BMW's keep their value so the balloon payment was always leaving owners with positive equity (the amount is close to 33% of cost at 60 months, but selected by BMW apparently).

Balloon payments have been around for a long time. I remember people doing this back in the 1960’s. It was a bad idea then, and it is a bad idea now.

Unless… That bit about “would be attractive if it was a 0 to 0.9% loan where you are basically getting free money or close to it for 60 months”. I’ve never heard of anyone combining a balloon payment with a no interest or extremely low interest rate. If that were offered to me, I would of course take it.

The part about leasing a car here in Texas, and paying 6.25% sales tax on the entire amount up front, kind of makes leasing a new car very unattractive. I doubt many people lease cars here.

henryn

stever said:

stickguy said:

I notice on a lot of the car faxes I look at, BMWs from around NYC frequently show "replace tire" at low miles, sometimes more than once. And a downside to run flats. They are going nowhere with a shredded sidewall. At least a donut can get you around temporarily.

Heh, posted just this morning:

A Spare Tire Would Have Made All the Difference - 2015 BMW M235i Convertible Long-Term Road Test

When I test drove the Kia Soul on Saturday, I remembered that the spare was an extra cost option ($200 according to TrueCar). I made sure that was available from the dealer, and could be included in the negotiated price. Of course, the dealer wanted $275, not $200, but I expect if and when I were to purchase that would be negotiated.

Spare tires are actually an extra cost option on most new pickup trucks, and have been for several decades. Most people never notice because the spare is a part of one of the "Packages" that you're paying for. But if you were to buy or special order a "stripper", a true "base model", you would not get a spare tire.

roadburner

andres3 said:

What do you think about the new M3? I visited a BMW dealer to take a looksie at the 2ers, and they had a row of M cars, and 4 M235i coupes! He told me they were going to sell the M2 for 20K over MSRP, and he's like wouldn't you rather have the M3 for 70? I hesitated to answer shocking him, lol.

The last M3 I truly lusted after was the E9x. I haven't driven an M2 yet, but every M2 review written by people I know and/or trust pretty much conclude that the M2 is more fun to drive than the current M3/M4- even taking into account that you are giving up a little bit of ultimate performance. That said, if I had unlimited disposable income I'd definitely have an M4 GTS in the garage.

Mr_Shiftright

Been reading over the 2016 Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue---lots of interesting stuff in there. This year's worst overall automakers were Cadillac, Land Rover, Fiat and Jeep. Star of the show was Audi, with 100% of its product line making the CR "recommended" list.

Lexus and Porsche also did very well.

Mercedes scored badly on electronics complaints, as did a fair number of other brands.

fintail

Audi MMI must be easier to use than COMAND or iDrive, as CR seems to judge electronics on ease of use for people who can't set the clock on a microwave. Also, many Audi models don't seem to be encumbered by turn signals

Mr_Shiftright

You may be right. It could all boil down to bluetooth connectivity issues, which seem to drive a lot of people crazy with new cars.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

Been reading over the 2016 Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue---lots of interesting stuff in there. This year's worst overall automakers were Cadillac, Land Rover, Fiat and Jeep. Star of the show was Audi, with 100% of its product line making the CR "recommended" list.

Lexus and Porsche also did very well.

Mercedes scored badly on electronics complaints, as did a fair number of other brands.

Indeed, very impressive gains by Audi the last decade or so. I trust the stuff built and assembled in Germany beyond reproach. However, the new TT-S has a VIN starting with a T which I'm guessing is for Turkey. That's the Country, not the name for a zero star review. I'll take this over a 1 and/or 3 (for Mexico).

I think I'll give those European Countries a "pass" as extremely good until I see anything to tell me otherwise. The one in the showroom looked impeccably put together, a real Cayman S with AWD type vehicle sold by Audi.

I noticed all the M235i's were from Germany. I'd be angry if it was made in the US and still had a $995 destination charge as it does.

Mr_Shiftright

M235s rated very high in driver satisfaction. The only BMW that got really bad marks was the 2015 BMW 5-series.

roadburner

Every one of my BMWs was built in a different plant and/or country:
318ti- Munich
X3- Graz, Austria(Magna Steyr)
328i- Rosslyn, South Africa
M235i- Leipzig

FYI, the BMW Manufacturing plant in Greer, SC now builds only SUVs- X3, X4, X5, X6, and the upcoming X7.

Michaell

@henryn - The part about leasing a car here in Texas, and paying 6.25% sales tax on the entire amount up front, kind of makes leasing a new car very unattractive. I doubt many people lease cars here.

You'd be surprised how many questions I get about leasing in TX.

Some manufacturers run an incentive to buy down the sales tax from 6.25% to 1% or so, thus lessening the pain of leasing.

I think, for many people, leasing is a way to get into a more expensive car for a payment they can afford. Just helped a guy lease an S7 and his payment is $1100/mo - and he was happy about it!

I lease because it keeps my household budget simple. Though, if I get a new job where I have to commute, I may decide to buy my next car.

stever

Leasing has always seemed more complicated to me with fewer options.

The math is, er, different, if not weird. If the MF is the interest rate why not just call it that?

For three years you are locked into a mileage limit and your choices are limited if your circumstances change. No driving down to Carmax and getting a check if you want to walk away. And when you go to return the car, you may run into more fees or excessive wear claims.

Too much uncertainty for me. And if I can't afford something I just don't buy it.

stickguy

Often just about cash flow. And transferring the residual risk to the lender.

But you can trade in or sell off a leased car. May not make $ sense, but you can do it. And if needed, just buy it at the end.

Not for everyone, but makes sense for some people.

corvette

andres3 said:

Andre, sounds an awful lot like a lease.

Not exactly a lease - it's called "BMW Select" and it's good to use in states where the entire sales price of a lease is subject to sales tax. MD, VA, GA and TX are the states I can think of. Not sure I get the appeal of it, other than the car is in your name rather than BMW Financial Services.

To me that's a negative. As someone who had a new perfectly built car tarnished by an accident and the resulting sub-Ingolstadt body shop standards, diminished value, and the like, I'd rather have the lease where you can "unload" all those problems at the end of the lease. At first it seemed like a lease to me too! Then I realized you are buying it! I think it would be attractive if it was a 0 to 0.9% loan where you are basically getting free money or close to it for 60 months, but realize you are paying interest on that balloon from day 1 is the catch. This guy seemed like a pretty slick personable salesman. He claimed BMW's keep their value so the balloon payment was always leaving owners with positive equity (the amount is close to 33% of cost at 60 months, but selected by BMW apparently).

Sounds like an open end lease. I doubt if anyone gets a 0% interest rate from BMWFS. More like the market rate plus the maximum markup they allow the dealer to tack on. 

iluvmysephia1

Either way, I wouldn't make an "order" for a car and put down a deposit unless I had every intent to buy it the day it comes in, regardless of whether it is refundable or not. As it stands, I could make half the deposit with the goodwill VW TDI card, LOL.

I don't have any money on a "good customer - please stay loyal and buy from us again" card, but, there's no way I'm giving them a penny if I haven't already made a purchase deal with them by phone and fax. The test drive isn't gonna spoil the deal, either. So I can agree to giving them a small deposit by credit card down. I'm thinking about $250. He'll probably say "umm...we'll need at least $500 to hold the car, and that amount will be applied to the down payment for your car." Or it could be my entire down payment in my case.

This whole thing for the 2016 Scion iA...is it real? Have I been on a sleep-deprived weekend of some sort where I told you all that I'm buying an iA this weekend in...Denver, CO?

fintail

And is likely to be user error, in my experience.

Literally zero bluetooth issues in both of my W212 E-class, FWIW. I wonder if post-sale instruction is behind it.

Mr_Shiftright said:

You may be right. It could all boil down to bluetooth connectivity issues, which seem to drive a lot of people crazy with new cars.

fintail

T is used by CZR and Hungary (second letter makes the distinction) - I think VAG has facilities in both countries.

andres3 said:

Indeed, very impressive gains by Audi the last decade or so. I trust the stuff built and assembled in Germany beyond reproach. However, the new TT-S has a VIN starting with a T which I'm guessing is for Turkey. That's the Country, not the name for a zero star review. I'll take this over a 1 and/or 3 (for Mexico).

I think I'll give those European Countries a "pass" as extremely good until I see anything to tell me otherwise. The one in the showroom looked impeccably put together, a real Cayman S with AWD type vehicle sold by Audi.

I noticed all the M235i's were from Germany. I'd be angry if it was made in the US and still had a $995 destination charge as it does.

ab348

henryn said:

Balloon payments have been around for a long time. I remember people doing this back in the 1960’s. It was a bad idea then, and it is a bad idea now.

Unless… That bit about “would be attractive if it was a 0 to 0.9% loan where you are basically getting free money or close to it for 60 months”. I’ve never heard of anyone combining a balloon payment with a no interest or extremely low interest rate. If that were offered to me, I would of course take it.

Up here in Canada, M-B calls their balloon payment plan "Star Advantage". I went to their website and built an E-class to see the payment options, as in the screencap below:



They''re offering 0.9% for 48 months on that right now.

I'm surprised the New Car Dealers Association (whatever they may be called) in Texas hasn't been successful in lobbying the legislature to change the taxation on leased cars to a monthly payment approach like most places have.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Been reading over the 2016 Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue---lots of interesting stuff in there. This year's worst overall automakers were Cadillac, Land Rover, Fiat and Jeep. Star of the show was Audi, with 100% of its product line making the CR "recommended" list.

Lexus and Porsche also did very well.

Mercedes scored badly on electronics complaints, as did a fair number of other brands.

I guess I must be a lucky guy, as my ATS has been flawless in the 18 moths I have had it. That's a first for me. Maybe I should but a lottery ticket.

andres3

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Been reading over the 2016 Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue---lots of interesting stuff in there. This year's worst overall automakers were Cadillac, Land Rover, Fiat and Jeep. Star of the show was Audi, with 100% of its product line making the CR "recommended" list.

Lexus and Porsche also did very well.

Mercedes scored badly on electronics complaints, as did a fair number of other brands.

I guess I must be a lucky guy, as my ATS has been flawless in the 18 moths I have had it. That's a first for me. Maybe I should but a lottery ticket.

Could go in the "all cars" are improving category, but then there's @graphicguy Caddy experience to bring it back into reality. His latest one seems to be made on the right day of the week though. Hit or miss scares me.

graphicguy

andres3 said:

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Been reading over the 2016 Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue---lots of interesting stuff in there. This year's worst overall automakers were Cadillac, Land Rover, Fiat and Jeep. Star of the show was Audi, with 100% of its product line making the CR "recommended" list.

Lexus and Porsche also did very well.

Mercedes scored badly on electronics complaints, as did a fair number of other brands.

I guess I must be a lucky guy, as my ATS has been flawless in the 18 moths I have had it. That's a first for me. Maybe I should but a lottery ticket.

Could go in the "all cars" are improving category, but then there's @graphicguy Caddy experience to bring it back into reality. His latest one seems to be made on the right day of the week though. Hit or miss scares me.

Andres...the two Caddys could not be more different, almost like they were two different models from two separate manufacturers. The first one, built and engineered somewhere in the old Czech with tooling from the 1960s made with scrap parts. And, the current one, with modern engineering made meticulously by people who care wearing white cotton gloves.

I'm serious.

The new one is solid as a titanium brick, even the door close "thunk" sounds expensive...no squeaks, rattles....everything lines up perfectly. The electronics work all the time, and are easy to use. Minor controls like turn signals when engaging feel expensive. Materials are all top notch.

It's faster, handles better, rides better (and I use sport mode all the time on top of it). It doesn't stall. Power steering is smooth and very communicative with no noises. Suspension feels just about perfect 99% of the time.

It's really a pleasure to drive. But, it falls into what seems to be my "sweet spot"....a car that does all things well, but isn't the best in any one category. I look at my recent purchases and that's what it says....

BMW 335i
Audi S4
Acura TL SH AWD
Cadillac CTS

To emphasize, feels like two different cars. I believe the first dealer who sold me the first CTS wasn't exactly forthcoming with the kind of car they were selling me. No one would admit what they did/didn't do to the CTS, but there's no way it should have left their showroom with the obvious issues that they claimed were "normal".

Mr_Shiftright

CR was hardest on the ATS '13'14 and the Escalade '15. The CTS complaints were for the older cars, '08 - '10.

qbrozen

still in love with my CTS. Good thing since I'm so buried in it.

I believe the rear diff is going on the LR2 already. Most failure reports I have read were right around the 36-38k mile range, which is where we are with it. I thought about going to trade for the H3. Haha. But she likes the truck, so what can ya do? I tried changing out the fluid for synthetic. I could not, however, vacuum very much out of it. Was able to suck out about 10 oz. Made no difference in the whining noise I am hearing. What I can't quite determine from all my reading is where exactly the problem occurs. There is the diff and there is the Haldex unit attached to the front of the diff. They are separate and use different fluids. I did not tough the Haldex unit. I guess I could and see what happens. There is a filter on it, I believe, and it requires special fluid. In any case, it is something I was not UNPREPARED for before we bought it, and I know there are rebuild kits available cheap. Just a matter of my blood, sweat, and tears.

PF_Flyer

A national publication is looking to hear your stories about recall headaches, including difficulties with dealers, wait times or loaner cars. If you're willing to assist, please contact pr@edmunds.com by no later than Thursday, April 21 2016.

stickguy

You can bookend Wes' plow truck diff rebuild. Just without laying in the snow

sda

Mr_Shiftright said:

CR was hardest on the ATS '13'14 and the Escalade '15. The CTS complaints were for the older cars, '08 - '10.

CU complains about the CUE system at every opportunity as do most publications. That had to influence a lot of Cadillac owners in a negative way. CU was very complimentary about the driving dynamics of the ATS and CTS, however.

Mr_Shiftright

They are on CR's "worst of the worst" list for some reason.