Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

And at the other end of the spectrum, tonight I came up on a van I didn't recognize. Had a Toyota logo. 

Turns out it was a HiAce with Mexican plates on it. Very similar to the sprinter.  

corvette

nyc, great minds think alike! I had just ordered up a remote starter for the Murano. There is a Canadian company that makes one that uses the OE keyfob. 

stickguy

Different strokes I guess, but a remote starter, to me, is probably the single most useless feature to have. I am positive I would never consider using it.

Not something important like a moonroof!

qbrozen

stick, I work with 2 guys who each have bought more than 1 car from eimports. They swear by them, and every price I have checked has been roughly $2500-$3k above auction value. They are a no-haggle place, but the pricing is fair enough as is.

On all those bimmers you posted.... no sport pack = no sale. Can't stand the standard seats.

corvette

I didn't see the point back when I had an attached garage that stayed warm in the winter. Now that I have a detached garage that gets cold, I see the value in a remote starter. Not bad for $120 or so. 

henryn

stickguy said:

Different strokes I guess, but a remote starter, to me, is probably the single most useless feature to have. I am positive I would never consider using it.

Not something important like a moonroof!

My present Cadillac is the 2nd (3rd?) vehicle I have owned with remote start. After initial testing, I have never used it again. Not once.

Of course, I don't live in the frozen wastelands of the north, either!

nyccarguy

The Subie remote starter has a separate fob.  Since my Prelude & my wife's Pilot occupy the garage, I figured a remote starter is a good idea.

iluvmysephia1

Of course, I don't live in the frozen wastelands of the north, either!


This is where you would want remote start. Kansas, not so much.

stickguy

Bradd's a nerd!

As to BMW seats, from my browsing, the fancy sport seats are very rare. Especially on a sedan. But I do like the thigh extension.

Q, glad to know you can supply references for that place. I now have a few of those on my monitor list for next year.

Michaell

iluvmysephia1 said:

Of course, I don't live in the frozen wastelands of the north, either!


This is where you would want remote start. Kansas, not so much.

Wouldn't you also use it to cool the car down in the summer?

We had a remote start on our 2008 VUE - used it maybe a handful of times, total.

Now, if I start commuting again, I might like it for my next car since it doesn't get to be in the garage.

stickguy

Roll down the windows. It will cool off eventually.

Can't run it in the garage anyway, so that eliminates the majority of the times it could be used (at home).

henryn

Michaell said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Of course, I don't live in the frozen wastelands of the north, either!


This is where you would want remote start. Kansas, not so much.

Wouldn't you also use it to cool the car down in the summer?

Item one, don't buy a black car. (smile)

Item two, if you're not parked in the direct sunshine, and if your car isn't black (see Item one), your car doesn't get that hot. Even here in Houston. I park under a carport at home, and in a parking garage at work.

Item three, you have to run the car for a while to get any benefit from the heater or the A/C. Other than in your own driveway at home, where else would you remote start the car several minutes BEFORE you were going to get in the car and drive away?

iluvmysephia1

Other than in your own driveway at home, where else would you remote start the car several minutes BEFORE you were going to get in the car and drive away?


'Zactly, henryn.

sda

Michaell said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

Of course, I don't live in the frozen wastelands of the north, either!


This is where you would want remote start. Kansas, not so much.

Wouldn't you also use it to cool the car down in the summer?

We had a remote start on our 2008 VUE - used it maybe a handful of times, total.

Now, if I start commuting again, I might like it for my next car since it doesn't get to be in the garage.

Though I didn't use it extensively I did find it handy to start cooling the car down before I got to it, say at a shopping center. As I would walk towards the car I would start it, the a/c would get a head start, load the car with what ever I had purchased, hop in, and the car was tolerable and not 130 degrees. I miss that feature sometimes.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

Bradd's a nerd! As to BMW seats, from my browsing, the fancy sport seats are very rare. Especially on a sedan. But I do like the thigh extension. Q, glad to know you can supply references for that place. I now have a few of those on my monitor list for next year.

Glad to see you like my key chain!

qbrozen

iluvmysephia1 said:

Other than in your own driveway at home, where else would you remote start the car several minutes BEFORE you were going to get in the car and drive away?


'Zactly, henryn.

I use mine at work, too. I've used it in many places, actually. When the temp is in the teens outside, why wouldn't I?

tifighter

Now in Portugal. Here's the rental I ended up with -

nyccarguy

Nice!

andres3

qbrozen said:

I was helping a guy at work find the right car given the info he provided and I came across this gem. Helluva lotta car for less than $30k.

I'm tired of colorless black, white, and in between colors all the time.

kyfdx

@tifighter Holy Cow, that's a beautiful place!

stickguy

I would be happy with that car. Nice looking.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

Stick - I dig the last gen C-Class body Style too.  The 2013 & 2014 were designated as C300, but they actually have the larger 3.5L V6 from the C350.  

You don't want a 320i.  A 128i coupe or 328i coupe (with the 6 cyl) might be a nice ride.

I had my upgraded rear sway bar & remote start installed in the Legacy today.  It is amazing what 3mm can do.  The car definitely feels tighter around the few turns I got to take on the way home from the Subaru Dealership.

What kind of sway bar? The Subaru Legacy R part, or aftermarket? I find it a bit funny that the 15 year old Honda keeps the '15 out of the garage.

nyccarguy

@andres3 - The sway bar is a Subaru part from the Outback which is my Legacy's mechanical twin.  It isn't an "R" or STi part, but a plain old OEM Subaru part that makes a big difference.  It is 19mm vs. the Legacy's 16mm.

The 15 year old Honda gets the garage because it holds a special place in my heart.  The Legacy and the Pilot do fit into the garage, but not easily.

imidazol97

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

I was helping a guy at work find the right car given the info he provided and I came across this gem. Helluva lotta car for less than $30k.

I'm tired of colorless black, white, and in between colors all the time.

Since the discussions of most cars being stocked in the basic black, grey/silver, and white, is started noticing the colors as the cars go through our Chick Fil A drivethrough line. And that is true. It's mostly bland.

kyfdx

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

I was helping a guy at work find the right car given the info he provided and I came across this gem. Helluva lotta car for less than $30k.

I'm tired of colorless black, white, and in between colors all the time.

Since the discussions of most cars being stocked in the basic black, grey/silver, and white, is started noticing the colors as the cars go through our Chick Fil A drivethrough line. And that is true. It's mostly bland.

Hey.. Sharonville car show is Sunday, I think..

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

imidazol97 said:

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

I was helping a guy at work find the right car given the info he provided and I came across this gem. Helluva lotta car for less than $30k.

I'm tired of colorless black, white, and in between colors all the time.

Since the discussions of most cars being stocked in the basic black, grey/silver, and white, is started noticing the colors as the cars go through our Chick Fil A drivethrough line. And that is true. It's mostly bland.

Hey.. Sharonville car show is Sunday, I think..

Of course, I happen to be in Chicago working and staying over to visit with college friends.

tjc78

I never thought I would use the remote start (actually talked bad about it at one point) but in the winter with two little ones it was nice to warm the car up for them.  

When it snowed while I was at work I started it up too, like Q said why not?  

Not sure I'd have it installed, but since it was included from the factory it's nice to have. 

stever

This 2015 Prius V is in my garage tonight.

News at 11.

kyfdx

Visitors?

thebean

Grand theft auto??

stever

@kyfdx called it. Company visiting from Santa Fe and a thunderboomer came up with nickel size hail predicted. So we took the van to dinner and put the newer Prius in the garage. Barely got enough precip to clean the windshield.

Mr_Shiftright

You take all the fun out of Man vs. Nature.

imidazol97

kyfdx said:

Hey.. Sharonville car show is Sunday, I think..

Don't think I'll make it this year. This is the annual city-sponsored show. But In searching I see there's a weekly cruise in there on Thursdays starting June 1.

Sandman6472

Happy Pesach all!!!

The Sandman

suydam

And to you too! We are having our large Seder second night to share with out of town folks coming in. Very handy having it fall on a weekend this year. Don't eat too many macaroons!

28firefighter

We gave up first night Seder to fly to Philly on the redeye last night to do second night with my family. Expecting 40 people!

nyccarguy

Happy Passover to all who celebrate!

corvette

First road trip in the Murano. It's a pretty good companion. Very quiet and relaxed at speed. The VQ35DE engine makes a nice sound. Like the other Nissans I've had, the suspension gets a little unsettled sometimes when going over rough pavement--it's like the front suspension reacts differently than the rear. If you're turning at the time, it feels almost like the beginning of a skid (even though it isn't).

Listened to a bunch of podcasts through Bluetooth audio streaming from my iPad. An incoming phone call (which I ignored) disrupted the stream. Also, the built-in USB port doesn't provide enough power to charge the iPhone quickly while using Waze, and plugging the phone into that port causes the audio system to switch to the USB input, even if you didn't connect so you could listen to music from the phone. I should have brought the fast charger I have for the 12V outlet, which would have avoided both annoyances.

It's rated at 23 MPG on the highway. Had the cruise set around 85 whenever possible. The trip computer reported just under 19 MPG, which isn't that impressive.

andres3

So I test drove a M235i today. I came away impressed with the drive and performance, however the test drive was barely adequate, if that, as I think I got the least performance oriented female sales person in the building. She actually suggested that if I turned too crazy fast it would permanently mar the tire enough to where someone wouldn't want to buy it, LOL! I assured her whatever I did the tires would be fine (Michelin Pilot Super Sports by the way; didn't even get a squeal peep out of them, didn't go over 7/10th for even a split second I'm certain.

I'm not sure the styling and look does it for me, but the interior is good enough with black Dakota Leather, Harmon Kardon sound, performance M exhaust, estoril blue paint, carbon fiber side mirror covers, total comes out to the exact same MSRP as my S4 was, which is 54,095 down to the dollar. They would let this go without too much of a fight for $50K, which is what I paid for my S4 as well. Not sure it is a great value at that price though, as the limited slip is a $3K dealer installed option. Any opinions if you could win a bigger discount, or if that's a great price. One way to get one cheaper other than going pre-owned would be to forgo the carbon fiber and leather; both of those are overpriced.

Oh, one more thing, the transmission (Auto) did hiccup, stall, and lag during one 90 degree right turn where I was trying to shoot off, and it didn't move fast until completing the thought of gear change which happened after I was straightened out completely. I didn't have it in Sport + mode though. I only moved from Comfort to Sport. There's also Eco mode which I didn't test. Other then that serious single letdown, the transmission was impressive.

stickguy

Geez. Just configured a Fusion sport, and adding what IMO is minimum required stuff, it stickered for over 39K. Lot of money for a Ford sedan

Probably fun to drive with that drivetrain though. And cheaper than an Audi!

Michaell

Not that I'm in the market; just noodling around on a Sunday morning and found this ....

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/663050930/overview/

Thoughts?

stickguy

interesting. close to perfect for me, and a lot of not too old car for not too much money. Just sadly, seems to not have a moonroof. Or BLIS. 2 things I want.

but conceptually, when the time comes, getting something like this would be smarter for me than just leasing another car.

so if you like it, look for another in a few months when you need it. Even if you finance over 5 years to keep payments close to a lease, you will still own something not too long down the line!

Michaell

stickguy said:

interesting. close to perfect for me, and a lot of not too old car for not too much money. Just sadly, seems to not have a moonroof. Or BLIS. 2 things I want.

but conceptually, when the time comes, getting something like this would be smarter for me than just leasing another car.

so if you like it, look for another in a few months when you need it. Even if you finance over 5 years to keep payments close to a lease, you will still own something not too long down the line!

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking .. entry level lux that I could live with for some time after making payments.

Of course, it's all predicated on me getting a new job. Not sure what will happen if fall rolls around and I'm still unemployed.

suydam

Not very good gas mileage if that matters to you.

ab348

I had a 2011 Regal Turbo for 3 years (leased). I really liked it and the 2014 is improved over mine with more power and features, plus that one is AWD. It is a fabulous highway car, best I ever experienced. The faster you go the more planted it gets. Handling is good. That is an Opel deep down so it has a German-car sort of feel to it though they were built in Oshawa. Rear seat room is a bit tight but livable. Some found the front seats hard but I was comfortable. It is from the generation of GM designs that are heavier than they needed to be, so you do feel that sometimes. The flip side is that it felt solid and substantial. The big knock on these is that they were overpriced from new and took some incentives to sell, so the depreciation hit was pretty stiff. Buying used you avoid that. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to go for another.

stickguy

maybe when the time comes, I'll take a look.

Oh, who am I kidding. I am going to spend 3 months driving every car made in the last 5 years.

stickguy

here is a pretty nice one. Like the colors. and seesm to be a hybrid, so might do better on gas. Plus has moonroof and Navi.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/649167699/overview/

ab348

I didn't think the E-assist came with the Turbo engine. That one pictured has the T badge on the rear deck so it definitely is a Turbo. Not so sure about the hybrid part.

The E-assist cars (which I thought had a 2.4L NA engine) were dogs for acceleration in comparison to the Turbo.

corvette

roadburner, do you still have a Triumph? I was at the National Motorcycle Museum today and they had a few of them on display. Their collection is very Harley and Indian-centric, but they had quite a few BMWs and Hondas and a handful of Ducatis.

roadburner

corvette said:

roadburner, do you still have a Triumph? I was at the National Motorcycle Museum today and they had a few of them on display. Their collection is very Harley and Indian-centric, but they had quite a few BMWs and Hondas and a handful of Ducatis.

Yes, when I hurt my knee a few years ago I had to keep off of it- but this spring I'm-as the Brits say- "re-commissioning" it. I'm replacing the battery and fitting brighter9but much smaller) turn indicators. I would like to visit that museum; if I had more room and money I'd have a couple more bikes- a dual purpose and a power cruiser like the Victory Octane.