Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ab348

stickguy said:

I go broke and can't make the next tuition payment?

They also have a 2004 MB S550 that looks nice. Just under 100K, for about 9 grand. Would probably take a shot at that money pit first!

A friend had something very similar, a S420 of that vintage. What a money pit that turned out to be. Everything, even seemingly minor stuff, was 4 figures to fix at the dealer and only slightly less expensive at the local indy M-B repair place. He finally ditched it after 4 years and bought a 2009 S550 which has been less troublesome and is a far more impressive vehicle.

kyfdx

@nyccarguy Looking good!

My daily driver will turn over 100K, sometime on the way to work, tomorrow morning.

henryn

iluvmysephia1 said:

Oh, I feel better now, stever! Yeah, I'd go develop some other choices now, too if I were you.

"We just sold your iA/Soul not a half hour ago." That's too funny. I know a lot of you guys already know about CarGurus but I just discovered it. I just plug in '2016 Scion iA' and select 'Nationwide' and I get oodles of iA's ta look at that are good prices 'cause they're used.

Looks like I and our 2011 Kia Soul are really gonna bond now. Just a little over 63,200 miles on it now. Picked up some road tar on the front passenger door in Denver, so I went and got all kinds of cleaners and supplies over the weekend. I'll get outside and work on getting that tar off probably on Friday.

A few years back, my son got a really big rash of road tar all along both sides of his Taurus. By the time I saw the car, it had dried out and seemed to be permanently attached. He told me that he didn't think it would ever come off. I tried a number of things, the answer turned out to be WD40, applied liberally, followed by a lot of "elbow grease" (rubbing with a soft rag).

And an extra word to the wise: WalMart sells the exact same product under their brand name for about half the price. Which really helped, as we went through about 4 or 5 cans of the stuff.

au1994

henryn said:

Oh, I feel better now, stever! Yeah, I'd go develop some other choices now, too if I were you.

"We just sold your iA/Soul not a half hour ago." That's too funny. I know a lot of you guys already know about CarGurus but I just discovered it. I just plug in '2016 Scion iA' and select 'Nationwide' and I get oodles of iA's ta look at that are good prices 'cause they're used.

Looks like I and our 2011 Kia Soul are really gonna bond now. Just a little over 63,200 miles on it now. Picked up some road tar on the front passenger door in Denver, so I went and got all kinds of cleaners and supplies over the weekend. I'll get outside and work on getting that tar off probably on Friday.

A few years back, my son got a really big rash of road tar all along both sides of his Taurus. By the time I saw the car, it had dried out and seemed to be permanently attached. He told me that he didn't think it would ever come off. I tried a number of things, the answer turned out to be WD40, applied liberally, followed by a lot of "elbow grease" (rubbing with a soft rag). And an extra word to the wise: WalMart sells the exact same product under their brand name for about half the price. Which really helped, as we went through about 4 or 5 cans of the stuff.

Yep, WD-40 will take just about anything off and that includes your wax. If you go that route make sure you follow it up with a good wash and wax job afterward.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

I took delivery of my Prelude 14 years ago today

Congrats, @nyccarguy

Its great that you have been able to keep it all these years.  Wish I still had the space for a 3rd "fun" car.

Mr_Shiftright

I've been sniffing at this one--went to see it yesterday but construction on the premises precluded a test drive at that time.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/honda/s2000/1794264.html

First impressions----definitely a cut above a Miata; much nicer interior than a Boxster or Porsche 996, much more legroom than Miata or Boxster. Only negative impression was the small trunk.

Price is a bit high, but it's hard to find one of these that isn't all gunked-up with boy racer mods.

As for reliability---well, it's a Honda.

Sandman6472

Yep, WD-40 is great stuff but gotta wash/wax after using it on your painted surfaces. Have also used it on tough tar crud around the tire wheel well areas and was the only product to make it all go away forever! But washing/waxing after is a must to get that beautiful shine and gloss back into the paint.
After the Golf was detailed a few weeks back, noticed some scratches over the rear driver wheel well and wondering how that happened since I park in a handicap space about 90% of the time it's parked in public. Guess someone either got too close or keyed that area which wouldn't surprise me. Some folks see a nice cleaned up vehicle and just have to ruin it for some reason. Jealousy or just being mean, many folks resent others who have nice things that they keep in tip top shape. That kind of mindset is foreign to me as I'm happy for others who've worked hard to get nice things. Have always taken pride in what I drive like most of us in these forums and tend to keep mine pristine and in very good shape. Try also with the A3 but the wife parks under some sappy trees at her office and usually brings it home in nasty shape for me to clean up.
And they both do look great when freshly detailed though I am partial to the blue...white is all over the place but there are so many shades of blue out there.

The Sandman

stickguy

nice looking S2000. They are fun to drive, as long as you like to rev the snot out of your car. I wish I had been able to snag my BILs when he sold it (to my other BIL, I had 2nd dibs). Not sure what the sale price was, but I know it was a bargain for what it was. 1st year, one of the first in the country, and still like new with low miles.

Mr_Shiftright

In 2004 or so they lowered the rev limit and increased the low end torque on the S2000, and also started to cure the "tail happy" tendencies of the car (the point where driving talent and stupidity intersect).

Still 8000 rpm redline is pretty impressive. I drove one some years ago, and the power between 5000 and 8000 rpm is really something. It's an impressive sports car. 240 HP, 0-60 in 5.7 sec.

kyfdx

The early ones just flat out ate tires.. Under 10K miles before worn out..

An awesome car if you like to wind it out (and, who doesn't?)

fintail

Pretty close to a 4 wheeled motorcycle with doors in that way.

Mr_Shiftright

Sounds good to me! If you have a car that allows you to start out in 4th gear maybe you should have an automatic or DSG.

stickguy

Was that after they went to the 2.2l motor? I never drove one of those.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, I think so--the 2.2L. They dropped the revs down, bumped up the compression a bit--but didn't lose any HP.

andres3

Added weight!

Mr_Shiftright

Well I don't know, but the back end of that car could use it!

laurasdada

"I am far from brave enough to get involved, and those rubber band tires give me the willies, but this is one incredibly good looking automobile."

And, it even has a Leaper! Not my cup o' tea, though. Maybe on an old XJ sedan, but Jag is breaking with the past a bit now. Well, not as far as style goes.

I'd avoid the '09-"10 XFs. But there have been long term tests by Edmunds (and one of the mags, can't think of which one...), that were fairly trouble free (Edmunds drove it to Alaska!). Single point of reference, but my '13 (25k+miles) still hasn't had a hiccup, only an occasional rattle when the roof hole shade is back and the glass is closed.

And, good for me!, I don't think they hold their value spectacularly well, so a recent used example (and, the XF has been updated for '16) shouldn't be too dear a price. Cool car.

And, my prior ("new to me") '09 XK was fairly flawless, too. And, an incredibly good looking automobile!

As is the XJ, XE, F-Type and F-Pace...

Yet, I still want an S Class Coupe. And, peace on earth.

Michaell

laurasdada said:

"I am far from brave enough to get involved, and those rubber band tires give me the willies, but this is one incredibly good looking automobile."

And, it even has a Leaper! Not my cup o' tea, though. Maybe on an old XJ sedan, but Jag is breaking with the past a bit now. Well, not as far as style goes.

I'd avoid the '09-"10 XFs. But there have been long term tests by Edmunds (and one of the mags, can't think of which one...), that were fairly trouble free (Edmunds drove it to Alaska!). Single point of reference, but my '13 (25k+miles) still hasn't had a hiccup, only an occasional rattle when the roof hole shade is back and the glass is closed.

And, good for me!, I don't think they hold their value spectacularly well, so a recent used example (and, the XF has been updated for '16) shouldn't be too dear a price. Cool car.

And, my prior ("new to me") '09 XK was fairly flawless, too. And, an incredibly good looking automobile!

As is the XJ, XE, F-Type and F-Pace...

Yet, I still want an S Class Coupe. And, peace on earth.

Speaking of Jags, I spotted an F-type S today on the highway. As I went to pass it, I noticed the driver was smoking a cigarette. Ugh. Heaven help the next owner of that car....

Oh, and an oddball sighting the other day .... a gen 1 Rav4 - the two door version.

laurasdada

"Speaking of Jags, I spotted an F-type S today on the highway. As I went to pass it, I noticed the driver was smoking a cigarette. Ugh. Heaven help the next owner of that car...."

No offense to smokers (a lifelong cigarette hater here), but someone should take his F-Type away and give him a Cadillac Cimarron with a vinyl roof and fake continental kit (no offense to Cimarron owners/fans!)

cdnpinhead

Nice to know that there's no judging going on here.

Live and let live. . .or not.

Michaell

 Didn't mean for my post to sound judgmental. I was more concerned about what the cigarette smoke with you to the interior of that very nice car! 

fintail

I wonder how that hurts resale. Smoker car would be a deal breaker for me.

carnaught

fintail said:

I wonder how that hurts resale. Smoker car would be a deal breaker for me.

Yep, no amount of carpet shampooing or leather cleaner is going to get that smoke smell out of that interior.

Mr_Shiftright

Isell says that the cigarette smoke smell is a big hit on value because it can never EVER be eliminated--you'd have to pretty much tear out the interior.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

Isell says that the cigarette smoke smell is a big hit on value because it can never EVER be eliminated--you'd have to pretty much tear out the interior.

What about medical green plant smoke?

corvette

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Isell says that the cigarette smoke smell is a big hit on value because it can never EVER be eliminated--you'd have to pretty much tear out the interior.

What about medical green plant smoke?

First car I ever bought (used, "off-lease"), I found a package of rolling papers underneath the trunk carpet.

toomanyfumes

When I was looking for a car for my daughter two years ago, we stopped at a dealer to look at a used Sonata, reasonably priced. All four windows were slightly open. When I got close to look at the interior, you could smell the stale smoke though the crack. Next.

nyccarguy

I saw a CPO X5 once that had definitely been smoked in.  It wasn't obvious, but I smelled it in the carpet.  The car had been thoroughly cleaned, but that smoke smell NEVER goes away completely.

graphicguy

corvette said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Isell says that the cigarette smoke smell is a big hit on value because it can never EVER be eliminated--you'd have to pretty much tear out the interior.

What about medical green plant smoke?

First car I ever bought (used, "off-lease"), I found a package of rolling papers underneath the trunk carpet.

Boy, that brings back a memory.....when I was a broke college student I had scraped together enough money for approx 10 year old (and definitely well past its better days) Chevy Monza. It had no options, 4 cyl, no A/C, 4 speed (or was it a 5 speed?), big hole in the middle of the dash where the radio once was.

Anyway, it ran...not well...it sputtered...it was hard to start, but it ran. Odo was broke, so I had no idea how many miles was on it. I think I only paid a couple hundred for it. So, tuned it up (yes, points, plugs, plug wires, timing,...all manually set, rebuilt the carb)....radiator flush with new coolant, bled the brakes and put in new fluid, etc.

I actually had it running well when I decided to tackle the big hole in the dash where the radio was. Got a 2nd hand AM/FM GM radio that fit perfectly. The wiring was all there, and since I didn't have to remove the old one, all I had to do was reach into the radio hole and pull out the wiring to connect to the radio before buttoning it up into the dash.

Reaching in and feeling some plastic something, lo and behold, I pulled out not one, but two full baggies of what was pot. I wasn't a pot smoker in college.....beer drinker, YES! Pot? NO! Had friends who did, and I had no issues with them. I just didn't partake.

My dilemma, contact the guy who sold me the car and offer to return his stash (he was only 2-3 years older than me)? Turn the stash over to campus police (really didn't consider this a viable option)? Or, as my friends begged, smoke it. I didn't smoke. And, considering I felt it was an unexpected option on the car, it had value. I agreed to sell it to my friends.

Got enough money for the parts and radio to put the beast back on the road. Plus, a little extra for some used tires and rims.

The seller contacted me about 3-4 days after I bought the car stating he may have left something in the car, also wanting to know if I found anything. "What did you leave behind?" He didn't give me an answer but wanted to know if he could drop by my apartment to look inside.

By this time, I had cleaned the car up, washed it, tuned it up, put good wheels and tires on it, got the interior all freshened up....looked and ran like a different car. I agreed to let him take a look. He immediately came to my apartment, looked at the car, and actually thought it was a different car. I unlocked it to let him look inside, and he saw the radio in place of his hole for stash. He wanted to know if I had found anything while installing the radio. "NOPE...what should I have been looking for?"

He twisted himself to look behind the dash, but really couldn't see anything. He began to try to reach behind the dash, when I stopped him saying there was wiring back there that I didn't want him to touch.

He got frustrated and finally asked if I had found anything...anything at all. I told him NO. But, if I did, I'd let him know (he said he was moving and would be hard to find). I told him I'd turn it into campus lost and found, then.

He left in a huff!

fintail

My brother partakes regularly (first world state, legal here), and I can definitely smell it, but not as strong as tobacco. He's smart enough to to not smoke and drive, and to cool off before he drives, so I haven't noticed it in his car.

stever

My mom had a Protégé that ran great and I thought about picking it up when she quit driving about a decade ago. I could have lived with the automatic seat belts but she was a smoker.

henryn

I smoked for 25 years, quit in 1997 (hardest thing I ever did). The smell does go away, takes about 2 years.

ab348

andres3 said:

What about medical green plant smoke?

Worthless. Smoke is smoke. Might as well BBQ in the back seat.

stever

One of my rentals in college was an older one bedroom cottage with a fireplace that "leaked" smoke. Often I'd be sitting in class and overhear someone comment about being hungry for smoked ham.

The big problem with that rental is that is was on a heavily wooded lot with a longish narrow dirt driveway. I was driving a '69 Bus at the time and was forever clipping the rear quarter panels on jack pines.

nyccarguy

henryn said:

I smoked for 25 years, quit in 1997 (hardest thing I ever did). The smell does go away, takes about 2 years.

Good for you!  You should be proud of yourself!

stever

My mom never would have quit if she had not had to go into rehab for 6 weeks for a stroke. That worked!

Just gave away one of the looms in the garage, bit of a heavy sucker. Should have partially dismantled it and delivered in the minivan. The guy showed up with a friend in his pickup truck. Had to grab my tape - didn't even notice the brand but the bed had a 34" liftover height. Don't understand how people think that's "utile".

tjc78

My grandfather's 98 Town Car was a previous smoker's car when he bought it in 99. I guess the fact it wasn't smoked in all that long (it was in service 18 months and 15K miles) that there was no residual smell. I could tell by two tiny burn marks in the floor mat and one on the headliner. It was black interior car , so hardly noticeable. The dealer replaced the floor mat, with the deal.

That was a nice TC. It was the "Touring Edition" they made from 98-02. Basically it was a Town Car with the Crown Vic Police Package. Larger sway bars, 3.73 rear, dual exhaust and the stiffer shocks/air springs.

kyfdx

stever said:

My mom never would have quit if she had not had to go into rehab for 6 weeks for a stroke. That worked!

Just gave away one of the looms in the garage, bit of a heavy sucker. Should have partially dismantled it and delivered in the minivan. The guy showed up with a friend in his pickup truck. Had to grab my tape - didn't even notice the brand but the bed had a 34" liftover height. Don't understand how people think that's "utile".

Reminds me of Cheech and Chong bit: "But, since I lost one of my lungs, I've cut my smoking in half!"

nyccarguy

@stickguy - I think I found your next car.  4cyl Camaro.  Starts at $26K & change.  0-60 mph in the mid 5 seconds.

stickguy

I can't fit in one of those or see out. But interesting. I would lean toward a 4 cyl mustang though.

iluvmysephia1

I bought a can of Goof Off ta work on getting the road tar off the Soul's passenger door. Bought it at Wal*Mart. In other news, Lewis Chevrolet of Garden City, KS, dropped the price of their Salsa Red 2016 Chevy Spark down to only $10,908. I drove over there to take a look at it. The seats even look not as wide as the Soul's. I don't think the Mrs.and I could fit comfortably in there, honestly. 34 mpg city and 41 mpg on the highway. Android Auto and Apple Car Play, rear camera, 5-speed tranny that reviewers are praising, plus dampening of the suspension to be able to take bumps well and not roll into turns. It's got a bright red paint called Salsa Red. I would follow tyguy's lead and ultra wax it to save the finish. I like red car finishes but don't like how they fade. One of the strong points on my 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS was the Rally Red paint. It was a beautiful red. More information is out now that says Mitsubishi lied about ghastly mileage to its customers since 1991. Wow, Mitsubishi. Really? Really not purifying your business case in the States very much at all.

stickguy

A spark to me is way too small. One reason I got a bigger sized car was so that the wife and I were not rubbing shoulders. Not a real skinny pair!

Nice price though.

breld

@nyccarguy - little late on the response, but congrats on the Prelude's anniversary! Love seeing pictures of your car - and every time I do I get an itch to look at available used ones. But certainly nothing out there as well kept as yours!

Sandman6472

Had a tire blow on a Spark on I-75 a year back Shredded the tire and caused over $1200 damage to the front facia...plus scared the hell out of me going 60 mph. Another time, drove new ones from Miami to Tampa airport and had to stop and get petrol before arriving. This happened on six of the eight vehicles we drove on that trip. All brand new with the plastic still covering the interior. No, a Spark is something I'd never ever consider on any level, better to find a slightly used CPO vehicle. We still have a few in our fleet and hopefully, they will be phased out once and for all!

The Sandman

corvette

I think you would be happier with the power and refinement of a Sonic with the turbo engine, as compared to the Spark, which I think has less than 100 horsepower. Fading shouldn't be an issue with red paint in the first 5-10 years, unless the OEM uses really shoddy paint.

nyccarguy

You can now "build your own" ///M2 in BMW's website.  That's a helluva vehicle for $54,495 with Long Beach Blue Metallic Paint & Executive Package.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

You can now "build your own" ///M2 in BMW's website.  That's a helluva vehicle for $54,495 with Long Beach Blue Metallic Paint & Executive Package.

I like the M2 too, but dealerships I've visited are talking about 10K over MSRP type markups and up.

Really, the M235i sitting in lots is about the same cost all tarted up with overpriced options. The M2 is what the M235i really should be. M2 is also apparently 100 pounds lighter, a nod to at least "SOME" effort on BMW's part to tame down the weight on these "sporty" cars.

andres3

corvette said:

I think you would be happier with the power and refinement of a Sonic with the turbo engine, as compared to the Spark, which I think has less than 100 horsepower. Fading shouldn't be an issue with red paint in the first 5-10 years, unless the OEM uses really shoddy paint.

So That's why red neon's always have faded bumpers LOL.

laurasdada

My Dad was a lifelong smoker, tried many times to quit. But, his last effort was successful He knew he had finally kicked the habit when he could no longer stand the smoked out smell of his own car, he got rid it.

My first new car was an arrest me red Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo. I kept it washed and waxed (no garage) so it was as arrest me on the day I sold it as the day I bought it. Unlike Dad's red Saab 99, brutally faded.

Michaell

Both my parents smoked. Both were able to quit.

Dad quit cold turkey when he got a cold one winter and couldn't get rid of it. He replaced the cigarettes with sen-sen, so as to mimic the hand to mouth motions he'd had.

Mom quit several times, and finally kicked the habit when her doctor told her that the smoking, in conjunction with the Type II Diabetes she was diagnosed with, would shorten her life span considerably.

She'll turn 78 next month and is doing fine, thank you very much.