Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

My "honey do" list is several pages long. Only problem is that I don't have a "honey!"

Sandman6472

Was lucky I guess. After doing a bunch of digging, I came to find out that my grandparents, dad's parents, had fit the bill for the four of us but our folks led us to believe that they paid for it all. Once my grandmother passed, I found old checkbook ledgers which basically connected all the dots. They were very generous people, both immigrants from Kiev with my grandfather coming to America through Argentina and my grandmother going through Shanghai and Canada to get to New York. Grandpa was a tailor in Russia and opened a tailor shop in New York where grandma was a seamstress and the rest is history. Married, had 3 sons exactly 7.5 years apart and turned the business into a clothing line which eventually made women's sportswear and were eventually bought out by Genesco in the early 60's.

Needless to say, they actually lived the American dream coming from poor beginnings in a country that wanted them gone to living the American dream. They made sure their children and grandkids lived a nice life which included fitting the bill for our higher education which I will always be thankful to them for. In turn, we tried to do the best we could for our kids though our resources were nowhere what theirs were. And so it goes!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Looked on Tirerack.com and found out the information about the Pirelli P7 tires which came on the A3. Made copies to see if they'll match the price. Also made copies of the offerings from Tires Plus and Goodyear for other options. My thoughts were possibly to just replace the front two tires with a somewhat cheaper brand and eventually replace all four when the back two go so we could one day getting the same tires on all four sides. Cost wise, it might be the same going this route so both axels would have the same tread...found a moderately priced tire at Tires Plus. Again, my goal would be to eventually have all four the same. Or we could just go to one of the local tire places and get two more expensive ones and always have different treads front and back. Just not sure what the best course of action is here.
Any help on this would be appreciated as we have a 10 a m appointment at Audi for her oil change/wash/vacuum already set up. Funny how the timing of all this is...just one of the pleasures of owning a car! Things just happen, similar to home ownership.

The Sandman

corvette

How much meat is left on the other tires? The A4 I leased, I turned it in with 18,000 miles, and there was only 5/32" left on the tires. I doubt they would have made it to 25k. If they are that far gone, I would just replace the whole set. If not, maybe just replace one or a pair, with the same brand and model of tire on it, unless it's exorbitantly expensive compared to other tires in that size.

stickguy

first thing is to get the tread measured. Depending on overall wear, and how they were rotated (so wear front to back) it is possible that the tread will be close enough that you can get away with 1 tire. Will need a tire pro to address that.

as someone else noted (Corvette?) you can shave a tire down to match. I have no experience with that, and no clue if anyone still does it!

my recommendation? Get the same P7 (1 or 2 if needed) to keep the tires the same on the axle and front to back. I have an obsession about not mixing tread patterns on a car. I did once have to replace one, after maybe 10K miles, due to a blow out and never had an issue.

if the tires are really worn, say down to 5/32 all around, I would bite the bullet and replace them all. in that case, you could shop for other brands (I am fond of Continentals these days, but the P7 is one of my other choices)

so first, have them all measured for tread depth, ask the experts, and go from there.

stickguy

funny but I have been researching tires for the RDX. Only thing is, at this pace, I may not need them for another 1.5 years! Just hit 33K on it. Last September (at 3 year anniversary) we were right about 30K, so have done a whopping 3,000 or so miles in 8 months! Last oil change (probably at about 30K) they still had lots of tread, so I expect a minimum of 40K, and maybe closer to 50K if the wet traction holds up. Good thing too, because those tires are not particularly cheap!

ab348

stickguy said:

my recommendation? Get the same P7 (1 or 2 if needed) to keep the tires the same on the axle and front to back. I have an obsession about not mixing tread patterns on a car. I did once have to replace one, after maybe 10K miles, due to a blow out and never had an issue.

if the tires are really worn, say down to 5/32 all around, I would bite the bullet and replace them all. in that case, you could shop for other brands (I am fond of Continentals these days, but the P7 is one of my other choices)

so first, have them all measured for tread depth, ask the experts, and go from there.

This is the best advice I have seen. I would not go with a cheapy pair.

sda

sandman_6472 said:

We put 3 kids through college with the girls going on to grad school and the boy doing a couple of years at Phillips Exeter, his junior and senior years of high school. With the help of scholarships for good grades and such, it still cost us a pretty penny to do all this. Pharmacy school for my one girl was on her with loans because we just couldn't afford it to be honest without going broke. I just have no clue how much out of pocket it cost us though it'll be over by October when we give up the kids apartment that we've been paying for. Middle class folks like us who want their kids to get a good education have it a bit rough and we're glad to be almost done with it all.
There has to be a better way though...there has to be a more affordable way for kids to get a decent education so they'll be able to find good jobs that pay them enough to live a nice middle class life. I went to college and did some grad school but fell into my job as a letter carrier, never thought all those years that I'd become a blue collar worker. Someone told me that I'd never get rich but I'd make a living...and that's exactly what happened. And luckily after 31 years in, I get a decent pension. I am very thankful to Uncle Sam for all he has given me!

The Sandman </blockquote

You paid your dues with hard work and dedication. You earned it.

sda

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

my recommendation? Get the same P7 (1 or 2 if needed) to keep the tires the same on the axle and front to back. I have an obsession about not mixing tread patterns on a car. I did once have to replace one, after maybe 10K miles, due to a blow out and never had an issue.

if the tires are really worn, say down to 5/32 all around, I would bite the bullet and replace them all. in that case, you could shop for other brands (I am fond of Continentals these days, but the P7 is one of my other choices)

so first, have them all measured for tread depth, ask the experts, and go from there.

This is the best advice I have seen. I would not go with a cheapy pair.

I agree and would also take abacomike's suggestion and see if the Audi dealer will match prices. Though I haven't pulled the trigger yet, I am shopping tires for my Accord as they are at 5/32 with 56k. I was shocked that the Honda dealer offered me 4 identical oem Good Year Assurance Fuel Max tires with 4 wheel alignment cheaper than buying 4 identical tires, without alignment, else where.

Sandman6472

The tires look great with plenty of tread. Made copies of prices from Tirerack.com, Tires Plus and Goodyear so will meet the better half there at 10. Might be best to replace just the one but if the price is too expensive, might just get a couple of cheaper treads until we can get back to all matching. really gonna be up to the wife since it's her vehicle and she's fittin' the bill. They've been rotated a couple of times already and another is due for today.
How do these bubbles happen anyways? Have never had one as I recall so a real mystery to me. Her history of getting nails in tires is histrionic since she seems to find every nail or screw in Broward County!
Again, the pleasures of car ownership...it's always something!!!

The Sandman

stickguy

could be a defect, but normally it comes from whamming a pothole.

Sandman6472

Doubt it's a defect as the other three are in great shape with at least 3/4 tread left. Two weeks in with the Mazda3, she picked up a nail or screw which couldn't be repaired and again, we had to spring for a replacement but the dealer had pity on us and gave us an exceptional price because it happened so soon.

The Sandman

stickguy

don't cheap out on tires. false economy. Plus who knows what having totally different tread patterns and characteristics will do to the handling (and how all the safety systems are going to like it!)

if the tread is deep, on a FWD (you don't have Quottro, right?) you should be fine with a single replacement.

Sandman6472

It's FWD and they have to order the tire, will be in Wednesday. $239.00 installed and she wants to go for it, I would rather get two different ones for the axle. I don't think the stability control will be affected since each axle would have the same tread. But when it comes down to it, not my choice. Her car/her dollar/her choice!
All is good!

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright

And You Think YOU Had a Bad Day?

Sandman6472

Called my bud who I went to high school in New York who runs our local Tires Plus location and he can get the tire installed with road hazard today for $183.00. Going over about 3 to have it installed. Nice to have a friend in the business that I can call when a problem arises because he can usually help or point us the right direction. Rich, you rock!
Nothing wrong with saving $50.00!

The Sandman

iluvmysephia1

I try to miss potholes and consider it a failure on my part if I hit one hard. Good way to blow out a tire sidewall.

stickguy

my daughter seems to have pothole radar. she hits them all, including the ones that she knows where they are!

fintail

"Essex police are not completely sure on the identity of the driver"

No doubt they money is on the up and up, too. Oh well, not like an F1 was damaged, just a modern toy.

Mr_Shiftright said:

And You Think YOU Had a Bad Day?

henryn

@sandman_6472
I went through this last December with my DTS. The car had one non-matching tire when I bought it (at 35k miles), which didn’t make me happy. But I was living with it, no problems. Then another tire developed a bubble in the sidewall at 39k miles. I could not match the tire, so I was going to wind up with 3 different make/model of tires, and I just did not want that.

So I bit the bullet, and bought a new set of Michelins all around.

In your situation, with only 14k miles, and good tread on the remaining tires, and the ability to match the present tires, then I would just buy the one.

sda

I have 56k on these tires, and as you can see they are wearing evenly, thou the center has worn more than the shoulders. I try to keep the pressure within 2 lbs of what the Tire Pressure placard specifies. Even though these tires have given good service, still smooth and quiet, they ride a bit firm. I'm on the fence of trying a different tire or staying with what came on the car. (Good Year Assurance Fuel Max) Still have plenty of tread though you can see the wear bars starting to become more visible.

corvette

Those Goodyears are actually rated pretty highly. That's impressive for an OE tire, a lot of manufacturers seem to use overpriced junk OE tires that have awful snow traction and/or wear poorly.

xwesx

corvette said:

Those Goodyears are actually rated pretty highly. That's impressive for an OE tire, a lot of manufacturers seem to use overpriced junk OE tires that have awful snow traction and/or wear poorly.

Yeah, they are pretty good. Stiffer than some, blah in wintry conditions, but great treadwear. Those look like they are at least 7/32" still, so I think I would keep them on for another 15,000+ miles. I think you should be able to get 70K out of them without any problem.

xwesx

stickguy said:

my daughter seems to have pothole radar. she hits them all, including the ones that she knows where they are!

Entering the wayback machine, I drove my father to the hospital when I was fifteen. He was having back surgery that day, and his back was in a bad, bad way. Our road to town was a narrow, shoulderless, long-ago paved, pothole-ridden minefield - one that my parents navigated quite skillfully. I was diligently trying to avoid them all and having little success, thinking that I needed to drive *around* them all rather than being able to straddle the ones that made sense to straddle.

After a few miles of jarring bumps and cringing in pain, he says to me, "Are you *trying* to hit every single pothole on the road? I think you would do better if you just drove straight through them!"

stever

Got rid of some wheels out of the garage thanks to craigslist this morning.

Well, technically "wheel". Sold the unicycle.

corvette

stever said:

Got rid of some wheels out of the garage thanks to craigslist this morning.

Well, technically "wheel". Sold the unicycle.

Does that free up enough garage space so you can add another car?

Sandman6472

Just got home and the pocketbook is $184.00 lighter. My buddy was able to get the correct tire within 2 hours and was in and out under 55 minutes. Wife's happy and all's right with the world again. Saving the $50.00 was just the icing on the cake!
Those Goodyear tires in the above picture are what I'd like to get as my next set. Have never owned Goodyear so am curious to see how well they'll hold up here in South Florida. The Continental's on the car now are a really good tire and I have been religiously rotating them every 5K so they still look brand new. Hoping to get at least 45K out of the set if possible.
So glad today is over to be honest!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

@sandman_6472 - good job!  Now use that $50 & take the wife to dinner!

ab348

I had never owned a car with Goodyear tires and then I had two in a row (Intrigue and Lacrosse). Both had versions of the Eagle LS (I think the Lacrosse had the later LS2 model) and both were lousy tires. I've been a Michelin man for a while and saw no reason to change.

Sandman6472

That's the plan since the two girls will be stopping in tomorrow for Mom's Day. She mentioned the Outback Steak House as she was given a nice gift certificate from a customer it seems. Have a hankering for a piece of fish tonite!!

The Sandman

stever

corvette said:

stever said:

Got rid of some wheels out of the garage thanks to craigslist this morning.

Well, technically "wheel". Sold the unicycle.

Does that free up enough garage space so you can add another car?

Nah, it's only 576 sq. ft.

imidazol97

sandman_6472 said:

The Continental's on the car now are a really good tire and I have been religiously rotating them every 5K so they still look brand new. Hoping to get at least 45K out of the set if possible.

Which Continental tire is on the car? My son's Cruze has Continental ConticontacPro -- something like that, LOL

cdnpinhead

Tire wear is a much bigger deal in areas where actual weather takes place. Here in the desert (hellhole), where rain is limited to a few days a year outside of the July-September zone, when it might rain as many as a dozen times, running near-bald tires isn't that big a deal, especially if all you do is drive back and forth to work.

Where it actually rains regularly and (OMG) snows from time to time, my point of view is different. The car I drive up into the snow country every winter has very good tires. The other one, not so much.

corvette

That's one of the cool things Discount Tire does every time you bring your car in (for a rotation, repair, whatever)--they measure the tread depth and have a big chart with samples of tire tread on it, and show you where yours falls on the chart, along with the approximate wet stopping distance for a tire with that tread depth. Also their shop, waiting area, and bathrooms are very clean.

Mr_Shiftright

stever said:

Got rid of some wheels out of the garage thanks to craigslist this morning. Well, technically "wheel". Sold the unicycle.

Oh your trained bear is going to be angry about this!

Michaell

stever said:

Got rid of some wheels out of the garage thanks to craigslist this morning.

Well, technically "wheel". Sold the unicycle.

Well, I guess I won't get to show you my mad uni skills if I ever got down there.

When, oh when, are you going to pull the trigger on a new car? We need the punches for 2016, now that it looks like @breld may be put on the sidelines with the possible house purchase.

Would buying out my lease count as a punch?

Mr_Shiftright

I vote "no"--that's double dipping

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

I vote "no"--that's double dipping

That was my thought, too, but wanted to defer to an independent panel of judges.

carnaught

"Would buying out my lease count as a punch?"

I vote, noop.

stickguy

I vote yes. Only, of course, because I guessed too high.

You can make a case. at the end of the lease, it isn't your car. so no different than taking it back and swapping for another at the dealer.

Hey, you need to register it, get new plates, and pay tax, you bought it!

Michaell

stickguy said:

I vote yes. Only, of course, because I guessed too high.

You can make a case. at the end of the lease, it isn't your car. so no different than taking it back and swapping for another at the dealer.

Hey, you need to register it, get new plates, and pay tax, you bought it!

Two out of three ... I can keep the plates.

stickguy

In Jersey, the lease is registered to the company. so if you buy it out, everything is new to you, including plates.

Michaell

stickguy said:

In Jersey, the lease is registered to the company. so if you buy it out, everything is new to you, including plates.

The same is true in Colorado, but when we bought our New Beetle at the end of the lease, we kept the plates.

berri

I've had the prior gen Goodyear Comfort Assurance tires on two vehicles. They are nice riding with good traction. The only flaw I found was that if they sat for a week or longer, sometimes they'd have flat spots. Made some noise in those situations, but smoothed out pretty quickly. Personally though, I tend to buy Michelin unless it's one heck of a deal.

kyfdx

Lease is up? Any car you purchase counts, even if it's the same one.

Lease extensions do not count. (All of these rules are codified an recorded. For a copy, send $29.95 to ...)

corvette

Yeah, buying out your car at the end of the lease should count the same as going to the Hyundai dealer and buying someone else's identical off-lease Elantra.

nyccarguy

I think @breld did this with his Passat a few years back.  He leased it, then got credit for the punch.  He bought the lease out a few months later.  Did we credit him for the 2nd punch back then?

andres3

In case you don't check the other popular cars and conversations forum; here it is, the new 2016 Audi TTS in Daytona Gray Pearl and Express Red Leather Interior.

I wish I could post a little video (.mov) file the salesman texted me to make sure I'd counter-offer him on the last day of the month.

And lastly, I'm not the one that parked it there, so don't send it to the San Diego Police.

stickguy

I see they already have the front plate bracket on for you too.

andres3

cdnpinhead said:

Tire wear is a much bigger deal in areas where actual weather takes place. Here in the desert (hellhole), where rain is limited to a few days a year outside of the July-September zone, when it might rain as many as a dozen times, running near-bald tires isn't that big a deal, especially if all you do is drive back and forth to work.

Where it actually rains regularly and (OMG) snows from time to time, my point of view is different. The car I drive up into the snow country every winter has very good tires. The other one, not so much.

Another key to driving on low tread tires in the rain safely is to be aware of the low tread depth, and drive accordingly.