Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

mjfloyd1

nyccarguy said:

This Black/Red ///M235i X Drive is nice: http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/2015-BMW-m235i-xdrive-WBA1J9C56FVX99241?zip=06902 This Sapphire Black/Brown RWD ///M235i has a decent amount of miles and is priced nicely: http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/2015-BMW-m235i-WBA1J7C59FV253943?zip=06902 Then we have this 10K mile drop top listed for under $32K: http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/2015-BMW-m235i-WBA1J7C59FV253943?zip=06902

Looks like the link for the third car is the same as the second car??

breld

So to give credit where it’s due, @nyccarguy said this in March:

I know @breld is contemplating buying a Q7 at some point. If he goes for the Volvo now, he'll have the Q7 by Labor Day. 

Of course I went with the Land Rover instead of the Volvo, but his words will likely ring true.

I had another poor and frustrating interaction with my service advisor this evening while simply trying to schedule my first routine service (which, funny enough is far from my first visit to the service department  ).  I won’t bore you with the details of the conversation/argument, but it ended with me asking if there was a different advisor I could work with and his response was, “I think that’s a good idea.  I’ll have someone call you.”  And then he hung up.

This may all sound relatively mild and not reason enough to make a switch, but our overall ownership experience has been so bad that I have nothing but ill feelings toward the brand and dealership.  And there’s just not another feasible option as far as another dealership.

Boy, I miss my Durango and Type R.  Those were the good ol’ days.    

Michaell

breld said:

So to give credit where it’s due, @nyccarguy said this in March:

I know @breld is contemplating buying a Q7 at some point. If he goes for the Volvo now, he'll have the Q7 by Labor Day. 

Of course I went with the Land Rover instead of the Volvo, but his words will likely ring true.

I had another poor and frustrating interaction with my service advisor this evening while simply trying to schedule my first routine service (which, funny enough is far from my first visit to the service department  ).  I won’t bore you with the details of the conversation/argument, but it ended with me asking if there was a different advisor I could work with and his response was, “I think that’s a good idea.  I’ll have someone call you.”  And then he hung up.

This may all sound relatively mild and not reason enough to make a switch, but our overall ownership experience has been so bad that I have nothing but ill feelings toward the brand and dealership.  And there’s just not another feasible option as far as another dealership.

Boy, I miss my Durango and Type R.  Those were the good ol’ days.    

Sounds like it's time to rope the GSM (or higher) into the conversation. This is ridiculous for a luxury brand.

breld

So the GSM I spoke with a couple months back, who was very professional and compassionate, and who was basically responsible for making sure the bumper repair was done properly...he's no longer with Land Rover Denver.

28firefighter

Oh, @breld.  I would be raising one heck of a stink with corporate and the GM of the dealer. 

I give this truck til Friday. 

EDIT: Just saw your most recent comment. Who owns the dealer?

henryn

breld said:

I won’t bore you with the details of the conversation/argument, but it ended with me asking if there was a different advisor I could work with and his response was, “I think that’s a good idea.  I’ll have someone call you.”  And then he hung up.

This may all sound relatively mild and not reason enough to make a switch, but our overall ownership experience has been so bad that I have nothing but ill feelings toward the brand and dealership.  And there’s just not another feasible option as far as another dealership.

Boy, I miss my Durango and Type R.  Those were the good ol’ days.    

Back in 1990, I had a round with a service manager at a Ford dealership. I had an 11.5 month old Ford F150, which suffered rather bad hail damage. Before it went into the body shop to fix the hail damage, I wanted the A/C checked out, as it appeared to have a leak. As I was fast approaching the 12 month deadline, I wanted the service department to fix the A/C leak and then take the car down the street to the body shop. The Ford dealer’s body shop had already seen the truck, and talked with the insurance company, that part was arranged. I dropped the truck off at the service department, picked up a rental car (paid for by my insurance based on hail damage).

The dealer’s body shop had told me +/- one week, the service department said 1 day to fix the A/C. So, 8 days later I call the body shop and ask how the repairs are going. Short answer, they’re not going, they have not seen my truck. I call the service department, they have no idea what I am talking about. I blow my cool, start yelling, they put on the service manager. He promises to call me back.

An hour later, the service manager calls me back. They have found my truck, it is sitting on the back lot. It has been there for a week. I tell the service manager I am headed his way, and when I get there someone is going to be sorry they were born. The service manager says he will be happy to “kick my [non-permissible content removed]” (his words).

I arrive 45 minutes later, the service manager has left for the day. This is about 2:30 p.m. I ask for the general manager. He has left for the day. I wind up with the assistant manager. He asks what he can do to make things right. I say, “You pay for the rental car. However long it takes, you pay for it. You don’t bill my insurance company. And I want an upgrade, get me out of this crummy econobox, get me a luxury car.”

He doesn’t like it, but he takes it. I get a really nice rental car upgrade. And it took 3 tries, and 2 weeks before I was happy with the repairs of the hail damage. When I finally turned in the rental car, the clerk asks me, “are you sure we can’t bill your insurance company? It’s not a problem, they expect to be billed.” I told him, “You do, and I will come back and make you pay!” I never did meet that service manager who was so brave on the phone, and so cowardly in person.

breld

28firefighter said:

Oh, @breld.  I would be raising one heck of a stink with corporate and the GM of the dealer. 

I give this truck til Friday. 

EDIT: Just saw your most recent comment. Who owns the dealer?

Well, with the help of my wife, who has a gift for the sharply written word, I have drafted a letter for the current GM.  But there’s really nothing in return I want, short of them making a generous offer to buy the Discovery back (which I wouldn’t expect).  The intent of the letter is honest feedback regarding a very poor dealership experience that has soured us on the brand.

Clearly most owners would adjust, whether that means going to a different dealership for service (which would be a nuisance, but not impossible for me), or at least making do with a new service advisor.  Because that’s much better than going through the pain of purchasing a new car....again, for most owners.  But for me, it’s far from painful to make a new purchase and put it behind me.  

Financially, there’s no way around taking a hit for buying such a car new, but I can mitigate that greatly by buying used this time around.  

99% it’ll be the Audi, but with all these Acura purchases, the MDX is a dark horse (Sport Hybrid).  

breld

@henryn - thanks for sharing your experience. It’s comforting to hear.

nyccarguy

@breld - that REALLY stinks!  It’s tough when you have high expectations of a luxury car dealer (or any dealer) and they are just a nightmare to deal with.

pensfan83

What a shame to be treated like that for even the simplest of requests....I mean how can someone bungle scheduling a service appointment? It sounds like you've resigned yourself to unloading the LR through so we'll all do our part to help you decide on the replacement

corvette

That sucks, breld. I hope someone has the proverbial fire lit underneath them after reading your nastygram. 

breld

Thanks guys, sincerely, for the kind words of support. Given the level of foolishness I feel (and that’s saying a lot for me given my track record and habits! ), I appreciate it.

tbirdmarco

 Sorry to hear about your horrible killer experience they can really sour someone’s perception on a brand that’s the biggest part the dealer experience more than things going wrong once in a while good luck man time to flip it go to another brand sheen it’s in the dealer around keep us updated if things to others with your dear horrible dealer experiences in here to give never had it that bad thank God yet ha ha Ha 

qbrozen

@breld why no mention of the xc90?

nyccarguy

breld said:

Thanks guys, sincerely, for the kind words of support. Given the level of foolishness I feel (and that’s saying a lot for me given my track record and habits! ), I appreciate it.

No need to feel foolish, especially with this crowd. There have been a few times over the years when you can tell that one of us is really enamored with a car and that person isn't going to nearly as happy with what they've replaced it with. I know you REALLY liked that HEMI Powered Durango. Another time was when @qbrozen traded in his CTS V-SPort.

kyfdx

breld said:

28firefighter said:

Oh, @breld.  I would be raising one heck of a stink with corporate and the GM of the dealer. 

I give this truck til Friday. 

EDIT: Just saw your most recent comment. Who owns the dealer?

Well, with the help of my wife, who has a gift for the sharply written word, I have drafted a letter for the current GM.  But there’s really nothing in return I want, short of them making a generous offer to buy the Discovery back (which I wouldn’t expect).  The intent of the letter is honest feedback regarding a very poor dealership experience that has soured us on the brand.

Clearly most owners would adjust, whether that means going to a different dealership for service (which would be a nuisance, but not impossible for me), or at least making do with a new service advisor.  Because that’s much better than going through the pain of purchasing a new car....again, for most owners.  But for me, it’s far from painful to make a new purchase and put it behind me.  

Financially, there’s no way around taking a hit for buying such a car new, but I can mitigate that greatly by buying used this time around.  

99% it’ll be the Audi, but with all these Acura purchases, the MDX is a dark horse (Sport Hybrid).  

I'll just mention this..

The Land Rover dealer personnel have to deal with this, constantly. They are low volume, and in high demand. Don't expect much in the way of help. If Land Rover had to buy back every vehicle with many problems, they would be out of business.

au1994

@breld...I guess you could try another dealer if available and not owned by the same group. Otherwise, happy shopping! I know I’ve pulled the trigger too soon on a vehicle without fully thinking it through either from the dealer experience, fit of the vehicle etc.

Lots of good choices in the ‘premium’ SUV category. MDX, XC90, Q7, X5, X6, big Infiniti QX80??,

corvette

I recommend the Yukon Denali or the Tahoe RST. 

tbirdmarco

 Anytime man you are welcome no need to feel foolish it happens that’s life good excuse to get rid of it and buy something else if no other dealers around 

graphicguy

@breld ....nothing like dealership or manufacturer indifference to problems that turn customers into people who say “I’ll never buy that again”.

Seperate note, I was on my way to my favorite grocery store last night (junglejims.com), which is also less than a football field from my local Acura dealer.

Decided to kill some time to see my Acura friends. Got to test drive the new RDX with Tech package. What a nice vehicle....I mean....very nice. It’s torquey....quick. Moves well. Handles well. Rides well. Is finished very nicely with great materials. The seats were taken out of the TLX, which are great. The ELS stereo, as always, is one of the best factory units on the market.

Lots and lots to like for around $45K. The one I drove was red metallic (not as bright as the red on my TLX) with tan leather interior. Beautiful.

Not sure what the competition is....Probably the Audi Q4, Mercedes GLC, BMW X3, etc. They have their work cut out for them. The RDX is a very, very nice piece.

mjfloyd1

breld said:

28firefighter said:

Oh, @breld.  I would be raising one heck of a stink with corporate and the GM of the dealer. 

I give this truck til Friday. 

EDIT: Just saw your most recent comment. Who owns the dealer?

Well, with the help of my wife, who has a gift for the sharply written word, I have drafted a letter for the current GM.  But there’s really nothing in return I want, short of them making a generous offer to buy the Discovery back (which I wouldn’t expect).  The intent of the letter is honest feedback regarding a very poor dealership experience that has soured us on the brand.

Clearly most owners would adjust, whether that means going to a different dealership for service (which would be a nuisance, but not impossible for me), or at least making do with a new service advisor.  Because that’s much better than going through the pain of purchasing a new car....again, for most owners.  But for me, it’s far from painful to make a new purchase and put it behind me.  

Financially, there’s no way around taking a hit for buying such a car new, but I can mitigate that greatly by buying used this time around.  

99% it’ll be the Audi, but with all these Acura purchases, the MDX is a dark horse (Sport Hybrid).  

Did you counter on the CPO Q7 swap or was $7 k their best difference?  7k doesn’t seem too bad when you consider it is $2k to CPO - although probably less on a low mileage 2018 since it won’t need tires or brakes.

I wonder if they will sell the Q7 without the CPO since there is no way you would keep it that long?

roadburner

breld said:

This may all sound relatively mild and not reason enough to make a switch, but our overall ownership experience has been so bad that I have nothing but ill feelings toward the brand and dealership.  And there’s just not another feasible option as far as another dealership.

Boy, I miss my Durango and Type R.  Those were the good ol’ days.    

If that dealer was the only game in town I'd change vehicles as well; and I'd definitely write a letter to Land Rover USA detailing the poor treatment you received from this dealer- and how as a result you are leaving the brand. I'd also mention that you have more than a few friends who are enthusiasts and that you have made them well aware of this fiasco.

roadburner

I don't know what I'll do if the current management at my BMW dealer screws up service as bad as they have sales. The Ford and VW dealers won't hire techs with opposable thumbs, so a Mustamg GT or GTI/Golf R would definitely be a gamble.

corvette

roadburner said:

I don't know what I'll do if the current management at my BMW dealer screws up service as bad as they have sales. The Ford and VW dealers won't hire techs with opposable thumbs, so a Mustamg GT or GTI/Golf R would definitely be a gamble.

I have had good luck at Byerly Ford / Nissan. I’ve had bad experiences at all three of the local VW shops. 

ab348

I think a few of us expected an "I-told-you-so" moment when @breld got the Land Rover but not necessarily for the reason he has had to endure. I've had bad dealer service experiences in the past but nothing like that. Astounding for a premium brand like LR.

I know with GM they have a corporate escalation route you can take when things go bad with a dealer service department. I had to use it a couple of times 6-8 years ago and both times it helped. Not sure if LR has anything similar.

breld

Again, many thanks to all of you. I mean, it's not like issues of any kind should come as a surprise with Land Rover, but I took the plunge in spite of all that.

@qbrozen - hard to say why the XC90 isn't in strong contention. I think it's almost like a bracket competition - between the Volvo and the Audi, I'll pick the Audi. But the Acura has climbed its way back in the competition from the loser's bracket.

@mjfloyd1 - on the Q7 Prestige deal, after they came to the $7k difference, I stood strong at my $5k. The manager did ask if I could give anything, and I replied that I was standing by my $5k - and they quickly let me walk out (and haven't counted with anything since my visit). So...there could be something in between the $5k and $7k. And you're right, it's probably a pretty fair deal - the way I look at it, their car is worth at least $2k more than mine from a retail perspective, due to the trim level and additional equipment (like the adaptive chassis package!), so I was willing to pay a $3k "penalty" so to speak, and they want $5k. Not bad. And to be totally fair, my Discovery is due for service and has 3-4 minor hail dings that I just haven't bothered to deal with yet. Hmmm...as I write this, maybe I should go for that Q7 Prestige!

breld

The Acura appeals to me partially from a nostalgic and intangibles perspective, since I do have very positive experiences with the brand. And while I do believe it trails the Q7 in overall feel and driving dynamics, that's also reflected in the lower cost. As an accountant, I naturally always have some sense of cost/benefit, and diminishing returns. So the contentment I gain from the lower price point may outweigh the gains in dynamics of the Audi. Maybe.

My wife and I also discussed the idea that as long as I'm set on a larger SUV, which suits our family needs at this time for sure, perhaps "chasing" the sporty enthusiast aspects in the class is too challenging, as good as the Q7 is. The Q7 does a great impersonation of, let's say, an A6, which is a huge compliment. But it doesn't necessarily replicate the experience of my old S4, or the Polestar wagon.

And that Sport Hybrid system in the MDX, cribbed somewhat from the NSX, is pretty darn cool.

stickguy

GG, nice report on the RDX. Coming from a TLX owner, definitely relevant. I enjoyed my brief test drive.

Conveniently, got an email from my local dealer. They are having an “event” Saturday. Breakfast, dogs and burgers for lunch, music, and door prizes. So will load up the family, and drop in to drive one.

If they have a color she likes, pretty sure she will be hooked. Giving me something to plan around! Meaning a plan of selling RDX, paying off Hyundai, then getting an RDX new. Still one payment. Though likely I would flip that too for something cheap since the RDX would become the every day car.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

@breld ....nothing like dealership or manufacturer indifference to problems that turn customers into people who say “I’ll never buy that again”.



Not sure what the competition is....Probably the Audi Q4, Mercedes GLC, BMW X3, etc. They have their work cut out for them. The RDX is a very, very nice piece.

Volvo XC40?

stickguy

RDX is X3, q5, GLC size. Competes in that class. So XC60 Volvo.

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

graphicguy said:

@breld ....nothing like dealership or manufacturer indifference to problems that turn customers into people who say “I’ll never buy that again”.



Not sure what the competition is....Probably the Audi Q4, Mercedes GLC, BMW X3, etc. They have their work cut out for them. The RDX is a very, very nice piece.

Volvo XC40?

I think the XC40 is a bit small. Just saw the Motor Week review of it. At least on TV, it looks tiny. Kind of funky looking.

None of that makes it bad. Just different. I agree with SG...probably XC60 would be more like it as a competitor.

These so called crossovers are really the modern day station wagons of yesteryear.

nyccarguy

breld said:

The Acura appeals to me partially from a nostalgic and intangibles perspective, since I do have very positive experiences with the brand. And while I do believe it trails the Q7 in overall feel and driving dynamics, that's also reflected in the lower cost. As an accountant, I naturally always have some sense of cost/benefit, and diminishing returns. So the contentment I gain from the lower price point may outweigh the gains in dynamics of the Audi. Maybe. My wife and I also discussed the idea that as long as I'm set on a larger SUV, which suits our family needs at this time for sure, perhaps "chasing" the sporty enthusiast aspects in the class is too challenging, as good as the Q7 is. The Q7 does a great impersonation of, let's say, an A6, which is a huge compliment. But it doesn't necessarily replicate the experience of my old S4, or the Polestar wagon. And that Sport Hybrid system in the MDX, cribbed somewhat from the NSX, is pretty darn cool.

There is a definite difference between a “Sporty SUV” and it’s Sport Sedan counterpart.  No matter how well the SUV performs, it is just so much bigger, heavier, & higher off the ground that it will never perform as good as a “ comparable” Sport Sedan.

The MDX is definitely a good choice.  As @corvette mentioned, The Yukon Denali & Tahoe RST will certainly fit the bill as well.  A quick search of my local dealer’s inventory shows 2015 & 2016 Yukon Denalis with between 25K & 32K Miles have asking prices around the $50K range.  This sounds expensive, but 2-3 years ago these were $75K SUVs.  I’d stick with the 2016+ as that’s the second year of the current generation.

stickguy

Yeah, the 40 is more a Q3 or x1 class competitor.

nyccarguy

breld said:

So to give credit where it’s due, @nyccarguy said this in March:

I know @breld is contemplating buying a Q7 at some point. If he goes for the Volvo now, he'll have the Q7 by Labor Day. 

Of course I went with the Land Rover instead of the Volvo, but his words will likely ring true.

I had another poor and frustrating interaction with my service advisor this evening while simply trying to schedule my first routine service (which, funny enough is far from my first visit to the service department  ).  I won’t bore you with the details of the conversation/argument, but it ended with me asking if there was a different advisor I could work with and his response was, “I think that’s a good idea.  I’ll have someone call you.”  And then he hung up.

This may all sound relatively mild and not reason enough to make a switch, but our overall ownership experience has been so bad that I have nothing but ill feelings toward the brand and dealership.  And there’s just not another feasible option as far as another dealership.

Boy, I miss my Durango and Type R.  Those were the good ol’ days.    

I'm excited that someone actually listens and pays attention to what I say:)

28firefighter

I actually think the XC40 is closer to the X2 , GLA, Q3 in terms of size and cargo space. The X1 is a bit of a weird anomaly because it has so much more cargo space than others in that class by an order of magnitude.

qbrozen

Just perusing and see Princeton Volvo has new 2016s still on the lot, one of which is an XC90. Wonder what kind of deal they'd make. 

They also have a v60 and an s60 drive-e. 

roadburner

corvette said:

roadburner said:

I don't know what I'll do if the current management at my BMW dealer screws up service as bad as they have sales. The Ford and VW dealers won't hire techs with opposable thumbs, so a Mustamg GT or GTI/Golf R would definitely be a gamble.

I have had good luck at Byerly Ford / Nissan. I’ve had bad experiences at all three of the local VW shops. 

Byerly is one I haven't tried; I know Town and Country, Bill Collins, and Oxmoor don't have stellar reputations, I know from personal experience that the parts department at Town and Country and Bill Collins are beyond pathetic. And the VW dealers? Useless.

henryn

@breld, there is usually some way to escalate when you have problems with a service department. In 2013 I purchased a new F150, took it home on a Saturday evening. This is the truck that had the really, really bad stereo system (the original Sync, written by Microsoft, based on WinCE (the worst operating system ever known) ). I was back at the dealer when they opened Monday morning, with a long written list of complaints about that stereo system.

The service writer I talked to was not unfriendly, but he was unhelpful. If you had a problem with the Sync system in your new Ford, you had to bring in the vehicle on Wednesday morning, between 10 and 12. That was the only time someone was available to look at or help you with Sync issues. WTH??

I went back in the new car showroom, found the salesman who sold me the truck, and told him my problems. He took me in to see the general manager, who gave me a loaner and kept my new truck until it could be looked at.

It turns out they were completely unable to help me with the Sync problems. And the reason for Wednesday morning, 10 to 12, is that they had someone from the Geek Squad (yes, you read that right) come in during those hours to help customers with Sync problems.

Basically, the original Sync system was flat out terrible. Most times, if you changed the flash drive you were using to play music, you had to either pull a fuse or remove the battery cable to do a “reset” of the lousy WinCE operating system. There were other problems that would crop up, requiring a hard reset.

But the point I want to make is not about Sync, but about trying to escalate. There should be someone somewhere in that dealership who will give a d___ that you were treated badly by the service writer. Try starting with the salesman you dealt with. And if all else fails, start giving them bad reviews. Anywhere, everywhere, Yelp, here on Edmunds, anyplace you can find. It may not do any good, but it will help you feel better.

corvette

I’d give Byerly a shot, their service (Ford and Nissan) and parts (Ford) departments have been good to me. I’ve not bought a car from them, but the sales experience when I test drove the F-150 was good. No pressure. 

carnaught

I was contemplating a Breld-like move from my ‘18 GLC to a ‘19 RDX. The latter is certainly nice looking, and I’d would easily love all the toys in it’s Advance/Tech. trim.

What’s given me pause is that many owners of the new RDX are reporting dismal gas mileage. We’re talking sub-20 mpg city mileage, low 20’s on the highway. That is what I’ve been reading from posts by owners, and confirmed by some colleagues who own them. Of course, if I can afford the car, I can afford the gas for it. It’s just the principle of it, considering it’s 4-cylinder turbo. That is one of the “problems” we had with the Lincoln MKC, but at least it used RUG. It doesn’t help that Mrs. Carnaught’s Prius is getting high 50’s/low 60’s mpg with the ac running in well over 100 degree temps. Yes, they are quite different vehicles.

My GLC has had no issues, is satisfying, tight as a drum, and gets 24 city mpg and close to 30 in combined city/highway mpg. It’s Burmeister audio system is quite good, but probably falls short of the Acura’s ELS system, plus all those nice intuitive electronics on the new RDS. No punches right now for me.

stickguy

You know that many people that already have Them? Didn’t think they sold that many since only out for a few weeks (maybe a month now?)

nyccarguy

carnaught said:

I was contemplating a Breld-like move from my ‘18 GLC to a ‘19 RDX. The latter is certainly nice looking, and I’d would easily love all the toys in it’s Advance/Tech. trim.

What’s given me pause is that many owners of the new RDX are reporting dismal gas mileage. We’re talking sub-20 mpg city mileage, low 20’s on the highway. That is what I’ve been reading from posts by owners, and confirmed by some colleagues who own them. Of course, if I can afford the car, I can afford the gas for it. It’s just the principle of it, considering it’s 4-cylinder turbo. That is one of the “problems” we had with the Lincoln MKC, but at least it used RUG. It doesn’t help that Mrs. Carnaught’s Prius is getting high 50’s/low 60’s mpg with the ac running in well over 100 degree temps. Yes, they are quite different vehicles.

My GLC has had no issues, is satisfying, tight as a drum, and gets 24 city mpg and close to 30 in combined city/highway mpg. It’s Burmeister audio system is quite good, but probably falls short of the Acura’s ELS system, plus all those nice intuitive electronics on the new RDS. No punches right now for me.

I ALMOST hit 21 mpg last week. I calculated 20.9.

4cyl Turbos don't get stellar in town gas mileage. On a straight highway run when you aren't "on the boost," then you'll see some significant mpg gains. Enjoy the Prius & the GLC for what they each bring to the table.

28firefighter

Seconded about in-town mileage on the 4-cylinder turbos. Man, you should have seen how horrible the mileage was on my GTI driving around Seattle - we're talking 15-18 mpg.

stickguy

My Elantra does great around town too. I’m surprised actually how good in local driving.

pensfan83

My in town mileage was always in the low 20's with the Audi, lower still depending how heavy my foot was and it also drank premium. On the highway though, at a steady 75-80, I regularly had around 30 MPG, maybe a mile or 2 over depending on highway terrain.

stickguy

Hard day today. Garage is empty. I am stranded at home car less.

Princess started her new job today, so took the Elantra. Wife went into the office so has the RDX. I guess I could use my bike. Or just not go anywhere. Though I am working, and need to mow lawn this afternoon.

But won’t take long until not having wheels always on hand will become A Drag!

roadburner

My Mazdaspeed 3 seldom saw congested urban traffic, but even in suburban driving it rarely returned less than 22-24 mpg.

Michaell

I've been driving the Jetta in "Sport" mode. I'm still not convinced of the benefits, but I do notice that it holds revs better between gears, keeping the engine in the 'sweet spot' more.

And, I must be losing the lead in my right foot, because after almost two years, I'm averaging about 29.5 MPG with about 70% city driving. I just had a tank that averaged over 36 MPG - a lot of back and forth to Colorado Springs on that tank, as I worked the US Senior Open golf tournament.

The more I think about the TLX, the more I like it. Right size, good feature set - though I need to find out if the 2016's have CarPlay. And, lots of inventory to choose from. I've been putting in various zip codes and looking at inventory. I did Philadelphia last night - seems the prices there are a bit lower than I've seen for either Denver or LA.

au1994

stickguy said:

Hard day today. Garage is empty. I am stranded at home car less.

Princess started her new job today, so took the Elantra. Wife went into the office so has the RDX. I guess I could use my bike. Or just not go anywhere. Though I am working, and need to mow lawn this afternoon.

But won’t take long until not having wheels always on hand will become A Drag!

That’s a strange feeling isn’t it? There have been a few occasions over the years where one car has been in the shop and the other was in use and I’ve been home or even at work without a car. Had nowhere to be other than where I was but mentally it was hard to know I couldn’t just hop in the car and go.

This was mostly years ago when I didn’t have a brand that offered loaners. At least locally, service loaners are common on most makes, not just the ‘premium’ makes. Years ago that wasn’t the case, ie had a 99 Explorer that went in for warranty work and I was bumming rides for a couple of days.

graphicguy

@carnaught ...not sure if the same is true for the 2.0T in the RDX, but the V6s I've owned from Acura (3.5 and 3.7) all started out pretty disappointing MPG-wise. As they break-in, the MPG gets markedly better.

My current TLX with the 3.5 started out getting 18-19 MPG city. It's improved to 21-22 MPG all city. I'm getting 23 MPG in mixed driving (which is exactly what the sticker said. I'm doing better than what was advertised for all highway...getting 31-32 MPG. It's still getting. better as I'm now past 10K miles.

It really started to improve after 5K miles, though.