Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

explorerx4

No spare due to battery for hybrid system?
I watched a review of the Touring model and it has a spare tire.

ronsteve

stickguy said:

yes it is. I was just talking about in the premium segment. Though the CRV does have one fatal flaw. they did away with the spare tire and went with a can of fix a flat and a cheapo compressor instead.

I hate not having a spare.

The lack of a spare gave me real reservations about the Volvo I shopped in '18. And it was not lost on me that Acura did away with the spare in the FWD models when they refreshed the RDX in '16.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Does anybody know who runs the Audi direct mail marketing program?

My daughter had mail addressed to her from them yesterday.

To put things in context, she's 31, the MINI is paid for, and her only income is a small stipend she gets from the studio.

Audi saw fit to mail her an envelope touting the new A8, which stickers at c. $85k.

Not sure where they think that was a good use of money.

Don’t they mail those things out to anybody with a good credit score? I used to get stuff like that when I didn’t have a dime to my name.

tjc78

stickguy said:

was out with the ladies shopping (well, they shop, I drive) and the shopping center is across the street from the MB dealer so we drove in. surprising how many people were there, when they are closed, out in the parking lot!

had a nice denim blue over tan right out front. convenient. Pretty well loaded, including the pointless 3rd row ($850), but everything I require. MSRP was $45,800 I think. Pricey. Way more than I would go on something like this. now, if it was a slightly used loaner for $10K less, maybe. Wife thought it looked nice enough to go back and try one out. Not on the short list, but if we are in the neighborhood some day, just might take a drive.

Ugh... that madhouse on a Sunday? Good man, you are.

fintail

IIRC I have seen South Africa built C-class and 3ers with "W" VINs too.

ronsteve said:

ab348 said:

That sticker says final assembly was in Mexico.

That's super sneaky! I'm surprised they were able to put a "Germany" VIN on it. VW has had "3" VINs on just about everything (except Atlas and Passat) for years!

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

No spare due to battery for hybrid system?
I watched a review of the Touring model and it has a spare tire.

the gas only has a spare. I believe the batteries took away the space for it. so normal tires and no spare on the hybrid.

benjaminh

Edmunds compares the RAV4, CR-V, and CX-5. The cargo comparison at 24 minutes in vividly shows that the CR-V has the most cargo space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYeq5tk08tk

stickguy

that is definitely one of the best features of the CRV. The room inside.

corvette

pensfan83 said:

@corvette truck looks great. I think the Sport package really improves the look of the Tundra.

Thanks! They had a few "base" SR5 models with the upgrade packages I wanted, which, in theory, checked all of my boxes, but they had steel wheels. The TRD Offroad and the TRD Sport packages both have nice looking alloys.

corvette

I was a bit concerned that the TRD Sports on the lot came with Bridgestone tires, versus the very highly acclaimed Michelins which seemed to be on the TRD Offroad package trucks. As it turns out, the Bridgestones on mine are Dueler H/L Alenzas, which is also a really highly rated truck tire.

benjaminh

Somehow I missed that the KIA Telluride won the 2020 Motor Trend car of the year. The price and quality of this vehicle is almost hard to believe. It holds 8 passengers, and yet starts at c. $33k....

https://www.motortrend.com/news/kia-telluride-2020-suv-of-the-year/

"....Manufactured in West Point, Georgia, the Telluride is a Kia built in America for Americans: a comfortable and roomy three-row SUV that's perfectly pitched at the heart of a highly competitive segment that includes products from Chevy, Dodge, and Ford, as well as Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, and Volkswagen.

As expected of a Kia, the Telluride is a terrific value, offering lavish levels of standard equipment even in the $32,785 base model. And when you load it up to its as-tested $46,910 price, it absolutely deflates its mass-market competition. But value is only one element of what makes the Telluride our 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. Our exhaustive judging process, in which each contender is evaluated in the context of our six key criteria, means the winning vehicle must be a well-rounded product, regardless of its functional focus....

"Pleasing overall design, with nicely executed linework and surfacing," guest judge and former Chrysler design chief Tom Gale said during his design walkaround. "One of the very few three-row crossovers that I actually like driving," features editor Christian Seabaugh said after he pushed the Telluride around our SUVOTY proving ground's challenging winding road.

....the fully loaded Telluride is still quicker to 60 mph and over the quarter mile than an entry-level Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 4Matic, which costs $10,000 more without options. What's more, the Telluride also comfortably punches above its price point in terms of ride, refinement, and low noise levels.

And while most behemoth SUVs must sacrifice steering and handling for comfort, "It drives so much smaller than it is," Seabaugh said. "It feels like a good two-row crossover, with crisp turn-in and feel for the segment, excellent ride quality, and great body control."

....The base Telluride LX has an MSRP of $32,785. For that you get 18-inch alloy wheels and a ton of equipment—ranging from niceties like air conditioning and a leather-bound steering wheel to Kia's 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android-compatible UVO infotainment system interface and five USB charge ports. And, as mentioned, the price includes a full suite of active safety technologies and driver assistance aids. Plus, there's room aboard for six sprawling passengers (it'll fit eight, in a pinch), with a 60/40 split-folding second row and a reclining third row that provides ample room for three preteen children....Again, even the base LX trim's interior looks well equipped and well finished.

As for the range-topping SX: "I keep looking around the cabin and reminding myself this SUV costs only 47 grand," executive editor Mark Rechtin said after he climbed into our tester's Dune Brown Nappa leather-trimmed interior. "It feels like a rustic-modernist house of a millionaire rancher."....Or, as Loh put it: "A handsome SUV, loaded with the goodies families want (and want to show off), for a WTF price."

benjaminh

Kelly Blue Book also really likes the Telluride....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzQjYADLaiM

carnaught

@corvette, congrats on the Tundra - nice looking truck!

pensfan83

corvette said:

I was a bit concerned that the TRD Sports on the lot came with Bridgestone tires, versus the very highly acclaimed Michelins which seemed to be on the TRD Offroad package trucks. As it turns out, the Bridgestones on mine are Dueler H/L Alenzas, which is also a really highly rated truck tire.

The Tacoma Off Roads have Kevlar reinforced Goodyears. They seem to be well regarded from a quick glance.

benjaminh

And not surprisingly the lease deals are good too....

https://www.kia.com/us/en/shop-made-easy

$309/month 39 Months $3,499 Due at Signing for Qualified Lessees
Closed-end lease based on new 2020 Telluride (Model #J4222) subject to credit approval, dealer participation, and vehicle availability. Offer shown based on $3,499 due at lease signing including $309 first monthly payment, $2,540 capitalized cost reduction, $650 acquisition fee, plus tax, title, license and registration fees, dealer conveyance fee, processing fee or optional service fee and any emission testing charge. No security deposit required. Offer shown total lease payments are $15,241. Actual payments may vary. Purchase option at lease-end for offer shown of residual value of $20,326.70.

Michaell

benjaminh said:

And not surprisingly the lease deals are good too....

https://www.kia.com/us/en/shop-made-easy

$309/month 39 Months $3,499 Due at Signing for Qualified Lessees
Closed-end lease based on new 2020 Telluride (Model #J4222) subject to credit approval, dealer participation, and vehicle availability. Offer shown based on $3,499 due at lease signing including $309 first monthly payment, $2,540 capitalized cost reduction, $650 acquisition fee, plus tax, title, license and registration fees, dealer conveyance fee, processing fee or optional service fee and any emission testing charge. No security deposit required. Offer shown total lease payments are $15,241. Actual payments may vary. Purchase option at lease-end for offer shown of residual value of $20,326.70.

I don't know what trim that quote is for but the lease deals on the Telluride and Palisade are quite poor. Dealers are charging over sticker on the higher trim levels and the payments rival those you would see on a Lexus or BMW.

qbrozen

$515 with $3k DAS is the best my friend could find in all of NJ and NYC for a Telluride EX.

He brought it over today. Seems like a really nice vehicle.

breld

My neighbor just bought a Palisade. He replaced his leased E class with it, if that says anything.

He had a heckuva time getting one - dealers had few if any available and weren’t dealing much on them at all.

Good for Hyundai and Kia, I say.

stickguy

now this is a really nice color combo. Stands out in the usual sea of white, silver and black with black interiors.

https://www.bmwofmtlaurel.com/wholesale-used/BMW/2020-BMW-X3-Mount-Laurel-5a4d56cb0a0d0c143f7ec3c51563e701.htm

28firefighter

stickguy said:

now this is a really nice color combo. Stands out in the usual sea of white, silver and black with black interiors.

https://www.bmwofmtlaurel.com/wholesale-used/BMW/2020-BMW-X3-Mount-Laurel-5a4d56cb0a0d0c143f7ec3c51563e701.htm

That is gorgeous. Not dissimilar color combo from my ZHP which looks even better in person.

benjaminh

This guy Hoovie is a chronic buyer of old cars. Here he buys a 15 year old BMW Alpina B7 with 200k miles that's been neglected and abused by its previous owner and sees if his mechanic can bring it back to life....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IriqoxSmvrg

benjaminh

stickguy said:

yes it is. I was just talking about in the premium segment. Though the CRV does have one fatal flaw. they did away with the spare tire and went with a can of fix a flat and a cheapo compressor instead.

I hate not having a spare.

Would you consider a gas model CR-V? For about the price of the EXL Hybrid you could probably instead get a CR-V Touring. Or you could get an EXL gas and save a significant amount. Most Honda dealers are dealing on the gas models, and will be aggressive to get your biz. But they might be stingy when it comes to the very few hybrids they have. In other words, although on the surface it looks like only a $1200 difference between gas and hybrid on the CR-V, my guess is that in the real world it might be more than double that for at least a while.

I've had no problems with the engine on our 2018 CR-V, and Honda has since given a software change that they say ends the possible oil dilution. The very small number of people having that issue were apparently driving almost always short trips in very cold weather. As long as you're on the highway for at least a few minutes once a week I don't think this is an issue. It's probably not an issue anyway.

The turbo and CVT combo in the CR-V is actually peppy for the price, and gets solid mpg.

But—the RAV4 hybrid does have a compact spare tire. Check out at 9:15 in this positive review of the RAV4 hybrid by Alex on Autos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQxzR3Iu-kA

stickguy

my wife didn't like the CVT experience when we drove one back a few years ago. But might try it again. Agreed that it is probably considerably cheaper. We will try out a hybrid and depending on how that goes, maybe try a gas model to compare.

I go back and forth on the RAV. But will probably stop at the dealer to look at one closer. One problem is price. The limited is over $40k. That is a lot for a RAV.

benjaminh

Gas turbo CR-Vs have what looks like a full-size spare tire in the back under the cover in the cargo area. I was surprised when we got our CR-V that the tire was that big, rather than the compact service spares that have been found on our other Hondas.

I remember that you wanted memory seats, but aside from that feature the CR-V EX is maybe the best value of the whole line up. The EX still has heated seats, heated side mirrors with led turn signals, AndroidAuto/CarPlay, blind spot info, adaptive cruise control, moonroof, XM/HD radio, power driver's seat, built-in garage door opener, alloy wheels and big tires, walk away lock, push button start, fog lights, etc. For a $29k msrp for the AWD EX version it's a good deal imho, plus they were ready, willing and able to give us a good discount from that plus top dollar trade-in on our old Honda. Thanks to that we're down to just 5 more payments on our loan—thank goodness. Currently Honda will finance the CR-V at 1.9% for 3 years, and at 2.9 for 5 years.

Here's the new Obsidian Blue Pearl color introduced this year in an EX. Before you even start bargaining my local dealer will take $1500 off of the price. You can see that the cargo is really big even with the rear seats up. The alloy wheels are maybe little weird, but I definitely like 'em better than the almost "octopus" design that ours has. You can't see it very well in this pic, but right next to the lights on each side of the cargo area there are two large handles for releasing the seats for more cargo. These work well and are designed to overcome the resistance of the seatbelts so that the seats just lie down.

stickguy

the wife really does not want cloth seats. And since we do share this one, the memory is really nice to have. So an EXL spec would be the minimum point of entry. Though I would on this seriously consider a FWD version to save money, since I honestly don't think she would ever know the difference, and we don't do any sort of off road (well, maybe have to park on the grass at a craft fair) and rarely drive in any snow.

benjaminh

The CR-V EXL with 2-wheel drive has an msrp of c. $30k. EXL also gives you the power tailgate, auto dimming review mirror, power passenger seat, slightly better stereo, etc.

I will say, however, that the AWD on the CR-V works well. Doesn't snow here much, but when it does we can tell it's working. That being said, I've had no trouble driving in identical conditions in my FWD TLX.

stickguy

with discounts it would be a strong financial proposition. Would have it paid off by the time my lease is up, then it just becomes my car and the wife gets new again. I will have her give you a call so you can try and convince her!

tjc78

qbrozen said:

$515 with $3k DAS is the best my friend could find in all of NJ and NYC for a Telluride EX.

He brought it over today. Seems like a really nice vehicle.

It is a really nice vehicle and super competitive in the segment. Problem for me is, if I'm leasing for an effective $600 monthly it takes away any value proposition.

For the same payment would you rather have a Telluride or an XC90 or RX350L. That probably could also get you an Enclave Avenir.

tjc78

@stickguy
Our Enclave is FWD. It does just fine in the snow. I can't remember if it was this or the blue one we had during the last big snow but I got right through a big snow bank and the wall the plow left behind on my driveway apron.

Mom's RAV4 which was AWD didn't seem any better than the Enclave with just FWD.

Ground clearance is more important than anything else.

stickguy

And the tires!

graphicguy

Been gone a while. Time to catch up.

@qbrozen...while looking at Stingers, that ceramic grey color kept coming up. I was interested ONLY because that was the only way to get a red interior at the time. And, we all know how much I like red interiors. Anyway, wasn’t a fan of that ceramic grey color. It looked too.....ummm.....uninspired. Of course, some would say my current white pearl isn’t exactly a “moving” color, either. But, I like it as it looks very white-ish/gold-ish/bronze-ish/ whenever the sun hits it. Plus, I LOATHE black interiors (black is OK on others’ cars, just not mine .

You would think manufacturers would be able to come up with a broader palate of interior colors.

@rayainsw .....cool punch. I like it....a LOT! Big congrats!

graphicguy

@28firefighter and @corvette missed your punches, too. I love both of them. Congrats. We’re off to a rousing Q1 start to 2020.

Sunglasses.....I get ShadyRays on line. They’re high quality, relatively cheap...AND, if they break (or you lose them), the company will send a new pair for just S&H. They’re polarized and have nice frames, too. Well worth it.

Www.shadyrays.com

kyfdx

I was at Costco on Friday, and checked out the Maui Jims. I wonder if it’s a cheaper line, made just for them?

carnaught

I’m surprised that the X3 for a price north of $50k does not have a surround camera, leather seats and heads-up display. The seats look very narrow but all said a nice color combo and nice car.

stickguy

Bmw options have always been a mystery to me. I think they take pride on doing stuff nobody asked for, while leaving off what should be basics at a much lower price point. Really hard to tell most of the time on used ones what they even have, based on the ads which tend to be skimpy at best.

kyfdx

carnaught said:

I’m surprised that the X3 for a price north of $50k does not have a surround camera, leather seats and heads-up display. The seats look very narrow but all said a nice color combo and nice car.

I think that has the Sport package. (from the look of the seats). I’m also sure those are leather, as the vinyl doesn’t come in that color.

Our 2017 with a similar MSRP has the surround camera and the extra diving nannies. It’s all in how you spec it out.

breld

stickguy said:

Bmw options have always been a mystery to me. I think they take pride on doing stuff nobody asked for, while leaving off what should be basics at a much lower price point. Really hard to tell most of the time on used ones what they even have, based on the ads which tend to be skimpy at best.

Agreed - that was one of the primary reasons that my wife got turned off from the X3 when we were looking recently. The service loaners we were targeting seemed to be optioned in a curious manner - they would have most of what she was after, but be missing something like BLIS.

stickguy

The new X3 has the sports seats standard now. Which is nice.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

The new X3 has the sports seats standard now. Which is nice.

Ah... they are great looking. Hopefully, as comfortable as other BMW sport seats.

suydam

The other day when I started the Volt I got a dashboard notification “Engine maintenance” Which seemed a little strange. A few miles down the road I noticed it said “Starting engine maintenance” and then displayed percentages remaining just like when you have a computer update, finally reaching 100% and then going away. Is this a thing now?

qbrozen

graphicguy said:

Been gone a while. Time to catch up.

@qbrozen...while looking at Stingers, that ceramic grey color kept coming up. I was interested ONLY because that was the only way to get a red interior at the time. And, we all know how much I like red interiors. Anyway, wasn’t a fan of that ceramic grey color. It looked too.....ummm.....uninspired. Of course, some would say my current white pearl isn’t exactly a “moving” color, either. But, I like it as it looks very white-ish/gold-ish/bronze-ish/ whenever the sun hits it. Plus, I LOATHE black interiors (black is OK on others’ cars, just not mine .

You would think manufacturers would be able to come up with a broader palate of interior colors.

@rayainsw .....cool punch. I like it....a LOT! Big congrats!

I wonder if it is the same as the "snow white pearl" on my buddy's Telluride. I wouldn't call it pearl, personally, since it isn't the classic definition of pearl, but actually a very very fine metallic flake. Up close, it is gorgeous paint, in any case.

corvette

suydam said:

The other day when I started the Volt I got a dashboard notification “Engine maintenance” Which seemed a little strange. A few miles down the road I noticed it said “Starting engine maintenance” and then displayed percentages remaining just like when you have a computer update, finally reaching 100% and then going away. Is this a thing now?

Have you been driving it exclusively in electric mode for a while? It's probably running the gas engine for a few minutes.

qbrozen

suydam said:

The other day when I started the Volt I got a dashboard notification “Engine maintenance” Which seemed a little strange. A few miles down the road I noticed it said “Starting engine maintenance” and then displayed percentages remaining just like when you have a computer update, finally reaching 100% and then going away. Is this a thing now?

Did you have to tip the elf under the hood?

stickguy

got a nice compliment today. Stopped at the PO to mail my tax return, and the clerk could see my car parked out front (it's a little place in a small town), and commented that it was really a nice color on my Acura. So not only did he appreciate the red, he knew what it was!

suydam

corvette said:

suydam said:

The other day when I started the Volt I got a dashboard notification “Engine maintenance” Which seemed a little strange. A few miles down the road I noticed it said “Starting engine maintenance” and then displayed percentages remaining just like when you have a computer update, finally reaching 100% and then going away. Is this a thing now?

Have you been driving it exclusively in electric mode for a while? It's probably running the gas engine for a few minutes.

That must be it. We didn’t go out of town this month so all our miles were in EV mode.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

with discounts it would be a strong financial proposition. Would have it paid off by the time my lease is up, then it just becomes my car and the wife gets new again....

Since you might consider the 2-wheel drive CR-V, that of course also changes the math in terms of when the hybrid CR-V would "pay for itself." Compared to a regular CR-V EXL AWD the hybrid EXL AWD costs, as you know, $1200 more. The hybrid is probably going to save about $300 a year in gas over a regular model when driving c. 15,000 miles a year. In other words, it'll probably take about 4 years for the hybrid to pay for itself.

But the 2-wheel drive EXL has an msrp of $31,170, compared to for $33,870 EXL hybrid AWD, which gives a difference of $2700—and suddenly it might take 9 years for the hybrid to "pay for itself." And since right now the hybrids are rare and unlikely to get good discounts, I think the real world difference might even stretch to $4000, which might mean c. 13 years.

That's all based, of course, on gas prices staying low like they are, and I imagine there's a good chance they'll go up. But even so the math for the hybrid looks iffy even with a c. 8 year time horizon.

And so yeah, with a good trade-in with your RDX (c. $13k?) on a discounted CR-V EXL 2-wheel drive, and 1.9 financing from Honda, then payoff in 3 years would be nice—and then you'll be back in the market!

stickguy

something like that. but it is her car, and she has to want it. So not sure how much I can get away with in terms of a lower line car!

we are planning to go out and see/drive everything this week (busy Saturday!) if possible. At least narrow down the list, even if don't get it down to 1. If she whittles it down to 2-3 that are all equally fine by her to have, then I can break down the numbers (she loves it when I do a spreadsheet!) to factor the $ in. And the more $ now, the less $ for the next car at the end of 2021!

benjaminh

stickguy said:

... If she whittles it down to 2-3 that are all equally fine by her to have, then I can break down the numbers (she loves it when I do a spreadsheet!) to factor the $ in. And the more $ now, the less $ for the next car at the end of 2021!

That's a good idea to do a spreadsheet.

Like you and your better half, I'm tempted by the luxury options like BMW, Volvo, Acura, and even Mercedes. But most of the time when you add up all the costs for those luxury brands, and esp. the options, the costs are rather high. As you know, our TLX lease deals were examples of having our cake and eating it too, but I'm not seeing those kinds of opportunities in the luxury models of the compact SUV market right now. Even without options the prices are steep, and then once you put on things that come standard in a CR-V EXL it just gets to be a bit painful sometimes.

For myself I might keep exploring the dream someday of getting a close to base BMW or Mercedes, but the most likely reality is that I'll be fortunate to keep driving my Acura.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Been gone a while. Time to catch up.

@qbrozen...while looking at Stingers, that ceramic grey color kept coming up. I was interested ONLY because that was the only way to get a red interior at the time. And, we all know how much I like red interiors. Anyway, wasn’t a fan of that ceramic grey color. It looked too.....ummm.....uninspired. Of course, some would say my current white pearl isn’t exactly a “moving” color, either. But, I like it as it looks very white-ish/gold-ish/bronze-ish/ whenever the sun hits it. Plus, I LOATHE black interiors (black is OK on others’ cars, just not mine .

You would think manufacturers would be able to come up with a broader palate of interior colors.

@rayainsw .....cool punch. I like it....a LOT! Big congrats!

I agree with you that the move towards black interiors is....uninspiring. I went for a hard to keep clean white seat interior on my Mustang rather than endure all black. My other choice would have been to pay $5-10k more to get the top trim level red leather interior. As nice as that was I couldn’t see paying that much more to get it.

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

This guy Hoovie is a chronic buyer of old cars. Here he buys a 15 year old BMW Alpina B7 with 200k miles that's been neglected and abused by its previous owner and sees if his mechanic can bring it back to life....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IriqoxSmvrg

Hoovie has parlayed bad hooptie buying into a very lucrative franchise. I bet he makes more on that video than it takes to fix every defect in that car.