Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

28firefighter

roadburner said:

In a couple of years the M2 Competitions will also be hovering around $40K.
Decisions, decisions...

A couple of years? That is an eternity on this side of edmunds.

pensfan83

Yep. I'm having trouble waiting 4 months let alone a few years.

explorerx4

it's been noted before the the GT500 seems to have a hesitation from a full stop when doing a hard launch.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

In a couple of years the M2 Competitions will also be hovering around $40K.
Decisions, decisions...

You are driving your Mini everyday, right? How much are you driving the M235i? How many miles are on it?

I have 52k on the M235i; I’m driving everything to work in rotation. The 2er usually is driven once per week and splits the mileage with the ti for all other errands.

tifighter

Friday edition of today's random craigslist posting. Hope you love hits from the eighties. And really, who doesn't?

28firefighter

Link doesn’t work for me.

tifighter

28firefighter said:

Link doesn’t work for me.

I'll blame my Commodore 64.

28firefighter

Didn't @graphicguy have one of these?

kyfdx

A/C needs charge.. 🙄

graphicguy

28firefighter said:

Didn't @graphicguy have one of these?

Close. The one in the picture is an RX7. Mine was an RX8. They were/are quirky cars. They use oil. They get poor MPG. They're known to flood easily. But, mine had a 9K redline, and I had to use every bit of it to get to speed. Fun driving it, though. The most neutral handling car I've ever had.

graphicguy

Not mine, but it was identical to this one...

https://images.app.goo.gl/AUri55hDjabt8bFg6

fintail

If you're asking 8K for a car, spend a couple hundred bucks and get the AC fixed. Of course, unless a "charge" won't solve it.

Did those usually not have back seats? When I was a little kid, the family across the street had an RX-7, and I remember I went along with their kids for rides - I really had a thing for that car. Can't recall if I sat in a seat or just in a rear deck area (in the early 80s, such things were relatively tolerated - I have a memory of riding in the back of a Fiesta with the seats folded down).

I saw a black RX-7 like that on the road just this morning.

kyfdx

That model didn't have a rear seat, I don't think. The RX-8 did, so maybe that's why they felt the need to specify.

28firefighter

Ah for some reason I thought you had both the OG RX-7 and the RX-8.

andres3

fintail said:

If you're asking 8K for a car, spend a couple hundred bucks and get the AC fixed. Of course, unless a "charge" won't solve it.

Did those usually not have back seats? When I was a little kid, the family across the street had an RX-7, and I remember I went along with their kids for rides - I really had a thing for that car. Can't recall if I sat in a seat or just in a rear deck area (in the early 80s, such things were relatively tolerated - I have a memory of riding in the back of a Fiesta with the seats folded down).

I saw a black RX-7 like that on the road just this morning.

What if a "charge" solves the problem for 2 or 3 months? I would say it is immoral to charge it then, without disclosing the AC needs a charge every 3 months.

qbrozen

I'd still like an RX-7, but it has to be the GSL-SE.

fintail

If one knows what the problem is, sure. But with old cars, problems can unravel at random times, and proving it would be tough.

Maybe I should say, if AC doesn't work on an old car with an 8K asking price, have a real diagnosis as to why.

andres3 said:

What if a "charge" solves the problem for 2 or 3 months? I would say it is immoral to charge it then, without disclosing the AC needs a charge every 3 months.

28firefighter

I agree with that. Saying the AC needs a charge is not a diagnosis. It’s a guess.

stickguy

I always loved the original RX7. don't think I ever drove one, but I did test drive an RX8 that was fun.

AC not a huge deal to me. I would likely never use it on something like this anyway!

might be a decent option for me. There is a rotary specialist about a mile from my house now. Quite a collection of RX models (mostly 7, some 8) out front.

imidazol97

Thanks for all the comments about radon.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

I agree with that. Saying the AC needs a charge is not a diagnosis. It’s a guess.

Not a guess at all. It will need a charge... after you replace the part that is broken. ;b

andres3

fintail said:

If one knows what the problem is, sure. But with old cars, problems can unravel at random times, and proving it would be tough.

Maybe I should say, if AC doesn't work on an old car with an 8K asking price, have a real diagnosis as to why.

andres3 said:

What if a "charge" solves the problem for 2 or 3 months? I would say it is immoral to charge it then, without disclosing the AC needs a charge every 3 months.

Speaking of A/C's, I got my '15 A4 back with a new Evaporator coil. It's hidden deep under the dash, so they said they broke a trim piece and the windshield putting it back together again. That's what took so long (got the car back this afternoon.

I'm sure it was a fun job.

$85 CPO deductible paid; have 2 more months of Warranty! Brand new Audi glass windshield; so the glass won't void my warranty German glass for a German car.

My TTS needs a new windshield more than the A4 did! Almost 40K miles and a lot more sandblasting and rock chips/pitting from following slower fast-moving vehicles through the canyons.

roadburner

My dealer just took in an Alpinweiss/Schwartz 2015 M4 with 49k miles. DCT with M Adaptive Suspension. It would need the DCT serviced immediately(it's a 40k interval in Germany, "Lifetime" in the US). I guess I'll drive it and see if the driving experience is unique enough for me to flip the 2er.

28firefighter

roadburner said:

My dealer just took in an Alpinweiss/Schwartz 2015 M4 with 49k miles. DCT with M Adaptive Suspension. It would need the DCT serviced immediately(it's a 40k interval in Germany, "Lifetime" in the US). I guess I'll drive it and see if the driving experience is unique enough for me to flip the 2er.

Depending on price this would be interesting because I doubt it would depreciate much more, so you could decide in a couple years to flip for that M2 Comp. CPO? How much are they asking?

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

it's been noted before the the GT500 seems to have a hesitation from a full stop when doing a hard launch.

Is the new Corvette still a pushrod engine? I’ve driven some Camaro SS cars that seem to have more grunt out of the hole. I understand that low down torque is due to pushrod vs overhead cam design.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

Friday edition of today's random craigslist posting. Hope you love hits from the eighties. And really, who doesn't?

My brother had one of those although I can’t remember what year. He got to 50k miles and developed a severe oil burning problem. Engine was toast.

So I’d guess you have about a year of driving that thing before you’d start sweating about the motor and not from the broken AC.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

fintail said:

If one knows what the problem is, sure. But with old cars, problems can unravel at random times, and proving it would be tough.

Maybe I should say, if AC doesn't work on an old car with an 8K asking price, have a real diagnosis as to why.

andres3 said:

What if a "charge" solves the problem for 2 or 3 months? I would say it is immoral to charge it then, without disclosing the AC needs a charge every 3 months.

Speaking of A/C's, I got my '15 A4 back with a new Evaporator coil. It's hidden deep under the dash, so they said they broke a trim piece and the windshield putting it back together again. That's what took so long (got the car back this afternoon.

I'm sure it was a fun job.

$85 CPO deductible paid; have 2 more months of Warranty! Brand new Audi glass windshield; so the glass won't void my warranty German glass for a German car.

My TTS needs a new windshield more than the A4 did! Almost 40K miles and a lot more sandblasting and rock chips/pitting from following slower fast-moving vehicles through the canyons.

That’s a perennial question for me....why would you put a part that has the potential for failure in a place that requires removing the windshield and dash? My old Lincoln developed a small leak and the tech said if it was evap coil it would be an 8 hour job to get at it. Either put it somewhere else or build it so it never fails.

tjc78

All Ford Fox body / MN12 cars have the evaporators tucked way in the dash. Always a nightmare job.

Panthers aren’t much better. Heck on the late Panthers there is a critical component of the HVAC that technically requires you pull the dash to replace. It can be done without but you have to break the old one out, then cut the mounting tabs on the new one.

Search Crown Victoria Blend door actuator if you are curious.

mjfloyd1

Cincinnati peeps- this looks interesting

https://www.bmwstore.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-330e-cincinnati-a56d55b30a0d0c146ab3d222b92a5508.htm

sda

tjc78 said:

All Ford Fox body / MN12 cars have the evaporators tucked way in the dash. Always a nightmare job.

Panthers aren’t much better. Heck on the late Panthers there is a critical component of the HVAC that technically requires you pull the dash to replace. It can be done without but you have to break the old one out, then cut the mounting tabs on the new one.

Search Crown Victoria Blend door actuator if you are curious.

Yep, that’s what prompted dad to trade his 85 Grand Marquis for his 95 Cutlass Ciera SL. No AC, and an expensive repair that he wasn’t willing to pay for especially when the dealer couldn’t guarantee that was the only issue.

kyfdx

mjfloyd1 said:

Cincinnati peeps- this looks interesting

https://www.bmwstore.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-330e-cincinnati-a56d55b30a0d0c146ab3d222b92a5508.htm

No mention of CPO. I wonder why?

Seems like a lot of car for the money. Nicely optioned for a PHEV.

roadburner

kyfdx said:

mjfloyd1 said:

Cincinnati peeps- this looks interesting

https://www.bmwstore.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-330e-cincinnati-a56d55b30a0d0c146ab3d222b92a5508.htm

No mention of CPO. I wonder why?

Seems like a lot of car for the money. Nicely optioned for a PHEV.

I saw that. Still want the M Sport suspension, however.

omarman

roadburner said:

My dealer just took in an Alpinweiss/Schwartz 2015 M4 with 49k miles. DCT with M Adaptive Suspension. It would need the DCT serviced immediately(it's a 40k interval in Germany, "Lifetime" in the US). I guess I'll drive it and see if the driving experience is unique enough for me to flip the 2er.

May the Schwartz be with you.

rayainsw

"Is the new Corvette still a pushrod engine?"
Yes.
- Ray
Pretty powerful one, at that ... Love the TQ

graphicguy

More RX...I think the folks who buy them, do so because they like the looks. Modern cars don’t take a whole lot of TLC. A computer tells when an oil change is due, or when the filters need to be changed, etc.

RX7/8 didn’t have any of that. You had to check the oil every fill up. Even new, it wasn’t unusual to have to add a qt every 1,000-1,500 miles or so. I used to keep cans of oil in the hatch area. They HATED short trips. If you didn’t drive it to operating temps and then shut it down, the rich gas mixture in the chambers would flood the motor. And, you just couldn’t just clear it out by shoving the gas pedal to the floor and clearing it. It had to be towed to the dealership to get it fixed.

Then, when the RX8 was first released, when they hit the docks, EPA found that they didn’t pass emissions. I’m sure that cost some engineer(s) their job. They all had to be reprogrammed at the port to hit EPA emissions regs. That resulted in having to restate the HP figures (lower). Then, someone forgot to change the MSRP stickers to reflect the lower HP numbers (from 250HP down to 236HP). They changed them, eventually, but some got through and Mazda had to buy them back. I’m sure even more people lost their jobs over that fiasco. The battery and A/C was weak, resulting replacement of both. This was all before they even hit the dealerships.

But, they were fun. Winding them out to redline made sounds like a crotch rocket. And, they were light, with a near 50/50 weight distribution. Really fun to toss around. With so much RPM to play with it was easy to keep it in 2nd or 3rd and just hit the most curves you could without actually having to shift or lift off the throttle.

mjfloyd1

graphicguy said:

More RX...I think the folks who buy them, do so because they like the looks. Modern cars don’t take a whole lot of TLC. A computer tells when an oil change is due, or when the filters need to be changed, etc.

RX7/8 didn’t have any of that. You had to check the oil every fill up. Even new, it wasn’t unusual to have to add a qt every 1,000-1,500 miles or so. I used to keep cans of oil in the hatch area. They HATED short trips. If you didn’t drive it to operating temps and then shut it down, the rich gas mixture in the chambers would flood the motor. And, you just couldn’t just clear it out by shoving the gas pedal to the floor and clearing it. It had to be towed to the dealership to get it fixed.

Then, when the RX8 was first released, when they hit the docks, EPA found that they didn’t pass emissions. I’m sure that cost some engineer(s) their job. They all had to be reprogrammed at the port to hit EPA emissions regs. That resulted in having to restate the HP figures (lower). Then, someone forgot to change the MSRP stickers to reflect the lower HP numbers (from 250HP down to 236HP). They changed them, eventually, but some got through and Mazda had to buy them back. I’m sure even more people lost their jobs over that fiasco. The battery and A/C was weak, resulting replacement of both. This was all before they even hit the dealerships.

But, they were fun. Winding them out to redline made sounds like a crotch rocket. And, they were light, with a near 50/50 weight distribution. Really fun to toss around. With so much RPM to play with it was easy to keep it in 2nd or 3rd and just hit the most curves you could without actually having to shift or lift off the throttle.

Otherwise the rollout was smooth 😂

28firefighter

“Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the show?”

ab348

graphicguy said:

Then, when the RX8 was first released, when they hit the docks, EPA found that they didn’t pass emissions. I’m sure that cost some engineer(s) their job. They all had to be reprogrammed at the port to hit EPA emissions regs. That resulted in having to restate the HP figures (lower). Then, someone forgot to change the MSRP stickers to reflect the lower HP numbers (from 250HP down to 236HP). They changed them, eventually, but some got through and Mazda had to buy them back. I’m sure even more people lost their jobs over that fiasco. The battery and A/C was weak, resulting replacement of both. This was all before they even hit the dealerships.

Didn't they end up sending you a cheque as compensation for all of that?

graphicguy

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Then, when the RX8 was first released, when they hit the docks, EPA found that they didn’t pass emissions. I’m sure that cost some engineer(s) their job. They all had to be reprogrammed at the port to hit EPA emissions regs. That resulted in having to restate the HP figures (lower). Then, someone forgot to change the MSRP stickers to reflect the lower HP numbers (from 250HP down to 236HP). They changed them, eventually, but some got through and Mazda had to buy them back. I’m sure even more people lost their jobs over that fiasco. The battery and A/C was weak, resulting replacement of both. This was all before they even hit the dealerships.

Didn't they end up sending you a cheque as compensation for all of that?

Yes.....and extending the warranty!

roadburner

So I went to look at the M4; still undergoing inspection. I guess I'll be looking at it Monday...
[edit]I just ran the VIN- it has a sunroof. Pass.

breld

How challenging is it to find one without the sunroof?

fintail

Be careful with those M4s, I hear they are sensitive to tire pressure.

roadburner

breld said:

How challenging is it to find one without the sunroof?

A sunroof is fitted on about 1/3 of the M4 coupes. Just my luck.

roadburner

fintail said:

Be careful with those M4s, I hear they are sensitive to tire pressure.

The OEM tires are not only staggered with respect to size, the front tires are of a different internal design compared to the rear.
And yes, they are a bit high strung at the limit.

fintail

It was also a joke, based on this somewhat viral incident a few years back:

https://jalopnik.com/how-not-to-explain-why-you-crashed-your-car-via-this-b-1677523538

roadburner said:

The OEM tires are not only staggered with respect to size, the front tires are of a different internal design compared to the rear.
And yes, they are a bit high strung at the limit.

roadburner

Here's a M235i moron akin to M4 guy- fro a topic he started entitled "Feel like M235i isn't able to be driven hard":

By driven hard I mean mostly stuff like power sliding and donuts. After all, my engine seized at 46k because of doing donuts for like 20 seconds and it threw a rod bearing. Also I've been trying to have fun sliding it in the wet but with the e-lsd and dsc off it just completely spins out with any real throttle input. In sport plus the dtc doesn't let it spin or really slide. And since I have an auto throttle input is horrible as you're either giving it too little or too much and have to step into overdrive. My E39 540 with an open diff was easier to slide and I didn't have to worry about seizing my engine or another major eff up just because I'm having fun with the car.

Are my issues just because auto and no lsd? Or do others feel the same.
Inb4 "take it to the track if you want to drive hard". No

qbrozen

My 135i was a beast on the track. Well, at least when not in limp mode. Nicely balanced and controlled, even when I lost grip. Just keep the wheel and gas steady until she straightened out. No problem. Never once spun it.

stickguy

nothing like the fun of cresting a hill in the wet in my RWD Nissan PU. No electronic nannies intervening with that!

tjc78

Yeah my V6 S10 could spin out on demand.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

My 135i was a beast on the track. Well, at least when not in limp mode. Nicely balanced and controlled, even when I lost grip. Just keep the wheel and gas steady until she straightened out. No problem. Never once spun it.

The 135i definitely had issues. So did the non-Sport E90 335i. My M235i would run laps for 40 minutes or more in 90F ambient temps without complaint.