Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

xwesx

andres3 said:

Freshly washed and with the new to me 19" potato peelers installed with beautiful Michelin PilotSport 4S's.

The old tires were so rock hard and weathered and dry-rotted that these ride like I'm on a cloud and are "silent" in comparison to my old set that was inherited from Arizona. So quiet; so nice riding, and so sticky! There's an on-ramp, and two interchanges I can go 30 above prevailing traffic on easily.

Lookin' good!

mjfloyd1

Behold the Peeler

https://www.wheeloutletnj.com/products/19-20-inch-peeler-audi-s4-wheels

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/752121-Black-Peelers-installed-with-pics

tjc78

@henryn
Laser cruise is the best!! I kick myself for thinking I wouldn’t use it when I got the S60. On the XC90 I use it all the time. I don’t use the self drive too often, but does come in handy at times. I don’t think I’ll get another ride without it.

@stickguy
New development right now? With the lumber shortages/insane prices I’d be nervous. For what it’s worth the developer we started working with last summer still hasn’t broke ground on anything! Good thing we didn’t wait!

kyfdx

Lumber prices are dropping fast.

But, my BIL is head of estimating for a big electrical/HVAC contractor (industrial/hospitals, etc), and he said the other materials still have insane prices, and availability is a problem.

tjc78

@kyfdx said:
Lumber prices are dropping fast.

But, my BIL is head of estimating for a big electrical/HVAC contractor (industrial/hospitals, etc), and he said the other materials still have insane prices, and availability is a problem.

Yes they have come down a bit. Everything else is nuts. Even things like glue to make engineered lumber, etc

Commercial HVAC units are taking forever

Steel is through the roof

Labor is short

GREAT time to be in any form of construction (and a big reason I drink lol)

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

@kyfdx said:

Lumber prices are dropping fast.

But, my BIL is head of estimating for a big electrical/HVAC contractor (industrial/hospitals, etc), and he said the other materials still have insane prices, and availability is a problem.

Yes they have come down a bit. Everything else is nuts. Even things like glue to make engineered lumber, etc

Commercial HVAC units are taking forever

Steel is through the roof

Labor is short

GREAT time to be in any form of construction (and a big reason I drink lol)

BIL is in town for his son's baseball tournament, and I talked to him, yesterday. Beyond stressed. Needs to hire two estimators, and can't even find one. Generally, they use licensed electricians.

But, business is good!

ab348

I saw a post online from a business reporter saying that lumber prices (on some sort of wholesale market tracking index) are now half of what they were at their peak a little while ago.

rayainsw

My M340i - "Does your car have the cooling/high performance tire package and the laser headlights?"
Neither.
- Ray
Ordered to my specs.

stickguy

Sandy, I’m mean. If she wants you to butt out, remind her when the car is dead on the side of the road it’s her car, her problem!

stickguy

I haven’t stopped at any developments yet. Going to be up there in 2 weeks. I’m sure prices are up, but so are resales. We aren’t in any hurry at least. So who knows what happens. I wanted to unload this place on the bubble and go rent while we look. Not of course that you can find rentals either.

rny421

@stickguy - If I recall correctly, I think you're referring to the potential of moving to the Albany area. If you're looking to get away from New Jersey's high property taxes, New York ain't it. I'm not super familiar with the Albany market, but we're in the Rochester area, and depending on the specific town, property taxes are 3% - 5% of assessed value per year. If you build, you're at the mercy of the town assessor who decides what your brand new build is worth. We're in a suburb, about 2,300 SF and our property taxes are $12.5K per year and this isn't even NYC/Long Island. It used to be that the cost of real estate (aside from property taxes) was at least reasonable to account for our lower wages/cost of living, but the last two years the real estate market has exploded like everywhere else.

roadburner

@rayainsw said:
My M340i - "Does your car have the cooling/high performance tire package and the laser headlights?"
Neither.

• Ray
  Ordered to my specs.

The used 2021M340i in Louisville is also missing those options, fortunately- otherwise I might be tempted.

qbrozen

Hyundai must be KILLIN it with this new Sonata. I see multiple each day on the road, and I don't drive very much.

stickguy

rny421 said:

@stickguy - If I recall correctly, I think you're referring to the potential of moving to the Albany area. If you're looking to get away from New Jersey's high property taxes, New York ain't it. I'm not super familiar with the Albany market, but we're in the Rochester area, and depending on the specific town, property taxes are 3% - 5% of assessed value per year. If you build, you're at the mercy of the town assessor who decides what your brand new build is worth. We're in a suburb, about 2,300 SF and our property taxes are $12.5K per year and this isn't even NYC/Long Island. It used to be that the cost of real estate (aside from property taxes) was at least reasonable to account for our lower wages/cost of living, but the last two years the real estate market has exploded like everywhere else.

Saratoga county. Taxes are better there.

ab348

qbrozen said:

Hyundai must be KILLIN it with this new Sonata. I see multiple each day on the road, and I don't drive very much.

It could be that the catfish-like face just traumatizes you and sticks in your mind every time you see one.

henryn

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

Hyundai must be KILLIN it with this new Sonata. I see multiple each day on the road, and I don't drive very much.

It could be that the catfish-like face just traumatizes you and sticks in your mind every time you see one.

I was going to respond to respond to Q saying that I wouldn't recognize a Sonata if I did see one. But after seeing that picture, yeah, I'd notice it. Man that's ugly!

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
I would say if you are forthright with Vroom, they will give the money quoted.
It was a bit scary to send them a key and have the shipper pick up your vehicle before getting a check.
I did get the money the day after the shipper took it. They may have even sent it out the same day.

There is NO WAY anyone is taking my car without me getting a check before they get my car. S-it happens so I’m not taking any chances.

When I sold Mrs. j’s 2012 Subie in April of 2019, Carvana gave me a check before the car left the driveway. That’s the only way they were going to take it. It seems Carvana does business the way I want it done.

jmonroe

breld

@laurasdada -

A little late on the response, but we've owned a couple GLCs and a couple X3's (one current, one previous gen), as well as a previous gen SQ5. And my wife was very interested in a Q5 before she ended up with...well, I don't remember what she ended up with that go around, but we took a lot of test drives of the current Q5.

Clearly they are all solid choices in the segment and will be a wonderful upgrade from her CX-5. If she indeed wants a PHEV, I've gotta think the Q5 is the way to go. Before I decided on the X3 M40i, I test drove both the Q5e and X3 PHEV. I was impressed with the BMW's drivetrain for its smoothness, but clearly BMW is offering the PHEV to target fuel economy, while Audi touts theirs as a performance alternative to the SQ5. In fact, the Q5e was my favorite out of everything I drove, but my wife wasn't fond of the PHEV as a concept, so I went with the X3 M40i (which wasn't much of a compromise of course).

The sport seats (warm weather package, right?) on the Q5 make a world of difference IMO, so sounds like if you find an example optioned that way you may be good to go.

Good luck!

henryn

jmonroe1 said:

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
I would say if you are forthright with Vroom, they will give the money quoted.
It was a bit scary to send them a key and have the shipper pick up your vehicle before getting a check.
I did get the money the day after the shipper took it. They may have even sent it out the same day.

There is NO WAY anyone is taking my car without me getting a check before they get my car. S-it happens so I’m not taking any chances.

When I sold Mrs. j’s 2012 Subie in April of 2019, Carvana gave me a check before the car left the driveway. That’s the only way they were going to take it. It seems Carvana does business the way I want it done.

jmonroe

The problem with that is you are trusting the check. You might as well go all the way and insist on hundred dollar bills. And then you would need one of the machines to check the currency, make sure it's not counterfeit.

With an outfit as big and well established as Carvana or Carmax, I'm going to have a certain amount of trust. Now when it comes to individuals, I like to go to the bank with the buyer and see the cashier draw up the cashier's check.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
Hyundai must be KILLIN it with this new Sonata. I see multiple each day on the road, and I don't drive very much.

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

au1994

tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

Hyundai must be KILLIN it with this new Sonata. I see multiple each day on the road, and I don't drive very much.

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

I believe that is correct. Fusion, Malibu and Impala are all gone. I think they still make the 300 but that is largely unchanged in the past 10+ years.

breld

Mid-$40k's for the new Golf R...

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a37001607/2022-volkswagen-golf-r-price/

stickguy

Out of my budget. Will have to see where the regular GTI comes in.

stickguy

The Elantra looks just like the sonata too IMO. Have to read the tail letters to Make sure!

ab348

au1994 said:

I believe that is correct. Fusion, Malibu and Impala are all gone. I think they still make the 300 but that is largely unchanged in the past 10+ years.

Malibu is still available but GM likes to keep it a secret.

au1994

Sigh…Toledo plant is down this week for scheduled PM.

The wait continues…

au1994

ab348 said:

au1994 said:

I believe that is correct. Fusion, Malibu and Impala are all gone. I think they still make the 300 but that is largely unchanged in the past 10+ years.

Malibu is still available but GM likes to keep it a secret.

Wow, so it is. Spark is also still listed on the Chevy site. I could have sworn our fleet buyer was told to move to the Equinox.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Out of my budget. Will have to see where the regular GTI comes in.

$30K for S, $33-35K for mid-trim, and $37K for Autobahn.

Before destination.

stickguy

I assume I need the mid trim.

I should just grab the S&D lease on the red Elantra N line DCT for $355/mo. Should be fun wheels. Like my old one but roomier, comfy seats, good radio, and more safety gizmos. And more expensive.

au1994

stickguy said:

I assume I need the mid trim.

I should just grab the S&D lease on the red Elantra N line DCT for $355/mo. Should be fun wheels. Like my old one but roomier, comfy seats, good radio, and more safety gizmos. And more expensive.

Surely you don’t expect one of us to talk you out of that, right? Someone closer might offer you a ride to the dealership

stickguy

au1994 said:

stickguy said:

I assume I need the mid trim.

I should just grab the S&D lease on the red Elantra N line DCT for $355/mo. Should be fun wheels. Like my old one but roomier, comfy seats, good radio, and more safety gizmos. And more expensive.

Surely you don’t expect one of us to talk you out of that, right? Someone closer might offer you a ride to the dealership

I leave for vacation Saturday morning. I’ll see what’s out there when I get back!

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

Depends on your definition of "domestic."

If by "made in the USA," there are many choices. If by "owned by a US company," then even the Charger doesn't qualify.

stickguy

Every time I watch another Maverick video, makes me want to see one in person before I decide on something else. Not quite enough yet to order one though.

Hopefully some driving reviews get released soon.

rayainsw

2022 GTI:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a37001250/2022-volkswagen-golf-gti-price/

henryn

qbrozen said:

tjc78 said:

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

Depends on your definition of "domestic."

If by "made in the USA," there are many choices. If by "owned by a US company," then even the Charger doesn't qualify.

The Passat is made in the USA, and still a good choice IMHO. But I believe this is the last year for the Passat. No, wait, 2022 is the last year.

sda

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

tjc78 said:

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

Depends on your definition of "domestic."

If by "made in the USA," there are many choices. If by "owned by a US company," then even the Charger doesn't qualify.

The Passat is made in the USA, and still a good choice IMHO. But I believe this is the last year for the Passat. No, wait, 2022 is the last year.

I wouldn't be surprised if they end production earlier on the slow selling Passat. I do like the car, however. Very pleased with mine.

stickguy

IMO the compacts (Elantra, Jetta, civic) grew so much they pretty much make the bigger models redundant.

explorerx4

Now that I think about it, I think I got the money before for the truck was picked up.
I do remember being happy that I got the check quickly.

au1994

qbrozen said:

tjc78 said:

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

Depends on your definition of "domestic."

If by "made in the USA," there are many choices. If by "owned by a US company," then even the Charger doesn't qualify.

There you go making sense and using logic again.

au1994

sda said:

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

tjc78 said:

Well to be fair there aren’t many affordable sedans to chose from these days so someone had to pick up the sales.

Am I correct that other than the Charger there isn’t a domestic mainstream sedan any longer?

Depends on your definition of "domestic."

If by "made in the USA," there are many choices. If by "owned by a US company," then even the Charger doesn't qualify.

The Passat is made in the USA, and still a good choice IMHO. But I believe this is the last year for the Passat. No, wait, 2022 is the last year.

I wouldn't be surprised if they end production earlier on the slow selling Passat. I do like the car, however. Very pleased with mine.

Always been a big fan of the Passat. Much more stylish than a Camcordtima with a pleasing interior to match. Just wish they hadn’t limited the engine options. VW also never really seemed to promote it very well.

sda

Has there been any indication that Acura is going to update the ILX with a new platform? If I was in the market for a new car, the Civic Touring or Jetta SEL Premium or perhaps GLI would be on my list. They are the right size for me and are nicely equipped. A couple of gripes. Neither the Civic or Jetta have rear a/c vents. The Civic doesn't have memory seats, adjustable lumbar, cooled seats or heated steering wheel. Not a deal breaker, but nice to have.

stickguy

The civic touring though is still below $30k. Lot of car for the money. Only the lumbar worried me on that, but it felt fine on my short test drive.

I too like that size for a sedan.

There was a strong rumor that there was a new “compact” Acura coming soon. But not called ILX necessarily. My WAG was that it would be a small CUV of some sort to compete with the X1/X2 sized stuff. But who knows. I figured that’s a lot hotter segment than compact sporty/entry luxury sedans.

laurasdada

breld said:

@laurasdada -

A little late on the response, but we've owned a couple GLCs and a couple X3's (one current, one previous gen), as well as a previous gen SQ5. And my wife was very interested in a Q5 before she ended up with...well, I don't remember what she ended up with that go around, but we took a lot of test drives of the current Q5.

Clearly they are all solid choices in the segment and will be a wonderful upgrade from her CX-5. If she indeed wants a PHEV, I've gotta think the Q5 is the way to go. Before I decided on the X3 M40i, I test drove both the Q5e and X3 PHEV. I was impressed with the BMW's drivetrain for its smoothness, but clearly BMW is offering the PHEV to target fuel economy, while Audi touts theirs as a performance alternative to the SQ5. In fact, the Q5e was my favorite out of everything I drove, but my wife wasn't fond of the PHEV as a concept, so I went with the X3 M40i (which wasn't much of a compromise of course).

The sport seats (warm weather package, right?) on the Q5 make a world of difference IMO, so sounds like if you find an example optioned that way you may be good to go.

Good luck!

Thanks! I think the Q5e is her top choice now, just have to see if we can find one with the sport thrones. Perhaps to be further discussed during our Vermont weekend!

jmonroe1

corvette said:

Had dinner with a friend and we made an impromptu diversion to a Caribbean restaurant. It's been a long time since I had authentic jerk chicken, and this didn't disappoint. Super friendly family owned business. The guy rang us up as one check and we decided, rather than make him redo everything on the portable terminal, she'd pay and I'd Venmo her my part.

*begin car related content*

The A/C in her Prius had gone out and she got a recharge kit. I figure it was (barely) still daylight, we could try to fix it. The can of refrigerant really didn't want to connect to the Schrader valve on the car. Finally got it on after at least a dozen tries. She kept trying to redirect me to "the orange thing" because she had seen it in a YouTube video. "The orange thing" was part of the hybrid system wiring--the low pressure valve was located directly under it. It sucked down the entire bottle of refrigerant and started blowing cold air again. We also replaced the wiper blades. If we had thought to film it, I could have my own YouTube channel. Anyway, I got free dinner out of the deal.

So, you think the wire blades are just insurance for a lengthy fix, huh?

jmonroe

qbrozen

stickguy said:

The civic touring though is still below $30k. Lot of car for the money. Only the lumbar worried me on that, but it felt fine on my short test drive.

I too like that size for a sedan.

There was a strong rumor that there was a new “compact” Acura coming soon. But not called ILX necessarily. My WAG was that it would be a small CUV of some sort to compete with the X1/X2 sized stuff. But who knows. I figured that’s a lot hotter segment than compact sporty/entry luxury sedans.

Acura HR-V. But using their nomenclature. Let's see ... MDX, RDX, and ... I've no idea what those stand for anyway. Could have convinced me the M is mid-sized, but R is? Rogue-sized? haha. Maybe just be blatant and call it the HDX. But probably wouldn't sit well with the tool manufacturer by that name. And I think IDX is too close to the VW ID4.

Quick search now tells me the MDX is MultiDimensional luXury (alrighty then), and AcuraZine suggests RDX may mean Refined-Dimensional luXury (although I have no idea why or what that even means). Maybe CDX for Compact-Dimensional luXury.

jmonroe1

Sandman6472 said:

Jmonroe, my mechanic hasn't looked at this latest leak yet so really can not fault him. I've only used him for the oil leaks on both vehicles and was very pleased. I only canceled the appointment because the 3 drops that did leak only happened once and the wife wasn't too keen on dropping it off since it was a one time leak. Since she had to have Audi add some coolant the other day is what gave her second thoughts. And as I recall, this is the second time Audi has put some extra coolant in in the almost 7 years of ownership. They've also had to top off the oil 3 times now as I recall.
So, my new mechanic is really totally blameless here. I just have a stubborn wife that's all. It's just like with her new tires. She knows she needs a couple but is still putting it off until whenever. I don't run that way. I'd already would've had the new sneakers on the Audi already as I don't want the drama of coming out one day to a possible flat tire. I'm much more conservative and maybe I do replace my tires a bit too early, but then again, usually don't have any drama with them. And I know I'm going to have to spend the funds eventually on this issue so I just do it when it's easier for me, that's all. I know one day I'll get a phone call that her tire is flat or the coolant is all over the garage floor, and that she'll expect me to "get it done"! Some things in life never change!

The blame I cast on your mechanic is that he should know those pans hold oil so he should have mentioned that to you. Having to top off the oil a few times is a dead giveaway that something ain’t kosher. I’d take this oil thingy more seriously if I were you.

jmonroe

sda

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

The civic touring though is still below $30k. Lot of car for the money. Only the lumbar worried me on that, but it felt fine on my short test drive.

I too like that size for a sedan.

There was a strong rumor that there was a new “compact” Acura coming soon. But not called ILX necessarily. My WAG was that it would be a small CUV of some sort to compete with the X1/X2 sized stuff. But who knows. I figured that’s a lot hotter segment than compact sporty/entry luxury sedans.

Acura HR-V. But using their nomenclature. Let's see ... MDX, RDX, and ... I've no idea what those stand for anyway. Could have convinced me the M is mid-sized, but R is? Rogue-sized? haha. Maybe just be blatant and call it the HDX. But probably wouldn't sit well with the tool manufacturer by that name. And I think IDX is too close to the VW ID4.

Quick search now tells me the MDX is MultiDimensional luXury (alrighty then), and AcuraZine suggests RDX may mean Refined-Dimensional luXury (although I have no idea why or what that even means). Maybe CDX for Compact-Dimensional luXury.

I would prefer names instead of letter or numerical model names. Baby Bear, Momma Bear, Daddy Bear.

henryn

jmonroe1 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Jmonroe, my mechanic hasn't looked at this latest leak yet so really can not fault him. I've only used him for the oil leaks on both vehicles and was very pleased. I only canceled the appointment because the 3 drops that did leak only happened once and the wife wasn't too keen on dropping it off since it was a one time leak. Since she had to have Audi add some coolant the other day is what gave her second thoughts. And as I recall, this is the second time Audi has put some extra coolant in in the almost 7 years of ownership. They've also had to top off the oil 3 times now as I recall.
So, my new mechanic is really totally blameless here. I just have a stubborn wife that's all. It's just like with her new tires. She knows she needs a couple but is still putting it off until whenever. I don't run that way. I'd already would've had the new sneakers on the Audi already as I don't want the drama of coming out one day to a possible flat tire. I'm much more conservative and maybe I do replace my tires a bit too early, but then again, usually don't have any drama with them. And I know I'm going to have to spend the funds eventually on this issue so I just do it when it's easier for me, that's all. I know one day I'll get a phone call that her tire is flat or the coolant is all over the garage floor, and that she'll expect me to "get it done"! Some things in life never change!

The blame I cast on your mechanic is that he should know those pans hold oil so he should have mentioned that to you. Having to top off the oil a few times is a dead giveaway that something ain’t kosher. I’d take this oil thingy more seriously if I were you.

jmonroe

I have to disagree with you here. Using a little oil has never concerned me. If I can get 2 or 3k without needing to add oil, I'm a happy camper. If it drops a quart in less than a thousand miles, I begin to pay attention. But on an older used car, still no big deal.

Loosing coolant is a more immediate concern. Could be minor, could mean the big enchilada.

jmonroe1

henryn said:

jmonroe1 said:

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
I would say if you are forthright with Vroom, they will give the money quoted.
It was a bit scary to send them a key and have the shipper pick up your vehicle before getting a check.
I did get the money the day after the shipper took it. They may have even sent it out the same day.

There is NO WAY anyone is taking my car without me getting a check before they get my car. S-it happens so I’m not taking any chances.

When I sold Mrs. j’s 2012 Subie in April of 2019, Carvana gave me a check before the car left the driveway. That’s the only way they were going to take it. It seems Carvana does business the way I want it done.

jmonroe

The problem with that is you are trusting the check. You might as well go all the way and insist on hundred dollar bills. And then you would need one of the machines to check the currency, make sure it's not counterfeit.

With an outfit as big and well established as Carvana or Carmax, I'm going to have a certain amount of trust. Now when it comes to individuals, I like to go to the bank with the buyer and see the cashier draw up the cashier's check.

I’ll trust a check from Carvana or any established company a hell of a lot more than waving bye-bye to my car from a company that took it away and didn’t give me squat.

I guess you can say I’m very trusting when I have at least something in my hand from a reputable outfit but not at all trusting when my hand is empty and someone has gotten something from me.

jmonroe

explorerx4

Charger and Challenger are made in Brampton Ont.