Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

28firefighter

That is absolutely awesome news!

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

Let’s all raise a glass and toast to @roadburner ! He sent me an article that guided me on “unsticking” a clutch after a car has been partially underwater as my Prelude was. I read it a few times and figured “what do I have to lose?”

I started the car in gear and it slowly started to lurch forward. I kept my foot on the clutch and drove about a block in 1st gear until I could shift. Then I took a joyride around to make sure all the fluids heated up properly! It’s alive!

Thank-you again Bailey so much!

I told him to send that article to you.

All kidding aside, there’s lots of knowledge in here.

It wouldn’t hurt to change the fluid now.

jmonroe

corvette

I was about to ask which of the fluids were likely to be contaminated. Glad you got it unstuck, though!

stickguy

almost sounds like when your parking brake gets frozen on.

tjc78

Wow, that’s awesome.

tifighter

Weekend report - Day 1
Open house at Griots Auto - Germanfest

The menschen arrive-


In the shade-


An 8800 mile 968 manual next to a converted E30 V8 2-door wagon-


Not German, not complaining-


Ciao-


Making friends-


For Roadburner (he likes Corvairs)-

tifighter

Weekend report - Day 2
BMWCCA at XXX Root Beer Drive in

Where they parked me-


I see you Z1-


Sun break-


i3 is nervous-


One more for the road-

sda

I love that early 70s (73?) BMW CS. What a fantastic car.

28firefighter

Great photos!

stickguy

Looks like fun. Some fantastic looking cars there.

stickguy

Here’s one to rival the Ohio houses. 5 garage garage and the workshop looks great. Taxes only 11k, cheap for NY!

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3-Hunter-Hill-Rd_Ballston-Lake_NY_12019_M49272-34941

ab348

stickguy said:

Here’s one to rival the Ohio houses. 5 garage garage and the workshop looks great. Taxes only 11k, cheap for NY!

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3-Hunter-Hill-Rd_Ballston-Lake_NY_12019_M49272-34941

That doesn't seem like a bad deal though I don't know the location at all. It looks like a "transitional" style, i.e. in the period of transitioning from 50 shades of beige to 50 shades of gray.

I've been thinking about kitchen design trends a lot lately and am a bit stumped. Woodgrain like in that house seems to be out of fashion these days, but I really am unsure if a white or white/gray kitchen like you see on all the home improvement shows would be something I'd want either. I am beginning to think I should set a trend of my own and get cabinets in a nice painted finish that are actually a color of some sort.

stickguy

It’s a nice area. Close to civilization and a real goo school district b

qbrozen

But you have to live in upstate NY, AKA South Canada.
Yeah, I know, some y'all are there. I'm just kidding. Sort of.

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
It looks more like mid state on the map, kind of between Albany and Saratoga.

stickguy

NYC people think “upstate” begins in Rockland or Westchester. People in Albany consider themselves capital district, and upstate is north of them.

And people in the middle get offended when not called central NY.

I consider that house upstate though. Wasn’t my idea to move there, but that’s where most of the family is!

roadburner

@sda said:
I love that early 70s (73?) BMW CS. What a fantastic car.

It looks like a Euro 3.0 CSi; there are no side marker lights or reflectors and I can see the D-Jetronic intake. Beautiful cars but values are going off the charts.

breld

stickguy said:

didn't you get a Tesla already? Don't see it in your summary there. I would assume it just means that you did not get to doing it yet, though entirely possible you already got rid of it!

Is the Mini still around, or is it just the Tesla, Polestar and XC60? as if that isn't enough for 2 people!

We have the Tesla...I should update my signature line I suppose.

Vroom picked up the MINI last week and had the funds in our account a few days later, so that's all done.

I don't really think my wife will get something else in the meantime...but I like the fact that's where her mind goes when there's a 2-3 month delay on the delivery of her Audi.

tifighter

roadburner said:

@sda said:

I love that early 70s (73?) BMW CS. What a fantastic car.

It looks like a Euro 3.0 CSi; there are no side marker lights or reflectors and I can see the D-Jetronic intake. Beautiful cars but values are going off the charts.

Hey @roadburner - new topic: is the S55 crank hub a real thing of concern?

qbrozen

stickguy said:

NYC people think “upstate” begins in Rockland or Westchester. People in Albany consider themselves capital district, and upstate is north of them.

And people in the middle get offended when not called central NY.

I consider that house upstate though. Wasn’t my idea to move there, but that’s where most of the family is!

I sure as hell don't want to move somewhere with MORE snow at this point in my life.

28firefighter

@breld did you lease or buy the Y?

breld

28firefighter said:

@breld did you lease or buy the Y?

We bought it.

ab348

More recalls, this time from Ford, both of them dealing with the Mach-E and its glass:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2021-ford-mustang-mach-e-glass-sealant-recall

breld

The wife's MINI is listed as available soon on Vroom...

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/mini-hardtop-2-door-2020-WMWXR9C05L2M09122

Purchased from Carvana last November with all of 1,600 miles on it for $32,900, sold to Vroom 10 months and 11k miles later for $32,263...and now listed with 12k miles on it for $37,499.

au1994

I’m searching cars.com nationwide for the Land Cruiser to pop up. It was going to auction no doubt as CarMax wouldn’t be keeping anything that age with that many miles.

stickguy

almost pushed the button last night on another Pro 4x. I should really stop checking the app before going to bed, it keeps me from getting to sleep! A new one popped up about an hour away. Had convenience and tech but missing the roof/stereo upgrade (fine on a lease of a PU). $43,350 MSRP, 24 payments of $419 with 0 DAS (just first payment).

ab348

stickguy said:

almost pushed the button last night on another Pro 4x. I should really stop checking the app before going to bed, it keeps me from getting to sleep! A new one popped up about an hour away. Had convenience and tech but missing the roof/stereo upgrade (fine on a lease of a PU). $43,350 MSRP, 24 payments of $419 with 0 DAS (just first payment).

I didn’t know that the roads in your part of NJ were so bad as to require such a machine.

stickguy

actually, in a lot of places they are. A lot smoother to drive on the grass or dirt.

sda

breld said:

The wife's MINI is listed as available soon on Vroom...

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/mini-hardtop-2-door-2020-WMWXR9C05L2M09122

Purchased from Carvana last November with all of 1,600 miles on it for $32,900, sold to Vroom 10 months and 11k miles later for $32,263...and now listed with 12k miles on it for $37,499.

Incredible all around. Inexpensive to own, current asking price. Wow

mjfloyd1

@breld said:
The wife's MINI is listed as available soon on Vroom...

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/mini-hardtop-2-door-2020-WMWXR9C05L2M09122

Purchased from Carvana last November with all of 1,600 miles on it for $32,900, sold to Vroom 10 months and 11k miles later for $32,263...and now listed with 12k miles on it for $37,499.

I hope Mrs @breld doesn’t see that Mini. It has all the right options

carnaught

@breld, still confused. What goes when you get get the Audi? I guess any one of the fleet is a candidate.

corvette

ab348 said:

I didn’t know that the roads in your part of NJ were so bad as to require such a machine.

I've been in Boston the past couple of days, taking public transportation when I can, and it's amazing the city buses don't fall apart after a year or two of shuddering over some of the potholes.

roadburner

tifighter said:

roadburner said:

@sda said:

I love that early 70s (73?) BMW CS. What a fantastic car.

It looks like a Euro 3.0 CSi; there are no side marker lights or reflectors and I can see the D-Jetronic intake. Beautiful cars but values are going off the charts.

Hey @roadburner - new topic: is the S55 crank hub a real thing of concern?

I think it's way overblown(no pun intended) personally. It affects a small percentage of cars, primarily cars with aggressive tunes. Some people believe the DCT contributes as it can shift as quick as 1-50 ms, but there's no statistical data to back that up.

Sandman6472

Picked up an air filter & cabin air filter at VW today and will ask my mechanic to install both when he has the hood open on Thursday My co-worker said he could do both but since my mechanic will already have the hood open, might as well ask him to do it. This way, I know it's done right and I can move on. Since I've decided to keep it for another year or so, might as well keep it running right. Still haven't done the coolant or spark plugs but will inquire on Thursday if the are needed right now or if they can wait awhile.
Also made an appointment for the kids Hyundai for the next oil change and recall that needs to be done in the trunk. Will have the car here the weekend of the 9th as we're going up to Orlando to see the newlyweds & have the party we missed out on last October when they tied the knot. Took a couple of days off at Toyota so will do it on the 11th. This way I know it's done and she can drive worry free for the next year. The following week I'll finally get to the new sneakers for the Audi, which my guy at Tires Plus says they have in stock.
Speaking of tires, am very happy with my Goodyear Eagle GT's after owning them just over 2 years. Wearing just fine with regular rotations and even though they don't have much mileage on them, am very pleased with how they handle in both wet & dry conditions. Only my second time with Goodyear tires, had RS-A's on the 2006 Honda Civic, but am very impressed so far with them.

benjaminh

One of my local Subaru dealers is taking orders at msrp for any Subaru. He says it seems to take about 2-3 months at this point from order to delivery. It does let you create just the car you want. It's interesting that most brands are charging extra for some colors, but on the Outback it looked like all the colors were the standard charge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewj974Vedio

stickguy

charging extra for paint colors always rubbed me the wrong way.

benjaminh

Honda didn't charge extra for colors until about a year ago, but now red costs an extra $395. For an Acura red costs an extra $500. BMW charges 550 for red. Mazda charges $595 for their Soul Red. And Tesla charges $2000 extra for red.



In contrast, Subaru still gives you red at just the regular price.

jmonroe1

@benjaminh said:
Honda didn't charge extra for colors until about a year ago, but now red costs an extra $395. For an Acura red costs an extra $500. BMW charges 550 for red. Mazda charges $595 for their Soul Red. And Tesla charges $2000 extra for red.

In contrast, Subaru still gives you red at just the regular price.

That Red Subie looks like Mrs. j’s ‘18 Legacy except hers has the beige interior that looks a lot better than the black IMO.

jmonroe

breld

@carnaught said:
@breld, still confused. What goes when you get get the Audi? I guess any one of the fleet is a candidate.

The Tesla is meant as the stopgap. Though you’re right…by then anything could be a candidate.

roadburner

I've been monitoring a G42 2 Series Forum and the chip shortage is affecting HUD availability as well as SXM tuners. The cars are delivered as "SXM ready" which means the customer will have to add the tuner later at extra cost. Too bad the chip debacle doesn't affect sunroof availability instead...

boomchek

benjaminh said:

Honda didn't charge extra for colors until about a year ago, but now red costs an extra $395. For an Acura red costs an extra $500. BMW charges 550 for red. Mazda charges $595 for their Soul Red. And Tesla charges $2000 extra for red.



In contrast, Subaru still gives you red at just the regular price.

That's weird. Here in Canada all colors except silver or grey are only $300 more. Nissan used to that for the past 10+ years iirc. Their only free color was black.

jmonroe1

@roadburner said:
I've been monitoring a G42 2 Series Forum and the chip shortage is affecting HUD availability as well as SXM tuners. The cars are delivered as "SXM ready" which means the customer will have to add the tuner later at extra cost. Too bad the chip debacle doesn't affect sunroof availability instead...

What’s the problem? Are you afraid the the roof will leak and the music will get out?

jmonroe

benjaminh

Good news for my state.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/business/energy-environment/ford-battery-electric-vehicles.html?searchResultPosition=1

"Ford Will Build 4 Factories in a Big Electric Vehicle Push
The automaker and a supplier will spend $11.4 billion on three battery factories and a truck plant, creating 11,000 jobs....

"The two plants in Kentucky will be in Glendale, about 50 miles south of Louisville, and are expected to create 5,000 jobs, at a cost of $5.8 billion. The batteries made there will be used at North American plants that will produce Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles. Ford already employs about 13,000 people at two truck and S.U.V. plants in the Louisville area.

“We have enormous demand for our electric vehicles now, and this is going to help us accelerate,” Ford’s chief executive, Jim Farley, said in an interview. “This is going to give us a million units of supply just for Ford.”

explorerx4

The extra cost paint colors are usually of a higher quality than the no cost choices.

benjaminh

A nice feature of Subarus is that they have standard steering responsive headlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6mN73iE6ME

laurasdada

jmonroe1 said:

@roadburner said:

I've been monitoring a G42 2 Series Forum and the chip shortage is affecting HUD availability as well as SXM tuners. The cars are delivered as "SXM ready" which means the customer will have to add the tuner later at extra cost. Too bad the chip debacle doesn't affect sunroof availability instead...

What’s the problem? Are you afraid the the roof will leak and the music will get out?

jmonroe

Just install a Realistic cassette player under dash, as I did in my '71 Saab 99. Of course that was in '76, but I'm sure, like me, you still have hundreds of cassettes.

stickguy

Reminds me a going high tech audio in HS and putting an FM converter in my Duster to upgrade the AM radio.

roadburner

@jmonroe1 said:

@roadburner said:
I've been monitoring a G42 2 Series Forum and the chip shortage is affecting HUD availability as well as SXM tuners. The cars are delivered as "SXM ready" which means the customer will have to add the tuner later at extra cost. Too bad the chip debacle doesn't affect sunroof availability instead...

What’s the problem? Are you afraid the the roof will leak and the music will get out?

jmonroe

I never use them. My wife and I never open them on the three cars we own that have them. I also don’t want extra weight added to the highest point on the car.

kyfdx

My new ‘77 got a Pioneer Supertuner with 8-track, and a graphic equalizer/amp mounted under the glovebox. Plus 4 new speakers.

Came stock with an AM/FM mono radio with a single speaker. 🙂

benjaminh

More on Ford's huge investment in battery factories in KY and TN.

https://www.autonews.com/video/first-shift-ford-plans-transformative-ev-campuses-ky-tenn

https://www.wardsauto.com/industry-news/record-ford-investment-will-build-pickup-battery-plants

"....Vertical integration is a key element of Blue Oval City. The microchip shortage has taught Ford the importance of having domestic sources for key materials, Drake says, adding local suppliers are also critical to holding down the cost of battery packs. “We can’t have materials coming from thousands of miles away,” she says. Ford expects BEVs to account for about 40% of the company’s production by 2030....

Ford’s $7 billion portion of the $11.4 billion investment is the largest manufacturing investment in the company’s 118-year history. SK Innovation is putting up the other $4.4 billion.

Part of Ford’s $30 billion-plus investment in electric vehicles through 2025, the investment supports the company’s longer-term goal to create a sustainable American manufacturing ecosystem, and to accelerate its progress toward achieving carbon neutrality, backed by science-based targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

The sites selected are close to other Ford operations such as the Kentucky Truck plant near Louisville, says Bob Holycross, Ford vice president-sustainable engineering. He adds the site selections will help Ford minimize operating costs critical to building an affordable BEV...

“This is our moment – our biggest investment ever – to help build a better future for America,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley says in a statement ahead of the official ceremony with local officials in Kentucky and Tennessee. “We are moving now to deliver breakthrough electric vehicles for the many, rather than the few,” he says. “It’s about creating good jobs that support American families, an ultra-efficient, carbon-neutral manufacturing system and a growing business that delivers value for communities, dealers and shareholders.”