Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

Michaell

Thanks for al the well wishes and positive thoughts. Attended a couple of division level all hands this morning, but didn't learn much that was new.

Guess I'll just have to wait out the planning process and see if there is a seat for me when the music stops.

roadburner

I have an an odd issue with the Clubman. The last two times my wife drove the car it began to run rough and threw a CEL. When restarted it ran fine with no CEL. So, I break out my Foxwell Scanner No codes were set in the OBD II system either time, but when I ran a scan of the BMW/Mini diagnostics it showed a cylinder 3 misfire in both cases. Just for giggles I swapped the cylinder 2 and 3 coils, but I've been driving the car to work as usual and no similar issues have surfaced. I'm not trying anything else until and unless the problem returns.

stickguy

Maybe a slightly loose connection you fixed with the switch?

sda

It pays to have the proper tools!

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Leasing, something we've never done before and probably a good way to get into a potentially unreliable make & model. If things work out, then one can always buy it out when the lease period is over if the figures make sense. And a great way to just walkaway if there have been a few to many issues. Might just be the way to go on certain models but time will tell. Many dealerships down here don't have a large inventory to choose from right now as most of the incoming are already spoken for. A few vehicles could be a gamble on reliability so do like that idea.
As much as I like the Corolla Cross, am afraid it might not live up to my expectations and it's "fun to drive factor". I know most Corolla's I drive at work are a bit on the boring side, as I do like something with brisk acceleration if needed. Guess I just need to come up with a spread sheet if you will, and rate the contenders to see where they land. Variables like good mpg's and brisk acceleration are as important as that fun factor but must be optioned the way I prefer. We were laughing the other day as we passed the Delray Beach Toyota store that I'm still waiting for word on the C C I asked about with the options I'd want. I knew it could be hard to find, a "unicorn" according to the sales guy I was dealing with but I let him know I'm really in o hurry & could wait till a 2023 or even a 2024 model equipped the way I want comes in. We're still waiting!
Come next summer, it'll be time for the next oil change/rotation, been doing it once a year, the oil change/filter, as just not driving the miles I used to. A light did come on last week, the "EPC" light, but within a day, it was gone. So luckily, she's behaving and now that the new battery has been installed, don't for see any more issues cropping up...if my luck holds out!

Sandy, my BIL lives near Orlando and he’s looking to replace his 2015 Nissan Altima (70,000 miles) with something like a Toyota Camry. The only thing he’s particular about is having a 6 cyl. engine.

How’s the supply of Camrys down your way and do they still have that notorious Southeast Toyota cabal loading cars up with useless options? I also wonder about reports of $1000 doc fees in Florida.

He hasn’t purchased a new car in Florida yet and he may get a shock if he gets hit with $1000 fees after previously only buying in NY where they have a $75 limit.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Just stacking up the imports over here. Bought one last night for my son, who will be getting his license in Feb.

It is a 1996 with 28k miles and the best condition report of anything I have bought from Japan to date. And, yes, LHD.

At first I thought you meant right hand drive and I couldn’t understand why you’d put a new driver in one but if that car is just like any other car, why not?

qbrozen

Well, exactly. And everything so far from there has been far far cleaner than anything I can get here. I’ve been looking at what $4k or less buys you around here, and it ain’t pretty! I think that Buick I posted a few days ago was the cream of the crop.

Michaell

For the record, if I were to pick up a JDM RHD, I'd want it to be an automatic. No way could I retrain myself to shift with my left hand.

fintail

Ah an Astra. Some may recall the short-tenure Saturn Astra we got for a brief moment.

qbrozen said:

Just stacking up the imports over here. Bought one last night for my son, who will be getting his license in Feb.

roadburner

stickguy said:

Maybe a slightly loose connection you fixed with the switch?

That's what I'm thinking...

Michaell

fintail said:

Ah an Astra. Some may recall the short-tenure Saturn Astra we got for a brief moment.

qbrozen said:

Just stacking up the imports over here. Bought one last night for my son, who will be getting his license in Feb.

Ah, yes. Saturn's death throes. If there had been an Astra Red Line, I might have been more interested.

stickguy

I liked the style of that Astra from Saturn. Though I have seen reports that they were a bear to work on.

Is the QB Astra the same model or a much older version?

nyccarguy

Checked out the lot of the Toyota dealer when we picked up the Highlander yesterday. Looks like some of the same used cars were still there from the last time I brought it in for service. A lot more new cars in the “delivery parking” area too. Noticed they had 2 new 4Runners. One Electric Lime Rush Sport and one SR5 in dark grey with TRD Wheels. The lime rush looks better on the 4Runner than the Tacoma. There is so much wrong with the 47K sticker SR5, but it is sooooooo cool!

Michaell

stickguy said:

I liked the style of that Astra from Saturn. Though I have seen reports that they were a bear to work on.

Is the QB Astra the same model or a much older version?

Much older. Remember, gotta be 25 years old to import.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

Checked out the lot of the Toyota dealer when we picked up the Highlander yesterday. Looks like some of the same used cars were still there from the last time I brought it in for service. A lot more new cars in the “delivery parking” area too. Noticed they had 2 new 4Runners. One Electric Lime Rush Sport and one SR5 in dark grey with TRD Wheels. The lime rush looks better on the 4Runner than the Tacoma. There is so much wrong with the 47K sticker SR5, but it is sooooooo cool!

I like the 4Runner and its old school, real SUV with low range vibe. But yeah, I’m not paying $47k for an SR5.

tommister2

@nyccarguy said:
Checked out the lot of the Toyota dealer when we picked up the Highlander yesterday. Looks like some of the same used cars were still there from the last time I brought it in for service. A lot more new cars in the “delivery parking” area too. Noticed they had 2 new 4Runners. One Electric Lime Rush Sport and one SR5 in dark grey with TRD Wheels. The lime rush looks better on the 4Runner than the Tacoma. There is so much wrong with the 47K sticker SR5, but it is sooooooo cool!

The lime colors on the Tacoma and 4runner are similar but different. The Tacoma is slightly darker (it is called electric lime metallic). I love my lime rush 4runner, it’s fun to look at. I also know it is not for everyone.

nyccarguy

tommister2 said:

@nyccarguy said:

Checked out the lot of the Toyota dealer when we picked up the Highlander yesterday. Looks like some of the same used cars were still there from the last time I brought it in for service. A lot more new cars in the “delivery parking” area too. Noticed they had 2 new 4Runners. One Electric Lime Rush Sport and one SR5 in dark grey with TRD Wheels. The lime rush looks better on the 4Runner than the Tacoma. There is so much wrong with the 47K sticker SR5, but it is sooooooo cool!

The lime colors on the Tacoma and 4runner are similar but different. The Tacoma is slightly darker (it is called electric lime metallic). I love my lime rush 4runner, it’s fun to look at. I also know it is not for everyone.

The Lime Rush 4 Runner I saw would be awesome if it had the TRD accessory wheels that were on the Grey SR5.

qbrozen

We never got this Astra in any form. I’m not even sure of the size. From what I have found, it appears to be the same width and height as a Civic of the same year, but over a foot shorter. Does have an ecotec 2.0. Supposedly the engines were made in Brazil (?) and shipped to Germany to be installed in the cars. It is 1 of 2 versions, either SOHC with 115 hp or the DOHC with 135 hp. I can’t figure out which until it arrives or if the port sends engine pics. Weighs in at about 2600 lb, so a few hundred heavier than that larger Civic. Hopefully meaning a more substantial-feeling car. It is German, after all.

I have explained to my son, due to its extreme rarity here, he can claim to have a German Exotic.

stickguy

Good luck getting parts for that

ab348

A friend picked up one of those Saturn Astras, the 2-door. I thought it looked good. He didn’t have much of an issue with it but moved on after 3 or 4 years.

qbrozen

i really liked the Astra hatch/wagon. Came close a few times nabbing one.

sda

I think one reason they didn't sell well and this is going from my increasingly feeble memory, was the Astra was expensive when compared to its competition. And perhaps, to Saturn purists, it didn't have the dent resistant body panels. It certainly had a much better fit and finish without those panels.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

A friend picked up one of those Saturn Astras, the 2-door. I thought it looked good. He didn’t have much of an issue with it but moved on after 3 or 4 years.

I saw an old Saturn SC for sale on the roadside yesterday. I always liked the quirky style on them. I think it might be a fun little get around car with a manual. Looked like this.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

Checked out the lot of the Toyota dealer when we picked up the Highlander yesterday. Looks like some of the same used cars were still there from the last time I brought it in for service. A lot more new cars in the “delivery parking” area too. Noticed they had 2 new 4Runners. One Electric Lime Rush Sport and one SR5 in dark grey with TRD Wheels. The lime rush looks better on the 4Runner than the Tacoma. There is so much wrong with the 47K sticker SR5, but it is sooooooo cool!

This guy says the bottom is dropping out and dealers may be stuck with those used cars they overpaid on.

https://youtu.be/wDck50nriEA

fintail

Speaking of Saturns, I've always thought these were sharp:



There's an Astra like qbrozen's car in this show - fascinating look at 90s UK sales rep car culture:

https://youtu.be/CQsMFQZa8os

explorerx4

I thought the original Saturn's looked like should have been Oldsmobiles.

corvette

The lines of the first gen SL resembled the Cutlass Supreme. The SL2 with painted bumpers and door handles especially looked like a smaller one.

sda

corvette said:

The lines of the first gen SL resembled the Cutlass Supreme. The SL2 with painted bumpers and door handles especially looked like a smaller one.

Yep, and with Olds struggling to attact younger buyers...

In the mid 90s Olds tried to adopt Saturn's no negotiating one price strategy and overall look of the Saturn dealership. That strategy was in place when dad bought his 95 Cutlass Cierra, and the dealer had just built a new showroom that had the same vibe as Saturn. That building later became a Toyota dealership and now, though slightly updated, is the VW dealership where I frequent.

ab348

Saturn as an additional division of GM never made any sense, but I wonder if much internal discussion ever happened within GM prior to the Saturn launch about merging Olds and Saturn under the Saturn brand, since GM cited research that the name"Oldsmobile" was a detriment to the new generation of buyers. There was some tenuous connection there aside from the styling similarities, as a few decades earlier Olds used the whole rocket and planet imagery on their Futuramic-era vehicles.

corvette

I think Saturn was intended to target import intenders in the early 1990s, whilst Oldsmobile was going through an identity crisis. Eventually it appears that Oldsmobile also targeted import intenders with cars like the Intrigue and Alero.

roadburner

I recall one proposal was to merge Olds and Saturn as the import fighting division. Chevrolet would be bread and butter trucks and sedans, Pontiac would be the performance division, Buick would aim squarely at the AARP market and Cadillac would joust with the Europeans.

andres3

If Saturn, Oldsmobile, and Pontiacs heads weren't handed over severed, the Democracy would have revolted for the theft...bailouts.

The 3 sacrifices kept people from taking arms for more blood.

qbrozen

Always funny to me, though, is how Toyota looked at Saturn and thought "hey, that's a great idea!"

greg1288

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Checked out the lot of the Toyota dealer when we picked up the Highlander yesterday. Looks like some of the same used cars were still there from the last time I brought it in for service. A lot more new cars in the “delivery parking” area too. Noticed they had 2 new 4Runners. One Electric Lime Rush Sport and one SR5 in dark grey with TRD Wheels. The lime rush looks better on the 4Runner than the Tacoma. There is so much wrong with the 47K sticker SR5, but it is sooooooo cool!

This guy says the bottom is dropping out and dealers may be stuck with those used cars they overpaid on.

https://youtu.be/wDck50nriEA

Apparently nobody informed Carvana. They have a 4 year old Camry with a V-6 with over 100K miles for $26,590. I bought a 1 year old fully loaded Buick Lacrosse from Carvana with 14K miles 3 years ago for $24,000. I was looking for V-6 Camrys at the time but they were $1000-$2000 more than the Buick. So that means 3 years ago you could have bought a 1 year old V-6 Camry with under 20K miles for less than you can buy the same car today with 5 times the mileage. Yikes!

au1994

roadburner said:

I recall one proposal was to merge Olds and Saturn as the import fighting division. Chevrolet would be bread and butter trucks and sedans, Pontiac would be the performance division, Buick would aim squarely at the AARP market and Cadillac would joust with the Europeans.

Olds was foundering, just didn’t have an identity anymore. Saturn had a great start but couldn’t sustain it and GM leadership at the time couldn’t manage itself out of a wet paper bag so they were incapable of doing anything.

I wish Pontiac would have survived. Of course they probably would have been relegated to CUV’s like everyone else by now.

Caddy continues to joust with the Euros with limited success despite some nice offerings.

My Dad loves his Buicks so there’s that…

Nothing Chevy offers blows my skirt up.

corvette

au1994 said:

I wish Pontiac would have survived. Of course they probably would have been relegated to CUV’s like everyone else by now.

Imagine a Pontiac Torrent Redline with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, firmer but less refined suspension damping, and really ugly wheels to compete with the RAV4 Prime.

nyccarguy

@corvette said:
Imagine a Pontiac Torrent Redline with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, firmer but less refined suspension damping, and really ugly wheels to compete with the RAV4 Prime.

Or a Trans Am with an LS V8 and a six speed manual that uses electric turbochargers and a small hybrid battery;)

Sandman6472

Check engine icon came on this morning on the way to work! Dropping it off Sunday evening for them to check it out Monday morning. Could be nothing, could be something, I just don't know. Will find out sometime Monday what's up & hopefully a quick & inexpensive fix. Might have them just replace the front hood strut wile they have it & be done with it.
At first, we thought it was the gas cap filler not being replaced properly but I got petrol over a week ago, so that really didn't make any sense. Annoying little crap like this is so unnecessary but luckily, I'll have some help to get it/pick it up when completed. Haven't used Lyft for over a year and not even sure if folks are still doing that ride service anymore?

mjfloyd1

Did you check the gas cap?

Sandman6472

First thing I checked! Not the issue as it probably would've gone on sometime during the last week.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Leasing, something we've never done before and probably a good way to get into a potentially unreliable make & model. If things work out, then one can always buy it out when the lease period is over if the figures make sense. And a great way to just walkaway if there have been a few to many issues. Might just be the way to go on certain models but time will tell. Many dealerships down here don't have a large inventory to choose from right now as most of the incoming are already spoken for. A few vehicles could be a gamble on reliability so do like that idea.
As much as I like the Corolla Cross, am afraid it might not live up to my expectations and it's "fun to drive factor". I know most Corolla's I drive at work are a bit on the boring side, as I do like something with brisk acceleration if needed. Guess I just need to come up with a spread sheet if you will, and rate the contenders to see where they land. Variables like good mpg's and brisk acceleration are as important as that fun factor but must be optioned the way I prefer. We were laughing the other day as we passed the Delray Beach Toyota store that I'm still waiting for word on the C C I asked about with the options I'd want. I knew it could be hard to find, a "unicorn" according to the sales guy I was dealing with but I let him know I'm really in o hurry & could wait till a 2023 or even a 2024 model equipped the way I want comes in. We're still waiting!
Come next summer, it'll be time for the next oil change/rotation, been doing it once a year, the oil change/filter, as just not driving the miles I used to. A light did come on last week, the "EPC" light, but within a day, it was gone. So luckily, she's behaving and now that the new battery has been installed, don't for see any more issues cropping up...if my luck holds out!

Sandy, my BIL lives near Orlando and he’s looking to replace his 2015 Nissan Altima (70,000 miles) with something like a Toyota Camry. The only thing he’s particular about is having a 6 cyl. engine.

How’s the supply of Camrys down your way and do they still have that notorious Southeast Toyota cabal loading cars up with useless options? I also wonder about reports of $1000 doc fees in Florida.

He hasn’t purchased a new car in Florida yet and he may get a shock if he gets hit with $1000 fees after previously only buying in NY where they have a $75 limit.

————————————————
He can always buy in NY and drive it back or have someone do it for him.

When my Delray Beach brother was still alive he bought in the Burgh twice. One time he got a hellava deal on a convertible in December. He refused to play the Southeast Florida dealers sales games.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

jmonroe

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

A friend picked up one of those Saturn Astras, the 2-door. I thought it looked good. He didn’t have much of an issue with it but moved on after 3 or 4 years.

I saw an old Saturn SC for sale on the roadside yesterday. I always liked the quirky style on them. I think it might be a fun little get around car with a manual. Looked like this.

Looks like the first car I bought my son, only his was red. Taught him how to drive a manual trans in it. They don’t rust since the body panels are plastic. And, for a GM car, it was durable. I think it had over 200K miles on it when I sold it (to another first time licensee). I don’t recall having to do much to it, either. I bought it at 120K miles. I think tuneups, brakes, tires, oil changes…that was about it.

But, it was pretty basic by today’s standards. Crank windows, no cruise, it did have A/C. Drive trains was corse. Panel gaps could be measured in inches. Driver’s seat had a rip in it towards the end of his stewardship.

Overall, great first car.

graphicguy

corvette said:

I think Saturn was intended to target import intenders in the early 1990s, whilst Oldsmobile was going through an identity crisis. Eventually it appears that Oldsmobile also targeted import intenders with cars like the Intrigue and Alero.

I was sad to see Oldsmobile go. I thought it should have been Buick who got the ax. I liked the Aurora and thought their SUVs were the best of a pretty underwhelming lot (vs Aztec, Blazer, GMC versions).

andres3

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:

A friend picked up one of those Saturn Astras, the 2-door. I thought it looked good. He didn’t have much of an issue with it but moved on after 3 or 4 years.

I saw an old Saturn SC for sale on the roadside yesterday. I always liked the quirky style on them. I think it might be a fun little get around car with a manual. Looked like this.

Looks like the first car I bought my son, only his was red. Taught him how to drive a manual trans in it. They don’t rust since the body panels are plastic. And, for a GM car, it was durable. I think it had over 200K miles on it when I sold it (to another first time licensee). I don’t recall having to do much to it, either. I bought it at 120K miles. I think tuneups, brakes, tires, oil changes…that was about it.

But, it was pretty basic by today’s standards. Crank windows, no cruise, it did have A/C. Drive trains was corse. Panel gaps could be measured in inches. Driver’s seat had a rip in it towards the end of his stewardship.

Overall, great first car.

I still can't believe that Honda didn't sell 1,000,000 Civics a year in the 90's and early 2000's vs the other compact competition. Not even in the same ball park. Not even the same game.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

corvette said:

@Michaell - yikes! Hope you fall into the "kept" category!

Hope for the best and plan for the worst - I've dusted off my resume and have started to make a few discreet inquiries, both internally and externally.

@Michaell ….they have to expect EVERYONE is dusting off their resumes given the announcement. I wouldn’t even put out feelers discreetly. Glad I’m out of the job market. It’s crazy.

My old company keeps bringing me back on a contract basis. They could hire someone to do what I do, but refuse to take on head count. Instead, they insist on paying me more than what they could hire someone for. Crazy!

Best of luck. I’m sure everything will work out.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Leasing, something we've never done before and probably a good way to get into a potentially unreliable make & model. If things work out, then one can always buy it out when the lease period is over if the figures make sense. And a great way to just walkaway if there have been a few to many issues. Might just be the way to go on certain models but time will tell. Many dealerships down here don't have a large inventory to choose from right now as most of the incoming are already spoken for. A few vehicles could be a gamble on reliability so do like that idea.
As much as I like the Corolla Cross, am afraid it might not live up to my expectations and it's "fun to drive factor". I know most Corolla's I drive at work are a bit on the boring side, as I do like something with brisk acceleration if needed. Guess I just need to come up with a spread sheet if you will, and rate the contenders to see where they land. Variables like good mpg's and brisk acceleration are as important as that fun factor but must be optioned the way I prefer. We were laughing the other day as we passed the Delray Beach Toyota store that I'm still waiting for word on the C C I asked about with the options I'd want. I knew it could be hard to find, a "unicorn" according to the sales guy I was dealing with but I let him know I'm really in o hurry & could wait till a 2023 or even a 2024 model equipped the way I want comes in. We're still waiting!
Come next summer, it'll be time for the next oil change/rotation, been doing it once a year, the oil change/filter, as just not driving the miles I used to. A light did come on last week, the "EPC" light, but within a day, it was gone. So luckily, she's behaving and now that the new battery has been installed, don't for see any more issues cropping up...if my luck holds out!

Sandy, my BIL lives near Orlando and he’s looking to replace his 2015 Nissan Altima (70,000 miles) with something like a Toyota Camry. The only thing he’s particular about is having a 6 cyl. engine.

How’s the supply of Camrys down your way and do they still have that notorious Southeast Toyota cabal loading cars up with useless options? I also wonder about reports of $1000 doc fees in Florida.

He hasn’t purchased a new car in Florida yet and he may get a shock if he gets hit with $1000 fees after previously only buying in NY where they have a $75 limit.

————————————————
He can always buy in NY and drive it back or have someone do it for him.

When my Delray Beach brother was still alive he bought in the Burgh twice. One time he got a hellava deal on a convertible in December. He refused to play the Southeast Florida dealers sales games.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

jmonroe

I thought the same thing but I wanted to hear how bad it was before I mentioned it to him.

henryn

Sandman6472 said:

Check engine icon came on this morning on the way to work! Dropping it off Sunday evening for them to check it out Monday morning. Could be nothing, could be something, I just don't know. Will find out sometime Monday what's up & hopefully a quick & inexpensive fix. Might have them just replace the front hood strut wile they have it & be done with it.
At first, we thought it was the gas cap filler not being replaced properly but I got petrol over a week ago, so that really didn't make any sense. Annoying little crap like this is so unnecessary but luckily, I'll have some help to get it/pick it up when completed. Haven't used Lyft for over a year and not even sure if folks are still doing that ride service anymore?

Around here, Uber and Lyft are still going strong, and I believe that's true in most parts of the country.

I'm glad to see gas caps going the way of the dodo bird. I'm not sure why all manufacturers haven't gone to capless gas fillers.

Sandy, in case you didn't know it, most of the major auto parts stores will perform an OBD2 scan for free and tell you what the CEL means.

fintail

Yesterday evening my friend who bought the CT6 hybrid stopped by, returning from a road trip to Montana. Nice car, he's very pleased with it. I think he said something like 35 mpg on the leg from wherever MT to Spokane. I noticed it had a carbon fiber interior trim package, which seemed unusual.

We were discussing how rare each of our cars are - he has the white on brown CT6 hybrid, a green on green loaded MKZ, and I have the white on brown luxury trim E wagon (not to mention the fintail) - none of these are things you'll see every day.

tifighter

Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend…

sda

tifighter said:

Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend…

Grrr