Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

dad23

sda said:

The adaptive cruise in the Passat is pretty nice, especially while traveling. However in congested traffic, even though it brakes and accelerates as needed it does make me nervous and I find my foot ready to tap the brakes. A couple of times it got a bit confused when it detected a vehicle changing lanes and slammed on brakes without warning only to accelerate back up to speed.

The Tacoma is pretty similar, I too find myself "monitoring" what it does. I use it a lot just to keep from using my lead foot. My other complaint is when the road curves and someone in front of you gets into the left turn lane to turn, it'll brake even though the car is really no longer in your way. First world problems...

breld

I'm in the camp of loving adaptive cruise, to the point that it's just about a must-have option for my vehicles, at least the primary drivers. I don't use it on a daily basis, but we have a toll road that I use fairly often and I usually flick it on for that, and for road trips I feel it makes for a much improved experience.

Not all system are created equal of course. Others probably do it too, but my Volvos/Polestar will start accelerating as soon as you flip the turn signal to pass, making for smooth passing.

tifighter

Back from a week in Sedona. Rental car was a A5 Sportbak in rental special white over black. It had the S-line stuff, and most importantly, the optional sport seats. The old 2.0T gets the job done but never lets you forget it's a 4-popper. Even in the 'dynamic' setting, it feels lethargic off the line. Flip side was the FE was pretty good, even when cruising, ahem, in the 85-90 range across AZ. Tech is feeling old. But the highlight was the seats themselves, which Tesla needs to copy immediately. In concept, the BMW sport seats are similar, but these just seemed to fit me and my wife better. Made for a respectable trip car in the end.

Also, booked a 'X3 or equivalent' with Enterprise, and they tried to give me a X2 at pickup. I know it's only one digit off to most, but these aren't equivalents to me. One's a tall 3er, and one is a Mini. Anyhow, the A5 worked fine.

Michaell

tifighter said:

Back from a week in Sedona. Rental car was a A5 Sportbak in rental special white over black. It had the S-line stuff, and most importantly, the optional sport seats. The old 2.0T gets the job done but never lets you forget it's a 4-popper. Even in the 'dynamic' setting, it feels lethargic off the line. Flip side was the FE was pretty good, even when cruising, ahem, in the 85-90 range across AZ. Tech is feeling old. But the highlight was the seats themselves, which Tesla needs to copy immediately. In concept, the BMW sport seats are similar, but these just seemed to fit me and my wife better. Made for a respectable trip car in the end.

Also, booked a 'X3 or equivalent' with Enterprise, and they tried to give me a X2 at pickup. I know it's only one digit off to most, but these aren't equivalents to me. One's a tall 3er, and one is a Mini. Anyhow, the A5 worked fine.

Thanks for the mini review of the A5 SB - I've been eyeing those, in addition to the BMW 6-series, lately.

Lots of good roads in and around Sedona to test the suspension.

Sandman6472

I kinda like the X2 to be honest. It's the perfect size for my needs and really is a Mini Cooper Countryman underneath. Both are pretty pricey to be honest but with the right price at the right time, I'd get either and call it a day. Not "cheap to keep" which is the direction I'm wanting to go to but both a hoot to drive. So, for the time being, I do nothing and wait. But, if I find the right vehicle at the right price, I'd definitely pull the trigger like I did with the Golf eight years ago. I'll know it when I see it & won't be afraid to jump. But, that time hasn't come yet so setting my sites on a 2024 model.
Luckily at work, we've been getting in a lot of new vehicles so am getting to drive a lot of different makes & models. Doubt I'd do a CPO unit but haven't ruled out getting a low mileage ex-rental from Enterprise though I prefer new to a CPO unit. Will just have to wait & see. Just under 73K on the Golf right now, tires are in great shape, oil change not needed until April at this point, so no sense looking for another vehicle. Not against keeping a vehicle for 9 or 10 years as have done this previously. Hoping supply chains & inventory will be in better shape in 2024 as well as lower interest rates for used vehicle/new vehicles as will finance again for the first time since 1981. Won't be a cash deal next time around as I don't want to mess with the portfolio right now. And not sure I'd go the beater route like some do but it is tempting. With my luck, I'd pick up a real money pit and never hear the end of it. When I do mention looking for something different, the "Tucson situation" comes up, something I care to forget!!!

henryn

Car prices, both new and used, went to heights I never expected to see. And the high prices have persevered longer than I had ever expected. As a result, I have no idea when or even if things will return to "normal". We may just have to get used to a "new normal". I know Ford, for one, wants to move to a model where most customers order their new car instead of purchasing from dealer inventory. I am not in favor of that, but I could learn to live with it.

As for interest rates, that is a different game altogether. Some economists (Paul Krugman for one) believe that we will return to low interest rates in the foreseeable future. The good news is, my 401k has recouped a good deal of it's earlier losses. Knock on wood that trend continues.

jmonroe1

@roadburner said:
I set my cruise at 10 over and have yet to be stopped.

————————————————-
But if you were, it wouldn’t be wise for him to try and pull rank on you.

jmonroe

au1994

henryn said:

Car prices, both new and used, went to heights I never expected to see. And the high prices have persevered longer than I had ever expected. As a result, I have no idea when or even if things will return to "normal". We may just have to get used to a "new normal". I know Ford, for one, wants to move to a model where most customers order their new car instead of purchasing from dealer inventory. I am not in favor of that, but I could learn to live with it.

As for interest rates, that is a different game altogether. Some economists (Paul Krugman for one) believe that we will return to low interest rates in the foreseeable future. The good news is, my 401k has recouped a good deal of it's earlier losses. Knock on wood that trend continues.

There are some indications that inflation is peaking. A few indicators are holding flat or down slightly. Some are still up though and we know the car market is softening.

here’s to hope!

Michaell

One data point - the number of posts we're seeing on these forums is increasing, slightly. Meaning more people are asking questions about lease programs and purchase information.

Carvana gave me a quote of $19,500 for the Outback late last week.

28firefighter

I just caved and ordered some All Season tires for the N. I thought maybe we'd have a more typical Seattle winter with temps at or above 40s most of the time - but it just is not shaking out that way.

sda

Where did you order the tires and which did you select?

28firefighter

I ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s from Discount Tire - they should be in by EOW. I put those on the Tesla and they performed incredibly well across the mountain passes and in the snow we've had in the lowlands after the last week, so I'm more than happy to order the same ones!

fintail

tifighter said:

Back from a week in Sedona. Rental car was a A5 Sportbak in rental special white over black. It had the S-line stuff, and most importantly, the optional sport seats. The old 2.0T gets the job done but never lets you forget it's a 4-popper. Even in the 'dynamic' setting, it feels lethargic off the line. Flip side was the FE was pretty good, even when cruising, ahem, in the 85-90 range across AZ. Tech is feeling old. But the highlight was the seats themselves, which Tesla needs to copy immediately. In concept, the BMW sport seats are similar, but these just seemed to fit me and my wife better. Made for a respectable trip car in the end.

Also, booked a 'X3 or equivalent' with Enterprise, and they tried to give me a X2 at pickup. I know it's only one digit off to most, but these aren't equivalents to me. One's a tall 3er, and one is a Mini. Anyhow, the A5 worked fine.

Was that a National? I've read they have a number of A4/A5 and Audi CUVs in their fleet.

corvette

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

I ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s from Discount Tire - they should be in by EOW. I put those on the Tesla and they performed incredibly well across the mountain passes and in the snow we've had in the lowlands after the last week, so I'm more than happy to order the same ones!

The place where my Mom locally services her 2022 Lexus RX 350 AWD said that her tires were ok, but most likely won't make it through the winter. With 20K miles on the OEM tires, I ordered her a set of Michelin Cross Climate 2s from tire rack.

stickguy

Ford picked a bad time to move to that model.

stickguy

That’s terrible mileage out of tires on a mainstream CUV.

Michaell

stickguy said:

That’s terrible mileage out of tires on a mainstream CUV.

I only got 23,000 miles from the OEM tires on the Outback, and 26,500 on the tires on the MINI.

stickguy

My Acura is at 17 something. Last oil change at 16+, they were still marked as green. Maybe 8/32? Deep enough to easily project to 40k, and probably age out before balding out! They are Continentals

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

That’s terrible mileage out of tires on a mainstream CUV.

I only got 23,000 miles from the OEM tires on the Outback, and 26,500 on the tires on the MINI.

How long did it take you to reach those 23,000 miles? I think my Mom has had the RX for just about 1 year.

qbrozen

apparently, getting someone to work on your vehicle is about as easy as getting someone to work on your house. We've been striking out everywhere at getting someone to take on the Sprinter project. Either not calling us back or too busy with other stuff to entertain it. I spoke with one who asked me to send everything through email. I did that a couple of weeks ago and not heard from him since. My wife spoke with one who said they only take on full camper builds and are months out even on that. So she finally admitted "I guess you'll have to do it yourself." So I've ordered sidesteps, brush guard, power inverter, and 2 flipdown monitors. I did tell her, though, I'm not comfortable replacing the windows, so we really need to find someone who will do at least that, if we can.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen - not trying to give you a hard time, but what's going on with the Gloria?

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

That’s terrible mileage out of tires on a mainstream CUV.

I only got 23,000 miles from the OEM tires on the Outback, and 26,500 on the tires on the MINI.

How long did it take you to reach those 23,000 miles? I think my Mom has had the RX for just about 1 year.

Roughly 33 months for the Outback, and 31 months for the MINI

pensfan83

The Tacoma tires will be replaced soon, only 15K miles. I'll put something else on other than the OEM Goodyears given that this is 2 trucks where I've failed to get 20K out of them. I can't explain it either.

The Acura's tires will be fine for the duration of the lease and beyond. If it's around, I'll probably go with the same Michelin's @28firefighter did for his fleet.

stickguy

Just realized that the Acura is a week away from 33 months. And on NYE the Maverick turns 1. With no sign of a replacement on the horizon.

kyfdx

We got 33K out of our Tacoma tires. I would have taken my chances on the turn-in, but once we decided to extend the lease, we bought a new set. We put on the same tire (Toyo)

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

I ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s from Discount Tire - they should be in by EOW. I put those on the Tesla and they performed incredibly well across the mountain passes and in the snow we've had in the lowlands after the last week, so I'm more than happy to order the same ones!

I put those on my car and the difference is much better than the OEM tires.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

tifighter said:

Back from a week in Sedona. Rental car was a A5 Sportbak in rental special white over black. It had the S-line stuff, and most importantly, the optional sport seats. The old 2.0T gets the job done but never lets you forget it's a 4-popper. Even in the 'dynamic' setting, it feels lethargic off the line. Flip side was the FE was pretty good, even when cruising, ahem, in the 85-90 range across AZ. Tech is feeling old. But the highlight was the seats themselves, which Tesla needs to copy immediately. In concept, the BMW sport seats are similar, but these just seemed to fit me and my wife better. Made for a respectable trip car in the end.

Also, booked a 'X3 or equivalent' with Enterprise, and they tried to give me a X2 at pickup. I know it's only one digit off to most, but these aren't equivalents to me. One's a tall 3er, and one is a Mini. Anyhow, the A5 worked fine.

Was that a National? I've read they have a number of A4/A5 and Audi CUVs in their fleet.

Enterprise, National and Alamo are all the same company.

breld

Update on the E450…the service advisor called me yesterday to let me know they had ordered and installed a new door handle to address the keyless access issue on the driver’s door. When that didn’t address the issue, they dug deeper and found that some aftermarket GPS tracker device (I don’t know, I’ll have to ask more about it) was installed and spliced into the wiring, affecting the keyless access. After 2 hours of labor to diagnose that, it’ll be another 2 hours to fix it. I learned that inflation is definitely evidenced by an MB service department’s hourly rate.

Then they let me know the shimmy/vibration was still present after rebalancing the wheels (not a surprise, since I told them they had been recently rebalanced) and that upon further inspection two of the wheels appear to be bent. So those will be sent off to a wheel shop for straightening.

Happy to have the issues addressed, but certainly frustrated at the cost to complete them, when I had figured the solutions would be more warranty-related.

explorerx4

Car dealers put on tracking devices to make repo's easier.
RX 350 was mentioned earlier. One of my SILs has one. Both times I went to get in the front passenger seat, I whacked my head on the upper door sill.

au1994

breld said:

Update on the E450…the service advisor called me yesterday to let me know they had ordered and installed a new door handle to address the keyless access issue on the driver’s door. When that didn’t address the issue, they dug deeper and found that some aftermarket GPS tracker device (I don’t know, I’ll have to ask more about it) was installed and spliced into the wiring, affecting the keyless access. After 2 hours of labor to diagnose that, it’ll be another 2 hours to fix it. I learned that inflation is definitely evidenced by an MB service department’s hourly rate.

Then they let me know the shimmy/vibration was still present after rebalancing the wheels (not a surprise, since I told them they had been recently rebalanced) and that upon further inspection two of the wheels appear to be bent. So those will be sent off to a wheel shop for straightening.

Happy to have the issues addressed, but certainly frustrated at the cost to complete them, when I had figured the solutions would be more warranty-related.

Was this a CPO? If so I don’t know how bent rims passed the inspection.

breld

explorerx4 said:

Car dealers put on tracking devices to make repo's easier.
RX 350 was mentioned earlier. One of my SILs has one. Both times I went to get in the front passenger seat, I whacked my head on the upper door sill.

Well that’s interesting. I’ve followed up with the selling broker/dealer to see if that’s something they installed.

breld

On another note, Acura finally confirmed an Integra Type S, not that there was any suspense. Also not surprising is that it shares the same powertrain as the Civic Type R, so should offer most of the fun of the Honda in a more mature package.

I confirmed with my Acura salesperson that I am on the “reserve list.”

breld

au1994 said:

breld said:

Update on the E450…the service advisor called me yesterday to let me know they had ordered and installed a new door handle to address the keyless access issue on the driver’s door. When that didn’t address the issue, they dug deeper and found that some aftermarket GPS tracker device (I don’t know, I’ll have to ask more about it) was installed and spliced into the wiring, affecting the keyless access. After 2 hours of labor to diagnose that, it’ll be another 2 hours to fix it. I learned that inflation is definitely evidenced by an MB service department’s hourly rate.

Then they let me know the shimmy/vibration was still present after rebalancing the wheels (not a surprise, since I told them they had been recently rebalanced) and that upon further inspection two of the wheels appear to be bent. So those will be sent off to a wheel shop for straightening.

Happy to have the issues addressed, but certainly frustrated at the cost to complete them, when I had figured the solutions would be more warranty-related.

Was this a CPO? If so I don’t know how bent rims passed the inspection.

Not a CPO, so lesson learned on the importance of a PPI when buying used. Or at least a more thorough test drive, so that’s on me. I didn’t take it on the highway.

corvette

@qbrozen - that sounds extremely frustrating. I've had various issues with auto shops, but thankfully, have a really good glass company that I can count on.

@breld - that also stinks; I know how annoying it is to buy a vehicle and almost immediately have to spend money on unanticipated repairs.

qbrozen

@nyccarguy said:
@qbrozen - not trying to give you a hard time, but what's going on with the Gloria?

It is for sale. Interested? ;b

BaT write back and, as expected, asked if I’d go no reserve. I haven’t responded yet. I’m hesitant now since we are in December with a 30-yr-old RWD car.

laurasdada

All this talk of tire replacement; wouldn't it be easier just to buy a new car?

mjfloyd1

@laurasdada said:
All this talk of tire replacement; wouldn't it be easier just to buy a new car?

Likewise with wheel straightening- just trade it😂

au1994

mjfloyd1 said:

@laurasdada said:

All this talk of tire replacement; wouldn't it be easier just to buy a new car?

Likewise with wheel straightening- just trade it😂

Note its still not safely home and back in the garage. 😀

kyfdx

Was at the Mazda dealer, this afternoon. It's the same dealer where my daughter-in-law purchased, last December. At that time, they had 6 new units, in stock, across all models. Today, I counted 25 that I could see in the front parking lot.

Hopefully, that means that inventory is normalizing.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Car dealers put on tracking devices to make repo's easier.
RX 350 was mentioned earlier. One of my SILs has one. Both times I went to get in the front passenger seat, I whacked my head on the upper door sill.

I found a GPS tracker under the seat of my cargo van. I’m pretty sure that at one time it was owned by a utility company so that would make sense. I’m assuming it’s now inactive or else some supervisor is wondering why his crew has been goofing off in my driveway for the last 7 years.

ab348

stickguy said:

Ford picked a bad time to move to that model.

What model is that? I’m missing any context.

corvette

I’d assume all of those things are selling your location data to undesirables until proven otherwise.

ronsteve

laurasdada said:

All this talk of tire replacement; wouldn't it be easier just to buy a new car?

I've got 50 months and 63k on the tires on my RDX, I think 5/32 on the tread at last service? Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind!

But if I hold out another year or so, the 2020 model RX350 comes into my wheelhouse.

If I was to make a move now, the main contenders would be:

2021 Outback XT
2020 RDX
2018-19 RX 350

stickguy

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

Ford picked a bad time to move to that model.

What model is that? I’m missing any context.

trying to sell everything as a customer order, instead of just making stuff and sending it to the dealer. Works fine when you can walk in and get anything made within a week or 2. Not so much when they can't even make enough to fill the early orders.

corvette

@stickguy - have you read about the front fender insulator debacle on the Maverick forums? I'm inclined to add those (which appear to be standard on the Lariat and XLT/Lariat hybrids) given that they appear to cost about $80 for the pair, and possibly do some sort of generic Dynamat treatment on the rear wall of the cab.

The automatic park selection on the transmission also doesn't seem to work very well with the physical key. On mine, if you're in gear, you first turn the key to accessory mode, then the transmission shifts to park, and then a second later, it allows you to turn the key completely off and remove it. I suppose it has to be designed that way to prevent someone from removing the key while driving down the highway, but most cars with push button start and similar monostable shifters seem to handle it way better.

I finally got the check from the dealer to reimburse me for the sales tax I will have to pay when I register it (which I planned to do this Thursday, regardless). I'm still keeping the temp tag on until it expires because I won't get charged tolls so long as there's no permanent plate!

fintail

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

tifighter said:

Back from a week in Sedona. Rental car was a A5 Sportbak in rental special white over black. It had the S-line stuff, and most importantly, the optional sport seats. The old 2.0T gets the job done but never lets you forget it's a 4-popper. Even in the 'dynamic' setting, it feels lethargic off the line. Flip side was the FE was pretty good, even when cruising, ahem, in the 85-90 range across AZ. Tech is feeling old. But the highlight was the seats themselves, which Tesla needs to copy immediately. In concept, the BMW sport seats are similar, but these just seemed to fit me and my wife better. Made for a respectable trip car in the end.

Also, booked a 'X3 or equivalent' with Enterprise, and they tried to give me a X2 at pickup. I know it's only one digit off to most, but these aren't equivalents to me. One's a tall 3er, and one is a Mini. Anyhow, the A5 worked fine.

Was that a National? I've read they have a number of A4/A5 and Audi CUVs in their fleet.

Enterprise, National and Alamo are all the same company.

Yep. I assume National would get the best material, but maybe not.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

Ford picked a bad time to move to that model.

What model is that? I’m missing any context.

trying to sell everything as a customer order, instead of just making stuff and sending it to the dealer. Works fine when you can walk in and get anything made within a week or 2. Not so much when they can't even make enough to fill the early orders.

Of course they would like that model as you probably have to pay sticker. I don’t know about dealers though as they want the deal done TODAY. They don’t want to wait weeks or months.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

Ford picked a bad time to move to that model.

What model is that? I’m missing any context.

trying to sell everything as a customer order, instead of just making stuff and sending it to the dealer. Works fine when you can walk in and get anything made within a week or 2. Not so much when they can't even make enough to fill the early orders.

Of course they would like that model as you probably have to pay sticker. I don’t know about dealers though as they want the deal done TODAY. They don’t want to wait weeks or months.

Ford does not care what you pay. That is the dealer's problem. The only thing I can think of in it for them, is they can get away with fewer incentives? and don't have to hassle with the dealers as much.

too bad they did not figure out a good process to do it, before rolling the concept out.

jmonroe1

corvette said:

@stickguy - have you read about the front fender insulator debacle on the Maverick forums? I'm inclined to add those (which appear to be standard on the Lariat and XLT/Lariat hybrids) given that they appear to cost about $80 for the pair, and possibly do some sort of generic Dynamat treatment on the rear wall of the cab.

The automatic park selection on the transmission also doesn't seem to work very well with the physical key. On mine, if you're in gear, you first turn the key to accessory mode, then the transmission shifts to park, and then a second later, it allows you to turn the key completely off and remove it. I suppose it has to be designed that way to prevent someone from removing the key while driving down the highway, but most cars with push button start and similar monostable shifters seem to handle it way better.

I finally got the check from the dealer to reimburse me for the sales tax I will have to pay when I register it (which I planned to do this Thursday, regardless). I'm still keeping the temp tag on until it expires because I won't get charged tolls so long as there's no permanent plate!

———————————————
You’ve gotta find a way to keep that plate on your car. Cheating thieving states out of ridiculously priced tolls has to rank a close second to cheating on your 1040.

jmonroe