Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

sda

@qbrozen said:

@ab348 said:
That CT4 is a refresh of my ATS. Unfortunately the designers ruined the rear end design with the abomination you see above. Nobody I know in the Cadillac community likes that look.

I must not be in the Cadillac community. Not that I LIKE it, but I don’t find it offensive. I like the lights but dislike the trunk outline, for example, so the net net is just “indifferent.”

Can we tell from the pics if that is the 4-cyl V or the 6-cyl? I’m honestly not sure if both could be had with a manual. I think they could.

V6, I think turbo charged. Hope you're healing quickly.

qbrozen

Ah. Found the info that the 2.7 V was auto only. The 3.6 is all blackwing models and either manual or auto.

tifighter

Where do I put the key into this thing?

au1994

tifighter said:

Where do I put the key into this thing?

Just say no!

ab348

qbrozen said:

I must not be in the Cadillac community. Not that I LIKE it, but I don’t find it offensive. I like the lights but dislike the trunk outline, for example, so the net net is just “indifferent.”

Huh. I thought you were in the hospital for a hernia procedure, not eye surgery.

laurasdada

There's a Tesla store in Mohegan Sun casino, Cybertruck planted inside. I didn't go in as it's next to Ben and Jerry's, that' got my $$$!
I did walk by, crowd checking it out, looked like fingerprints on it everywhere. I'll play with it my next trip there.

stickguy

We got stopped at a light behind a cyber truck this week. My wife was horrified by it. Man is that awful from the back. Sides and front too of course.

qbrozen

@tifighter said:
Where do I put the key into this thing?

You drag the key right down the side, hard.

tjc78

I hate to profile …. But the guy who has one near my house down the shore doesn’t appear to be a “truck” kinda guy.

I’m fat and tall so I have an excuse for driving a big vehicle lol

tifighter

No plans to change the fleet. But Tesla reached out and offered me a chance to drive it, so it seemed rude not to. Quick notes:

-the four wheel steering, plus steer by wire make it feel smaller to drive than my X did.

-Sight lines are indeed weird, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

-Nice ride quality.

-Doors feel like they weigh 1000 pounds.

-This was a dual motor. Plenty quick enough with a 0-60 time in the fours.

-Don't like the stalkless turn signals.

-Backseat was roomy, but smaller than the other full size crew cabs. Which makes sense as it's closer to a midsize in dimensions.

-It basically feels like a Model Y inside.

I asked a service guy if they had any issues with them while I waited. He said the only thing they've seen so far is the wiper motor seems too weak for the ginormous blade it has and they've had to replace quite a few of them. Nothing else yet.

venture

My daughter sent this picture and asked, "OMG. What is that thing?"



It was at the end of the parking lot at her work getting charged.

jmonroe1

venture said:

My daughter sent this picture and asked, "OMG. What is that thing?"



It was at the end of the parking lot at her work getting charged.

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With no rounded edges on that thing it looks like Tesla took design cues from a stealth jet.

jmonroe

fintail

tifighter said:

Where do I put the key into this thing?

Don't get it wet!

I suppose it is a memorable experience, like driving an Edsel or Pacer at launch, but without the charm. Still haven't seen one on this side of the mountains, although I hear there's one or two in CdA (surprise surprise).

ab348

tifighter said:

I asked a service guy if they had any issues with them while I waited. He said the only thing they've seen so far is the wiper motor seems too weak for the ginormous blade it has and they've had to replace quite a few of them. Nothing else yet.

I have heard just the opposite, that build quality in certain areas is atrocious and that while it drives fine it is more of a party trick-mobile than anything. I seldom recommend Hoovie's Garage for viewing, but his video on it was somewhat entertaining.

mjfloyd1

Wasn’t the same RX 350h as she sent the Monroney for but it has more options for the same price and the wife likes it

jmonroe1

mjfloyd1 said:

Wasn’t the same RX 350h as she sent the Monroney for but it has more options for the same price and the wife likes it

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It doesn’t sound like your sales lady knows much about the car biz. She has to be a greenpea.

jmonroe

fintail

MB must have a lot of 24s still in stock - in the past week I have received 3 emails and 1 mailed flyer from the local dealer and dealer I patronized prior for "deals" - none of which are remarkable. The old pre-covid lease specials don't exist anymore either, although I notice MB of Wilsonville still has a few deals on retired service loaners and oddball leftovers. An example of the bargain offers:

roadburner

I believe that excludes the AMG models.

roadburner

mjfloyd1

Michaell

I like the wheels on that! But, they've gotta be an absolute pain to clean.

kyfdx

Sweet!

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

I’m guessing it was about 50% alcohol.🥳

corvette

@mjfloyd1 - Nice!

fintail

roadburner said:

I believe that excludes the AMG models.

No doubt. AMGs are probably counted as their own brand ("Mercedes-AMG"). I've read many places that the EQ cars have not met sales goals, so maybe a lot of bargaining room there.

I wonder if Nervine was by the same company that made Mr. Wilson's nerve medicine.

mjfloyd1

@Michaell said:
I like the wheels on that! But, they've gotta be an absolute pain to clean.

Agreed and they are 21 inch so they are gonna get curbed too

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I’m guessing it was about 50% alcohol.🥳

Sodium bromide, potassium bromide, ammonium bromide. Bromide is a seditive and anticonvulsant.
I would have guessed a high alcohol content like Hadacol tonic. Or the tonic that the Sisters liked on John Boy Walton's program.

ab348

I can only imagine Mrs Roadburner and Mrs Andres would have bought it by the case.

suydam

Michaell said:

I like the wheels on that! But, they've gotta be an absolute pain to clean.

Nice ride! Send us your driving impressions! How I wish controls for the new tech stuff would be standardized!

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I’m guessing it was about 50% alcohol.🥳

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I’m sure you’re right. But why go half way? A bottle of bourbon would be good for both driver and passenger.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I’m guessing it was about 50% alcohol.🥳

Sodium bromide, potassium bromide, ammonium bromide. Bromide is a seditive and anticonvulsant.
I would have guessed a high alcohol content like Hadacol tonic. Or the tonic that the Sisters liked on John Boy Walton's program.

————————————————
I think you mean “the recipe”, not the tonic.

jmonroe

stickguy

Love the color on that Lexus.

greg1288

stickguy said:

Love the color on that Lexus.

I agree. Also my favorite color (or non-color). I looked at late model RX350s before buying the XT5 as I was specifically looking for N/A V-6s SUV and Lexus had one of the best. They were a bit more expensive than the used Caddies and while looking online for a certified used example it looked like the dealer's internet price might not be the actual selling price. Some vague wording indicated financing through the dealer was required. I was buying without financing.

The Cadillac dealer was straight up when I informed the salesman I would be paying with a certified check and in fact informed me that as of the day I came in they had lowered the internet price an additional $500.
The only negative experience I had was when we sat in the car and the salesman contacted OnStar and walked through how to refuse the service for a monthly fee.

The sale was not as pleasant as when we bought our 2008 Saturn Aura XR but overall pretty good. The Saturn was bought at a time when the dealership knew they were going away because of the GM bankruptcy although It was not widely known at the time. Yet even as we were getting $6K off the MSRP they were helpful, professional, and courteous and surprisingly made no attempt to add anything to the price.

We had the Aura 8 years and was flawless except for a GM voluntary extended warranty repair for the waveplate in the transmission.

corvette

Decided to do a "real world" range test in the Ariya today by starting with a full charge and taking it to one of my favorite hiking spots. On the way out, there was a detour due to an interstate bridge closure, and I also took the liberty of doing a couple of 60 MPH pulls on an empty stretch of highway (was a bit underwhelmed, it felt like there was some sort of torque management going on right off the line, will try again after doing some research as to whether I need to turn traction control off or change other settings). Arrived there with 59% charge, having driven 72.5 miles. Drove out a little further to grab lunch at Wendy's, then headed back home and planned to stop at a DC fast charger on the way.

Pulled up to the fast charger with 15% charge and 140.6 miles on the trip odo. It quickly ramped up to 124kW and I walked around Corydon for a bit longer than I intended. After 25 minutes, it was still pulling 66kW, and I had a 79% charge. I tried to stop the charge, but the EVConnect charger said I needed to authenticate with my phone to stop the charge. Slight problem: there is no option in the app to authenticate with the charger, nor to stop the charge, and the CCS2 fast chargers are locked onto your car until the session is stopped. I called customer support and they were able to send a command to stop the charge, but they said I could have also pressed the emergency stop button. $21.74 for 42.1 kWh of electrons--given its efficiency, roughly the same I'd pay to drive the same distance in the Maverick, assuming premium fuel is $5/gallon.

Arrived home with 60% charge and 172.9 miles on the trip odo. The ride quality of the Ariya is softer than I would prefer, and the glass on the outside mirrors flutters very badly at highway speeds. I think it can be road tripped with some difficulty--probably driving closer to the speed limit and planning DCFC stops about every 100 miles.

tjc78

Not sure what was up the other night but our EQE wouldn’t charge over 55 KW. Usually well into the 100s on the Electricfy America chargers.

I did have a very spirited drive (guy in a Charger was frisky) so maybe the battery pack was too hot??

I navigated to the charger with the built in NAV as I read when you do that it conditions the battery knowing you are going to charge.

suydam

What’s the stated range? I’m finding that the Blazer is actually doing better than the estimate of 279 miles, closer to 300. So far, it’s taking about 1/2 hr to charge to 85% at the 150 kw fast charger. There’s only 1 350 kw charger at the large outdoor mall that is about 1 mile from my house, and it’s always in use, so I don’t know yet how much faster that would be. I go on the weekend when the farmers market is there, get an iced coffee, do my errands and then head home. Only had to charge it once a month so far.
I’m having 240 v line put in the garage next month, should be much cheaper to charge at home.

corvette

208 mile stated range on the model I have.

Also, I turned off the “trace control,” which slams on the brakes when cruise is on and it detects the slightest of curves on the interstate. Very annoying when trying to pass someone or trying to drive a consistent speed in general.

jmonroe1

suydam said:

What’s the stated range? I’m finding that the Blazer is actually doing better than the estimate of 279 miles, closer to 300. So far, it’s taking about 1/2 hr to charge to 85% at the 150 kw fast charger. There’s only 1 350 kw charger at the large outdoor mall that is about 1 mile from my house, and it’s always in use, so I don’t know yet how much faster that would be. I go on the weekend when the farmers market is there, get an iced coffee, do my errands and then head home. Only had to charge it once a month so far.
I’m having 240 v line put in the garage next month, should be much cheaper to charge at home.

————————————————-
If nothing else it has to be a lot more convenient than trying to find a charger that’s not in use.

Trying to find a charger at my convenience is why I won’t own any type of EV car. I’ve been driving way too long to change my driving habits about how to keep my car ready to go when I want it to go.

jmonroe

tjc78

My wife got called into the office 6 days a month (2 days for 3 weeks)… I may break down and install a charger at home.

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

I’m guessing it was about 50% alcohol.🥳

Sodium bromide, potassium bromide, ammonium bromide. Bromide is a seditive and anticonvulsant.
I would have guessed a high alcohol content like Hadacol tonic. Or the tonic that the Sisters liked on John Boy Walton's program.

————————————————
I think you mean “the recipe”, not the tonic.

jmonroe

Yeah. They did call it the "recipe" which made it seem innocuous. Wasn't the "recipe" supposedly their father's creation? I may need some "recipe" occasionally now.

Sandman6472

Yes, the Baldwin sister's father created the "recipe" and taught Miss Emily and Miss Mamie how to make it. From what I recall, they wanted to leave the directions with John Sr. someday, as they had no children.

suydam

jmonroe1 said:

suydam said:

What’s the stated range? I’m finding that the Blazer is actually doing better than the estimate of 279 miles, closer to 300. So far, it’s taking about 1/2 hr to charge to 85% at the 150 kw fast charger. There’s only 1 350 kw charger at the large outdoor mall that is about 1 mile from my house, and it’s always in use, so I don’t know yet how much faster that would be. I go on the weekend when the farmers market is there, get an iced coffee, do my errands and then head home. Only had to charge it once a month so far.
I’m having 240 v line put in the garage next month, should be much cheaper to charge at home.

————————————————-
If nothing else it has to be a lot more convenient than trying to find a charger that’s not in use.

Trying to find a charger at my convenience is why I won’t own any type of EV car. I’ve been driving way too long to change my driving habits about how to keep my car ready to go when I want it to go.

jmonroe

Oh, there’s always one available. I just haven’t had a chance to try the 350 kw because there’s only one at the moment. I’m sure there will be more at some point soon. Also, once there are adapters for the Tesla chargers (located at the same place) it will be easier too.

nyccarguy

@tjc78 said:
My wife got called into the office 6 days a month (2 days for 3 weeks)… I may break down and install a charger at home.

That’s one phone call you DO NOT want to get!

ab348

nyccarguy said:

@tjc78 said:

My wife got called into the office 6 days a month (2 days for 3 weeks)… I may break down and install a charger at home.

That’s one phone call you DO NOT want to get!

Up here, a few days ago the provincial govt announced that all 3500 of their workers who were on work from home status since COVID times and were approved to make it permanent, had that revoked and now need to return to the office at some future date. The outcry is loud, as one might expect. It seems quite arbitrary.

Having said that, as a manager, I always hated WFH. At least back then it wasn’t a 5 days a week thing, and used mostly when someone’s personal situation demanded it. I had to remember that of course and would walk into an office looking for someone, not see them, and only then realize that they were out. Back then the tech was sort of there but it was clunky and flaky so it was a pain. We had offices full of paper and you couldn’t access those either. And I just knew that some people were taking advantage of it and weren’t doing much. Since then systems have improved and the work environment is much more location-independent.

For this group of people I can understand their being upset. Maybe the govt is doing it as an underhanded way of downsizing and hoping some will quit.

corvette

@tjc78 - how long is her commute?

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

My wife got called into the office 6 days a month (2 days for 3 weeks)… I may break down and install a charger at home.

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I was wondering what excuse you’d need to install one.

jmonroe

tjc78

@corvette said:
@tjc78 - how long is her commute?

It’s 17 miles one way. About a half hour going and 40 mins coming home with traffic. $5 bridge toll and $20 parking.

She really wasn’t all that upset. As it was she was already there 2-3 days a month for certain meetings, etc

Biggest change will be next summer since we have been living exclusively at the shore. Initial plan is she will drive up Tuesday morning, stay at our primary Tue night and head back Wed night.

stickguy

PATCO not an option?

has your wife charged it on her own yet? That trip could be pushing it on range.

sda

My wife had about a week's notice to be in the office 3 days a week. This is her third week back to the office. It is a 25 mile drive which can take 1-1.5 hours and she has to pay for parking $20 early bird. Not happy.

nyccarguy

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

@tjc78 said:

My wife got called into the office 6 days a month (2 days for 3 weeks)… I may break down and install a charger at home.

That’s one phone call you DO NOT want to get!

Up here, a few days ago the provincial govt announced that all 3500 of their workers who were on work from home status since COVID times and were approved to make it permanent, had that revoked and now need to return to the office at some future date. The outcry is loud, as one might expect. It seems quite arbitrary.

Having said that, as a manager, I always hated WFH. At least back then it wasn’t a 5 days a week thing, and used mostly when someone’s personal situation demanded it. I had to remember that of course and would walk into an office looking for someone, not see them, and only then realize that they were out. Back then the tech was sort of there but it was clunky and flaky so it was a pain. We had offices full of paper and you couldn’t access those either. And I just knew that some people were taking advantage of it and weren’t doing much. Since then systems have improved and the work environment is much more location-independent.

For this group of people I can understand their being upset. Maybe the govt is doing it as an underhanded way of downsizing and hoping some will quit.

I was thinking more along the lines of @tjc78 doesn't want to get a phone call from his wife that she had to make a few stops on her way home and doesn't think the car will have enough juice in it or that she RAN OUT of juice.