Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy

I drove a lot of them. Many were just fine. A few kind of beat up. Last summer I got a big 26’ foot one. That drive like garbage.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

I drove a lot of them. Many were just fine. A few kind of beat up. Last summer I got a big 26’ foot one. That drive like garbage.

————————————————
When I moved back to the Burgh area from SC in August of 1997, I rented two 26 foot jobs from U-Haul. They were in very good shape. I remember talking to the guy at U-Haul telling me they use only their best trucks for long distance moves. That seemed to be the policy for U-Haul and I distinctly remember him telling me the last thing he wanted was to have a truck he released for out of state moving break down and he especially didn’t want anyone coming through his door waving a gun.

When we got back to the Burgh we stored our furniture in my Moms basement until we found a house. Fast forward to when we found a house and I went to U-Haul for a truck. That truck was well used but it didn’t have to go too far. I didn’t realize until I got to my house that because the truck was well loaded down I couldn’t back it into the driveway. In fact, I had to drive it around the block and park it on the street to unload it (well not me but the guys I hired who met me at my Moms house to load and unload it). When I returned the truck I told the guy about it and he knocked off half the charge and told me he’d have the truck repaired before they rented it out again. Whether he did it or not I don’t know but there was a world of difference between the trucks I got in SC and the one I got for a local move in the Burgh area.

jmonroe

xwesx

stickguy said:

Just curious but what do you have in the Sierra now that it is sorted? I know that old trucks used to be cheap but sadly have gotten silly expensive.

If you just keep the Maverick, it *will* be the beater work truck in ten years of sitting outside!

stickguy

Expensive beater.

That truck won’t be sitting outside.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Expensive beater.

That truck won’t be sitting outside.

Here’s what beater trucks are going for around here:

https://albany.craigslist.org/ctd/d/albany-2008-chevrolet-silverado-lt-x4/7807227194.html

anonymousposts2025

@nyccarguy said:
What year is the RAV4? It is an XLE Hybrid? FWD or AWD? 62K miles isn't a tremendous amount of miles on a RAV4. We've got 62K miles on our '22 Highlander that will be 3 years old at the end of February 2025.

2021 Hybrid XLE Premium. We bought it October 2021, so we are averaging 20k per year. Our middle son is 2-3 years away from his own car. Should have about 120k at that point. Not bad, but we’d probably prefer him to start with something slightly lower mileage so he can hang onto it through college. If it were up to him, he’d buy a literal tank or a 1950’s-70’s Ford F100.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
Just curious but what do you have in the Sierra now that it is sorted? I know that old trucks used to be cheap but sadly have gotten silly expensive.

Do you mean what have I spent on it? Nearly nothing beyond purchase price. Got the oil changed. I’ve only messed around with rust remediation. Cost of materials has been minimal. I forget purchase price. I think it was like $7k with fees and shipping. I have it written down somewhere. I do need to change the shocks. So that will be a few hundred bucks.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

Expensive beater.

That truck won’t be sitting outside.

Here’s what beater trucks are going for around here:

https://albany.craigslist.org/ctd/d/albany-2008-chevrolet-silverado-lt-x4/7807227194.html

my wife would not ride in that thing.

xwesx

Well, there you go! Sounds like the Maverick is exactly the type of beater you need.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

Expensive beater.

That truck won’t be sitting outside.

Here’s what beater trucks are going for around here:

https://albany.craigslist.org/ctd/d/albany-2008-chevrolet-silverado-lt-x4/7807227194.html

my wife would not ride in that thing.

Sorry but Rolls Royce doesn’t make a pickup.🤣🤣🤣

anonymousposts2025

@stickguy said:
my wife would not ride in that thing.

But it has a sunroof!!

stickguy

They might! https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcScus8qpg8oTRangWeFK4mU5CL8EBChFCfgru0v9f8VfddpmGlKheXQldc&s

jmonroe1

Hey guys, no posts in here since around 9AM this morning. This is what happens when your dues are not current as of the end of the previous year.

jmonroe

corvette

jmonroe1 said:

Hey guys, no posts in here since around 9AM this morning. This is what happens when your dues are not current as of the end of the previous year.

jmonroe

I'll send you a Venmo request. Be sure to check your spam folder and ignore any phishing warnings that might incorrectly pop up!

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

Hey guys, no posts in here since around 9AM this morning. This is what happens when your dues are not current as of the end of the previous year.

jmonroe

I don’t know about anybody else but I was at work all day with my other car buddies.

oldfarmer50

Ok stickguy, I found your beater truck. Better jump on this one before I buy it. 🚗👍

https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/colchester-2004-chevrolet-silverado/7815074409.html

You wife can wear a blindfold when she rides with you.😂

kyfdx

With a stick!

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

With a stick!

I had that 4.3L engine in my 2004 cargo van and while it’s not going to be towing any cabin cruisers it is a bulletproof motor. Loaded up with 1500 pounds of farming supplies it actually rode better.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

Ok stickguy, I found your beater truck. Better jump on this one before I buy it. 🚗👍

https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/colchester-2004-chevrolet-silverado/7815074409.html

You wife can wear a blindfold when she rides with you.😂

I like that truck....a lot. Assuming it's nowhere near OHIO. If it was, I'd be headed to pick it up cash in hand right now.

stickguy

That is a unicorn. Need to see the frame of course but for an old Vermont truck it is shockingly clean. Usually they are completely rotted out. I guess with only 13k miles in 20 years and RWD it wasn’t in salty winter roads much!

In my conceptual dreams that would actually be perfect to have around.

Farmer, next time you are in Burlington you should pick that up!

xwesx

You have to start turning your conceptual dreams into reality somewhere, Stick! This is the perfect place to start. If you get the beater truck out of the way, it opens up all the other options.

au1994

oldfarmer50 said:

Ok stickguy, I found your beater truck. Better jump on this one before I buy it. 🚗👍

https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/colchester-2004-chevrolet-silverado/7815074409.html

You wife can wear a blindfold when she rides with you.😂

Grandpaw spec

greg1288

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Ok stickguy, I found your beater truck. Better jump on this one before I buy it. 🚗👍

https://vermont.craigslist.org/cto/d/colchester-2004-chevrolet-silverado/7815074409.html

You wife can wear a blindfold when she rides with you.😂

I like that truck....a lot. Assuming it's nowhere near OHIO. If it was, I'd be headed to pick it up cash in hand right now.

That is exactly like our work truck. A 2006 4.3L manual trans that I still drive daily. We paid $14K for it brand new (MSRP was $18K). The only options were sliding rear window, CD Radio and heavy duty suspension. It still runs great and gets great mileage and only has 96K miles on it. The good thing about it is when something breaks on it (eg -fuel line, ignition module, starter etc.) it only costs about $250 to fix with our local mechanic.

suydam

https://www.investors.com/news/ev-sales-q4-2024-auto-sales-gm-ford-tesla-toyota-honda-stellantis/

Robust auto sales for 2024, especially EVs and hybrids. How did we CCBers do?

Michaell

Lunch today with @breld (and the missus) and @jpp75. Was good to catch up with them all; it seems we are meeting up less frequently this past year.

Of course, this does mean that everytime we do meet, most everyone (save yours truly) has something new that they're driving.

Today, I saw the Mr. and Mrs. Porsches, and the SQ5 @jpp75 bought a few months back. I was fortunate enough to drive both the Cayman and the 911.

First up, was the Cayman, with Mrs. @breld riding shotgun. I wasn't entirely sure that I could fold myself into such a small vehicle (for the record, I'm 5'10" and 300+ pounds, and I'm not as flexible as I was in my youth). But, it was much easier to get into than some other cars.

If you remember, the Cayman is a stick, and it took me a moment to get used to the heavy clutch pedal. But - WOW! - when I punched it to get onto the highway, it took off. "Only" revved it to about 5500 RPM before shifting up, but you could still feel the power it makes from that 4-cyl engine. She thoughtfully switched the drive mode to "Sport", which made the exhaust sound particularly raspy - and I mean that in a good way.

Yes, it's a sports car, and you'll never mistake it for a Lexus, but it tracked straight and true on both the highway and surface streets I drove on. I would love, love, love to take it up into the mountains and try it out on some curvy roads.

Rekindled my desire for one more stick shift in my life.

Next up was the 911 - this has the PDK, which is a fancy automatic. It's a Carrera 4S, so it has a tuned engine with 420HP. Took it on the same route as I did the Cayman. This time, when I punched the throttle to get onto the highway, I truly scared myself with the acceleration, and backed out of it after only a second or two. Just flat out amazing. Again, it was easier to get into and out of than I expected, and the ride was not bad. A tad bit more room in all dimensions, but certainly not a huge interior.

This was my first time driving a Porsche, and I can honestly say I now understand the love and devotion the brand gets for their sports cars.

corvette

@Michaell - sounds like a fun (if not productive) lunch. I missed @jpp75's SQ5 punch--do you know what year and approximately when he picked it up?

Michaell

Oh, we ate first before the test drives.

SQ5 deets - New 2024, picked up in September.

breld

I took a quick pic of the vehicles from our lunch today…all parked nicely together.

jmonroe1

breld said:

I took a quick pic of the vehicles from our lunch today…all parked nicely together.

————————————————
That one on the far right kinda makes that grouping mixed company. I hope it didn’t contaminate the others.

jmonroe

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

That one on the far right kinda makes that grouping mixed company. I hope it didn’t contaminate the others.

Hey, even a Subaru can slum it once in a while!

I am truly impressed with the lineup, though. Four cars owned by our Colorado contingent, and every single one of them with a license plate attached!

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

jmonroe1 said:

That one on the far right kinda makes that grouping mixed company. I hope it didn’t contaminate the others.

Hey, even a Subaru can slum it once in a while!

I am truly impressed with the lineup, though. Four cars owned by our Colorado contingent, and every single one of them with a license plate attached!

————————————————
Very observant. Does your Audi sport a roof-top carrier like the one in that lineup?

jmonroe

corvette

I like the symmetry of the two Porsches with the two wagon/CUVs.

Sandman6472

Ditto OF, I also was off playing with my car buddies. Though, it was a slow day and we quit at about 4:30. At least the next couple of days are the short ones. Averaging almost 30 hours/week which is fine for me, working four days but two are shorter ones. No way would I want to work five days or more anymore. I know for that first year as an independent contractor, I worked multiple days in a row but we had no set schedule. Older & maybe not that much wiser now, but just doing my four is enough. Not here for the money actually.

explorerx4

Talked to my sister yesterday.
They traded 2 for 2. A 2012 Prius V(kid's car) and an Audi A3 E-Tron(not sure what year) for a 2017 Chevy Volt and a new RAV 4 Prime.
The RAV is white with a black roof, so I said "Oh, you got the Storm Trooper version".
She seemed offended, but "Oh well".

corvette

Really liked my Gen2 Volt. Both that and the RAV4 Prime can easily charge overnight on 120V.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

That is a unicorn. Need to see the frame of course but for an old Vermont truck it is shockingly clean. Usually they are completely rotted out. I guess with only 13k miles in 20 years and RWD it wasn’t in salty winter roads much!

In my conceptual dreams that would actually be perfect to have around.

Farmer, next time you are in Burlington you should pick that up!

You should ask @sb55. That’s right next to where he lives.

explorerx4

@corvette,
What if I told you the Volt is going to be parked on the street in Chicago?

suydam

corvette said:

Really liked my Gen2 Volt. Both that and the RAV4 Prime can easily charge overnight on 120V.

Loved my 2017 Volt as well. We only traded it in this year because I have had a number of HEALTH issues that made sitting so low often uncomfortable. The Blazer and the Kia Sportage PHEV are both much easier to get in and out of. The Volt is the vehicle that made me fall in love EVS and made me feel comfortable going to a full EV.

corvette

explorerx4 said:

@corvette,
What if I told you the Volt is going to be parked on the street in Chicago?

Well, that's non-optimal in terms of charging. A straight-up hybrid might have been very similar but better overall MPGs.

suydam said:

Loved my 2017 Volt as well. We only traded it in this year because I have had a number of HEALTH issues that made sitting so low often uncomfortable.

It did sit noticeably low to the ground--probably lower than my 2007 Prius, and my G37, but not as low as my 2011 Mustang, which caused me knee pain on long trips.

nyccarguy

@breld said:
I took a quick pic of the vehicles from our lunch today…all parked nicely together.

Nice shot of all the cars! I think it is so cool that you are all able to get together.

@Michaell - I’m glad you got to drive both of @breld ’s Porsches. It sounds like they drive as good as they look. I love the look of the 911, but the shape of the Cayman is drop dead gorgeous!

Besides the V6 Cayennes that my Mom had, I’ve driven Porsches on only 3 occasions. 1st was a family friend’s ‘89 944 Turbo - 5 Speed. As an 18 year old high school senior, I was very impressed by how motivated it was. 2nd was a customer’s ‘05 Boxster with the DSG. Besides the perfect balance and handling that I had read about, I couldn’t believe how well the DSG gearbox kept the power of the base Boxster in the sweet spot. The 3rd is when I paid to have the opportunity to run a 911 GT3 RS for a few laps around a racetrack in NJ. This was also a DSG equipped car. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt pushing the car at speeds of well over 100 mph. It was solid & planted. I thought I was going fast until I saw my instructor’s hand raising up giving me the go ahead to give it some more gas. At the end of the session, the instructor told me I hit 140 on the strait away.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

That is a unicorn. Need to see the frame of course but for an old Vermont truck it is shockingly clean. Usually they are completely rotted out. I guess with only 13k miles in 20 years and RWD it wasn’t in salty winter roads much!

In my conceptual dreams that would actually be perfect to have around.

Farmer, next time you are in Burlington you should pick that up!

You should ask sb55. That’s right next to where he lives.

we stayed in Colchester a few years ago when we went on a short vacation to Burlington.

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

Does your Audi sport a roof-top carrier like the one in that lineup?

Only when I'm using it! Right now, I have one crossbar attached, and it has a light bar on it for caution lighting (yellow/white). I use it when I'm doing recoveries to hopefully attract the attention of other drivers so that they don't plow headlong into vehicles stopped along the roadside.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Nice shot of all the cars! I think it is so cool that you are all able to get together.

Agreed! They are pretty selective about their company, though. They conspired with God himself to thwart my plans for a visit. Yet, for reasons unknown, there was no issue at all with @corvette stopping in!

Michaell

We've gotta remember to include @dad23 into our CO gatherings; he lives in the same town I do, and we've yet to meet IRL. It'll happen someday, promise!

I wasn't sure I was gonna drive the Porsches - as was noted in a C&D article about some sportscar decades ago, "you'd need a shoehorn to get in and a winch to get out". I really thought I wouldn't be able to get my hefty self behind the wheel, but I was able to in both cars - and, I was reasonably comfortable in the seats, which isn't always the case (eg: I couldn't get comfortable in the M340i Mrs. @breld owned for a while).

Memorable drives, both.

But, the picture makes the Cayman look a lot larger than the 911, which I know isn't the case.

sb55

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

That is a unicorn. Need to see the frame of course but for an old Vermont truck it is shockingly clean. Usually they are completely rotted out. I guess with only 13k miles in 20 years and RWD it wasn’t in salty winter roads much!

In my conceptual dreams that would actually be perfect to have around.

Farmer, next time you are in Burlington you should pick that up!

You should ask sb55. That’s right next to where he lives.

'

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

That is a unicorn. Need to see the frame of course but for an old Vermont truck it is shockingly clean. Usually they are completely rotted out. I guess with only 13k miles in 20 years and RWD it wasn’t in salty winter roads much!

In my conceptual dreams that would actually be perfect to have around.

Farmer, next time you are in Burlington you should pick that up!

You should ask sb55. That’s right next to where he lives.

Colchester is next Town over on the mainland. I'll gladly check it out for anyone. I think that I see a few rust bubbles on the rear fender, but that's kind of normal on that vintage truck.

explorerx4

Chevy pickup listing has been deleted.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Chevy pickup listing has been deleted.

I’m surprised it lasted that long. If this had been a year ago before I bought my F-150 I would have been on the road 10 minutes after seeing something like that.

stickguy

yeah, that looked like a steal of a deal so not surprised it did not last. Someday local I might stumble over something I can't resist and impulse buy, and deal with the evil eye from the boss when I get it home.

stickguy

Michaell said:

We've gotta remember to include @dad23 into our CO gatherings; he lives in the same town I do, and we've yet to meet IRL. It'll happen someday, promise!

I wasn't sure I was gonna drive the Porsches - as was noted in a C&D article about some sportscar decades ago, "you'd need a shoehorn to get in and a winch to get out". I really thought I wouldn't be able to get my hefty self behind the wheel, but I was able to in both cars - and, I was reasonably comfortable in the seats, which isn't always the case (eg: I couldn't get comfortable in the M340i Mrs. @breld owned for a while).

Memorable drives, both.

But, the picture makes the Cayman look a lot larger than the 911, which I know isn't the case.

That is one of the reasons I did not really angle to get a 3rd car, pure sports car. My wife is not petite or limber, and now has a knee issue. 25 years ago she hated getting in and out my Miata, and I am sure at this point it would not be pretty. So something still fun but with better egress (like a sports sedan, or even a compact hot hatch/CUV or EV) is probably a lot safer bet!

Sandman6472

On a side note, kinda chilly for us down here. About 55 right now with getting down to 50 tonight. By mid week, should be down in the lower 40's which is downright cold for us! Long pants for today since I start at 9 today plus a light hoodie jacket until mid-day when it'll be in the high 60's.

Monday morning, the Golf goes on a short vacation to the mechanics for some fixes. Figure he'll need it for two days and I can pick it up Wednesday morning. Got a rental from Monday to Wednesday and with our employee discount, a Rogue like vehicle will be $21.00 pls insurance. Not too bad to not have to bother the other half getting up early. Reservation is for 9 am and they give an hours grace period returning it so that should work out just fine. Will check the website later to see if the price is still the same as last time, the daily charge went down a few bucks from when I made the original so the extra savings was a nice treat. But the price I've got now is quite good for what I could get. A Mitsu Mirage or similar was $20/day so splurged for a buck more! Think doing this will give me peace of mind and give me another year to purchase as from the YouTube videos I've been watching, the new car market is in the toilet and will just be getting worse going forward. Figure by years end, there might be some good deals to be had and even 0% financing like VW has right now. Never been able to time it right for 0%, but this time it might be different. This way, I wouldn't have to put down a whole lot and let my investments grow a bit more.