Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

benjaminh

We're pulling for you qbrozen. Tough stuff.

(But maybe plan your next car purchase from your bed?)

28firefighter

So I get an email from Safeco today. Apparently they had a record that the 911 sold in 2024 for $65k. Huh?

For whatever reason, I never googled my VIN. Apparently it’s a BaT alum. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-porsche-911-carrera-4s-cabriolet-21/

I am floored and now have an even bigger you-know-what eating grin than I did before.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen said:

@nyccarguy said:
How are you feeling today?

Thanks for asking. I’m dealing with it. 23 hours a day in bed. I take Alleve once a day and Advil once a day. That’s all I’ve needed. Any movement has to be well thought out. It is amazing how much we use our back muscles without realizing it.

Thanks for the update - take your time. Get better.

nyccarguy

@benjaminh - it is wonderful that you have the resources and willingness to help out your children so generously. Congrats on another Subaru!

stickguy

A double alumni. and I’m guessing you did not pay $65k for it

breld

Get better @qbrozen!

28firefighter

@stickguy said:
A double alumni. and I’m guessing you did not pay $65k for it

Uh not even close.

roadburner

Hang in there @qbrozen!

benjaminh

stickguy said:

I would buy one of those before an ADX, though I would prefer the slightly smaller size. I bet my wife would like it too.

Ford Maverick length: 200 inches

Subaru Outback length: 192 inches

It is slightly longer than the 187.5 of the RDX.

But cargo room in the Outback with the rear seats folded is c. 76 cubic feet compared to 59 for the RDX.

stickguy

“But it’s a station wagon”

• my wife

stickguy

I just checked the adx thinking it was smaller. Actually 185.8” long so barely shorter than the RDX. seems odd

benjaminh

For us a station wagon is a good thing, even if Subaru doesn't call it that. Even when I was a kid I liked the Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes wagons. This one is about that size. Last station wagon standing, and about to be gone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Toy5j1aMprs&t=610s

PS This video has a typo toward the start on the price of the top-of-the-line Touring with the turbo. The video says 36k, but the msrp on that one is 46k.

stickguy

I love sport wagons. And hatchbacks. Wife just seemed to like the CUV style instead. Partly to sit higher but that might be an illusion in this case.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

@andres3 said:

Curious how they noticed an oil leak? Oil in the garage? Our favorite Audi/VW indy shop is now over $155/hour; no more cheap in San Diego.

My sister lives in a fairly new house and any sort of drip or leak will be noticeable on the clean concrete driveway.

The last time i found an oil drip on the garage floor was from my 1984 Corvette and that was because the shop that changed the oil forgot to replace the washer on the drain plug.

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

Well...in a way I'm buying another car. A year ago we gave one of our grown children who was an Art major and has health issues our 2018 CR-V. The other one has been surviving with their significant other's rough 2010 Accord (they borrow our Subaru when they go on trips), and so we offered to help them the equivalent amount. If all goes well, purchase will be completed Monday on a Cosmic blue pearl 2025 Outback Premium with option package 15, which includes blind-spot monitoring, moonroof, remote start, power rear gate, etc. Purchase price of $34k was 4k off list. Substantial downpayment and then 0.9% financing from Subaru for the remainder for 36 months. They will make the payments, but the loan will be in my name for complicated reasons, and so maybe it counts as a punch for our annual count here? idk.

The all-new 2026 Outback, as I've mentioned in the Subaru thread, is not my cup of tea. The '26 Outback has "angry robot" styling, and poor rear visibility bc the B-pillars are at least twice as thick as this generation, and so the back windows are small. Prices are higher too by a few thousand dollars.

I don't think anyone else here is currently interested in an Outback, but as they blow the last of the 25s out the doors there are deals to be had. Both salespeople I worked with said that, and were willing to go below invoice without much negotiation + there's the 0.9%. Difficult to believe, but the current Outback from my pov is nicer and more luxurious than the lower level Acuras like the ADX and the Integra. The turbo Outback will go 0-60 in 5.8. The ADX according to MT is an 8.2 car. The ADX is still faster than the standard boxer engine Outback, which is around 8.5+ or so.

Anyway, the one I'm picking up Monday looks like this one. They picked the color. I actually had one in white on tan for a thousand or so less in a city 150 miles away, but they liked blue better.

You’re a good parent.😊

oldfarmer50

Listed as a parts car, cash only, as is with 131k miles for $6k. Are they on drugs?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/1e9a3b3e-85b5-467c-9eec-9cdec1a175ca/?aff=atempest&utm_campaign=atempest&utm_source=autotempest&utm_medium=trp&utm_campaign_id=1&utm_trusted=TRUE

Title issues maybe? Why would anyone buy it?

benjaminh

stickguy said:

I love sport wagons. And hatchbacks. Wife just seemed to like the CUV style instead. Partly to sit higher but that might be an illusion in this case.

Not an illusion. You do sit slightly higher in an RDX than an Outback. The Outback has a substantially higher seating position than my Acura sedan, but slightly lower than our CR-V.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@nyccarguy said:

How are you feeling today?

Thanks for asking. I’m dealing with it. 23 hours a day in bed. I take Alleve once a day and Advil once a day. That’s all I’ve needed. Any movement has to be well thought out. It is amazing how much we use our back muscles without realizing it.

————————————————
Given the fall you had only needing a few OTC meds doesn’t sound too bad to me. As for not realizing how much you use your back muscles, no matter what part of your body you hurt, it won’t be long before you’re reminded of it, even your little finger. All of our parts work together more than we realize
to get even the least thing done. The guy that put us together must have been pretty smart.

Keep getting better.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@jmonroe1,
Not so sure about that. Based on some of the people I know, mistakes were made.

graphicguy

@benjaminh ....congrats. And yes, you're a good parent.

graphicguy

@qbrozen ...hey....hope things get better from this point forward. Hang in there!

Michaell

Car shopping stories!

My sister, BIL, and their middle son went out looking at cars last night.

For those of you without a scorecard, the middle son currently drives a ‘96 2WD 4Runner with 220,000 miles on it. Given where they live and how much driving he does, he fills the tank (at $60 per) about every 5 days. Fuel economy is a priority, of course.

Last night was the Honda dealer. Decided the Civic was too small, and took the Accord Hybrid out for a test drive. He really liked it, and decided that white over black is his preferred color scheme. Of course, when you are looking at gently used cars, wanting a specific color combo limits your choices.

Today I think they are going to the Toyota dealer to drive the Camry Hybrid. I’ll be curious to hear his thoughts about that.

Trying to prepare them both about the experience. He can put down a substantial amount, but with interest rates being what they are, it’s still going to be a hefty payment.

Gave them a bunch of advice - including local credit unions where he can get pre approved for a decent rate - so we’ll see how this all goes.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
That place is Hooptie heaven.
https://www.cars.com/vehicle/2fe0b01c-fa76-453b-a659-d27fd238f1fb/?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign_id=813521&utm_trusted=TRUE&cto_pld=wjbFOpkPAAAE3DzlyAqAMw

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

@nyccarguy said:

How are you feeling today?

Thanks for asking. I’m dealing with it. 23 hours a day in bed. I take Alleve once a day and Advil once a day. That’s all I’ve needed. Any movement has to be well thought out. It is amazing how much we use our back muscles without realizing it.

You'll be really happy you avoided opioids. They are the worst.

qbrozen

@kyfdx said:
You'll be really happy you avoided opioids. They are the worst.

That’s the problem. I honestly can’t remember what I shared but the hospital stay was brutal. They put me on dilaudid. First dose, not too bad. 2nd time lasted 3 hrs before having a raging headache for an hr before 3rd dose. 3rd dose gave me 2 hrs before the raging headache. That was it for me. I said no more, it ain’t worth it. Little did I know the worst side effects were yet to come. Even the antiemetics couldn’t save me from the nausea. In the middle of the 2nd night, I was dry heaving violently, which of course was incredibly painful. I had to keep up with the antiemetics for 48 hours after my last dose of dilaudid before I started to feel normal. I can’t understand how people get addicted to opioids.

I do have an extremely high pain tolerance, though. After my abdominal surgery last year for the hiatal hernia and subsequent surgeon-induced punctured lung, I accepted zero opioids. Same after my snapped ACL and after the replacement surgery. No prescription drugs needed. I get it from my mom. She used to get teeth pulled with nothing, not even a local. She didn’t want to be bothered with a numb mouth.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

Listed as a parts car, cash only, as is with 131k miles for $6k. Are they on drugs?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/1e9a3b3e-85b5-467c-9eec-9cdec1a175ca/?aff=atempest&utm_campaign=atempest&utm_source=autotempest&utm_medium=trp&utm_campaign_id=1&utm_trusted=TRUE

Title issues maybe? Why would anyone buy it?

also listed as a manual when it isn't. I hate when they do that.

breld

@qbrozen - goodness gracious! That is quite the trial. I’m the opposite - I would have been weeping constantly.

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@jmonroe1,
Not so sure about that. Based on some of the people I know, mistakes were made.

————————————————
I’m sure you don’t mean anyone in here.

jmonroe

qbrozen

@explorerx4 said:
@oldfarmer50,
That place is Hooptie heaven.
https://www.cars.com/vehicle/2fe0b01c-fa76-453b-a659-d27fd238f1fb/?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign_id=813521&utm_trusted=TRUE&cto_pld=wjbFOpkPAAAE3DzlyAqAMw

Wow. 1.7 stars. That’s quite a feat.

breld

Finally made a selection for an EV to replace the Audi Q8.

Similar to @28firefighter’s recent acquisition….just down about 200 hp.

stickguy

Love the color. But they were none too generous with sidewall in those tires.

breld

stickguy said:

Love the color. But they were none too generous with sidewall in those tires.

Thanks. And agreed…I actually would have preferred the 19” wheels, but you and I may be in the minority, as they all were equipped with the 20” option.

stickguy

spending my life in the NE, home of the worlds biggest potholes, has made me very aware of the benefits of a substantial amount of rubber on the wheels.

corvette

Very nice, @breld! A lease, I assume? I love the color.

kyfdx

@explorerx4

kyfdx

My B-I-L isn’t much of a photographer

breld

corvette said:

Very nice, @breld! A lease, I assume? I love the color.

Thanks. Yes, it’s a lease.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

Finally made a selection for an EV to replace the Audi Q8.

Similar to @28firefighter’s recent acquisition….just down about 200 hp.

I like that color and the interior is sharp!

explorerx4

I thought it was a Subaru Lagacy.

oldfarmer50

That F-150 looks like a 1976 maybe? Nice restoration.

28firefighter

Love it @breld - especially those seats.

Sandman6472

Finally hit 500 miles the other day so now, I can drive it a bit more. Had to merge on the turnpike yesterday and was no problem getting up to speed to merge into traffic. Still learning new things about the features it has and truthfully, couldn't be happier with the purchase! Took me awhile to get what I wanted but was well worth the wait. Luckily I had the funds to pay it outright so no financing needed. But, if they had had 0%, I would've gone that route and just paid it off. Definitely enjoying the push button start and not having to use the ket fob for anything. And the location where the warning light for folks passing on each side is the right color in the perfect place...can easily see it day or night.

Sandman6472

Q, hope you feel better. Back issues are a [non-permissible content removed]! Still dealing with my accident effects over 20 years later and have a noticeable limp to this day. I walk with a cane as it helps with my balance. Opioids have really been my savior though. They help me function through the constant pain. But dealing with insurance companies is a real [non-permissible content removed]. Oxycodone works the best for me, but the pain doc can't put me on them due to some ridiculous regulations. So morphine is what I use. There's an "ER" or extended release twice a day and an "IR" or immediate release that I take for the break through pain. And it enables me to work part time though I'm pretty beat after I get home. But, the pain meds let me live my life so I use them.
Just take care of yourself as bed rest & time are your best friends now. I'd suggest getting grab bars for the shower & bath tub as they can really help. Since I tend to have balance issues now & fall a lot, those bars have saved me on many occasions from doing serious damage in the shower.

sda

I am glad to see blue and green colors are becoming popular again. Very nice @breld.

laurasdada

Blue.

au1994

BMW has always done blues very well.

breld

I just noticed that blue being offered on the GTI. Something as simple as that is almost enough to make me want another GTI. 😀

breld

Speaking of BMW blues, I’ve now seen a couple of these previous gen 5-series in the Arctic Blue show up as CPO models. This one is a 2023 530xi with 8k miles for $41k…seems like a real nice car for that money. The other one that I had strongly considered was a 530e, very well optioned, for similar money.

stickguy

I showed the blue GTI to my wife and she said is was cute then asked what it was. Told her and she immediately brought up he anti-VW bias. And also that the seats are too narrow when she isn’t. Not sure I could even get her to stop to look at those. Too bad, it was the perfect option

breld

And when I was shopping for my i5 Friday, I had my choice of the Phytonic Blue I ended up with, the Tanzanite Blue II, and the Carbon Black. Nice to have choices!

I was tempted to go with that Carbon Black, which was paired with an ivory interior - thought it would be real sharp, but just wasn’t sure I wanted to go that dark.

They also had a Brooklyn Grey with a red interior. Also tempting.