Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

corvette

Similarly, I don't run on trails, but really like "trail running" shoes, because they're grippy for hiking, but also light, and you can wear them every day.

Michaell

Now my nephew has found another Accord Hybrid Sport, in his preferred color combo of white over black, for $26,444 from a Mazda dealership that is closer.

The only difference between this one and the first one is that the first one is CPO.

kyfdx

corvette said:

Similarly, I don't run on trails, but really like "trail running" shoes, because they're grippy for hiking, but also light, and you can wear them every day.

Big toe box on the trail runners, as well

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

laurasdada said:

I'm in a contest to win one of those (the BMW Corolla, per above). What to do with it when I win?

I've entered several raffles for new BMWs; should I win one it will be immediately sold or traded for something that I'd actually want.

You could also donate it to some less well off poster buddy so that he could get the feel of the road.😊

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

@oldfarmer50 - I've liked the Brooks shoes I've had (Uncle Warren encourages stockholders to spend money at the company store, and they own Brooks). Merrill are also really good.

Would I need to cash in my shares in Berkshire to afford them? (Assuming I could afford a share).

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Now my nephew has found another Accord Hybrid Sport, in his preferred color combo of white over black, for $26,444 from a Mazda dealership that is closer.

The only difference between this one and the first one is that the first one is CPO.

CPO is only as good as the dealer offering it IMO. I’ve heard horror stories about people buying CPOed cars only to find problems that would have been apparent if someone had bothered to even look at the cars which the dealer did not prior to sale.

Unless there are substantial warranty extensions involved I would spend the money on a good PPI instead.

Sandman6472

I also prefer the silver wheels, not a fan of black. I really wanted to swap out the alloys on the new GTI for the "S" GTI wheels as thought they looked nicer. But they had no "S" GTI's in stock, so didn't bother asking. On my '15 Golf, swapped out the stock wheels for the Jetta "SEL" ones but took a month to get the right ones. And as I recall, management was not very happy even though I was thrilled. But figured, if ya don't ask...ya don't get!
The current alloys on the GTI are nice enough with more black then silver, but enough silver that I'm living with them. One thing I will change when the time comes is the tire size. I'm sure there's enough room in the wheel well to go up to a 45" sidewall tire in the same 225 I've got now. Even though I have 18" wheels now, don't think that'll be an issue. Prefer the smoother ride of a 45" sidewall to the 40" I'm dealing with now.

Sandman6472

Well, as of Monday, have just over 600 miles on the new GTI. Had to take our son to Ft. Lauderdale airport for his flight home to Chicago, so took the turnpike down to FLL. Sure is a peppy thing and on the way home, I let it spread it's wings a bit. Got up to speed in no time and at one point, hit almost 90. But got spooked when I saw a cop on the southbound side so slowed it back down. The 2.0 liter engine has plenty of power which put a smile on my big face!
I'm still getting used to the pushbutton start and the super small console shifter. A few extra motions compared to turning a key. And turning on the a/c and sound system means using my fingers on the center iPad like info center. They made it larger & more intuitive for 2025, the reason I waited actually, but one must use one's finger to work things. No more buttons or knobs, things I prefer. But, just have to learn a different way to do things. The best thing is I can manually open/close the side view mirrors, a G-d send! I've only driven in the garage once without putting them in the upright position and was lucky no damage was done. Haven't done that once since and plan not to. Just so glad I have the option to do it manually. They close up once the vehicle is turned off.
But overall, am very pleased that I finally pulled the trigger after talking about it for so loonnngggg!!! It was a running joke at work & I know folks in here got tired of me talking about it. Was money well spent!

graphicguy

tjc78 said:

Gimme a 'vette or a Mustang any day of the week vs the JDL counterparts. Most 'vettes are or have been owned by "geez.....er....mature drivers". As such, they aren't ratted out and generally well cared for.

Exactly why pristine examples of the Supra, 300ZX, 3000GT, etc go for so much money... they were heavily modified by the owners at the time.

Admittedly, I don't live in CA or NY. But, I've yet to see a vintage Supra or Datsun Z that isn't ratted out or stupidly modded around here. Pristine Corvettes? They are everywhere....regardless of model or year. Maybe because I live so close to the Corvette plant (4 hour drive). But, I can't even remember the last time I saw a ratted Corvette around here. They are always well cared for.

That said, I really like the job "Sarah N Tuned" did on the Datsun Z she's giving away. And, I wish I had my copper and gold 280Z still. More of a cruiser than a sport car, but I had me some big fun in that car.

stickguy

Her z really is cool.

imidazol97

Sandman6472 said:

The best thing is I can manually open/close the side view mirrors, a G-d send! I've only driven in the garage once without putting them in the upright position and was lucky no damage was done. Haven't done that once since and plan not to. Just so glad I have the option to do it manually. They close up once the vehicle is turned off.

That's a feature I'd like on my next car.

Glad you're happy with your new GTI.

stickguy

Power folding mirrors is a nice feature. I’ve never had a car with them.

sda

The Q5 and Arteon have them. With our two single wide garage doors, that feature is a huge plus.

au1994

stickguy said:

Power folding mirrors is a nice feature. I’ve never had a car with them.

I've had just a few and it is really handy. Unfortunately the JGC isn't one of them and it would be handy in our garage. I think you have to go to the Overland trim to get that.

tjc78

I couldn’t imagine my truck without the power fold mirrors … have to retract them quite often especially down the shore

corvette

@oldfarmer50 said:
Would I need to cash in my shares in Berkshire to afford them? (Assuming I could afford a share).

They seem to be on par with Nikes, etc., in terms of pricing.

corvette

I appreciate Sarah -n- Tuned’s builds and her attention to detail, but I can’t bring myself to watch dozens of videos of a single build unless I’m really into the car. The Celica and the Z didn’t do it for me, but I’ll be watching all of the CRX videos because my dad also owned a black 1990 Si.

stickguy

the Si was something I really wanted back in the day. Though when these came out, a 2 seater was not an option. I did have an earlier gen (I think the one before this, but possibly this one) Civic S version (pre-FI, talk about an antique!)

suydam

Sandman6472 said:

Well, as of Monday, have just over 600 miles on the new GTI. Had to take our son to Ft. Lauderdale airport for his flight home to Chicago, so took the turnpike down to FLL. Sure is a peppy thing and on the way home, I let it spread it's wings a bit. Got up to speed in no time and at one point, hit almost 90. But got spooked when I saw a cop on the southbound side so slowed it back down. The 2.0 liter engine has plenty of power which put a smile on my big face!
I'm still getting used to the pushbutton start and the super small console shifter. A few extra motions compared to turning a key. And turning on the a/c and sound system means using my fingers on the center iPad like info center. They made it larger & more intuitive for 2025, the reason I waited actually, but one must use one's finger to work things. No more buttons or knobs, things I prefer. But, just have to learn a different way to do things. The best thing is I can manually open/close the side view mirrors, a G-d send! I've only driven in the garage once without putting them in the upright position and was lucky no damage was done. Haven't done that once since and plan not to. Just so glad I have the option to do it manually. They close up once the vehicle is turned off.
But overall, am very pleased that I finally pulled the trigger after talking about it for so loonnngggg!!! It was a running joke at work & I know folks in here got tired of me talking about it. Was money well spent!

The Blazer has a huge center screen with big buttons too, but I still like letting Google assistant turn the fan speed down or change the Sirius station. Never have to take my eyes off the road. Power folding mirrors are great too.

xwesx

Sandman6472 said:

Well, as of Monday, have just over 600 miles on the new GTI. Had to take our son to Ft. Lauderdale airport for his flight home to Chicago, so took the turnpike down to FLL. Sure is a peppy thing and on the way home, I let it spread it's wings a bit. Got up to speed in no time and at one point, hit almost 90. But got spooked when I saw a cop on the southbound side so slowed it back down.

Speaking of that, I was on I90 yesterday with my pickup, just strolling along at about 73... There was a semi on my left, slowly looking to pass me, and then two more come barreling down the on-ramp to my right. Well, I didn't change speed at all, but I guess the lead truck on the ramp decided that might is right, so he just started coming over into my vehicle while the second truck down the ramp was nosing the guy's trailer.

It was 'nope' time, so I goosed the throttle and scooted to the left lane ahead of the passing truck, around the "merging" truck, and out away from the whole mess. A second or two later, I glanced at my speedometer as I let off the accelerator. Well, the speedometer only reads to 100....

laurasdada

The A7 has automatically folding side mirrors, which you can also press a button to fold at will. The M340 is power folding, but egad, one must press a button to do so. Gauche.

corvette

The Ariya folds its mirrors when it's locked, and unfolds them when you power it up. You can press a button to fold them in the car wash or other tight areas. The ones on the Maverick are manual folding.

stickguy

I would like a power fold option but would never want them to do it every time I turned the car on or off. Same with the silliness of the seat powering back when you turn the car off. Hate that. The Acura does it but thankfully you can turn it off. Though I never did for my wife's key but it does not bother her.

roadburner

The C43 gives you the option of folding the mirrors in when you lock the car, otherwise you do it with a switch on the door.

xwesx

Yeah, my brother is pretty fanatical about the folding mirrors bit. I do it when it seems practical, but if I don't need them folded, they don't get folded. Of all of my vehicles, I feel like my pickup (F250) is the only one that both needs it somewhat regularly and has an easy power-fold option.

fintail

I think all USDM MBs have had power folding mirrors since the 2015 model year. Virtually all other markets had them earlier for some reason. I manually choose when I fold mine in, I figure that way the motors work less (no need to fold them in my garage).

corvette

The Kentucky folks will understand...

benjaminh

corvette: Thanks for letting us know. That's going to be a mess. Using that part of 65 is my usual route to work, but these days I often work remote. Anyway, I'll get by with surface streets. Here's from the story in the local paper...

"Interstate 65 between downtown Louisville, I-264 to close for $150M bridge replacement work
Leo Bertucci
Louisville Courier Journal, August 27, 2025

...The I-65 closure from Jefferson Street to Interstate 264 is anticipated to begin in June 2026 "for accelerated construction that will save at least a year to construct these bridges," a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesperson said in a statement. Traffic from I-65 will be detoured onto westbound I-264 and westbound Interstate 64 through at least July 2026...

The bridges, officials said, are more than 60 years old and are rated in poor condition..."

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2025/08/27/louisville-interstate-65-closure-2026-150-million-bridge-replacements-expected/85849252007/


PS corvette: By the way, have you ever been on Shippingport Island? Since you like to take walks and hikes, you can actually walk on the sandy "beach" by the Ohio River there in an obscure park that not many know about. Nice views of Sand Island and tiny Lewis and Clark Island as well. Going over the Army Corps of Engineers' bridge to Shippingport is kinda fun. I don't think many know that bridge is even open for the public to drive over (and sometimes they do close it down for whatever reasons), and in any case it's a bit tricky to get to. Follow the sign to Lannan Memorial Park, but then go straight under the railroad overpass instead of taking the right turn that leads to Lannan Park. Also has good views of the hydroelectric dam/generating plant. If you look at maps of Louisville from the mid-19th century people used to live on Shippingport, but when the dam was built most of the streets and all the houses there were removed. What's weird is that the Shippingport Island Park isn't even on google maps. But it's there and has been for decades. At least it was still there about a year ago, which is the last time I went. There's a small parking lot, and then wooden steps leading down to the beach. In all of my explorations of Louisville it's the most obscure and difficult to find of all of the official parks, esp. bc it isn't even on maps. I discovered it by accident by just driving there, when I found out that the Army Corps bridge was open to the public most of the time.

andres3

xwesx said:

Sandman6472 said:

Well, as of Monday, have just over 600 miles on the new GTI. Had to take our son to Ft. Lauderdale airport for his flight home to Chicago, so took the turnpike down to FLL. Sure is a peppy thing and on the way home, I let it spread it's wings a bit. Got up to speed in no time and at one point, hit almost 90. But got spooked when I saw a cop on the southbound side so slowed it back down.

Speaking of that, I was on I90 yesterday with my pickup, just strolling along at about 73... There was a semi on my left, slowly looking to pass me, and then two more come barreling down the on-ramp to my right. Well, I didn't change speed at all, but I guess the lead truck on the ramp decided that might is right, so he just started coming over into my vehicle while the second truck down the ramp was nosing the guy's trailer.

It was 'nope' time, so I goosed the throttle and scooted to the left lane ahead of the passing truck, around the "merging" truck, and out away from the whole mess. A second or two later, I glanced at my speedometer as I let off the accelerator. Well, the speedometer only reads to 100....

But the Earth is Flat and Speed Kills! If you just drive the speed limit nothing bad can happen to you

corvette

@benjaminh - I'm fully remote, so it won't affect me as much as others. Will make getting to the Speed Museum[1] tricky (I'm a member and try to go when they open new exhibitions).

I've heard of Shippingport Island and it's been on my radar for a while, but I've heard conflicting accounts about whether it's open or closed, which parts you can go to, etc., so I never tried to go there, but I might now! Thanks for the info.

[1] For everyone else here, it's less topical than the name implies, it's our local art museum affiliated with UofL.

Michaell

Shopping update!

Nephew is still a bit undecided about the white or black accord. White is non-CPO but the priced dropped to $26k. Black is CPO and is priced at $27.1k

Family is split - his brothers like the white but his dad likes the black.

I think he’s going to the Mazda dealer first to look at the white one. Told him to threaten to go to the other dealer if he’s not getting what he thinks is fair.

explorerx4

Is the black Honda a Honda CPO or dealer CPO?

benjaminh

corvette said:

...I've heard of Shippingport Island and it's been on my radar for a while, but I've heard conflicting accounts about whether it's open or closed, which parts you can go to, etc., so I never tried to go there, but I might now! Thanks for the info.

So on this detail map you see part of Shippingport Island, and part of Sand Island. As you've heard, most of Shippingport Island is closed to the public. On this detail Shippingport Dr. is behind a gate and a big fence, and that whole long strip of the Island (mostly not shown on this detail) is off limits to the public. But Northwest of Shippingport Dr., off of N 27th St., you see on this map a little curved road that's a dead end. That's where the parking lot for the park is located. Only has room for maybe a half a dozen cars or so? Not sure. When I've been there usually there have been only one or two cars, I think probably for people who fish in the Ohio there at this almost secret park. There's an old official Louisville Parks sign there though. The wooden steps are right off of the parking lot, and take you down to a pretty nice beach. It's the best public park beach in all of Louisville as far as I've been able to find, and maybe even better because almost no one knows about it. When I took one of our grown children there a year ago they found it kind of amazing, both because it's really nice, and bc it's so weird getting there. There is a gate at the Army Corps bridge, but it's almost always open, and usually there's no one in the tiny gatehouse. Maybe whether you can go on Shippingport Island is up to the Army Corps of Engineers? There's a sign there that states this is an Army Corp of Engineers bridge or something, but it doesn't say it is off limits to the public. There's a nearby mini-museum about the dam and history of the island, but I haven't been to it. Anyway, from what I've found the bridge seems to be open to drive across. If for some reason it's closed, nearby Lannan Park is also nice, and has access to the Louisville Loop paved bike and walking path, which is fun to ride or walk on from there. As I've mentioned, I keep my folding bike in my trunk, and I've gone riding there many times, even though part of the Louisville Loop near the river a mile or two away is completely overgrown and can't really safely be used in my opinion.


PS The bridge from my point of view is scenic and nicely designed. It also has a sidewalk on one side for pedestrians. Just a guess, but I wonder if because the city and/or state maybe fund the maintenance of some of the roads leading to or on Shippingport Island that there needs to be minimal public access? I don't know. But it seems like the Army Corps perhaps doesn't want to encourage public access, and maybe requested that Google remove that park from their map so that almost no one would know it exists? Just speculation on my part.

xwesx

andres3 said:

But the Earth is Flat and Speed Kills! If you just drive the speed limit nothing bad can happen to you

Haha! Well, I'm a big fan of "driving the speed limit" in most situations, as I generally find that number to be reasonable for the area. My "rule" is within 5 mph or 10%, whichever is less. However, I am also a fan of being attentive and adjusting speed to the situation as well as using all options for evading a potential conflict (brake, swerve, accelerate). So, whether I'm driving 40 or 80, there's probably a real good reason for it!

In that particular situation (with the F250 on Wednesday), I definitely popped north of 100 for a brief moment, but I just hit the cruise and settled back to 73 as soon as I was clear of the danger. I hadn't done a legitimate evasion in that truck before, and boy, oh boy, can it scoot! I surely added 50% to my cruising speed in only a couple seconds. My wife only had time to say, "whoa!," before I was already decelerating.

stickguy

the Accords are new enough to still be under at least powertrain portion of the warranty? If so, less of a worry to me about the CPO if there is a significant price differential. And I did not realize until now that there are different levels of Honda official CPO. The good one (True Certified) that has extra warranty years, and the cheap one (True Used) that is very short coverage. So really needs to be sure on what the dealer is offering (and that it is actual Honda manufacture coverage)

andres3

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

But the Earth is Flat and Speed Kills! If you just drive the speed limit nothing bad can happen to you

Haha! Well, I'm a big fan of "driving the speed limit" in most situations, as I generally find that number to be reasonable for the area. My "rule" is within 5 mph or 10%, whichever is less. However, I am also a fan of being attentive and adjusting speed to the situation as well as using all options for evading a potential conflict (brake, swerve, accelerate). So, whether I'm driving 40 or 80, there's probably a real good reason for it!

In that particular situation (with the F250 on Wednesday), I definitely popped north of 100 for a brief moment, but I just hit the cruise and settled back to 73 as soon as I was clear of the danger. I hadn't done a legitimate evasion in that truck before, and boy, oh boy, can it scoot! I surely added 50% to my cruising speed in only a couple seconds. My wife only had time to say, "whoa!," before I was already decelerating.

I could find you many speed limits that will challenge your notions and rules within 50 miles of me. At least one of which will have you making a bit of an effort to stay near the speed limit, let alone exceed it by 5 MPH or 10%, which in this case is almost the same 10% being 5.5 MPH. I often find vehicles like large pickups going 10 to 15 under on it.

And then there's several examples of 4 lane divided arterials with bike lanes making it really 6 lanes wide (3 each way) with sidewalks to boot with 35 MPH speed limits.

Michaell

The white has curb rash on every wheel and a tear in the back seat. They took a pass and are heading to look at the black one.

I think this is a Honda CPO

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Shopping update!

Nephew is still a bit undecided about the white or black accord. White is non-CPO but the priced dropped to $26k. Black is CPO and is priced at $27.1k

Family is split - his brothers like the white but his dad likes the black.

I think he’s going to the Mazda dealer first to look at the white one. Told him to threaten to go to the other dealer if he’s not getting what he thinks is fair.

Go with the white one, cheaper and easier to clean. I assume the mileage is similar.

corvette

@benjaminh - I could probably make half a day out of that area, between the beach, Portland Museum (I've never been), Outsider Art Museum (same), and The Table restaurant (unfortunately only open on weekdays). Farm to Fork used to have a restaurant in that area, but they are strictly caterers now. The Portland area in general seems to have made a comeback in the last few years.

What kind of folding bike do you have? I'm sort of interested in getting one since there are a lot of paved trails in the area (there are a lot of rails to trails projects in southern IN, which would be tedious to try to walk, and Patoka lake has a bike trail), but I barely learned how to ride a bike as a kid, and haven't ridden since. I'm guessing I can't kidnap a Lime scooter and unlock it to ride it 50+ miles out of their service area.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Shopping update!

Nephew is still a bit undecided about the white or black accord. White is non-CPO but the priced dropped to $26k. Black is CPO and is priced at $27.1k

Family is split - his brothers like the white but his dad likes the black.

I think he’s going to the Mazda dealer first to look at the white one. Told him to threaten to go to the other dealer if he’s not getting what he thinks is fair.

Go with the white one, cheaper and easier to clean. I assume the mileage is similar.

He ended up with neither.

But, he did find one that suited him:



Both the white and black ones were pretty dinged up, especially the black CPO - my sister was a bit appalled at how rough it was. Multiple dings, and a significant crack or two in the windshield. Fortunately, this same lot (Honda dealer) had the Urban Grey one tucked away in a back lot. They were able to extricate it and found it to be in much better shape than the others, and drove just fine. Also CPO, so some piece of mind there. Turned out to be a little bit over his monthly budget (but hey, who doesn't do that now?).

Paperwork signed and he took delivery tonight. I think the kid is a happy camper.

venture

My one daughter just traded her Legacy on a new Nissan Frontier. Another one that has strayed from our local Subaru dealer because of the incessant emails, phone calls, texts, and mailings. They have become relentless.



It's a very nice truck. They sure have changed over the years. A friend has one about 6 or 7 years old and there's no comparison.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

Shopping update!

Nephew is still a bit undecided about the white or black accord. White is non-CPO but the priced dropped to $26k. Black is CPO and is priced at $27.1k

Family is split - his brothers like the white but his dad likes the black.

I think he’s going to the Mazda dealer first to look at the white one. Told him to threaten to go to the other dealer if he’s not getting what he thinks is fair.

Go with the white one, cheaper and easier to clean. I assume the mileage is similar.

He ended up with neither.

But, he did find one that suited him:



Both the white and black ones were pretty dinged up, especially the black CPO - my sister was a bit appalled at how rough it was. Multiple dings, and a significant crack or two in the windshield. Fortunately, this same lot (Honda dealer) had the Urban Grey one tucked away in a back lot. They were able to extricate it and found it to be in much better shape than the others, and drove just fine. Also CPO, so some piece of mind there. Turned out to be a little bit over his monthly budget (but hey, who doesn't do that now?).

Paperwork signed and he took delivery tonight. I think the kid is a happy camper.

Good for him. Pays to shop around and not get emotionally invested in any one car. I wonder though, how could a dealer CPO a car with a cracked windshield? And why wouldn’t they fix a rip in a seat before selling a car? That indicates a very dismissive attitude towards the customer IMO.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

My one daughter just traded her Legacy on a new Nissan Frontier. Another one that has strayed from our local Subaru dealer because of the incessant emails, phone calls, texts, and mailings. They have become relentless.



It's a very nice truck. They sure have changed over the years. A friend has one about 6 or 7 years old and there's no comparison.

Nice looking truck. Nissan modernized the Frontier around 2020 from its former “work truck” persona abet with a higher price. They used to be the only truck for under $20k but the last time I was at the Kia-Nissan dealer I saw one with a $48k sticker.

benjaminh

venture said:

My one daughter just traded her Legacy on a new Nissan Frontier. Another one that has strayed from our local Subaru dealer because of the incessant emails, phone calls, texts, and mailings...

Nice truck!

Maybe she already tried this, but when calls happen that you don't want from a biz you can say something like, "please put me on your 'no call' list." And for emails and texts it is possible to unsubscribe or write stop.

stickguy

I almost leased a new frontier in fall 2021 when I was waiting for the first maverick to arrive. A loaded Pro4x at a killer 18 month lease deal. Did finally get a chance to test drive one. Big truck (to me) and had very heavy steering but I guess you get used to it.

stickguy

Good news on the Accord. I like the gray better than black or white. And with a CPO, if he takes care of it, should get many cost effective years of ownership out of it. Good job all around! Going to save a ton on gas with the hybrid.

corvette

I like the gray, too, but I’m biased, having two gray cars at the moment. I had a previous gen Accord Hybrid as an Uber in Chicago a couple years ago, and it was extremely nice and quiet.

corvette

I liked the Frontier I had as a rental, other than the extremely firm steering.

Michaell

@oldfarmer - my sister said the same thing about the windshield and CPO status. But yeah, I'm proud of him for being open minded about color.

When he started this endeavor last weekend, he spotted a new Accord Hybrid in white over black, and that color combo captivated him. I was hesitant about the black/black combo because of how hot it gets where he lives (even though I say San Diego, where they live is probably 15-20 miles inland, and it gets hot in the summer). The Urban Grey is a sharp color, and eminently suitable for a 20-something youngster.

I think he'll keep this car a good long time. He's got a steady girlfriend who I suspect he will marry some day (she's still in school getting her masters degree, and he's got one more year of college, but has landed a nice internship at a company). The Accord is big enough to get them through the early stages of having a family.

Regarding the Frontier, I think they are quite handsome, unlike the redesigned Tacoma, which looks like a Tonka truck. And, the Nissan still has an old school NA V6 under the hood. Congrats on that new purchase as well.

One last note - since my sisters oldest son moved back home last month, they now have, let's see, the following cars at their house:

2019 Volvo XC40
2026 BMW i5
2015 VW Jetta (oh, BTW, the oil leak was nothing more than an improperly seated drain plug)
2018 Kia Forte
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
1998 Toyota 4Runner 2WD (which is getting prepped for sale)
2003 Hyundai Sonata (this, too, is going to a new home, but details shall remain confidential, for now)

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

graphicguy said:

benjaminh said:

The CX-50 hybrid sounds like a good choice from my pov. Toyota hybrid system without the Toyota price. And iirc your daughter got a loaded one for a couple of thousand off of msrp. Mazdas have nicer interiors than a RAV4.

2020 RDX length: 187 inches, width 74.8

2025 CX-50 length: 186 inches, width 73

Since she seems happy with the size of the RDX this is a nice match up.

But the CX-90 plug in hybrid with the big lease incentive sounds like it might be a nice deal on a bigger and more powerful vehicle.

CX-90 length: 200, width 77.6

nyccarguy said:

fintail said:

nyccarguy said:

My 16 year old son who plays Forza on XBox and always asks me questions about the cars before he modifies the daylights out of them snapped a few pics of this MK4 Supra on our way home from one of his 4 hockey games this weekend.

I like those for the nostalgia and wacky styling - not pretty, but pretty wild at the time. I'd want it to look 100% stock, and IMO a LHD car has more cred as it has survived and is not a new private import. Maybe get a TT Targa with automatic just to upset the shift-yourselfers (probably also a car with a high theft rate).

It is the Bullitt Mustang for late gen X/millennials. The Autos get a lot of hate for sure. Check out the comments on THIS 1995 Toyota Supra Turbo There is a company in TX (I think) that buys Supras, does all the deferred maintenance, fixes and restores broken interior bits & seats, then resells. They will also manual swap the car for a price as well.

The funny thing about all these halo Japanese sports cars from the early - mid 90's (Supra, RX7, 300ZX, 3000 GT) is that for the most part they were driven hard, crashed, modified within an inch of their life. People changed the wheels, lowered the suspensions, installed giant spoilers, gaudy body kits, bigger turbos, and freer flowing exhausts. The ones that have been barely driven and kept in relatively stock form are worth a lot of money.

Guess which cars from that era were maybe not as sexy from a technology standpoint, but were lightweight, RWD, V8 powered, laughed at by the press and most import enthusiasts? Parts are easily available, the cars have been generally well cared and have low miles for because their owners only drove them on Sundays and used diapers to polish them. Late model C4s and C5 Corvettes are reasonably priced in today's market given their condition a miles as well as availability of the 6 Speed Manual Transmission. I dig the C5 Z06!

Here is a 2004 Corvette Z06 that is 9 years newer, has a 6-Speed Stick, less miles, and ends in 2 days just like the Supra I linked above.

Excellent points. I think the popularity of the 2 fast-2 furious movies had something to do with it. Not a good reason, but a reason nonetheless.

Most of the Japanese modded Supras, Zs, 300GTs, etc that I've seen modified were not done well. And, their condition proves it.

Gimme a 'vette or a Mustang any day of the week vs the JDL counterparts. Most 'vettes are or have been owned by "geez.....er....mature drivers". As such, they aren't ratted out and generally well cared for.

Just remember that as a Corvette owner you must budget for the purchase of jorts and Keds or New Balance sneakers.

Big no on New Balance. They got so cheap my toes would wear through. Sketchers is the new cool shoe.😎

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Did you ever think about trimming your toenails?

jmonroe