Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

corvette · January 11

qbrozen said:
Speaking of Macans, I found myself staring at this ad for a while the other day.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/link/398786214

Is that exterior color Old Man Grey? I dig it other than that... and this:

To paraphrase part a recent viral video that I probably can't repost here: "I think I know a lot more about driving Porsches even than a lot of of the engineers do. I look around and see all the beautiful lights and switches. Nobody knows what they do. They said flip that one and maybe this one, I said, let's flip all the switches, buuuuuut, nobody listened."

qbrozen · January 11

I thought old man grey was the light grey that’s so popular recently?

I believe this is similar to the dark metallic I had on my ‘05 350z and G35 (and maybe the EX35, too? I forget)

That’s actually a low switch count on one of these! You should check out a fully loaded one. This one is pretty basic.

stickguy · January 11

that is pretty basic for switches. Only looks like a lot because they grouped them all together on the console. Put the HVAC ones up on the dashboard and there would hardly be any!

Plus, it is better than putting it all on layers of touch screen menus, or even worse, capacitive.

kyfdx · January 11

The Macan console is worse now, because all of the buttons are “touch screen”. Still laid out on the giant console, but with no tactile feel. 😕

And, the giant traditional shifter makes me long for the BMW beer tap.

Terrible ergonomics.

kyfdx · January 12

I saw the truest statement on Twitter, yesterday

Every time I leave the house, it costs $100

mjfloyd1 · January 12

@kyfdx said:
The Macan console is worse now, because all of the buttons are “touch screen”. Still laid out on the giant console, but with no tactile feel. 😕

And, the giant traditional shifter makes me long for the BMW beer tap.

Terrible ergonomics.

I wrongly assumed the Macan had a PDK shift lever like a 911

tjc78 · January 12

@kyfdx said:
I saw the truest statement on Twitter, yesterday

Every time I leave the house, it costs $100

There are mornings where we are $100 deep before the kids leave for school.

Online shopping is the devil

kyfdx · January 12

@mjfloyd1 just a PRND lever like a regular Nissan.

It does have paddle shifters, though

sda · January 12

corvette said:

qbrozen said:
Speaking of Macans, I found myself staring at this ad for a while the other day.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/link/398786214

Is that exterior color Old Man Grey? I dig it other than that... and this:
To paraphrase part a recent viral video that I probably can't repost here: "I think I know a lot more about driving Porsches even than a lot of of the engineers do. I look around and see all the beautiful lights and switches. Nobody knows what they do. They said flip that one and maybe this one, I said, let's flip all the switches, buuuuuut, nobody listened."

I wonder how many and often those switches need replacing because coffee, cola, or other liquids have been splashed on them. Looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

ab348 · January 12

kyfdx said:
@mjfloyd1 just a PRND lever like a regular Nissan.

It does have paddle shifters, though

Not seeing any PRNDL indicators on the console. I guess they cheaped out like GM did on the 2nd-last Impala and only put them on the instrument cluster.

The number and position of the switches can be criticized I suppose, but with all the toys and gizmos modern cars have, they have to be somewhere. I can only imagine the horror if you could not easily turn your heated and cooled seats on and off. I have no idea what "Auto Rest" is though, and why it takes up so much real estate there.

kyfdx · January 12

Yep, the gear indicator is only on the cluster, I think. I'd have to go look at it.

kyfdx · January 12

Also, there is another bunch of tactile buttons on the ceiling, around the sunroof controls. Unfortunately, my head is too close to it to read them while I'm driving. (presbyopia)

qbrozen · January 12

@kyfdx said:
Also, there is another bunch of tactile buttons on the ceiling, around the sunroof controls. Unfortunately, my head is too close to it to read them while I'm driving. (presbyopia)

I would have that problem, but no fancy word for it in my case. I’m just getting old.

jmonroe1 · January 12

sda said:

corvette said:

qbrozen said:
Speaking of Macans, I found myself staring at this ad for a while the other day.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/link/398786214

Is that exterior color Old Man Grey? I dig it other than that... and this:
To paraphrase part a recent viral video that I probably can't repost here: "I think I know a lot more about driving Porsches even than a lot of of the engineers do. I look around and see all the beautiful lights and switches. Nobody knows what they do. They said flip that one and maybe this one, I said, let's flip all the switches, buuuuuut, nobody listened."
I wonder how many and often those switches need replacing because coffee, cola, or other liquids have been splashed on them. Looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

————————————————
That interior wouldn’t bother me one bit. Who said you must have liquids in your car? I have never had liquids in my cars. The last time there were solids in my cars is when my sons were toddlers and they had Cheerios in the back seat. Mrs. j used to ask me why I had to be so strict. I told her, “because I clean the car but when you allow the kids to eat and drink on your couches (fat chance of that happening), I MIGHT reconsider.

The day they start installing tables in cars, I MIGHT reconsider that too.

It was an automatic with my cars and my sons understood it right from the beginning…no eating or drinking in the car. Worked like a charm.

A funny thing about that:

When Son #1 was in Little League, the local Dairy Queen was the team sponsor so we stopped at Dairy Queen quite often after games. They didn’t pay for it but a lot of the parents liked to support them, plus everyone likes ice cream on a warm Summer night. Anyway, one night the parents of the kid up the street asked me if I could take their son home because they wanted to go to the mall before it closed. No problem. We always had our treats at the outside tables. When we got up from the table to head to the car, I wasn’t paying attention to the neighbor kid but Son #1 was. He said to the kid, “hold it, you can’t get in the car with your milkshake”. The kid said, “what”? So my Son explained the rule to him and said, “either throw it away or we can sit down again so you can finish it”. We sat down again. Like I said it worked all the time.

jmonroe

28firefighter · January 12

Well. The WRX is no longer new. Driving back from the mountains yesterday I hit a pothole on I-90 that I couldn’t safely avoid. Nicked my front right passenger wheel.

Oh well.

Sandman6472 · January 12

The "no eating, no drinking" rule was also upheld in my vehicle and the kids knew it. I even had them believing that I had a force field around the audio controls which they could not break to change the channel or fiddle with the volume. That fallacy ended way before the first rule did and to this day, none of them eat or drink in their personal vehicles. Guess they really were heard what I said!

kyfdx · January 12

@28firefighter Bummer

jmonroe1 · January 12

Sandman6472 said:
The "no eating, no drinking" rule was also upheld in my vehicle and the kids knew it. I even had them believing that I had a force field around the audio controls which they could not break to change the channel or fiddle with the volume. That fallacy ended way before the first rule did and to this day, none of them eat or drink in their personal vehicles. Guess they really were heard what I said!

————————————————
MEANY

jmonroe

stickguy · January 12

I would never impose a no eating or drinking rule in the car for myself. Especially on trips. Need to hydrate and snack! I just ask the wife to be careful and not drop anything between the seat and the console.

suydam · January 12

We wouldn’t have survived on our cross-country trip with that rule.

jmonroe1 · January 12

stickguy said:
I would never impose a no eating or drinking rule in the car for myself. Especially on trips. Need to hydrate and snack! I just ask the wife to be careful and not drop anything between the seat and the console.

————————————————
When we lived in SC, I don’t know how many times I made that trip up and back. We packed a mini 8 can cooler with some Pepsi. When we got thirsty after a few hours I’d pull over at a rest stop and we’d have a cool one and get rid of the old one. Sometimes we made it to where we were headed and didn’t even empty the cooler. Practiced extended bladder control those times.

That was a 10 hour driving time and just under 12 hours road time. Most of that extra 2 hours was stopping for a meal.

We never felt dehydrated, whatever that feels like.

jmonroe

stickguy · January 12

to each his own. I just don't feel like depriving myself!

jmonroe1 · January 12

stickguy said:
to each his own. I just don't feel like depriving myself!

————————————————
You otta try it sometime. It’s not as bad as you think. I do it all the time. Especially when it comes to buying a car when I first get the urge. I know, I could lose my membership in here for that statement.

jmonroe

qbrozen · January 12

I’m confused.

Just kind of perusing other quick SUVs besides the Macan and remembered the GLA45. I know it is tiny, though. But, somehow, the published rear legroom is far more than the Macan and only 2 inches shorter than the limo-like S90. That can’t be possible, right??

jmonroe1 · January 12

qbrozen said:
I’m confused.

Just kind of perusing other quick SUVs besides the Macan and remembered the GLA45. I know it is tiny, though. But, somehow, the published rear legroom is far more than the Macan and only 2 inches shorter than the limo-like S90. That can’t be possible, right??

————————————————
If you got that info on the internet it must be true, right?

jmonroe

nyccarguy · January 12

@28firefighter said:
Well. The WRX is no longer new. Driving back from the mountains yesterday I hit a pothole on I-90 that I couldn’t safely avoid. Nicked my front right passenger wheel.

Oh well.

Bummer for sure. Is it something one of these mobile wheel repair places can fix? Tire is ok?

roadburner · January 12

Mercedes has since moved on to touchscreens, but the W205 C43 has physical switches laid out in a fairly logical fashion. There is a touchpad for those who prefer them, but I rarely use it. What stands out to me is there are 3-4 different ways to access most functions

corvette · January 12

It's a little annoying that the Ariya has no seat heater buttons in the front (you have to go to the climate menu on the ICE), but it will automatically turn them on for a bit, depending on the temperature.

After navigating some of the roads over the past week, I think I'd prefer a set of all-weather tires when I replace the OEM tires on the Maverick. It's obviously not a direct comparison, but my old Tahoe also had all-weather Yokahamas, and it was unstoppable in the snow in 2WD. I only ever engaged 4WD to make sure it worked.

anonymousposts2025 · January 12

@28firefighter said:
Well. The WRX is no longer new. Driving back from the mountains yesterday I hit a pothole on I-90 that I couldn’t safely avoid. Nicked my front right passenger wheel.

Oh well.

Nothing is worse than the first nick / scratch. I curbed the wheel on our first Model Y when it had less than 1,000 miles. My youngest, who loves cars, won’t let me live it down.

fintail · January 12

One of the several factors that makes me want to keep the E450 wagon longterm is the lack of a touchscreen.

I'll admit it wasn't horrible in the G60 530i I rented a few weeks ago, but when some functions are buried in sometimes less than intuitive menus, having a physical access makes a big difference.

roadburner said:
Mercedes has since moved on to touchscreens, but the W205 C43 has physical switches laid out in a fairly logical fashion. There is a touchpad for those who prefer them, but I rarely use it. What stands out to me is there are 3-4 different ways to access most functions

qbrozen · January 12

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
If you got that info on the internet it must be true, right?

jmonroe

Where else could I get it? I trust Edmunds and Motor Trend, who have the same data. But of course they are just publishing what Mercedes provided. So MB must be lying or using a form of measurement that differs from everyone else.

stickguy · January 12

I seem to recall discussions a long time back about how legroom was measured (Courtesy of Andre!) I don't remember all the minutia, but there was some odd rule about measuring it where the published numbers did not always match real world results. I know that a low cushion really cuts into useful legroom. and it had something to do with travel of the front seat.

or maybe the GLA just has more rear legroom than expected. Maybe there is no trunk space?

corvette · January 12

I really wish the "hip point" measurement was published. I think that would be a useful measurement for me if I think something feels low to the ground, in terms of determining whether it will make my knees ache.

28firefighter · January 12

I knew it would happen if I used it to go skiing. Tire is fine and I’m sure it can be fixed - I’ll wait til summer for that.

nyccarguy · January 12

Thoughts? I like the low mileage. Price seems a little rich for an ‘08. Hit on the carfax. Dealer serviced.

2008 Lexus ES 350 - 54,000 miles

https://www.haldemanlexusofprinceton.com/inventory/used-2008-lexus-es-350-fwd-4d-sedan-jthbj46g282220675/

stickguy · January 12

I have a sophisticated measurement tool for hip point. I get my wife to go for a ride, and if I have to help her out of the car, the hip point is too low. If I have to boost her in, it is too high.

stickguy · January 12

I always liked that generation ES. Before they got goofy or overly complicated. Love to see all dealer maintenance like that The rear end hit? It was 13 years ago, and someone must have had money that owned it, so I would bet if there were problems with it, would have been traded long ago! Plus, if you can't see any signs of the accident or repair at this point, unlikely to be significant.

Price does seem high for the age, but that is the market I guess. Offset by maintenance and low miles. Especially if the consumables are fresh (tires and brakes). Some of those Subes most likely by the time you got them sorted, you were going to be into it for nearly as much.

oldfarmer50 · January 13

stickguy said:
to each his own. I just don't feel like depriving myself!

I’m with you, it’s my car and if I want to eat in it, I will. I did draw the line at smoking though.

oldfarmer50 · January 13

nyccarguy said:
Thoughts? I like the low mileage. Price seems a little rich for an ‘08. Hit on the carfax. Dealer serviced.

2008 Lexus ES 350 - 54,000 miles

https://www.haldemanlexusofprinceton.com/inventory/used-2008-lexus-es-350-fwd-4d-sedan-jthbj46g282220675/

I immediately thought of a comparison between this 2008 and a 2008 Impala with 50k miles for $5k mentioned by driver100. Assuming both cars are similar mechanically, is a Lexus worth more than twice as much?

nyccarguy · January 13

@oldfarmer50 said:
I immediately thought of a comparison between this 2008 and a 2008 Impala with 50k miles for $5k mentioned by driver100. Assuming both cars are similar mechanically, is a Lexus worth more than twice as much?

Excellent point. I’m not too familiar with that generation impala. Does it have the 3800 V6?

anonymousposts2025 · January 13

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’m with you, it’s my car and if I want to eat in it, I will. I did draw the line at smoking though.

There are approved foods and drinks. I wouldn’t allow a big plate of hot wings and dip. But nuggets and fries can only do so much damage if you clean the car out often.

Drinks, pretty lenient on that too. Leather seats and all-weather mats are helpful. With that said, we left Waffle House last week and the youngest had a to-go cup. Somehow the straw poked a hole through the bottom of the styrofoam cup. His lap caught most of the drink, the cup holder got the rest. Sometimes stuff happens …

stickguy · January 13

Smoking would never happen. Try that and you would be left on the side of the road.

corvette · January 13

nyccarguy said:
Excellent point. I’m not too familiar with that generation impala. Does it have the 3800 V6?

A 2008 would have likely had the 3500 V6, which is an overhead valve engine with variable valve timing. The 3900 was optional (probably only on higher trims). Either of these are probably preferable to an early 3.6--I'm not sure what year they finally fixed the timing chain issue on those.

qbrozen · January 13

@nyccarguy said:
Thoughts? I like the low mileage. Price seems a little rich for an ‘08. Hit on the carfax. Dealer serviced.

2008 Lexus ES 350 - 54,000 miles

https://www.haldemanlexusofprinceton.com/inventory/used-2008-lexus-es-350-fwd-4d-sedan-jthbj46g282220675/

That’s about $3500-$4k profit for them. So about $1k off would be fair.

Personally? I can’t fathom how that is worth more than my ‘08 quattroporte and as much as my recently departed Daytona. An LS? Ok. But a Camry in a nice suit? Nah.

nyccarguy · January 13

@qbrozen said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thoughts? I like the low mileage. Price seems a little rich for an ‘08. Hit on the carfax. Dealer serviced.

2008 Lexus ES 350 - 54,000 miles

https://www.haldemanlexusofprinceton.com/inventory/used-2008-lexus-es-350-fwd-4d-sedan-jthbj46g282220675/

That’s about $3500-$4k profit for them. So about $1k off would be fair.

Personally? I can’t fathom how that is worth more than my ‘08 quattroporte and as much as my recently departed Daytona. An LS? Ok. But a Camry in a nice suit? Nah.

This would be a legacy car in the family for 1st drivers. My (soon to be) 16 year old would learn to drive on it. My 18 year old will drive it back and forth to work over the summer. My 13 year old daughter will learn to drive on it eventually.

stickguy · January 13

@qbrozen said:

@nyccarguy said:
Thoughts? I like the low mileage. Price seems a little rich for an ‘08. Hit on the carfax. Dealer serviced.

2008 Lexus ES 350 - 54,000 miles

https://www.haldemanlexusofprinceton.com/inventory/used-2008-lexus-es-350-fwd-4d-sedan-jthbj46g282220675/

That’s about $3500-$4k profit for them. So about $1k off would be fair.

Personally? I can’t fathom how that is worth more than my ‘08 quattroporte and as much as my recently departed Daytona. An LS? Ok. But a Camry in a nice suit? Nah.

Because most people shopping in this price range are doing it for cheap transportation and don’t have a budget for expensive repairs or willing to deal with downtime. So that explains the Maserati. The Daytona, probably because of what it is (hot rod, RWD, a Chrysler product, take your pick).

28firefighter · January 13

I really don't have any rules about eating in the car - most everything these days will clean up and I'd much rather my dude be happy spending time in the car with me than being hangry because we're running between activities and I won't let him eat in the car.

That said sticky substances (like syrup) and staining substances (like grape juice) are a no-go but that's rarely an issue.

stickguy · January 13

Yes you need to have common sense!

mjfloyd1 · January 13

@28firefighter said:
I knew it would happen if I used it to go skiing. Tire is fine and I’m sure it can be fixed - I’ll wait til summer for that.

It wasn’t new the moment you drove it off the lot. It just wasn’t “tainted” yet. 😎.

If it has black wheels, this is a good time to switch to silver (or vice versa)😂

oldfarmer50 · January 13

nyccarguy said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I immediately thought of a comparison between this 2008 and a 2008 Impala with 50k miles for $5k mentioned by driver100. Assuming both cars are similar mechanically, is a Lexus worth more than twice as much?

Excellent point. I’m not too familiar with that generation impala. Does it have the 3800 V6?

That year had a 3.5L, a 3.9L and a 5.3L V8 in the SS version.

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