Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

nyccarguy

There’s a lot of “looking, but can’t bring myself to do anything” going around in the car world. My best friend has a ‘17 Lexus LX570. He’s got about 75K miles on it. He keeps his cars showroom perfect. He could get decent money for it. The biggest hangup he has with it is the fact that there’s no CarPlay & the range of the gas tank due to the abysmal fuel mileage. He freakin loves the V8 and the rest of the truck overall. He likes the new Mustang GT, but we both agree he’ll be sick of it in 6 months to a year.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

My wife just got a mailing with some Private Offers from Ford.
When I bought my Explorer last year, the dealer didn't want to give me a loan because I was retired, so the loan ended up in her name only.
I traded in my 2020 Explorer, paid the additional cash down, and have been paying the loan.
This also interests me. Current situation, 2 kids, 1 Mustang.
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/listing/1996-ford-mustang-svt-cobra-clarkston-mi-2843468

That’s about the same price Carvana is offering on my Mustang with similar mileage. 19 years newer and an extra 155hp.😃

I find it incredible a dealer actually discriminated against you because you were retired. That’s rank ageism. Don’t they understand that it’s only retirees that are able to afford to buy their overpriced cars? Couldn’t you get pre-approved at a credit union or something? Or do they discriminate too?

corvette

Nissan will let me buy discounted miles on the Ariya lease, but at this point there's no way I will come close to going over on miles.

@stickguy - I have a conspiracy theory on the (very much delayed) Maverick backup camera recall. The non-Lariat Mavericks have a decontented version of SYNC that Ford won't even call SYNC. I've experienced various issues (it "forgets" to reconnect to your phone when the car is restarted, the backup camera lags, etc.). I think the hardware was running at or above its limits when the cars were sold, and now that the feds are complaining about the backup camera, there's no "slack" in the hardware to allow them to devote more processing time to the camera stuff, without disabling other functionality (e.g., "we can make it work if we shut down CarPlay and stop playing audio on the speakers immediately when the car is put in reverse"). If they do this, they will fix the problem with NHTSA and then face a class action lawsuit on behalf of vehicle owners for breaking something that previously worked. The only other solution is to upgrade/replace the infotainment system.

stickguy

Thankfully my truck seems to be excluded from that issue. I do have a software update available for the radio I will get done eventually (most time when I start up it defaults back to an FM station or just says SIM). Not a huge deal, I just hit skip to next station and it goes back to XM. But I do have the Sync configuration.

I think the 2025 refresh replaces the base system (and probably the Lariat Sync version) with a current version of Sync. A smart idea.

oldfarmer50

Pay your bills, folks.

https://youtube.com/shorts/FT_wRBvHWOU?si=_ZtXDmvGioXgl0I9

nyccarguy

breld said:

Clearly the "new" Z hasn't been received all that well, but at some point it still seems like an attractive buy...like $9,500 off sticker.

https://schompnissan.com/inventory/New-2024-Nissan-Z-Performance-JN1BZ4BH7RM361789

Nice lookin car. The white with the black wheels looks sharp. I know many don't care for it, but I like it. It will be an even better buy when the car is still sitting on their showroom floor in August:)- I know they are different cars, but there has to be a Mustang GT out there in that price range that you'd like. Get the V8/6MT combo while you can!

stickguy

I have not even stopped to look at a car in over a year. Might do it now that work is slower and fewer immediate house projects (and we just finished paying off the big ones) but the weather is so awful probably won’t happen for a few months.

Though I will be at a Mazda dealer soon helping the princess. Her hope is to get her car situation taken care of in late February to early march.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

Pay your bills, folks.

https://youtube.com/shorts/FT_wRBvHWOU?si=_ZtXDmvGioXgl0I9

————————————————
I can’t help but thinking that job is way more dangerous than mountain climbing. Does anyone know the current rate for driving a hooker to do that? Still wouldn’t want it. I’ll take my chances of getting a paper cut sitting at a desk than dodging bullets.

jmonroe

stickguy

I watched that last night. And a couple more of his. My main thought was it can’t possibly be good for the car. And how does he know the end on the ground has wheels that are free to turn?

pensfan83

qbrozen said:

I keep looking at stuff but I can’t yet bring myself to do anything. I’d have to sell at least 2 of the current fleet. Today’s perusing mostly consisted of F150 2.7T of recent vintage. But then what? Obviously it replaces the Sierra, but what else? If I got rid of the QP, I know I’d regret not having a RWD V8 sedan. And if the Alfa, then I’d miss having something manual and [relatively] lightweight.

Unless I swap 3 for 2 and find a lightweight manual v8 sedan. But that doesn’t exist as far as I know. MAYBE I could find a turbo manual RWD sedan from Japan. Won’t sound as good but might get the job done.

I keep browsing as well, mainly at GTI's, R's, WRX's. But I've kicked the idea of a V8 sedan myself, Chargers mostly with a few SS's mixed in. I'd also like to give the Elantra N a look too.

graphicguy

breld said:

Clearly the "new" Z hasn't been received all that well, but at some point it still seems like an attractive buy...like $9,500 off sticker.

https://schompnissan.com/inventory/New-2024-Nissan-Z-Performance-JN1BZ4BH7RM361789

I like it....a lot. Still have a bad taste in my mouth when I went to a Nissan dealer to try to buy one last year and they played games with me regarding the $5K ADM. Now, they can't give them away. I wonder what Honda will do with the "Z"?

Michaell

pensfan83 said:

qbrozen said:

I keep looking at stuff but I can’t yet bring myself to do anything. I’d have to sell at least 2 of the current fleet. Today’s perusing mostly consisted of F150 2.7T of recent vintage. But then what? Obviously it replaces the Sierra, but what else? If I got rid of the QP, I know I’d regret not having a RWD V8 sedan. And if the Alfa, then I’d miss having something manual and [relatively] lightweight.

Unless I swap 3 for 2 and find a lightweight manual v8 sedan. But that doesn’t exist as far as I know. MAYBE I could find a turbo manual RWD sedan from Japan. Won’t sound as good but might get the job done.

I keep browsing as well, mainly at GTI's, R's, WRX's. But I've kicked the idea of a V8 sedan myself, Chargers mostly with a few SS's mixed in. I'd also like to give the Elantra N a look too.

Even though I'm a long way from being in the market, I've been looking at used Jetta GLI's with a stick. Some nice ones available for around $25K.

Comparably priced Civic Si's all have a bunch more miles on them.

sda

@stickguy said:
I have not even stopped to look at a car in over a year. Might do it now that work is slower and fewer immediate house projects (and we just finished paying off the big ones) but the weather is so awful probably won’t happen for a few months.

Though I will be at a Mazda dealer soon helping the princess. Her hope is to get her car situation taken care of in late February to early march.

Has she decided on another Mazda?

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

pensfan83 said:

qbrozen said:

I keep looking at stuff but I can’t yet bring myself to do anything. I’d have to sell at least 2 of the current fleet. Today’s perusing mostly consisted of F150 2.7T of recent vintage. But then what? Obviously it replaces the Sierra, but what else? If I got rid of the QP, I know I’d regret not having a RWD V8 sedan. And if the Alfa, then I’d miss having something manual and [relatively] lightweight.

Unless I swap 3 for 2 and find a lightweight manual v8 sedan. But that doesn’t exist as far as I know. MAYBE I could find a turbo manual RWD sedan from Japan. Won’t sound as good but might get the job done.

I keep browsing as well, mainly at GTI's, R's, WRX's. But I've kicked the idea of a V8 sedan myself, Chargers mostly with a few SS's mixed in. I'd also like to give the Elantra N a look too.

Even though I'm a long way from being in the market, I've been looking at used Jetta GLI's with a stick. Some nice ones available for around $25K.

Comparably priced Civic Si's all have a bunch more miles on them.

Solid choice. Si's get crazy money used. Hopefully you can find a GLI that hasn't been modified or abused. Make sure you get some sort of a PPI with a used GLI. Have them use a scanner to see if the car has been chipped or reflashed...

explorerx4

@stickguy,
I had the same issue with the radio and Nav and it was fixed with a software update.
They did keep it overnight. I guess there was some issue getting it to update.

28firefighter

GLI is a phenomenal used car value.

roadburner

graphicguy said:

breld said:

Clearly the "new" Z hasn't been received all that well, but at some point it still seems like an attractive buy...like $9,500 off sticker.

https://schompnissan.com/inventory/New-2024-Nissan-Z-Performance-JN1BZ4BH7RM361789

I like it....a lot. Still have a bad taste in my mouth when I went to a Nissan dealer to try to buy one last year and they played games with me regarding the $5K ADM. Now, they can't give them away. I wonder what Honda will do with the "Z"?

I mentioned this before, but I considered buying a new 2008 Mustang Bullitt, but the local dealer laughed and scratched when I mentioned X-Plan(their Bullitt Mustangs were wearing $10K ADM stickers).
Ten months later the same Bullitt Mustang was nailed to the showroom floor and they were frantically emailing me with offers of employee pricing and rebates. I wished them a very Merry Chapter 13 and told them to pound sand.
All the way to where the sun don't shine...

roadburner

As one former poster wisely said, you simply can't compare vehicle performance statistics like they are Pokemon cards. However, I do expect a small performance coupe to be appreciably quicker than a sedan with comparable horsepower. If I wanted a somewhat affordable coupe I'd go with a prior generation Mustang Mach 1; the new Mustang's performance is not significantly better, and I find the styling both inside and out is a step backwards.
Me, I like driving a Q-ship again. Only a very few people know what a C43 signifies. It's like the good old days with my MS3.

stickguy

I have owned a lot of cars (70?) but only 1 V8, and that was in HS and I never registered it (a 1970 or so Nova). Never really been something that I Jonesed to have.

stickguy

@explorerx4 said:
@stickguy,
I had the same issue with the radio and Nav and it was fixed with a software update.
They did keep it overnight. I guess there was some issue getting it to update.

I considered using the mobile service but may just take it in instead. Just in case a glitch happens and they brick it!

stickguy

@sda said:

@stickguy said:
I have not even stopped to look at a car in over a year. Might do it now that work is slower and fewer immediate house projects (and we just finished paying off the big ones) but the weather is so awful probably won’t happen for a few months.

Though I will be at a Mazda dealer soon helping the princess. Her hope is to get her car situation taken care of in late February to early march.

Has she decided on another Mazda?

Yes. She likes them. And gets a loyalty rebate. Looking to get a CX 50 hybrid.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

I have owned a lot of cars (70?) but only 1 V8, and that was in HS and I never registered it (a 1970 or so Nova). Never really been something that I Jonesed to have.

I've never owned a V8 and want one so bad!

kyfdx

My first two were Ford 302 V-8s. None, since.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I have owned a lot of cars (70?) but only 1 V8, and that was in HS and I never registered it (a 1970 or so Nova). Never really been something that I Jonesed to have.

I’ve owned at least 6 V8s that I can recall. (2) 318s, one 305, (2) 5.0Ls and one 4.6L.

au1994

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

I have owned a lot of cars (70?) but only 1 V8, and that was in HS and I never registered it (a 1970 or so Nova). Never really been something that I Jonesed to have.

I’ve owned at least 6 V8s that I can recall. (2) 318s, one 305, (2) 5.0Ls and one 4.6L.

3 for me…289 Mustang, 4.7 Ram, 5.7 Land Cruiser.

laurasdada

Only one for me; 2009 Jag XK.

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

stickguy said:

I have owned a lot of cars (70?) but only 1 V8, and that was in HS and I never registered it (a 1970 or so Nova). Never really been something that I Jonesed to have.

I've never owned a V8 and want one so bad!

————————————————-
My V8 has 420 HP but it’s a heavy car. Still I’m double locking and getting 3 Dobermans to protect my garage.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

I have owned a lot of cars (70?) but only 1 V8, and that was in HS and I never registered it (a 1970 or so Nova). Never really been something that I Jonesed to have.

I’ve owned at least 6 V8s that I can recall. (2) 318s, one 305, (2) 5.0Ls and one 4.6L.

————————————————-
Me, I’ve lost count. Except for my 2 Genny’s all have been GM V8’s. One 283 cubic inch (a dog), several 350’s ,several 400’s and one 455.

jmonroe

explorerx4

Current recollection is 1 BB(383 ci), 1 4.6 L, 4 5.0's, 1 5.4 L, for a total of 7.
Wife had 1, a 3.4 L.
Got my first turbo engine(2.3 L) in 1983.

The 96 Cobra I posted about a couple of days ago, gone.

corvette

The Yukon, Tahoe, Tundra, Mustang, and 540i all had V8s. Never figured 1/4 of the cars I've owned would be V8.

nyccarguy

@roadburner said:
As one former poster wisely said, you simply can't compare vehicle performance statistics like they are Pokemon cards. However, I do expect a small performance coupe to be appreciably quicker than a sedan with comparable horsepower. If I wanted a somewhat affordable coupe I'd go with a prior generation Mustang Mach 1; the new Mustang's performance is not significantly better, and I find the styling both inside and out is a step backwards.
Me, I like driving a Q-ship again. Only a very few people know what a C43 signifies. It's like the good old days with my MS3.

Speaking of Q ships, I’ve seen the Lexus version of the GR Corolla and don’t hate it.

qbrozen

I’d have to pull up my spreadsheet to figure out how many v8s. Off the top of my head, I recall at least 11.
4 mopar, 3 Ford, 1 GM, 1 BMW, 1 Mercedes, 1 Maserati

tjc78

2 - Ford 5.0
1 - Ford 6.6
1 - Ford 4.6
1 - Dodge 5.7

graphicguy

Hmmmm....trying to think of the V8s I've owned...

-283 (First car-well worn Chevy)
-383 (well worn Dodge which replaced the Chevy)
-351 (Well worn Ford Torino which replaced the Dodge)
-305 (Firebird Trans Am and Chevy Tahoe)
-4.6L OHV-281 CI (although Ford called it a 5.0/302 in the Mustang GT)
-4.6L DOHC ( Mustang Cobra)

The sound the Mustang Cobra's 4.6 made was something I'll never forget. It was glorious.

Michaell

Only two V8's in my ownership history (and, in reality, one was a 7-cyl).

In college I totaled my '79 Sunbird with only a semester left before graduation. Took the insurance payout ($2K) and bought an Olds Omega (or the Buick equivalent, I can't remember now). 350 V8, but it turns out one of the cylinders was bad. Bought for $1000, sold it the day I graduated for $150 - just enough to rent a Ford LTD Wagon to haul my possessions from AZ back to CA, where I had a job waiting for me.

The other V8 was the 4.6L in our '99 Expedition. 235 HP, IIRC, hauling almost 5000 pounds of American SUV. Not fast, but Lord, was it big. 3rd row had to be manually removed if we wanted the extra storage space.

oldfarmer50

Didn’t some folks here have trouble with titles too?

https://youtu.be/pQOfjVOEg84?si=aJY9bRyxJdDcpk1-

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Hmmmm....trying to think of the V8s I've owned...

-283 (First car-well worn Chevy)
-383 (well worn Dodge which replaced the Chevy)
-351 (Well worn Ford Torino which replaced the Dodge)
-305 (Firebird Trans Am and Chevy Tahoe)
-4.6L OHV-281 CI (although Ford called it a 5.0/302 in the Mustang GT)
-4.6L DOHC ( Mustang Cobra)

The sound the Mustang Cobra's 4.6 made was something I'll never forget. It was glorious.

I was fond of the 4.6L 4 valve (Cobra) engine in my MarkVIII which went by the name Intech.

qbrozen

@Michaell said:
Only two V8's in my ownership history (and, in reality, one was a 7-cyl).

That gave me a chuckle

qbrozen

qbrozen said:

I’d have to pull up my spreadsheet to figure out how many v8s. Off the top of my head, I recall at least 11.

4 mopar, 3 Ford, 1 GM, 1 BMW, 1 Mercedes, 1 Maserati

Knew i'd forget some. Actually had 5 Mopar and 2 GM. That is if you count the TRX flip. The GM I forgot was the Camaro.

Sizes? Hell, let's see...

Mopar: 5.2, 5.7, 5.9, 6.2, 7.2
Ford: 3.9, 5.0, 7.3 (diesel)
GM: 5.3, 6.2
BMW: 4.4
Benz: 6.3
Maser: 4.2

xwesx

For me, not very many, but I'm pretty sure I still own every one I've ever had.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
Knew i'd forget some. Actually had 5 Mopar and 2 GM. That is if you count the TRX flip. The GM I forgot was the Camaro.

Sizes? Hell, let's see...

Mopar: 5.2, 5.7, 5.9, 6.2, 7.2
Ford: 3.9, 5.0, 7.3 (diesel)
GM: 5.3, 6.2
BMW: 4.4
Benz: 6.3
Maser: 4.2

Ford 3.9 … Lincoln LS?

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

Knew i'd forget some. Actually had 5 Mopar and 2 GM. That is if you count the TRX flip. The GM I forgot was the Camaro.

Sizes? Hell, let's see...

Mopar: 5.2, 5.7, 5.9, 6.2, 7.2

Ford: 3.9, 5.0, 7.3 (diesel)

GM: 5.3, 6.2

BMW: 4.4

Benz: 6.3

Maser: 4.2

Ford 3.9 … Lincoln LS?

yep

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

Hmmmm....trying to think of the V8s I've owned...

-283 (First car-well worn Chevy)
-383 (well worn Dodge which replaced the Chevy)
-351 (Well worn Ford Torino which replaced the Dodge)
-305 (Firebird Trans Am and Chevy Tahoe)
-4.6L OHV-281 CI (although Ford called it a 5.0/302 in the Mustang GT)
-4.6L DOHC ( Mustang Cobra)

The sound the Mustang Cobra's 4.6 made was something I'll never forget. It was glorious.

————————————————
Talk about exhaust sounds, Son #1 bought a 2017 Chevy SS (known as a Holden in Australia) V8 stick 2 years ago. He doesn’t drive it in the Winter, it takes up one spot in his 2 car garage. He’s done a header change and exhaust/muffler change out not too long ago plus a tune. Nothing major, just an approved tune. Anyway, we went over to his place for dinner last night and just as I pulled into his driveway he opened the garage door to let it run for a few minutes, he says he does that a couple times a week. So, I heard him start it up and man, that thing sounds like it wants to eat something. I stayed to see what else he was going to do but his Mom walked away saying something like, “that fancy car of his sounds like there’s something wrong with it”. She just doesn’t get it.

jmonroe

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

graphicguy said:

Hmmmm....trying to think of the V8s I've owned...



-4.6L DOHC ( Mustang Cobra)

The sound the Mustang Cobra's 4.6 made was something I'll never forget. It was glorious.

————————————————
Talk about exhaust sounds, Son #1 bought a 2017 Chevy SS (known as a Holden in Australia) V8 stick 2 years ago. He doesn’t drive it in the Winter, it takes up one spot in his 2 car garage. He’s done a header change and exhaust/muffler change out not too long ago plus a tune. Nothing major, just an approved tune. Anyway, we went over to his place for dinner last night and just as I pulled into his driveway he opened the garage door to let it run for a few minutes, he says he does that a couple times a week. So, I heard him start it up and man, that thing sounds like it wants to eat something. I stayed to see what else he was going to do but his Mom walked away saying something like, “that fancy car of his sounds like there’s something wrong with it”. She just doesn’t get it.

jmonroe

imidazol97

I listen to the exhaust of many cars. Even an AMG C43 leaving parking at a ChickFila has a good sound when the young man accelerated the other evening. Right tone.

sda

59 Cadillac 390 V8, project car, cracked block, never drove, sold for loss
62 Ford Galaxie 292, first car bought for $100
65 Cutlass 330 4bbl. Fun car, College flip, made $$
70 Cadillac 472, convertible, fun extra car
71 Olds 98 455, College flip, made $$
89 Seville 4.5, smooth, nice car
01 Aurora 4.0, one of my favorites

venture

283, 318, 327, 427, 318, 350, 350

oldfarmer50

I just remembered the 350 v8 in my Corvette so that makes 7.

roadburner

Only 2 V8s for me:
1974 Monte Carlo- 350 SB with most every mod I could make short of a turbo or an engine swap.
1973 Bronco 302- inherited from my father; the less said about it the better.

clm8

I have had 5 V8s:

1964 Buick Riviera - 425
1963 Ford Galaxie - 352
1979 Pontiac Lemans - 301
1994 Ford Custom Van - 302
2006 Chevy Avalanche - 5.3