Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

sda

No punches for 25 unless something unexpected happens. Our daughter graduates from college on 12/14/24. After she gets a job and established, if she wants to get something different than the Passat she is driving, I will give the Passat to her to trade or sell. She can use the proceeds for what she wants but will be responsible for any financing.

stickguy

TJC is building. Store about 10 minutes from my house too. I can’t say I have found pizza yet worth traveling for!

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

TJC is building. Store about 10 minutes from my house too. I can’t say I have found pizza yet worth traveling for!

CT is the Pizza Capital of the US!

stickguy

You spelled New Jersey wrong!

stickguy

My daughter will have a punch but that won’t count here. My only involvement is helping her shop.

I will talk about it a lot but probably not do anything. Unless used maverick values shoot up when the price of new ones spike and I can make a killing on the old one!

laurasdada

nyccarguy said:

stickguy said:

TJC is building. Store about 10 minutes from my house too. I can’t say I have found pizza yet worth traveling for!

CT is the Pizza Capital of the US!

Heading back to MA from NJ on Friday. I want to stop in NH for lunch, Pepe's, Sally's or Modern. The girls want to go to La Plage in Westport, then Stew Leonard's (we have no room in the car. That's never stopped them. Who needs to see out of any window other than the windshield anyway). Guess I'll have to hit Pepe's next time I go to Mohegan Sun... sigh.

suydam

Sally’s Apizza fans here for the New Haven folks.

nyccarguy

laurasdada said:

nyccarguy said:

stickguy said:

TJC is building. Store about 10 minutes from my house too. I can’t say I have found pizza yet worth traveling for!

CT is the Pizza Capital of the US!

Heading back to MA from NJ on Friday. I want to stop in NH for lunch, Pepe's, Sally's or Modern. The girls want to go to La Plage in Westport, then Stew Leonard's (we have no room in the car. That's never stopped them. Who needs to see out of any window other than the windshield anyway). Guess I'll have to hit Pepe's next time I go to Mohegan Sun... sigh.

I've heard Modern is excellent, but I've never been. Frank Pepe's in New Haven is consistently fantastic. The other Frank Pepe's are good, but not up to the same standard. There's a Pepe's in Stamford which is great and very close to our house, but hands down all 5 of us in my house agree that Sally's is the king in Stamford. I was in the New Haven Sally's years ago so can't comment on it.

If you are ever down my way and want an excellent corned beef or pastrami sandwich, check out the Rye Ridge Deli in Stamford.

corvette

I’m partial to Chicago style pizza, but this apizza thing sounds interesting.

stickguy

@corvette said:
I’m partial to Chicago style pizza, but this apizza thing sounds interesting.

You mean tomato casserole?

tifighter

No plans for a punch. But given that my last punchless year was 2009, I won’t pretend to know my own future.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

@corvette said:

I’m partial to Chicago style pizza, but this apizza thing sounds interesting.

You mean tomato casserole?

I was going to say, I didn't realize they made pizza in Chicago.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

@corvette said:

I’m partial to Chicago style pizza, but this apizza thing sounds interesting.

You mean tomato casserole?

Exactly.. @corvette knows tacos, but pizza?

laurasdada

nyccarguy said:

laurasdada said:

nyccarguy said:

stickguy said:

TJC is building. Store about 10 minutes from my house too. I can’t say I have found pizza yet worth traveling for!

CT is the Pizza Capital of the US!

Heading back to MA from NJ on Friday. I want to stop in NH for lunch, Pepe's, Sally's or Modern. The girls want to go to La Plage in Westport, then Stew Leonard's (we have no room in the car. That's never stopped them. Who needs to see out of any window other than the windshield anyway). Guess I'll have to hit Pepe's next time I go to Mohegan Sun... sigh.

I've heard Modern is excellent, but I've never been. Frank Pepe's in New Haven is consistently fantastic. The other Frank Pepe's are good, but not up to the same standard. There's a Pepe's in Stamford which is great and very close to our house, but hands down all 5 of us in my house agree that Sally's is the king in Stamford. I was in the New Haven Sally's years ago so can't comment on it.

If you are ever down my way and want an excellent corned beef or pastrami sandwich, check out the Rye Ridge Deli in Stamford.

We grew up (well, my father mostly as he worked downtown) at Oscar's and Gold's in Westport.
Art's Deli (I miss it so!) was my happy place.

Agree about the Pepe satellites and Sally's has opened a couple of places in MA, none close to us.

Thanks for the recommendation!

And, to keep it chronic, I may buy a car in '25. Unless the tech sector continues today's trend...

tjc78

@stickguy said:
TJC is building. Store about 10 minutes from my house too. I can’t say I have found pizza yet worth traveling for!

That one is dead to me! I turned it over to Operations in September!

Funny story on that one … I remodeled it back with my old company and then built it again with my current one.

au1994

None for me, unfortunately, in ‘25. I had a late ‘23 punch with the Audi and the JGC this year, both on 36 month leases. Given the depreciation on those brands, I am underwater until turn-in day.

corvette

Since I’m apparently a pizza heretic here, my go-tos locally are Jet’s (regional chain with Detroit style, thick crust, optional crust edge toppings) and Coal’s Artisan Pizza (local, high end, thin crust, coal oven fired). My favorite at the latter has prosciutto, fig jam, and balsamic vinaigrette.

kyfdx

Detroit style pizza is really good. We have a local restaurant that you’d consider “artisan” that has it. Plus, one of our local breweries.

Also, had it in Toledo at a downtown taproom for a local brewery.

Ironically, didn’t have Detroit style pizza in Detroit. 🤷‍♂️

kyfdx

@corvette

Taft’s Brewpourium at Mitchell and Spring Grove Avenues in Cincinnati (exit 6 on I-75) has Apizza, and it’s pretty good.

Taglio’s for Detroit style. In OTR and Columbia-Tusculum

xwesx

kyfdx said:

@nyccarguy I'll meet you for Apizza.. I'll even make a special trip.

Strangely enough, Connecticut is one of only two states, East of the Mississippi, that I haven't been to.

I checked off CT because we spent about ten minutes driving through a little sliver of it on our Transcontinental trip back in 2013. It counts.

stickguy

What exactly is Apizza?

corvette

@stickguy - New Haven-style pizza, apparently.

mjfloyd1

We have a pizza place named Azzip. Pizza spelled backwards

stickguy

So very thin crust Neapolitan. Sounds good.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

So very thin crust Neapolitan. Sounds good.

Have you ever tried Golden Grain on Wolf Rd in Colonie? I’m no pizza expert but they have some interesting selections.

stickguy

never heard of them but will check it out.

nyccarguy

@stickguy said:
What exactly is Apizza?

Delicious

kyfdx

stickguy said:

So very thin crust Neapolitan. Sounds good.

It's the lack of cheese on the plain pie that's really different. I'll eat it this way.

But, I actually prefer mine with mozz, so there is that..

benjaminh

stickguy said:

My daughter will have a punch but that won’t count here. My only involvement is helping her shop.

I will talk about it a lot but probably not do anything. Unless used maverick values shoot up when the price of new ones spike and I can make a killing on the old one!

As you've probably heard, hybrid versions of the Forester and Outback are due sometime in 2025.

qbrozen

@benjaminh said:
As you've probably heard, hybrid versions of the Forester and Outback are due sometime in 2025.

Leave it to Subaru to be YEARS behind the curve.

corvette

qbrozen said:

Leave it to Subaru to be YEARS behind the curve.

Especially considering a large portion of their demographic consists of people who don't want to burn unnecessary amounts of fossil fuel.

kyfdx

Found my wife's car for sale in Louisville. Looks like the Porsche dealer wholesaled it to a used car lot, nearby.

Asking $16,500. Dealer gave us $13,000. So, pretty close to all the money, I think.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/a8506ca7-6124-4b57-8fbb-e924ee8bcc8e/

Sandman6472

Plan to finally make a punch in 2026 if not 2025. Depends on how much I like the new 2025 GTI which is due out soon. 2026 seems more likely especially if I do the coolant and front brakes. Best thing is I know it'll fit on my side and am familiar with everything. And by then, mine will be almost 12, which is the longest I've ever kept a vehicle. Folks I know laugh at me because I don't make quick decisions on expensive items but that's just the way I work. But once I find what I want, it'll be in my garage within a week.

Sandman6472

Stick, got a feeling your wife is going to end up getting what she wants in the end. I've learned to just throw out suggestions and let mine decide what & when. But, I don't have any say in the matter unless she's making a major mistake on something she'll hate in short order. I know about making a mistake on a vehicle and it can be costly and unsettling. That's why I'll just wait until I'm 100% sure about my next punch. Just enjoy your Maverick as it seems to be the perfect size for your needs. Your other half seems to like Acura and maybe Porsche but who knows, she could surprise ya.

Loving my larger iPhone now that I've had it a couple of weeks. It's really not that much bigger and nice to have storage of 256 gigs instead of 64 gigs. Did get a lighter case from wish.com and a couple screen protectors I need to install. The case my kid had it in was just too bulky & heavy for my tastes so am pleased now with my "deal" from wish. So, looks like I'm good for the next few years as I don't need the newest phone out there. For what I do, a year old one is good enough.

ronsteve

kyfdx said:

Detroit style pizza is really good. We have a local restaurant that you’d consider “artisan” that has it. Plus, one of our local breweries.

Also, had it in Toledo at a downtown taproom for a local brewery.

Ironically, didn’t have Detroit style pizza in Detroit. 🤷‍♂️

My wife grew up in Detroit, and apparently "Detroit-style pizza" was not a reference that was used very much back in the day. She didn't hear it until Jet's started franchising regionally and showed up here in Louisville. She knew the style from her days in Detroit, but the term Detroit-style is a post-2010 reference.

Anyway, we went up a couple weeks ago for the Lions game (their blowout of the Jags) and after the game we went to Buddy's, which is the original Detroit-style pizza, going back to 1946. It. Was. Amazing. And this is coming from someone who grew up with Chicago-style pizza.

nyccarguy

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

So very thin crust Neapolitan. Sounds good.

It's the lack of cheese on the plain pie that's really different. I'll eat it this way.

But, I actually prefer mine with mozz, so there is that..

They have traditional New Haven style with or without Mozz. We actually get it with extra Mozz and it is PERFECT!

kyfdx

Filled up the new car for the first time, yesterday. 14 days after purchase, which also included a 100 mile drive home..

jmonroe1

kyfdx said:

Filled up the new car for the first time, yesterday. 14 days after purchase, which also included a 100 mile drive home..

————————————————-
Whoppy! 2 more bars and I’ll have to fill up for the Winter.

jmonroe

qbrozen

Another motorized vehicle in the garage today. I had my son title it in his name, so not a punch for me. Anyway, he wound up with a 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 400 with 3600 miles. It cost much more than his car. Go figure.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Another motorized vehicle in the garage today. I had my son title it in his name, so not a punch for me. Anyway, he wound up with a 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 400 with 3600 miles. It cost much more than his car. Go figure.

————————————————
How much in gimmick fees on this one? Must have been tolerable.

jmonroe

Michaell

2010 Corolla - Yay or Nay?

qbrozen

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
How much in gimmick fees on this one? Must have been tolerable.

jmonroe

Their price was low enough to compensate. With fees included, it was around $5600, which seems to be a decent price for an ABS model with the mild upgrades it has, very low miles, and 30-day warranty.

corvette

I tried to upload photos from my phone, but I got a "draft not found" error when I tried to make the post. And, when I AirDrop them to my laptop and try to post them from there, I get a "file format is not allowed" error (normal .heic photos from an iPhone).

Anyway, started the day at the Nethercutt Museum and took the tour of the private collection. Very nice place. Dude had six Pebble Beach "best of show" winners. Then on to the LA Auto Show, which was very nice. Lots of modified CyberTrucks and some exotics, classics, and overland modified vehicles.

Got to ride in the new ID.Buzz... Apparently, the ones that were at NAIAS were the European version, but the ones they had here were the actual US version, which has a longer wheelbase. It's neat, and seemed to have good handling, but I still can't get over the combination of pricing, range, and lack of native NACS. The ones they had on the show floor for people to get inside were very popular, though. I think the subset of people who want to look inside it because of the styling is very different from the subset of people who would consider spending (or have the means to) pay $70k for a decently equipped one.

Also got to ride in an Ioniq 5 N. The 1980s Nintendo style fake engine sounds are very charming (but can be fully turned off), and you get fake exhaust pop-pops when they're on and you get on it and "shift." The interior is a bit cheap, and both it and the EV6 feel a little less tall than I'd prefer. The GV60, on the other hand, has an outstanding interior, and I totally understand why Mrs. @breld chose it. The brand professional driving the 5 N claimed that some people who had them as company vehicles were exceeding the rated range in normal driving... For various reasons, it really irks me when people affiliated with a brand say that about MPGs or EV range ratings.

Decided to ride in a preproduction Ioniq 9 since they also had those. Super nice vehicle, probably up there with the GV60, although my time in the Ioniq 9 was limited by comparison. This brand professional was extremely friendly and (like several others I have ridden with), when they're alone with you on the test ride and out of earshot of their boss, they lament that none of the auto shows are anything as grand as they used to be, pre-COVID.

Sat in the new Murano. From the inside, you probably could have convinced me it was a higher trim level of the Ariya I have. The Rogue felt a lot smaller inside than the Ariya, despite the fact that the exterior dimensions are more similar to it than the Murano.

Honda Prologue - very nice, and I absolutely love the North Shore Pearl color. The ZDX was nearby, and its interior was noticeably nicer, as it should be, given the price difference.

Sat again in the current Prius and the BZ4X and I still have the same issue where my preferred seating and steering wheel position obscures the instrument cluster. Very bad design. The new 4Runner looks good, and the styling is a fairly mild evolution of the outgoing model. It should sell well.

I think this was the first auto show I've been to where Tesla actually had vehicles on the floor for people to look at and get inside. They've had some ride-alongs at some of the other shows, but no "booth" space. It would look bad if they didn't here, since they're based in CA, plus it's a huge market for them.

explorerx4

I found this fascinating. A Mercedes dealer about 10 miles away from me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MmMsoyM3lU

stickguy

I mentioned to the wife yesterday that we should stop at the bmw dealer one day because we haven’t been to one in a long time. She didn’t say no. Probs my didn't say yes either but I will think positive here. I figure car sales across the board will tank soon so maybe there will be killer deals available!

sda

VW dealership full, primarily Atlas Tiguan, Taos. ID.4. A handful of Jettas, GLIs, GTIs. I found this blue GLI a nice change from black, silver, white or red.

stickguy

Sarah N tuned just reviewed a GLI 6 speed. Really seemed to like it.

qbrozen

This price is a cry for help.
https://www.facebook.com/share/17y2Czoa44/?mibextid=79PoIi

28firefighter

@qbrozen said:
This price is a cry for help.
https://www.facebook.com/share/17y2Czoa44/?mibextid=79PoIi

That car is a ton of fun…for like $7500.

Also those wheels are not the proper color. They should be hyper silver. Either replicas or repaired poorly.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

This price is a cry for help.
https://www.facebook.com/share/17y2Czoa44/?mibextid=79PoIi

You have to log on to something to see it.