Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

xwesx

fintail said:

Maybe 3 payments with the high price of so many new cars - the OEM type tires are not cheap. The last time I bought tires for a modern car was in 2010, which adds to sticker shock just a little.

I'm sure you've done your research on them. I would go with Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 on that type of car for your use case.

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
Why are you considering getting rid of your truck after doing all that rehab on it? Doesn’t your van have enough towing capacity?

Wife complains too much

Michaell

I've had an interesting week with the Outback.

Started to get a loud squealing noise when I first started the car. Took a video of it, and took the car to the local shop to have it looked at.

They decided it was the power steering belt (my thought, as well), so they changed it. Didn't solve the problem, so I took more video and brought the car back to them yesterday. There was a problem with the belt they installed (!), so they replaced it again.

Had to take one of my dogs to the vet after the appointment, and on the way there the battery warning light came on. Swell; one more thing to deal with.

On the way home, things got real exciting. All the warning lights came on, the power steering failed and the car started hesitating; then, all the power went out (no tach, speedo, etc). Was able to nurse it home and get it into the garage, but I couldn't get the transmission into park. Called AAA; they popped the hood and noticed the belt had come off the pulley and was partially shredded.

Tow truck called and the car was flat-bedded back to the shop. Replaced the belt for a third time, but they also noticed a bearing in the pulley had failed, so that got swapped out as well, and the alternator was loose, and got tightened.

Picked the car up this morning, and all seems fine.

Except.

I use a USB cable to connect my iPhone to the car so I can play music. The display on the head unit shows the song I'm playing, and the timer is moving, but there is no sound from the speakers - only from the phone itself. I'll probably reboot the phone before I try again.

I do not not not want to have to be in the market for a replacement (I know, heresy in this group).

qbrozen

Oh boy.

Since the electrics died, I’d suggest rebooting the car.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

I've had an interesting week with the Outback.

Started to get a loud squealing noise when I first started the car. Took a video of it, and took the car to the local shop to have it looked at.

They decided it was the power steering belt (my thought, as well), so they changed it. Didn't solve the problem, so I took more video and brought the car back to them yesterday. There was a problem with the belt they installed (!), so they replaced it again.

Had to take one of my dogs to the vet after the appointment, and on the way there the battery warning light came on. Swell; one more thing to deal with.

On the way home, things got real exciting. All the warning lights came on, the power steering failed and the car started hesitating; then, all the power went out (no tach, speedo, etc). Was able to nurse it home and get it into the garage, but I couldn't get the transmission into park. Called AAA; they popped the hood and noticed the belt had come off the pulley and was partially shredded.

Tow truck called and the car was flat-bedded back to the shop. Replaced the belt for a third time, but they also noticed a bearing in the pulley had failed, so that got swapped out as well, and the alternator was loose, and got tightened.

Picked the car up this morning, and all seems fine.

Except.

I use a USB cable to connect my iPhone to the car so I can play music. The display on the head unit shows the song I'm playing, and the timer is moving, but there is no sound from the speakers - only from the phone itself. I'll probably reboot the phone before I try again.

I do not not not want to have to be in the market for a replacement (I know, heresy in this group).

I hope it gets resolved quickly and cheaply.

xwesx

Michaell said:

I use a USB cable to connect my iPhone to the car so I can play music. The display on the head unit shows the song I'm playing, and the timer is moving, but there is no sound from the speakers - only from the phone itself. I'll probably reboot the phone before I try again.

I do not not not want to have to be in the market for a replacement (I know, heresy in this group).

Ah, yes.... Sounds like you *barely* made it home! The car will start shedding all electrical loads in a specified order of priority when it starts running out of juice until finally not having enough to even fire the injectors/spark plugs any longer. I think you were well within a minute of that point! It may be that a head unit setting for the phone got reset. Maybe check the owner's manual to verify settings.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Oh boy.

Since the electrics died, I’d suggest rebooting the car.

————————————————
I agree but when everything went dead and the car was restarted, that was essentially a reboot but I’d do it again. In either case I wouldn’t dump the car.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@michaell,
If it makes you feel any better, I noticed the Map in my Explorer was doing a slow spin even when I was not moving.
Next time I restarted it, everything was back to normal.
You might want to try re pairing your phone with the car.

corvette

@Michaell - if the amp has a separate fuse, it may be blown.

qbrozen

jmonroe1 said:

qbrozen said:

Oh boy.

Since the electrics died, I’d suggest rebooting the car.

————————————————
I agree but when everything went dead and the car was restarted, that was essentially a reboot but I’d do it again. In either case I wouldn’t dump the car.

jmonroe

I thought of that, but it is possible it had just a little power, and we don't really know how long it was off, if at all. Stereos these days seem to want to be totally disconnected from power for at least 20 mins to reset.

Michaell

The radio plays fine, just the iPod seems off.

qbrozen

Did I mention how disappointed I am to learn the Ford Edge Sport has a pitiful towing capacity?
All that power and weight and it can't even pull its own weight behind it. So weird.

stickguy

An iPod? You must be an old timer!

I still have a box of those actually. One which has my sons old music collection that I still want but does not live elsewhere. So I keep it alive!

cdnpinhead

qbrozen said:

Wife complains too much.

Imagine.

tjc78

@Michaell

Did the shop cover the tow and the replacement belt?

Michaell

stickguy said:

An iPod? You must be an old timer!

I still have a box of those actually. One which has my sons old music collection that I still want but does not live elsewhere. So I keep it alive!

Sorry, meant iPhone.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

@Michaell

Did the shop cover the tow and the replacement belt?

I’ve only paid for the initial repair work - they have a 3/36 warranty.

Tow was part of my AAA membership.

tjc78

@Michaell said:
I’ve only paid for the initial repair work - they have a 3/36 warranty.

Tow was part of my AAA membership.

That’s great. I thinking wow.. it’s adding up

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I changed my plan to buying nothing and planting a garden instead. To make up for loses thanks to the recession.

Easy come easy go.

Should have coffee canned it all when I had the chance.

Now’s the time to buy the dip.😂

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

Why are you considering getting rid of your truck after doing all that rehab on it? Doesn’t your van have enough towing capacity?

Wife complains too much

Your wife complains that the van -trailer combo is too long?

Seriously, is the truck unable to tow or is your wife complaining about it’s hooptie status?

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
Your wife complains that the van -trailer combo is too long?

Seriously, is the truck unable to tow or is your wife complaining about it’s hooptie status?

The latter

stickguy

The wife aspect is the biggest drawback to the idea of getting a real work truck. Assuming I ever expect her to ride in it.

I’m afraid to think what would happen if I ever became single. Other than a pole barn in the country with a shack nearby.

stickguy

@oldfarmer50 said:
Now’s the time to buy the dip.😂

I learned a long time ago that I am not iced veined enough to time the market so I would just end up buying high and selling low and missing all the dips. So I just keep stuffing money in (401k is great for that) and let dollar cost averaging and decades of compounding take care of the rest. Oh, and never take any out.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

Now’s the time to buy the dip.😂

I learned a long time ago that I am not iced veined enough to time the market so I would just end up buying high and selling low and missing all the dips. So I just keep stuffing money in (401k is great for that) and let dollar cost averaging and decades of compounding take care of the rest. Oh, and never take any out.

————————————————
I hear you but there are times when you have to cut the cord or go down with the ship. That “old dollar cost averaging” thingy has sunk more than a few investors. Believe it or not I’ve jump out and won more times than I’ve lost. I don’t know if you’d call that shrewd or lucky but I’ll take either one as long as it’s a win.

jmonroe

stickguy

If you are kind of day trading your index funds it can work. Assume vanguard has no issues with doing it! The long term DCA and hold in indexes is great. Much different than buying an individual stock and riding it to the bottom and keeping it as a souvenir.

stickguy

And the bail and jump back in move is fine if you get lucky and immediately have a dip. The problem is when you get it wrong and the market goes on a little run instead and you get paralyzed with not wanting to buy in higher than you sold.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

And the bail and jump back in move is fine if you get lucky and immediately have a dip. The problem is when you get it wrong and the market goes on a little run instead and you get paralyzed with not wanting to buy in higher than you sold.

————————————————
Being afraid to make the move to get back in is worse than holding a bad hand. I’m not smart enough to pick it at its lowest point but as long as I don’t wait to find the lowest point when the trend is clearly going up, I have done alright. The same with waiting to sell at the high point.

There is a LOT of ground in the middle and that’s what I shoot for. You just have to fight off being greedy. So far, so good, at least for me.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

Now’s the time to buy the dip.😂

I learned a long time ago that I am not iced veined enough to time the market so I would just end up buying high and selling low and missing all the dips. So I just keep stuffing money in (401k is great for that) and let dollar cost averaging and decades of compounding take care of the rest. Oh, and never take any out.

That’s been my strategy as well. It’s been 25 years since I bought individual stocks. I didn’t do too bad with my picks but I found that brokers were just in for the commissions and everything was a “screaming buy”.

fintail

corvette said:

@fintail - a lot of cars are now being sold with non-RFTs, no spare, and an inflator kit. My Volt was that way, as is the Ariya. It may not be the same compromise as the car was when you bought it, but it might also be one you're willing to make.

I'll consider that. I've had good luck with Michelins in the past.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

Now’s the time to buy the dip.😂

I learned a long time ago that I am not iced veined enough to time the market so I would just end up buying high and selling low and missing all the dips. So I just keep stuffing money in (401k is great for that) and let dollar cost averaging and decades of compounding take care of the rest. Oh, and never take any out.

That’s been my strategy as well. It’s been 25 years since I bought individual stocks. I didn’t do too bad with my picks but I found that brokers were just in for the commissions and everything was a “screaming buy”.

years ago I was in an investment club with some people I knew. It was a good experience. We took turns presenting stocks, and the group would vote on buying some with the club funds. Every year I got a tax form for gains. sometimes I would buy some on my own. Club eventually disbanded and dispersed the $ but I still have all the stocks (after 25 years at this point I think). I hate selling. Partly because of figuring out the tax basis!

stickguy

going to post this here in honor of QB. And the reason I am not buying a used truck locally. If I really wanted one I would do what Eric O. suggests. Take a trip down south and find a truck that spent it's life there and was not rotted out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMmjCLsSXhY&ab_channel=SouthMainAutoLLC

roadburner

This year my wife and I have decided to go on a tour organized by the BMW Classic Car Club. I have a few friends who are also members and I find the vintage cars much more interesting than most any new BMW. It should be fun, even if the Club Sport is one of the newest cars on the tour.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

going to post this here in honor of QB. And the reason I am not buying a used truck locally. If I really wanted one I would do what Eric O. suggests. Take a trip down south and find a truck that spent it's life there and was not rotted out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMmjCLsSXhY&ab_channel=SouthMainAutoLLC

I saw that yesterday. A variation on that strategy is to buy a truck from some old guy who went to Florida every winter. Saves you the trip south and sometimes you can get a lower mileage vehicle to boot. I’ve seen some other videos about how some buyer went to Texas to get a rust free truck and the thing blew up on the way home. A 180k mile truck would scare me no matter where it came from.

stickguy

He does point out the real solution. Bring rust free trucks with bad engines up north and swap in good motors out of the rust buckets. Bodies often are not too bad either. Basically frame swap.

explorerx4

I just watched that video, too. The truck owner got the deal unwound.

stickguy

He got lucky.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

I just watched that video, too. The truck owner got the deal unwound.

I liked the part where Eric says the truck was was repaired with old bed frames the dealer had lying around.

Sandman6472

I remember when I inherited a couple of stocks and the wife having to do research to find out the cost basis when I sold them all. With my dad's trust we found, it eventually fell into my lap to get the taxes paid and distribute the remaining funds to the other beneficiaries. I had my wife figure out the tax burden it owed to Uncle Sam and then the broker at the firm holding all the assets left it to me to figure out who got what. There was me, my twin & the estates of my deceased older siblings. Took some time, but I came up with the correct distributions and that was that. The ironic part was the other three tried to steal my portion over the years but death finally took the older two, so everything fell into my lap. Funny how karma works sometimes!!!

Sandman6472

Get to deal with RMD's in about three years which should be interesting. I hear there's a formula that is used so one takes out the proper amount each year going forward. Then, one needs to figure out the taxes owed on these payouts as they've never been paid yet. Hope by then we'll be in a lower tax bracket to minimize the amount owed. Hoping to be not working anymore by then!

stickguy

It’s simple. Your investment firm will figure it out. It’s all formula driven and they will withhold taxes. Only gets tricky if you have multiple accounts and don't want to take RMDs proportionally. The IRS does not care where you take them from as long as the gross amount required comes out and gets taxed. First year is not that much. Maybe 4-5%? percentage goes up each year since based on life expectancy.

stickguy

I watch a lot of retirement themed videos on YouTube. They love to dramatize the “tax bomb” of very large RMDs. Heck, my hope is to run into that because it means I have many millions of dollars in my tax deferred accounts which is not really a bad problem.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I watch a lot of retirement themed videos on YouTube. They love to dramatize the “tax bomb” of very large RMDs. Heck, my hope is to run into that because it means I have many millions of dollars in my tax deferred accounts which is not really a bad problem.

The tax bomb is a real thing. Any plan that reduces your taxes paid is a good thing.

stickguy

But it is not a bad thing really . Sure paying less in taxes is bette than paying more. But making so much income you even have to worry about it is better than being broke. Rich people problems are better than poor people problems. Because it means you are rich.

stickguy

And once you are are old and have the tax deferred money piled up not much you can do but start taking it out early and paying taxes on money you don’t need, hoping the tax rates will be lower than if you wait and take it out later.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

And once you are are old and have the tax deferred money piled up not much you can do but start taking it out early and paying taxes on money you don’t need, hoping the tax rates will be lower than if you wait and take it out later.

I can tell you five ways that doing Roth conversions in the gap time between retirement and RMDs would save you a ton of money. You might even be able to avoid IRMAA increases for a couple of years, extra. You think rich people got that way by not worrying about taxes? Why do you think they donate to politicians?

Why go to Costco, when you have the money to buy groceries at Whole Foods?

stickguy

Working to 65 wipes out a lot of the good options. Especially if you are worried about IRMA

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Working to 65 wipes out a lot of the good options. Especially if you are worried about IRMA

8 years between 65 and 73. Five of them without SSA, if you delay taking it

qbrozen

Boy, I am all over the place. Cayenne, Edge/MKX, F-pace, Levante, Charger … I’m probably forgetting some. Basically just looking at anything quick, can tow, and can be had for somewhere in the teens with under 80k miles (preferably less).

One thing I keep checking myself with is “have I owned the brand before?” Although I know I really shouldn’t let that drive me, it kind of does. I mean, the opportunity to add to the list can’t be ignored. So that leaves just Porsche or Jag.

BTW, a seeming bargain that keeps popping up is a late-model Cayenne S Hybrid. But of course the popular opinion is “stay away due to battery replacement.”

Michaell

iPhone is now working fine in the Subaru. Rebooted the phone yesterday.

tjc78

@qbrozen
I’d go with a Cayenne. Seems to check all the boxes.