Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

explorerx4

Confused. Tire or tires?

nyccarguy

@Michaell said:
What size are the tires? With all the other services, that doesn't seem like that bad of a total.

Our Highlander has 18” tires. 235/65 R18. Michelin Cross Climate 2. I just got the 1 tire.

I’m not complaining about the price I paid. I think I got a good value for the money. I just wasn’t expecting to spend over $1,000 today. That’s all.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell said:

What size are the tires? With all the other services, that doesn't seem like that bad of a total.

Our Highlander has 18” tires. 235/65 R18. Michelin Cross Climate 2. I just got the 1 tire.

I’m not complaining about the price I paid. I think I got a good value for the money. I just wasn’t expecting to spend over $1,000 today. That’s all.

Oh.

Then .... ouch.

stickguy

Expensive door handle.

stickguy

I’ll get hit next week. Annual oil change for the Acura but after 5 years will get a brake fluid flush also.

Sandman6472

How about the coolant? I did that in January at about 77K since it hadn't been done since the water pump failure at 35,960 miles years ago. Still have to do the tranny fluid if I end up keeping it another couple of years. Doubt it needs differential fluid since it's not AWD.

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I had an annoying evap code on my PT Cruiser that was a devil to track down until my mechanic discovered that the POS gas tank had rusted out at the top.🤯

If I were going to write a story about Chrysler, it would probably be named "My POS Gas Tank Rusted Out: A Stellantis Quality Tale"

The PT was all on Dalmier.

oldfarmer50

When will one of you adventurous people be getting one of these?

https://youtu.be/GtaedHInXZw?si=-p_XTJAPAnjiMjWS

Remember that price is in pounds.

corvette

@nyccarguy - it's probably worth a call to Costco to see whether the road hazard plan will contribute even though you didn't have it replaced there.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Not sure I mentioned, but I’ve been chasing the emissions leak on the Maser for a long darn time. I replaced all of the EGR pieces and ran a smoke test. Couldn’t find the darned leak and still had a stumble off idle under load. Oh and gas cap was holding pressure. After studying the overly complicated gas cap for a bit, I decided I really had nothing left but to replace that. It cost $90 on eBay. Well, I can report that the stumble seems to be gone now. I’ve cleared all the lights on the dash, including TPMS since I replaced all the sensors, too. Fingers crossed, arms crossed, and toes crossed that the CEL stays out, at least until something new happens.

In case you are wondering, the gas cap has a valve built in. So the gasket can hold tight but if that valve is bad, I assume that’s a problem.

————————————————
Why oh why do they fix things that ain’t broke?

jmonroe

corvette

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYoOiVsHJTw

Stories like these lend a counterpoint to the talking point that EVs are more reliable due to their mechanical simplicity (tl;dr: this guy and his brother each own a new-ish Hyundai EV and both had the same failure at nearly the same time). I wonder whether EVs suffer fewer or more disabling events compared to ICE vehicles. If your ICE vehicle is misfiring, you can limp it home and limp it to the mechanic. If a controller in an EV breaks, it's likely to brick the vehicle.

andres3

mjfloyd1 said:

@andres3 said:

I should be getting back 80% of my lame low limit on max payout extended warranty for the X3 and that should help pay for the more expensive 3-year 36K I bought on the Macan. Was a no-brainer to upgrade to 5 years on the extended warranty for the X3; it didn't cost much more (and the low payout limit explains why), but on refund, it's prorated and really pays off if you are a CCBA member especially.

As long as that check comes through for at least 75% (expecting deductions for fees and admin)... it will make the pain of never having used it for the 10-11 months for anything at all more palatable.

The Macan shorter maintenance agreement also has no limits, and no deductible (Lexus dealer vs. Toyota dealer I guess).

Is it a maintenance agreement or is it an “extended warranty”?

My mistake to conflate the two things. It's an extended warranty, through Lexus Financial I think; but told most jobs would be sent straight to the Porsche dealer (unless I can find a better indy).

Bad news, the refund check is missing two zeroes; got it in the mail yesterday.

And you won't believe this but.... the Lexus dealership owes me a 2nd Key FOB. I DIRECTLY point-blank asked the salesman if they had two key FOB's during the test driven given my pet peeves about key FOB's and he answered in the affirmative. At delivery time at like 10:30 at night on a Friday; it came out that they only had one when I asked where's the second (when it was time to go). I expressed my anger and the salesman said he didn't know Porsche's well, and he confused the turn key start thing-a-ma-jig (instead of a simple button) Porsche uses in these models as the 2nd Key FOB. Of course everyone had left; so it's a verbal agreement they owe me a 2nd Key FOB; not on the past or still due bill list on the contract in writing. Still waiting to collect on that too. I don't have time for all these battles, but these are battles I intend to put up some fight for; including a credit chargeback for the value of a new Key FOB ($5,000 per credit card was taken).

Michaell

I hate to say it, but if it’s not on the “we owe” list you may not have much recourse.

qbrozen

@oldfarmer50 said:
When will one of you adventurous people be getting one of these?

https://youtu.be/GtaedHInXZw?si=-p_XTJAPAnjiMjWS

Remember that price is in pounds.

Can you give me the cliff notes? Hammond already owned a 2000s Morgan. Does this one still have the wood chassis? I’ve always liked them but the wood would NOT do well in NJ over time, I’m sure.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

When will one of you adventurous people be getting one of these?

https://youtu.be/GtaedHInXZw?si=-p_XTJAPAnjiMjWS

Remember that price is in pounds.

Can you give me the cliff notes? Hammond already owned a 2000s Morgan. Does this one still have the wood chassis? I’ve always liked them but the wood would NOT do well in NJ over time, I’m sure.

————————————————-
Towards the end of the video he mentioned it had a wood chassis. I can’t remember what species nor do I care because I don’t like the sound of that but at least it won’t rust. I guess you would have varnished it annually to keep it from rotting. I’m out.

jmonroe

kyfdx

Morgans have always had a wood chassis

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

When will one of you adventurous people be getting one of these?

https://youtu.be/GtaedHInXZw?si=-p_XTJAPAnjiMjWS

Remember that price is in pounds.

I've been keeping in touch with a dealer in IL about a possible purchase of a Plus Four, which comes with the B48 four cylinder turbo. IIRC one built to my specs was around $94k. The cars are essentially built to order but the dealers has a few demos available.

roadburner

Over at caranddriver.com there is a comparison test of the Acura Integra Type S, Audi S3, Cadillac CT4-V and the Lexus IS500 F Sport. If I had to pick one of the four I'd go with the Acura- but honestly I wouldn't trade the C43 for any of them.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

When will one of you adventurous people be getting one of these?

https://youtu.be/GtaedHInXZw?si=-p_XTJAPAnjiMjWS

Remember that price is in pounds.

Can you give me the cliff notes? Hammond already owned a 2000s Morgan. Does this one still have the wood chassis? I’ve always liked them but the wood would NOT do well in NJ over time, I’m sure.

Yes, it’s made out of Ash. Hey, if your car blows up you can make baseball bats.

mjfloyd1

@andres3 said:
My mistake to conflate the two things. It's an extended warranty, through Lexus Financial I think; but told most jobs would be sent straight to the Porsche dealer (unless I can find a better indy).

Bad news, the refund check is missing two zeroes; got it in the mail yesterday.

And you won't believe this but.... the Lexus dealership owes me a 2nd Key FOB. I DIRECTLY point-blank asked the salesman if they had two key FOB's during the test driven given my pet peeves about key FOB's and he answered in the affirmative. At delivery time at like 10:30 at night on a Friday; it came out that they only had one when I asked where's the second (when it was time to go). I expressed my anger and the salesman said he didn't know Porsche's well, and he confused the turn key start thing-a-ma-jig (instead of a simple button) Porsche uses in these models as the 2nd Key FOB. Of course everyone had left; so it's a verbal agreement they owe me a 2nd Key FOB; not on the past or still due bill list on the contract in writing. Still waiting to collect on that too. I don't have time for all these battles, but these are battles I intend to put up some fight for; including a credit chargeback for the value of a new Key FOB ($5,000 per credit card was taken).

Key fobs appear to be your Voldemort😇

mjfloyd1

@oldfarmer50 said:
Yes, it’s made out of Ash. Hey, if your car blows up you can make baseball bats.

I just lost two ash trees to the emerald ash borer. Probably a bad choice for me …😂

andres3

Michaell said:

I hate to say it, but if it’s not on the “we owe” list you may not have much recourse.

A verbal contract is legal in CA though.....
Not to mention they represented 2 key fob's to help seal the deal and then failed to deliver after all the paperwork was done. Sounds like fraud to me.

andres3

mjfloyd1 said:

@andres3 said:

My mistake to conflate the two things. It's an extended warranty, through Lexus Financial I think; but told most jobs would be sent straight to the Porsche dealer (unless I can find a better indy).

Bad news, the refund check is missing two zeroes; got it in the mail yesterday.

And you won't believe this but.... the Lexus dealership owes me a 2nd Key FOB. I DIRECTLY point-blank asked the salesman if they had two key FOB's during the test driven given my pet peeves about key FOB's and he answered in the affirmative. At delivery time at like 10:30 at night on a Friday; it came out that they only had one when I asked where's the second (when it was time to go). I expressed my anger and the salesman said he didn't know Porsche's well, and he confused the turn key start thing-a-ma-jig (instead of a simple button) Porsche uses in these models as the 2nd Key FOB. Of course everyone had left; so it's a verbal agreement they owe me a 2nd Key FOB; not on the past or still due bill list on the contract in writing. Still waiting to collect on that too. I don't have time for all these battles, but these are battles I intend to put up some fight for; including a credit chargeback for the value of a new Key FOB ($5,000 per credit card was taken).

Key fobs appear to be your Voldemort😇

The other anomaly is that I gave them a sizeable check for the remaining balance that was to be cashed a week later, and here we are 3 weeks later and my checking account is loaded for no reason all this time.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

I had an annoying evap code on my PT Cruiser that was a devil to track down until my mechanic discovered that the POS gas tank had rusted out at the top.🤯

Chrysler Chrysler, Chrysler

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

I hate to say it, but if it’s not on the “we owe” list you may not have much recourse.

A verbal contract is legal in CA though.....
Not to mention they represented 2 key fob's to help seal the deal and then failed to deliver after all the paperwork was done. Sounds like fraud to me.

————————————————
May I suggest the next time you sit down to negotiate, tell them to put the fobs on the table before you say one word.

jmonroe

corvette

2026 Nissan Leaf press kit.

This could be interesting as a potential Ariya replacement. Range varies pretty widely depending on trim--the base S+ with the larger battery has 18" steel wheels with aero covers and is good for 303 miles; the SV+ includes 18" alloys in the same size (plus additional equipment) and the range drops to 288 miles; the Platinum+ includes 19" alloys with wider tires (and additional equipment including a glass roof) and range drops to 259 miles. The base model S has a lower capacity battery and the range hasn't been determined. 10-80% charge is said to take 35 minutes, which is slow, but competitive with the Niro EV, if memory serves.

I don't like that the neat colors are only available on the top trim, although the dark blue available on the lower trims is probably pretty nice.

ETA: odd choice to include both a J-1772 and a NACS connector. I assume Nissan planned to include a portable L2 J-1772 charger and not a NACS one.

Michaell

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

I hate to say it, but if it’s not on the “we owe” list you may not have much recourse.

A verbal contract is legal in CA though.....
Not to mention they represented 2 key fob's to help seal the deal and then failed to deliver after all the paperwork was done. Sounds like fraud to me.

OK, that's good to know.

How will that play out in court, when it's a "he said, he said" situation?

venture

corvette said:

2026 Nissan Leaf press kit.

This could be interesting as a potential Ariya replacement. Range varies pretty widely depending on trim--the base S+ with the larger battery has 18" steel wheels with aero covers and is good for 303 miles; the SV+ includes 18" alloys in the same size (plus additional equipment) and the range drops to 288 miles; the Platinum+ includes 19" alloys with wider tires (and additional equipment including a glass roof) and range drops to 259 miles. The base model S has a lower capacity battery and the range hasn't been determined. 10-80% charge is said to take 35 minutes, which is slow, but competitive with the Niro EV, if memory serves.

I don't like that the neat colors are only available on the top trim, although the dark blue available on the lower trims is probably pretty nice.

ETA: odd choice to include both a J-1772 and a NACS connector. I assume Nissan planned to include a portable L2 J-1772 charger and not a NACS one.

I saw an Ariya yesterday. The first one. It looked pretty nice.

Michaell

RIP, Audi A4/S4.

With the introduction of the new A5/S5, Audi has dropped the A4/S4 from its fleet. The A5 - now available only in the 5 door hatchback configuration - will replace the old A5/S5 and the A4/S4.

$50K for a base A5, stretching all the way to over $73K for a fully loaded S5.

And another sedan is gone from the US market.

Michaell

Was just reviewing the maintenance/repair log for the Outback.

We bought it on 2/28/2015, and the last service I have recorded is from 2/27/2025, so 10 years.

In that time, I've spent just over $5900 on maintenance and repairs - a bit less than $50/mo to keep the old dear on the road (excluding gas and insurance, of course).

Last I checked, it was worth probably $11-12K in trade value (car has just about 74,000 miles on it), so the depreciation from the original MSRP of $38K (approximately) is around 65-70%.

We bought the Outback for a few reasons:

1. wife wanted a "wagon", rather than an SUV
2. we planned on keeping this one for 10-15 years
3. we wanted to get off the negative equity carousel of trading cars in after 2-3-4 years

Mission accomplished for all three items. It still drives pretty well, none of the creature comforts have stopped working (though the CC will act up every now and again), and it's getting in the low to mid 20's for mileage, which isn't bad for a 3800 pound car with a heavy 6-cylinder engine in it. It does have a ding here or there, which is to be expected of a car this old.

Would I like something new (or, at the very least, newer)? Sure, I'm a charter member of CCBA, I'm always looking. But, just not keen to take on a hefty car payment at this time.

tifighter

Michaell said:

Would I like something new (or, at the very least, newer)? Sure, I'm a charter member of CCBA, I'm always looking. But, just not keen to take on a hefty car payment at this time.

You're fired. Leave your badge and gun with security.

qbrozen

@Michaell said:
Was just reviewing the maintenance/repair log for the Outback.

We bought it on 2/28/2015, and the last service I have recorded is from 2/27/2025, so 10 years.

In that time, I've spent just over $5900 on maintenance and repairs - a bit less than $50/mo to keep the old dear on the road (excluding gas and insurance, of course).

Last I checked, it was worth probably $11-12K in trade value (car has just about 74,000 miles on it), so the depreciation from the original MSRP of $38K (approximately) is around 65-70%.

We bought the Outback for a few reasons:

1. wife wanted a "wagon", rather than an SUV
2. we planned on keeping this one for 10-15 years
3. we wanted to get off the negative equity carousel of trading cars in after 2-3-4 years

Mission accomplished for all three items. It still drives pretty well, none of the creature comforts have stopped working (though the CC will act up every now and again), and it's getting in the low to mid 20's for mileage, which isn't bad for a 3800 pound car with a heavy 6-cylinder engine in it. It does have a ding here or there, which is to be expected of a car this old.

Would I like something new (or, at the very least, newer)? Sure, I'm a charter member of CCBA, I'm always looking. But, just not keen to take on a hefty car payment at this time.

Meh. You just need a few more hoopties so you always have something to drive while the others are awaiting parts and time.

corvette

This was in my feed... Anyone feeling brave? If memory serves, Hoovie had one of these and it needed some expensive/unobtanium HVAC part replaced + some other stuff, and he traded or sold it instead of fixing it.

ab348

Well, the main problem is the double bankruptcy of the company and its successor, which sort plays h-e-double hockey sticks with parts and support. Hoovie having problems comes with the territory as it is at the core of his schtick, so no surprise there.

ab348

kyfdx said:

Morgans have always had a wood chassis

Harry Metcalfe did a review a month or so ago of the new Supersport. He says it is an all-aluminum chassis. The only wood he noted was a non-structural piece of ash that is shown when you open the boot.

https://youtu.be/M2isH3sQZak?si=hsGb-B-RxDfNHsho

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

Was just reviewing the maintenance/repair log for the Outback.

We bought it on 2/28/2015, and the last service I have recorded is from 2/27/2025, so 10 years.

In that time, I've spent just over $5900 on maintenance and repairs - a bit less than $50/mo to keep the old dear on the road (excluding gas and insurance, of course).

Last I checked, it was worth probably $11-12K in trade value (car has just about 74,000 miles on it), so the depreciation from the original MSRP of $38K (approximately) is around 65-70%.

We bought the Outback for a few reasons:

1. wife wanted a "wagon", rather than an SUV
2. we planned on keeping this one for 10-15 years
3. we wanted to get off the negative equity carousel of trading cars in after 2-3-4 years

Mission accomplished for all three items. It still drives pretty well, none of the creature comforts have stopped working (though the CC will act up every now and again), and it's getting in the low to mid 20's for mileage, which isn't bad for a 3800 pound car with a heavy 6-cylinder engine in it. It does have a ding here or there, which is to be expected of a car this old.

Would I like something new (or, at the very least, newer)? Sure, I'm a charter member of CCBA, I'm always looking. But, just not keen to take on a hefty car payment at this time.

Speaking of maintenance, my driver called yesterday afternoon and said he thinks the brakes are shot on our 2006 Mitsubishi FUSO FE180. The mechanic took a look at it and said there is a brake fluid leak somewhere as there is NO brake fluid in the reservoir. He also took a peak and saw that the brake pads are shot as well as the rear tires. So 4 rear tires (Hankook) at $412 each plus tax from tire rack ($1,800). Pads (2 calipers per wheel X 6 wheels) and 4 new brake rotors from Raybestos.

greg1288

I was talking with my BIL who has a new loaded Honda Pilot with about 3K miles on it and he told me his brother bought a new Tacoma and had some serious problems with it. His climate system failed and somehow leaked into the interior. It was repaired although not sure how they dealt with the water/antifreeze damage. He picked it up from the dealer and a week later the transmission failed.
Toyota agreed to a buy it back and he purchased a new Land Cruiser base model 1958 which apparently was over $60K. Not sure of the buyback amount. It has the same HybridMax 4 cyl. turbo as in my Crown with less horsepower (326) but more torque (465) but weighs 1000 Lbs. more. The LC gets pretty good reviews here on Edmunds. I know him pretty well and will get more details when I see him.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

@Michaell said:

Was just reviewing the maintenance/repair log for the Outback.

We bought it on 2/28/2015, and the last service I have recorded is from 2/27/2025, so 10 years.

In that time, I've spent just over $5900 on maintenance and repairs - a bit less than $50/mo to keep the old dear on the road (excluding gas and insurance, of course).

Last I checked, it was worth probably $11-12K in trade value (car has just about 74,000 miles on it), so the depreciation from the original MSRP of $38K (approximately) is around 65-70%.

We bought the Outback for a few reasons:

1. wife wanted a "wagon", rather than an SUV
2. we planned on keeping this one for 10-15 years
3. we wanted to get off the negative equity carousel of trading cars in after 2-3-4 years

Mission accomplished for all three items. It still drives pretty well, none of the creature comforts have stopped working (though the CC will act up every now and again), and it's getting in the low to mid 20's for mileage, which isn't bad for a 3800 pound car with a heavy 6-cylinder engine in it. It does have a ding here or there, which is to be expected of a car this old.

Would I like something new (or, at the very least, newer)? Sure, I'm a charter member of CCBA, I'm always looking. But, just not keen to take on a hefty car payment at this time.

Meh. You just need a few more hoopties so you always have something to drive while the others are awaiting parts and time.

Q has a point. I never had the money to buy all new cars so I had to satisfy my need with cheap cars that I liked when new. For 10% or so of the original MSRP I could pick up some interesting (to me) vehicles. The search for just the right combination of price, miles and condition made it all the more fun when you found the gems.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

This was in my feed... Anyone feeling brave? If memory serves, Hoovie had one of these and it needed some expensive/unobtanium HVAC part replaced + some other stuff, and he traded or sold it instead of fixing it.

The ad says it’s $4500 below market price. I thought the market price on those was zero.

xwesx

andres3 said:

The other anomaly is that I gave them a sizeable check for the remaining balance that was to be cashed a week later, and here we are 3 weeks later and my checking account is loaded for no reason all this time.

They're afraid to cash it because they still haven't figured out how to resolve that cursed FOB situation!

xwesx

Michaell said:

Was just reviewing the maintenance/repair log for the Outback.

We bought it on 2/28/2015, and the last service I have recorded is from 2/27/2025, so 10 years.
.
.
.
Mission accomplished for all three items. It still drives pretty well, none of the creature comforts have stopped working (though the CC will act up every now and again), and it's getting in the low to mid 20's for mileage, which isn't bad for a 3800 pound car with a heavy 6-cylinder engine in it. It does have a ding here or there, which is to be expected of a car this old.

Would I like something new (or, at the very least, newer)? Sure, I'm a charter member of CCBA, I'm always looking. But, just not keen to take on a hefty car payment at this time.

Seriously, let me know when you are getting serious about a refresh. I bet my son would be keen on your car. He speaks about the gen 5 Outbacks rather frequently....

stickguy

I just watched a rich rebuilds video yesterday. He has a fisker ocean and had to take it to a shop outside philly to get fixed and a software update. They have a lot of karmas and parts floating around. It’s what they specialize in.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Q has a point. I never had the money to buy all new cars so I had to satisfy my need with cheap cars that I liked when new. For 10% or so of the original MSRP I could pick up some interesting (to me) vehicles. The search for just the right combination of price, miles and condition made it all the more fun when you found the gems.

Amen to that!

stickguy

We looked at outbacks before getting the new RDX. Opposite of Mrs Michael, my wife would not consider it because it was too much of a wagon.

Not sure what I’ve spent on the Acura in 5 years but not much. 4-5 oil changes and rear diff fluid. Plus a couple of filters.

Sticker was 44k, we paid 40, and right now carvana is offering 26k. So I think we have done ok with it.

xwesx

Note to self: If I buy a car and use it sparingly, my costs are likely to be lower.

Got it!

laurasdada

When I bought the M240, I insisted upon two keys/fobs. The salesdude agreed, said the prior owner had both. When I took delivery, one key. I followed up/persisted and was told that prior owner couldn't find his second key. Salesdude came through, had a second key created and mailed it to me.
I never get surveys; too bad I would have done well by him.

qbrozen

@corvette said:
This was in my feed... Anyone feeling brave? If memory serves, Hoovie had one of these and it needed some expensive/unobtanium HVAC part replaced + some other stuff, and he traded or sold it instead of fixing it.

They paid $14k for it. Dont know what they are thinking with that asking price. They should be ecstatic to get out of it for $17k. I’ll stick with my Maser for half the price, a bit quicker, and probably less troublesome, if you can believe that.

corvette

@qbrozen - I think CG also said it had been on their lot for 500+ days, so at this point, they should be ecstatic to get rid of it for what they paid, or less. What's a year and a half of floorplan on a $14k purchase?

qbrozen

Oh> @corvette said:

@qbrozen - I think CG also said it had been on their lot for 500+ days, so at this point, they should be ecstatic to get rid of it for what they paid, or less. What's a year and a half of floorplan on a $14k purchase?

Oh, if that’s true, then it can’t be the one that sold for $14k. That was just 2 weeks ago. Same miles (like 20 fewer at the time) and listed as “brown,” which I could see that being called.

corvette

Looking at it again, yeah, 585 days on the lot. The VIN ends in 000392, if that helps.