Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

kyfdx · July 2014

Doesn't seem like you will be coming in from that direction, but the drive in to the South Rim from the East is spectacular.

corvette · July 2014

I remember taking US 95 out of Vegas to get to Death Valley when I was out that way in 2007... There is a roadside placard commemorating the nuclear bomb testing which took place in that area. They actually do a bus tour of the site a few times a year, but you have to sign up in advance and they don't allow photography. (Back in the good old days, when they were conducting atmospheric testing, you could haul your family out to the middle of the desert and watch a live detonation, upwind of the blast, of course.)

tighter, congrats on the punch. We're at 20 for the year.

Michaell · July 2014

@corvette said:
I remember taking US 95 out of Vegas to get to Death Valley when I was out that way in 2007... There is a roadside placard commemorating the nuclear bomb testing which took place in that area. They actually do a bus tour of the site a few times a year, but you have to sign up in advance and they don't allow photography. (Back in the good old days, when they were conducting atmospheric testing, you could haul your family out to the middle of the desert and watch a live detonation, upwind of the blast, of course.)

tighter, congrats on the punch. We're at 20 for the year.

People who grew up in St. George are known as "downwinders" due to the prevailing wind patterns and the nuclear testing in Nevada in the 50's and 60's. We're pretty sure that our DIL's lymphoma was due to the fallout permeating the food supply there. Her grandfather was a firefighter for the gov't back in the 50's and dealt with the blast sites frequently. I've been told he died of cancer.

qbrozen · July 2014

I grew up in the NJ cancer cluster, so I'll probably fit right in.

stever · July 2014

Do you have an opinion on the dynamic pricing of cars? If you would like to share your opinion of car pricing being dependent on factors like availability or consumer demand (much the way plane tickets or hotel rooms are priced), please send your daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, 8/1/14 at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

(Posted while crusing a blue highway in upstate NY looking at a rainbow, and yeah, my wife is driving).

graphicguy · July 2014

@stever said:
Do you have an opinion on the dynamic pricing of cars? If you would like to share your opinion of car pricing being dependent on factors like availability or consumer demand (much the way plane tickets or hotel rooms are priced), please send your daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, 8/1/14 at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

(Posted while crusing a blue highway in upstate NY looking at a rainbow, and yeah, my wife is driving).

Of course we have opinions....plenty of them. Email sent.

Have fun on what sounds like a beautiful drive!

stever · July 2014

Thanks, we're taking the back roads down to my sister's in VA. I did get some raised eyebrows going through customs today with the well loaded rig. Managed to hit 26.2 on one stretch of calm highway.

(Soon to be a WIPP upwinder, and hopefully far enough upwind....)

28firefighter · July 2014

Tifighter - whereabouts in Western Washington are you located?

We recently moved into a standalone townhome-style house in a more urban area in Seattle. My CC is probably the biggest I can fit in our garage. Lots of Leafs around my neighborhood.

roadburner · July 2014

We have just about decided to roll the dice and let RB Jr. take the X3 to SC. It was due for an Inspection I so I took it to my dealer today; I'm having them change the ATF and brake fluid while they are at it. My Service Advisor and I both think that any major problem areas have been addressed and it IS paid for.

So anyway, my loaner is a 328d xDrive Sport Line. Pretty nice, and great power and economy- I'm averaging @45 mpg so far...

stickguy · July 2014

Did some shopping yesterday. Actually for my SIL since her ancient odyssey died for good this time. Looked at and drove a Subaru outback and forester along with a honda CRV. Subes were vastly nicer. She loved the comfort of the outback but liked the forester too. And dang, such a big moonroof! Crv, seemed cheap in comparison. And slow delivering power, plus noisy.

She needs to look at Toyota and Hyundai when she gets home (we are all on vacation at the jersey shore this week). But I smell a sube purchase next week if she can get the $ to work (not much of a budget )

Also had the best salesman ever atvthe Subaru dealer. Sil knows nothing about cars and he worked with her perfectly. Made get totally comfortable.

jayrider · July 2014

@stever said:
Do you have an opinion on the dynamic pricing of cars? If you would like to share your opinion of car pricing being dependent on factors like availability or consumer demand (much the way plane tickets or hotel rooms are priced), please send your daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, 8/1/14 at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

(Posted while crusing a blue highway in upstate NY looking at a rainbow, and yeah, my wife is driving).

We have that now in the St. Louis area. " Totally overstocked with new cars ! We need to move inventory no matter what the cost. Prices will never be lower. Special prices and financing. Sale ends next Sunday."

corvette · July 2014

@stickguy said:
Did some shopping yesterday. Actually for my SIL since her ancient odyssey died for good this time. Looked at and drove a Subaru outback and forester along with a honda CRV. Subes were vastly nicer. She loved the comfort of the outback but liked the forester too. And dang, such a big moonroof! Crv, seemed cheap in comparison. And slow delivering power, plus noisy.

What year was the CR-V she drove? The 2015 has a CVT to replace the 2014's five-speed auto.

stever · July 2014

@jayrider, you'd think the manufacturers would catch on to the end of the month/end of the quarter dynamics and change the time periods for paying bonuses. A big Honda sale in the middle of the month could cause a lot of grief at the Nissan store next door.

henryn · July 2014

Sterling McCall Lexus posted an ad on Autotrader for a used 2004 Cadillac, one owner, very low miles (53k), clean Carfax. I called, spoke to a salesperson, made an appointment to test drive the car. I went down on my lunch hour. The power seat is in the most forward position, and will not move. Impossible for anyone over 5’6” to drive the car. I really would not recommend buying a used car from any dealer who performs no inspections whatsoever of their cars.

And yes, I just wrote a review here on Edmunds, and another one on Yelp.

stickguy · July 2014

Crv was 2014. The 15s aren't out yet.

I did see a gray 2015 golf Tsi 4 door while out. Very nice.

gouldn · July 2014

I have been watching this forum since it started 10 years ago, and contribute less than most here, but put me down for a 'punch.' I tend to keep one fairly new car and rotate a cheaper one in and out. Well somehow the 'new' car was a 2001 Subaru I bought new in 2000 and today it turned 226K. I replaced it this afternoon with a 2011 Acura TSX SportsWagon with the 'tech' package. Bought it at a Caddy dealer, and they were anxious to move used units since today is the last day of the month. The car handles pretty well for FWD, and I like it so far (2 hours)

kyfdx · July 2014

Is it a 4-cylinder or V-6? That's a nice choice, either way.. Congrats!

roadburner · July 2014

Nice!!!

gouldn · July 2014

It's a 4 ... I don't think they made the wagon in a six, although I might be wrong. Here's the link http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/609987445/overview/, I got it for $23.8.

graphicguy · August 2014

@gouldn said:
It's a 4 ... I don't think they made the wagon in a six, although I might be wrong. Here's the link http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/609987445/overview/, I got it for $23.8.

Very nice. 'Gratz. I'm betting you have another 200K+ miles of happy driving in it.

jayrider · August 2014

@gouldn said:
It's a 4 ... I don't think they made the wagon in a six, although I might be wrong. Here's the link http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/609987445/overview/, I got it for $23.8.

Nice car --- enjoy.

xwesx · August 2014

Nice looking car, even for an Acura! I was shocked when I saw this photo, though:

That reminds me of my Fiesta's rear seat leg room, or maybe a pre 2010 Outback.

stickguy · August 2014

Those front seats look all the way back. And somewhat reclined.

xwesx · August 2014

They do. But, I do that with my Forester, and there is more than twice the leg room of that car. Really, it looks just like my Fiesta.

I strongly suspect that gouldn won't be sitting in the back seat, though, so no worries!

jayrider · August 2014

@xwesx said:
They do. But, I do that with my Forester, and there is more than twice the leg room of that car. Really, it looks just like my Fiesta.

I strongly suspect that gouldn won't be sitting in the back seat, though, so no worries!

Reviewers mark the wagon down for a limited back seat.

gouldn · August 2014

It's true on both counts! The backseat is cramped, but the seats were reclined back in that pic. However we don't have kids, so this is a non-issue. We do have two dogs, but they get the 'way back.' On the way in I found that the previous owner liked mariachi music and had loaded 100's of songs of it onto the hard drive. Also the screen has a wall paper feature where you can load your own pic as a screen saver ... well she seems to have loaded a pic of a grave site (I assume her parents or something). That's gotta go!

ab348 · August 2014

Mariachi music and gravesite pics? I think it's fair to say the P.O. is somewhat... unusual.

stever · August 2014

Nah, just a Day of the Dead fan, honoring some ancestors. No marigolds on the dash though?

slorenzen · August 2014

1 For Fintail:

http://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/4598797447.html

Mr_Shiftright · August 2014

I like that car! I thought the dash was supposed to be body color? Maybe I'm just not remembering right. Price seems just about market correct if it's a solid #3 car.

fintail · August 2014

I agree with Shifty on price, maybe no harm done if it is nice as it looks. Paint could be original, hubcaps need body color centers, and I have never seen velour like that on a Ponton (I only know of leather, Tex, or a checkered cloth). Sunroof is a HUGE plus, and this thing would look pretty cool with correct hubcaps and maybe wide whites.

@slorenzen said:
1 For Fintail:

http://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/4598797447.html

laurasdada · August 2014

@nyccarguy said:

Summer vacation 2014 has been a stay-cation so far. We went to see the Statue of Liberty last week, went to the beach here in Stamford, went to Jones Beach, visited Lake Compounce (amusement park in Bristol, CT), hired a baby sitter so I could pay tennis & have lunch with my wife, the wife worked a few days so I got to play "daddy day care."

Instant Wayback machine with the mention of Lake Compounce! My Dad started taking us there in the '60s, he went in the 50s! Great wooden roller coaster, but the park has been sold a couple of times since I visited. Modernized, hopefully thriving.

LA, as I'm sure y'all know, is just car ridonkulous. Less than a week, saw at least two of everything. Hard to be awed, but the Lambo with the R8 right behind it was a nice sight. Somewhere out there is Tagman, I was at Duke's for lunch Saturday. Tag, were you there?

roadburner · August 2014

Dodged a bullet; a friend of mine was at an estate auction and a 1979 733i popped up in decent shape with only 86k on the clock. He sent me a text but my phone was off. It went for $700, which based on it's age and complexity would have also been the monthly running costs...

slorenzen · August 2014

Barn find: http://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/4590325366.html

Might be as much per month as that 733, RB...

roadburner · August 2014

Nah, the TF is cake to work on. On the 733i, R&R of the heater core is a nine hour job- and the in-dash HVAC controls run $150 each(or more).

andre1969 · August 2014

@roadburner said:
Nah, the TF is cake to work on. On the 733i, R&R of the heater core is a nine hour job- and the in-dash HVAC controls run $150 each(or more).

If it's any consolation, I've heard that the heater core on your typical Ford fox-body is about 8-9 hours. So it's not just expensive, complex German luxury cars that can kill you on repairs. So can a Fairmont!

laurasdada · August 2014

One other note re: my trip to LA. Saw three Caddy ELRs on the road! Although, may have seen the same one twice, so let's say 2-3 ELRs. Handsome beast. And, took my son to the Tesla store in Santa Monica. He seems to want one. At least it would be the least expensive on his rather pricey list of automotive desires. Good luck, son.

fintail · August 2014

And when you get everything in order and have it looking immaculate, it might bring 5K. Gotta love old German barges.

@roadburner said:
Nah, the TF is cake to work on. On the 733i, R&R of the heater core is a nine hour job- and the in-dash HVAC controls run $150 each(or more).

roadburner · August 2014

@andre1969 said:
If it's any consolation, I've heard that the heater core on your typical Ford fox-body is about 8-9 hours. So it's not just expensive, complex German luxury cars that can kill you on repairs. So can a Fairmont!

Funny you should mention that; my 1984 T-Bird's heater core went south back in 1994. Luckily I have a mechanic friend who is a "Ford man;" he knew a few tricks that let him do the job a lot faster than book. I went on vacation and left the 'bird with him for a week and he worked on it between more time-sensitive jobs. I think it wound up costing me less than $400 altogether...

roadburner · August 2014

@fintail said:
And when you get everything in order and have it looking immaculate, it might bring 5K. Gotta love old German barges.

Yes, but when you get the car for just $700 you have at least a small chance of coming out ahead...

Michaell · August 2014

Greetings!

Went to lunch with the wife yesterday. On the way to the restaurant, she commented that she was concerned about her "carbon footprint". Wait ... what?

She's concerned that the CX-7 is too big for her most of the time. Her job has been redefined so she isn't doing as much carting around of stuff, she's thinking she'd like to go smaller.

How much smaller?

By this time we were at the restaurant (in the bar section) and she catches a RAV4 commercial on one of the many TVs. Something like that, she says.

Weeeelllllll, she's also got a bit of a power fetish and I don't think a 4-cyl cute ute is gonna satisfy it. And, she still wants 4WD or AWD. And something with a rear lift gate - no sedans for her.

I whip out my phone and find a picture of the new Lexus NX .. I show it to her and tell her it's basically the same as the RAV4, but with a turbo engine. She's intrigued. I also tell her there is a hybrid version available which gets even better mileage (I don't tell her it's slower than the turbo, but, one argument at a time).

I don't think she's ready to do any serious shopping yet, but she is thinking about it. I've told her that this next time, the decision is all on her - she has to do the research and the test drives, then I'll help her with the numbers side.

She still likes the CX-7 - a lot. It just crossed 54K this past week and there haven't been any major problems. It needs an oil change soon, but no other scheduled maintenance that I'm aware of.

corvette · August 2014

Congrats on the TSX wagon, gouldn! We're at 21 punches for the year.

roadburner · August 2014

They dropped the price on this 2013 135i M Sport- but no heated seats and the validity of the CPO status is sketchy(Carfax says yes, but when my SA ran the VIN it said CPO "Pending").

corvette · August 2014

I'm probably being daft, but how could it be CPO? It's a one-owner BMW at a Volvo dealer.

Mr_Shiftright · August 2014

@ RB----what's an Alpina B7? One stole my parking space this morning. Looks understated, like an ordinary BMW to me. BIG thing. I presume of course it is breathed on by Alpina, but I imagine hustling this through the turns would break a sweat. Black on black. Not sure if I like it---BIG, very BIG.

henryn · August 2014

@andre1969
If it's any consolation, I've heard that the heater core on your typical Ford fox-body is about 8-9 hours. So it's not just expensive, complex German luxury cars that can kill you on repairs. So can a Fairmont!

Yes, but on a Fairmont you just bypass the heater core. On the one or two occassions per year when the temperature goes below freezing, you leave that car at home.

On that super duper deluxe German luxury car, are you really going to leave the heater inoperative? Really?

@roadburner
Yes, but when you get the car for just $700 you have at least a small chance of coming out ahead.

"small chance" -- that's like "Slim and none, and Slim just took the last bus out of town", right?

Sandman6472 · August 2014

Watching Barrett-Jackson right now and they are auctioning the perfect American iron...a '57 Chevy Bel-Air which went for $64,500.00...and that was for a yellow vehicle. Imagine what a white or black one would sell for...also nice in red though the yellow didn't look that bad really. On another auction yesterday, one from L A, a '66 Bonneville drop top went through at $13k...amazing!!! Would love an older vehicle that would be a weekend cruiser.

The Sandman

roadburner · August 2014

@Mr_Shiftright said:
@ RB----what's an Alpina B7? One stole my parking space this morning. Looks understated, like an ordinary BMW to me. BIG thing. I presume of course it is breathed on by Alpina, but I imagine hustling this through the turns would break a sweat. Black on black. Not sure if I like it---BIG, very BIG.

"Breathed on" is a bit of an understatement; the German government considers Alpina to be an automobile manufacturer. The engine, automatic and suspension are heavily modified and the interior gets bespoke Alpina trim. If you want I can shoot you a PDF of the story I wrote about driving a 2007 B7 to Fort Worth and back.
In Europe you can buy an Alpina version of almost every BMW model; BMW NA only cherry picks one or two models to offer in the US. Unfortunately the wonderful D3 Bi-Turbo isn't one of them...

ab348 · August 2014

@sandman_6472 said:
Watching Barrett-Jackson right now and they are auctioning the perfect American iron...a '57 Chevy Bel-Air which went for $64,500.00...and that was for a yellow vehicle. Imagine what a white or black one would sell for...also nice in red though the yellow didn't look that bad really. On another auction yesterday, one from L A, a '66 Bonneville drop top went through at $13k...amazing!!! Would love an older vehicle that would be a weekend cruiser.

I saw them preview this one:

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1969-CHEVROLET-CORVETTE-CONVERTIBLE-175139

They showed a video of it being driven and both front wheels had trim rings and centers that were wobbly. Makes you wonder what else they just slapped together. I always wonder just what you are buying at B-J when you peel back the never-ending hype.

Mr_Shiftright · August 2014

@RB -- The D3 looks very interesting. The B7 not so much. Thanks for that! Shifty

@roadburner said:

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