Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld · October 2016

I am a fan of the Audi/VW 2.0T engines, but this may be pushing it.

Audi Q7 2.0T

Now, if there was a noticeable uptick in fuel savings, I'd definitely consider it, but without that...

breld · October 2016

nyccarguy said:
@qbrozen - that brown leather interior is very pretty. I dig it.

Thanks for the update @28firefighter!

Yup - I'm a fan of the brown interior as well.

@qbrozen - so you've been "pre-shopping" for the small SUV. What do you have in mind for your second "fun" car?

@28firefighter - real bummer of an experience you're going through with the GTI. It's such a fantastic all-around vehicle, but this certainly sours it, at least temporarily.

28firefighter · October 2016

I still love the car and I recognize that every once in a while bad one will come off the line. I actually attribute my issues to bad service, rather than a bad car. However, I'd still ideally like it replaced at this point.

qbrozen · October 2016

@breld - Oh, I probably wouldn't get a 2nd (3rd) car right now. But I would do that before spending $35k on a single SUV.

Besides, if I do wind up with an EX37, it would probably outgun most of the $10k "fun" cars I have seen for sale.

suydam · October 2016

stever said:

Sat in a couple of Volts today, really liked the two-toned leather in the Premier.

I liked it too. Still mulling over leasing one. The dealership has a free charging station near a mall. Costco near us also has charging stations but not free.

stickguy · October 2016

Now son has decided to go big. Finding a selection of nice mid line A3s. But he saw some with the tech package too (includes the fancy virtual cockpit) and figures might as well stretch the budget all the way, and not skimp on anything. Better chance he isn't looking to trade in 3 years from now that way!

His money. And I gotta admit, I would want all the extra goodies!

stickguy · October 2016

I am now also quite up to speed on exactly how many large audi dealerships there are in and around jersey. Many now palaces. I never realized they sold that many cars!

andres3 · October 2016

stickguy said:
I am now also quite up to speed on exactly how many large audi dealerships there are in and around jersey. Many now palaces. I never realized they sold that many cars!

The fancy virtual cockpit spoils you; driving a car with regular gauges immediately feels antiquated.

xwesx · October 2016

Wohoo! First snow of the year! It's cold enough now that this should stick around to April.

Sandman6472 · October 2016

LeRuth's, yep, that's the place. Went there for graduation in the spring of '76 as I graduated college and my sister graduated law school, had a big family celebration. The food was incredible, best I'd ever had until then. NOLA is a great city, lots of fun things to do.
Was back at T P at 6:45 this morning and they re-balanced all four tires and problem solved. Now the Accent is ready to go. And mine now has a new battery and the fuel system recall completed, Audi to the wife it'll be about 3 weeks till she can have hers done. Next on the agenda is getting the warranty as I will hit 23K tomorrow so need to get cracking and find out what documentation they need. Glad my kid knows how to work our scanner cause I can barely fax!

The Sandman

Michaell · October 2016

xwesx said:
Wohoo! First snow of the year! It's cold enough now that this should stick around to April.

Nice picture.

I only see two vehicles that are not 4WD or AWD. Would that be a fair ratio for all vehicles in your neck of the woods?

Michaell · October 2016

@stickguy - does this apply to your car?

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/10/instant-al-fresco-hyundai-recalls-sonata-blow-top/#more-1434161

suydam · October 2016

Just took our '14 Encore in for its 3rd free maintenance and they also did the recall software update. After a year and a half and 20,000 miles the Encore has proved to be a great purchase. Nothing has gone wrong -- only the basic maintenance. It proved its worth through a 4-day drive across the country with our dog. It looks great inside and out, not a squeak or rattle anywhere. It has proved to be adept at hauling more odd large items than I would have ever imagined possible in such a small vehicle -- among them, a power washer and a 55" TV. It's smooth and quiet and handles very well. Tight parking spots? No problem! I love rear cross traffic alert and blind spot warnings as we now live in an area with much more traffic than formerly. We have also been fortunate to have two great GM service departments, both here in Calif. and back in Ohio. We are getting ready to purchase a second vehicle and the spouse wants to buy another Encore. If I was replacing this one I would definitely do that. As it is, I do want a second vehicle with better around town MPG so am leaning towards a plug in hybrid like the Chevy Volt. But I definitely want one Encore in my driveway!

stickguy · October 2016

snow, that is going to last until April? Why in the world would anyone choose to live in a place like that? There is a reason that people were sent to Siberia as a punishment!

nyccarguy · October 2016

It's been in the 70's here for 3 days. Good because I drove the Prelude on back to back days. Not good for business.

stickguy · October 2016

Michaell said:
@stickguy - does this apply to your car?

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/10/instant-al-fresco-hyundai-recalls-sonata-blow-top/#more-1434161

First that I heard about it. And I was just in for service last Friday, and it did not come up. They did have something about the fuel door popper actuator that they fixed (so new I was never notified).

In 3 weeks, I have my 2 year anniversary. So it only has to stay attached for 55 more weeks until it is no longer my problem.

I have also not noticed any symptoms, but will certainly pay close attention!

nyccarguy · October 2016

@stickguy - here's a good car for you. Meets your requirements of 6 speed stick, Power Sunroof. It's also a good deal. Over $9K off sticker. I know you won't like the color, but it does come with magnetic ride control, dual mode exhaust, & a 455 hp V8.

http://www.devanchevybuick.com/VehicleDetails/new-2016-Chevrolet-Camaro-2dr_Cpe_2SS-Wilton-CT/2771282163

stickguy · October 2016

So, no link? I'll guess that it is a Chevy SS!

stickguy · October 2016

I did see a couple of nice blue Legacys lately. Really nice looking car. They just need to pop in the turbo motor, and back it up with the manual tranny!

nyccarguy · October 2016

stickguy said:
So, no link? I'll guess that it is a Chevy SS!

I just posted the link

stickguy · October 2016

I actually like yellow. I had 2 yellow cars back in the old days (Gremlin and Duster).

But while my short list is pretty long, a Camaro will never be on it. partly because I really don't fit, and can't see a thing out of it. Plus not my "style"

Michaell · October 2016

stickguy said:
I actually like yellow. I had 2 yellow cars back in the old days (Gremlin and Duster).

But while my short list is pretty long, a Camaro will never be on it. partly because I really don't fit, and can't see a thing out of it. Plus not my "style"

It's Bumblebee!

I test drove a Camaro SS with a stick. Engine was fun, but I agree with @stickguy the visibility is terrible. I'd much rather have a Mustang.

stickguy · October 2016

If I go with a midlife crisis sporty car, the only domestic I will even look at is the Mustang. Challenger and Camaro would never be on my list.

I did test drive a couple of used Mustang Convertibles last time I was shopping. Fun, but just didn't make sense at the time.

kyfdx · October 2016

A new Mustang GT coupe would work for me. What are those? About $30K?

stickguy · October 2016

can probably get a base model around that MSRP. real street prices, even easier!

nyccarguy · October 2016

stickguy said:
I did see a couple of nice blue Legacys lately. Really nice looking car. They just need to pop in the turbo motor, and back it up with the manual tranny!

Thanks. I do think my Legacy is a nice looking car. I'm happy with the CVT. I'll take the turbo motor.

stickguy · October 2016

I did drive the outback and legacy a few times. The CVT on them never bothered me at all, at least on those short drives. Same for the Accord.

stickguy · October 2016

Here's another lower priced SUV option for QB. I honestly forgot entirely that these ever existed.

Miles are low at least, for the year.

http://www.eliteacura.com/used/Kia/2009-Kia-Borrego-b263ca760a0e0adf3843aba0630cecc7.htm

Sandman6472 · October 2016

Saw a new Cruze at one of our satellite offices Wednesday and can't wait to drive one. Sat in one at the pdi area at the Ft. Lauderdale airport and was impressed at how they improved a few things. The hatch I saw at the dealer was the one I'd get if buying any domestic, in that orangy color we see on the tube. Looks great in person and since I've had a few hatchbacks over the years, it's the logical choice for me. If they could only get the mpg's to match it's foreign competitors, I'd snatch one up. With higher mpg's and a decent price, I would actually purchase one and not feel like it's not up to par with the others in it's class.Now that's a lot coming from someone who hasn't owned any domestic since the 70's...the Buick Skylark was my wife's ride when we married.
So, GM, get your [non-permissible content removed] together and make me want to buy an orange Cheby Cruze!!!

The Sandman

sda · October 2016

suydam said:
Just took our '14 Encore in for its 3rd free maintenance and they also did the recall software update. After a year and a half and 20,000 miles the Encore has proved to be a great purchase. Nothing has gone wrong -- only the basic maintenance. It proved its worth through a 4-day drive across the country with our dog. It looks great inside and out, not a squeak or rattle anywhere. It has proved to be adept at hauling more odd large items than I would have ever imagined possible in such a small vehicle -- among them, a power washer and a 55" TV. It's smooth and quiet and handles very well. Tight parking spots? No problem! I love rear cross traffic alert and blind spot warnings as we now live in an area with much more traffic than formerly. We have also been fortunate to have two great GM service departments, both here in Calif. and back in Ohio. We are getting ready to purchase a second vehicle and the spouse wants to buy another Encore. If I was replacing this one I would definitely do that. As it is, I do want a second vehicle with better around town MPG so am leaning towards a plug in hybrid like the Chevy Volt. But I definitely want one Encore in my driveway!

I see a lot of Encores around here and for good reason! The '17 refresh looks nice and you can get a more powerful engine which is a plus. Given the positive experience that I've had with our Hondas in the past 13 years, I tend to prefer them. However if I was in the market for the HR-V, I think I would actually prefer the refinement of the Encore and buy it instead.

sda · October 2016

sandman_6472 said:
LeRuth's, yep, that's the place. Went there for graduation in the spring of '76 as I graduated college and my sister graduated law school, had a big family celebration. The food was incredible, best I'd ever had until then. NOLA is a great city, lots of fun things to do.
Was back at T P at 6:45 this morning and they re-balanced all four tires and problem solved. Now the Accent is ready to go. And mine now has a new battery and the fuel system recall completed, Audi to the wife it'll be about 3 weeks till she can have hers done. Next on the agenda is getting the warranty as I will hit 23K tomorrow so need to get cracking and find out what documentation they need. Glad my kid knows how to work our scanner cause I can barely fax!

The Sandman

LeRuth's was in Gretna, which is on the west bank across the river from the city. We lived on the west bank in Old Aurora. Larry's dad, Mr. Leruth had our Boy Scout troop over to their house for a cook out and to swim in their pool. It was a great experience, and we ate well!

ab348 · October 2016

suydam said:
Just took our '14 Encore in for its 3rd free maintenance and they also did the recall software update. After a year and a half and 20,000 miles the Encore has proved to be a great purchase. Nothing has gone wrong -- only the basic maintenance. It proved its worth through a 4-day drive across the country with our dog. It looks great inside and out, not a squeak or rattle anywhere. It has proved to be adept at hauling more odd large items than I would have ever imagined possible in such a small vehicle -- among them, a power washer and a 55" TV. It's smooth and quiet and handles very well. Tight parking spots? No problem! I love rear cross traffic alert and blind spot warnings as we now live in an area with much more traffic than formerly. We have also been fortunate to have two great GM service departments, both here in Calif. and back in Ohio. We are getting ready to purchase a second vehicle and the spouse wants to buy another Encore. If I was replacing this one I would definitely do that. As it is, I do want a second vehicle with better around town MPG so am leaning towards a plug in hybrid like the Chevy Volt. But I definitely want one Encore in my driveway!

Your post made me go to the GM Canada site to look at the Encore and build one online. I never really cared for the looks of them as they seemed a bit too tall, and a bit too short, making them look rather oddly proportioned to my eye compared to some of the other CUVs. But I see a lot of them and never hear anything bad about them.

I built the first model that came with leather upholstery - I think that was one down from the top-line trim. I added the more powerful engine and a sunroof. It came in at exactly $37,000Cdn. That seemed crazy expensive to me. I have to assume that most of them sell for something less than that with incentives, etc.

qbrozen · October 2016

stickguy said:
Here's another lower priced SUV option for QB. I honestly forgot entirely that these ever existed.

Miles are low at least, for the year.

http://www.eliteacura.com/used/Kia/2009-Kia-Borrego-b263ca760a0e0adf3843aba0630cecc7.htm

A Kia? C'mon, stick, you know me better than that.

Michaell · October 2016

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:
Here's another lower priced SUV option for QB. I honestly forgot entirely that these ever existed.

Miles are low at least, for the year.

http://www.eliteacura.com/used/Kia/2009-Kia-Borrego-b263ca760a0e0adf3843aba0630cecc7.htm
A Kia? C'mon, stick, you know me better than that.

What? A body on frame honest SUV that you can take into the Jersey forest and romp around.

What's not to like?

Oh - it's a Kia.

qbrozen · October 2016

hmmmm....

autocheck tells me 2 accidents and possible odometer issue, but I can't get more details.

suydam · October 2016

Sandy: We are generally Honda people too. This is our first ever new GM vehicle.
AB348: I have no idea why GM makes them look so expensive on paper. They usually have very good incentives and discounts. We bought ours for thousands less than the MSRP. That seems to be true for most GM vehicles.

qbrozen · October 2016

Good price on this one, although not a Turbo.

edit: oh, whoops, did not read the fine print. Guess I'll never go to Planet Mitsu.

Another one with an accident in its past. Still, if it is clean and repaired right, $17k-$17.5k could be an OK buy on it.

stickguy · October 2016

I like the last one

What's wrong with planet? You aren't interested in their payments anyway are you? I don't think the price is 19,900 + 2,495.

But, I am not brave enough to buy a 10 YO Porsche from a used car lot in Brooklyn. Nope.

And also, on these, I assume the NA V8 has plenty of scoot. And certainly less complicated. That being relative of course

28firefighter · October 2016

Once you drive the Cayenne Turbo, any other version of it is going to feel vastly inferior.

My Dad had an opportunity to buy a 2008 Cayenne Turbo a couple of years ago, but when he was ready to buy the dealer wasn't willing to negotiate. Negotiations weren't that far apart, but my Dad had the number in mind he was willing to pay and risk on a 7 year old Porsche Turbo with no warranty. They ended up selling it 4 months later for the price my Dad offered, from what I understand.

It took him a solid 2 months to move past the way that car drove and consider something else. He ended up with his Touareg TDI.

qbrozen · October 2016

stickguy said:

What's wrong with planet? You aren't interested in their payments anyway are you? I don't think the price is 19,900 + 2,495.

I think it is. "Qualified Customers who choose to get Finance please bring $2495 down for advertised price and payments."

houdini1 · October 2016

breld said:
I am a fan of the Audi/VW 2.0T engines, but this may be pushing it.

Audi Q7 2.0T

Now, if there was a noticeable uptick in fuel savings, I'd definitely consider it, but without that...

Look at it this way. A $5800. savings up front is the same as FREE fuel for the first 70,000. miles or so.

xwesx · October 2016

Michaell said:
Nice picture.

I only see two vehicles that are not 4WD or AWD. Would that be a fair ratio for all vehicles in your neck of the woods?

Probably not exactly fair. I would estimate that about a third of the vehicles around here are either FWD or RWD, but they are definitely in the minority. Subaru, as with your neck of the woods, is ubiquitous, though I don't think it quite has the dominating presence it once did. Still, at any given light, if you don't see more than one Subaru waiting on it, then you're not looking hard enough! Hahaha.

And, as for the not-melting-until-April comment, yes, I was not joking. Although, the temperatures the last few years are not nearly as cold as they once were, temperatures do still tend to dip below freezing for good around mid-October and we don't see significant temperatures threatening or above freezing until March (occasionally) and April (definitely). It makes for excellent winter driving!

stickguy · October 2016

I could never live there. I dislike cold.

andres3 · October 2016

I dislike heat.

Michaell · October 2016

You oughta swap locations.

stickguy · October 2016

He lives in San diego. never hot or cold. just always perfect.

Michaell · October 2016

stickguy said:
He lives in San diego. never hot or cold. just always perfect.

On the coast, yes. My sister lives 10 miles inland from SD and it was 94 today.

cdnpinhead · October 2016

Is California's climate worth putting up with all the rest of what's required to live there? Many people think not and leave. The demographics of those who are coming to CA vs. those who are leaving makes an interesting study. Not here, mind you, because that would be political.

Sandman6472 · October 2016

Tired of the heat and hurricanes in Florida, need to find a more temperate climate. North Carolina could work but a politically backward state. Oregon sounds pretty cool and like the west coast. Place has to have no state income tax and be retiree friendly also. Would go back to New York but a bit too pricey for us. The search continues.

The Sandman

suydam · October 2016

cdnpinhead said:

Is California's climate worth putting up with all the rest of what's required to live there? Many people think not and leave. The demographics of those who are coming to CA vs. those who are leaving makes an interesting study. Not here, mind you, because that would be political.

Yes. We love it here. What's to put up with? Mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.

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