Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

murphydog · July 2017

We decided to enjoy the scenery that makes up Washington State by heading out on a stretch of the Washington Back-country Discovery Route. Drove east on I90 to Ellensburg and headed south on the back roads. Ram handled the back roads with ease, even over some pretty worn out spots on the road. Made it to Umtanum Ridge where we could see Mt Adams and Mt Rainier. Turned back around 2:00 PM to head home and started back down. Views are spectacular!

Suddenly the TPMS screen pops up, the right front tire is at 29..26...21...19... Clearly it has a puncture and is airing down fast. I find a bit of a wide spot and back off the road to get the truck out of the way. 95 degrees out and the spot I picked was a bit lumpy-bumpy. Almost did not have room to slide the tire out from the rear, and it was tight to slip the scissor jack under the front control arm. Thankfully the lugs were not over-torqued and I was able to get them off with a firm stomp on the lug wrench. 30 minutes ( and about 5 gallons of sweat) later the temporary spare is on and the gear is back in the truck.

So we stop in Cle Elum at a full service station but the hole is 1/2 inch from the side wall - so no patch or plug..

made it home on the spare and am having an new Goodyear Wrangler SRA installed right now - I debated upgrading to more robust off road tire, but can't justify 4 tires at this point - maybe next year.

pensfan83 · July 2017

driver100 said:
Out of curiosity, will you take the car to the local dealer for service...or drive out of state?

When we had BMWs I found the local dealer - even though I didn't like to buy from them (don't believe in discounting), they did good service work. I don't think they treated me different from their own customers. My guess is, if they were really busy they would give their own customers preference. I was told by someone, the dealer divisions are completely divided, service just has to make maximum profit and they don't care where you bought your car.

I think it would depend on how far out of state I would go. Cincinnati or Cleveland? No problem, I have family in the former and friends/business travel to the latter and for the mileage I put on my car a yearly service can easily be planned around leisure or work travel to those cities. Anything farther like Philly or DC and I would probably use my current dealer for the service side. For any warranty/recall items I'd probably go local though regardless if I bought out of state.

imidazol97 · July 2017

abacomike said:
I feel like I've been through a wringer. (

I wish you a quick recovery. I hate to be a Pollyanna as miserable as you feel, but you could have broken
something in a fall like that and it doesn't sound like you have based on what you're saying. But don't
hesitate to get checked out if you question any possibility of more injury on elbows, arms. face, or legs. Guys our age have bones that crack instead of giving a little.

Example: My son fell on an uncleared driveway that sloped that was part of the sidewalk off campus after an ice storm on his way to class at Ohio State.

He had a depressed area on part of the bone and a slight injury in another part of that bone in his arm like a partial crack. OSU sent him to a specialist off campus to have it reviewed, but no lasting damage beyond some aching for a few weeks. But he was 20 and bones were more flexible than ours.

At that time the lawyers had the Ohio legislature tied up because if someone does anything to relieve snow on their sidewalk, they are responsible for injury; if they do NOTHING to mitigate the danger from snow or ice, the owner has NO responsibility for a fall. So landlords around campus do nothing to help the snow or ice on sidewalks.

I don't know the layout of the curb where you fell and if it should have been marked with yellow, e.g.. I know I tripped over a curb on the side of a wheelchair ramp at a local fast market chain (UDF) and commented to the manager that the curb should be painted yellow.

jmonroe · July 2017

abacomike said:
I took a stupendous fall this morning after parking my car in the covered parking garage at the mall. I got out of my car, locked the doors and walked right into a parking curb and fell forward scraping both knees, both elbows and forearms and ended up. Right on my face. I could not get up by myself. One of the drivers called security and they helped me stand.

I am am sore all over - shoulders, elbows, back, sides - I'm just a mess. I dressed all my wounds with peroxide, alcohol, bacetracin and bandaids. I am in bed and will stay there. I feel like I've been through a ringer.

Those types of falls are no fun.

Hope you'll bounce back to your old self in no time.

jmonroe

andres3 · July 2017

oldfarmer50 said:
I'm getting the car buying itch again. Haven't bought anything since last fall. I'm finding my hand reaching for the phone to call on some low mile CL hooptie a couple times a day. Have no use for another car but I tell myself "I'll give it to a relative" (classic addict rationalization).

What's worse, I'm fantasizing about the new 2018 Mustang. 460 hp. Sub 4 sec 0-60 magnetic suspension. Even though I haven't put 10k miles on my 2015 yet.

Is this a sickness? Do I need help?

5,000 miles a year in a V8 Mustang? You need to take some longer drives. I'm about to cross 15,000 miles in the '16 TTS.

explorerx4 · July 2017

@andres3,
Someday maybe you'll have a fleet. Then you will understand about driving a car only when you feel like it.

stickguy · July 2017

Driver, I don't take any of my 3 cars to the dealer I bought them from. I get treated great at the dealers I do go to however, and the service departments don't seem to care 1 iota.

andres3 · July 2017

imidazol97 said:

abacomike said:
I feel like I've been through a wringer. (
I wish you a quick recovery. I hate to be a Pollyanna as miserable as you feel, but you could have broken
something in a fall like that and it doesn't sound like you have based on what you're saying. But don't
hesitate to get checked out if you question any possibility of more injury on elbows, arms. face, or legs. Guys our age have bones that crack instead of giving a little.

Example: My son fell on an uncleared driveway that sloped that was part of the sidewalk off campus after an ice storm on his way to class at Ohio State. He had a depressed area on part of the bone and a slight injury in another part of that bone in his arm like a partial crack. OSU sent him to a specialist off campus to have it reviewed, but no lasting damage beyond some aching for a few weeks. But he was 20 and bones were more flexible than ours.

At that time the lawyers had the Ohio legislature tied up because if someone does anything to relieve snow on their sidewalk, they are responsible for injury; if they do NOTHING to mitigate the danger from snow or ice, the owner has NO responsibility for a fall. So landlords around campus do nothing to help the snow or ice on sidewalks.

I don't know the layout of the curb where you fell and if it should have been marked with yellow, e.g.. I know I tripped over a curb on the side of a wheelchair ramp at a local fast market chain (UDF) and commented to the manager that the curb should be painted yellow.

When I worked briefly in facilities maintenance, we painted all kinds of curbs yellow (well beyond the call of duty), and inevitably they ended up turning black from all the tire marks from cars that had sub-par drivers in them.

driver100 · July 2017

Maybe this is what I saw....is there such a car on the road?
It sure looks like a Ghibli, or Quattroport!

I think one designer designed both!

stickguy · July 2017

that is a concept car that may or may not portend a future Buick flagship model. Mostly depends on if people in China like the looks of it.

abacomike · July 2017

imidazol97 said:

I feel like I've been through a wringer. (
I wish you a quick recovery. I hate to be a Pollyanna as miserable as you feel, but you could have broken something in a fall like that and it doesn't sound like you have based on what you're saying. But don't hesitate to get checked out if you question any possibility of more injury on elbows, arms. face, or legs. Guys our age have bones that crack instead of giving a little. Example: My son fell on an uncleared driveway that sloped that was part of the sidewalk off campus after an ice storm on his way to class at Ohio State. He had a depressed area on part of the bone and a slight injury in another part of that bone in his arm like a partial crack. OSU sent him to a specialist off campus to have it reviewed, but no lasting damage beyond some aching for a few weeks. But he was 20 and bones were more flexible than ours. At that time the lawyers had the Ohio legislature tied up because if someone does anything to relieve snow on their sidewalk, they are responsible for injury; if they do NOTHING to mitigate the danger from snow or ice, the owner has NO responsibility for a fall. So landlords around campus do nothing to help the snow or ice on sidewalks. I don't know the layout of the curb where you fell and if it should have been marked with yellow, e.g.. I know I tripped over a curb on the side of a wheelchair ramp at a local fast market chain (UDF) and commented to the manager that the curb should be painted yellow.

It was a parking "stoop" - you know when you pull into a parking space down here, you pull into the spot and there is a concrete stump where your front tires lean against. I just wasn't paying attention as I walked in front of my car and tripped over the stump on the other lane. Went straight down.

I don't think I broke anything, but I am very bruised up. I take Eliquis and aspirin to thin my blood because I have a history of blood clots - so I am going to keep close tabs on my body to make sure I am not bleeding internally from an injury to an organ or something. Hopefully bed rest will cure me. If not, and I have severe pain or develop a fever (a sign of possible bleeding somewhere), I'll run over to the emergency room.

imidazol97 · July 2017

2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

andres3 · July 2017

imidazol97 said:
2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

That interior looks good.

jmonroe · July 2017

pensfan83 said:

stickguy said:
I was figuring that philly area had the advantage of registering in PA from the start.
That's true, good point.

I wouldn't worry about PA registration and you said you bought out of state before so you should know all you have to do is go to AAA and for around $35, if you are a member, they do the paperwork.

I'm almost an expert doing this because my last 3 purchases have been out of state (my '09 Genny in the Akron area, Mrs. j's Legacy in the Columbus area and my '09 Genny in Fairfax VA).

I can't explain it but for a city the size of Pittsburgh, I can't seem to be able to deal with the guys around here nor have they had the cars in stock that I want. The snake dealership you linked to is not one of the ones I like but I use his stores for all my service work because there is no way I'm going out of state for any service. I don't even want to go across town for service so that is why I use the very local dealership. If you have had good results with your local Audi guy for service, that is where you should go.

Just a heads up here. If you go out of state the doc fee will be more than the $138 here in PA. IIRC, Ohio is around $250 and the VA dealership wanted well over $500 which I told the internet sales guy, "just killed the deal". After some back and forth (actually hung up and was thinking of going to the Akron area again when he called back and agreed to the $138). Finally, he knew I was serious about $138 and that was all I was going to pay for that made-up money maker. His cry before I hung up was, "you already beat me up on the price of the car, how much more do you want"? To be honest, I had already allowed for the $138 when I was beating him up but I didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him that. So, I guess you can say I didn't pay a doc fee but the line item for the doc fee on the sales paperwork showed their normal $500 plus fee.

It's amazing how you can come to terms when the dealer wants to sell and I'm sure you know that. Whether in state or out of state.

I've almost resigned myself to the fact that I will probably always be buying out of state from now on. I don't think that spending a day to get the car you want at the price you want, is too much of an investment to make since I usually keep my cars for at least 5 years. Even if you keep your car for only 2 years, that ain't so bad to get what you want.

FWIW, I noticed today that my '15 Genny just passed the 6200 mile mark. That is better than the miled up '15 Mustang that @oldfarmer50 has.

jmonroe

tbirdmarco · July 2017

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Li_H_qUv8E

tbirdmarco · July 2017

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jmcycKh0Q5Q

driver100 · July 2017

stickguy said:
that is a concept car that may or may not portend a future Buick flagship model. Mostly depends on if people in China like the looks of it.

Thanks for the info stick...I looked up Buick just to see if I could find something more like what I saw.......I guess it was the Maserati unless they are testing the concept car.

roadburner · July 2017

andres3 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:
Some guys have all the luck but this guy probably got 8 punches with this drive. Within the article it is mentioned that some cars need a drivers training course. This guy should be the survival teacher for at least one of the training hours.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ferrari-430-scuderia-destroyed-1-hour-after-purchase/ar-AAoYz0p?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

jmonroe
Ouch a $228000 Ferrari turned into rubble one hour after picking it up!

He says he wasn't speeding, the road was slick because it was raining. I can believe it, it doesn't take much if it rains and there is oil on the road, and with high performance tires. I have experienced some sliding in the 2WD C250 in Florida.......another reason I prefer AWD, personally.
High performance tires are great in the rain, if they have tread depth left. That's a big if.

The other important thing to remember is that brand new tires take a while to 'break-in." It is known that a new tire might have a slick coating on it; so you don't want to take those first few turns on a test drive at 100%.

I might-repeat MIGHT- go with AWD if I lived a few hundred miles north, but no way would I give up RWD because of a little rain. As I like to say, the most effective traction control is located between the driver's ears.

driver100 · July 2017

imidazol97 said:
2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

That new Buick is pretty nice looking. I guess they aren't on the road yet. I think I must have seen a Quattroport now that I think about it....it was quite low and very wide! I really thought it was a new Buick though.

roadburner · July 2017

oldfarmer50 said:
I'm getting the car buying itch again. Haven't bought anything since last fall. I'm finding my hand reaching for the phone to call on some low mile CL hooptie a couple times a day. Have no use for another car but I tell myself "I'll give it to a relative" (classic addict rationalization).

What's worse, I'm fantasizing about the new 2018 Mustang. 460 hp. Sub 4 sec 0-60 magnetic suspension. Even though I haven't put 10k miles on my 2015 yet.

Is this a sickness? Do I need help?

As I said previously in the CCBA topic, I optioned out a 2018 Mustang the way I'd want one- GT Premium, manual, 401A Equipment Group, Recaros, Performance Package, Performance Exhaust, and MagneRide Dampers- it came to $51,270. Yikes!
If I'm dropping that much money on a car I'd much rather have an M2 for $53,900.

driver100 · July 2017

jmonroe said:

pensfan83 said:

stickguy said:
I was figuring that philly area had the advantage of registering in PA from the start.
That's true, good point.
I've almost resigned myself to the fact that I will probably always be buying out of state from now on. I don't think that spending a day to get the car you want at the price you want, is too much of an investment to make since I usually keep my cars for at least 5 years. Even if you keep your car for only 2 years, that ain't so bad to get what you want.

jmonroe

Makes sense, but my dealer is about 10 minutes away. my salesman can help me with Bluetooth and Homelink etc., and I can get a free car wash any day of the week....hard to do with an out of state dealer.

oldfarmer50 · July 2017

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
I'm getting the car buying itch again. Haven't bought anything since last fall. I'm finding my hand reaching for the phone to call on some low mile CL hooptie a couple times a day. Have no use for another car but I tell myself "I'll give it to a relative" (classic addict rationalization).

What's worse, I'm fantasizing about the new 2018 Mustang. 460 hp. Sub 4 sec 0-60 magnetic suspension. Even though I haven't put 10k miles on my 2015 yet.

Is this a sickness? Do I need help?
5,000 miles a year in a V8 Mustang? You need to take some longer drives. I'm about to cross 15,000 miles in the '16 TTS.

Yeah but you live in Cali where people drive 300 miles to get a pizza. Here we have 4 months of winter and another 2 months waiting for the salt to wash off the roads.

oldfarmer50 · July 2017

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:
I'm getting the car buying itch again. Haven't bought anything since last fall. I'm finding my hand reaching for the phone to call on some low mile CL hooptie a couple times a day. Have no use for another car but I tell myself "I'll give it to a relative" (classic addict rationalization).

What's worse, I'm fantasizing about the new 2018 Mustang. 460 hp. Sub 4 sec 0-60 magnetic suspension. Even though I haven't put 10k miles on my 2015 yet.

Is this a sickness? Do I need help?
As I said previously in the CCBA topic, I optioned out a 2018 Mustang the way I'd want one- GT Premium, manual, 401A Equipment Group, Recaros, Performance Package, Performance Exhaust, and MagneRide Dampers- it came to $51,270. Yikes!
If I'm dropping that much money on a car I'd much rather have an M2 for $53,900.

Thanks for that bucket of cold water. The cravings aren't as bad after reading that.

FWIW I'd option it the same way except for the Recaros. Maybe it's just Ford but reviewers say they are uncomfortable.

roadburner · July 2017

The new Recaros are supposed to be more comfortable- like the ones in the Focus RS. I'd still want to take a long test drive to see if they suited me.

explorerx4 · July 2017

Well you can get a Mustang GT with discounts right out of the box.
Who knows what a 2018 M2 will list for.

ab348 · July 2017

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:
2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

That new Buick is pretty nice looking. I guess they aren't on the road yet. I think I must have seen a Quattroport now that I think about it....it was quite low and very wide! I really thought it was a new Buick though.

They're stacked up like cordwood on dealer lots and GM holding pens. It's been out for a while, but isn't selling. I may have seen one or two on the roads but can't even be sure of that. Part of it is because it's too big and too expensive, though otherwise it is a good car except for the beer-tap shift lever. The fact that nobody can write a positive review of it without raising the old chestnut about aged Buick buyers and the usual mostly fictitious GM complaints probably doesn't help.

roadburner · July 2017

I seriously doubt that there will be any discounts on 2018 GTs for some time. The 2018 LCI M2 will likely list for under $54k. As long as the price difference is around $5k I still think the M2 is a better deal.
And yes, I can get a loaded 2017 GT for around $39k, but it would need the Ford Performance Track Handling Pack($1499), the GT Power Pack 2($949), and the Cat Back Touring exhaust($1489) to make me consider flipping my 2er for it...

explorerx4 · July 2017

If you access to a plan, you'll get a discount on a 2018 GT, plus the usual initial incentive.

sda · July 2017

iluvmysephia1 said:
I don't think I've chimed in on the upstate NY job opportunity yet here. I had the Skype interview about 10 days ago and apparently failed it. Or there was something else that she didn't like about me. So scratch that one. Colorado Springs is also scratched off. I'm not 'Scrubs' enough for them, either, at the USAFA. So there's a hospital gig in St. Joseph, MO, another one in Trenton, MO, another one in south-central Nebraska. I'm getting a phone call from the Manager in Nebraska this afternoon. So we'll see.

The local KC one is only PRN, even though the job adverstised said full-time nights. I interviewed in person for that one, however, and told the Manager to consider me for that one. One night a week is better than no nights per week. Then there's an opportunity out west in mid-Arizona that I have an opportunity to get. So the gears are in place to go back to work - I just need someone to reach out to me with a pen in their hand saying "sign here, please!"

Good luck with the job search. I know it isn't easy, it took me more than a year after my position was eliminated to find the job I have and I am still looking..

roadburner · July 2017

I do have access to A Plan; I come from a "Ford Family" but I'm a heretic. I haven't had a Ford in the driveway since my 1985 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe- the work beater that I sold in 1998.

tjc78 · July 2017

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:
2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

That new Buick is pretty nice looking. I guess they aren't on the road yet. I think I must have seen a Quattroport now that I think about it....it was quite low and very wide! I really thought it was a new Buick though.
They're stacked up like cordwood on dealer lots and GM holding pens. It's been out for a while, but isn't selling. I may have seen one or two on the roads but can't even be sure of that. Part of it is because it's too big and too expensive, though otherwise it is a good car except for the beer-tap shift lever. The fact that nobody can write a positive review of it without raising the old chestnut about aged Buick buyers and the usual mostly fictitious GM complaints probably doesn't help.

My 2012 was a fantastic car. If it wasn't for needing an SUV the exact car Imid posted (color and all) would be in my driveway right now.

stickguy · July 2017

I love the color on that Buick. Way too big for my taste though.

driver100 · July 2017

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:
2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

That new Buick is pretty nice looking. I guess they aren't on the road yet. I think I must have seen a Quattroport now that I think about it....it was quite low and very wide! I really thought it was a new Buick though.
They're stacked up like cordwood on dealer lots and GM holding pens. It's been out for a while, but isn't selling. I may have seen one or two on the roads but can't even be sure of that. Part of it is because it's too big and too expensive, though otherwise it is a good car except for the beer-tap shift lever. The fact that nobody can write a positive review of it without raising the old chestnut about aged Buick buyers and the usual mostly fictitious GM complaints probably doesn't help.

Interesting comments. I saw a guy at the supermarket the other day, he was driving an older Buick. He backed out of his space, then went forward, not realizing he was on an end and there was a cement island in front of him. He rammed the front bumper right into the cement island. My wife asked me if I thought he was an older guy? I said, well it is a Buick, so my guess is I would bet on it. I saw the side view and he could barely see over the instrument panel, and he was a very senior citizen.

The new car looks nice, we know they are very reliable, it is big, and there is definitely an image problem. Just not the car most younger buyers aspire to own.

pensfan83 · July 2017

@jmonroe, we dealt or tried to deal with Cochran Nissan when we bought my wife's Altima and we were never close on #'s. I drive past their shop when I go to the Audi dealer (Day Audi on Golden Mile Highway) and I swear they add something new every time I am out that way.

iluvmysephia1 · July 2017

cdnpinhead - good question on the Grand Junction job. It just evaporated before I knew what hit me. I'll get one before long. Getting that sought-after RPSGT credential was essential.

The conversation with the south-central Nebraska hospital Manager was an hour long this afternoon. Next step is filling out one of those professional reference kits online that gets e-mailed to 4-5 people who can speak intelligently about your ability. I can really understand why a Manager would request something like this in order to make an educated decision on who to hire. When you look at how much time gets invested into this hiring process. Whew!

Thanks to all of you all for your help and support!

jmonroe · July 2017

pensfan83 said:
@jmonroe, we dealt or tried to deal with Cochran Nissan when we bought my wife's Altima and we were never close on #'s. I drive past their shop when I go to the Audi dealer (Day Audi on Golden Mile Highway) and I swear they add something new every time I am out that way.

I am very familiar with where your Audi dealership is on Golden Mile Highway (RT 286). Day is a pretty big auto group but not the size of Cochran, excuse me, they like to be called #1 Cochran. Their main store on RT 22 is pretty big, 6 car brands and across from that is their Mazda store. Pretty hard to miss that place when you pass it on your way to your Audi store.

I've mentioned before that Son #1 was a lot boy at a large Chevy dealership when he was in high school in the mid '80s. It was Day Chevrolet right next door to your Day Audi store but the Audi store didn't exist back then. My son met the owner of the Chevy store several times while working there and thought he was a very down to earth nice guy. As I'm sure you know, his daughter runs the group now.

Interestingly the owners name wasn't Day, as I understand it, the guy chose the name Day because it was much easier to pronounce than his real name that I think was Polish.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 · August 2017

explorerx4 said:
If you access to a plan, you'll get a discount on a 2018 GT, plus the usual initial incentive.

I think you're talking to the wall with RB. His bosses are probably looking over his shoulder so he has to talk up the store brand.

He has a point on price. The 2018 base model Mustang GT is about $3k more than my base 2015. I'd shop a year end deal as I got near $4k off by waiting until July.

Do BMWs have fire sales at year end?

oldfarmer50 · August 2017

stickguy said:
I love the color on that Buick. Way too big for my taste though.

I mentioned a while ago that I saw that car in that color in the supermarket parking lot. Stunning for both the color and the size. Can't imagine how expensive they are now.

bwia · August 2017

abacomike said:
I took a stupendous fall this morning after parking my car in the covered parking garage at the mall. I got out of my car, locked the doors and walked right into a parking curb and fell forward scraping both knees, both elbows and forearms and ended up. Right on my face. I could not get up by myself. One of the drivers called security and they helped me stand.

I am am sore all over - shoulders, elbows, back, sides - I'm just a mess. I dressed all my wounds with peroxide, alcohol, bacetracin and bandaids. I am in bed and will stay there. I feel like I've been through a ringer.

Sounds like a nasty fall. Thank goodness, no broken bones. Hope you feel better soon and have a blessed day.

driver100 · August 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:
If you access to a plan, you'll get a discount on a 2018 GT, plus the usual initial incentive.
I think you're talking to the wall with RB. His bosses are probably looking over his shoulder so he has to talk up the store brand.

He has a point on price. The 2018 base model Mustang GT is about $3k more than my base 2015. I'd shop a year end deal as I got near $4k off by waiting until July.

Do BMWs have fire sales at year end?

Just my observation, and a Canadian one at that. The luxo brands have found a better way to clear out their year old cars, and I am sure others will copy. I know Mercedes does this, and it seems to me BMW and Audi are doing the same. They don't announce a date the new models are on sale. They bring the new ones in quietly, as they slowly sell off the current models. If someone spots a 2018 car, or wants to order one, they will comply. But, they don't push them until only a few 2017s are left. They will discount the 2017s to make them move, but no firesales, maybe double the usual discount amount....instead of $2000 they might do $4000. Not enough to account for the depreciation the 2017 will have, if you trade within 4 or 5 years.

bwia · August 2017

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:
2018 Buick LaCrosse (I miss my leSabre)

That new Buick is pretty nice looking. I guess they aren't on the road yet. I think I must have seen a Quattroport now that I think about it....it was quite low and very wide! I really thought it was a new Buick though.
They're stacked up like cordwood on dealer lots and GM holding pens. It's been out for a while, but isn't selling. I may have seen one or two on the roads but can't even be sure of that. Part of it is because it's too big and too expensive, though otherwise it is a good car except for the beer-tap shift lever. The fact that nobody can write a positive review of it without raising the old chestnut about aged Buick buyers and the usual mostly fictitious GM complaints probably doesn't help.

ab, I agree about the pricing. The entry level price at $32k is quite good but a premium trim level runs close to $50k yet I haven't seen much in the way of deep discounting for the remaining 2017s. In my area dealer inventories seem low compared to the other Buick models.

driver100 · August 2017

pensfan83 said:
@jmonroe, we dealt or tried to deal with Cochran Nissan when we bought my wife's Altima and we were never close on #'s.

Just wondering if it is harder to get a lower price with the big chains? If they hold the line at all their stores they can probably force you to pay more, unless you really are a savvy shopper.

When we bought the C250 at an AutoNation store, they didn't give very much. I guess it is the business model they have set up........charge a price that maximizes profit, yet is discounted a bit so people still think you are fair and reasonable.

My closest BMW dealer pretty well sells cars at full MSRP....little discount, he is in an affluent area. He might sell 25% fewer cars, but he makes double the profit.....that works for him!

imidazol97 · August 2017

stickguy said:
I love the color on that Buick. Way too big for my taste though.

The backseat legroom is extraordinary. We learned how important that backseat was in the Gen 8 Malibus.

oldfarmer50 · August 2017

HHere's a question for the

driver100 said:

pensfan83 said:
@jmonroe, we dealt or tried to deal with Cochran Nissan when we bought my wife's Altima and we were never close on #'s.
Just wondering if it is harder to get a lower price with the big chains? If they hold the line at all their stores they can probably force you to pay more, unless you really are a savvy shopper.

When we bought the C250 at an AutoNation store, they didn't give very much. I guess it is the business model they have set up........charge a price that maximizes profit, yet is discounted a bit so people still think you are fair and reasonable.

My closest BMW dealer pretty well sells cars at full MSRP....little discount, he is in an affluent area. He might sell 25% fewer cars, but he makes double the profit.....that works for him!

The Autonation ads I see from Tampa say "one price" so any negotiation must be the exception.

Domestic sales figures came out this morning and Ford is down 7-8% with Chrysler and GM off 10%. I heard that GM has 104 days of supply when normal is 60.

I think you are going to see some big fire sales. Time for some aggressive offers.

I wonder how this works, do manufacturers offer big incentives to dealers this time of year to take extra units? I see some car lots overflowing with extra inventory. The car companies must just dump a lot of stock. It almost seems counterintuitive that a dealer would fill up his lot when sales are slow.

What's the logic? Man, I wish I could justify buying something. I gotta get RB back with that cold bucket of water.

qbrozen · August 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

I wonder how this works, do manufacturers offer big incentives to dealers this time of year to take extra units? I see some car lots overflowing with extra inventory. The car companies must just dump a lot of stock. It almost seems counterintuitive that a dealer would fill up his lot when sales are slow.

What's the logic? Man, I wish I could justify buying something. I gotta get RB back with that cold bucket of water.

From what I have been told, dealers are forced to take inventory.

roadburner · August 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:
If you access to a plan, you'll get a discount on a 2018 GT, plus the usual initial incentive.
I think you're talking to the wall with RB. His bosses are probably looking over his shoulder so he has to talk up the store brand.

He has a point on price. The 2018 base model Mustang GT is about $3k more than my base 2015. I'd shop a year end deal as I got near $4k off by waiting until July.

Do BMWs have fire sales at year end?

Funny you should mention other makes; more than a few employees at my store own other brands in addition to BMWs. Today in the employee lot I spotted a new Camaro SS, a Focus ST, a Wrangler JK, a Cayman, and several Dodge Ram pickups. One manager has a 911 Turbo track car and the GM has a Grand Cherokee SRT as well as an X5.

oldfarmer50 · August 2017

Ford just sent me a solicitation for an extended warranty again. Said I was running out of coverage. Hmmmmm...basic warranty is for 3 years, it's only been two so...nice scare tactic.

The offer is more scare stuff like the cost of a new engine, like that's likely to happen. Also scarey cost figures on a variety of electronic nannies like blind spot or NAV systems, things my car doesn't have. No prices of course but a confusing array of deductibles and numer of covered items. Very likely only the premium plan offers coverage of things most likely to break.

One thing I did like is they let you select the combo of years and milage coverage. For a low mile driver like me I run out of years long before miles so an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty would be a waste but an 8 year 36 or 48k mile limit might be attractive.

How many of you have purchased warranties after the fact and have any of you had occasion to use them beyond what they cost you?

Mr_Shiftright · August 2017

Reviews of the new Tesla Model 3 have been pretty good. The car seems aimed right at BMW 320 and the Mercedes C class.

28firefighter · August 2017

So this caught my eye - something that would be practical for us day-to-day and fun to drive.

How terrible an idea is this?
http://www.sandbergvolvo.com/used/Porsche/2008-Porsche-Cayenne-lynnwood-wa-5b9ff7c70a0e0ae867dfbbaffa068eb3.htm

I know it has the air suspension which could be a disaster...

roadburner · August 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:
Reviews of the new Tesla Model 3 have been pretty good. The car seems aimed right at BMW 320 and the Mercedes C class.

Except that it costs $40k with only a 220 mile range- $50k if you want 300 miles between charging stops.

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