Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell · April 2018

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:
OK, folks. A little test for both car fans and fans of obscure movies.

What car can you name that has been in different movies?

I can think of two....

1. Red Saab convertible, found in both "A Time to Kill" and "Sideways"
2. Orange-ish 1st generation Hyundai Excel was seen in both "Knocked Up" and the ever-popular "Paparazzi" (driven by Chris Rock as a pizza delivery guy)

Any others?
I think "obscure movies" is the key here. Otherwise, it is just too easy. (hey, Smoky and the Bandit 1, 2, and 3? Fast and Furious black Charger? haha)

Yeah, but even in the "Smokey" movies, they were different iterations of the black Firebird.

28firefighter · April 2018

fintail said:
A BaT distraction finds this - maybe the rarest G bodystyle variant. Shame about the upholstery, but I'll agree with the comments, this is actually worth 6 figures

Definitely worth 6 figures. Even got a comment from Doug DeMuro.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2018

ab348 said:

imidazol97 said:
We have a 2 1/2 car garage.

I always find parking the 1/2 car especially difficult.

Easy--just get in real close:

ronsteve · April 2018

qbrozen said:

OK, folks. A little test for both car fans and fans of obscure movies. What car can you name that has been in different movies? I can think of two.... 1. Red Saab convertible, found in both "A Time to Kill" and "Sideways" 2. Orange-ish 1st generation Hyundai Excel was seen in both "Knocked Up" and the ever-popular "Paparazzi" (driven by Chris Rock as a pizza delivery guy) Any others?
I think "obscure movies" is the key here. Otherwise, it is just too easy. (hey, Smoky and the Bandit 1, 2, and 3? Fast and Furious black Charger? haha)

I wouldn't say obscure so much as unrelated movies for this challenge.

Sandman6472 · April 2018

I have X marks on each side so we both know where to stop. The A3 gets to park on the left side of the garage with a 10" lip in front. I get the right side with the air handler on the whole lip basically so I need a vehicle less than 187"s or so. My Golf at 168" fits perfectly as did my '88 Corolla FX, my'96 Corolla DX, my '03 Nissan Sentra and my '06 Honda Civic. The 2014 Tucson fit but it was tight up front but luckily am on the skinny side though. Have scraped every right side mirror on them all but only the Golf the side and was bent up enough to need full replacement which was ridiculously expensive right after Hurricane Irma. Unfortunately the wife refuses to park on the right side, a major bone if contention even after almost 31 years of living here!!! Definitely time to move already as I've mentioned a lot more lately...I just want out already, more from the house though than the relationship but that's another lonnnngggg story!!!

The Sandman

corvette · April 2018

One thing I miss about living out in the country is the 24' x 24' attached garage I had!

Michaell · April 2018

Floor plan of the house we are buying:

https://cdn.lennar.net/images/floorplans/20121_flp1_lg.jpg?d=20150522T150944

suydam · April 2018

We have almost always had to have one car in a garage and one car out. Usually the older one sits out.

ab348 · April 2018

Again with the half-car. Nice sized garage.

stickguy · April 2018

looks nice. I want something along those lines. I assume it has a finished downstairs of some sorts too?

Michaell · April 2018

ab348 said:
Again with the half-car. Nice sized garage.

Yeah, we figure a couple of MINIs (or Fiat 500s) would fit, nose to tail.

Michaell · April 2018

stickguy said:
looks nice. I want something along those lines. I assume it has a finished downstairs of some sorts too?

Actually, it isn't. It's a full unfinished basement, but we'll have to find the money to finish it. Starting to do some shopping on contractors and designers.

We're figuring between $30-50K to do half of it (bedroom with closet, full bath, media/family room). Not sure when that will be, however.

The good news is that they are still building this model in the community. Base price is $514K, so we figure we got a deal by buying ours at $500K. It's already appreciated almost 3%!

benjaminh · April 2018

A video advising against buying an old BMW. It does seem like there are more issues than the average old car....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04gTnckMaeo&t=294s

qbrozen · April 2018

Michaell said:

Floor plan of the house we are buying: https://cdn.lennar.net/images/floorplans/20121_flp1_lg.jpg?d=20150522T150944

My favorite feature is the "owners' entry." When I see houses with "strangers' entry," it just doesn't feel like home.

ab348 · April 2018

benjaminh said:
A video advising against buying an old BMW. It does seem like there are more issues than the average old car....

And this is supposed to be news??

kyfdx · April 2018

Michaell said:
Floor plan of the house we are buying:

https://cdn.lennar.net/images/floorplans/20121_flp1_lg.jpg?d=20150522T150944

Too much hanging with @breld Next, you'll be driving a Range Rover.

nyccarguy · April 2018

Michaell said:

ab348 said:
Again with the half-car. Nice sized garage.
Yeah, we figure a couple of MINIs (or Fiat 500s) would fit, nose to tail.

Don't remind me about those Fiats. Had another "encounter" with one of those buzzy Abarths yesterday. It was a different one, though still black (I've never seen one in another color). This one decides to merge from the right and jump across 3 lanes of traffic which would have been fine except my Prelude and I were occupying the left lane (there were 3 cars in front of me). He gets behind me, rides my rear end, and lays on the horn. Then the Abarth moves back to the right lane, cuts in front of a tractor trailer in the middle lane, and gets stuck behind a Prius. The 3 cars in front of me speed up. The Abarth is still behind the Prius. Once the traffic in front of me moved, I floored it (in 3rd gear) and went on my merry way. With over 158,000 miles, the Prelude still makes me smile!

fintail · April 2018

Sounds like Abarths are selling to the ///M crowd

roadburner · April 2018

Michaell said:
OK, folks. A little test for both car fans and fans of obscure movies.

What car can you name that has been in different movies?

I can think of two....

1. Red Saab convertible, found in both "A Time to Kill" and "Sideways"
2. Orange-ish 1st generation Hyundai Excel was seen in both "Knocked Up" and the ever-popular "Paparazzi" (driven by Chris Rock as a pizza delivery guy)

Any others?

The '55 Chevy in Two Lane Blacktop and American Graffiti.

thebean · April 2018

roadburner said:

Michaell said:
OK, folks. A little test for both car fans and fans of obscure movies.

What car can you name that has been in different movies?

I can think of two....

1. Red Saab convertible, found in both "A Time to Kill" and "Sideways"
2. Orange-ish 1st generation Hyundai Excel was seen in both "Knocked Up" and the ever-popular "Paparazzi" (driven by Chris Rock as a pizza delivery guy)

Any others?
The '55 Chevy in Two Lane Blacktop and American Graffiti.

The AT AT's in Star Wars episodes 5, 6, 7?

Sandman6472 · April 2018

Saw the BMW video and was amazed at what that guy found that had issues. Hopefully the newer models don't suffer from that same "stuff". Maybe it's not the best idea to look for one going forward!!
Found a slight paint issue on the door handle but not sure what to do about it. The handle should be repainted but not sure it's really worth it. Any good used car man will see it's had paint work done and no vehicle comes back "perfect", maybe close to it. Want to give it some more time and then bring it back. Hasn't been waxed yet yet so once I get that done, we'll see about bringing it back to see if anything can be done.
Still looking as they say, but haven't jumped on anything as of yet. Besides work and all, am pretty tired of it all and just need a break. Also, just not feeling 100% yet, tomorrow being the 13th anniversary of my truck accident at the post office. Am part of a class action lawsuit dealing with their firing me back in 2010 when I had planned to work till I was 64, next year. Hopefully I'll get compensated for all the mental cruelty they put me through before and after being fired that way, through no fault of my own!!
Laughs on them really because I landed in a much better place after a couple of years!!

The Sandman :@

Sandman6472 · April 2018

Pre-owned Lexus CT 200H, 2015 with just under 20K in a light charcoal color. Funny as I started my search back in 2014 while looking at a black unit at CarMax and liked it, liked it's size...just liked it. There's one across the street at the Lexus store I might go check out, the 2015 unit above. 43 city, 40 highway is acceptable, love the color and at 171", size works. Just not sure I'm really ready to move on a unit quite yet. Probably means no but, can't hurt to test drive it and see. Can not hurt!! At asking of $22,800 minus a $500 internet coupon looking like maybe $10K plus my Golf...maybe!!
The squirrels upstairs are working hard right about now.

The Sandman

qbrozen · April 2018

sandman_6472 said:
Pre-owned Lexus CT 200H, 2015 with just under 20K in a light charcoal color. Funny as I started my search back in 2014 while looking at a black unit at CarMax and liked it, liked it's size...just liked it. There's one across the street at the Lexus store I might go check out, the 2015 unit above. 43 city, 40 highway is acceptable, love the color and at 171", size works. Just not sure I'm really ready to move on a unit quite yet. Probably means no but, can't hurt to test drive it and see. Can not hurt!! At asking of $22,800 minus a $500 internet coupon looking like maybe $10K plus my Golf...maybe!!
The squirrels upstairs are working hard right about now.

The Sandman

Certainly no shortage of those in your area for less money, though.

Just one example is this one that is 1 year newer, 6k fewer miles, and $1500 less.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Lexus-CT-200h-Fort-Lauderdale-d2115_L5217#listing=203269632_isFeatured

fordfool · April 2018

Michaell said:
OK, folks. A little test for both car fans and fans of obscure movies.

The film “The Young Doctors” (1961) starring Frederick March, Ben Gazzara, Eddie Albert, and Dick Clark was filmed in my hometown, Poughkeepsie, NY.
One scene involved Dick Clark exiting a car to post a letter in a mailbox on the library steps. A parking space in front of the library was roped off, but I parked just beyond the rope. My “58 Biscayne was going to be in that movie.
The fire department set up across the street with water cannons to provide “rain.” Action, cameras, the car pulls up in front of the library, Dick Clark exits the car, runs to the mailbox, and can’t get the mailbox door open. It’s stuck. Cut! Cut!
Months later I saw the movie. The car drives up, wipers going full tilt, Dick Clark gets out but the camera view remains in the car. No library, no mailbox, no car! My Biscayne was left on the cutting room floor.

Sigh!

andres3 · April 2018

sandman_6472 said:
Saw the BMW video and was amazed at what that guy found that had issues. Hopefully the newer models don't suffer from that same "stuff". Maybe it's not the best idea to look for one going forward!!
Found a slight paint issue on the door handle but not sure what to do about it. The handle should be repainted but not sure it's really worth it. Any good used car man will see it's had paint work done and no vehicle comes back "perfect", maybe close to it. Want to give it some more time and then bring it back. Hasn't been waxed yet yet so once I get that done, we'll see about bringing it back to see if anything can be done.
Still looking as they say, but haven't jumped on anything as of yet. Besides work and all, am pretty tired of it all and just need a break. Also, just not feeling 100% yet, tomorrow being the 13th anniversary of my truck accident at the post office. Am part of a class action lawsuit dealing with their firing me back in 2010 when I had planned to work till I was 64, next year. Hopefully I'll get compensated for all the mental cruelty they put me through before and after being fired that way, through no fault of my own!!
Laughs on them really because I landed in a much better place after a couple of years!!

The Sandman :@

I think that's standard operating procedure for most body shops. Make lots of little mistakes and shortcuts that are very minor, so that they are not worth the hassle for most to complain and bring back their car (and possibly be without a car for another period of time).

sda · April 2018

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
looks nice. I want something along those lines. I assume it has a finished downstairs of some sorts too?
Actually, it isn't. It's a full unfinished basement, but we'll have to find the money to finish it. Starting to do some shopping on contractors and designers.

We're figuring between $30-50K to do half of it (bedroom with closet, full bath, media/family room). Not sure when that will be, however.

The good news is that they are still building this model in the community. Base price is $514K, so we figure we got a deal by buying ours at $500K. It's already appreciated almost 3%!

Very nice. We have a ranch style house with a large bonus room upstairs. We made the mistake of not having a bathroom built with the bonus room as it would be a great large bedroom for our daughter. Lennar has been in the Charlotte market for several years now and has really become dominant in the area.

suydam · April 2018

sandman_6472 said:
Pre-owned Lexus CT 200H, 2015 with just under 20K in a light charcoal color. Funny as I started my search back in 2014 while looking at a black unit at CarMax and liked it, liked it's size...just liked it. There's one across the street at the Lexus store I might go check out, the 2015 unit above. 43 city, 40 highway is acceptable, love the color and at 171", size works. Just not sure I'm really ready to move on a unit quite yet. Probably means no but, can't hurt to test drive it and see. Can not hurt!! At asking of $22,800 minus a $500 internet coupon looking like maybe $10K plus my Golf...maybe!!
The squirrels upstairs are working hard right about now.

The Sandman

Depends on what you want. When I looked at them in 2016 they had no safety features like blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, etc. They also sit pretty low which might be difficult for you. Power isn’t what it could be either.

Sandman6472 · April 2018

Just a possibility at this point. Diminished value guy called tonight and is coming to see the Golf next Tuesday. Moving forward on this and see where it all ends up. Even if I end up getting some cash, will help make up for the loss in value. Assuming the accident will show in my CarFax within a short period of time but as of the beginning of last week, Mr. Shifty didn't see it posted, only the new water pump under warranty.
Was thinking of a new 2018 VW Beetle with the 2.0 engine I think. A couple have the turbo engine with the sunroof and a similar audio system I have now. A few even had 18" wheels/tires something I could care less about though the tires are more expensive. Love the new longer 6/72 warranty on the 2018 models also. Still have the 2017 Jetta GLI which is a CPO unit so it gets some warranty added on and has miles under 20K. Guess I like VW still, especially the 6/72 warranty and it is right up the street, a big plus for me. Biggest disappointment is no 2018 Golf SEL being produced as it has all I want, and then some! Will try the GLI, Beetle and GTI soon and see where it goes. Thinking the GTI might work and they have the "S", "SE" and "SEL" model in stock though all with black leatherette seats, I prefer the beige I have now. And all have push button start.

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · April 2018

The CT200H unit I was looking at still has warranty left on it which is something I'd want going forward but will check out the unit you cited. It's down town but no big deal as we have JM Lexus real close, the biggest in the country I've heard. I know the Lexus experience is pretty decent but one probably pays for it somewhere in there. But could be nice and the few extra mpg's couldn't hurt either. I was pretty low on petrol yesterday and filled it up, $27.10 it took as far as I recall. Usually don't let the tank go that low but driving a bit more with the auction gig. Got a text after dinner about working Thursday so they must need bodies this week. Said sure I'd work as it's only around 5 hours or so and after getting in sync with my lane, is actually fun.

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · April 2018

Got our local cable bill today and it's going up like 20%. No special programs like we have now and have had the last 5 years so deciding what to do. We could stay with them and keep the upgraded cable program plus get a few extra's on our main t v. This would mean also getting their internet service which is 50 mpb's, double what AT&T gives us. Would mean an extra $10/month and we would need to buy a modemn. Right now, we have AT&T U-Verse for our internet and bundle our two land lines and cell phone service, so get a slight discount. We're going to go see what AT&T has for cable and go from there.
Since we've had AT&T for so long, would like to give the cable company a shot at their internet. They told me they'd credit us the installation as we've been a long time customer and the equipment we'd need could be bought at Best Buy for around $100. We'd also get double the internet speed plus more cable choices on the main t v, for $10/month. Told wife let's try it and if not happy, we could go back or do something else. Now that tax season is over, this could work. But turns out Turbo Tax has asked her to stay on through August a few days a week and she's going to do it. Think the increased speed would be better for her also.
Hate this kind of change because it always ends up costing a bit more. But doing nothing is going to cost more anyways so switching is going to cost a bit less to get a bit more.

The Sandman

suydam · April 2018

Cable is like Sirius XM. If you call them and complain about the price increase, suddenly a promotional rate will be offered. I hate them just as much but not much choice where we live.

tbirdmarco · April 2018

Agree with all above about Cable or the foreign companies

tbirdmarco · April 2018

You be doing some car shopping?

tbirdmarco · April 2018

Sandy when jobs going well

tbirdmarco · April 2018

Currently I’m starting to look for another job also getting agency help me get this one involved to meeting with them on Friday only a matter time before my company falls all together

nyccarguy · April 2018

Sandy

Keep us updated! I remember you drove 1 or 2 CT200h Lexus models a few years ago and weren't particularly thrilled with them. Something like there being a distinct wind noise.

Cable is NUTS! My bill is up to $204/month right now (Phone/Cable/Internet). That's almost what it would cost to lease a Civic Si (which I would enjoy much MORE).

qbrozen · April 2018

I've got my bill down to $129 currently. Just basic cable plus upgraded 200mb/s internet. I pay an additional $18/mo for Hulu and Netflix. I received a notice last week that our promotional period is about to end on the phone, which I never wanted anyway, so it will raise the bill across the board due to the lost "triple play" discounts. I'll very likely cut back to internet only. Hulu, Netflix, and my Nvidia Shield provide pretty much all we need.

nyccarguy · April 2018

qbrozen said:
I've got my bill down to $129 currently. Just basic cable plus upgraded 200mb/s internet. I pay an additional $18/mo for Hulu and Netflix. I received a notice last week that our promotional period is about to end on the phone, which I never wanted anyway, so it will raise the bill across the board due to the lost "triple play" discounts. I'll very likely cut back to internet only. Hulu, Netflix, and my Nvidia Shield provide pretty much all we need.

I NEED to keep the landline because the cell phone service in our house is awful.

qbrozen · April 2018

My landline runs through my modem anyway (I use Ooma). I don't use the number the cable company gave us. I only took it because, for some ridiculous reason, the overall bill was cheaper with the phone, at least for this promotional period.

Guess this should be a discussion in the "cars & conversations" thread, huh?

carnaught · April 2018

@sandman_6472, agree with @suydam, that the CT200h is quite a low car making it’s usage as a dd difficult with frequent ingress and egress. Also, it’s a bit of a slug.

tifighter · April 2018

Convertible season is (temporarily) upon us in the PNW-

I recall having some red car before this. Vaguely.

xwesx · April 2018

You guys remind me why I don't have all that extra stuff like TV, etc. Just keeping internet going is expensive enough, considering the rather crappy access I get for it, but I don't feel bad at all passing on all the other luxury items like cable (which I couldn't get anyway!), cell phone, etc.

Maybe I should, though. It would make feeding a car habit much easier to avoid!

28firefighter · April 2018

tifighter said:
Convertible season is (temporarily) upon us in the PNW-

I recall having some red car before this. Vaguely.

Looks awesome! Where'd you snap that at?

stickguy · April 2018

not having cable is one thing, but how the heck can you survive without a cell phone! Especially living in the boonies, and driving as much as you do.

fordfool · April 2018

stickguy said:
not having cable is one thing, but how the heck can you survive without a cell phone! Especially living in the boonies, and driving as much as you do.

Was watching a YouTube car review, the car reviewer mentioned that the car had a CD player and wondered why a new car would have such antiquated technology! Really! I need Blue Tooth or an IPod with a docking system or some such. Is a CD player a lost feature on most new cars?

iluvmysephia1 · April 2018

Not to me, it isn't. I still have and occasionally buy CD's. I burn them onto my flashdrive to play in my Kia Soul, but having a CD player in my daily driver is a good thing to still have.

suydam · April 2018

Haven’t used a CD in years.

tifighter · April 2018

28firefighter said:

tifighter said:
Convertible season is (temporarily) upon us in the PNW-

I recall having some red car before this. Vaguely.
Looks awesome! Where'd you snap that at?

Over on Kitsap peninsula. Some fun places over there.

roadburner · April 2018

suydam said:
Haven’t used a CD in years.

I have a Rotel RCD-855 hooked into my HTS. It still works and sounds great.

xwesx · April 2018

stickguy said:
not having cable is one thing, but how the heck can you survive without a cell phone! Especially living in the boonies, and driving as much as you do.

I guess it is mostly just recognizing that life functioned just fine before cell phones and it still can now. That being said, I do have wireless internet (basically a little box that is a cell signal transmitter), so I can do some cell-like things with the tech we tend to take with us on trips. As an example, my iPod connects to my Q7's bluetooth, so, if I have my MiFi device with me in an area that has reception, I can make a call through Skype just as if I had a cell phone. Cheating, I know.

Unless I'm on a trip, though, I don't have any such access. I don't carry the MiFi unit with me normally, and so my iPod, which is typically with me, is just a little pocket occupier.

CDs. I have lots of them, and all of my cars have a CD or DVD player in them (my 08 Forester even has a SIX DISC changer!! Hahhaha), but it is a rarity if I ever use one. I do like having the option (for when all else fails). I have used an iPod or other MP3-based device for my car audio since 2005 (probably longer than most people, TBH), though, so it seems like old hat to not use a CD in a car. I basically went from tape decks to MP3, and just skipped CDs altogether. When I did use CDs in my cars, it was almost exclusively by means of a portable player (remember those? The CD Walkman?) connected to a tape adapter with a stereo mini cord attached.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy