Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Floyd one, I don’t remember when you got your new JL wrangler, what color is it? I must’ve missed some postings in here a while back.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

28 firefighter, sorry to hear about your friend’s pain issues with his fit. It happens I guess not cool and unsettling but it happens like anything in life.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Agreed, trucks these days it’s more personal preference time utility or non-utility are used to be. How’s everyone’s week been going? Make flu again like always. Tomorrow is Friday again already. If the weather cooperates and I have a driver hoping to go to a show Sunday. But we shall see all to be determined.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

I was out my cousin picked up or use JK wrangler the prior generation that ended in 2017 he’s a 2016 black four-door hardtop that’s removable with 20 something thousand miles on it because it was a lease that someone brought back. He bought it because he wanted to be his down the road and they don’t want to lease. We will put a ton of miles a year, he was talking to me about the longest time about getting one I was shocked when I went over there and he told me about it.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

You got it this past Saturday so it hasn’t even been a week just yet. I said man remember I told you that I would go with you but you know I like awls I find out after the deal is done all the time. Oh well it is what it is hopefully my dad will start doing some test drives soon he’s talking about it a lot more lately. So who knows I told him to sell his car for maybe 1000 box if you can while still running in one piece before something happens down the road.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Love seeing the thanks for sharing the results all above. Made me laugh but yes the Ridgeline is good for most.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Yes well that Jeep stuff has a big big following that’s for sure everywhere is Universal.

xwesx · May 2019

marcogallo1986 said:
Floyd one, I don’t remember when you got your new JL wrangler, what color is it? I must’ve missed some postings in here a while back.

I missed the JL as well.

xwesx · May 2019

mjfloyd1 said:
Waiting on in damage report on MB GL 350. Red battery light came on, then fan running like crazy and had to pull over twice and run heat to keep engine temp down. Then power steering went out. I think alternator or pulley froze as the serpentine belt is shredded.

Ouch. Serpentines make great use of space, but if anything goes wrong, there's no continuing down the road. In days past, one could be down A/C compressor, alternator, and power steering... but as long as the water pump kept spinning, you were good to go (at least for a while). Not anymore!

That said, many accessories are moving to stand-alone electric units, so perhaps, from a belt-drive perspective, we're moving back toward simplicity.

mjfloyd1 · May 2019

marcogallo1986 said:

Floyd one, I don’t remember when you got your new JL wrangler, what color is it? I must’ve missed some postings in here a while back.

Sting Gray unlimited (4 door) rubicon. I bought it in August

qbrozen · May 2019

mjfloyd1 said:

qbrozen said:

henryn said:

I believe it was @qbrozen who (a few months back) posted a picture of the upcoming Jeep truck, and expressed an interest. It would be interesting to hear what he thinks after reading that article in Car and Driver. I do agree with their assessment of the Ridgeline (it is a minivan with a bed in the back).

Yes, that was me.

There is nothing comparable to the Gladiator if you want to remove the top and doors. And, let’s be honest, the Gladiator will sell on its looks and perceived lifestyle. The Wrangler has always been absolutely wretched to live with, but that doesn’t affect its saleS.

Are you referring to the JK and earlier body style Wranglers?

My JL Wrangler Rubicon is fun to drive. It rides a lot better than the JK. I’m smiling when I drive it.

Waiting on in damage report on MB GL 350. Red battery light came on, then fan running like crazy and had to pull over twice and run heat to keep engine temp down. Then power steering went out. I think alternator or pulley froze as the serpentine belt is shredded.

Yes.

I have yet to drive the JL. I really should.

stickguy · May 2019

JL is the just introduced one?

nyccarguy · May 2019

stickguy said:

JL is the just introduced one?

Yes

roadburner · May 2019

qbrozen said:
. The Wrangler has always been absolutely wretched to live with, but that doesn’t affect its saleS.

Funny thing, I took my TJ out for a short drive tonight. I still really like it. If I had the extra money I'd probably upgrade to a 2 door JK or JL to enjoy a few modern amenities- but aside from those Jeeps there is nothing domestic or imported that I'd replace it with save a Defender 90.

corvette · May 2019

kyfdx said:

The front wheels are locked in... It is a bear to drive. Reminds me of my '95 Pathfinder SE, but worse.

I think that's the case on the Tahoe, as well. The owner's manual says not to drive it in 4WD for regular driving (but you can leave it in auto mode). If you engage 4WD on dry pavement, you can feel the wheels binding up when you make a turn. I've never done that other than at low speeds around my neighborhood--try to do that once a year to make sure the 4WD still works. I leave it in 2WD the rest of the year.

corvette · May 2019

Got up at a decent hour, so took a longer route to Des Moines this morning. Stopped at the Herbert Hoover Museum and did a tour there. I'm not super knowledgable on US presidents prior to my birth, so that was informative--he was quite an accomplished man.

Then north to Clear Lake, Iowa to the memorial at the Buddy Holly plane crash site. Background - I went there in 2016, due to not having good cell service, didn't realize there was a trail by the roadside sign which took you to the actual crash site and memorial, so wanted to go back and see the real thing.

Filled the G37 up with a tank of regular on the way there - I forgot I was in the middle of nowhere and gas stations are sometimes dozens of miles apart. Started looking for a station when the low fuel warning came on, by the time I found the nearest exit which showed services were available, the range showed "---." It was a 24-hour unattended gas/diesel station next to a commercial grain elevator (you'd only see that in the midwest!). As I've seen before at unattended stations, they offered only 87 octane or diesel. 23.28 MPG on this leg. The G was very comfortable for 500+ miles.

Stopped at the Des Moines Art Center and then on to my sketchy hotel near the airport.

28firefighter · May 2019

Sigh.

stickguy · May 2019

2 - 1" square pieces of electrical tape will fix that problem right up.

28firefighter · May 2019

Hahahahaha. If it were not in limp mode that’d be fine. Need to clean the throttle body and if that doesn’t work, needs replaced. Annoying but not a big deal

stickguy · May 2019

the price of owning an old SAAB I guess.

nyccarguy · May 2019

stickguy said:

2 - 1" square pieces of electrical tape will fix that problem right up.

No. That’s what the Black Out Button on the dash is for.

qbrozen · May 2019

roadburner said:

. The Wrangler has always been absolutely wretched to live with, but that doesn’t affect its saleS.
Funny thing, I took my TJ out for a short drive tonight. I still really like it. If I had the extra money I'd probably upgrade to a 2 door JK or JL to enjoy a few modern amenities- but aside from those Jeeps there is nothing domestic or imported that I'd replace it with save a Defender 90.

The thing that has bugged me for the past 30 yrs, however, is that my modified CJ was far more comfortable and smoother than all generations up till now. It only took a pair of super cushy leather seats, power brakes and steering from a Cherokee, HD shocks, and big soft tires. I once had the owner of a YJ drive my CJ and he was blown away by how BAD his new one felt compared to mine.

Don’t get me wrong. Your Jeep does exactly what it is designed to do. Its obviously not for everyone, though.

corvette · May 2019

These are actually pretty cool--they will graft an Excursion body onto a newer F250/F350 chassis:

http://www.customautosbytim.com/list.html

stickguy · May 2019

that seems, excessive maybe?

Sandman6472 · May 2019

Have driven a few pick-up trucks at work lately. The Silverado is just too big, same for the others in that class. The Colorado is just about perfect and can see why folks use them around town. But the new Tacoma I drove last week was just about perfect. Drove very nicely and the interior was such that one would never know they were driving a mid-size truck. Totally enjoyed it!

Sandman6472 · May 2019

My procedure at the ear, nose & throat doctor didn't go as planned on Tuesday and am still home dealing with the after effects. The doctor saw that I was having a very bad reaction and refused to let me drive home so he got the wife to come pick me up and we got the VW the next evening. Was going to return to work the next day but he decided that I should take the rest of the week off to recouperate. Unfortunately, sleep is not easy and slept maybe 45 minutes Tuesday night and almost 4 hours on and off last night. I'm physically exhausted and as of now, at 1:50 am, sleep is still elusive! Hopefully I'll be back at work on Monday.
The doc was so concerned that he called my cell on Tuesday evening but it was in the other room, so I missed the call. Early Wednesday morning, the phone rings and it's him wanting to know how I am and agreeing with my wife that a steroid Z-pack would be a good thing, so he phoned it in to my Walgreens. He prescribed me the Z-pack after my first visit and it seemed to help. But have never had a doctor call me at home to check up on me, usually it's a staff person. We were blown away by his compassion and bed side manner!

nyccarguy · May 2019

Sandman6472 said:

Have driven a few pick-up trucks at work lately. The Silverado is just too big, same for the others in that class. The Colorado is just about perfect and can see why folks use them around town. But the new Tacoma I drove last week was just about perfect. Drove very nicely and the interior was such that one would never know they were driving a mid-size truck. Totally enjoyed it!

How’d you do getting in and out of the Tacoma? I’m glad you are back Sandy. I enjoy reading about all your short takes from reviewing cars at work.

i read the post below. Feel better!

pensfan83 · May 2019

I was a little bit bored while eating lunch so I fell into the BaT black hole.

I really like this Mustang.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-ford-mustang-lx-5-0-11/

Wouldn't kick this out of the driveway though
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-porsche-911-turbo-17/

Bit of a Frankenstein
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-chevrolet-el-camino-7/

For @roadburner. Looks pretty clean.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-m6-48/

tjc78 · May 2019

I always liked the LX Hatch model. That one is really clean

stickguy · May 2019

Lx hatch 5.0 is what I drove and almost bought back in the late 80s.

henryn · May 2019

pensfan83 said:
I was a little bit bored while eating lunch so I fell into the BaT black hole.

I really like this Mustang.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-ford-mustang-lx-5-0-11/

My ex-wife bought one of those, brand new, in 1989. LX, 5.0, 5 speed. It was extremely quick, and a lot of fun, but I had a very hard time driving it. Not enough room for my leg to work the clutch.

Sandman6472 · May 2019

Ingress/egress was a bit of a challenge getting into the Tacoma but with the help of my cane and the handle inside the door, I was finally able to get in and out. The larger Ram and Silverado of really a bit difficult but one must do what one must at work. I can't expect the lead drivers to always give me the easiest vehicles as that wouldn't really be fair. Trust me, I do appreciate all the help I do receive from my co-workers especially when I can no longer get into the third seat of a minivan and such. Sometimes I'll take the front seat especially if my leg gives out but try to let the one female driver have that seat if possible.
Have been driving a lot more 2019 models with lower mileage and have become very impressed with the GMC vehicles. They drive nicely and are very comfortable and starting to dig the on dash gear buttons for the auto tranny. I've seen more and more Toyota CR-V's(?) coming into the fleet and finally got a chance to drive one. A bit dark inside but it had a black interior and the rear has smallish windows. Think with a brighter interior, it might not feel as closed in as it felt. Drove very nicely for a small four without a turbo. Was able to use the Apple CarPlay as it didn't have Sirrius/XM and it worked seamlessly with my iPhone XR.
No word from Enterprise about that local position so just going to let things stay the course as it were. Will keep my 3 days/week schedule going forward as summer is here and things have slowed down a bit. Did think about quitting the other day but attribute that to not feeling my best after the Clarifix procedure and the resulting complications. Not best to make decisions when one's not feeling 100% but must admit, staying home for these past few days has been very nice.

28firefighter · May 2019

Well, I'm having a handy kind of day. I had the codes pulled on the Saab which indicated a throttle body issue. After watching some youtube videos, I decided that maybe it would be worth taking a gander inside the throttle body itself.

Took a couple of attempts but I finally got in - checked the butterfly valve, cleaned it out a bit with carburetor cleaner (even though it looked pretty clean), reset the manual limp mode solenoid, and disconnected the battery to clear the check engine code. Fun fact, if you don't clear the check engine light before resetting limp home mode, it automatically kicks off the solenoid at start to enable limp home.

Anyway, put everything back together, started the car and took it out for 20 minutes and all seems fine. Suspect the throttle body electronics are on their way out, but this at least buys me some time.

stickguy · May 2019

Just got an Email from the local automall (TJC knows the place). They now have one of the stores branded as the used car center (it was the small Audi place, until they built a new palace just down the road, but not in the complex).

anyway, Email was basically that "we buy cars". Any car, any condition, you get an offer. Read through the details and looks like they are just competing with Carmax directly (and Carvana without the online piece). Bring it in, get a written offer, and can either trade it there or get a check, on the spot (no waiting for a bank draft like carmax). Plus, it is good for 7 days, which is key. So they really did copy the Carmax model. That also happens to be the dealer that gave me the strong trade in offer on my Elantra (to the penny same as carmax) but did not have what I wanted to buy instead.

I assume it is a good way for them to get a steady supply of used cars (they always have hundreds in stock I think) without paying all the auction fees and transport expenses. Smart business move. Plus I think they are trying to consolidate the used cars into one store, instead of having spread out across all the different stores they have there.

nyccarguy · May 2019

28firefighter said:
Well, I'm having a handy kind of day. I had the codes pulled on the Saab which indicated a throttle body issue. After watching some youtube videos, I decided that maybe it would be worth taking a gander inside the throttle body itself.

Took a couple of attempts but I finally got in - checked the butterfly valve, cleaned it out a bit with carburetor cleaner (even though it looked pretty clean), reset the manual limp mode solenoid, and disconnected the battery to clear the check engine code. Fun fact, if you don't clear the check engine light before resetting limp home mode, it automatically kicks off the solenoid at start to enable limp home.

Anyway, put everything back together, started the car and took it out for 20 minutes and all seems fine. Suspect the throttle body electronics are on their way out, but this at least buys me some time.

Good job!

henryn · May 2019

28firefighter said:
Well, I'm having a handy kind of day. I had the codes pulled on the Saab which indicated a throttle body issue. After watching some youtube videos, I decided that maybe it would be worth taking a gander inside the throttle body itself.

Took a couple of attempts but I finally got in - checked the butterfly valve, cleaned it out a bit with carburetor cleaner (even though it looked pretty clean), reset the manual limp mode solenoid, and disconnected the battery to clear the check engine code. Fun fact, if you don't clear the check engine light before resetting limp home mode, it automatically kicks off the solenoid at start to enable limp home.

Anyway, put everything back together, started the car and took it out for 20 minutes and all seems fine. Suspect the throttle body electronics are on their way out, but this at least buys me some time.

If you have a throttle body, you probably have a MAF (Mass Air Flow Sensor), yes? You want to be careful about keeping carb cleaner away from the MAF.

28firefighter · May 2019

henryn said:

28firefighter said:
Well, I'm having a handy kind of day. I had the codes pulled on the Saab which indicated a throttle body issue. After watching some youtube videos, I decided that maybe it would be worth taking a gander inside the throttle body itself.

Took a couple of attempts but I finally got in - checked the butterfly valve, cleaned it out a bit with carburetor cleaner (even though it looked pretty clean), reset the manual limp mode solenoid, and disconnected the battery to clear the check engine code. Fun fact, if you don't clear the check engine light before resetting limp home mode, it automatically kicks off the solenoid at start to enable limp home.

Anyway, put everything back together, started the car and took it out for 20 minutes and all seems fine. Suspect the throttle body electronics are on their way out, but this at least buys me some time.
If you have a throttle body, you probably have a MAF (Mass Air Flow Sensor), yes? You want to be careful about keeping carb cleaner away from the MAF.

It does - and absolutely right, which is why I put it on the rag itself and cleaned the throttle body that way.

mjfloyd1 · May 2019

GL 350 damage is alternator and pulleys and serpentine belt. They also noted some sort of leak (oil?)near the turbo. All is covered by CPO thankfully but alternator will be 7-10 days to be delivered. Methinks they should offer a loaner...

Collateral damage is that battery is dead and cannot be revived they say. They want over $400 for a battery with only a 2 yr warranty. That seems crazy.

28firefighter · May 2019

I assumed CPO covered a loaner for repairs longer than 24 hours.

$400 for a battery is nuts - what says AutoZone?

roadburner · May 2019

28firefighter said:
I assumed CPO covered a loaner for repairs longer than 24 hours.

$400 for a battery is nuts - what says AutoZone?

I can get the OEM AGM battery for my 2er for $220(without my employee discount).

mjfloyd1 · May 2019

I can get OEM battery for $220 shipped. Problem is that the car is in Indianapolis and I am an hour away. Plus I can only lift 10 pounds for 2 more weeks since my surgery.

Maybe I’ll pick it up and drive to Sams or Interstate battery???

They have had the vehicle for 48 hours and I had to call to check status. I would have thought that they would have offered a loaner but we would have to drive an hour to pick it up I assume???

xwesx · May 2019

pensfan83 said:
I was a little bit bored while eating lunch so I fell into the BaT black hole.

Bit of a Frankenstein
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-chevrolet-el-camino-7/

I am not sure that those wheels qualify as "honeycomb." That said, I have always liked that style, along with the true honeycomb design that was a contemporary of the period.

I like it... much better view factor than a typical El Camino of that generation.

kyfdx · May 2019

I'm surprised that a Mercedes dealer doesn't offer a loaner for any service visit, regardless of warranty.

mjfloyd1 · May 2019

I’ll be a squeaky wheel and get a loaner

Looks like those el Camino wheels are “snowflake” wheels. Insert political commentary here bwahahahaha

http://www.78ta.com/Pages/rims.htm

Sandman6472 · May 2019

The driver front door issue is getting worse, it sometimes won't unlock when I hit the key fob once. Have to open the other doors, get in the passenger side and open the front door manually. All started after they did the repairs last year after the accident. Happened again today when I made a quick drive to get my toes attended to. Came out, it was raining, hit the key fob, it made a noise but no unlock. Now I'm pissed. Luckily the repair place is right around the block so went in. Of course, they blame the key fob but I call them out since it's a fairly new battery in it. I explain that it's been going on since they did the repairs but more frequently now. We agree that I should come back Tuesday afternoon and they will give it a look see.
Annoying to say the least. Not looking to buy anything yet as am anxiously awaiting the new Honda HR-V and the Hyundai Venue that both arrive sometime by year's end. Like the look and stance of the Venue and looks like Honda has addressed the shortcomings of the HR-V that I've been complaining about so we'll see. Both would work nicely as a new vehicle with the Hyundai store just across the street.

breld · May 2019

@roadburner (and others)...what are your thoughts on the "lesser" 2-series? I'm starting to eye some of these on the used market - I particularly like the ones with the m-sport package.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/767666387/overview/

28firefighter · May 2019

M235 or M240 or bust.

Michaell · May 2019

breld said:
@roadburner (and others)...what are your thoughts on the "lesser" 2-series? I'm starting to eye some of these on the used market - I particularly like the ones with the m-sport package.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/767666387/overview/

That's in my budget.

nyccarguy · May 2019

Michaell said:

@roadburner (and others)...what are your thoughts on the "lesser" 2-series? I'm starting to eye some of these on the used market - I particularly like the ones with the m-sport package. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/767666387/overview/
That's in my budget.

That’s good. So he can buy it and then sell it to you when your Jetta lease is up and he sees an Estoril Blue M235i or M240i

roadburner · May 2019

28firefighter said:
M235 or M240 or bust.

I'd tend to agree, although a 228i/230i M Sport with three pedals and the Track Handling Package is surprisingly fun. Note however, that it does take 14 seconds to run the quarter; if you want a car that is at least borderline fast you need to move up the F22 food chain. You can read what I wrote about a 230i loaner I had here.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

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