Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

henryn · May 2019

roadburner said:

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.

How things have changed. I can remember when a car that ran the 1/4 mile in the 14's was considered to be a very fast car. And no, that's not just my failing memory. A quick google search found this:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t129463-discuss1_4_mile_times_for_85_vette.html

A 1985 corvette, mid to low 15's. My, my.

roadburner · May 2019

My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.

omarman · May 2019

henryn said:

roadburner said:

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.

How things have changed. I can remember when a car that ran the 1/4 mile in the 14's was considered to be a very fast car. And no, that's not just my failing memory. A quick google search found this:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t129463-discuss1_4_mile_times_for_85_vette.html

A 1985 corvette, mid to low 15's. My, my.

Yep, a 14 second ET used to be something to write about. Note the observed top speed too!

henryn · May 2019

roadburner said:
My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.

Two points to make on that. Your Mazdaspeed 3 was indeed a fast car, no argument there. But 2007 is the recent past, very recent from my perspective. Yes, fast cars are a dime a dozen now. But it wasn't that long ago when the exact opposite was true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI6126axMzo

stock F150 ecoboost, 14.04 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Yes, fast cars (and trucks) are very common now.

qbrozen · May 2019

roadburner said:
My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.

First, I agree that 2007 isn't that long ago. Things haven't improved very much in that time. Second, your car was not stock. Would have to compare to a modded 228/230.

roadburner · May 2019

Nope, that was stock- that number is from a C/D comparison test. I remember that I thought my E24 M6 was fast because with a Dinan chip and no cat it ran in the low 14s. In 1992 that was quick enough that I could annihilate most every challenger in the Stoplight Grand Prix.

kyfdx · May 2019

I'm pretty sure my '06 330Ci can't turn 14 seconds.

Plenty fast enough, though..

stickguy · May 2019

On a little vacation in Charleston. Got a rental car for convenience. A Ford Fiesta hatch. Perfect size for where I need to park. Miserable car though. Lousy seat, console intrudes. On the plus side, it has CarPlay for navigation and XM for tunes!

tjc78 · May 2019

It’s amazing how those little things make a car more enjoyable.

qbrozen · May 2019

roadburner said:

Nope, that was stock- that number is from a C/D comparison test. I remember that I thought my E24 M6 was fast because with a Dinan chip and no cat it ran in the low 14s. In 1992 that was quick enough that I could annihilate most every challenger in the Stoplight Grand Prix.

Could only find mid 14 runs. But that just goes to illustrate even the “pros” can vary by half a second. Doesn’t amount to much in the real world. My ‘04 240hp Accord was also a low 14 sec car. But it was no fun to drive. I’ll take a 15-sec fun car over a 13-sec boring car any day. So buy what you like, not what wins paper shootouts.

mjfloyd1 · May 2019

kyfdx said:

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

The real issue is that I had it flat bedded to Indianapolis. I’ll get it figured out

tifighter · May 2019

roadburner said:
My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.

Okay, so now I’m curious what’s considered fast?

fintail · May 2019

Top speed 175+

Michaell · May 2019

Met up with @jpp75 for lunch today. He had other things to do after, so I took myself to a new (relocated) VW dealership and test drove the new GLI.

I specifically wanted to test a stick shift - they only had 35th Anniversary trim levels available with the 6-speed, so I took one of those out. Black on black - not my favorite color combo; I'd prefer white paint.

Anyway, this dealer is in Denver, and traffic was a bit thicker than I'd hoped. This meant I got to test the clutch, a lot. Which wasn't bad, as the clutch and gear engagement were both above average. The ride was decent - not too firm. The 35th trim is equipped with DCC - I played around with it for a few minutes, but it's probably something you'll set and forget for most driving. I was able to get it onto the highway, so had that opportunity to stretch the engine out. Lots of pull, for sure, and didn't sound coarse at all. Wasn't able to test the handling on the city streets, so no observations there.

The seats were comfortable, and everything felt and sounded great. One omission on the 35th trim is XM - not a huge loss, with CarPlay and streaming audio available. It did have BLIS, rear cross traffic alert and front collision warnings. Standard cockpit gauges - gotta upgrade to the Autobahn trim to get the digital cockpit, adaptive CC and a sunroof. But, I could live with the interior I tested today.

Overall, it's a great value for under $30K. @breld and @jpp75 asked me if I liked this more than the TLX I've tested. Boy, it's close - the GLI is probably a bit more sportier in its DNA, and the TLX more refined overall. If you remove price from the equation, it's really close.

The folks at the dealer tell me that a couple of white Autobahn stick shifts were due in soon.

And, I'll have to test a DSG, just to compare.

roadburner · May 2019

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

Nope, that was stock- that number is from a C/D comparison test. I remember that I thought my E24 M6 was fast because with a Dinan chip and no cat it ran in the low 14s. In 1992 that was quick enough that I could annihilate most every challenger in the Stoplight Grand Prix.

Could only find mid 14 runs. But that just goes to illustrate even the “pros” can vary by half a second. Doesn’t amount to much in the real world. My ‘04 240hp Accord was also a low 14 sec car. But it was no fun to drive. I’ll take a 15-sec fun car over a 13-sec boring car any day. So buy what you like, not what wins paper shootouts.

I agree, but I want enjoyment AND speed.

roadburner · May 2019

tifighter said:

roadburner said:
My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.
Okay, so now I’m curious what’s considered fast?

I''d say a 0-60 under 3.5-4.0 seconds and a quarter mile in under 12 seconds.

qbrozen · May 2019

roadburner said:

My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch. But that's just me.
Okay, so now I’m curious what’s considered fast?
I''d say a 0-60 under 3.5-4.0 seconds and a quarter mile in under 12 seconds.

Pretty sure that’s a car I can’t afford. In more ways than one.

qbrozen · May 2019

Michaell said:

Met up with @jpp75 for lunch today. He had other things to do after, so I took myself to a new (relocated) VW dealership and test drove the new GLI. I specifically wanted to test a stick shift - they only had 35th Anniversary trim levels available with the 6-speed, so I took one of those out. Black on black - not my favorite color combo; I'd prefer white paint. Anyway, this dealer is in Denver, and traffic was a bit thicker than I'd hoped. This meant I got to test the clutch, a lot. Which wasn't bad, as the clutch and gear engagement were both above average. The ride was decent - not too firm. The 35th trim is equipped with DCC - I played around with it for a few minutes, but it's probably something you'll set and forget for most driving. I was able to get it onto the highway, so had that opportunity to stretch the engine out. Lots of pull, for sure, and didn't sound coarse at all. Wasn't able to test the handling on the city streets, so no observations there. The seats were comfortable, and everything felt and sounded great. One omission on the 35th trim is XM - not a huge loss, with CarPlay and streaming audio available. It did have BLIS, rear cross traffic alert and front collision warnings. Standard cockpit gauges - gotta upgrade to the Autobahn trim to get the digital cockpit, adaptive CC and a sunroof. But, I could live with the interior I tested today. Overall, it's a great value for under $30K. @breld and @jpp75 asked me if I liked this more than the TLX I've tested. Boy, it's close - the GLI is probably a bit more sportier in its DNA, and the TLX more refined overall. If you remove price from the equation, it's really close. The folks at the dealer tell me that a couple of white Autobahn stick shifts were due in soon. And, I'll have to test a DSG, just to compare.

What is DCC?

nyccarguy · May 2019

Dynamic Chassis Control

28firefighter · May 2019

DCC is their adaptive damper suspension from the Golf R.

tifighter · May 2019

roadburner said:

tifighter said:

roadburner said:
My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.
Okay, so now I’m curious what’s considered fast?
I''d say a 0-60 under 3.5-4.0 seconds and a quarter mile in under 12 seconds.

4 seconds? I thought you said fast.

Sandman6472 · May 2019

We rent Fiesta's at work and most folks prefer something else. As a first vehicle, really aren't that bad though prefer the hatch to the sedan as it feel a bit roomier inside. Not much in the way of creature comforts but having Sirius/XM is essential to get some enjoyment out of them. The new Focus is a better choice since they fixed the crappy auto tranny. Most of the one's we have are being sent to the airport area as turn backs and since Ford is no longer producing them, think we're about done.

henryn · May 2019

roadburner said:

tifighter said:

roadburner said:
My Mazdaspeed 3 ran the quarter in 14 seconds flat back in 2007. I'd prefer to have a car that's at least a bit quicker than a 12 year old hot hatch.
But that's just me.
Okay, so now I’m curious what’s considered fast?
I''d say a 0-60 under 3.5-4.0 seconds and a quarter mile in under 12 seconds.

Back in the 60s and 70s, that was the "almost" impossible dream, a street driver that would run the 1/4 mile in under 12 seconds. At one point, I had a 69 Charger RT 440. Hand built engine, balanced and blueprinted, hot cam, headers, the whole 9 yards. On a good day, with racing slicks, I could get down into the high 12's. But racing slicks is not "street drivable".

I admit that I don't read the magazines any more (Car & Driver, Road & Track, etc), so I'm not up on the current crop of "fast cars". How many cars are being sold that will break the 12 second barrier? And I am not interested in $200k Lamborghinis, I mean cars that the rest of us could afford, let's arbitrarily say no more than $60k or $70k.

roadburner · May 2019

The Camaro ZL1 1LE and Challenger Hellcat are both under $70k.

henryn · May 2019

roadburner said:
The Camaro ZL1 1LE and Challenger Hellcat are both under $70k.

So you've got around six thousand Hellcats and fifteen hundred ZL1 1LE. More than I expected, but still pretty rare. Any other takers?

qbrozen · May 2019

Base stingray, I believe, right?

Definitely not common at a relatively affordable price, though.

tifighter · May 2019

Homer alert.
Model 3 Performance. Sub-12 quarter. $59500.

henryn · May 2019

tifighter said:
Homer alert.
Model 3 Performance. Sub-12 quarter. $59500.

And their sales numbers totally eclipse the Hellcat and ZL1 1LE. Totally.

Sandman6472 · May 2019

Think if they added up the 3 different names I've had in here since the early 2000's, would probably be close to 50K posts, give or take. Seem to remember becoming a member back in mid 2001 so has been awhile. Their software screw ups have been the reason for my having such a low number at this point. But like others, have spent a considerable amount of time in these forums over the years. Mostly, very enjoyable to.

tifighter · May 2019

henryn said:

tifighter said:
Homer alert.
Model 3 Performance. Sub-12 quarter. $59500.
And their sales numbers totally eclipse the Hellcat and ZL1 1LE. Totally.

To be fair, those numbers are all trim levels. I don’t know what the percentage the Performance model is of total sales, but it’s probably the lowest.

henryn · May 2019

Hmmm.... I missed that part, "Perfomance". Google will not or can not find any numbers for sales of the Tesla Performance model. It might be even lower than Hellcat or ZL1 1LE. So we're still talking "very rare" to find a car that will break the 12 second barrier. Not impossible, but very rare.

https://blog.dupontregistry.com/features/top-10-fastest-quarter-mile-times-production-cars/

The above is interesting, but does not fit our criteria, at all.

https://www.hotcars.com/fastest-mile-cars/

Once again, all exotics.

But ... this list is interesting. Very.

https://www.zeroto60times.com/sleeper-cars/

And it contains a few sub 12 second cars, some of which I would not have thought of.

Didn't our very own @qbrozen own a Cadillac CTS-V for a while?

kyfdx · May 2019

He had a CTS VSport

I don't know about the ATS-V, but the rest of those vehicles all had 500+ HP engines.. and, would definitely be over $70K MSRP now.

ab348 · May 2019

henryn said:

Didn't our very own @qbrozen own a Cadillac CTS-V for a while?

I think he had the V-Sport. Nothing to sneeze at either.

https://youtu.be/0U-ZhyH468Q

xwesx · May 2019

LOL "Let me put it this way: If they built this thing and slapped a Porche badge on it, they wouldn't be able to build enough of them."

qbrozen · May 2019

Yes, Vsport. Reportedly could break 13 secs, so 1 sec off the pace. And $62k MSRP.

tifighter · May 2019

henryn said:
Hmmm.... I missed that part, "Perfomance". Google will not or can not find any numbers for sales of the Tesla Performance model. It might be even lower than Hellcat or ZL1 1LE. So we're still talking "very rare" to find a car that will break the 12 second barrier. Not impossible, but very rare.

I'd guess the Performance is something like 10% of sales. Using your numbers, that would still be 15000 cars and growing. So not that rare.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Agreed with your above posting Sandman I’ve been here since 2006 on and off when I got out of high school, it’s been enjoyable that’s for sure. I just don’t want to the specific brand forms anymore, because people would argue with you if they didn’t agree with you I cannot put up with that. But in here and a few other forms are all cool I love it.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Send ma’am sorry to hear about the issues you’re having with your car, but it happens good luck tomorrow Tuesday let us know what happens.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Stick guy, Charleston supposedly a really nice place in south Carolina want to go there eventually. I’ve also on YouTube channels dealerships that are from around that area. Enjoy

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Floyd one, wow so you had it over eight months I miss the postings but thanks for letting me know.g Floyd one, wow so you had it over eight months I missed the postings but thanks for letting me know.

marcogallo1986 · May 2019

Sandman always good seeing you in here, I’m glad you’re back to posting again. Do you have a good doctor there sounds like he truly cares about you, which is rare these days. How are you feeling?

Sandman6472 · May 2019

My ear, nose & throat doctor is excellent, the best I've ever had. How many doctors do you know that call you at home to see how you are, and then call again the next morning? Usually they have a nurse or office manager call, not the doctor himself. And he's a nice person with a great bedside manner.
Go back tomorrow at 11 so he can see how things look. So glad the week is almost over as I hardly slept those first few days and went through 2 boxes of tissues and 2 rolls of t p, just wouldn't stop! So glad I stayed home these past six days and just relaxed.

corvette · May 2019

Sandman, that sounds awful! Puffs Plus are my favorite for durability and softness, if I have a cold or other issue and I'm blowing my nose dozens of times a day. Otherwise, I get the cheap tissues at Aldi.

corvette · May 2019

On this trip, I ate more fast food than usual, somewhat due to the location of my hotels. For years, when I lived in a small town, I was spoiled by my local Wendy's, which was extremely efficiently run and had the same manager and cashier for the entire time I went there. As a result, Wendy's is one of my go-to places. I love their spicy chicken club sandwich. Not all Wendy's locations are so well operated. Two different Wendy's messed up two different orders. Both times, what I received was something that was edible, so I didn't make a stink, as I have greater crusades to wage.

Scored some super cheap Fruit of the Loom undershirts at shareholder shopping, and some boxes of See's Candies to give to my friends.

The G37 was great, although I think the brake rotors are warped (which seems to be a common problem). I'm going to get my local shop to take a look. Also, I'm going to try a different USB charger with the Y-splitter arrangement. I'd like to have something which will actually charge the phone while I'm using it for navigation and podcast playing, rather than just barely maintaining a charge.

Had to take US-75 south from Omaha instead of I-29 due to flooding. Traffic was congested, but not as bad as I'd feared. Looks like a little over $200 in gas for about 1,800 miles. I used to do spreadsheets calculating the total cost of a trip--maybe I should start again.

tjc78 · May 2019

So the Infiniti got around 25-26 MPG? That's not bad for that car at all... plus they do like to move so I'm sure you weren't loafing at 60 MPH!

ab348 · May 2019

With the issue you experienced with that first Y-splitter I don't know if getting a different one is smart. It seems the car isn't really designed to deliver that much juice and you could be risking a major expense if it blows something in the electronics. Maybe just settle for maintaining the charge level while using the phone nav and charge the phone when you get somewhere.

henryn · May 2019

Does the car have a cigarette lighter? If so, those are fused at 20 amps or greater. So get a "cig lighter to USB converter". Then a good USB cable, and you should be set. Something like this:

28firefighter · May 2019

The dealer around the corner from my house is offering $4k off Jetta GLI. Can pick up a Manual GLI 35th Anniversary for 24k and the DSG for 25k.

In other news, finally had the front end work done on the Viggen and it is off getting an alignment now. Even with it out of alignment it feels completely different. $400 well spent in total.

Michaell · May 2019

28firefighter said:
The dealer around the corner from my house is offering $4k off Jetta GLI. Can pick up a Manual GLI 35th Anniversary for 24k and the DSG for 25k.

In other news, finally had the front end work done on the Viggen and it is off getting an alignment now. Even with it out of alignment it feels completely different. $400 well spent in total.

@breld pointed out a $3K discount on a 35th GLI at the dealer I was at on Saturday.

Darn, I really want to be in the market when my Jetta SE lease is up later this summer.

kyfdx · May 2019

28firefighter said:
The dealer around the corner from my house is offering $4k off Jetta GLI. Can pick up a Manual GLI 35th Anniversary for 24k and the DSG for 25k.

In other news, finally had the front end work done on the Viggen and it is off getting an alignment now. Even with it out of alignment it feels completely different. $400 well spent in total.

If you really like your older car, that repair money seems more like buying something you want, rather than an expense. Happens all the time with me. $800 on my BMW..

$800 on my wife's BMW?

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