Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

28firefighter · August 2019

Congrats! Seems like a no brainer as these Tacoma leases tend to be.

suydam · August 2019

Congratulations! An Altima will be s great first driver vehicle and you have a new ride. Works all the way around!

jmonroe1 · August 2019

28firefighter said:

pensfan83 said:
Punch in progress
RIP Altima.

If it was black, I doubt he'd have gotten rid of it.

Congrats on the punch @pensfan83.

jmonroe

andres3 · August 2019

jmonroe1 said:

28firefighter said:
Well. CR-V purchase went off without a hitch. No drama.
Congrats on helping your friends father buy a car from an upfront dealer.

If you ever run into another situation like this, I would go back to the first dealer and say something like, "Id really like to do business with you but another dealer has your price beat by more than just a couple bucks. Is there any way you can give me a better price"? What do you have to lose since you were going to buy from dealer number 1 anyway? As we like to say, "if you don't ask, you don't get". Just a suggestion.

jmonroe

If they respond with "beat by how much?" How would you respond?

andres3 · August 2019

kyfdx said:
That stuff drives me nuts.

I took a set of wheels off of a '95 M3 to Costco, because they had a killer deal on Pilot Super Sports.
Original size is 235/40-17, which almost no one makes, any more. The replacement size most used is 225/45-17.

The guy at Costco: "You know, that isn't the correct size for the '95 M3"..
Yeah, do you have any 235/40-17, in any brand tire?
"No, but this is still the wrong size"..
That's okay, just go ahead and put them on.
"I'll mount them, but if the car was here, I wouldn't be able to install them. Because the width is smaller than stock."

Sheeeeesh

Costco are the Tire Soup [non-permissible content removed]'s. The '06 A3 with sport package is unfortunately stamped with 94 load and Y speed rating. Nevermind that the non-sport package equipped A3's are stamped 91W to give some flexibility.
Costco wasn't flexible.

andres3 · August 2019

Did I mention my Audi Dealer hooked me up with brand new OEM Pirelli P7's on all 4 corners? This tire is actually pretty good for the first 15,000 miles based on reviews. Brand new, they are very quiet, nice riding, and good grip. I think the bad reviews are from their worsening performance as they age.

As far as fixing the vibrations in the steering wheel, it did the trick 110%. The old tires were shot worse than I realized. Funny, the tech said they should have been replaced (and needed to be replaced) on the CPO car for safety reasons due to the dry rot "cracking" on every outside shoulder block. The tech said at 65 MPH they didn't notice unusual vibration though! LOL. When I got the new tires, I imagine he must have been wearing padded boxing gloves while driving to not notice the vibration. I thought it was most noticeable at 80 +, but once the new tires were received, I came to the realization it was noticeable at 5 MPH, and at all speeds for that matter. Night and Day.

They also refilled the refrigerant and say the AC is "within' spec now. NO leaks. However, I still feel the AC is at 85%, the jury is still out on that one. It doesn't cool like my TTS does.

Speaking of which, the TTS will be going in for the big 35K mile service soon. Maybe in 2 weeks. Maybe I"ll do it early this next week.

corvette · August 2019

Parents had the 2-year service on their Q5 last week. They ended up buying the Audi Care package.

Anyway, I figured out why Audi's reliability score has improved so much over the past few years. The dealer kept the car all day for a laundry list of no-charge preventative "service campaigns," which apparently included proactively replacing the window regulators(!). Kind of odd that VW would continue to under-engineer window regulators, after the whole debacle with them using plastic ones which would get brittle and break on the MKIV platform.

andres3 · August 2019

corvette said:
Parents had the 2-year service on their Q5 last week. They ended up buying the Audi Care package.

Anyway, I figured out why Audi's reliability score has improved so much over the past few years. The dealer kept the car all day for a laundry list of no-charge preventative "service campaigns," which apparently included proactively replacing the window regulators(!). Kind of odd that VW would continue to under-engineer window regulators, after the whole debacle with them using plastic ones which would get brittle and break on the MKIV platform.

LOL... oh yeah, the MKV A3 I had had a window regulator failure (1 of 4) by 106,000 miles. Still, I prefer that to Honda's transmission that lasted 42,000 miles or so if I recall right. Couldn't handle the wonderful 3.0 V6.

sda · August 2019

corvette said:
Parents had the 2-year service on their Q5 last week. They ended up buying the Audi Care package.

Anyway, I figured out why Audi's reliability score has improved so much over the past few years. The dealer kept the car all day for a laundry list of no-charge preventative "service campaigns," which apparently included proactively replacing the window regulators(!). Kind of odd that VW would continue to under-engineer window regulators, after the whole debacle with them using plastic ones which would get brittle and break on the MKIV platform.

What year Q5 do they have? Any observations about issues, maintenance or just in general that I could benefit from? So far very satisfied with our recently purchased Q5.

graphicguy · August 2019

@pensfan83 .....congrats on the punch. I dig it....a lot!

roadburner · August 2019

Nice truck, pensfan83!

corvette · August 2019

sda said:

corvette said:
Parents had the 2-year service on their Q5 last week. They ended up buying the Audi Care package.

Anyway, I figured out why Audi's reliability score has improved so much over the past few years. The dealer kept the car all day for a laundry list of no-charge preventative "service campaigns," which apparently included proactively replacing the window regulators(!). Kind of odd that VW would continue to under-engineer window regulators, after the whole debacle with them using plastic ones which would get brittle and break on the MKIV platform.
What year Q5 do they have? Any observations about issues, maintenance or just in general that I could benefit from? So far very satisfied with our recently purchased Q5.

It’s a 2018, first year of the new model. It’s been very good, so far, although I think they only have perhaps 15,000 miles on it. The only issue I’ve observed (and it seems to be common on the Audi forums) is that the reverse automatic braking system will sometimes engage for no reason (making a sound like you’ve just curbed a wheel), and not provide any sort of notification that it engaged.

breld · August 2019

Congrats @pensfan83!

How many Tacomas do we have now in this group?

marcogallo1986 · August 2019

@ondrays3. So you had 2 cars that had. Transmissions. Go bad on early. On? Sorry to hear that.

jmonroe1 · August 2019

andres3 said:

jmonroe1 said:

28firefighter said:
Well. CR-V purchase went off without a hitch. No drama.
Congrats on helping your friends father buy a car from an upfront dealer.

If you ever run into another situation like this, I would go back to the first dealer and say something like, "Id really like to do business with you but another dealer has your price beat by more than just a couple bucks. Is there any way you can give me a better price"? What do you have to lose since you were going to buy from dealer number 1 anyway? As we like to say, "if you don't ask, you don't get". Just a suggestion.

jmonroe
If they respond with "beat by how much?" How would you respond?

OK, that's a fair question so I'll answer it.

In 2006 I was looking to get Mrs. j another car. The dealer on the other side of town gave me a pretty good price via email but I wanted to do a sanity check to see what the local guy would do. Since the local guy was less that 3 miles away I decided to just go in and see what he could do. I had my folder with me and I told the local guy he had to beat the email price I had in my folder. He said, "let me see the price I have to beat". I told him the other guy didn't ask what price he had to beat, he just gave me his price. The local guy said something like, "at least give me a ball park number". I told him "NO, if he wanted to make a sale he had to give one price and only one price". He pauses then says, "wait here let me talk to my manager". A couple minutes later both the salesman and his manager walk into the room. The manager says, I understand you're sitting on a pretty good price, let me see it". I told him NO too. Then I said, "I'm sorry I wasted my time coming in" and I push my chair back and started to get up. The manager then tells me his price which was better than the first guys by almost a hundred bucks. Since I didn't want to run to the other side of town anyway, I took his deal even though I didn't like the game playing. I guess you could say I wasn't willing to cut off my nose to spite my face.

The way I buy cars is fairly simple; give me your best price and I'll decide if it's good enough.

jmonroe

carnaught · August 2019

Had a weird experience with my last purchase. Two competing dealerships in town wanted the best price I had on the table. Knowing I would most likely go with the best price I already had, I gave the other two the price. One of the two was a dealers I bought my wife’s car from only 8 mos. earlier (same salesman).

The result was unbelievable to me. Neither of them responded to me! No problem. I just bought the car.

pensfan83 · August 2019

breld said:
Congrats @pensfan83!

How many Tacomas do we have now in this group?

Thanks. I'm honored to have the same number of punches as you too

I know of 3. @kyfdx, @jpp75 and now myself.

au1994 · August 2019

Congrats! and color me very jealous! You simply can't beat the lease deals out there on these Tacoma's.

Sandman6472 · August 2019

Middle daughter came home for the weekend and took me to get it a car wash. Her alloys were filthy but cleaned up very nicely. Talked about her taking some test drives since it won’t last forever. About 40K on the clock after almost eleven years. Talked to wife as I took her to the train station this morning, an IRS convention in Orlando till Friday. Got her to agree to take the kid shopping so she’ll know what to get when the time comes. Figure it’s better to get one you really like instead of rushing when the old vehicle gives up the ghost. Best to buy when you can just walk away if you don’t like the price or the dealership. But, she first needs to have an idea what comes next.

stickguy · August 2019

11 years is not really a long time these days. Certainly not with only 40K miles on it. So I doubt she is in imminent danger of being left car less! Still fun to look of course.

28firefighter · August 2019

Made an appointment to go drive a TLX V6 AWD A-Spec on Wednesday. At the pace I'm able to find time to test drive, I should have all my potential cars driven by March (2 months after my lease is up).

Part of what appeals to me about the TLX is that I really like the linear power delivery of the H6 in the Outback and I think I'll appreciate that in the TLX, even if it is not the fastest car in the segment.

pensfan83 · August 2019

LOL.

I'm curious to see what you think of the car.

28firefighter · August 2019

I assume you're laughing at my current pace of test driving one car per month?

My kid has been home for the last week with 104. Fever finally broke last night. Thank you, preschool, for the wonderful summer gift!

xwesx · August 2019

A week of 104?! That's dangerous stuff. Hopefully he pulls through alright.

28firefighter · August 2019

xwesx said:
A week of 104?! That's dangerous stuff. Hopefully he pulls through alright.

He's fine. Adenovirus (ER doc thought it was flu but tested for everything). Just a really bad case. He's back to himself today and I need a vacation now.

xwesx · August 2019

28firefighter said:

He's fine. Adenovirus (ER doc thought it was flu but tested for everything). Just a really bad case. He's back to himself today and I need a vacation now.

Sounds like more germ exposure to me. You should probably just stay home.

stickguy · August 2019

I took my TLX up to NY for our annual Saratoga trip. Even with a full load (5 people, some not small, and stuff, so probably over GVW) it moved along just fine, even with the lowly 4 banger. averaged about 34 overall on the trip too. My BIL really liked how it rode, etc., and he owns a Jag XF (hot rod model),

pensfan83 · August 2019

Picking up the truck and this is also getting delivered.

pensfan83 · August 2019

marcogallo1986 · August 2019

@28FF man. I am glad your. Sum Is ok now! Por. Little. Guy

pensfan83 · August 2019

28firefighter said:
I assume you're laughing at my current pace of test driving one car per month?

My kid has been home for the last week with 104. Fever finally broke last night. Thank you, preschool, for the wonderful summer gift!

Oh that's not bad then, the way I read it is that you had so many choices it would take that long to get through them all. Certainly more than one per month. Sorry!

Sandman6472 · August 2019

Understood about no immediate danger with her Accent, but do think she should have so in mind just in case she does decide that the time has come for something newer. Strictly her decision as she’s the one who has to pay for it, but worth looking just in case. She likes Hyundai so wouldn’t be surprised if they start with them and move on to Kia afterwards. I’ll give my opinion if asked but I’ll make sure I go when she signs the final papers.

nyccarguy · August 2019

28firefighter said:
Made an appointment to go drive a TLX V6 AWD A-Spec on Wednesday. At the pace I'm able to find time to test drive, I should have all my potential cars driven by March (2 months after my lease is up).

Part of what appeals to me about the TLX is that I really like the linear power delivery of the H6 in the Outback and I think I'll appreciate that in the TLX, even if it is not the fastest car in the segment.

Today’s naturally aspirated 6 cylinder engines are almost like the Big Block V8s of the late ‘60s before they were neutered. Great engines. Flexible power bands. Gobs of passing power.

The turbo 4s & turbo 6s might make “better” numbers, but there’s something to be said about a pleasurable driving experience.

I can’t think of any naturally aspirated 6s still in production besides Acura’s V6. The VQ lives on in the QX60.

28firefighter · August 2019

That’s what interests me! Last of a dying breed.

ab348 · August 2019

nyccarguy said:

I can’t think of any naturally aspirated 6s still in production besides Acura’s V6. The VQ lives on in the QX60.

The GM 3.6 is NA and in a lot of vehicles. 336HP in my ATS makes it move out quite smartly.

nyccarguy · August 2019

So speaking of naturally aspirated V6s, I dropped my Infiniti off at the mechanic this AM to have a new set of rear brake rotors and pads installed. I went with Brembo OE replacement vented rotors and Brembo Pads. I was going to order the parts off of one of the many auto parts websites as they were less expensive than direct from Brembo. I called the Brembo customer service number to just make sure that the Hawk pads I originally wanted would fit. The guy who called me back could not have been nicer. I told him that I’d rather order direct, but Rock Auto has the rotors so much cheaper. Then he asked if I was going to use the Brembo pads. I told him honestly I hadn’t thought of it, but the Brembo website says they are out of stock. The guy basically matched Rock Auto’s price, so a I said “why not” to the pads.

$142 including tax for the rear pads & rotors. $150 for the mechanic to install.

The dealer wanted $410 to resurface the rear rotors & change the rear pads. They wanted $610 to change he the rear rotors and pads.

breld · August 2019

@pensfan83 - how does that Supra look in person?

stickguy · August 2019

the wife seems to be getting closer to new wheels. the other day she popped out with an "I want a new car". Said this one smelled old, and did something else (banged around in the back?) Your basic setting up justifications. of course, every time she said it she followed it up with "but I don't want to pay for it"! I gave her a target (finish paying off the last of the college expenses) and she could treat herself.

Not sure she will be able to handle something fancy. She was trying to do something with the radio in the TLX and getting all confused. And complained about being complicated, and she liked her current simple set-up. She might have a nervous breakdown with a new BMW or MB. I think it is just a matter of learning it at the beginning then practicing. Easier if it is something you drive every day.

I actually think she would have loved the controls, radio, etc in the outback. Even though she seems to have something against them now.

28firefighter · August 2019

Can’t recommend the current gen Outback highly enough. I’m sure the new one will be intuitive too, but it’ll be different.

sda · August 2019

nyccarguy said:
So speaking of naturally aspirated V6s, I dropped my Infiniti off at the mechanic this AM to have a new set of rear brake rotors and pads installed. I went with Brembo OE replacement vented rotors and Brembo Pads. I was going to order the parts off of one of the many auto parts websites as they were less expensive than direct from Brembo. I called the Brembo customer service number to just make sure that the Hawk pads I originally wanted would fit. The guy who called me back could not have been nicer. I told him that I’d rather order direct, but Rock Auto has the rotors so much cheaper. Then he asked if I was going to use the Brembo pads. I told him honestly I hadn’t thought of it, but the Brembo website says they are out of stock. The guy basically matched Rock Auto’s price, so a I said “why not” to the pads.

$142 including tax for the rear pads & rotors. $150 for the mechanic to install.

The dealer wanted $410 to resurface the rear rotors & change the rear pads. They wanted $610 to change he the rear rotors and pads.

It really pays to shop around and still get quality.

stickguy · August 2019

I should have taken her out to look at it even though she did not want to. We looked at the previous (2012ish) generation before getting the RDX, and seriously considered it. But it was the 2.5i version, so not a fair fight. I was really surprised how nicely the 6 cyl 2019 drove.

pensfan83 · August 2019

breld said:
@pensfan83 - how does that Supra look in person?

Actually I think it looks pretty good, it's slowly grown on me. It's low, wide, and has a nice profile overall and I think it looks better in person than in pictures. The cockpit is small, if you're over 6' I imagine it would be snug, but even still it looks like everything falls right into your hands. Even through the window it was hard to deny the BMW derived aspects of the car, from the shifter to the infotainment. The interior was all black and the layout straightforward. It was still there when we left albeit the dealer plate was removed so I guess they were after us in finance.

laurasdada · August 2019

stickguy said:
My BIL really liked how it rode, etc., and he owns a Jag XF (hot rod model),

Your BIL sounds like a quite smart, sophisticated and no doubt, handsome man...

stickguy · August 2019

He certainly thinks so!

andres3 · August 2019

nyccarguy said:

28firefighter said:
Made an appointment to go drive a TLX V6 AWD A-Spec on Wednesday. At the pace I'm able to find time to test drive, I should have all my potential cars driven by March (2 months after my lease is up).

Part of what appeals to me about the TLX is that I really like the linear power delivery of the H6 in the Outback and I think I'll appreciate that in the TLX, even if it is not the fastest car in the segment.
Today’s naturally aspirated 6 cylinder engines are almost like the Big Block V8s of the late ‘60s before they were neutered. Great engines. Flexible power bands. Gobs of passing power.

The turbo 4s & turbo 6s might make “better” numbers, but there’s something to be said about a pleasurable driving experience.

I can’t think of any naturally aspirated 6s still in production besides Acura’s V6. The VQ lives on in the QX60.

I vote for the supercharged 3.0 V6 in the S4, different than a turbo, but equally effective, and more linear and quicker to react to throttle inputs.

andres3 · August 2019

28firefighter said:
Can’t recommend the current gen Outback highly enough. I’m sure the new one will be intuitive too, but it’ll be different.

The 3.6 Outback is by far the best Subaru. The only weaknesses are two-fold for me:

1) The CVT, which the 3.6 masks nicely and convincingly, unlike the meager 2.5.
2) The fuel economy is a bit lackluster, but the 3.6 makes up for it with great power. What are you getting for real world gas mileage?

28firefighter · August 2019

andres3 said:

28firefighter said:
Can’t recommend the current gen Outback highly enough. I’m sure the new one will be intuitive too, but it’ll be different.
The 3.6 Outback is by far the best Subaru. The only weaknesses are two-fold for me:

1) The CVT, which the 3.6 masks nicely and convincingly, unlike the meager 2.5.
2) The fuel economy is a bit lackluster, but the 3.6 makes up for it with great power. What are you getting for real world gas mileage?

Beats me. Probably somewhere in the 20s. I’ll check next time I fill up. @Michaell may be able to tell you what he is seeing.

nyccarguy · August 2019

@28firefighter - I'm glad Sam is doing better. 104 for a week straight isn't fun for him or you

nyccarguy · August 2019

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

I can’t think of any naturally aspirated 6s still in production besides Acura’s V6. The VQ lives on in the QX60.
The GM 3.6 is NA and in a lot of vehicles. 336HP in my ATS makes it move out quite smartly.

I completely forgot about that. I drove one in an XT5 from a few years ago and was very impressed with thar 3.6L V6.

tjc78 · August 2019

I've been there with the kids... not fun at all (a little scary, actually)

On the car front.

Last night I test drove the S60. It was kind of a weird experience. I walk in, no S60s in the smallish showroom. I was greeted while looking at an XC90. Introduce myself and the gentleman says "yes, I was waiting for you".... Huh? Different Tom apparently. About 5 mins later the other Tom walks in and he turns me over to total Greenpea. She knows virtually nothing about the cars and admits to never selling an S60. Wonderful.

Moving onto the test drive. I drove a 49K T6 Momentum that was basically optioned as an Inscription. The car is really nice. The tech is great (if a little overwhelming at first), seats comfy, large moonroof. It was quick but didn't feel like 300+ HP. It's also pretty quiet, but the 19" wheels caused a little harshness on the beat up test loop. There was plenty of room in the back for my kids and the trunk is nicely sized. In short, like I suspected from my S90 rental this is a car I could take home with me.

I ask for some numbers, and suggest (as @qbrozen mentioned and confirmed in the leasing forums) that the Inscription leased better due to a slightly lower MF and higher rebate. I walked the lot and found an inscription Black over Amber... gorgeous. I asked her to have the boss quote both cars and see which leased better. She come back and said the Inscription was better. $534 / month $1294 OOP 36/10. I didn't persue much further since I wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger but those #s wouldn't get it done! ($43,000 sell price including 4K incentive)

Just for giggles I asked what loaners they had. "We don't have any for sale". ??? I said your website shows several. She gets up and goes back to the boss and comes back with , oh yes we can lease those. I ask for a price on a T5 Inscription with a $46K sticker and 3000 miles. They come back with $474 / $1000 OOP. If that one wasn't black interior I may have started digging in a bit, but with the seemingly lack of interest on the sales person's part and also the lack of knowledge I grew tired of trying keep the dialogue open.

I think I'm going to look at what some other dealers have and see about shooting off some emails then go back to the local dealer and see what I can do.

On the $49K T6 we may be too far apart to strike a deal, but if the right loaner pops up. Maybe.

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