Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy · August 2019

I know the feeling about being a “stick guy” and finally giving it up. At least you still have a toy. I need to get one of them soon.

And dealers not taking walk ins? Craziness.

stickguy · August 2019

This is a pretty color combo. I know the wife likes these. But already said she doesn’t like the brown seats!

https://www.precisionacura.com/new/Acura/2020-Acura-RDX-9ff42f720a0e0ae847bd028f76684678.htm

stickguy · August 2019

But I know she would take this one.

https://www.precisionacura.com/new/Acura/2020-Acura-RDX-75c46abd0a0e0aea3b6c48f59150f7ed.htm

28firefighter · August 2019

Remind me what her opposition to leasing is?

jmonroe1 · August 2019

pensfan83 said:
Ones on your list or in general?

If general, G70? Would love to get some impressions on that.

Why not ask our poster buddy @stickguy to jump into his sons G70 when he's not looking and give it an Italian tune up ride all the way back to Jersey. That otta be enough seat time for a meaningful report. Just have to leave a note so he doesn't report it as stolen. Wouldn't want @stickguy to be hitting us up for bail money.

jmonroe

pensfan83 · August 2019

Having the fun car as a stick allows me to satisfy my desire to still do my own shifting w/o it being one of our main vehicles. That was one of two mandates for getting the Tacoma, no manual and any color but red or black.

breld · August 2019

Agreed. There was a time several years ago when we had 5 vehicles in the fleet and only one was an automatic (the minivan). Nowadays I am perfectly happy having the one manual for occasional rowing.

stickguy · August 2019

My wife wouldn’t care about the stick in my car, as long as her car was nice and didn’t have one. She can still drive it in a pinch, and 99% of the time we are together, I drive. Especially when it’s my car.

She wants to get something nice and keep it a long time, which doesn’t work with leading. Plus I think likes the concept of owning it outright. But, if incentives were right, I could trot out the spreadsheet to show that a lease to buy was a better move. Or I just wouldn’t tell her.

breld · August 2019

@stickguy - that Q5 is very nice. Premium and Tech packages should give you all you want. And the Utopia Blue is pretty.

As for the newly updated 2018 model, I've had plenty of seat time in the previous-gen Audi interiors (S4 and SQ5) and obviously with the current design in our A5 and Q7. No doubt I like the updated design, but I'd say the main drawbacks on the previous one would be the smaller screen (although not being a "pop-up" tablet style may be appealing) and the lack of carplay. If you can live with those two factors, nothing really wrong with the previous design.

tifighter · August 2019

28firefighter said:
OK - so I'm going to try and get to a Genesis store, but they're not answering the phones, which is not promising. Tesla can't take me today except at 2:30 when I have to be home for a delivery, so that does not work. They made a point of saying that they only really allow drop-in test drives when people are looking to place an order in the near future.

Also someone asked if I was stuck on a stick - the answer is no, but I do think it will make it more likely I'll hang onto the car longer than if I don't. Plus, I think my window for buying a new car with a stick is dwindling rapidly.

Meh, they probably say that to try to prevent joyrides, like from my neighbor's kid with his lowered Mitsubishi. You are shopping the competition, so that makes you a potential customer/order placer.

stickguy · August 2019

jmonroe1 said:

pensfan83 said:
Ones on your list or in general?

If general, G70? Would love to get some impressions on that.
Why not ask our poster buddy @stickguy to jump into his sons G70 when he's not looking and give it an Italian tune up ride all the way back to Jersey. That otta be enough seat time for a meaningful report. Just have to leave a note so he doesn't report it as stolen. Wouldn't want @stickguy to be hitting us up for bail money.

jmonroe

I drove it about 30 miles last weekend. It got a good workout. But other than the ridiculous power, I kinda liked driving mine better. The G70 is a little tidier size though.

breld · August 2019

I have yet to see a G70 in the wild here.

They need upscale stand-alone dealerships badly.

stickguy · August 2019

Just happened to get a mailing list email from Acura dealer. Pushing that they are offering leases on CPO models. Seems to defeat the purpose of CPO (the warranty), unless you wanted to buy it at the end. Would of course, work for me. Sadly no RDXs in the pool!

Michaell · August 2019

breld said:
Mazda6 Signature.

if it's not too late, I'll second that. I tested the GTR and liked it.

nyccarguy · August 2019

@28firefighter - I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on the TESLA Model 3

corvette · August 2019

Michaell said:

sb55 said:

Michaell said:
Hey all!

Just spent the last 6 days in sunny SoCal, watching my son get married. Great girl, great ceremony, great reception.

Car related events during my visit:

My rental was a white over grey Toyota Camry SE - 15,xxx miles on it. I put 200 miles on it, and found it to be comfortable and competent. One nit to pick is that the adaptive cruise control is a bit abrupt in braking, and the CC shuts off at some low speed, so I had to manually restart it. Not fun on the 405. 6.6 gallons to refill it, so right at 30 MPG.

Saw a pale yellow BMW 7-series in Malibu. Looked like a factory color (!).

Got mom's '03 Sonata to pass the smog inspection. Took it out the day before and gave it an "Italian tune up"; lots of full throttle acceleration and got it up to 85 on a back road. Whatever it was, we solved the problem. There are a few things that I could see getting done - it pulls to the left pretty badly, and I suspect the tires may be in need of replacement based on time, not mileage. 38,xxx miles after almost 17 years. But, mom isn't driving any more and her caretaker (family friend) uses it to run mom's errands when necessary, so not a lot of miles.

The lease on my cousin's RX350 ended a few months back, and she replaced it with a CPO MB GLE350. Dark grey over black (in Bakersfield - wouldn't be my first choice!); nice car on the inside, and has the illuminated tri-star on the grille.

Here in Colorado, the Jetta goes back on Monday. The Outback gets service on Saturday, and apparently the windshield is cracked and will need to be replaced soon.

To answer the question posed earlier this week, the Outback gets 20-21 MPG in the city, and we've seen as high as 28MPG on the highway.
17 year old tires are ticking time bombs. You should switch them out sooner than later.
Sorry that I didn't make this clear. The current tires on the Sonata are in fact the third set the car has had.

10 years seem to be the absolute max cutoff on tire age recommendations. Some manufacturers recommend replacement at 6.

corvette · August 2019

28firefighter said:
Yes, 2018 was a redesign - different body style, new interior etc.

+1 - 2018 is the second generation. Very subtle exterior changes, so you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a refresh. Interior gets a larger infotainment screen and CarPlay.

xwesx · August 2019

breld said:
Not that I want to rush into anything (cause you know, that's not me), but with my older son getting his license and ferrying himself and his younger brother around to the seemingly endless baseball activities, not to mention school itself, the days of wanting/needing a 3 row SUV will be coming to an end before too long.

Given I still like the SUV body style, perhaps something like this could be a suitable replacement?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/783014983/overview/

I'm sure you'll love it.... for a few weeks, at least!

xwesx · August 2019

corvette said:

10 years seem to be the absolute max cutoff on tire age recommendations. Some manufacturers recommend replacement at 6.

Very true. And, I personally don't recommend ever pushing it past 25. Seriously; don't do it.

tifighter · August 2019

nyccarguy said:
@28firefighter - I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on the TESLA Model 3

It's true. I heard @nyccarguy say that he'd get one if you get one, @28firefighter

28firefighter · August 2019

OK - so Tesla did not pan out. No time available today that they could take me out that worked for us. S is moving to a big boy bed tonight and it was being delivered today.

I tried to go to Genesis, but ironically, it was just a Hyundai dealer and they did not have any Genesis vehicles on site. In fact, they seemed baffled I knew they had Genesis until I pointed out the GIGANTIC sign along the road. Genesis has got to get their stuff together - reminds me of Alfa Romeo in some ways.

Ended up at the Audi dealer and took a look at (but did not drive) a 2017 Audi A4 Prestige with 20k miles in blue over nougat brown interior. Was listed for $33k but not certified because there is a safety recall. I really liked this one - was way more loaded than I would want personally, but felt very nice and upscale. Given the original 55k MSRP on it, I would expect it to feel substantially nicer than the GLI or Accord.

The more I look at and drive, the more analysis paralysis I get. I'm just trying to avoid a situation where I'm bored in 3 months.

sda · August 2019

stickguy said:
Here’s the right one. Also, for Audi people, was 2018 a redesign, or just a mid run refresh? I notice they have a different nose.

https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/1277468

That is equipped virtually identical to our ‘16. Though the infotainment screen is smaller than the ‘18, the images are very crisp and nicely displayed. The B&O audio sounds great. I’ve been impressed by how much less road noise compared to our Hondas and virtually no wind noise at all speeds. Though not Lexus quiet, it is quiet. It handles crisply and has good power. Still learning all the features and settings that can be utilized. Gas mileage has been around 22-23mpg heavy traffic. It feels solid, no rattles or squeaks. We are very pleased with it.

breld · August 2019

@28firefighter - I actually was going to suggest a CPO current gen A4. They’re sort of a sleeper car but a very nice balance of sport and luxury.

I enjoy driving the wife’s A5, which obviously is pretty much the same thing.

Michaell · August 2019

@breld - while you won't need to cart the boys around on a regular basis, won't you still travel together as a family enough to keep the Q7?

tjc78 · August 2019

Punch pending ....details tomorrow.

suydam · August 2019

28firefighter said:
OK - so Tesla did not pan out. No time available today that they could take me out that worked for us. S is moving to a big boy bed tonight and it was being delivered today.

I tried to go to Genesis, but ironically, it was just a Hyundai dealer and they did not have any Genesis vehicles on site. In fact, they seemed baffled I knew they had Genesis until I pointed out the GIGANTIC sign along the road. Genesis has got to get their stuff together - reminds me of Alfa Romeo in some ways.

Ended up at the Audi dealer and took a look at (but did not drive) a 2017 Audi A4 Prestige with 20k miles in blue over nougat brown interior. Was listed for $33k but not certified because there is a safety recall. I really liked this one - was way more loaded than I would want personally, but felt very nice and upscale. Given the original 55k MSRP on it, I would expect it to feel substantially nicer than the GLI or Accord.

The more I look at and drive, the more analysis paralysis I get. I'm just trying to avoid a situation where I'm bored in 3 months.

Do you need to seat 5 in back or is a 4 seater enough? I love my Honda Accord but ultimately found it just too large. The Volt is the perfect size for me and I love its nimble handling. It sounds like you want something a little smaller than the Accord, otherwise you were very positive about it.

stickguy · August 2019

Can't wait for the details Tom!

I was being good, settled into just waiting out my lease, but not I got the "want a new car shakes" bad. But, can't do anything without having the Wife look at them first.

I really just need to get her something new that she loves and will keep for a long time, then I can wheel and deal with my car as much as I want, and she won't care (since I won't go crazy with the money).

I sent her some links to RDXs. Only feedback was about colors. nothing about not wanting one! that or an X3 would probably be the 2 most suitable options for her, though really should be fine with something like a higher trim level RAV4!

breld · August 2019

The carvana experience was really nice. The car was freshly detailed and the folks were very courteous and knowledgeable. I honestly expected a more impersonal car delivery experience, like when you have a shipper drop your car off. But seems to me they’ve put a lot of thought into the experience.

28firefighter · August 2019

breld said:
The carvana experience was really nice. The car was freshly detailed and the folks were very courteous and knowledgeable. I honestly expected a more impersonal car delivery experience, like when you have a shipper drop your car off. But seems to me they’ve put a lot of thought into the experience.

Pictures?!

suydam · August 2019

@stickguy keep it simple. The more choices you throw in the less your chances of success. Your very first post on this issue made the most sense. Take advantage of the good offer, and lease a new version to buy. Easy peasy.

breld · August 2019

And of course, the whole reason we pulled the trigger on this one...

tjc78 · August 2019

Congrats! Plaid FTW!!

28firefighter · August 2019

breld said:
And of course, the whole reason we pulled the trigger on this one...

Love love love!

stickguy · August 2019

love it. but I thought it was blue. Maybe it is!

gotta have those seats. I would take that one off your hands.

stickguy · August 2019

suydam said:
@stickguy keep it simple. The more choices you throw in the less your chances of success. Your very first post on this issue made the most sense. Take advantage of the good offer, and lease a new version to buy. Easy peasy.

one frustrating thing is that the RDX leases like crap. Well, did the last time I looked so probably still does.

even easier is getting a comparable offer from the dealer, and trading it in instead, and getting $1,000 sales tax credit!

sda · August 2019

breld said:
And of course, the whole reason we pulled the trigger on this one...

Looks really nice, love the plaid seats and manual. Get rid of the Carvana plates, stickers poste haste!

breld · August 2019

Thanks all!

@stickguy - it is “dark iron blue” which is very much like the dark gray one we had a while back, but with a blue tint to it.

stickguy · August 2019

I need to look again, but if I found the perfect car on Carvana like you did, that would be super simple! Especially if they could just swap the registration and plates over.

nyccarguy · August 2019

Mazel-Tov @breld

@tjc78 - did you get the Volvo deal you wanted?

stickguy · August 2019

Bradd, we find out tomorrow!

these guys are killing me. I need to get the wife out to drive a few things. Hope she is up for it!

actually, can do the looking without any pressure, and once she picks exactly what she wants, I can go hunting until find the right deal.

pensfan83 · August 2019

My week is not ending well. The dealer didn't rotate the tires on the TLX, despite being told otherwise, and the contract for the truck was kicked back by TFS.

I'll find out tomorrow what's going on with the Toyota.

pensfan83 · August 2019

@tjc78 that's exciting, can't wait to hear details.

@breld love the GTI

stickguy · August 2019

the toyota could be an issue. Getting a rotation, can overcome that!

28firefighter · August 2019

pensfan83 said:
My week is not ending well. The dealer didn't rotate the tires on the TLX, despite being told otherwise, and the contract for the truck was kicked back by TFS.

I'll find out tomorrow what's going on with the Toyota.

Oh no. You’ll find out soon enough on the truck.

au1994 · August 2019

I too truly love this place. Hats off gentlemen...I logged off about 3:30 EST to begin heading up to the lake, a few hours later and 3 full pages of posts. Golf clap to you all.

corvette · August 2019

tjc78 said:
Punch pending ....details tomorrow.

Way to keep us in suspense! O.o

carnaught · August 2019

sda said:

breld said:
And of course, the whole reason we pulled the trigger on this one...

Looks really nice, love the plaid seats and manual. Get rid of the Carvana plates, stickers poste haste!

Congrats @breld. Should be a fun car (for a time)!

Michaell · August 2019

stickguy said:
love it. but I thought it was blue. Maybe it is!

gotta have those seats. I would take that one off your hands.

Take a number and stand in line!

pensfan83 · August 2019

28firefighter said:

pensfan83 said:
My week is not ending well. The dealer didn't rotate the tires on the TLX, despite being told otherwise, and the contract for the truck was kicked back by TFS.

I'll find out tomorrow what's going on with the Toyota.
Oh no. You’ll find out soon enough on the truck.

I ran the numbers again and everything matches up so I'm really stumped.

@stickguy it's an easy fix but I would have rather they just remove it from the bill and not tell me they did it if it didn't need done. The only way I know is because the rim with the scratch is mounted in the same place as before so no real way to prove anything. I'm inclined to just ask the shop we use for tires whether it needs done. More of an annoyance than anything.

benjaminh · August 2019

breld said:

The carvana experience was really nice. The car was freshly detailed and the folks were very courteous and knowledgeable. I honestly expected a more impersonal car delivery experience, like when you have a shipper drop your car off. But seems to me they’ve put a lot of thought into the experience.

Awesome.+++

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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