Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld · January 2020

roadburner said:

breld said:
I may check out that 228i this weekend. Like others have pointed out, it’s optioned nicely - I’d assume it was a special order, and it seems that most who would order something like this tend to forgo some of the creature comforts, but not so on this one.

Normally I’d stay away from a RWD version for resale here in CO, but at that price it could have appeal on the enthusiast front, given it’s the only way to get the manual anyway.

Clearly out of warranty - anyone know of particular issues of concern on the 4 cylinder?

It’s the N20. A decent motor and it makes the 228i almost quick. No real issues that I know of. Just change the oil every 10k miles/one year using an oil meeting BMW specs and change the coolant every 3-4 years.

Thanks @roadburner and @stickguy for the feedback.

roadburner · January 2020

graphicguy said:
@roadburner ...tough to beat Android Auto and/or Apple CarPlay in modern cars. The newest ones even integrate both well.

I like BMW. But, I think charging either a subscription fee, or as an option on their cars to integrate Apple CarPlay is a non-starter for many. Not sure about all car makers, but the ones I’ve driven recently have both Android or Apple as a freebie in their cars.

CarPlay is now free to download on recent BMWs and there’s no longer a subscription fee. I still think CarPlay is redundant in BMWs equipped with Professional Navigation.

stickguy · January 2020

I like using google maps, and really like being able to have everything set on my phone, then just get in the car, plug it in and already running. And much easier to make changes on the fly, since just do it right on the phone and never have to mess with the car. and no issues about updates required.

kyfdx · January 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:
Murano for $250/mo.

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5844748/#Comment_5844748
That’s pretty cheap. Is Nissan having trouble moving those?

No idea... my personal views, aside.

kyfdx · January 2020

breld said:

stickguy said:
not quite as fast as the 6?
True. But that doesn’t really concern me. I’m more wondering if there are maintenance and repair issues to be afraid of.

We have the same engine (more or less) in our 2017 X3. Of course, only 40K miles. Not a hiccup.

qbrozen · January 2020

kyfdx said:
Murano for $250/mo.

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5844748/#Comment_5844748

That's about the number I had pinned down. Seriously considered it and mentioned it to the wife. But then thought better of it. The Hyundai was a better decision.

pensfan83 · January 2020

A college friend of mine texted me earlier letting me know he picked up a new Model 3 Performance, blue over black. The blue looks really nice. He's head over heels in love with it (so far).

The next time I am in the area for work and we catch up he offered to let me take it for a spin. Having never driven a BEV I'm looking forward to it.

xwesx · January 2020

ronsteve said:

stickguy said:
Until she gets out of the car, and it wants to stop running!
How quickly would the car actually want to stop running? I got close to 2 miles down the road without even a warning message.

I left my Q7 running when I went inside a building to assist a disabled friend. My wife and kids were in the car, but the only fob was on me. About five minutes later, she decides to move the car, so she goes around to the driver, gets in, takes off, and drives it around the block before coming back to the spot where I originally stopped. The whole time, the car said the key was not present, but it didn't seem to take any issue at all with her driving it around.... /facepalm

roadburner · January 2020

I use the BMW Connected app to send addresses to my car, so the destination is set as soon as I start the car. Making a change is easy using voice recognition. I like not having to tether a phone.

corvette · January 2020

I think most of the keyless systems will let you continue driving a running car with no key present until you turn the ignition off. After that, you're stuck until you find the fob.

@roadburner, that's a nice feature. I like Waze's (usually) correct prompts of objects on the road, vehicles stopped on the shoulder, potholes, etc. The warnings about police presence are often wrong, though.

oldfarmer50 · January 2020

ab348 said:
Two big recalls surfaced today. Honda recalled 2.7 million vehicles due to faulty Takata airbags, but these ones won't kill you with shrapnel if they go off. They might kill you by not inflating at all though.

Toyota recalled 3.4 million vehicles because of a faulty ECU that might not trigger airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners in the case of a crash.

The Honda one is doubly interesting because they say they won't be able to start fixing them for about a year. Yikes.

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/01/22/toyota-honda-recall-corolla-takata-airbag/

Woo hoo! An excuse to buy another car.

cdnpinhead · January 2020

The upshot is that if you fasten your seat belt, none of this matters, the billions of dollars spent on airbags to the contrary.

oldfarmer50 · January 2020

xwesx said:

ronsteve said:

stickguy said:
Until she gets out of the car, and it wants to stop running!
How quickly would the car actually want to stop running? I got close to 2 miles down the road without even a warning message.
I left my Q7 running when I went inside a building to assist a disabled friend. My wife and kids were in the car, but the only fob was on me. About five minutes later, she decides to move the car, so she goes around to the driver, gets in, takes off, and drives it around the block before coming back to the spot where I originally stopped. The whole time, the car said the key was not present, but it didn't seem to take any issue at all with her driving it around.... /facepalm

Criminals will appreciate that feature.

corvette · January 2020

cdnpinhead said:
The upshot is that if you fasten your seat belt, none of this matters, the billions of dollars spent on airbags to the contrary.

Having been properly belted in an accident where the airbag prevented my head from hitting the steering wheel, I respectfully disagree.

fintail · January 2020

I'm pretty sure I have seen ample objective data proving the value of airbags.

cdnpinhead · January 2020

Then there's the side airbags, a relatively recent development. Generally, though, the airbag concept was to provide passive protection, on the theory that people who don't want to use seat belts need to be protected.

stickguy · January 2020

they were always known to be more effective when combined with seatbelts. The problem was, they designed them (and tested) assuming that people in the car were unbelted.

jmonroe · January 2020

fintail said:
I'm pretty sure I have seen ample objective data proving the value of airbags.

I agree with you so I'm not arguing but with all the problems we have heard about airbags, can we really put our trust in them alone to work when we need them? When I hear my seat belt click I'm sure it will work even if the car is 20 years old. I saw what can happen when you don't use your seat belt when I was a member of flight crews when I was in the Navy from 1960 to 1963. I knew a guy in the aviation equipment group who made me seat belts that I installed in my '56 Chevy. Then when I got a '62 Chevy in '63 (just before I got out), I didn't want the military green belts so I went to the auto parts and got pretty blue matching seat belts for that beauty. Yes, once again I was ahead of the curve about something. However, if you saw what happened to that sailor when he was launched out of his seat into a baggage rack, after being warned by me several times to buckle up, because we were going to land hard due to some pretty strong cross winds, you would have installed them too in your car. I have never had a car without seat belts since then and I trust them to be there when needed...not so sure I can say the same about airbags.

jmonroe

xwesx · January 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

Criminals will appreciate that feature.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought! LOL

suydam · January 2020

Don’t leave your engine running.

sda · January 2020

Mom was slightly ahead of the curve about seat belts. In 65 when they bought a used 63 Olds Dynamic 88 Holiday coupe she had driver and passenger seat belts installed upfront. None in the rear. She always wore hers and if you sat up front, that was the rule, seat belt fastened. I became a real believer when we lived in France and I watched a wreck happen in front of us and a woman was thrown through the windshield. That was very upsetting.

corvette · January 2020

jmonroe said:
I agree with you so I'm not arguing but with all the problems we have heard about airbags, can we really put our trust in them alone to work when we need them? When I hear my seat belt click I'm sure it will work even if the car is 20 years old.

The belt will probably work, but if equipped, the pretensioner (another pyrotechnic like the airbag) may or may not, since I assume they are subject to similar aging issues as airbags. Everything is a crapshoot... At least the pretensioners are not mounted in a location where they can launch shrapnel into your face if they malfunction.

qbrozen · January 2020

Received an email that my BonusDrive application was approved. So we will be receiving a $500 check from Hyundai. Its like 3 mos of no payments.

kyfdx · January 2020

qbrozen said:
Received an email that my BonusDrive application was approved. So we will be receiving a $500 check from Hyundai. Its like 3 mos of no payments.

What is that?

fintail · January 2020

These days I'd be more concerned with shrapnel than the bags not inflating at all. IIRC, several years ago, MB found one of their early production airbag cars (an S-class from 1980, I think), and crash tested it. The airbag still worked. I also think I have seen some stat touting tens of thousands of lives saved via airbags, as they have been standard in virtually every car sold here since around 1995, it could be true. My mom has an older car with only front airbags, sometimes I'd like her to get something with more modern active safety, just for peace of mind.

Seatbelts can be funny too. My old car, now within sight of 60 years old, has belts I think were installed by the dealer when new (front seats only). They click just fine with their aircraft style latches, but I am a little leery of what might happen if that old netting is stretched too hard.

jmonroe said:

I agree with you so I'm not arguing but with all the problems we have heard about airbags, can we really put our trust in them alone to work when we need them? When I hear my seat belt click I'm sure it will work even if the car is 20 years old. I have never had a car without seat belts since then and I trust them to be there when needed...not so sure I can say the same about airbags.

jmonroe

qbrozen · January 2020

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:
Received an email that my BonusDrive application was approved. So we will be receiving a $500 check from Hyundai. Its like 3 mos of no payments.
What is that?

https://www.bonusdrive.com/

sda · January 2020

fintail said:
These days I'd be more concerned with shrapnel than the bags not inflating at all. IIRC, several years ago, MB found one of their early production airbag cars (an S-class from 1980, I think), and crash tested it. The airbag still worked. I also think I have seen some stat touting tens of thousands of lives saved via airbags, as they have been standard in virtually every car sold here since around 1995, it could be true. My mom has an older car with only front airbags, sometimes I'd like her to get something with more modern active safety, just for peace of mind.

Seatbelts can be funny too. My old car, now within sight of 60 years old, has belts I think were installed by the dealer when new (front seats only). They click just fine with their aircraft style latches, but I am a little leery of what might happen if that old netting is stretched too hard.

jmonroe said:

I agree with you so I'm not arguing but with all the problems we have heard about airbags, can we really put our trust in them alone to work when we need them? When I hear my seat belt click I'm sure it will work even if the car is 20 years old. I have never had a car without seat belts since then and I trust them to be there when needed...not so sure I can say the same about airbags.

jmonroe

Have you inquired on replacing the old seat belts? It maybe worth it just for your peace of mind.

ronsteve · January 2020

corvette said:
I think most of the keyless systems will let you continue driving a running car with no key present until you turn the ignition off. After that, you're stuck until you find the fob.

That was exactly my experience with my RDX. Now trying to remember if that was the drive where there was a message that the fob needed a new battery. Maybe that was the system's interpretation of it being on (or by that point, off?) the roof...

fintail · January 2020

It's something I should look into. They attach to the floor, so it wouldn't be a horribly tough job. I'd want a vintage look with the old fashioned buckles though, maybe I can replace just the webbing. The car only goes on 2 or 3 freeway drives a year anymore, and is deemed roadworthy by my indy mechanic, so I like to think I am keeping luck on my side.

sda said:

Have you inquired on replacing the old seat belts? It maybe worth it just for your peace of mind.

roadburner · January 2020

stickguy said:
they were always known to be more effective when combined with seatbelts. The problem was, they designed them (and tested) assuming that people in the car were unbelted.

Which I consider to be unwarranted interference with the law of natural selection. Design supplemental restraint systems to protect belted occupant.

suydam · January 2020

so If parents don’t buckle up their kids that’s just too bad for those kids?

stickguy · January 2020

Kids in back seat don’t have airbags anyway.

explorerx4 · January 2020

My son in law's Explorer has airbag seat belts in the 2nd row.

corvette · January 2020

Those kind of freak me out. I know the chance of a random accidental deployment is very low, but airbag locations are something I try to be conscious of when I’m working on my car.

oldfarmer50 · January 2020

corvette said:

jmonroe said:
I agree with you so I'm not arguing but with all the problems we have heard about airbags, can we really put our trust in them alone to work when we need them? When I hear my seat belt click I'm sure it will work even if the car is 20 years old.
The belt will probably work, but if equipped, the pretensioner (another pyrotechnic like the airbag) may or may not, since I assume they are subject to similar aging issues as airbags. Everything is a crapshoot... At least the pretensioners are not mounted in a location where they can launch shrapnel into your face if they malfunction.

On my 1985 F-150 the cab was so rusty that the anchor mount for the seat belt broke loose and was rattling on the ground like a grappling hook. So even a seat belt can fail.

oldfarmer50 · January 2020

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:
Received an email that my BonusDrive application was approved. So we will be receiving a $500 check from Hyundai. Its like 3 mos of no payments.
What is that?
https://www.bonusdrive.com/

Funny that the offer is bundled with FCA cars. Does Hyundai have a relationship that I’m not aware of?

28firefighter · January 2020

So, interesting. I left the i3 at the airport for 3.5 days (Monday night to today midday) while traveling for a conference. Near zero parasitic draw. Range was 136 miles when I parked and exactly the same when I got back. Very impressed.

oldfarmer50 · January 2020

suydam said:
so If parents don’t buckle up their kids that’s just too bad for those kids?

I used to lay on the rear window deck of my mom’s 53’ Ford as she drove to the store and smoked cigarettes. I lived to tell about it.

stickguy · January 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:
Received an email that my BonusDrive application was approved. So we will be receiving a $500 check from Hyundai. Its like 3 mos of no payments.
What is that?
https://www.bonusdrive.com/
Funny that the offer is bundled with FCA cars. Does Hyundai have a relationship that I’m not aware of?

that is a company that sells the service to various companies and organizations to offer as a benefit. Kind of like TrueCar. Not run by Hyundai.

corvette · January 2020

28firefighter said:
So, interesting. I left the i3 at the airport for 3.5 days (Monday night to today midday) while traveling for a conference. Near zero parasitic draw. Range was 136 miles when I parked and exactly the same when I got back. Very impressed.

Nice! Li-ion batteries seem to hold a charge pretty well in storage, as well.

I think many ICE cars don't have a lot of parasitic draw, anymore - the only time it takes mine a long time to top off on the battery maintainer is if I've done a bunch of short trips, engaging the starter without driving them long enough to allow the battery to fully recharge.

suydam · January 2020

My Volt always stays charged, even if we go away for awhile.

fintail · January 2020

The fintail, which has a huge battery and virtually nothing running to drain the battery while idle, will fire right up after sitting for a month or two.

The modern cars, however, hate a diet of only short drives, and send out low battery warnings if not taken for a 15+ minute/higher speed drive now and then.

roadburner · January 2020

suydam said:
so If parents don’t buckle up their kids that’s just too bad for those kids?

Since the Safety [non-permissible content removed] insists on protecting unbelted adult imbeciles the bags inflate much faster and even endanger children who are belted in.

xwesx · January 2020

28firefighter said:
So, interesting. I left the i3 at the airport for 3.5 days (Monday night to today midday) while traveling for a conference. Near zero parasitic draw. Range was 136 miles when I parked and exactly the same when I got back. Very impressed.

Well, sure... consider the sheer size of that battery compared to the draw (and then compare to a typical 12V starting battery). I imagine it would take a whole lot of time with parasitic draw to have an appreciable effect on the range-to-empty.

oldfarmer50 · January 2020

fintail said:
The fintail, which has a huge battery and virtually nothing running to drain the battery while idle, will fire right up after sitting for a month or two.

The modern cars, however, hate a diet of only short drives, and send out low battery warnings if not taken for a 15+ minute/higher speed drive now and then.

The battery in the Mustang complains after a month in storage but hasn’t failed to start...yet.

kyfdx · January 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

suydam said:
so If parents don’t buckle up their kids that’s just too bad for those kids?
I used to lay on the rear window deck of my mom’s 53’ Ford as she drove to the store and smoked cigarettes. I lived to tell about it.

When I was 5, my mother would drop me off at a sitter, on her way to school (teacher). I would lay in the floorboard by the heat flow and go to sleep.

kyfdx · January 2020

Another bargain Tacoma lease:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5845824/#Comment_5845824

stickguy · January 2020

When the time comes, I could (maybe?) get the wife on board for a PU at that price. Or I just don’t ask her.

kyfdx · January 2020

Cheap Bolt lease:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5845571/#Comment_5845571

stickguy · January 2020

Closer to $290 without the loyalty, but still not bad for sign and drive.

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