Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

au1994 · May 2021

henryn said:
As for “needing a pickup”, I remember someone here in these forums, a few years back, remarking, “90% of everything you will ever do with a car you could do with a Honda Fit”. Truer words.

Need/want…potato potahto to this group!

fintail · May 2021

I've rented a few BMWs over the years. Thinking back: black/black, black/black, dark red/tan, white/brown, white/black.

nyccarguy · May 2021

BMW made a color back in the mid - late ‘90s called Montreal Blue that was stunning.

I never new how much I needed a pickup until I leased one. Did I get it because I like the way it looks (fake hood scoop & all)? Yes. Did I get it because it was an insanely good deal? Yes. Do I love having a pickup? Absolutely. It’s also been a life saver at work.

au1994 · May 2021

Monaco, Orient and Estoril are some of my favorites. And I get you on the truck. Taco, Gladiator, Ridgeline, Santa Cruz and Maverick will all get a hard look from me.

andres3 · May 2021

graphicguy said:

tjc78 said:
I loved my 2000 Solara (XLE V6 auto)
I always thought those were a thinly disguised Lexus. Loved that body style!

It's just a Camry Coupe I think......

kyfdx · May 2021

nyccarguy said:
BMW made a color back in the mid - late ‘90s called Montreal Blue that was stunning.

I never new how much I needed a pickup until I leased one. Did I get it because I like the way it looks (fake hood scoop & all)? Yes. Did I get it because it was an insanely good deal? Yes. Do I love having a pickup? Absolutely. It’s also been a life saver at work.

My son's E36 M3 was repainted in Montreal Blue. Very nice

fintail · May 2021

Speaking of old BMW colors

I guess in a world where a 200K house is now 500K, a $500 hooptie is now $2000, and a 55K salary is now 60K (see what I did there), this makes sense.

sda · May 2021

fintail said:
Speaking of old BMW colors

I guess in a world where a 200K house is now 500K, a $500 hooptie is now $2000, and a 55K salary is now 60K (see what I did there), this makes sense.

I was thinking salary $55k, but yes, the sad reality.

rayainsw · May 2021

My current BMW's blue is my [current] favorite
of the colors I have had...
"Portimao blau metallic (C31)"
- Ray
Happy with everything else about it as well...

au1994 · May 2021

fintail said:
Speaking of old BMW colors

I guess in a world where a 200K house is now 500K, a $500 hooptie is now $2000, and a 55K salary is now 60K (see what I did there), this makes sense.

Wah??

ab348 · May 2021

Just saw a (Canadian) commercial for the Jeep Grand Cherokee offering 10% off MRSP plus $2500 in incentives. Must be one of the few vehicles with ample inventory.

28firefighter · May 2021

Project for today. My BIL has a near-mint 2005 G35 coupe with 137k miles. Looks and drives like it has 1/4 the mileage. Earlier in the week threw CEL and VDC lights and was cranking terribly. Plugged in my OBD reader and it turns out camshaft position sensor for bank 2 (driver’s side) was kaput. YouTube said it was fairly straightforward to replace and it was!

Removed the air box, intake tubing, MAF, and throttle body. Swapped out the sensor, put it all back together, and cleared the codes. Done in under an hour for $65 in parts. As lead “mechanic” I of course took it out for a proper rom-I mean- test drive. These VQ engines are wonderful.

My wife and SIL were quite impressed with us.

cdnpinhead · May 2021

Well done! You're now among the elite. I got into trouble the last time I said much more. I think I offended people who went to "the guy" to get a fuse replaced.

28firefighter · May 2021

My BIL suggested we should get a lift. I suspect that’s the threshold at which we do more harm than good…

graphicguy · May 2021

28firefighter said:
Project for today. My BIL has a near-mint 2005 G35 coupe with 137k miles. Looks and drives like it has 1/4 the mileage. Earlier in the week threw CEL and VDC lights and was cranking terribly. Plugged in my OBD reader and it turns out camshaft position sensor for bank 2 (driver’s side) was kaput. YouTube said it was fairly straightforward to replace and it was!

Removed the air box, intake tubing, MAF, and throttle body. Swapped out the sensor, put it all back together, and cleared the codes. Done in under an hour for $65 in parts. As lead “mechanic” I of course took it out for a proper rom-I mean- test drive. These VQ engines are wonderful.

My wife and SIL were quite impressed with us.

Best motor (and all of its variants) Nissan ever made. And, in the best platform Nissan every made.

nyccarguy · May 2021

@28firefighter said:
Project for today. My BIL has a near-mint 2005 G35 coupe with 137k miles. Looks and drives like it has 1/4 the mileage. Earlier in the week threw CEL and VDC lights and was cranking terribly. Plugged in my OBD reader and it turns out camshaft position sensor for bank 2 (driver’s side) was kaput. YouTube said it was fairly straightforward to replace and it was!

Removed the air box, intake tubing, MAF, and throttle body. Swapped out the sensor, put it all back together, and cleared the codes. Done in under an hour for $65 in parts. As lead “mechanic” I of course took it out for a proper rom-I mean- test drive. These VQ engines are wonderful.

My wife and SIL were quite impressed with us.

Excellent job!

roadburner · May 2021

28firefighter said:
Project for today. My BIL has a near-mint 2005 G35 coupe with 137k miles. Looks and drives like it has 1/4 the mileage. Earlier in the week threw CEL and VDC lights and was cranking terribly. Plugged in my OBD reader and it turns out camshaft position sensor for bank 2 (driver’s side) was kaput. YouTube said it was fairly straightforward to replace and it was!

Removed the air box, intake tubing, MAF, and throttle body. Swapped out the sensor, put it all back together, and cleared the codes. Done in under an hour for $65 in parts. As lead “mechanic” I of course took it out for a proper rom-I mean- test drive. These VQ engines are wonderful.

My wife and SIL were quite impressed with us.

VERY brave! That car could have caught fire and blown up the entire house and garage!!!

roadburner · May 2021

Okay, so I'm really going back and forth on this one: 2018 440i xDrive
Yes, there's a ding on the Carfax, but my SA friend can inspect the car for me. There can't be many F32 M Sport cars with three pedals and the THP- xDrive or otherwise. I absolutely love the interior, and I'm hoping one of those magic Ceramic paint coatings could help keep the Black Sapphire Metallic paint looking decent. The only other thing I see is that the rear bumper needs a bit of TLC and one wheel needs a touch up. It has a Bavarian ponycar vibe to it-reminding me of my father's 1965 Mustang that boasted a black over red color scheme.

28firefighter · May 2021

@roadburner said:
Okay, so I'm really going back and forth on this one: 2018 440i xDrive
Yes, there's a ding on the Carfax, but my SA friend can inspect the car for me. There can't be many F32 M Sport cars with three pedals and the THP- xDrive or otherwise. I absolutely love the interior, and I'm hoping one of those magic Ceramic paint coatings could help keep the Black Sapphire Metallic paint looking decent. The only other thing I see is that the rear bumper needs a bit of TLC and one wheel needs a touch up. It has a Bavarian ponycar vibe to it-reminding me of my father's 1965 Mustang that boasted a black over red color scheme.

Me likey

qbrozen · May 2021

@roadburner said:
Okay, so I'm really going back and forth on this one: 2018 440i xDrive
Yes, there's a ding on the Carfax, but my SA friend can inspect the car for me. There can't be many F32 M Sport cars with three pedals and the THP- xDrive or otherwise. I absolutely love the interior, and I'm hoping one of those magic Ceramic paint coatings could help keep the Black Sapphire Metallic paint looking decent. The only other thing I see is that the rear bumper needs a bit of TLC and one wheel needs a touch up. It has a Bavarian ponycar vibe to it-reminding me of my father's 1965 Mustang that boasted a black over red color scheme.

Poor condition rating and they overpaid. Just fyi.

breld · May 2021

Took delivery of the Polestar yesterday. All the paperwork was completed ahead of time, so it all went smoothly. They don’t have their credit card system set up yet, so they didn’t even collect the first lease payment - the sales manager said she’d call me when they are set up.

Since it was the first order - plus I let them know this was my 10th purchase form their dealership network - their general manager was there to say hi and congratulate me. They had a bottle of champagne and a couple of gift cards to a local massage spa for us. Fun experience.

I let the salesperson go through all the features and tech, which took about an hour. It was helpful, plus he wanted to go through it with me since it was his first delivery too.

Few obligatory pics - love this Thunder Gray color. Sort of a pale gray in some lights, but has a strong blue hue in others. I love the look of the frameless side view mirrors - the entire mirror body is what adjusts, as opposed to just the mirror insert. The interior is pretty plain looking - very Scandinavian - but the materials are actually quite interesting. I like the feel of the vegan seat material. The Android Automotive system is slick and very quick to operate. But I still look forward to Apple CarPlay which is still to come in a software update.

dad23 · May 2021

The car looks great @breld, very sharp and I agree on the color, enjoy it!!!

tjc78 · May 2021

Nice interior on that one!

carnaught · May 2021

@breld, nice - hope you enjoy and it’s exclusivity! Keep us updated on it.

tjc78 · May 2021

Congrats @breld

Really nice! Thunder Grey really works on that car.

benjaminh · May 2021

Congrats @breld! Looks great.++

ab348 · May 2021

That's a nice interior, @breld. Oddly enough, I went to their Canadian website (they only have 3 dealers in the entire country right now) and that color/material doesn't seem to be available with that paint here.

rayainsw · May 2021

"2021 Polestar 2"
I particularly like the seat trim.
- Ray
Many happy smiles to ya!

roadburner · May 2021

breld said:
Took delivery of the Polestar yesterday. All the paperwork was completed ahead of time, so it all went smoothly. They don’t have their credit card system set up yet, so they didn’t even collect the first lease payment - the sales manager said she’d call me when they are set up.

Since it was the first order - plus I let them know this was my 10th purchase form their dealership network - their general manager was there to say hi and congratulate me. They had a bottle of champagne and a couple of gift cards to a local massage spa for us. Fun experience.

I let the salesperson go through all the features and tech, which took about an hour. It was helpful, plus he wanted to go through it with me since it was his first delivery too.

Few obligatory pics - love this Thunder Gray color. Sort of a pale gray in some lights, but has a strong blue hue in others. I love the look of the frameless side view mirrors - the entire mirror body is what adjusts, as opposed to just the mirror insert. The interior is pretty plain looking - very Scandinavian - but the materials are actually quite interesting. I like the feel of the vegan seat material. The Android Automotive system is slick and very quick to operate. But I still look forward to Apple CarPlay which is still to come in a software update.

Great color!

28firefighter · May 2021

Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

corvette · May 2021

28firefighter said:
Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

I've rarely seen them severely dirty. If he paid someone to do it 30k ago, I'd question whether it got done, or whether they just reset the light.

corvette · May 2021

This color is gorgeous on the GTO, but it and everything in their inventory seems extremely overpriced. Peep the 1991 Cavalier wagon for sale with an asking price of nearly 20k--and it appears to have few if any factory options!

henryn · May 2021

corvette said:

28firefighter said:
Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

I've rarely seen them severely dirty. If he paid someone to do it 30k ago, I'd question whether it got done, or whether they just reset the light.

For cabin air filters (and air filters) the results will depend to a great degree where you drive. Dry, dusty roads, especially dirt or gravel, are going to pick up a lot more than cruising down the interstate. It also seems to depend on where the air intake is, relative to the ground. I found actual twigs in the cabin air filter on this ex-rental Pacifica, which seemed to be original at 61k miles. And the air filter appeared to be original Mopar, rather dirty, but no twigs. Lot of sand in the air box too. I would assume that Hertz changed the oil whenever the service light came on (+/- 10k miles), but nothing else.

One of the youtube videos that I watched, looking for information on removing the smell of cigarettes, the videographer showed a cabin air filter that was about as filthy as any filter I have ever seen. I would have been reluctant to get inside the car after seeing that cabin air filter.

28firefighter · May 2021

He hasn’t had the car for more than 10k. I’m guessing someone just reset the light.

jpp75 · May 2021

corvette said:
This color is gorgeous on the GTO, but it and everything in their inventory seems extremely overpriced. Peep the 1991 Cavalier wagon for sale with an asking price of nearly 20k--and it appears to have few if any factory options!

I do like that color on the GTO.

But there is absolutely no world where a 1990's Cavalier is worth their asking price. Maybe move the decimal one place to the left and it would be worth considering. Maybe.

oldfarmer50 · May 2021

roadburner said:
Okay, so I'm really going back and forth on this one: 2018 440i xDrive
Yes, there's a ding on the Carfax, but my SA friend can inspect the car for me. There can't be many F32 M Sport cars with three pedals and the THP- xDrive or otherwise. I absolutely love the interior, and I'm hoping one of those magic Ceramic paint coatings could help keep the Black Sapphire Metallic paint looking decent. The only other thing I see is that the rear bumper needs a bit of TLC and one wheel needs a touch up. It has a Bavarian ponycar vibe to it-reminding me of my father's 1965 Mustang that boasted a black over red color scheme.

Find out what market value is for a clean one and then offer 20% less because of the accident. Definitely make correcting the dings a condition of sale. Is $47k a good price for that?

oldfarmer50 · May 2021

corvette said:
This color is gorgeous on the GTO, but it and everything in their inventory seems extremely overpriced. Peep the 1991 Cavalier wagon for sale with an asking price of nearly 20k--and it appears to have few if any factory options!

Is that what a 15 yo GTO goes for? Seems expensive. Gorgeous car, beautiful color. Those dark reds really get me interested.

If you like old Cavaliers there are some around that are cheaper but still not cheap.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/d/oneco-1999-z24-cavalier-conv-original/7317439266.html

fintail · May 2021

That Cavalier wagon is hilarious, is the hipster flipper old car thing that out of control now?

Speaking of low mileage oldies, a lot more money, but a lot more car - this actually isn't seriously insane, in that it isn't 3x real value anyway.

oldfarmer50 · May 2021

henryn said:

corvette said:

28firefighter said:
Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

I've rarely seen them severely dirty. If he paid someone to do it 30k ago, I'd question whether it got done, or whether they just reset the light.
For cabin air filters (and air filters) the results will depend to a great degree where you drive. Dry, dusty roads, especially dirt or gravel, are going to pick up a lot more than cruising down the interstate. It also seems to depend on where the air intake is, relative to the ground. I found actual twigs in the cabin air filter on this ex-rental Pacifica, which seemed to be original at 61k miles. And the air filter appeared to be original Mopar, rather dirty, but no twigs. Lot of sand in the air box too. I would assume that Hertz changed the oil whenever the service light came on (+/- 10k miles), but nothing else.

One of the youtube videos that I watched, looking for information on removing the smell of cigarettes, the videographer showed a cabin air filter that was about as filthy as any filter I have ever seen. I would have been reluctant to get inside the car after seeing that cabin air filter.

Anything in those videos about getting mouse odor out of a car. I took the convertible out of the barn today and there had been “visitors”. No wires chewed than goodness.

fintail · May 2021

I have yet to see a Polestar on the road - I suspect I will eventually, as it seems to also match PNW tastes. Interesting mirrors, which appear to have a very minor bezel, I wonder if that will impact how they get dirty. Might be an illusion, but from inside the pillars look really thick, black plastic accent in the rear door bugs me a little. I've read the "chip shortage" impacts digital displays, so maybe that one got out before stuff hit the fan. Congrats on it, nice style that looks to have some AWD ability but isn't exaggerated faux-butch outdoorsy cosplay.

corvette · May 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

If you like old Cavaliers there are some around that are cheaper but still not cheap.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/d/oneco-1999-z24-cavalier-conv-original/7317439266.html

I'm not into old Cavaliers, but for someone who just wants a well maintained car for open air motoring and doesn't care about driving dynamics, $6,250 is at least an asking price I think could be negotiated down to something reasonable-ish.

corvette · May 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

corvette said:

28firefighter said:
Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

I've rarely seen them severely dirty. If he paid someone to do it 30k ago, I'd question whether it got done, or whether they just reset the light.
For cabin air filters (and air filters) the results will depend to a great degree where you drive. Dry, dusty roads, especially dirt or gravel, are going to pick up a lot more than cruising down the interstate. It also seems to depend on where the air intake is, relative to the ground. I found actual twigs in the cabin air filter on this ex-rental Pacifica, which seemed to be original at 61k miles. And the air filter appeared to be original Mopar, rather dirty, but no twigs. Lot of sand in the air box too. I would assume that Hertz changed the oil whenever the service light came on (+/- 10k miles), but nothing else.

One of the youtube videos that I watched, looking for information on removing the smell of cigarettes, the videographer showed a cabin air filter that was about as filthy as any filter I have ever seen. I would have been reluctant to get inside the car after seeing that cabin air filter.
Anything in those videos about getting mouse odor out of a car. I took the convertible out of the barn today and there had been “visitors”. No wires chewed than goodness.

From my experience in the Tundra, you have to find the "source" and clean it. There was a nest in the cabin air filter. Maybe check the HVAC system?

roadburner · May 2021

28firefighter said:
Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

The one in my Clubman was a mess; I don't believe that it had ever been changed.

roadburner · May 2021

corvette said:
This color is gorgeous on the GTO, but it and everything in their inventory seems extremely overpriced. Peep the 1991 Cavalier wagon for sale with an asking price of nearly 20k--and it appears to have few if any factory options!

The GTO was a nice drive, but I could never get past the "Mutated Cavalier" stying theme.

stickguy · May 2021

Cool looking Polestart. Good luck with it!

henryn · May 2021

corvette said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

corvette said:

28firefighter said:
Replaced the cabin air filter in my dad’s wagon this afternoon. Whoever decided that 30k miles is the correct interval for that should be beaten. I had to vacuum out driver and passenger sides just to see where everything went back together there was so much debris.

I've rarely seen them severely dirty. If he paid someone to do it 30k ago, I'd question whether it got done, or whether they just reset the light.
For cabin air filters (and air filters) the results will depend to a great degree where you drive. Dry, dusty roads, especially dirt or gravel, are going to pick up a lot more than cruising down the interstate. It also seems to depend on where the air intake is, relative to the ground. I found actual twigs in the cabin air filter on this ex-rental Pacifica, which seemed to be original at 61k miles. And the air filter appeared to be original Mopar, rather dirty, but no twigs. Lot of sand in the air box too. I would assume that Hertz changed the oil whenever the service light came on (+/- 10k miles), but nothing else.

One of the youtube videos that I watched, looking for information on removing the smell of cigarettes, the videographer showed a cabin air filter that was about as filthy as any filter I have ever seen. I would have been reluctant to get inside the car after seeing that cabin air filter.
Anything in those videos about getting mouse odor out of a car. I took the convertible out of the barn today and there had been “visitors”. No wires chewed than goodness.
From my experience in the Tundra, you have to find the "source" and clean it. There was a nest in the cabin air filter. Maybe check the HVAC system?

I think cleaning is going to be the key. Everything I read, every video I watched about the cigarette smoke, emphasized cleaning thoroughly as the first step. If you were a little closer, I would be happy to loan you this ozone generator for the final stage. Hey, Road Trip!

henryn · May 2021

roadburner said:

corvette said:
This color is gorgeous on the GTO, but it and everything in their inventory seems extremely overpriced. Peep the 1991 Cavalier wagon for sale with an asking price of nearly 20k--and it appears to have few if any factory options!
The GTO was a nice drive, but I could never get past the "Mutated Cavalier" stying theme.

Man, I don't know. Specs like this could easily get me "past" a "Mutated Cavalier styling theme"

ON EDIT: I think it would make a lot more sense to just buy a new Mustang GT.

nyccarguy · May 2021

@breld - congrats on the polestar! I’ll echo the others’ compliments on Thunder Grey. Beautiful! Looking forward to hearing your experiences with it!

Sandman6472 · May 2021

Breld, only word which comes to mind is, OUTSTANDING! I'd love one of those to be honest but think size is going to be an issue. I'm seriously leaning more & more towards the new Chevy Bolt model that should be out in the marketplace later this year. There will be two different models and I'd go with the smaller one. Right now, even with a smallish range of 259, I'd be the perfect consumer to purchase/lease one of them. I really don't mind the looks to be honest, I could live with one for the long term if necessary. Will be very interested to test drive one once they come out and the early adopters get their vehicles. Will be interesting to see what the feds do with the rebates and if in fact they actually help make these affordable for the common man like myself. Price it around the $26K mark or not to much above that, and I'll sign on the dotted line even now.
This is something that I'm pretty excited about and that hasn't happened to me since the week before I bought the Golf. I think I could let it go for the right Bolt model at the right price. Think I've come a long way here!

Sandman6472 · May 2021

Have been debating with myself about taking on this new shuttle drivers gig, and it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Ever since I left the post office I think and that was almost eleven years ago! I'm super happy at Enterprise and have no plans on leaving there. In fact, my old lead driver at Hertz called me on Friday to see if I'd be up to coming back and working with him! Was nice to hear but told him there's no way I'd ever do that drive for a job again as I'm spoiled with a short commute now. Did mention about the job at the Toyota store though and he was happy.
If I pass the urine test tomorrow and they in fact let me start on Saturday, think I'll give it a whirl. I just want to see how it goes and if it's everything I hoped it would be. And if not or if the hours get to be too much, I can always see about a reduction in those or leave altogether. I just hate to give up an opportunity on something I've wanted for a long time before I've actually done it for a few days. Personally, I think I'm going to really like it and those couple of afternoons right now, I do nothing to speak of except rest, watch t v or surf the web. It's really wasted hours so making a few extra bucks doing something I love to do might be worth it. My wife has already gone over the pros and cons with me and on paper at least, the pros outweigh the cons. She agrees with me to just give it a shot as I'll always be wondering about it if I say no before I even start. And really, I totally agree here. Just give it a shot and see where I land. But I think I'm going to like it fine. And if not, I'll just stop. But I have to at least try...I've got to do at least that!

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