Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

oldfarmer50 · January 20

nyccarguy said:
Since the mysterious disappearing oil incident, my wife's 2017 Pilot has been behaving mechanically. I recently had (2) new BF Goodrich tires mounted on the front to prep for the winter. I think she might have hit 85,000 miles today. I have an appointment at the local Acura dealer to have the oil changed this coming Saturday AM. Last Sunday, she took my 15 year old, his friend, and our daughter skiing. Not too far, maybe a little more than an hour and a half away. Cell reception is certain areas of CT is spotty and her factory navigation system doesn't function properly all the time. The navigation screen will show the car not on the road she's travelling on. For example, she'll be driving north on the parkway and it will keep telling her "merge onto CT15 North," when she is already on CT15 North. She relies heavily on a combination of WAZE and the factory navigation for her job as a home care Physical Therapist. She commented that the navigation issue went from being a minor annoyance to a daily problem.

So I decide to start looking. I texted my broker to see how bad a Highlander Limited Hybrid would lease at MSRP. It ain't pretty. My next stop is going to be to try and find a '21 Grand Cherokee L Limited. I can use my affiliate discount code, plus some conquest cash (he said $2,000) is available.

It looks like my 2021 Wrangler 4xe is lost in limbo. Broker says his contact at the dealership is getting ZERO communication from Stellantis or the holding lot to see what's going on with my Jeep. Good news, my 2022 4xe got in well before the price hike. It should be here sometime in late March.

On the navigation issue, one of our new guys was using Google Maps to get to Wayne NJ the other day and it took him to Harriman NY and then down country roads. He panicked when Google told him he was 2 and a half hours away when he knew it was less than a 40 minute drive. An old Garmin OTOH worked flawlessly.

Possible good news on the car shortage front. I noticed today that our wholesale marketing lot had over a hundred cars ready to sell for the first time in a year. Still short of the 500+ we usually had but the most full I’ve seen it in a year. (We actually did a few deliveries to dealers today). Our new car lot for cars going into service was nearly full as well. Again, this hasn’t been the case for months.

Certainly, this is just anecdotal but it may mean that the car shortage is loosening a bit. One can only hope.

qbrozen · January 21

This is too awesome not to pass on for my fellow buyers. Be the only one on your block.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/662986151530460/

ab348 · January 21

cdnpinhead said:

qbrozen said:

Factory paint can never be replicated.
Since the advent of latex (water-based) paint, that can be a good thing.

Bring back Dittzler enamel!

It never occurred to me before but watching this video from Tyrrell's Classic Workshop with the heir (owner?) of Connolly leather in the UK it was mentioned that having to move from solvent-based tanning to water-based caused the resulting seat upholstery leathers to be different than the classic ones. Interesting video.

stickguy · January 21

Interesting design choices on that Focus. But kinda forgot the go fast parts.

qbrozen · January 21

@stickguy said:
Interesting design choices on that Focus. But kinda forgot the go fast parts.

Everybody knows that each stick-on vent or louver adds 10 hp

graphicguy · January 21

qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:

Interesting design choices on that Focus. But kinda forgot the go fast parts.

Everybody knows that each stick-on vent or louver adds 10 hp

And, looking like that, must go 0-100 MPH in 3 secs flat!

ab348 · January 21

stickguy said:
Interesting design choices on that Focus. But kinda forgot the go fast parts.

At first glance I thought it was a Subaru. But I don't think I've ever seen a white Subaru.

oldfarmer50 · January 21

qbrozen said:
This is too awesome not to pass on for my fellow buyers. Be the only one on your block.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/662986151530460/

I’m not sure what I’m seeing. Did the owner think that badging and cladding covers up the dents or make the car look sporty? 175k shows how far those pre-DCG automatics could last.

stickguy · January 21

Looks like started to go for a hot Rod (RS?) wagon. But got as far as the fender flares and gave up.

roadburner · January 21

@mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner said:
My wife's E39 got around just fine on Michelin Artic Alpins. And it wasn't too maintenance intensive either.

Arctic?? Not sure what Artic is…

You will have to ask someone at Michelin about that, as that is the name of that particular winter tire.

roadburner · January 21

@qbrozen said:
This is too awesome not to pass on for my fellow buyers. Be the only one on your block.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/662986151530460/

Craptastic!

mjfloyd1 · January 21

@roadburner said:

@mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner said:
My wife's E39 got around just fine on Michelin Artic Alpins. And it wasn't too maintenance intensive either.

Arctic?? Not sure what Artic is…

You will have to ask someone at Michelin about that, as that is the name of that particular winter tire.

>

Must have been discontinued

https://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Reviews/Michelin/Arctic+Alpin

jmonroe1 · January 21

@qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:
Interesting design choices on that Focus. But kinda forgot the go fast parts.

Everybody knows that each stick-on vent or louver adds 10 hp

Not really but now I do.

jmonroe

xwesx · January 21

qbrozen said:
This is too awesome not to pass on for my fellow buyers. Be the only one on your block.

Haha; I don't care what shenanigans it has going on there, a ZX with an automatic is an automatic pass.

28firefighter · January 21

When did the GTI get so expensive? Was just killing some time between meetings and goodness gracious that's a lot of coin.

stickguy · January 21

New? Isn’t a model with moonroof and a few goodies in the mid-30s now? Guessing a loaded R is near 50k.

breld · January 21

Yeah, between price creep and the lack of any discounts at all, the GTI isn't nearly as affordable as it once was. But to be fair, I don't think the MSRP has necessarily increased all that much. You're just not getting $2-5k off like you once were.

xwesx · January 21

breld said:
Yeah, between price creep and the lack of any discounts at all, the GTI isn't nearly as affordable as it once was. But to be fair, I don't think the MSRP has necessarily increased all that much. You're just not getting $2-5k off like you once were.

NOTHING is as affordable as it once (recently) was. Not great times for our dollars right now.

28firefighter · January 21

@breld said:
Yeah, between price creep and the lack of any discounts at all, the GTI isn't nearly as affordable as it once was. But to be fair, I don't think the MSRP has necessarily increased all that much. You're just not getting $2-5k off like you once were.

This is probably right. Also doesn’t help that most of the stock right now is high optioned SEs and Autobahns so the lowest prices I’m seeing is 37-41k.

kyfdx · January 21

28firefighter said:

@breld said:

Yeah, between price creep and the lack of any discounts at all, the GTI isn't nearly as affordable as it once was. But to be fair, I don't think the MSRP has necessarily increased all that much. You're just not getting $2-5k off like you once were.

This is probably right. Also doesn’t help that most of the stock right now is high optioned SEs and Autobahns so the lowest prices I’m seeing is 37-41k.

Nothing you can add to an SE but DSG and leather (pass on both). $35K is the new $30K.

andres3 · January 21

mjfloyd1 said:

@qbrozen said:

Factory paint can never be replicated.

It can be surpassed by many but the thickness is not the same

For every guy that can surpass factory paint quality there has got to be 10 bums working in the industry that couldn't if you gave them 1,000 tries on 1,000 vehicles.

carnaught · January 21

A nice split window ‘vette at Barrett-Jackson now:

andres3 · January 21

mjfloyd1 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

sda said:
@xwesx Between you and @andres3 your mechanical issues with the Audis is not giving me the warm and fuzzies about long term ownership of our Q5 or VW. I hope it isn’t a serious problem. Bah humbug!
The VW Tiguan has been stellar up to 19K miles now, and the TTS continues to rack them up and is fine nearing 54K miles.

The S4 is catastrophic engine failure of course.

Metal and junk and shavings everywhere. They tried to clean the oil housing and oil cooler but they are beyond saving; just uncleanable. Don't want to introduce old engine metal to the new engine, so ordering an aftermarket housing to save some money on plastic as German plastic is expensive, and went OEM oil cooler as that has metal components and it was only $100 more than aftermarket.

Latest message from the shop:

Looks like we had to disassemble the supercharger as well. There’s a bunch of crap inside it along with metal shavings as well. I’m hoping we can get most of it out and cleaned out from behind the intercoolers so we don’t have to replace them.

The water jacket in the block broke causing coolant and oil to mix everywhere.

It probably is easier to replace than "fix" things.

Looks like a 2022 finish on this repair job.
Am I getting this right, the engine block actually failed? That would seem to be a manufacturing defect. Should Audi stand behind something like that? Blocks don’t usually crack, at least not internally.
Hitachi HPFP..... Hitachi is on my brown colored list now.
Does detonation cause piston to destruct which damages the block?

No, but it can get fuel into the motor oil and reduce lubrication to zero.

explorerx4 · January 21

What scares me about buying one those expensive old cars is that there used to be a cottage industry producing whatever data plates you wanted.

ab348 · January 21

Could be worse... you might have invested in crypto a while ago.

breld · January 21

This doesn't seem like a crazy price for what it is (even taking into account the Carfax ding)...

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2012-bmw-328i-wagon-12/

stickguy · January 21

lovely car. perfect spec.

explorerx4 · January 21

Isn't 2012 the worst year for a BMW?

andres3 · January 21

2014 Camry SE Sport 40Kmiles for $17,700 on Carvana, Vroom lower... for my parents to tempt them to sell.

andres3 · January 21

breld said:
This doesn't seem like a crazy price for what it is (even taking into account the Carfax ding)...

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2012-bmw-328i-wagon-12/

How much is a wagon premium over an otherwise identical sedan? Seems pricy to me for the low HP motor version from BMW.

corvette · January 21

I don't care for the wheels on that 328i, and 2012 is getting to the point where it's generally expected that a high end car will have factory nav, although at $42k MSRP, this one is pretty minimally equipped for an E9x. I'm going to be the contrarian and say that, yes, $26.5k is too much for a ten year old mainstream model BMW that stickered for $42k and is halfway to the 150k mile mark.

rny421 · January 21

@breld - How do you like the X5 PHEV so far? How many miles of electric range have you been getting?

We will probably consider a PHEV to replace the GLC. I like the X5 and the new NX PHEV. Our GLC has been good *knock on wood* - we've got 52K miles on it now, and haven't really had many issues. We didn't put many miles on it from 2020-2021, but put 15K or so on it this last year, despite both working from home.

Once summer comes, the miles will decrease on my E-Tron now that I have th M235. I took the E-Tron on a 180 mile round trip for work this week, and was able to charge at my destination, and then just turn around and come home, which was pretty cool. That being said, EVs have a LONG way to go, as I think of people like my parents who would never want to deal with range anxiety or the complexities of figuring out where to charge on a road trip. The range RAPIDLY decreases when you're going 70+, which is usually how I drive

breld · January 21

@rny421 - I really am loving the X5.

I hardly use the full EV mode at all. The range estimate indicates I should get the 30-35 miles out of it as expected.

I suppose because I have the Polestar, the EV mode on the X5 isn’t very exciting. But the hybrid mode is wonderful…using the electric motor for smooth and quiet starts, and then smoothly transitioning in the I-6.

There is often a lag when trying to accelerate a bit aggressively at low speeds though. But that goes away in sport mode, when the gas engine kicks in with more response.

In roughly 370 miles, generally starting each day with a full charge, I am currently averaging about 35 mpg.

The overall driving experience is excellent.

Sandman6472 · January 21

OF, our lot of vehicles to be sold is also overflowing right now, parking there is a real challenge to be honest. And new vehicles are coming in daily with lots of Nissans lately. We did over 28 hours this week and since I worked two Sundays in my pay that I got today, did real good. Unfortunately, no work this past Sunday or this weekend though I let my boss know I was available both days. Wanted to work this Sunday as both my daughter & my wife are working so I'll be home with nothing to do & no one to play with.
On a side note, we're going to order a new 50" smart t v either tomorrow or Sunday. The time has come where I really need a blue tooth t v to keep the noise level down & a smart one is the best way to go. Out of all the brands I've looked at, the Sony has the best reviews by customers so think that'll be the one. Will know more tomorrow when I go look at the unit before I buy online. Luckily, today's check will more than cover it!

stickguy · January 21

Breld your signature line is behind again. Need to keep that up because nobody can remember what you own any particular day!

tjc78 · January 22

@Sandman6472 said:
OF, our lot of vehicles to be sold is also overflowing right now, parking there is a real challenge to be honest. And new vehicles are coming in daily with lots of Nissans lately. We did over 28 hours this week and since I worked two Sundays in my pay that I got today, did real good. Unfortunately, no work this past Sunday or this weekend though I let my boss know I was available both days. Wanted to work this Sunday as both my daughter & my wife are working so I'll be home with nothing to do & no one to play with.
On a side note, we're going to order a new 50" smart t v either tomorrow or Sunday. The time has come where I really need a blue tooth t v to keep the noise level down & a smart one is the best way to go. Out of all the brands I've looked at, the Sony has the best reviews by customers so think that'll be the one. Will know more tomorrow when I go look at the unit before I buy online. Luckily, today's check will more than cover it!

Funny you mention the Nissans. I drove by the local Nissan dealer yesterday and they appeared to be very well in stock compared to the Ford and Buick/GMC dealer on the same road.

Can’t go wrong with a Sony TV.

ab348 · January 22

tjc78 said:

Can’t go wrong with a Sony TV.

Well, I had two of them go bad one me prematurely. I will never buy another.

nyccarguy · January 22

After seeing just how bad a Highlander will potentially cost to lease at sticker, I decided to focus on my 2nd choice for a 3 row SUV to replace our 2017 Pilot. A 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited. My broker suggested to me that there are some nice incentives on the '21s, CULA Credit Union has a very favorable lease program, and the '21s currently qualify for the affiliate incentive (tread lightly in my case). Credit Unions usually only lease to people in a certain state. So I've got to find a Jeep dealer in CT that has a '21 GCL in stock (optioned how I would like it), works with CULA, and will take my affiliate incentive.

That being said, my first call was to a dealer right across the border in NY. A friend of mine recently made a contact while shopping, so I figured I'd give them a call. These are either from US Bank or Ally. The guy said the CCAP lease would be approximately $9 more per month. Here's what they sent me for a demo with 4,100 miles on it:

tjc78 · January 22

What’s the MSRP? Im guessing 48K or so? I just can’t wrap my head around these leases. May as well just buy it for $760 a month.

Edit .. this is a demo. Ugh

tjc78 · January 22

@ab348 said:
Well, I had two of them go bad one me prematurely. I will never buy another.

I’m surprised. I’ve had several going back to tube TVs and all have been flawless.

oldfarmer50 · January 22

“ Luckily, today's check will more than cover it!”

That “play money” does come in handy. I still can’t believe they pay us for doing this job.

oldfarmer50 · January 22

tjc78 said:

@Sandman6472 said:

OF, our lot of vehicles to be sold is also overflowing right now, parking there is a real challenge to be honest. And new vehicles are coming in daily with lots of Nissans lately. We did over 28 hours this week and since I worked two Sundays in my pay that I got today, did real good. Unfortunately, no work this past Sunday or this weekend though I let my boss know I was available both days. Wanted to work this Sunday as both my daughter & my wife are working so I'll be home with nothing to do & no one to play with.

On a side note, we're going to order a new 50" smart t v either tomorrow or Sunday. The time has come where I really need a blue tooth t v to keep the noise level down & a smart one is the best way to go. Out of all the brands I've looked at, the Sony has the best reviews by customers so think that'll be the one. Will know more tomorrow when I go look at the unit before I buy online. Luckily, today's check will more than cover it!

Funny you mention the Nissans. I drove by the local Nissan dealer yesterday and they appeared to be very well in stock compared to the Ford and Buick/GMC dealer on the same road.

Can’t go wrong with a Sony TV.

Up here we’re getting in a lot of big Fords, Toyotas and Nissans into inventory. Also a ton of Ram trucks. They are still buying a lot of used vehicles right off dealer lots.

nyccarguy · January 22

tjc78 said:
What’s the MSRP? Im guessing 48K or so? I just can’t wrap my head around these leases. May as well just buy it for $760 a month.

Edit .. this is a demo. Ugh

MSRP is just over $50K. I really want to keep leasing. I don't want to finance a Grand Cherokee, especially the brand new model. With my wife and I both driving so much, I'd rather just turn it in and get another 1 in 3 years. I put money down on our current Pilot, plus it is worth a decent amount right now. Ideally I'd like to cash out of it and not roll the equity into another financed vehicle.

breld · January 22

@nyccarguy - I may have missed it, but did you get a chance to drive the Grand Cherokee L? I would imagine it’s a nice ride.

I mean, if you and your wife like it and are comfortable with the payment terms, go for it. We all shop so often that we’re very in tune with the market…which means we all remember very well what these cars cost to buy or lease a mere year ago. But that’s certainly not the reality right now, and probably not for another year at least. Maybe we never get back to the place of crazy discounts if the manufacturers decide they like the idea of limiting inventory.

So the fun stuff…what color is this GC demo?

tjc78 · January 22

@nyccarguy said:
MSRP is just over $50K. I really want to keep leasing. I don't want to finance a Grand Cherokee, especially the brand new model. With my wife and I both driving so much, I'd rather just turn it in and get another 1 in 3 years. I put money down on our current Pilot, plus it is worth a decent amount right now. Ideally I'd like to cash out of it and not roll the equity into another financed vehicle.

Completely understand. The good thing is you know the outcome and you aren’t at the mercy of what could ever happen to the market. I said it a few weeks back, that in this market you are better off paying the going rate for a lease than rolling the dice on something used at these prices.

Like @breld said we all know the current market. I do believe that we will see large inventories and discounts again, but who knows when that will happen.

As for the Jeep, I’ve seen quite a few videos on it and I like it a lot!

28firefighter · January 22

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I found out this morning that one does not get a trade in tax credit for trading a lease in WA. There is a carve out in the code that isn’t on their consumer site.

fintail · January 22

Yep, you gotta buy it then trade it in, pay that extra tax, then get the credit, or don't get it at all.

28firefighter said:
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I found out this morning that one does not get a trade in tax credit for trading a lease in WA. There is a carve out in the code that isn’t on their consumer site.

28firefighter · January 22

@fintail said:
Yep, you gotta buy it then trade it in, pay that extra tax, then get the credit, or don't get it at all.

Welp. That stinks.

Not that I’m entitled to it - I haven’t paid full sales tax.

nyccarguy · January 22

breld said:
@nyccarguy - I may have missed it, but did you get a chance to drive the Grand Cherokee L? I would imagine it’s a nice ride.

I mean, if you and your wife like it and are comfortable with the payment terms, go for it. We all shop so often that we’re very in tune with the market…which means we all remember very well what these cars cost to buy or lease a mere year ago. But that’s certainly not the reality right now, and probably not for another year at least. Maybe we never get back to the place of crazy discounts if the manufacturers decide they like the idea of limiting inventory.

So the fun stuff…what color is this GC demo?

I did drive the GCL and liked it. The DEMO is Black/Brown.

roadburner · January 22

tjc78 said:

@Sandman6472 said:

OF, our lot of vehicles to be sold is also overflowing right now, parking there is a real challenge to be honest. And new vehicles are coming in daily with lots of Nissans lately. We did over 28 hours this week and since I worked two Sundays in my pay that I got today, did real good. Unfortunately, no work this past Sunday or this weekend though I let my boss know I was available both days. Wanted to work this Sunday as both my daughter & my wife are working so I'll be home with nothing to do & no one to play with.

On a side note, we're going to order a new 50" smart t v either tomorrow or Sunday. The time has come where I really need a blue tooth t v to keep the noise level down & a smart one is the best way to go. Out of all the brands I've looked at, the Sony has the best reviews by customers so think that'll be the one. Will know more tomorrow when I go look at the unit before I buy online. Luckily, today's check will more than cover it!

Funny you mention the Nissans. I drove by the local Nissan dealer yesterday and they appeared to be very well in stock compared to the Ford and Buick/GMC dealer on the same road.

Can’t go wrong with a Sony TV.

I love my Sony 950H(which has since been superseded). For some reason the Panasonic UB820-K 4K BD player wouldn't work with the X950H so I exchanged it for a Sony UBP-X800M2. It works great and saved me $250 over the Panasonic.

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