Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner · July 2023

28firefighter said:
Yep. So far sounds like driving and shopping for a Honda in Seattle.

Can’t wait to hear the Acura experience. It all depends which dealer you went to…

My wife wanted a Honda Accord back in the early '80s when we were dating. The voluntary automobile import quotas were in effect, and the games that the Cincinnati Honda dealers played annoyed my wife to the point that after four decades she still won't consider a Honda...

pensfan83 · July 2023

@tifighter said:
Oh, the Acura dealer had second stickers galore on everything. $2k market adjustments on MDXs they have over 40 units of. Plus the pro pack with important necessities like wheel locks and edge guards for another $2k. $71k second sticker on a $65k MSRP. I will say the MDX drives better than the Pilot, and basically feels like a large car. After the drive, the sales guy immediately brought out the four square and also asked what they could do to earn my business. I replied sell under MSRP, which started a drama performance worthy of an award. I expected as much. But I wanted to drive a Q7 before getting into it, so I left him to rehearse.

Yikes. You could ship one from my dealer and still come out thousands ahead. They're below MSRP and no add ons.

jmonroe1 · July 2023

@pensfan83 said:

@tifighter said:
Oh, the Acura dealer had second stickers galore on everything. $2k market adjustments on MDXs they have over 40 units of. Plus the pro pack with important necessities like wheel locks and edge guards for another $2k. $71k second sticker on a $65k MSRP. I will say the MDX drives better than the Pilot, and basically feels like a large car. After the drive, the sales guy immediately brought out the four square and also asked what they could do to earn my business. I replied sell under MSRP, which started a drama performance worthy of an award. I expected as much. But I wanted to drive a Q7 before getting into it, so I left him to rehearse.

Yikes. You could ship one from my dealer and still come out thousands ahead. They're below MSRP and no add ons.

————————————————
What’s your commission if he buys?

jmonroe

tifighter · July 2023

@pensfan83 said:

@tifighter said:
Oh, the Acura dealer had second stickers galore on everything. $2k market adjustments on MDXs they have over 40 units of. Plus the pro pack with important necessities like wheel locks and edge guards for another $2k. $71k second sticker on a $65k MSRP. I will say the MDX drives better than the Pilot, and basically feels like a large car. After the drive, the sales guy immediately brought out the four square and also asked what they could do to earn my business. I replied sell under MSRP, which started a drama performance worthy of an award. I expected as much. But I wanted to drive a Q7 before getting into it, so I left him to rehearse.

Yikes. You could ship one from my dealer and still come out thousands ahead. They're below MSRP and no add ons.

I know. The MDX boards are full of below MSRP deals, but few of them are on the west coast. The Seattle market is always one of the worst.

explorerx4 · July 2023

@tifighter,
It's sort of like real estate. There are many different markets.

28firefighter · July 2023

I’ve had generally solid experiences helping friends that ultimately bought from Acura Bellevue.

qbrozen · July 2023

@tifighter said:

@qbrozen said:

@tifighter said:
… buy a huge car with tons of second row legroom …

I read this and my mind immediately went to Charger (and, later, S90), but then you went a whole nother direction.

Yeah, I’m not skiing in that.

Why would you ski on a car??

jmonroe1 · July 2023

qbrozen said:

@tifighter said:

@qbrozen said:

@tifighter said:

… buy a huge car with tons of second row legroom …

I read this and my mind immediately went to Charger (and, later, S90), but then you went a whole nother direction.

Yeah, I’m not skiing in that.

Why would you ski on a car??

————————————————
He didn’t say “on”, he said “in”.

jmonroe

qbrozen · July 2023

Still weird. But I agree they aren’t roomy enough to fit even a bunny slope inside.

tifighter · July 2023

Now if it had stadium seating…

corvette · July 2023

I ordered a set of Cooper Endeavors for the Prius in the same plus zero size that was on it (195 mm width vs. 185 factory). Some people use 205 mm width tires in that application, but when I searched for the appropriate size, the selection wasn't great.

$470.64 installed at Discount Tire (appointment set up for this Friday), and there's a $50 gift card rebate from Cooper.

kyfdx · July 2023

I love Discount Tire

Michaell · July 2023

corvette said:
I ordered a set of Cooper Endeavors for the Prius in the same plus zero size that was on it (195 mm width vs. 185 factory). Some people use 205 mm width tires in that application, but when I searched for the appropriate size, the selection wasn't great.

$470.64 installed at Discount Tire (appointment set up for this Friday), and there's a $50 gift card rebate from Cooper.

Will new tires improve fuel economy?

corvette · July 2023

Michaell said:

Will new tires improve fuel economy?

That remains to be seen. It typically averages close to 40 mpg for me. But, I don't drive it enough that a few mpg difference would be significant.

pensfan83 · July 2023

Chalk up two more Jeep dealers that have zero clue about the vehicles they are selling and is overplaying their hand when it comes to moving inventory. Honestly if we were not interested in a PHEV we would moved on after the first dealer.

andres3 · July 2023

mjfloyd1 said:

@andres3 said:

I got my S4 back and it looks pretty good. I'll say I think the fenders/hood are a bit "tweaked" but by the normal lay person's standards no one but a "crazy" like me with an eye for fit n' finish would notice. They were able to straighten, even out, and improve the hood fitment and the gaps with the fenders, but it's not perfect. The owner said perhaps you need a new hood....I said maybe I do. But that's a can of worms, maybe needs new fenders too. Could a fender have been "tweaked" in the collision without any paint damage? Could someone misalign a fender easily? I'm not expert enough to say.

I have to accept it all because I bought the car used, and even though the Carfax said "no prior accidents" one of the fenders is giving me doubts upon very scrutinized close inspection. If I bought it new I'd be 100% certain enough Ingolstadt would never let a car like this leave the factory. Good enough for US car assembly standards I guess, and the reason DV is both real and inherent; especially in higher quality German vehicles.

At least the paint work is good! Shiny, very red, and well color sanded/polished. The owner told me he does 99.9% of the paint work in his shop, even at 72 years old. He said the only one who paints besides him is his son (Jr.) and that's only when he's on vacation.

I'm guessing he rarely takes vacations. How much longer can he keep it up though? At some point his eyes are gonna go " alt="" height="20" /> I know mine are already imperfect. I need to trade my eyes in for the 20 year old versions rather than the 40+.

Man, I love the S4 after having driven the TTS daily for over 3 weeks. Keep in mind the TTS is on 200 treadwear track like tires, so it's harder riding, louder, and just a generally stiffer ride than the S4, which is sublimely quiet on All-Season Pilot Sport 4's.

Sorry for your troubles.

Sounds like you were done in by those “other bad drivers”. 😂

yeah yeah yeah

But you don't want to count "damage done by other bad drivers" vs. my bad driving. That would be a lopsided equation.

corvette · July 2023

kyfdx said:
I love Discount Tire

As if you need another reason: Email and phone call from Discount Tire - the tires I ordered this morning already arrived at the store.

venture · July 2023

kyfdx said:
I love Discount Tire

One just opened near me. I saw them building it but didn't know what it was going to be.

I can't say it opened with little fanfare. I can say it opened with no fanfare. All of a sudden, there it is.

breld · July 2023

Speaking of Discount, we had to replace a bulging tire on my wife’s MINI last week after she encountered a pothole that ate up her low profile tire. Earlier in the season, you may remember, I had to repair a wheel and replace a tire after a similar incident in the Polestar. I’m starting to appreciate smaller wheels…love the tall tire profile on the GX.

On another note, I test drove a slightly used Tesla Model S over the weekend and found a lot to like. This was a refreshed 2022 model with about 8k miles and roughly a $20k discount over what a new one would cost. So refreshing to see discounts on used cars again!

breld · July 2023

Currently killing time at the airport with a flight delay.

My wife is attending a conference hosted at the Waldorf at Monarch Beach (near the LA area). I thought I’d be a nice husband and tag along.

Two of the kids are flying out Wednesday so we can spend a few days at Disney.

tjc78 · July 2023

@breld said:
Currently killing time at the airport with a flight delay.

My wife is attending a conference hosted at the Waldorf at Monarch Beach (near the LA area). I thought I’d be a nice husband and tag along. Two of the kids are flying out Wednesday so we can spend a few days at Disney.

My wife and I try and do that with business trips too. Makes a nice little getaway with the bonus of reduced cost

au1994 · July 2023

tjc78 said:

@breld said:

Currently killing time at the airport with a flight delay.

My wife is attending a conference hosted at the Waldorf at Monarch Beach (near the LA area). I thought I’d be a nice husband and tag along. Two of the kids are flying out Wednesday so we can spend a few days at Disney.

My wife and I try and do that with business trips too. Makes a nice little getaway with the bonus of reduced cost

Yep. We have done San Diego 2x and New Orleans once around conferences she attends. On one of the San Diego trips I was able to get my airfare taken care of as well.

Michaell · July 2023

When I was traveling, the wife and I did Hawaii, Alaska, Las Vegas, and Boston.

pensfan83 · July 2023

You all go to some nice places.

I go to Northern NJ and pray Newark is functioning in a semi-normal way.

stickguy · July 2023

I went to Dallas in a triple digit heat wave. Not exciting. Thankfully probably not going back until September.

Michaell · July 2023

Both Hawaii and Alaska were in May; Boston in October, Vegas in ... well, it doesn't really matter, does it?

corvette · July 2023

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Vegas is more tolerable in winter months.

jmonroe1 · July 2023

corvette said:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say Vegas is more tolerable in winter months.

————————————————
You’re never going to break that limb.

jmonroe

nyccarguy · July 2023

Thoughts?

https://www.autotrader.com/marketplace/buy/mazda/tribute/2005/4F2CZ961X5KM33019?listingId=687858740

qbrozen · July 2023

@nyccarguy said:
Thoughts?

https://www.autotrader.com/marketplace/buy/mazda/tribute/2005/4F2CZ961X5KM33019?listingId=687858740

Better be perfect for that $$

I paid less for my 2010 Escape with 100k. It was rusty and needed tires and the interior was nasty, however.

explorerx4 · July 2023

@nyccaruy,
Check the rear strut towers for rust. Rear wheel well area in general.

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

nyccarguy said:
Thoughts?

https://www.autotrader.com/marketplace/buy/mazda/tribute/2005/4F2CZ961X5KM33019?listingId=687858740

nyccarguy said:
Thoughts?
A perfect school car according to Car Wizard. Skip to 8:40.

https://youtu.be/OgfIplEERtw

tifighter · July 2023

@28firefighter said:
I’ve had generally solid experiences helping friends that ultimately bought from Acura Bellevue.

It was Hinshaws. But you knew that already. Together with Seattle, they have all of the inventory. For obvious reasons.

tifighter · July 2023

Last stop on Saturday, BTW, was at the local Audi dealer. From a customer experience perspective, it was a different world to the Honda/Acura shops. No four square, second stickers, etc. Sales guy said they started at MSRP, and there was a cash back incentive for July. As for the car, they only had one with the 4 banger to drive when I stopped in. It actually felt stronger than I expected. Quiet, well made, rode well and it had an infotainment set up that was easier to use than the Acura. It feels smaller to drive than the others, more like a wagon than a big SUV. And the center anchors took an infant seat like a champ (Pilot and MDX did too). Of course, it’s an Audi so you have to climb the options ladder for awhile to get the car you actually want. About 3 months to get a custom order. But at least I didn’t need to take a shower after visiting the showroom.

Sandman6472 · July 2023

They opened up a couple Discount Tire shops in Palm Beach County so it would be a drive to get there, maybe 30 miles. But since I might need to replace a tire, thought I might take a ride to see what they offer. Two have already been replaced under the road hazard warranty but still have a couple from the end of 2019 with one wearing a bit more than the other. So, might just have to go with a couple since they'd be on the same axle. At this point, would like to do nothing & wait to see if I in fact do like the soon to be released 2024 Hyundai Kona. From the pics I've seen, looks to be exactly what I want in my next vehicle. But, hate a first year model even though I've done that twice already. Would rather go with either year two or year four after the usual refresh. Hoping that I can just put the older tires on the rear axle when I do it's yearly oil change soon & hold out. I don't put a whole lot of miles on my d d anymore, maybe 3K/year if that, so might be able to hold off until I buy which is the current plan. But if i'm not overwhelmed when the new Kona debuts, have to have a plan since it just means the Golf stays a bit longer. It'll be nine in December so really have no issue keeping it another year.

au1994 · July 2023

nyccarguy said:
Thoughts?

https://www.autotrader.com/marketplace/buy/mazda/tribute/2005/4F2CZ961X5KM33019?listingId=687858740

Heck, I think it looks good. From what we can see, underneath looks clean, newish tires and miles aren’t too bad especially if you just envision it getting him through HS.

nyccarguy · July 2023

@oldfarmer50 - thanks for the link. Haven’t watched a Wizard video in a while. He definitely makes good suggestions. He has some colorful things to say about the German marquees as always.

xwesx · July 2023

Sandman6472 said:
They opened up a couple Discount Tire shops in Palm Beach County so it would be a drive to get there, maybe 30 miles. But since I might need to replace a tire, thought I might take a ride to see what they offer. Two have already been replaced under the road hazard warranty but still have a couple from the end of 2019 with one wearing a bit more than the other. So, might just have to go with a couple since they'd be on the same axle. At this point, would like to do nothing & wait to see if I in fact do like the soon to be released 2024 Hyundai Kona. From the pics I've seen, looks to be exactly what I want in my next vehicle. But, hate a first year model even though I've done that twice already. Would rather go with either year two or year four after the usual refresh. Hoping that I can just put the older tires on the rear axle when I do it's yearly oil change soon & hold out. I don't put a whole lot of miles on my d d anymore, maybe 3K/year if that, so might be able to hold off until I buy which is the current plan. But if i'm not overwhelmed when the new Kona debuts, have to have a plan since it just means the Golf stays a bit longer. It'll be nine in December so really have no issue keeping it another year.

Oh, no! 30 miles! Whatever will we do!

Michaell · July 2023

xwesx said:

Sandman6472 said:
They opened up a couple Discount Tire shops in Palm Beach County so it would be a drive to get there, maybe 30 miles. But since I might need to replace a tire, thought I might take a ride to see what they offer. Two have already been replaced under the road hazard warranty but still have a couple from the end of 2019 with one wearing a bit more than the other. So, might just have to go with a couple since they'd be on the same axle. At this point, would like to do nothing & wait to see if I in fact do like the soon to be released 2024 Hyundai Kona. From the pics I've seen, looks to be exactly what I want in my next vehicle. But, hate a first year model even though I've done that twice already. Would rather go with either year two or year four after the usual refresh. Hoping that I can just put the older tires on the rear axle when I do it's yearly oil change soon & hold out. I don't put a whole lot of miles on my d d anymore, maybe 3K/year if that, so might be able to hold off until I buy which is the current plan. But if i'm not overwhelmed when the new Kona debuts, have to have a plan since it just means the Golf stays a bit longer. It'll be nine in December so really have no issue keeping it another year.
Oh, no! 30 miles! Whatever will we do!

Isn't it 30 miles to the closest stop light for you?

xwesx · July 2023

Michaell said:

Isn't it 30 miles to the closest stop light for you?

Well, eight, but close enough!

28firefighter · July 2023

So, @tifighter, other than narrowing down where you for sure won’t buy a car from - what’s the front runner?

tifighter · July 2023

@28firefighter
The local market is sort of making me want to stuff ourselves into the Lexus and just move on. But yes, you ask about the cars themselves. Well, they're all thirsty. But, let's pretend they were all available around MSRP.

I should just go with the Pilot Elite. It just has the utility in spades, and I'm not going to rip around the corners with the baby (yet). Useful storage cubbies everywhere. It costs the least, takes regular gas, and I won't feel quite as bad when the kid projectile vomits in it the same way I would in a Q7. But it feels like the biggest to drive of the three. And anyway, there aren't many to be found. Four way passenger seat with no lumbar, even on the Elite seems really lame. Also, I don't understand Honda color combinations. You want a brown interior? You get Black, grey or white paint only. Grey and brown? Really?

The Q7 is the best to drive IMO, with a better ride/handling balance than the others. Interior is lovely but it has no storage in the front row, with a joke for a center console. I guess the Germans think you should be stopping at a cafe anyway. The ability to order exactly what you want is really nice, though. The only one without a spare tire. I went into it thinking 3.0T only, but I would consider the smaller engine after driving it. Most certainly the depreciation leader in this group.

The MDX really is the middle ground between the two. More utility than the Q7, less boaty than the Pilot. Priced between the two. It feels bigger to drive than the Q7, but it's fine. Good seats on the Advance trim, although the ventilation function felt completely non-existent. And the MDX forums confirm this. Also, I'm not crazy about the touch controller for the infotainment. Best warranty of the three. Same lame color combos as the Honda. Ride is okay. The Type-S could be interesting if getting one wasn't such a goat rodeo. And the turbo 6 didn't get such lousy mpg.

A long way of saying that the front runner is unclear.

explorerx4 · July 2023

@tifighter,
How are you expecting to keep the vehicle you are looking for?

roadburner · July 2023

tifighter said:
Last stop on Saturday, BTW, was at the local Audi dealer. From a customer experience perspective, it was a different world to the Honda/Acura shops. No four square, second stickers, etc. Sales guy said they started at MSRP, and there was a cash back incentive for July. As for the car, they only had one with the 4 banger to drive when I stopped in. It actually felt stronger than I expected. Quiet, well made, rode well and it had an infotainment set up that was easier to use than the Acura. It feels smaller to drive than the others, more like a wagon than a big SUV. And the center anchors took an infant seat like a champ (Pilot and MDX did too). Of course, it’s an Audi so you have to climb the options ladder for awhile to get the car you actually want. About 3 months to get a custom order. But at least I didn’t need to take a shower after visiting the showroom.

The dealer experience is what tilts me towards my BMW and Mercedes dealers- as well as a couple of Jeep and Mazda dealers. I no longer have the patience to deal with all the games and dishonesty.

tifighter · July 2023

explorerx4 said:
@tifighter,
How are you expecting to keep the vehicle you are looking for?

I'll park it in the driveway and hope it's still there in the morning.

carnaught · July 2023

@tifighter, I don’t remember, have you checked out Kia Sorento or Hyundai SantaFe, hybrid versions?
Too tight for you?

Something like this: https://www.markkia.com/new/Kia/2023-Kia-Sorento+Hybrid-530041b70a0e0a906df43755293f51f3.htm
or
https://www.northscottsdalehyundai.com/new-Scottsdale-2023-Hyundai-Santa+Fe+Hybrid-Limited-5NMS5DA13PH011349

xwesx · July 2023

Sounds like what you really need is a Telluride or Ascent. Pay less, get more utility, and maybe even a non-greyscale color!

From my "BTDT" mentality on having my first child, I get the convenience thing, but I don't fully understand feeling the need to actually pull the trigger on a new car. We had a 1996 Subaru Outback and the 1969 C20 pickup when mine was first on the scene, and they did just fine.

I think I would take a "wait and see" approach. But, then, I've never been any good at being a CCB.

tifighter · July 2023

xwesx said:
Sounds like what you really need is a Telluride or Ascent. Pay less, get more utility, and maybe even a non-greyscale color!

The ADM on the Kia is even worse than the Pilot. And they don't have center latch anchors.

xwesx said:

But, then, I've never been any good at being a CCB.

Some days are hard. But you have to put the work in everyday, y'know?

nyccarguy · July 2023

My 16 year old son has a road test appointment this Friday!

28firefighter · July 2023

I really don't know how cramped it is for you in the Lexus, but I think you should wait and see. You're talking big $$ for something you really don't like.

Have you looked at a VW Atlas?

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