Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

nyccarguy said:
Holy Jesus, Mary, & Joseph - I called up to see how much it would be to add my son to the policy. Allstate wants an additional $2,675.30 for 6 months. That’s an additional $440.85 per month over what I pay.

The guy I spoke to on the phone (my agent’s office was closed) suggested I Google “Non owners auto insurance.” That some other insurance companies (not Allstate) off this type of coverage and it is very inexpensive.

The way they underwrite car insurance is nuts. My wife no longer drives and neither does my son but they are both assigned as primary drivers on one of my cars. I guess they consider the forth car to be driven by ghosts. I’ve got a half million liability on all of them with full coverage on the newest two. I pay about $2750/year for all of them.

My other son has his own car and pays about $50/month for the NYS minimum of 10/25k liability. I’m thinking of suggesting he get more coverage just in case.

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

Michaell said:
My sister had some work done to the Sonata - timing belt and water pump were replaced, as were some seals and gaskets. She said she could smell something burning, and her local mechanic diagnosed the seals as the source.

She picked it up today and got it washed and waxed. Still looks good for a 20 year old car with only 54,000 miles on it.

My mouth is watering.

A car in that condition would be mobbed in upstate NY.

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

stickguy said:
might be getting closer to having a very low miles 2020 Sentra available. May be getting close to the point where my father stops driving. not yet though.

bad week for him. his wife (married after my mother passed away) also passed away Thursday AM. so we stopped to visit on the way back from the beach and be at the first part of the viewing. And will be making an unexpected trip back to the old stomping grounds (about 2.5 hours or so) Monday for services. on top of that he hurt his lower back and is hobbling around with a cane. at 94, that might not progress well.

Sorry to hear about your dad. My BIL’s father just turned 100 and lives alone. They worry about him but he refuses any help except from family members. He has a nice Buick Lacrosse that sat in the driveway so long that the brakes rusted and can’t be driven. Not that he drives any more but he refuses to get rid of it.

tjc78 · July 2023

Sorry to hear Stick.. my condolences.

kyfdx · July 2023

nyccarguy said:
Holy Jesus, Mary, & Joseph - I called up to see how much it would be to add my son to the policy. Allstate wants an additional $2,675.30 for 6 months. That’s an additional $440.85 per month over what I pay.

The guy I spoke to on the phone (my agent’s office was closed) suggested I Google “Non owners auto insurance.” That some other insurance companies (not Allstate) off this type of coverage and it is very inexpensive.

You should start shopping your entire auto/home package, if this is what Allstate tells you... sheesh.

stickguy · July 2023

tjc78 said:
Sorry to hear Stick.. my condolences.

Thanks. She has been declining for a while so was inevitable, but still sad.

nyccarguy · July 2023

@xwesx said:
I know that auto insurance can be much different depending on the state. For our Allstate policy, if we have an underage driver (my son) on the policy, we must assign him as a primary driver on one of the vehicles. The additional amount we pay depends directly on which car we have him assigned to, and what type of coverage is on the car (liability, full, etc.). For is 2009 Forester, on which he has liability only, it is something like 140/mo. Not nothing, but not crippling, either. He can drive any car on the policy; he's just listed as primary on that one (which is true, since it is his car!).

I was under the impression that in Connecticut you have to keep the coverage the same for all cars. You can’t just have full coverage on one car and liability only on another. I do have a very high coverage limits, and do not just have the bare minimum that is required of the state.

I’m going to talk to my agent on Monday, and then start shopping.

stickguy · July 2023

Bradd, that is why I switched from Allstate to LIberty Mutual when my son got his probational license. I went into the agents office and said what I needed. at the time, we had 2 newer cars with full coverage (Odyssey and Accord) and just adding him as a 3rd wheel on the policy.

I forget the exact numbers, but maybe we were paying $2,500/year and after entering everything, the agent told us it was going to be $4,000. $1,500 to add him seemed pretty steep, but I assumed it was just big insurance doing their think. Then she explained that it was and ADDIITONAL $4,000 just for him.. Needless to say I just left.

Liberty was about what we were already paying, in total including him. made no sense but I ran with it.

There was also something odd in NJ at the time. I think it was much cheaper to add the kid when they were on a permit (even though you technically did not have to) instead of waiting until they got their solo license. Mad little sense to me, but I do understand spending money so I did it!

ab348 · July 2023

Michaell said:
My sister had some work done to the Sonata - timing belt and water pump were replaced, as were some seals and gaskets. She said she could smell something burning, and her local mechanic diagnosed the seals as the source.

She picked it up today and got it washed and waxed. Still looks good for a 20 year old car with only 54,000 miles on it.

As a friend liked to say (wait a sec, that was me!), "it looks good for what it is".

Actually it does look nice and I think those wheels are unusual to find on one of those, though they have mostly disappeared from the roads here.

Question: is there supposed to be a piece of bright trim along the top of the rear door window opening?

kyfdx · July 2023

In KY, the child doesn't hit the insurance until they get their license. While on permit, it's no extra charge.

Also, we didn't put collision coverage on his first couple of cars, as they were only about $5K value, or less. That saved a lot.

ab348 · July 2023

oldfarmer50 said:

Sorry to hear about your dad. My BIL’s father just turned 100 and lives alone. They worry about him but he refuses any help except from family members. He has a nice Buick Lacrosse that sat in the driveway so long that the brakes rusted and can’t be driven. Not that he drives any more but he refuses to get rid of it.

My next-door neighbor Mary is 96 or 97 and is in the same situation. She has been a widow since the late '70s apparently and when I first moved here 25 years ago she was very self-reliant for someone who was in her early to mid-70s at the time, actually quite remarkable, doing all kinds of chores outside on the grounds by herself. It was always a bit jarring to see her get behind the wheel of her '86 LeBaron sedan to go shopping since she was diminutive and could barely see over the wheel, but she drove until the car rusted enough that it was deemed unrepairable. At the time she actually wanted my advice on what to replace it with until she decided it probably wasn't a good idea. She has an amazing history, a Brit who lived through the blitz in WWII, relocated to a rural area for safety, who performed an act with her sister to entertain the troops (she showed me pictures of their act once, fascinating) before meeting a Canadian serviceman and getting married before moving here.

Of course she has declined significantly over time and the last few years have not been good, especially after she had a mild stroke a few years ago but she insists on staying in her house. She gets outside help with housekeeping and meal prep every day but is there alone most nights and lately has had a number of falls that require her to use the emergency button she wears all the time. The paramedics have had to make regular visits over the last few months to deal with that. Certainly her time there is short but her daughter is now treating her like a lost cause because she will not listen to any logic about staying there by herself despite the alternatives being offered. Can't say I blame the daughter for that as she has tried and failed to reason with her. Mary is the original occupant of the house, having had it built for her and her late husband in 1954, so I can understand her reluctance to leave, but the time seems to have come. I will miss her.

Michaell · July 2023

xwesx said:
I know that auto insurance can be much different depending on the state. For our Allstate policy, if we have an underage driver (my son) on the policy, we *must* assign him as a primary driver on one of the vehicles. The additional amount we pay depends directly on which car we have him assigned to, and what type of coverage is on the car (liability, full, etc.).

That's the case here in Colorado, too.

I remember when my stepson was getting ready to turn 16, in 2002. Talked with my insurance agent, who recommended we get him a Saturn sedan. Apparently, they were cheap to insure at the time.

sda · July 2023

I was floored, too, when we added my daughter and the TL at about the same time. IIRC she isn’t listed as a primary driver on any of the cars. We did get a discount on the premium for her completing a more enhanced driving course and a good grades discount. Not surprisingly the premium jumped after she had a minor bump up even though she wasn’t issued a ticket but claimed fault. No good deed goes unpunished, lol, she had just delivered a surprise lunch to her boyfriend at work on Valentine’s day about two years ago when it happened and I got the ‘dad’ call.

qbrozen · July 2023

For those who may not be aware, those stripes were an old TRD racing trademark.

au1994 · July 2023

qbrozen said:
For those who may not be aware, those stripes were an old TRD racing trademark.

I thought so,.

corvette · July 2023

qbrozen said:
Decoratin the van so it doesn’t look so industrial

I would have gone with the BMW //M colors for comedic effect, but the TRD colors are also pretty cool.

corvette · July 2023

@Michaell - I really like your sister's driveway!

28firefighter · July 2023

@xwesx we flew on an E175 recently out of Paine that was in the Horizon retro livery. Much more comfortable inside than what you described.

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

ab348 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sorry to hear about your dad. My BIL’s father just turned 100 and lives alone. They worry about him but he refuses any help except from family members. He has a nice Buick Lacrosse that sat in the driveway so long that the brakes rusted and can’t be driven. Not that he drives any more but he refuses to get rid of it.
My next-door neighbor Mary is 96 or 97 and is in the same situation. She has been a widow since the late '70s apparently and when I first moved here 25 years ago she was very self-reliant for someone who was in her early to mid-70s at the time, actually quite remarkable, doing all kinds of chores outside on the grounds by herself. It was always a bit jarring to see her get behind the wheel of her '86 LeBaron sedan to go shopping since she was diminutive and could barely see over the wheel, but she drove until the car rusted enough that it was deemed unrepairable. At the time she actually wanted my advice on what to replace it with until she decided it probably wasn't a good idea. She has an amazing history, a Brit who lived through the blitz in WWII, relocated to a rural area for safety, who performed an act with her sister to entertain the troops (she showed me pictures of their act once, fascinating) before meeting a Canadian serviceman and getting married before moving here.

Of course she has declined significantly over time and the last few years have not been good, especially after she had a mild stroke a few years ago but she insists on staying in her house. She gets outside help with housekeeping and meal prep every day but is there alone most nights and lately has had a number of falls that require her to use the emergency button she wears all the time. The paramedics have had to make regular visits over the last few months to deal with that. Certainly her time there is short but her daughter is now treating her like a lost cause because she will not listen to any logic about staying there by herself despite the alternatives being offered. Can't say I blame the daughter for that as she has tried and failed to reason with her. Mary is the original occupant of the house, having had it built for her and her late husband in 1954, so I can understand her reluctance to leave, but the time seems to have come. I will miss her.

I understand that completely. My mom lived alone as a widow for 9 years and insisted on doing for herself. Even though she gave up driving before dad died she insisted on keeping their car. The only time it moved was when she had me take it for oil changes. I finally convinced her to sell it to her grandson otherwise it would still be sitting in her apartment complex garage. My son got 11 years and 100k miles of use out it.

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

qbrozen said:
For those who may not be aware, those stripes were an old TRD racing trademark.

Please take some photos of you on the track with it and share them here.

jmonroe1 · July 2023

qbrozen said:
Decoratin the van so it doesn’t look so industrial

————————————————
Who’s gonna clean up that mess you left?

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · July 2023

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:
My sister had some work done to the Sonata - timing belt and water pump were replaced, as were some seals and gaskets. She said she could smell something burning, and her local mechanic diagnosed the seals as the source.

She picked it up today and got it washed and waxed. Still looks good for a 20 year old car with only 54,000 miles on it.

My mouth is watering. A car in that condition would be mobbed in upstate NY.

————————————————
And rusted out in 3 years. Why ruin a nice car?

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · July 2023

stickguy said:
might be getting closer to having a very low miles 2020 Sentra available. May be getting close to the point where my father stops driving. not yet though.

bad week for him. his wife (married after my mother passed away) also passed away Thursday AM. so we stopped to visit on the way back from the beach and be at the first part of the viewing. And will be making an unexpected trip back to the old stomping grounds (about 2.5 hours or so) Monday for services. on top of that he hurt his lower back and is hobbling around with a cane. at 94, that might not progress well.

————————————————
That’s rough. I’m sure you’ll help your father as much as you can.

jmonroe

Michaell · July 2023

corvette said:
@Michaell - I really like your sister's driveway!

Thanks!

This is her new house, north of San Diego. They've been working on the landscaping, both front and back, over the last few months. I think they only have some plants and trees to put in in the backyard.

tjc78 · July 2023

@Michaell said:
Thanks!

This is her new house, north of San Diego. They've been working on the landscaping, both front and back, over the last few months. I think they only have some plants and trees to put in in the backyard.

I have a really nice lawn (IMO, lol) … but my landscaping stinks. I don’t do much since I’m not there all summer to water it.

The lawn sprinklers are on a timer, so the lawn stays nice. I can check the cameras to make sure they are working.

I usually do a nice fall landscape with Mums after Labor Day.

I think my Mom is heading back for a few nights this week. No one has slept there since mid June.

Michaell · July 2023

tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

Thanks!

This is her new house, north of San Diego. They've been working on the landscaping, both front and back, over the last few months. I think they only have some plants and trees to put in in the backyard.

I have a really nice lawn (IMO, lol) … but my landscaping stinks. I don’t do much since I’m not there all summer to water it.

The lawn sprinklers are on a timer, so the lawn stays nice. I can check the cameras to make sure they are working.

I usually do a nice fall landscape with Mums after Labor Day.

I think my Mom is heading back for a few nights this week. No one has slept there since mid June.

Let me clarify. My sister's involvement with the landscaping is to write the checks to the company doing the work.

Oh, and I think she got her husband and sons to put up the pergola and furniture in the back yard.

tifighter · July 2023

@breld said:
@tifighter - congrats on the MDX. That’s very similar to deals I’ve seen down here for lightly used CPOs. And the silver over blue….so jealous!!!!

Narrator voice - And then, the GX became very nervous.

nyccarguy · July 2023

I was texting back and forth with a LH broker about an inexpensive Tacoma possibly for my son. So far the nicest Outback I’ve seen is the one about 4 hours away in MA. A close 2nd would be the gold one that’s right in town. I know leasing a brand new Tacoma is going to be more expensive than buying a used Outback from 2009 with between 120 - 150K miles. $375/month with TTLR included with 1st DAS ($350) if I do MSD. One point the broker did bring up is the fact that if and when something breaks its mist likely not going to be cheap. Let’s say it is $2K. That’s 6 months worth of lease payments. Plus the fact that my son is going to be a senior in HS this coming year and if he goes away to college won’t have a car freshman year. So yes it would be a car for him, but it would also be an extra car for us. And it would be nice having a pickup hanging around;)-

nyccarguy · July 2023

Also regarding the new car for my son. My wife had a health scare recently (she’s fine, everything is negative). Because of the health scare, her anxiety is off the charts. She hasn’t slept more than 4 hours a night for the past 6 weeks. One of her recurring nightmares is that something happens to our son on the way to or from school. If I can afford the payments and insurance, I think that piece of mind would be worth it.

Michaell · July 2023

nyccarguy said:
Also regarding the new car for my son. My wife had a health scare recently (she’s fine, everything is negative). Because of the health scare, her anxiety is off the charts. She hasn’t slept more than 4 hours a night for the past 6 weeks. One of her recurring nightmares is that something happens to our son on the way to or from school. If I can afford the payments and insurance, I think that piece of mind would be worth it.

Check insurance rates on the Tacoma for your son…

nyccarguy · July 2023

@Michaell said:
Check insurance rates on the Tacoma for your son…

I’ll have to do that too!

Michaell · July 2023

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell said:

Check insurance rates on the Tacoma for your son…

I’ll have to do that too!

You might rethink the plan, after you do…

roadburner · July 2023

stickguy said:
might be getting closer to having a very low miles 2020 Sentra available. May be getting close to the point where my father stops driving. not yet though.

bad week for him. his wife (married after my mother passed away) also passed away Thursday AM. so we stopped to visit on the way back from the beach and be at the first part of the viewing. And will be making an unexpected trip back to the old stomping grounds (about 2.5 hours or so) Monday for services. on top of that he hurt his lower back and is hobbling around with a cane. at 94, that might not progress well.

Sorry about your dad.

roadburner · July 2023

Driving home from lunch we passed a C7 in the emergency strip on I-265; I caught a brief glimpse of the driver on his cell phone. I got home and a friend texted me that his C7 was DOA- he was driving home and several warning messages popped up on the IP and the car died. He had the car taken to Bachman Chevrolet where I picked him up and drove him home. He's a big Corvette fan(he also has a C6 427 convertible) but he's also pretty disgusted. He's a lot like me in that he'll probably mellow out after a few days as long as the repair costs aren't too extreme.

oldfarmer50 · July 2023

roadburner said:
Driving home from lunch we passed a C7 in the emergency strip on I-265; I caught a brief glimpse of the driver on his cell phone. I got home and a friend texted me that his C7 was DOA- he was driving home and several warning messages popped up on the IP and the car died. He had the car taken to Bachman Chevrolet where I picked him up and drove him home. He's a big Corvette fan(he also has a C6 427 convertible) but he's also pretty disgusted. He's a lot like me in that he'll probably mellow out after a few days as long as the repair costs aren't too extreme.

I’ve heard various rumors about Corvettes having engine problems but I thought it was the C8s. Could he have had some trouble related to the AFM system?

stickguy · July 2023

nyccarguy said:
Also regarding the new car for my son. My wife had a health scare recently (she’s fine, everything is negative). Because of the health scare, her anxiety is off the charts. She hasn’t slept more than 4 hours a night for the past 6 weeks. One of her recurring nightmares is that something happens to our son on the way to or from school. If I can afford the payments and insurance, I think that piece of mind would be worth it.

glad your wife is OK. sounded scary. My sister called our niece to let her know about the death in the family, and turns out she was taken to the hospital on Monday. They thought it was a stroke but turned out to be some rare thing related to migraines and she is supposed to be OK now. But also somewhat terrifying at about 35.

also, that anxiety is why after 1 semester, we swapped out the 110K Volvo S40 (still a good, solid car) for a new Jetta lease. The princess had a 450 mile 1 way drive home from NC through some nasty areas and I was terrified to get a call that she was on the side of I95 in Richmond with a dead car. Or actually anything happening to it at school and having to deal with it long distance.

at least with the lease, the answer would be "call VW roadside and make the dealer take care of it". Thankfully in 3 years, never had a problem to take care of when she was away. Plus it was only $225/month with 0 DAS.

stickguy · July 2023

is a Taco really the best thing for a brand new driver? I do appreciate the idea of having a truck to use, but might be better to just find the cheapest compact (Elantra, whatever) and get that. slow and boring is the way to go!

stickguy · July 2023

for some reason I was discussing early what I would do if something happened to the Maverick and it was totaled. Since mine is basically an impossible to replace unicorn, it is unlikely to be another Mav. Not sure if I would try for some other sort of truck, or pivot to a fun car and live with just the RDX (and probably regret not having a bed available sometimes!)

too bad cheap solid used trucks no longer exist. Plus I would have to move to fit anything bigger than mine in the garage!

would be very tempting to get something like a 230i convertible instead. we don't need a 2nd car much so needing to hibernate for extended periods due to weather, would probably be just fine.

ab348 · July 2023

Neighbor up the street has been driving a white Toyota 4Runner for a number of years - no idea of the model year but is likely a mid-00s model based on the years he’s had it. Over the last week or so he’s added another one to his stable, probably newer than the white one but I can’t tell for sure since they haven’t changed much, though I’m pretty sure it’s not new-new. The noteworthy thing for me is that this one is silver and it looks so much better in that color than the white one. I’ve noticed myself thinking that lately about a lot of cars I see. I think that because it seems half the cars I see are white these days, silver makes them look exotic and they stand out.

Michaell · July 2023

stickguy said:
is a Taco really the best thing for a brand new driver? I do appreciate the idea of having a truck to use, but might be better to just find the cheapest compact (Elantra, whatever) and get that. slow and boring is the way to go!

A local VW dealer here in Denver is advertising a Jetta Sport lease for $259/mo plus tax and fees, with $0 due at signing.

It's a 48 month lease, but still, that's as good a deal as I've seen in quite a while.

corvette · July 2023

@stickguy - I think a V6 Taco is slower than either one of our Mavericks.

@nyccarguy - I'm glad your wife is okay. Having a stress fracture in early 2021 made me feel like I was having a continuous, six month long panic attack, so I'd probably go through something similar with any other health scare.

roadburner · July 2023

@oldfarmer50 said:
I’ve heard various rumors about Corvettes having engine problems but I thought it was the C8s. Could he have had some trouble related to the AFM system?

He said it started with “Service Rear Axle” and “Service Stabilitrak” messages. I did some research and it sounds like it could be anything from a bad battery to a misfire.

stickguy · July 2023

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
is a Taco really the best thing for a brand new driver? I do appreciate the idea of having a truck to use, but might be better to just find the cheapest compact (Elantra, whatever) and get that. slow and boring is the way to go!
A local VW dealer here in Denver is advertising a Jetta Sport lease for $259/mo plus tax and fees, with $0 due at signing.

It's a 48 month lease, but still, that's as good a deal as I've seen in quite a while.

that is a good deal these days. Safe car, and excellent MPG. at his age 4 years probably does not matter but will have 1 year with only powertrain warranty (I assume they have 5/60 coverage now?)

nyccarguy · July 2023

@stickguy said:
that is a good deal these days. Safe car, and excellent MPG. at his age 4 years probably does not matter but will have 1 year with only powertrain warranty (I assume they have 5/60 coverage now?)

I’ve been poking around VWs website. I think they offer 4 Year/50K bumper to bumper. Haven’t seen anything as far as lease support for a Jetta recently. That’s a great car!

xwesx · July 2023

28firefighter said:
@xwesx we flew on an E175 recently out of Paine that was in the Horizon retro livery. Much more comfortable inside than what you described.

Haha; yeah, I bet it was! Those hotdogs are long gone, and you definitely couldn't be overly claustrophobic to ride in one.

I did a little more digging.... Fairchild SA-227 Metroliner. They carried 19 passengers (I estimated 11 previously), with eight rows with one seat on each side, and the back row with three across. I think the head room was maybe 4' high, so you really had to double over to move through the cabin, and it was maybe as wide inside as a typical sedan. When I flew, there were rarely more than a handful of passengers on the plane, so I usually was able to sit in the back (which afforded at least a little extra room). I mostly flew between Pendleton and Portland, Oregon.

It actually shocks me that they were built all the way up to 2001.

ab348 · July 2023

I remember one time back around 2006 or '07 I had to fly on a Beechcraft 1900 from Sydney, NS to Halifax one evening. Same experience as you described, a seat on either side of the cabin, staggered in position side to side i.e. right side seat is slightly ahead of the one on the left. Bench seat at the very rear. My seat was at the very front and the pilots left the cabin door open so it was like I was in the cockpit jump seat if it had one. I could see out the windshield and make out several of the instruments. It was a night flight and from what I could see out the windshield they simply followed the path of the main highway below right to the airport. When we boarded there was a group of non-English speaking fellows from what sounded like India who got on and were seated on the back bench who brought Swiss Chalet chicken dinners (think Kenny Rogers) in a large takeout bag and consumed them on the flight. The plane was filled with the scent of roast chicken for the duration. What an experience.

kyfdx · July 2023

Familiar stripes?

kyfdx · July 2023

Scary!

tjc78 · July 2023

It’s like a test… take corners at Roadburner speed without spilling a drop!

Reminiscent of this classic 80s scene:

https://youtu.be/7elLpAKEFew

Michaell · July 2023

I have one 'puddle jumper' story. Flight from Norfolk, VA to Washington Dulles. Small prop plane of unknown type. I got the first row, right behind the pilots. They elected to not close the curtain, so I could see right into the cockpit.

There were storms in the area, apparent by both the clouds I could see out of the windscreen and the massive amounts of red that were on the radar. Not sure how the pilot was able to avoid the worst of it, but it sure was bumpy during the climb out.

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