Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

jmonroe1 · June 6

corvette said:
Unexpectedly, my car (and everything else) budget went up again. Got notified this afternoon that my company is giving everyone in my department a significant non-merit pay bump, out of the normal annual review cycle (which won't be affected), to keep us competitive. Happy Friday, everyone!

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Was this triggered by too many folks leaving your company. Most companies don’t do something until they’re tickled. If yours is pro active you’re lucky.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · June 6

oldfarmer50 said:
“ I’m pleased but am going to make an issue of the rattle, it’s that bad.”

I remember stories of cars with rattles back in the 60s and when they removed the door panel found beer cans inside.

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And small cloth bags with a few bolts in them with a note that read, “I’ll bet it was a bxtch finding this”.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · June 6

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:
I'd have loved getting a unmerited pay bump.
I got one last August and they never even told me.🤯

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And that explains why you’re still driving hoopties.

jmonroe

Michaell · June 6

@xwesx - a friend of mine is looking for a car for his daughter, and he found a 2014 Forester with 45K on the clock for $14K.

What should he look for, other than a clean Carfax?

stickguy · June 6

his checkbook?

Michaell · June 6

I was thinking the same thing, but I wanted our resident subie expert to weigh in.

stickguy · June 6

is that past the headgasket failure days?

Michaell · June 6

stickguy said:
is that past the headgasket failure days?

That's what I'm wanting to find out.

stickguy · June 6

I want to buy a car. I don't need one. I just want one.

I got issues.

corvette · June 6

jmonroe1 said:
Was this triggered by too many folks leaving your company. Most companies don’t do something until they’re tickled. If yours is pro active you’re lucky.

Yes and no. We had two recent departures. The first was over an unspecified benefits issue, which I (probably) figured out but will never affect me directly at all. The second was because they got a better offer--I looked into their new company, and it appears they pay a decent amount more for that role at the very top end of the range, but most other companies don't.

Anyway, I'm glad someone higher up the food chain found it offensive that we lost someone over pay, and took appropriate action.

xwesx · June 6

Michaell said:
@xwesx - a friend of mine is looking for a car for his daughter, and he found a 2014 Forester with 45K on the clock for $14K.

What should he look for, other than a clean Carfax?

That *IS* post-HG, as this one should have the FB25 engine. However, it is still early run, like my FB25 in the 2013 Forester, so it is possible that it could have oil consumption issues like mine. I don't recall the exact timing of the recall on those, but it affected a swath of early run cars based on production date, and I believe it included 2012, 2013, and some 2014 model year cars. No leaking, just consumption... particularly when pushed hard (like hitting the Ike over the pass, etc.). Anything block-replacement-worthy was, if I recall correctly, greater than one quart of consumption in 1,200 miles. Otherwise, this does not affect vehicle performance.

The problem with super-low mileage on cars is often as much the lack of use as it is the age. So, fluid condition? That includes brake, power steering, transmission (these were CVT, which is also relatively early-run), and differentials. Wheel bearings are always a consideration, and finally.... coolant! It wouldn't surprise me at all if this was original coolant (along with some of the other fluids), and, like brake fluid, age matters even if very few miles were added.

xwesx · June 6

And, $14,000? That seems pretty Fairbanks-like, but then what do I know? The value of the dollar is plummeting so quickly, an Old Farmer Special is going to cost $20K on a good day before long.

Michaell · June 6

xwesx said:

Michaell said:
@xwesx - a friend of mine is looking for a car for his daughter, and he found a 2014 Forester with 45K on the clock for $14K.

What should he look for, other than a clean Carfax?

That *IS* post-HG, as this one should have the FB25 engine. However, it is still early run, like my FB25 in the 2013 Forester, so it is possible that it could have oil consumption issues like mine. I don't recall the exact timing of the recall on those, but it affected a swath of early run cars based on production date, and I believe it included 2012, 2013, and some 2014 model year cars. No leaking, just consumption... particularly when pushed hard (like hitting the Ike over the pass, etc.). Anything block-replacement-worthy was, if I recall correctly, greater than one quart of consumption in 1,200 miles. Otherwise, this does not affect vehicle performance.

The problem with super-low mileage on cars is often as much the lack of use as it is the age. So, fluid condition? That includes brake, power steering, transmission (these were CVT, which is also relatively early-run), and differentials. Wheel bearings are always a consideration, and finally.... coolant! It wouldn't surprise me at all if this was original coolant (along with some of the other fluids), and, like brake fluid, age matters even if very few miles were added.

Many thanks. I’ve passed this along.

Michaell · June 6

xwesx said:
And, $14,000? That seems pretty Fairbanks-like, but then what do I know? The value of the dollar is plummeting so quickly, an Old Farmer Special is going to cost $20K on a good day before long.

It’s Colorado, where Subaru is the state vehicle.

stickguy · June 6

it has been a long time since I bought a moderately well used car (and may never again) but if I did, I would still follow my old rules of changing all the fluids that I did not know for sure had recently been done.

nyccarguy · June 6

@stickguy

I saw a video posted about how WAY down WRX sales are compared to May of 2024. They were also significantly down in May of 2024 compared to May of 2023.

jmonroe1 · June 6

corvette said:

jmonroe1 said:
Was this triggered by too many folks leaving your company. Most companies don’t do something until they’re tickled. If yours is pro active you’re lucky.
Yes and no. We had two recent departures. The first was over an unspecified benefits issue, which I (probably) figured out but will never affect me directly at all. The second was because they got a better offer--I looked into their new company, and it appears they pay a decent amount more for that role at the very top end of the range, but most other companies don't.

Anyway, I'm glad someone higher up the food chain found it offensive that we lost someone over pay, and took appropriate action.

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It’s nice to know that someone with authority took charge and made sure he/she did something rather than allow good talent to leave because of a few dollars. Once a company gets the rep of lowballing employees pay, that’s a big hole to dig out of. Fortunately, from what you said, your company is trying to avoid that.

jmonroe

stickguy · June 6

I am tired of working. Just wish now was when I was getting downsized. A severance check and 6 months of unemployment sounds wonderful right about now!

Different perspective when you are old and decrepit.

suydam · June 6

Michaell said:

xwesx said:
And, $14,000? That seems pretty Fairbanks-like, but then what do I know? The value of the dollar is plummeting so quickly, an Old Farmer Special is going to cost $20K on a good day before long.
It’s Colorado, where Subaru is the state vehicle.

I thought that was Vermont, where every Subie has a kayak mounted on top.

stickguy · June 6

both states. I think Subaru sells something like 50% of their cars in those 2 states.

jmonroe1 · June 6

stickguy said:
both states. I think Subaru sells something like 50% of their cars in those 2 states.

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Our poster buddy @venture has been doing his best to get PA moved up a notch on the Subaru state sales leader board but I don’t know the official ranking. However, wherever it is he’s doing his part. I’ve only bought 2 Subaru’s so I can’t take any credit for the PA ranking.

jmonroe

28firefighter · June 6

Tinted and ceramic coated.

venture · June 7

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
both states. I think Subaru sells something like 50% of their cars in those 2 states.
————————————————
Our poster buddy @venture has been doing his best to get PA moved up a notch on the Subaru state sales leader board but I don’t know the official ranking. However, wherever it is he’s doing his part. I’ve only bought 2 Subaru’s so I can’t take any credit for the PA ranking.

jmonroe

If people would stop running into me, I wouldn't buy so many.

sb55 · June 7

suydam said:

Michaell said:

xwesx said:
And, $14,000? That seems pretty Fairbanks-like, but then what do I know? The value of the dollar is plummeting so quickly, an Old Farmer Special is going to cost $20K on a good day before long.
It’s Colorado, where Subaru is the state vehicle.
I thought that was Vermont, where every Subie has a kayak mounted on top.

Subies and RAV4's. I live on a dead end dirt road and the 4 neighbors upstream from us used to have Forrester's and now have RAV4's.

oldfarmer50 · June 7

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

ab348 said:
I'd have loved getting a unmerited pay bump.
I got one last August and they never even told me.🤯
————————————————
And that explains why you’re still driving hoopties.

jmonroe

I guess it’s hard to find geriatrics who are willing to work 12-15 hour days.

oldfarmer50 · June 7

stickguy said:
it has been a long time since I bought a moderately well used car (and may never again) but if I did, I would still follow my old rules of changing all the fluids that I did not know for sure had recently been done.

Yep, that’s what I do, if for no other reason than to have a baseline for future maintenance.

oldfarmer50 · June 7

suydam said:

Michaell said:

xwesx said:
And, $14,000? That seems pretty Fairbanks-like, but then what do I know? The value of the dollar is plummeting so quickly, an Old Farmer Special is going to cost $20K on a good day before long.
It’s Colorado, where Subaru is the state vehicle.
I thought that was Vermont, where every Subie has a kayak mounted on top.

Whenever we deliver a Subaru to any Vermont office they dance around like it was Christmas.🤣

tjc78 · June 7

@28firefighter said:

Tinted and ceramic coated.

Looks great! I want to get the front windows tinted on the Ram. It’s illegal here, but I don’t think it’s highly enforced.

greg1288 · June 7

oldfarmer50 said:

breld said:
With kids home from college (at least sporadically), we are taking full advantage of the garage space. There's a Kia K5 hiding there behind the Tiguan.

Kudos to my wife for moving her Genesis over to allow me to pull into her spot last night!

That looks like Jay Leno’s garage except with newer cars.👌

That garage might be bigger than my house

Sandman6472 · June 7

Supposed to get a buck raise this August which would be great. Not a hard gig at all and it's great for a retiree who wants some extra cash & to get out of the house a few days a week. Right now, am doing about 28 hours, give or take, over 4 days. My wife's happy as she mostly works from home and is happy for the quiet. Lots of folks go on extension for their tax returns, so she always seems to have work to do. Might go down to 3 days sooner then later but still mulling that over.

jmonroe1 · June 7

28firefighter said:

Tinted and ceramic coated.

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You only get half credit from me because I only see half a car.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · June 7

greg1288 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

breld said:
With kids home from college (at least sporadically), we are taking full advantage of the garage space. There's a Kia K5 hiding there behind the Tiguan.

Kudos to my wife for moving her Genesis over to allow me to pull into her spot last night!

That looks like Jay Leno’s garage except with newer cars.👌
That garage might be bigger than my house

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When I was an airdale in the Navy I was in hangers about that size. The only difference is hangers are higher.

jmonroe

qbrozen · June 7

@tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

Tinted and ceramic coated.

Looks great! I want to get the front windows tinted on the Ram. It’s illegal here, but I don’t think it’s highly enforced.

They really need to update that law. We should be allowed SOME tint to the front side windows. Something like 85% would not obstruct sight much at all yet do a lot for blocking the sun. FYI; they do sell clear tint that just blocks UV rays.

oldfarmer50 · June 7

qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

Tinted and ceramic coated.

Looks great! I want to get the front windows tinted on the Ram. It’s illegal here, but I don’t think it’s highly enforced.

They really need to update that law. We should be allowed SOME tint to the front side windows. Something like 85% would not obstruct sight much at all yet do a lot for blocking the sun. FYI; they do sell clear tint that just blocks UV rays.

NY has a 30% limit I believe and they make the inspection stations buy a light meter to measure it. Bureaucratic overkill for sure. I suspect there is a lot of eye winking or palm greasing going on from the blacked out cars I see driving around.

jmonroe1 · June 7

Calling @qbrozen to the help desk:

Son #1 is buying another house with a high garage that can accommodate a lift. Since you have a couple, I would like your thoughts on what to buy. I think you have the 2 post type vs. the 4 post type. Are you satisfied with yours or would you buy something different today? Any help is appreciated,

FWIW, he just bought a 2004 Vette, C5 Z06 with just under 95K miles. It’s in great shape mechanically but the body could use a nice paint job. My Son plans to use the Vette as a track car replacement and not risk injury to the 2017 SS that he got a couple years ago because he’s heard getting parts for that beast is tough. I didn’t ask how much but he said a guy in Ohio was almost giving it away because he wanted space so he could acquire a Lambo he’s had his eye on to add to his collection of about 6 upscale cars already and didn’t want to build another garage. He already has two 2-car garages outside of the house 3 car garage. Must be nice. It must be nice for my Son too. Like I’ve said before, his end of the flip houses must be doing better than my end.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · June 7

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

Tinted and ceramic coated.

Looks great! I want to get the front windows tinted on the Ram. It’s illegal here, but I don’t think it’s highly enforced.

They really need to update that law. We should be allowed SOME tint to the front side windows. Something like 85% would not obstruct sight much at all yet do a lot for blocking the sun. FYI; they do sell clear tint that just blocks UV rays.

NY has a 30% limit I believe and they make the inspection stations buy a light meter to measure it. Bureaucratic overkill for sure. I suspect there is a lot of eye winking or palm greasing going on from the blacked out cars I see driving around.
————————————————
Maybe the illegal ones you see were installed after the state inspection. Then again maybe they bought the upscale model that comes with a zipper. Those things must be worth their weight in gold.

jmonroe

stickguy · June 7

inspections happen annually so not getting much of a break doing it that way.

jmonroe1 · June 7

stickguy said:
inspections happen annually so not getting much of a break doing it that way.

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If you have the zipper model, doing monthly inspections wouldn’t matter, right?

jmonroe

tjc78 · June 7

qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

Tinted and ceramic coated.

Looks great! I want to get the front windows tinted on the Ram. It’s illegal here, but I don’t think it’s highly enforced.

They really need to update that law. We should be allowed SOME tint to the front side windows. Something like 85% would not obstruct sight much at all yet do a lot for blocking the sun. FYI; they do sell clear tint that just blocks UV rays.

Agreed. What I’ll do is go a few shades lighter than the rear to not make it as obvious. It has worked in the past for me. Heck… I drove the black Ram with no front plate for three years with no issues.

corvette · June 7

@jmonroe1 - BendPak seems to sponsor a lot of car YouTubers and has a nice page explaining some features to look for on two post lifts.

jmonroe1 · June 7

corvette said:
@jmonroe1 - BendPak seems to sponsor a lot of car YouTubers and has a nice page explaining some features to look for on two post lifts.

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Thanks for the info. About an hour ago I did a search for lifts and I recognize the BendPak name. I’ll pass on your link to my Son.

Thanks again poster buddy.

jmonroe

nyccarguy · June 7

I promise not to make every one of my Camry posts about gas mileage. I filled it up this afternoon with approximately 50 miles to empty. It took less than 10 gallons of gas. I hand calculated 43.51 mpg.

stickguy · June 7

that is even better by a few than my Maverick!

Michaell · June 7

nyccarguy said:
I promise not to make every one of my Camry posts about gas mileage. I filled it up this afternoon with approximately 50 miles to empty. It took less than 10 gallons of gas. I hand calculated 43.51 mpg.

I'd have to calculate, but I'm guessing that's about 10 MPG better than the Sportage Hybrid.

tifighter · June 7

Today is the two month anniversary for the Lexus. We still have over half of the original tank of gas over about 1100 miles. On pace for about three to four tanks per year, I guess.

tjc78 · June 8

@nyccarguy said:
I promise not to make every one of my Camry posts about gas mileage. I filled it up this afternoon with approximately 50 miles to empty. It took less than 10 gallons of gas. I hand calculated 43.51 mpg.

I’m getting 17.3 in the Ram and it took 23 gallons to fill 😝 and it was a little above 1/4.

Already doing better mileage than the 22 with the Hemi.

Also just read for 2026 Ram is bringing back the Hemi on all trims as an option.

Michaell · June 8

@xwesx - OK, let's do it this way. Are there any models and years of Subaru you would recommend? My friend is very much hung up on maintenance and reliability (even though he and his wife each have an Audi).

jmonroe1 · June 8

Michaell said:
@xwesx - OK, let's do it this way. Are there any models and years of Subaru you would recommend? My friend is very much hung up on maintenance and reliability (even though he and his wife each have an Audi).

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I believe that’s called an oxymoron.

As for Subie reliability - the two we’ve had were the 6 cylinder jobs but they were very low mileage cars so no help there. However, I never had a problem with them,

Now for the gas mileage thingie going on in here, again. Those Subies can’t come close to the MPG numbers I’m seeing. There is no way they could get that kind of MPG, even if they were being towed, down hill…with the wind. And my V8 Genny is even worse. So, do me a favor and stop the bragging.

jmonroe

Michaell · June 8

jmonroe1 said:

Michaell said:
@xwesx - OK, let's do it this way. Are there any models and years of Subaru you would recommend? My friend is very much hung up on maintenance and reliability (even though he and his wife each have an Audi).
————————————————
I believe that’s called an oxymoron.

As for Subie reliability - the two we’ve had were the 6 cylinder jobs but they were very low mileage cars so no help there. However, I never had a problem with them,

Now for the gas mileage thingie going on in here, again. Those Subies can’t come close to the MPG numbers I’m seeing. There is no way they could get that kind of MPG, even if they were being towed, down hill…with the wind. And my V8 Genny is even worse. So, do me a favor and stop the bragging.

jmonroe

I hear you - and, I called him out on it, as he's always been a stickler for reliable transportation. The Subaru is for his daughter, who is currently driving the '04 MDX they bought new and now has over 200K on it.

He's always driven Honda or Acura products, but went away from them after reading unfavorable reviews in Consumer Reports. I think the Audis were meant to be luxury cars for them.

graphicguy · June 8

corvette said:

jmonroe1 said:
Was this triggered by too many folks leaving your company. Most companies don’t do something until they’re tickled. If yours is pro active you’re lucky.
Yes and no. We had two recent departures. The first was over an unspecified benefits issue, which I (probably) figured out but will never affect me directly at all. The second was because they got a better offer--I looked into their new company, and it appears they pay a decent amount more for that role at the very top end of the range, but most other companies don't.

Anyway, I'm glad someone higher up the food chain found it offensive that we lost someone over pay, and took appropriate action.

When I was still working, my boss had a "slush fund" he used throughout the year for monetary morale boosts for all his managers (me being one). Those ranged from unexpected checks to one time, Broadway tix to see Hamilton...ON BROADWAY. He included a note with it that told me to expense the hotel, meals and transport for me and my plus one to NYC.

The company would also allow the managers a (smaller) slush fund to pass down to those we deemed deserved it.

That said, as explained once before, this was in the tech industry. We ate our young. If you were at the bottom of the totem pole, you got the worst projects to work on, in the most undesirable locales, working ungodly hours. The only reason most stuck around was because they saw those above them reaping the afore mentioned rewards.

Same went for our sales people. IF they hit their numbers out of the gate, they were rewarded and treated well. If not? Well, they were emphatically and unmercilessly told of their deficiencies and given 30 days to get "right" or get out.

That said, once you passed the company's crucible, it was a great place to work

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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