Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

tjc78 · June 10

@laurasdada said:
Hi. Could you do me a favor and redirect a good portion of those folks to the Hamptons and/ or Jersey Shore? We Cape and Cape adjacent denizens thank you for your service.

Hey now … The Jersey shore is busy enough!

suydam · June 10

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
The complicated tech is a big reason I doubt we will change to a new German car. My wife will never figure it out.

Unfortunately, they are all getting like that. Toyota for example went from relatively simple tuning knobs on the radio to a complicated multi step touch screen procedure just to change stations. For a technophobe like me accessing anything other than basic functions of the car would put me in a ditch. Some brands are so confusing to me that I have to resort to voice controls.

That’s what I love about the Blazer. Lots of tech, AND big knobs for temperature, radio, etc.

roadburner · June 10

The C43's COMAND system is no more difficult to master than the system in the Wrangler. Both systems provide physical switches or buttons to operate most frequently used functions. The main difference with the C43 is that COMAND provides 3 or 4 different ways to access most functions. You can go down a rabbit hole exploring the submenus but that doesn't affect the day to day use of the system.

au1994 · June 10

roadburner said:

sda said:
Has BMW lost its grip? It used to be the other way around.
Their drivetrains are still very good- particularly the inline sixes paired with the ZF HP8. I was turned off by the Lego/Minecraft exterior design language and an interior styled to wow the rubes. As I've mentioned before, I took a long time BMW employee for a spirited drive in my C43 and he remarked that if he'd been blindfolded he would have guessed that it was an M Car from BMW's high water mark in the '90s.

For me, the E46 was the pinnacle of the 3 series but the E9x was no slouch either. The latter had just enough analog left to make it fun. Both handled near perfect to me. The F30 was a great drive train in search of a chassis and that's when the design and quality of the interiors started going downhill. After owning several 3 series, an X1 and an X6, the brand is not even on our radar anymore. We gave a token look at the X3 when we got the Q5 but were really turned off by the dealer experience (high pressure, high volume feel) and the price compared to the Q5, which was admittedly aggressive at the end of the year.

I don't view them as sports sedans anymore and in the uber competitive CUV market, there are just better alternatives for what you get for your money. As noted the styling is a mish mash and that's just being kind because my real assessment wouldn't get posted.

oldfarmer50 · June 10

Today on my visit to Walmart I parked behind a nice Porsche Macan S.

I guess times are tough all around.😢

nyccarguy · June 10

au1994 said:

roadburner said:

sda said:
Has BMW lost its grip? It used to be the other way around.
Their drivetrains are still very good- particularly the inline sixes paired with the ZF HP8. I was turned off by the Lego/Minecraft exterior design language and an interior styled to wow the rubes. As I've mentioned before, I took a long time BMW employee for a spirited drive in my C43 and he remarked that if he'd been blindfolded he would have guessed that it was an M Car from BMW's high water mark in the '90s.

For me, the E46 was the pinnacle of the 3 series but the E9x was no slouch either. The latter had just enough analog left to make it fun. Both handled near perfect to me. The F30 was a great drive train in search of a chassis and that's when the design and quality of the interiors started going downhill. After owning several 3 series, an X1 and an X6, the brand is not even on our radar anymore. We gave a token look at the X3 when we got the Q5 but were really turned off by the dealer experience (high pressure, high volume feel) and the price compared to the Q5, which was admittedly aggressive at the end of the year.

I don't view them as sports sedans anymore and in the uber competitive CUV market, there are just better alternatives for what you get for your money. As noted the styling is a mish mash and that's just being kind because my real assessment wouldn't get posted.

After an afternoon of outlet shopping, I pulled our Camry in between the Highlander and the Tacoma. I turned to my 16 year old son and said to him; "never in my life did I think I'd ever own 1 Toyota, much lessthree of them, especially a Hybrid." I used to think Hondas and Acuras were the pinnacle of reliability and BMWs were fantastic driving vehicles that were more expensive than "regular" cars, but attainable.

au1994 · June 10

Honda, Toyota and even Nissan and their luxury marques all make good cars that are as feature rich as the German counterparts. Didn't used to be the case, so there was a feeling of paying more and getting it in terms of options, features that weren't available on lower cost brands and last but not least, performance.

I really do like the Q5 but when it goes back, my hope is I can steer the convo to Acura, Lexus, Infiniti. But the other day she mentioned that she likes the Macan

. She doesn't drive far to work and if I get another 3 row to replace the JGC, that will be the road trip car, especially when its the 3 of us.

If I go the truck route, we'd use her car but I've threatened a truck for years but never pulled the trigger for one reason or another.

tjc78 · June 10

@nyccarguy said:
After an afternoon of outlet shopping, I pulled our Camry in between the Highlander and the Tacoma. I turned to my 16 year old son and said to him; "never in my life did I think I'd ever own 1 Toyota, much lessthree of them, especially a Hybrid." I used to think Hondas and Acuras were the pinnacle of reliability and BMWs were fantastic driving vehicles that were more expensive than "regular" cars, but attainable.

I’ve owned three Toyotas and have to say they were all great cars. I’d rank the 2006 Avalon my favorite, then the 2000 Solara followed by the 2003 Avalon.

My mom and late Stepdad had more than I could count. Several Camry’s and RAVs, a Highlander or two, and a Venza.

My favorite of theirs was the 09 Camry SE in white… just wish it had the V6.

stickguy · June 10

I’ve had a bunch of Hondas and acuras but never really did the Toyota thing. Just the way it worked out.

roadburner · June 10

I love my Mazdaspeed and would likely have bought another if Mazda hadn't kicked the Mazdaspeed division to the curb.

au1994 · June 10

Mazda used to have a lot of cool stuff. The whole Mazdaspeed line, wagons available with a stick, cool 5 door hatches with a turbo and stick, 323 GTX, MX-6 GT.

But the market speaks and people just don’t buy those cool cars so why make them?

sda · June 10

I really liked Mazda. At one point I had a 96 Millenia as my daily and a 92 Miata as my fun car. They were enjoyable cars and a pleasure to own. And, yes, the Miata was a stick.

tjc78 · June 10

Speaking of Mazdas… saw an older Miata today. Vanity plate read - TOP LE5

suydam · June 10

I’ve had 3 Mazdas: the 323, the 626 hatchback and the 6 wagon. The first two were MT. I always wanted to like Toyotas, but I only ever owned one — weirdly, the Previa minivan (mainly because the competition had fairly spotty reliability. The interiors have always seemed a little too spartan for me. I realize I’m in the minority, and I have many friends who love theirs and only buy Toyotas.

explorerx4 · June 10

I've never been a fan of Previa's since this happened to us.
Wrong way Previa driver on I-95 in Maryland.

oldfarmer50 · June 10

sda said:
I really liked Mazda. At one point I had a 96 Millenia as my daily and a 92 Miata as my fun car. They were enjoyable cars and a pleasure to own. And, yes, the Miata was a stick.

I like Mazdas too but they sell used for about as much as equivalent Toyota.

xwesx · June 10

explorerx4 said:
I've never been a fan of Previa's since this happened to us.
Wrong way Previa driver on I-95 in Maryland.

Ouch. But, I would have much rather been in the Expedition than the Previa in that crash!

nyccarguy · June 10

@au1994 said:
Mazda used to have a lot of cool stuff. The whole Mazdaspeed line, wagons available with a stick, cool 5 door hatches with a turbo and stick, 323 GTX, MX-6 GT.

But the market speaks and people just don’t buy those cool cars so why make them?

As a driving enthusiast, I also have always liked Mazdas through the years. I never technically owned one, but while we were dating, my then girlfriend (now wife) bought a 2000 Protégé ES. Besides the Miata which I grew to love over the years. I really dig the style of the current ND Miata. The MX6 was always cool as was the Speed3, the Speed6. To this day the RX7 is still drop dead gorgeous in my eyes. I even liked the last Mazda 6 they had.

kyfdx · June 11

My only Mazda was an '88 323 GTX, bought used in 1994. It was very cool, but came standard with some previous engine and transfer case issues. Only had it for 18 months, before I traded it.

tjc78 · June 11

Only Mazda I have experience with is my Mom’s current CX-50. I find it a very capable and nice vehicle.

Mom is not thrilled with it and misses her Murano and Yota’s before that.

nyccarguy · June 11

@explorerx4

That must have been an extremely frightening experience. Was it late at night? How fast was the other driver going? Was anybody in your family injured?

au1994 · June 11

nyccarguy said:

@au1994 said:

Mazda used to have a lot of cool stuff. The whole Mazdaspeed line, wagons available with a stick, cool 5 door hatches with a turbo and stick, 323 GTX, MX-6 GT.

But the market speaks and people just don’t buy those cool cars so why make them?

As a driving enthusiast, I also have always liked Mazdas through the years. I never technically owned one, but while we were dating, my then girlfriend (now wife) bought a 2000 Protégé ES. Besides the Miata which I grew to love over the years. I really dig the style of the current ND Miata. The MX6 was always cool as was the Speed3, the Speed6. To this day the RX7 is still drop dead gorgeous in my eyes. I even liked the last Mazda 6 they had.

The last Mazda 6 was gorgeous and far better looking than the Camry or Accord of the time. It just didn't sell for whatever reason. I feel the same about the Passat but I don't think the performance was there on it.

ab348 · June 11

Mazdas are an odd brand. The last-gen 6 was a good-looking car but they just didn't seem to sell at all locally. I see a lot of CX-5s but find them odd-looking and that design has been around a long time. Like a lot of Mazdas, it is apparently tight on interior room for its size. They introduced the CX-50 and it looks great on the outside, but I hear it is also tight inside, esp. for headroom, and it has uncomfortable seats and a rough ride because it is tuned for handling. Not sure how many people buy CUVs for corner carving. The same holds true for the new CX-90, which rides very stiff and is tight inside for its large size otherwise. Of course it had a great many issues in its first model year. They stay away from the mainstream it seems.

suydam · June 11

We bought our ‘88 323 new. It was our first “new” car, and we got it because we couldn’t afford a Civic. But we grew to love that car, and I have always enjoyed driving Mazdas. I like their dimensions and the handling is great. The problem now is they haven’t made the transition to PHEVs and EVs, and as you say, the dimensions of their CUVs probably don’t work for the buying public. And they arent very frugal when it comes to gas consumption. Where they really excelled was small hatchbacks.

nyccarguy · June 11

suydam said:
We bought our ‘88 323 new. It was our first “new” car, and we got it because we couldn’t afford a Civic. But we grew to love that car, and I have always enjoyed driving Mazdas. I like their dimensions and the handling is great. The problem now is they haven’t made the transition to PHEVs and EVs, and as you say, the dimensions of their CUVs probably don’t work for the buying public. And they arent very frugal when it comes to gas consumption. Where they really excelled was small hatchbacks.

Funny. When my (now) wife bought her Protege back in 2000, I really wanted her to get a Civic as well. I don't remember exactly, but the Protege ES (top of the line) was cheaper than the Civic LX. I don't know if they still had the DX model.

explorerx4 · June 11

@nyccarguy,
Accident happened during the day. The road was wet from rain and the van spun out getting onto the highway.
It went backwards across the highway from my right to my left.
I moved to the right but they came back across and got me.
The front passenger in the van suffered a bump on the side of their head from hitting the glass.
The front of the van was completely torn off, except the hood, which was wrapped around the driver side door.
My kids were asleep, one in the secend row, other in the third.
The one in the second row woke up and said "Did something just happen?"
Third row kid never moved until we woke her up to get out when they were getting to load our vehicle on a flatbed.
I originally thought I had a flat tire, but the sound was wrong.

tjc78 · June 11

@explorerx4
Was it totaled?

A good friend of mine bought a brand new Buick Ranier V8 (one of 7 made, lol). He was on a road trip to Florida and something similar happened. The truck was really banged up and he assumed it totaled. Well it wasn’t and 30K later they put it back together. He had it fixed somewhere in North Carolina at a dealer.

Ended up having to drive the rental back down six weeks later to pick it up.

It was never right and luckily a lease so he just turned it back in.

au1994 · June 11

tjc78 said:
@explorerx4

Was it totaled?

A good friend of mine bought a brand Buick Ranier V8 (one of 7 made, lol). He was on a road trip to Florida and something similar happened. The truck was really banged up and he assumed it totaled. Well it wasn’t and 30K later they put it back together. He had it fixed somewhere in North Carolina at a dealer.

Ended up having to drive the rental back down six weeks later to pick it up.

It was never right and luckily a lease so he just turned it back in.

30k of work, I'm not surprised it was never right.

explorerx4 · June 11

@tjc78,
Expedition had a frame tug, new wheel hub, brake caliper disk and line, wheel, tire, control arms, shock, grille, fender and bumper.
Pretty much good to go after that.
There was no drivetrain damage despite driving it on 3 wheels for a few hundred yards.
Took it on a vaction trip up to the Michigan UP after I got it back(7 weeks to fix).
I actually saw it again about 15 years later at the dealership where I bought it and traded it in.
It was somewhat unique in that it was an XLT but came with Eddie Bauer badging on the back.

jmonroe1 · June 11

tjc78 said:
@explorerx4

Was it totaled?

A good friend of mine bought a brand new Buick Ranier V8 (one of 7 made, lol). He was on a road trip to Florida and something similar happened. The truck was really banged up and he assumed it totaled. Well it wasn’t and 30K later they put it back together. He had it fixed somewhere in North Carolina at a dealer.

Ended up having to drive the rental back down six weeks later to pick it up.

It was never right and luckily a lease so he just turned it back in.

————————————————
I’ve never leased a car but when I hear stories about cars being in a wreck and always being under warranty, I can understand why leasing is so popular.

jmonroe

Michaell · June 11

In the past, leasing was popular because you could get more bang for your buck - meaning, you could go up a step in brand (or trim) for a payment lower than traditional financing.

Lately, with interest rates being what they are, I thing leasing has lost its allure for a lot of people. Don't get me wrong, @kyfdx and I stay plenty busy answering questions in all the make and model forums, but the volume of questions have tailed off the last couple of years.

Lots and lots of questions about leasing EVs, however. Probably the best way to dip a toe into that technology without making a long term commitment, since the EV tech is evolving so quickly.

andres3 · June 11

I should be getting back 80% of my lame low limit on max payout extended warranty for the X3 and that should help pay for the more expensive 3-year 36K I bought on the Macan. Was a no-brainer to upgrade to 5 years on the extended warranty for the X3; it didn't cost much more (and the low payout limit explains why), but on refund, it's prorated and really pays off if you are a CCBA member especially.

As long as that check comes through for at least 75% (expecting deductions for fees and admin)... it will make the pain of never having used it for the 10-11 months for anything at all more palatable.

The Macan shorter maintenance agreement also has no limits, and no deductible (Lexus dealer vs. Toyota dealer I guess).

tjc78 · June 11

@Michaell said:
In the past, leasing was popular because you could get more bang for your buck - meaning, you could go up a step in brand (or trim) for a payment lower than traditional financing.

Lately, with interest rates being what they are, I thing leasing has lost its allure for a lot of people. Don't get me wrong, @kyfdx and I stay plenty busy answering questions in all the make and model forums, but the volume of questions have tailed off the last couple of years.

Lots and lots of questions about leasing EVs, however. Probably the best way to dip a toe into that technology without making a long term commitment, since the EV tech is evolving so quickly.

Best advice I give people on leasing right now is to chase the deals.

There are just some vehicles that will never lease well. Full-size SUVs for example.

Also - there are times where trim level means a lot. Take the Rams for instance. The Laramie had a near zero MF where other trims were much higher.

stickguy · June 11

My daughter’s new cx 50 is way roomier than her previous cx 30. I find it quite roomy and comfortable.

I’ve had 3 of my own. A 323 (1986) and a 1991 626 5 door. I loved that car. And an NB Miata. Did not have that one very long.

nyccarguy · June 11

@Michaell said:
In the past, leasing was popular because you could get more bang for your buck - meaning, you could go up a step in brand (or trim) for a payment lower than traditional financing.

Lately, with interest rates being what they are, I thing leasing has lost its allure for a lot of people. Don't get me wrong, @kyfdx and I stay plenty busy answering questions in all the make and model forums, but the volume of questions have tailed off the last couple of years.

Lots and lots of questions about leasing EVs, however. Probably the best way to dip a toe into that technology without making a long term commitment, since the EV tech is evolving so quickly.

EVs are also great to lease because they depreciate heavily and usually have a lot of lease cash/trunk money to sweeten the deal. I see what brokers on LH are offering for ZDX, RZ, BZ4X, & Lightnings. The ZDX is Acura’s most expensive vehicle that’s cheaper to lease per month than the cheapest Acura, the Integra.

au1994 · June 11

tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

In the past, leasing was popular because you could get more bang for your buck - meaning, you could go up a step in brand (or trim) for a payment lower than traditional financing.

Lately, with interest rates being what they are, I thing leasing has lost its allure for a lot of people. Don't get me wrong, @kyfdx and I stay plenty busy answering questions in all the make and model forums, but the volume of questions have tailed off the last couple of years.

Lots and lots of questions about leasing EVs, however. Probably the best way to dip a toe into that technology without making a long term commitment, since the EV tech is evolving so quickly.

Best advice I give people on leasing right now is to chase the deals.

There are just some vehicles that will never lease well. Full-size SUVs for example.

Also - there are times where trim level means a lot. Take the Rams for instance. The Laramie had a near zero MF where other trims were much higher.

I’ve never understood why full sized SUV’s don’t lease well. Don’t need to in order to move them I guess?

Chasing the deal is the best advice now, has been for a while actually. Funny how they incentivize trims differently but all of them do! All about resale at the end I guess.

ab348 · June 11

stickguy said:
My daughter’s new cx 50 is way roomier than her previous cx 30. I find it quite roomy and comfortable.

The complaints I’ve seen relate to headroom, esp w/ the sunroof option. Apparently they lowered the roofline but couldn’t drop the seats.

mjfloyd1 · June 11

@andres3 said:
I should be getting back 80% of my lame low limit on max payout extended warranty for the X3 and that should help pay for the more expensive 3-year 36K I bought on the Macan. Was a no-brainer to upgrade to 5 years on the extended warranty for the X3; it didn't cost much more (and the low payout limit explains why), but on refund, it's prorated and really pays off if you are a CCBA member especially.

As long as that check comes through for at least 75% (expecting deductions for fees and admin)... it will make the pain of never having used it for the 10-11 months for anything at all more palatable.

The Macan shorter maintenance agreement also has no limits, and no deductible (Lexus dealer vs. Toyota dealer I guess).

Is it a maintenance agreement or is it an “extended warranty”?

stickguy · June 11

I sit talll and have plenty of headroom.

tifighter · June 11

Getting to know you…

graphicguy · June 12

kyfdx said:
My only Mazda was an '88 323 GTX, bought used in 1994. It was very cool, but came standard with some previous engine and transfer case issues. Only had it for 18 months, before I traded it.

I loved those. Ended up with a 626 instead for what was, at the time, a growing family. Liked it, too.

graphicguy · June 12

nyccarguy said:

@Michaell said:

In the past, leasing was popular because you could get more bang for your buck - meaning, you could go up a step in brand (or trim) for a payment lower than traditional financing.

Lately, with interest rates being what they are, I thing leasing has lost its allure for a lot of people. Don't get me wrong, @kyfdx and I stay plenty busy answering questions in all the make and model forums, but the volume of questions have tailed off the last couple of years.

Lots and lots of questions about leasing EVs, however. Probably the best way to dip a toe into that technology without making a long term commitment, since the EV tech is evolving so quickly.

EVs are also great to lease because they depreciate heavily and usually have a lot of lease cash/trunk money to sweeten the deal. I see what brokers on LH are offering for ZDX, RZ, BZ4X, & Lightnings. The ZDX is Acura’s most expensive vehicle that’s cheaper to lease per month than the cheapest Acura, the Integra.

True.

They lease well.

My lease is up on the EV6 in about a year. It's been so cheap to lease and operate, I may lease another one.

Just saw an ad for a Jeep GC 4xe anniversary addition for ~$275/mo 24 month lease. Not sure of the particulars, but that looked attractive too.

roadburner · June 12

I mentioned that the Judge's secretary was leasing a Wrangler 4xe. Well, the lease was up and she leased another Wrangler- but not a 4xe. Ran into her today and she said the new Jeep just flat-out died in the middle of the road. She is now driving a loaner. I told her that's what she gets for angering the Climate Change gods...

nyccarguy · June 12

The Camry came with carpet floor mats. While they seem high quality, they aren’t going to fly. Instead of ordering from weather tech or husky, I ordered from this company 3W Liners. My friend bought some for his new Corolla and is thrilled with how well they fit. They had a 30% off coupon so for $98 I got 2 front and one rear mat.

https://3wliners.com/

Michaell · June 12

nyccarguy said:
The Camry came with carpet floor mats. While they seem high quality, they aren’t going to fly. Instead of ordering from weather tech or husky, I ordered from this company 3W Liners. My friend bought some for his new Corolla and is thrilled with how well they fit. They had a 30% off coupon so for $98 I got 2 front and one rear mat.

https://3wliners.com/

Does the rear mat accommodate both rear seat passengers, or will a 4th passenger get the carpet dirty?

nyccarguy · June 12

@Michaell said:
Does the rear mat accommodate both rear seat passengers, or will a 4th passenger get the carpet dirty?

It goes across the floor, so the middle passenger can keep their shoes on

tjc78 · June 13

@nyccarguy
They look great.

I need a bed mat for the new truck but they don’t have it, unfortunately.

xwesx · June 13

They have a pretty limited selection. Probably just new company stuff. But, I am just realizing that I have had the Weathertech mats in my Forester for nearly sixteen years now! Still work as well as the first day.

jmonroe1 · June 13

xwesx said:
They have a pretty limited selection. Probably just new company stuff. But, I am just realizing that I have had the Weathertech mats in my Forester for nearly sixteen years now! Still work as well as the first day.

————————————————
So, the money you spent for the extended warranty was a waste, right?

jmonroe

xwesx · June 13

Most assuredly!

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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