Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

benjaminh · January 1

Good that the warranty covered all of that work for your Arteon! But seems unusual for those things to not work well at that age and mileage. Hope you'll have smooth sailing and driving from here on out. The Arteon, as mentioned before, is an impressive Audi-like luxury vehicle, and rather rare and exclusive.

PS I wonder how much all of that warranty work would have cost if you had to pay for it? Maybe $1500 or so?

oldfarmer50 · January 1

stickguy said:
Looks ok. The mods, broken odometer and automatic are 3 strikes to me.

I’d have to see the mods. If it was just an exhaust and intake I wouldn’t mind. If the seller had some recent service records to prove the mileage, that might be acceptable. I know from experience that Ford odometers of that era did tend to break at that mileage.

corvette · January 1

Happy New Year! Did anyone sneak in a last minute punch after clm8's A5?

jmonroe1 · January 1

@Michaell said:
I'm going to guess 42 punches for 2026. I've chronically underestimated my totals the past few years.

——————————————————
Maybe you’ve been overestimating @breld.

jmonroe

stickguy · January 1

37 is my guess. Including 2 for me, being optimistic.

ab348 · January 1

stickguy said:
Without looking yet, the sort of short list to stop at for her car replacement is Subaru, BMW, Lexus (they probably have something suitable). Maybe Toyota to see a Land Cruiser. Though I guess Lexus has a version of that. And Mazda. Porsche we have already been to.

A Land Cruiser? Why would she want a barge like that? From all reports it is badly overpriced, the interior is not good and the engine is coarse. Apparently the Lexus version addresses most of those complaints for just a bit more money but of course is still barge-like. I would not suggest the Mazda CX-70/-90.

benjaminh · January 1

stickguy said:
37 is my guess. Including 2 for me, being optimistic.

Since this is CCBA maybe you should put off getting the new tires on your 2020 RDX that you mentioned. Why not just get a new car with new tires instead, and save yourself a thousand or so?

breld · January 1

Just got done replacing the front hood struts on my 911 - feel very accomplished 😃. It was noted on my last service and then I had the hood fall on my head a couple times. So nice to have that done.

A quick online search resulted in many videos showing how to replace them and where to buy them. $44 for a pair from Amazon that are OEM. What should have taken about 5-10 minutes took me more like half an hour due to some serious stupidity on my part.

Nevertheless, I bet that would have been around $300 if I had the Porsche shop do it.

corvette · January 1

@breld - you could have just traded it in for one with functioning hood struts!

laurasdada · January 1

Happy New Car Year, All!
I'll guess 41 (Tom Seaver's # as I've noted before).
No idea if I'll be contributing as I've convinced myself that I've reached the apex of car ownership with my duo.
Still, I've never had a Porsche, Benz or Aston Martin (Ferrari, Lambo, Lotus...). That's a compelling argument...

Sandman6472 · January 1

Breld, front struts on my '15 Golf SE needed to be replaced also as I was using a broom handle to hold the hood open when adding windshield washer fluid. Not safe at all. Haven't opened the hood on the GTI yet but will soon enough to add more fluid. Lucked out with 3-years of free maintenance finally but with under 2K on the clock, still have time to get first oil change/filter done.

Happy New Year folks!!

stickguy · January 1

New tires would be a fall thing if we keep the car.

The Land Cruiser was more a curiosity thing. We don’t really need something overly large.

nyccarguy · January 1

@breld said:
Just got done replacing the front hood struts on my 911 - feel very accomplished 😃. It was noted on my last service and then I had the hood fall on my head a couple times. So nice to have that done.

A quick online search resulted in many videos showing how to replace them and where to buy them. $44 for a pair from Amazon that are OEM. What should have taken about 5-10 minutes took me more like half an hour due to some serious stupidity on my part.

Nevertheless, I bet that would have been around $300 if I had the Porsche shop do it.

Well done! Excellent job!

qbrozen · January 1

Been spending a big portion of my week off in the garage. A bit of progress on wrapping the Suzuki and tackling the rear spring shackles on the Sierra. That turned it to far more of a hassle than I anticipated. I’ve spent probably 6 hours total just getting the old ones off. Heat, hammer, wrench, impact gun, repeat, repeat, repeat. Ridiculous. I had to cut one side into pieces and extract the bolt and sleeve as one piece.

Came upon this post today that I find very intriguing. I’ve asked the seller a bunch of questions. We’ll see what he says.

oldfarmer50 · January 1

My, you are adventurous.

corvette · January 1

If it's properly done, that price doesn't sound awful for something "OE plus" with some mods. Be sure to get one of those "I am the warranty" t-shirts if you go through with it.

ab348 · January 1

An early RAV4 wasn’t on my bingo card for hot-rodding.

tifighter · January 1

You’d be the only one at the cars and coffee.

qbrozen · January 1

Well, one thing I asked is if the trans was built. The answer was no, it is stock. More power and more weight for a 30-yr-old stock slush box to handle? What could go wrong?

tjc78 · January 2

qbrozen said:
Well, one thing I asked is if the trans was built. The answer was no, it is stock. More power and more weight for a 30-yr-old stock slush box to handle? What could go wrong?

I'm not 100% sure but knowing Toyota that transmission was used in much heavier vehicles and most likely could handle a bit more power

It is a cool and funky build... when was the last time you even saw a Gen 1 RAV? They didn't sell in the numbers that they do now.

corvette · January 2

There was an EV version of the Gen 1 RAV, which is also super rare nowadays. I think there is a Facebook group of owners dedicated to preserving them.

graphicguy · January 2

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

I know I've got 6 months left on my EV6 lease, but looking around for what will grace the GG Estate next. Surprised they are already discounting the new model Camry....

Do you want to have to pay a subscription for every tech gizmo? I don’t even use that stuff but it takes Toyota off my list just on principle.

Good point. Never considered that. It's also a pet peeve of mine. That, and GM dropping support for Apple Car Play will keep me away from their vehicles.

nyccarguy · January 2

@graphicguy said:
Good point. Never considered that. It's also a pet peeve of mine. That, and GM dropping support for Apple Car Play will keep me away from their vehicles.

GM dropping support for Apple CarPlay is the LEAST of their problems.

tjc78 · January 2

nyccarguy said:

@graphicguy said:

Good point. Never considered that. It's also a pet peeve of mine. That, and GM dropping support for Apple Car Play will keep me away from their vehicles.

GM dropping support for Apple CarPlay is the LEAST of their problems.

IMO It is one of the stupidest decisions ever. Carplay is a very loved feature.

ab348 · January 2

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

@graphicguy said:

Good point. Never considered that. It's also a pet peeve of mine. That, and GM dropping support for Apple Car Play will keep me away from their vehicles.

GM dropping support for Apple CarPlay is the LEAST of their problems.

IMO It is one of the stupidest decisions ever. Carplay is a very loved feature.

Makes no difference to me whatsoever.

suydam · January 2

Tesla has never had it and they sell more EVs than anyone. It doesn’t matter to me either.
On another note, a friend of mine is about to add a used BMW i4 as a daily driver. It’s a lease return with low mileage. Really nice car at a great price.

benjaminh · January 2

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2025-mazda-cx-70-yearlong-review-verdict

"Our Yearlong Review Mazda CX-70 Has Left Us. We Are Not Sad.
After a year of driving it, we’re not too bummed about it leaving us.

Miguel CortinaWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerJan 02, 2026

...My biggest complaint was how the CX-70 behaved at low speeds. Its mild hybrid powertrain and eight-speed automatic transmission never synced up smoothly, especially when the car was still cold. Every morning as I pulled out of my parking garage, the transmission would shift abruptly from first to second gear. Separately, the mild hybrid starter/generator would shut off the engine only seconds after it turned on—right as the engine felt like it was waking up. This disconnect caused plenty of head toss, abrupt shifts, and general annoyance as soon as my morning commute began...

Other issues we noted during the CX-70’s stay included overly stiff steering—a complaint we’ve had with multiple yearlong test Mazdas—and an intermittent “headlights malfunction” warning (even though there was neither an actual problem nor could we replicate the issue for a service technician). We also dealt with infotainment quirks and cabin rattles. The former stemmed from the SUV’s face recognition, which is supposed to identify the driver and automatically load their infotainment and cabin preferences. That only worked a handful of times. Most of the time we had to manually select our profile before it defaulted to Guest mode. Selecting a profile could also turn into a headache, with a loading circle taking 30 to 45 seconds to occupy the entire screen, often ending in an error message anyway.

And toward the end of our year, we heard persistent rattles coming from under the B-pillars on both sides. This issue, as we found on online forums, seems to be a common complaint..."

ab348 · January 2

The CX-70/-90 is simply not a happy vehicle for a lot of buyers. It apparently missed a year of development and testing due to COVID according to Mazda but they rolled it out anyway without identifying and fixing a bunch of stuff. Now they are still slow in addressing its many issues. A shame.

jmonroe1 · January 2

@benjaminh said:
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2025-mazda-cx-70-yearlong-review-verdict

"Our Yearlong Review Mazda CX-70 Has Left Us. We Are Not Sad.
After a year of driving it, we’re not too bummed about it leaving us.

Miguel CortinaWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerJan 02, 2026

...My biggest complaint was how the CX-70 behaved at low speeds. Its mild hybrid powertrain and eight-speed automatic transmission never synced up smoothly, especially when the car was still cold. Every morning as I pulled out of my parking garage, the transmission would shift abruptly from first to second gear. Separately, the mild hybrid starter/generator would shut off the engine only seconds after it turned on—right as the engine felt like it was waking up. This disconnect caused plenty of head toss, abrupt shifts, and general annoyance as soon as my morning commute began...

Other issues we noted during the CX-70’s stay included overly stiff steering—a complaint we’ve had with multiple yearlong test Mazdas—and an intermittent “headlights malfunction” warning (even though there was neither an actual problem nor could we replicate the issue for a service technician). We also dealt with infotainment quirks and cabin rattles. The former stemmed from the SUV’s face recognition, which is supposed to identify the driver and automatically load their infotainment and cabin preferences. That only worked a handful of times. Most of the time we had to manually select our profile before it defaulted to Guest mode. Selecting a profile could also turn into a headache, with a loading circle taking 30 to 45 seconds to occupy the entire screen, often ending in an error message anyway.

And toward the end of our year, we heard persistent rattles coming from under the B-pillars on both sides. This issue, as we found on online forums, seems to be a common complaint..."

——————————————————
That’s way too much tech for a car. Maybe the problems stemmed from the facial recognition thingy. I imagine a little squint from cold seats in the morning could have been the problem. And not shaving for a day or two would throw it for a loop with no chance of recovering. No thanks, I can live without the tech.

jmonroe

tjc78 · January 2

@ab348 said:
Makes no difference to me whatsoever.

What do you use for your Nav,
Streaming and phone/text?

roadburner · January 2

I use CarPlay in the Wrangler frequently. That said, I prefer the telematics in the C43 to CarPlay, but at least it's an option if M-B quits offering updates.

tjc78 · January 2

@roadburner said:
I use CarPlay in the Wrangler frequently. That said, I prefer the telematics in the C43 to CarPlay, but at least it's an option if M-B quits offering updates.

I’ve never really used any of the MB native features. Does the nav route you around traffic like Waze/Google Maps?

I know on my truck the map does show the yellow or red lines on the road to show congestion but the MB doesn’t.

roadburner · January 2

tjc78 said:

@roadburner said:

I use CarPlay in the Wrangler frequently. That said, I prefer the telematics in the C43 to CarPlay, but at least it's an option if M-B quits offering updates.

I’ve never really used any of the MB native features. Does the nav route you around traffic like Waze/Google Maps?

I know on my truck the map does show the yellow or red lines on the road to show congestion but the MB doesn’t.

Yes- and it definitely shows traffic jams.

suydam · January 2

Chevy’s NAV is Google Maps and works very well. Streaming I have several Sirius channels I like. Phone is just the paired phone, works like any other phone in a car. I don’t text when I’m driving. I’m sure you can by using the voice features of your phone, but I don’t do that.

benjaminh · January 3

For many years Consumer Reports and some others have suggested avoiding the first year or two of an all-new car. All-new cars according to some are almost being "beta tested" on customers, and in general it takes at least a year to work out the flaws and come up with fixes.

I didn't follow that advice when I got my all-new 2000 Ford Focus ZTS (Zetec Touring Sedan lol), and I regretted it. That Focus had dozens of recalls.

In contrast, our 2025 Outback was the last year of that generation, and—knock on wood—does seem sorted out.

I'm surprised that Mazda is still having so many issues with the CX-70, but ab348 seems to have some good inside info about that.

Sandman6472 · January 3

Drove a Mazda CX-30 AWD drive yesterday in their dark red color. Looked nice but not a vehicle I'd ever purchase. The infotainment system is a real cluster f--k to be honest and having the controls down on the console is a safety hazard. Just to many steps to go through to get to the list of FM stations. I usually plug in my iPhone in vehicles so I can listen to my own music since I've got a large collection of music. But it just wouldn't work at all.

I listen to Sirius/XM in my GTI but nice to know that I can use Apple CarPlay also if I want. It's got a Harman Kardon system now instead of Fender and sounds o k as I'm not looking for perfection in such a small area. But I listen to music all the time as I don't like to be on the cell phone even though it's paired through the infotainment system. Notice for most folks, it's hard to drive & talk on their cell at the same time. Can be dangerous in fact many times.

Well, time to get ready for work. Was out of work about 4 weeks or so so need to catch up with my hours.

ab348 · January 3

tjc78 said:

@ab348 said:

Makes no difference to me whatsoever.

What do you use for your Nav,

Streaming and phone/text?

As I have noted here in the past, I seem allergic to Nav systems and they do not get along with me, especially with voice commands. When I need to find a place (which is rare) I check at home before departing to get a general sense and usually get there without difficulty. In the odd case where something eludes me I'll stop and figure it out.

I don't stream. I have a music library on my PC that is huge but made a smaller curated version on a USB and that stays plugged into the console. There are enough tunes there that it doesn't get old but if something no longer suits me it is easily changed periodically. I don't want to hear music I don't like.

I use my phone which is recognized by the car when I get in and seems to work OK as long as I don't try giving it voice commands since as I said those never get recognized. Caddy's CUE is not the easiest thing to use (it seems strangely designed, no idea what they were thinking) but I deciphered enough of it to get by for what I require.

corvette · January 3

Here's what I have for the 2025 punch list. Did I leave anything out?

02/08/25 greg1288 2024 Toyota Crown Platinum 11k
02/19/25 explorerx4 2024 Ford F-150
03/28/25 carnaught 2025 Hyundai Tucson Limited
03/29/25 28firefighter 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE Luxury II (lease)
03/30/25 anonymousposts2025 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV AWD 3RS (lease)
04/08/25 tifighter 2025 Lexus NX450h+
04/30/25 jipster 2021 Honda Passport EX-L 78k
05/22/25 tjc78 2025 Ram Laramie (lease)
05/25/25 28firefighter 2025 VW Jetta GLI
05/30/25 breld 2025 Subaru BRZ tS
05/30/25 tifighgter 2021 Porsche Boxster GTS 4.0 4k
05/31/25 nyccarguy 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD (10k/36 lease)
xx/xx/25 andres3 2018 Porsche Macan Turbo 18k
06/26/25 sb55 2025 Toyota Crown Signia
06/28/25 steine13 2007 Chervolet G1500 passenger van
06/28/25 28firefighter 2004 Porsche 996 Carrera 4S cabrio 30k
06/30/25 mjfloyd1 2025 Toyota 4Runner Limited
07/02/25 sandman6472 2025 VW Gofl GTI
07/25/25 28firefighter 2025 BMW i5 M60 7.5k/36 lease 6k
08/03/25 carnaught 2025 Toyota Camry XSE
08/15/25 breld 2025 Mercedes GLE 450e (lease)
08/23/25 breld 2025 BMW i5 xdrive 40 (lease)
08/25/25 benjaminh 2025 Subaru Outback
09/27/25 benjaminh 2025 Subaru Outback
10/18/25 breld 2024 BMW 230i 2k
10/26/25 28firefighter 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Offroad Premium (lease)
10/27/25 nyccarguy 2025 Acura Integra (39 month lease)
11/08/25 rayainsw 2026 BMW X3 M50
11/20/25 28firefighter 2025 Honda Civic Type R
12/09/25 tifighter 2026 Lexus TX 550 plug-in hybrid
12/13/25 28firefighter 2026 Subaru Forester Hybrid
12/13/25 anonymousposts 2026 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
12/25/25 oldfarmer50 2010 Ford Fusion SEL
12/28/25 clm8 2023 Audi A5 Premium Plus convertible CPO 15k

roadburner · January 3

I'll say 39 for 2026.

stickguy · January 3

And for the second year in a row stick guy did not make the list!

oldfarmer50 · January 3

tjc78 · January 3

I’m in for one in late 2026.

I’m going high … 49

Sandman6472 · January 4

The spelling of mine should be "Golf" instead of "Gofl", but just a minor mistake.

I'm going with 35 for 2026. And I think Stick will get maybe not just one but two new vehicles in 2026. I can say without doubt that there will be no new vehicles in Sandman's house this coming year...hopefully. We're quite pleased with what we've got right now actually!

clm8 · January 4

I also had a 2025 RDX Base CPO on April 3rd that I forgot to report.

greg128 · January 4

My BIL was looking into returning his 2023 Chevy Blazer lease early. He drives a lot and already has 35K miles on a 36K limit with another year left on it. If he is 12K over at that time he will owe about $3k. He was trying to get another lease for around what he is paying now...I think around $420 per month. I told him to bring their ad in the paper with some ridiculously low quotes for some Chevy leases.

Bottom line he was quoted some very high lease quotes for a lower priced Equinox. I guess they are trying to recoup his mile overage and roll it into the next lease. He decided to keep it till lease end and try to hold down his mileage by taking his non working (retired) live-in GF's Audi Q5 to work. He has around a 50 mile round trip.

Here is a copy of the ad from Atlantic Chevy:

I don't know how they can get away with these low quotes because I doubt anyone can actually get them.

oldfarmer50 · January 4

I could never understand why people who mile up their cars would ever go for a lease.

corvette · January 4

@greg128 - a cheap EV lease would have been perfect for him (I don't think they exist anymore). I know on my Ariya, you could buy extra miles at a significant discount up until the very end of the lease, so you could hedge your bets in the event you ended up driving less than expected.

jmonroe1 · January 4

@oldfarmer50 said:
I could never understand why people who mile up their cars would ever go for a lease.

——————————————————
Forgetfulness?

jmonroe

nyccarguy · January 4

@greg128 said:
My BIL was looking into returning his 2023 Chevy Blazer lease early. He drives a lot and already has 35K miles on a 36K limit with another year left on it. If he is 12K over at that time he will owe about $3k. He was trying to get another lease for around what he is paying now...I think around $420 per month. I told him to bring their ad in the paper with some ridiculously low quotes for some Chevy leases.

Bottom line he was quoted some very high lease quotes for a lower priced Equinox. I guess they are trying to recoup his mile overage and roll it into the next lease. He decided to keep it till lease end and try to hold down his mileage by taking his non working (retired) live-in GF's Audi Q5 to work. He has around a 50 mile round trip.

Here is a copy of the ad from Atlantic Chevy:

I don't know how they can get away with these low quotes because I doubt anyone can actually get them.

Those screamer ads are as old as time. They are designed to get people into the dealership. Read the fine print. Large down payment. Ultra low mileage lease. They include every rebate imaginable including ones that don’t stack or that not everyone qualifies for.

Your brother is better off riding the lease out. Maybe calling up the leasing company to see if he can buy miles early at a discount. When his lease is up, I’d suggest leasing something like a Toyota which hold their value very well and he might be able to sell it for the buyout 24 months into a 36 month lease. Also Toyota Financial Services only charges $0.15 per mile whether you pre pay or go over. Excess lease miles never get eaten by the dealer. They will take that $3K and roll it into the new lease.

nyccarguy · January 4

@oldfarmer50 said:
I could never understand why people who mile up their cars would ever go for a lease.

The primary benefit of leasing is that the bank guarantees the residual value. No matter what happens (like my Jeep 4xe Wrangler) which was over produced, had rebates & discounts off new ones up the wazoo, & had lots of recalls & other issues, the car will not be worth 1 penny less than the residual value.

When you finance a car and mike it up, unless it is something cheap like a Civic or Corolla your car will depreciate more than than the same year/make/model car that someone with a work from home job that puts 10K miles on the same car in a 3 year period and trades it in.

It’s not necessarily cheaper, just an alternative form of financing.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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