Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

ab348 · March 7

Apparently Mazda dealers as a whole are sitting on about 20% of their inventory being unsold 2025 models, so they should be willing to deal to move them if they’re smart.

explorerx4 · March 7

I don't go looking for it but I've noticed some dealers are renting off premises storage for a for a chunk of their inventory.

stickguy · March 7

I need to get up to speed on all this before I try and buy something.

was discussing BMWs with the wife earlier. She liked the older style X3 when I pointed one out, but really hates the idea of a used car. But did not like that the new one does not have a moonroof that opens.

Michaell · March 7

Found out that my BIL and all 3 nephews flew to Phoenix this morning to attend some Dodger spring training games.

nyccarguy · March 7

@stickguy said:
I need to get up to speed on all this before I try and buy something.

was discussing BMWs with the wife earlier. She liked the older style X3 when I pointed one out, but really hates the idea of a used car. But did not like that the new one does not have a moonroof that opens.

The previous body style X3 ///M40i is sharp, handles well, and is plenty quick.

So @stickguy - besides a battery and tires, what else is wrong with the RDX? You were having issues with the cell phone connectivity?

oldfarmer50 · March 8

ab348 said:
Apparently Mazda dealers as a whole are sitting on about 20% of their inventory being unsold 2025 models, so they should be willing to deal to move them if they’re smart.

I don’t know, I think all the dealers hired a consultant that told them to hold onto every vehicle like grim death and not to negotiate on anything. They all think the golden goose will walk in the door any minute.

stickguy · March 8

Drivers window auto up and down stopped working. And my wife has problems getting the phone connection (plugs in) to work quite often. It is temperamental for her and she also gets impatient

kyfdx · March 8

stickguy said:
I need to get up to speed on all this before I try and buy something.

was discussing BMWs with the wife earlier. She liked the older style X3 when I pointed one out, but really hates the idea of a used car. But did not like that the new one does not have a moonroof that opens.

Last year for that is 2024.

Maybe, CPO?

We kept our 2017 service loaner for 7 years.

stickguy · March 8

I mentioned a CPO. Will look at both options when we finally get down to the dealer. A current MY service loaner might not be a hard sell to her. But at this point a lot of 2024s are going on 3 years old and tend to have more
Miles than our current car. She won’t like that!

Just need to get down to drive both X3 generations, stop to see what Lexus has, and probably look at a GLC. And maybe drive an XC60 Volvo for the heck of it. Also an Outback and new CX5 for more budget friendly options.

We are both annoyed at Honda for not having done a full redesign on the RDX. That would make the decision much easier. Neither one of us wants to spend that much to get basically the same car.

kyfdx · March 8

The GLC is a nice car. I’d certainly pick that over the new X3

nyccarguy · March 8

@kyfdx said:
The GLC is a nice car. I’d certainly pick that over the new X3

My sister had 2 of them. Very solid vehicles.

Speaking of Mercedes, @roadburner, did you see MB dominate the qualifiers and the race in Melbourne?

stickguy · March 8

Will have to go check one out.

venture · March 8

explorerx4 said:
I don't go looking for it but I've noticed some dealers are renting off premises storage for a for a chunk of their inventory.

At our old Sears store, about a quarter of the lot is full of Mitsubishi's and another quarter is full of Hondas.

oldfarmer50 · March 8

How about a nice Honda Crv?

stickguy · March 8

our DIL has a CRV. Probably 2 years old now. Might be a 2023? She likes it. They are nice cars. Not any kind of fancy or luxury car so would not qualify as a "splurge". But could be easier for my wife to deal with!

worth looking at it I guess, since it would be the conceptual successor to her RDX.

sda · March 8

stickguy said:
our DIL has a CRV. Probably 2 years old now. Might be a 2023? She likes it. They are nice cars. Not any kind of fancy or luxury car so would not qualify as a "splurge". But could be easier for my wife to deal with!

worth looking at it I guess, since it would be the conceptual successor to her RDX.

The Sport Touring hybrid would be closest upscale model to your RDX, though I suspect the RDX is still more refined overall.

stickguy · March 8

I just compared CRV trims. The sport L is a much better deal than a sport touring. Don't get much for the extra $4,000. 19" wheels vs. 18s, Bose stereo, and a heated steering wheel. The heated wheel would be nice but not a deal breaker. Sadly, they still don't have a spare tire (I thought I saw comments online recently that they started including one on upper trim level hybrids, maybe it was just on gas models).

nyccarguy · March 8

@stickguy said:
I just compared CRV trims. The sport L is a much better deal than a sport touring. Don't get much for the extra $4,000. 19" wheels vs. 18s, Bose stereo, and a heated steering wheel. The heated wheel would be nice but not a deal breaker. Sadly, they still don't have a spare tire (I thought I saw comments online recently that they started including one on upper trim level hybrids, maybe it was just on gas models).

@stickguy - how about a Passport Trailsport?

ab348 · March 8

I watched a video the other day that had a title along the lines of “Toyota Canada Announces Surprisingly Low Prices on New RAV4”, which surprised me. Then I got into watching it and the 3 models that were actually trimmed/equipped decently were over $60K Cdn, even before the typical Canadian pirate Toyota dealer add-on packs of mandatory options - $5000 above sticker is not unusual. So pushing $70K in worthless Canadian dollars for a vehicle built in Ontario. Unreal. People like to diss the CR-V for being expensive for what you get, but it seems a bargain by comparison.

roadburner · March 8

nyccarguy said:

@kyfdx said:

The GLC is a nice car. I’d certainly pick that over the new X3

My sister had 2 of them. Very solid vehicles.

Speaking of Mercedes, @roadburner, did you see MB dominate the qualifiers and the race in Melbourne?

My son and I are part of the .05% of auto racing fans who follow F1, IMSA and NASCAR. We usually watch most of the F1 practices, all of qualifying, and the race itself then listen to the Missed Apex podcast the following week.
The big controversy has been the allegation that Mercedes has figured out a way to increase the compression ratio once the car is at operating temperature (the CR is only measured at ambient temperature). The testing methodology changes in August so we will see what happens. Toto isn't too worried so my guess it's all just the usual pre season silliness.

corvette · March 8

@stickguy - looking at Honda's website, it appears all of the 2026 CR-V Hybrids lack a spare tire.

benjaminh · March 8

Two 2025 Forester hybrids for $3k off list + 0% for up to 6 years...

https://www.goldsteinsubaru.com/new-Albany-2025-Subaru-FORESTER-Limited+Hybrid-JF2SLSRD0SH443045

https://www.goldsteinsubaru.com/new-Albany-2025-Subaru-FORESTER-Touring+Hybrid-JF2SLSTD2SH442035

Honda's financing for the CR-V hybrid is currently 4%.

https://automobiles.honda.com/tools/current-offers

ab348 · March 8

Subaru was another brand mentioned in that video I watched which apparently has a lot of unsold inventory sitting on dealer lots.

jmonroe1 · March 8

@oldfarmer50 said:
I don’t know, I think all the dealers hired a consultant that told them to hold onto every vehicle like grim death and not to negotiate on anything. They all think the golden goose will walk in the door any minute.

——————————————————
And when the golden goose leaves, it will look like a baby seal.

jmonroe

stickguy · March 8

nyccarguy said:

@stickguy said:

I just compared CRV trims. The sport L is a much better deal than a sport touring. Don't get much for the extra $4,000. 19" wheels vs. 18s, Bose stereo, and a heated steering wheel. The heated wheel would be nice but not a deal breaker. Sadly, they still don't have a spare tire (I thought I saw comments online recently that they started including one on upper trim level hybrids, maybe it was just on gas models).

@stickguy - how about a Passport Trailsport?

we don't want something that big.

explorerx4 · March 8

@stickguy,
Just something to consider.
When you are looking, keep in mind at least one rear facing carseat.
The grandkid(s) will be sitting in one for around 5 years, at least.
These days they are about the size of fighter plane ejection seats.

stickguy · March 8

corvette said:
@stickguy - looking at Honda's website, it appears all of the 2026 CR-V Hybrids lack a spare tire.

they do. Disappointing.

suydam · March 8

explorerx4 said:
@stickguy,
Just something to consider.
When you are looking, keep in mind at least one rear facing carseat.
The grandkid(s) will be sitting in one for around 5 years, at least.
These days they are about the size of fighter plane ejection seats.

That’s why we got the Blazer EV. We have to be able to fit two car seats plus an adult in the rear when they visit, and these days they keep them in those seats till middle school, it seems.

roadburner · March 8

explorerx4 said:
@stickguy,
Just something to consider.
When you are looking, keep in mind at least one rear facing carseat.
The grandkid(s) will be sitting in one for around 5 years, at least.
These days they are about the size of fighter plane ejection seats.

About the time our son turned a year old I had a friend smuggle in a BMW Carli child seat from Germany. It was TÜV approved, which was good enough for me.

Sandman6472 · March 9

Yep, IDA worked just fine when I needed to add a station to my Sirius/XM favorites which was pretty cool! Am still learning things about the GTI months later. Had to manually change the time the other day but it did have a button for daylight savings time, so was a pretty quick fix. Really thought it would change automatically but so far, the only vehicle we have ever had that did it without any help from us was the 2015 Audi A3 we used to have. Funny, an 11 year old vehicle can do time changes automatically but newer 2026 vehicles can not. Thought most vehicles had atomic clocks but obviously, that ain't the case. Whatever, I got it done and will do the opposite come November. Just wish they would either leave the time alone or just go back a half hour and never change it again. This nonsense is getting silly now!

Sandman6472 · March 9

Was busy at work this weekend, worked about 35 minutes over on Saturday and an hour over today. But both days, the extra work could've waited but the powers that be wanted them done...NOW! And both days were for a recall on the Nissan Rogue. The service department in Pompano was open yesterday so that was no problem, but the dealer in Delray was just the opposite today. The sales guy I talked to was a real dick, very sarcastic when he told me the service department was not open, something I already knew. Told him we're just dropping them off for tomorrow. Funny thing was they had zero customers in the showroom and he was sitting behind a desk playing on his cell phone when I walked in. His snarky attitude seemed unusual for a car sales guy as heck, I could've been a customer looking to buy a vehicle. His attitude would've sent me back out the door, that's for sure. Guess he doesn't realize that the next person through the door could be a big sale for him...he obviously didn't give a hoot! Sad really.

oldfarmer50 · March 9

benjaminh said:
Two 2025 Forester hybrids for $3k off list + 0% for up to 6 years...

https://www.goldsteinsubaru.com/new-Albany-2025-Subaru-FORESTER-Limited+Hybrid-JF2SLSRD0SH443045

https://www.goldsteinsubaru.com/new-Albany-2025-Subaru-FORESTER-Touring+Hybrid-JF2SLSTD2SH442035

Honda's financing for the CR-V hybrid is currently 4%.

https://automobiles.honda.com/tools/current-offers

Is it just me or shouldn’t a year old car be 15-20% off sticker? Maybe I’m dreaming of a long gone past.

benjaminh · March 9

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a70463910/2026-subaru-trailseeker-drive/

venture · March 9

benjaminh said:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a70463910/2026-subaru-trailseeker-drive/

That looks like it's going to be a very functional vehicle, but you can't hide that much ugly.

ab348 · March 9

Not that I'm looking, but was doing my periodic browsing of dealer websites this AM and see that the GM dealer I bought my last few cars from has a few 2026 Equinox EVs marked down by $11,000 (I assume there is more available if you tried hard enough) bringing the price down to $37K. Seems like a pretty good deal given our worthless Canadian dollars.

jmonroe1 · March 9

@ab348 said:
Not that I'm looking, but was doing my periodic browsing of dealer websites this AM and see that the GM dealer I bought my last few cars from has a few 2026 Equinox EVs marked down by $11,000 (I assume there is more available if you tried hard enough) bringing the price down to $37K. Seems like a pretty good deal given our worthless Canadian dollars.

——————————————————
Stop complaining, it’s still not as bad as the yen.

jmonroe

xwesx · March 9

Michaell said:
Found out that my BIL and all 3 nephews flew to Phoenix this morning to attend some Dodger spring training games.

Aren't those the ones that live in southern California? Sounds like a missed road trip opportunity.

nyccarguy · March 9

I know a few of you have had Camry LE rentals lately and have commented on the amazing gas mileage. As the weather has warmed up a bit, MPG has crept up. I filled my wife's tank up and she averaged over 38 mpg. That's up from the 36 she's been consistently getting in the colder weather.

Another 1 of 1 data point. My best friend with the delis and the Corolla Hybrids recently commented about the difference in MPG according to his FWD Corolla Hybrids and the AWD Corolla Hybrids. He says the FWD cars average a solid 10 mpg better than the AWD models.

Michaell · March 9

@xwesx said:
Aren't those the ones that live in southern California? Sounds like a missed road trip opportunity.

Yes, but it’s A good 6-7 hour drive. Since they were only there for 36 hours, probably not a good use of their time

suydam · March 9

Flights to Phoenix are cheap too.

xwesx · March 9

Oh, hadn't considered the flight cost. It's around $400 (x4) to fly to Anchorage versus that 6-7 hour drive, so I'd chose the drive every time. When you consider the airport time + an hour on the plane, it isn't a nearly as much of a time savings as it seems at first glance.

Heck, a day trip to Anchorage isn't out of the question. I've done several "turn and burn" trips through the years. Seems like good quality time with the offspring.

Andres3333333 · March 10

Did everyone fill up on gas before the spikes? First full day after the war started I saw prices jump 20 cents in a matter of morning vs. evening. Of course, in CA every time an oil baron sneezes the price goes up.

qbrozen · March 10

@stickguy said:
Drivers window auto up and down stopped working. And my wife has problems getting the phone connection (plugs in) to work quite often. It is temperamental for her and she also gets impatient

You probably know this and tried, but the reset procedure on most vehicles is to roll the window down and continue holding button for 3 secs, then back up and hold for 3 secs.

For the connection, have you tried a new cable? They seem to die in car use every 3-6 mos for me.

corvette · March 10

To follow up on @qbrozen's suggestions, is it wired CarPlay? For the Maverick, I bought a very cheap Linux powered dongle that plugs into the USB port on the car and magically turns it into wireless CarPlay.

ab348 · March 10

I saw one of those yesterday. Don’t know what they cost, but it would seem to deflate the arguments against those vehicles that don’t offer wireless CarPlay for the Apple devotees.

tjc78 · March 10

corvette said:
To follow up on @qbrozen's suggestions, is it wired CarPlay? For the Maverick, I bought a very cheap Linux powered dongle that plugs into the USB port on the car and magically turns it into wireless CarPlay.

I've seen those. If our current vehicles didn't have wireless from the factory I'd absolutely try one out

https://www.amazon.com/2026-Upgraded-Wireless-CarPlay-Adapter/dp/B0FVXSH235/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=10AQLG4N9OENZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bkHs0aIbQoaQ2jMyA3BVn34odDJiml1HTdGGylhF0b94lesRduA2I23yFQoIfbaHcOtkUwI_kGjvRo6LWKseApsQzZwHgab13eNjfoTB_2Mkm4Nv2aSlGKF6c-LrJ3whm1kv_hoRoGyOXBXiSFQ12-e36ZIPc15lVSEqw6T6d1hiQ2CybCPEb6duo9x7R61m_nfnislM17qvgezVkusm6ybNntMeVwTH3p6HoYDwDIo.27w5dXYQsO3NEK4sxh7YRuWeEGFRkNuLnjzTuxgk0vk&dib_tag=se&keywords=wireless+carplay+adapter&qid=1773175897&sprefix=wireless+car,aps,101&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Michaell · March 10

Andres3333333 said:
Did everyone fill up on gas before the spikes? First full day after the war started I saw prices jump 20 cents in a matter of morning vs. evening. Of course, in CA every time an oil baron sneezes the price goes up.

Paid $3.80 today for mid grade

oldfarmer50 · March 10

Andres3333333 said:
Did everyone fill up on gas before the spikes? First full day after the war started I saw prices jump 20 cents in a matter of morning vs. evening. Of course, in CA every time an oil baron sneezes the price goes up.

I waited one day and paid $.16 more per gallon.😫

However, I now have four cars with near full tanks to tide me over.

It was 78 today and I saw my first top down convertible.

qbrozen · March 10

I have found a few interesting things on eBay. This may be the most intriguing thus far.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/397686345793

I also found an ‘07 x3 30i with low miles. Dealer has not responded to my request for underside pics. Same is true of a 2010 Escape Hybrid.

tjc78 · March 10

@Michaell said:
Paid $3.80 today for mid grade

$3.69 for regular. $104 fill up.

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