The Automobile Thread

Derkderkall said:
I spoke too soon,

check engine light came on two days after our 30k maintenance. Just found out it’s the fuel injectors.

still drivable until the parts come in, thankfully
Especially since they have no loaners to give out right now.
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Faaaaahhhhkkk - sorry to hear.

I was equally disappointed at the VW dealerships' (Capistrano and Norm Reeves Irvine) service department treatment as I was by the problems with the car. Not only was it tough to get a loaner, they were unsympathetic to our frequency of visits, sloppy in returning the car (hand-sized grease smudge on hood from final close, leftover screws in center console, rear floor mats not reinstalled, etc), poor in their communication and just outright lied about sending us a video of the most recent problem. We gave poor marks on surveys, but never received any kind of response from those poor survey results.

I hope you are treated better than that.

Thankfully, I never have a problem getting a car from the Audi dealer (Fletcher Jones), and they treat me like they want my loyalty. One has to be careful in upscale brands however, as much of their clientele don't know much about cars and will agree to whatever parts and services they suggest. "We will need to replace your hobnostal defosticator again, Mr. Pendersnob. It's routine maintenance." I think they have a "don't F@ck with this guy" note on my account, because they don't try to up-sell me on services or parts I don't need.
 
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We’ve had problems with Cardinale Motors service department, the turbo went out on my sons cars and I have to initiate every conversation and beg for details, they need to keep me updated at least twice a week, since it will be a month coming next week. They blame the bad service on the machine shop and warrranty for the slow turnaround.
If I provided that bad of service at my work, my boss would have a few choice words for me, and that would be understandable.
 
It is a very good thing that cops cannot use Google Timeline data. :cautious:

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Well I think the Taos is off the list, seems like many problems and low reliability.

test drove a Tucson last night. Great leg room, but with the seat as low as it would go my head was too close to the ceiling. Maybe the mechanical seat on a base trim would sit lower than the power seat.

The Kona well as a driver, but same issue behind me with no leg room


Crosstrek had space behind me even with my optimum driving position. But, same issue with my head being too close to the roof

looks like might be looking at a Subaru Forester.
 
I bought a 2022 GMC 3.0 L Baby Diesel 1500 series truck last year in March. Of all the bells and whistles on the truck I didn't press the heated/ vented seats function when we test drove it. That function was dead. When we signed the contract it was brought to our attention that the " Chip " for the seats was backordered. I shrugged it off because I wanted the truck after searching for 2 years. I thought it would be a month or two for the chip. Well.... it's not just a chip. It's a whole module needing the chip. I got a letter from GMC 3 months ago saying to bring in my truck and to schedule the chip being programmed and installed. Joke. When I received the letter so did thousands of others with the same issue. I took my truck in to verify it needed the chip/ module and am on a wait list for when it might show up. Emphasis on might show up. Stats: My diesel truck gets 25-26 Mpg. at 70-75mph on flat ground not towing. City: 22 Mpg. with soft acceleration. The Chevy version of my truck does 1-2 MPG better due to aerodynamics. Pic: March Mountain Bike Festival 2023 Sedona, Arizona. Due to closed riding conditions we did not ride local Sedona trails- Cottonwood instead.

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UPSed said:
I got stopped between Oceanside and San Diego for doing a buck twenty in my RX-7. The CHP let me off with a warning because I was doing it "safely." Of course, a little begging helped. :whistling:
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Same here. 2001 Acura Integra GS-R. I was not drunk and that was all they were looking for. "Slow Down!"

I have no Google timeline data for proof, but I always swear I once made the border to Tustin
in 60 minutes in that car. :rolleyes:
 
All right, I've landed on 3 possible vehicles. I liked the forester (but don't love it aesthetically)... but it fits and drives well. However my goal will be to keep price with freight below 30k.
My 3 options that I want to test drive are.....

(2023 models, all FWD)
1) VW Tiguan S
2) Chevy Equinox LT
3) Nissan Rogue S

They all have pros and cons.. 1 and 2 have auto transmissions and 4 cyl. engines... 3 has cvt and 3 cyl (although reports says it does really well)
All have rear ac vents which is a big deal... 3 only has 4 speakers instead of 6 with 1 and 2... Similar safety tech in all...
Nissan gets great gas mileage while the other 2 are average.. if not slightly below....

First step will be to sit in them and see how the leg and headroom are. Skeptical of the Rogue, as that's what we had before the Atlas, and legroom was not that great, but supposedly they've maximized the cabin space since then.
 
Derkderkall said:
All right, I've landed on 3 possible vehicles. I liked the forester (but don't love it aesthetically)... but it fits and drives well. However my goal will be to keep price with freight below 30k.
My 3 options that I want to test drive are.....

(2023 models, all FWD)
1) VW Tiguan S
2) Chevy Equinox LT
3) Nissan Rogue S

They all have pros and cons.. 1 and 2 have auto transmissions and 4 cyl. engines... 3 has cvt and 3 cyl (although reports says it does really well)
All have rear ac vents which is a big deal... 3 only has 4 speakers instead of 6 with 1 and 2... Similar safety tech in all...
Nissan gets great gas mileage while the other 2 are average.. if not slightly below....

First step will be to sit in them and see how the leg and headroom are. Skeptical of the Rogue, as that's what we had before the Atlas, and legroom was not that great, but supposedly they've maximized the cabin space since then.
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I like the look of the new Rogue and I did not know that they offered a model for under 30K. The upper models are way over priced.

I've been driving a CVT equipped CUV for over 3 years now. I'm used to it now and Honda has done a pretty good job as a powertrain team with the motor it's mated to.
 
SnakeCharmer said:
I like the look of the new Rogue and I did not know that they offered a model for under 30K. The upper models are way over priced.

I've been driving a CVT equipped CUV for over 3 years now. I'm used to it now and Honda has done a pretty good job as a powertrain team with the motor it's mated to.
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It's actually the base model. MSRP it comes to $29095, so not much under 30. I think it is mostly because Nissan has decent standard features in the base trim compared to many other brands. The Tiguan is the base model as well, and comes with really nice features.
 
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Derkderkall said:
All right, I've landed on 3 possible vehicles. I liked the forester (but don't love it aesthetically)... but it fits and drives well. However my goal will be to keep price with freight below 30k.
My 3 options that I want to test drive are.....

(2023 models, all FWD)
1) VW Tiguan S
2) Chevy Equinox LT
3) Nissan Rogue S

They all have pros and cons.. 1 and 2 have auto transmissions and 4 cyl. engines... 3 has cvt and 3 cyl (although reports says it does really well)
All have rear ac vents which is a big deal... 3 only has 4 speakers instead of 6 with 1 and 2... Similar safety tech in all...
Nissan gets great gas mileage while the other 2 are average.. if not slightly below....

First step will be to sit in them and see how the leg and headroom are. Skeptical of the Rogue, as that's what we had before the Atlas, and legroom was not that great, but supposedly they've maximized the cabin space since then.
Click to expand...

The Nissan Rogue won the Motor Trend compact SUV test in this months issue, so take it for what you will but they liked it!
They also have a review of the Challenger Demon 170. But unfortunately they didn't put it up against the Nissan.
 
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SnakeCharmer said:
I would have suggested Kia/Hyundai except for all of the "challenge thefts" going on in this country. Apparently, they are easy to steal. I have to assume that something is being done about this by Kia/Hyundai but I haven't heard anything on the news yet.
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Plus Hyundai/Kia dealers think they are sitting on a pot of gold. Good luck getting one at MSRP, let along cheaper. They are all marking up their SUV's and EV's.
 
herzalot said:
I did show you all the $50,000 markup on an Audi RS6 Avant, did I not? The car didn't last a week.

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Yeah, F@ck them too.
Was at Toyota of Orange a while ago and the had a $50k markup on a Supra. I gave the sales guy an earful, told them what I thought and walked out. Just my opinion.

On the flip side, went to Crevier and they were fair, no markup ( a small discount on new car) and super easy to work with. Who do you think got my Biz?

Your dollars will make a difference, shop where you think they have ethics.
 
Danimal said:
Yeah, F@ck them too.
Was at Toyota of Orange a while ago and the had a $50k markup on a Supra. I gave the sales guy an earful, told them what I thought and walked out. Just my opinion.

On the flip side, went to Crevier and they were fair, no markup ( a small discount on new car) and super easy to work with. Who do you think got my Biz?

Your dollars will make a difference, shop where you think they have ethics.
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Is it unethical to charge what people will pay in the luxury market? Who is harmed? Why be angry about it?

You chose to take your business elsewhere. That's one way to respond - another would be to take advantage of the fact that the dealership gets $50k more profit from a stupid Supra buyer. Makes them less urgent to fleece you.

I bought my car from the same dealership that marked that RS6 Avant up $50k. They gave me a great deal on the car I bought and a great price on my trade-in. I wasn't angry at them for marking up a different car 50k. It made no difference to me. They weren't hiding it. They weren't unscrupulous. It's right there on the sticker.

If someone offered you $15,000 for your Guerilla Gravity, would you have said no?
 
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herzalot said:
Is it unethical to charge what people will pay in the luxury market? Who is harmed? Why be angry about it?

You chose to take your business elsewhere. That's how it's supposed to work.

I bought my car from the same dealership that marked that car up $50k. They gave me a great deal on the car I bought and a great price on my trade-in. I wasn't angry at them for marking up a different car 50k. It made no difference to me. They weren't hiding it. They weren't unscrupulous. It's right there on the sticker.
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This. Let's not forget what the "S" in MSRP stands for. Customers cry about the term "market adjustment" as it pertains to mark ups, but those same customers have probably paid market adjusted prices in the form of discounts for most of their car buying lives. What a roller coaster the market has been this last year. Other than a very few special and rare cars, we (my Audi store) are at or under MSRP on pretty much everything right now, including EVs.
 
A further thought on the luxury markup...

The $50k markup that someone with more money than common sense actually pays helped the dealership justify making me a deal that left them almost no profit. They overpaid for my wounded Atlas, and discounted the used Q8 to low trade-in value. They wouldn't be able to do that if they didn't make a killing on other sales.
 
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