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Every car I've owned has had the check engine light on for it's entire lifetime in my ownership i completely tune them out by now I think that is normal though when the most expensive car I ever owned was worth $4k
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Aug 23, 2018 18:09
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shovelbum posted:With Japanese cars that maintain huge premiums used (Tacoma, any Subaru) is there any reason NOT to buy new if you can afford it? Not really, no. When I bought my CR-V, one-year-old used ones (the generation was only two years old at the time) were still selling within $1k of new, and with worse financing. saintonan posted:Any Ford/Chevy/Dodge full-size pickup truck is like this. In this case, because all of those almost always have stupid amounts of cash on the hood. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:4) stuff like new tires is nice to have but it's preferable that the PO put that money in to maintenance rather than tires. I'll throw in a caveat that if the tires are seriously worn, factor that into your pricing. Tires are pretty damned expensive these days. Meydey posted:I personally would not worry about a PPI on an under 50k Toyota or Honda. Use that as a bargaining chip. PPI could still find undocumented flood / crash damage on a vehicle that new. If you're not confident in your own ability to inspect a car for these things, get a PPI. FayGate posted:No. Did not seem worth it for a 2k car. Maybe I'm wrong? Motronic posted:It was on before, he cleared the codes and hope you wouldn't make it through an entire drive cycle on the test drive. Unless you're buying a car specifically to make it a project, or you have no problem literally walking away from the net difference between what you paid to buy it and what the car is worth in scrap, a PPI is worth it. And yes, Motronic nailed it. What's the specific code? There's still a long list of issues that could cause an O2-related code, ranging from cheap to $Texas. Wowporn posted:Every car I've owned has had the check engine light on for it's entire lifetime in my ownership i completely tune them out by now Be glad you don't live in a place where that's an instant fail on your emissions inspection.
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Aug 23, 2018 18:14
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FayGate posted:No. Did not seem worth it for a 2k car. Maybe I'm wrong? nah you're probably fine. just clean the contacts on the O2 sensor wire and see if that fixes it. If not, you can either buy a new one (not that expensive, maybe twenty bucks or so), or just let it be. Youtube is rife with good tutorials on how to replace it if you're even remotely mechanically inclined. You need a drill, a 7/8" wrench, maybe some WD-40 or similar to unsieze the sensor, and a pop riveter. You have a Gen 2 3800.
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Aug 23, 2018 18:19
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Wowporn posted:Every car I've owned has had the check engine light on for it's entire lifetime in my ownership i completely tune them out by now In PA the check engine light is an auto-fail of emissions inspection. It’s a clever way to force old cars that don’t actually have anything wrong with them off the roads
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Aug 23, 2018 19:09
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on the other hand all you have to do is reset it while your serb friends pretend to do something else in the back
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Aug 23, 2018 19:19
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FayGate posted:No. Did not seem worth it for a 2k car. Maybe I'm wrong? I would get a PPI for any used car just because there might be something wrong that can only be seen when the car is on a lift.
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Aug 24, 2018 08:43
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Eric the Mauve posted:In PA the check engine light is an auto-fail of emissions inspection. How exactly is, at minimum, "emissions equipment not functioning" == "don’t actually have anything wrong"?
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Aug 24, 2018 13:50
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Well, nothing that matters. 
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Aug 24, 2018 14:10
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So, my 20 year old Chevy Cavalier is finally giving up the ghost (well, brakes), and I've decided to look at getting a new (used) car. I don't really care about performance or it being a fun ride; utility and reliability are the things here. Proposed Budget: 12000 (credit union financing, so private sales are out) New or Used: Used Body Style: Car not truck or SUV How will you be using the car?: ever other week for work carpooling, maybe the occasional 2 hour drive across the state What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, mostly
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Aug 24, 2018 14:16
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if you just want a new car, that's totally fine and you should go ahead. but if the car is still fine otherwise and you would keep it, what do you need? brake wear items on a J-car are absurdly cheap. a kit to do front calipers rotors discs and hardware is $95.79. a kit to do rear drums cylinder shoes and hardware is $71.99.
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Aug 24, 2018 14:30
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On one hand, yes, that, but if a guy wants out of a J-body, I'm not going to argue against that.
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Aug 24, 2018 14:41
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May be moving to the Denver area soon for a job. With 2 young kids and a pair of compact cars, I've been eyeing Lexus LX470s and GX470s for a while but couldn't find a reasonable (to me) excuse for the added expense. I see either of these options as a practical option from a family hauling point of view, with the added benefit of off-road capability, reliability, comfort and relative affordability. I am a big lover of snowboarding, so the the ability to get to and from the slope in just about any weather condition is appealing. I know the LX is based off the Land Cruiser of that generation, while the GX is essentially a V8 4runner. I also know that the air suspension can cause issues, if equipped, on both. Does anyone here have personal experience with these vehicles? What does a suspension swap cost roughly, if needed? Any other expensive issues to look at? Money shouldn't be that big of an issue but I'd like to know what I'm potentially getting into.
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Aug 24, 2018 15:33
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IOwnCalculus posted:On one hand, yes, that, but if a guy wants out of a J-body, I'm not going to argue against that. for sure, J-cars pretty well blow, but if you are interested in minimum cost, hard to beat a hundred seventy bucks in parts plus labor they're like cockroaches, they never die, just get slightly more creaky and lovely every year
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Aug 24, 2018 15:35
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Sits on Pilster posted:May be moving to the Denver area soon for a job. With 2 young kids and a pair of compact cars, I've been eyeing Lexus LX470s and GX470s for a while but couldn't find a reasonable (to me) excuse for the added expense. I see either of these options as a practical option from a family hauling point of view, with the added benefit of off-road capability, reliability, comfort and relative affordability. I am a big lover of snowboarding, so the the ability to get to and from the slope in just about any weather condition is appealing. You don't need a LC to get to the ski area, but the LX is both tough as gently caress and extremely reliable. You will pay more money for it that reason. Do you have offroad needs other than snowboarding? Otherwise, an AWD Toyota Sienna will check all your functional boxes and get better fuel economy... Are you looking used?
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Aug 24, 2018 15:38
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Definitely used. I used to live in CO and had an XJ and liked hitting trails, so I do entertain certain fantasies. If I'm honest with myself, it probably won't be a very common thing though. If the Sequoia is really that much cheaper, my frugal side may force me in that direction. Seems you can get a fairly low mileage 07-08 GX470 for well under $20k. Edit: oh, you did really mean the Sienna. I'm not going minivan purely for reasons of vanity. I currently drive a Prius and overestimated my willpower in that regard. Sits on Pilster fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Aug 24, 2018 |
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Aug 24, 2018 15:44
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Eric the Mauve posted:In PA the check engine light is an auto-fail of emissions inspection. It's a conspiracy. Back in the day, you could expect to get a solid 150,000 miles out of a car before the expensive repairs hit, as long as you did simple stuff like basic tuneups and scheduled maintenance every other oil change or so, and a tuneup right before you went to the sniffer station to avoid a random failure like "it's been running a bit lean and pumping out 10 times too much NOx" or something. Now, they barely make it to 250-300k before the CEL fixes get expensive. All while they struggle to make 50-100% more power, and guzzle down more than half of the gas that an older economy car would use. Oh, and don't forget, you have to take it in for service every 30,000 miles, and look at a little light on the dash before you get the emissions checked to know whether you'll pass. Don't even get me started on the lack of character in old cars that start in the cold every time, don't smoke a bit out of the dash when the headlights are on, and keep running at every stoplight.
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Aug 24, 2018 15:50
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Sits on Pilster posted:Definitely used. I used to live in CO and had an XJ and liked hitting trails, so I do entertain certain fantasies. If I'm honest with myself, it probably won't be a very common thing though. If the Sequoia is really that much cheaper, my frugal side may force me in that direction. Seems you can get a fairly low mileage 07-08 GX470 for well under $20k. I don't think you're going to wheel in your daily driver family hauler. I hear you on the Sienna, but figured I'd put it out there. The Sequoia is good, and cheap, and if it's a family hauler and will get beat a bit, I'd do that. The 2005+ has a torsen center diff and a better five speed automatic, the 2008+ includes a locker and a better IRS design. The only real advantage to the Lexus is in interior appointments and for an older family hauler I'm not sure it's worthwhile. edit: if you really want a BOF SUV I'd take a look at some various GM product. It's inexpensive and generally reliable.
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Aug 24, 2018 16:32
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Thanks - I'll seriously look at the Sequoia. Which BOF GM products at or under $20k?
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Aug 24, 2018 18:37
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Sits on Pilster posted:Thanks - I'll seriously look at the Sequoia. Which BOF GM products at or under $20k? You probably want to look at the Chevrolet Tahoe or GMC Yukon. The Suburban is massive. The newer ones (2015 on) on the GMTK2 platform are better with a much nicer interior, but the third gen on the GMT920 is fine other than a sort of tragic GM partsbin interior. It won't fall apart, it's just not very attractive or modern. V8s are better, the six liter versions are generally most desirable. edit: at $20K I think you'll have to get in to a GMT920 so take a look and see if you can tolerate the interior. The Yukon's is nominally better but it mostly just replaces plain bluegreen lighting with Industrial Duty Red Fonts
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Aug 24, 2018 18:55
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:if you just want a new car, that's totally fine and you should go ahead. but if the car is still fine otherwise and you would keep it, what do you need? brake wear items on a J-car are absurdly cheap. a kit to do front calipers rotors discs and hardware is $95.79. a kit to do rear drums cylinder shoes and hardware is $71.99. It gave out on me when I was out of state; the local mechanic told me the rear break lines were rotting out and one had basically burst. It cost me 300$ to get a patch so I could get home. He said that I'd need to get a lot more expensive work done if I wanted to keep driving the car any length of time, but I don't know a lot about cars; was I basically screwed over on cost? (I'm assuming most of that was labor, either way].
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Aug 24, 2018 21:06
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I ended up taking the Buick to a mechanic who replaced something called an Oxygen Sensor which fixed the check engine light. Also had him do a complete checkup and nothing else came up. Ended up costing $250 so I guess I didn't get scammed too bad? The mechanic is an uncle so I'm assuming I didn't get rat hosed on the price. edit: i am not mechanically inclined and trying to do any of this would probably result in my death! FayGate fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Aug 25, 2018 |
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Aug 25, 2018 19:06
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O2 sensors are probably the most common reason for a CEL, after a loose gas cap.
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Aug 25, 2018 19:11
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I forget that other states have emissions testing. Maybe we just realize that the weather here kills off cars before they’re old enough to cause problems anyway
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Aug 26, 2018 06:32
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How much does significant aesthetic damage affect car sell values usually? I'm going to be selling my current car before buying a new one soon, and forms I filled out online didn't seem to distinguish much between "actually mechanically significant damage" and "super minor damage." In my case, I have a 2002 (or 2003, forget) Camry with 102,000 miles on it and a really big dent in the rear left corner of the bumper. It would likely be damned expensive to fix, but also doesn't affect anything mechanically. Ideally I would like to get the most money by selling it myself (as opposed to a trade-in, where I think I'd only get like $1-1.5k), and I was thinking that maybe it's the sort of car parents might want for their teens. But I have no clue what would be reasonable to charge.
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Aug 26, 2018 08:53
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Ytlaya posted:How much does significant aesthetic damage affect car sell values usually? I'm going to be selling my current car before buying a new one soon, and forms I filled out online didn't seem to distinguish much between "actually mechanically significant damage" and "super minor damage." https://jalopnik.com/the-incredible-mystery-of-the-camry-dent-1785413530 EDIT: To actually be useful, I'd look around craigslist for similar cars, but frankly a Camry with that low mileage, as long as it's otherwise in good shape and well maintained, I don't see why you couldn't get $3k-4k for it, maybe more. If you're in a high cost of living area and have some time for it to sit, you could probably list it for $5k. The only way to know really is look on craigslist, then list it and see. As long as you have some time, you can always lower the price later. Grumpwagon fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Aug 26, 2018 |
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Aug 26, 2018 14:01
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My dad's a year out from retirement and his 2008 Transit Connect is really starting to rust apart. He's starting to make a lot of noises about buying a new car before he retires, so he can get a better deal on a car loan. He lives on a hilly dirt road in rural Michigan (lots of semi-uncleared snow and ice during the winter that's just packed down by drivers, lots of loose gravel when the road is rarely regraded during the warmer months) and has a 20/30-minute daily commute into the nearby university town, but again, that'll be for only another year or so and then he'll retire. Beyond all that, Dad's car usually ends up being the family car that's used to drive big groups around, or when my parents go on a big drive up north for vacation. The last usage factor to consider is that both my parents are in their mid-60s, and my dad just had his second knee surgery and my mom's got arthritis, so I figure that the lower the ground clearance, the less of a pain it'd be on my parents' knees. Since he won't be working anymore a year from now, he's not keen on anything too expensive, and would much prefer to have a new car for under $30k, and the better the fuel economy, the cheaper it'll also be in the long run, so he's keen on that too. My dad's been considering a Mazda CX-3 or a Ford Escape as the new car, but I've been looking around and thought that the Subaru Crosstrek or Impreza might be a decent option as well. The Kia Soul looks kind of interesting (a buddy of mine does a lot of rural and suburban driving with it), but the lack of an all-wheel drive option makes me hesitant.
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Aug 26, 2018 17:08
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My 73-year-old parents just bought a new Crosstrek and it works really well for them. It’s not too high or too low for them to get into, and it’s perfect for dirt roads and gravel driveways. It’s a little slow for my taste, but the CVT isn’t too annoying and gas mileage is ok for a full-time AWD vehicle.
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Aug 26, 2018 19:03
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Generally for people with mobility problems you want a car that is higher than a normal sedan - you basically want the standing hip point and the sitting hip point to be as close together as possible so you kind of back in to the seat and then swing your legs around. FayGate posted:I ended up taking the Buick to a mechanic who replaced something called an Oxygen Sensor which fixed the check engine light. Also had him do a complete checkup and nothing else came up. Ended up costing $250 so I guess I didn't get scammed too bad? The mechanic is an uncle so I'm assuming I didn't get rat hosed on the price. Probably reasonable, it's a $20 part, car on lift, and probably 30 minutes of labor, $10 in shop supplies for rivets and disposal?? For a top to bottom inspection people usually bill out an hour. It's maybe a little high but fair.
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Aug 27, 2018 02:08
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So I just bought a new 2018 Ford Focus SE (family member worked for Ford, so got the A/Z-plan discount), and I've noticed that the car seems to have additional features beyond what the window sticker says should have been included. For example, it has rear disc brakes (instead of standard drums) and automatic climate control (instead of manual climate control). Double-checked the VIN and it matches the window sticker, so I'm not really sure how I could have some random extra features, some of which don't even appear to be available as options on the SE. I'm not really sure if I should do or say anything - my only concern would be if I needed work done on the car under warranty and they see these parts on the car that shouldn't have been there. Thoughts?
Special A fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Aug 27, 2018 |
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Aug 27, 2018 05:03
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No idea on the climate control but the rear discs come with an appearance package, do you have that on the window sticker? If I were you I'd do some documentation showing that this is the condition the car was delivered in when you purchased it. Whether their computer says "it has X" is irrelevant. I also wouldn't expect them / their computer system to be that picky. I would not contact the dealer about this. Only other possibility... does the VIN on the car match the VIN on the sale paperwork?
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Aug 27, 2018 05:16
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IOwnCalculus posted:No idea on the climate control but the rear discs come with an appearance package, do you have that on the window sticker? No appearance package, the only option included on the sticker is the automatic transmission (plus selectshift and 50 state emissions at no charge). All the VINs match up between the physical car, the window sticker, the online sticker, and the sales paperwork. Edit: Also, more importantly, I have at least six cup holders, instead of just the four listed on the sticker. Special A fucked around with this message at 15:08 on Aug 27, 2018 |
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Aug 27, 2018 05:28
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Save all the documentation, park the car in storage, and bring it out to car shows in 30 years as a one of one with unique factory options 
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Aug 27, 2018 05:43
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IOwnCalculus posted:Save all the documentation, park the car in storage, and bring it out to car shows in 30 years as a one of one with unique factory options "Whoa, Ford used to make cars?"
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Aug 27, 2018 14:05
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Quit gawking at my interesting 30-year old car so I can load it back on the electric and/or hydrogen-powered trailer and take it back home!
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Aug 27, 2018 21:15
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What's the deal with winter tires and why are there so many options? I'm in a place with snow and mountains so I assume I'll need them this winter. Do I just go to my dealership and say "please sell me and install some winter tires" and they'll handle it or do I need to source the tires myself? What is the difference between the many different winter tire options? Bridgestone alone has like 10 options.
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Aug 28, 2018 19:12
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have you looked at the range of options for other kinds of tires? winter tires are no different. some get better fuel economy. some have better dry performance. some have better snow performance. some have better cold and wet performance. some have better ice performance. some are cheaper. some last longer. etc consumer reports has fairly good tire reviews. you can buy tires yourself (tirerack is a good website) or at a tire store. you can buy tires at your dealer but you will probably pay a small premium at the dealer. you also have to decide if you are going to mount them on separate wheels or do tire changeovers on your existing wheels. you will have to store the set of tires or wheels and tires, if you do not have space many tire stores and dealers will do this for you for a small cost separate wheels: higher cost up front especially if you have TPMS, but can change over yourself or less expensively, can run smaller diameter narrower wheels for better snow performance existing wheels: up front less expensive, more expensive to change over i do not think there is a very compelling reason to use your existing wheels
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Aug 28, 2018 19:29
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:separate wheels: higher cost up front especially if you have TPMS, but can change over yourself or less expensively, can run smaller diameter narrower wheels for better snow performance The place we bought our winter tires (and the second set of wheels) will swap them for free if they're on their own wheels. They charge if they're just swapping tires. Just in case you're like us and don't have the space or inclination to swap wheels yourself, it can still be cheaper in the long run (as kyoon said).
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Aug 28, 2018 19:43
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You know it's never before occurred to me that wheels and tires are not the same thing. Goddamn where and when do people learn these things? Guess I'll just have to hunker down and research some about tires... and cars in general I guess...
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Aug 28, 2018 20:37
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Tirerack.com is a great place to look at tires for your specific car. There aren't really THAT many different good snow tires. Some basic models to check out: bridgestone blizzaks are nice, altimax arctics are cheap but decent, micheline x-ice xi3 are better in non-snow conditions than many other snow tires.
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Aug 28, 2018 20:42
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if you're in hard core winters with snow on road like 30+ days of year I generally like Blizzaks or Hakkapelliitas and if you're under that threshold I like the Michelin X-Ice as a good value buy. They're a little less good in snow. I have also had older Altimax Arctics which were fine. Any snow tire is going to be wildly better in snow than any non-snow tire. Amara posted:You know it's never before occurred to me that wheels and tires are not the same thing. this thread is a pretty safe space so I don't want to rag on you too hard but this is incredible to me
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Aug 28, 2018 21:36
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