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Bug Boy posted:Maybe you (or those geeky type guys/girls) could comment further on this, as I'm sure most people don't understand what this statement means. My first thought when reading this was that the car wouldn't necessarily run less efficiently (except for the small change in the volatility of the fuel) but that the largest financial difference is in spending more for gas with no return on performance/economy. Gas with a higher octane rating is less explosive and is intended for use in cars that use higher compression ratios. With a higher compression ratio lower octane gas has a tendency to explode prematurely, this is called predetonation and is bad. If predetonation or "pinging" is detected by the ECU using something called a knock sensor it will usually reduce power and turn on the check engine light. A car that is designed to run on 87 octane gas will at best have no change with the higher octane fuel, at worst have trouble detonating the higher octane fuel which causes you to waste more expensive fuel. Your next question may be "what about those additives in the fancy gas?". They don't do anything. Same goes for those fuel additives you can buy in the store, they just lighten your wallet. hobbesmaster fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Oct 11, 2009 |
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Oct 11, 2009 07:39
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CornHolio posted:YES. Brakes are also critical of course. If your disk brakes are squealing it means that they need to be replaced now. People that sell suspensions would tell you that suspension is just slightly less critical than tires and brakes, but its really not that big of a deal. You'll have a much more pleasant commute with a good suspension, but it takes quite a bit to affect safety. As an example of preventative maintenance: new thermostat, $15. New radiator plus installation: $300ish.
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Oct 12, 2009 18:57
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Don Lapre posted:mile maintenance is a scam. Look in your manual. It will show you what is required at what mileage. on the mazda 3 nothing more than air filters and oil changes are required till 60k miles. Keep track of the time span listed in the manual as well.
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Oct 12, 2009 19:48
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Vladimir Putin posted:Does that mean that they never expected the car to last that long? Well, my Accord's maintenance schedule stops at 120k. For my Accord they probably should have just printed something like this: Every 6k mi - oil change, filter change, rotate tires. (Every 3k with severe conditions) Every 30k mi - inspect such and such. Every 60k mi - 30k service plus replace ATF Every 90k (105k?) - replace timing belt/water pump
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Oct 14, 2009 03:40
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Don Lapre posted:?!? Automatic transmission fluid is almost always referred to as ATF, at least from what I've seen? Or is 60k a completely bogus interval? I'm going off memory, but really drain/filling the ATF too often can only help things (flushes are a different story).
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Oct 14, 2009 05:20
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Don Lapre posted:every 60k miles, do 30k maintenance I was saying that a 60k maintenance is usually the 30k plus a few other things. 
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Oct 14, 2009 05:30
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traveling midget posted:What the gently caress? Do you just dump in a quart and pray? No, you take it to your authorized BMW service center so it can be filled with the proper superior German lubricants.
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Oct 15, 2009 20:01
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Zhentar posted:If you have RWD, then you can get most of the benefit with just 2 snow tires, which can make things a lot easier to swallow. Tirerack's balanced and mounted on steelies combos might ease that financial burden a bit. Its always seemed a bit wild to me that tire rack is cheaper than including shipping than the tire stores around here.
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Oct 16, 2009 00:11
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Backno posted:This can depend on your area. I am in Indiana where we can have 5 ft of snow 1 week then high 50's that next. So good all seasons + the AWD on my Impreza is more then enough. If you are farther north or when winter hits in your area hits it stay the snow tires can be worth it. Some one will pop in with the name/number for them but there is a all season tire that gets repeated over and over and over in AI when this topic pops up(I have them and love the hell out of them). Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position RE960 and General Altimax HP are what I recall being recommended (well, that is what is in my "wish list" on tire rack so I can remember). The former is more "sporting" and won't last as along, its in the category of "Ultra High Performance All Seasons" and the Altimax is a "Grand Touring All Season" which means, uh, something. The latter is only $63/ea on tirerack for my Accord (size 195/65/R15). Some places will charge that for Chinese tires that have a tendency to kill you.
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Oct 16, 2009 05:25
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Dik Hz posted:And someone who knows how to drive and snow and ice doesn't need them. Unless you know, their car literally can't move.
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Oct 16, 2009 18:27
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SlapActionJackson posted:Are you sure the brakes and alignment need to be done? Both of those should be OK at 35K miles on ordinary cars, in ordinary use. And the OEM tires were really bald at 35k? Did he not rotate his tires ever or something?
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Oct 17, 2009 01:25
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Hip Hoptimus Prime posted:Guilty as charged. I'm making sure I'll always do that from now on. Being female + cars don't mix. If it takes a while for your car to veer off then everything should be ok. If you're fighting a bit then something is off. Having evenly worn tires helps out a ton. Your brakes should be ok until about 60k or so? If you don't hear the squeal from the disc brake indicators the pads should be fine, if you don't feel pulsating under the brake pedal the discs should be fine. Another thing to watch for is sponginess, this indicates air in the lines. What kind of car is it? Have you had the oil changed? Usually they'll rotate the tires then. EDIT: To be more specific about the alignment your car is aligned properly it will veer slightly right on a highway due to road crown.
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Oct 17, 2009 02:04
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Harry posted:This is bullshit. I was looking around for a car recently and the only ones even close to this price range were cars from the late 80's. These aren't super reliable cars and there's a decent chance you're a turn away from a $2000 repair bill. I just ran a search on autotrader for toyotas/hondas/mazdas under $2000, they all had salvage titles and have one foot in the grave ("minor transmission issues!"). I bet you could get a early/mid 90s W-body that might be ok for a while. Or a Taurus... Toyotas/Hondas don't seem to go much bellow $3k-4k in value.
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Oct 20, 2009 23:07
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Neophyte posted:So what do people think the "sweet spot" for a broke-rear end who needs inexpensive transport is? $3000? $5000? Unfortunately its sort of on a car by car basis. You can look at autotrader, between $2500 and $5000 you pay a little bit more and you can get a lot more car. $2500-3000 gets you a 1990ish Japanese Sedan or '93-95ish coupe, $5000is gets you closer to a 2000 sedan or coupe. All vehicles of these ages can have serious problems due to neglect, whether they're a Toyota or a Chrysler. You need to be careful, there are some incredible bargains out there, but there are also some massive money pits. I've whined in threads before (this one too?) about how my 2000 Accord has absurdly priced OEM parts, all Japanese cars are going to have that to some extent (Honda is the worst though). A domestic will have cheaper parts, and every mechanic will have worked on a mid 90s panther or W-body but thats not be a good thing.
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Oct 21, 2009 01:27
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CornHolio posted:If this isn't something you're interested in, yeah you'll get your standard Corolla/Camry/Accord/Civic replies. Can't speak for the Toyotas, but all Hondas seem to have at least some web presence. It'll commonly be on a separate section of the "JDM civic tuner" crowd, but its there.
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Oct 22, 2009 00:31
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CornHolio posted:and American cars like, uh, well I guess Cadillac is it, but really if you're not interested in the 'DRIVING EXPERIENCE (tm)' I wouldn't worry about any of those. Lincoln. They're just really comfy Fords; but then again Caddys are really comfy Chevys. Also: EcoBoost.
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Oct 22, 2009 00:43
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CornHolio posted:Yeah there's Lincoln, but honestly I just see them as trim levels for Ford (same with Mercury). At least every Cadillac model (I think) is unique. It's not like the CTS is a fancy Malibu or something. Same thing for Lexus and Acura.
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Oct 22, 2009 00:47
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KarmaCandy posted:People just always seem to have the same answers in regards to cars as when it comes to the Honda/Toyota, I was just curious if there were similar "typical" BFC answers that go a step above those. Acura/Lexus. As argued above, they are literally a Honda/Toyota with nicer stuff, mechanically they're just as reliable. The top trim of an Accord or Camry/Avalon these days can be very luxurious. Personally I would look for either a CPO Acura TSX, which is literally rebadged European Accord (they like their family sedans smaller) or a BMW 3 series. Stay away from VAG (VW, Audi) or MB, nothing they build is anything near reliable and you need to see a dealer for pretty much all maintenance. Same goes for "advanced" BMWs (7 series esp.), a run of the mill 3 series shouldn't be too much of a problem, you have to maintain it a bit more than a Toyota/Honda though.
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Oct 22, 2009 01:12
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gotly posted:This month alone I've already pissed away $300 on repairs for the car. Including the 90,000 mile maintenance I've spent $1,840 on this car for the five months I've owned it. That's $368 per month. I've done some research and found other people with the same problem my Civic has and they haven't been able to figure out a solution that will work. The problem keeps happening regardless of what they replace. It's time to sell it while I still can get some money for it. This is one argument against used cars, you're just inheriting someone else's problem. I take it you bought it then immediately had the timing belt done?
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Oct 25, 2009 07:49
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Harminoff posted:Yes I know that now. My last car took a poo poo, I missed two days of work, missing another day and I would have been out of a job, so I went to the dealership and got this. It would have been cheaper to rent a car for a few days so you could approach this without a major sense of urgency. Just remember that when your N-body takes a poo poo in the near future.
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Oct 25, 2009 23:32
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Harminoff posted:n body is grand am, not grand prix isn't it? grand prix is w-body Er yes, I read grand am for whatever reason.
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Oct 25, 2009 23:50
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CornHolio posted:If he pays the $9000+ in regular payments, it'd end up at around $30k. Still not too bad. The real question of course is how bad is the CVT?
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Nov 11, 2009 03:06
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CornHolio posted:Yeah, but 'equivalent to going around the world' and 'actually driving through loving Siberia before roads were even hardly invented' are kind of different. If you can drive a Toyota Hilux to the north pole, Siberia shouldn't be an issue.
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Nov 14, 2009 23:57
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CornHolio posted:They didn't drive it back though. I'm pretty sure they 'coptered it back. Clarkson and May flew back because they're pussies, the Icelanders drove the Hiluxes back to where they started.
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Nov 15, 2009 00:52
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n8r posted:Pretty sure it's the same as a loan credit wise. Leases in general are a pretty bad idea. You are basically paying the depreciation on a car when it depreciates the quickest - during the first few years. Leases generally only make sense when you want to drive new cars often, and you can afford to do so. Afford is a very general term though, I would say that you'd want the payment to be a very small percentage of your monthly income. If you want a really nice luxury car, just buy a 5-10 year old one. Many people can't tell the difference between a 2 year old and a 7 year old benz anyway. Some accountant will probably chime in here and explain the tax benefits on leasing absolutely everything if you're a business.
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Nov 18, 2009 21:35
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melon cat posted:I have a question on "de-sludging" a car's engine. I'm sure we've all heard it before, over time gunk collects in your car's engine if you use "anything less than gold-level gasoline" and it needs to be removed. Truth, or bullshit? One of my friends who runs his own garage says it's a cash grab, and I'm inclined to believe him. Gasoline has nothing to do with it. Oil does, make sure you change it within your manufacturer recommended interval. "Better" oils (especially synthetics) let you go longer between changes and may help clean out any sludge left over from "worse" oils/longer change intervals. I put better and worse in quotes because there is a certain amount of "oil is oil" in that any two oils with the same SAE rating and weight will function very similarly. If you actually have real sludge issues you need an engine rebuild and theres not a drat thing you can do about it.
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Jan 27, 2010 21:30
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melon cat posted:I understand that, but is "engine de-sludging" ever a part of "routine" car maintenance, or some bullshit conjured up by car dealerships and swindling garages (I'm putting my money on the latter). Proper engine sludge issues are never going to occur if the car is routinely maintained. Stuff will accumulate as the car ages - think 120k mi+. Not a bad idea to seafoam a car of that age once every couple of years. In general, yes its a scam. So is the stuff like the "fuel saver" packages quick lube shops will try and sell you. Those additives don't do crap. Nocheez posted:Re-read your reply, I think you mean to say "87" instead of "93." High octane gas is less explosive. If your car is designed to run on 89 then if you put say 87 in the gas may explode earlier than expected (detonation). If you put in 93 then you run the risk of the gas not exploding at all in which case it has the potential to gently caress up all your expensive emissions stuff (it probably won't). Higher octane fuels allow your car's engine to run at a higher compression ratio which has a direct correspondence to power. An engine designed to run on 87 will not gain anything from a higher octane fuel, however one designed for 91 would have to reduce its power output to run correctly on 87. Most ECUs are capable of this. hobbesmaster fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Jan 27, 2010 |
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Jan 27, 2010 23:38
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Lyesh posted:and you probably face restrictions in terms of what model you can get. Probably restricted to a model better than the no AC DX you linked.
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Jun 13, 2010 21:23
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an adult beverage posted:The salesman (yeah, I know) told me it was transferable, I was stupid and didn't bother to actually confirm this. The salesman is technically correct, you can transfer the warranty to family members. Next time ask if it will transfer to you. (I hate salespeople)
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Jul 31, 2010 22:57
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Grumpwagon posted:Buy a Korean car, seriously. They're like what Honda/Toyota were back in the 90s. Their quality has improved WAY faster than their reputation, so they're cheap. Careful, its only very recently that Hyundai has come up in quality. The 2000 Hyundai Accent I had in high school was constantly falling apart for example. Hondas should be fine so long as you avoid the 5 speed automatics until 2005 and avoid the years affected by the engine block issue. If you want really recent, go with Ford.  (er,  )Serious on the Ford thing. I've driven recent a Focus and Fusion with somewhat regularity and they're great cars.
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Aug 20, 2010 23:59
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alreadybeen posted:They also have the best warranties of any company. 60,000 / 5 Year bumper-to-bumper and 100,000 / 10 Year power train. Ignore this post if you buy used.
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Aug 21, 2010 00:00
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moana posted:I would likely be buying a new Civic (manual), but I'll check out the Korean makes and see what is up. Thanks for the awesome advice! See if you can find a mt fiesta/focus or Mazda 2/3 to test drive.
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Aug 21, 2010 00:29
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NOTinuyasha posted:Also, why would you put premium brakes on a 2000 Bonneville? Could've saved $200 just buying bargain stuff, the car wouldn't outlast it either way. Depends on how much squealing you want to hear. Also, I'm not sure you can even buy brake pads at an autoparts store that doesn't have "premium" printed on them.
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Aug 31, 2010 23:50
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KillHour posted:Snow tires are THE single most important safety feature in a car when there is snow, especially in hilly areas like, say, Colorado. Saying you don't need snow tires is like saying you don't need airbags. Did I drive in the snow with all seasons when I couldn't afford two sets of tires? Sure. But I was a part time pizza delivery guy and you threw out that you're making six figures so suck it up and buy the drat tires. What about all seasons with 3PMSF
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Jan 3, 2022 06:42
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Write that up in a public review site, Toyota corporate will actually really care about that a lot and the dealer actually will get yelled at.
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Jan 23, 2022 07:04
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Throatwarbler posted:So are they going to start building new cars or where are we on that They are building new cars, you just have to get in line because dealer lots are empty and some of the lines are very, very long. For example a local toyota dealer was taking orders for rav 4 primes 2 years out (?!) and normal hybrids would be at least 6 months.
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Jan 24, 2022 20:48
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Yeah last summer everything I asked about was either actually still in transit or sold already.
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Feb 16, 2022 15:28
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zedprime posted:Gap insurance is pretty specifically a poverty tax for structuring your principal wrong and only exists because certain financing contracts require it. Selling it at contract close and not finding reputable agents selling it off script should tip you off it's pretty useless. A lot of it depends on the used car market. Right now it doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you have a terrible loan to value as you said but traditionally used car prices crashed fast for some brands which could made even modest ltv loans underwater.
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Feb 18, 2022 01:07
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The one with an MSRP of $20175?
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Mar 3, 2022 06:13
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Hadlock posted:Looking forward to paying $50,000 for a new Toyota Corolla with no air conditioning, manual seats, roll up windows and manual locks in five years Corolla GR, you see it’s it’s weight reduction.
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Mar 22, 2022 04:52
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