AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

CornHolio posted:

Anybody that doesn't consider tools to be an investment, consider this:

I replaced the brake pads and rotors on my sister-in-law's 2000 Bonneville over the weekend. I also replaced a seized idler pulley and two serpentine belts.

Parts cost about $275. $215 for the brake pads and rotors (good brand stuff) and $60 for two belts and an idler from Autozone. Took me about an afternoon to do everything because I took my time.

Note that starting from nothing, tools might cost about $100-$150 to do this - jackstands, a jack, sockets, breaker bar, etc...

I called a dealership to see how much they would charge for the exact same service. $953.58. $304 front axle brakes, $344.58 rear axle brakes, and $305 for an idler and two belts. That is a savings of almost $700!

Talk about the tools paying for themselves!

Pretty sure nobody that's able to do their own work like that is instead bringing it to a shop because of the cost of tools.

I think a better message you should try sending is "learn to do your own maintenance." And that message would be better served with ways to do just that.

(I for one would definitely be interested. I don't know how to go about learning this without signing up for "career" mechanic classes. There seem to be no "common maintenance" classes.)

# ¿ Sep 1, 2010 00:38

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# ¿ May 20, 2024 04:48

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

alreadybeen posted:

Doing all of your own repairs also has the tremendous cost of time.

I can look up a few mechanics to get some quotes, drop my car off, and swing later and pick it up. I spent maybe a little over an hour dealing with the whole problem rather than it being a day long project.

People who are doing their own car maintenance have usually invested a large amount of time into learning it. These are usually the same people who really enjoy cars and doing their own maintenance so when they are reading AI about a guy who totally did a sweet job swapping cylinders in his RX8 (I know), they are leaning. Also there is no guarantee if you do it yourself you get it right either. It possible you'd the need to take it to a mechanic to really fix it.

If working on cars is something you really enjoy doing then by all means go ahead and do it and I'm glad it helps you save a bundle, but it's really not practical advice for most people.

I don't think it's totally as cut and dry as that. Much like everything else in life, it boils down to specifics. Some jobs are more likely than other to be hosed up by amateurs, and some matter more than others if they are. All in all, self-maintenance on cars/home is pretty much always a solid investment, imo.

CornHolio posted:

Pretty much this. I had nothing more than a socket set I borrowed from work when I did my first oil change many years ago. I just wanted to know how to do it, so I had bought cheap ramps and a small bucket to put the oil in. Got all that for $25 from Autozone. Once I realized I could do it myself, I jumped to spark plugs, brakes, etc... There are always people there to help when you inevitably gently caress up (AI rocks!).

This is encouraging, thanks. Really wish I'd joined SA 10 years ago.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2010 03:25

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

It has helped me. I was not aware Auto Zone did free diagnostics.

My check engine light has been on for like 2 months (on and off for like 2 years). I'll head over there on Saturday.

Thanks!

# ¿ Sep 3, 2010 00:09

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

LorneReams posted:

VVV I needed to leave a deposit for that tool that allows you to twist in your brake caliper to get it to compress.

A vise? That's all I used, lol.

This thread may be moving more towards AI than BFC...

# ¿ Sep 3, 2010 02:11

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Proposed Budget: I really don't know much about caravans. I guess around $20k?
New or Used: Used
Body Style: Minivan
How will you be using the car?: My wife will be using it to commute to work roughly 30 miles each way. It will also be used to transport 3 kids (with one more baby on the way) along with all their various bikes/scooters/baby carriage/etc...
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? If it has it, great. I can't really think of anything it absolutely has to have other than the ability to connect to an iPhone.
What aspects are most important to you? Safety, value, and comfort. She will have to like the way it looks, but really those 3 are the most important.

Has anyone in here done some legwork into looking at various caravans? We'll be able to go look at some this weekend, I wanted to have an idea of what we should be looking for before that.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2014 03:24

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Throatwarbler posted:

If you want AWD only the Sienna has it, it's a real full time center differential with viscous coupling too, like an old manual trans WRX, because obviously that's what the modern Sienna driver demands.

Other than that I think you'll be well served with either a Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Town & Country. Just ask for service records like you would with any other car and avoid units that obviously look like they've been used to tow trailers, like if it has a trailer hitch and whatnot, because significant percentages of minivan owners are nutjobs who like to use their already overweight FWD car based vans to tow poo poo that really needs a diesel truck and the transmissions are usually on their last legs by the time the warranty runs out.

Thank you, this is helpful. I won't be towing anything myself, so I'll steer clear of anything that already has the towing package.

Anyone have any thoughts on Kias or Nissans? I figure we'll go check out all the different minivans, since there's only like 5.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2014 20:42

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Wife is finally on board with ditching the Grand Caravan and replacing it with something that isn't loving awful to drive in every conceivable way. Yay!

Proposed Budget: Would like to keep it under $40k
New or Used: Slightly used.
Body Style: An SUV that seats 6 comfortably. I have 4 kids and they're all loving giants.
How will you be using the car? It will mostly be my commuter (~40 miles each way), but needs to be able to fit the whole family comfortably as well. Vacations, trips to in-laws, etc... If I could put a tow rig on it, that would be swell as well.
What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, comfort (roominess, I'm also a giant), mpg and a little luxuries are what matter.

My current commuter is a RAV4 Sport with 150k miles on it that I bought at 28k miles and it's been fantastic. I plan to keep that and let the wife use that.

The Dodge had an oil pump fail literally on day 2, an insane feature where you push down on the gas pedal and the car actually decelerates before accelerating, and an incredibly irritating vibration at highway speeds that 4 different auto technicians could not solve. gently caress that car, and gently caress Dodge.

I keep reading good things about the Kia Telluride, and I'm slowly working my wife around to the idea of buying a KIA.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2020 01:34

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Godzilla07 posted:

How important is towing to you, and what would you be towing? If you will be regularly towing near or above the Telluride's 5000 lb tow capacity, I would go with a Chevy Suburban or a Ford Expedition Max. Nothing else combines room for 6 and towing capacity like those two vehicles. You'll pay for it everywhere else: a Telluride gets 22 MPG or 37.5% better fuel economy vs the 16 a Suburban gets in combined real-world driving per Fuelly.

Kia has made solid vehicles for over a decade now, and the Telluride is a great vehicle if you can brave your local Kia dealer. Never pay above MSRP. Bring your large adult sons with you to make sure the third row is good enough.

Towing is by far the least important of my wants. Cool if it can do it, doesn't need to tow a lot. Just be able to hook up a trailer to go grab some fallen tree wood or tow bikes or whatever. Not pulling boats or campers or anything.

Throatwarbler posted:

Seems like you're just noticing a transmission that goes to the highest gear as quickly as possible and then is slow to kick down under acceleration. I guess make sure to test drive whatever you're looking at thoroughly to make sure it doesn't do the same thing.

I get that Chrysler isn't the best maker of FWD transmissions (or any kind of transmission before they adopted the ZF 8HP) out there but I don't think Ford or GM are particularly better, best to stick with Toyota and cars using Aisin transmissions.

It's more than slow. It's a total loss of power for anywhere between .5 and 1.5 seconds. Honestly it's borderline dangerous if you ever needed power suddenly for any reason. It also then overcorrects because your natural reaction is to push down a little harder on the gas, so then you shoot past the gear you want into super-high gear. It's atrocious.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

You aren't going to be able to find a Kia Telluride used.

Possibly the Ford Flex? You're really in van territory though.

drat, this is a good point that I hadn't even thought of. (The used part. Definitely not getting a van.) Thanks for the help all.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2020 19:33

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

DildenAnders posted:

Do the RPMs surge with your lack of power? If so sounds like the transmission is slipping. Every case is different but when I had low transmission fluid it would slip every time I tried giving it more than 25% gas. Another telltale sign of low transmission fluid (in most cars anyway) is slippage during left turns.

No, the opposite. RPMs drop for that .5 - 1.5 secs.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2020 22:37

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Godzilla07 posted:

How important is towing to you, and what would you be towing? If you will be regularly towing near or above the Telluride's 5000 lb tow capacity, I would go with a Chevy Suburban or a Ford Expedition Max. Nothing else combines room for 6 and towing capacity like those two vehicles. You'll pay for it everywhere else: a Telluride gets 22 MPG or 37.5% better fuel economy vs the 16 a Suburban gets in combined real-world driving per Fuelly.

Kia has made solid vehicles for over a decade now, and the Telluride is a great vehicle if you can brave your local Kia dealer. Never pay above MSRP. Bring your large adult sons with you to make sure the third row is good enough.

So the bolded part was a little confusing to me before I started searching. Hooooly poo poo. We looked at a few different cars, decided we wanted a Telluride... and of the 7-8 different dealerships I talked to, exactly 2 were selling at sticker price, and one of those was taking orders 3 months in advance. All the others were selling 5, 6, even 10k above.

We ended up getting exceedingly lucky and the last dealer I called happened to get the exact trim we wanted on the lot 15 mins before I called. It also happened to have the tow pkg. I also had to pay for the "Nightfall" upgrade since that's what it had. I don't mind, I like it.

He said if I had called half an hour later it would have been sold already. After searching around and talking to various dealers (including some family that work in car sales), I believe him.

So I'm now the proud owner of a new Telluride. Thank you everyone!

# ¿ Aug 5, 2020 20:03

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

This may be an odd question or belong in a different thread, but I just realized this Telluride came with the sleek top rails, and doesn't have any cross rails. My father gave me his Thule storage to put on the car, but that requires the cross rails.

Anyone have a recommendation for some decent cross rails?

# ¿ Aug 6, 2020 20:40

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

There's a KIA OEM product which I can't find a price on, and then of course the usual suspects make crossbars as well. The Kia ones look quite tall. I think the Thule Aeroblades would be a bit lower, if that matters to you.

These? https://www.amazon.com/Thule-7602B-...ve%2C168&sr=1-1 I don't know if I want to spend $500 on crossbars. Does it matter much which I get? Also is there a place I could get them that isn't Amazon? I'm going on vaca on Monday, would love to be able to use the Thule.

Also saw these https://www.kiaaccessoryguide.com/accessory/Telluride/2020/Roof-Rack-Cross-Bars-2419 which were like $300

e: drat, looks like they're $350. https://www.wholesalekiaparts.com/o...MRoC1VgQAvD_BwE

# ¿ Aug 6, 2020 20:54

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Omg it's way worse than i thought loving :lol:

https://www.thule.com/en-us/fit-my-car?c=roof+racks&q=xBxBQ8YaF

# ¿ Aug 6, 2020 22:20

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

I think it may finally be time to move on from the RAV4 I've loved for the last 8 years. I've wanted a truck for a while now, but I really know absolutely nothing about them. I ~~need~~ would like one for hauling wood/lumber/construction material, and eventually it would be nice to have a plow (I have two large driveways and live in the snowy NE)

Proposed Budget: Ideally Sub-$20k, but could go to $25k
New or Used: Used
Body Style: Truck. No need for an extended cab.
How will you be using the car?: Hauling construction material, and commuting roughly 60 miles 3x a week. I have a Telluride that is the family car for hauling children.
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? No. Some comfort would be nice for the 3x weekly commute
What aspects are most important to you? reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, MPG, size, style - in that order

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the RAV4, other than it can't fit sheet goods or longer pieces of lumber (12' is about the max I've gotten)

So really what I'm looking to find out here is what makes for a good value in a truck.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2021 15:30

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Motronic posted:

Have you considered a trailer for moving construction material?

And some other solution for plowing?.....because it really destroys pickups. I have friends who plow with ATVs. I plow with a tractor.
Depending on your lawn/landsacpe situation something like that could be a multi-use item.

I have considered a trailer, yeah. I just find the convenience of a truck much easier if I'm getting a new car anyway. The RAV didn't have a trailer hitch, but the Telluride does.

Plowing was just an added bonus that I'd use a few times a year. My other thought was to get a new lawn tractor (since I need one of those too. I mow about 1.5 acres) and get a snow-thrower for that. Or just get a better walk-behind.

I know plows beat up transmissions, but figured it wouldn't be too bad if it's only a few times a year.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2021 16:42

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

wesleywillis posted:

Unless you want to become Mr plow, just pay someone to do it for you, or do the alternatives like you mentioned. Get a decent kawn tractor with plow/thrower or a walk behind.

It's a huge pain to hook up a plow 5-6 times in a year, and just as much hassle to daily a vehicle with a plow attached to it.

If you really want a plow truck and only plan on using it for your own driveway, get a 500 dollar beater truck and post a thread in ai about how this fuckin piece of poo poo won't start and your driveway is covered with 2feet of snow.

lol, thought of doing this too. I get it, I won't bother with the plow.

People really don't like trucks though?

# ¿ Oct 26, 2021 21:45

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Man, didn't mean to open a :can:

I just thought this would be a good place to find out which trucks have like better values than others. "Stay away from Dodge, the transmissions in 16-18' are awful" kind of thing. Or F150's give the best bang in the used $20k range... idk.

The advice on plows and trailers is well taken, and my current Telluride fits the need for the family car, as well as being a really drat nice car. It also has a tow hitch (but I'm hesitant to use the nice car to tow things.)

I've never had a truck before, and I'm not dead-set on getting one now. It just seemed like it would hit a lot of convenience boxes for me, and I can afford the extra cost. Everyone I know that has a truck swears by them. (Admittedly half of that crowd don't really use it for truck things, so like was also said... idk why they even have one.)

# ¿ Oct 27, 2021 17:13

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

SouthShoreSamurai posted:

I think it may finally be time to move on from the RAV4 I've loved for the last 8 years. I've wanted a truck for a while now, but I really know absolutely nothing about them. I ~~need~~ would like one for hauling wood/lumber/construction material, and eventually it would be nice to have a plow (I have two large driveways and live in the snowy NE)

Proposed Budget: Ideally Sub-$20k, but could do $25k if needed.
New or Used: Used
Body Style: Truck. No need for an extended cab.
How will you be using the car?: Hauling construction material, and commuting roughly 60 miles 3x a week. I have a Telluride that is the family car for hauling children.
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? No. Some comfort would be nice for the 3x weekly commute
What aspects are most important to you? reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, MPG, size, style - in that order

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the RAV4, other than it can't fit sheet goods or longer pieces of lumber (12' is about the max I've gotten)

So really what I'm looking to find out here is what makes for a good value in a truck.

Necroing a 2 year old post.

I did in fact listen to you all calling me dumb for wanting a truck and spent $500 on a trailer instead. It's worked out just fine. (I also listened to you all in 2014 and bought a minivan. That also worked out fine, though I absolutely hated driving it in the latter years. I then also listened to you all and bought the Telluride. drat I love that car.)

The RAV4 is now 2 years older and... it's really time to replace it. It's over 180k miles and rattles like a motherfucker that 2 different shops have been unable to fix despite many multiples of time in each one.

That Rav has been a trooper, and my first thought was to replace it in some form. Really liked the idea of the Rav4 Prime (I find the idea of a PHEV very cool,) but am unsure if the tech is far enough along to warrant the extra price. My commute is about 21 miles each way at the moment, which seems to be about the capacity of the Prime?

Proposed Budget: $30-50k
New or Used: Either, though it seems like Used is just as expensive nowadays.
Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) Smaller SUV (RAV-sized)
How will you be using the car?: (Do you tow things? Haul more than 5 people on a regular basis? Have a super long commute? How are you going to use this vehicle?
Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?) No towing required, doesn't need to haul more than 5 people, commute is 21 miles each way, this will be my daily driver. Gizmos are nice now that I can afford it, but not dealbreakers by any means.
What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) Cost, Reliability, with size/style a consideration.

e: This would be for a 2 car family. The Telluride handles any family trips just great. So this car wouldn't need to go on long trips very often, if ever.

SouthShoreSamurai fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Oct 17, 2023

# ¿ Oct 17, 2023 20:10

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# ¿ May 20, 2024 04:48

SouthShoreSamurai: Apr 28, 2009; It is a tale,
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.; Fun Shoe

Inner Light posted:

Isn�t 180k kinda young for a RAV4? Have you taken it to a Toyota dealer for the rattles? I�d hate to get rid of a vehicle purely for rattles without exhausting options to fix. Unless there are other issues and you�re done with it.

Mostly the latter. The engine is still going strong, I'm just so tired of that drat rattle. I'm not getting rid of it, it will become the daily driver for my teenagers. I could probably try an actual Toyota dealership, but the thought of yet another stay in the shop for them to not find the issue is :sigh:

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

You're going short trips only and your budget supports a full on EV, so I'm going to suggest that - you're at least EV-curious based on the PHEV thought, which I agree is not optimal for you.

I am guessing based on username that you are a masshole (v sorry if wrong, forgive me). If you are, there are some pretty attractive Commonwealth EV incentives.

A Tesla Model Y would fit the bill as probably best car in segment, but if you don't like it for Elon reasons some good alternatives include:
Hyundai Ioniq 5 - looks like a 1980s future car. is this good or bad? personal preference. the tech is good
Kia EV6 - same underpinnings as above, different interior and exterior.
Volkswagen ID.4 - the most like a normal car. Some software issues and weird buttons, make sure you can deal with that before you buy.
Ford Mustang Mach E - fairly normal car experience
Nissan LEAF - they're not well loved but as a cheaper commuter car they work well. New ones have nicer interiors, better range, and more features.
Chevrolet Bolt EUV - you could get one at the cheaper end of your budget with a lot of content including GM's Supercruise. Slow charging sucks, though.

Appreciate the feedback here. I think I have to talk more with the wife and figure out what we want. She's now saying she wants the new car and I'd get the Telluride. I'm not sure she's ready for an all electric car, she wants an SUV, but doesn't want to break the bank, etc...

# ¿ Oct 18, 2023 19:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles