Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

[Teamwork]

Was thinking specifically of The Boxer. After all a WRX is a boxer, and could likely slip slide away.

blasted subaru tax on top of slow depreciation will be the death of me. still have to wait at least several months to be more right-side up (or less upside-down??) on the Golf. look at it as getting out of that overpriced lease or getting something else. could also try refinancing at that point too. contenders as of current are the wrx, legacy 3.6r, forester xt, cadillac ats, buick regal and others i can't think of at the moment. all most likely at least a couple of years used. still have physical issues so would still probably have to be auto. blame it on the pizza.

Granted I had issues with my VW I think looking back on it now though the best cars available to me at the time were probably the Focus ST/VW GTI (and I had the WRX ranked #1 in terms of product). I've heard a lot of back lash from owners and things that would definitely annoy the crap out of me... JD power released some data on cars that get sold within the first year and the WRX was middle/high ground on that list with a 10% rate. Pretty surprising but these cars have been deemed rattle/buzz boxes + a harsh suspension (even though I didn't think so) probably grew old with a lot of people not realizing what they were getting into...

I'm going to keep a close eye on Ford between generations for sure- again, disliked the idea of a 12 gallon fuel tank, hated the seats- thought these two were deal breakers but I genuinely think in one generation it could steal me away. The pricing was really aggressive and I would've considered it highly on that alone. I actually prefer the look and paint choices to sterile VW's.

[potownrob]

(proprietor of: 1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT
)

saw the 4 door version of cow last night (probably not 5MT yet though). looked good. longer than expected, but good.

[potownrob]

Granted I had issues with my VW I think looking back on it now though the best cars available to me at the time were probably the Focus ST/VW GTI (and I had the WRX ranked #1 in terms of product). I've heard a lot of back lash from owners and things that would definitely annoy the crap out of me... JD power released some data on cars that get sold within the first year and the WRX was middle/high ground on that list with a 10% rate. Pretty surprising but these cars have been deemed rattle/buzz boxes + a harsh suspension (even though I didn't think so) probably grew old with a lot of people not realizing what they were getting into...

I'm going to keep a close eye on Ford between generations for sure- again, disliked the idea of a 12 gallon fuel tank, hated the seats- thought these two were deal breakers but I genuinely think in one generation it could steal me away. The pricing was really aggressive and I would've considered it highly on that alone. I actually prefer the look and paint choices to sterile VW's.

good to hear the suspension complaints could be overstated on the wrx. if i can deal with a vw, i can deal with a slightly troublesome subaru. it's the lack of lumbar support i'm leary of. it's not that i don't like VWs, but i am leary of getting a used one, even CPO. part of why i ditched the jetta (not a main part, but a part nonetheless) was that my CPO warranty had expired, and i was worried about future repairs. i was dealing with (mainly cosmetic) repairs as it was. the CPO warranty also apparently does not cover everything. i also did not have a good experience with that other VW dealer. the dealer i go to now has been much better. i wish they had a more powerful golf alltrak wagen, like an R model, but then i wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. tiguan not sporty enough. passat too big (not sporty enough). want more storage space but not a boat. 2012-13 acura tl may be my ticket out (to cut down on payments at least).

[Teamwork]

good to hear the suspension complaints could be overstated on the wrx. if i can deal with a vw, i can deal with a slightly troublesome subaru. it's the lack of lumbar support i'm leary of. it's not that i don't like VWs, but i am leary of getting a used one, even CPO. part of why i ditched the jetta (not a main part, but a part nonetheless) was that my CPO warranty had expired, and i was worried about future repairs. i was dealing with (mainly cosmetic) repairs as it was. the CPO warranty also apparently does not cover everything. i also did not have a good experience with that other VW dealer. the dealer i go to now has been much better. i wish they had a more powerful golf alltrak wagen, like an R model, but then i wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. tiguan not sporty enough. passat too big (not sporty enough). want more storage space but not a boat. 2012-13 acura tl may be my ticket out (to cut down on payments at least).

Don't think I'd ever buy a used/pre-owned German anything unless I was planning on flipping it pretty quickly. I took the risk here knowing that my last 3 choices all had a chance of being unreliable in some way or form (I probably would've felt the safest with Subaru admittedly). I really wanted to not drink the Kool-Aid with the VW woes but I'm kind of back at neutral at this point. I found my conflicts with the A/C to be unacceptable but it was dealt with... everything else that has come a long the way has been minor and just enough to be annoying but I wouldn't de-merit the car for it.

My warranty is quickly fleeting though now and I still have to bring the car in for the evap/fuel line recall. I guess this really will be the moment of truth by next year.

I've really heard terrible average joe stories of all 3 cars but it surprised me how the Subaru one's honestly seemed as catastrophic as the Ford/VW one's. VW had a early gen turbo issue which seemed to have been ironed out with a revision by month 6 of the first batch and intake manifold troubles but that's been semi sporadic. I have my fingers crossed...

[potownrob]

good to hear the suspension complaints could be overstated on the wrx. if i can deal with a vw, i can deal with a slightly troublesome subaru. it's the lack of lumbar support i'm leary of. it's not that i don't like VWs, but i am leary of getting a used one, even CPO. part of why i ditched the jetta (not a main part, but a part nonetheless) was that my CPO warranty had expired, and i was worried about future repairs. i was dealing with (mainly cosmetic) repairs as it was. the CPO warranty also apparently does not cover everything. i also did not have a good experience with that other VW dealer. the dealer i go to now has been much better. i wish they had a more powerful golf alltrak wagen, like an R model, but then i wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. tiguan not sporty enough. passat too big (not sporty enough). want more storage space but not a boat. 2012-13 acura tl may be my ticket out (to cut down on payments at least).

Don't think I'd ever buy a used/pre-owned German anything unless I was planning on flipping it pretty quickly. I took the risk here knowing that my last 3 choices all had a chance of being unreliable in some way or form (I probably would've felt the safest with Subaru admittedly). I really wanted to not drink the Kool-Aid with the VW woes but I'm kind of back at neutral at this point. I found my conflicts with the A/C to be unacceptable but it was dealt with... everything else that has come a long the way has been minor and just enough to be annoying but I wouldn't de-merit the car for it.

My warranty is quickly fleeting though now and I still have to bring the car in for the evap/fuel line recall. I guess this really will be the moment of truth by next year.

I've really heard terrible average joe stories of all 3 cars but it surprised me how the Subaru one's honestly seemed as catastrophic as the Ford/VW one's. VW had a early gen turbo issue which seemed to have been ironed out with a revision by month 6 of the first batch and intake manifold troubles but that's been semi sporadic. I have my fingers crossed...

yeah, vw warranty ending has to be one of life's worst (first world)feelings. at least the new car warranty covers more than the cpo warranty. leaning away from wrx but pretty much only because of the seats (no lumbar support adjustment) oh and the weird feature set (no harmon karden option for premium or base models and big $ option on limited model). looks like legacy and forester are the way to go for me. new impreza might make sense if it had more power and a lumbar adjustment. car looks nice nonetheless.

[Teamwork]

yeah, vw warranty ending has to be one of life's worst (first world)feelings. at least the new car warranty covers more than the cpo warranty. leaning away from wrx but pretty much only because of the seats (no lumbar support adjustment) oh and the weird feature set (no harmon karden option for premium or base models and big $ option on limited model). looks like legacy and forester are the way to go for me. new impreza might make sense if it had more power and a lumbar adjustment. car looks nice nonetheless.

My funding for anything fun/vehicle related is fleeting quickly with wedding planning looming. I have about 3k in the "broken German car account" and would seriously hope that gets me by for at least a few years. I have a feeling for sure at the very least this car is going to have the dreaded carbon build up on the intake manifold as most DI cars seem to have.

I'm kind of been built up to be biased against Subaru now even though I am a fan of the products. There's really only 2-3 dealerships within 50 miles from where I live and all of them use pretty scummy sales tactics. Not sure if I ever told the full story but I originally inked the deal on a 2015 Subaru WRX.. had to special order it. The guy was old fashioned and really tried to upsell Subaru being the best in the world and that cars like the Focus ST (direct quote "were for little girls") and VW GTI (direct quote "we're for people who wanted a pretend sporty car"). I waited 5 MONTHS and the line was totally radio silent. One random day they told me my car had arrived but it was a 2016 and the price has changed... the ol' bait and switch. I told them I was rejecting the deal as I felt it was a breach of contract and inked the deal to intercept a VW GTI that I wanted which the deal fell through as someone couldn't fund the vehicle. I'd like to think it was meant to be.

My big complaint with Subaru these days is I feel like they need to spend more R&D with engines as they all seem to be pretty dated. They pretty much jumped to CVT to put a band aid on the abysmal gas mileage they were getting like a decade back now.

Lumbar support in this car has SPOILED ME hard. I don't think I can leave that out anymore. I don't have a bad back yet but this is probably one of the only cars I've ever driven that I don't physically feel fatigued if I drive for over an hour (which I do frequently now). I think this is a huge contributing factor to why. It forces/supports good posture...

[potownrob]

I'm kind of been built up to be biased against Subaru now even though I am a fan of the products. There's really only 2-3 dealerships within 50 miles from where I live and all of them use pretty scummy sales tactics. Not sure if I ever told the full story but I originally inked the deal on a 2015 Subaru WRX.. had to special order it. The guy was old fashioned and really tried to upsell Subaru being the best in the world and that cars like the Focus ST (direct quote "were for little girls") and VW GTI (direct quote "we're for people who wanted a pretend sporty car"). I waited 5 MONTHS and the line was totally radio silent. One random day they told me my car had arrived but it was a 2016 and the price has changed... the ol' bait and switch. I told them I was rejecting the deal as I felt it was a breach of contract and inked the deal to intercept a VW GTI that I wanted which the deal fell through as someone couldn't fund the vehicle. I'd like to think it was meant to be.

yeah, your dealers in general stink down there. most of the ones up here are more desperate for sales or otherwise not nearly as slimey. salesmen seem to have a lot of downtime up this way, in general. this can and has worked to my advantage. i read an article about honda dealers in NYC being hard to deal with, probably since they don't have to bend over to make tons of deals a day with all the foot traffic they get. this probably also applies to LI dealers and not just Honda dealers. there's nothing saying you have to buy a car in your area.

My funding for anything fun/vehicle related is fleeting quickly with wedding planning looming. I have about 3k in the "broken German car account" and would seriously hope that gets me by for at least a few years. I have a feeling for sure at the very least this car is going to have the dreaded carbon build up on the intake manifold as most DI cars seem to have.

you could always sell it/trade it in and get another used car but, if you like it more than a used car that would cost similar to what you would get, then maybe consider keeping it (gasp!!)??

My big complaint with Subaru these days is I feel like they need to spend more R&D with engines as they all seem to be pretty dated. They pretty much jumped to CVT to put a band aid on the abysmal gas mileage they were getting like a decade back now.

the fa20 in the WRX is not dated, and the CVTs are more recent and have also been updated. The sporty CVTs also are different from the regular ones. their CVTs are lightyears better than the ancient 4 speed autos they were using before. The EJ25 (and whatever underpowered 2 litre they have in the regular impreza) have to go though. heard they're going to update/replace that engine soon though. time will tell.

Lumbar support in this car has SPOILED ME hard. I don't think I can leave that out anymore. I don't have a bad back yet but this is probably one of the only cars I've ever driven that I don't physically feel fatigued if I drive for over an hour (which I do frequently now). I think this is a huge contributing factor to why. It forces/supports good posture...

yeah, they're good seats. can't go back to boy racer seats now, so no impreza/wrx. heard they may be putting lumbar in the updated 2018 wrx though.

[Teamwork]

yeah, your dealers in general stink down there. most of the ones up here are more desperate for sales or otherwise not nearly as slimey. salesmen seem to have a lot of downtime up this way, in general. this can and has worked to my advantage. i read an article about honda dealers in NYC being hard to deal with, probably since they don't have to bend over to make tons of deals a day with all the foot traffic they get. this probably also applies to LI dealers and not just Honda dealers. there's nothing saying you have to buy a car in your area.

Did I mention I had to sign a waiver clause just to test drive a 2015 WRX also? This wasn't exclusive to one dealership either- it was concrete to all 3. They essentially wanted a price negotiated (albeit I didn't have to sign to agree to purchase), an appointment, and a liability that if I damaged the vehicle in anyway or form that I would take ownership. Mind you this wasn't for an STI so I could only imagine the hoops and hurdles I'd have to go through there.

you could always sell it/trade it in and get another used car but, if you like it more than a used car that would cost similar to what you would get, then maybe consider keeping it (gasp!!)??

I have or may of considered this pre #dieselgate but I'm scared to even look what my 2.5 year old GTI is worth. Because I was going through learning phases with this car I didn't put in nearly as many miles as I thought I would in my first year (simply because I couldn't drive it or didn't trust myself to drive it long stretches). So I only have 22k on the odometer after 2 years. I'd like to stay stick shift for awhile and ride the wave out but going into the used market and not looking for a total performance machine will be very difficult. Honda Civic SI I suppose would fit the bill for reliability/functionality/ABILITY to realistically find but they fall victim to being hack jobbed by the previous owner or simply are overpriced.

the fa20 in the WRX is not dated, and the CVTs are more recent and have also been updated. The sporty CVTs also are different from the regular ones. their CVTs are lightyears better than the ancient 4 speed autos they were using before. The EJ25 (and whatever underpowered 2 litre they have in the regular impreza) have to go though. heard they're going to update/replace that engine soon though. time will tell.

I can tell you this- while I would prefer to stay stick anything with a CVT "sporty" or not I will avoid for as long as I possibly can. FA20 is an exception for Subaru but honestly the EJ guys don't think it's going to cut it- and I don't blame them. It feels neutered compared to the WRX/STI's I've been in growing up through the years.

Going back to the selling or ridding myself of the GTI... I realistically would probably hit the 3 and 5 year mark and see what it's valued at. If I still have this thing by year 6 I would say it's going to be going to the end with me. I've kept this thing mostly stock with only tasteful OEM+ upgrades. I could even change most of those thing's back to stock upon selling if for some reason the next owner would rather have halogen license plate bulbs or footwell lighting as opposed to LEDs .

[Tups]

I just got a $185k loan for an apartment. The bank offered to somehow put it on my account to wait for the contract signing. After seeing an Audi RS6 today (with two child seats!), I decided I'd rather have the bank send the money directly to the seller's bank. I'm so bad with temptations... :>

[AHTOXA]

Tony,
You got the obligatory Pick-m-Up now, so you can pass for Texan, right?
Are you settled-down enough to think of getting out of renting and buying your own home?

No, I'm not really settled down to buy a home. Thing is, I would hate to have a house in the Dallas suburbia. I can name you many reasons why, but chiefly it's because they are revoltingly cookie-cutter, bunched up together no-soul dwellings. I might as well rent. I am not averse to buying property, just averse to buying it here near work. I would love to have a piece of something out in the country - perhaps as a weekend cabin or a hunting cabin. I'd still live locally and rent because of work.

In fact, I'm currently looking for a new apartment to move into this fall, and just as it happens it will most likely be downtown Plano (3 miles from work). Strongly considering this location for the downtown-type life. Walking distance to everything, cycling distance to work, rail in front of my house to go downtown Dallas if I want to, which I rarely do to be honest. Still, a nice bonus. I'd be downgrading into a slightly smaller apartment (by about 25 sq ft), but upgrading everywhere else. And with the money I save on gas (even if I ride the motorcycle to work 80% of the time) as well as not having to take the tollway, it's nearly a wash in cost. Go figure.

[Rope-Pusher]

I just got a $185k loan for an apartment. The bank offered to somehow put it on my account to wait for the contract signing. After seeing an Audi RS6 today (with two child seats!), I decided I'd rather have the bank send the money directly to the seller's bank. I'm so bad with temptations... :>

Personally, I think the O'Jays knew more about Money than the Temptations

[AHTOXA]

I don't remember if I posted, this, but about a month ago I picked up this beast to replace my aging MTB.

It's an amazing machine. Although a bicycle may seem like a bicycle to those not into the sport, it is amazing how far MTB tech has progressed in 8 years since I bought my last bike. About the only similarities are two wheels, pedals and a frame, and even then wheel sizes aren't the same any more and frame geometry is totally different. Pedals are about the same, so there's that.

[potownrob]

I don't remember if I posted, this, but about a month ago I picked up this beast to replace my aging MTB.

It's an amazing machine. Although a bicycle may seem like a bicycle to those not into the sport, it is amazing how far MTB tech has progressed in 8 years since I bought my last bike. About the only similarities are two wheels, pedals and a frame, and even then wheel sizes aren't the same any more and frame geometry is totally different. Pedals are about the same, so there's that.

are those shimano components eye spy??
who are you, and what have you done with tony?!?

[potownrob]

I just got a $185k loan for an apartment. The bank offered to somehow put it on my account to wait for the contract signing. After seeing an Audi RS6 today (with two child seats!), I decided I'd rather have the bank send the money directly to the seller's bank. I'm so bad with temptations... :>

things are different over there, much different...

[potownrob]

Did I mention I had to sign a waiver clause just to test drive a 2015 WRX also? This wasn't exclusive to one dealership either- it was concrete to all 3. They essentially wanted a price negotiated (albeit I didn't have to sign to agree to purchase), an appointment, and a liability that if I damaged the vehicle in anyway or form that I would take ownership. Mind you this wasn't for an STI so I could only imagine the hoops and hurdles I'd have to go through there.

i think you did mention that. that would not go over well up here. i think they have been strict with the STI, at least when it first came out here, but i doubt they were quite that strict.

I have or may of considered this pre #dieselgate but I'm scared to even look what my 2.5 year old GTI is worth. Because I was going through learning phases with this car I didn't put in nearly as many miles as I thought I would in my first year (simply because I couldn't drive it or didn't trust myself to drive it long stretches). So I only have 22k on the odometer after 2 years. I'd like to stay stick shift for awhile and ride the wave out but going into the used market and not looking for a total performance machine will be very difficult. Honda Civic SI I suppose would fit the bill for reliability/functionality/ABILITY to realistically find but they fall victim to being hack jobbed by the previous owner or simply are overpriced.

yeah, i've been following mine every few months. not pretty, but it's starting to level out, and my lease pay-off amount is finally starting to go down. 2 year old GTI with PP & LP and only 22k miles has to be worth something though.

I can tell you this- while I would prefer to stay stick anything with a CVT "sporty" or not I will avoid for as long as I possibly can. FA20 is an exception for Subaru but honestly the EJ guys don't think it's going to cut it- and I don't blame them. It feels neutered compared to the WRX/STI's I've been in growing up through the years.

i thought the same thing...then i watched some videos. that CVT is no joke. you have to put it into sport or sport # mode though. if i were younger and still physically agile, i'd try to stick with the manual though. finding a cvt wrx is about as easy as it is to find most any other car with a manual, though...
as for the FA20 turbo being weak, maybe up high, but what i've heard and read is it has better midrange torque, much better gas mileage, and otherwise makes for a much better daily driver than the STI. i think part of the ej25 crew thing is that the fa20 is obviously smaller than the old engine.

Going back to the selling or ridding myself of the GTI... I realistically would probably hit the 3 and 5 year mark and see what it's valued at. If I still have this thing by year 6 I would say it's going to be going to the end with me. I've kept this thing mostly stock with only tasteful OEM+ upgrades. I could even change most of those thing's back to stock upon selling if for some reason the next owner would rather have halogen license plate bulbs or footwell lighting as opposed to LEDs .

well, the way i look at it, VWs are cars that are nice enough to want to keep, but don't often stay nice enough to keep. here's hoping these newer ones hold up better than the old ones.