I do want to buy a used car

[DrunkenBastard]

It may be possible DrunkenBastard commutes frequently in a city-like environment causing more significant wear on the clutch.

After driving some more it seems to be ok as long as I don't shift early like my motorcycle, tho it can still have some issues when four people have the car loaded down. Most of my miles are highway.

Pros for replacing a Hyundai Elantra with a GMC Suburban:

- Effortless torque
- Ridiculous room for people and cargo
- Excellent vision around the vehicle with no blind spots as long as you do a head check..
- No deer is going to come over the hood and thru the windshield.
- Solid road presence, I.e. people notice you and don't try funny buggers in front of you.

Cons:

- 15 mpg, aka $120 bucks at the servo fills just 3/4 of a tank...42 gallon tank.
- not a good candidate for a daily commute.

Fortunately I still have the other Elantra for the commute and the burb will be for family road trips/hauling the kids and cargo around.


On a net basis, I highly recommend a used Suburban, despite the horrible image the environmental movement has portrayed it as.

 

[CougTek]

- No deer is going to come over the hood and thru the windshield.

Damn! You'll need to find a moose then.

 

[ddrueding]

- Solid road presence, I.e. people notice you and don't try funny buggers in front of you.

I can shoot this one down. A friend of mine drives a lifted Ford F-350 quad cab extended bed. This thing is as intimidating as it gets. Last weekend someone in a midsize Merc cut in front of him and nailed the brakes. They got a totaled car for their trouble.

Having a car that can't go, stop, or turn better than those around you makes you vulnerable.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

Damn! You'll need to find a moose then.

A moose will need something more substantial.....fortunately no moose around here

http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=92141&start=50

 

[DrunkenBastard]

I can shoot this one down. A friend of mine drives a lifted Ford F-350 quad cab extended bed. This thing is as intimidating as it gets. Last weekend someone in a midsize Merc cut in front of him and nailed the brakes. They got a totaled car for their trouble.

Having a car that can't go, stop, or turn better than those around you makes you vulnerable.

How much damage to your friends F-350? In a larger mass vehicle you are indeed less nimble, but also more likely to walk away in a crash with another vehicle.

 

[timwhit]

How much damage to your friends F-350? In a larger mass vehicle you are indeed less nimble, but also more likely to walk away in a crash with another vehicle.

How about a crash with an 18-wheeler? You'll never be the biggest vehicle on the road.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

Sure, an 18 wheeler is going to trump all.....pedestrian < motorcycle < small car < medium car < large car < large SUV < F250/F350 < medium-rigid < heavy-rigid < heavy articulated.

 

[timwhit]

You forgot locomotive.

 

[Handruin]

You forgot locomotive.

Thank you for making me laugh this morning.

:rofl:

 

[ddrueding]

How much damage to your friends F-350? In a larger mass vehicle you are indeed less nimble, but also more likely to walk away in a crash with another vehicle.

Bent bumper and disconnected radiator hose. But he did miss his appointment, and my car wouldn't have. Active safety is a good thing.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

Bent bumper and disconnected radiator hose. But he did miss his appointment, and my car wouldn't have. Active safety is a good thing.

If someone cuts into your (say 2 second) gap from the car in front of you (gap is now reduced to 0.5 seconds) and then slams on the brakes, there's no guarantee you would have been able to stop in time either? Perhaps with the newer cars that have the active radar/laser and apply the brakes for you, removing driver reaction time from the equation altogether?

There's an insurance fraud racket that does this sort of thing I believe (swoop and squat?), except the car swoops into the car in front of you, and you rear-end the second vehicle (with the first and second vehicle both in on the fraud)

 

[ddrueding]

Of course there are no guarantees in life, but if your stopping distance is worse than the person in front of you, you really are helpless. I would not put myself in that position on purpose.

 

[Handruin]

It's not only stopping distance, but reactive maneuvers around dangerous obstacles is also important. There are times when things fall off the back of a vehicle or something scurries into the road and being able to have your vehicle react to the drivers input and then not become a hazard afterward is tough to do in large SUVs and trucks prone to rollover. If I yank the wheel to the right to get away from something, all that inertia has changed direction and then has to be redirected back so that you don't end up in a ditch or into a tree (or someone else in another lane).

 

[DrunkenBastard]

Right, when driving a heavier vehicle you have to increase your following distance to suit the conditions.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

It's not only stopping distance, but reactive maneuvers around dangerous obstacles is also important. There are times when things fall off the back of a vehicle or something scurries into the road and being able to have your vehicle react to the drivers input and then not become a hazard afterward is tough to do in large SUVs and trucks prone to rollover. If I yank the wheel to the right to get away from something, all that inertia has changed direction and then has to be redirected back so that you don't end up in a ditch or into a tree (or someone else in another lane).

I agree with all of that. A large vehicle cannot change direction as rapidly as a lighter one. A lot of accidents seem to happen when the driver over corrects on the recovery and goes spearing off in the opposite direction. I've told my wife, if she sees a deer, take it, don't swerve, because you are far more likely to get into trouble swerving and losing control than any damage from the deer itself (now for a moose this advise won't work). A friend of a friend died after swerving for a bunny on the road and losing control, a total waste.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

If I could edit the first post, I would have to add to Cons: "handles poorly compared to a lighter vehicle".

 

[time]

But "handles well compared to a locomotive".

 

[Howell]

But "handles well compared to a locomotive".

I don't know about that. Locomotive rides like its on rails. And, in the right hands, bicycle beats pedestrian.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

Stocking up on parts from Amazon to get some maintenance done on the Suburban.

Already done:
K&N air filter.

Waiting to arrive:
8 iridium tipped sparkplugs
New radiator cap
Locking gas cap
Gallon jugs of Mobil 1 5W-40 Diesel oil
Mobil 1 filter.

Purchased from NAPA due to cheaper retail pricing:
12 quarts of Dex VI, going to drop the transmission pan, clean out gunk and replace filter.

Next paycheck:
Distributor cap and rotor
Spark plug wires
Injectors
Serpentine belt, new idler pulley and tensioner
Intake manifold gasket and water pump - preventative

 

[MaxBurn]

For filters I prefer anything that isn't Fram, though I will do them for air or cabin air filter when I have no other choice. Purolator/Napa filters seem to be the most reasonable in price and availability. Those mobile 1 and K&N are a bit of a waste IMO. K&N in the wrong car can destroy MAF sensors, thank you land rover.

 

[time]

From Wikipedia:

compared to the filter paper media in most original-type air filters, K&N's cotton gauze filters have been shown to clog more quickly and to let more particulates pass through into the engine.

I used to have one of these POS many, many moons ago.

 

[DrunkenBastard]

For filters I prefer anything that isn't Fram, though I will do them for air or cabin air filter when I have no other choice. Purolator/Napa filters seem to be the most reasonable in price and availability. Those mobile 1 and K&N are a bit of a waste IMO. K&N in the wrong car can destroy MAF sensors, thank you land rover.

I did see some some issues online with K&N and MAF contamination, I thought it was related to over-oiling the media after cleaning them, but sounds like it screwed you right out of the box?

A can of Seafoam in the gas tank seems to have smoothed out the engine response nicely, will keep up with that regularly, next upgrade is snow tires, looks like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT2 should be a good contender in the 245/75R16 sizing, going with studs this time.

 

[MaxBurn]

Seafoam is liquid magic if you have carburetors, especially if they are on bikes that get stored half the year. Technically you should drain the carbs before putting it in storage but people never do, so a powerful cleaner helps a ton.

Some MAF sensors are just more sensitive and the K&N generally seem over oiled when you buy them new. It's a known issue on Land Rover Discovery II as I found out later.

 

[ddrueding]

I'd like to think that, were I single, I would do exactly this.

 

[ddrueding]

Sorry, just realized that that video was on their premium channel. Here is the free version, and the details not mentioned are as follows:

Ferrari FF new is £300k, he bought used for £180k (£1500/mo) and gave himself 6 months to enjoy before selling.

 

[Handruin]

That is a nice ride.

 

[ddrueding]

That is a nice ride.

Honestly it is the only Ferrari in history that I would ever consider owning. The combination of practicality and performance likely puts it in a class of one.

 

[Handruin]

Honestly it is the only Ferrari in history that I would ever consider owning. The combination of practicality and performance likely puts it in a class of one.

It looks like an incredible ride and much different than any other Ferrari. I've been chatting recently with a co-worker who has a Ferrari F430. He's been driving it to work recently. It's quite a sight, and sounds awesome. I want to ask for a ride in it. He said he's driven the FF and said it's a much different car. More like the daily driver as a second Ferrari for those who can spend the coin.

What about an Audi RS7? Smaller price tag and still a whole lot of fun car. My local dealer had a nice gray one tricked out and it looks incredible. $144k on the sticker. I'd love to test drive or but I'd be afraid it's want to take it home some how.

 

[ddrueding]

I like the RS7, or even an S7, but my wife thinks the back of them looks ugly. Not as ugly as the Panamera, but she has ruled them both out. The Model S is just good enough in this regard to be a viable target. For a budget of anything less than $200k, I suspect I'd be doing things to a P85+ Model S before looking elsewhere. It would be interesting to see what Saleen is doing with their Model S tune, but I'd focus on weight reduction.

Every once in a while I fall asleep to the idea of using a Model S 60 drivetrain to the front wheels and a P85+ to the rear for AWD and 718HP. Sure, that would weigh a lot, but you could make a lot of it back with a carbon fiber chassis and body.

 

[ddrueding]

The time has come for me to start considering a new car. Used Model S prices aren't low enough, and the Model 3 isn't due out for a while. As a temporary vehicle, I'll be negotiating for this one tomorrow and the next day.

We'll see if they'll take my beater as a trade-in. If anyone wants to guess what I'll get that car for or what they'll take mine for, I'd love to see the numbers. Here is the basic rundown on mine:

2011 Audi A3 Quattro
115,000 miles
APR K04 kit (Intake, Turbo, Intercooler, Downpipe, Exhaust, CPU)
Titanium Sport Kit
Cold Weather Package
Nav
Permanent Check Engine
Occasionally slipping clutch
Moderate scratch on bumper
Filthy

 

[CougTek]

Regarding the last point, cleaning the interior would probably help you to get a better price.

Fixing the permanent check engine would have been an idea too, but it's too late for that now.

 

[ddrueding]

If resolving the check engine light required anything less than a full engine tear-down I'd have done it and not be buying a car at all. It will be due for its first California Smog Inspection within the month and a CEL is an instant fail.

Cleaning the car is easy enough; I have all the stuff required and the phone number for someone local who does good work if I get lazy. The dealer I'm working with is a 3-hour drive away so no one will be seeing anything in person until the transaction takes place. Plenty of time to clean things up.

 

[Howell]

Is the cause of the CEL bad enough to require immediate attention or just an immediate fail in CA. I'm thinking out of state buyer.

 

[ddrueding]

Just a fail in CA. I've been driving it like this for a year (~20k miles)

 

[ddrueding]

...and they won't take my car because it is covered by the Takata Airbag Recall (shrapnel to the face, yay!).

 

[Stereodude]

I thought you could just find someone to pass you for a little extra under the table money?

 

[ddrueding]

Very likely, but this is a good enough excuse to do something different for a while. Currently trying to find a friend who can fly me up to Sac.

 

[ddrueding]

Long drive up and back, but the new car is sitting in my driveway now. Couldn't get the price below $30k, but did get a full Audi warranty to 140k miles for the same price.

First impressions:
1. I can't believe that even in a 2013 car the Bluetooth doesn't include multimedia support. Already ordered an aftermarket bit that should fix that.
2. I really miss the super-bolstered sport seats, these seem to be designed for someone 4" wider than I am (and I'm a big guy).
3. This car is heavier than my wife's, and with just a little more power, but it really moves when you lean on it. Perhaps the 8-speed (vs. 6) is the difference? Below 110mph changes are very rapid.
4. Mounting my phone where I want (between the MMI screen and the instrument cluster) is going to require a significant piece of sculpture; likely several drafts with the 3d printer.

 

[mubs]

So what did you get? And what happened to your previous car?

 

[Stereodude]

So what did you get? And what happened to your previous car?

He got a 2013 A4 Allroad according to the link in the thread.