[VIPER_SRT]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

I got my rotor and pads changed a few months back and now I am noticing vibrations when braking at above 70mph. what else could be wrong apart from a warped rotor? it feels smooth at lower speeds.

Rotors could be first culprit, if not then the calipers are not holding the break pads as they should for even contact with rotors. Take a visual inspection and see what you find. You should have the technician check it for you and do whats necessary.

[maddy42]

Has anyone faced this? Cheating in the used car market?

So a bit of background. My friend was looking for a car in phoenix. It was a lot of search so we went thru the usual T and H initially so landed up on a hyundai thinking wth the price is lower. Anyways we spotted a car which looked decent and low miles and low price. It was on par with what KBB expected.

Our trust was increased coz the seller was indian and we checked went through one of the record agencies(NOT CARFAX) and all looked fine.

We set up a meeting and went to see the car. ALl was good. Payment was made with not too much haggle(Mistake1) and then we got the car. 2 days later there was a check engine light which was taken to the owner who took it to his uncle who fixed it up.

This problem arose more times during the past 2 years(this car was bought in Aug 2012). So today my friend messaged me saying this car was bought from a auction. And even provided a link from the auction house for its ad. It is the exact same ride. This had some mechanical problems due to which it was auctioned off. The asking price was 1700 bucks. We paid 6.5.

Outright cheated and i didnt know how many times i had to say sorry to my friend but what i believe is this can happen to anybody. Please be careful.

Mistakes which we did:
1) Did check car fax as we got another report from a different agency.
2) Didnt haggle.
3) Didnt cancel the deal when the check engine light came on.
4) Trust anybody.

Can anything be done now? Or no?

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

..

Originally Posted by Superleggera

..

Are you guys in Boston area? Which City, may be we can do a small offline meet sometime

Originally Posted by maddy42

Mistakes which we did:
1) Did check car fax as we got another report from a different agency.
2) Didnt haggle.
3) Didnt cancel the deal when the check engine light came on.
4) Trust anybody.
Can anything be done now? Or no?

I don't think you can do much now, since it was a private party sale. But try to approach the seller and threatening him that you are going to file a law suit against him and have enough evidence to strengthen the case.
And in reality, if you guys are very keen you must approach your local police station or call some lawyers asking for right advice.
I came up this link upon a google search hope it helps.
Link

[vineethvazhayil]

Loads of C7 Corvette videos are out now from various media outlets - Check out a few

Interior Review

48 hours with the C7 in Detroit

Burnout with the C7

Track Testing the C7

Enjoy!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Are you guys in Boston area? Which City, may be we can do a small offline meet sometime

This meet thread gained some traction recently..
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-b...t-us-meet.html

[abhishekdev]

Guys I moved to US (MA area) 10 months back and am now on the lookout for a car. All this while I drove rentals funded by my company.

I am looking for a fun to drive Sedan/SUV to buy for just the pleasure of driving. I am not looking for fuel efficiency for this buy. I drive around 880 miles (avg over 10 months, 15 miles/day on weekdays rest mostly highway). I would love to own something that is not available back home in India.

What I am looking for is:
1- New Sedans/SUV to Buy
2- Price $50k on-road price (not sure what term they use in US :P but that includes i.e. 6.25% MA tax + roughly 5-6K for insurance and other tax/fee).
3- Quick and Good corner handling
4- Winter performance (in MA area)
4- Good all around Visibility
5- Awesome Sound System (Are there abundant options to fit 3rd Party systems without a warranty void)
6- Resale value. I want to retain the car for 3-4 years

I really like the 335 xDrive and it fulfills all my needs, except that I cant afford a new one. I know that the used car market in US is very popular, but I personally am never satisfied with used products (Please don't judge me for this irrational thought )

I like some of the cars I drove here, but am not sure which of those makes sense to own w.r.t. worry free long drive over the 3-4 ownership period and reasonable service/parts cost.

Some options I was considering but had confusions on:
1. 2014 Lexus 250 AWD F Sport : Given its small size, I have doubts on how easy it would be to sell after 4+ yrs. And also am not sure about service costs. It says that it needs tire change at 15k miles, break pad changes at 20k and brake rotor change at 50k
2. 2013 Infiniti G37 AWD: Is it overpriced? This is an outgoing model with some incentives but still costs a lot for the feature set.
3. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 3.5L v6 4x4: Really liked its drive and overall tech. Probably it fits my needs best here. But is it worth the ownership? Heard of reliability issues with Jeep brand. Are these valid for the new Jeep Grand Cherokee (after Fiat intervention) too?
4. Audi Q5 2.0: How does it fare on service costs/reliability in 3-4 yrs.
5. 2014 Mazda CX5 Grand Touring AWD: Nice to drive, but no good music system. Seating comfort is mediocre.
6. 2013 Honda Accord v6 EX-L: Don't like its design, color, steering feel, seating position and Audio System interface. But a fallback option I could not skip in my list.

Cars I stroke off my list: Murano, Impala (checked out 2014 for its nice big sedan looks, but its steering lacks feel and its touch screen is too slow to respond ), Camry, Altima (Dont like both of their looks and audio).

Appreciate any suggestions, feedback or experience sharing.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by abhishekdev

Some options I was considering but had confusions on:
1. 2014 Lexus 250 AWD F Sport : Given its small size, I have doubts on how easy it would be to sell after 4+ yrs. And also am not sure about service costs. It says that it needs tire change at 15k miles, break pad changes at 20k and brake rotor change at 50k
2. 2013 Infiniti G37 AWD: Is it overpriced? This is an outgoing model with some incentives but still costs a lot for the feature set.
3. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 3.5L v6 4x4: Really liked its drive and overall tech. Probably it fits my needs best here. But is it worth the ownership? Heard of reliability issues with Jeep brand. Are these valid for the new Jeep Grand Cherokee (after Fiat intervention) too?
4. Audi Q5 2.0: How does it fare on service costs/reliability in 3-4 yrs.
5. 2014 Mazda CX5 Grand Touring AWD: Nice to drive, but no good music system. Seating comfort is mediocre.
6. 2013 Honda Accord v6 EX-L: Don't like its design, color, steering feel, seating position and Audio System interface. But a fallback option I could not skip in my list.

Cars I stroke off my list: Murano, Impala (checked out 2014 for its nice big sedan looks, but its steering lacks feel and its touch screen is too slow to respond ), Camry, Altima (Dont like both of their looks and audio).

Appreciate any suggestions, feedback or experience sharing.

Important question is - are you looking for performance, or luxury or both? The Lexus, the Q5, the Jeep and the Mazda have too little performance for the price. The G37 is definitely going out and the new Q50 is launching on August 5th. Checkout the hybrid - it is a performance hybrid - not a fuel efficiency hybrid. Do checkout the Lexus IS350 F Sport while you are looking at Lexus.

Other cars that are large (and literally large) on performance and fall in your price range could be the Charger R/T or SRT8, Chrysler 300C or SRT8, the new Chevrolet SS etc. Some American choices that have big V8s in them . Another wildcard that you could consider - the Cadillac ATS turbo.

You have a good budget - If it was me - I would still go for a used car (a used porsche Cayman S or a BMW M car etc.).

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by abhishekdev

Guys I moved to US (MA area) 10 months back and am now on the lookout for a car. All this while I drove rentals funded by my company.

Appreciate any suggestions, feedback or experience sharing.

I would also consider Audi S4 its both luxury and performance. Did you look at WRX STI? Its again a pure fun to drive car.
And if you can stretch your budget a little more go for a Corvette

[abhishekdev]

Thanks for your inputs vineeth.

I am looking at both performance and luxury interiors in the car (in that order). I test drove the 350 F Sport as well while I visited Lexus and the difference was pleasingly evident on highway, but the 350 F Sport soared quite above my budget and with space/resale an issue with it, I have doubts if stretching my budget for it is worth.

The big american muscles you mentioned don't appeal much to me for my first car here and are more near the $47-$50 negotiated price range + taxes/insurance. I'll try to test drive the Cadillac ATS and the Infiniti Q50 this weekend (i.e. if the Q is available for test drive yet).

I had a question here, I am not sure I understand the term and benefits of a "performance hybrid" here. The Q50 hybrid Sport AWD seems to have a ~$3k MSRP premium. Can someone put more light on its benefits ?
I read some publicity pointers on Infiniti website, but that translates to increase in computer controlled engine mechanisms. Has anybody driven the Q50?

[Fraz33r]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Has anyone faced this? Cheating in the used car market?
..
Our trust was increased coz the seller was indian and we checked went through one of the record agencies(NOT CARFAX) and all looked fine.
...
Please be careful.
..
...
Can anything be done now? Or no?

This what my personal experiences have been.
1) Never trust a person who you may feel is from the same demographic as you are and is there always to help you. ( you may feel that I am being extremely critical/racist ) but since Day 1 I stepped into this country for my higher studies, I have had horrid experiences to unknown people who are not your friends. I have a huge trust issue, on the other hand I had some of the best experiences with the "other" people. This is totally my viewpoint and my experiences and please do not generalize this and is a long story to be told for some other day.

2) CARFAX is a must period. For 35 bucks/car it will give you peace of mind. But this is not a fool proof method either. One of the news channels once surveyed an used car market and found that it is not true 100% and many details were missing.

3) When Cars are auctioned on the site: It is a gamble that the dealer/private party takes by visual inspection and is ready to plonk some money in the car to make it driveable and sell it at profit. if he bought for 1700 at auction you cannot claim you are duped as you don't know how much money did he put in to fix it up.


Possible chances for fight back:
3) Did that person take anything from you in writing? Do you have any valid proofs that he said the car was free of any defects and have been addressed ? Did you inspect it at local mechanic? If yes, i think you are out of contention.

4) Depends how serious you are on this case. Consumer courts here heavily favor the customer and there are tons of cases that are lodged in US in every state. Just because you are an outsider does not mean you cannot contest, this is where most of us get duped and fear to do anything against these people.

My opinion, try to shove the "Consumer Court" tactic in his face and see his reaction. If he is care free, and you are willing to fight with the necessary proofs. Eg. snapshot of the car at Auction site: VIN number.et all then you might as well try it.

Also since the CEL is ON, you can always get quote for repair work that needs to be done and based on that make a wise decision.

Keep us updated as what have you done and next steps.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by abhishekdev

2- Price $50k on-road price (not sure what term they use in US :P but that includes i.e. 6.25% MA tax + roughly 5-6K for insurance and other tax/fee).
3- Quick and Good corner handling
4- Winter performance (in MA area)

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

You have a good budget - If it was me - I would still go for a used car (a used porsche Cayman S or a BMW M car etc.).

50K is a really nice budget! Specially if you consider used car market.

You can get a really nice piece for that. These days i keep browsing used M3 and M5 cars and wishing i had a 50K budget!!

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by abhishekdev

I had a question here, I am not sure I understand the term and benefits of a "performance hybrid" here. The Q50 hybrid Sport AWD seems to have a ~$3k MSRP premium. Can someone put more light on its benefits ?
I read some publicity pointers on Infiniti website, but that translates to increase in computer controlled engine mechanisms. Has anybody driven the Q50?

The Q50 hybrid has a total net horsepower of above 350 bhp. Here is a quote from http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...ced-from-44855

That drivetrain consists of a 3.5-liter V-6 paired with an electric motor and seven-speed automatic transmission, and peak output is a claimed 354 horsepower. EPA-rated gas mileage is yet to be announced but Infiniti says the Q50 Hybrid should be good for 36 mpg on the highway--not bad for a reasonably quick, luxury sedan.

Basically, the M35 hybrid powertrain has been transplanted into the smaller car. What that gives you is supremely good performance - 0-60 under 5 seconds, while still returning you fuel efficiency of a 4 cylinder Accord/Camry! Till now, Infiniti was offering the hybrid M35h in only RWD, but with the Q50 they are offering AWD as an option. So overall utility and appeal also would be higher because the performance, all weather tractability and fuel efficiency. Btw, the new Q50 is expected to on sale on August 5th - this was after a delay from July.

As for price - expect a premium of 3k for the hybrid powertrain, and another 1 - 1.5k premium for AWD.

Originally Posted by amitoj

50K is a really nice budget! Specially if you consider used car market.

You can get a really nice piece for that. These days i keep browsing used M3 and M5 cars and wishing i had a 50K budget!!

I cannot agree more. Perhaps even a Model S that has run 30-40k miles already?

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

You have a good budget - If it was me - I would still go for a used car (a used porsche Cayman S or a BMW M car etc.).

E90 m3 on day to day driving gives only 14mpg. 21mpg is the max my colleague has got doing 65 on the highway. It is a real reliable car though.

My pick would be S4, 330Whp, AWD and nice Audi interiors. A6/E classes / 5 series also falls into that budget. Expect huge discounts on the older E classes since the facelift has already hit the showrooms.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Jomz

E90 m3 on day to day driving gives only 14mpg. 21mpg is the max my colleague has got doing 65 on the highway. It is a real reliable car though.

My pick would be S4, 330Whp, AWD and nice Audi interiors. A6/E classes / 5 series also falls into that budget. Expect huge discounts on the older E classes since the facelift has already hit the showrooms.

No point worrying about fuel efficiency after getting a 2 ton sedan with a V8 engine and crazy performance.

The S4 has huge mod potential - a simple ECU flash will take you to over 400 WHP. It already is a super quick car, 400 hp - you maybe looking at under 4 seconds for 0-60. If you can live with the numb steering and nose heavy feeling, that performance is really something.

How is the long term reliability on the supercharged v6 based cars from Audi?

[Diamond_dawg]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Has anyone faced this? Cheating in the used car market?

So a bit of background. My friend was looking for a car in phoenix. It was a lot of search so we went thru the usual T and H initially so landed up on a hyundai thinking wth the price is lower. Anyways we spotted a car which looked decent and low miles and low price. It was on par with what KBB expected.

Our trust was increased coz the seller was indian and we checked went through one of the record agencies(NOT CARFAX) and all looked fine.

We set up a meeting and went to see the car. ALl was good. Payment was made with not too much haggle(Mistake1) and then we got the car. 2 days later there was a check engine light which was taken to the owner who took it to his uncle who fixed it up.

This problem arose more times during the past 2 years(this car was bought in Aug 2012). So today my friend messaged me saying this car was bought from a auction. And even provided a link from the auction house for its ad. It is the exact same ride. This had some mechanical problems due to which it was auctioned off. The asking price was 1700 bucks. We paid 6.5.

Outright cheated and i didnt know how many times i had to say sorry to my friend but what i believe is this can happen to anybody. Please be careful.

Mistakes which we did:
1) Did check car fax as we got another report from a different agency.
2) Didnt haggle.
3) Didnt cancel the deal when the check engine light came on.
4) Trust anybody.

Can anything be done now? Or no?

Nothing can be down now.

But try to check Car Fax, but something things are not always reported sadly. Have a regular mechanic(this is important if you are planning to live in the US and stay with used cars for a while) that way when you are buying a car they usually try to help you when you are buying a used car.. agiain by regular i mean keep in good talks with the mechanic when he is with your car, this makes a good impression and that way they know you too! though this also varies state by state. and secondly try to check KBB.com before buying to get a good assessment of the car