[aah78]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I hope they are more reasonably priced than the Michelins at Costco!!

Vredestein (now owned by Apollo tyres India) were not a bargain brand - they do make good tyres though.

For cost effective definitely Kumho, or maybe Hankook.
Try local brand - Cooper (Michelin owned), or Goodyear / Dunlop.

Also, check for specials - sometimes Pirelli & Michelin run good deals. Bridgestone, if you're lucky.

Continentals, not so many deals around.


Another option - might be hard but switch to 18"/17" wheels and sell your 19" set.

[vulcanize]

Over 180,000 New Vehicles Are Sitting, Derailed By Lack Of Transport Trains

If you're planning on buying a new car in the next month or so, you might want to pick from what's on the lot, because there could be a long wait for new vehicles from the factory. Locomotives continue to be in short supply in North America, and that's causing major delays for automakers trying to move assembled cars.

According to The Detroit News, there are about 180,000 new vehicles waiting to be transported by rail in North America at the moment. In a normal year, it would be about 69,000. The complications have been industry-wide. Toyota, General Motors, Honda and Ford all reported experiencing some delays, and Chrysler recently had hundreds of minivans sitting on the Detroit waterfront waiting to be shipped out

The problem is twofold for automakers. First, the fracking boom in the Bakken oil field in the Plains and Canada is monopolizing many locomotives. Second, the long, harsh winter is still causing major delays in freight train travel. The bad weather forced trains to slow down and carry less weight, which caused a backup of goods to transport. The auto companies resorted to moving some vehicles by truck, which was a less efficient but necessary option.

Now, things are finally starting to improve. The weather is warming, and the freight industry is putting more trains on the rails. According to The Detroit News, shipments will finally get back on track to normal in early July. That will give automakers a few months reprieve before the snow will begin falling again.

Source

[sajo]

I kinda liked the way this car drove and the price it was offered for :



Until I came across its Carfax. Some "zhol" , for lack of a better word. It says single owner, but its being sold at dealerships/auctions since 2010. Also, the carfax says its colour is white but the actual colour you can see in the pics I have attached.

Attaching the carfax.

CARFAX Vehicle History Report for this 2006 NISSAN ALTIMA S_SL.pdf

I was kinda hoping to close a deal on this one , but looks like it wont be prudent to.
What do you guys think ? The price is about $3k less than similar higher mileage offerings at other dealers.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by sajo

Until I came across its Carfax. Some "zhol" , for lack of a better word. It says single owner, but its being sold at dealerships/auctions since 2010. Also, the carfax says its colour is white but the actual colour you can see in the pics I have attached.

Yea its a weird thing that you dont have to report your color change to DMV. The color change could have been for many reasons, and car no being sold since 2010 is kinda mysterious.

[VLOCT]

Sajo,

I don't get it. The car has 135,000 miles in 8 years and been in an accident!! Why would you even think of buying this car?

Please, please have some patience. Please read my previous posting to you here. You're prime candidate for the dealers to target for a rip-off. Don't fall in their trap.

[sajo]

Thanks guys. I was indeed getting a desperate, so ended up picking up a Corolla with clean history and a very detail carfax service record. Yes , its 12 years old, but everything on it works and has about 100,000 miles on it. 3 months warranty thrown in by the dealer. That would do, for now, given my uncertain tenure here.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by sajo

Thanks guys. I was indeed getting a desperate, so ended up picking up a Corolla with clean history and a very detail carfax service record. Yes , its 12 years old, but everything on it works and has about 100,000 miles on it. 3 months warranty thrown in by the dealer. That would do, for now, given my uncertain tenure here.

Like they say, you cant go wrong with a Corolla. Congratulations and Enjoy your new (old) ride! Take it on a road trip during the weekends!

How much did you end up paying for the car?

[samabhi]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Yes I did, thanks in no part to the generous total loss settlement from GEICO for the Forester.

I and my wife have interchangeably driven it about 700 miles in the last month. I would be taking it on trip one of the weekends in June and write a detailed review. We got the mid spec XLE AWD. It has most of the stuff I think I need - leather, heated seats, nav, apps etc. My only gripe is the packaging of options - especially the safety tech - they are only available on the top spec version.

Quick driving impressions - Very quiet and refined, doesn't feel as ponderous as some other midsize crossovers I have driven. Suspension for a car of this kind is excellent - comfortable yet not floaty. It can get out of its way easy.

Interior is very well put together - lot of thoughtful touches like the little shelf below the dash that goes from the right of the steering to the front passenger window - can store your little knick knacks there (and be careful not clutter). The Toyota Entune app integration is pretty decent. Second row is very generous with recline and a large seat travel. Third row will be barely used as of now, but it can technically seat 3. Dropping the seats down gives a fairly cavernous cargo area - carried a big eliptical in it the other day - consumed it with ease.

More details after a good long trip. I have a bunch of pics in the team bhp garage already. Let me know if anyone needs any other information.

Vineeth,

What other cars did you consider before buying the highlander? The brand value of Toyota is one of the main reason to buy this? I felt the Santa Fe is equally good with the class leading interiors.

[amitoj]

The Honda Odyssey's in-car entertainment system is the most randomly put together system i have ever seen!! It has driven me nuts a couple of times!
For example, if the CD/DVD player is switched ON, the rear speakers (ones in the middle row) will not work, even if there is no CD/DVD playing!
Another example, you can't access playlists on your ipod (or maybe you can but it is through some convoluted secret method) and to play all songs, you have to switch to the display where your maps are.

The Ody's ICE only makes me appreciate even more the simple yet highly convenient and intuitive system in my Charger.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by samabhi

Vineeth,

What other cars did you consider before buying the highlander? The brand value of Toyota is one of the main reason to buy this? I felt the Santa Fe is equally good with the class leading interiors.

Yes, it probably is - but Santa Fe's corporate cousin, the Kia Sorento had poor crash test scores and IIHS hadn't tested the Santa Fe yet, if the test is done and Santa Fe had decent scores, I would have considered it. The other thing is that I felt the Toyota's ride and handling was sublime (well, sublime for a 3 row CUV)- nearly Lexus like. Not sure how the Santa Fe is - because of the unknown crash ratings, I didn't even venture to try the car.

[ToroRosso]

So now, I have a problem. My daily commute is going to increase to 110 miles (round trip). We are going to relocate to a place closer to my wife's work place. Currently my truck is my DD, and she uses the Mazda.

I am not too confident that my truck can do a 100 mile commute(current ODO is 137K), and we might need a 3rd Vehicle. I wont sell my truck and am keeping him.

Budget - Max $9.5K USD.
I am deciding between these
a)2006-2009 Fusion V6 - Mileage under 125K miles.
b)2001-2006 - Mustang GT or V6 - Mileage under 100K
c)1999-2003 F250 Power Stroke - Mileage under 150K
d)2005-2007 Mazda 6 V6 - Mileage under 125K
e)2004-2006 Volvo S60 - Mileage under 100K

Is there anything else that I need to look.

Note - Honda/Toyota/Nissan are not an option as I wont be able to park any of them in my office car park.

Also, among the ones that i have listed, which would be better from a reliability perspective.

This is a short term arrangement and I would be using this car for a Max of 1-1.5 year.

[VLOCT]

First question: Why won't your truck do 110 miles a day? I was under the impression that it was in decent condition except, may be for some body issues. If your chassis and engine are in good condition, 137k is nothing on a truck. Those engines can easily do 300k and more before needing any major repairs. Of course, proper regular care is needed.

At 110 miles a day, a decent mileage from your commuter vehicle becomes an important factor and so, fun plus decent mileage is the combination you're looking for. Trucks might fall off the list. However, you might want to do a cost-benefit analysis for a third purchase versus keep using the truck.

OR, you might want to go for a fun older two-seater like Toyoto MR2, Miata etc. 110 miles a day means, a lot of your time of your life will be spend on the road. You should make it as fun as possible.

There is only one go around for everyone. We have the choice to make it interesting or be mundane.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Note - Honda/Toyota/Nissan are not an option as I wont be able to park any of them in my office car park.

That is interesting. Why so?

Last month I was wondering if i should sell the charger and get a smaller, equally fun to drive car, for somewhere around 17K. Didnt make much financial sense, so decided to stick with the Charger, get her new shoes (still pending), and maybe long or short headers (still undecided) and just have fun with it for another 30K miles.

In your case, 110 miles commute is rather long. Try to make it more fun than boring!

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

First question: Why won't your truck do 110 miles a day? I was under the impression that it was in decent condition except, may be for some body issues. .

Thanks Much VLOCT. I had taken him for a 200 mile trip about a week back, and an oil pressure warning popped up. Ultimately it was due to a small issue with a fuse. But, I am not too sure if my specific truck can really do the 500-600 mile trip per wekk :(.
I had some of the rust issues taken care. Now trying to get salvage parts of the running board.

Originally Posted by amitoj

That is interesting. Why so?

Heh, I work for a American Auto major, and the Primary parking lot is reserved only for their/affiliated Make/Model. Any others would be towed away. I always have an option of parking in the secondary lot, but its a good mile away and I need to walk that in Winter as welll :(

In your case, 110 miles commute is rather long. Try to make it more fun than boring!

True that. My choice - Fusion V6 vs 2001-2004 Mustang GT.

I am also debating picking up a 2000-2001 Wrangler. But am not sure about the reliability.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Heh, I work for a American Auto major, and the Primary parking lot is reserved only for their/affiliated Make/Model. Any others would be towed away. I always have an option of parking in the secondary lot, but its a good mile away and I need to walk that in Winter as welll :(

Can i suggest Mustang for your duty. As am sure you can find one below 100k for that price and post 2007. Or one more idea is go for a Hot hatch from Ford. This will not occupy much space, be more fun to drive for your journey.


I have a query to all the experts here. I was changing my air filter for my genesis and i was stumped between going for a regular OEM vs K&N(just a replacement and not a Cold air intake). Could someone suggest the pros and cons as i did notice regular air filter was $20 bucks and K&N was $55. Is it worth it other than being a lifetime of no replacement? Also i live in AZ so is there any trouble with k&n in dusty environments?

AC issue in my car: I had to move due to which my car now needs to be parked in the office lot without any shade. We enjoy 110F of weather for the next couple of months so your car is a oven when you get back to it at 5. You need to park carefully avoiding facing the south and also need to use the sun shade to protect yourself from 1st degree burns.

So i did notice my car was taking way too long to cool at the end of the day. DId a lot of reading and here is what is currently working out for me. As in its better than before.

1) Changed my cabin air filter. Very simple process!
2) Once i enter my car i lower all windows, turn on the ac full blast, turn off the recirculating mode, and rev the engine to a 3000rpm for about 15 secs. This actually sounds weird but really gets the ac working to start blowing cool air in under 2 mins. (It used to take about 10 mins before i knew this)

Could you provide any more suggestions as i do intend on actually getting the ac checked in my next service.


Also Hyundai has this huge list of stuff to do for the 30k service. With a big list comes a bigger bill. They are charging 400 bucks for the same. Lots of inspection in this. Is it worth so much?

Sorry for the longish post.

Maddy