Posted on 8/7/2009 6:34:16 PMWell, the original CFC plan ended up not working (due to an issue with the way NV handles secondary trades and tax credits), HOWEVER, we did end up getting 'something'.
The net results of the last few weeks: minus two 1989 XJs, plus one 2009 VW Eos.
Overall its a nice little car. My wife loves it of course. My older son likes watching the retractable hard top go up and down (he calls it mama's 'transformer' car). Power delivery is acceptable, handling is acceptable, comfort is good. Interior bits are pretty decent (even if it is the lower level 'komfort' model). Seating ergonomics seem to work very well for me (short at 5'8") and I even fit in the +2 section reasonably well.
Not to be a MT vs. AT snob, but the DSG seems to be a bit confused at times, with a tad bit of surging at take off. Looking about the bloat-web, I've found several stories from other 2.0T DSG drivers (in various VW models) that have commented similarly, so at least I'm not alone. Hey, at least when you put it in 'manual' mode and tell it to shift, it actually shifts! As opposed to my IS350 which thinks about it, then may shift if it decides its the right thing to do (seriously).
The new Eos has the updated 2.0T engine (CCTA vs BPY if I have my codes correctly). Supposedly the new 2.0T largely does away with the oil consumption issues related to the older BPY 2.0T. I'll have to comment on that over time. I have to admit from a DIY maintenance sort of person doing a simple oil change on the prior-gen 2.0T looks to be a mix of torture and circus-contortion. On the new engine the oil filter sits right on top of the engine. How convenient ;) Of course, VW has 'no expense' maint for 3 years, but waiting until 10K for my first oil change is just not going to happen.
Speaking of oil, finding the oil required for the VW engine was a bit of a hunt. The local box-shops (WM, PepBoys, Autozone) did not carry any of the euro-spec stuff so I had to track it down elsewhere (which is always more expensive). Of course, a week later I go to another WM an find a whole line of Mobil1 0w40 with SuperSyn...which is apparently only carried at a few stores (at least here) for nearly half what I paid for it at "Dewee, Cheatum, and Howe".
Best surprise feature? The "Bug Catcher". It is actually a diffuser that pops up on top of the windscreen across its entire width. Unlatched it stands about 3" high and is filled with black mesh material. I'd never even noticed it on other test drives and just happened to find it whilst we were taking the car she was going to buy out for a pre-sale test drive. Unlatched it really looks like some kind of perverse bug catcher...and I'd warrant in a more pest-ridden environment that it probably does a pretty good job of snatching flying pests out of the air whilst driving about with the top down!
Oh, and my wife says that "You're not allowed to drive it" ;-0
Permalink |
Comments (0)Posted on 6/3/2009 5:59:01 PMI am a hypocrite.
Yep, I'll admit it.
I think the Cash for Clunkers is a terrible idea. Its stated purposes are contrary to the actual results that may be achieved. Also, while I'm not going to side with SEMA, I'll agree that some collectibles are going to get 'crushed' (well, those that don't get 'lost' when some dealer sees a nice collector's item roll onto his lot from someone who does not know what they have...). Oh, I'll also agree that some 'stimulus' will come of this, but not to the goal or stated purpose of the initiative. Conversely, however, some of that stimulus will, in most likelihood, go to yet another round of those who cannot afford a new car, or may end up jobless due to the on-going cascade effect of the economic recession, and end up with yet more bad loans, repos, etc.
That said, I'm a hypocrite. Once this gets signed in, my old beater 'Green Monster' XJ is heading straight for the dealer so I can claim my "free money". $4,500 for a rattle-trap beater worth, maybe, $500? Yep, I'll stand in line if someone is handing out money and I wanted a new addition to the 'corral' anyway.
Permalink |
Comments (0)Posted on 11/20/2008 6:40:54 PMWell, my wife's leased Honda Pilot EX was coming close to its term.
We picked it up on Honda's promo deal in the late fall of '05. I would guess they must have had too much of a stock in backlog, given the lease promo was for Zero (0) down, $279 a month on a '06 Pilot EX. Have not seen a zero-down deal since then (at least not with that low of a monthly). My wife has enjoyed the Pilot and really wanted something of a 'similar' vein.
So the Baton death-march of small-and-midsized SUV/CUVs began. Her first inclination was to get into the CR-V. Her parents have had 2 (Gen 1 and Gen 2) and she has liked those well enough. Off to the Honda dealer we go, drive a CR-V, drive the new Pilot, drive an Accord. "Meh" would be her most appropriate response.
Over to Toyota we go. RAV4 (in both 4 pot and 6 pot) and the Highlander are taken out. She 'prefers' the Highlander, but goggles at the price. "I could get into a Lexus RX350 for close to that" she says to me in front of the salesman. Okies...off to the Lexus dealer we go.
RX350 taken for a spin. She likes it. The lone Lexus dealer in Vegas, on the other hand, seems to think "negotiation" is only for poor people. Quote "If the price is too high, perhaps a Lexus is not for you." Yeah, I did drive up in my IS350, so you can kiss my hairy Russo/German ass. Perhaps that is why I didn't buy it from you, dolt.
Subaru and a spin in the new Forrester. Wife likes it, I'm luke warm. I do like Subbies and think they are the hidden gem of quality, just never been particularly fond of their designs. Okay, Forrester is put on the 'come back' list.
Off to VW next (my wife has an EOS and loves it). We take out the Tiguan (say that 10X fast...properly) for a spin. My wife likes it, I actually like it, I'm just not a fan of long-term VW reliability now-a-days, and the price is a 'bit' high compared to its competition. Nice interior, decent power, love the panoramic moonroof (yeah, I'm a sucker for those). Price becomes a sticking point. "Its new and in demand" says Igor (I kid you not) the salesman in a heavy slavic accent. Sure. Just keep saying that.
Next it is over to Carmax so my wife can drive several vehicles, guilt free and back-to-back, to see how they compare. While there, she hops into a Honda Ridgeline and after the drive says 'I like this'. Okay, we can look into that too.
To quote Inigo "Let's sum up": A few more dealer visits and a flurry of emails to in-and-out-of-state dealers brings back VERY good numbers on the Ridgeline (About $9K off MSRP). We now have a new '08 Honda Ridgeline RTL. Wife get's to keep the 'feel' she likes, and I might be able to retire one (or both) of the Jeeps. And I can hide corpses in the 'trunk' (on ice no less) ;)
Permalink |
Comments (0)Posted on 8/20/2008 4:22:18 PMSo, from my previous post I was looking closely at the crazy price cutting that a local dodge dealer (Towbin Dodge) was doing on all Dodge RAM trucks.
Since my wife would be driving the truck from time to time (she actually enjoys driving bigger vehicles) she came down with me to the dealer for the drive.
We picked out a few likely candidates for a test drive:
• 2008 RAM 3500 HD MegaCab 4X4 Laramie (target vehicle)
• 2008 RAM 1500 STLT 'Bighorn' Quad Cab 4X4 with the 5.7L Hemi
• 2008 RAM 1500 Laramie MegaCab 4X4 with the 5.7L Hemi
The two Hemi-drive vehicles were for comparison, and, as it turns out, were a good idea to test.
First time out in one of the new Megacabs (read: MEGA) in the 3500HD and I was pretty happy overall. Interior-wise it was head and shoulders above my 7.3L Ford F350HD Quad cab, however, that truck is many years old and from what would be a lower trim level than the newer RAM. The leather was a nice touch, and fittings were okay.
The Cummins diesel was quieter than the old Ford's 7.3L, but that was to be expected. The 'butt dyno' felt like it had a smoother pull, but lacking a bit of power compared to my old Ford (mind you, I have a Banks performance kit on the F350HD so this comparison is, well, not balanced either).
Ride quality on the stock suspension was acceptable, above that of my F350HD, but again, I have the Ford lifted quite a bit on a Skyjacker lift. Turning and cornering were a bit of a chore, but this is one seriously long truck. Not sure if the turning ratio is higher on this truck, but it seemed to take more of a circle to do a U-turn than my F350HD.
Now it was the wife's turn and things started to go wrong.
- She doesn't like the driver's bucket
- She can't see where the front end of the truck is. Okay, I'll go with that. The Dodge hood is harder than hell to see where your front end is, particularly compared to my F350HD
- Its too low (okay, I can fix that!)
- Its turns 'too slow' (translation: It wallows through a turn like a pig and makes a bigger circle)
- The breaks suck (yeah, I've got a break pkg on my Ford)
- Its too long (sigh)
- Its ugly (okay, there's not a lot I can do about that damn ugly front end...but I'm not buying it to be pretty...)
What did she like?
- The MEGA CAB. Yeah, its freakin' big back there. You could throw a party for the kids.
- Less noise
Okay, drilling all of that down was: Its too big, turns bad, and handles poorly. Yeah..its a truck, dear. ;)
So, since they did not have any quad cab 3500s on the lot at the time, we took out a 5.7L Hemi quad 1500 so she could see if she liked the 'handling' any better. Seemed to make an improvement in her outlook, but I already knew what was going to kill the possibility of getting out with a quad cab: The rear seating.
Sure enough, once we opened the back and she looked at it, the quad cab was right out. Its damn tight back there for a quad cab. My F350 Crew cab doesn't look a lot bigger, but a little bit of leg room can make a lot of difference, particularly with two boys and associated gear on a long trip.
So, at the end of the day, we didn't make a deal. I've got some thinking to do and perhaps some selling of my own to do. Alternately, the old F350 is not going to die anytime soon (particularly not the engine, which will probably outlive me), I'd just like something a bit nicer to spend those long trailer-hauling trips in.
Permalink |
Comments (0)Posted on 8/6/2008 4:27:19 PMSeriously.
A local Dodge dealer (Towbin Dodge) is selling all RAM trucks at 50% off MSRP. Not one or two...not "only valid on"...ALL RAM trucks.
Okay, for many (most?) this is probably a really bad time to be looking at big body on frame trucks. For me, however, it is looking like a GREAT time. I have an aging F350 7.3L turbo D crew cab that has served me faithfully for years as both a weekend warrior quad/motorcycle trailer hauler, and more recently as the hauler for my Toy Box trailer (praise the recreational gods for whoever came up with the idea for these).
My F350 still runs just peachy, however, it is certainly starting to show its age in minor things, as well as interior fit and finish. Years of being the primary desert hauler for Quad/dirt bike weekends, and two boys have taken their toll on the interior. Mud, dust and dirt, even though cleaned out after the trips (sometimes week-long) have had their revenge on the aging super duty.
Surprisingly, I've got interested buyers in the F350, so unloading it won't be at a poor trade in price. So I'm going to drop in this weekend to look at the few RAM 3500 duallies they have on the lot. 2008 RAM 3500 LARAMIE MEGA CAB 4X4 MSRP of $57K (as equipped) at half off? You betcha'. ;)
I already get the most evil looks when driving my lifted F350 on the road. I guess I'll just have to tolerate the evil eco-hoard hatred for a while longer. Sorry, green brothers of the Apocalypse, but a Ranger or Tacoma won't tow my massive toy box. Of course, it is hauling even more carbon-pumping evil machines to the wilds...put down the torches and pitchforks!
Permalink |
Comments (0)Posted on 5/23/2008 12:31:31 PMSo many cars, so little time and not enough money.
Okay, admittedly, I once joked with my wife that we should have name our boys Aston and Martin. Because they cost a lot more than a nice Vanquish would ;)
There should really be a 'carholics anonymous'. A support group for those that spend entirely too much time with 'car stuff' floating about in their heads.
"Hello, my name is Spartacus and I am a carholic.
"Hello, Spartacus."
"Its been less than 2 minutes since my last car fantasy."
Permalink |
Comments (0)