The New Car Fanatic Thread

[G650 14,278]

15 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

BMW is historically pretty good at it if not currently, save the SUVs. 

BMW is the best at it, which is the only reason I drive a BMW. It's their raison d'etre.

[Chewbacca 7,787]

I'm really surprised you guys didn't have a strong inclination one way or another between those 2. They're such different experiences. As a family vehicle the GLS is far better, and anecdotally it isn't useless off-road. Also surprised at your comments regarding the interior being better in the Lexus, the layout is still completely truck-like, just skinned in leather. The LX infotainment (infotainment did get a refresh, so may be a wash, since I hate Mercedes infotainment as well), ride, and mileage are literally 15yr old now, it remains a truck (which is exactly why it has the rep it does, it's a Land Cruiser and will take whatever you put it through.) Yes it will off-road better. Consider how many times a year you actually need that capability and weight it accordingly.

Later post you talk about 7yrs or so as your longest ownership window, so both are going to suffer the steep portion of their depreciation. If you were planning 15yr ownership then I'd say LX for sure, but in that short a time, neither is going to cost much on the maintenance side. What kind of mileage do you put on each year?

LC/LX is getting a refresh in 2022 and going turbo-6, so a last-2-year LX570 as the last of the V8s will always resell for a premium to the Cruiser fans, similar to how the 05-06 LX470 carries a nice premium. The LX will almost certainly cost you less at the end once resale is considered. If you're one who always trades your car in, you won't benefit from the premium resale at all.

FWIW, we've had an LX470 since new, I'm a huge Land Cruiser fan. I tried to get parents to look at LX, GLS, Navigator, and Rover, and they bought the GLS. It was not a close decision, the GLS was so much nicer an on-road experience, and they DGAF about resale.

I know. They are almost polar opposites. I'm a big Landcruiser fan, too. Love my 100.

 

[CHIEF 5,095]

On 9/30/2020 at 6:04 PM, Newdoc said:

Probably more the dealer than anything and the deals weren't happening even at DFW. There was likely no dealer incentive at the time. My local VW dealer had a manager who was an asshat and way undervalued my trade-in then starting playing the four square game after I told him I could pay cash if I wanted. The Kia dealer was actually pretty professional for an outfit that sells a lot of cars to people who probably treat them like crap and have credit scores under 500.

I was concerned about expensive repairs and VW quality (been there done that) although the new car warranty for VW has vastly improved. The Golf was a 6 MT and was an absolute blast to drive. The Stinger was a bit more mature however. The 360 camera is a wheel saver and I think the GT2 package has some great accessories but likely not worth the full MSRP bump over the GT1. I almost got a screaming deal on a RWD Stinger GTS but the orange car would have stood out big time and I drive "spirited" from time to time.  BTW, the Lexus had great build quality but drove like a Camry. I would have loved to look for a RC-F or GS-F used but they hold value and good ones are rare.

Oh, and check the insurance quotes on the Stinger. You may have to shop around. Apparently my insurance company misclassified my car initially and the renewal rate almost doubles. Thanks to a 19 year male with clean record on our policy.

Been a while since I hit up this thread. But with this being the last year of the GS-F, prices are really going up. My 2016 had 17k on it when I bought it a year ago. I took it to the local Toyota place for the last oil change (33k miles) and the manager offered me $5k more than I paid for it. I went home and checked all of the car sites and couldn't find one with less than 35k miles for $8-9k of what I paid. First car I've ever owned that actually appreciated. Zero issues so far.

CHIEF

[LebongJames 1,815]

15 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Been a while since I hit up this thread. But with this being the last year of the GS-F, prices are really going up. My 2016 had 17k on it when I bought it a year ago. I took it to the local Toyota place for the last oil change (33k miles) and the manager offered me $5k more than I paid for it. I went home and checked all of the car sites and couldn't find one with less than 35k miles for $8-9k of what I paid. First car I've ever owned that actually appreciated. Zero issues so far.

CHIEF

It’s dumb that they are discontinuing the GS line entirely. I don’t get the ES taking over that segment. They should continue the GS even if just the F.

[52-80 19,263]

Probably because nobody ever buys the GS?  I'd like to see the sales figure for that one.

ES is a pretty popular jump for Camry buyers who want to splurge just a tad bit more for the Lexus badge.  And LS is for people who really like Lexus.

So my purely unfounded conjecture is that the GS buyers are shopping for 5 series and A6s instead

[52-80 19,263]

Any tips for buying a torque wrench to do up lug nuts? 

 

There's one 62cm / 25in, 70-350NM with 4% accuracy, 1/2" square drive.  That about good?  It's $100

 

Heard Tekton is a decent value branch.  Amazon has 18", 13-200NM +- 4% 1/2" square drive... $40

[Okie State 3,848]

If it's just for lug nuts I'd get one from Harbor Freight. That's what I have and it gets the job done.

[Okie State 3,848]

I see a lot of GS's on the road. Apparently not enough to justify their existence though.

[Anton Chigurh 3,319]

For wheels it’s not as big a deal to be super precise. That larger one has quite a range that you probably won’t use unless you’re taking apart suspension/drive axle stuff.

The smaller one is fine for your use.

[G650 14,278]

48 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Any tips for buying a torque wrench to do up lug nuts? 

 

There's one 62cm / 25in, 70-350NM with 4% accuracy, 1/2" square drive.  That about good?  It's $100

 

Heard Tekton is a decent value branch.  Amazon has 18", 13-200NM +- 4% 1/2" square drive... $40

I mean, it' s been answered, but as long as it goes up to the right torque it will work. It's not precision work. I've got old Craftsman ones I have used for eons and none of my lugs have fallen off or broken.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

The GS should have been killed decades ago for the crime that was their brake light arrangement. 

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

And to cleanse your eye palate, an Evija in John Player Special livery from Goodwood. 

Good. 

Would. 

 

[Chewbacca 7,787]

Probably because nobody ever buys the GS?  I'd like to see the sales figure for that one.
ES is a pretty popular jump for Camry buyers who want to splurge just a tad bit more for the Lexus badge.  And LS is for people who really like Lexus.
So my purely unfounded conjecture is that the GS buyers are shopping for 5 series and A6s instead

I cross shopped the GS before i bought my S6. Even compared to the regular A6 it was slow and boring. It could have been good with more power, but it wasn't.

[52-80 19,263]

2 hours ago, G650 said:

I mean, it' s been answered, but as long as it goes up to the right torque it will work. It's not precision work. I've got old Craftsman ones I have used for eons and none of my lugs have fallen off or broken.

i also want the wrench to be durable enough to crack somebody in the head, when worst comes to worst.

[CHIEF 5,095]

I could have bought a year newer M5 with the same mileage for less money, but plan on keeping the car for at least ten years, at which point it will probably have 250-300k miles. Wanna guess what the projected difference in repair costs and resale value were? It was absolutely hilarious. A 12 sec. car with 467hp that will go 300k miles with oil changes, tires, and routine maintenance is tough to pass up.

CHIEF

[Chewbacca 7,787]

I could have bought a year newer M5 with the same mileage for less money, but plan on keeping the car for at least ten years, at which point it will probably have 250-300k miles. Wanna guess what the projected difference in repair costs and resale value were? It was absolutely hilarious. A 12 sec. car with 467hp that will go 300k miles with oil changes, tires, and routine maintenance is tough to pass up.
CHIEF

GS-F is a completely different animal than the regular GS. If they made the GS-F with AWD, that would have been a contender for me, for sure.

[CHIEF 5,095]

If the GS-F wasn't Mrs. CHIEF's daily driver, and longevity and dependability wasn't the goal, the car would be at this point right now:

CHIEF

[ChickenSandwich 9,853]

4 hours ago, 52-80 said:

i also want the wrench to be durable enough to crack somebody in the head, when worst comes to worst.

[936horn 919]

What the fuck is up with lightly used car prices? I’ve been scouting lightly used 2015-2018ish 911s for a while now and suddenly it feels like prices are up across the board, in some cases 10k or more compared to just a couple months ago. Is inventory really low? I would have thought in a global pandemic prices would be the same to declining but apparently I’m dead ass wrong

[Sam Lin 3,562]

Used car prices have all gone up during the pandemic.

[LebongJames 1,815]

To put it this way, I was able to trade in my Tundra for the same price I paid for it last year. 

[TwiceHorn 31,554]

21 minutes ago, LebongJames said:

To put it this way, I was able to trade in my Tundra for the same price I paid for it last year. 

Holy smokes.  Without unduly diminishing the Tundra, that is quite the performance upgrade.

From what I gather (I did not actually drive an X3 or 5 in my recent car quest), the awesome driving dynamics associated with the 3-, 4-, and 5- series are now associated more with the Xs than the sedans and coupes.

I was considering luxury SUVs and test drove a couple of the lesser ones, the GLC300, and the Cadillacs, and decided that they were too floaty boaty for me, a car guy.  I did not want to tempt myself with the Xs and the extra expense and my probably foolish reliability and maintenance cost concerns.  Aaaand with the bimmers and the range of performance drivetrains, I probably would have had "displacement creep" and wound up spending a shit ton more than I planned to.

In the end, I'm a fucking cheapskate that likes to drive a fun, halfway distinctive car, so a cheap-ass Caddy with a sewing machine engine it was.

Edited October 17, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[Chewbacca 7,787]

What the fuck is up with lightly used car prices? I’ve been scouting lightly used 2015-2018ish 911s for a while now and suddenly it feels like prices are up across the board, in some cases 10k or more compared to just a couple months ago. Is inventory really low? I would have thought in a global pandemic prices would be the same to declining but apparently I’m dead ass wrong

Same thing is happening with Landcruisers and Lexus LX570s. Prices are up 10-15% the last 6 months.

[LebongJames 1,815]

49 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Holy smokes.  Without unduly diminishing the Tundra, that is quite the performance upgrade.

From what I gather (I did not actually drive an X3 or 5 in my recent car quest), the awesome driving dynamics associated with the 3-, 4-, and 5- series are now associated more with the Xs than the sedans and coupes.

I was considering luxury SUVs and test drove a couple of the lesser ones, the GLC300, and the Cadillacs, and decided that they were too floaty boaty for me, a car guy.  I did not want to tempt myself with the Xs and the extra expense and my probably foolish reliability and maintenance cost concerns.  Aaaand with the bimmers and the range of performance drivetrains, I probably would have had "displacement creep" and wound up spending a shit ton more than I planned to.

In the end, I'm a fucking cheapskate that likes to drive a fun, halfway distinctive car, so a cheap-ass Caddy with a sewing machine engine it was.

It’s a hell of a difference for acceleration and handling. We had a travel trailer and sold it so I no longer need the Tundra. I had a F150 before the Tundra. I’ve been wanting to jump in on a performance sedan or SUV and finally pulled the trigger this last week. 

[Assman 1,830]

Prices are up across the board on pretty much everything since the pandemic hit (houses, cars, boats, etc).  It’s a sellers market, no matter what you’re selling.  

[Chewbacca 7,787]

Prices are up across the board on pretty much everything since the pandemic hit (houses, cars, boats, etc).  It’s a sellers market, no matter what you’re selling.  

And i still don't understand where the money is coming from.

[Okie State 3,848]

My guess is people racking up debt at low rates.

[Assman 1,830]

I think it’s a combination of low interest rates and people saving money during the pandemic by not commuting to work, not traveling, and not eating/drinking out.  

[Okie State 3,848]

I've saved about $15K on daycare expenses and put it into home improvement projects. So I could see that. I don't like debt though where as a lot of people don't mind it.

 

 

[52-80 19,263]

18 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

18 hours ago, Assman said:

Prices are up across the board on pretty much everything since the pandemic hit (houses, cars, boats, etc).  It’s a sellers market, no matter what you’re selling.  

And i still don't understand where the money is coming from.

We should have more pandemics and global crises

[52-80 19,263]

On 9/25/2020 at 11:57 PM, 52-80 said:

Saw this shitbag in a 2002 Hyundai fucking Tiburon just fling his door out carelessly into mine.  He stepped out with a fucking drink in 1 hand and cigarettes or something in the other. 

...

 

I watched this again and it got me incensed because not only did he first open the door into mine, when he stepped out his literal ass bumped his door out and did it again.

 

So i made insurance claim and submitted video.

 

Petty? yes. 

Does he deserve it?  also yes.

Only unfortunate thing is my dumbass forgot to save the actual full length video file directly to the computer, which captures his license plate.  I only have the short video snippet.  BUT I do have his license plate saved, and the car model is fully identifiable in the video along with his actual face, so it's not hard to prove the link.  

[Gravy Train 974]

Is that a BMW jumper he's wearing, exiting from a 2008 Hyundai Tiburon?

[PittsburghTiger 6,204]

37 minutes ago, Gravy Train said:

Is that a BMW jumper he's wearing, exiting from a 2008 Hyundai Tiburon?

Looks that way. That's funny. He needs the My Other Car Is A....bumper sticker.

The only stuff I've ever worn with car company logos had to do with racing. Never just to wear a Porsche shirt, or a Ferrari hat of Cadillac golf bag, or anything like that.

[Sam Lin 3,562]

12 hours ago, 52-80 said:

So i made insurance claim and submitted video.

 

Petty? yes. 

Does he deserve it?  also yes.

#doit. #fuckthatguy

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

What is he drinking? 

[52-80 19,263]

3 hours ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

What is he drinking? 

It's piss.

 

My insurer said they've already initiated contact to his.  Man, if the drink was identifiable as something alcoholic, that would be major... couldnt tell based on my video of the video

[TwiceHorn 31,554]

136 hp/liter, 2.2 hp/ci of GM/Chevy/Caddy/Saab POWERRRRR.

Lmao.

[noharleyyet 2,852]

Liking the new E53 AMG....

[CooterBrown 18,032]

The Build & Price configurator went live for the Bronco.

I reserved a Badlands but think I'll go with an Outer Banks. An Outer Banks with the Sasquatch and LUX packages plus a tow hitch, leather seats, and rock rails comes  in at a cool $58,750.   The Sasquatch package is expensive at $4,995.

[smuggs 9,353]

24 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

The Build & Price configurator went live for the Bronco.

I reserved a Badlands but think I'll go with an Outer Banks. An Outer Banks with the Sasquatch and LUX packages plus a tow hitch, leather seats, and rock rails comes  in at a cool $58,750.   The Sasquatch package is expensive at $4,995.

I reserved a Badlands but my build out the door is almost 54K. I'm playing around with a Squatched Black Diamond to see what I can get to. Only difference from my Badlands build would be the sway bar discos and one less GOAT mode on the terrain mgmt.

The configurator still won't let you add the Sasquatch with a manual trans. I hope they get this fixed soon.

[CooterBrown 18,032]

One thing that was weird with the Sasquatch package is that you can't have a roof rack selected.  That seems really odd.

 

[Chewbacca 7,787]

11 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

One thing that was weird with the Sasquatch package is that you can't have a roof rack selected.  That seems really odd.

 

Not a huge deal, but strange.  Overlanders/offroaders like to put on flat racks anyway for gear and tents.

[smuggs 9,353]

There's a running list of bugs/build issues on the Bronco6g forum. Squatched with no roof rack option is #2 across all trims:

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/compiled-list-of-issues-bugs-with-bronco-build-price.7297/

[G650 14,278]

I still haven't really gotten my head around the fact you can just buy from the dealer trucks we used to have to build ourselves.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

A gorgeous 2012 AMG wagon (last of the RWDs) with a $50k optional interior - original list price was $173k. 

A bargain now at $65k.

Too many pictures to poach - just click the links... 

https://www.thembmarket.com/post/beauty-and-braun-in-one-2012-e63-wagon-from-amg-s-performance-studio

https://rennlist.com/forums/market/1219484

[Okie State 3,848]

So, uh...you're buying it, right?

[elfenix 34,338]

New Vette in front of my building this afternoon.

[52-80 19,263]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2003-bmw-540i-94/

 

This thing looks better and better with time doesn't it

[52-80 19,263]

56 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

A gorgeous 2012 AMG wagon (last of the RWDs) with a $50k optional interior - original list price was $173k. 

A bargain now at $65k.

Too many pictures to poach - just click the links... 

https://www.thembmarket.com/post/beauty-and-braun-in-one-2012-e63-wagon-from-amg-s-performance-studio

https://rennlist.com/forums/market/1219484

That brown interior is insane.  It appeals to my Old Man Taste 1000%

[elfenix 34,338]

E39 is one of the best cars ever made.