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On 1/30/2021 at 12:24 PM, Texsox said:

What's the longest you've kept a vehicle? I just realized I've had my truck seven years now. I couldn't think of one I had more than five. I'm not looking to replace it anytime soon. 

My last one we got rid of was 11 and 14 years old. Of my current ones - one is 11 and the other 5. I am due for a new one. 
 

I try to do 10 and essentially buy a new one around 5 year mark - that way I always got one on newer side. But my current older one - Toyota Highlander 2010 - has been awesome and is still in fantastic condition (inside and out). 
 

All of them were bought new (other than the first car I owned - so was always original owner. But I don’t put a ton of miles on the car. I think my current old 10-11 year old one only has like 125000 miles. 
 

Most miles I ever put on a car was my old Pilot - 175k and 11yrs old - would probably still own that car if it hadn’t gotten rear ended. 

That said - I have had a serious itch to buy a new car for the last 6 months. Either the  Ascent, Highlander Hybrid or Telluride. But with Covid I don’t commute for work or anything so feels so unnecessary  at the moment. 

 

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On 1/30/2021 at 2:24 PM, Texsox said:

What's the longest you've kept a vehicle? I just realized I've had my truck seven years now. I couldn't think of one I had more than five. I'm not looking to replace it anytime soon. 

My first car was a 1995 Honda Civic. I owned it from December 2006 until February 2011; 5 years. Then I was forced to sell that car (which I loved) and got a 2004 Mitsubishi Galant from February 2011 until September 2019; 8 1/2 years. And then I got my dream car, my Tesla, in June of 2019, and I've had that for about 20 months.

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On 2/1/2021 at 7:13 PM, Texsox said:

I have to admit, yesterday my oldest and my brother in law were both here with their new Tesla Model Ys. I do wish my wife wanted to trade in her Subaru. But that isn't happening. 

I would love to be in a situation to eventually replace my wife's Hyundai Elantra with a Model Y, but with us planning on getting pregnant this summer, I don't really know how much I should be budgeting for a child. But either way, we both have sedans and we already have a dog, so something might have to give because the dog and a car seat in the back seat at the same time may prove difficult.

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2 hours ago, Iwritecode said:

This was brought up on an RV forum I'm a part of. Should be interesting to see if they'll eventually be able to make electric trucks that can haul 10,000+ lb trailers around.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/business/gm-zero-emission-vehicles.html

 

 

I hope they develop a reasonably priced self driving electric RV in my lifetime!  Imagine going to bed in your RV and waking up at your destination.  

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3 hours ago, Iwritecode said:

This was brought up on an RV forum I'm a part of. Should be interesting to see if they'll eventually be able to make electric trucks that can haul 10,000+ lb trailers around.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/business/gm-zero-emission-vehicles.html

 

 

The issue I would have is  recharging. We're generally boondocking without any way to reliably recharge. 

Which forum? I'm usually on Jayco and popupportal. We replaced our pup years ago but I still enjoy that site. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Anyone here know much about cars? I own a 2009 pontiac vibe, AWD, 90,000 miles. Literally just bought it like 5 months ago, and as I am driving, the oil light comes on and then engine starts clicking. I immediately bring it in to the mechanic (trusted mechanic) and they tell me the engine is pulling less than 14 pounds of oil pressure, indicating the engine is done and it needs a new one or it needs to be rebuilt. Would be $5000-$6000 (which is right around what I bought it for...), any suggestions on what to do? I'm leaning toward getting a different vehicle, but then I feel like I just wasted money on this thing which I owned for like 5 months. Ughhhhhhh.

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That's a tough call. I blew  the engine in a Pontiac Grand Prix about 10 years ago and had to get a new one put in. IIRC, cost me in the range of $4000. Luckily the car was paid off though. Drove it for a couple more years before I got a Hyundai Sonata that I put 150,000 miles on with no problems.

I'd say stay away from Pontiac... ? 

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5 minutes ago, Iwritecode said:

That's a tough call. I blew  the engine in a Pontiac Grand Prix about 10 years ago and had to get a new one put in. IIRC, cost me in the range of $4000. Luckily the car was paid off though. Drove it for a couple more years before I got a Hyundai Sonata that I put 150,000 miles on with no problems.

I'd say stay away from Pontiac... ? 

Yeah...what's funny is it's a pontiac but the engine itself is a matrix between GM and Toyota (I think GM owned Pontiac at the time or something), so technically it's a Toyota engine which are supposed to be great...

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1 hour ago, ScooterMcGee said:

Anyone here know much about cars? I own a 2009 pontiac vibe, AWD, 90,000 miles. Literally just bought it like 5 months ago, and as I am driving, the oil light comes on and then engine starts clicking. I immediately bring it in to the mechanic (trusted mechanic) and they tell me the engine is pulling less than 14 pounds of oil pressure, indicating the engine is done and it needs a new one or it needs to be rebuilt. Would be $5000-$6000 (which is right around what I bought it for...), any suggestions on what to do? I'm leaning toward getting a different vehicle, but then I feel like I just wasted money on this thing which I owned for like 5 months. Ughhhhhhh.

Look for a used engine on ebay that comes with a decent warranty or try car-part.com to see if a local salvage yard has one available.   Then try to find a mechanic to install it (craigslist or facebook).  If you can get the engine and installation for less than $2k then it might be worth it.  Also try to find a dedicated Vibe forum.  A place like that would be a great resource to see if it is worth it or not.

Edited by RichieZisk
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3 hours ago, ScooterMcGee said:

Anyone here know much about cars? I own a 2009 pontiac vibe, AWD, 90,000 miles. Literally just bought it like 5 months ago, and as I am driving, the oil light comes on and then engine starts clicking. I immediately bring it in to the mechanic (trusted mechanic) and they tell me the engine is pulling less than 14 pounds of oil pressure, indicating the engine is done and it needs a new one or it needs to be rebuilt. Would be $5000-$6000 (which is right around what I bought it for...), any suggestions on what to do? I'm leaning toward getting a different vehicle, but then I feel like I just wasted money on this thing which I owned for like 5 months. Ughhhhhhh.

We just put a used engine in my son's F150 for about $3,500. Perhaps that's because they are very plentiful around here. 

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1 hour ago, Texsox said:

We just put a used engine in my son's F150 for about $3,500. Perhaps that's because they are very plentiful around here. 

That seems to be a good deal. I was looking online and the engines seem to be going for about $1600 bucks for the engine alone with the vibe.

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6 minutes ago, ScooterMcGee said:

That seems to be a good deal. I was looking online and the engines seem to be going for about $1600 bucks for the engine alone with the vibe.

It's unfair to compare labor costs with south Texas but for a 6.2L engine it was $3,500 total. Took them three days. The engine had 30,000 or so miles on it. But F150s are the most popular vehicles here so spare engines are plentiful. 

Usually the cheapest car to own is the one you already own. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I think I might be buying a car for the first time tomorrow. I had been eyeing a 2020 Ford Fusion at a local dealership - when I went in there, it was gone; They had another Fusion that was a hybrid, and new but had 7k miles on it. I test drove it and liked it, but after trade in (2500, etc.) its at around 22750, and I kind of was hoping to be under 20000 with the Fusion I was looking at after trade in. I ended up leaving the dealership today and am leaning towards going back tomorrow. Any tips for anyone that's never actually had to buy a car? I can link the actual car if anyone's interested.

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5 hours ago, Heads22 said:

I think I might be buying a car for the first time tomorrow. I had been eyeing a 2020 Ford Fusion at a local dealership - when I went in there, it was gone; They had another Fusion that was a hybrid, and new but had 7k miles on it. I test drove it and liked it, but after trade in (2500, etc.) its at around 22750, and I kind of was hoping to be under 20000 with the Fusion I was looking at after trade in. I ended up leaving the dealership today and am leaning towards going back tomorrow. Any tips for anyone that's never actually had to buy a car? I can link the actual car if anyone's interested.

Don’t settle at the interest rate, know your credit and stand your ground. You might be there longer but you’ll eventually get the price you want. Also don’t let them fool you with a low payment and more months, that’s the name of their game. Not questioning your preferences either but generally the most dependable brands are Honda/Toyota. Maybe give them a look and see if you like anything in their inventory. Good luck and hope you find something to your liking and price range

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13 hours ago, TheTruth05 said:

Don’t settle at the interest rate, know your credit and stand your ground. You might be there longer but you’ll eventually get the price you want. Also don’t let them fool you with a low payment and more months, that’s the name of their game. Not questioning your preferences either but generally the most dependable brands are Honda/Toyota. Maybe give them a look and see if you like anything in their inventory. Good luck and hope you find something to your liking and price range

Ended up passing on the Hybrid, and lo and behold they had the Fusion I actually wanted that had been loaned out...I'm headed back this afternoon. Should be about 3K cheaper with less miles. 

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I lucked into the exact 2021 F150. It had the work truck stuff (tow package, 36 gal tank, extended blind spot, long bed) and the comfort stuff, (dual AC, power seats,  12" display). Usually dealers outfit one way or the other. 

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Starting to look at replacing my 2011 Audi Q5 (bought used).  When I bought that I had a daily commute of about 60 miles total, now I'm working at home and spend way less time in the car so not looking for something fancy, just want a few things and a reliable ride.

I'd like another ~mid-size SUV so I can haul stuff/friends when I need to, I've been eyeing used Ford Edges and Escapes, I've also liked Hyundai's Santa Fe (and love their new model but holy hell SUVs have skyrocketed in price).  

Anyone with some good personal experiences in that market?  And has anyone traded with Carvana?  Seems intriguing but not sure if it beats the simplicity and customer service of Carmax.

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I know someone who sold to Carvana. Carvana offered more than the dealer but less than what he would have gotten selling it retail of course. Overall great experience he said. 

I checked on the truck I just traded in and they offered $5k less than what the dealer eventually gave me (obviously some of that was discount on the truck, they can manipulate both numbers). 

 

 

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