Thinking about buying vehicles...

denverpilot

denverpilot

Tied Down
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
55,483
Location
Denver, CO
Display Name
Display name:
DenverPilot
Okay in the same vein of Ted‘s truck thread...

Multiple post. Get ready to read! LOL.

Current driving status:

Rural. Dirt roads and occasional deep snow.
Three vehicles approaching 200,000K.

Driver 1 commute: Highly variable. Was 20,000 a year has dropped off dramatically for medical reasons.
Driver 2 commute: Still 20,000 a year.

(Ha you guessed it Driver 1 is me, Driver 2 is Karen.)

Driver 1 alternates from a 2000 Subaru Outback to a 2004 GMC Yukon.

Driver 2: Drives the hell out of a 2008 Lincoln LT.

Driver 1 currently has a hard time getting in or out of either one of his vehicles. He also MIGHT have to stop driving or need a %^*+^>£^1! Mini van or similar crappy thing to get in and out of. Avoiding it. LOL.

Driver 2 loves her vehicle but it’s making her nervous. See vehicle status.

Dog 1 is 45 lbs and leaps tall buildings in a single hound. Ha.
Dog 2 is 95 lbs. He’s occasionally struggling to get in the trucks. Driver 1 can’t lift his giant ass.

Both Dogs like all three vehicles. :)

Occasionally Dog 1 growls at Dog 2 for invading her personal space in the Subaru. Ha.

Vehicle status:

Subaru: Standard boxer engine valve cover leaks. Whole car rattles. Wind noise from a rust hole in the roof near the windshield. Water ingress somewhere in the back into the tailgate that drains when opened. Its nickname is “Box O Dirt”. It’s still the most reliable vehicle of all of them. Haha. But it’s well past its prime. May have a bent wheel or bad front wheel bearing after hitting a pothole so big it blew the sidewall of the tire instantly. Slight wobble when turning, no wobble when tracking straight. It probably needs to go away. We love it and it’ll plow through two feet deep of springtime mud but it’s time is up. Putting $500 into repairs is 1/2 to 1/4 the value of the thing. Someone will get two new tires and two with only 2/32 of wear. LOL. (Driver 1 also notes that changing a tire in freezing rain is nearly impossible for him but he managed to do it and was really impressed with himself but it hurt a hell of a lot and he won’t be doing that again any time soon. LOL.)

Yukon: Standard GM BS. CEL intermittently for the fuel tank vent underneath that opens when the vehicle is off. It’s likely full of dirt road mud and Driver 1 really doesn’t give a crap. LOL. 5.3 Vortec is ticking a little at startup in cold weather. Standard GM auto trans slips happen occasionally in 2nd gear. Driver side seat is the usual GM truck disaster, needs new foam and recovering. Otherwise drives fine. Driver window motor or regulator is jacked and moves at a snails pace. Oil pressure gauge has started following RPM and sits at the normal 40 but if you rev it, up to almost 80. Suspected spun bearing?? (Driver 1 doesn’t really want to find out. 80 PSI is better than zero! Hahaha)

Lincoln LT: By far the most expensive per mile of a reasonably reliable group of vehicles. Had the spark plug problem in the Triton, had the cam phaser problem, has had two brake calipers replaced, generally just goes down the road but explodes into $3000 repairs every couple of years. Riding in it the other day I noticed the back seat speakers and subwoofer aren’t working. Because love them or not, this is what every Ford truck of three I’ve owned has always done to me. Sorry Ford fans, this is the last time. Dumb engineering designs and failures leading to expensive repairs out of my pocket. Recently brakes are making awful noises that are NOT the pads and two shops have hunted and not found it. Metal groaning noise in reverse particularly that’s starting to show up in forward braking.

Trailer: Cargo trailer mainly used now for transporting the Tractor and the ZTR mower to any needed maintenance. Very likely the tractor gets sold soonish and the ZTR stays until Driver 1 can’t operate it anymore. Or just kept to allow hiring of neighborhood kids to run it. Whatever. So a truck has to stay in the fleet somewhere. Maybe.
 
Okay. Now the fun part. What to do. Drivers 1 and 2 are tired of repairs.

Replacement plans:

- None. Keep going until one blows up and gets towed to a salvage yard. Ha. This has the possible downside of either trapping Driver 1 in the low vehicle or falling off the running board of the high vehicle and breaking himself. Not the likely option.

- Write a check for two new Subarus and call it a day. Tell them to give whatever for the Subaru and Yukon and keep the LT for the rare occasion we need to tow the cargo trailer.

- Alternate version of the above. Sell the LT, tractor, ZTR, and trailer. Hire help to do mowing and snow removal.

Preference notes:

- Driver 1 likes the height and the look of the new Mazda CX-30. Kinda stupid to buy Driver 1 a brand new car however if right leg keeps going downhill. Ha. Flip side is Driver 1 might get to enjoy only the second brand new car he’s ever owned (first was a Jeep XJ) until he can’t drive it anymore.

- Driver 2 thinks she likes taller SUVs still and specifically Toyota 4Runners. But she also really likes the Subaru Foresters after they got to model years where they got fatter.

- Driver 1 is also a Subaru convert after driving the ancient one. Freaking things just are planted to the road in all conditions.

- Whatever is purchased the more rubber and leather and the less carpet the better. Dog 1 is a shedding nightmare. Blonde fur and millions of pounds of it a year. Ha. We will never ever ever have a black interior. No way no how. Ha. Utilitarian when the seats are down for doggie hauling or maybe even we’ll just have the whole interior sprayed with truck bed Line-X Hahahaha. I wish.

- AWD or 4WD mandatory for now. If we move back into town someday Driver 1 isn’t going anywhere when it’s icy so he doesn’t care anymore. Driver 2 works in medical and has to make a solid effort to get to work on truthfully questionable days.

- Some nice bubble SUVs that have cheap suspensions and magnetic operated AWD make Driver 1 nervous due to the workout they’ll get in our driveway let alone our roads. (The Mazda falls into that nervousness category actually.)

- Both drivers have sat in a base trim Subaru recently and both say it’s “fine”. We really aren’t picky people about bling. If we hunt for upscale interiors it’s usually for boring crap like butt warmers.

- Driver 2 LIKES her bling truck but likes reliability more. She survived the VW TDI from Hell that was purchased new and needed over $13,000 in repairs under warranty.

- Driver 1 is kinda looking for something modern enough to have active frontal crash protection due to the very occasional pedal miss with his lovely leg and foot issues. (Very occasional but it’d be nice to know the damn car will stop itself. Or should we say slightly less terrifying.) He’s never cared if he was driving beaters before because he’d just fix them. Not possible now for the most part.

The lack of ideas and brainpower part:

The current plan Driver 2 is currently thinking about but she’s open to ideas... LOL:

Find a used Subaru with ISight for Driver 1.
Keep driving Bling truck and plan for a new car, likely Forester for Driver 2 in a year.

Driver 1 thinks this plan is fine but knows he’s unlikely to bother selling any of the other stuff on the private market. Too much work and not enough time. He’s very tempted to drive all three vehicles to a Subaru dealership and make a massive deal that will probably screw him fairly well and leave with two new ones. Ha.

Driver 1 is clearly not thinking too well but really doesn’t want to screw with any of it. He’s also wondering what a car salesman will think of taking a test drive with a dude who hobbled in the door and looks like he might kill him during the test drive hahahahaha. But money talks and there’s six hundred air bags in this thing. Get in and shut up and maybe you’ll make a sale today ha. This thing is just like a Cirrus, right? LOL!!

Oh yeah. Neither Driver 1 or 2 likes writing large checks and we almost have an allergic reaction similar to a cat trying to upchuck a hairball doing it. But we have done it before for vehicles when necessary. Taking thousands off on price via shrewd planning or good timing on vehicle purchases makes us smile. Broken vehicles severely tick us off. We’re “over it” as far as that goes.

Besides the aforementioned Subarus, and the Mazda and 4Runner, other things are probably not in the running just because we haven’t thought about it much. That’s where POA comes in.

And... yes. You can say the answer is a Bonanza. But we probably won’t be doing that. LOL.

Other stuff that was kinda in the running but might already be eliminated:

Honda CR-V. Almost right. But a little too tall. Driver 1 found getting in was okay but if you missed by an inch or so you kinda ended up laying in the seat instead of sitting up in it. Easy to fix but awkward when making those billion dollar deals with subordinates. Hahahahaha.

Various small AWD cars: The visibility is awful. Just not going to do the tiny window thing if either of us can avoid it. Too many years driving trucks for both of us with real visibility.

Full size trucks: It kills Driver 1 to say this but anything that needs a running board to climb into is out. 99% of the time Driver 1 can do this but ice on a running board is a sentence of death for a knee or ankle eventually. Driver 1 even thought for a bit about a Tacoma just for the freaking reliability but it’s not right for Dog 2 and Driver 1 knows an ankle or knee break and walking is all but over with. Rehab would be insane. Driver 1 hangs on to the “oh ****” handles for dear life when he’s climbing up and it’s icy. So... cars. Damnit. Driver 1 thinks Arizona sounds nice now. LOL. Screw snow.

Maybe Driver 2 can keep a truck and Driver 1 can ride in it but it’s still a minor pain in the ass.

Jeep products: Driver 1 has always liked them but Driver 2 doesn’t. Tried to talk Driver 2 into maybe a Grand Cherokee. Said ok but not enthused.

Oh crap. Forgot the most important part. Driver 2 hates that her back seat has one of those doggy covers over it and underneath is a fur farm. She wants four seats that humans can occasionally ride in and the dog fur hasn’t infiltrated from the rear. Foldable seats maybe okay but preferably if they fold they go flat so doggie fur stays on the back of them. She’s in a barbershop quartet and that means occasionally four real adult humans.

Okay that’s enough. Whatcha got POA? LOL.

Utilitarian, Wagon/Car, solid AWD, room for 140 lbs of canine, and reliability... says Subaru to both of us. Almost screams it.

No Fords allowed. Sorry. Maybe there’s a perfect Ford but they’ve killed my trust.
 
Final note: A great friend from all the way back to high school days says I’m a cheap son of a ***** and just go buy two new cars and stop screwing with it. LOL.
 
Just can’t resist the straight line....

“Dog 1 is 45 lbs and leaps tall buildings in a single hound. Ha.
Dog 2 is 95 lbs. He’s occasionally struggling to get in the trucks. Driver 1 can’t lift his giant ass. ”

But can Driver 1 lift Dog 2?
 
I'll be the bonanza guy. My 3.6R outback will. not. die. It's been on 4 continents and 46 countries, and has done a legitimate 20,000 off-road hard indiana-jones-style miles in the process. I own 120,000 more miles of tires for the bloody thing, which it refuses to even wear through properly, much less puncture, and at 150K, it has only had a single squawk -- an $8-from-the-dealer radiator cap. It's trolling me with its reliability at this point.

I'm dying for it to present me any sort of repair bill as an excuse to replace it. The things I've looked at to replace it:

Volvo XC90
Buick Regal TourX
Subaru Ascent
Bimmer X3

XC90 is huge outside and feels tiny inside. Claustrophobic is the word.
The TourX is a 4 seat buick with a bizarrely huge trunk. It's also very low to the ground. Surprisingly so.
The Ascent is like New Zealand. It's "nice" without having any character of its own. I am skeptical of the turbo four, which seems to be the engine every car has now.
The X3 felt like a mazda but with another 20 grand on the price and I assume treble the repair costs.

...frankly I despair of the choices out there, EVERY car is some sort of plastic clinical douche applicator with a turbo 2.0, 7" screen, and $35,000+ price tag once optioned. I'm starting to spend more time on bringatrailer just so I can learn about some 1960s-era perfect wagoneer type thing that is worth restoring.

Hoping to coat-tail this thread and learn about something I dunno about. :D
 
Last edited:
schmookeeg said:
XC90 is huge outside and feels tiny inside. Claustrophobic is the word.
The TourX is a 4 seat buick with a bizarrely huge trunk. It's also very low to the ground. Surprisingly so.
The Ascent is like New Zealand. It's "nice" without having any character of its own. I am skeptical of the turbo four, which seems to be the engine every car has now.
The X3 felt like, frankly, a mazda but with another 20 grand on the price and I assume treble the repair costs.

...frankly I despair of the choices out there, EVERY car is some sort of plastic clinical douche applicator with a turbo 2.0, 7" screen, and $35,000+ price tag once optioned. I'm starting to spend more time on bringatrailer just so I can learn about some 1960s-era perfect wagoneer type thing that is worth restoring.

Hoping to coat-tail this thread and learn about something I dunno about. :D
Click to expand...

LOL LOL LOL. All so true. Especially the douche applicator and 2.0 four knocker with a turbo. I really don’t give a crap if it doesn’t get 30 MPG, but rules and the rest of the market drove that and it’s relentless. Thankfully we don’t go to the mountains much anymore because a normally aspirated four banger is a joke up there. A turbo is okay but just abusing equipment for the most part. LOL.

I was also quite interested in the TourX but frankly the dealers really don’t understand it and stock is low everywhere. They don’t want to sell the damn thing. Buick doesn’t know what they have there. It’s approaching levels of pure retarded trying to even see one. I suspect they’ll cancel the thing just because sales numbers suck and never understand WHY they sucked.

Volvo. I can’t do it. Not a modern one. If they built them like the tanks they used to once make, maybe. A friend fell asleep and drove one for a mile in a median and smashed it all to hell and he walked away. Then fixed a couple body fenders and drove it for another 100,000 miles. But not the modern ones.

Karen likes the size of the Ascent. It’s still maybe in the running but frankly if you need the size of the Ascent, a Pacifica is a better solution for that. Just without the great AWD.

X3 have a friend who had one. He towed a small camper trailer with it twice and bought an F-150. LOL. Not convinced it wouldn’t drive us insane with repairs.
 
Similar geographic/vehicle situation to mine. Out in the boondocks, mountain altitudes and terrain, unpaved road, real winters, pile on the miles, three increasingly ancient trucks (in my case one past 300k, and two past 200k).

Top of the list is the capability of the AWD system.
Has to actually deal with more than a 5-block suburban stroll each morning to get the kids to school.
Subaru or GM hands down - you'll know that from experience.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee drivetrain might make the cut except for the fact it's wrapped in a Fiat.

I'd avoid anything that is 4WD only; Driver 2 is going to be rowing in and out of it constantly to prevent drivetrain windup on the dry stretches of the commute on those crap days (I'm assuming the LT is one the AWD versions?). I think that takes Toyota out of the running?

One of my biz partners who lives closer to town bought an X3 as a short-haul commuter for his wife. She loves it. Nice little SUV, except he has to buy it back from the dealer every time it goes in for any sort of routine service.

A neighbor has some sort of Mercedes SUV (they all look the same to me, so don't know which one exactly). He gets it stuck on the uphill grade of his own driveway whenever there's ice under the snow after a thaw/freeze. The AWD is a useless PoS design.

The 2 X Subaru solution has merit for the reasons you listed. But I know my wife, who has had a GMC Sierra since 2003, wouldn't trade it for the smaller, lower seating position Subaru (even if it is easier to get around in town).
 
Last edited:
I'm currently driving a 2000 Jeep Cherokee (not Grand, the boxy one) that's also approaching 200K, had it for 5 years now. I'd love to replace it with the same thing with lower miles / better condition, but there aren't many out there since they're all so old, and the nice ones are high demand since and high price there are so few left. Instead, this morning I'm picking up a 2005 Jeep Liberty with 93K that's in much better shape overall than my Cherokee. I don't like it as much as my Cherokee but it's better than anything else in my price range.
 
There's a guy on Beechtalk selling a low miles Infinity Q56 that looks pretty cherry at a reasonable price. My FIL' Infinity has been pretty much mx free for 15 years, rides and drives great. Or maybe find an older Land Cruiser in good shape. Before you say too tall, try getting g in and out of one first. Surprisingly easy with that big door. I was thinking about buying that QX, but kinda fancy for a farm vehicle.

Absolutely agree on new cars...can't bring myself to even think about buying one.
 
Last edited:
The old 2000 Subaru with 4 cylinder sounds like it's past its prime and experiencing the problems typical for its vintage and model.
We currently have 3 Subaru's with the 3.6r motor. A couple with around 180k and one with about 225k. As @schmookeeg said, they won't die. Subaru really seems to have fixed the issues common in the preceding vintage of H6 3.0 motors / cars. Even given the miles on our 3.6r vehicles, none are showing signs of needing much apart from routine maintenance anytime soon.
 
Dana said:
I'm currently driving a 2000 Jeep Cherokee (not Grand, the boxy one) that's also approaching 200K, had it for 5 years now. I'd love to replace it with the same thing with lower miles / better condition, but there aren't many out there since they're all so old, and the nice ones are high demand since and high price there are so few left. Instead, this morning I'm picking up a 2005 Jeep Liberty with 93K that's in much better shape overall than my Cherokee. I don't like it as much as my Cherokee but it's better than anything else in my price range.
Click to expand...

Gotta agree with you on the Cherokee. I bought a 2 door Pioneer new in '89, still have it at 275k. at 140k I pulled the engine and bored it .030 over and added a header. Then eliminated the slip yoke and went with a dual carden driveshaft. Finally swapped out the Dana 35 rear end for a Ford 8.8 with discs. the thing is bulletproof, though it's starting to get a little rust. I can't find anything new that can do what it does as competently or reliably.
 
schmookeeg said:
Volvo XC90
Click to expand...
Do NOT buy a Volvo. We had an 07 XC90 When growing up. I'm not exaggerating to you when I say EVERYTHING broke on it. I got stranded 3x before the vehicle hit 60k miles. The AWD system blew up at 75k miles. The smallest things like the shifter "dis integrated from the inside". I'm not alone either, a couple other families had them too one if which the torque converter came from together at 75k miles and essentially totaled the car when the repair was worth more than the remaining value. The other Volvo had a littany of problems like mine and they got rid of it at 90k miles.

I will never, ever purchase another Volvo.
 
We have a 2010 Lexus RX 350, bought it used with 4 K miles. Has been completely maintenance free, and a pleasure to drive. Great in snow, and great cruising on the highway.
about 20 mpg average.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Do NOT buy a Volvo. We had an 07 XC90 When growing up. I'm not exaggerating to you when I say EVERYTHING broke on it. I got stranded 3x before the vehicle hit 60k miles. The AWD system blew up at 75k miles. The smallest things like the shifter "dis integrated from the inside". I'm not alone either, a couple other families had them too one if which the torque converter came from together at 75k miles and essentially totaled the car when the repair was worth more than the remaining value. The other Volvo had a littany of problems like mine and they got rid of it at 90k miles.

I will never, ever purchase another Volvo.
Click to expand...
Our XC90 is at 85k miles and is fine. I wouldn’t recommend it though. We bought it out of convenience and it goes byebye next year when we move home.
 
Half Fast said:
Nate, you’re making this way too complicated. (Typical.)

You don’t know how much longer you will be able to drive. Go buy a new 2020 ‘vette and enjoy it. Screw all other concerns.

I recommend red. Red cars are faster.
Click to expand...
Might be a problem in all that snow he has unless he moves to FL.
 
Toyota 4Runner. Lexus RX3xx. LandCruiser. Sequoia might be too tall but its worth a look. Porsche Cayenne or Macan. Ford Flex might be good ingress/egress. No experience with the last 2 though.
Over my car buying life, only Toyota brand cars have given me a good sense of being indestructible. I have had gm(lots of gm's), ford, vw, bmw, nissan, subaru. I always seem to wander back to Toyota after thinking the grass is greener. And I dont enjoy working on cars like I used to. I have a 08 Sequoia with 140k miles on it and minus some seat bolster wear, you couldnt tell how old it is. The engine and transmission are so smooth and just work.
 
I will be in the position of needing to buy two cars in 2020. Not looking forward to it. Completely different needs as Nate.

Nate, buy an old Hummer. That’s all I got.
 
I recently rented a Grand Cherokee to drive up to the mountains in Virginia (OK, those from Colorado would not call them mountains). It was wider than my Forester and also taller, if that makes a difference to you. Thinking back, my 2012 Forester is taller than my 2003 Outback was, at least that is my impression. You are probably tall enough to stand on the ground, and sit down sideways in the seat to enter and exit, but I transported a relative who had just had a hip replacement. She is about my height and had problems with that maneuver, the seat being a bit too high.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
I was going to do a thinking about a river/lake house thread and then felt guilty about infringement.
Click to expand...

This is PoA, not Beechtalk. :cool:
No room for oversensitivity here. :D
(btw, good to see no hesitation on derailing the thread) :eek:
Go for it on the waterfront house!

@Ted DuPuis having lived in a number of places around the nation might be one of the first to respond with some good advice!
 
Last edited:
I’d get a base four door hard top wrangler and a base Outback for where u live.
 
My Mercury Milan 4cyc 2007 has 170k miles and only regular maintenance - tires, battery, oil change yesterday let me know I need to replace the oil pan gasket in the near future....next oil change I guess. It’s a ford. Been driving fords since my first used falcon station wagon. Almost no problems. Best one was the ‘77 Thunderbird, V8. Loved that thing....bought it in Houston then a few years later moved to Denver. Definitely got dirty looks driving the tank. But then, I could put my skis in the trunk and runup the hills at full speed, even passed the cops, no problems.

I miss that car. Hate just about all the new ones. Even the new Jaguars look like everything else. Despise the LED headlights.
 
Honda Pilot ?
Been Tempted when my CRV needs replacing .
 
Bill Jennings said:
I’d get a base four door hard top wrangler and a base Outback for where u live.
Click to expand...

I was looking at the 4 door Wranglers, but the asking price used ones is way higher than I'm willing to pay. I miss my old CJ-5... except when I'm on the highway...
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I officially and formally grant @denverpilot unrestricted use of the “thinking about” threads.

You, on the other hand, Dave, get no such privileges.
Click to expand...

LOL. I probably should have used the phrase “Procrastinating about...” to avoid intellectual property issues. Hahaha.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ted
Nate, I’m in Cabo right now and so I’m thinking about another margarita and not about cars. However down here Suburbans are what anyone who is anyone gets driven around in. I am not anyone but that’s what we’re getting driven around in anyway. This probably will not he cheap. Incidentally, we definitely felt like the “Po’ folk” in the MU2, as we were the only plane on the ramp with propellers upon landing. Although the ladies were greeted with roses, we did not get the liquor cart like the jets did. Actually I don’t think anyone realized at first that we were a family, since it’s pretty uncommon for people to fly themselves down here.

But there may be some wisdom in a Suburban, or if not that a Quigley converted full sized van. Easy to drive, reliable, meets your 4x4 requirement. Get an Escalade ESV (Suburbillac) for more cushy features.

You had considered buying my E55. Another option that fits your needs perfectly while being fast is an ML63 AMG. 6.3L, 7-speed auto, not slow. A friend bought one and is very happy with it. AWD, fast, fun, luxurious.

Without being morbid about your outlook I agree with @Half Fast that you don’t know how much more driving you have. So buy whatever the **** you want, and don’t feel bad about it.
 
denverpilot said:
LOL. I probably should have used the phrase “Procrastinating about...” to avoid intellectual property issues. Hahaha.
Click to expand...

Like I said, you get full use. Dave will get his empennage ban hammered faster than an MU2 in a death spiral for copyright infringement. ;)

Just kidding - the rest of the MC would need to agree with that, and I doubt they would.

But whole in Cabo, I know exactly what @Ryanb is thinking about, and that is the “scenery”.
 
800px-Land_Rover_Series_1_HT.jpg


Just go with a good Land Rover....
 
Everskyward said:
If you're going to take after @Ted DuPuis, there'll be no procrastination involved. You'll have the vehicles tomorrow. Grass doesn't grow under his feet!
Click to expand...

Mari makes an extremely valid point that I failed to mention. And while you’re at it, Nate, you should start buying heavy equipment. I also have considered buying a fire truck.
 
I have a 2002 Silverado with the 5.3 liter vortec with just shy of 220K on it. The 5.3 is a great engine is hard to kill simply ignore the ticking they all do that and the oil pressure sounds normal to me. The transmission slipping would make me more concerned than anything.

Also have a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee I bought for a dollar (long story) after I put about $1000 into it and ton of my time it is also a nicer vehicle than I thought it would be. I find it pretty comfortable to drive and other than lower ground clearance than I would like it is pretty good in the snow and mild off road. I like that I don't have to step down into it like a car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top