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Thread: New car for Wifey.

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    Jacksonville, FL
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    Yes, John. They have a really good rep and award-winning customer relations. I was wary, but really pleased with their friendliness and being upfront with everything. It was the nicest car-buying experience ever. I used USAA, but could have used Costco or Consumer Reports or Kelly Blue Book, etc. I definitely did some research about the car and the dealer. I'm sure that I could have made a better deal, but I was happy with everything.

    I spent the last two days putting Scothgard on all of the seats and carpet, including the panel around the door grabs; then ArmorAll products on everything else plastic and rubber. I used two cans of Silicone spray on all of the rubber inside, outside, under the hood, and underneath. Maybe I'll find something for the paint for after the next wash job.

    I chose the two years free service and have to take the car in every 6 months or 6,000 miles for an oil change... and they use and recommend synthetic, 0W20. I've been using synthetic since the mid-70's and that oil is good for much longer. The lifetime powertrain warranty was the other choice, and required that schedule for the oil change, which is pretty excessive, but voids the warranty if not followed! The regular PT warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles and should be enough.

    I still can't get over how spritely that car and the CVT transmission are! It's a bigger car than the Volvo, for sure, and Wifey's still driving my van for now. We're having showers... off and on and she's not ready to try to learn the new vehicle... yeah, there are a lot of "features" and electronics to learn, but not as much as one of the "loaded" ones. I've been through the Quick Guide a few times and have started on the full-sized manual... lots of info!

    I want to learn how to set up some of the displays as I want. There are some cautions and warnings about stuff on or around the dash, and especially under the passenger's seat... something to do with all of the airbags and safety equipment. It's not quite like the cockpit of an F-16, but more than anything we've had to date... but I like gadgets!
    USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
    Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
    Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf

    Thomas Jefferson said

    “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
    and

    "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

  2. #12
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    Thanks for all of the kind words and sharing your vehicle experiences.

    I have to find my older Valentine One. Wifey didn't like it in the Volvo because she was worried that it might make someone break into her car to steal it. Mine's updated and mounted from the headliner in the van and not visible via a suction cup stuck to the windshield. I've had no problems with it. I also have the wires hidden and a remote readout on the steering column, but I need to know where the radar is while driving that spritely Forester... it's always leaping past the speedlimit... even when I'm trying not to speed... without protection or warning!
    USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
    Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
    Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf

    Thomas Jefferson said

    “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
    and

    "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    LBI
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    Happy Wifey, Happy Lifey
    My New Web Store!
    www.teampython.com
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    The loudest sound in the world is a “click” when you need a “bang.”




  4. #14
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    Apr 2013
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    Wisconsin
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    One thing about those Volvo's. We sat in an XC70 a few years back. It was a masterpiece inside. The colors, the leather, just the way the seats felt. It was a shame that it was a tad out of our price range...…………………...sigh.

  5. #15
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    Aug 2016
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    Wynn - I'm not sure how close in operation the Subaru radar controls are to Toyota's, but if you go into the settings menu on the main gps/radio display, there's tutorials on how to change all the safety settings.

    I was leery about owning a vehicle that takes away so much of the driving experience from me, but in two weeks time, I'm warming up to it.

    First off, you can disable any of the safety features if you don't like them. Some turn themselves back on every time you start the vehicle, but most don't. At first, the "lane departure warning system" was really annoying me. If I wasn't positioned exactly in the center of the lane, it went off. Do this a half dozen times, and it tells you to pull over, take a break, and have a cup of coffee. Once I went through the tutorial, I set the sensitivity a bit more forgiving of position.

    The radar? In addition to providing frontal collision emergency braking, it also works in conjunction with the cruise control. Push a button on the steering wheel when the cruise is on, and there's a vehicle in front at the distance you don't want to get closer than. The vehicle applies the brake when needed to maintain that following distance, and also speeds up if the other vehicle does - up to your chosen upper speed setting. This is easier to set than it sounds.

    The radar also provides pedestrian detection. If a person walks out in the road, the center console display warns you of their presence.

    The first day after I picked up my new truck, I was driving down a section of road that had houses on one side, and woods on the other. All of a sudden, the center display flashed red, and the words "BRAKE NOW!!!!" came up. I did so, and two deer ran out from behind some shrubs and across the road in front of me. I'll take that assistance any day!

    The blind spot detection on the side mirrors is also worth it's weight in gold. When a vehicle is riding in your blind spot, a bright yellow warning indicator lights up on the side mirror. Pretty cool. On my other Tacomas, I stuck one of those little convex mirror dots in the lower outside corner of the mirrors to help with this when driving on multi lane highways. This works even better. The mirrors also are heated - also a plus.

    In addition to a backup camera, there's also sensors on the rear bumper that warn you if you're getting close to hitting something while backing up. There's also cross traffic warnings if you're backing out of a parking spot or your driveway. Most helpful! Sometimes vehicles seemingly come out of nowhere no matter how much you look while backing up.

    All in all, I like all these safety features. At my age, I'll take all the help I can get.

  6. #16
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    Sep 2009
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    Ed, we didn't get any of that stuff. I just use my Mark 1 calibrated eyeball to keep from running over stuff or critters, though it is taxing and help at night would be nice with the deer and elk!

    We got the basic 2.5i CVT model and a few options... plus a few more I'm having added. I wouldn't mind FLIR or infrared sensors for those deer, though.

    I know what you mean about the collision and lane warning "features". I have those on my fairly recent Garmin GPS/Dash Cam. I have the collision warning, but the lane departure was too intrusive and it sounded like a pinball machine with both of those things sounding.

    Most of the warnings and cautions had to do with keeping stuff away from the airbag/curtain deployment areas as they could become missiles and injure the occupants!

    We have the backup camera, which is neat. I'm trying to "calibrate" it mentally so that I know where those marks on the screen put me. The trip computer and efficiency readouts are interesting, but I want to restart the average miles per gallon etc., where there wasn't a lot of idling at 0mpg. Those longer periods weigh heavily on the "average". I'm used to stuff like that and restart those on my Ultra Gauge hooked to the OBD in my Van. I get around 11-12 mpg around town and starting a trip with that weighted data will never give you a good average on your trip with mostly highway speeds and maybe 17mpg... at 80+mph.
    USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
    Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
    Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf

    Thomas Jefferson said

    “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
    and

    "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

  7. #17
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    bedminster pa.
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    what a coincidence! was shooting the breeze with my next door neighbor last evening, and he says the neighbor on the other side wants to sell his car, subaru forester 06? wants 1500 for it, gonna go talk to him later today. looks much better shape than my rust bucket 00 Fix Or Repair Daily explorer. (just gotta scrounge up a little dough)
    In memory of great-grammy; never understood a word she yelled in polish, but we all knew what she meant.

  8. #18
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    Sep 2009
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    I have the Consumer Reports Buying Guides going back to before 2006 and tracked the 2006 through the 2013 guide. The Forester looks very good... better or much better than average. It dropped from the guide after that. They only went back so far.

    If the seller is upfront with any problems or at least not secretive that could be a good deal. It's only $1,500 but repairs can be a multiplier.

    Those Subarus have a pretty good rep for reliability.
    USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
    Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
    Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf

    Thomas Jefferson said

    “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
    and

    "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

  9. #19
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    Sep 2009
    Location
    Colorado
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    4,420

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bawanna View Post
    I'm a car salesman's worst nightmare. I spent 11 hours on the sales floor once getting a pickup for what I wanted.

    A quick story related to Beretta's young kid salesmen.

    I was at our local Chevy dealer looking for a pickup for the wife. Had my son with me and we're going down the line looking at trucks, used and new.
    One new one caught my fancy and I told the guy I just had to sit in it. So we finangled the chair up to where I could get in.

    As I was doing that I noticed it had manual crank windows. It's been so long since I saw manual windows I just knew I had to have fun with the kid.
    So I pushed the middle of the knob and of course nothing happened. I said oh,,,,,,must have to have the key on.

    Kid says no, and turned the crank to lower the window. I went all shock and awe, and asked if I could try it.
    So then I asked so if I'm in a driving rain storm with the window down and a dead battery I can just turn this dealy hymer and roll the window up?

    He said yes. I asked if I ordered a new truck could I order this type of window and how much extra?

    He said they come that way, power windows are extra, I'm like no way dude!

    As we go into the showroom I see him kind of whisper to an older salesman that I must have fell off a turnip truck.
    Guy came over and asked how old I was, so I told him, he said you got that kid so messed up in the head it'll take weeks for him to be normal again.

    Told him mission accomplished.
    Great story....sounds like somethin' I'd like to do.
    NRA Benefactor

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Wisconsin
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    I went back to the Honda dealership where I get them serviced, and didn't even recognize the sales group. Turn em over faster than flapjacks. True story......at that dealership, I'm looking over new Accords and the young salesman(I use that term loosely) approaches me in the lot. Tells me his name, and gives me his business card. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I look at the card and he says, "Kind of a crappy picture, but I was stoned when they took that, but I'm not high now." "Can I help you." His name isn't Steven, or Steve, or Stephen, it's Stevie.................Foolish, foolish boy...………..we get in the showroom by his desk, and he pulls the same crap. "Points to a computer and says that this is what you'll pay." I said, "What about my trade?" I didn't have it there at the time, but explained the situation with the car, and said I already knew that the trade value was low. He says that he has to see the car first, and I say "Why?" I already explained the condition and all of the service records are here, you can look them up. So, he points to the computer screen again, and says that this is what you'll pay minus your trade in. I basically told him that he was as useful as a saddle on a gerbil. Then I told him that I really didn't care about his commission, his family or his dog. It was my job to get the best price on a vehicle. If he was just going to sit there and point at a computer screen, I will go elsewhere. This all took a while, and by the time we were done, he was almost crying, and was at the sales desk getting advice on how to deal with me. They were all watching me walk out, and the sales manager didn't look happy...………..I'm not the kind of person that cares what your bag is, or what you do behind closed doors, but stoned Stevie meets berettabone for the first time, and tells him he stoned, and his name is Stevie???? Who could resist...………….

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