The Car Thread ... !

[Matz]

I’m picking up the car tomorrow afternoon at 5, which is closing time for the shop. The tuner (and shop owner) asked me to come at that time so that he could have sufficient time to spend with me, given what I’ve been through with this car (his words), including a test drive. He mentioned is that boosted Mopars (at least the 5.7 Hemi) have a problem with ’partial throttle boost detonation,’ in that the PCM doesn’t recognize that the car is in boost while below full throttle, and runs lean with resulting detonation. It can be somewhat mitigated through tuning, but still requires a different approach to driving the car in boost. The test drive is going to include him literally showing me how to avoid this problem. Oddly enough, National Speed never even mentioned such a thing.

Anyway, I’ll follow up once I’ve driven the car for a couple of days.

So I’ve had my Charger for a couple of weeks since it was tuned and the upgraded transmission valve body installed. It runs really, really well. The shifts are firm, as the tuner told me to expect, and quick. That took a bit of getting used to, but now it seems normal.

The acceleration is amazing. Between the added displacement (~397 cubic inches vs the stock 345) due to stroking, headers, and cam, even though the cam isn’t optimal for this engine, it is much quicker than it was with the supercharger alone. Plus the long-tube headers coupled with the stock exhaust give it a nice subtle rumbly sound. Noticeable, but not at all obnoxious.

I’ve talked with the folks at National Speed, including telling them that I took it to another shop (and why I did), and that it runs better as a result. They pointed out that some things are no longer covered under their warranty since it’s been tuned by the other shop, but they say they will cover the oil leak and interior damage caused by the tow truck driver. We’ll see. I still don’t want them working on this car any more. I’ve already decided I’d take the car to another shop to fix the leak, if it becomes a problem. So far it’s not.

They (NS) questioned the other tuner’s work, and appear to be trying to create doubt in my mind as to what he did. He (the other tuner) has been very patient in explaining why he did what he did, and it makes sense to me; which reinforces my belief that I made the right choice in taking it to him.

Anyway, I have my car back. Last night I drained the break in oil and put in fresh synthetic oil and a new filter. I’m ready to put all that drama with the build and enjoy what is now a beast of a car. Not quite as powerful as a Hellcat, but not too far off, either. And it’s an AWD.

 

[44267547]

They (NS) questioned the other tuner’s work, and appear to be trying to create doubt in my mind as to what he did. He (the other tuner) has been very patient in explaining why he did what he did, and it makes sense to me; which reinforces my belief that I made the right choice in taking it to him.

Good to hear your car back is running to your spec’.

The reason I emphasized this part of your post, is I find it interesting, very rarely does another shop want to take any type of responsibility for fault, even when they know it’s their fault, they won’t admit it. Sometimes I think the ‘best’ mechanics are the most honest mechanics, even if they don’t have the most experience.

There’s nothing wrong with shops making mistakes on cars, it’s happened to everybody at some point, regardless if you owned a performance car or not. But when a shop can actually take ownership of the mistake made, customers might be inconvenienced, but they know that shop will make it right through trust.

Shops that have a true understanding of a business model, realize that they want you to come back with your car in the future, because that’s how they make their money, is through repeated business.

But like you said, some shops will try to push their narrative, because they know you may not understand all the dynamics of tuning or what went wrong with your car and they easily deflect to another tangent which was ‘out of their control’. It’s the unfortunate norm that most shops follow when it was their fault to begin with.

 

[LordVic]

So I finally pulled the Trigger and went in a different direction.

I ended up getting the Mazda 3 Sport GT Turbo AWD 100th Anniversary Edition.

I take delivery tomorrow.

 

[44267547]

So I finally pulled the Trigger and went in a different direction.

I ended up getting the Mazda 3 Sport GT Turbo AWD 100th Anniversary Edition.

I take delivery tomorrow.

Those are sharp cars. As always, feel free to share a photo of your new ride.

Enjoy!

 

[LordVic]

Driving is fun again.

 

[44267547]

View attachment 1813008
View attachment 1813010

Driving is fun again.

Looks killer. I’m in the market for an EV, and if Mazda made a performance sedan in a full EV that looked like that, I would put my deposit down right now. I love the black-and-white contrast with the red interior. And you’re right, that’s what it’s all about, driving should be fun. They say the typical driver will spend approximately 18 days total in their vehicle a year driving, so why drive something you wouldn’t enjoy.

 

[MacBH928]

I stumbled upon trucks and was surprised to find them start around $26K , those were closer to $32K and this is in early 2000 prices not fixed for inflation. Have car prices gone down or stagnated?

I will have to add, in general, cars are much nicer with premium options now. Just look at the difference between camry 2000 and 2020. The 2020 is probably has more premium options than a 2000 bmw.

Spoiler: 2020

Spoiler: 2000

 

[LordVic]

Looks killer. I’m in the market for an EV, and if Mazda made a performance sedan in a full EV that looked like that, I would put my deposit down right now. I love the black-and-white contrast with the red interior. And you’re right, that’s what it’s all about, driving should be fun. They say the typical driver will spend approximately 18 days total in their vehicle a year driving, so why drive something you wouldn’t enjoy.

my last car was more about practicality. in my early 30's, need a daily commuter that also could easily fit hockey equipment and multiple people.

So the Camry fit the bill. Went SE and believe it or not, the car had some legs. it wasn't going to turn heads or win any races, but for a large midsize, 0-60 in < 7 seconds isn't horrendous (for 2012).

but holy hell was it BORING. Looking back at the last 10 years owning this thing and I cannot think of a single memory of having fun because of the car.

Within 20 minutes yesterday driving down some country roads... I was grinning ear to ****ing ear.

 

[ericwn]

Nothing wrong with British Leyland. Those gaps around the panels are supposed to be all different! And don't forget how ahead of their time they were. You guys over there had never thought about lightning a car so it ran quicker. But ours did that automatically.

Engine oil that would remove itself from the engine thus saving weight
Bodywork that would rust away to reduce weight
Floors that you could see through!

But to be fair during the 70"s they were on strike more than they were in the factory so hardly surprising!

The first Jag that didn’t fall to pieces all the time was the one that Ford made in the 90s. Not pretty but they worked.

 

[ericwn]

Enjoy. Can’t go wrong with European!

In Canada from a price perspective you very easily can. If not for every vehicle, but have fun getting your European cars serviced over here, parts are pricey.

In addition to that, many manufacturers don’t even offer that many models or engine options either.

 

[QCassidy352]

I stumbled upon trucks and was surprised to find them start around $26K , those were closer to $32K and this is in early 2000 prices not fixed for inflation. Have car prices gone down or stagnated?

I will have to add, in general, cars are much nicer with premium options now. Just look at the difference between camry 2000 and 2020. The 2020 is probably has more premium options than a 2000 bmw.

I had the opposite experience: bought a car in 2012 and another this year, and I couldn’t believe how much more expensive cars are now. A totally blah Honda or Toyota can be in the mid 30s by the time it has decent options. A 3 series with decent options is pushing 50k now! Madness.

 

[MacBH928]

I had the opposite experience: bought a car in 2012 and another this year, and I couldn’t believe how much more expensive cars are now. A totally blah Honda or Toyota can be in the mid 30s by the time it has decent options. A 3 series with decent options is pushing 50k now! Madness.

Fixed for inflation the prices are correct. The same car should cost around $21K in 2000 but I am going to guess the 2020 ones have a lot more options so you get more value. So technically its cheaper.

Here is something I learned, there is a natural 1-4% inflation rate in economy. So after 10 years things should be at least 10% more expensive, and even if it was 40% it is still considered normal.

 

[44267547]

It’s happening……

I didn’t predict this, but I definitely talked about it somewhere in this car thread and in other channels. But the dealership industry is changing, more specifically in my area in Detroit. The other day, I stopped to look at a Mach-E tester at Ford, basically; their entire lot is empty, which is the same for Toyota, Dodge, there’s nothing on any of these lots, with the exception of some tester vehicles and local trade-ins.

In all the years of living in a bigger city, I’ve never seen anything like it, and the local news media has been hounding one of our prominent dealer owners who has 26 different dealerships under his reign. He said basically what we already know, is that they just can’t make cars fast enough giving the semiconductor deficit and employee shortage in factories. So naturally the question was asked, “How do you plan on surviving if you can’t sell cars and if there’s no cars to sell?” He responded by that starting next year, half of his dealerships will now only -build to order- vehicles with no new vehicles on the lot for sale, with the exception of tester vehicles by appointment. Basically what Tesla does for build to order -->shipped to customer, but yet still provide service for customers vehicles for maintenance and recalls at the Ford dealership for example.

So that means, all of these ‘salesman’, will be out of a job, unless they can somehow re-manage them differently in the company through other sources.

So my thought is two-fold, is this the more efficient route moving forward for customers, and productive for the dealership? Is this something that the days of buying vehicles new on lots is slowly coming to a halt, where if you want a new vehicle, you can use a ‘tester’, and then order your vehicle direct from the factory, and/or shipped to the dealership or your home.

A lot of smaller dealerships that are independently owned, are already out of commission in my area and have been for the last six months, because they can’t find used cars, due to the inflation, therefore they can’t make money and resell the vehicle for a profit, so the only dealerships that are actually surviving, are your larger ‘branded’ dealerships that are surviving through other various channels of revenue.

Either way, I think dealerships altogether will reach a point where they will no longer sell new vehicle sales, but service only, and ordering will be the new system, rather it be in a dealership or online, versus driving to a dealership to buy a car ‘same day’. I think the days of haggling, using ‘scam ads’ to draw customers in, are on their way out with this type of system that is imminent. I think larger areas will see the changes first, but it will take time for something like this to progress in your smaller communities.

 

[Huntn]

I’m looking for some advice. My grandson is saving up for a car, we know how crazy the used car market currently is. He’s looking at a 2016 Subaru BRZ, 6 speed manual, 50k miles for $10k. Here is the catch, it has a salvage/rebuilt title. It was crashed in 2020, the front end repaired, declared totaled by the insurance company (looked at the Car Fax Report). It has current tags on it. The equivalent car “not formerly crashed” goes for about $20k.

My impression is that with a rebuilt title value can be questionable, as in you have to find someone willing to buy it. For such a car is $10k a reasonable price?



We drove it today. It looks good, looks good under the hood, and drives good. My plan is prior to purchase, to pay my mechanic to run it up on lift and look for issues like a rewelded frame, and plug the computer into it looking for issues. I think there is a place I can plug in the VIN and see if it’s in the system. Anything else? Is this a good deal, or possibly be a good deal? If it was me I would not be going anywhere need a rebuilt totaled car.

 

[Richard8655]

I’m looking for some advice. My grandson is saving up for a car, we know how crazy the used car market currently is. He’s looking at a 2016 Subaru BRZ, 6 speed manual, 50k miles for $10k. Here is the catch, it has a salvage/rebuilt title. It was crashed in 2020, the front end repaired, declared totaled by the insurance company (looked at the Car Fax Report). It has current tags on it. The equivalent car “not formerly crashed” goes for about $20k.

My impression is that with a rebuilt title value can be questionable, as in you have to find someone willing to buy it. For such a car is $10k a reasonable price?

View attachment 1822871

We drove it today. It looks good, looks good under the hood, and drives good. My plan is prior to purchase, to pay my mechanic to run it up on lift and look for issues like a rewelded frame, and plug the computer into it looking for issues. I think there is a place I can plug in the VIN and see if it’s in the system. Anything else? Is this a good deal, or possibly be a good deal? If it was me I would not be going anywhere need a rebuilt totaled car.

Not a good idea to buy a declared totaled or salvage car. Though it may look ok even underneath, no one really can know what long term problems may surface. It can be a safety issue. I would save up and buy a solid, clear title used car I'd have confidence in.

 

[icanhazmac]

Not a good idea to buy a declared totaled or salvage car. Though it may look ok even underneath, no one really can know what long term problems may surface.

+1 Unless you REALLY trust your mechanic to thoroughly go over the car. It might even be worth your while to have a trusted body shop go over the repairs as they might see something that a general mechanic might miss. If you don't have one or both of those I would scrap the idea.

 

[44267547]

You’re doing the right thing by having a mechanic look at it. I would definitely put the vehicle through the paces when driving it (I.E- Idling, not overheating, brakes, ect.). I would make sure it doesn’t leak, as that becomes very costly quick.

Salvaged anything is a risk, some vehicles never have issues and others do, but it’s all lottery not knowing what will happen. If you decide to move forward with it, and you suspect something isn’t right, I would scrap it. But if the mechanic test drives/inspects it, and you feel comfortable with the purchase and overall can accept it’s a salvaged title that will ultimately affect the resale value in the future, some of these vehicles aren’t ‘all bad’.

 

[Nütztjanix]

For me, it would also be relevant who rebuilt it. A well known shop specialized in such tasks, an official dealer (Subaru in this case) or — exaggerating — some hobbyist in his garage.

And, of course, what damage exactly occurred. Don't know about the US, but over here cars are easily totaled by insurances because especially with newer models repair is so costly that it's not feasible — economically. Technically, there's not much damage you can't repair properly.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

For me, it would also be relevant who rebuilt it. A well known shop specialized in such tasks, an official dealer (Subaru in this case) or — exaggerating — some hobbyist in his garage.

And, of course, what damage exactly occurred. Don't know about the US, but over here cars are easily totaled by insurances because especially with newer models repair is so costly that it's not feasible — economically. Technically, there's not much damage you can't repair properly.

I think the best ones to buy are Cat-N’s as it’s just panel and bodywork damage as opposed to Cat-S which are structural. You can get an absolute bargain on some if you intend to keep the car the length of its life.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I’m looking for some advice. My grandson is saving up for a car, we know how crazy the used car market currently is. He’s looking at a 2016 Subaru BRZ, 6 speed manual, 50k miles for $10k. Here is the catch, it has a salvage/rebuilt title. It was crashed in 2020, the front end repaired, declared totaled by the insurance company (looked at the Car Fax Report). It has current tags on it. The equivalent car “not formerly crashed” goes for about $20k.

My impression is that with a rebuilt title value can be questionable, as in you have to find someone willing to buy it. For such a car is $10k a reasonable price?

View attachment 1822871

We drove it today. It looks good, looks good under the hood, and drives good. My plan is prior to purchase, to pay my mechanic to run it up on lift and look for issues like a rewelded frame, and plug the computer into it looking for issues. I think there is a place I can plug in the VIN and see if it’s in the system. Anything else? Is this a good deal, or possibly be a good deal? If it was me I would not be going anywhere need a rebuilt totaled car.

So I bought my VW Golf this way and saved a load. Do they have any details of what was done? I had detailed photos of mine before and after the accident. Here in the U.K. cars with a £20k price tag get written off very easily. As well as the price for parts and labour (which are always increased for insurance work), they also factor in the cost of a hire car for the time the job would take. So let’s say you needed a new door which had a 5 week delivery time they may have to rent a car for 5+ weeks whist the owner can’t use there’s. Much cheaper to settle.
Get it checked out by your mechanic. Look at the body work in various lighting conditions, get underneath it. See if you can speak to who carried out the work. Mine was salvaged by a specialist company who only did that for German cars. If I’m doubt, walk away.

 

[SactoGuy18]

By the way, in North America they are still selling the old model Honda HR-V, mostly built at Honda's assembly line in Celaya, Mexico. (The 2022 models has started to be sold in the last few weeks.) An all-new HR-V for the North American market--based on the new Vezel/HR-V now on sale in Japan and Europe but with more traditional crossover look and with a longer wheelbase--will likely arrive in March 2022 as a 2023 model.

 

[Huntn]

I think the best ones to buy are Cat-N’s as it’s just panel and bodywork damage as opposed to Cat-S which are structural. You can get an absolute bargain on some if you intend to keep the car the length of its life.

I believe this car had serious structural damage, it was totaled and I don’t know how accurate the CarFax report is, but it says it was totaled, the rebuilt with $12k in repairs to get it into running condition. Now it’s up for sale for $10k.

 

[NT1440]

Finally got my garage together.

Im going to be rebuilding two scrapped engines into one completely new unit with the R series head for my Volvo. The plan is to drop in the new engine, rebuilt transmission, and rebuilt turbo all in one go. So I’ve got a nice winter project to pick away at.

 

[44267547]

I believe this car had serious structural damage, it was totaled and I don’t know how accurate the CarFax report is, but it says it was totaled, the rebuilt with $12k in repairs to get it into running condition. Now it’s up for sale for $10k.

With something like that, I’m curious how the alignment would be on a flat road surface, especially with structural damage to the frame. I’ll definitely be curious to see if you decide to make the purchase or not, but that is a crazy low price tag for that year.

 

[chrisdazzo]

Been a while since I posted here. Got this in 2019.

Very practical car, fun to drive, but a lot more so now that it has an ECU tune. 😉 Tried swapping out for a blue S7 (TT V8) recently, but the wife vetoed it because this isn't even 2 years old. UGH.