Topic: What did you do to your car today?

[Great_Big_Abyss]

^^^Well then, I don't know what other vehicle to recommend for somebody shopping for a compact crossover under $30k. 

Her last Hyundai basically grenaded the engine, so that eliminates anything Korean by default (not that I EVER recommend them, for that exact reason).  GM's products are also out, because Equinoxes and their ilk are also not known for long term engine health.  JEEP?  Actually not a terrible option, although they do suffer from general FCA woes.  Mazda CX-5?  That's a great option, and also long-term reliable.  BUT, it's on the smaller size, and for some people shopping for a compact CUV, interior volume matters (which it does in this case - the dealer just brought in a 2016 CX-5 GT - beautiful vehicle, but my co-worker sat in it, and found it too small.  Fair enough.  Not everybody values driving dynamics).  I don't hate the Ford Escape, but only with the 2.5NA.  I don't like any of the ecoboost engines.  Also, like the CX-5, the Escape is on the smaller size.  The Rav4 would by my normal go-to when recommending a CUV to friends, but they're currently very popular, hard to find, and expensive for the mileage/year, and usually de-contented compared to an equivalent Honda.

That leaves the CR-V, one of Canada's best selling vehicles (for a reason).  Yeah, it's got that little engine vibration at certain RPM's, but that's by design (the 2.4 uses an off-center cylinder bore to improve efficiency, but results in increased vibration).  It certainly won't grenade the engine or transmission at 110 000kms.  The rest of the vehicle should be fairly durable, as well, because it's a Honda. 

How about a sedan?  Plenty of newer Corolla's hanging around for pretty cheap.  I pointed a few out to her, but she made it pretty clear she wanted AWD and the taller ride height of a CUV. 

Anyway, she went and saw the CR-V with her husband, liked it, and will probably finalize a deal on it today.  I can't think of a better option for her.  If you can, please enlighten me, and I'll pass it along.

[Bubba]

Anyway, she went and saw the CR-V with her husband, liked it, and will probably finalize a deal on it today.  I can't think of a better option for her.  If you can, please enlighten me, and I'll pass it along.

Consumer Reports says the 2015 is Recommended and gives it 5/5 for Reliability.  Owner Satisfaction was 3/5 or Average.  If I was looking for a SUV, the good far outweighs the bad on the 2015 CR-V.

[revalations]

^^^Well then, I don't know what other vehicle to recommend for somebody shopping for a compact crossover under $30k. 

Her last Hyundai basically grenaded the engine, so that eliminates anything Korean by default (not that I EVER recommend them, for that exact reason).  GM's products are also out, because Equinoxes and their ilk are also not known for long term engine health.  JEEP?  Actually not a terrible option, although they do suffer from general FCA woes.  Mazda CX-5?  That's a great option, and also long-term reliable.  BUT, it's on the smaller size, and for some people shopping for a compact CUV, interior volume matters (which it does in this case - the dealer just brought in a 2016 CX-5 GT - beautiful vehicle, but my co-worker sat in it, and found it too small.  Fair enough.  Not everybody values driving dynamics).  I don't hate the Ford Escape, but only with the 2.5NA.  I don't like any of the ecoboost engines.  Also, like the CX-5, the Escape is on the smaller size.  The Rav4 would by my normal go-to when recommending a CUV to friends, but they're currently very popular, hard to find, and expensive for the mileage/year, and usually de-contented compared to an equivalent Honda.

That leaves the CR-V, one of Canada's best selling vehicles (for a reason).  Yeah, it's got that little engine vibration at certain RPM's, but that's by design (the 2.4 uses an off-center cylinder bore to improve efficiency, but results in increased vibration).  It certainly won't grenade the engine or transmission at 110 000kms.  The rest of the vehicle should be fairly durable, as well, because it's a Honda. 

How about a sedan?  Plenty of newer Corolla's hanging around for pretty cheap.  I pointed a few out to her, but she made it pretty clear she wanted AWD and the taller ride height of a CUV. 

Anyway, she went and saw the CR-V with her husband, liked it, and will probably finalize a deal on it today.  I can't think of a better option for her.  If you can, please enlighten me, and I'll pass it along.

The right desision was the CR-V. The Escape is probably the worst all around vehicle I've seen in terms of major failures. The ecoturd engines love to crack blocks (amongst other things) and pretty much everything else in those vehicles has some issue or another.

I get asked may times what the best small crossover to buy is. My answer is always a RA4 or CRV, you pay more to buy them, but worth every penny. I recently had a very basic 2015 RAV with 60k, found out there is a TON of demand for these things!

[ArticSteve]

^^^Well then, I don't know what other vehicle to recommend for somebody shopping for a compact crossover under $30k.

Just avoid the 2015 and the early 2016s.  Certainly don't recommend them to novice buyers.

[JohnnyMac]

Price point is $30k and Subaru wasn’t talked about?  You could also go new with a Crosstrek.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Price point is $30k and Subaru wasn’t talked about?  You could also go new with a Crosstrek.

Shoot, didn't even cross my mind.  A Crosstrek would have been great.  They're hard to find, though, and she needs a new car, like Monday.

[me_2]

Ordered basic BT/USB radio replacement for the Saturn SW2, only 1 compatible model (not touch screen) was stock and the harness kit fall in back order after I placed my order...! 

Also bought 9006 halogen substitute LED low beam kit, if it works well, may buy later 9005 high beam kit.

It was quick!
Crutchfield (ON) delivered already.
Ess K Customs (SK) shipped, expected Thursday.

Better late than never, finally I took the time to install the new Alpine UTE-73BT into the Saturn. Only hiccups, my only one 5.5mm drive socket still stuck into the bottom hole of the top cover on steering column, well...

[Seafoam]

 nice install.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

So my co-worker bought the CR-V, took delivery of it on Monday.  When I took her to the dealership on Friday to introduce her to Charles the salesguy, I stepped back and let him do his thing, so I stepped into the manager's office and just shot the sh!t with him for a little bit.  I mentioned how I was planning on taking my car to Rust Check or Krown to get sprayed, and asked for his input.  He mentioned that they have an account at Rust Check, and take some of their vehicles there. 

Anyway, fast forward to last night, and I get a call from Charles at The Car Store.  To thank me for sending an easy customer their way, they're going to cover my Rust Check application for this year, just to tell the store to bill it to their account.  So that's kind of a nice little bonus, and a nice phone call to get, too.

[PJungnitsch]

That's a good businessman right there

[ktm525]

This is the time honoured drug pusher model.  The dealer gave you a complimentary bag since you introduced a new victim customer to them.    Yes the guy is smart.

[Gurgie]

That's a good businessman right there

 

[JohnnyMac]

So my co-worker bought the CR-V, took delivery of it on Monday.  When I took her to the dealership on Friday to introduce her to Charles the salesguy, I stepped back and let him do his thing, so I stepped into the manager's office and just shot the sh!t with him for a little bit.  I mentioned how I was planning on taking my car to Rust Check or Krown to get sprayed, and asked for his input.  He mentioned that they have an account at Rust Check, and take some of their vehicles there. 

Anyway, fast forward to last night, and I get a call from Charles at The Car Store.  To thank me for sending an easy customer their way, they're going to cover my Rust Check application for this year, just to tell the store to bill it to their account.  So that's kind of a nice little bonus, and a nice phone call to get, too.

That's really nice.  I have had somewhat similar things happen over the years, typically a cheque in the mail or a gift card, but it would make sense that they give you something they know you were already going to get.  It feels more personal and they likely get a decent discount from them, plus for rust check they get a new customer.  So it's a win the whole way around.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

So my co-worker bought the CR-V, took delivery of it on Monday.  When I took her to the dealership on Friday to introduce her to Charles the salesguy, I stepped back and let him do his thing, so I stepped into the manager's office and just shot the sh!t with him for a little bit.  I mentioned how I was planning on taking my car to Rust Check or Krown to get sprayed, and asked for his input.  He mentioned that they have an account at Rust Check, and take some of their vehicles there. 

Anyway, fast forward to last night, and I get a call from Charles at The Car Store.  To thank me for sending an easy customer their way, they're going to cover my Rust Check application for this year, just to tell the store to bill it to their account.  So that's kind of a nice little bonus, and a nice phone call to get, too.

That's really nice.  I have had somewhat similar things happen over the years, typically a cheque in the mail or a gift card, but it would make sense that they give you something they know you were already going to get.  It feels more personal and they likely get a decent discount from them, plus for rust check they get a new customer.  So it's a win the whole way around.

Yeah, it feels more special getting a Rust Check treatment paid for than a $150 cheque in the mail.  Tells me they listen and actually thought for a minute about what to do. 

[ktm525]

So my co-worker bought the CR-V, took delivery of it on Monday.  When I took her to the dealership on Friday to introduce her to Charles the salesguy, I stepped back and let him do his thing, so I stepped into the manager's office and just shot the sh!t with him for a little bit.  I mentioned how I was planning on taking my car to Rust Check or Krown to get sprayed, and asked for his input.  He mentioned that they have an account at Rust Check, and take some of their vehicles there. 

Anyway, fast forward to last night, and I get a call from Charles at The Car Store.  To thank me for sending an easy customer their way, they're going to cover my Rust Check application for this year, just to tell the store to bill it to their account.  So that's kind of a nice little bonus, and a nice phone call to get, too.

That's really nice.  I have had somewhat similar things happen over the years, typically a cheque in the mail or a gift card, but it would make sense that they give you something they know you were already going to get.  It feels more personal and they likely get a decent discount from them, plus for rust check they get a new customer.  So it's a win the whole way around.

Yeah, it feels more special getting a Rust Check treatment paid for than a $150 cheque in the mail.  Tells me they listen and actually thought for a minute about what to do.

Is $150 the cost of a treatment?

[Great_Big_Abyss]

So my co-worker bought the CR-V, took delivery of it on Monday.  When I took her to the dealership on Friday to introduce her to Charles the salesguy, I stepped back and let him do his thing, so I stepped into the manager's office and just shot the sh!t with him for a little bit.  I mentioned how I was planning on taking my car to Rust Check or Krown to get sprayed, and asked for his input.  He mentioned that they have an account at Rust Check, and take some of their vehicles there. 

Anyway, fast forward to last night, and I get a call from Charles at The Car Store.  To thank me for sending an easy customer their way, they're going to cover my Rust Check application for this year, just to tell the store to bill it to their account.  So that's kind of a nice little bonus, and a nice phone call to get, too.

That's really nice.  I have had somewhat similar things happen over the years, typically a cheque in the mail or a gift card, but it would make sense that they give you something they know you were already going to get.  It feels more personal and they likely get a decent discount from them, plus for rust check they get a new customer.  So it's a win the whole way around.

Yeah, it feels more special getting a Rust Check treatment paid for than a $150 cheque in the mail.  Tells me they listen and actually thought for a minute about what to do.

Is $150 the cost of a treatment?

Approximately, yeah.  Varies from $140 - $160 depending on the vehicle. 

[ktm525]

This was the brilliance of his gesture. To you it was worth $150. To him maybe $75... Win/win.

[ArticSteve]

So the CRV buyer ends up with a turkey and the fixer gets a free Rust Check.  I'd love to know exactly the numbers on her deal.  Probably got really slammed. 

[2JDM]

Looking at my car ownership cost spreadsheet:

Total repair and maintenance cost for the BMW since 2015: $13k
MX-5 since May 2022: $1k

[bridgecity]

Did engine oil and rear diff oil on the MDX last night. Straightforward as usual. Oil life monitor was at 10%. Looked at the km’s since last change and it was 15k ago. The norm is 12k. This is likely due to the 3000km we put on going to BC and back.

To note, the rear diff oil came out looking just like the new stuff going in.