Cars & Bikes, Driving & Riding

[RonnieFranchise]

We love our Flex and we'd have bought another by now if they'd kept making them. It's basically a minivan with traditional doors, square body and sits low enough that Mrs. F with her bad knees and her elderly parents can get in and out of it easily.

Our 2018 has almost 110k miles, Mrs. F keeps it immaculate and other than a little ding on the driver's door it's in great condition. It's had all fluids refreshed and the water pump replaced plus two new cats which is all the expensive stuff these vehicles usually need (knock on wood).

To me, the new Santa Fe looks similar. Not sure if that's a consideration when the Flex bites it.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

I don't disagree but I'm pretty happy with my wagon, which has many of those benefits and also has a low roof for loading kayaks onto.

What brand of wagon do you drive

[skullman80]

My Outback gives us all the space we need to haul things while still not being a minivan. It looks like a station wagon but I don't care haha.

[dodint]

I don't disagree but I'm pretty happy with my wagon, which has many of those benefits and also has a low roof for loading kayaks onto.

What brand of wagon do you drive

Saab 9-3.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

Not the response I expected.

I almost bought one of those in 2008, not sure when they stopped selling the wagon version, but I think it was around that time. My gf at that time drove one and they were very practical

[dodint]

Yeah, it's a 2010. I bought it from a racer buddy for $6k and it's been a fantastic car. Every time I think about trading it in I change my mind because it's paid off, okay on fuel (like 27mpg combined, it is a 2.0 turbo), and great for hauling around the dog and camping gear. It's now my primary DD because my wife stole the Volt.

[iamjs]

Just got the call from Audi about my car. Oil change and tire rotation cost me about $220. Kinda what I expected but hearing that number north of $200 still stings each time.

What I wasn't expecting to hear that my front brakes and rotors are shot. $1500, gone. Found a 10% coupon online, which will take some of the sting out, but $1350+tax for **** brakes is gonna hurt a little.

Guess they were somehow able to tell that I just paid the credit card back down to $0 the day before.

I won't even get into the money that I'm throwing into the old 2002. I came to the realization that should I choose to restore it, it's not going to be cheap. $100 order here, $50 there, and there's a $500 order, and there's $200 more... you get the idea. And that's just trying to figure out why it won't stay started. I haven't even gotten into redoing the interior and door panels, tires, a new windshield and a full repaint once I get all of the mismatched trim off.

But wait, there's more.

I almost forgot to post the main reason I had to take it to the dealership. Clutch plate is starting to shake a lot. In order for them to replace this plate or kit (rep used both terms), they have to drain the fluid, drain the fluid again, and then do it a third time so the warranty kicks in. So I leave the dealership and notice that the issue is not only not fixed, it's worse than what it was when I showed up. I do a lap around town and drive back to the dealership and ask them to set up another appointment. I'm then told that I have to drive the vehicle sixty miles in order for the warranty service to kick in. To the rep's credit, he did say that the flush probably wasn't going to resolve the issue and that they have to go through the steps to cover it under warranty, but it was (and still is) a giant waste of time. I know it's ****ed up, they know it's ****ed up. But I guess I have to play the warranty game to get it covered.

This is probably one of the few times that I can say that I can't wait for the feedback survey. I have no issues with the rep and I'll be sure to give him his 5* for being honest, but the process in general sucks.

[Shyster]

Yeah, it's a 2010. I bought it from a racer buddy for $6k and it's been a fantastic car. Every time I think about trading it in I change my mind because it's paid off, okay on fuel (like 27mpg combined, it is a 2.0 turbo), and great for hauling around the dog and camping gear. It's now my primary DD because my wife stole the Volt.

dodint seems to have a pathological compulsion to buy cars that would be expensive to repair with limited parts availability. A Saab? Sure! A BMW V10? You bet! A DeLorean? Hurt me more daddy!

I assume next we will hear that he bought a Volkswagen Phaeton W-12, a Volkswagen Touareg with the V10 diesel, and a Citroën DS that needs major suspension work.

[DigitalGypsy66]

I have a recall on the side mirrors for the Pilot, so I waited until it was oil change/brake fluid change time to get it all done at the dealer.

I get a phone call, again, from the sales side of the dealership about looking at 2025 Pilots while I wait for my car to get serviced. This happens every time I've brought either car there for service. On top of the endless mailers from the last three dealers we've bought from practically begging me to trade either of our newer cars for a brand new model. It's ridiculous.

[NTP66]

Was yours purchased or leased? The only way I'd consider that is if you could get into a new year model for the same payment/term length (what you have left in term).

[dodint]

Yeah, it's a 2010. I bought it from a racer buddy for $6k and it's been a fantastic car. Every time I think about trading it in I change my mind because it's paid off, okay on fuel (like 27mpg combined, it is a 2.0 turbo), and great for hauling around the dog and camping gear. It's now my primary DD because my wife stole the Volt.

dodint seems to have a pathological compulsion to buy cars that would be expensive to repair with limited parts availability. A Saab? Sure! A BMW V10? You bet! A DeLorean? Hurt me more daddy!

I assume next we will hear that he bought a Volkswagen Phaeton W-12, a Volkswagen Touareg with the V10 diesel, and a Citroën DS that needs major suspension work.

The Saab is largely GM parts bin, so at least the parts are readily available and Americans assembled it so it's pretty easy to get to most things. But it does have some quirks to it.

I'm getting wiser in my old age, though. Now that I'm shopping for planes I'm sticking to makes and models that have easy parts sourcing and can be worked on by most A&P's. There is a lot of cool stuff out there (who wouldn't want a Sukhoi Su-29?) but it'll be Citabria's and Pipers for me.

I took a class on the Economics of Aircraft Ownership and I'm even starting to shy away from the idea of buying something with retractable landing gear. Insurance and maintenance cost are really high for the extra few knots of cruise you'll get.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Was yours purchased or leased? The only way I'd consider that is if you could get into a new year model for the same payment/term length (what you have left in term).

Purchased and paid off a couple of years ago. It has an excellent trade in value right now which is the only reason I would look for a new car now, but I'd like the Honda finance deals to drop some. They are finally getting inventory back to pre-chip shortage levels and that should help with everything. Also not sure if we're going full SUV or not. I would love to downsize to CR-V/RDX but I may need the bigger SUV until we're empty nesters in 2 years (!!! )

[NTP66]

Was yours purchased or leased? The only way I'd consider that is if you could get into a new year model for the same payment/term length (what you have left in term).

Purchased and paid off a couple of years ago. It has an excellent trade in value right now which is the only reason I would look for a new car now, but I'd like the Honda finance deals to drop some. They are finally getting inventory back to pre-chip shortage levels and that should help with everything. Also not sure if we're going full SUV or not. I would love to downsize to CR-V/RDX but I may need the bigger SUV until we're empty nesters in 2 years (!!! )

My wife really didn't like the 2025 CR-V that she test drove, and honestly, I didn't either. Build quality was definitely noticeable compared to the Passport that she ended up buying. The Passport is basically the in between model there, so it may be worth considering. My only issue with it is the lack of wireless CarPlay and lack of navigation unless you get the top tier model (there is no navi package with the EX-L or TrailSport trims). Looks like Honda dropped their financing on the 2024 model Passport - down to 2.9% from 3.9%. The 2025's now get 3.9%.

Of course, I've seen the sneak peaks at the 2026 Passport, and it may wind up being fugly, so... lol.

[DigitalGypsy66]

I always forget about the Passport I really wish they had hybrids on the Pilot or Passport, but alas...

[NTP66]

Yeah, we'd have gone the hybrid route if the Passport had one. The 280hp 3.5L engine in the Passport is actually impressive. It was a stark contrast driving that on the highway compared to the 2003 CR-V. Barely fits in our garage, though. We have 2" of wiggle room on both sides, and the lift gate has 1/2" of clearance with the bottom handle of the garage door, haha.

I checked the dimensions, and it's wider and taller than the Pilot, but shorter. Weird, as I would have expected the opposite.

[Shyster]

I took a class on the Economics of Aircraft Ownership and I'm even starting to shy away from the idea of buying something with retractable landing gear. Insurance and maintenance cost are really high for the extra few knots of cruise you'll get.

Fixed gear cannot get stuck up, either, and it's also not possible to forget to extend the gear, which does happen to pilots.

I'm curious as to why Piper over Beech or Cessna. I have no dog in the hunt, but my vague impression is that Piper is sort of the Chrysler to the GM and Ford of Beech and Cessna—the third-place competitor. Plus the Piper Cub is like Chrysler owning Jeep.

[dodint]

Interesting. I haven't perceived it that way. I always viewed Cessna and Piper as the Chevy/Ford stand-ins (a 1a/1b situation), and just about everything else as upmarket. Cessna's dominate the trainer market which makes the low=wing Piper 'cool' just on looks alone. I prefer the aesthetic of the low-wing Piper but will admit the high-wing Cessnas are practically 'better' in just about every way (I'd like to have my own door on the left side of the cockpit, for instance). I feel the higher you go up the model lineup that perception switches, I think most people desire a Piper PA32 (Cherokee 6, Lance, Saratoga) over a Cessna 207.

When you start talking about Mooney and Beechcraft, you get away from low cost and high availability of parts. And your V-tails fall off. I have no real perception of Beechcraft, they're just not on my scope for some reason.

Then you have oddball stuff that kind of just works, like my instructor's Sundowner. I'm personally looking at Citabria's for my first plane. Low cost, highly maneuverable, and it's made of wood and fabric so it's uncomplicated.

I'll never fit in a Cub so I don't care. I'm doing my tailwheel training in a Stinson 108-3.

[Shyster]

I didn't realize that Beech was in a higher tier. I impression was that the Cessna 172, the Beech Bonanza, and the million different names that Piper has given to variants of the Piper PA-28 were all basically direct competitors in the "mainsteam four seat GA aircraft" category.

[dodint]

At least they're not jagoffs like Cirrus owners.

[Shyster]

I think the problem there is that no Cirrus is old enough to be cheap enough to be owned by anyone who doesn't have beaucoup bucks. I bet if somone offered you one for the same price as a Piper, you'd be all over that. I'd certainly rather have an aircraft with a ballistic-parachute system than one without, if I had the option.

[dodint]

That's the problem though, the chute repack at $20k is about 2/3rd the cost of a major engine overhaul which is what most people think of as the most expensive regular maintenance for an aircraft. They'll never really get 'cheap' even if the price of acquiring one becomes obtainable. Layer that with the horrible flight dynamics and the (IMO) lame control layout and I have no desire for one. The flight school that I took the Economics class at has one and the administrator hates it.

I'm not sold on wanting a parachute, either. With a forced landing I have some say where we end up. With a parachute, you're at the mercy of the wind.

[Shyster]

I think I'd rather be at the mercy of the wind than be at the mercy of physics and the need to maintain a speed greater than stall speed while, say, flying over a forest where nothing below is flat or suitable for an emergency landing. I mean, the stall speed of an SR-20 is I think somewhere around 55 knots, while Cirrus says that the descent speed under chute is around 17 knots. While I'd perfer to not hit the ground at all, I'd much rather hit the ground at 17 knots vertically that hit a tree at 55 knots horizontally.

[dodint]

The market provides options for all preferences.

[Shyster]

Yes. Like if you have a death wish, someone will sell you a helicopter.

[dodint]

hah, I almost made a snarky remark about helicopters. The gentleman we rent our hanger has one. I'll be happy to go the rest of my life never setting foot in one again.