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The Final Dakar · May 15, 2015, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by Laminar

Tinted windows, bro.

If its legal where you live.

subego · May 15, 2015, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Laminar

Tinted windows, bro.

I'm definitely on that.

I think they're legal here, though that could pose a problem when traveling.

subego · May 15, 2015, 10:07 AM

One more thing about the test drive.

Call me crazy, but asking the stock Outback engine to play ball against a V6 turbo seems a mite cruel. I thought y'all liked Subaru.

subego · May 15, 2015, 11:35 AM

Tint wise, on side windows behind the driver...

70% transmission is legal everywhere.
50% transmission means you can't go to New England
35% transmission means you can't go to New England, Minnesota, Alaska, and DC.

The Final Dakar · May 15, 2015, 11:41 AM

Do they really have a right to give you shit if you're from out of state?

subego · May 15, 2015, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

Do they really have a right to give you shit if you're from out of state?

Like they need the right.

That said, in this case they do.

Thorzdad · May 15, 2015, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

Do they really have a right to give you shit if you're from out of state?

As an anecdote...My kid went to an automotive tech school in Pennsylvania. Most of the kids there were also from out of state, and most of them had their own cars...ricers and other sort of pimped rides, most with tint. During orientation class, a Pennsylvania State Cop told the kids that they were required to remove any tint that didn't meet Pennsylvania law, even though their cars were registered out of state. As you can imagine, this didn't sit well with the kids, as well as their parents.

Cap'n Tightpants · May 15, 2015, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by subego

35% transmission means you can't go to New England, Minnesota, Alaska, and DC.

Who would want to go there?

Cap'n Tightpants · May 15, 2015, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

As an anecdote...My kid went to an automotive tech school in Pennsylvania. Most of the kids there were also from out of state, and most of them had their own cars...ricers and other sort of pimped rides, most with tint. During orientation class, a Pennsylvania State Cop told the kids that they were required to remove any tint that didn't meet Pennsylvania law, even though their cars were registered out of state. As you can imagine, this didn't sit well with the kids, as well as their parents.

Cops here take your ID and if they can read it through the tint you don't get a ticket. I'm being completely serious.

andi*pandi · May 15, 2015, 12:21 PM

Hey!

With used cars being bought at auction and resold all over the place, how can they enforce this. My last car came from the south. My current car has tinted windows and no idea what rating they are. Meh.

In addition to tinted windows, subaru also offers a horizontal windowshade-type thing you can pull out to cover your cargo...which I mainly use after Christmas shopping trips, to hide the loot.

Subaru really should be paying me for this.

subego · May 15, 2015, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

My last car came from the south. My current car has tinted windows and no idea what rating they are. Meh.

Looking the laws over, places like Florida allow something like 12% transmission. I cut it off at 35% because that's where it started to get complicated.

subego · May 15, 2015, 12:39 PM

After a good 24 hours stable on the Volvo, I'm wavering again.

The Subaru ultimately appeals more. It's exactly the right car for what I do most of the time.

The Volvo is only the right car for that other slice, and is kinda the wrong car otherwise. Though probably comfy when it's being wrong. X5 is wrong for what I do, too.

The Subaru fits so well it may be worth it to take the risk a rougher ride entails. Now a test drive would make sense, since I have something I'm actually looking for.

Cap'n Tightpants · May 15, 2015, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

Hey!

With used cars being bought at auction and resold all over the place, how can they enforce this. My last car came from the south. My current car has tinted windows and no idea what rating they are. Meh.

It's up to the dealer, or seller, to prep the car properly for sale in your area, barring that it's up to you to test it after purchase. (You can buy a visual gauge at Pep Boys for $5.)

-----

Oh, speaking of New England, one important thing to keep in mind, water-damaged cars are still flooding (heh) out of NE from hurricane Sandy, they're everywhere now and, although they were initially totalled, they were bought up by big dealer networks for pennies on the dollar and many (most?) have had their titles illegally scrubbed and are being sold as normal used cars. Check under the carpet and in the trunk for silt or nonuniform coloration, and look under the car for any signs of unusually high amounts of corrosion (beyond even what salty roads can cause). Another tip is to look on Carfax for an abnormally low number of "incidents" relating to the VIN, those aren't always wrecks, any time a title changes hands it's logged there, and if your Spidey sense tingles that the number seems too low, walk away. Seriously, there are potentially millions of those cars floating around on the used market, don't get burned.

subego · May 15, 2015, 01:50 PM

Maybe I'm old school, but I'm looking at the new Outback models and I'm not seeing anything in the "Premium" or "Limited" versions I give a rats-ass about.

No one seems to have the base model in red on the lot, so I guess there will be waiting.

Cap'n Tightpants · May 15, 2015, 02:09 PM

Geez, I'm kind of obtuse, I should have been talking about the Merc E350 AWD wagon all this time, I actually own one of those and it's been a real peach. Derp.

Check here.

subego · May 15, 2015, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants

Geez, I'm kind of obtuse, I should have been talking about the Merc E350 AWD wagon all this time, I actually own one of those and it's been a real peach. Derp.

Check here.

The irony with this is it's too ostentatious. It's what swings me away from the Volvo, too.

I've needed to sling a 12-step ladder on the roof of the X5 before. Every fiber of my being told me "you're doing it wrong".

The Volvo gets some leeway on this because hippies like it, but it still seems mismatched to the job at hand compared to the Subaru.

Cap'n Tightpants · May 15, 2015, 03:33 PM

I think we have a bit of an unusual perception in the USA, where car brands are concerned. In Europe Mercs, particularly the E-class, are seen more as "regular" cars, like an Audi or a Volvo, compared to how they are perceived here in the States.

ghporter · May 15, 2015, 04:28 PM

Which ones don't they cover maintenance on?

Laminar · May 15, 2015, 05:17 PM

This seemed kind of relevant.

iMOTOR · May 15, 2015, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by subego

Every fiber of my being told me "you're doing it wrong".

My Volvo XC90 was the only vehicle that was not an American pickup truck at the outdoor firing range yesterday.

subego · May 15, 2015, 07:43 PM

Why aren't you Volvoing like the Subarus are Subaruing?

subego · May 15, 2015, 09:01 PM

Now I'm back on the Volvo.

The Subaru is going to be $28K if I don't want to wait. The Volvo is $30K.

The Volvo has to be $2K better than the Subaru.

Yeah, the Subaru is a better "fit", but that Volvo is a nice car.

If I'm not going to get sucked into this new car bullshit, my attitude should be "if the 2015 Subaru is better than the 2014, that's something to look into when you buy another car in five years".

ShortcutToMoncton · May 15, 2015, 09:47 PM

You need to try them back to back.....now I'm interested in the result. The 2015 Outback is not luxury, but it's a damn nice car for $30k

subego · May 15, 2015, 09:49 PM

Yeah, but so is the ****ing Volvo.

andi*pandi · May 15, 2015, 10:02 PM

jesus, just decide already!

subego · May 15, 2015, 10:13 PM

To put it another way...

If the Volvo cost $10K more than the Outback (like it does with a used model) the "regret" questions I ask are "did I waste $10k" or "should I have spent $10K on luxuries".

With the Volvo costing only $2K more, I think I'm objectively not wasting the money, and I could really regret missing the luxuries which would have only cost $2K. I'm willing to punish myself if I get $10K out of the deal, but at $2K, it's punishment for the sake of punishment.

As for the Subaru being more "right", that's true, but mostly psychological. I can't cast the Volvo as the "Bluesmobile" in my head, but it gets me to the show, and sticks out less than the X5.

subego · May 15, 2015, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

jesus, just decide already!

I can't take two days?

Jeez... rough crowd.

subego · May 15, 2015, 10:19 PM

Because Andi asked, I decided on the Volvo.

Until I change my mind again.

subego · 10:38 PM

Now we get down to brass tacks.

What's the trade-in math on a car that's worth $8K if it wasn't broke-ass, and needs $10K worth of service?

Edit: specifically, all 8 cylinders are misfiring. Not enough to notice yet, but I am told will be an inevitable downward spiral, especially once it gets cold.

subego · May 15, 2015, 11:09 PM

Cap'n Tightpants · May 16, 2015, 01:30 AM

^^ I like that, looks sharp.

I'd say you'll get $4k for the BMW, just because of what it is.

iMOTOR · May 16, 2015, 03:36 AM

Originally Posted by subego

Edit: specifically, all 8 cylinders are misfiring.

Whoa. Have you gotten a second opinion?

There is no way an ignition problem costs 10k to fix. Is it a compression problem?

ShortcutToMoncton · May 16, 2015, 09:29 AM

Wait, what model and year is that Volvo?

ghporter · May 16, 2015, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by iMOTOR

My Volvo XC90 was the only vehicle that was not an American pickup truck at the outdoor firing range yesterday.

There's typically quite an assortment of vehicles at the range I use, but most are large pickups. Lots of Toyotas around here, but they build the Tundra here, so go figure...

OldManMac · May 16, 2015, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by jmiddel

Both the Honda CRV and the Subaru Forrester will accommodate your gear just fine, and they are way more reliable and less expensive to repair than the Volvos.

I wasn't thinking of either of those, but unless I'm missing something, the stuff in the picture doesn't seem like it needs a big honking vehicle to haul it around!

subego · 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by iMOTOR

Whoa. Have you gotten a second opinion?

There is no way an ignition problem costs 10k to fix. Is it a compression problem?

I did not get a second opinion.

If the shop is trying to screw me, they're working the long-con. The service gal said I'd be nuts to pay that much unless I really loved the car.

The engine is actually "only" $8K, so $1K per cylinder. The other $2K is from things like my ex knocking off both side view mirrors trying to pull into the garage.

The ex is literally in tears about me getting rid of the car... "I'll never drive a cool car again!"

And you know what? If you keep chopping off mirrors like a printing press takes fingers, maybe you shouldn't.

subego · May 16, 2015, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by shortcuttomoncton

wait, what model and year is that volvo?

2012 xc70

subego · May 16, 2015, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by OldManMac

I wasn't thinking of either of those, but unless I'm missing something, the stuff in the picture doesn't seem like it needs a big honking vehicle to haul it around!

The top left quadrant (wood boxes, cubic milk creates, the nine floor lights) takes the entire back of the X5 up to the height of the windows, and where the seat fold begins.

Extrapolate from there. What's shown takes up about 60 of my available 70 cubic feet.

subego · May 16, 2015, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

There's typically quite an assortment of vehicles at the range I use, but most are large pickups. Lots of Toyotas around here, but they build the Tundra here, so go figure...

If the weather was more amenable, I would have gone pickup in a flash.

There's also the problem of trucks not being allowed on Lake Shore Drive. I live two blocks from it, and it's a major artery for me.

Cap'n Tightpants · May 16, 2015, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by subego

I did not get a second opinion.

If the shop is trying to screw me, they're working the long-con. The service gal said I'd be nuts to pay that much unless I really loved the car.

The engine is actually "only" $8K, so $1K per cylinder. The other $2K is from things like my ex knocking off both side view mirrors trying to pull into the garage.

The ex is literally in tears about me getting rid of the car... "I'll never drive a cool car again!"

And you know what? If you keep chopping off mirrors like a printing press takes fingers, maybe you shouldn't.

You're much more amicable in your relations with your exes than I could be.

subego · May 16, 2015, 12:37 PM

It ended up self-correcting.

Turns out she's much easier to deal with when not being forced to do so.

Cap'n Tightpants · May 16, 2015, 01:18 PM

Not to be intrusive, but you still cohabitate?

subego · May 16, 2015, 01:40 PM

No intrusion at all!

We don't, but she lives about a block away, so it hasn't made sense to get another car. Once every three months we need the car at the same time, and one of us rents a Zipcar.

We have a dog, too, so that facilitates the "joint custody".

No hanky-panky.

iMOTOR · May 16, 2015, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by subego

so $1K per cylinder.

It could be something more complicated, but misfiring is typically caused by your ignition coils burning out. BMW OEM coils couldn't be more than $75 a piece, so $600 for all 8, plus spark plugs and ignition cables, you should still be under 1k for parts. It's an easy job too, you could totally do it yourself.

subego · May 16, 2015, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by iMOTOR

It could be something more complicated, but misfiring is typically caused by your ignition coils burning out. BMW OEM coils couldn't be more than $75 a piece, so $600 for all 8, plus spark plugs and ignition cables, you should still be under 1k for parts. It's an easy job too, you could totally do it yourself.

Can you think of any reason they wouldn't suggest that themselves, and make money in the process, rather than bump it more than order of magnitude and insist the best course of action is to pay them nothing?

subego · May 16, 2015, 02:17 PM

You know, renting Zipcars with some regularity had gotten me excited about the test drive process when it was time to get a new car.

I was expecting it to happen on my terms though, and I was expecting more than one final option.

iMOTOR · May 16, 2015, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by subego

Can you think of any reason they wouldn't suggest that themselves, and make money in the process, rather than bump it more than order of magnitude and insist the best course of action is to pay them nothing?

I don't, hence the question mark face. I guess it could be like a disinterested attorney who tells you: "you won't win this case, but I'll take 10k if you want to try anyway."

subego · May 16, 2015, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by iMOTOR

I don't, hence the question mark face. I guess it could be like a disinterested attorney who tells you: "you won't win this case, but I'll take 10k if you want to try anyway."

Well, I'm not a car guy, this is a pretty reputable place, and since her pitch started with telling me it wasn't worth it before she even laid the dollar amount on me, I took everything at face value and didn't ask her to get into much specifics.

I did ask if there was some way I could have precipitated the problem, and offered a passel of options she could use to hang it on me. She said "no, this engine is old enough where this can start happening".

From her tone, I filled in an unsaid "yeah... this shouldn't have worn out this early, but it has here".

It's the shop at a BMW dealer, so she had to be careful about slamming the product.

As an added data point, this particular person has taken care of me before, and did a bang-up job.

turtle777 · May 16, 2015, 02:38 PM

How many miles on the BMW ?
Mostly city driving ?

I would think that you could shave off 20-30% by going to a non-dealer shop that specializes in European cars. Not sure if putting $7k would be worth it though....

-t

turtle777 · May 16, 2015, 02:41 PM

FWIW, this is the place I used in the past.

Manufacturer Automotive Expertise | Wheeling Auto Center | Arlington Heights, IL

Once my BMW comes off extended warranty, that's where I'll go again.

I know this is ways off for you, there might be a similar place closer to downtown.

-t