Fog lights

[Fummins]

Yeah, the yearly reprogramming is a crock of shat. Sure there are sometimes updates/recalls that can and should be performed in some cases but otherwise nope. One example of a reflash that should be done is the airbag one on the older 14-15's. Mine had the airbag light on when I bought it. I cleared the code and it came back about 6 months later after hitting a big dip in the road. I cleared it again and it stayed off until this past weekend when the car was bouncing off the bump for 4 days straight lol. The reflash to help prevent flooding probably isn't a bad idea either.

[jonesboro]

Personally, I think dealerships need to be called on their sh-t. Have I mentioned I don't like going to dealerships!

Could not agree more, I think just about everyone is getting fed up with stealerships and their outrageously inflated rates and their arrogant attitudes.

My nearest Mitsu dealer is 1.5 hrs away in Memphis...I bought my '22 Mirage specifically so I wouldn't have to take it in because it's small and easy to work on. Before getting this car I stopped by the local Honda dealer as I've been a fan of that make for most of my life. Simple dependable Japanese economy cars that are relatively easy to work on. What's not to like?

Well...everything now. The lineup has been neutered recently: anything with a 4-banger has been downsized to 1.5L plus a turbo to meet emissions. A giant vector for problems has been introduced with that. I've seen Honda techs showing motors coming in for lifted heads because of the added stress of forced induction, anemic head bolts, and low quality gas working in tandem to create mischief. This leaves the HR-V as an outlier with it's 2.0L NA engine...which new ones and low mileage used still close to 30k. WTF.

I expressed to the salesman my concerns about the newer turbo models. We looked at a '21 HR-V with low mileage and they wanted to hit me with a 28% interest rate...my bank offered 9%. I told him this. He sipped his coffee and told me to come back with the bank check because they literally didn't have to lift a finger to sell cars right now. I expect to be treated that way at a luxury dealer or BMW or something, but at friggin Honda!? Whether I had a better loan option or not I wasn't going back after being told someone will just come buy it behind me anyways. Dealers are off in la-la land right now and we're all suffering for it as customers.

There's the problem. They have all the leverage. If the CEO of Ford puts his money where his mouth is and expands options for factory ordering then the stealerships will have to get their act together to become competitive again or simply go away which I would not mind at all.

[Mark]

Could not agree more, I think just about everyone is getting fed up with stealerships and their outrageously inflated rates and their arrogant attitudes.

My nearest Mitsu dealer is 1.5 hrs away in Memphis...I bought my '22 Mirage specifically so I wouldn't have to take it in because it's small and easy to work on. Before getting this car I stopped by the local Honda dealer as I've been a fan of that make for most of my life. Simple dependable Japanese economy cars that are relatively easy to work on. What's not to like?

Well...everything now. The lineup has been neutered recently: anything with a 4-banger has been downsized to 1.5L plus a turbo to meet emissions. A giant vector for problems has been introduced with that. I've seen Honda techs showing motors coming in for lifted heads because of the added stress of forced induction, anemic head bolts, and low quality gas working in tandem to create mischief. This leaves the HR-V as an outlier with it's 2.0L NA engine...which new ones and low mileage used still close to 30k. WTF.

I expressed to the salesman my concerns about the newer turbo models. We looked at a '21 HR-V with low mileage and they wanted to hit me with a 28% interest rate...my bank offered 9%. I told him this. He sipped his coffee and told me to come back with the bank check because they literally didn't have to lift a finger to sell cars right now. I expect to be treated that way at a luxury dealer or BMW or something, but at friggin Honda!? Whether I had a better loan option or not I wasn't going back after being told someone will just come buy it behind me anyways. Dealers are off in la-la land right now and we're all suffering for it as customers.

There's the problem. They have all the leverage. If the CEO of Ford puts his money where his mouth is and expands options for factory ordering then the stealerships will have to get their act together to become competitive again or simply go away which I would not mind at all.

My first car was a 1978 Honda Civic Wagon. My favorite vehicle was a 2000 Honda CR-V LX 2.0L AWD manual, & I wish that I still had that vehicle. The 2.4L Honda engine was a great one, too! Overall, Honda was my favorite brand, but I wouldn't even look at their 1.5 L turbo engine offerings.

The current HR-V doesn't check the right boxes for me. I can justify owning one AWD vehicle where I live, and I'm not a CVT fan.

The Mazda CX-3 or CX-30 checks the important boxes (non-turbo offered, 6-speed auto, & AWD option). I don't see myself buying new vehicles any more. This is an example of what would interest me if I had to replace my 2011 Forester today -

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/e...-4c9471f5cc39/

It's only a few years old.
No accidents listed.
Relatively low mileage (34,179 miles)
2.0L engine
AWD
6-speed auto
Nice color, awesome interior for under $21,000.
Plus, they go "Zoom Zoom"!!!!

quote -
"Mazdas have a lifespan of up to 300,000 miles. According to consumer data, Mazdas have a long lifespan. If diligently maintained, they'll go between 200,000 and 300,000 miles without any severe problems. Anecdotally, some Mazdas have over 350,000 miles and are still hitting the road." Mar 1, 2022

FYI - I just picked a vehicle above. I didn't look that hard. There are surely better deals out there.

For that price, you are getting a pretty nice vehicle in my opinion. I have never owned a Mazda, but they would interest me today.

My local Mitsubishi dealership treated me like I had leprosy when I bought my Mirage back in 2017.
They didn't like that I asked for their OTD price prior to my visit. The salesperson actually handed me off to the general manager because of that. When I told the general manager I had pre-approved 2.49% financing by my local Credit Union, they showed no interest in selling me a car. I sincerely mean "zero" interest. They were kind enough to grant me a test drive, however. I called WB back the next day & saved myself $3,500+ OTD. WB delievered my Mirage to my driveway (4 hours from them). I can't knock White Bear Mitsubishi, but my local dealership was scum. They were literally shut down by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in 2020. Very few noticed because of COVID. The new owners aren't much better from what I have heard. My Mirage has done one air bag recall @ WB, & I hope it never sees another dealership again.

If I was independently wealthy, I still don't see myself buying a new vehicle these days. I can't really boycott Bud Light, because I don't drink that much beer. I can boycott new vehicle prices, however.

[7milesout]

Mazda makes good vehicles. They're not Toyotas, but they're better than Hyundai-Kia. I'm blessed. I'm back up to 10 vehicles (one is for sale). 3 of those vehicles are my sons'. 1 is for sale, and 1 is my wife's hooptie. That leaves me personally with 5.

Out of those 5 vehicles, 2 were given to me (dad's truck & Plymouth Scamp both in the picture below), and the 1 Camry that is for sale I bought from my parents (nearly 10 years ago), for $2,750. That leaves me having only bought 2 "expensive" vehicles. My Ram I bought 23.5 years ago ($34k new), and my LS 460L, which I stole for $35k and it had 13,800 miles on it, with a window sticker of about 82k to 84k (the window sticker is in the car still). My sons' cars were $7,500, $8,100, and $7,500 respectively.

So yeah, I have a lot of cars, but have paid far less for them all than a lot of people pay for 1 or 2 cars. I'm blessed because if I have a problem with any of those cars, I just drive another. And fix the problem myself for CHEEEEEP. Here's what I just got through doing to my dad's (mine now) GMC. I relaced all the fuel and emissions lines, replaced the bottom-out bumpers, and threw 2.5 inch drop shackles on the rear. The front is stock level and kind of low. The rear sits almost perfectly level with it, making it look more sporty, kind of like a NASTruck. Already had a stranger say, "Nice little truck." It's full size, but compared to today's trucks, it is small. SCSB 2WD with a V8. After my repairs, it is in near perfect condition. Been all over that truck, my Ram seems better put together. (Sorry to side-track the thread).

[Mark]

Mazda makes good vehicles. They're not Toyotas, but they're better than Hyundai-Kia. I'm blessed. I'm back up to 10 vehicles (one is for sale). 3 of those vehicles are my sons'. 1 is for sale, and 1 is my wife's hooptie. That leaves me personally with 5.

Out of those 5 vehicles, 2 were given to me (dad's truck & Plymouth Scamp both in the picture below), and the 1 Camry that is for sale I bought from my parents (nearly 10 years ago), for $2,750. That leaves me having only bought 2 "expensive" vehicles. My Ram I bought 23.5 years ago ($34k new), and my LS 460L, which I stole for $35k and it had 13,800 miles on it, with a window sticker of about 82k to 84k (the window sticker is in the car still). My sons' cars were $7,500, $8,100, and $7,500 respectively.

So yeah, I have a lot of cars, but have paid far less for them all than a lot of people pay for 1 or 2 cars. I'm blessed because if I have a problem with any of those cars, I just drive another. And fix the problem myself for CHEEEEEP. Here's what I just got through doing to my dad's (mine now) GMC. I relaced all the fuel and emissions lines, replaced the bottom-out bumpers, and threw 2.5 inch drop shackles on the rear. The front is stock level and kind of low. The rear sits almost perfectly level with it, making it look more sporty, kind of like a NASTruck. Already had a stranger say, "Nice little truck." It's full size, but compared to today's trucks, it is small. SCSB 2WD with a V8. After my repairs, it is in near perfect condition. Been all over that truck, my Ram seems better put together. (Sorry to side-track the thread).

If any of these vehicles have fog lights, it's not been side-tracked!