George's Garage

[George]

Thanks, TB. Interesting about the suicide doors. They look like they wouldn't swing open as far as regular doors and therefore be easier to use in tight spots, but I don't have any experience with them.

I've read a bunch of Element reviews since yesterday. People seem to either love them or hate 'em, like anything else on the internet, I guess. Reviews are either "This is the greatest vehicle ever made" or "I'll never buy a Honda again!" I might go test drive one, just to satisfy my curiosity. I'd also like to check out the Toyota Venza and Honda Accord Crosstour.

I've just about eliminated a Ridgeline from consideration due to initial cost, poor gas mileage, and the size of the beasts. They are bigger than I thought. I measured in the garage last night and marked it with painter's tape to see how much room one would require. A Ridgeline will fit, but would take up floor space that we're currently using for other things (trash & recycling bins, bicycles, lawnmower, etc.). That's too bad, as they're one of only a few modern cars that really appeal to me, rather than just being some bland appliance I should settle for as sensible transportation and nothing more.

[George]

Anyone knowledgeable in modern automotive bodywork?

If so, I'm curious how difficult and expensive is it to re-align modern plastic bumpers that have been bumped out of place. I'm imagining there are plastic spacers in between the bumpers and the frame that I could order from RockAuto and replace myself from underneath the car. Or is there a lot more to it than that?

Here's a slightly blurry example on my current car.



And here's what makes me ask this question. This is on a Honda Ridgeline I looked at yesterday (yeah, I know I said I woudn't, but I still might). I'm not as concerned about the paint scratch as I am the alignment of the body panels. Is something like this cheap and/or easy to fix, or is this an expensive repair best done by a professional body repair shop?

[TheBenior]

Provided whatever the fasteners/clips are attached to aren't broken and you don't have seized metal screws (both are big ifs in older cars), it's generally not that difficult to remove and reattach a bumper. It definitely helps to have a second set of hands, however.

[George]

Thanks. Good to know. I'm tempted, but will probably pass on that one, despite how few of them there are for sale around here.

[George]

Today's first world problem: car shopping sucks! No wonder I do it so seldom. I am staggered by sticker shock and disappointed that all the cars that appeal to me were seemingly the manufacturer's weirdo models that they only made in small numbers, and/or are being hoarded because people like them (I hope that's why). And some cars that I used to think I might want to own someday have "gone by" - the Honda Element is one of those. They seemed so cool when they came out, and now they just don't for some reason.

There seems to be a ledge from which to fall in terms of price and mileage where you go from too new and nice to too old and too many miles to bother "starting over" with. There are a lot of three and four year old vehicles with well under 100K miles for YUGE money and then very little in between those and the 10-12 year old ones with 150K - 200K miles. I must like older ones better, as I keep finding myself reading ads on craigslist where sellers say it would be a good first car for teenagers, or worse - that it was their teen's (or teens' car ) before they left for college or the Navy or whatever. Is this as far as I've gotten in life so far? I guess so.

And screw all car dealers who put "call for price" in your ads. Really. They NEVER can give me a price without wanting my name and phone number first.

"No thanks, I'll hold while you look up your asking price."

"I'll have to call you back. I'm with a customer now."

Bullshit. And they know it. And same with the "click here to chat" feature on their websites. All they want to do is harvest names, phone numbers, and anything else they can get out of me. They give NO information and only ask for mine.

And what sorcery (or software) is this? I turned off my caller ID and called the local Honda dealer a while back to ask about a vehicle on their website. I got three calls back in the next couple of days, all from different people at that dealership. How did they get my number if I turned it off in the iPhone settings?

Oh well, none of this is all that important, but it's more fun than the data entry I'm supposed to be doing now.

Here's my latest interest - not this specific car, but the Ford Flex in general. Love the white roof and dual exhaust on these...sort of like when Dodge offered a "Sport" minivan with stripes and sporty wheels. They're not fooling anyone except us Clark Griswolds who just want to retain just a tiny part of our joie de vivre.

2010 Ford Flex Limited w/Ecoboost AWD All Wheel Drive SKU:ABA70618 - $9187



What I ought to buy if I had any sense:

Spotless 2005 Honda Accord - 52,000 original miles! Just serviced - $6950

[dodint]

I have a similar issue with my credit union car buying service. You get a discount and get to see exactly what the document fees are, but to get that far the CU gives the dealer your name, number, and e-mail. So I have been deflecting calls from various dealers in the southeast because I was trying to get a feel for the market down there. Oh well.

[George]

At least you know how they got your number. I'm still perplexed about them still getting my number even with caller ID off on my phone. I was in sales (not cars or anything direct to consumers, business-to-business only) for several years so I understand why they want to fill the prospect sheets and look like they're busy, even if they're not selling anything that day, but I don't want to play that game. Fortunately, all the constant spam calls we get these days makes it easy to ignore the car salesmen along with everyone else.

Earlier today I spotted a vehicle I like on a dealer's site that's probably too old and has too many miles, but it's a hard-to-find vehicle. The last time I saw one of similar age and mileage, it was a Saturday morning and I drove right there (it's not far away) as soon as I saw the ad. They said there was already a deposit on it by the time I got there, and I believed them because they didn't even ask my name or anything and just watched me walk away without trying to stop me. So I clicked on their Chat feature this morning. Then, three choices - Parts, Service, or Sales. Of course I clicked Sales. I got a person who said they couldn't discuss the vehicle over chat and would need to get my information to have someone in SALES contact me!

Of course I can call or visit in person, but it just pisses me off that they have to play all those games, and this at a dealership who claims to be above all that. I can only imagine how they do things at some of the more obviously sleazy new car dealers. There's one near me that only puts TRUSTED VALUE PRICING! in every single ad title and Call For Price inside the ad. Yeah, right.

And I say all this quite humbly and in good humor. I'm damn lucky to even be in a position to think about getting something else to drive, but it sure is a chore.

[dodint]

My guess on the iPhone deal is that the Caller ID masking done by your phone did not make it through the jump from wireless carrier to the landline trunking system. My presumption is *67 would be a more surefire way of doing that because it is 'universally' recognized by the landline system as the way to mask a call. Just a wild ass guess, though.

[George]

I remember *67! I figured it wouldn't work these days. Might have to try it and see...

[speedpimp]

The Flex with a black roof and maroon everywhere else is a stunning looking vehicle.