Delaware Auto Repair Shops

DE Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Rumble strips [jbieber]

by rayainsw on Tue Nov 24 03:40:45 PST 2009

“Don't be a numbskull and blame the dealer.” I find the name-calling offensive. As a G8 GT driver, I can make these [ potentially useful ] comments: Though cylinder de-activation can occur at 20-30 MPH, I find that the effect of AFM \ DoD is typically most noticeable at steady speeds between 55 and 65. You can monitor the de-activation by driving at the same speeds \ throttle openings in Engineering Mode. And you can verify [ or eliminate ] AFM as a possibility, by driving under the same conditions in Sport \ Manual – as AFM does NOT activate in that mode. Good luck. - Ray 2009 @ 14,900+ miles . . .

Sienna 2010 -XLE-fwd-EVP#2

by dsmguy on Mon Nov 23 07:33:14 PST 2009

Purchased a 2010 XLE Fwd over the weekend. MSRP 32,705 with these options EVP#2 Fog Lamp JBL speaker floor mat/door sill 17" wheels Got it for $30,000 plus tax, title, license I believe invoice on the vehicle was around $29,087 but throw in the factory advertising charges, etc, then the invoice was around 29,800. Took me a while but basically emailed a few dealers in the area (Iowa) and gave them a list of options and said I was gathering quotes from dealers and was going with the lowest one. The Des Moines dealership won out. The Iowa City dealership didn't even want to deal with me. Long story on that one but basically emailed their GM and asked why bother having an internet department if they're not willing to provide quotes via email?? Hope this helps anyone else looking and good hunting!!

There may be hope yet on busting up the GW Cult

by gagrice on Tue Nov 17 17:19:57 PST 2009

Obama Has Failed the World on Climate Change I say Good for Barry :) US President Barack Obama came to office promising hope and change. But on climate change, he has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Now, should the climate summit in Copenhagen fail, the blame will lie squarely with Obama. But few people expected that Barack Obama, of all people, would continue his predecessor's climate change plan. When he took office at the beginning of 2009, it was clear that the success of the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December depended almost entirely on the US -- that America needed to take a clear leadership role on a problem that could shake civilization to its very core. Obama Lied to the Europeans Barack Obama cast himself as a "citizen of the world" when he delivered his well-received campaign speech in Berlin in the summer of 2008. But the US president has now betrayed this claim. In his Berlin speech, he was dishonest with Europe. Since then, Obama has neglected the single most important issue for an American president who likes to imagine himself as a world citizen, namely, his country's addiction to fossil fuels and the risks of unchecked climate change. Health-care reform and other domestic issues were more important to him than global environmental threats. He was either unwilling or unable to convince skeptics in his own ranks and potential defectors from the ranks of the Republicans to support him, for example, by promising alternative investments as a compensation for states with large coal reserves. Obama's announcement at the APEC summit that it was no longer possible to secure a binding treaty in Copenhagen is the result of his own negligence. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,661678,00.html I say call off the waste of money with meetings in Copenhagen. Get rid of all the dead weight sucking US dry with all their laptop generated charts designed to promote a flawed agenda. I have no problem trying to reduce our energy dependence. I do have a problem subsidizing the rest of the World on the elitist GW scam.

Re: I hate to interrupt.... [tazzi]

by ateixeira on Fri Nov 20 19:33:19 PST 2009

$25k or so...let's see. Here's a good no-haggle dealer in the Mid-Atlantic area: http://fitzmall.com/ Prices include freight, add just $99 processing, and tax. At the low end, a 2.5X Premium with the All-weather package starts at $23,154. That gets you 17" alloys, heated cloth seats/mirrors and wiper de-icer, tinted windows, rear seats that recline, and a neat fold-out tray to seperate the kids. It's a good value and the best selling model. For 5 extra HP get a PZEV model, starting at $23,309. Even at that low price you get a moonroof "big as the Texas sky" as MotorWeek put it. You can step up to a Limited with heated/perforated leather, 6CD, fog lights, auto climate control, etc. for $24,811. Again the PZEV would give you 175hp and starts at $25,078. You asked about interior upgrades - with the Limited, yes, you get a leather steering wheel cover and a leather shift knob as well, plus the fabrics on the door panels is an alcantara similar to what's on the EVO. Lots of little extras you won't notice until you've owned it for a while, too. Don't expect a premium interior, though, at this price level, you'll only be disappointed. In either of these. The XT Premium starts at $25,337. So you trade leather seats for the turbo, basically. Check out Edmunds road tests, the Outlander had a quicker slalom but the Forester had better braking, lateral grip, and acceleration. XT Limiteds without Navi are sold out in all 3 of their locations. Told ya supply was short. I think when they do have them in stock they run about $27 grand. What year Outback? The Forester sits higher, so it's easier to get in and out. The seat is at a level where you basically just slide in sideways, not up or down. We previously owned a 98 Forester (loved it) and an 02 Legacy (OK, but bland), so we much prefer the Foresters. They're lighter and more nimble, easier to park, tighter turning radius, more economical. Just more fun. You want fuel economy and power, which is why I asked if you can drive stick, LOL. I don't think you'll find both, except maybe a RAV4 V6, but that vehicle has other issues best left for another thread. Drive them to see what you find adequate. My wife gets enough speeding camera tickets to convince me she does not need more than 175hp, and she does get good mileage, usually 24-30 mpg or so. Reliability - this month's CR (Dec 09 p. 63) is a worthy read. Subaru has 3 vehicles in the Most Reliable list, Mitsu didn't make the list. That doesn't mean they are unreliable, just not among the very best. I have to love my car Absolutely. get me to Tahoe Edmunds member "kens" loved telling how the cops at the bottom of the mountain would stop other cars and force them to put on tire chains, but wave him on by with his Forester, because they know every Subaru has AWD.

Re: 2007 Odyssey Touring [odydvdnav]

by kiblet1 on Fri Nov 20 09:01:43 PST 2009

IMHO - you'll regret your decision once you need to replace your PAX tires on the Touring (unless it has already been de-PAXed)

Re: Regal gets a stick [plekto]

by british_rover on Fri Nov 20 07:43:16 PST 2009

The new vehicle is stated to range between 3450 and 3600 lbs depending on trim and the motor is de-tuned from the Saab version so as to use regular gas. It's a softer, less powerful and, heavier "Americanized" version of the Insignia and it's going to just not work at all on U.S. highways and with the way we drive. Whoa hang on a minute. The Saab 2.0T makes 210 hp and the new Buick 2.0T is going to make 220 so no it is not detuned. The 9-3 is already designed to run on regular gas. Just go look at fueleconomy.gov every 9-3 is tuned to run on regular gas not premium. The Saab doesn't have direct injection and the Buick is supposed to AFIK. test drove that Saab 9-3 with that motor as well - and it was Toyota Corolla boring - it felt like everyone else's 4 cylinder econobox - though with better suspension and interior(500lbs more than a Civic for instance makes a huge difference that 30-40 extra HP doesn't cover). What year 9-3 did you drive? That doesn't sound like any new body 2003 and 9-3 I have driven except for maybe a base linear model with the low pressure little t turbo. Those linear models only made 175 hp so yeah they feel a little down on power. Plus what is more important in real world driving 0-60 or 40-60 and 50-70 passing? With the way the turbo is set up on the 2.0T and getting peak torque at 2,500 rpms passing speed is excellent. Just look at the other vehicles in this class. Most have four cylinders and are FWD or FWD biased AWD with hp in the low 200 range. The TSX four cylinder is just like that and the V6 TSX is stupid. Way too front heavy and doesn't handle well. The S60 that just went out of production had similar power. The A4 also has similar power. The only two vehicles that don't fit that mold in the class are the C-Class and the 3 series. Even with Rear Wheel drive the C-Class has never been very sporty. The 3 series is obviously the most sporty but it is more money and the base motor only makes 230 hp so not a big difference really. link title The SAAB is the lightest of that group and only the A4 has more torque probably because of the direct injection on the Audi.