Bobby's used car lot and Free Carfax

**BmillsSkier** · 01-24-2025, 12:09 PM

Couldn't hurt.

**dan_pdx** · 01-24-2025, 12:48 PM

Mountain Girl was banned? Why? I thought she just stopped coming, like Benny

**Hopeless Sinner** · 01-24-2025, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by m2711c

Maybe we should just unban everybody and see how it goes? Welcome back mountain girl!

Well everybody except Glademaster!fact

**gravitylover** · 01-25-2025, 08:37 AM

So I finally got dad's car yesterday. It's a 2019 Benz A220 4matic with nearly every option. Pretty nice car

There are a few things that are super annoying like the shit throttle response even in all sport modes and how clunky it makes some shifts but when I drive it like my dad would have it's ok I guess but not as buttery as I thought a Benz would be. I also didn't expect the wind noise on the highway to be so significant, I'm going to go through it and clean the window and door seals because it's been mostly sitting for a year and I bet that'll help a lot. It's been too long since I've had a nice car with just 12k miles so that's nice. I'm totally amazed at the amount of data that can be displayed on the screens and how easily you can pull up specifics while driving. It did take me almost an hour to figure out how to find the odometer though, made me feel like a rookie.

There's one small tab that shows consumption and it has a zone marked CHARGE, when coasting or on downhills the dial moves into that zone and it feels almost like regen braking but it isn't a hybrid (I don't think so anyway). What's that all about? The active seats are really cool! The bolsters and leg supports move to hold you in place better when driving hard, IOW in a hard right turn the left bolster tightens so you don't roll to the outside. That's fukn cool

So is the fact that the interior lighting can be adjusted which isn't too big a deal now but it can be made to be an ever changing rainbow of colors that moves around the car. It makes highway driving at night pretty entertaining.

It's too bad that it's totally the wrong kind of car for my work because I could probably get used to it. Having to pay the extra dollar a gallon for premium would hurt at my 40k/yr, stuff I need to travel with doesn't fit and I'm allergic to sedans. That part hit pretty hard yesterday when I was sitting at a light and looked in the window of the store next to me and saw my dad driving, not me.

Can't be having that

so I'm trying to figure out what the thing is actually worth but there aren't many comps with such low miles. The easiest way is to trade it off at a dealer for what I need but I'm guessing that won't maximize the value. Thoughts...?

**riser4** · 01-25-2025, 09:44 AM

Road trip!

**gravitylover** · 01-25-2025, 10:12 AM

Well yeah. Duh... I'll probably do almost 1k miles a week for a while and I need to be in Chicago on the 12/13th next month so that'll be about 1800 miles by itself.

**Touring_Sedan** · 01-25-2025, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by gravitylover

So I finally got dad's car yesterday. It's a 2019 Benz A220 4matic with nearly every option. Pretty nice car

There are a few things that are super annoying like the shit throttle response even in all sport modes and how clunky it makes some shifts but when I drive it like my dad would have it's ok I guess but not as buttery as I thought a Benz would be. I also didn't expect the wind noise on the highway to be so significant, I'm going to go through it and clean the window and door seals because it's been mostly sitting for a year and I bet that'll help a lot. It's been too long since I've had a nice car with just 12k miles so that's nice. I'm totally amazed at the amount of data that can be displayed on the screens and how easily you can pull up specifics while driving. It did take me almost an hour to figure out how to find the odometer though, made me feel like a rookie.

There's one small tab that shows consumption and it has a zone marked CHARGE, when coasting or on downhills the dial moves into that zone and it feels almost like regen braking but it isn't a hybrid (I don't think so anyway). What's that all about? The active seats are really cool! The bolsters and leg supports move to hold you in place better when driving hard, IOW in a hard right turn the left bolster tightens so you don't roll to the outside. That's fukn cool

So is the fact that the interior lighting can be adjusted which isn't too big a deal now but it can be made to be an ever changing rainbow of colors that moves around the car. It makes highway driving at night pretty entertaining.

It's too bad that it's totally the wrong kind of car for my work because I could probably get used to it. Having to pay the extra dollar a gallon for premium would hurt at my 40k/yr, stuff I need to travel with doesn't fit and I'm allergic to sedans. That part hit pretty hard yesterday when I was sitting at a light and looked in the window of the store next to me and saw my dad driving, not me.

Can't be having that

so I'm trying to figure out what the thing is actually worth but there aren't many comps with such low miles. The easiest way is to trade it off at a dealer for what I need but I'm guessing that won't maximize the value. Thoughts...?

Wasn't this the same make of vehicle you couldn't even be in the same county as because Hitler?

**gravitylover** · 01-25-2025, 06:51 PM

Sorta yeah but it's free to me and will turn into $$ pretty quickly. If it was better for my work I'd push to keep it because it is pretty cool but since it isn't I'll let her feel like she won't this one.

**gravitylover** · 01-25-2025, 06:52 PM

Can't edit

...she won...

**Mustonen** · 01-26-2025, 09:33 AM

I checked out of the extended discussion on TRG and stick to gear and skiing now.

The insular cool kids (er…old men) club just gets old. Tolerable if it’s open and unmoderated discussion but when we get a bunch of panty twisting and moderating over topics and posters some people just don’t like to see on their feed, I’m out. I think unbanning users is way too little too late.

Hope the old dudes have fun talking about how rad they used to be in an empty room.

**MontuckyFried** · 01-27-2025, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by gravitylover

So I finally got dad's car yesterday. It's a 2019 Benz A220 4matic with nearly every option. Pretty nice car

There are a few things that are super annoying like the shit throttle response even in all sport modes and how clunky it makes some shifts but when I drive it like my dad would have it's ok I guess but not as buttery as I thought a Benz would be. I also didn't expect the wind noise on the highway to be so significant, I'm going to go through it and clean the window and door seals because it's been mostly sitting for a year and I bet that'll help a lot.

Congrats. Should be a nice little ride. As for the vehicle not quite meeting your Benz expectations, keep in mind it's an A-class. More of a Corolla class of vehicle. Nothing wrong with that. Just dial expectations accordingly, ya know? The E and S classes are entirely different categories, each in their own. Now THOSE have buttery smooth shifts and quieter cabins. Personally, I think the A220 is a really nice looking ride. Enjoy!

Sent from my Pixel 8 using TGR Forums mobile app

**gravitylover** · 02-02-2025, 11:43 AM

As I get used to it and solved the throttle response issue it's a pretty nice little ride. Too bad it's so wrong for my needs. Even at ~35mpg the extra dollar per gallon for premium gas and some of the maintenance costs take it out too. Anyway... Twice now I've walked out of dealerships with vehicles I'd trade for when they insist that the price is fifteen hundred more than posted because I'd be trading or paying cash. Back to the same old shit where if you don't use their financing you get whacked. WTF!

**riser4** · 02-02-2025, 12:09 PM

Do you have the ability to finance and then pay it off after a month without penalty? Sure, it will cost you a few dollars, but should be less than $1500.

**gravitylover** · 02-02-2025, 12:13 PM

They fuck you out of that too, it's usually a higher fee to pay early than the not-financing hit.

**J. Barron DeJong** · 02-02-2025, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by gravitylover

As I get used to it and solved the throttle response issue it's a pretty nice little ride. Too bad it's so wrong for my needs. Even at ~35mpg the extra dollar per gallon for premium gas and some of the maintenance costs take it out too. Anyway... Twice now I've walked out of dealerships with vehicles I'd trade for when they insist that the price is fifteen hundred more than posted because I'd be trading or paying cash. Back to the same old shit where if you don't use their financing you get whacked. WTF!

You could check if it actually needs premium. Most (all?) new turbo cars are designed to run fine on regular, the boost just gets dialed back a little to prevent detonation and you lose a bit of power. https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...dodge-charger/

**gravitylover** · 02-02-2025, 12:42 PM

Owners manual specifies 93 and says lower will leave carbon deposits. My idiot brother found out when his even dumber wife ran 87 for 4 or 5 tanks and the thing ran like shit and had to be decarboned (or whatever it's called).

**J. Barron DeJong** · 02-02-2025, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Owners manual specifies 93 and says lower will leave carbon deposits. My idiot brother found out when his even dumber wife ran 87 for 4 or 5 tanks and the thing ran like shit and had to be decarboned (or whatever it's called).

Insane that a 188hp 2.0 Turbo can't mange to run on regular.

**MontuckyFried** · 02-02-2025, 02:37 PM

Yeah. Absolutely NOT worth regular if the manual states premium. Now whether or not we like it, I believe it's because many European countries run a higher octane in general. Yes, they use a different value to calculate those numbers, but there's still generally higher. ie when it says 100 on the pump in Germany, it might actually be more like the equivalent of 93 in the US. Still, these engines and ECUs are pretty much designed around 91/93 octane fuel. Sure, they can compensate for lower octanes, but you'll pay for it on the other end with carbon deposits. Only time I run regular is when I'm in a rental.

Both my cars are European, they both recommend premium, thus that's all I give them. NEVER had any carbon issues on any of my vehicles since I've owned them. Fun fact. When I pulled the cylinder head from my Volvo, the cylinders, valves, exhaust manifolds, etc. was naaaaaasty. Previous dorks prolly ran regular. I got my head and valves fully refurbed, cleaned the crap out of the manifolds, cleaned all the carbon off the tops of the pistons, the works. Anyway, 30K miles later, I took a peak inside (via spark plug holes) and everything looks squeaky clean and beautifully polished! I credit high octane and routine 5K oil changes. YMMV.

**fatnslow** · 02-02-2025, 07:37 PM

Even among same mfg/engine it changes. I have a 06 xc70 and 14 S60 , but with 2.5 turbo and the older one specs premium but the newer one says regular. BTW 4-5 tanks of regular WILL NOT create enough carbon deposit for your car to require decarbonized. A few tanks of premium will help your car run much better as the ecu corrects using the o2 sensors etc...

**anotherVTskibum** · 02-02-2025, 09:17 PM

Doesn't elevation matter as well, since higher-elevation stations generally sell lower-octane fuel, which is fine in a normally aspirated engine due to air density but less so a turbo?

I make a habit of running premium in my truck and will buy from stations that sell 93 if I can help it (I'm at sea level now), but I'll admit that remembering when it was 10 cents per grade rather than 50 makes premium seem a bit overpriced these days.

**gravitylover** · 02-05-2025, 04:54 PM

I hate selling used cars but sometimes it's not so bad. We finally got the title issues solved with the FILs old Forester. It started out as another typical FB message of probable scammers but one stood out. When we communicated it was sensible which is already different. Then I looked into his profile and realized I've seen a few of his videos. He worked at a resto shop that restored a beautiful old Allard. Even though the guy was babbling in Portuguese I watched to listen to the car on streets I recognized. We got it running after it sat for 2 years, his wife likes it, we shook hands with no negotiation. Done.

 

If he actually shows up to pick it up after the snow is over it will have turned out better than the last few.

**gravitylover** · 02-08-2025, 09:50 AM

Well how do ya like that, done and done and it did not suck.

 

Now, on to my next move. Where the fuck do I have to go to get a newish cpo car from a dealer without paying a ~$2k penalty for paying cash? WTF. I've talked about it before but this is insane. There has to be a state where the published price is actually the price. I don't need your financing and want nothing to do with talking about it. When I ask if that's your best price I don't want an explanation of how it changes depending on how I pay. Fuckn pain in the ass. It sucks that a dealer salesperson won't talk to you without taking certain info they don't need yet. Why do you need an email and phone number just to talk to me?

 

I dislike buying cars almost as much as selling them.

**BmillsSkier** · 02-11-2025, 10:29 AM

Who here needs a used B8.5 allroad wheel?

I've got one in the garage that I've been informed by my wife needs to go. I'd hate to throw it out and would rather see it go to someone who may need a matching OEM wheel for their Audi wagon one day. It's got the usual scratches and scuffs of a wheel from a 2014 m/y car.

Got it on FBMP and have dealt with the usual scammers. Free to the Mag who wants to pay shipping. I'd post a pic, but, you know with the site and all...