Saturday's test drives

"fhrblig" (fhrblig) 09/29/2018 at 18:20 • Filed to: Kinda necessary car shopping with fhrblig

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I’ve had a couple of cars in mind that I wanted to check out, and I rifled through Cars.com this morning to see if anything else caught my eye. Something did, for sure. I went and looked at it first.

It’s a 2012 Nissan Cube with 67k. Here’s a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to the ad.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Yes, I know, lots of people hate them. “It’s so ugly! Why would you want anything with a CVT? They’re terrible!” Yes, the CVT sucks.

NO CVT! 6-speed manual FTW. I went up to Longmont to check it out. After my truck experience, I went over this thing way more critically than usual. It’s clean inside mostly. Really needs a good vacuuming, but everything is in good shape. Power everything, decent stereo (more on that later), and not very much damage anywhere.

Took it for a drive, and it felt WAY faster than the horrid CVT. The 6-speed is mostly good, though the grid is a little too close together for my tastes. It’s easy to accidentally try for 4th when you mean to put in in 6th. But the shifts are smooth and easy. The clutch pedal is light, but not too light. The feel is ok. It drove solid. N o pulling, no noise.

There are a couple of problems. First, the rear speakers are out. No sound at all. It’s a factory head unit. The fronts work (but are not that good TBH), but nothing from the rears. The other problem is a very small oil leak. It dripped about 2 drops of oil while we were looking at it. Judging by the location I’d guess it’s from the oil pan gasket, but it also could be a leaky filter. I could see the filter from the top of the engine but couldn’t get a good look underneath the filter . The salesman will have it looked at on Monday for me and call me back. If those two things are fixed, I think it’s the current front runner. I really enjoyed it, and I know my partner will get a kick out of it too. We’ll see what happens.

While I was in Longmont I planned to look at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I posted a while back, but apparently they sold it yesterday. Boo.

Second, I went to the dealer where I bought my Optima to look at a 2009 Hyundai Elantra SE. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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It’s a grand cheaper than the Cube and it does have a sunroof , but it has 50k more miles. Also, it’s not as clean inside.

Hyundai/Kia fabrics are nasty to begin with, and these seats are all stained pretty bad. Other than that it’s ok. No weird smells or other interior damage.

I took it for a drive. It definitely has more power than the Cube but the shifter is vague and the clutch engage point is too close to the floor. Enthusiasts love to pretend that a manual is always better than an automatic, but that’s a load of crap. This car would be better with an auto, sorry. It’s fine, but it adds zero fun to the experience. Just more work.

The problems with this Elantra are a surprising amount of rust on the metal cross member right above the radiator (surprising because this is a Colorado car according to the Carfax), and the sunroof is sagging on one end. It’s like it’s compressing the seal on one side. That’s not a good sign. There’s no evidence of water getting into the cabin, but it’s a matter of time. I’ll pass on this one, as there are a few other Elantras I could look at in this range. I could look at them , but I won’t. My biggest reservation was that while I test drove it I could hear myself thinking, “Nope, I don’t want this.” It’s so painfully boring. Cross this one off the list.

Finally, while I was in the neighborhood, I decided to look at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

An orange HHR panel. Go ahead, fight me. I’ve been mostly indifferent to these, but for some reason I really like the panel version.

Also, it’s a manual.

Weirdly, all of the interior pictures of this in the ad make it look like it was filthy inside, but it’s not. It could use a good Svending, sure, but it’s not that bad, really. It does have a bit of a funk in it, mostly smoke. I didn’t drive this one yet because it was buried. The lot is really tiny. They did start it for me and it sounds good, all the fluids look good, but the manual is not precise like the Nissan. It reminds me more of a truck transmission. I don’t think it’d bug me that much. I told the guy I’d call ahead next time so they can get it dug out. It seems like it’d be fun and it’s also cheaper than the Cube.

Like I said, right now the Cube is the front runner. I know the engine fairly well from the old Versa I maintained at my last job (which is still buzzing around with 240k+ miles), the mileage is so low, and it’s in great shape. And it was fun! As long as the oil leak and speakers are fixed, I may pull the trigger. If not, I’ll see if I can try out the HHR later in the week.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 18:39

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What is it about Nissan s and gays? Half the gay people I know seem to  drive a Nissan.

fhrblig > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/29/2018 at 18:41

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You aren’t wrong. We seem to love them. I actually don’t like most Nissans , but I do like the Cube.  And my partner had a Juke (and still misses it).

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 18:52

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I know 3 couples with a Ju ke.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/29/2018 at 18:54

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Half of the gay men I know drive Hondas (and I’m among them, haha).

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 09/29/2018 at 19:00

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I had two gay roommates, one had a 323, the other had a V6 S195 Mustang. My cousin drives a 128i. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/29/2018 at 19:03

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Was that a BMW 3 23 or a Mazda 323? Big difference.

Under_Score > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:05

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No offense, but 67K seems like very low mileage for an oil leak and two blown speakers. My car has more miles and no blown speakers or oil leaks. I have the stock radio bass-adjusted and the speakers still work well, knock on wood.

fhrblig > Under_Score 09/29/2018 at 19:07

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I don’t think they’re blown, I think it’s a wiring issue.  Blown speakers will still make noise. These are silent.

Under_Score > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:11

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That’s still kind of worrisome either way. The idea of having something like an oil leak scares me.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:18

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The cube gets my vote, the speakers and oil leak don’t concern me one bit.

fhrblig > Under_Score 09/29/2018 at 19:19

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If it’s from the filter it’s not a problem, and if it’s the oil pan gasket it’s not that bad either. I just don’t want to pay for it.

It started well and sounded fine.  I checked the oil before we started and it was full and clean.

fhrblig > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/29/2018 at 19:21

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If it were a valve cover gasket I might be a bit more concerned, but I agree. I may even plan on putting better speakers in anyway, so that doesn’t bother me t hat much either.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:23

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It’s a double DIN stereo, you could get an alpine or sony from crutchfiled with a wiring harness for less than $100, everything will sound 100 times better than the stock stereo.

Tristan > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:24

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I’m gonna go against the grain and vote HHR... I like the styling (fite me), and the panel is just weird enough to be cool.

fhrblig > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/29/2018 at 19:25

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I actually don’t mind the Nissan head unit, TBH.  The work Versa had the same one but its speakers sucked too.  I wonder how well the sound can be improved with the factory unit.

fhrblig > Tristan 09/29/2018 at 19:26

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I wish I could have driven it.  The gearbox was so much stiffer than the Nissan, but I liked the linkage better.

Future Heap Owner > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:27

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Cuuuube! I like that weird old thing : ugly as sin but very practical. Hard to get much more cargo space  for that footprint.

fhrblig > Future Heap Owner 09/29/2018 at 19:28

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It really has acres of space inside.  I like it.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:29

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IIRC at least with my last Subaru Impreza the factory units are way under powered, like 2-3 watts per channel. A sub $100 Alpine I installed was around 20 watt s per channel. Even with the OEM speakers the difference in sound was astounding, like night and day.

fhrblig > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/29/2018 at 19:33

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You should have heard the stereo in my Optima. The sound quality was not good. It was such a dry sound. FM sounded like satellite radio, and satellite radio sounded like ass.

The sound in the HHR i s better than the Cube and the Elantra . One thing the domestic makers all seem to do well is stereos.

AkursedX > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 19:41

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My Mom has a Cube. Besides the CVT, I love it. And it's easy to work on. FYI, the oil filter location is at the front of the engine and a little off to the passengers side. It might help you get an idea of whether it's truly the filter or not. I've been wanting to drive a 6spd one as I think it would be a fun, economical daily that is also quite the hauler.

fhrblig > AkursedX 09/29/2018 at 19:42

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I could see the filter from the top, but I couldn’t really see the area directly under it.  I think it’s probably the pan gasket.

Brickman > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 20:05

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The HHR interior makes me claustrophobic just looking at it.

The cube is the best, unless you plan on looking at more vehicles.

fhrblig > Brickman 09/29/2018 at 20:10

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It looks tight, but it’s not bad actually. Could use a bit more headroom.

E92M3 > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 20:45

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I’d rather have a 12 yr old Honda Accord with 250k miles than that C ube (or any Nissan product). FWIW my first car was a Pulsar (first/ last Nissan I will ever own). The best thing I can say about it, is that it taught me how to wrench.

Kiltedpadre > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 20:55

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The Cubs has actually grown on me. When new I absolutely hated them, but now I’d consider one given the chance.

I know two people that owned them and both loved them. One loved it so much that she kept it from new to 250,000 miles. She did rebuild the transmission twice, but that was the cvt not the stick.

Bummer the Lincoln was gone. I really liked that option.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > fhrblig 09/29/2018 at 23:09

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I test drive a Cube with a friend once that did have the CVT, but he’s not at all into cars or driving so it didn’t matter. I liked everything about it. Such a funky, but useful car. Lots of quirky cars make you give up utility for style  but not the Cube. 

Racin'Jason001 > fhrblig 09/30/2018 at 20:55

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I like the C ube and the HHR. B oth have a cool factor to me. I prefer the HHR (especially the panel van look) , but the Cube is just as neat.

fhrblig > Racin'Jason001 09/30/2018 at 21:24

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I should hear from the Cube dealer tomorrow. If they agree to fix it I think it's going to be mine. If not, I'll drive the HHR. I found a couple other possibilities too, so it's nice to have options.

Lokiparts > fhrblig 10/03/2018 at 13:48

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I’m not sure exactly where in Colorado you are located, but please allow me to offer you some unsolicited Craigslist suggestions t o h o p e f u l l y c o m p l i c a t e y o u r d e c i s i o n f u r t h e r .

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/2013-police-interceptor-awd/6707127162.html

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/2008-honda-civic-si/6688457440.html

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/2010-ford-fobo/6702959139.html

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/2010-mazda-3-gt-pearl-white/6698668961.html

fhrblig > Lokiparts 10/03/2018 at 14:20

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I’m in the metro area.

I like the idea of the police interceptor, but I don’t think my CU would  allow me to finance one of those. The F-150 is nice too, but it’s too late. I’m going to pick up my new car this afternoon. I'll be making a post about it later. Thanks for the suggestions, though!

Lokiparts > fhrblig 10/03/2018 at 14:45

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Ahh, fair enough. Well I look forward to seeing what you chose. Personally I hope it’s the Cube.

D o n ’ t g e t m e w r o n g , I h a v e a l w a y s t h o u g ht H H R s w e r e k i n d o f c o o l t o o. T h e p r o b l e m i s t h a t I s t i l l h a v e a b a d t a s t e i n m y m o u t h a f t e r o w n i n g s e v e r a l different GM vehicles over the last few years t h a t h a v e a l l h a d f r e q u e n t a n d v a r r i e d e l e c t r i c a l i s s u e s . I t h a s p r e t t y m u c h c a u s e d m e p e r s o n a l l y t o a v o i d considering a n y GM vehicles made from the l a t e 9 0 ' s t o e a r l y t e e n s.