I managed to pare the fleet down to just three cars, and they are now all in various states of broken.
- 2000 Porsche Boxster S - I just replaced the MAS today which seems to have cleared the CEL, but I have smoke on start up (AOS?) and it desperatley needs two front tires (RE71R's, bald and blistered).
- 2011 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T - Glugging a quart of oil every 300-500 miles even though we replaced the PCV and the AOS with the updated stuff. Just did plugs, coils, and CRC IVD on it a few hundred miles ago and it's gotten to smoking lightly at idle (grey) and on engine decel. Also a new CEL for turbo underboost so the boost controller thing (N75) is likely ready for replacement. The smoke and oil consumption have me worried it's the dreaded ring issue and it's time to dump it off a cliff.
- 2013 Ford Flex EcoBoost - Everything was pretty good with it until I noticed a new coolant leak that is either the upper radiator hose assembly and/or the timing-chain driven water pump... I hate this thing already and I haven't even put 3,000 miles on it.
So, what would you do? The German cars are paid off, but I still owe $9500 on the stupid Ford. We need at least 1 vehicle that holds 6. Do we sell the two problem cars and get other potential time bombs? At what point in my life did an IMS-eating M96-engined Porsche become my most reliable vehicle?!?
Sell the Audi, keep the Porsche and put 1/3 of the Audi money into the Flex maintenance fund.
I have not followed along with ya since the flex purchase. What do you like/dislike so far .. aside from latest leak?
Keep the Porsche, sell the Audi, trade the Ford for something boring, Japanese and reliable.
In reply to slowbird :
I fell in love with the flex when it first showed at the local dealer. But then I found out ford made ‘em fwd. 
03Panther said:
I have not followed along with ya since the flex purchase. What do you like/dislike so far .. aside from latest leak?
It's an EcoBoost AWD model and everything is just crammed the berk in there. It's also got literally every option because it was a 2013 (first year of the facelift) built in March of 2012 for a regional sales rep and it's frustrating trying to get parts for those rare options (like the inflatable second row seatbelts, the refrigerator, and the automatic parallel parking sensors). I love the way it drives and the power but I'm not sure I can keep it together.
Snowdoggie said:
Keep the Porsche, sell the Audi, trade the Ford for something boring, Japanese and reliable.
We need at least one vehicle that holds six and at least one vehicle that holds four. Stupid kids!
Sell either Audi or Flex (seems like a coin toss) and use proceeds to fix the one you keep and help get you into a minivan from Asia. No opinion on the Porsche, kind of sounds like you're in throw-parts-at-it mode? Maybe an upgrade there makes sense, maybe you just need to find a specialist that can help get the car corrected.
Fix the flex. Seems like you just don't like it because of some reason.
so fix it sell the Audi. Buy a tune. Then you'll love it.
if you want to sell it get a sequoia. My friend had one for lots of miles.
Pay to get the Flex fixed. This seems to be the car you need the most with its 6 or 4 seating. Sometimes it is just best to send it out for repair if that's what it takes to get it back in service the quickest.
Audi might require more thought. I suspect if you repair it, you'll take a while to get it completed. This might take a while. Sending it out for repair might be cost prohibitive or more that you want to invest. Slowly evaluate or unload.
If I'm reading right, Boxter just needs tires. Either buy them or let the car sit until tires can be budgeted. But, getting some tires quickly should get this car back on the road quickly. Keep the Boxter around for the good times!
Or, said another way, F the Boxter, Marry the Flex, Kill the Audi
Put tires on the Porsche.
Dump the A4.
Trade Flex in on a 3rd gen (05-10) Odyssey EX or similar age Sienna.
Another option to consider if you don't feel like working on a car is that many shops will have a "free" rental to borrow while vehicle is being worked on. So you can get your car fixed and not be down a vehicle.
John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) said:
Or, said another way, F the Boxter, Marry the Flex, Kill the Audi
I like this way of thinking.
Is this where its right to suggest buying an automotive cockroach? Something like an old chevy cadavlier just to have as backup.
There comes a time in every wrenchers life where its time to just pull out the wallet and use it to get something fixed for the sake of sanity and exigency. Do that on the Flex.
Do a little checking and seriously consider dumping the audi for something simpler and easier to have work farmed out on. My experience with german cars is that they fail on those two points usually.
The porsche- tires are as tires do, you autocross it so thats almost expected at some point. As far as the coolant smoke on startup, I have seen that before but cant remember what it means. Are you in it for the haul with this one, even if you have cleared your plate of the others?
Another thought on the Flex... You have had it less than 3k miles so very recent. A personal logic that I hold is that I budget for $1k in additional cost after buying a used car. I figure this $1 is to cover whatever unforeseen things that crop up; typically that thing that the previous owner didn't want to deal with and the reason he unloaded it. At 3k miles, you are still in that window of those undiscovered repairs.
I guess I am trying to say that the Flex needing some maint now that it is in your hands should not bee seen as alarming or a big surprise. The Flex ownership could be rather sunny once you get to the other side of this current hurdle.
90BuickCentury said:
Put tires on the Porsche.
Dump the A4.
Trade Flex in on a 3rd gen (05-10) Odyssey EX or similar age Sienna.
Another option to consider if you don't feel like working on a car is that many shops will have a "free" rental to borrow while vehicle is being worked on. So you can get your car fixed and not be down a vehicle.
I like this option.
I've had two friends with a Flex, both had lots of problems.
All my life I have had one rule about vehicles: There has to be one in the driveway that I could hop in and drive 3,000 miles with no concern.
Since the 1980s that vehicle has always been Japanese.
Of those three vehicles, I know you're ticked at the Ford for having a leak, but it is by far the least money sucking car of the three. Caveats for the possibility of being a lemon, but the Flex has been reportedly really reliable in the engine category. The Germans in the fleet represent the highest cost of maintenance and ownership by a massive margin. I probably don't share your love of German brands, but I would personally dump them both and replace with one viable vehicle. I drank the Ferdinand Kool-aid for a while, but for me I found that any modestly improved driving experience you get is more than offset by the empty wallet.
Patrick (Forum Supporter) said:
Mazda 5 is your answer 
I can't tell you how much sleep I've lost and liquor I've drunk over selling mine. 
I was seriously shopping for a Explorer until I read about their water pump and the 15 hours it takes to change it.
I'd sell them all and start from scratch.
