Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stever · August 2015

Well bummer....

roadburner · August 2015

stever said:
Well bummer....

You can say that again; I was actually a bit excited about picking it up and taking it to a HPDE next month.

stever · August 2015

I was looking forward to another "long term road test". Not to mention the straight line comparison to the twisty cars you drive.

roadburner · August 2015

A couple of the things that confirmed my decision to get the GT were comments from a couple of my fellow track geeks who LOVED the car. Both guys have either owned or driven just about every generation of the M3. One said, "The GT with the Performance Package has 90% of of the fun and performance of the M3, for 50% of the cost."
And in the case of the car I found it would have been closer to 40%...

Mr_Shiftright · August 2015

"good things get snatched" as the Brits used to say.

henryn · August 2015

Here's another "punch that almost was". I wrote this up and sent it to the General Manager of the dealership yesterday, and I intend to post it everywhere I can find that does dealer reviews. My story:

Thursday, August 20, 2015, I received an email from Davis Chevrolet offering a 2015 Silverado Crewcab Texas Edition for $28,995. Stock #369455

Friday, August 21, 2015, approximately 5:00 p.m. I arrived at Davis Chevrolet, and was greeted by a sales representative. His business card says “Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx”, “Internet Manager”.

I showed him the ad (which I had printed), he brought around the truck, and we went for a test drive. We went inside to his office to work the numbers. The truck in question was already sold, or about to be sold. Xxxxxxx went through his stock, found a very similar truck, and brought it around for my inspection. The second unit was not a “Texas Edition”, instead an “All Star”. But it did have more features, and I liked it better.

Xxxxxxx ran the numbers, said the second truck was going to run $30k instead of $29k, which did not seem unreasonable, given the extra features – power seat, larger in-dash screen, back up camera, …

I gave him the keys to my 2013 F150, he (or someone) evaluated my trade. The numbers came back at $30k for the new Chevrolet, $22k for my trade in. Difference of $8000, plus TT&L. Given sales tax of 6.25% percent, I approximated the difference as being

$8,000
500 sales tax
300 title, license, doc fees, etc

$8,800 total difference trading in my 2013 Ford.

I told Xxxxxxx that I would make a deal, would buy the new truck right then and there if he could make the total difference $6,000. That number to include TT&L. Xxxxxxx came back, offer number two, and said, “Okay, you have the deal, $6,000 difference.” I asked, “Does that include the TT&L ?” and he answered no.

I recomputed,
$6,000
375 sales tax
300 title, license, etc

$6,675 total difference.

I once again told Xxxxxxx that the only deal I would sign for, right then and there, was $6,000 total difference. Xxxxxxx went away, and came back with “The best we can do is an additional $250 off.” Which left the total difference at approximately $6,425.

To recoup:

Deal number 1: $8,800 total difference
Deal number 2: $6,675 total difference
Deal number 3: $6,425 total difference

I told Xxxxxxx that I would not sign at that number ($6,425). But that I very well might take the deal after I slept on it. He said the truck I wanted might not be there tomorrow, and I said that was all right too, I did not have to have, nor even need the truck. I just wanted it.

I specifically asked Xxxxxxx if he was working the next day, and what hours he was working. Yes, arriving at 9. I told him I would call him in the morning with a Yes or No, and left the dealership. As I was pulling out of my parking space, Xxxxxxx came out, flagged me down, and told me we had a deal, at the number I wanted. I specifically asked him, “$6,000 total difference, including TT&L?”, and he said “Yes.”

I parked my truck, and went back in. This was approximately 6:00 p.m. We then proceeded to wait 2 hours for the finance office. I said more than once, “This is taking too long. Why don’t I go home, you make me an appointment, and I will come back.” Xxxxxxx said, “Only 10 minutes more” and “Only 5 minutes more”. Finally, after a 2 hour wait, I get in the finance office and discover that the deal has been written up at a total difference slightly more than $7,500. $1,500 higher than the last agreed upon deal. $1,075 more than deal number 3 (above). $825 more than deal number 2.

I consider this to be very underhanded. The words “lying”, “cheating”, and “crooked” come to mind.

qbrozen · August 2015

Will there be a part 2? Wondering what words were exchanged at this point.

carnaught · August 2015

henryn said:
Here's another "punch that almost was"................

I consider this to be very underhanded. The words “lying”, “cheating”, and “crooked” come to mind.

Wow, the wait was bad enough, but after accepting your offer, then adding on $1.5k, was very sleazy. I would never again deal with them unless they came back to you saying they would accept your offer. I would then tell them I would only do the deal for "x" amount less than you previously offered ("x" being a significant number). This would serve two purposes: the first would be the satisfaction in low-balling your original offer and getting a better deal in the unlikely event they accepted it, and the second would be to repeat how unacceptable and reprehensible they were in handling the transaction.

cdnpinhead · August 2015

roadburner said:
Except that it had sold.

If you snooze, you lose.

Not to rub it in, but in several cases over the past decades I've regretted taking the time to "think about it." In every case, further consideration only reinforced the original decision. When I went back, it was too late. Sadly, my wife is the ultimate analysis paralysis person, so many decisions have become much more of an ordeal than they used to be.

Either way, sorry you missed the deal.

roadburner · August 2015

cdnpinhead said:

Not to rub it in, but in several cases over the past decades I've regretted taking the time to "think about it." In every case, further consideration only reinforced the original decision. When I went back, it was too late. Sadly, my wife is the ultimate analysis paralysis person, so many decisions have become much more of an ordeal than they used to be.

Either way, sorry you missed the deal.

You nailed it. I should have gone with my gut and waited a day or so at most. That said, the car had been at the dealer for over a month, so-stupidly-I thought I had a bit more time.
Lesson learned.

fezo · August 2015

That's how I lost "my" 86 535i. Had been sitting there for weeks and I was in a rental from an accident. I test drive it and say I'll be back as soon as I go grab the insurance check. I figure it's not moving. Wrong. I came back two days later and it was gone

stever · August 2015

The house we're currently in was in the top three on our list when we first started shopping long distance. On our first scouting trip it was under contract so we crossed it off the list. After looking about 80 houses after actually moving here, the house came back on the market (buyers' contingency to sell their home, and they didn't have clear title to the land).

We looked at it on a Sunday and our offer was accepted that night. The sellers had already spent six months waiting for the first buyers and they jumped on it.

So it worked out well (although I'd still rather be in town. Happy wife, yada yada...

)

Why town? We have to drive everywhere now - in the UP the car would sit idle for days unless we needed a load of groceries.

qbrozen · August 2015

Still trying to sell our house. We're already dropped $20k trying to spur interest. In looking at other houses for sale around our area, it seems to me to be a good deal, yet we aren't getting any action. SIGH

Meanwhile, we had the inspection performed on Thursday on the house we want to buy. Nothing overly concerning, but we are going back to them with about 7-8 requests. We'll see how that turns out.

Michaell · August 2015

qbrozen said:
Still trying to sell our house. We're already dropped $20k trying to spur interest. In looking at other houses for sale around our area, it seems to me to be a good deal, yet we aren't getting any action. SIGH

Meanwhile, we had the inspection performed on Thursday on the house we want to buy. Nothing overly concerning, but we are going back to them with about 7-8 requests. We'll see how that turns out.

I've learned it's all negotiable. We close on our houses on the 31st - sell our house at 9:30 and buy the new house at 1:30.

Occupancy and moving dates are still TBD.

corvette · August 2015

qbrozen said:
Still trying to sell our house. We're already dropped $20k trying to spur interest. In looking at other houses for sale around our area, it seems to me to be a good deal, yet we aren't getting any action. SIGH

qb, your realtor should be able to give you the current statistics for your area, e.g., if a house is priced within 3-4% of the market, it will usually sell within six months.

fezo · August 2015

You have to figure house prices are like used car prices. Freedom of speech. Maybe the market isn't really at those asking prices. On the other hand, it only takes one.

One of my possibilities in the Miata is when the girls hit 16 try to sell it for what it cost me and pick up probably a 3 so when they are learning it will be on the car they'll be driving. The 5 is big for a learner car and the Prius is just different.

I have thought of having them learn on the Miata. Learn stick straight off and don't have to worry once they turn 17 about putting three friends in it...

kyfdx · August 2015

@henryn I'd say your experience is typical at most dealerships

nyccarguy · August 2015

@henryn - sorry about the non punch. Terrible how they wasted your time like that.

@roadburner - definitely a bummer my friend. Time to move on. As the summer months dwindle, the deals on muscle cars will get more appealing.

corvette · August 2015

kyfdx said:
@henryn I'd say your experience is typical at most dealerships

That is unfortunate... Another reason many consumers will easily accept a hypothetical future Google/Apple self-driving car, not only in terms of direct manufacturer sales to the public (like Tesla), but also as a "pay per use" service.

roadburner · August 2015

nyccarguy said:
@roadburner - definitely a bummer my friend. Time to move on. As the summer months dwindle, the deals on muscle cars will get more appealing.

I'm still looking; I've found some interesting prospects...

henryn · August 2015

I think my bad experience is a bit unusual. That sort of thing used to be more common, but I don't encounter it nearly as much as I used to. I do believe that is one of the reasons why CarMax sells so many cars, despite the (semi) insane prices they charge. One price, no hassle, no negotiation, and people trust them to do exactly what they say they will do. I myself am willing to spend the time negotiating in order to get that best possible deal.

My experience Friday evening was particularly bad, blatant lying, purposefully wasting my time. But when / if I do make a deal, it will be a good deal. I have the knowledge, the time, and the patience. Some of that learned over decades of experience, and some of it learned right here in these forums. Thank you to Edmunds for that.

And in answer to Qbrozens question about what words were exchanged ...

I collected my thoughts, and decided that the misrepresentation and long delay was definitely on purpose. I then walked out on the middle of the showroom floor. This was slightly after 8 p.m. on a Friday evening. There were maybe a half dozen sales people, at least one finance guy, a sales manager, and a front receptionist working there in the showroom area. Approximately 4 customers working on deals (one family group of about 5). I looked around, and projected my voice (which I'm quite good at): "I think everyone that works here is a DAMN CROOK!"

Looked around the room slowly, making sure everyone had heard me. All conversations had stopped dead, everyone was looking at me. I nodded my head in acknowledgement of the attention, and walked calmly out.

akangl · August 2015

xwesx said:

akangl said:
My '14 Explorer must be old then.....it will be turning 40k very soon, our '12 Focus has 66k, '01 Silverado 125k, and the '15 Focus had 1599 miles on it the last time I saw it.
For you?! Yeah, your Explorer is definitely getting old! Hahah. IIRC, your husband does a pretty decent job of miling up his cars, so that one doesn't count.

We have 86K on our '10 Forester now, and the 08 I just bought has 128K, but that doesn't really count since I have only added four (K) of them.

Yes he does do a pretty good job of miling up his cars, the '12 Focus is 3 years old and will stay with us until it dies. His Civic was 4 years old and 108k when he traded it, only real reasons were the seats hurt him and he wanted stability/traction control.

I can't see me trading in the Explorer, I still truly like the car and doubt that will change. The '15 Focus will probably be with me until the end too since its worth about nothing now.

Thankfully the police report (persistent mommy got her hands on it, just had to go to the police commander) shows that my daughter was 100% NOT at fault, the other guy was cited for failure to stop at a steady red light. The witness backed up my daughter's statement that she had a green light. Allstate has already said that they are willing to pay out diminished value if their insured is found at fault, which obviously he was.

Going to have to get a rental car tomorrow, hubby went back to work so we are down to the Silverado (I do NOT want to feed that thing to drive it) and the Explorer which my daughter needs.

benjaminh · August 2015

Not a surprise, but Lexus dealers are very happy, and VW dealers seem a bit depressed....

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150824/RETAIL06/308249969/despite-growth-some-dealers-grumble

NADA Dealer Attitude Survey's Overall Attitude Index for Winter 2015, including the Value, Policy and People indexes
Brand Score
Lexus 91.7
Toyota 90.1
Subaru 90
Audi 86.6
Ford 85.4
Honda 84.8
Mercedes-Benz 84.7
Porsche 84.6
Jeep 82.8
Mazda 82.2
Ram 81.7
Kia 80.9
Industry average 80.4
Acura 79.8
Land Rover 79.6
Dodge 78.8
Hyundai 78.5
Chevrolet 78.3
Buick-GMC 78.2
Chrysler 78.2
Lincoln 77.3
Mitsubishi 76.6
BMW 76.2
Scion 75.2
Cadillac 74.4
Nissan 74.4
Volvo 73.6
Jaguar 71.5
Fiat 69.2
Smart 68.1
Mini 66.4
Infiniti 65.6
Volkswagen 62

Even as new-vehicle sales climb toward historic levels, dealers with Volkswagen, Infiniti, Mini, Smart and Fiat franchises are concerned about the long-term value of their franchises and their relations with manufacturers.

Dealers with those brands are the most disgruntled overall, according to the most recent Dealer Attitude Survey, conducted and distributed twice a year by the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Lexus dealers expressed the most upbeat attitude in the industry, according to scores on the survey's Overall Attitude Index, followed by dealers for Toyota, Subaru, Audi and Ford.

The survey, based on responses from about 10,600 dealerships and conducted Jan. 5-Feb. 12....

fezo · August 2015

"Yes he does do a pretty good job of miling up his cars, the '12 Focus is 3 years old and will stay with us until it dies."

Well, sure, but when it comes to cars you always have an interesting definition of dead.

That's why you're here.

Not that this means anything, a sample of one over thirty odd years, but my best experiences all came from dealers above the industry average while my worst experiences came from below..

qbrozen · August 2015

corvette said:

qb, your realtor should be able to give you the current statistics for your area, e.g., if a house is priced within 3-4% of the market, it will usually sell within six months.

We have looked at that.. sort of. They did a whole market analysis report and came up with a price we should ask. We went $10k over to start and are now $10k under. When we've looked at past sales, I've seen some go very quickly for a fair price, one in particular sold in 1 day for way under, and several that have sold for more than I would have though they were worth. So it is a mixed bag.

fezo said:
You have to figure house prices are like used car prices. Freedom of speech. Maybe the market isn't really at those asking prices. On the other hand, it only takes one.

But there is a huge difference in the two markets. With cars, you have an abundance of choices from across the country, if you so choose. With houses, you have an extremely limited selection in a limited geographic region. You also have very specific criteria. You can live with a blue car instead of a black one, but you can't live with a 2-bedroom house when you need 4. So if you want a 4-bedroom house with a garage, basement, and fenced in yard in my town... well, you've got maybe a dozen choices. As I look around, you could buy just a few for less than ours, but those need $100k in upgrades/work to get to our level. Ours is a bargain in comparison. Anyway, yes, just gotta find one; just gotta find the buyer that realizes and agrees with my reasoning.

Michaell · August 2015

qbrozen said:

corvette said:

qb, your realtor should be able to give you the current statistics for your area, e.g., if a house is priced within 3-4% of the market, it will usually sell within six months.
We have looked at that. They did a whole market analysis report and came up with a price we should ask. We went $10k over to start and are now $10k under.
fezo said:
You have to figure house prices are like used car prices. Freedom of speech. Maybe the market isn't really at those asking prices. On the other hand, it only takes one.
But there is a huge difference in the two markets. With cars, you have an abundance of choices from across the country, if you so choose. With houses, you have an extremely limited selection in a limited geographic region. You also have very specific criteria. You can live with a blue car instead of a black one, but you can't live with a 2-bedroom house when you need 4. So if you want a 4-bedroom house with a garage, basement, and fenced in yard in my town... well, you've got maybe a dozen choices. As I look around, you could buy just a few for less than ours, but those need $100k in upgrades/work to get to our level. Ours is a bargain in comparison. Anyway, yes, just gotta find one; just gotta find the buyer that realizes and agrees with my reasoning.

All very true. When we priced our house we figured we'd get offers above the asking price. Didn't happen - but we did get a buyer who wanted (no, needed) the amenities our house offered .. and, it couldn't be found in our town at our price point. They offered $15K under our asking price, we countered with $5K under, they came back at $10K, we held firm and they countered their own counter at our price.

fezo · August 2015

Q - you are correct of course. The trick is finding the buyer who realizes that, as opposed to "I found a similar house for $50K Less" and finds himself spending that $100K that could have been back in your pocket.

henryn · August 2015

Ahh, the fun never ends. Last year, July of 2014, I sold a 2008 Passat that had been in my family for it’s entire life. I sold it on Craigslist, got $8,000 in cash. I filled out the DMV form (using Adobe Acrobat Professional), putting in the buyer’s name and address, printed it off, and signed it. Signed the title, gave everything to the buyer and he drove off.

Saturday, I received a notice in the mail. HCTRA (Harris County Toll Road Authority) wants $79 for violations. Seems the new owner never transferred the title, and has been driving through EZ Tag lanes with no EZ Tag. What’s even crazier, the license / registration must have expired by now (it’s been 13 months), and he is apparently driving around with expired registration?

This is going to be a lot of fun to straighten out.

fezo · August 2015

And to think you could have used that $8,000 for the Silverado.....

henryn · August 2015

fezo said:
And to think you could have used that $8,000 for the Silverado.....

You forget where we are, this is CCBA. I used the money from the Passat to buy a Tahoe, and traded in the Tahoe for a Cadillac DTS. All while keeping the same 2013 Ford F150, which is 23 months old -- a very long period of ownership for a regular here in CCBA!

rayainsw · August 2015

10,000 mile update on the 2015 Charger R/T.
Nothing to report.
No issues, no wear, no nuthin' ...
- Ray
In THAT respect [ only ] a bring car.

xwesx · August 2015

henryn said:
My experience Friday evening was particularly bad, blatant lying, purposefully wasting my time. But when / if I do make a deal, it will be a good deal. I have the knowledge, the time, and the patience. Some of that learned over decades of experience, and some of it learned right here in these forums. Thank you to Edmunds for that.

I agree, I think it was purposeful. I suspect they figured that $1,500, after you had invested that much time, they figured you'd just throw up your hands and sign. They sure figured wrong! LOL

xwesx · August 2015

akangl said:
Thankfully the police report (persistent mommy got her hands on it, just had to go to the police commander) shows that my daughter was 100% NOT at fault

Nice work! Here's to hoping that the car comes back together well and on-time.

qbrozen · August 2015

henryn said:
Ahh, the fun never ends. Last year, July of 2014, I sold a 2008 Passat that had been in my family for it’s entire life. I sold it on Craigslist, got $8,000 in cash. I filled out the DMV form (using Adobe Acrobat Professional), putting in the buyer’s name and address, printed it off, and signed it. Signed the title, gave everything to the buyer and he drove off.

Saturday, I received a notice in the mail. HCTRA (Harris County Toll Road Authority) wants $79 for violations. Seems the new owner never transferred the title, and has been driving through EZ Tag lanes with no EZ Tag. What’s even crazier, the license / registration must have expired by now (it’s been 13 months), and he is apparently driving around with expired registration?

This is going to be a lot of fun to straighten out.

So they have the same license plates you had? huh. We don't do that here in NJ. The plates belong to the owner, not the car. I think your story is a good example of why that works.

stickguy · August 2015

road trip update. just got back with Sonata from a 3 day RT to NC. about 900+ miles all together, mixed driving. Overall, right about 34MPG. Pretty good IMO. included highway at various speed (from stop/go to 75ish). a bit of local at college. Then yesterday, we took the scenic route from Burlington NC to Fredericksburg, VA. skipped I85 and I95 entirely (95 is a bad place to be on a sunday afternoon in the summer!). probably took no more time, and was very pleasant. Saw more "middle of nowhere" than usual. Few people. Many churches and tobacco fields. Way, way better than creeping along on 95 through Richmond.

today came from F'burg to Jersey. Shockingly, no traffic delays. TC was spot on 36 for that leg, and I was doing 70-75 much of the time with AC on. And man, at that MPG, the RTE stays real high! Last fill up, it reset to 560.

Overall, excellent road car, highway or backroads. Quiet, comfy, excellent navi and stereo, AC froze us out, and seats are good even on long stretches. And tons of room. Really nothing to complain about, especially pulling that kind of mileage.

qbrozen · August 2015

housing ... I am pondering putting our current house up for rent rather than sell it. I have NO CLUE how to be a landlord, however. I'm also scared to death of having to maintain 2 homes. But I am quite intrigued at the prospect of owning more than 1 piece of real estate. Seems like it might be a better investment than 401k these days.

stickguy · August 2015

OK, need expert advice for my son. He got hydraulic fluid sprayed on his car (some front loader in a parking lot sprang a leak). ran it through a touchless a couple of times, but still has a film. What is the best way to clean this? Normal car wash cleaner/degreaser, followed by a good wax job? anything special for this situation?

stickguy · August 2015

qbrozen said:
housing ... I am pondering putting our current house up for rent rather than sell it. I have NO CLUE how to be a landlord, however. I'm also scared to death of having to maintain 2 homes. But I am quite intrigued at the prospect of owning more than 1 piece of real estate. Seems like it might be a better investment than 401k these days.

I never wanted to. Just not something that I wanted to deal with. But, talk to realtor and get some numbers. If you can live without cashing out equity, and expected rents will cover monthly nut, it is an option. Just be prepared for 2AM calls about a leaking toilet.

qbrozen · August 2015

never had quite that experience, stick, but there are several things to try. I'd see if rubbing alcohol will cut through it, for one. Then there is goo-off. Then good ole clay bar.

stickguy · August 2015

he's coming home tomorrow night so I can see how bad it is. will probably try normal car wash and a sponge, and look for a cleaner/degreaser product to make sure. then clay and wax.

au1994 · August 2015

stickguy said:

qbrozen said:
housing ... I am pondering putting our current house up for rent rather than sell it. I have NO CLUE how to be a landlord, however. I'm also scared to death of having to maintain 2 homes. But I am quite intrigued at the prospect of owning more than 1 piece of real estate. Seems like it might be a better investment than 401k these days.
I never wanted to. Just not something that I wanted to deal with. But, talk to realtor and get some numbers. If you can live without cashing out equity, and expected rents will cover monthly nut, it is an option. Just be prepared for 2AM calls about a leaking toilet.

Get a management agency. Yes there is a fee, mine is 79.00 mo, but they are the ones that get the 2AM call.

xwesx · August 2015

stickguy said:
he's coming home tomorrow night so I can see how bad it is. will probably try normal car wash and a sponge, and look for a cleaner/degreaser product to make sure. then clay and wax.

I have found that the clear coat on these new cars is really sensitive. I used a clay bar on the '10 Forester, for example, and man, that was sure a mistake! Yes, it was nice and smooth, but I can still see the dull spots as a result. But, who knows? Maybe the fluid damaged the clear coat, and that's why it looks like it still has a film (even if, perhaps, it doesn't).

I literally took an SOS pad to my '69 Chevy in order to remove the lichens when i first bought it, and it looked great afterward. Hah; if I did that on a new(er) car, I'd have nothing but bare metal after a pass or two!

suydam · August 2015

Management company is the way to go especially if it isn't in the same town.

imidazol97 · August 2015

stickguy said:
OK, need expert advice for my son. He got hydraulic fluid sprayed on his car (some front loader in a parking lot sprang a leak). ran it through a touchless a couple of times, but still has a film. What is the best way to clean this? Normal car wash cleaner/degreaser, followed by a good wax job? anything special for this situation?

I'd try a good car wash soap in a bucket with a hand mitt or towel to actually see if the film of the
additives as well as the oil comes off. If it doesn't, try Dawn. This will remove wax and everything, but you probably want to rewax the car anyhow. Dawn is considered the ultimate oil remover. I recall when a truck load of animal fats on its way to a body lotion manufacturer in Cincy overturned on a tight interstate curving ramp. They brought in 5 gallons buckets of Dawn to emulsify the fats.

Convenient that Dawn is a Proctor Gamble product, a Cincinnati-based company.

http://enquirer.com/editions/1998/05/05/fatspill05.html

henryn · August 2015

I would start with Dawn dishwashing detergent. Then move up to something like Simple Green. Last resort, kerosene. Either way, should not hurt the clear coat, and will require reapplication of wax.

qbrozen · August 2015

au1994 said:

Get a management agency. Yes there is a fee, mine is 79.00 mo, but they are the ones that get the 2AM call.

I reached out to a couple of management companies online. Nobody has called yet. So, may I ask what the rent is at the place you pay $79 for? I was reading that a management company is about 10% of the rent. What exactly does that fee get you? How is it they handle repairs? Do they call a pro and then pass the bill to you? Or does the fee INCLUDE service (I can't imagine it does). I was thinking of a management company plus home warranty to hopefully cover it all without my stepping in and paying anything extra.

Stick, we can do it without selling. It would be a stretch, and the rent would not cover everything, but I'm thinking of it as an investment. I mean, if I can pay, let's say $600 net out of pocket each month on something I'm gaining $1k/mo equity on, that's a damned strong ROI. I could even refinance it and it would come damned close to paying for itself, but I'm not sure I want to reset the mortgage back to 30 years.

au1994 · August 2015

qbrozen said:

au1994 said:

Get a management agency. Yes there is a fee, mine is 79.00 mo, but they are the ones that get the 2AM call.
I reached out to a couple of management companies online. Nobody has called yet. So, may I ask what the rent is at the place you pay $79 for? I was reading that a management company is about 10% of the rent. What exactly does that fee get you? How is it they handle repairs? Do they call a pro and then pass the bill to you? Or does the fee INCLUDE service (I can't imagine it does). I was thinking of a management company plus home warranty to hopefully cover it all without my stepping in and paying anything extra.

Stick, we can do it without selling. It would be a stretch, and the rent would not cover everything, but I'm thinking of it as an investment. I mean, if I can pay, let's say $600 net out of pocket each month on something I'm gaining $1k/mo equity on, that's a damned strong ROI. I could even refinance it and it would come damned close to paying for itself, but I'm not sure I want to reset the mortgage back to 30 years.

Rent is 1400/mo for a 4 and 2.5 house. They take the call and then get in touch with me unless it is an emergency situation. I have the option to send my own person or use their people for the job. If I use their guys, I have the option of deducting the cost from my next rental payment. I have always opted for this option as I don't have to be responsible if the repair guy is late, does a bad job etc. My goal was to be a very hands off and anonymous landlord and that has worked thus far. I'll probably only hang on to the property until early summer when the current lease expires. Knock on wood, property values have increased enough to where I can sell and make a little money now which was not the case when I moved in early 2013.

ab348 · August 2015

rayainsw said:
10,000 mile update on the 2015 Charger R/T.
Nothing to report.
No issues, no wear, no nuthin' ...
- Ray
In THAT respect [ only ] a bring car.

A guy I know up here is itching to buy a V-8 Charger but he cannot find any at any dealer in the entire region. I wonder what the production numbers look like?

I figured maybe he could get one in a bigger city like Toronto during a road trip. Looked at 2 big Toronto area Dodge dealers, with 1000 new vehicles in inventory between them. Together, they had zero Chargers of any type in stock. Amazing.

nelsonf · August 2015

stickguy said:
OK, need expert advice for my son. He got hydraulic fluid sprayed on his car (some front loader in a parking lot sprang a leak). ran it through a touchless a couple of times, but still has a film. What is the best way to clean this? Normal car wash cleaner/degreaser, followed by a good wax job? anything special for this situation?

Isopropyl alcohol will cut right through hydraulic fluid, won't hurt the clear coat or paint, but will need to be waxed again right away.

rayainsw · August 2015

Now I see a typo -
"..a bring car."
should have been 'a BORING car'.

There are a number of R/Ts local here - and even a couple of R&Ts...

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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