Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

breld · November 2019

Am I sensing an intervention?

28firefighter · November 2019

Do you need one?

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Love the Jeep Wrangler 2 door hard top. Perfect size for me but as Stick reminded me, the ride might be too jarring for my bad spine. No mater, still want one for some odd reason. Drove a 4 door up to Orlando many years back and was a total blast honestly. Never go offroad so that would never be an issue. They're awfully expensive for some unknown reason and their mpg's are pretty dismal to.
Hoping to go to the auto show Saturday a m as they open at 10 last I looked. Plan is to park my vehicle in Miami Lakes and Lyft it down and back so it'll be easy peasy for me. Worth the $ to me to make things as easy as possible for me. Really do want to go as it's been way too long since I was last there. MB and BMW/Mini Cooper aren't showing their products which seems so odd to me since they do very well here in South Florida, very well.
Can't wait to see the new 200 Hyundai Venue as am really liking it. Did drive a Kia Niro last evening and liked the vehicle. It's a hybrid and with a full tank, it showed a range of 580 which is impressive. So, we'll see what happens.
Got through to the Enterprise lady and after a good laugh, set up an interview with their guy a week from Wednesday at 3:30. Getting off early that day and just want to go see what's up. From what she said, cold work. And the savings with no tolls and petrol would more than make up for the reduction in pay/hour. The meeting place is about 4 miles from our house so instead of 60 miles/day, I'd be driving around 8. Big difference and it's a Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday job, 7:30 to 6:00. Am very very tempted to jump ship!

breld · November 2019

stickguy said:
Love both colors. But like interior color on the GLE.

On the Jeep, sure you won’t regret not getting a hemi?

Agreed on the interior color of the GLE.

As for the Hemi...possibly. But my use of this SUV will be very different than when I had that Durango R/T - back then it was my primary vehicle at a time when I was carting kids around from my old house, averaging 24k miles/year. With our recent move, my driving requirements and general time in the car has changed dramatically.

breld · November 2019

Thanks for the info Q.

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Breld, go with the MB as I think you'll be much happier with it. Think the wife will enjoy it also if you tire of it. Outstanding color combo and it just looks sharp, so much better than the Jeep. Agree, think you'll be unhappy very shortly with the Jeep. And there is the possibility that you'll like the MB so much, that you'll keep it longer than you normally keep your vehicles.
Just my opinion here but you seem to prefer a bit of lux lately so might just be the smart move at this juncture!

Sandman6472 · November 2019

NY, congrats and much mazel on this weekends events. Mine was the last weekend in October of 1967 and remember how quickly it went. I only did 1/2 of my haftorah as I have a twin who did the other half. A piece of advice for your son, have him look out an focus on just one person or thing and it'll help lessen the nervousness he'll probably go through. I did that, had someone in the front row who I concentrated on and it was just like being in her kitchen an reciting it all. Went off without a hitch and soon enough, it was all over and I could breathe again. All those months of anguish gone in a few minutes!
And then, it was on to the party! Tell him to enjoy it all as it'll be over before he knows it. The acualization of it is worse than the realazation! (I know I screwed those words up but you get the drift)!

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Went back to look at the Lexus CT200h hybrid and decided it's not the vehicle for me. Realized it yesterday as I tried to change lanes on the Florida turnpike near Hollywood Blvd. Was in the middle lane and wanted to get in the left lane. Put on my blinker and looked but, there was a vehicle in my left blind spot and almost hit them. Just made me realize that my next vehicle needs to have BLIS and all the other safety things on it. Getting too dangerous out there not to have all the latest safety features as possible if I can. Was a real eye opener to be honest. So think it might be sooner than later that I pick up something new. And if my commute changes like I think it will within the next few weeks, getting into a 2020 something might just be the right thing to do.

breld · November 2019

@Sandman6472 - thanks for your feedback above.

I agree on your next car - getting into a new or new-ish vehicle with all the new tech would be great. Have you driven the new Mazda3? It certainly has a lot of the premium feel of a luxury car on the inside, and of course would have BLIS and other safety tech. A Civic Sport would be great too - may or may not be to your liking as far as the look of it, but they are real roomy inside and are generally praised in all hatchback comparison tests.

tifighter · November 2019

I got an email today from the Volvo dealer offering me two free tickets to the upcoming auto show. I guess I forgot to tell them that we've broken up.

kyfdx · November 2019

breld said:
Am I sensing an intervention?

Is a depreciation comparison really important, if you only keep it a month?

laurasdada · November 2019

And then reality set in; I just received the credit card bill with the boy's Mazda3 down payment on it.
Gave him a cool Bridgestone emergency car kit as a "car warming" gift. Asked him to get somewhat familiar with it before any road trip. "Ok, Dad. Sure."

breld, walkin' the talk.

28firefighter · November 2019

I got an email for tickets, too, from a VW dealer I purchased from 6 years ago. I'm convinced no one actually pays to go to the Seattle Auto Show.

Michaell · November 2019

28firefighter said:
I got an email for tickets, too from a VW dealer I purchased from 6 years ago. I'm convinced no one actually pays to go to the Seattle Auto Show.

Wish that were true for the Denver Auto Show!

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Got my $1 discount for the Miami show ready to go. Just got off the site and it does open at 10 am this Saturday which could definitely work. Get up by 8:30 or earlier. Be down in Miami Lakes by 9:30 and be at the show by 10. Thinking by 2:30 or 3, I'll be so tired I'll be ready to catch Lyft back to my car. Then home by 4 or so. Even though am worried how my spine will react getting and out so much, think I really do want to go. Just going to stay positive and do it. Would've gone today but they opened at 2 which is a bit late. Then to deal with Miami traffic in the dark is a bear.
This regular time stuff stinks really. Should keep Daylight Savings Time as a yearly thing, period. Hate leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark. By the time dinner is over, it's almost time to get ready for bed. Sucks really!

laurasdada · November 2019

Connecticut Int'l Auto Show at Mohegan Sun Casino next weekend, when I had planned to be there for a night. So, I could go, but the GF has absolutely no interest (she's going with me). Shoes, yes. Jewelry, of course. Purses, she's there. Cars, she has a car, why would she want to look at others?

Boston show, shrinking by the year is in January. I'll go, probably more for tradition than interest. But, decent SWAG from Hyundai...

breld · November 2019

kyfdx said:

breld said:
Am I sensing an intervention?
Is a depreciation comparison really important, if you only keep it a month?

The shorter the hold period, the more important the depreciation, is what I'm thinking.

And in my defense, this year I've traded the Miata for the GTI after having the Miata for a year, and the Q7 for the Alltrack after having the Audi for a year. Not long by most standards, but certainly not as quick as some of my previous holds.

In fact, the Miata cost me about $1,750 in depreciation for the year.

The Q7 was a bit more.

My own lesson from all that is if I'm buying any higher priced luxury model, make sure it's "truly" used and not the "barely" used with "barely" a discount. Gotta allow a little more depreciation to occur first.

roadburner · November 2019

Boy, R&T really waxed ecstatic over the Veloster N, naming it their POCTY over(among others) the C8, M2C, Supra, 911 Carrera S, 600LT and Huracán Evo. I doubt I'll ever buy another FWD performance car, but I may just take one for a spin to see if the enthusiast buzz is warranted.

xwesx · November 2019

breld said:

The shorter the hold period, the more important the depreciation, is what I'm thinking.

And in my defense, this year I've traded the Miata for the GTI after having the Miata for a year, and the Q7 for the Alltrack after having the Audi for a year. Not long by most standards, but certainly not as quick as some of my previous holds.

In fact, the Miata cost me about $1,750 in depreciation for the year.

The Q7 was a bit more.

My own lesson from all that is if I'm buying any higher priced luxury model, make sure it's "truly" used and not the "barely" used with "barely" a discount. Gotta allow a little more depreciation to occur first.

I agree with that thinking! There is no sense in making your ownership any more expensive than it needs to be, regardless of how long you keep the car.

xwesx · November 2019

Back in Alaska today; I could not get the Q7 to start without some copious coaxing (e.g., jump start with a good long jump charge beforehand). I knew last winter that the battery was getting weak, but I sort of forgot about it over the summer with all of the other auto-related expenses going on. I am just really glad that I decided to leave our Forester at the airport for the week we were gone rather than the Q7. Forester didn't miss a beat when I started it at 0200 this morning, zero degrees, not plugged in, and after sitting for a week.

corvette · November 2019

breld said:
The shorter the hold period, the more important the depreciation, is what I'm thinking.

I'm not sure - any time you trade houses or cars, there are high transaction costs (the delta between wholesale and retail, doc fees, registration fees, prepaid finance charge / admin fee if you finance, etc., or sales commission and negotiated repairs on a house). It's no different than going to your local full service brokerage and buying a mutual fund with a 6% sales load, that money is gone forever as soon as you transact.

I do agree that "barely used and barely a discount" is not a great market to play in if you have a tendency to trade frequently. We often tell people to skip buying that one year old used Accord or Camry and just buy new instead. I bought the Tahoe private party and I think it depreciated about $2,000 a year, in the first two years, and I checked out pricing on older ones, and I think it will be about $1,000 a year going forward. Granted, a couple more mechanical issues, and I may be ready to get rid of it.

The G37, I paid low retail for, and a year later, it's worth roughly $5,000 less, representing depreciation plus the delta between retail and wholesale. I expect $1,000 a year depreciation going forward there, too.

qbrozen · November 2019

breld said:

kyfdx said:

breld said:
Am I sensing an intervention?
Is a depreciation comparison really important, if you only keep it a month?
The shorter the hold period, the more important the depreciation, is what I'm thinking.

And in my defense, this year I've traded the Miata for the GTI after having the Miata for a year, and the Q7 for the Alltrack after having the Audi for a year. Not long by most standards, but certainly not as quick as some of my previous holds.

In fact, the Miata cost me about $1,750 in depreciation for the year.

The Q7 was a bit more.

My own lesson from all that is if I'm buying any higher priced luxury model, make sure it's "truly" used and not the "barely" used with "barely" a discount. Gotta allow a little more depreciation to occur first.

A year? Really? Are you rounding up? That's not allowed. ;b

sda · November 2019

xwesx said:
Back in Alaska today; I could not get the Q7 to start without some copious coaxing (e.g., jump start with a good long jump charge beforehand). I knew last winter that the battery was getting weak, but I sort of forgot about it over the summer with all of the other auto-related expenses going on. I am just really glad that I decided to leave our Forester at the airport for the week we were gone rather than the Q7. Forester didn't miss a beat when I started it at 0200 this morning, zero degrees, not plugged in, and after sitting for a week.

Is the battery located in the cargo well where the spare is located, similar to the Q5? I read in the manual a new battery has to be coded to the energy management system and Audi suggests replacing the battery after 4 years.

andres3 · November 2019

I bet one of these guys is responsible for one of my former tickets/citations:

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/04/24/usa-today-revealing-misconduct-records-police-cops/3223984002/?utm_source=quora&utm_medium=referral

Sandman6472 · November 2019

Usually swap out a battery every 3 years down here in hot South Florida but the last time, it died in the garage. Try to be more proactive and the funny part was, I had planned on getting a new battery that week. Obviously, the Golf had different plans but I knew the time had come and was all ready to get a new one. Won't let that happen again next time!

fintail · November 2019

Another reason the mild climate here is nice - batteries survive. Fintail's battery will be 5 years old in a few days and shows no weakness. My E55 was around 11.5 years old when I sold it, still on its original battery.

nyccarguy · November 2019

Thanks everyone for the well wishes and kind words about my son’s upcoming bar mitzvah. This last week is certainly putting me through the test. Lots of things completely out of my control.

Spoke to the owner of the DJ company last night. He tells us something happened to the MC that we chose and he had to “let him go.” So we are getting a different guy. Spoke to him on the phone tonight & he seems nice enough. I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job.

breld · November 2019

corvette said:

breld said:
The shorter the hold period, the more important the depreciation, is what I'm thinking.
I'm not sure - any time you trade houses or cars, there are high transaction costs (the delta between wholesale and retail, doc fees, registration fees, prepaid finance charge / admin fee if you finance, etc.

I think we’re more or less saying the same thing, and I stated it poorly.

Depreciation probably being the most significant cost, I give more thought to it because of my shorter holding periods - if I’m keeping a car for, let’s say 3-5 years, I’m not quite as concerned over getting the best value, as that depreciation will be spread over many months. But with a year or less, I’m a bit more thoughtful to expected depreciation over such a short period.

28firefighter · November 2019

nyccarguy said:
Thanks everyone for the well wishes and kind words about my son’s upcoming bar mitzvah. This last week is certainly putting me through the test. Lots of things completely out of my control.

Spoke to the owner of the DJ company last night. He tells us something happened to the MC that we chose and he had to “let him go.” So we are getting a different guy. Spoke to him on the phone tonight & he seems nice enough. I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job.

Enjoy the ride! I still remember mine.

corvette · November 2019

@nyccarguy good grief! Sounds almost as hectic as planning a wedding. (I’ve seen enough there that I strongly encourage couples to elope, lol!)

tjc78 · November 2019

Planning our wedding was a royal PITA. I think they purposely make it that way as a training exercise between you and your fiancé!

My wife and I had a pretty over the top wedding that we largely paid for ourselves. If we had to do it again it would have been much smaller and that money would have been invested or used to pay down the house, etc. To this day I don’t have a final number but with the honey moon it was certainly north of $40K maybe even knocking on $50

ab348 · November 2019

Sandman6472 said:

This regular time stuff stinks really. Should keep Daylight Savings Time as a yearly thing, period. Hate leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark. By the time dinner is over, it's almost time to get ready for bed. Sucks really!

The whole DST/Standard time thing is a red herring. I spent time in Saskatchewan one winter which stays on Standard Time year-round. Out there the sun in January does not make an appearance until about 9:30AM. And it sets about 5:30 if not earlier. The fact is that there is just less daylight in winter.

stickguy · November 2019

$40k? Ouch. I thought college was bad! At least that lasts 4 years, and has a payback. Mine had to be cheap (I assume I paid for some of it, but really don't remember). Largely DIY, in the upstairs hall over some lodge/rec place (I remember there was a bowling alley downstairs). We bought the beer and liquor (still have some of that, anyone want a 35 year old bottle of cheap vodka or scotch?), they got the food someplace, and hired some locals to tend bar/serve. pretty sure family did the set up and decorating. Music was live though! 3 man polka band.

I seem to recall though that everyone had a blast, and we ended up married. Spent way more on honeymoon trip to Bermuda.

I told my daughter to hop a flight to Vegas and go to the Elvis chapel when it is time. She is cheaper than I am about spending her own money, so I am sure she will be up for it! then have a nice casual party when you get home.

tjc78 · November 2019

So update on the RAV for Mom.

I picked her out a White over Black (that's what she wanted) XLE AWD with a couple extra packages.

Here is the "deal" as I have it.

MSRP $32482.00
Selling Price 30222.22
@kyfdx confirmed they are using buy rate MF and she is eligible for $1500 in incentives

My math matches theirs and we are at $382 w/$500 OOP.

Needless to say I'm not really happy with these numbers BUT even when comparing some broker deals it's pretty close.

I countered late last night and said I want the selling price to be $29,300 (just shy of 10%) which will yield $350 / 500 OOP.

Their doc fee is stupid high at $439 so they are making a few bucks there for sure.

If the salesperson we have dealt with for years won't do the deal, I'll cast the nets out. We have a few weeks and if a deal can't be struck I'm having her either extend until January or start pursuing other options again.

qbrozen · November 2019

awful lease numbers, but if she wants a RAV4, it is what it is. They don't seem to hold their value very well for a Toyota. Auction value on a 2017 with 30k miles is only $17k, so about 52%.

stickguy · November 2019

$1/day is pretty cheap to make the poor lady happy.

tjc78 · November 2019

Q, that's where I am with this one. I know there are some better deals out there, but she is reluctant to test drive anything and just says she wants another Toyota.

I won't let her do it at the above #s but if I can get them down to where I said I'll have her do the deal.

stickguy · November 2019

I know from experience, if I try to push my wife to a deal and not the car she actually wants, I will live to regret it. Well, will hopefully live.

tjc78 · November 2019

What's funny here is my wife doesn't really care... just tells me to get what I want.

Mom is being fussy!

stickguy · November 2019

I have theoretical carte Blanche for my car. Just can’t expect her to ride in it if I go nuts. Which is a problem since recently I have had the “good” that we use most of the time when together.

She is however very fussy about “her” car. At least when I finally upgrade that, it will become the go places together and travel car too, so she may never be in whatever I have for myself.

nyccarguy · November 2019

tjc78 said:
What's funny here is my wife doesn't really care... just tells me to get what I want.

Mom is being fussy!

My wife "doesn't care" either, until I bought her the 2011 Pilot WITHOUT a power tailgate, until I had to turn in the leased BMW (That she liked to drive), sold my Infiniti which she liked a lot, and leased a Pickup truck.

breld · November 2019

tjc78 said:
Planning our wedding was a royal PITA. I think they purposely make it that way as a training exercise between you and your fiancé!

My wife and I had a pretty over the top wedding that we largely paid for ourselves. If we had to do it again it would have been much smaller and that money would have been invested or used to pay down the house, etc. To this day I don’t have a final number but with the honey moon it was certainly north of $40K maybe even knocking on $50

That hindsight comes in handy on your second marriage.

My wife and I had a smallish wedding with about 80 people held at a small chapel on our alma mater's campus. Then Smashburger closed their doors for a few hours in the afternoon for us to hold our reception there where everyone could just order all they wanted between burgers, sides, shakes, beer, etc. The bill for the food came to around $900.

tommister2 · November 2019

qbrozen said:

awful lease numbers, but if she wants a RAV4, it is what it is. They don't seem to hold their value very well for a Toyota. Auction value on a 2017 with 30k miles is only $17k, so about 52%.

That surprises me. How does that compare to a 2017 Camry?

I bought a 2019 Rav4 Hybrid this summer, after cross shopping with Camry. The Rav4 was about $600 more when comparably equipped. I would think a Camry would have higher depreciation.

kyfdx · November 2019

stickguy said:
I have theoretical carte Blanche for my car. Just can’t expect her to ride in it if I go nuts. Which is a problem since recently I have had the “good” that we use most of the time when together.

She is however very fussy about “her” car. At least when I finally upgrade that, it will become the go places together and travel car too, so she may never be in whatever I have for myself.

All right.. who is this Blanche lady?

kyfdx · November 2019

tjc78 said:
Q, that's where I am with this one. I know there are some better deals out there, but she is reluctant to test drive anything and just says she wants another Toyota.

I won't let her do it at the above #s but if I can get them down to where I said I'll have her do the deal.

Have you got quotes in PA? MF is just .00001, there.

corvette · November 2019

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:
I have theoretical carte Blanche for my car. Just can’t expect her to ride in it if I go nuts. Which is a problem since recently I have had the “good” that we use most of the time when together.

She is however very fussy about “her” car. At least when I finally upgrade that, it will become the go places together and travel car too, so she may never be in whatever I have for myself.
All right.. who is this Blanche lady?

One of the Golden Girls, if memory serves.

qbrozen · November 2019

tommister2 said:

That surprises me. How does that compare to a 2017 Camry?

I bought a 2019 Rav4 Hybrid this summer, after cross shopping with Camry. The Rav4 was about $600 more when comparably equipped. I would think a Camry would have higher depreciation.

Looks to be about 53% for a Camry XLE 4-cyl. 54.5% for an Accord EX-L 4-cyl.

laurasdada · November 2019

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:
I have theoretical carte Blanche for my car. Just can’t expect her to ride in it if I go nuts. Which is a problem since recently I have had the “good” that we use most of the time when together.

She is however very fussy about “her” car. At least when I finally upgrade that, it will become the go places together and travel car too, so she may never be in whatever I have for myself.
All right.. who is this Blanche lady?
One of the Golden Girls, if memory serves.

Or a Tennessee Williams character...

qbrozen · November 2019

Located a transfer case from a 2014 Equinox with just 51k miles in Maine. Total shipped to my door is $525.

tommister2 · November 2019

Thanks for the data @qbrozen

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles