Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
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In the past two years though all of our cars have gotten modern touch screen, DVD based, voice activated NAV so no need for the portable ones anymore.
I think we're starting to leave the topic of this forum.
It sounds like you sell extremely high-end vehicles - that phrase "All of our cars have gotten modern touch screen", geez-a-loo, what do you sell? Maybachs?
If this is your realm, the whole in-dash vs. portable would be pretty much a dead issue.... Money is no object, get whatever you want.
Our average MSRP is around 50,000 dollars.
And only one trim level of one model does not come standard with navigation.
Buy a made in America car is only the first step. You need to really also purchase from a 'Owned/Operated/Based' in America company as well.
It's like the Chinese buying a GM car made in China, all the profit goes back to the USA still.
If you buy an Accord for $20K, more of that money stays in the USA than if you buy a $20K GM car made in Mexico or Canada.
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I think there is already a "Buying American - what does it mean" topic. We chronic car buyers tend not to discriminate--we just buy the car that will work well for us for the next few months.
Right now I am resisting the urge to look at pick-up trucks. After checking out the Ridgeline at the Philly Autoshow (and a few issues with fitting items in my Escape at Home Depot) I am starting to look at crew cab trucks. I just wish a new crew cab could be bought for less than $20k.
It's actually a pretty sharp van; deep blue, and the extra little bit of chrome on the T&C make it stand out.
I was surprised how pleasant the van was to drive. The seats are VERY comfortable!
She had her heart set on a Saturn Outlook, but really decided in the end that she wants a minivan. With two small children and an obnoxious little Boston Terrorist (Terrier) to tote around, I can't argue.
We're also buying it and not leasing, which is why I'm not particularly happy she chose the Chrysler. We need to keep it 8-10 years to get our money's worth out of it thanks to the resale, and she understands that. We're cognizant of the fact that our 5 month old and 3 year old will completely trash the van, despite our best efforts to keep it nice. We don't let the toddler eat in the car except on very long road trips, and even then it's something relatively "clean" like a soft granola bar.
But, who knows. I just remember my parents' cars were rolling pits of nastiness (mostly thanks to their dual-purpose use of vomitorium/transportation appliance).
That said, it will be a 3 year loan. Plus she gets employee pricing through her dad (he's out of the country and we need his pin, hence the wait until Friday), AND Chrysler knocks $4k off the top, so it works out to be a pretty cheap van in the end. About $22k before taxes, and it's fairly well loaded.
Power everything, built-in Sirius (which makes us both happy, since we love Sirius and hate XM), those fold flat middle captain's chairs (which really is an engineering marvel, if you've ever had a chance to play with them). The power hatch and dual power sliding doors will be incredibly useful. I'm already looking forward to only one trip required to get the spring load of mulch instead of 4-5.
That said, the clock is ticking. My G35 is only 5 years away. :P
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
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EXTENDED WARRANTY
Good luck with that no eating rule. I detail our van/snack room just about every other month and what I pull out of there makes me want to puke. And if you need any crayons please let me know,I end up with just about a crayola 64 pack each time.
Au1994: I like the pre 2005 Dakotas, so I may check into a used one. I had a Durango that was one of the most comfortable vehicles I have had for a tall person. Even though I have company gas card, I was hoping to do a little better mileage wise.
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EXTENDED WARRANTY
I'll see what the pricing is in the F&I office, but I doubt it will be worthwhile. The transmission is the one item on these vans that concern me, but I believe it's covered by the 7/75 powertrain warranty. Plus, believe it or not transmissions are pretty cheap for these vans.
I have to be honest; nearly everyone I know except for my father really don't take good care of their cars. They think that as long as they change the oil once in awhile and put gas into it, they will run forever. I always follow the mfg's recommended service from the manual, and have it done by someone I trust.
I have full confidence that if I get the transmission serviced properly, I won't have any problems with it.
If we do, I'll fix it, and it will be an unspoken lesson to my wife which makes of cars to look at next time. She already got a good lesson with my Maxima; I've run the thing for nearly 4 years now over rough Michigan roads in stop-n-go traffic. The transmission is still very smooth, the engine idles like it's not even there, and the interior is solid and rattle free.
Too bad the Nissan minivan was built for midgets. My knees were nearly in my chest driving the thing.
Yeah, it's very easy for me to enforce rules right now. The 3 year old is very laid back and will for the most part do what you want (except when it comes to bedtime), and obviously the 5 month old isn't a handful yet.
One of the HUGE reasons we didn't spring for a more expensive van is because I know we would be flushing money down the toilet. The Sienna and Odyssey are both very nice vans, but it would be like buying a nice Lamborghini and then peeing on the seats.
My wife and I are on the same page as to the eventual fate of this vehicle. I can just see some kid sticking soccer cleats into the nice, ultra expensive Toyota leather. No thanks. The T&C had all the right options at the right price. Sure it's more utilitarian than the Japanese competition, but isn't "utility" why you buy a minivan in the first place?
A few winters ago, my friend was unloading his car outside and left the door open for a while. He came back an hour or so later and closed it. The next morning, when he was getting ready to leave for work, he discovered that his outdoor cat had jumped in the car to get warm, before the door was closed, and the cat left him a damp spot in the driver's seat. :P
If you read the fine print plants that are in America Acura, Toyota, Honda etc are assembly plants, and do not include the very lucritive parts feeder plants that really drive the econmomy. They aren't serious operations, just branch plants so they have a legal right to sell here.
I will probably get the Aura. Originally had a thing for the new Sebring but when I got in the Saturn Aura XR with 20/28 mpg, 252hp and paddle shifters and nice interior, I was in love...what a great price for a sporty midsize $27K MSRP fully loaded.
I didn't get the "built-in" navigation... Motorhomes are a little behind the curve on electronics like that. I'll buy a portable unit.
The tow vehicle may have a built-in nav, not sure which way I'm going to go on that yet. Will look seriously at the Jeep Liberty next week. I might even peek at the Grand Cherokee but the lighter weight of the Liberty probably will win me.
Since the motorhome will be a 'diesel-pusher', I might consider the diesel Liberty. That way, when I stop for fuel, one pump can service it all!
Mark156
XM & Sirius Satellite Radio
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
With a motorhome, you WILL want satellite radio. It would be incredibly useful, the 2nd biggest user only to a trucker I'd think.
You will REALLY enjoy Sirius. I don't have any hesistation recommending the service to people. XM is decent too, but IMO its not as good in several areas covered very well in the XM and Sirius board.
The whole reason the Liberty is on the list is that the drive-train can be disengaged for easy towing. Also, I like the looks of the Liberty... if I get one, I'll get Light Khaki Metalllic as it will blend the colors on the motorhome.
Mark
When we were looking at small SUV's for the wife a couple of years ago, we took a look at the Liberty Limited, in the Dark Khaki, IIRC. Really a nice, unique color, we both thought.
However, we weren't real thrilled with the gas mileage, so we ended up buying the VUE.
That, plus the plastic panels and the buying experience....
NOTE: I think the CRD was dropped for the '07 model year. However, I've heard that DC will reintroduce a diesel in the Grand Cherokee starting this fall in the '08 models. Don't know about the Liberty, however.
Mark156
The interior is junk and the gas mileage is pathetic but for the price it is a pretty good vehicle. I am sure one of the higher trim levels in the diesel version would solve most of those two problems.
In Europe, you can get a full size RWD platform as a diesel, I know they were doing towing tests with a diesel 300C last summer.
Electronic Stability Program
"Four-channel, four-wheel antilock with active wheel-speed, vehicle-speed, steering-wheel-angle, yaw-rate, and lateral-acceleration sensors, vehicle stability management with two-stage activation switch, all-speed traction control, Brake Assist, Electronic Roll Mitigations (ERM) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)"
What year is your loaner?
Mark
It would not surprise me if the Rental level Liberty Jeeps did not have ESP.
Given the size, you would expect better.
Jeep Liberty 4x4: WT. 4044 Speed/Distance Limits: none Mileage: city/hwy 20/24
Honda CR-V AWD: WT. 3400 Speed/Distance Limits: 65mph/ none Mileage: city/hwy 23/29
Saturn Vue: WT. 3207 Speed/Distance Limits: 65mph/ none Mileage: city/hwy 20/28
I'm going to take a closer look at the Honda. The 600 lb. lighter weight to the Jeep is looking more attractive. The Honda doesn't have the lever to disengage the drive-train but the gas mileage is really good.
Mark156
I would think you would be able to buy a Liberty for alot less than the Cr-v though.
If all you need is a runabout when you're away from the 'mother ship', the FWD VUE would work well. One advantage of the VUE compared to both the Liberty and CR-V is the polymer side panels. I'd suspect that they won't dent as easily should debris encounter it on the road.
That, plus there are some pretty good incentives on the VUE, as the '08 replacement is just around the corner.
Do you require any special equipment, or will a base model work for you?
(note that I'm biased toward the VUE as we have one in our family)
Michaell, I'm considering a fully loaded unit with leather, heated seats and nav. We'll see what I end up with.
The previous CR-V that I looked at listed for almost $30,000 with all of the dealer added on crap. I think the real MSRP was about $25,000 for a loaded CR-V.
Do Saturn Vue's have AWD offered?
Mark156
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Her's is an '04 model year bought in November '04. 30K miles and the only major issue so far was a bum steering rack that needed to be replaced.
Remember that the V6 in the VUE for '07 is the venerable 3.5L engine that is also found in the Honda Ridgeline, Pilot and Odyssey. Same 5-speed automatic as well.
Very nice combination in a vehicle that weighs less than 3500 pounds.
Good luck and let us know how the shopping goes!
Don't know if that disconnects the drivetrian but it does something. :confuse:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I know what you mean after experiencing it first time yesterday morning. It was a piece of cake even going uphill on backroads with thick layer of ice and snow on top of it. Many FWD cars were slipping and sliding while I was running circles around them in my new 07 mitsubishi outlander. It has a 4WD lock setting along with 2WD and 4WD. 4wd is more like CR-V except a little power always goes to rear regardless of slipping of front wheels. More power is allocated if pedal is mashed or going uphill or when slippage occurs. 4WD lock is more power to rear wheels in all situations. Best part is that once I was on highway, just turned the knob to 2WD and my gas consumption figures fell back in line. However, I need to be mindful that 4WD wont let me stop any better but thanks to ABS with EBD, traction & stability control I was fine.
Fast forward 4 months, haven't seen another dime past the $1000, he called me saying he was hoping his tax return would be enough to pay it off, it wasn't.
So, we got the car back last night. On the bright side, I only had $1000 into the car so I basically own it for nothing now. Its clean, they put about 400 miles on it, so no harm done. Downside is, I have to sell the darn thing again!
We are still most likely getting the 93 Explorer as well, so that will put us up to 5 vehicles........ugh. :sick: