Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

I'm so "on the fence" about a GTI. There's no doubt I'd love the way it drives. If & when I decide to start looking again, I'd feel obligated to give a WRX a ride around the block. In close to 2 years of Legacy ownership (coming up on 9/27), I've grown to like a lot about the car. One thing is the service department. There are 3 service advisors who all know me. I get a loaner car as long as I schedule my service appointment a week or so in advance.

Bradd, I hate to rain on your parade, but given that you get no 'days off' from your job due to weather, can you really live with a FWD car year round? Your last two daily drivers were both AWD. I know the TSX and the Prelude are FWD - how did that work when the white stuff was really flying around?

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

I'm so "on the fence" about a GTI. There's no doubt I'd love the way it drives. If & when I decide to start looking again, I'd feel obligated to give a WRX a ride around the block. In close to 2 years of Legacy ownership (coming up on 9/27), I've grown to like a lot about the car. One thing is the service department. There are 3 service advisors who all know me. I get a loaner car as long as I schedule my service appointment a week or so in advance.

Bradd, I hate to rain on your parade, but given that you get no 'days off' from your job due to weather, can you really live with a FWD car year round? Your last two daily drivers were both AWD. I know the TSX and the Prelude are FWD - how did that work when the white stuff was really flying around?

The Prelude was my daily driver for 9 years & over 100K miles. I swapped winter & summer tires every December & April. I lived in NYC and parked on the streets. I got plowed in druing snow storms and the Pilot Alpins were able to claw their way out of many parking spots with minimal drama. Once the Prelude got going in the snow, it was unstoppable. Very easy to control with the snow tires and 5 speed manual transmission. The only time I had a problem was when we were having an abnormally warm winter & saw no snow and temps in the upper 40s well into January. I didn't swap at that point. I woke up one AM to a dusting of snow. My car barely made it out of the parking lot that day.

The TSX had snow tires when it was my wife's. The 1 winter I had it, it snowed maybe twice, on a Sunday, so I never got to test it out. I traded it in with the snow tires on it because they had more tread than the stock All Season tires.

graphicguy

@laurasdada will apprciate this.

My sister, who bought the C Class last year to replace her Jag X Class, wants to go back to a Jaguar. Seems some of her younger brother's car buying habits have rubbed off.

She's looking at XE's with the SC 6 cyl. Supposed to be quite fast. I told her to let me go with her if/when she's shopping. I guess she has some preliminary costs in the mid-high $40s for a pretty loaded number. Doesn't sound bad...considering a 3 Series 6 cyl loaded up is probably $8K-$10K more.

qbrozen

Huh. Dig the color combo. And its a hemi.

http://www.colemanautos.com/VehicleDetails/used-2009-Jeep-Grand_Cherokee-4WD_4dr_Overland_*Ltd_Avail*-Lawrenceville-NJ/2832506543

tjc78

I wonder if the seats are that bright in person, otherwise really nice Jeep.

nyccarguy

"We will never loose a sale because of price."

So they've obviously never dealt with you before @qbrozen

corvette

Nice GC--low miles, nice Michelin tires, backup cam and parking sensors. $18k seems steep for an eight year old Jeep, though. I'm not wild about the design of the chrome wheels.

qbrozen

I agree the wheels are awful, but I feel that way about all chrysler "chrome" wheels I have seen. It is an easy fix. 

Believe it or not, it is a good price. Only one at auction even came close to those miles (63k) and fetched $15,800.

ab348

tjc78 said:

I wonder if the seats are that bright in person, otherwise really nice Jeep.

I don't find them bright, but they tend to pop because everything around them is black. They appear to be a nice shade of dark saddle tan.

corvette

qbrozen said:

Believe it or not, it is a good price. Only one at auction even came close to those miles (63k) and fetched $15,800.

Yeah, but market prices aren't always sane.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

Kinda pricey that Kia LX Turbo, isn't it?

The sticker is pricey, no doubt about it. Good thing both Kia and the dealership were willing to heavily discount.

Michaell

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Kinda pricey that Kia LX Turbo, isn't it?

The sticker is pricey, no doubt about it. Good thing both Kia and the dealership were willing to heavily discount.

How much of a discount from sticker did you end up getting, after discounts and incentives?

I'm wondering if I should have stopped in the Kia store before leasing my Jetta.

andres3

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Kinda pricey that Kia LX Turbo, isn't it?

The sticker is pricey, no doubt about it. Good thing both Kia and the dealership were willing to heavily discount.

How much of a discount from sticker did you end up getting, after discounts and incentives?

I'm wondering if I should have stopped in the Kia store before leasing my Jetta.

I'm rounding, but I'm close: the sticker was essentially $25K and we got them down to $19,650 sale price. A big chunk of that is a Kia Rebate (which in CA you pay taxes on). The money factor isn't great as you've said, and the residual is probably average at 54% for 3 years/36K miles, but a big rebate is a big rebate.

Only the Passat might have been able to garner a bigger discount. What are VW's residuals and money factors?

To get a Passat more equivalently equipped, it would of had to have been an SE model, which would likely cost more and it comes with a moon roof.

I'm pretty sure we left less than a maximum of $200 on the table before they would have sent me home instead of selling/leasing me a car.

Michaell

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Kinda pricey that Kia LX Turbo, isn't it?

The sticker is pricey, no doubt about it. Good thing both Kia and the dealership were willing to heavily discount.

How much of a discount from sticker did you end up getting, after discounts and incentives?

I'm wondering if I should have stopped in the Kia store before leasing my Jetta.

I'm rounding, but I'm close: the sticker was essentially $25K and we got them down to $19,650 sale price. A big chunk of that is a Kia Rebate (which in CA you pay taxes on). The money factor isn't great as you've said, and the residual is probably average at 54% for 3 years/36K miles, but a big rebate is a big rebate.

Only the Passat might have been able to garner a bigger discount. What are VW's residuals and money factors?

To get a Passat more equivalently equipped, it would of had to have been an SE model, which would likely cost more and it comes with a moon roof.

I'm pretty sure we left less than a maximum of $200 on the table before they would have sent me home instead of selling/leasing me a car.

Residuals are under 50%, but the MF is pretty low on the Passat, as well. Probably net out to a similar payment. And, you wouldn't have gotten the DCT with the Passat.

Nice deal. Enjoy.

nyccarguy

@andres3 - did you look at the SX Turbo with the 2.0L Turbo 4 or was that out of your price range?

sda

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Kinda pricey that Kia LX Turbo, isn't it?

The sticker is pricey, no doubt about it. Good thing both Kia and the dealership were willing to heavily discount.

How much of a discount from sticker did you end up getting, after discounts and incentives?

I'm wondering if I should have stopped in the Kia store before leasing my Jetta.

I'm rounding, but I'm close: the sticker was essentially $25K and we got them down to $19,650 sale price. A big chunk of that is a Kia Rebate (which in CA you pay taxes on). The money factor isn't great as you've said, and the residual is probably average at 54% for 3 years/36K miles, but a big rebate is a big rebate.

Only the Passat might have been able to garner a bigger discount. What are VW's residuals and money factors?

To get a Passat more equivalently equipped, it would of had to have been an SE model, which would likely cost more and it comes with a moon roof.

I'm pretty sure we left less than a maximum of $200 on the table before they would have sent me home instead of selling/leasing me a car.

What maintenance is required on Kia's DCT? That may be moot as you've leased it 3/36.

andres3

nyccarguy said:

@andres3 - did you look at the SX Turbo with the 2.0L Turbo 4 or was that out of your price range?

I didn't look. I'm sure I'd like it more, but the $$$ would be higher. If I was going to spend another $2K on something a bit more fun, I think I would have liked a red '16 Accord Sport (heard they made a lot of driving improvements you can't see on the sticker from previous years).

Part of my justification for going new rather than used was that I could get something economical to save money in the long run (with a long warranty). Part of that comes from averaging (29 MPG) so far in my first tank. That's significant, especially considering another 5 to 10% savings from using regular instead of premium gasoline. Regular gas is hovering around $2.50 in Southern CA.

I didn't need another fun gas hog; this car is supposed to be designed to save me money so I can afford to drive the TTS like I stole it. And perhaps get an awesome 19" wheel package I like with Sport Cup 2 Michelin Tires. Combined with the tune; I should be able to leave any Focus RS's in the dust with that.

My priority goes to the TTS when it comes to discretionary dollars. That was a decision I made; though I can see why someone would like owning two very fun to drive cars (or more). If funds allowed I'd of just kept the S4 then.

I'd be truly happy with my cars then, but my wife would have definitely traded me in if I hadn't sold the S4 in order to get the TTS. Of course, that reminds me that my S4 was tainted, but then again some here would probably argue that going 48K miles with only having the low beam light bulb replaced is pretty darn reliable.

Mr_Shiftright

I spoke with the local Mazda Rotary guru (Rising Sun Motors in San Rafael, CA) about purchasing an RX-8, and he scared me about as much as the Porsche gurus did about older Caymans and the dreaded IMS bearing. GEEZ----bad turbos, oil burning, oil leaks, blah blah.

Seems like I'm jumping from one high risk purchase to another. If the Caymans and Boxsters and 996s (older ones) have a 100K engine, the Mazda RX-8 seems to have about an 80K engine.

On the plus side, you could build 3.5 rotaries for one porsche engine. How's that for a "glass half full" attitude?

I'm not sure why I'm attracting to cars that blow up--I even did that with motorcycles (Triumph, Norton) until I got into BMW bikes.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'm not sure why I'm attracting to cars that blow up

Well, I'm with you on that. My dream garage often includes an older Range Rover, older Jag, v12 bimmer and/or benz, 996, etc.

andres3

My older brother blew up a '60's GTO engine once upon a time. Does that count?

breld

nyccarguy said:

I'm so "on the fence" about a GTI. There's no doubt I'd love the way it drives. If & when I decide to start looking again, I'd feel obligated to give a WRX a ride around the block. In close to 2 years of Legacy ownership (coming up on 9/27), I've grown to like a lot about the car. One thing is the service department. There are 3 service advisors who all know me. I get a loaner car as long as I schedule my service appointment a week or so in advance.

It'll be interesting to get your take on the comparison when the time comes. Similar missions for those cars, but very different approaches. From my experience, the GTI will feel more refined and "luxury-like", while the WRX will be more raw. GTI offers the practicality of the hatch, but the WRX is very roomy for a compact.

Some of it may come down to whether you go auto or manual. I haven't driven the CVT in a WRX, but I would reckon VW's DSG will be far superior. From a stick perspective, I don't think either is winning any awards for best shifter out there, so call it a push.

Mr_Shiftright

Q---All excellent choices for a catastrophe!

Andres3---that's what happens when you deem the redline "advisory".

stever

A reporter is working on a story about car shoppers who are only interested in buying cars that are made in the USA. If you're one of these shoppers, and you'd like to talk about your experience shopping for American-made vehicles, please reach out to PR @edmunds.com by no later than Thursday, September 15, 2016.

laurasdada

graphicguy said:

@laurasdada will apprciate this.

My sister, who bought the C Class last year to replace her Jag X Class, wants to go back to a Jaguar. Seems some of her younger brother's car buying habits have rubbed off.

She's looking at XE's with the SC 6 cyl. Supposed to be quite fast. I told her to let me go with her if/when she's shopping. I guess she has some preliminary costs in the mid-high $40s for a pretty loaded number. Doesn't sound bad...considering a 3 Series 6 cyl loaded up is probably $8K-$10K more.

I've started seeing a rather lovely woman. She seems quite enamored of my XF. Classic questions, is it me or the car? Perhaps I don't want to know the answer...

Your sister sounds like a woman of grace, class and elegance!

laurasdada

And, of course, look forward to the XE review.

Probably not, but I'm thinking of downsizing next year. Or same sizing to a used S Class Coupe, darn thing is just a piece of art! Best to stay put, however. Heresy here, of course. Guess I'm just CCBA dilettante...

kyfdx

I killed three Ford six-cylinders. All in Econolines. All high-mileage on 90 F + days.

Mr_Shiftright

laurasdada said:

graphicguy said:

@laurasdada will apprciate this.

My sister, who bought the C Class last year to replace her Jag X Class, wants to go back to a Jaguar. Seems some of her younger brother's car buying habits have rubbed off.

She's looking at XE's with the SC 6 cyl. Supposed to be quite fast. I told her to let me go with her if/when she's shopping. I guess she has some preliminary costs in the mid-high $40s for a pretty loaded number. Doesn't sound bad...considering a 3 Series 6 cyl loaded up is probably $8K-$10K more.

I've started seeing a rather lovely woman. She seems quite enamored of my XF. Classic questions, is it me or the car? Perhaps I don't want to know the answer...

Your sister sounds like a woman of grace, class and elegance!

It's you. Women don't fall in love with cars like men think they do. However, having a nice car rather than a banged-up old Camaro with a "Take It Easy" sticker on it is probably something in your favor.

Sandman6472

Laurasdada, I guess you must've gotten a divorce sometime during the last few years. Funny how we think we know folks in here from some of the things they say about their regular lives. Even though most of us have never met face to face, we discuss automobiles and such like friends, so maybe that's what makes this forum so interesting. Glad to hear that you are seeing a nice woman...and that she likes you and not your vehicle more.

The Sandman

roadburner

Drove a new X3 xDrive28i up to Columbus OH and back to pick up a dealer trade today. Nice enough, and it returned 28.5 mpg at an average speed of 69 mph- but I'd have to have an M Sport 35i if I was moving in that direction. In other news, we bought a used M2 with less than 4k on the clock yesterday and sold it today for the asking price- $62k.

laurasdada

Mr. S: Glad then that I removed the "If this XF is a rockin', ..." bumper sticker!

Sandy, my Westport neighbor: Alas and heartbreakingly, yes. A rough past few years, but 2016 is allowing me to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel ain't a train coming my way. I know, of course, that many others of the CCBA family have had a rough(er) go of it, too. So, I share a bit of pain with y'all.

Good news is that it appears that she is having a midlife crisis and wants to trade her '08 Accord for something more sporty and fun! She might need some help in deciding! She'd look good in an F-Type...

corvette

laurasdada said:

I've started seeing a rather lovely woman.

Ditto here, but she hasn't really said anything about either of my cars (good or bad)! I ended up explaining the TDI arbitrage thing to her when I mentioned that the Jetta didn't have an XM subscription.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

I spoke with the local Mazda Rotary guru (Rising Sun Motors in San Rafael, CA) about purchasing an RX-8, and he scared me about as much as the Porsche gurus did about older Caymans and the dreaded IMS bearing. GEEZ----bad turbos, oil burning, oil leaks, blah blah.

Seems like I'm jumping from one high risk purchase to another. If the Caymans and Boxsters and 996s (older ones) have a 100K engine, the Mazda RX-8 seems to have about an 80K engine.

On the plus side, you could build 3.5 rotaries for one porsche engine. How's that for a "glass half full" attitude?

I'm not sure why I'm attracting to cars that blow up--I even did that with motorcycles (Triumph, Norton) until I got into BMW bikes.

Small consolation, but the RX8 RENESIS rotaries are easy to rebuild....if you have an engine puller, and an extra pair of hands. They had problems with the combustion seals.

kyfdx

corvette said:

laurasdada said:

I've started seeing a rather lovely woman.

Ditto here, but she hasn't really said anything about either of my cars (good or bad)! I ended up explaining the TDI arbitrage thing to her when I mentioned that the Jetta didn't have an XM subscription.

LOL.. that's one thing I love about the Audi. Free 90 day XM trial!

Still on a 24 year trial with the wife..

breld

laurasdada said:

Mr. S: Glad then that I removed the "If this XF is a rockin', ..." bumper sticker!

Sandy, my Westport neighbor: Alas and heartbreakingly, yes. A rough past few years, but 2016 is allowing me to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel ain't a train coming my way. I know, of course, that many others of the CCBA family have had a rough(er) go of it, too. So, I share a bit of pain with y'all.

Good news is that it appears that she is having a midlife crisis and wants to trade her '08 Accord for something more sporty and fun! She might need some help in deciding! She'd look good in an F-Type...

Happy to hear that it sounds like you're on the other side of things - it can certainly be tough those first years, but I'll happily testify to being over 5 years into my second marriage and loving life.

henryn

corvette said:

laurasdada said:

I've started seeing a rather lovely woman.

Ditto here, but she hasn't really said anything about either of my cars (good or bad)! I ended up explaining the TDI arbitrage thing to her when I mentioned that the Jetta didn't have an XM subscription.

My most recent date asked about the SiriusXM radio in my Passat. The Passat has a mid-sized touch screen with labels up for my presets (60s on 6, Classic Vinyl, Classic Rewind, Bridge, etc). I was pushing buttons playing different music, and she asked if that were something that I had to pay for. My immediate thought was along the lines of, "You don't get out much", but I was nice and just said "Yeah, that's SiriusXM and costs me about $10 per month."

nyccarguy

laurasdada said:

Mr. S: Glad then that I removed the "If this XF is a rockin', ..." bumper sticker!

Sandy, my Westport neighbor: Alas and heartbreakingly, yes. A rough past few years, but 2016 is allowing me to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel ain't a train coming my way. I know, of course, that many others of the CCBA family have had a rough(er) go of it, too. So, I share a bit of pain with y'all.

Good news is that it appears that she is having a midlife crisis and wants to trade her '08 Accord for something more sporty and fun! She might need some help in deciding! She'd look good in an F-Type...

Hey @laurasdada! Thanks for checking back in. Glad to know you are OK.

Mr_Shiftright

laurasdada said:

Mr. S: Glad then that I removed the "If this XF is a rockin', ..." bumper sticker!

Sandy, my Westport neighbor: Alas and heartbreakingly, yes. A rough past few years, but 2016 is allowing me to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel ain't a train coming my way. I know, of course, that many others of the CCBA family have had a rough(er) go of it, too. So, I share a bit of pain with y'all.

Good news is that it appears that she is having a midlife crisis and wants to trade her '08 Accord for something more sporty and fun! She might need some help in deciding! She'd look good in an F-Type...

Hahahaha.....I used to be such a wise a....acre with bumper stickers, that when I owned two Porsches, I had a sticker that said: "My other car is a Porsche" on both of them.

Sigh..I still miss my Porsche 928...I miss the pain, the anguish, the repair bills that made my socks roll up and down, the speeding tickets.

I used to call it "My German Corvette", but with a lot better build quality.

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I spoke with the local Mazda Rotary guru (Rising Sun Motors in San Rafael, CA) about purchasing an RX-8, and he scared me about as much as the Porsche gurus did about older Caymans and the dreaded IMS bearing. GEEZ----bad turbos, oil burning, oil leaks, blah blah.

Seems like I'm jumping from one high risk purchase to another. If the Caymans and Boxsters and 996s (older ones) have a 100K engine, the Mazda RX-8 seems to have about an 80K engine.

On the plus side, you could build 3.5 rotaries for one porsche engine. How's that for a "glass half full" attitude?

I'm not sure why I'm attracting to cars that blow up--I even did that with motorcycles (Triumph, Norton) until I got into BMW bikes.

Small consolation, but the RX8 RENESIS rotaries are easy to rebuild....if you have an engine puller, and an extra pair of hands. They had problems with the combustion seals.

Yeah, once you get the engine out it is something of a wonder of compactness and simplicity. But say replacing the turbos with the engine still in the car---not so much fun.

I've built about 12 engines I think---11 of them turned out great, but ironically the real devil was the Porsche 914 engine, which is actually a VW "suitcase" engine. That thing drove me absolutely nuts. Never did figure out what was wrong, nor did any other professional I consulted or hired. Just junked it and started over.

henryn

I have built (or rebuilt) a few engines myself.

The most interesting case I ran into, back around, oh, 1978 or thereabouts, a man I worked with gave me a 1970 Challenger convertible. It had been sitting in his garage for several years, he was moving, and just wanted it gone.

It needed paint, a new top, and carpet. Almost every used convertible I have encountered needs new carpet. My co-worker told me that he had, several years previously, paid an amateur to rebuild the 318 V8, and it ran hot from day one after the rebuild. Extremely hot, too hot to be driven.

I pulled the engine, and tore it apart. Behind the water pump, on the front of the block, there are two holes for water to circulate. One of those holes had a freeze plug in it.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh brilliant! LOL!

I once opened a Volvo engine that someone gave me--they had bought the car used (yeah, okay, she was pretty cute) and it had a tremendous vibration. I knew there'd be something awful in there but I never suspect that the piston and rod and been removed and a leather strap put around the crank pin oilfeed hole!! I had suspected a cracked (split) crankshaft, which was common on older Volvo 544s. But not that.

It's getting very rare that modern car engines are rebuilt locally. People just install short blocks or remans. Even my little MINI is a rat's nest of wires and sensors and an enormous amount of labor merely to extract the engine.

When that engine goes, the car's going, too.

roadburner

I'd still tackle a SBC rebuild- or even an M10 or M30 BMW motor. Other than that, I'd call a professional.

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, piece of cake most of the time. An old Volvo engine is about as complicated as a Vermont Wood Stove.

corvette

Mr_Shiftright said:

I used to call it "My German Corvette", but with a lot better build quality.

My dad and I were commenting on the European build quality this morning. I brought my battery tester home to test the battery on their S80. Had to remove the trunk trays, unscrew a bracket, and remove a plastic cover in the trunk to get to the 12V battery. It tested OK.

The year-old battery in their Element actually tested higher than its rated CCA, which is encouraging.

corvette

Got a letter in the mail from SiriusXM today advising a free 90 day trial is active on the JSW. Ironically, the gas diesel tank is now near empty and my range is about 15 miles (sufficient to take it the the nearest VW dealer), so I will probably be driving the Murano from here forward.

stickguy

why not throw some fuel in, and drive it for "free" while you got it (actually better than free, by taking miles off the Nissan?)

corvette

stickguy said:

why not throw some fuel in, and drive it for "free" while you got it (actually better than free, by taking miles off the Nissan?)

75k on the clock and no assurance that it had the required transmission fluid change at 40k is the main reason. Others here may be more brave.

28firefighter

corvette said:

why not throw some fuel in, and drive it for "free" while you got it (actually better than free, by taking miles off the Nissan?)

75k on the clock and no assurance that it had the required transmission fluid change at 40k is the main reason. Others here may be more brave.

I refused to buy a considerably cheaper A3 because there was no record of it having the scheduled transmission fluid change. To much risk of it grenading on me. 

The one I bought had the receipt in the glovebox showing it had been done at 35k miles last year - at 47k now. 

henryn

My '13 Passat TDI has 67k (65 when I bought it), and I have no service records at all. So the DSG service? Your guess is as good as mine. I don't think it's going to grenade, though. Most transmissions do not implode after 3 years of use. If I decided to keep it until 2018, I would definitely service the DSG. If you look around, you can find a much easier method ("top fill") for performing the service. Basically, you just measure how much comes out and replace the same amount.

andres3

I would think the transmission would show signs or problems before completely grenading, but then again someone once told me automatic transmissions were unpredictable, then again, a DSG isn't a normal automatic.

Sandman6472

The '08 Hyundai Accent has moved home for awhile as our middle child has graduated and is awaiting her results. Right now my side of the garage is filled with stuff that will be picked up in the morning by our city's bulk pick-up. We took her four year old queen mattress and got rid of our nineteen year old one. She's back in her old room that's got two twins until she moves out again. Hoping that will be right after the new year.
So tomorrow, I can re-claim my side of the garage and then she'll be parking on the street or behind the wife since I usually leave the house first. The Accent needs a wax and possibly a clay bar as the finish is very rough but since it's been outside it's whole life, understandable. Will be getting my detail guy out here soon to do his magic because she needs to keep it for awhile since she's looking for work. Has only 25K on the clock in the almost eight years of ownership and since I put new shoes on it last year, it's staying in the fleet for at least a couple of years.


The Sandman