Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

test drove a 2013 X6 today. I can see why people are fond of the turbo 6. Pulls like a freight train. Hard to see any need for the V8 version.

but man, style over practicality in the back. Terrible visibility out the back.

and I am in love with the multi-contour seats. they were nice, and that was without even playing with all the settings to dial them in.

roadburner

Yes, those seats are great; I especially like how the shoulder angle can be adjusted independently.

fintail

It's the thigh support part that gets to me, something that MB has just started putting in cars below the S-class.

stickguy

I want one to use as my office desk chair.

au1994

stickguy said:

test drove a 2013 X6 today. I can see why people are fond of the turbo 6. Pulls like a freight train. Hard to see any need for the V8 version. but man, style over practicality in the back. Terrible visibility out the back. and I am in love with the multi-contour seats. they were nice, and that was without even playing with all the settings to dial them in.

Yep, rear visibility takes some getting used to and was a big concern when we got ours.  Both of us are used to it now and really like the X6.  The turbo 6 is a great engine and pulls that quasi SUV well enough to get you in trouble!  BMW does the I6 so well, I don't think I'd ever try one of their V8s.  They were trouble prone in the past but have been better recently.  We love both of ours but like many others here, I don't like the brand direction. I want a drivers car and the only thing that fills that niche now is the 2 series which is too small for us.  ///M series is still well thought of from what I read but too rich for my blood.

sda

I don't know about Honda dealers in other parts of the country, but locally, there are at least 4 dealers all about a 30 min drive from our home, are stingy with loaners. The only time I've been lucky to get one is when a warranty repair required the car to be kept over night. Most loaners were actually a rental from Enterprise. They were typically dirty and a cheap compact.

stickguy

My Honda dealers never offered loaners. I never really expected one, or cared that much. I can get one at the Acura dealer, but have never bothered (I just wait since never been more than an hour)

I did get one from the VW dealer for some reason last time the Jetta was serviced. They just scheduled it. I didn't even ask.

kyfdx

When I drove Hondas, the dealer would give me a ride to work, about three miles away. Had to find my own way back, though. I was okay with that.

The BMW dealer is great. I can get a loaner, even for an oil change.
Repair prices are cheap, too..

au1994

Loaners are hit or miss around here. I'm taking the X6 in for service tomorrow and will get one. Looking forward to driving something different.  One time during a recall campaign I didn't get a BMW, had an Equinox from enterprise.  I really don't care though, as long as it's reasonably clean and moves. I've seen others complain on some of the BMW boards I frequent..."I'd dropped off my X5 and the $&@ dealer gave me a 320i to drive. Really??

One local Chevy dealer does loaners as well as the CDJ/Subaru dealer.  Strangely enough a former boss had a Mercedes and that dealer didn't give him one for a routine service appt.

breld

roadburner said:

Yes, those seats are great; I especially like how the shoulder angle can be adjusted independently.

Yes! That's my favorite part of those seats too - allows the seat to really "hug" you. Have had them in my 530xi, 535xi and the X5. Maybe one day, they'll find their way into the smaller cars.

breld

au1994 said:

Loaners are hit or miss around here. I'm taking the X6 in for service tomorrow and will get one. Looking forward to driving something different.  One time during a recall campaign I didn't get a BMW, had an Equinox from enterprise.  I really don't care though, as long as it's reasonably clean and moves. I've seen others complain on some of the BMW boards I frequent..."I'd dropped off my X5 and the $&@ dealer gave me a 320i to drive. Really??

One local Chevy dealer does loaners as well as the CDJ/Subaru dealer.  Strangely enough a former boss had a Mercedes and that dealer didn't give him one for a routine service appt.

I imagine most of us here feel the same way - I always think it's fun to get a different car for a loaner, whether it's "nicer" than my vehicle or not. When the SQ5 was in the shop a few weeks ago, they gave me a Q5 as a loaner. I would have preferred an A3 or A4 just for something different. Or a TT, but don't think they have many of those as loaners.

suydam

My Honda dealer gave us loaners. They were from a rental company but we're Honda's. My Nissan dealer used 1-2 year old Nissans as loaners.

Sandman6472

Got a Jetta loaner when the starter issue surfaced and it was on a holiday weekend which surprised me. Had it for 5 days and was glad to get mine back.
We have a Hertz kiosk at the Honda dealer I was at on Tuesday and we service the nearby Hyundai dealer and I made like 15 trips picking up/taking back customers. I kept a Versa Note all day and used it as my chase vehicle. Rumor has it that we're keeping this small kiosk but moving across I-75 to a regular office where we can keep 50 or so vehicles if necessary. It's over by the Porsche/Lamborgini stores. Got a feeling they plan to split up us drivers and base us out of this location but no definite word yet. This company tends to throw curve balls at us without any notice, like having one of us stay at the Honda store one day a week, something that's still causing a big issue since one girl keeps getting out of it so only one of us guys go. Very unfair and don't know how much longer a few will stand for it before quitting!
Since the Audi has never been there more than a few hours, never had a loaner but they have them available.

The Sandman

karhill1

One consideration when it comes to extended service contracts is how they are priced.

The provider conducts detailed studies to determine how much it will pay on average for the contracts by model. For example, the provider may determine its average payout for Honda Civic will be $700. The provider will then add a layer of profit. Perhaps $500.

The provider will then sell the service contract to the dealer for $1,200. The dealer will than add a couple of profit layers, one for the dealership and one for the F&I manager who sells the service contract to the buyer. For example, this may increase the price to $2,400. This varies by dealer as there is no set price.

We all know how dealers view the back end of any car deal, a huge profit center.

So, for a product which the experts expect to pay out $700, the car buyer may pay as much as $2,400.

Sure, there are always some folks who will benefit from an extended service contract. However, for the majority of buyers, an extended service contract is rarely a good deal.

If the service contract provider actually paid out $2,400 on a product it sold for $1,200, the service contract provider would be out of business very quickly.

Of course the piece of mind an extended service contract may provide some buyers has some benefit. Whether that benefit is worth the amount a dealer charges for a service contract is up to the buyer. But most buyers of service contracts will never recover the cost of that contract.

There are reasons most consumer advocates advise against extended service contracts.

My approach is to take the $2,400, in this example, and put it aside in a fund for future repairs. Should a repair materialize, I have the money. Should a repair not materialize, I and not the dealer, still have the money.

Michaell

On the subject of loaner cars.

MINI - get a loaner every time I take the Countryman in for service. Mostly MINIs, but once I got a CR-V from the sister Honda store.
Subaru - qualify for a loaner if the repair or maintenance work exceeds $400
VW - too new yet to know

Hyundai - if you scheduled the service with enough notice, you could get a loaner. I've had an Elantra, a Sonata and a Santa Fe in the past.

andres3

breld said:

au1994 said:

Loaners are hit or miss around here. I'm taking the X6 in for service tomorrow and will get one. Looking forward to driving something different.  One time during a recall campaign I didn't get a BMW, had an Equinox from enterprise.  I really don't care though, as long as it's reasonably clean and moves. I've seen others complain on some of the BMW boards I frequent..."I'd dropped off my X5 and the $&@ dealer gave me a 320i to drive. Really??

One local Chevy dealer does loaners as well as the CDJ/Subaru dealer.  Strangely enough a former boss had a Mercedes and that dealer didn't give him one for a routine service appt.

I imagine most of us here feel the same way - I always think it's fun to get a different car for a loaner, whether it's "nicer" than my vehicle or not. When the SQ5 was in the shop a few weeks ago, they gave me a Q5 as a loaner. I would have preferred an A3 or A4 just for something different. Or a TT, but don't think they have many of those as loaners.

I actually got an S4 loaner for my S4 once. Pretty amazing.

I'm happy as long as I get an Audi. Back when I owned the A3 with free maintenance to 50K miles (2006 was the last year of that), the previously owned by someone else San Diego Audi would give you Enterprise cars most of the time, and if you were lucky, you'd get a VW, and if you were really lucky an Audi. At Audi Escondido I've received an Audi every time, and that's plenty great enough.

Had an All-Road, S4, A4, Q3, Q5.

andres3

breld said:

au1994 said:

Loaners are hit or miss around here. I'm taking the X6 in for service tomorrow and will get one. Looking forward to driving something different.  One time during a recall campaign I didn't get a BMW, had an Equinox from enterprise.  I really don't care though, as long as it's reasonably clean and moves. I've seen others complain on some of the BMW boards I frequent..."I'd dropped off my X5 and the $&@ dealer gave me a 320i to drive. Really??

One local Chevy dealer does loaners as well as the CDJ/Subaru dealer.  Strangely enough a former boss had a Mercedes and that dealer didn't give him one for a routine service appt.

I imagine most of us here feel the same way - I always think it's fun to get a different car for a loaner, whether it's "nicer" than my vehicle or not. When the SQ5 was in the shop a few weeks ago, they gave me a Q5 as a loaner. I would have preferred an A3 or A4 just for something different. Or a TT, but don't think they have many of those as loaners.

I actually got an S4 loaner for my S4 once. Pretty amazing.

I'm happy as long as I get an Audi. Back when I owned the A3 with free maintenance to 50K miles (2006 was the last year of that), the previously owned by someone else San Diego Audi would give you Enterprise cars most of the time, and if you were lucky, you'd get a VW, and if you were really lucky an Audi. At Audi Escondido I've received an Audi every time, and that's plenty great enough.

Had an All-Road, S4, A4, Q3, Q5.

fintail

Local MB dealer seems pretty easy about loaners if you bought the car there, even offering it for normal service (but they have streamlined that, so I just wait). There's usually a fleet of C, E, and in the past GLK and ML (not sure if they run GLC and GLE now). I had a loaner a few years ago, normally equipped C250, and this year when switching over my dashcam, I got a loaner - normally equipped C300 4Matic.

nyccarguy

A Chronic Car Buying story we can all relate to. I have a friend whose stable includes a Tesla Model S P85D, a 2016 Escalade, & a B7 L X-Drive Alpina, & 2 Harleys. Both he and his wife just can't stand the Alpina. They've only driven it 24K miles in the 30 months they've had it. The lease is for 39 months. He's at the BMW dealer right now trying to see if they'll eat his remaining 9 lease payments ($1600 each) if he drives off their lot in a 2016 X5 ///M. Stay tuned folks to see how the story unfolds.

nyccarguy

I had some fantastic loaners from the BMW dealer when I leased my 328xi. I got an X1 once which I really liked. They gave me a 335d that I didn't want to give back I loved the torque so much!

ab348

One of the unfortunate aspects of my Cadillac ownership experience is that while I always get a loaner, it is always a Chevy from the in-house rental desk of the Chevy-Buick-Cadillac-GMC dealership I leased it through. So lots of Malibus usually.

corvette

If they hate it, why did they lease it? Also, there's no way I would put 24k on a second car in 30 months!

ab348

nyccarguy said:

A Chronic Car Buying story we can all relate to. I have a friend whose stable includes a Tesla Model S P85D, a 2016 Escalade, & a B7 L X-Drive Alpina, & 2 Harleys. Both he and his wife just can't stand the Alpina. They've only driven it 24K miles in the 30 months they've had it. The lease is for 39 months. He's at the BMW dealer right now trying to see if they'll eat his remaining 9 lease payments ($1600 each) if he drives off their lot in a 2016 X5 ///M. Stay tuned folks to see how the story unfolds.

They sound like people who have way too much money. Maybe they should take up snorting cocaine instead.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

A Chronic Car Buying story we can all relate to. I have a friend whose stable includes a Tesla Model S P85D, a 2016 Escalade, & a B7 L X-Drive Alpina, & 2 Harleys. Both he and his wife just can't stand the Alpina. They've only driven it 24K miles in the 30 months they've had it. The lease is for 39 months. He's at the BMW dealer right now trying to see if they'll eat his remaining 9 lease payments ($1600 each) if he drives off their lot in a 2016 X5 ///M. Stay tuned folks to see how the story unfolds.

wow

stickguy

in the last year, I might not have put 12K on both of my cars, combined. Only the Jetta has been rolling up miles (princess seems to drive a lot!)

I really, really liked the new X1 I drove a few weeks back at the drive event. I think I could be real happy with one of those. and I know my wife would not complain about that one! Might even make her RDX redundant, at least once we get the kid out of college.

Michaell

I'm going tire shopping for the MINI. Daughter wants the same tires, but if I can find them cheaper somewhere other than the dealer, I'm to let her know. Original tires made it about 26,000 miles. 

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

A Chronic Car Buying story we can all relate to. I have a friend whose stable includes a Tesla Model S P85D, a 2016 Escalade, & a B7 L X-Drive Alpina, & 2 Harleys. Both he and his wife just can't stand the Alpina. They've only driven it 24K miles in the 30 months they've had it. The lease is for 39 months. He's at the BMW dealer right now trying to see if they'll eat his remaining 9 lease payments ($1600 each) if he drives off their lot in a 2016 X5 ///M. Stay tuned folks to see how the story unfolds.

wow

I'm at a total loss.

stickguy

i am already tire shopping for the RDX. even though there is a lot of tread left, and I hope to get at least 2 more years out of them. Just can't be too prepared with these things!

qbrozen

Is your RDX the turbo or the V6? How many miles now?

I only have like 6-8 weeks maybe before I have to find my next vehicle. I keep thinking I should start test driving soon since my spare time these days is pretty limited.

andres3

Speaking of test drives, I much prefer a good length test drive to the typical turn right, turn right, turn right, and turn right into the dealership drive that even a BMW dealership is guilty of! Well, OK, it wasn't that bad, but it was short. Not sure what they were worried about either as the car I was driving already had like 300 miles on it. A few more won't make a difference.

stever

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

A Chronic Car Buying story we can all relate to. I have a friend whose stable includes a Tesla Model S P85D, a 2016 Escalade, & a B7 L X-Drive Alpina, & 2 Harleys. Both he and his wife just can't stand the Alpina. They've only driven it 24K miles in the 30 months they've had it. The lease is for 39 months. He's at the BMW dealer right now trying to see if they'll eat his remaining 9 lease payments ($1600 each) if he drives off their lot in a 2016 X5 ///M. Stay tuned folks to see how the story unfolds.

wow

I'm at a total loss.

I was better after I realized from reading @corvette's response that it was 24,000 we were talking about, not 24 miles.

stickguy

I have the first year (and a real early unit) of the designed model, so V6. I never actually drove one of the old style turbo ones.

28firefighter

stever said:

I was better after I realized from reading @corvette's response that it was 24,000 we were talking about, not 24 miles.

I'm thinking about how many different cars I could have at once with a $1600/month auto budget...

corvette

The old turbo RDX was fun. Made a CR-V feel disappointing. 

26k is short, even for oe tires. 

Michaell

corvette said:

The old turbo RDX was fun. Made a CR-V feel disappointing. 

26k is short, even for oe tires. 

Ah, but the MINI suspension is tuned for a sporty ride - and faster wear on the tires.

andres3

I'm happy if I get 20K from a set of tires with a sport suspension setup. Usually have to push it on bald tires (at least by CA Vehicle Code definition) in order to get there. No big deal, I just driver slower when it rains than I would with brand new tires.

I wonder how many people realize this about tires performance in the wet when the tires are old and worn? Probably not a big percentage given the amount of traffic and congestion on rainy days in Southern CA.

stickguy

this could be a decent deal on a unicorn, at least up here in the NE. A RWD BMW!

outside of the color combo (black over black, about the last thing I would want) I would consider taking a look. But, seems to be a low option car. So maybe not as enticing. Still, over 2 years and 12K left on the BtoB warranty (I would probably make the 2 years!) plus the powertrain after that. so almost as good as a CPO. Wonder what the real market value is?

http://www.burlingtonchevy.com/VehicleDetails/used-2015-BMW-328i-Sedan-Burlington-NJ/2826574563

Much cheaper than a new one. I specced out the 2 I like (2 series, and X1) and I just can't keep from clicking a few boxes to get what seems like basic required "luxury car" equipment, and I still can't seem to get one under 44K. even with using all the tricks to haggle them down, still going to be paying 40K before TTL if going new. Ouch.

andres3

stickguy said:

this could be a decent deal on a unicorn, at least up here in the NE. A RWD BMW!

outside of the color combo (black over black, about the last thing I would want) I would consider taking a look. But, seems to be a low option car. So maybe not as enticing. Still, over 2 years and 12K left on the BtoB warranty (I would probably make the 2 years!) plus the powertrain after that. so almost as good as a CPO. Wonder what the real market value is?

http://www.burlingtonchevy.com/VehicleDetails/used-2015-BMW-328i-Sedan-Burlington-NJ/2826574563

Much cheaper than a new one. I specced out the 2 I like (2 series, and X1) and I just can't keep from clicking a few boxes to get what seems like basic required "luxury car" equipment, and I still can't seem to get one under 44K. even with using all the tricks to haggle them down, still going to be paying 40K before TTL if going new. Ouch.

Inflation is a bummer isn't it?

I got my '03 Accord V6 in '02 for 25K out the door, and that wasn't a particularly great deal. Now they have 4-banger Kia's stickering for 25K+!.

Michaell

andres3 said:

I'm happy if I get 20K from a set of tires with a sport suspension setup. Usually have to push it on bald tires (at least by CA Vehicle Code definition) in order to get there. No big deal, I just driver slower when it rains than I would with brand new tires.

I wonder how many people realize this about tires performance in the wet when the tires are old and worn? Probably not a big percentage given the amount of traffic and congestion on rainy days in Southern CA.

She got two winters out of the OE tires. With poor weather in CO just around the corner, she figures it's time to replace them.

But, I can only find them at the dealer, $232 each installed.

Her money, her choice.

stickguy

What kind of tires? I would research a few minutes, and probably find something rated better over for a lot less money.

nyccarguy

So a little backstory on the B7 with only 24K miles in 30 months. It was originally his wife's car (natural progression after a 2010 750Li X-Drive, right?). She doesn't do that much driving (to the nail salon, the hair salon, out to lunch with the girls, the nannies do pick up & drop off). He had an F10 ///M5 (with A LOT of DINAN part arts) & an X5 ///M. The ///M cars started to develop some serious problems (he'd be merging into traffic and the cars would go into limp mode) & his wife got pregnant with their 3rd child.

The B7 was no longer acceptable transportation, she wanted an SUV with 3 rows of seats. They traded in the X5 ///M for an Escalade.

He ordered a Tesla. Between the time he ordered it & the time it came, he drove the B7 (and went through countless tires) every day while the M5 sat in his garage or at the dealership.

His Tesla came in & that became his daily driver. The B7 got relegated to 3rd car duty. It drives better in the snow than the Tesla does.

Now he wants something he can tow his motorcycles with. So he's looking at an X5 ///M so he can take his bikes places & ride them around.

Yes, I too dream about having his "car budget."

For those who are wondering, he didn't get the deal done for the X5. To be continued.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

For those who are wondering, he didn't get the deal done for the X5. To be continued.

I'm sure the dealer tried to mark up the money factor by the maximum amount allowed by BMWFS in order to try to bury the remaining lease payments on the B7. :@

nyccarguy

He was not looking to lease the X5 ///M. Just looking to dump the B7 & write a check for the X5.

nyccarguy

2 recalls fixed, synthetic oil & filter change, tire rotation, a plug in one tire that had a nail in it, & $98.48 later I've got my Legacy back.

@Michaell - the recalls were for the ignition relay & software reprogram for the parking brake.

stickguy

I still like the legacy. 2 years ago when I was shopping, I kind of forgot to go back to the Sube dealer before I ended up at Hyundai. if I had, I could be driving one now too, though I suspect the lease deal would still have not been all that great.

next time. Just have to hurry up and release the turbo model. maybe for 2018!

Mr_Shiftright

He rides a Harley and complains about an Alpina? Gee, don't they weigh about the same?

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

2 recalls fixed, synthetic oil & filter change, tire rotation, a plug in one tire that had a nail in it, & $98.48 later I've got my Legacy back.

@Michaell - the recalls were for the ignition relay & software reprogram for the parking brake.

I had the ignition relay recall taken care of today on the wife's Outback. Parking brake was done earlier this year.

One more recall and I'm afraid the wife will want to dump it. :laughing:

Michaell

stickguy said:

What kind of tires? I would research a few minutes, and probably find something rated better over for a lot less money.

Continental run flats. She wants OEM tires - I won't try to talk her into anything else.

The only other tires I've seen are Pirelli's - about $40-45 per tire less than the Contis.

corvette

I liked the Pirelli P4s I had on my Altima. The P6s are marketed as a performance tire, but have really bad reviews.

Michaell

corvette said:

I liked the Pirelli P4s I had on my Altima. The P6s are marketed as a performance tire, but have really bad reviews.

These are P7's ... only alternative that's both run-flat and all-season.