Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

Love the pic, clear cold days are wonderful. I remember seeing sun dogs on the coldest days in eastern WA when I was a kid, too.

qbrozen

cdnpinhead said:

... my Lincoln LS (does anyone remember those?) ...

I have an LS-V8 in my history. Nice car, but a bit on the boring side, and mileage was awful.

rayainsw

"Lincoln LS (does anyone remember those?)"
I do, too...
- Ray
One in my distant past - but NOT a manual ...

tifighter

@xwesx It looks beautiful. Still, -50 makes even my Scandi wagon want to cry in its lutefisk.

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

Cold can be beautiful, though.

I agree. Here's a quote from a website regarding Edmonton weather from 1972, when I was there: But the coldest day ever recorded in Edmonton remains unbeaten at -48.3 C with a windchill of -61 C on Jan. 26, 1972. For those who don't want to do the conversion, -48.3 C equates to ~-55 deg F, and -61 C is -78 deg F.

I've been saying for decades that I lived through -56 deg F in still air, but it looks like I need to get real -- it was -55.

I still prefer that to Phoenix summer weather, but WMMV.

carnaught

@28ff, congrats on the car. Sounds beautiful. Also, congrats on the upcoming birth. Unless your wife has had a previous c-section too, make sure an ultrasound is done prior to the birth; sometimes those breech's flip before.

sda

carnaught said:

@28ff, congrats on the car. Sounds beautiful. Also, congrats on the upcoming birth. Unless your wife has had a previous c-section too, make sure an ultrasound is done prior to the birth; sometimes those breech's flip before.

Our daughter, at last moment decided to flip and became breech. It was quite a surprise because my wife and I had just been to the doctor for an exam earlier that day. The doctor said my wife should deliver in the next week or so. Less than 12 hours later we were at the hospital and they discovered this change and they performed an emergency C section. She is now 15 and keeps me young.

28firefighter

carnaught said:

@28ff, congrats on the car. Sounds beautiful. Also, congrats on the upcoming birth. Unless your wife has had a previous c-section too, make sure an ultrasound is done prior to the birth; sometimes those breech's flip before.

Thank you!

Yup. Doctor does it as part of her SOP but told us that it is extraordinarily rare at this point because there simply isn't much room to flip anymore. The wrench now is that if she starts going into labor before the scheduled date, it becomes an emergency and we have to go right to the hospital.

So, the go-bag is in the X1 already along with the car seat.

28firefighter

sda said:

carnaught said:

@28ff, congrats on the car. Sounds beautiful. Also, congrats on the upcoming birth. Unless your wife has had a previous c-section too, make sure an ultrasound is done prior to the birth; sometimes those breech's flip before.

Our daughter, at last moment decided to flip and became breech. It was quite a surprise because my wife and I had just been to the doctor for an exam earlier that day. The doctor said my wife should deliver in the next week or so. Less than 12 hours later we were at the hospital and they discovered this change and they performed an emergency C section. She is now 15 and keeps me young.

Thank you! My sister was breech as well and apparently it is somewhat related to genetics. Go figure.

Sandman6472

New sneakers ordered and will be in tomorrow morning. Rained twice this week on the way to work and on takeoff, the wheels spinned and a dash light came on a few times when I took off from a dead stop. Also, changing lanes on the wet expressway got a bit squirrely so I was going to wait another month or so, but stopped by after work and wanted a few quotes on their tires. Going with the Bridgestone run flats upon the recommendation of my tire guy and a couple others who work there. They all have them and swear by them so gonna give 'em a try. They have a meaty tread, something I like, and hopefully the ride will become smoother. Figuring to have the Golf at least another couple of years, if not longer, especially if the is zero drama.
Did stop at an Acura dealer before work this morning and saw a used C300, nice but didn't thrill me. It was a 2010 so a bit plain, prefer the mid cycle refresh on those. Just not sure I want to go back to a sedan after having the Civic for so long. Still want to check out the GLA but it would have to be a cpo unit to save costs, as they are pretty pricey new. So getting new sneakers will just have me loving the Golf more, which is fine by me. With weddings coming in the future, need to save some $!!

The Sandman

laurasdada

Congrats and good luck, 28FF!

My Jag has a learning mode, too. Works pretty well. Bummed the lady that speaks doesn't have an accent, in my XK I could program her to be British.

sda

28firefighter said:

sda said:

carnaught said:

@28ff, congrats on the car. Sounds beautiful. Also, congrats on the upcoming birth. Unless your wife has had a previous c-section too, make sure an ultrasound is done prior to the birth; sometimes those breech's flip before.

Our daughter, at last moment decided to flip and became breech. It was quite a surprise because my wife and I had just been to the doctor for an exam earlier that day. The doctor said my wife should deliver in the next week or so. Less than 12 hours later we were at the hospital and they discovered this change and they performed an emergency C section. She is now 15 and keeps me young.

Thank you! My sister was breech as well and apparently it is somewhat related to genetics. Go figure.

She was small, just under 6lbs, 19 3/4" long, so she had room to flip! Thankfully she was perfectly healthy with a strong set of lungs. She could Sing!

Michaell

laurasdada said:

Congrats and good luck, 28FF!

My Jag has a learning mode, too. Works pretty well. Bummed the lady that speaks doesn't have an accent, in my XK I could program her to be British.

I configured Siri on my iPhone to speak with a female Australian accent. Very cool to hear it in the Jetta when I have it plugged in for CarPlay.

xwesx

@cdnpinhead, -55F is plenty cold all by itself. Wind chill is just breath-taking at those temperatures. Thankfully, it is nearly always dead still here when we get this kind of cold. The one time I can remember wind on a day like today was in February of 1999. It was the smallest of breezes - maybe 4-5mph at most, but what a difference that made! I ended up getting frostbite on my ears, and those buggers have been extremely sensitive to cold air every since.

xwesx

Wee!!!!

ab348

About 20 years ago I had to go to Regina, Saskatchewan in January for a few days on business. It was around -40 C for the 3 days I was there and I have never been so cold in my life. We stayed at the former Canadian Pacific hotel downtown which I think had turned into a Radisson by then and that was fine, but our meetings were about 3 blocks away and we walked. Big mistake. I bought a cossack-style (or Costanza style for Seinfeld fans) fur hat from a Sears near our meeting site while I was there and really needed it. Also one night 2 of us decided to have dinner at a restaurant a couple of blocks from the hotel. The meal was fine but by the time we left a bit of wind kicked up and we could only go a couple of buildings at a time before taking shelter in doorway alcoves on the walk back to the hotel. It was so cold with the wind that you could not breathe.

Michaell

xwesx said:

Wee!!!!

Wow, that makes me cold just looking at the picture.

Denver will occasionally drop below 0 - but, usually just single digits. Other parts of Colorado will drop to 10-20 below from time to time.

kyfdx

We tied a record high for the date, yesterday. 63 F

Ironically, our all-time low was on the same date in 1977. - 24 F
Which seems outrageous for a city that sits on the Mason-Dixon Line.

andres3

xwesx said:

Minus fifty degrees here this morning! What fun!

Honestly, it's been a while since we have had a temperature this low. We used to get them at least once every winter, but the last three years running have been incredibly mild (it never even hit -30 last year), so this is feelin' real!

I think the most entertaining part about it (automotive-wise) is that tires "flat spot," meaning that they freeze in an out-of-round position. So, until the rubber warms a bit while rolling, they sort-of bump along, and it feels like you're driving on "square tires." Kinda funny... !

Sounds like you could use a Jay Leno-like heated garage.

stickguy

there was never a chance it would happen, but that ices it. I am never moving to Alaska.

andres3

Being from California, I didn't know what a Sun Dog was until today reading here.

Also, I learned what cold was when I went to Chicago many years ago when it was in the single digits or teens, but with a mighty Chicago wind that made it possibly go negative. Yeah, I don't like heat, but that's too cold for me!

corvette

kyfdx said:

My '08 Impreza was terrible. It had sort of a throttle "hang", where it didn't let the revs drop, when you pushed in the clutch.

I think a lot of cars did that to meet emission requirements. My E90 was slow to rev (and slow to come back down from revs) when not in a gear.

xwesx said:

Wee!!!!

Can they not ticket the two nitwits in front of you for not having lights on at dusk or dawn in fog with snow on the ground (which would also cause people not to see other vehicles)?

cdnpinhead

ab348 said:

About 20 years ago I had to go to Regina, Saskatchewan in January for a few days on business. It was around -40 C for the 3 days I was there and I have never been so cold in my life. We stayed at the former Canadian Pacific hotel downtown which I think had turned into a Radisson by then and that was fine, but our meetings were about 3 blocks away and we walked. Big mistake. I bought a cossack-style (or Costanza style for Seinfeld fans) fur hat from a Sears near our meeting site while I was there and really needed it. Also one night 2 of us decided to have dinner at a restaurant a couple of blocks from the hotel. The meal was fine but by the time we left a bit of wind kicked up and we could only go a couple of buildings at a time before taking shelter in doorway alcoves on the walk back to the hotel. It was so cold with the wind that you could not breathe.

Been there, but under much better conditions. The Bessborough in Saskatoon was my favourite in Sask for a variety of reasons. Just checked the net and discovered that the Delta chain has absorbed it. Generally the contest for coldest city in Canada came down to Edmonton & Winnipeg.

In Edmonton we plugged in our cars overnight and during the day at work. I still have the extension cord I used for my block heater. The youth hockey teams continued to practice in the afternoons until the temp got below -20F (that was before Canada went metric), which didn't happen all that often. Ice fog from exhaust was common, and in the traffic circles (rotaries/roundabouts) that Edmonton is full of, it could get pretty dense at times. Yeah, then there was that flat spotting tire thing.

Good times.

xwesx

corvette said:

Can they not ticket the two nitwits in front of you for not having lights on at dusk or dawn in fog with snow on the ground (which would also cause people not to see other vehicles)?

Yes, but with about a quarter of all the vehicles running around without lights (or DRL only), their likelihood of being pulled over is low.

Michaell

Years ago, we had a contract to perform some training for Manitoba Hydro in Winnipeg. Two different classes, about a month apart (January / February).

My co-worker taught the January class and experienced temps similar to what's been described here - minus 30-40 the entire week (C, not F)

I had the privilege of teaching the February class. I think I packed every warm piece of clothing I owned in preparation. Didn't need much of it - the week was "balmy" - around 0 C the whole week.

corvette

xwesx said:

corvette said:

Can they not ticket the two nitwits in front of you for not having lights on at dusk or dawn in fog with snow on the ground (which would also cause people not to see other vehicles)?

Yes, but with about a quarter of all the vehicles running around without lights (or DRL only), their likelihood of being pulled over is low.

I think they should reprogram red light cameras to also ticket for not having proper illumination and not using turn signals. If the fines aren't paid, cancel the registration and impound the car if it's still driven. But, I'm mean like that!

cdnpinhead

Bear in mind that -40 is the same for Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Michaell

cdnpinhead said:

Bear in mind that -40 is the same for Fahrenheit or Celsius.

I knew they crossed somewhere. Thanks for clarifying.

roadburner

I ran the ALCAN Winter Rally back in 2000; the lowest I saw was only -20F at Prudhoe Bay AK. I did learn that 75 mph on snow covered roads was doable with studded winter tires...

28firefighter

Welp. I received signed copies of all the paperwork back today from the dealer - we are officially closed. I also was able to finally look at the car dried off and it really is in phenomenal shape for a car with 5000 miles.

Only thing left to do is install the car seat!

xwesx

roadburner said:

I ran the ALCAN Winter Rally back in 2000; the lowest I saw was only -20F at Prudhoe Bay AK. I did learn that 75 mph on snow covered roads was doable with studded winter tires...

Oh, that would be such a blast! I mean, not the 75 mph deal (I do that all the time!), but just participating in the Winter Rally.

When in 2000 was it? We had a week and a half of -45 to -55 temperatures just after 12/25/99 and through New Years. It was pretty intense to have it that cold for that long. The "ice fog" was so thick by the end.... One of those unforgettable memories!

stickguy

this is nice. and talk about barely used and low miles! Price good?

Fin, this close to your car, other than the colors?

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2016-mercedes~benz-e~class-certified_e250_bluetec_4matic_diesel_awd_sport_navigation-used-15881281.html

and this could be a fun little buggy. Certainly must be a rare item.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2012-mini-cooper_countryman-certified_countryman_s_all4_awd_suv_6_speed-used-15966479.html

qbrozen

They paid $41,500 on 12/30

xwesx

Well, ~24% markup, that's not too terrible. We did way better than that on our VWs!

stickguy

wow. some serious mark up there. Wonder if it sells? I had no clue what original MSRP was on that. I assume mid-50s.

qbrozen

Even $45k would be a tidy profit for them considering they bought it in PA and likely had to do nothing to it, so their investment is probaby $42k.

fintail

Yep same basic car, just different options and colors like you mention. I think white looks good on this bodystyle, and the interior color also goes well with it. The lighting package is also something I like a lot. I think price is a tad high though - there were quite a few leftover 16s out there in advance of the new style 2017s, and one probably could have found it for little more from a dealer last year, especially later in the spring onwards. I'd want it for a few grand less anyway.

I think MSRP would have been around 60-61K.

stickguy said:

this is nice. and talk about barely used and low miles! Price good?

Fin, this close to your car, other than the colors?

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2016-mercedes~benz-e~class-certified_e250_bluetec_4matic_diesel_awd_sport_navigation-used-15881281.html

Michaell

stickguy said:

this is nice. and talk about barely used and low miles! Price good?

Fin, this close to your car, other than the colors?

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2016-mercedes~benz-e~class-certified_e250_bluetec_4matic_diesel_awd_sport_navigation-used-15881281.html

and this could be a fun little buggy. Certainly must be a rare item.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2012-mini-cooper_countryman-certified_countryman_s_all4_awd_suv_6_speed-used-15966479.html

This E Class is nearly new. It looks new, smells new and drives new.

With only 104 miles, it darn well ought to!

How does a car that retails for ~$60K get bought for only $41.5K after 104 miles?

tjc78

I bought (leased) brand new cars with more mileage than that!

28firefighter

tjc78 said:

I bought (leased) brand new cars with more mileage than that!

Seconded!

houdini1

xwesx said:

Wee!!!!

It is kind of amazing that modern autos can operate in such a range of temperatures, and generally do so quite well.

tjc78

Without a block heater, those cold starts must be brutal on the engine.

fintail

I think a lot of things are at play. First, MSRP on this segment is always inflated, nobody pays it, so the initial depreciation vs that number is catastrophic. Then we have negative diesel stigma, thanks to VW - this won't help. It's a now-obsolete model, replaced by a new design, with a powertrain and model designation that doesn't exist here as a new car at the moment. MB had a lot of leftover 16 Es still sitting around the last time I checked, a couple months ago - people waited for the new one.

If anything, I think it illustrates that for such cars, one either needs to buy and hold for 10+ years, lease, or buy a lease return - short term buyers will take a bath.

Michaell said:

How does a car that retails for ~$60K get bought for only $41.5K after 104 miles?

jpp75

@xwesx Great pictures, I love the cold but that is brutal.

28firefighter

fintail said:

I think a lot of things are at play. First, MSRP on this segment is always inflated, nobody pays it, so the initial depreciation vs that number is catastrophic. Then we have negative diesel stigma, thanks to VW - this won't help. It's a now-obsolete model, replaced by a new design, with a powertrain and model designation that doesn't exist here as a new car at the moment. MB had a lot of leftover 16 Es still sitting around the last time I checked, a couple months ago - people waited for the new one.

If anything, I think it illustrates that for such cars, one either needs to buy and hold for 10+ years, lease, or buy a lease return - short term buyers will take a bath.

Michaell said:

How does a car that retails for ~$60K get bought for only $41.5K after 104 miles?

Or alternatively, get a screaming lease on it. Let MBFS take the bath on depreciation.

fintail

IMO I got a pretty decent lease deal on mine, and I didn't even have to battle too much. They wanted it off the lot. The residual is bumped up so high, I cringe at the thought of wanting to buy it at lease end.

28firefighter said:

Or alternatively, get a screaming lease on it. Let MBFS take the bath on depreciation.

28firefighter

fintail said:

IMO I got a pretty decent lease deal on mine, and I didn't even have to battle too much. They wanted it off the lot. The residual is bumped up so high, I cringe at the thought of wanting to buy it at lease end.

28firefighter said:

Or alternatively, get a screaming lease on it. Let MBFS take the bath on depreciation.

Does MBFS negotiate residuals or are they one of the banks that are insured against depreciation?

If it is the latter, you could always see if the dealer will buy it from MBFS cheaper and sell it.

fintail

I think they are insured. My lease isn't up for more than 2 years, and IIRC the residual is higher than what that white 16 brought at auction. Real world price will probably be 10K under residual (I can't recall the exact number). It'll be interesting, should I want to keep the car.

28firefighter said:

Does MBFS negotiate residuals or are they one of the banks that are insured against depreciation?

If it is the latter, you could always see if the dealer will buy it from MBFS cheaper and sell it.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

fintail said:

IMO I got a pretty decent lease deal on mine, and I didn't even have to battle too much. They wanted it off the lot. The residual is bumped up so high, I cringe at the thought of wanting to buy it at lease end.

28firefighter said:

Or alternatively, get a screaming lease on it. Let MBFS take the bath on depreciation.

Does MBFS negotiate residuals or are they one of the banks that are insured against depreciation?

If it is the latter, you could always see if the dealer will buy it from MBFS cheaper and sell it.

Even then, they've learned to give them to their dealers cheap, rather than let you have it cheap. So, insured or not, almost no one negotiates buyouts, any more.

28firefighter

Makes sense, really. Probably is a way of keeping the dealers happy - it forces a customer into the store for a return where they can either sell them on a new lease OR hopefully get them into a CPO car.