Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

Hey guys. I could use your input. What is THE cheapest lease deal out there? I have a friend looking to lease a car today. He's interested in a 2017 Equinox solely because he saw this an ad from a dealer (Century 3 Chevrolet in Western, PA):

2017 Equinox LS
$99 per month with $0 Down
24 months/10K miles per year

Here's what the fine print says:

#7691: MSRP $25,510; 24 mos lease based on $0 due at signing, includes cash/trade equty, $0 first pmt, $0 sec deposit. 10,000 mi/year. Offer includes manuf incentives, plus dealer discounts. Savings include manuf incentives plus dealer discounts. Offers based on qualifications and approved credit. Tax and fees additional. Offer ends 3/31/2017

What he doesn't have is the "cash/trade equity" nor does the ad say how much "cash/trade equity" is required.

I've been plugging numbers into my lease calculator for him and can't get anything NEAR that $99 per month payment. I know it is a "come on" ad.

Using current lease rates and incentives, the cheapest pre-tax payment I come up with is $166.87 for a FWD LS and $213.77 for an AWD LT.

He's got a 2014 CRV EX AWD with a lease ending in 2 months. His current payoff amount is $17,384 (including 2 payments of $275 each). @qbrozen pegs the trade in value at $15K, so no equity in the leased CRV.

suydam

My Dad had his MGs but my Mom had a total of 3 cars my entire childhood.
A late 30's Chevy of some kind, a '57 Nash Metropolitan, and a new 1969 Toyota Corona. I was only excited about the Corona because, unlike the other 2, it actually started and ran every day.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Hey guys. I could use your input. What is THE cheapest lease deal out there? I have a friend looking to lease a car today. He's interested in a 2017 Equinox solely because he saw this an ad from a dealer (Century 3 Chevrolet in Western, PA):

2017 Equinox LS
$99 per month with $0 Down
24 months/10K miles per year

Here's what the fine print says:

#7691: MSRP $25,510; 24 mos lease based on $0 due at signing, includes cash/trade equty, $0 first pmt, $0 sec deposit. 10,000 mi/year. Offer includes manuf incentives, plus dealer discounts. Savings include manuf incentives plus dealer discounts. Offers based on qualifications and approved credit. Tax and fees additional. Offer ends 3/31/2017

What he doesn't have is the "cash/trade equity" nor does the ad say how much "cash/trade equity" is required.

I've been plugging numbers into my lease calculator for him and can't get anything NEAR that $99 per month payment. I know it is a "come on" ad.

Using current lease rates and incentives, the cheapest pre-tax payment I come up with is $241.40 for a FWD LS and $213.77 for an AWD LT. I don't think the base LS qualifies for the $1,700 lease cash.

He's got a 2014 CRV EX AWD with a lease ending in 2 months. His current payoff amount is $17,384 (including 2 payments of $275 each). @qbrozen pegs the trade in value at $15K, so no equity in the leased CRV.

The "L" trim doesn't qualify for the $1700 lease cash; everything else does.

I suspect dealers are blowing out the old Equinox as the redesigned model is due soon.

I saw you posted in the Equinox lease thread - you might read back a page or two and see what others are paying. I'm absolutely seeing folks with sub $200/mo payments.

Not sure what it would take to get to $99/mo, however.

stickguy

Probably incentives he doesn't qualify for (like college grad, military, current lease, and AARP. All at same time)

stickguy

Though if I could get one at that price, when the time comes, I would get 2. For me and the princess.

stickguy

My folks had few cars. A barely remembered early 60s Chevy wagon. Then when I was 7, our Volvo 144 (first car I actually remember). Replaced by a strippo Omni when I was a junior in HS. Replaced by another when I was a senior in college.

So I did not get my car habits from them. Heck, I had as many cars in HS as they owned my entire childhood.

28firefighter

Every new car in my house was exciting, but now looking at this list, I think maybe my Dad has a case of CCBA.  This was our house up until I was 18:

Dad:
1986 VW Rabbit GTI
1989 VW Jetta GLI
1991 Ford Taurus SHO
1993 Ford Taurus SHO
1993 Lexus LS400 (same time as the '93 SHO)
1995 Audi A6
1993 Audi V8 Quattro
1995 Audi S6 Wagon
1998 Audi A8
2002 Ford Excursion

Mom:
1988 Volvo 240 Wagon
1993 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (Stayed with us until 2003/2004)
1993 Toyota Land Cruiser
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser
2001 Volvo V70 T5

28firefighter

nyccarguy said:

Hey guys. I could use your input. What is THE cheapest lease deal out there? I have a friend looking to lease a car today. He's interested in a 2017 Equinox solely because he saw this an ad from a dealer (Century 3 Chevrolet in Western, PA): 2017 Equinox LS $99 per month with $0 Down 24 months/10K miles per year Here's what the fine print says: #7691: MSRP $25,510; 24 mos lease based on $0 due at signing, includes cash/trade equty, $0 first pmt, $0 sec deposit. 10,000 mi/year. Offer includes manuf incentives, plus dealer discounts. Savings include manuf incentives plus dealer discounts. Offers based on qualifications and approved credit. Tax and fees additional. Offer ends 3/31/2017 What he doesn't have is the "cash/trade equity" nor does the ad say how much "cash/trade equity" is required. I've been plugging numbers into my lease calculator for him and can't get anything NEAR that $99 per month payment. I know it is a "come on" ad. Using current lease rates and incentives, the cheapest pre-tax payment I come up with is $166.87 for a FWD LS and $213.77 for an AWD LT. He's got a 2014 CRV EX AWD with a lease ending in 2 months. His current payoff amount is $17,384 (including 2 payments of $275 each). @qbrozen pegs the trade in value at $15K, so no equity in the leased CRV.

I've seen some crazy deals on these things.

Here is my suggestion:
(1) Tell him to tell the dealer he wants to forego the acquisition fee and in favor of a higher money factor
(2) He then wants to do a one pay lease (if he can swing it) which will drop the money factory by (I believe) .00073
(3) Tell them he wants at least a 10% discount before rebates.

I've seen folks pull that off and walk out with this exact car for a one-time payment total of $2200 for the entirety of the 24 month lease, after tax, fees etc.  I think he could do that.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Hey guys. I could use your input. What is THE cheapest lease deal out there? I have a friend looking to lease a car today. He's interested in a 2017 Equinox solely because he saw this an ad from a dealer (Century 3 Chevrolet in Western, PA):

2017 Equinox LS
$99 per month with $0 Down
24 months/10K miles per year

Here's what the fine print says:

#7691: MSRP $25,510; 24 mos lease based on $0 due at signing, includes cash/trade equty, $0 first pmt, $0 sec deposit. 10,000 mi/year. Offer includes manuf incentives, plus dealer discounts. Savings include manuf incentives plus dealer discounts. Offers based on qualifications and approved credit. Tax and fees additional. Offer ends 3/31/2017

What he doesn't have is the "cash/trade equity" nor does the ad say how much "cash/trade equity" is required.

I've been plugging numbers into my lease calculator for him and can't get anything NEAR that $99 per month payment. I know it is a "come on" ad.

Using current lease rates and incentives, the cheapest pre-tax payment I come up with is $166.87 for a FWD LS and $213.77 for an AWD LT.

He's got a 2014 CRV EX AWD with a lease ending in 2 months. His current payoff amount is $17,384 (including 2 payments of $275 each). @qbrozen pegs the trade in value at $15K, so no equity in the leased CRV.

It also does not explain the fees. I did not know those could be inflated exponentially until I responded to an Altima come-on lease ad. They were hiding $2500 in "fees."

andres3

qbrozen said:

I think Breld is in this one for the long haul. I'm going to be optimistic and give it 9 months before he decides he needs to trade for something more fuel efficient.

Wouldn't that depend on gas prices though? The S4 actually gets pretty good mileage.

I think most people are comfortable with poor fuel economy until gas peaks over $4/gallon again. Then you sing another tune.

Michaell

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

I think Breld is in this one for the long haul. I'm going to be optimistic and give it 9 months before he decides he needs to trade for something more fuel efficient.

Wouldn't that depend on gas prices though? The S4 actually gets pretty good mileage.

I think most people are comfortable with poor fuel economy until gas peaks over $4/gallon again. Then you sing another tune.

I'm putting in my monthly tank of gas in the Jetta, today. I think I've got just over 300 miles on the tank, and a bit more than a 1/4 tank left.

nyccarguy

Thanks guys! I armed him with all the information he needs! He's going to call me later with the results!

nyccarguy

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

I think Breld is in this one for the long haul. I'm going to be optimistic and give it 9 months before he decides he needs to trade for something more fuel efficient.

Wouldn't that depend on gas prices though? The S4 actually gets pretty good mileage.

I think most people are comfortable with poor fuel economy until gas peaks over $4/gallon again. Then you sing another tune.

I've got to drive my car and my wife needs to drive her car irreverent of the cost of fuel. Yes it is much easier filling up our Pilot at $2.49 per gallon than at $4.00 per gallon. What people did when the gas prices were high a few years ago were so stupid. Trade in their SUV and buy something like a Prius for sticker just to save money every week at the pump. No thought of how many thousands of dollars they threw away in depreciation.

nyccarguy

Speaking of, I should have to fill up the Infiniti tomorrow on my way home from work. I reset the trip computer the other day and it is showing an average of about 20.5 mpg. The car has 328 hp though:)

qbrozen

andres3 said:

Wouldn't that depend on gas prices though? The S4 actually gets pretty good mileage.

I think most people are comfortable with poor fuel economy until gas peaks over $4/gallon again. Then you sing another tune.

you are putting way too much thought into it for a CCBA'er. "But, honey, we'd save money on gas by trading now!"

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Though if I could get one at that price, when the time comes, I would get 2. For me and the princess.

Last year of Saturn, you could lease the sedan for $139/mo. with just $139 out of pocket, locally. Thought about getting two of them. But, then I thought about driving a base Saturn and decided against it.

kyfdx

$178/mo, $178 due at signing
36 mo, 12K/yr

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5329143/#Comment_5329143

andres3

Who here has experience buying 2 cars in the same day from the same dealer/salesman? Figure this is a good place to ask this question. Did you get a 2 for 1 discount?

kyfdx

My stepfather did that in 1976. Two Lincolns. Right before he left my Mom, and then declared bankruptcy.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

Who here has experience buying 2 cars in the same day from the same dealer/salesman? Figure this is a good place to ask this question. Did you get a 2 for 1 discount?

leased 2 vehicles from a mazda dealer. they were advertised deals, so no extra discount. It was very very easy to get what I wanted, though. Had 2 trade-ins, told them what I wanted for each and the final lease payment on each. Checked with SM came back and shook our hands.

xwesx

Wow; folks really stepped up the game on my simple memories!

Now I have to recollect the six vehicles they bought.....

So, the pre-me cars that they had when I was three were a 1971 Ford Econoline and a Datsun Z-car of some sort (all I remember was the incredibly stifling back seat). The purchases were:

1980 Subaru GL wagon (new)
1979 Ford F150 (used in 1983 or so)
70-something Dodge Colt (looked like the photo below) We acquired this car in trade for half a cow in about 1984. I remember this car had black vinyl seats that used to scald our legs during the summer months if we had any exposed flesh. Not a comfortable experience!
1985 Toyota Camry (used in 1987 as replacement for Subaru, which was totaled in a crash)
1992 Toyota Camry (new in November 1991)
1994 Ford Mustang (V6, new)

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

this could be a fun one for QB. Wonder what this will bid up to?

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-dodge-charger/

Shouldn't be worth more than about $15,500/$16,000 I would think.

thebean

xwesx said:

Wow; folks really stepped up the game on my simple memories! Now I have to recollect the six vehicles they bought..... So, the pre-me cars that they had when I was three were a 1971 Ford Econoline and a Datsun Z-car of some sort (all I remember was the incredibly stifling back seat). The purchases were: 1980 Subaru GL wagon (new) 1979 Ford F150 (used in 1983 or so) 70-something Dodge Colt (looked like the photo below) We acquired this car in trade for half a cow in about 1984. I remember this car had black vinyl seats that used to scald our legs during the summer months if we had any exposed flesh. Not a comfortable experience! 1985 Toyota Camry (used in 1987 as replacement for Subaru, which was totaled in a crash) 1992 Toyota Camry (new in November 1991) 1994 Ford Mustang (V6, new)

Front half or back half of the cow???  I guess it's fitting making that trade for a Colt.

xwesx

thebean said:

Front half or back half of the cow???  I guess it's fitting making that trade for a Colt.

Hahaha - I couldn't tell you! All I know is that we sent a cow off for slaughter, and it only filled half the freezer....

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Speaking of, I should have to fill up the Infiniti tomorrow on my way home from work. I reset the trip computer the other day and it is showing an average of about 20.5 mpg. The car has 328 hp though:)

Nice trade off. I've got less than half that HP and my recent tank netted me about 31MPG.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

stickguy said:

this could be a fun one for QB. Wonder what this will bid up to?

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-dodge-charger/

Shouldn't be worth more than about $15,500/$16,000 I would think.

Sitting at $12K right now with 90 minutes left. BaT is weird though; stuff can go crazy high in the last few minutes, while other cars seem to pass thru there almost unnoticed.

xwesx

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

Speaking of, I should have to fill up the Infiniti tomorrow on my way home from work. I reset the trip computer the other day and it is showing an average of about 20.5 mpg. The car has 328 hp though:)

Nice trade off. I've got less than half that HP and my recent tank netted me about 31MPG.

I did a little better than Bradd on my last tank, but, like you, less horsepower (about 90 fewer). More than 400 foot-pounds of torque though, and moving 5,400#. So, yeah. Trade offs.

I'm a fan of "S Mode."

roadburner

I average around 25-26 mpg in the 2er. 320 hp- for now...

breld

xwesx said:

So, I had left the site and remembered that I pulled one of @breld 's photos of the Durango up on a separate window. As I was looking it over and considering the baseball practice comment, it got me to thinking about being that kid at baseball practice (an embarrassingly long time ago now, TBH).

When my parents brought home a new car, it was a rare and exciting event! I would honestly spend the next several days just going outside (or in the garage) to take it in, as if I was trying to come to terms with the reality of it. Between the ages of three and eighteen, my parents bought a grand total of six cars (and two motor homes).

I wonder, @breld, how do your kids react to new cars in the driveway?

The kids have just gotten used to it and laugh it off. It's pretty obvious to them how unusual it is to turn the cars so often when they see the "normal" behavior from their mom and other friends' parents.

They also know that when I casually say I went and checked out a car, it's likely that a new car will end up in the garage.

breld

As of this morning, after about 240 miles put on the Durango since I bought it, the trip computer got to 20 mpg. That's probably about a 70/30 highway/city mix, so it's in line with the EPA ratings, which say 14/22/17.

Since the loss in fuel economy was one of the main detractors for me, I'm very pleased.

breld

qbrozen said:

I think Breld is in this one for the long haul. I'm going to be optimistic and give it 9 months before he decides he needs to trade for something more fuel efficient.

Yeah, long haul could mean different things, but Q is right. This is the family hauler that I happen to like a lot as my own daily driver. Previous family haulers were kept relatively long by our standards - 3 years on the Odyssey and 2 for the Sedona.

nyccarguy

It is amazing what you can accomplish on the last day or the month/quarter with a vehicle whose replacement is on the lot.

My friend is Pittsburgh that was looking at the Equinox got a FWD Equinox LS for $114 per month (including tax) with 10K miles per year and $0 Down. They also took his 2014 CRV EX AWD off his hands without him having to pay its last 2 payments ($275/Month). I'm impressed.

stickguy

Took one for the team today. Wandered down to a little dealer about 30 minutes from me to look at a 2004 Frontier PU for SB55 (apparently the drive from Vermont was a bit long just to browse!). Sadly, it is raining today, and was pouring when I got there, and there was no one in the little office. So I just eyeballed from the outside. Amazingly clean for a 13 YO PU. Looked brand new. Interior was nice and tidy too. Brand new A/T tires.

Oh, forgot to mention in my PM to him, it has a spray in bedliner, and the neat cargo bed extender (the bars that flip over onto the tailgate if it is down).

did not get to drive though obviously. It was parked on the grass, which was rapidly turning to mud, so I bet I could have rooster tailed some serious ruts pulling it off the lot!

TJC, it was down near the Wally World on the BHP in Williamstown. So not far from your work IIRC?

breld

nyccarguy said:

It is amazing what you can accomplish on the last day or the month/quarter with a vehicle whose replacement is on the lot.

My friend is Pittsburgh that was looking at the Equinox got a FWD Equinox LS for $114 per month (including tax) with 10K miles per year and $0 Down. They also took his 2014 CRV EX AWD off his hands without him having to pay its last 2 payments ($275/Month). I'm impressed.

That's just incredible.

stickguy

dang. I would have bit on that deal, if it was just to have a spare car with some utility, and I don't even like the Equinox really. Cheap cheap cheap.

28firefighter

nyccarguy said:

It is amazing what you can accomplish on the last day or the month/quarter with a vehicle whose replacement is on the lot.

My friend is Pittsburgh that was looking at the Equinox got a FWD Equinox LS for $114 per month (including tax) with 10K miles per year and $0 Down. They also took his 2014 CRV EX AWD off his hands without him having to pay its last 2 payments ($275/Month). I'm impressed.

That's outstanding - anything due at signing or truly sign and drive?

Michaell

I like the deal, though the LS trim is likely to be too sparsely equipped for my liking.

But, with the 9% or 10% sales tax, that $114/mo is a smoking payment.

sb55

stickguy said:

Took one for the team today. Wandered down to a little dealer about 30 minutes from me to look at a 2004 Frontier PU for SB55 (apparently the drive from Vermont was a bit long just to browse!). Sadly, it is raining today, and was pouring when I got there, and there was no one in the little office. So I just eyeballed from the outside. Amazingly clean for a 13 YO PU. Looked brand new. Interior was nice and tidy too. Brand new A/T tires. Oh, forgot to mention in my PM to him, it has a spray in bedliner, and the neat cargo bed extender (the bars that flip over onto the tailgate if it is down). did not get to drive though obviously. It was parked on the grass, which was rapidly turning to mud, so I bet I could have rooster tailed some serious ruts pulling it off the lot! TJC, it was down near the Wally World on the BHP in Williamstown. So not far from your work IIRC?

I got your pm. Thank you, thank you!
If 6-12" of snow wasn't forecast tonight/tomorrow, and it wasn't 400 miles away, we may have made the trip down. 

stickguy

Michaell said:

I like the deal, though the LS trim is likely to be too sparsely equipped for my liking.

But, with the 9% or 10% sales tax, that $114/mo is a smoking payment.

that is my problem. I am cheap, but not that cheap. I think. Probably best that I don't get challenged on that.

though I am sure I would do what I did when I got the sonata. Look at what the payment I wanted got me. Then looked at what an extra $75-100/month got me. And signed up for the more loaded option. Especially on a lease, when I know I am in for 3 years. Not like buying a cheap used car I could just flip out of.

ab348

The new Equinox is already at the dealers. Last Sunday here I was cruising some closed dealer lots and saw one, though I didn't realize it at first. It was parked nose-in up against the showroom building and from the rear 3/4 view it seemed to me to look an awful lot like the outgoing model. It took a second look for me to realize it was the new one.

On vehicles like these I wonder what the sales split is between FWD/AWD, and whether people who bought the AWD version really see any benefit and feel it is worth paying extra to get? I just do not know.

corvette

I would want an AWD and the V6 on the outgoing model. I think the curb weight is around 4,000 pounds. I had an I4 AWD as a rental and it's weak.

On the compact CUVs, I see quite a few used ones with FWD. It seems like the take rate for AWD goes up as you move up to the larger models.  

28firefighter

I am not a fan of the LS model Chevy's either, but for someone who needs reliable transportation from A to B, its hard to beat a car for at or under $100 month, all in.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

I like the deal, though the LS trim is likely to be too sparsely equipped for my liking.

But, with the 9% or 10% sales tax, that $114/mo is a smoking payment.

I think if he had done the GM one-pay lease, that would have been well under $114/month, too. Has to be one of the top deals I've seen, especially if it was truly sign and drive.

sda

28firefighter said:

Every new car in my house was exciting, but now looking at this list, I think maybe my Dad has a case of CCBA.  This was our house up until I was 18:

Dad:
1986 VW Rabbit GTI
1989 VW Jetta GLI
1991 Ford Taurus SHO
1993 Ford Taurus SHO
1993 Lexus LS400 (same time as the '93 SHO)
1995 Audi A6
1993 Audi V8 Quattro
1995 Audi S6 Wagon
1998 Audi A8
2002 Ford Excursion

Mom:
1988 Volvo 240 Wagon
1993 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (Stayed with us until 2003/2004)
1993 Toyota Land Cruiser
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser
2001 Volvo V70 T5

Dad isn't that interested in cars though he was loyal to GM.

When my parent's married

55 Chevy 210 2dr., 6cyl, manual trans---mom's
59 Pontiac Catalina 2 dr hardtop, black--dad's

Later--
63 Olds Dynamic 88 Holiday coupe with factory a/c--mom's
65 Ford Custom with factory a/c--dad's company car
--sold the Chevy for $75, traded the Catalina for the Olds
66 Ford Galaxie 500 no a/c dad's company car, moved to New Orleans
69 Olds 98 Luxury Sedan--mom's
70 Ford Custom 500 with a/c dad's company car
71 Pontiac Catalina 2 dr hardtop with Rallye III wheels--dad's company car
72 Olds Cutlass Supreme--mom's
73 Pontiac Catalina 4dr sedan w/am/fm Stereo--dad's company car
72 Ford Cortina GXL-dad's temporary company car--we moved to London, England
74 Ford Cortina E--dad's company car
mom didn't have a car during this period
75 Renault 16 TL automatic--dad's temporary company car--moved to Paris, France
75 Renault 30 TL V6--dad's company car
71 Audi 100 LS automatic, mom's car, bought from a Canadian couple moving back to Canada
76 Olds Cutlass Supreme wagon--mom's, dad bought a farm in central Virginia.
76 GMC Sierra 15 full time 4 wheel drive--dad's
71 Datsun 510 wagon--to keep miles off of the Olds while my parents commuted 70 miles each way to Richmond for work

Me--age 17
62 Ford Galaxie 2dr, paid $100, it was mine!
71 Vega GT, $500

Off to college!

xwesx

Wow..... 70 miles one way! That's a heck of a commute - particularly for the 1970s.

kyfdx

ab348 said:

The new Equinox is already at the dealers. Last Sunday here I was cruising some closed dealer lots and saw one, though I didn't realize it at first. It was parked nose-in up against the showroom building and from the rear 3/4 view it seemed to me to look an awful lot like the outgoing model. It took a second look for me to realize it was the new one.

On vehicles like these I wonder what the sales split is between FWD/AWD, and whether people who bought the AWD version really see any benefit and feel it is worth paying extra to get? I just do not know.

My sister in law lives in Fort Wayne, and went from an AWD car to a FWD Equinox, and does nothing but complain about the lousy traction. Well, duh, it's snowy up there. I mentioned winter tires, but that didn't compute. At least it's flat, there.

xwesx

Winter tires make ALL the difference on any car.

Sandman6472

I watched that on t v last weekend and saw that Galaxie sell. Was a pretty impressive vehicle and sold at a downright steal! A few that went through and sold really caught my eye also particularly that black over black 1968 Cadillac Eldorado. Growing up, my mom got that same '68 Eldorado in blue over blue with blue factory headrests. It was the most beautiful vehicle I had ever seen besides my dad's '59 red Corvette and his '63 Buick Riviera. That black Eldorado went pretty cheap, something I could definitely afford right now but the wife's against a toy car for me right now. With only a two car garage, one of mine would always be outside and she thinks it's just silly even though I showed her on paper how I'd split the miles I drive each year between the two vehicles. Came to about 6500 miles per each vehicle. She still said no way even though I have the funds already put aside for it, thank you dad!
So, definitely feel your pain on this and figure the only way to get one soon is if we do end up like Laurasdad. On the other hand, hoping to wear her down over the next 3 to 4 years and then say my time has come to do it!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Just had our driveway resealed last week but ours can fit just about 6 vehicles in front of the two car garage, so it ain't that big. Filled in the tiny cracks and looks o k. Guy said eventually, we'll need to rip it out and put a new one in or just go with stamped concrete or pavers like most of the block is doing now. Got an estimate of $3300 to do it but making it a bit bigger so three vehicles could fit in front of the house instead of just two now. Our neighbors who have the same house did it and must admit, looks outstanding and gives their house a more upscale look. Just waiting for the o k from Mrs. Sandman but in the meantime, needed to maintain our blacktop that we have now. Naturally, within an hour of finally getting to drive on it after not being able to for 48 hours, a client of hers comes over to have her income taxes done and her old Acura CL leaked oil on it. I was so angry but managed to get it all out with some stuff the neighbor guy, a cop, gave me. Worked like magic and now the driveway looks a lot better.
Figure if we end up staying another few years, then will have the driveway totally redone. But right now, would love to sell and get something new, like that townhouse development a few miles away. A 3/2.5 with a one car garage, something I could work with and the smaller house would be great. We've always owned new on the first two places and would love to do it one more time. Think we'd come out ahead by close to $50K if we sold the old and bought the new. Another hard sell for me but I'm trying as I definitely want to move soon!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

My dad bought a '72 Ford Gran Torino with the big engine, black vinyl top over white. Nice looking vehicle but was a piece of [non-permissible content removed]! Fix Or Repair Daily was this vehicle in spades. I drove it home from the dealership with a friend and we made it about halfway home before it died at an intersection. Had to be towed back to Ford and they put us in a new Mustang for what turned out to be about two weeks. Some engine problem which needed a partial tear down. Needless to say, that first year it spent a good deal of time at Ford but luckily, they usually gave us a Mustang to use and I got use of it nights and weekends since I had my drivers license and was a senior in high school. Worst piece of crap we ever owned, only Ford, as I don't consider the two Lincoln Continental's my mom drove as Ford's really. They both were pretty decent, one a '66 four door sedan and the other, a '72 two door coupe. Now that was a real barge to drive but tons of fun. Loved taking it on date night and plenty of room for three couples in there!

The Sandman