Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

Pavers for $3300? That's darned cheap. Mine cost me $15k and that was a "friend" discount. Of course, that was a HUGE driveway plus 4-car parking pad.

I regret not being in on that Galaxy more and more based on all the other stuff I keep seeing out there.

Sandman6472

Cars we had, let me see.

Mom:
1955 Chrysler Windsor station wagon
1960 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1962 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1964 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1966 Lincoln Continental
1968 Cadillac Eldorado
1970 Cadillac convertible
1972 Lincoln Continental
1975 Pontiac Grand Prix
1978 Pontiac Bonneville.
Moved on my own then but she got Pontiacs for a couple of years and finally ended with Mercury Grand Marquis's every two years, maybe 5 of them, always blue carriage roof over white with a blue continental kit out back, typical Florida retiree of that era.

Dad:
1954 Chevy Coupe
1956 Chrysler
1959 Chevrolet Corvette
1963 Buick Riviera
1967 Olds Toronado
1969 Olds Toronado
1972 Ford Grand Torino.
Got a golf cart in 1973 and my older brother took the Ford.

Back in those days, my dad leased my mom's cars and the family business paid the payments, something I hear many of their friends did. Guess that was normal in the 1960's if you were an owner of a family business. Think my love of automobiles came from them owning a lot of vehicles over the years, my grandfather owning a Dodge dealership when I was small and the other grandfather getting Chrysler Imperials every other year and again, leased through the family business since he founded it.

The Sandman

tbirdmarco

@Michaell new equnocks is already hitting dealer lots now.

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy yes end of munth is the best time to go. and yes since the new one is out now did help your frend big time.

stickguy

I would never spend the extra money to get paver driveway. Too much maintenance and hassle afterwards, and IMO not the best function. I would rather have some sort of stamped fancy concrete. I also saw IIRC stamped asphalt once (on a TV show) that was cool. I think they colored the material, then did stamp design before it cooled? Unless I am making this up. Also some sort of gravel/asphalt hybrid.

Yeah, I watch too much HGTV and the stuff starts to blur together after a while.

Picture is stamped concrete. below is link to stamped asphalt.



http://www.houzz.com/stamped-asphalt-driveway

corvette

Nice! The sidewalk in front of the porch on my house is buckled--I'm planning on having it ripped up and replaced with pavers. It's small, so shouldn't be too expensive. I'll do something similar in the back, between the deck and the detached garage.

sda

sandman_6472 said:

Cars we had, let me see.

Mom:
1955 Chrysler Windsor station wagon
1960 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1962 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1964 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
1966 Lincoln Continental
1968 Cadillac Eldorado
1970 Cadillac convertible
1972 Lincoln Continental
1975 Pontiac Grand Prix
1978 Pontiac Bonneville.
Moved on my own then but she got Pontiacs for a couple of years and finally ended with Mercury Grand Marquis's every two years, maybe 5 of them, always blue carriage roof over white with a blue continental kit out back, typical Florida retiree of that era.

Dad:
1954 Chevy Coupe
1956 Chrysler
1959 Chevrolet Corvette
1963 Buick Riviera
1967 Olds Toronado
1969 Olds Toronado
1972 Ford Grand Torino.
Got a golf cart in 1973 and my older brother took the Ford.

Back in those days, my dad leased my mom's cars and the family business paid the payments, something I hear many of their friends did. Guess that was normal in the 1960's if you were an owner of a family business. Think my love of automobiles came from them owning a lot of vehicles over the years, my grandfather owning a Dodge dealership when I was small and the other grandfather getting Chrysler Imperials every other year and again, leased through the family business since he founded it.

The Sandman



From '59-70 your mom and dad had some neat cars. What type of business did your family have?

tjc78

@stickguy
The one by Peter's diner?  Not too far, I'm actually in Winslow by Damblys nursery. 

tjc78

@nyccarguy
Awesome lease your buddy got.  The problem I faced when looking for a cheap lease was GMs best deals at the time had to be "conquest" customers.  Kinda ticked me off as I just bought two GMs back to back

kyfdx

Stamped concrete is cool, but it's sort of like vinyl siding vs. real wood. Easier, but not as rich looking.
That said, with the freeze/thaw cycle we have, not sure I could live with pavers over the long term.

Of course, I say that with just plain old concrete at my house.

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

@nyccarguy
Awesome lease your buddy got.  The problem I faced when looking for a cheap lease was GMs best deals at the time had to be "conquest" customers.  Kinda ticked me off as I just bought two GMs back to back

It's like anything with these manufacturers' financing arms.  One month they give away conquest cash.  The next month it is loyalty cash.  The month after that it is straight lease cash.  It's all about timing.

ab348

Two years ago the neighbors up the street had pavers put in. Did their driveway, the apron outside their oversized "garage" (not sure what they use it for since no vehicles ever go in there; it may be an illegal in-law suite), and a patio on the other side of the house. There was a crew of 4 guys there for about 4-5 weeks installing them and the noise of the concrete saw and plate compactors was never-ending. Hate to think how much it cost them, must have been massive.

An acquaintance does the stamped concrete mentioned. As was said, they pour colored concrete, get a smooth surface on it, then press large embossed rubber mats into the surface to create the pattern. He has it at his house and I think it looks nice. Probably much cheaper than pavers too. Up here I'd rather have it than the pavers since with our never-ending freeze/thaw cycles they can easily heave. The city used them downtown at a lot of crosswalks and corner intersections a number of years ago and had to rip them all out after a while because people were tripping and injuring themselves on the uneven surface. They became known as "ankle-benders".

tjc78

Yes it certainly is.  If you aren't fussy at certain times of year the leases can be stupid cheap.  

kyfdx

Planning a vacation to PNW around Labor Day.

Anyone have any feedback on the LeMay auto museum? We'll be driving right by it, on our way from Seattle to Portland.

Mr_Shiftright

Fintail knows all about that place.

28firefighter

Would recommend!

Maybe we can arrange a CCBA meetup?

tifighter

I'd be down for that.

kyfdx

Sure, that would be cool. Staying downtown from 09/04-09/07, then on to Portland until 09/11.

corvette

kyfdx said:

Planning a vacation to PNW around Labor Day. Anyone have any feedback on the LeMay auto museum? We'll be driving right by it, on our way from Seattle to Portland.

Very nice. They had a lot of BMWs. The LeMay Collection (kind of out in the sticks) is less polished but also worth doing. 

kyfdx

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

Planning a vacation to PNW around Labor Day.

Anyone have any feedback on the LeMay auto museum? We'll be driving right by it, on our way from Seattle to Portland.

Very nice. They had a lot of BMWs. The LeMay Collection (kind of out in the sticks) is less polished but also worth doing. 


Thanks.. not too far off the path, but not sure the wife will be up for two stops on the way down.
Dang, they couldn't put all this in one place?
We won't have a car until the day we leave Seattle.

corvette

Definitely not enough room in one place. I think the LeMays have 1500+ cars. There is some junk in the Collection, but lots of good stuff, too. I wish I had spent more than one night in Portland.

28firefighter

We love Portland. We usually go down there 2-3x a year for a night or two. Food is amazing. 

fintail

Yep, LeMay is worth a visit. There used to be a yearly concours around that time of year too, but apparently it ran out of funding (odd to think about with so much money idly floating around).

kyfdx

Four nights in Portland. Considered spending the whole week there, but our first trip to the area. If you had to pick, collection or museum?

corvette

Mueseum is easier to get to. The collection isn't as polished but has more cars (not all of them are nice, though). The Collection does have a beautiful Tucker 48. Your wife may tolerate the Museum better.

fintail

I agree, museum is more tourist friendly, collection is a little more work to get to, and more work to look at. I also don't know if the collection has regular consistent hours all the time.

kyfdx

Thanks. I'm sure I'll have more questions before September.

stickguy

tjc78 said:

@stickguy
The one by Peter's diner?  Not too far, I'm actually in Winslow by Damblys nursery. 

I think that is the diner just down the street. WM at the corner of IIRC Malaga, just up from Corkery. My kids used to go to the summer camp just up Corkery (tall pines).

28firefighter

I typically recommend folks making their first PNW trip split 10 days between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.

Are you staying in downtown Seattle?

stickguy

for some reason, I really like this one. Probably the color combo. Pretty well loaded too. Miles low for the year. Not sure about price. I know I would need it cheaper, but maybe this is realistic?

always liked these at the car show. Really nice seats!

http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/INFINITI/2007-INFINITI-M35-Cherry+Hill+NJ-0a4145bf0a0e0ae85b8927d09c5dea2d.htm?searchDepth=15:60

28firefighter

They're nice. I'm pretty sure that particular interior made its way to the later models of Nissan Maxima.

Michaell

stickguy said:

for some reason, I really like this one. Probably the color combo. Pretty well loaded too. Miles low for the year. Not sure about price. I know I would need it cheaper, but maybe this is realistic?

always liked these at the car show. Really nice seats!

http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/INFINITI/2007-INFINITI-M35-Cherry+Hill+NJ-0a4145bf0a0e0ae85b8927d09c5dea2d.htm?searchDepth=15:60

That's sharp. And, given how few miles you drive, would take forever to get to 100K

Michaell

Started out looking at used Infinitis -- then I stumbled across this:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/697855233/overview/

tjc78

stickguy said:

@stickguy
The one by Peter's diner?  Not too far, I'm actually in Winslow by Damblys nursery. 

I think that is the diner just down the street. WM at the corner of IIRC Malaga, just up from Corkery. My kids used to go to the summer camp just up Corkery (tall pines).

Yeah that's the one 

That M is nice.  I forgot how much I like those.  

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

I typically recommend folks making their first PNW trip split 10 days between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.

Are you staying in downtown Seattle?

Yeah, but we just have 8 days.

Yes, staying at the Homewood Suites (right by the freeway! lol). Coming in on Labor Day (4th), and heading out to Portland on the 7th.
We don't mind walking, so it's close enough to everything. We'll probably take in a Mariners game, one evening. One plus, is on the day we head out, we can rent from National's downtown office and save about $50 on our rental for the rest of the trip. (vs. renting at SEA-TAC)

stickguy

The M must have been new design for 2007. It actually has a lot of features that were not super common yet by that year (bluetooth, Navi, BU camera). Pretty much a "modern" car, just missing active drive nannies (fine by me) and BLIS (bummer).

And yeah, for my 3-5K per year, hard to go wrong. Might wander over to take a look next week!

graphicguy

Like that Infiniti M. Have a business colleague who has owned a bunch of those in all of their interations. His first one was a Q45.....owned a couple of those Then he bought a couple of Ms. He's now looking at a Q70.

He loves them.

nyccarguy

I had a rough day yesterday. My sister called me at work around 8:00 am to tell me that my brother in law didn't wake up yesterday AM. He was 40. They have 2 girls, ages 5 & 7. It is completely devastating!

stickguy

Bradd, so sorry to hear. Especially hard at such a young age with kids. We just did my sister's memorial service yesterday, and she was 60, still too young.

Prayers with you my man. Going to be tough all around.

breld

Michaell said:

Started out looking at used Infinitis -- then I stumbled across this:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/697855233/overview/

I'm having a bit of longing for an E90 myself. Checking out the vin on that one @michaell, nice color combo of Monaco Blue over gray leather, has some nice options like comfort access, heated seats and sunshades, no nav/idrive, but no sport seats. And not sure which trannie you'd prefer, but it is an automatic (ad says 6-speed, which I suppose is technically accurate).

Wife and I went up to Fort Collins to spend some time with her daughter. I've been stalking this car online, and since it was up in Fort Collins...

2013 335 coupe

Took it for a quick test drive and was reminded of how nice these drive, the steering in particular. And really like the shorter shifts on the m-sport.

I could see getting into something like this as my "reduced" fun car - we've had the sedan and wagon, may as well finish it out with a coupe.

But as far as this one...

• Price is high - not just higher than I would want to spend, but I believe it's just high for what it is.
  
• Painted pin stripe
  
• I think I'd actually prefer to find a 328 of that era - perhaps just a bit of nostalgia for the n/a 6. Plus it'd be cheaper.
  

ab348

nyccarguy said:

I had a rough day yesterday. My sister called me at work around 8:00 am to tell me that my brother in law didn't wake up yesterday AM. He was 40. They have 2 girls, ages 5 & 7. It is completely devastating!

Jeezus. Just 40! So sorry for you and yours. Scary to think about actually.

As I have gotten older and hear more and more about people younger (sometimes much younger) than me passing away it never fails to shake me.

My most sincere sympathies.

sda

nyccarguy said:

I had a rough day yesterday. My sister called me at work around 8:00 am to tell me that my brother in law didn't wake up yesterday AM. He was 40. They have 2 girls, ages 5 & 7. It is completely devastating!

How horrible and unthinkable! My prayers and condolences to your family.

breld

@nyccarguy -

That is unbelievable. Prayers and thoughts with you and your family.

carnaught

sda said:

nyccarguy said:

I had a rough day yesterday. My sister called me at work around 8:00 am to tell me that my brother in law didn't wake up yesterday AM. He was 40. They have 2 girls, ages 5 & 7. It is completely devastating!

How horrible and unthinkable! My prayers and condolences to your family.

+2

Sandman6472

sda, it was a manufacturing business and eventually was exclusive to women's sportswear. My grandpa was a tailor in Kiev who came to the United States through Argentina in the early 1900's and eventually landed in New York. Learned English and started a small business. Met my grandma, also from Kiev, but came through Shanghai and Canada into New York. She was a seamstress working for his small company and they married. Company grew and grew over the years with my dad and one of his brothers going in to it. Eventually was sold to a big company, Genesco, in late 60's. A true American rags to riches story I guess which happened a lot back then. I guess driving nicer vehicles was just a perk that they were able to do. Must admit, for a guy like me who loves the automobile, was very enjoyable!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

So, so sorry about your sad news. What can one say but may he rest in peace. Hopefully in time your sister and the kids will come to understand why death comes the way it does. Some folks linger for years while others, like your brother-in-law, just never wake up. Somethings in life, humans are not to understand, only G-d knows why. Again, may he rest in peace and condolences to the family.

The Sandman :

(Lost a sister at 57, also very sudden, and a brother on his 58th birthday. Death is never easy!)

corvette

nyccarguy, very sorry for your loss!

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

I typically recommend folks making their first PNW trip split 10 days between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.

Are you staying in downtown Seattle?

Yeah, but we just have 8 days. Yes, staying at the Homewood Suites (right by the freeway! lol). Coming in on Labor Day (4th), and heading out to Portland on the 7th. We don't mind walking, so it's close enough to everything. We'll probably take in a Mariners game, one evening. One plus, is on the day we head out, we can rent from National's downtown office and save about $50 on our rental for the rest of the trip. (vs. renting at SEA-TAC)

Excellent! As it gets closer I'm sure we'll all have some suggestions. 

Michaell

@nyccarguy - my deepest condolences on your loss. I really have no other words at this tragic time.

qbrozen

Sorry for your awful news, nyccarguy. Only 40. Truly shocking. Leaving young ones behind makes it all the worse.