Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

9 black
8 red
8 blue
7 silver/pewter
4 gold
4 green
3 white

Interesting spread, especially considering black is one of my last choices when car shopping. But since I mostly buy used, color is one of the last considerations, as well.

nyccarguy

Great short list you've developed from the Denver Auto Show.  I'm partial to the Infiniti on the list for obvious reasons.  Used car prices keep dropping.  You'll definitely be able to score a deal on a sweet CPO Q50 when your Jetta lease is up for sure.

I did a lot of driving yesterday.  Back and forth to work, then it was out to Long Island for my wife's uncle's wake (this is after my brother in law's funeral on Wednesday) and back home again.  I did 200 miles in the Infiniti.  The car is comfortable and so freakin fast.  I just have to nudge the throttle a little bit and the car just goes with plenty of power in reserve.  Merging and squirting through open holes in traffic is a breeze.  I'm so happy with this car.  I love it!

andres3

That's my main problem with buying used, it is almost impossible to find exactly what you want if you have exacting desires.

nyccarguy

andres3 said:

That's my main problem with buying used, it is almost impossible to find exactly what you want if you have exacting desires.

You have to prioritize.  Decide what's most important.  With the Q40, price & mileage were more important to me than color.  You have to have 2 or 3 different permutations of what you want.

if you are shopping BMWs and have to have a CPO 335i M-Sport with a stick & adaptive suspension in Estoril Blue with Brown Leather with 10,000 miles or less on it you're going to be disappointed.  The m Sport and adaptive suspension are more important than color.  Make your decision from there.

stickguy

I will be reasonably flexible on color if shopping used. And the more used (iow cheaper) the more flexible.

my problem is being used to certain features that I am loath to give up. And if I stick to my guns, it will vastly limit my options, even on a CPO (the BLIS option being a biggie). I may let that go, if I otherwise love the car, and it has something passing for acceptable visibility. But I really like keyless entry (comfort? Whatever they call the "never touch your keyfob again" feature). Having to pull that out when driving the Jetta is really getting on my nerves!

I like the heated steering wheel, but not a deal breaker. Won't buy without a backup camera. So pretty much it will be BLIS being my line in the sand. So we shall see.

I keep smelling another lease though. Just makes too much sense. Maybe at Xmas the nissan dealer will be sitting on a pile of 2017 Maxima SLs, and I can S&D for $300 or less on one. That would work.

suydam

My preferred car color is light blue. Some of the colors I don't care much for have been on used cars -- beige, silver, even 1 green one. That said, I'm really happy with my white Volt and black Encore.

kyfdx

If you started buying cars in the '70s, you'll have a lot of tans and beige.

6 white
5 blue
4 gray
4 black
3 beige/tan
2 green
1 red

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

Great short list you've developed from the Denver Auto Show.  I'm partial to the Infiniti on the list for obvious reasons.  Used car prices keep dropping.  You'll definitely be able to score a deal on a sweet CPO Q50 when your Jetta lease is up for sure.

I did a lot of driving yesterday.  Back and forth to work, then it was out to Long Island for my wife's uncle's wake (this is after my brother in law's funeral on Wednesday) and back home again.  I did 200 miles in the Infiniti.  The car is comfortable and so freakin fast.  I just have to nudge the throttle a little bit and the car just goes with plenty of power in reserve.  Merging and squirting through open holes in traffic is a breeze.  I'm so happy with this car.  I love it!

Bradd, I knew you'd love the Infiniti! Glad you are enjoying it, I know I keep saying it but they really are great cars and especially so considering what you paid for it.

Also sorry to hear about your wife's uncle, you all have been through enough lately.

stickguy

I kinda like the Maxima as an option to the infiniti. As many goodies, but cheaper! Pretty sure roomier inside too, if you are into that. FWD of course, but still quite quick. And probably more economical.

Michaell

stickguy said:

I kinda like the Maxima as an option to the infiniti. As many goodies, but cheaper! Pretty sure roomier inside too, if you are into that. FWD of course, but still quite quick. And probably more economical.

The other big difference is that the Maxima has the CVT bolted to the engine. That's why I'd want to drive before adding it to the short list.

Did test drive a Juke a few years back, with the CVT. Wife never noticed it.

Our Subaru has a CVT, but they've programmed the transmission to make it 'feel' like a traditional automatic.

stickguy

did they switch the 6 over to CVT too? For a while that was still a slushbox.

the 4 cyl OB we drove was fine. I was paying attention for it, and didn't bother me. my wife would never notice. Same with the Accord. Just a non factor.

the Maxima probably even less so, given all the power it has. More of an issue with a little 4 banger that has to work much harder. But of course, would need a good test drive first.

jeffb0101

I was lucky enough to get a two year old 97 Maxima as my first car. Man, that car felt fast for its time. I could also roll my windows down with the keyfob!

ab348

The lifetime car color list is pretty short for me:

white - 3
dark blue - 2
burgundy -2
red - 2
silver -2
black -1
light blue -1
green - 1

No tans or beiges!

Michaell

stickguy said:

did they switch the 6 over to CVT too? For a while that was still a slushbox.

the 4 cyl OB we drove was fine. I was paying attention for it, and didn't bother me. my wife would never notice. Same with the Accord. Just a non factor.

the Maxima probably even less so, given all the power it has. More of an issue with a little 4 banger that has to work much harder. But of course, would need a good test drive first.

We've got the 2015, which I think was the first year for the H6/CVT combo. It's a good powertrain - like I said, they've programmed the transmission to make it 'feel' like a traditional automatic.

And, given the power of the engine and the weight of the car, I'm not disappointed with the mileage - 20-22 in town, and we saw close to 28 on our one highway trip.

corvette

The Murano will roll the front windows down with the keyfob, too. Nice feature when it's hot out (as is the aftermarket remote start I installed). 

xwesx

One color that I noticed nobody has included on their list yet:

Yellow! I have two of those.

Otherwise, I'm at:

green - 2
grey (any shade) - 4
red (any shade) - 4
purple - 1
brown - 1

I think that's it. Maybe. Hahahaha.

Thinking about it, though, the "red" category is pretty liberal. This includes my Econoline (that counts twice due to two bodies) that was candy apple red, Forester that is paprika (sort of a burnt orange), Fiesta that was magenta, and Passat that was burgundy.

Red is my preferred color, followed by brown and green, then yellow and blue. Of course, exact implementation counts for a lot on any of these! White, black, and any shade between are definitely not my preference.

Edit: Oh, darn it. I guess I should include my Pinto, which was white.

xwesx

I happened to look down at the odometer when I was about to back out of my parking space....


I've driven this thing nearly 7,000 miles already! In the spirit of @breld, I should probably start looking for a replacement.

ab348

I see the Engine light is still on. Has it been to the dealer yet?

xwesx

No, not yet. I was given an 800-number to call to get approval for the bridge warranty through the TDI settlement. Once I do that, then I can set up an appointment in Anchorage to have it looked at.

nyccarguy

White - I
Black - III
Silver - III
Blue - II
Grey - I
Red - II

tjc78

Colors:

4 - White
3 - Burgundy
3 - Blue
2 - Silver
1 - Gold
1 - Black

thebean

My colors in 47 years of driving:

Gold - 1
White - 5
Blue - 1
Silver - 3
Red - 1
Black - 1
Green - 1

Kinda sad that white & silver dominate.  Wife says her next one will be a bright color so she can find it in the parking lot.  

fintail

I thought a CEL on a VAG product was a feature, kind of like ambient lighting

Cars that have been registered in my name:

Blue - 3
Silver - 2
Grey - 1
White - 1

tbirdmarco

@tjc78 commen problem with them. yes would bring it in rite away to be fixed. new jen onclave will be invaled this cumming week at the new York auto show along with the trivarse.

tbirdmarco

@Michaell you are welcome will be 2 years in September we have had it. got it when it first came out in 2015

stickguy

I need to do a spreadsheet someday to keep them all straight. But I do know I had 2 yellow cars also. Duster and Gremlin. An assortment of green (a few of those), silver, a couple reds, a bunch of blues, a purple (dark iris pearl). But unless I am forgetting something, never had a black car.

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy sorry to hear about all of the sad news that has happened with your family prairs are with you all.

jeffb0101

I have a love/hate relationship with the remote roll down on my Accord. I have come out of restaurants before and found all my windows down and sunroof open because the button was hit just right. 

stickguy

that happened a few times on our accord and odyssey.

nyccarguy

jeffb0101 said:

I have a love/hate relationship with the remote roll down on my Accord. I have come out of restaurants before and found all my windows down and sunroof open because the button was hit just right. 

It happened to my 2011 BMW 328xi the night of a snowstorm.  I was NOT happy when I came out to the car at 6AM.

fordfool

corvette said:

They really need to make I-71 between Louisville and Covington three lanes wide instead of two. The semis trying to pass each other on hills clog up traffic, as do the dimwitted drivers who won't use cruise control and can't maintain a consistent speed. Makes it very frustrating when you're trying to get back and minimize the time you take off of work.

I-71 opened sometime during 1969-1970. Prior to that one drove Route 42 between Cincinnati and Louisville. River Road was voted by truckers the worst highway in the country, twists, turns, and hills as the road followed the Ohio River. The night time alternative was I-75 to Lexington, then Route 60 to Louisville (I-64 didn't exist either).

tjc78

nyccarguy said:

jeffb0101 said:

I have a love/hate relationship with the remote roll down on my Accord. I have come out of restaurants before and found all my windows down and sunroof open because the button was hit just right. 

It happened to my 2011 BMW 328xi the night of a snowstorm.  I was NOT happy when I came out to the car at 6AM.

Did I tell my horror story at Christmas time with the Enclave?  I don't think so....

Long story short I was running around on the 23rd doing food shopping and other stuff for our Xmas eve dinner, picking up the wife's bday cake etc.   It was a beautiful warm day and since my mom had the kids I opened the sunroof. Well with all chaos unloading the car I completely forgot it was open.  

Next morning it rained and I opened the blinds in the dining room and could see the roof open.  OMG.  It was bad....  I freaked out (in the middle of cooking for 30 people) and ran outside with towels.   Soaked up as much as I could and ran the heat on full blast for a few hours idling in the driveway.  Luckily everything survived and no water stains or anything.   The heavy mats absorbed most of it and the seats.  

@Marcothecarguy1986
Yes I may have to bring it in. I do have a feeling the AC is low on freon.  Kind of upsetting with only 25k miles.  We may have an 80 degree day this week so I'll get a chance to test it out. 

tbirdmarco

@tjc78 yes bring it in when you are able to. I no with sutch lo miles should not happen but it is what it is. nice the nice weather is finally hear so happy. injoy your weekand. o and sorry to hear about your hora story around Cristmes glad all worked out with that in the end.

corvette

Got to drive the GF's Escape for a bit last night. There is something about the seating position in Fords that I have a hard time adjusting to. It's a solid little trucklet. The 1.6 liter turbo engine has to work pretty hard to get the thing moving, but it's very quiet doing so, and the transmission is willing to let it rev. The infotainment is much better than what I have in the Murano. The dash seems to have a lot more air vents than most cars.

rayainsw

Filled the BMW for the 3rd time this morning.
959 miles in total - 26.7 MPG.
That was all commuting & running errands,
no opportunity to test true highway cruising MPG, yet.
- Ray
Did not select it for MPG, but pleased, so far -
with this & every other aspect of the 340i...

tbirdmarco

@rayainsw so glad to hear you are loving your car and getting good m p g

tbirdmarco

@corvette yes it is an nice little S U V thinking if my mom is interested to switch things up from Nissan usally all we have bin getting over the years and Hundai to to an ford Edge we shal see.

tbirdmarco

also posabal G M C sumthing like that.

stickguy

I gassed up the Jetta today. Looks like I averaged just about 23. Of course, it was almost 3 full months since the last time I got gas (and it only took 10 gallons). So no, I have not been wearing it out! My daughter gets back in 2 weeks from Ireland, and almost immediately will be taking a trip down to NC to visit her buddies at school. So in about 5 days will get a quick 1,000+ miles added. And beginning in early June she has a 10 week internship in Delaware, so she will be putting close to 100 miles/day on it. Look like will hit the 2 year mark right at about 18,000, so will have about 18K left for the final year. Should be fine with that.

tbirdmarco

goodmorning all! hope that everyone had an good weekend. mine was good injoyed the weather did sum car cleaning for the family! the nice weather is finally hear!. have an good upcumming week all!

Michaell

@Marcothecarguy1986 - I took the Jetta in for a full-service wash, as I am hosting out-of-town employees at a conference in the office this week. Shines up real nice.

Got to do the same for the Subaru, as well...

roadburner

rayainsw said:

Filled the BMW for the 3rd time this morning.
959 miles in total - 26.7 MPG.
That was all commuting & running errands,
no opportunity to test true highway cruising MPG, yet.
- Ray
Did not select it for MPG, but pleased, so far -
with this & every other aspect of the 340i...

That's about what my M235i averages around town; back in the horsepower-starved '70s who would have thought that one day you'd be able to buy a 12-second car that returned better fuel economy than the slowest subcompacts of that dismal era?

js06gv

List has all of mine since getting my license in '86 plus my wife's since marrying in '92:

5 Black
4 Red (in varying shades)
3 Green
3 Blue
1 Brown
1 Grey
1 Tan

I've never liked white vehicles and have never owned one, except for a company car I bought to flip and did so within a month so I don't count that one. The closest to white was the one I listed as tan. It was a cream colored '84 Skylark my dad gave me after he bought his Supra in '87. This was a strangely popular color for GM in the early 80s, usually paired with a blue or brown interior and matching vinyl roof if it had one. Mine had blue velour interior and vinyl roof. A kid today would have no idea what a vinyl roof was!

Michaell

Just updated my list; had to add the Jetta. This goes back to the cars I drove in HS, as well as the cars owned by both 1st and 2nd wives.

Blue 5
White 3
Silver 3
Burgundy 3
Grey 3
Beige 2
Green 2
Brown 1
Royal Grey 1
White/Gold 1
Purple 1
Red 1
Pewter 1

kyfdx

lol. Forgot all about the Audi TDI. Add one silver.

tifighter

I drove a 500 Abarth over the weekend. If you haven't driven one, you really should...it is a total hoot. Base manual, no sunroof with the 17" wheels. Having driven Minis, I was surprised how not punishing the ride was. Seating position is a little weird but I got used to it pretty quickly. GRRR sounds from the (lack of) exhaust. Fun stuff. These things are pretty cheap used, FWIW. I'm sorta curious about the cabrio version.

rayainsw

Since 1968 -
blue 8
silver 4
black 4
red 3
burgundy 3
gray 2
white 1
green 1
black & silver [ ‘tu-tone’ ] 1

roadburner

Red 3
White 1

tifighter said:

I drove a 500 Abarth over the weekend. If you haven't driven one, you really should...it is a total hoot. Base manual, no sunroof with the 17" wheels. Having driven Minis, I was surprised how not punishing the ride was. Seating position is a little weird but I got used to it pretty quickly. GRRR sounds from the (lack of) exhaust. Fun stuff. These things are pretty cheap used, FWIW. I'm sorta curious about the cabrio version.

I looked at one when they were a part of our dealer group. Tons of fun for very little money.

nyccarguy

I might have caught on to something with my Q40. The dealership I bought it from currently has ZERO CPO Q40s in stock and ONE CPO G37x in stock.

breld

Weirdest thing - I can't for the life of me post anything on the Real-World Trade Values forum. For some reason, no problems here. So, Q, could you oblige?

In CO:

2015 BMW 428i xdrive gran coupe
White over red leather
M-sport
Premium package
Tech package
Driver assistance package
Heated seats
18k miles
No needs

Thanks!