Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

breld said:

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!

Here we go.....

breld

I think the GTI will be the winning candidate. In the interest of offsetting (at least partially) the increase in cost from the Durango upgrade, "downgrading" to something like a GTI Sport doesn't feel like much of a downgrade at all, particularly for the given purpose.

The Miata RF is what my heart wants, but I just can't bring myself to pay the "new, high-demand" price required. I can just wait until someone who bought it emotionally trades one in.

May wait for the new Civic Si to be released next month.

28firefighter

OK - I'm curious what your existing ride is going to bring...

stickguy

I saw a fixed roof mista on the road to. Looks interesting. I would likely go with the classic drop top though.

breld

Well, there are deals to be had on the soft top Miatas since they've been out for a little while and they're clearing out 2016 models.

I'm considering it - the soft top is certainly easier and quicker to get up and down. And from what I've read on forums, some would argue that the soft top is quieter on the road with the top down than the hard top, due to the wind swirling around in the "more enclosed" confines of the RF model.

But...I just love the profile of the RF model, top up or down, and I've got to imagine it's at least a tad more refined for top up driving.

breld

I obviously enjoy (generally) working directly with dealerships, but since I visited that broker dealer last week to drive the WRX, Focus ST and GTI back to back, I'm giving the consultant there a chance. He was very nice to work with. I've given him some marching orders to see what he can do on a new GTI Sport and my trade.

Best price I've seen on-line for the GTI is $24,720. I imagine that likely includes the $1,000 loyalty rebate, which is fine since I qualify with the stepdaughter's Jetta. That's compared to the 2016 GTI S that I test drove with 5k miles and an asking price of $23,800. Uh, I think I'll take the new Sport model for a thousand please.

andres3

fintail said:

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

Funny, I was just talking to a guy that said he worked for Audi as a product testing engineer. One of the things he's worked on is making sure the CEL works correctly and accurately. He said everyone complains about the light, but that it is designed to provide key information you might not otherwise know about, and it does cover a whole lot of possibilities (any of which can trigger the light).

Sandman6472

30K service went well, checked the SAT radio for me but said all is as it should be. So, if nothing else goes wrong by the time I get to 36K, probably won't be back to my VW dealer. Anything out of warranty will go to the indie VW/Audi store down the street where I got the windshield wipers a few months back. Went in to see about the front anti-sway bar and the guy was honest with me and said for the kind of driving I do, might as well pass on it. I do like those chrome tips Mike got for his Jetta but am waiting on doing that. Been using the "S" mode more and more and it solved my issue with that slight turbo lag. All is well here at home.
Was at the Honda store today picking up a rental to be moved and thought I saw my brown '14 328i buried in the used car area. Walked over and there it was, right in the middle. Thought it was sold but no, not yet and still have the A3 drop top next to it. Added 3 newish MB 300's in various colors, 2015 models, very nice but still am drawn to that brown 328i. Sat in it and it is very comfortable and pretty clean from what I could see. Just not ready to bail on the Golf yet to be honest but if I did, that BMW would be it. Might go get a test drive just for kicks if it's still there next week as we're super busy this week, looks like another 4 day week. Has a bit over 22K on the clock and they're asking $21.6 I think but have a gut feeling that it's negotiable. They do have a VW store a few blocks away so hopefully they'd give me a good value for my trade-in, only a couple of marks on the entire vehicle and cleans up real nice. Wax guy is coming on Saturday to do three of the fleet, everything except the Accent. That daughter has an apartment with covered parking now also so her vehicle looks clean all the time.

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Happy Pesach to all of us who celebrate!!

The Sandman

qbrozen

breld said:

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!

 Well, isn't it obvious? You have used up all of your free tokens and must sign up for the premium service in real-world trade-in values.

 Unfortunately, there is not much data to go on. Based on the most recent transaction, I am going to have to guess somewhere in the 33-34k range. 

breld

Thanks for the freebie!

That's pretty palatable based on what I bought it for. I'm giving some thought to a private sale on it, but I doubt it'd be much more than $35-$36k, and may not be worth the hassle.

tifighter

qbrozen said:

Well, isn't it obvious? You have used up all of your free tokens and must sign up for the premium service in real-world trade-in values.

I heard premium level comes with a t-shirt, and a free extra screening at the airport.

tbirdmarco

@Michaell nice glad you got to cleaning som of your fleat this past weekend to as whell.

tbirdmarco

soon the t bird neads mager cleaning have never cleaned the inside since I have had it as of yet just the outside.

tbirdmarco

@breld cant wate to hear about what you end up byeing next!

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy yes you did start an trend!

fintail

That's an issue with the light - can be a loose or defective gas cap, can be emissions equipment issues. Maybe even more idiot lights are needed

andres3 said:

Funny, I was just talking to a guy that said he worked for Audi as a product testing engineer. One of the things he's worked on is making sure the CEL works correctly and accurately. He said everyone complains about the light, but that it is designed to provide key information you might not otherwise know about, and it does cover a whole lot of possibilities (any of which can trigger the light).

stickguy

the light is just supposed to tell you to go to the dealer to get it checked. Which people hate.

at this point, no reason the car shouldn't just display the codes right in the info screen. They are obviously stored.

corvette

Onstar can give you the P-code if you are a subscriber and ask them for it. They will also give you a generic explanation of the code, but it's more useful to just Google the P-code + the model of your vehicle.

I think VW, for a while, included a separate "check gas cap" light to reduce the number of people coming in for that specific issue. I think some other makes may display a "gas cap" message on the information display along with the CEL.

tjc78

My 04 Grand Marquis had a separate "Check Gas Cap" light on the digital dash. 

xwesx

andres3 said:

Funny, I was just talking to a guy that said he worked for Audi as a product testing engineer. One of the things he's worked on is making sure the CEL works correctly and accurately. He said everyone complains about the light, but that it is designed to provide key information you might not otherwise know about, and it does cover a whole lot of possibilities (any of which can trigger the light).

If you ever talk to that guy again, you should suggest that they integrate the MMI so that it will display (not reset) the trouble codes that are stored in the ECU! The most annoying thin about the MIL is that once it illuminates, the user has no idea when any other malfunction occurs (assuming the vehicle still seemingly operates properly).

Whoops! I should have read all the other posts before responding to this one.... That said, my request stands!

Mr_Shiftright

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.

Fabulous engine note on the Fiat Abarth.....if you want to be really cool, pronounce the name as the Italians do----stress the second syllable

ay-BART

breld

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@breld cant wate to hear about what you end up byeing next!

Thanks Marco - I can't wait either; the suspense is killing me!

jeffb0101

My Accord has a check gas cap message. I used to
get it quite a bit when it was newer for some reason. 

andres3

At engine startup I've noticed sometimes you'll get a few messages you won't otherwise see again.

An example is when only 1 of the 4 tires is under-inflated. The light doesn't tell you that, but when you start the car, it will tell you "Front Right", at least, that's the way it worked in the S4 where I had the unfortunate encounter with a nail, a leaky plug/patch repair, and a screw or two.

I know there are some codes that also cover an array of possible issues, so even the code won't nail down the problem at times. However, I agree, there are some codes you can live with, and some you might want dealt with right away, so knowing what's new and what's old would help.

There are a lot of idiot lights. Sometimes I can't figure them out intuitively. When my low beam headlight bulb was having an issue, I got an indicator light that forced me to open up the manual to figure it out. Again, if I had been paying closer attention, at startup a message with a bit more detail flashes on the screen for a second or two.

nyccarguy

You guys have been posting some impressive fuel economy numbers as of late.  I'm enjoying every single mile in my Q40.  Since picking up the car on 3/27, I've filled it up 3 times and put over 880 miles on it.  

Tank 1 - approximately 295.6 miles on 16.221 gallons = 18.23 mpg

Tank 2 - 247.9 miles on 12.554 gallons = 19.77 mpg

Tank 3 - 338.1 miles on 16.472 gallons = 20.53 mpg

the low fuel light came on this AM with 41 miles DTE according to the trip computer.  The "warning triangle" flashes as does the DTE reading.  It dropped from 41 to 31 real quick.

Its about 6 mpg less than I got with my Legacy.  A small price to pay for 153 more horsepower and 94 more ft lbs of torque

xwesx

That's a lot of fill ups, @nycarguy !

I just filled up the Q7 after two weeks, and I put 493 miles on it with ~21.5 gallons added. About 23 mpg average, which isn't too shabby for lugging 5,500# around the local area! It's better than my Forester manages....

I put the all-season tires on it again last night, so I'm interested to see what, if any, difference that makes on the economy.

carnaught

Currently with my C300 I'm getting 33+ mpg with combined driving, mostly city. Car is neither a rocket nor a slug, so I'm quite satisfied.

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

I put the all-season tires on it again last night, so I'm interested to see what, if any, difference that makes on the economy.

Any update on the massive blue fluid uptake?

breld

qbrozen said:

breld said:

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!

 Well, isn't it obvious? You have used up all of your free tokens and must sign up for the premium service in real-world trade-in values.

 Unfortunately, there is not much data to go on. Based on the most recent transaction, I am going to have to guess somewhere in the 33-34k range. 

Broker called me just now and said the highest bid he got was $34k. He said they ranged from $31k to $34k.

As always, Q is right on, and I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised by the number. It's nice to have a good quote from the broker, since he can pretty much get anything I want.

breld

The flip side is that so far he hasn't received pricing on the new GTI that matches the advertised price from one of the dealers. The dealership he works with claims the other dealer is notorious for "stacking" incentives in a way that isn't attainable. Well, really only one way for me to find that out - may need to visit that dealership and "confirm" the price.

stickguy

so roughly 10K back switching from the BMW to the VW? That offsets more than half the delta upgrading the Durango (that was 18K extra, right?)

hard to keep up with you. Good thing you are an accountant! Speaking of which, was helping my daughter pick her last accounting course today (for next semester). taking cost accounting instead of intermediate II to finish out her accounting minor.

breld

Drove a few cars over my lunch hour and, for better or worse, liked them all.

• 2015 Civic Si - nice low mileage previous-gen Si sedan. Takes a little time to warm up to, being so different from the competitors that all have turbo engines, but once you get used to it, it is a nice ride all around, perhaps in a somewhat nostalgic way.
  
• 2017 Civic EX-T manual - thought I'd give one of these a shot to "preview" the upcoming Si. It's a very nice vehicle in its own right. I was very impressed with the comfort and low noise level even on the highway. The engine pulls nicely without any unexpected or sudden surge - very smooth. I don't think I could live with the coupe though - the doors must be the longest ones I've ever encountered! Overall, makes me think it could be worth to wait for the Si.
  
• 2013 GTI - wanted to check out a previous gen GTI too, and a nearby dealership has a 2013 Wolfsburg edition with 33k miles in very nice condition. Just as fun as I remember - nice to see how the GTI holds up after the 33k miles. Pretty good value at $16k.
  

So yeah, liked them all. New GTI still may be the leading candidate, since I think I'd feel better about having one under warranty. But a new Civic Si, even at MSRP of around $25k (guessing) would be a good value too - depreciation on that should be fairly low I think.

stickguy

you can get a 4 door civic with a stick, but IIRC that stops short of the EX, which took it off my list (if I want to go with a stick). Or maybe that was the hatch. In any case, it was weird how Honda allocated the manual in the civic line. Plus, you can't get HondaWatch with a stick. Most likely in the end, I will end up with the automatic in whatever I get for simplicity and convenience.

stickguy

also, I really liked that Civic. Still hurts that I passed on the lease deal 2 years back. It was my "once in a lifetime" moment, and I had to let it go. Same car I looked at (2015 4 door stick).

breld

stickguy said:

so roughly 10K back switching from the BMW to the VW? That offsets more than half the delta upgrading the Durango (that was 18K extra, right?)

hard to keep up with you. Good thing you are an accountant! Speaking of which, was helping my daughter pick her last accounting course today (for next semester). taking cost accounting instead of intermediate II to finish out her accounting minor.

Yup - that shaves off enough of the delta that we're happy, and it does take care of the monthly payment differential and then some.

Skipping out on Intermediate Accounting II? Wise choice!

breld

stickguy said:

also, I really liked that Civic. Still hurts that I passed on the lease deal 2 years back. It was my "once in a lifetime" moment, and I had to let it go. Same car I looked at (2015 4 door stick).

I did like it. They also just reduced the price to a tick under $20k, at $19,987. Here's the link:

2015 Civic Si

It's exactly like the one I almost bought instead of the Mazda3 a couple years back. The blue is flashy, but otherwise, it's a more subdued look than the current Civic.

I don't know though - still seems kinda high, which is just reflective of the Honda holding its value. But let's say the new Si comes in at $24-$25k - seems like it could be worth the extra.

stickguy

I will let her know. She said cost was similar to something she took and liked (Managerial maybe?). IA2 was attractive, because no Friday class, and she already has the book! She is signed up for cost now, thanks to an issue with a prereq that would require deans approval (not that easy to do from Ireland where she is spending the semester).

breld

If she's planning on going into accounting, then I'd say the IA2 would be a necessary evil, but as just a minor, it could be unnecessarily painful.

breld

Hard to know what the right price is on these new GTIs.

So the Sport model I'd want stickers for $29,235, dealer invoice of $28,275.

One dealer advertises a price of $24,720, which is what got me interested in the first place. My broker comes back with pricing of $500 under invoice, plus the $1,000 loyalty rebate, for a price of $26,775. The same dealership he is working with has an advertised price online of $25,830, which I pointed out to him, and he's looking into it.

If it wasn't for the healthy trade option he came up with, I'd be more regretful of going through him (not that I'm committed or anything). The "broker" dealers are a nice way to have all makes and models available to you, and nice to have someone else do the legwork...except I like the legwork.

28firefighter

To me, if he can't come up with the GTI numbers, then take your car to one of those dealers. What matters is the difference. 

corvette

I don't think we have any brokers in my area (at least not any that advertise). I'm sure some of them don't add value, but it's nice to have options.

stickguy

if you are savvy with buying and working with dealers (as Breld obviously is), it really should make no sense to use a broker. It just can't save money if you are introducing another middleman that needs a cut of the pie. You are paying for a convenience service. Might be different if you are a babe in the woods and terrified of being in front of a salesman.

I suppose he could have some magic access to reselling (I assume he would not be retailing the trade in), but if it is going to a wholesaler or dealer, Breld could just do that himself. Or trade it in and get tax credit (if Colorado does that too).

Me, if I really wanted the GTI, having the baseline numbers, I would just show up with the car, and drop a Bobst on them, and tell them if it is a go, start writing it up.

stickguy

for some reason, I have a weird desire to get a pickup again (I had one for about a year before our 1st kid was born, a Nissan 1991. side jump seats, just don't work with a car seat). Not that I need one, but seems like a great idea to go along with the move to a new house I hope to do also. We shall see.

I am also noticing a lot of new Maximas (thanks Michael!). And it is really growing on me. Love the interior.

tbirdmarco

@breld you are welcome very exciting times no you will have sumthing bye the weekand or bit after that lol lol.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WfrAMLPYkkA

breld

So I visited the VW dealership with the screamin deal this evening to test the waters.  I had a feeling they would have all sort of forced add-ons and/or say that the pricing included rebates I don't qualify for, but not so much.

They do have a "forced" $499 for some worthless auto theft protection, and the pricing does include the $1k loyalty rebate, but I qualify for that anyway.  

So bottom line, they offered the GTI Sport for $25,269.  And they came in at $33,000 for my trade.  Net difference is actually only $500 better than the deal the broker came to the table with, but I would ask the dealership to match the $34,000 trade to do the deal.  

But I also drove a new Miata before visiting the VW dealership and liked that quite a bit too.  Was surprised at how comfortable (relatively) I was driving it.  And there's just not much that matches the feel of such a small RWD roadster.  Certainly not as practical as the GTI, but I don't necessarily need it to be. 

We'll see.

stickguy

are you positive you can live without a back seat in your sporty car? Or is this just setting up for you to not get enough use out of it that you end up trading it in a few months?

breld

stickguy said:

if you are savvy with buying and working with dealers (as Breld obviously is), it really should make no sense to use a broker. It just can't save money if you are introducing another middleman that needs a cut of the pie. You are paying for a convenience service. Might be different if you are a babe in the woods and terrified of being in front of a salesman.

Yeah, you're right - no way around the fact that they are not performing a service for free. For most people, it's probably well worth it. And this is a nice place with a huge indoor showroom for their inventory in a nice location. They have like 48 consultants working for them. The kind of place I may like to work in "retirement."

It's probably a very efficient process for most, but I find it decidedly inefficient, since I just as soon go directly to the dealership and work with them.

The broker guy is supposed to call me tomorrow. If he can't meet the pricing I think I can get, I'll just politely tell him that perhaps it's best if I work on my own.

breld

stickguy said:

are you positive you can live without a back seat in your sporty car? Or is this just setting up for you to not get enough use out of it that you end up trading it in a few months?

Positive? No. But trading it in a matter of months wouldn't be out of the ordinary anyway.

But that means I shouldn't buy one new, especially an RF that's demanding MSRP right now.

If I really want to scratch the Miata itch (and want the new style), I'm thinking I simply wait until next winter and find a good deal on a used one that someone bought emotionally and then traded it back.