Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

carnaught said:

Edmunds says a tick over $22,400. Not sure about low mileage hybrids takng more of a hit. The Accord Hybrid has more power than the 4 cylinder Accords, and with rising gas prices these days, mid to upper 40's mpg with regular fuel ain't too shabby. Makes me think twice about trading, actually, although I have responsibilities being a card-carrying member of CCBA .

Well, to give you an idea, a V6 Touring, same year and miles as yours, is worth $1k-$1500 more on a trade. And that was what? $1500 cheaper when new? So the Hybrid has depreciated ~$3k more. There is still a stigma attached to hybrids about the cost of replacing batteries, so the used market does have a slight fear of them.

carnaught

@gbrozen, Edmunds does show the Accord v6 Touring resale price at $300 more than the Hybrid Touring. Their original prices are closer than $1500 apart.

Thanks.

qbrozen

My trade-in numbers are real, though. ;b

I think MSN autos has their original MSRPs like $1300 apart?

carnaught

qbrozen said:

My trade-in numbers are real, though. ;b

I think MSN autos has their original MSRPs like $1300 apart?

"Real": the difference is ultimately in the real world, but I'll take Edmunds over MSN.

andres3

breld said:

Just like any other white GTI, but this one is in my garage!  

Looks like a fantastic car worth more than you paid for it! Exactly the trim line I'd get, though I think I prefer the dark blue. Wish you could get a GTI with a beige leatherette too. I'm a DSG guy so that's the only other thing I'd change; makes the car just that much faster and quicker.

However, I'd love to hear your review on the 6-speed manual transmission in the GTI in particular.

What size wheels/tires do they put on the GTI Sport these days?

andres3

kyfdx said:

breld said:

carnaught said:

@breld, nice! What's next?

Thanks! What's next? I suppose the other choices that I didn't get this time around - Miata RF, Civic Si, etc.

I'm starting to see that GTI in my garage..

I have to admit I really like the red painted front calipers.

I just don't think I could pull the trigger on that in something like my TTS as it was a $450 add-on option, and the base calipers are painted black with logos and all.

xwesx

andres3 said:

I have to admit I really like the red painted front calipers.

I just don't think I could pull the trigger on that in something like my TTS as it was a $450 add-on option, and the base calipers are painted black with logos and all.

Pull the tires off, get out some tape, plastic, and the rattle can.... done.

xwesx

breld said:

Just like any other white GTI, but this one is in my garage!  

That's a lot of space above that GTI. Have you considered installing a lift?

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

This was parked next to the used GTI I test drove last week. Chose not to drive it, but it looked to be in nice condition. Just had another price reduction down to below $10k.

I'd probably be a bit scared to own one at this point, but I do like it.

Mazda RX-8

That's a good year 2011---improved model with better oil injection and other fault corrections----still, it's risky.

They are very hard to find, especially these later ones, so if you're inchin', you may not see another for a long, long time.

You should go drive it--it's quite something.

If it were near me and not in black, I'd be on it, I would.

@breld.....I agree with Shifty. I had one of the first RX8s ('04) out in my area (maybe anywhere east of the Mississippi). They're a little fussy, but an absolute blast to drive. 9K redline and the Renesis motor sounds like a a million angry wasps as it gets in the upper rev range. But, it loves to rev. Handles great (probably the best handling car I've ever driven) without punishing you with a harsh ride. Light on its feet.

It'll burn a little oil (a qt every 3,000 miles, or so), but it's supposed to.

I think they fixed the seals on the later ones (like this one). The earlier ones had leaky seals, which caused all sorts of untoward behavior.

For that kind of money, you won't find a more fun car to drive, however.

Man - you and Shifty are making me have some second thoughts on whether I should've "tried out" the RX-8, given its price!

I did test drive one back in the day, back to back with the 370z, and I did indeed prefer the Mazda.

You have to love to shift though. That engine has very little torque.

Yeah...but it's a sweet gear shifter and a light clutch. High revs are where the fun is in an RX8.

I'm still tempted but finding a decent 2009 on up (improved version) is really difficult. You almost have to count on buying out of state somewhere. I kinda gave up after a few months of searching. How lucky to have one in your back yard!

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'm still tempted but finding a decent 2009 on up (improved version) is really difficult. You almost have to count on buying out of state somewhere. I kinda gave up after a few months of searching. How lucky to have one in your back yard!

Yeah, I would HATE to go out of state to buy a car. Such a chore.

Mr_Shiftright

You're up for the punishment---I'm not

andres3

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

I have to admit I really like the red painted front calipers.

I just don't think I could pull the trigger on that in something like my TTS as it was a $450 add-on option, and the base calipers are painted black with logos and all.

Pull the tires off, get out some tape, plastic, and the rattle can.... done.

The way I like to drive these performance cars, I don't think your typical paint would last very long as calipers can get very hot. I have a feeling your red paint would cook into a black or smokey dark red very soon.

That being said, the extreme high temperature resistant paint probably doesn't cost all that much more, and you only need a pint or so. Still, sounds like a $100 dollar job plus a few hours of effort at a minimum. Probably have to do 3 coats if you are doing bright red over black.

qbrozen

carnaught said:

"Real": the difference is ultimately in the real world, but I'll take Edmunds over MSN.

Oh, I don't use either for trade-in values. I only used MSN to see the original MSRP. Not sure where else that is available, although I'd imagine it is easily accessible in a number of places.

breld

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

This was parked next to the used GTI I test drove last week. Chose not to drive it, but it looked to be in nice condition. Just had another price reduction down to below $10k.

I'd probably be a bit scared to own one at this point, but I do like it.

Mazda RX-8

That's a good year 2011---improved model with better oil injection and other fault corrections----still, it's risky.

They are very hard to find, especially these later ones, so if you're inchin', you may not see another for a long, long time.

You should go drive it--it's quite something.

If it were near me and not in black, I'd be on it, I would.

@breld.....I agree with Shifty. I had one of the first RX8s ('04) out in my area (maybe anywhere east of the Mississippi). They're a little fussy, but an absolute blast to drive. 9K redline and the Renesis motor sounds like a a million angry wasps as it gets in the upper rev range. But, it loves to rev. Handles great (probably the best handling car I've ever driven) without punishing you with a harsh ride. Light on its feet.

It'll burn a little oil (a qt every 3,000 miles, or so), but it's supposed to.

I think they fixed the seals on the later ones (like this one). The earlier ones had leaky seals, which caused all sorts of untoward behavior.

For that kind of money, you won't find a more fun car to drive, however.

Man - you and Shifty are making me have some second thoughts on whether I should've "tried out" the RX-8, given its price!

I did test drive one back in the day, back to back with the 370z, and I did indeed prefer the Mazda.

You have to love to shift though. That engine has very little torque.

Yeah...but it's a sweet gear shifter and a light clutch. High revs are where the fun is in an RX8.

I'm still tempted but finding a decent 2009 on up (improved version) is really difficult. You almost have to count on buying out of state somewhere. I kinda gave up after a few months of searching. How lucky to have one in your back yard!

So, what, maybe $500 to have it shipped out your way? I'd be happy to help with checking the car out for you!

Michaell

breld said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

This was parked next to the used GTI I test drove last week. Chose not to drive it, but it looked to be in nice condition. Just had another price reduction down to below $10k.

I'd probably be a bit scared to own one at this point, but I do like it.

Mazda RX-8

That's a good year 2011---improved model with better oil injection and other fault corrections----still, it's risky.

They are very hard to find, especially these later ones, so if you're inchin', you may not see another for a long, long time.

You should go drive it--it's quite something.

If it were near me and not in black, I'd be on it, I would.

@breld.....I agree with Shifty. I had one of the first RX8s ('04) out in my area (maybe anywhere east of the Mississippi). They're a little fussy, but an absolute blast to drive. 9K redline and the Renesis motor sounds like a a million angry wasps as it gets in the upper rev range. But, it loves to rev. Handles great (probably the best handling car I've ever driven) without punishing you with a harsh ride. Light on its feet.

It'll burn a little oil (a qt every 3,000 miles, or so), but it's supposed to.

I think they fixed the seals on the later ones (like this one). The earlier ones had leaky seals, which caused all sorts of untoward behavior.

For that kind of money, you won't find a more fun car to drive, however.

Man - you and Shifty are making me have some second thoughts on whether I should've "tried out" the RX-8, given its price!

I did test drive one back in the day, back to back with the 370z, and I did indeed prefer the Mazda.

You have to love to shift though. That engine has very little torque.

Yeah...but it's a sweet gear shifter and a light clutch. High revs are where the fun is in an RX8.

I'm still tempted but finding a decent 2009 on up (improved version) is really difficult. You almost have to count on buying out of state somewhere. I kinda gave up after a few months of searching. How lucky to have one in your back yard!

So, what, maybe $500 to have it shipped out your way? I'd be happy to help with checking the car out for you!

Road trip! @breld and I can deliver the car to you in CA. 19-20 hours and about 1250 miles.

breld

andres3 said:

breld said:

Just like any other white GTI, but this one is in my garage!  

Looks like a fantastic car worth more than you paid for it! Exactly the trim line I'd get, though I think I prefer the dark blue. Wish you could get a GTI with a beige leatherette too. I'm a DSG guy so that's the only other thing I'd change; makes the car just that much faster and quicker.

However, I'd love to hear your review on the 6-speed manual transmission in the GTI in particular.

What size wheels/tires do they put on the GTI Sport these days?

The dark blue, along with the silver, were my other top choices - I did state the white as my preference, and the broker came through with that, but I would have been pretty thrilled with the "night blue" too.

I really like the 6-speed manual in the GTI. I liked it in my MK6 GTI, and I really liked the manual trannie in the S4. The Audi/VW sticks may not be as "crisp" as a Honda, and not as short and slick as an M-sport BMW, but they are, for lack of better words, easy to drive. I don't know what it is from a mechanical perspective that makes the difference, but I find you can creep along in traffic in first gear without constantly modulating the clutch. In my Mazda3, for instance, once you got into crawling speeds in traffic, there was a lot more work to keep the car from jerking than the S4 or GTI.

No doubt the DSG is quicker, but I was really targeting a manual for this car and am really enjoy the engaging drive it provides.

As for the wheels, they are at 225/40/18. And, I do like the unique wheels offered on the Sport model.

Mr_Shiftright

breld said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

graphicguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

This was parked next to the used GTI I test drove last week. Chose not to drive it, but it looked to be in nice condition. Just had another price reduction down to below $10k.

I'd probably be a bit scared to own one at this point, but I do like it.

Mazda RX-8

That's a good year 2011---improved model with better oil injection and other fault corrections----still, it's risky.

They are very hard to find, especially these later ones, so if you're inchin', you may not see another for a long, long time.

You should go drive it--it's quite something.

If it were near me and not in black, I'd be on it, I would.

@breld.....I agree with Shifty. I had one of the first RX8s ('04) out in my area (maybe anywhere east of the Mississippi). They're a little fussy, but an absolute blast to drive. 9K redline and the Renesis motor sounds like a a million angry wasps as it gets in the upper rev range. But, it loves to rev. Handles great (probably the best handling car I've ever driven) without punishing you with a harsh ride. Light on its feet.

It'll burn a little oil (a qt every 3,000 miles, or so), but it's supposed to.

I think they fixed the seals on the later ones (like this one). The earlier ones had leaky seals, which caused all sorts of untoward behavior.

For that kind of money, you won't find a more fun car to drive, however.

Man - you and Shifty are making me have some second thoughts on whether I should've "tried out" the RX-8, given its price!

I did test drive one back in the day, back to back with the 370z, and I did indeed prefer the Mazda.

You have to love to shift though. That engine has very little torque.

Yeah...but it's a sweet gear shifter and a light clutch. High revs are where the fun is in an RX8.

I'm still tempted but finding a decent 2009 on up (improved version) is really difficult. You almost have to count on buying out of state somewhere. I kinda gave up after a few months of searching. How lucky to have one in your back yard!

So, what, maybe $500 to have it shipped out your way? I'd be happy to help with checking the car out for you!

That's a great offer but I would need some special checks-ups on that baby, which is why I'm so hesitant to shop out of state. Specifically, it would have to go to a rotary specialist who has the equipment to compression-test the engine. Also, I haven't spent but 10 minutes spurts in them, driving various runs with the owner yammering in my ear, and quickly rejecting them because they ran like crap (or in some cases, looks so bad I didn't even bother driving them)

As my friend Jay Lamm (the guy who runs the Lemons races) said: "You'd have to be comfortable sitting in it because you sure don't want to be outside looking at it". He thought it drove great though--he was surprised.

28firefighter

breld said:

I don't know what it is from a mechanical perspective that makes the difference, but I find you can creep along in traffic in first gear without constantly modulating the clutch. In my Mazda3, for instance, once you got into crawling speeds in traffic, there was a lot more work to keep the car from jerking than the S4 or GTI.

When I drove my buddy's 2015 GTI, I actually found that with very little effort, I could completely engage first gear and creep in traffic without ever applying any gas. That is probably what you are experiencing.

tbirdmarco

have riden in the pryer jen g t I loved it frend that I used to work had one. now would love to drive in the pryer one that sum of you all have. sat in an current jen one stick shift fully loaded few munths back now have to go to the dealer with sum one who has an lisance to drive in one.

andres3

28firefighter said:

breld said:

I don't know what it is from a mechanical perspective that makes the difference, but I find you can creep along in traffic in first gear without constantly modulating the clutch. In my Mazda3, for instance, once you got into crawling speeds in traffic, there was a lot more work to keep the car from jerking than the S4 or GTI.

When I drove my buddy's 2015 GTI, I actually found that with very little effort, I could completely engage first gear and creep in traffic without ever applying any gas. That is probably what you are experiencing.

Sounds like some kind of anti-stall computer wizardry.

andres3

Both my sports performance car AND my CCBA itch get scratched every day the TTS is in the shop waiting on a sole part (albeit a big part).

Did I mention I sat in a BMW M2 with moonroof delete (or are they smart enough to all come that way), and I really liked it! I fit in it MUCH BETTER than the M235i I had test driven.

The owner did say they wished the suspension was adjustable to a softer setting for everyday bad roads, but other then that, I don't think the car has a lot of flaws. I could live with one if it wasn't impossible to get for a discount under MSRP instead of a markup over it????

tbirdmarco

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

xwesx

Funny.... GM VP on the screen with a scale model of a... BMW.... in the background? LOL

This is good - if they keep pushing out diesel versions, that's only good for consumers. I have been pushing the diesel Equinox on my wife. Not sure if she'll go for it. Hahahaha! I just want her to think bigger than Subaru. Without a manual transmission, though, it's an even tougher sell.

akangl

I've been thinking hard about trading in the Explorer. Getting really close to the 4 year mark and its sitting right about 68k. Its been a great car, really great, but reality is I don't need anything that big anymore. We have no use for the 3rd seat, hasn't been up in years.

The other issue is the damn inflatable rear seat belts. There's exactly 2 car seat manufacturers that allow use of them for seat belt installs of car seats, not a huge deal, I can buy a new car seat, but installation with the inflatable belts is a nightmare. Little man is almost to the weight limit of the latch anchors so seat belt install is looming in the near future for his car seat.

With all that in mind I started looking at smaller SUVs. Really liked the Escape and well x-plan and all that made it more attractive but it didn't blow my skirt up. GM had nothing I wanted....I mean really who wants a Terrain? Honda CRV is ok but boring. I hate the Mazda suvs. Subaru is a no. So I decided to take a look at what Jeep had to offer, I had a couple Jeeps years ago and loved them. Drove a 2017 Cherokee Trailhawk and well, I think it might be coming home with me tomorrow. Ok, I might be lying a little, its actually in my garage but we still have to sign the papers, waiting for USAA to get the paperwork for the extra rebate to the dealer tomorrow. They just handed me the keys and told me to take it home. They locked up the Explorer and I'll clean it out tomorrow. So unless something insane happens you can mark me down for a punch.

rayainsw

Congrats !
And great to hear from you..
- Ray
Here, take the keys - nice !

corvette

Congrats! I registered your punch and will have to get caught up with everyone else's activity when I get back from SFO in a little over a week.

I never knew the inflatable seat belts weren't compatible with most car seats. You'd think there would be a way to temporarily disable them so that you could install any car seat. I got to help install the GF's daughter's car seat the other day, and darn, those things are heavy. Also, a lot of pulling the seat to one side, holding the seatbelt, then putting most of my body weight on the seat to get the top part to latch into place. There's no going anywhere quickly when you have to do all of that! When we got done, the GF said, "and that's an 'easy install' seat!"

ab348

Congrats Jolie! I always liked the size of the Cherokee. Will be interested in your impressions of it.

nyccarguy

Congrats Jolie! Good to hear from you!

jpp75

Congrats @akangl! Good to hear from you as well!!

Michaell

Congrats, @akangl !

Thanks for checking in.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=juUAPzU1EyM

tbirdmarco

Happy Friday all hope that everyone has an good upcumming weekend! going to the auto show today in an bit in new York city at the Jevats Center.

tbirdmarco

@xwesx I no I no trying to push it on my mom to as whell to go boand Nissan lol lol maby jeep we shal see she has sum time little over one year on her leese so in sept going to see if we can get out of it bit early still might have to wate an bit.

tbirdmarco

@akangl congrads on the new jeep. good luck with it.

xwesx

corvette said:

Congrats! I registered your punch and will have to get caught up with everyone else's activity when I get back from SFO in a little over a week.

I never knew the inflatable seat belts weren't compatible with most car seats. You'd think there would be a way to temporarily disable them so that you could install any car seat. I got to help install the GF's daughter's car seat the other day, and darn, those things are heavy. Also, a lot of pulling the seat to one side, holding the seatbelt, then putting most of my body weight on the seat to get the top part to latch into place. There's no going anywhere quickly when you have to do all of that! When we got done, the GF said, "and that's an 'easy install' seat!"

I could never stand to use the "LATCH" system with our kids. Having to install one of those even ONE time is too much. We frequently swapped back and forth (frequently meaning once every week or two) between cars, so I always used the seat belt to attach the seats: Fast, simple, easy, secure.

Michaell

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

Happy Friday all hope that everyone has an good upcumming weekend! going to the auto show today in an bit in new York city at the Jevats Center.

Enjoy the car show today! Can't wait to hear your thoughts about what you saw.

PF_Flyer

I know it doesn't count, but dang it... 4 wheels and an engine, and it tows!

Mr_Shiftright

I can help with this and I only need a few weekends

corvette

Nice. I had a D140 when I lived on a larger lot, and really liked it, although I only owned it a year before I moved and sold the house (and later, the mower).

Looks like that 317 has had the bum engine they came with replaced.

mjfloyd1

Did someone say lift?  Just got this installed. Instant 4 car garage. Have to get tracks changed to raise garage door and have garage door opener moved to front/ side. Got a sliding jack too. The split window coupe isn't ready  it needed a new water pump and rear bushings replaced   Hopefully ready by Wednesday  

qbrozen

What is your ceiling height? looks like a tight fit for 2 cars.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

What is your ceiling height? looks like a tight fit for 2 cars.

Agreed. But, for low-slung cars like the split window and.... well, darn. I can't remember the other one... was it a white Audi? Even a low ceiling can be plenty high!

ab348

No idea if the price makes sense, but this appeals to me:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/mustang/1880023.html

I might prefer a different paint color, but the interior is the right color at least.

graphicguy

akangl....congrats. I like the Cherokees.

qbrozen

ab348 said:

No idea if the price makes sense, but this appeals to me:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/mustang/1880023.html

I might prefer a different paint color, but the interior is the right color at least.

Fox body stang is not something i would want at any price. For that kind of money, you could get something much newer and faster.

roadburner

ab348 said:

No idea if the price makes sense, but this appeals to me:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/mustang/1880023.html

I might prefer a different paint color, but the interior is the right color at least.

That's a limited edition car. I always liked the yellow limited edition with the black interior:

graphicguy

That seems a pretty steep price for a Fox body Mustang....even with those low miles. Maybe I'm missing something, though. I know there are some "upgrades" added. But, I've always been of the mind unless semi-collectible cars are bone stock, their value goes down depending on if the changes can be reversed easily.

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

That seems a pretty steep price for a Fox body Mustang....even with those low miles. Maybe I'm missing something, though. I know there are some "upgrades" added. But, I've always been of the mind unless semi-collectible cars are bone stock, their value goes down depending on if the changes can be reversed easily.

They're trying to cash in on the very low mileage. It's not even a GT. Seems quite overpriced, by about $5,000 I'd say.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

graphicguy said:

That seems a pretty steep price for a Fox body Mustang....even with those low miles. Maybe I'm missing something, though. I know there are some "upgrades" added. But, I've always been of the mind unless semi-collectible cars are bone stock, their value goes down depending on if the changes can be reversed easily.

They're trying to cash in on the very low mileage. It's not even a GT. Seems quite overpriced, by about $5,000 I'd say.

Thanks.....I thought maybe I was totally out of touch on that car.

I kept thinking if the Fox body was worth that, what would my Cobra be worth?

Mr_Shiftright

Well I suppose they might get some buyer who really has to have those low miles--maybe they could squeeze $11.5K out of it. But that would be one of those cases that falls outside the bell curve. To me, it's just a used car, so the miles are to be viewed not as enhancing value, but as enhancing use. The Cobra of course, is another animal entirely--no Cobras in 1992.