Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx - well that officially makes me 0 for 3.  I'm glad you are going for the IL car.  It's got less miles, more equipment, and is much closer to you.  Best of luck to you.  I'm terribly sorry to hear about your Dad.  I hope you have a nice visit with him when you pick the car up.

Aw, I am very sorry about that, Bradd! The final decision in no way lessens the level of appreciation I have for your efforts!

I second that! Bradd was awesome enough to check out the ZHP convertible a couple years back for me and we had a nice time chatting on the phone for awhile.

Just not the right car - and the personal inspection probably saved me from a buying mistake! Much appreciated!

breld

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Money coming from somewhere. The ones at my dealer are listed at over $3k off

Dealer discounts?

Hidden trunk money?

Those are good deals. 

I have a feeling the dealers have some sort of hidden money from the whole diesel scandal that they are applying to all cars just to move units. I mean, around $4k off MSRP on my GTI? It's gotta be coming from somewhere.

I'll be very interested as well to see the upcoming MQB based GLI. I've liked the test drives I've had in the current GLI, and no doubt it will take a step forward with the new version. As much as I generally love hatchbacks, between the 2 MINIs now in the garage, not to mention the Durango which is a form of hatch too, I wouldn't mind a little differentiation. A "true" sedan version of the GTI could be sharp.

Michaell

breld said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Money coming from somewhere. The ones at my dealer are listed at over $3k off

Dealer discounts?

Hidden trunk money?

Those are good deals. 

I have a feeling the dealers have some sort of hidden money from the whole diesel scandal that they are applying to all cars just to move units. I mean, around $4k off MSRP on my GTI? It's gotta be coming from somewhere.

I'll be very interested as well to see the upcoming MQB based GLI. I've liked the test drives I've had in the current GLI, and no doubt it will take a step forward with the new version. As much as I generally love hatchbacks, between the 2 MINIs now in the garage, not to mention the Durango which is a form of hatch too, I wouldn't mind a little differentiation. A "true" sedan version of the GTI could be sharp.

That makes sense - some 'under the table' factory to dealer cash to help move inventory.

So, @breld, a question I'm sure many of us here would like an answer to.

Now that you've turned over the entire fleet - and added a car to it - in the last 4-5 months, what do you and Mrs. @breld do with your spare time on the weekends? Do you still peruse the dealers, just to look?

Do you check the on-line ads to see current inventory and deals? Or, do you suspend any research until the 'itch' returns?

nyccarguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx - well that officially makes me 0 for 3.  I'm glad you are going for the IL car.  It's got less miles, more equipment, and is much closer to you.  Best of luck to you.  I'm terribly sorry to hear about your Dad.  I hope you have a nice visit with him when you pick the car up.

Aw, I am very sorry about that, Bradd! The final decision in no way lessens the level of appreciation I have for your efforts!

No need to be sorry. Lots of positives come out of this:

1 - I got to speak with you on the phone, which is cool in my book.

2 - As I said, you are getting the better car that's closer to you. It is an extra day you can spend with your Dad instead of driving from CT. IL is much closer.

3 - It got me out of the house and into a part of my state that I've never been to before. Although tonight I am really excited. A friend called me yesterday and asked me to go to The RANGERS game tonight at MSG!

4 - And this is the one that REALLY matters. The card gets punched and the punch gets registered with the board.

nyccarguy

breld said:

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx - well that officially makes me 0 for 3.  I'm glad you are going for the IL car.  It's got less miles, more equipment, and is much closer to you.  Best of luck to you.  I'm terribly sorry to hear about your Dad.  I hope you have a nice visit with him when you pick the car up.

Aw, I am very sorry about that, Bradd! The final decision in no way lessens the level of appreciation I have for your efforts!

I second that! Bradd was awesome enough to check out the ZHP convertible a couple years back for me and we had a nice time chatting on the phone for awhile.

Just not the right car - and the personal inspection probably saved me from a buying mistake! Much appreciated!

That ZHP drop top I looked at for you was really nice, but far from perfect. They were asking "perfect" condition pricing for it though.

andres3

The TTS worked flawlessly during a trip to the beach on Saturday, and I drove it on my long commute Monday without a hitch.

Therefore, I am going to take the Audi Care Service Package offered to me for my troubles. 4 services to the vehicle, and for good measure, I'll ask they also throw in windshield wiper blades on the 15K service as I noticed they were not working up to my high standards during the rains we've had here the past few days.

Might also have him throw in those fancy Audi paint touch-up pens they have, for Daytona Gray Pearl and Clear Coat. Worked much better on the S4 I dabbled with a couple touch up repairs on, than with the little tiny brush Honda gave me for the Accord. Pen applicator = smooth. Brush = no good. The best way to use the brush was to use it like a dropper, and just dab a drop into the chip and let gravity smooth it out.

One of the coolest things the manager at Audi said was that they know I'm a driver that really uses the car the way it was meant to be driven, that I'm an "Audi enthusiast" as they say, and that they thought that was "cool" in their book. I wonder what gave it away, maybe the wheels and Under 200 Treadwear Michelin Tires

Yea, I don't think you'll find anyone at my dealership complaining you won too many races, used the "launch control" too many times, or used the built-in lap timer too many laps to get warranty service.

breld

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Money coming from somewhere. The ones at my dealer are listed at over $3k off

Dealer discounts?

Hidden trunk money?

Those are good deals. 

I have a feeling the dealers have some sort of hidden money from the whole diesel scandal that they are applying to all cars just to move units. I mean, around $4k off MSRP on my GTI? It's gotta be coming from somewhere.



I'll be very interested as well to see the upcoming MQB based GLI. I've liked the test drives I've had in the current GLI, and no doubt it will take a step forward with the new version. As much as I generally love hatchbacks, between the 2 MINIs now in the garage, not to mention the Durango which is a form of hatch too, I wouldn't mind a little differentiation. A "true" sedan version of the GTI could be sharp.

That makes sense - some 'under the table' factory to dealer cash to help move inventory.



So, @breld, a question I'm sure many of us here would like an answer to.



Now that you've turned over the entire fleet - and added a car to it - in the last 4-5 months, what do you and Mrs. @breld do with your spare time on the weekends? Do you still peruse the dealers, just to look?



Do you check the on-line ads to see current inventory and deals? Or, do you suspend any research until the 'itch' returns?

Hmm - good question!  I suppose we'll just have to relax in our new home on the weekends this summer.  

Michaell

breld said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Money coming from somewhere. The ones at my dealer are listed at over $3k off

Dealer discounts?

Hidden trunk money?

Those are good deals. 

I have a feeling the dealers have some sort of hidden money from the whole diesel scandal that they are applying to all cars just to move units. I mean, around $4k off MSRP on my GTI? It's gotta be coming from somewhere.





I'll be very interested as well to see the upcoming MQB based GLI. I've liked the test drives I've had in the current GLI, and no doubt it will take a step forward with the new version. As much as I generally love hatchbacks, between the 2 MINIs now in the garage, not to mention the Durango which is a form of hatch too, I wouldn't mind a little differentiation. A "true" sedan version of the GTI could be sharp.





That makes sense - some 'under the table' factory to dealer cash to help move inventory.





So, @breld, a question I'm sure many of us here would like an answer to.





Now that you've turned over the entire fleet - and added a car to it - in the last 4-5 months, what do you and Mrs. @breld do with your spare time on the weekends? Do you still peruse the dealers, just to look?





Do you check the on-line ads to see current inventory and deals? Or, do you suspend any research until the 'itch' returns?





Hmm - good question!  I suppose we'll just have to relax in our new home on the weekends this summer.  



Uh oh - I wondered if that storm impacted you at all. Just a little bit of hail here in Parker.

No track days at High Plains?

No road trips into our beautiful mountains?

Here is a pic from the aftermath:

xwesx

Michaell said:

Uh oh - I wondered if that storm impacted you at all. Just a little bit of hail here in Parker.

No track days at High Plains?

No road trips into our beautiful mountains?

Here is a pic from the aftermath:

Ugh. That's no good at all....!

stickguy

Should buff right out

28firefighter

Looks like my last rental car from Hertz...

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

Funny. Salesguy said the Jetta would lease better. Though with the discount and cheap financing, lotta car to buy for 25k

36/10 lease numbers:

GTI - .00130 and 57%
GLI - .00025 and 56%

I stand corrected

It's the rest of the Jettas that have crappy residuals.

andres3

Better make it look like bullet holes as 'acts of god" might be excluded by the insurance company.

Sandman6472

Like the GLI to be honest though love having a hatchback in the fleet. Wife just called, A3 has a check engine light on so she's going into the dealer tomorrow a m so they can see what's up. Probably the gas cap again but taking it in just to be sure. Not quite yet at 28K so plenty of warranty left. To be honest, doubt she'll go this route next time and gotta good feeling she'll get the Kia Forte she almost pulled the trigger on. She's not a car person at all, just an appliance to her that she wants working all the time. Size was perfect for her, real reason she bought. That, and it had a lot of the safety stuff she wanted. But next time, she's going down and probably back to Kia, which I have no problem with. Her $...her decision. Lucky that we can each get exactly what we want without needing any input from the other...this way no "told ya so" later on down the line. Just makes for a happier household. Now, just need her to get on board me having a fun spare vehicle so can level off the miles on each.

The Sandman

breld

We got home yesterday evening to one broken window and some chipping of the stucco exterior. Plus a few window screens need to be replaced. I imagine we'll find additional damage over the next few days.

Not nearly as bad as many of our neighbors - many have multiple broken windows and leaking from roof damage.

And...our cars were safe and sound.

xwesx

breld said:

And...our cars were safe and sound.

Whew! All the rest of that stuff can be fixed.

ab348

A fellow in the FB Cadillac ATS group in Golden CO posted these pics. Frightening.

Michaell

Yep, there was hail over 2" in diameter from yesterday's storm. That one looks like a softball.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNm0olbv10

tbirdmarco

@xwesx Yes going to be an fun 9 days. going with my mom she has an few frends over there. also going to see Nigra Falls have never bin to them ever and who nos what elce! so sorry to hear about your dad. yes on your way back from getting the new car best to go and spend sum time with him.

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice on the test drives of the VWS.

tbirdmarco

@breld so you will be taking an break on the car byeing! for the summer!. Glad you all did not get much damage to your house and that you and your family and the cars are ok.

tbirdmarco

@andres3 glad you got your Outy back!

sda

I was walking the local VW dealer two weekends ago and they had at least 6 Jetta GLIs with manual transmission, stickered around 29K. One color, white silver metallic got my attention. It was different, not white nor silver, something in between. I liked it. They are nicely equipped, handsome in a conservative way and they have the 2.0T. I would love to drive one. Wonder what the new '18 version on the new platform will be like.

corvette

sda said:

Wonder what the new '18 version on the new platform will be like.

Based on what I've heard about the Golf/GTI, I'm guessing the MQB Jetta will be better in every way. (This isn't always the case, from what I've read, the new models of Cruze and Versa are worse than the models they replaced.)

stickguy

here's one with miles that go right to Oldfarmer's heart. 30,000 in 10 years? Even I drive more than that.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2007-hyundai-sonata-4dr_sedan_automatic_se_asterisk_ltd_avail_asterisk_-used-16383650.html

corvette

Nice! Those all had ESC and side airbags, so pretty close to being up to modern safety standards. I think a lot of people complained about suspension noise on that generation Sonata, though.

tbirdmarco

@stickguy would be all over this if I was driving. wort the trip to NJ to look and get it if all did go whell. will tell my dad about this. he has an 2009 with a lot higher miles than this one. and yes they all do have sum suspenchian noise in the rear my dads does it to like an thumping when you go over bumps. the jenaration after is good and the one you have to.

sda

I just browsed my preferred VW dealer site, they have 12 manual GLIs and 6 autos. A True Car inquiry shows a discount of around $3k, another dealer showing $4k discount. A starting point anyway. Wonder what the real sale price maybe if one really works at it. It won't be me.

kyfdx

sda said:

I just browsed my preferred VW dealer site, they have 12 manual GLIs and 6 autos. A True Car inquiry shows a discount of around $3k, another dealer showing $4k discount. A starting point anyway. Wonder what the real sale price maybe if one really works at it. It won't be me.

Wow... Most dealers in my area don't even have one stick GLI

Michaell

And there are no GLI's at all here in Denver.

Edit - just looked again, and there are a few.

@breld, feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

stickguy

My 1 dealer had at least one, and some stick GTIs. Plus a golf Wolfsburg in medium blue (sandys color I think) over cornsilk. 5 speed. Very very nice looking.

stickguy

Huh. They have a bunch of stick jettas. I like this one. Quite the good deal.

http://www.cherryhillvw.com/new/Volkswagen/2017-Volkswagen-Jetta-6f7b70750a0e0a1709e1ddd3a4d648ab.htm

Michael, I noticed on the 1.4t engine, that it might be down 20 HP, but has the same totque rating (184) as the 1.8. With quite a bit better MPG. Would be fine for me.

No, this is not a GLI. But much cheaper to buy and feed! Plus the 225/40 tires will always make me nervous.

They also have a leftover 2016 S stick. MSRP 19.5, advertised for 14.5. Cheap commuter wheels there.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Huh. They have a bunch of stick jettas. I like this one. Quite the good deal.

http://www.cherryhillvw.com/new/Volkswagen/2017-Volkswagen-Jetta-6f7b70750a0e0a1709e1ddd3a4d648ab.htm

Michael, I noticed on the 1.4t engine, that it might be down 20 HP, but has the same totque rating (184) as the 1.8. With quite a bit better MPG. Would be fine for me.

No, this is not a GLI. But much cheaper to buy and feed! Plus the 225/40 tires will always make me nervous.

They also have a leftover 2016 S stick. MSRP 19.5, advertised for 14.5. Cheap commuter wheels there.

Yes, I noticed that as well, about the torque figures for the 1.4T vs. the 1.8T. I really enjoy my SE - when I get to drive it. Only at 4100 miles; as of today, I'm allowed almost 8700.

Wish VW would offer a 6-speed stick in their lower trim cars - the 5-speed seems so 80's or 90's.

graphicguy

ab348 said:

A fellow in the FB Cadillac ATS group in Golden CO posted these pics. Frightening.

WOW....never have seen anything like that before!

Michaell

What really sucks is that a number of dealerships were affected by the storm, including a Porsche / Audi dealer, where @breld got his A5 some years back.

breld

Michaell said:

And there are no GLI's at all here in Denver.

Edit - just looked again, and there are a few.

@breld, feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Do I feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Uh, let's see...okay!

Michaell

breld said:

Michaell said:

And there are no GLI's at all here in Denver.

Edit - just looked again, and there are a few.

@breld, feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Do I feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Uh, let's see...okay!

Just wonder if Larry Miller VW was affected by the hail storm the other day. I'll call them to check on inventory status.

The girls will be having a spa day in Evergreen...

stickguy

Behave yourself. Though getting the numbers sheet should take care of that. At least you can have a fun test drive. Will be interesting to see what the new payment would be on a straight key swap!

And I will add, it took until 2017, but VW finally figured out model optioning that I like. The SE is a good value, and comes with BLIS and a moonroof. And some sort of navi functionality, if even just apple car play.

jpp75

Michaell said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

And there are no GLI's at all here in Denver.

Edit - just looked again, and there are a few.

@breld, feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Do I feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Uh, let's see...okay!

Just wonder if Larry Miller VW was affected by the hail storm the other day. I'll call them to check on inventory status.

The girls will be having a spa day in Evergreen...

I'm jealous I won't be there, but then again this won't be the last time this happens.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Behave yourself. Though getting the numbers sheet should take care of that. At least you can have a fun test drive. Will be interesting to see what the new payment would be on a straight key swap!

And I will add, it took until 2017, but VW finally figured out model optioning that I like. The SE is a good value, and comes with BLIS and a moonroof. And some sort of navi functionality, if even just apple car play.

@breld is currently driving a 2017 GTI spec'ed out the way I would want it. So, I think I'm covered for my next "new" car purchase. Could be any week, now.

nyccarguy

I agree that offering a 5-Speed instead of a 6-Speed seems very "low rent."

Michaell

jpp5862 said:

Michaell said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

And there are no GLI's at all here in Denver.

Edit - just looked again, and there are a few.

@breld, feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Do I feel like hitting a dealer on Saturday?

Uh, let's see...okay!

Just wonder if Larry Miller VW was affected by the hail storm the other day. I'll call them to check on inventory status.

The girls will be having a spa day in Evergreen...

I'm jealous I won't be there, but then again this won't be the last time this happens.

Not at all. Especially with friends like you guys, to keep me company and offer your opinions.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Behave yourself. Though getting the numbers sheet should take care of that. At least you can have a fun test drive. Will be interesting to see what the new payment would be on a straight key swap!

And I will add, it took until 2017, but VW finally figured out model optioning that I like. The SE is a good value, and comes with BLIS and a moonroof. And some sort of navi functionality, if even just apple car play.

This is the Passat?

CarPlay is amazing, though I only use maybe 10% of the functionality available.

stickguy

Doesn't actually bother me, since it is what I am used to. Rare times I drove a 6 speed, I had to actually pay attention to the gears to much. Though I'm sure I could get used to it.

Hey, my first 4 sticks were all 3 speed on the floor. Then 1 4 speed. After that, all 5 speeds. Many 5 speeds.

stickguy

Plus the engine is very torquey. So no need for many extra gears to keep it in a narrow power band.

nyccarguy

My local dealer has 6 2017 GLIs. 3 are listed as having a manual transmission.

kyfdx

Five local dealerships, 17 GLIs, 6 sticks. More sticks than I saw a few weeks ago, when I was looking for diesels.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

Five local dealerships, 17 GLIs, 6 sticks. More sticks than I saw a few weeks ago, when I was looking for diesels.

18 within 50 miles of my zip code (includes both Denver and Co Springs). Split evenly - 9 DSG, 9 sticks.

andres3

corvette said:

Nice! Those all had ESC and side airbags, so pretty close to being up to modern safety standards. I think a lot of people complained about suspension noise on that generation Sonata, though.

I wonder if suspension noise is where the term "clunker" came from. Usually sounds like clunking. The last Dodge Caravan I drove had ample front clunking at under 90,000 miles.