Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

Well, I want it. If I was shopping now, sold! Assuming it really is a manual trans as noted. Nice low miles.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

so something came up and I'm in need of some money. I'm pondering the possibility of trading the Infiniti on something cheaper and walking away with the cash difference.

http://www.bmwofbloomfield.com/auto/used-2007-bmw-x3-30si-bloomfield-07003-nj/18637317/

Assuming it has been well maintained and passes a PPI, I think the biggest weakness on that car would be the cooling system...

Oh, I am familiar.

qbrozen

corvette said:

Can you just refinance the Infiniti? Penfed used to offer cash-out auto refi. 

I just refinanced the Infiniti, actually. HOWEVER, it was with an unsecured loan, so I have the title and could use it against another car and get the cash but would have to continue paying the unsecured loan. That loan is only 2.49%, though, so it is not a bad way to get cash.

kyfdx

The weakest point of the '07-'10 models is the goofy 6-speed automatic, so if it's a manual transmission, that's a definite positive.

Those models also have the updated SI engine, with less cooling system issues, and 255 strong horses. Not the most efficient engine from BMW, but probably the best inline, NA 6-cylinder. My wife had a 2008, and it was very quick.

I want it, too...

Mr_Shiftright

Where does it say manual transmission?

kyfdx

Really low miles... I wonder what interior color?

Mr_Shiftright

Pretty skimpy ad...I wonder if it's even real. You know, the old "OH, it just sold...but if you stop by, we have...."

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Where does it say manual transmission?

Right side of page, under "Vehicle Details"

qbrozen

yup, and restates manual trans on their website. Also curious about interior color. If white on tan, that would be quite nice.

qbrozen

if automatic and 2-owner, it would be an $8k auction vehicle with retail in the $10k-$11k range. The stick and 3 owners hurts. Looks like it has had even more "owners" than that, though. The carfax is quite suspect. Appears that twice in its life it was owned by a dealer for a while and then sold. Looks like 4 owners to me.

breld

Sure seems like it would hit all the same buttons as the EX at quite a cost savings. I've always enjoyed the few test drives experienced in that first gen X3. The miles are great. And a manual trannie? That's just awesome.

nyccarguy

We had an '07 that we loved.  Besides the cooling system, I think that generation X3 has motor mount issues.

qbrozen

It is no longer available, so I'm told.

qbrozen

this is intriguing, although quite a bit overpriced considering the accident history. About $7k would be more like it.

https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/JNRBS08WX3X002751/2003-infiniti-fx45/

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

It is no longer available, so I'm told.

Must have been a stick!

qbrozen

this is priced pretty right.
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/WBXPC93498WJ13885/2008-bmw-x3/

nice color combo.
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/JM3ER4WL3A0325660/2010-mazda-cx-7/

Here is one of those not a manual manuals.
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/WBXPC9C40AWJ35800/2010-bmw-x3/

v8.
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/YV4CZ852081468132/2008-volvo-xc90/

wow! gorgeous color combo!!
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/5UXFE43578L032026/2008-bmw-x5/

stickguy

I like them all. 2008 x3 is nice looking.

stickguy

Stopped at used car megadealer today (local carmax imitator, TJC knows the place). Sat in an ES350 Lexus. Comfy. Kinda big. Not my style. Daughter did not like.

Then saw a black over gray TLX. V6 advance, so a loaded FWD. 2015. Very nice interior. More intimate size (less Barge like). So took for a spin. Daughter and I both loved it. Tons of power, and rode and handled nice. Great seats. Could work for either one of us.

She actually wants to try the ILX too, since it is smaller, and plenty big for her. I plan to drive a 4 banger TLX too, and will be checking out the 2018 remodel when it arrives next month.

Nice car. Just seems to fit what I like, and not too big or bulky.

cdnpinhead

But you won't have to worry yourself sick after it runs past the warranty, and very little will break until then, limiting your exposure to the pampering that the service department provides. Seems like some enjoy the loaner or e-mail/food/whatever provided by the "premier" brands. I prefer to never need any of it.

You just aren't going to fit in here, but the car will run for 150K miles or (much) more with little drama. Not many on here think that's a good thing.

I do, and I couldn't be more pleased with my '08 TSX with 130K miles on it.

Good luck with the search.

breld

Even with my recent GTI selection for cheap (relatively) fun, I still have nostalgia for the Si. Particularly with the move to a turbo engine, I think it's an attractive value.

2017 Civic Si Pricing

28firefighter

On paper, it seems not powerful enough for the $$, to me. But I could be wrong. Also the manual-only option kills it for our household.

breld

Yeah, it'll still trail the competition a bit in performance, just like it always has, but I think the overall feel of the turbo and resulting torque makes it more competitive. It's pretty well-loaded at that sub-$25k price point - more comparable to the higher priced trims of the GTI and WRX.

Definitely better than the 108 hp in my '90 Si!

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yM8kKvlIBUQ

Michaell

breld said:

Even with my recent GTI selection for cheap (relatively) fun, I still have nostalgia for the Si. Particularly with the move to a turbo engine, I think it's an attractive value.

2017 Civic Si Pricing

My problem is that it's still a Civic on the outside.

The GTI / GLI is much better looking.

tbirdmarco

@cski SWelcome! to! the group! Cris!

corvette

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yM8kKvlIBUQ

How will the jerks who tend to buy Harleys be able to put straight pipes on that?

stickguy

well. If that Si has a moonroof (like the prior one did) it is back on the list. If I decide to go with a stick. Depending on the deal to be had.

could probably sell that to the wife. She was OK with the 2015 I came close to getting! And it really is not that much money.

we were discussing cars on the way to dinner (after princess and I told her about the nice TLX) and mentioned the GLI, and she confirmed what I told princess she would say. She does not like VWs, no way, no how. Not a big deal to me really. Plenty of other options.

sda

stickguy said:

well. If that Si has a moonroof (like the prior one did) it is back on the list. If I decide to go with a stick. Depending on the deal to be had.

could probably sell that to the wife. She was OK with the 2015 I came close to getting! And it really is not that much money.

we were discussing cars on the way to dinner (after princess and I told her about the nice TLX) and mentioned the GLI, and she confirmed what I told princess she would say. She does not like VWs, no way, no how. Not a big deal to me really. Plenty of other options.

Why doesn't your wife like VWs?

Michaell

Have an appointment to drive the GLI tomorrow. All of them have hail damage from the storm earlier this week. One to be totaled, the rest repaired. Currently being offered at $22k on the web - $29k MSRP.

stickguy

for that much of a discount, I could live with some repaired dents. especially on a lease if the residual stays the same.

SDA, she just does not care for them. I don't ask for a detailed explanation on some things. Just accept and move on.

corvette

Lease would be the way to go on one of those, I would think.

Sandman6472

Wife had similar views on VW's but once she found her A3, didn't matter at all. To be honest, she had no idea they are the same company. And I never considered one because of her lack of interest. But once she opened the door, I walked through...and haven't looked back. After many years of marriage, going on 36, have learned a couple of things. First, "happy wife, happy life" which is really the most important. I tend to follow her lead on stuff and figure if it's good enough for her, should be o k for me! And that's what I did when I bought my Golf. Waited 12 days after she brought home the A3, then pounced on the VW. Up till that point, had never traded vehicles at just over a year, but driving the Golf and just tolerating the Tucson, I just did it as she had opened that door. And now, I thank her on a daily basis!

The Sandman

qbrozen

Michaell said:

Have an appointment to drive the GLI tomorrow. All of them have hail damage from the storm earlier this week. One to be totaled, the rest repaired. Currently being offered at $22k on the web - $29k MSRP.

IMHO, I wouldn't want it if it had to be repainted. Paintless dent removal? Ok.

stickguy

would it impact the lease terms? Would VW credit even know? If repaired well I would not care if I was not actually owning it.

qbrozen

If a lease, no, it doesn't matter. If they'd lease it. Wonder how they'd set the terms on a repainted car.

Michaell

No idea how, or even if, VW would lease a vehicle that had to have cosmetic damage repaired.

I can tell you, using the prices from the website, that the lease payment would be under $200/mo before tax.

But, as noted, I'm totally buried under my current lease.

And, I'm with q - PDR would be fine, anything else, probably not.

I'm just going for an evaluation test drive. No intent to talk numbers.

28firefighter

A good repair job, I would lease that in a heartbeat. 

Michaell

28firefighter said:

A good repair job, I would lease that in a heartbeat. 

My daughter's MINI got caught in a major hailstorm about 18 months ago - to look at the car today, you'd never know it.

PDR has gotten really, really good in the past few years, it seems.

If only I wasn't stuck in my current lease.

Sandman6472

That's why I've always had the perfect solution to the vehicle owning thing. Have a house with 7 garages, each with a vehicle you love. Then, drive each vehicle on their designated day! Perfect plan, though one would first need mucho dinero!! Money would have to be no object here. Then having a detail guy and a mechanic on retainer so each vehicle was in tip top condition inside and out, and this garage outfitted with all the latest tech and machines on site. Winning a super big lottery drawing would help here, but having a few million would work also. And lastly, all your choices would have to be driven on their designated day, not any would be allowed to sit and become a collectors item. This fleet would need to be driven! The point of this whole thing would be to be able to purchase and use all the vehicles that really float your boat, those that give one the maximum joy.

Just imagine the possibilities!!! Curious as to what everyone would own...even more curious to see what I would own!!!!

The Sandman

(P.S. I had a dream last night very similar to this scenario and right now, I'm bloody tired!!!)

qbrozen

sandman_6472 said:

That's why I've always had the perfect solution to the vehicle owning thing. Have a house with 7 garages, each with a vehicle you love. Then, drive each vehicle on their designated day! Perfect plan, though one would first need mucho dinero!! Money would have to be no object here. Then having a detail guy and a mechanic on retainer so each vehicle was in tip top condition inside and out, and this garage outfitted with all the latest tech and machines on site. Winning a super big lottery drawing would help here, but having a few million would work also. And lastly, all your choices would have to be driven on their designated day, not any would be allowed to sit and become a collectors item. This fleet would need to be driven! The point of this whole thing would be to be able to purchase and use all the vehicles that really float your boat, those that give one the maximum joy.





Just imagine the possibilities!!! Curious as to what everyone would own...even more curious to see what I would own!!!!





The Sandman





(P.S. I had a dream last night very similar to this scenario and right now, I'm bloody tired!!!)

A vehicle for each day has always been my lottery dream. The only difference in mine is that I would not have a mechanic ir detailer on retainer because I need to do something with all my free time since I'm not working anymore.

Oh, and mine is a 10-car garage because I need 1 for the racecar, 1 for the lift, and 1 for the lounge.

Of course, you also have to wonder where the heck I have to go 7 days a week if not to a job...

tjc78

I'd be happy with this guys collection.  We've talked about him before in other threads.  

http://www.mcsmk8.com/cadillacs/mycads.htm

mjfloyd1

sandman_6472 said:

Wife had similar views on VW's but once she found her A3, didn't matter at all. To be honest, she had no idea they are the same company. And I never considered one because of her lack of interest. But once she opened the door, I walked through...and haven't looked back. After many years of marriage, going on 36, have learned a couple of things. First, "happy wife, happy life" which is really the most important. I tend to follow her lead on stuff and figure if it's good enough for her, should be o k for me! And that's what I did when I bought my Golf. Waited 12 days after she brought home the A3, then pounced on the VW. Up till that point, had never traded vehicles at just over a year, but driving the Golf and just tolerating the Tucson, I just did it as she had opened that door. And now, I thank her on a daily basis!

The Sandman

I subscribe to the "happy wife, then you at least have a chance at happiness" theory.

kyfdx

With those big discounts, seems unlikely that VW would lease them.

qbrozen

tjc78 said:

I'd be happy with this guys collection.  We've talked about him before in other threads.  

http://www.mcsmk8.com/cadillacs/mycads.htm

You and I have VERY different taste.

Mr_Shiftright

corvette said:

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yM8kKvlIBUQ

How will the jerks who tend to buy Harleys be able to put straight pipes on that?

This reminds me of the marketing flop with "organic cigarettes".

tbirdmarco

@corvette good question was wondering the same thing. they probably will not be able to put any strate pipes on.

tbirdmarco

@sandman_6472 and @qbrozen like those dreams sounds good to me. think we all have simaler dreams!

tbirdmarco

everyone has the car makes they like and don't like. but they all have there problems with the mottles! sum mor than others but hey it is what it is get what you like you only live once!

Mr_Shiftright

Supposedly, it's designed to not be that quiet for an EV. My eyebrows went up, though, at the comments I read about "Harley being concerned about weight". A full-dress Harley weighs roughly 600 lbs MORE than my Triumph 650.

tbirdmarco

@qbrozen that is sum Collection that this guy does have had fun looking threw it all!