Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

Another dealer has one with a $43,620 sticker. That gets me to ~$10890 depreciation.
They also have a silver one (really like the black) for $42570. Roughly in that $10.5k neighborhood.
But for $672, to get the color I want plus the locking diff is probably worth it. I don't know. We'll see. Probably won't arrive at the numbers I want.

qbrozen

Ok, couple more...
what are the residuals on 4x4 crewcab 15k/yr for 36 mos? Do they have any in between like 27 mos or 30 mos?

Thanks for your help!

corvette

The extended cab should be cheaper to buy than a super crew. Not sure how that works on a lease. Definitely get a backup cam if it's optional.

qbrozen

corvette said:

The extended cab should be cheaper to buy than a super crew. Not sure how that works on a lease. Definitely get a backup cam if it's optional.

Does not seem to be. At least not appreciably. Seem to cost MAYBE 5% more and yet 2% higher residual ($800) plus extra $500 cash. So roughly $600-$700 more for the 4-door. The kids would appreciate more room.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Ok, couple more...
what are the residuals on 4x4 crewcab 15k/yr for 36 mos? Do they have any in between like 27 mos or 30 mos?

Thanks for your help!

56% residual for 36/15, but APR goes up to 1.50% on the 36 month term.

You should look at the Sierra Denali, if you want the most bang for your buck on a pickup lease. Though, $60K+ MSRP, so it won't actually be less in absolute terms.

qbrozen

Thanks.

I won't even tell y'all what I'm thinking because it may cause a virtual riot. Haha. Anyway, at dealer now.

qbrozen

Truck is crazy fast, I can tell you that much. Doesn't seem too big to me. Maybe because I drive a T&C and a '67 Coronet.

stickguy

well, there is a bonus to the F150. quick stop at Uhaul for a trailer, and you can take the Coronet with you wherever you feel like going.

Michaell

@jpp5862 and I met up this morning for a couple of test drives. We hit the Mazda dealer where we got our CX-7 some years back.

Saturday morning, around 11-11:30. We pull up in front of the showroom and get out. Wander the lot for a good 15 minutes - not a soul greets us. We identify both the 6 with stick shift (Sport trim) and a 2017 CX-5 GT we are interested in driving. We look at each other, incredulous, as we head inside to find someone to help us.

"Jason" (I use quotes for reasons to be explained later) greets us and asks what we are interested in. We tell him and he goes to get stock numbers to pull keys. Except he wanders off to where the 3's are parked, not the 6's. I have to direct him to where the car is I'm interested in. He lets us take the cars out on our own.

I'll let John post his thoughts on the CX-5, but the test drive of the 6 was pretty revealing.

As previously noted, I test drove a Sport trim, which is minimally equipped and carried a $22K sticker price. While it many not be fair, I'll compare the 6 to both my existing Jetta and the GLI I drove a month or so back.

The 6 is an OK size - I think I prefer the half-size smaller Jetta, since it's usually just me in the car. But, the MPG figures are pretty similar for all of them. The stick shift is lighter than the GLI, and I almost missed a shift (almost went 5-4 instead of 5-6). But, I'm sure some constant usage would help me avoid repeat issues.

Cockpit is nice - very driver oriented, as to be expected with Mazda. Everything fell readily to hand, and I didn't feel cramped in any way. There is the ubiquitous "iPad on the dash" display, with an iDrive-like controller on the center console. Not my favorite layout, but again, I could get used to it. As it's a Sport, not much in the way of safety stuff (no BLIS, etc.), but there are two USB ports under the center armrest.

The ride is not too bad, and the steering felt pretty good (leather trimmed wheel, BTW). The more I drove it, the more I'm on the fence about owning a stick as my DD. Have to give it some serious thought.

Big trunk, and one advantage of the Sport is the smaller (17") wheels - the Touring comes equipped with 19"ers.

At the end of the test drive, "Jason" came right out and asked - "So, you wanna buy it?". Dude, nice close. Told him I was only 10 months into a lease, but it's never too early to start thinking about a replacement.

Just got a strange vibe from the guy - very socially awkward.

When we left, John pointed out that the name tag on his shirt read "Alexander Gonzalez". Which led to all sorts of speculation about "Jason" - did he kill Alex and steal his shirt? Was today "Jason"s first day and he didn't have a uniform shirt and borrowed Alex's without removing his name tag? Just strange.

stickguy

I have seen salesguys using other peoples business cards. But new clothes.

Michaell

stickguy said:

I have seen salesguys using other peoples business cards. But new clothes.

Yeah, crossed out names on business cards is pretty common, I think.

corvette

I think a lot of dealers just order blank business cards for the newbies to use.

qbrozen

Uhoh. Punch!

qbrozen

The truck I'm getting isn't actually here. It will be here early in the week. Dark grey crewcab XLT with luxo package. Sync 3, remote start, 10-way power seat, etc, etc. $48,400 MSRP.

i think this is the sticker:
http://www.windowsticker.forddirect.com/windowsticker.pdf?token=PoqTyv9szNAr08Y8HWRDaK3qPU5kmAxglzdXrxvCZoPUKTYiIMre5uboWDoOeiCbXKDLP5ISnNxgXPuLOep4xEpLqtaBZqkM+C3247JWe1eQkCIqZDNF5o+oGuQ8awZx869tQQewkG+byHvRW1Hdgo4d7nsGq+m2ae60HYbdHO4=

Michaell

qbrozen said:

The truck I'm getting isn't actually here. It will be here early in the week. Dark grey crewcab XLT with luxo package. Sync 3, remote start, 10-way power seat, etc, etc. $48,400 MSRP.

i think this is the sticker:
http://www.windowsticker.forddirect.com/windowsticker.pdf?token=PoqTyv9szNAr08Y8HWRDaK3qPU5kmAxglzdXrxvCZoPUKTYiIMre5uboWDoOeiCbXKDLP5ISnNxgXPuLOep4xEpLqtaBZqkM+C3247JWe1eQkCIqZDNF5o+oGuQ8awZx869tQQewkG+byHvRW1Hdgo4d7nsGq+m2ae60HYbdHO4=

Congrats! Guess the lease numbers worked out for you.

ab348

Congrats x 2! What is it replacing?

qbrozen

They are keeping the Infiniti. Its a 24-mo 15k lease. Their first numbers were WAAYY off and I figured it wouldn't happen. Salesman was being kind of condescending at that point saying I was nuts with my numbers. I then broke it down for him in a way he couldn't even follow, so he went back to the manager and I guess at that point he figured I knew what I was doing, so he immediately fell in line and came back with X-plan pricing minus all the rebates. Manager even made a comment to me about the salesman not being able to follow the numbers he and I were discussing. Only last thing was they were still $1k shy on my trade but then fixed that as soon as I asked.

As for the ride, I gotta say I was impressed. It is a bit bouncy in the rear with an empty bed, but the kids thought it rode great. What surprised me was the handling. It took corners way better than expected. It was wet here today, so I played with the 4wd on and off. That thing seriously boogies. Hats off to Ford for making a full-sized truck accelerate like my EX35 and get the same mileage!

What bothered me was the lack of lumbar support in the XL model. So that's why I started wandering up in price. He had me drive an XLT, but it was a 3.5 liter model. I was far less impressed with the powertrain in that one but loved the seat. That one was over $45k. At that point, felt like a no brainer to go to the $48k model that not only had the ecoboost but also the Sync 3, remote start, and some other extras. I'm actually excited to have this truck. Its just plain cool, IMHO.

stickguy

good luck with it. I suppose (HA!) even you can suck it up and live with it for 24 months.

I assume this is a deal where the payment is not too bad, and you are getting a check back from the trade to cover other expenses? That can work out sometimes, when cashflow is king.

corvette

Nice! Hope you got a great deal! I've read that 2.7 Ecoboost is deceptively quick. 

stickguy

so, interesting turn of events in my household. I am seriously thinking about re-upping with another Sonata (but a 2.0T), and the daughter mentioned that she is pretty sure that she will just get another Jetta next year. Both of which make sense at this point!

odds are pretty good she will be working at the same place where her internship is. Only question is if we will be living down there at that point, or if she will be getting an apartment. Her commute has not been all that bad for the last few weeks. About and hour each way, plus or minus a few minutes.

tbirdmarco

@qbrozen congrads on the new f150 truck! nice so you will have it this week cumming up nice nice good luck with it.

tbirdmarco

@Michaell nice glad you guys boath had an nice time testing out sum new cars this morning. grate rite up on the 6 you drove.

pensfan83

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Sounds like a pretty nice ride.

nyccarguy

Great job @qbrozen!  I've read nothing but incredible things about the EcoBooost V6 in the F150.  Can you give us the final specifics of the lease when you pick it up?  

qbrozen

stickguy said:

good luck with it. I suppose (HA!) even you can suck it up and live with it for 24 months.

I assume this is a deal where the payment is not too bad, and you are getting a check back from the trade to cover other expenses? That can work out sometimes, when cashflow is king.

Yup. Will pay off a couple of bills with the check they are cutting me. Was it the smart move? I actually have no idea. haha. Between this or a 10-yr-old German car, my fingers are crossed this was the better choice.

stickguy

well, the difference with the truck is that your costs are fixed for the next 24 months. with the MB or the BMW, you were rolling the dice and could easily have crapped out.

Plus, you can move things if your really need to now!

breld

Congrats Q! Like you, I always admire the F150's on the road. I test drove one about a year ago with my Tundra-owning friend, as he was raving about the ecoboost engine. I was really impressed with the truck myself, and my friend is seriously thinking of getting into an F150 for his next truck.

tjc78

Congrats Q.  Sounds like a nice truck! 

rayainsw

Congrats on the F150 !
Enjoy !
- Ray
Happy Truckin'

graphicguy

Way to go Q. Need pics when you take delivery. I like F150 trucks. Just wished I needed them more often than I do. Wouldn't mind one gracing the GG estate. Just don't know where I'd put it.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

Way to go Q. Need pics when you take delivery. I like F150 trucks. Just wished I needed them more often than I do. Wouldn't mind one gracing the GG estate. Just don't know where I'd put it.

For the occasional use the $19 + U Haul truck or cargo van makes more sense for me. I just will make sure anything I rent has cruise control. I got a small box truck by Ford that did not have cruise to move the kid from Columbus to Beavercreek. Yuck.

qbrozen

On one hand, I feel a bit guilty because I have almost no need of the utility of such a vehicle. But, it is at a point where it kind of does not matter because it is no more wasteful than my relatively dainty Infiniti. It is technically MORE efficient and, to boot, does not require premium. So I moved up to a full-size truck and it will cost me less to move it down the road! And of course I am gaining a tremendous amount of interior space and comfort. Perception may be that it is wasteful but reality is quite different. Think I could fit all that on a bumper sticker? Haha.

roadburner

Congrats! Buy what YOU like- who cares what anyone else thinks?

kyfdx

@qbrozen Too bad you had to get the stripper model.

carnaught

@qbrozen, wow that F-150 is sure loaded! Great safety and gas mileage numbers too. BTW, same color as my MKC, and I also like using regular fuel.

Congrats and enjoy it!

corvette

If the price were right on the F-150 lease, I might be interested. But, I'd really have to think about my reasoning. That would be a vehicle my ex really would have liked, and I'd have to be sure I was doing it for me and not because of feelings I still have for her. 

If there are deals on a Sierra Denali lease, that sounds good, though! 

pensfan83

qbrozen said:

On one hand, I feel a bit guilty because I have almost no need of the utility of such a vehicle. But, it is at a point where it kind of does not matter because it is no more wasteful than my relatively dainty Infiniti. It is technically MORE efficient and, to boot, does not require premium. So I moved up to a full-size truck and it will cost me less to move it down the road! And of course I am gaining a tremendous amount of interior space and comfort. Perception may be that it is wasteful but reality is quite different. Think I could fit all that on a bumper sticker? Haha.

I just realized that's the same engine that's in the Fusion Sport I drove on Friday. If you think the truck is quick imagine that in a sedan...that car is a rocket with the twin turbo V6.

28firefighter

Congrats Q!

qbrozen

Thanks, folks.

A Fusion Sport was on the showroom floor. Sadly, they made it way too heavy. It is not a great deal lighter than the F150. It is less than a half second quicker and has the same combined mileage. Price isn't terribly different, either.

pensfan83

Heavy is how it drove it too. If they put it on a diet to lose 200-300 pounds and upgraded the AWD to a performance based system that would make a world of difference.

tbirdmarco

@roadburner I am with you bye what you like you only live once does not matter what any one does say that is everything in life no neat to explane your selfe to anyone!

tbirdmarco

@qbrozen you are welcome!

jpp75

@qbrozen Congrats on the truck! Sounds like a nice upgrade and a good deal.

jpp75

stickguy said:

I did this analysis trying to decide whether to get a lower mile lease. Basically, in your case, you are only going to be risking paying more after using 75% of your purchased miles. And locking in that cost.

so if you buy 20K miles, you don't even break even until you drive 15K of them (and of course if you do less than the 15 then you are out the money). So in this case that would be 5,000 miles at 20 cents, so $1,000. And again if you drive any less than that, you paid more for nothing.

That's something else @michaell and I discussed yesterday, paying more for nothing. After doing a little more analysis on my commute it's going to be close as to whether or not I go over and that would mostly be dictated by roadtrips around CO. I'm not sure it's worth it either but I don't have to decide until the end of October, so I have sometime to see how the miles really go.

jpp75

Michaell said:

@jpp5862 and I met up this morning for a couple of test drives. We hit the Mazda dealer where we got our CX-7 some years back.

Saturday morning, around 11-11:30. We pull up in front of the showroom and get out. Wander the lot for a good 15 minutes - not a soul greets us. We identify both the 6 with stick shift (Sport trim) and a 2017 CX-5 GT we are interested in driving. We look at each other, incredulous, as we head inside to find someone to help us.

"Jason" (I use quotes for reasons to be explained later) greets us and asks what we are interested in. We tell him and he goes to get stock numbers to pull keys. Except he wanders off to where the 3's are parked, not the 6's. I have to direct him to where the car is I'm interested in. He lets us take the cars out on our own.

I'll let John post his thoughts on the CX-5, but the test drive of the 6 was pretty revealing.

As previously noted, I test drove a Sport trim, which is minimally equipped and carried a $22K sticker price. While it many not be fair, I'll compare the 6 to both my existing Jetta and the GLI I drove a month or so back.

The 6 is an OK size - I think I prefer the half-size smaller Jetta, since it's usually just me in the car. But, the MPG figures are pretty similar for all of them. The stick shift is lighter than the GLI, and I almost missed a shift (almost went 5-4 instead of 5-6). But, I'm sure some constant usage would help me avoid repeat issues.

Cockpit is nice - very driver oriented, as to be expected with Mazda. Everything fell readily to hand, and I didn't feel cramped in any way. There is the ubiquitous "iPad on the dash" display, with an iDrive-like controller on the center console. Not my favorite layout, but again, I could get used to it. As it's a Sport, not much in the way of safety stuff (no BLIS, etc.), but there are two USB ports under the center armrest.

The ride is not too bad, and the steering felt pretty good (leather trimmed wheel, BTW). The more I drove it, the more I'm on the fence about owning a stick as my DD. Have to give it some serious thought.

Big trunk, and one advantage of the Sport is the smaller (17") wheels - the Touring comes equipped with 19"ers.

At the end of the test drive, "Jason" came right out and asked - "So, you wanna buy it?". Dude, nice close. Told him I was only 10 months into a lease, but it's never too early to start thinking about a replacement.

Just got a strange vibe from the guy - very socially awkward.

When we left, John pointed out that the name tag on his shirt read "Alexander Gonzalez". Which led to all sorts of speculation about "Jason" - did he kill Alex and steal his shirt? Was today "Jason"s first day and he didn't have a uniform shirt and borrowed Alex's without removing his name tag? Just strange.

We had a good day test driving, @Michaell captured the oddities of the dealer very well. The sales guy was very socially awkward, thank goodness he didn't go with us.

As for the CX-5, overall I was highly impressed with the vehicle. We drove a Grand Touring model, so fairly loaded up. It didn't have the one optional package so it was lacking the heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and a power passenger seat. The interior was very well done and felt high quality. As @michaell noted the iPad stuck on the dash isn't my favorite presentation but I did find this iteration a little easier on the eyes.

Steering was great, just the right amount of feel and not overly boosted. It was easy to feel what was going on with the vehicle. NVH was almost non-existent, I know Mazda had made changes there for the 2017update and it seems like they nailed it.

The one major problem was the complete lack of power. As we left the dealer we got stopped at a red light so pulling away I nailed the accelerator to see how it performed and was very disappointed. The acceleration was leisurely at best. We didn't clock any times but I would have the pedal to the floor and we could count up 30, 35, 40, 45 with notable pauses inbetween. It was actually fairly quick off the line, 0 - 20 was fine but 20 - 60 was absolutely miserable. We took about a 20 minute drive and tried it many times and these were mostly flat streets, I can't imagine what it would be like in the mountain or with any kind of a load.

So all in all I was highly impressed with the CX-5, we discussed that maybe the rumored diesel would help solve the acceleration issue but definitely a huge deal breaker.

corvette

Well, this is topical, an article about how the small price difference between extended and crew cabs:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/06/2017-nissan-titan-king-cab-prices-announced-save-money-probably-not-enough-get-crew-cab/

I thought the extended cab Titans were already showing up on dealer lots, so it's weird they're just now announcing pricing.

tbirdmarco

@jpp5862 nice rite up on the cx5! good to no on the lack of power issue tho.

tbirdmarco

@corvette thaught the extended cab ones wher out to. hmm no idea y they are announcing the pricing now! interesting artacal you posted. injoyed reading it!

Michaell

@jpp5862 so share with us the new short list - there are still 4-5 test drives to take.

And, I discovered the there is a Denver cars and coffee held each month about 10 minutes from my house. Hoping to get the Denver crew together to attend at some point.

stickguy

I need to update my list at some point. Have been distracted recently, trying to finish estate (executor) duties, and we just got a new foster dog (who on day 2 went in to get neutered, so extra loads of fun dealing with rehabbing him from that!), and doing some rescue volunteer work. And my partner in crime (daughter) is taking a 1 month class on top of working FT (commuting 2 hours a day with that) so she is out of commission until July. Actually thinking at this point any real looking/driving might not happen until September!