Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

I can't wait to get past labor and be done with all our summer travels. So I can get refocused on what is really important. Getting out and test driving cars! Better find out what I did with that short list... And Honda needs to hurry up and get the new Accords released too please.

Michaell

@kyfdx / @breld - sorry to hear that the timing didn't work out for the GTI. But, as noted, there are a lot of GTI's to be had down the road, but the supply of clean ZHP's is shrinking. Keep yours (I've seen it - it's really clean), replace the wife's DD (another X3? X1? MINI?) and don't look back.

@jpp5862 @breld and I are happy to meet up with anyone who wants to come to Denver. We try to get together for lunch at least once a month - hoping to have that happen this week, in fact.

stickguy

Here's one for Fintail to comment on. Not horribly expensive, and low miles. Not that I could see myself driving one, but just wonder how these are regarded (in the hierarchy of good and bad years for these).

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-1999-mercedes~benz-sl~class-sl500_2dr_roadster_5_0l-used-16725612.html

fordfool

cdnpinhead said:

I'll see your MS-DOS and raise you a FORTRAN IV.
I still have a slide rule in my desk at work (not that I use it anymore).

I keep my Keuffel & Esser Log Log Duplex Decitrig on my desk.
I don't believe calculators caught up until about 1975 and those
cost over $1000. A square root key was a $50 option.

I have Windows 98SE on a computer that I still use. Over the years
I've increased the RAM and updated the mother board and hard drive.
Only the fans are original.

Which explains why I drive an '04 Ford Focus. I'm Scottish!

tjc78

roadburner said:

One for the BMW fans 
https://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/2002-bmw-525-e39-dinan-sport/6264498775.html

I would never buy a car from a brain-dead moron who can't spell AND thinks his BMW has a V6. Imbecile.

Ha ha.. the ad was one of the reasons I posted it.  I knew you all would jump all over it

graphicguy

cdnpinhead said:

I'll see your MS-DOS and raise you a FORTRAN IV. I still have a slide rule in my desk at work (not that I use it anymore).

Spent most of my career in the Linux/UNIX world. But, for business purposes (like MS OFFICE use) and the need to carry a laptop while traveling, I've had to go through all the Windows iterations. Currently on 10, which seems fine.

Given a choice, LINUX and MAC OS is still the one operating system I'd prefer to use.

I remember the Fortean days. It wasn't so long ago I was still connected to a VAX (for those of you who remember those). I still have an SGI ONYX machine sitting in my "long past the use by date" closet.

stickguy

I hated windows 8, and avoided upgrading from 7. But windows 10 seems fine to me.

nyccarguy

I just made an appointment to bring my Infiniti in for it's 1st oil change. I took delivery of it on March 27 with just over 7,400 miles on the odometer. I've currently got about 14,500 miles. I also noticed the passenger side rear door lock actuator squeals which they will address when I bring the car in next Thursday. I wonder what they'll give me for a loaner car. I wonder if I'll want to give it back:)

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

I just made an appointment to bring my Infiniti in for it's 1st oil change. I took delivery of it on March 27 with just over 7,400 miles on the odometer. I've currently got about 14,500 miles. I also noticed the passenger side rear door lock actuator squeals which they will address when I bring the car in next Thursday. I wonder what they'll give me for a loaner car. I wonder if I'll want to give it back:)

Our Infiniti dealer had valet service. They would bring a loaner car to the house, and take our car in, then bring it back. That was pretty sweet.

qbrozen

Actually on target with the F150 miles thus far. Will hit 2 months in a couple of days and have 2500 miles on it now. I am job hunting though, so that could change. That is kind of my curse when I lease: my circumstances change. Good thing I have other vehicles to share extra miles with.

Michaell

The Jetta just turned over 5600 miles this week - I go in on Saturday for the "10,000" mile service.

I've noticed that Lincoln is starting to promote the same type of 'valet' service, as well. That would be convenient, given how far away the dealers are from where I live:

MINI - 18 miles
VW - 20 miles
Subaru - 20 miles

xwesx

Michaell said:

The Jetta just turned over 5600 miles this week - I go in on Saturday for the "10,000" mile service.

I've noticed that Lincoln is starting to promote the same type of 'valet' service, as well. That would be convenient, given how far away the dealers are from where I live:

MINI - 18 miles
VW - 20 miles
Subaru - 20 miles

Wow..... twenty miles.... how horrible for you!

Michaell

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

The Jetta just turned over 5600 miles this week - I go in on Saturday for the "10,000" mile service.

I've noticed that Lincoln is starting to promote the same type of 'valet' service, as well. That would be convenient, given how far away the dealers are from where I live:

MINI - 18 miles
VW - 20 miles
Subaru - 20 miles

Wow..... twenty miles.... how horrible for you!

OK, point taken.

suydam

Hey! That's half an hour you'll never get back!

Mr_Shiftright

tifighter said:

So a friend of mine just sent me a photo of his new ride - a 2010 Bentley GT Convertible. Light blue with a dark blue top. W12 motor. Makes my nerves over a 996 seem pretty overblown...

My god have mercy on his soul. Bailiff, lead the man away.

breld

Anyone have experience with a "wheel & tire" warranty offered by a dealer? I generally skip over all such things, but on the Type R, and based on some incidents I've read about, it could be worth it to basically have some insurance on those 20" wheels and 30 series tires.

The warranty costs $680 (that was negotiated down a bit), has no deductible and is for a term of 7 years (that's probably plenty for me). It covers wheel and tire damage from road hazards, up to $2,500. That limit sort of turns me off.

Worth it?

corvette

With 30-series tires, maybe. Can you get a prorated refund when you sell the car in six months? Does it cover wheel curb scrapes? 

tifighter

Mr_Shiftright said:

tifighter said:

So a friend of mine just sent me a photo of his new ride - a 2010 Bentley GT Convertible. Light blue with a dark blue top. W12 motor. Makes my nerves over a 996 seem pretty overblown...

My god have mercy on his soul. Bailiff, lead the man away.

He says it is putting out 610hp. But I didn't even mention the best part. He lives in Sweden. The road tax and fuel bills will be beyond comprehension. Still, it is his dream car after working his tail off for years and years. I'm crossing my fingers for him. And expecting a heck of a ride.

breld

corvette said:

With 30-series tires, maybe. Can you get a prorated refund when you sell the car in six months? Does it cover wheel curb scrapes? 

I don't believe you get any refund after a 60 day grace period, but it is transferable, which may be worth something to the next buyer.

But this is a special car - I'm keeping it forever.

kyfdx

breld said:

corvette said:

With 30-series tires, maybe. Can you get a prorated refund when you sell the car in six months? Does it cover wheel curb scrapes? 

I don't believe you get any refund after a 60 day grace period, but it is transferable, which may be worth something to the next buyer.

But this is a special car - I'm keeping it forever.

Yeah...... I'd skip it.

stickguy

Only bent wheel I ever actually replaced was on, of all things, our odyssey. I'll blame the wife for that one!

rayainsw

- "I'm keeping it forever."
Huh???
Did I misread that ?
- Ray
Or does 'forever' have a different definition in THIS forum...

xwesx

breld said:

corvette said:

With 30-series tires, maybe. Can you get a prorated refund when you sell the car in six months? Does it cover wheel curb scrapes? 

I don't believe you get any refund after a 60 day grace period, but it is transferable, which may be worth something to the next buyer.

But this is a special car - I'm keeping it forever.

Dealer-based..... how does it work? Any stipulations that parts/work come from the dealer to honor the warranty, etc?

As with all warranties, it is peace of mind. So, if that is worth it to you, then go for it. From an actual cash value perspective, I doubt it will pay for itself.

andres3

breld said:

Couple updates on the Type R - nothing too interesting, but I am buzzing with anticipation, so figured I'd share.

Funds were wired today to the dealership and I noticed the listing was taken off, so that makes me happy.

Just arranged for shipping of the vehicle - hopefully they can pick it up on Friday when it's supposed to be ready (they need to install a few accessories). I went with the enclosed option for an extra $250.

Took the GTI to Carmax (cross post from RWTIV) and was very pleased with their offer, which is a first after a handful of quotes from them on other cars. They quoted $22,000, though @kyfdx has right of first refusal.

So, a 12% loss from buying brand new about four months ago. I've done a lot worse.

Here's what I don't get - Carmax must think they can sell the car for around $25k, maybe a bit higher, to make that offer, right? But unless the market has changed significantly since I bought it, one can walk into a VW dealership and buy a brand new one for $25k:

2017 VW GTI Sport

Now, this dealership is notorious for not being transparent and having fees and other add-ons, but the fact of the matter is I paid $25k for mine, with a little bit of negotiation.

Here's the only thing I can think of - there are enough uneducated buyers out there who see the $29k MSRP on the vehicle, and assume the $25k from Carmax for a slightly used one is a good deal.

Did you qualify for the $1,000 rebate either for loyalty or conquest on the GTI in order to get it for $25K? That was a good deal regardless, but excellent if you didn't quality for a rebate!

qbrozen

breld said:

Anyone have experience with a "wheel & tire" warranty offered by a dealer? I generally skip over all such things, but on the Type R, and based on some incidents I've read about, it could be worth it to basically have some insurance on those 20" wheels and 30 series tires.

The warranty costs $680 (that was negotiated down a bit), has no deductible and is for a term of 7 years (that's probably plenty for me). It covers wheel and tire damage from road hazards, up to $2,500. That limit sort of turns me off.

Worth it?

Is that $2500 per incident or for the full 7 years? Have you looked to see how much each wheel costs on it?

andres3

breld said:

Anyone have experience with a "wheel & tire" warranty offered by a dealer? I generally skip over all such things, but on the Type R, and based on some incidents I've read about, it could be worth it to basically have some insurance on those 20" wheels and 30 series tires.

The warranty costs $680 (that was negotiated down a bit), has no deductible and is for a term of 7 years (that's probably plenty for me). It covers wheel and tire damage from road hazards, up to $2,500. That limit sort of turns me off.

Worth it?

$680? Heck no! Put that in a savings account and if a wheel ever goes bad, use it as an excuse to upgrade to 4 new ones, or trade the car in for another. Not that you need any excuses to do that.

qbrozen

breld said:

Anyone have experience with a "wheel & tire" warranty offered by a dealer? I generally skip over all such things, but on the Type R, and based on some incidents I've read about, it could be worth it to basically have some insurance on those 20" wheels and 30 series tires.

The warranty costs $680 (that was negotiated down a bit), has no deductible and is for a term of 7 years (that's probably plenty for me). It covers wheel and tire damage from road hazards, up to $2,500. That limit sort of turns me off.

Worth it?

Ya know, for about $1k, you could get a whole new set of 18" wheels and tires from tirerack.

andres3

qbrozen said:

breld said:

Anyone have experience with a "wheel & tire" warranty offered by a dealer? I generally skip over all such things, but on the Type R, and based on some incidents I've read about, it could be worth it to basically have some insurance on those 20" wheels and 30 series tires.

The warranty costs $680 (that was negotiated down a bit), has no deductible and is for a term of 7 years (that's probably plenty for me). It covers wheel and tire damage from road hazards, up to $2,500. That limit sort of turns me off.

Worth it?

Ya know, for about $1k, you could get a whole new set of 18" wheels and tires from tirerack.

Cheap tires and wheels; I'd set the budget at more like $1,600 for something worthy of a GTI. of a Civic Type R.

tifighter

On a sorta related note, I have to think some new Type-R rims would be a big theft target. Because Type-R. I'd watch you park that puppy.

tifighter

Oh, and @nyccarguy - Here is your chance!

andres3

28firefighter said:

Man. I need to take mine to CarMax. One year older, 7800 miles, otherwise great shape and similar options.

Just how similar to @breld is your GTI?

His was a "sport" which meant built-in performance pack. Isn't "S" the base model? Trade you an Optima for it!

breld

andres3 said:

breld said:

Couple updates on the Type R - nothing too interesting, but I am buzzing with anticipation, so figured I'd share.

Funds were wired today to the dealership and I noticed the listing was taken off, so that makes me happy.

Just arranged for shipping of the vehicle - hopefully they can pick it up on Friday when it's supposed to be ready (they need to install a few accessories). I went with the enclosed option for an extra $250.

Took the GTI to Carmax (cross post from RWTIV) and was very pleased with their offer, which is a first after a handful of quotes from them on other cars. They quoted $22,000, though @kyfdx has right of first refusal.

So, a 12% loss from buying brand new about four months ago. I've done a lot worse.

Here's what I don't get - Carmax must think they can sell the car for around $25k, maybe a bit higher, to make that offer, right? But unless the market has changed significantly since I bought it, one can walk into a VW dealership and buy a brand new one for $25k:

2017 VW GTI Sport

Now, this dealership is notorious for not being transparent and having fees and other add-ons, but the fact of the matter is I paid $25k for mine, with a little bit of negotiation.

Here's the only thing I can think of - there are enough uneducated buyers out there who see the $29k MSRP on the vehicle, and assume the $25k from Carmax for a slightly used one is a good deal.

Did you qualify for the $1,000 rebate either for loyalty or conquest on the GTI in order to get it for $25K? That was a good deal regardless, but excellent if you didn't quality for a rebate!

There was indeed a $1,000 rebate I qualified for to get to that $25k price. Can't remember specifically what it was for though. It may have been loyalty (qualified due to the stepdaughter's Jetta).

andres3

stickguy said:

Breld, the sport is the model with some decent goodies on it, but cloth seats and no moonroof? I like the cloth seat parts. $22K sounds like a pretty good deal to buy it, if you want one like that. Ky should be buying his Frontier airlines ticket right now.

I'd be a buyer at $22K if it was a real color I liked, and I wasn't anchored to a lease for 2 more years. I guess there wasn't a "manual" transmission penalty at Carmax.

nyccarguy

tifighter said:

Oh, and @nyccarguy - Here is your chance!

Wow! That's just like my car except it has 99K less miles on it and makes mine look like it has been completely neglected. It even has the exact same suspension modifications as mine. I detailed it back in June and it has been resting comfortably under it's blanket in the driveway. Has the clutch ever been replaced in that car? It is an expensive job if it needs to be done. The current mileage MIGHT be the reason it is being sold.

breld

Yeah - I decided to pass on the wheel & tire package. The limit on the total amount (that $2,500 limit was for the entirety of the contract) and the various restrictions were too much of a turn off.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

Cheap tires and wheels; I'd set the budget at more like $1,600 for something worthy of a GTI. of a Civic Type R.

LOL. My deepest apologies to the Honda community for suggesting reasonable costs on economy car parts. :b


Not for nuthin, but I spent $800 for a full set on my G35x to be used for autocrossing. I still have those wheels. Have had zero issues, even with removing and reinstalling dozens of times and having them outside in the elements for a couple of years. I last used them as winter wheels on the Mustang.

tifighter

nyccarguy said:

tifighter said:

Oh, and @nyccarguy - Here is your chance!

Wow! That's just like my car except it has 99K less miles on it and makes mine look like it has been completely neglected. It even has the exact same suspension modifications as mine. I detailed it back in June and it has been resting comfortably under it's blanket in the driveway. Has the clutch ever been replaced in that car? It is an expensive job if it needs to be done. The current mileage MIGHT be the reason it is being sold.

I think this was a nice buy on a great car. My trigger finger was getting itchy as it closed.

corvette

rayainsw said:

- "I'm keeping it forever." Huh??? Did I misread that ? - Ray Or does 'forever' have a different definition in THIS forum...

"Forever" in the breld context means longer than six months! 

ab348

corvette said:

"Forever" in the breld context means longer than six months! 

Place your bets, gentlemen, place your bets...

28firefighter

andres3 said:

28firefighter said:

Man. I need to take mine to CarMax. One year older, 7800 miles, otherwise great shape and similar options.

Just how similar to @breld is your GTI?

His was a "sport" which meant built-in performance pack. Isn't "S" the base model? Trade you an Optima for it!

Heh. The sport trim did not exist for 2016. I have a 2016 DSG S with lighting package. My car doesn't have keyless start or the performance package.

Not quite the unicorn because I could not find one with performance package.

breld

Seems to me the mid-model refresh ones are the ones to hold out for on VWs, which is 2018 for the Golf/GTI.

The Sport model is gone, but if memory serves, leatherette is now optional on the SE. And all models effectively have the Performance Package (which, if they all have it, then I guess it's not really a Performance Package upgrade anymore, huh?).

So, if you do like the plaid cloth seats (which is why I went for the Sport), you can now have that, with the performance package, and with the sunroof (along with some other "SE" goodies).

And 2018 brings some minor changes/enhancements to the exterior and interior.

stickguy

That Prelude looks nice. Would prefer the standard cloth though. But seems like a really good deal in that condition for $9,200.

cdnpinhead

rayainsw said:

- "I'm keeping it forever."
Or does 'forever' have a different definition in THIS forum...

Forever on this forum means more than a year. In my world it means 150K+ miles and/or 8-10 years.

stickguy

one thing I did read is that all the GTIs have the same (higher) HP figure now. Did that used to be part of the PP?

Michaell

stickguy said:

one thing I did read is that all the GTIs have the same (higher) HP figure now. Did that used to be part of the PP?

Yes, PP had 220 HP; now, all GTI's have that

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

Here's one for Fintail to comment on. Not horribly expensive, and low miles. Not that I could see myself driving one, but just wonder how these are regarded (in the hierarchy of good and bad years for these).

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-1999-mercedes~benz-sl~class-sl500_2dr_roadster_5_0l-used-16725612.html

They can nickel and dime you to death, but to be fair, it's an 18-year-old car! Price is about fair retail. Best thing with these is send it through a PPI with Dieter and Hans and make sure you play with every single switch and gadget on the car. You do NOT want to be excavating this car's dashboard.

For the $$$, it's a pretty nice ride. Look rich for cheap.

tifighter said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

tifighter said:

So a friend of mine just sent me a photo of his new ride - a 2010 Bentley GT Convertible. Light blue with a dark blue top. W12 motor. Makes my nerves over a 996 seem pretty overblown...

My god have mercy on his soul. Bailiff, lead the man away.

He says it is putting out 610hp. But I didn't even mention the best part. He lives in Sweden. The road tax and fuel bills will be beyond comprehension. Still, it is his dream car after working his tail off for years and years. I'm crossing my fingers for him. And expecting a heck of a ride.

Well there's a GT and a GT "Speed". The GT puts out 550 hp and the "Speed" model puts out 600 hp. Then there's the GT Superspeed at 621 HP. MPG is about 10 in the city, so figure about $6.50 a U.S. gallon.

So .65 cents a mile to drive one in Sweden.

tifighter

For anyone looking for something red, manual and European, this would be worth a look...

stickguy

well, you trolled me into clicking on the link. Evil man

fintail

I agree with Shifty on the SL. Price is fine, but not spectacular - these aren't exactly appreciating yet. The car isn't a Silver Arrow or unusually equipped, just a nice old car that has the potential of expensive running costs. Get a PPI. Somehow, the steering wheel in those later R129s irks me.

tbirdmarco

@tjc78 nice beamer posted above would I tuch it no miles to high!