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Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

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  • tifightertifighter Member Posts: 3,785
    Grief: perhaps. But did they make a ton of money from it: absolutely.

    25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd

  • tifightertifighter Member Posts: 3,785
    Who says a lottery purchase has to be logical? The G just is pushes the right emotive buttons for vs. a RR. Then again, I like canoes over kayaks, harder to paddle or not...

    25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Half the paddle, twice the paddler. :shades:

    That's another reason why the G-Wagon is so good - real rain gutters for installing real canoe racks.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Yeah the Cayenne essentially saved Porsche so even though it is an abomination I can live with it. I can't understand why people buy it but all those profits let Porsche build much better sports cars.

    I have a feeling that the Rapide will destroy the Panamera though in the first head to head.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I hope nobody wins this lottery tonight, as I am unable to get to the store to buy the one ticket I waste $1 on if the jackpot exceeds 100M. Then I can buy a ticket and win :P

    I will need an aircraft hangar for all my cars, I think I will move to Germany and start the fintail restoration center.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Our dealership has bought over a 100 tickets for this drawing.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Depends which lottery you are playing. I bought the winning ticket for the Mega Millions earlier tonight. Just waiting for them to pull the numbers to confirm this....
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • tifightertifighter Member Posts: 3,785
    The impression I had was that the Rapide would cost significantly more than the Panamera. Though it matters little to all the lottery winners around here ;)

    25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Yeah that's the one we have here.

    I'm hoping for no winners
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I've never bought more than one ticket.

    But seriously, if I won, I could easily see myself with dozens of cars, if not dozens of Mercedes alone. And I think I'd give my old fintail a nut and bolt restoration.
  • woodywwwoodyww Member Posts: 1,806
    could easily see myself with dozens of cars, if not dozens of Mercedes alone

    We're talking $10's of millions here? I suppose upgrading my house (s) & having a big garage/warehouse on the property would be the 1st priority for me. And, you really need a full time mechanic, + somebody for waxing/cleaning, + a FT assistant to manage everything (I'm thinking what Leno probably has), once you get into dozens of collectible valuable cars.

    Personally, I like simplicity, a LOT. I can't really see lusting for more than a new (ish) 911, a new M6, either a new 5 series or E500 wagon, and maybe a Land Cruiser to drive around my acreage. And probably a vintage land rover of some type. Then I'd probably start wanting some '60's American car....Shelby Cobra? Or at least Shelby Mustang.....

    That's simplicity, right??? Only requires a new 5-6 car garage, with a lift, and.....then I might go a little nuts with the Griot's catalog, & then.....
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Hey! One person won the $300 million Powerball. Who's holding out on us? Maybe michaell. He's in a Powerball state. Of course he's in Colorado and the winning ticket is in Louisiana.

    Man, for $300 million you could probably BUY Louisiana...
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Actually the winning ticket is in Indiana. The lump sum pay out if you take that option is $143,000,000.

    Not that I keep up with this sort of thing. :shades:
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Well I was close. I had the "iana" right....

    Only caught it in passing. OK, who here is from Indiana?
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    The lump sum pay out if you take that option is $143,000,000.

    Or about $95 million after taxes. :mad:
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Nah. On your return just say that you spent $142,999,999 on lottery tickets and deduct it...
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Regarding the factory hitch .. yeah, I'm glad we got it, but I'm not entirely sure what to attach to it.

    I know this is an old post but jeez, I was on vacation lol. If you do a lot of cycling, the hitch mounted racks are a great way to go, especially if any of the users are, eh, vertically challenged. I would look for one that folds away from the hatch to provide access, and also has arms that fold down making it a lot easier to park when there are no bikes loaded.

    Was on a website looking at flatbed trailers ... could use it in place of a pickup truck bed when needed. A small one (5' x 8') runs $1000-1500, but I have no idea where to put it when I don't need it. I live in a covenant controlled neighborhood, so leaving it outside isn't going to fly with the HOA. Could put it in the garage, but that means that my car would be outside. Could find a storage lot to store it, but is it worth the money?

    The U-Haul 4x6 open trailer is $10/day, the 5x8 enclosed trailer is less than $20/day, with no license fees, no insurance fees and no storage issues. IMO, no, its not worth it to buy one. I have never been unable to get a trailer from U-Haul within 20 minutes of my house on 1 day's notice.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Personally, I think it's awful. What were they thinking? Doesn't making the wheelbase that much longer defeat the whole purpose of the vehicle?

    These were all over in Hawaii. The rental car places had Caravans, Wranglers, Mustang convertibles, and Sebrings.
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    Jeep had to go somewhere with the Wrangler. They have been using the same 2 door design since Patton.

    Personally I would have liked them to bring back their pick-up truck first, but the 4 door seems to be doing well.
  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    I say if you want a 4-door Jeep, buy a Cherokee. A four door Wrangler - it's like a 4-door Mustang or a 4-door VW Beetle - it just ain't right. Some vehicles are iconic and I believe they are just better left alone.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I've seen more than a few posts where folks wanted the 4 door Wrangler because it would be easier to haul their kids around, and they thought they may be a little safer with a little more sheet metal around them.

    Everytime a photo of a Jeep pickup (aka Scrambler?) is posted in the Wrangler discussions, there's always a few people insisting they'd buy one in a minute.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    I think the proportions of the 4 door Wrangler are just about perfrect. My wife has a co-worker who has one, and I think it looks pretty cool. I suspect the longer wheelbase would remove some of the harshness from the ride.

    The itch is back - the newness of the VUE lasted all of two weeks. Stopped by a local Nissan dealer and took a close look at the Altima Coupe. 2.5S with the CVT and the convenience package ($5100!), which includes leather, sunroof, keyless start and a whole bunch of other stuff.

    The one I looked at was white with charcoal leather. Not my favorite color combination, but the inside was nicely laid out. Plenty of room for driver and passenger, but I can't imagine anyone over 5'6" being comfortable in the back seat. Tilt and telescoping wheel was nice. Trunk space was abysmal - yeah, I know it's a coupe, and all that swoopy styling has to have a price paid somewhere, but that trunk was shallow.

    MSRP was something like $26,xxx, which is hard to swallow for a 4 banger.
  • akanglakangl Member Posts: 3,282
    The itch is back - the newness of the VUE lasted all of two weeks.

    Wow, I thought I was bad. The Pilot is coming up on 6 weeks old and I'm still content with it, haven't even looked at another car. Still very much enjoy driving the Pilot, turned 3000 miles on Monday.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,616
    Labor Day is this coming Monday!! ;)

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  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    A friend of mine bought a Honda Pilot (white with brownish leather)...she loves it. Sold her Volvo wagon privately as she didn't want to muddy the waters. She got $5,000 off of the Pilot.

    Discounts on the CR-V are slim to none.
    Mark :)
    2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    .....turned 3000 miles on Monday.

    You must have not driven it for 5 of those 6 weeks.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    You must have not driven it for 5 of those 6 weeks.

    She didn't .. went to the lower 48 to pick up some horses with a friend.

    I only drive the VUE on weekends, so I don't really feel like I got a new car. The GO (AutoNation) dealerships are offering their semi-regular "120%" trade in deal, where you get 20% over trade in value, with the standard deductions for mileage, condition, etc.

    If they use NADA (I can't read the fine-print on the TV ads to tell), then my L300 would fetch almost $11K in trade value. Gives me about $10K of equity to play with.

    Perhaps I'll hit the GO Nissan dealer at lunch today and see what they would give me for it in trade.
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    What are you looking at ?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] ColoradoPosts: 0
    I can't read the fine-print on the TV ads to tell

    Allow me to help ;)

    "Book value is based upon Kelley Blue Book Trade-In value including deductions for equipment, mileage and condition of vehicle. Offer not valid on damaged vehicles. Negative equity applied to new loan balance. See store for details."
  • akanglakangl Member Posts: 3,282
    You must have not driven it for 5 of those 6 weeks.

    The Pilot sat for over 3 weeks while I was gone, otherwise I'm afraid I'd be painfully close to the 6000 mile mark. Trying to stretch it out a bit, need to get the ESC before 6000 miles.
  • akanglakangl Member Posts: 3,282
    Labor Day is this coming Monday!!

    Cute, but not gonna happen. :P I'm very happy with my Pilot. Its averaging 20 mpg in mixed driving, would probably do better if my leadfoot stayed out of it.
  • akanglakangl Member Posts: 3,282
    A friend of mine bought a Honda Pilot (white with brownish leather)...she loves it. Sold her Volvo wagon privately as she didn't want to muddy the waters. She got $5,000 off of the Pilot.

    Discounts on the CR-V are slim to none.


    I got $3800 off of mine, would have gotten more if it wasn't for the trade. GM was trying to hold some profit in order to deal with a trade he didn't want and didn't know what to do with. Not sure what he ended up doing with it, but its gone.

    I liked the CR-V, but I think it would have been too small, we are very happy with the size of the Pilot. Any smaller and the Labor day bet would come true, lol. :blush:
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    dad - thanks for the clarification.

    kbb.com shows my car valued at $8925 for "good" condition. So, 120% of that is $10,710. I owe about $1400 on it, so the equity should be $9310.

    guss - at the moment, I'm looking at the Nissan Altima Coupe, but since I'm fickle who knows. GO has 17 makes that they sell in the metro Denver area, including Lamborghinis.

    GO Dealership Website

    KBB "excellent" is $9600, and "fair" is $7745. Anyone want to guess which value I'll be given at the dealer?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The NADA one - they are rumored to be "plumpest" for bank loan purposes. Someone should study the book values for their MBA thesis. (link)
  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    Ah, yes, but many dealers use that little black book and it never seems to favor the customer.
  • woodywwwoodyww Member Posts: 1,806
    I read a good review of the current Altima Coupe in a recent issue of R&T. Can't find it right now, but as I recall they pretty much liked it.

    But, when "push comes to shove", would you really buy anything other than a Saturn?? I predict......another Saturn.

    (Not that fantasizing about & considering lots of diff. cars isn't 1/2 the fun).
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    As I expected; they quoted me "fair" value ($7600 or so), then they subtracted about $650 in reconditioning costs, then added in the 20%.

    This came out to a trade in value of about $8300.

    They were a bit pushy about knowing my timeline and what I wanted to buy. There was a 2.5S Coupe in the showroom that I liked (silver with black cloth - MSRP was just under $24K), but I told them a lot of my decision making process was based on the value they placed on my trade.

    Told them we had a difference of opinion. Salesman wanted to call me, but I asked him "why? I know what you want to give me on my trade, and it's not the number I was thinking".

    I'll be curious to see if they call and bump the trade in number to get my interest.

    My problem is that I don't really know what I want, or even if I want to get something new.

    woody: At the moment, Saturn doesn't make anything that I'm interested in - at the moment. I could get an Aura, but I'd be trading in a 4-door V6 sedan for another 4-door V6 sedan. If there were a coupe or wagon version of the Aura, then I might be interested.

    Found out that the Pontiac G6 GTP Coupe comes with the same 3.6L V6 and 6-speed automatic as the Aura (and the wife's VUE, for that matter).

    Am just thinking of something .... different, this time around.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    The G6 comes in a Hardtop convertible form too. I really wish they had made the G6 Coupe a true two door hardtop car. It would have been easy to do with the engineering already done for the hardtop convertible. They already had the extra bracing done to eliminate the B-pillar and the mechanisms for the retractable rear window.
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    The Astra 3 door hathback looks very interesting from Saturn. It's probably a month away though.

    I looked at the Altima coupe too. It seemed kink of overpriced for what you are getting. For much less I think the Civic Si is more of a sports car. The rear seat is just about as useful as the Altimas.

    Were they asking MSRP for the Altima ?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    A co-worker got this in black last Sunday and it's cool. The hardtop does it's 15 second dance and...it's gone...very slick operation. Makes open air driving very easy but one does sit low in this puppy. Had trouble getting out and needed to use my cane for leverage. Comfy seats and a 1st rate interior with everything within arms reach. Think the car has the same 2.3 engine as the wife's 3s, so it scooted along at a nice clip with seemless shifts from the auto slush box. All in all a very fun car for South Florida.

    The Sandman :)
  • corvettecorvette Member Posts: 11,281
    I really wish they had made the G6 Coupe a true two door hardtop car.

    I'm a bit confused by that statement... Do you mean that the standard coupe should be pillarless?

    I like the lines of the G6 coupe and Solara coupe--they're much nicer looking than their sedan counterparts--but for a daily driver, I'd end up buying a four-door version for the extra room and easier ingress/egress in tight parking spaces.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,325
    I looked at the A3, the Si and the GTI prior to picking up my Mazdaspeed3. If I hadn't needed a usable rear seat I would have also considered -and likely bought- a Mini Cooper S. All of them are great cars, it just depends on your priorities and personal preferences. Me, I'm a middle aged hooligan, so the Mazda suits me to a "T"... :P

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    I love the looks of the Mazda. I like my civic, but I believe the Mazda would turn more heads. I "need" to test drive a GTI. We used to have a Passat with the 2.0T engine in it. It was really quick for a mid-sized car. I'd love to see what that same engine could do in the smaller car.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    The G6 comes in a Hardtop convertible form too.

    I took a close look at that when it came out last summer. Wife and I both really liked it, but you couldn't fit more than a ream of paper in the trunk when the top is down.

    Guess that's what you would use the back seat for.

    The coupe is still reasonably practical - decent rear seat room and 12 cu. ft. in the trunk.

    The Astra 3 door hathback looks very interesting from Saturn. It's probably a month away though.

    Actually, I've heard that the Astra may not arrive until the holidays. I'm intrigued by it, but not sure if I want to go back to a 4-cylinder.

    Were they asking MSRP for the Altima?

    Never got that far .. I do qualify for Nissan VPP, and that is invoice minus 2.87%, then some fees added on .. works out to just under invoice.

    I've briefly looked at the Civic Si and the MS3, but not the GTI or A3 ... yet.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I'm a bit confused by that statement... Do you mean that the standard coupe should be pillarless?

    Exactly right.

    You normally only see a pillarless coupe with roll down rear windows on much more expensive cars like the Mercedes CL. Pontiac has already done all the design and engineering work for the G6 Convertible so it would be easy to do that on the Coupe as well.

    image
  • au1994au1994 Member Posts: 3,702
    have you considered the Volvo C30? Its available with the turbo 5 cyl.

    2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
    2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
    2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha

  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Actually, I have. Have been getting emails from Volvo on the C30.

    I may have to take a look at it when it becomes available.

    I've heard many good things about it, but the only downside is that the options are kinda pricey and you can easily top the $30K mark if you're not careful.
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    All this talk about coupes really has me missing the days when coupes & sports cars were all that I would consider.

    I guess I have too wait another 15 years before I can look at them again. Hopefully the 2023 Camaro will have the bugs worked out by then.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    I've never had a sports car, and have owned a 2-door only a few times:

    '78 Pontiac Sunbird
    '85 Honda Accord LX
    '91 Nissan Sentra SE
    '99 VW New Beetle

    Everything else has either been an SUV or a sedan.

    So, yeah, I'm thinking that since the wife has the "family" car with the '08 VUE, I can get something perhaps a bit less practical for myself.
  • novellnovell Member Posts: 26
    My 1981 Mazda 626 Coupe was pillarless - LoL
This discussion has been closed.