Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

pensfan83

Snapped some photos of the new car today, been so busy with family I haven't even updated anyone here. I had my own pleasant surprise when I went to sign the paperwork on Friday for the car. More to come shortly when I get home.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

got another little bonus today. Volvo sent a packet in the mail, which included an offer for a $75 gift card for taking a test drive. Considering that I was planning to stop in anyway, a nice surprise and good timing.

I know it is out of your intended budget, but now I have been keeping an eye on the volvo lease boards and the deals are pretty great. Looks to be about 0.8% msrp for a monthly payment with zero down.

mjfloyd1

nyccarguy said:

"And who needs to get to 60 in less than 4 seconds? 6-8 seconds seems fast enough imho."

are you feeling ok?  Maybe you should sit down for a couple of minutes  

With turbocharging and dual clutch transmissions, getting to 60 in under 4 seconds isn't all that uncommon.  When properly equipped, you can do it in a "base" Porsche Boxster.

I remember reading either road and track or car and driver and someone wrote in about a review of a car with 500 hp (iirc) and asked who would need a car with 500 hp. The editor's reply began with "You sad pathetic little man".

tbirdmarco

@corvette glad you had an nice road trip there and back from the weding you whent to with the Mustang this past weekend!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice old car posted above! menny things you can do with these old cars! mane thing like stated above is doing it rite!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy glad the lees end cheek up whent whell did they come to your home or did you have to go to the dealer? when my mom did tirn her 2003 Santafy they came to the house to inspect it and next day they came to take it away on an flat bed! she had baught the 2006 santafy 2 weeks before at the time! things might be different now!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy that was an nice suprize from Volvo that you got in the mail! nice nice

tbirdmarco

@pensfan83 nice nice so you have the new car home now! nice nice cant wate to hear all about how it all whent down and the suprize!

pensfan83

It's not official until it's online right?  The car is everything I expected and more.  It drives, feels, and looks substantial and has garnered more than its fair share of double takes.  I don't think it's a widely known commodity in Pittsburgh, mine is the only one I know of in the wild even though the dealer I purchased from has sold 6 of them (2 with red interior).  My wife is thrilled because now she isn't limited to just her Altima and I'm thrilled because now I have a different car to leave in the airport's long term parking.

The bonus to all this is an additional dealer cash sweetner that just came out very late last month.  Everything fell into place for an easy transition.

corvette

Congrats! Is that a buy or lease?

nyccarguy

Congrats on the punch @pensfan83!  Sweet ride!  Enjoy it!

stickguy

Very nice Pen. Sharp. Saw one exactly like that in the showroom last week. I keep coming back to a V6 tech as the fancy car that if I am going to blow the budget for one, is the one I should get! Especially if planning to keep it for 10 years.

stickguy

Marco, the inspection company came to the house, and did everything in the driveway. Took a bunch of pictures and had me sign on the computer. Took about 10-15 minutes all together, and good for 60 days. Just have to hand in keys at the dealer, get a receipt, and be done with it (in 5 weeks after I nurse every day out of what I paid for.

pensfan83

corvette said:

Congrats! Is that a buy or lease?

It's a lease, 36 months/10K miles

@stickguy, thanks. I had my eye on a blue one but that dealer wanted a king's ransom (still there too) so I moved on to white and am glad I did, it looks really great in person as you saw. Acura just threw out an additional $500 dealer cash late last week on the TLX that I benefited from so a very good deal turned into an excellent deal. I don't know if it's regional or specific to the A-Spec trim but it's something to look into.

stickguy

QB, .8% is seriously low. That is about $325 on a decently equipped S60. Could live with that.

Speaking of Volvo, stopped tonight and got my form signed (easy work for $75.) The salesgirl (continuing our string of getting salespeople the age of my kids!) was new, so followed the rules. so we (meaning the wife) picked an XC90 (offer was good on any 90 series) and she got the keys and we took for a spin. It drove nice. Huge inside, but was nimble enough. And the tech was amazing, what it could do on that huge screen. Would take a while to learn it all, but very intuitive actually. Caters to the iphone crowd I think.

Also checked out a new XC60. That I really liked. Similar interior, same big screen, fantastic seats. And a much more manageable size (more what we need). On the list to replace the RDX in a few years (a good CPO option I would think).

Then we drove an S60. Drove pretty well. Wife liked the seats. Could live with one if the price was right. But felt way old fashioned coming out of the XC90! one issue is they pretty much just have AWD models at this point, and I would prefer FWD. Not thinking I will end up with one though, but never say never.

Also popped into the MB dealer and sat in a C300. Wife actually did not like it much, and preferred the Volvo. Not thinking one of these is really still on the list, considering the steep price, but will keep the GLC on the list for the wife. Though odds on favorite there is the next RDX, if they ever release one!

benjaminh

Congrats pensfan83! Beautiful car. Love it. How does it drive?

tjc78

ab348 said:

Speaking of leasing, something over the weekend blew my mind. My old ATS lease was thru GM Financial, who had taken 35 payments out of my bank account automatically. The last payment was due last Monday (9/25) but they did not take it. Instead they sent me an invoice for it. I guess when the dealer took the car back they notified them and they stopped everything for some reason. So yesterday I was doing my weekly online banking and went to pay the invoice since I had gotten a cheque for that sum from the dealer. I went to pay it online and looked for GM Financial in the list of payees, no dice. I called the 1-800 number on the invoice but no response on a Sunday, which I understand. So I sent an email to the address on the invoice. I got a response this morning - no way to pay them online as they are not set up for electronic banking. Only ways to pay them are via a cheque in the mail or via credit card, but for the latter you need to fill out a form and mail that in first. Unbelievable! So I had to buy a stamp and mail them a cheque. What a pain. Hard to believe in this day and age.

I’m not sure what is going on in your case, but I pay my GM Financial lease online every month via ACH.  I have since Nov 2014 when I leased the other Enclave.  First payment is due on the 2017 Friday so I’ll be paying it this week. 

tjc78

@pensfan83
Awesome... Congrats. 

corvette

After riding in it this weekend, it appears that Mom's Q5 does not have lane departure warning! I never thought about it and it's very surprising at that price level. Embarassing when a $30k CR-V has that feature!

Michaell

@pensfan83 - congrats! Don't forget to update your signature line.

28firefighter

Congrats @pensfan83!  Looks great. 

pensfan83

benjaminh said:

Congrats pensfan83! Beautiful car. Love it. How does it drive?

It's a great car. Before the refresh I wouldn't have given the TLX a second glance but I'm glad I did...credit to @graphicguy for his very detailed and thorough reviews on everything from the seats to the safety nannies. I have kept it in Sport mode 90% of the time and that adds a little more heft to the steering, changes the shift points, and dials down the active noise cancellation. Though the suspension isn't dynamic the car feels planted and composed at all times though AWD helps of course.

It's a bit of an adjustment not rowing my own gears and it's definitely strange not having the boost of a turbo anymore but the 3.5 V6 is buttery smooth and sounds great when prodded. I'm still getting used to the transmission though, it's a bit lazy with downshifts, but from what I understand that will abate over time.

au1994

Congratulations @pensfan83

ab348

tjc78 said:

I’m not sure what is going on in your case, but I pay my GM Financial lease online every month via ACH.  I have since Nov 2014 when I leased the other Enclave.  First payment is due on the 2017 Friday so I’ll be paying it this week. 

I can only assume it is a Canada vs. USA thing. I made my payments to an office in Toronto.

graphicguy

pensfan83 said:

It's not official until it's online right?  The car is everything I expected and more.  It drives, feels, and looks substantial and has garnered more than its fair share of double takes.  I don't think it's a widely known commodity in Pittsburgh, mine is the only one I know of in the wild even though the dealer I purchased from has sold 6 of them (2 with red interior).  My wife is thrilled because now she isn't limited to just her Altima and I'm thrilled because now I have a different car to leave in the airport's long term parking.

The bonus to all this is an additional dealer cash sweetner that just came out very late last month.  Everything fell into place for an easy transition.

Yipppeeeeee!!!!!!! I love it! I'm no longer the Lone Ranger. Love the white over black. Your pics don't show it but that white has a subtle metallic tinge that is beautiful.

Would love to hear your impressions as you get settled in with it.

Congrats!

rayainsw

pensfan83 - congrats & best of luck in the long term !
Particularly like the looks of those seats...
- Ray
Stuck with leather surfaces on the 340i

cdnpinhead

stickguy said:

I love how in Europe everyone folds their mirrors in

Many of the cars do it automatically; the VW I had in July did, and I noticed quite a few others.

stickguy

just totaled up, and in the last week, made $140 in gift cards, just for visiting dealers I was planning to go to anyway. I assume that once you use one of those come-ons, you get on the list and get a bunch more sent to you. Which is fine by me! I hope they keep showing up in the mail

iluvmysephia1

pensfan83 - congratulations, man. Great looking car that should also perform very, very well for you. Looks great in that white with the black interior, too!

graphicguy

stickguy said:

just totaled up, and in the last week, made $140 in gift cards, just for visiting dealers I was planning to go to anyway. I assume that once you use one of those come-ons, you get on the list and get a bunch more sent to you. Which is fine by me! I hope they keep showing up in the mail

Same way Stick. I get the "come on in for a test drive and we'll send you a debit or gift card".

They range from $25 to $125. That's how Cadillac got me originally.....come in for a test drive (they actually made me take the test drive) to get a $125 debit card.

Not nearly as often, but those offers still show up every once in a while. I get most of them when I got to auto shows and sign up for a manufacturer's "special offers".

qbrozen

$125? damn, wish i got that offer. Last offer I remember getting was to drive a Fiat 500 for, I believe, $50 amazon gift card. I did do it.

stickguy

$75 just now from Volvo. I think is a new high for me. Hyundai and Subaru both popped up online when I was looking at dealer inventory. Now I know to always do that before stopping in!

carnaught

@pensfan83, very nice car. Hope you enjoy!

xwesx

pensfan83 said:

It's not official until it's online right?  The car is everything I expected and more.  It drives, feels, and looks substantial and has garnered more than its fair share of double takes.  I don't think it's a widely known commodity in Pittsburgh, mine is the only one I know of in the wild even though the dealer I purchased from has sold 6 of them (2 with red interior).  My wife is thrilled because now she isn't limited to just her Altima and I'm thrilled because now I have a different car to leave in the airport's long term parking.

Very nice, Pensfan! You otter love it!

xwesx

corvette said:

After riding in it this weekend, it appears that Mom's Q5 does not have lane departure warning! I never thought about it and it's very surprising at that price level. Embarassing when a $30k CR-V has that feature!

Maybe what is more embarrassing.... is when (if?) you actually need it!

xwesx

stickguy said:

just totaled up, and in the last week, made $140 in gift cards, just for visiting dealers I was planning to go to anyway. I assume that once you use one of those come-ons, you get on the list and get a bunch more sent to you. Which is fine by me! I hope they keep showing up in the mail

I was going to note that I had never received on of those....

pensfan83

I don't get any of these offers either

stickguy

Well, Wes would spend more in gas to get there most likely anyway.

ab348

They tend not to do these in Canada for whatever reason. Occasionally a local dealer will offer something small to come in.

andres3

corvette said:

After riding in it this weekend, it appears that Mom's Q5 does not have lane departure warning! I never thought about it and it's very surprising at that price level. Embarassing when a $30k CR-V has that feature!

I'm more embarrassed Honda hasn't make a pulse pounding VTEC V8 engine yet. Of course, my priorities don't include safety nannies. I have a feeling a lot of these features are going to be annoying to a certain segment of the population. Sort of like a back seat driver, only it is the computer.

andres3

stickguy said:

just totaled up, and in the last week, made $140 in gift cards, just for visiting dealers I was planning to go to anyway. I assume that once you use one of those come-ons, you get on the list and get a bunch more sent to you. Which is fine by me! I hope they keep showing up in the mail

I don't seem to get those, though I was invited to the new Tiguan launch party and got free tacos. Good Mexican street style tacos.

sb55

stickguy said:

just totaled up, and in the last week, made $140 in gift cards, just for visiting dealers I was planning to go to anyway. I assume that once you use one of those come-ons, you get on the list and get a bunch more sent to you. Which is fine by me! I hope they keep showing up in the mail

I've never gotten a gift card offer. I guess that I live in the wrong place. We have so few dealers up here in the North Country.
I even did a test drive today. I'll have to catch up doing test drives compared to @stickguy and see if I ever get an offer.

Sandman6472

Shame the new Tiguan is just too big! And the mpg's really suck. Why can't VW make a Golf sized SUV with decent mpg's already for folks like me that want to sit higher but hate the mileage penalty. The new Imprezza just caught my eye the other day when we went to the dealer to pick up our rental. Looks decent enough with impressive mpg's even with AWD. They have the 5 door hatch and the regular sedan, could do either. Might just be the best economic way to go really to get a brand new ride. The pre-owned bothers me because I just don't know how those miles were put on. If it's anything like I see our customers do to our rentals, just won't go that route. Never realized what slobs many folks are, just pains me when they return vehicles with chicken bones in the center console or filled with sand and dog hair. And the smoking, I could go on but why bother.
Subaru has been added to my short list while VW has been deleted!

The Sandman

tbirdmarco

@pensfan83 lollollol yes now ofishiel lollol nice nice car Steve! was this an leese or id you bye this one? good luck with it!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice nice so just same way they did it when my moms leese was up cool!

andres3

sandman_6472 said:

Shame the new Tiguan is just too big! And the mpg's really suck. Why can't VW make a Golf sized SUV with decent mpg's already for folks like me that want to sit higher but hate the mileage penalty. The new Imprezza just caught my eye the other day when we went to the dealer to pick up our rental. Looks decent enough with impressive mpg's even with AWD. They have the 5 door hatch and the regular sedan, could do either. Might just be the best economic way to go really to get a brand new ride. The pre-owned bothers me because I just don't know how those miles were put on. If it's anything like I see our customers do to our rentals, just won't go that route. Never realized what slobs many folks are, just pains me when they return vehicles with chicken bones in the center console or filled with sand and dog hair. And the smoking, I could go on but why bother.
Subaru has been added to my short list while VW has been deleted!

The Sandman

The Alltrack is as close as your going to get to a Golf sized SUV with a higher seating position. Fun car to drive, but it does top out at 30-33 MPG.

tbirdmarco

@pensfan83 red an posting after posted my other posting above cool nice on the leese tirms!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice on the test drives yesterday! glad you liked the Volvos!

ab348

andres3 said:

The Alltrack is as close as your going to get to a Golf sized SUV with a higher seating position. Fun car to drive, but it does top out at 30-33 MPG.

VW introduced the T-Roc which is a cool little CUV but apparently not for North America.

fintail

These are old enough to be privately imported now:

sandman_6472 said:

Shame the new Tiguan is just too big! And the mpg's really suck. Why can't VW make a Golf sized SUV with decent mpg's already for folks like me that want to sit higher but hate the mileage penalty. The new Imprezza just caught my eye the other day when we went to the dealer to pick up our rental. Looks decent enough with impressive mpg's even with AWD. They have the 5 door hatch and the regular sedan, could do either. Might just be the best economic way to go really to get a brand new ride. The pre-owned bothers me because I just don't know how those miles were put on. If it's anything like I see our customers do to our rentals, just won't go that route. Never realized what slobs many folks are, just pains me when they return vehicles with chicken bones in the center console or filled with sand and dog hair. And the smoking, I could go on but why bother.
Subaru has been added to my short list while VW has been deleted!

The Sandman