Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

My rental in Cincinnati this week

fintail

Ah the Rentima. At least it has wheels. Be sure to drive it just a little carelessly and aggressively, keep up the image.

stickguy

took some more drives today. Dragged the wife to the Mini dealer (and regretted it, ended up being there longer than expected!). But, nice people. Drove a cooper base (1.3l) 4 door HT, sport package, AT. Then a cooper without sport package but with the manual.

the AT was nice. Still reasonably quick, and good response. Great handling. Nice sports seats. Much nicer to drive than I expected performance wise, and even the ride was not too bad.

Stick was fun. That one felt really quick, and I even liked the base seats. Even on the base 15" wheels, was fun to drive. Shifter was nice, clutch OK. Could get used to it. Biggest issue shifting is the center arm rest is too high, so I found myself twisting my wrist to reach down at the shift knob (if that makes sense) instead of having my arm on the console, hand straight out. Might sound odd, but it was not very comfortable.

after discussing with wife, while I would be fine with the AT in one I think, we decided that it was really just too small for what we want to do with it (including some travel), Roomy enough up front, but back seat tight, and minimal trunk room. But given the length, amazing good space utilization!

so taking that one off the list, which keeps shrinking.

stickguy

if interested, the short list at the moment is a leftover 2017 Accord EX manual, the 2018 Accord EX (when it comes out, assuming I like it), the Elantra GT sport, and a 2018 Golf (depending on what they do to the trim levels when they finally come out). Those are the new cars. Used, still flexible. A Q40 if I can ever find a good deal on colors I can live with. Maybe a slightly used Mazda 6.

Michaell

fintail said:

Ah the Rentima. At least it has wheels. Be sure to drive it just a little carelessly and aggressively, keep up the image.

Surprisingly, it's an SL, pretty decently equipped. I have co-workers with me this week, so no antics behind the wheel.

Sandman6472

Think that Altima had the lights in the side view mirrors that light when a vehicle passes on either side, something my wife loves in her A3. Hoping for our rental to have that feature but only in a Mazda3 or that particular Altima.
Still liking the Mini Cooper and could actually end up with one. Love the size and remember it was fun to toss around.
Well, off to Tires Plus to get them to adjust the alignment. The steering wheel is still off center above 25 or so and bothers the hell out of me. Cocked about 20 degrees to the left and never was that way until the last series of alignments/rotations so I know this can be adjusted. Told me to come in a 8 so heading out right now. Working a split schedule this week to make up a few extra hours.

The Sandman

benjaminh

pensfan83 said:

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.

Those seats in your new TLX A look very comfortable. But are they? Are they exclusive to the A-spec?

graphicguy

Michaell said:

fintail said:

Ah the Rentima. At least it has wheels. Be sure to drive it just a little carelessly and aggressively, keep up the image.

Surprisingly, it's an SL, pretty decently equipped. I have co-workers with me this week, so no antics behind the wheel.

Michaell....I’m in town this week. Willing to meet up for a beer or a Skyline if interested.

graphicguy

benjaminh said:

pensfan83 said:

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.

Those seats in your new TLX A look very comfortable. But are they? Are they exclusive to the A-spec?

Not going to speak for PEn. But, the seats in my TLX are the most comfortable I’ve had in any car. And, they’re great for some “sporty” driving, too. Not sure if they’re exclusive to the ASpec or not. But, you can only get them in red leather or black leather and alcantara in the ASPec!

stickguy

They are A spec only in that material. Regular model has perforated leather. Not sure if design is different too, but I think they are (more bolstering maybe?)

au1994

stickguy said:

if interested, the short list at the moment is a leftover 2017 Accord EX manual, the 2018 Accord EX (when it comes out, assuming I like it), the Elantra GT sport, and a 2018 Golf (depending on what they do to the trim levels when they finally come out). Those are the new cars. Used, still flexible. A Q40 if I can ever find a good deal on colors I can live with. Maybe a slightly used Mazda 6.

That’s a good list on the new side. I forget, did you consider the Passat? There were some smoking lease deals earlier. It’s a lot of car for the money. I sat in one and it was nicely equipped and looked great in gray on gray.  It’s a bigger car than any of your other listings. It would definitely require a test drive. It might be asking a lot for the turbo 4 to move a car that size.

pensfan83

benjaminh said:

Those seats in your new TLX A look very comfortable. But are they? Are they exclusive to the A-spec?

Compared to my last two cars (Fusion and A4), yes...and it's not that the A4's seats were bad, they just weren't as comfortable as the Acura. The Alcantara is also like being velcroed to the seat though I have some concerns what that will look like after a few years and young kids, even with my car cleanliness OCD.

As @graphicguy guy mentioned I don't know if the seats themselves are exclusive to the A-Spec but I know they come in other colors outside of black and red in the other trims.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

Ah the Rentima. At least it has wheels. Be sure to drive it just a little carelessly and aggressively, keep up the image.

Surprisingly, it's an SL, pretty decently equipped. I have co-workers with me this week, so no antics behind the wheel.

Michaell....I’m in town this week. Willing to meet up for a beer or a Skyline if interested.

My flight out is at 5 today. Available after about 1245 - dropping off the coworkers at the airport. 

pensfan83

Here's a clean, 6 speed A4 for anyone interested

@qbrozen can probably opine whether it's priced accordingly...I do know it's roughly $3,000 above the residual value.

http://www.audipittsburgh.com/used/Audi/2014-Audi-A4-pittsburgh-e1fb6d600a0e0ae97ec0c910faa00523.htm

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

Here's a clean, 6 speed A4 for anyone interested

@qbrozen can probably opine whether it's priced accordingly...I do know it's roughly $3,000 above the residual value.

http://www.audipittsburgh.com/used/Audi/2014-Audi-A4-pittsburgh-e1fb6d600a0e0ae97ec0c910faa00523.htm

pensfan83 said:

Here's a clean, 6 speed A4 for anyone interested

@qbrozen can probably opine whether it's priced accordingly...I do know it's roughly $3,000 above the residual value.

http://www.audipittsburgh.com/used/Audi/2014-Audi-A4-pittsburgh-e1fb6d600a0e0ae97ec0c910faa00523.htm

I dig it. Especially the color combination. I wonder how long it will sit and what it will finally go for.

stickguy

I had a loaner Passat. Was pretty nice. Could be a cheap lease option, but yes, it is long!

nyccarguy

I'll be travelling to Atlanta this weekend (got a full size car from HERTZ for $60 from Sat AM to Monday AM). My wife's cousin is getting married. I'm not particularly thrilled about it. It is good to get together for a happy event. I'm sure we'll have a good time. I'm just not happy about spending the money to go to a wedding in Atlanta (no offense to @rayainsw or anybody else who lives there). Between the flight, hotel, car rental, gift, & whatever other expenses I'll incur I could have gone away with my wife for the weekend anywhere else. Plus I'm going to miss my 11 year old's Pee Wee hockey tournament in Northern VA.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

fintail said:

Ah the Rentima. At least it has wheels. Be sure to drive it just a little carelessly and aggressively, keep up the image.

Surprisingly, it's an SL, pretty decently equipped. I have co-workers with me this week, so no antics behind the wheel.

Michaell....I’m in town this week. Willing to meet up for a beer or a Skyline if interested.

My flight out is at 5 today. Available after about 1245 - dropping off the coworkers at the airport. 
Probably a tough schedule for me today. Tonight I'm open. Sent kyfdx a note. Next trip, perhaps!

fintail

Hertz full size could be a bunch of stuff. I suspect Sonata, 200, Malibu are most likely, maybe Fusion, Camry, Altima. Maybe you'll get lucky with an upgrade. Nice rate anyway, especially if that's net.

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

I dig it. Especially the color combination. I wonder how long it will sit and what it will finally go for.

I'm actually a little surprised they kept it for their lot given the manual transmission, but the tires are almost brand new, the miles are low, and it was fully detailed in early August, and so I'm sure it was a very quick trip through the shop. I'll be curious to see how long it sits there too.

rayainsw

'no offense to @rayainsw' None taken.
You could 'drop in' on the race at Road Atlanta Saturday...
- Ray
I will be there.

Sandman6472

Golf back home and they did a better job than I thought, not perfect mind you, but at least 75% better. Also stopped by the body shop and got an estimate. About $700 and should take about a day. Gonna stop at one more collision place and then make a decision. Leaving it when we're out of own ain't gonna work so will have to go to Plan B.
Going to check some other rental companies and see if we can get a cheaper rental but got a feeling with all the hurricanes of late, could be tough. Looks like this next month is going to get a bit expensive but such is life!

The Sandman

corvette

I had a Malibu Classic from Dollar on the trip to California earlier this year. I think Dollar is part of the Hertz family. Bring a 3.5mm cable if you get one of those, the base Malibu Classic doesn’t have Bluetooth audio streaming! 

Sandman6472

Yep, Hertz owns Dollar/Thrifty as well as Firefly which is on a hiatus right now.

The Sandman

ab348

Sandy, did you look at Amtrak for getting back from Chicago? I think you'd be routed thru Washington DC which might make for a fun stopover. Trains are often fun.

qbrozen

pensfan83 said:

Here's a clean, 6 speed A4 for anyone interested

@qbrozen can probably opine whether it's priced accordingly...I do know it's roughly $3,000 above the residual value.

http://www.audipittsburgh.com/used/Audi/2014-Audi-A4-pittsburgh-e1fb6d600a0e0ae97ec0c910faa00523.htm

With the stick, I'm gonna say $22k-$22.5k is all the money. Their asking price is more in line with an auto, with about $1k-$1500 negotiation wiggle room.

andres3

qbrozen said:

pensfan83 said:

Here's a clean, 6 speed A4 for anyone interested

@qbrozen can probably opine whether it's priced accordingly...I do know it's roughly $3,000 above the residual value.

http://www.audipittsburgh.com/used/Audi/2014-Audi-A4-pittsburgh-e1fb6d600a0e0ae97ec0c910faa00523.htm

With the stick, I'm gonna say $22k-$22.5k is all the money. Their asking price is more in line with an auto, with about $1k-$1500 negotiation wiggle room.

Sounds like the residual was spot-on then!

If I could get a low mileage B8 S4 DSG in 2 years for about that price I'd be happy. But I can't do Black, White, or Grey, so that limits me to oddballs.

ronsteve

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.

All a matter of priorities. Don't need a SUV when it comes time to replace the V70 (yes, I've had it 10 years, might need to revoke my CCB credentials) but VW seems to have the inside track. I'd almost think the 300 lbs and 3mpg difference would push me into the Golf Sportwagen rather than the Alltrack. Though out-the-door prices appear to be pretty similar between the two, $3-4K difference in sticker be damned.

benjaminh

ronsteve said:

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.

All a matter of priorities. Don't need a SUV when it comes time to replace the V70 (yes, I've had it 10 years, might need to revoke my CCB credentials) but VW seems to have the inside track. I'd almost think the 300 lbs and 3mpg difference would push me into the Golf Sportwagen rather than the Alltrack. Though out-the-door prices appear to be pretty similar between the two, $3-4K difference in sticker be damned.

Yeah, my local VW dealer has incredible discounts on the Alltrack.

And even though they theoretically could exist, it doesn't seem possible any more to just buy a FWD Golf Wagon.

pensfan83

andres3 said:

Sounds like the residual was spot-on then!

If I could get a low mileage B8 S4 DSG in 2 years for about that price I'd be happy. But I can't do Black, White, or Grey, so that limits me to oddballs.

As our hosts have said in the various lease threads for the German brands Audi doesn't inflate the RV like MB or BMW so they tend to lease worse than others but at the end it could be a good purchase option.

ronsteve

benjaminh said:

Yeah, my local VW dealer has incredible discounts on the Alltrack.

And even though they theoretically could exist, it doesn't seem possible any more to just buy a FWD Golf Wagon.

Not only that, but it doesn't make sense to buy a 4Motion Sportwagen... if you're going AWD, might as well get the Alltrack!

One of my local dealers only has 2 Golf Sportwagens... both in the S trim, but both 4Motion. The other has all trims and even a couple FWD.

Sandman6472

Funny you mention that, my wife is taking the train to D.C. for a couple of days before the wedding while the rest of us fly up. She's done the train thing before and thinks I will be very uncomfortable. Driving back was her idea and figured what the heck...would rather fly home but will be a good husband!!!

The Sandman

benjaminh

sandman_6472 said:

Funny you mention that, my wife is taking the train to D.C. for a couple of days before the wedding while the rest of us fly up. She's done the train thing before and thinks I will be very uncomfortable. Driving back was her idea and figured what the heck...would rather fly home but will be a good husband!!!

The Sandman

Try to get a good car for your rental. Maybe pay for an upgrade?

corvette

pensfan83 said:

Sounds like the residual was spot-on then! If I could get a low mileage B8 S4 DSG in 2 years for about that price I'd be happy. But I can't do Black, White, or Grey, so that limits me to oddballs.

As our hosts have said in the various lease threads for the German brands Audi doesn't inflate the RV like MB or BMW so they tend to lease worse than others but at the end it could be a good purchase option.

Audi used to, though. I got a killer deal leasing a 2007 A4 for 24 months. 

sb55

An unexpected punch. Sort of a funny story.
My wife backed my truck out of the garage today and took out the driver's side mirror. We need the truck to tow our camper and have plans to head south in 2 weeks. One local dealer couldn't get to it until Oct. 17. What?
So, I suggested that she call a dealer that we said we would never use. Well, they could do it TODAY. I was already in Burlington and had to wait 1/2 hour for her to arrive with the damaged goods. So, of course, I walked the lot while I waited. I spied a Chevy Silverado 1500 with the big mirrors, so it had the Maximum Tow Package. I do tow. It's an LTZ while my old one as "just" an LT. Plus, it has the 6.2 liter motor. I test drove it. Nice truck in nice color. Only thing that I wouldn't have ordered are the blingy 20" chrome wheels. But, I live on a dirt road so they won't be shiny anyway. We ground out a deal, so I'm picking it up on Friday.
Pics will follow.

corvette

Nice. 2018 model? 

sb55

corvette said:

Nice. 2018 model? 

Nope. "Leftover" 2017. Nicely equipped but not loaded. Q. gave me a trade estimate. I got over his number by $2500.00, so I am happy with the deal. Trucks seem to be selling better now than when I got the last one 3 years ago. At that time $10K off list was pretty standard. I figure that I got about $9K off of list with his "real" trade value. Plus, the dealer is throwing in the mirror repair on the trade, and is transferring the step rails, bed liner and tonneau cover from my old truck.
The bottom line is the thing and it's OK.

28firefighter

Congrats, @sb55!

nyccarguy

@sb55 - congrats skip!  My best friend just leased a Sierra Denali pickup with the 6.2 & Magnetic Ride Control.  He absolutely LOVES it!  Best of luck to you with yours!

ab348

Hey, congrats, @sb55! Break a a mirror, get a new truck, very shrewd. We'll have to make sure @breld hears that rationale, might spur him on as it's been at least a couple of weeks since he bought something.

Nice truck, those.

tjc78

Congrats @sb55.  Sounds like a great deal on a nice truck.  

tifighter

That's the way to replace a mirror @sb55 Gotta love a surprise punch.

tbirdmarco

@fintail nice SUV would have that inported hear now that can be done!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice on the short list you have now!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice on the new short list! cant wate to see what you do end up with in an munth!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy nice on the test drives of the minnys yesterday!

tbirdmarco

@ronsteve welcome to the group! nice bunch of peapol hear!

tbirdmarco

@sb55 congrads on the punch of the new truck! nice go to get the old truck damage fixed and leave with an new truck!

graphicguy

@sb55 ....I’ll have to remember your reasoning the next time I get the “itch” for something new and try to justify it in my own mind.

BTW....Love the new Chevy Trucks. Big (and I do mean BIG with 20” wheels) congrats. Looking forward to pics.

au1994

graphicguy said:

@sb55 ....I’ll have to remember your reasoning the next time I get the “itch” for something new and try to justify it in my own mind. BTW....Love the new Chevy Trucks. Big (and I do mean BIG with 20” wheels) congrats. Looking forward to pics.

Yep, I’ll have to remember that one too.  My dad has the ccba affliction as well so it must be inherited. I’d ask him why he came home with a new car and his answer was “the ashtrays were full”. Not a great answer but hey it was the 70s. Now a reformed smoker he says “the other car needed an oil change”