Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

au1994

Who writes the copy for these ads? “Be the talk of the town” Seriously?

Michaell

au1994 said:

Who writes the copy for these ads? “Be the talk of the town” Seriously?

This is Boulder ... normal advertising and marketing rules are suspended.

cdnpinhead

au1994 said:

Who writes the copy for these ads? “Be the talk of the town” Seriously?

It seems to work most times it's tried. Another catchphrase is "you deserve it." In my stunted world you don't deserve it until you've earned it. Yeah, I know, crawl back into my cave.

xwesx

breld said:

Of course, that's after a full day of ownership and evaluation.

Well, that's not really all that much less experience than you have with most of your vehicles....

stickguy

I will predict the R goes next, by New Years.

breld

By this upcoming New Years?

Not a chance. (And I don't make such claims casually )

breld

xwesx said:

breld said:

Of course, that's after a full day of ownership and evaluation.

Well, that's not really all that much less experience than you have with most of your vehicles....

True, true.

Michaell

@breld will be keeping the Type R into 2018. How far? I'm guessing it will be gone before Independence Day, and replaced with something German.

The Durango has been a pleasant surprise - it's hard to give up an American V8, even if the interior materials and build quality are a step (or two) below the X5, SQ5 they've had.

The MINI? Mrs. @breld is smitten with the color and the level of equipment, plus it's an S with a stick! But, they have been known to be fickle, so I'll go on record and state that the MINI will be replaced before Easter 2018.

xwesx

I think the Volvo itself will be the next to cycle out (notwithstanding the daughter's car). It wouldn't be the first time they've gone LIFO, and I just get the feeling that all the rest of the rigs are, for their various reasons, still better fits for the breld clan.

Mr_Shiftright

breld said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

suydam said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

suydam said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

breld said:

Thanks, as always, for all the kind words. Believe me, it's not lost on me how nuts this quick switch was. My wife said I should share with everyone that she was at home this past week recovering from a minor surgery, and binge watched some Swedish shows with subtitles on the Acorn channel. So between that and the pain meds, that's her excuse!

I did get a lot of seat time in the wagon this evening, and it is pretty awesome. At first blush, it seems on par performance-wise with my previous S4 and 335. Transmission, despite "only" being 6 speeds, shifts smoothly and in a sporty manner.

And despite being an aging design, it has all the tech features we'd want, and then some - BLIS, parking aids, adaptive cruise, etc.

As @michaell pointed out, this fits my wife's style much better. First, it's a wagon, which is a good start. Then add the exclusive color and unique performance (for a wagon), combined with the "smart" Volvo brand, and I hope we have a winner.

I like it much better than the Mercedes, and as a Moderator, I get two votes.

I’m curious. Why?

I dunno. It's subjective. You don't see them that often. I think it has character.

But how do each of them actually drive?

I've only driven the GLC, not the Polestar, but the older ones with the 6 cylinder engine appeals to me a lot.

The GLC was very smooth, nicely luxurious, and, for me, completely non-engaging. Pulse-lowering, not pulse-raising.

That sums it up nicely. The GLC was to provide a nice contrasting ride for my wife to the MINI Cooper - a welcome change for our lengthy commute when she didn't feel like driving the subcompact stick-shift vehicle. And it certainly was a pleasant change of pace, but perhaps a bit too much contrast for her tastes. With its superb seats, auto trannie and larger size, the Volvo accomplishes that mission while still being very engaging.

Well I can see your point. A Mini wants to beat you up.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

au1994 said:

Who writes the copy for these ads? “Be the talk of the town” Seriously?

This is Boulder ... normal advertising and marketing rules are suspended.

The most expensive place in the world to pretend you have no money.

breld

xwesx said:

I think the Volvo itself will be the next to cycle out (notwithstanding the daughter's car). It wouldn't be the first time they've gone LIFO, and I just get the feeling that all the rest of the rigs are, for their various reasons, still better fits for the breld clan.

LIFO - well, we are accountants.  Love it!  

breld

Michaell said:

@breld will be keeping the Type R into 2018. How far? I'm guessing it will be gone before Independence Day, and replaced with something German. The Durango has been a pleasant surprise - it's hard to give up an American V8, even if the interior materials and build quality are a step (or two) below the X5, SQ5 they've had. The MINI? Mrs. @breld is smitten with the color and the level of equipment, plus it's an S with a stick! But, they have been known to be fickle, so I'll go on record and state that the MINI will be replaced before Easter 2018.

I’d put the odds to replace at worst for the MINI.  She already gave it up once only to regret it, so I don’t think she’ll be quick to do it again.  

Best odds are the Durango, in favor of some luxury rig, with the XC90 being the top choice at the moment.  But who knows, the level of satisfaction on the Durango, which is pretty high as it is, only goes up as the loan goes down.

The Type R will always be subject to an opportunity, but only the right one.  Like...maybe a nice manual m235i comes up.  Or a good buy on an S5.  

tbirdmarco

@breld yes like all have said above the type R will be gon bye July 4th for shore or the darango! we shal see! maby sooner!

Mr_Shiftright

breld said:

Michaell said:

@breld will be keeping the Type R into 2018. How far? I'm guessing it will be gone before Independence Day, and replaced with something German.

The Durango has been a pleasant surprise - it's hard to give up an American V8, even if the interior materials and build quality are a step (or two) below the X5, SQ5 they've had.

The MINI? Mrs. @breld is smitten with the color and the level of equipment, plus it's an S with a stick! But, they have been known to be fickle, so I'll go on record and state that the MINI will be replaced before Easter 2018.

I’d put the odds to replace at worst for the MINI.  She already gave it up once only to regret it, so I don’t think she’ll be quick to do it again.  

Best odds are the Durango, in favor of some luxury rig, with the XC90 being the top choice at the moment.  But who knows, the level of satisfaction on the Durango, which is pretty high as it is, only goes up as the loan goes down.

The Type R will always be subject to an opportunity, but only the right one.  Like...maybe a nice manual m235i comes up.  Or a good buy on an S5.  

Minis are addictive, no doubt about it. I'm having trouble letting go. I think it'll have to do something REALLY bad (which it is entirely capable of doing btw).

Sandman6472

I saw another Mini on the highway today and really like it's size. Think the reliability aspect would probably grate on my mind a bit. Hoping with the new Countryman, they've softened the ride a bit. One with the right color/wheels/price could really do it for me but will wait till the appropriate time comes. Right now, we're both satisfied!!

The Sandman

(P.S. No word on the VW driver position but not surprised one bit. Think if the new guy they just hired leaves, they might call me in. If they could give me decent hours/decent $, I might leave Hertz but so far, nothing!)

stickguy

can always lease the Mini. Won't have to worry about warranty that way.

corvette

stickguy said:

can always lease the Mini. Won't have to worry about warranty that way.

Do they lease very well? If the Tahoe dies, I'm thinking I'll either have to find roll the dice on another used, well maintained diamond in the rough like I did with this one, or lease a full-size truck like qbrozen did. I don't want an $800+/month lease on a new full-size SUV.

stickguy

not sure actually. I looked at them before getting the Elantra, but did not get to the point of talking lease numbers.

Michaell

We haven't seen any MINI lease numbers for a couple months now; I'd say the lease deals are just average.

28firefighter

Ultra low mileage mini loaners and demos used to lease well (similar BMW executive demos), but those days are long gone.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Ultra low mileage mini loaners and demos used to lease well (similar BMW executive demos), but those days are long gone.

If you can find one under 5000 miles, the deals are still adequate, but anything over that and they get real expensive.

BMW has been slowly making it more expensive to lease over the last 12 months:

1. MF is creeping up .... was .00132 in the spring, now .00152
2. Elimination of the MSD program
3. Unfavorable terms for demos over 5000 miles
4. Unfavorable terms for fleet programs (no more .00020 MF discount)
5. Dealers are wising up - it's getting harder to get both the base MF and a substantial discount from sticker. You'll have to settle for one or the other.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

Ultra low mileage mini loaners and demos used to lease well (similar BMW executive demos), but those days are long gone.

If you can find one under 5000 miles, the deals are still adequate, but anything over that and they get real expensive. BMW has been slowly making it more expensive to lease over the last 12 months: 1. MF is creeping up .... was .00132 in the spring, now .00152 2. Elimination of the MSD program 3. Unfavorable terms for demos over 5000 miles 4. Unfavorable terms for fleet programs (no more .00020 MF discount) 5. Dealers are wising up - it's getting harder to get both the base MF and a substantial discount from sticker. You'll have to settle for one or the other.

Excellent summary.

Though rumor has it existing MSD customers in the BMWFS Eastern Region are being allowed to roll them over to a new lease, so maybe MSDs will make a return. 

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

Ultra low mileage mini loaners and demos used to lease well (similar BMW executive demos), but those days are long gone.

If you can find one under 5000 miles, the deals are still adequate, but anything over that and they get real expensive.

BMW has been slowly making it more expensive to lease over the last 12 months:

1. MF is creeping up .... was .00132 in the spring, now .00152
2. Elimination of the MSD program
3. Unfavorable terms for demos over 5000 miles
4. Unfavorable terms for fleet programs (no more .00020 MF discount)
5. Dealers are wising up - it's getting harder to get both the base MF and a substantial discount from sticker. You'll have to settle for one or the other.

Excellent summary.

Though rumor has it existing MSD customers in the BMWFS Eastern Region are being allowed to roll them over to a new lease, so maybe MSDs will make a return. 

Yes, we've had some posters report that to us, as well.

But, the MF discount per MSD decreased from .00007 to .00005, so the total MF discount dropped to .00035 from .00049.

We've also heard that Audi may be dropping their MSD program, as well.

It's all a matter of information. With sites like ours leveling the playing field, the dealers and manufacturers (and their captive banks) are fighting back, and these are the tactics they are using.

At the moment, both Jaguar and Land Rover are running some excellent lease promotions - MF of .00001, decent residuals for odd lease terms (33 and 39 months, mostly). Problem is, a lot of the dealers are marking up the MF as much as .00100 (!!!), adding close to $100/mo to the lease payment.

And, I've been saying lately that LR dealers are allergic to discounting, so that doesn't help either.

tifighter

Gotta admit, Tesla put on a show tonight…

qbrozen

Dammm... perfect Challenger. Priced $3k below auction value. Wonder what the story is.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/151492091

au1994

Interesting approach from BMW and Audi. I know a very high percentage of BMWs are leased so this will be interesting to see what it does to market share. I’d be interested to know what MB is doing.  Sounds like Jag is getting aggressive which is smart business in my mind.

I would bet after a dip in sales the agressive lease deals will return, 

I’m in Georgia and with the ad valorem tax, leasing has pretty much become cost prohibitive.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Dammm... perfect Challenger. Priced $3k below auction value. Wonder what the story is.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/151492091

They say it's been sitting there 140 days.  RWD, Coupe, 6-Speed, Plum Crazy Purple.  Plus FCA is pretty generous with discounts on brand new ones.

Michaell

au1994 said:

Interesting approach from BMW and Audi. I know a very high percentage of BMWs are leased so this will be interesting to see what it does to market share. I’d be interested to know what MB is doing.  Sounds like Jag is getting aggressive which is smart business in my mind.

I would bet after a dip in sales the agressive lease deals will return, 

I’m in Georgia and with the ad valorem tax, leasing has pretty much become cost prohibitive.

Yeah, but that's changing on 1/1/18 - GA will go to the NY/NJ/OH method of taxing leases. Will sum up the payments, and apply tax to that amount.

So, leasing will get a lot less expensive come the new year.

So far as we know, MB is keeping their MSD program - 10 * .00007 reduction. And, they have reasonable MF's assigned.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

Dammm... perfect Challenger. Priced $3k below auction value. Wonder what the story is.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/151492091

Nice; three pedals and reasonably well equipped. I'm partial to the 2015-up cars because of the improved dash and center stack- but for that price I could live with the older design...

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

They say it's been sitting there 140 days.  RWD, Coupe, 6-Speed, Plum Crazy Purple.  Plus FCA is pretty generous with discounts on brand new ones.

Believe it or not, plum crazy actually adds to the value, per Manheim. Meanwhile, yes, the stick is a negative on value, it would seem. It would be more like $29k auction value with an automatic.

Mr_Shiftright

tifighter said:

Gotta admit, Tesla put on a show tonight…

Musk is so very good at distracting investors from his failures. Remember "The Wall"? Remember the giga-byte factory? Remember all those production projections?

A Model 3 for $35K? Try $50K by the time you get one out the door.

BUT...Tesla junk bonds rallied right after the show !

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

Dammm... perfect Challenger. Priced $3k below auction value. Wonder what the story is.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/151492091

Dang...that makes my pants a little tight. I like it!

stickguy

Love that color.

thebean

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

Dammm... perfect Challenger. Priced $3k below auction value. Wonder what the story is.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/151492091

Dang...that makes my pants a little tight. I like it!

WTMI - Way Too Much Info!!

stickguy

true

Mr_Shiftright

CARFAX looks good although it is listed as a "commercial vehicle"--whatever that means--but that's how it was registered.

Sold at auction by a Chevy dealer and then again by another dealer. Car moved from Indiana to Michigan to NY and back. Failed one emissions test.

One owner car. Colorful history.

au1994

Michaell said:

Interesting approach from BMW and Audi. I know a very high percentage of BMWs are leased so this will be interesting to see what it does to market share. I’d be interested to know what MB is doing.  Sounds like Jag is getting aggressive which is smart business in my mind.

I would bet after a dip in sales the agressive lease deals will return, 

I’m in Georgia and with the ad valorem tax, leasing has pretty much become cost prohibitive.

Yeah, but that's changing on 1/1/18 - GA will go to the NY/NJ/OH method of taxing leases. Will sum up the payments, and apply tax to that amount. So, leasing will get a lot less expensive come the new year. So far as we know, MB is keeping their MSD program - 10 * .00007 reduction. And, they have reasonable MF's assigned.

Can’t believe I haven’t heard about that! Certainly good news!  Now if everyone would start offering 24mo leases again all would be well!

stickguy

so, was out at lunch time getting a hair cut (to look pretty for Thanksgiving company. Plus I had a coupon.) Went home past the Honda dealer, so stopped in. Just looked at stickers and test sat. No test drives.

good news (or bad?), after finally sitting in a new Accord (1.5t sport). I did not start banging myself in the head because I did not wait. It was nice enough. Very roomy. but did not immediately jump out at me as gotta have it. Possible though that a test drive could change that! Will be on the list in June for my anticipated shopping expedition though.

It did have one potential fatal flaw (oddly, the same thing that I am currently battling the Elantra over). I can't find a place to put my right knee. I love the Elantra, but am so far regretting selling myself on the driving position working. I thought I finally found a good one on the last test drive. So either I hallucinated, or need to search more.

I knew I was giving up some of my precious front cushion tilt, though I get enough of that back to get by if I push the seat low (not that I want to ride on the floor). But the killer so far is my knee hits the console at a really bad spot, and the edge is digging into my leg. And having trouble finding a seat setting where it does not bother me. Next step is to get some black foam padding to make a cushion. Hopefully that works.

Otherwise, nice car. Hoot to drive, quick, comfy enough, lots of features. Even getting good MPG. But if I can't get comfortable, it won't be around long (which is why having a built in exit strategy is nice, otherwise it might get traded in with 1,000 miles on it!).

though my drive home from the Honda dealer was not as bad. I will keep adjusting until I find something that is not too bad. But bad sign that the Accord had the same sort of angled design, and my knee hit it in roughly the same spot.

I did sit in a 2017 Accord too. That actually had better seats, and better designed console. But the best of the bunch, by far, was a CRV. That was really comfy!

qbrozen

stickguy said:

so, was out at lunch time getting a hair cut (to look pretty for Thanksgiving company. Plus I had a coupon.) Went home past the Honda dealer, so stopped in. Just looked at stickers and test sat. No test drives.

good news (or bad?), after finally sitting in a new Accord (1.5t sport). I did not start banging myself in the head because I did not wait. It was nice enough. Very roomy. but did not immediately jump out at me as gotta have it. Possible though that a test drive could change that! Will be on the list in June for my anticipated shopping expedition though.

It did have one potential fatal flaw (oddly, the same thing that I am currently battling the Elantra over). I can't find a place to put my right knee. I love the Elantra, but am so far regretting selling myself on the driving position working. I thought I finally found a good one on the last test drive. So either I hallucinated, or need to search more.

I knew I was giving up some of my precious front cushion tilt, though I get enough of that back to get by if I push the seat low (not that I want to ride on the floor). But the killer so far is my knee hits the console at a really bad spot, and the edge is digging into my leg. And having trouble finding a seat setting where it does not bother me. Next step is to get some black foam padding to make a cushion. Hopefully that works.

Otherwise, nice car. Hoot to drive, quick, comfy enough, lots of features. Even getting good MPG. But if I can't get comfortable, it won't be around long (which is why having a built in exit strategy is nice, otherwise it might get traded in with 1,000 miles on it!).

though my drive home from the Honda dealer was not as bad. I will keep adjusting until I find something that is not too bad. But bad sign that the Accord had the same sort of angled design, and my knee hit it in roughly the same spot.

I did sit in a 2017 Accord too. That actually had better seats, and better designed console. But the best of the bunch, by far, was a CRV. That was really comfy!

pull one of the front seat track bolts, go to home depot, match up the thread and diameter, and buy longer bolts and spacers to raise the front of the seat. I've done this a few times on different cars. Once you get above 3/8" spacer, you may have to drill out the hole in the bracket just a bit to get it to align with the receiving nut on the floor, but that's easy enough.

ab348

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

so, was out at lunch time getting a hair cut (to look pretty for Thanksgiving company. Plus I had a coupon.) Went home past the Honda dealer, so stopped in. Just looked at stickers and test sat. No test drives.

good news (or bad?), after finally sitting in a new Accord (1.5t sport). I did not start banging myself in the head because I did not wait. It was nice enough. Very roomy. but did not immediately jump out at me as gotta have it. Possible though that a test drive could change that! Will be on the list in June for my anticipated shopping expedition though.

It did have one potential fatal flaw (oddly, the same thing that I am currently battling the Elantra over). I can't find a place to put my right knee. I love the Elantra, but am so far regretting selling myself on the driving position working. I thought I finally found a good one on the last test drive. So either I hallucinated, or need to search more.

I knew I was giving up some of my precious front cushion tilt, though I get enough of that back to get by if I push the seat low (not that I want to ride on the floor). But the killer so far is my knee hits the console at a really bad spot, and the edge is digging into my leg. And having trouble finding a seat setting where it does not bother me. Next step is to get some black foam padding to make a cushion. Hopefully that works.

Otherwise, nice car. Hoot to drive, quick, comfy enough, lots of features. Even getting good MPG. But if I can't get comfortable, it won't be around long (which is why having a built in exit strategy is nice, otherwise it might get traded in with 1,000 miles on it!).

though my drive home from the Honda dealer was not as bad. I will keep adjusting until I find something that is not too bad. But bad sign that the Accord had the same sort of angled design, and my knee hit it in roughly the same spot.

I did sit in a 2017 Accord too. That actually had better seats, and better designed console. But the best of the bunch, by far, was a CRV. That was really comfy!

pull one of the front seat track bolts, go to home depot, match up the thread and diameter, and buy longer bolts and spacers to raise the front of the seat. I've done this a few times on different cars. Once you get above 3/8" spacer, you may have to drill out the hole in the bracket just a bit to get it to align with the receiving nut on the floor, but that's easy enough.

Either that, or I know I have seen some sort of upholstered pad on some cars exactly for that purpose. Probably velcro'ed on. Maybe ebay?

stickguy

I have thought of spacers before. Would do it on an old car, but not messing with it on a brand new one. That part is not a big deal. If I really wanted to, can get a cushion (little pillow) for longer drives. The bigger mess will be taking a sawzall to the console...

xwesx

stickguy said:

I have thought of spacers before. Would do it on an old car, but not messing with it on a brand new one. That part is not a big deal. If I really wanted to, can get a cushion (little pillow) for longer drives. The bigger mess will be taking a sawzall to the console...

I vote sawzall. What could possibly go wrong?

breld

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

Dammm... perfect Challenger. Priced $3k below auction value. Wonder what the story is.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/151492091

Dang...that makes my pants a little tight. I like it!

This just made me laugh out loud in my office.

breld

Well...this just made the Mazda6 interesting and relevant again.

2018 Mazda6

breld

So @qbrozen - are you thinking of checking out that Challenger?

breld

Received the new C&D last night and just browsed through it - they had a comparison test between the Type R and Focus RS. They picked the Honda first - I didn't read through the article in detail yet, but should be interesting.

stickguy

That 6 is nice looking. Should be really quick with the turbo

roadburner

breld said:

Received the new C&D last night and just browsed through it - they had a comparison test between the Type R and Focus RS. They picked the Honda first - I didn't read through the article in detail yet, but should be interesting.

The RS is a pretty uncompromising drive; everything I've read about the Type R describes it as offering outstanding performance without a punishing ride. Couple that with the Honda being less expensive(on paper, anyway) and I can see why the Type R would get the nod.

qbrozen

breld said:

So @qbrozen - are you thinking of checking out that Challenger?

I'd love to, but I can't. I have nothing to swap for it right now. I'd have to sell the Coronet first.