Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Can anybody spot me $40k?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/180783203

That's been for sale for over 5 months.. Wait another year and save $10K!

Nothing turns my head, or sounds as good as an AM.

qbrozen

The most concerning thing to me is that AM is at a BHPH lot.

tbirdmarco

@qbrozen shore lollollol will send it your way

ab348

kyfdx said:

My son has a new iPhone X.. loves it.

Mom and Dad both get by with 4 yr old iPhone 5.

Same here. Works fine for what I use it for. But I know I will need to replace it soon enough.

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

Can anybody spot me $40k?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/180783203

Wouldn’t kick it our of my garage for misfiring, but can’t really wrap my head around that color. I don’t know what these things are worth. Is $40K a decent price for an Aston?

Re...iPhoneX....worth the upgrade from my 6. Took about 2-3 days to get used to not having a finger reader, but not it’s 2nd nature to me. Phone screen looks wonderful. Battery life seems to have actually improved since I bought it. Does not have “giant phone” syndrome, which seems to be the trend.

The phone part works great. Even hands free sounds great.

Yeah....expensive but well worth it.

I love having it paired with Acura Link. All I do is get in the car, throw the phone in the center cubby. It charges, plays, phones, etc....all while driving, without me having to touch a thing.

stickguy

Bradd, just curious. Is he pilot touring worth the extra $5k, over the EXL, if you are leery of the 9 speed trans? Though you get Honda sensing too. Still old school, no BLIS on it.

qbrozen

graphicguy said:

Wouldn’t kick it our of my garage for misfiring, but can’t really wrap my head around that color. I don’t know what these things are worth. Is $40K a decent price for an Aston?

Not really. $35k-$36k would be about right.

I like the color. I had a mazda 626 that was kind of similar, but lighter. They called it Meadow Green. It was quite pretty. One of those colors that looked lighter or darker depending on how cloudy/sunny it was. Actually got a strong trade-in value on that one because, according to the UCM, "I've never seen that color. That is REALLY nice!"

ab348

Local review of the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT, interesting take of a base model the typical sites likely won't test:

https://haligonia.ca/review-2018-hyundai-elantra-gt-217815/

nyccarguy

I've done a lot of research, internal debating, & number crunching over the last week or so. You guys have all been a fantastic resource! Between @qbrozen who is always spot on with trade in values to @kydx & @Michaell who educated me on the "leasing numbers" to @28firefighter who dug some trenches behind the scenes for me, & of course Craig (@isellhondas) who is on my shoulder at all times when I make a car buying decision.

I wanted the Honda Sensing and the Navigation. You can get "either or" on the EX-L, but can only get both on either the Touring or the Elite. Once I finalize things, I'll walk everybody through the madness that went through my head.

stickguy

Odd you can’t get both on an EXL. but need to get what you really want. Plus the 9 speed should return better MPG. And has the cool buttons.

I did see on the Honda site today they have 2018 build up. Seems like no changes.

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

I've done a lot of research, internal debating, & number crunching over the last week or so. You guys have all been a fantastic resource! Between @qbrozen who is always spot on with trade in values to @kydx & @Michaell who educated me on the "leasing numbers" to @28firefighter who dug some trenches behind the scenes for me, & of course Craig (@isellhondas) who is on my shoulder at all times when I make a car buying decision.

I wanted the Honda Sensing and the Navigation. You can get "either or" on the EX-L, but can only get both on either the Touring or the Elite. Once I finalize things, I'll walk everybody through the madness that went through my head.

Whoa....what? I didn’t even know you were in the market! I must be slipping!

graphicguy

Q.....I remember that “mist green” on 626s. I remember that color as being popular at the time.

nyccarguy

graphicguy said:

I've done a lot of research, internal debating, & number crunching over the last week or so. You guys have all been a fantastic resource! Between @qbrozen who is always spot on with trade in values to @kydx & @Michaell who educated me on the "leasing numbers" to @28firefighter who dug some trenches behind the scenes for me, & of course Craig (@isellhondas) who is on my shoulder at all times when I make a car buying decision. I wanted the Honda Sensing and the Navigation. You can get "either or" on the EX-L, but can only get both on either the Touring or the Elite. Once I finalize things, I'll walk everybody through the madness that went through my head.

Whoa....what? I didn’t even know you were in the market! I must be slipping!

I wasn't (until last week).  Plus, this IS Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous.  Any one of us can relapse at any time.

suydam

graphicguy said:

Q.....I remember that “mist green” on 626s. I remember that color as being popular at the time.

My son had a LeSabre in a pretty green like that. Very attractive.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Can anybody spot me $40k?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/180783203

Yeah, sure. What's $40K between friends?

cdnpinhead

.

nyccarguy

graphicguy said:

I've done a lot of research, internal debating, & number crunching over the last week or so. You guys have all been a fantastic resource! Between @qbrozen who is always spot on with trade in values to @kydx & @Michaell who educated me on the "leasing numbers" to @28firefighter who dug some trenches behind the scenes for me, & of course Craig (@isellhondas) who is on my shoulder at all times when I make a car buying decision. I wanted the Honda Sensing and the Navigation. You can get "either or" on the EX-L, but can only get both on either the Touring or the Elite. Once I finalize things, I'll walk everybody through the madness that went through my head.

Whoa....what? I didn’t even know you were in the market! I must be slipping!

I wasn't (until last week).  Plus, this IS Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous.  Any one of us can relapse at any time.

stickguy

Got the Jetta back from service. Last free (30k) service. synthetic oil, rotation, brake fluid for nada. Nice bonus, he did a MPI report, and at 25k, the tires are still at 8/32. So, not going to need to replace them to return it. Nice money savings.

Overall, happy with decision to lease this for the kid to get through college. Othe than my $225/month, only money I put in was a set of wiper blades. And no worries about all those miles, far from home, in a Volvo with 140k on the clock. Plus good MPG.

This car does more miles than other 2 combined. 9k miles in the last 7 months.

Can also highly recommend a new Jetta SE for anyone needing cheap wheels. Nice package, and surprisingly quick with the 1.4t engine.

breld

@nyccarguy - I'm anxious to hear about the potential "upgrade" on the Pilot. As much as you and the family like the Pilot, a new one seems like an ideal candidate. But surely other models have crossed your mind?

One of the mags did a comparison of these 3-row SUVs recently - Motor Trend, maybe? Surprisingly, they picked the Pilot last, with the CX-9 and Atlas coming in first and second. Now, it sounds like you appreciate the spaciousness the Pilot has to offer, so the CX-9 would probably be too small interior-wise. The Atlas seems to impress in reviews with its room, though for your long-term use, you may not want to go with a first-year VW product (though the long warranty helps).

Chevy Traverse seems kind of nice. And of course I love my Durango, but don't figure it's to the taste of most others.

breld

Here it is. It was C&D.

3-row SUV comparison

stickguy

If leasing, long term VW issues don’t mater.

Don’t snooze on the Santa Fe either. Good value now to lease, and nice car. Not sure how room compares.

Heck, if leasing, look at the MDX too. Might be cheaper than a Pilot.

suydam

Maybe thinking of this article?
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/honda-pilot-competitors
The Kia Sorento seemed like the only one likely to offer the same combination of reliability (actually better than the Pilot!) room, and a cheaper price.

stickguy

One car mag. Maybe car and driver, did a test recently

Michaell

stickguy said:

Can also highly recommend a new Jetta SE for anyone needing cheap wheels. Nice package, and surprisingly quick with the 1.4t engine.

Thanks for the affirmation, stick!

I like my 2016 SE a whole lot - I've gotta find some back roads that turn left and right to play with the handling and suspension. Out here on the plains, the roads are mind-numbingly straight, for the most part.

tifighter

New set of Nokian WR G3s went on the EV yesterday. The LRR tires it came with get slippy when the temps drop, so much so that my wife started wanting to drive the Volvo. And she hates that car. So new tires it is. Still funny to see 'Made in Finland' written on anything...

kyfdx

tifighter said:

New set of Nokian WR G3s went on the EV yesterday. The LRR tires it came with get slippy when the temps drop, so much so that my wife started wanting to drive the Volvo. And she hates that car. So new tires it is. Still funny to see 'Made in Finland' written on anything...

Nice! I have to drive 45 minutes to the closest Nokian dealer.

stickguy

from my small sample size, it handles just fine. Not quite the razor sharp turn in my other car has, thanks to tires with some actual sidewall, but grips fine, nice steering. So get out there and have some fun!

stickguy

got an email today from local BMW dealer. They have me on their mailing list, even though I obviously never purchased. Had a list of lease specials for the holidays. True sign and drive (though quite possible there was some extras like DMV, but did include tax). Anyway, minimal cash if any. Some not too bad. A 320xi for $399. 428GC in the mid to upper 400s, same with an X1.

but the offball was an i3 EV (so I assume without the REX option?) for a whopping $139/month. Hard to argue with that. If you don't have to go very far.

28firefighter

The i3 and 330e are where the deals are. On the 330e, there is $3000 holiday credit plus a $3000 iPerformance credit. Plus, if you qualify, $1500 loyalty and $500 corporate fleet rebate.

I'm debating a 330e demo - its basically the only 3 series I'd be remotely interested in.

suydam

Speaking of EVs, it’s been a year and 7500 miles since I leased the Volt. I am so pleased with this vehicle at this point. It took awhile but we have really gotten into the rhythm of driving it so that we virtually never use gas in town, which is most of the driving. Yet if for some reason we forget, or we take a longer drive, nice to know the gas engine won’t leave us stranded. The charging system in this country still is not at the point where I’d feel comfortable taking an EV on a long drive. After a year we have used the electric side of consumption 70% of the time.

Fuel issues aside, I’m very much in love with the car itself. It’s extremely comfortable for 4 adults. I like the hatchback style, that has proved useful many times. Has plenty of acceleration and effortless power. I really like the touchpad infotainment screen and it is very easy to use. I never had all the safety features this car has — BLIS, back up cam, parking sensors — and I admit I now want them in every car I drive! I was very happy that my rental Elantra had many of those features. Love push button start (I had that in my last Accord). A compact car is the perfect size for me — we don’t have young children at home anymore, and I really enjoy the stellar handling. Still have to get used to how quiet it is, and remember that pedestrians can’t hear me coming.

It’s prety clear that at our retired stage of life we don’t pile on the miles like we used to — I think we put 9k on the Buick at most during the same time. So leasing was a good choice. I also wasn’t sure how much I’d find plugging in a hassle as time went on (answer: it’s getting more routine and really not an issue). I think the fact that it has a 50 mile range is a big plus. I would not want a vehicle with a smaller number of miles per charge (such as the Prius Prime) as I routinely take trips of around 20 miles each way.

Here’s looking forward to another year of happy EV driving!

Mr_Shiftright

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Can anybody spot me $40k?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/180783203

Yeah, sure. What's $40K between friends?

Make him give you the car as collateral

rny421

I have an oddball rental car tonight. It's a Lincoln MKT "Town Car". I think it's similar to the Flex, but this particular one doesn't have a third row. I was also disappointed to find that it doesn't have heated seats or a heated steering wheel, but it has the panoramic moonroof and xenons... weird.
I have 9 hours behind the wheel tomorrow... I'll let you know my thoughts. My first thoughts are that it sure isn't pretty, but it's quiet and the seats are comfortable.

tbirdmarco

@stickguy yes no Honda sencing on pilet EXL aunt got hers today! will see it this cumming up weekend!

tbirdmarco

@nyccarguy nice nice did not see this cumming on an new SUV for the wife we shal see what unfoldes if you do get one or wate look at all of your options!

tbirdmarco

@rny421 cante wate to hear all about it!

tbirdmarco

@suydam nice nice glad you are loving your volte!

tbirdmarco

@qbrozen nice colors on that one!

carnaught

rny421 said:

I have an oddball rental car tonight. It's a Lincoln MKT "Town Car". I think it's similar to the Flex, but this particular one doesn't have a third row. I was also disappointed to find that it doesn't have heated seats or a heated steering wheel, but it has the panoramic moonroof and xenons... weird.
I have 9 hours behind the wheel tomorrow... I'll let you know my thoughts. My first thoughts are that it sure isn't pretty, but it's quiet and the seats are comfortable.

I believe the MKT is discontinued, so it must be a couple of years old.

Sandman6472

Synthetic oil change at Tires Plus today, had a coupon I couldn't pass up. Luckily my friend was there as he noticed they had it down for the wrong synthetic oil. He fixed it and all went well. Still happy with it and not looking to swap it out any time soon. Figuring on another couple of years and then time will be right.
Computer up and running, iPhone 6s Plus working perfectly after the recent install. Life is good right now. Just need to get a handle on this chronic pain I've been dealing with since mid 2005. Lately, it's taking a toll on me physically and mentally. Living on medication really sucks big time to be honest but without it, could not function at all and working would be a no go. Figure no one has it easy in life but dealing with this constant pain for over twelve years is enough already...I've really had enough!!

The Sandman

rny421

carnaught said:

I believe the MKT is discontinued, so it must be a couple of years old.

It doesn't seem like they discontinued it. Lincoln still lists it on their website for 2018. https://www.lincoln.com/luxury-crossovers/mkt/

qbrozen

Thought I'd share some other cars I have saved to my favorites list. Does anybody else keep their saved lists current even if not in a place to buy anything?

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/179501296
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/186165824
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/189950053
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/191373127
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/182853070

carnaught

rny421 said:

carnaught said:

I believe the MKT is discontinued, so it must be a couple of years old.

It doesn't seem like they discontinued it. Lincoln still lists it on their website for 2018. https://www.lincoln.com/luxury-crossovers/mkt/

Hmm...I stand corrected. Hopefully it will be (discontinued).

stickguy

I really like the 2007 AM Vantage. Gorgeous. And a stick!

tjc78

The MKT “Town Car” is meant to be stretched into a limo or used for a hearse. They are also the replacement for actual Panther Town Cars for the black car market in cities.  

Speaking of fleet vehicles, had to go to Brooklyn yesterday for work so we took the train and then grabbed a cab.  A Camry hybrid cab just isn’t confortable for 4 adult men!   An extended Crown Vic like NYC used to use would have been so much better.   

Sandman6472

Noticed while in Chicago that most of the Lyft drivers who took us all over either had minivans, Pilots, Escalades or other vehicles that could fit more than five folks at a time. Was great when we landed at Midway with all our luggage or had to go out for dinner in a rainstorm. Never felt cramped at all and the vehicles looked to be pretty clean and not too old. The wait time was usually five minutes or less which seemed pretty good. When I had to use them a couple weeks ago, the first driver canceled on me and the second guy took closer to ten minutes to pick me up. Not outrageous but figure the bigger cities just have more drivers. We live in the suburbs here so I had to factor that into my use of them.
Overall, Lyft has been an excellent service, pretty seamless actually.

The Sandman

graphicguy

suydam said:

Speaking of EVs, it’s been a year and 7500 miles since I leased the Volt. I am so pleased with this vehicle at this point. It took awhile but we have really gotten into the rhythm of driving it so that we virtually never use gas in town, which is most of the driving. Yet if for some reason we forget, or we take a longer drive, nice to know the gas engine won’t leave us stranded. The charging system in this country still is not at the point where I’d feel comfortable taking an EV on a long drive. After a year we have used the electric side of consumption 70% of the time.

Fuel issues aside, I’m very much in love with the car itself. It’s extremely comfortable for 4 adults. I like the hatchback style, that has proved useful many times. Has plenty of acceleration and effortless power. I really like the touchpad infotainment screen and it is very easy to use. I never had all the safety features this car has — BLIS, back up cam, parking sensors — and I admit I now want them in every car I drive! I was very happy that my rental Elantra had many of those features. Love push button start (I had that in my last Accord). A compact car is the perfect size for me — we don’t have young children at home anymore, and I really enjoy the stellar handling. Still have to get used to how quiet it is, and remember that pedestrians can’t hear me coming.

It’s prety clear that at our retired stage of life we don’t pile on the miles like we used to — I think we put 9k on the Buick at most during the same time. So leasing was a good choice. I also wasn’t sure how much I’d find plugging in a hassle as time went on (answer: it’s getting more routine and really not an issue). I think the fact that it has a 50 mile range is a big plus. I would not want a vehicle with a smaller number of miles per charge (such as the Prius Prime) as I routinely take trips of around 20 miles each way.

Here’s looking forward to another year of happy EV driving!

Really glad to hear this. I was quite impressed of my test drive of the Volt when Cadillac/GM was fighting me over my lemon, and they floated the idea of a swap for another GM vehicle.

Lots of tech and R&D went into the Volt. And, it’s driveability was quite good, regardless of drivetrain configuration. Liked the torque off the line.

To me, it’s the best car GM makes.

Wishing you many more miles of happy motoring.

roadburner

suydam said:

Speaking of EVs, it’s been a year and 7500 miles since I leased the Volt. I am so pleased with this vehicle at this point. It took awhile but we have really gotten into the rhythm of driving it so that we virtually never use gas in town, which is most of the driving. Yet if for some reason we forget, or we take a longer drive, nice to know the gas engine won’t leave us stranded. The charging system in this country still is not at the point where I’d feel comfortable taking an EV on a long drive. After a year we have used the electric side of consumption 70% of the time.

Fuel issues aside, I’m very much in love with the car itself. It’s extremely comfortable for 4 adults. I like the hatchback style, that has proved useful many times. Has plenty of acceleration and effortless power. I really like the touchpad infotainment screen and it is very easy to use. I never had all the safety features this car has — BLIS, back up cam, parking sensors — and I admit I now want them in every car I drive! I was very happy that my rental Elantra had many of those features. Love push button start (I had that in my last Accord). A compact car is the perfect size for me — we don’t have young children at home anymore, and I really enjoy the stellar handling. Still have to get used to how quiet it is, and remember that pedestrians can’t hear me coming.

It’s prety clear that at our retired stage of life we don’t pile on the miles like we used to — I think we put 9k on the Buick at most during the same time. So leasing was a good choice. I also wasn’t sure how much I’d find plugging in a hassle as time went on (answer: it’s getting more routine and really not an issue). I think the fact that it has a 50 mile range is a big plus. I would not want a vehicle with a smaller number of miles per charge (such as the Prius Prime) as I routinely take trips of around 20 miles each way.

Here’s looking forward to another year of happy EV driving!

We've been very pleased with the i3 as well. We pretty much use it for it's intended purpose- a urban/suburban runabout. It's the DD for my wife, who just has a 22 mile daily commute. We've only had the range extender kick on a handful of times. We still just use the 110v "occasional use" charger and plug it in every time we put it in the garage. If we regularly ran the battery down past 60% or so we'd need a Level 2 charger to completely charge the battery overnight.
It's nice to be able to use the i3 for the 1-2 mile trips around town to go to the grocery or gym- it keeps us from having to use the gas engined cars for those extremely short trips.

If I didn't have the 2er already I'd be very tempted by a 330e; it's a tick slower than my old MS3, but I think I could live with it- especially in light of the fuel savings.

breld

qbrozen said:

Thought I'd share some other cars I have saved to my favorites list. Does anybody else keep their saved lists current even if not in a place to buy anything?

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/179501296
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/186165824
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/189950053
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/191373127
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/182853070

I'm with stick - I like that Aston Martin the best. The Porsches are nice too. I'm just not a huge fan of the Masarati styling, though I have no doubt they are a thrill to drive. My next door neighbor has one (not the one I went for the drive with).

Will be exciting to see what you end up with! It's nice that you have the courage and know-how to buy these cars so we can enjoy them vicariously through you!

roadburner

qbrozen said:

Thought I'd share some other cars I have saved to my favorites list. Does anybody else keep their saved lists current even if not in a place to buy anything?

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/179501296
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/186165824
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/189950053
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/191373127
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/182853070

I'm still a bit tempted by a RWD Giulia Ti. Not all that quick(about as fast as a 330e) but it sounds like fun...

qbrozen

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Thought I'd share some other cars I have saved to my favorites list. Does anybody else keep their saved lists current even if not in a place to buy anything?

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/179501296
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/186165824
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/189950053
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/191373127
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/182853070

I'm still a bit tempted by a RWD Giulia Ti. Not all that quick(about as fast as a 330e) but it sounds like fun...

Same. C&D 10 Best article makes it sound like the 2nd coming.