Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

breld said:

I'm surprised to see one of these on the used market so quickly. They sure are nice. 2018 S5 Sportback

Gee, what a bargain. A whole $2k below what a new one with nav, cold weather, and sport pack would cost me.

corvette

Not super impressed with Oxmoor Ford. I got a text from them asking how my service visit went, and I responded with the following:


Hi, xxxxxxxx. Thank you for your text. I appreciate you reaching out to discuss my service visit. I dropped my car off before the service department opened last Tuesday. They called that day to provide a price for repairs, which I authorized. They thought the car would be completed later that day, and I advised I would not be able to pick it up until later in the week, so there was no rush.

I called twice on Thursday and a third time on Friday to see whether it was ready. Each time, the person answering the phone was not able to provide information about whether my car was ready, and sent me to the service advisor's voicemail. I finally got a call back from the advisor later Friday telling me the car was ready to be picked up. He apologized for not getting back to me, as he had been out of the office due to an illness. I do not fault him for being sick. I do fault Oxmoor for not having someone to cover for him or, apparently, anyone else in the building who could provide me with information about whether my repairs were complete, despite repeated phone calls. The lack of teamwork is disappointing.

I live in St. Matthews, but normally go to Byerly Ford, even though it is not the closest dealer, because I have received good service there and at their Nissan franchise. The only reason I gave Oxmoor a try was that my Mustang had a safety-related concern (seatbelt) and I do not have all-season tires installed, so I did not want to drive it a significant distance when there was the possibility of snow or ice due to the temperature outside.

On a more positive note, I did not notice any issues with the workmanship of the service and repair work I had performed. I hope that this provides some useful feedback for your team.

Best regards,
corvette

--------

No response. Today I got an email from them with the following: "Dear corvette [with my name spelled wrong], During your last visit, we recommended the following important service(s): • Tire tread is marginal. Tires may require replacement soon."

The tires they are referring to are the new Contis with about 1,000 miles on them. I think I will take it back to Byerly Ford next time. :@

cdnpinhead

This is a perfect example of why I try to keep my vehicle(s) out of the "service departments" of the various manufacturers involved. If the vehicle never fails, even on a warranty item, I don't have to deal with these dolts.

Imagine.

28firefighter

Question for our fearless mods. How does the Edmunds TCO calculate depreciation?  Is it calculated starting from MSRP or TMV?

My wife and I were discussing my propensity for flipping cars every 1.5-2 years and whether leasing actually made sense.  I was looking at the TCO calculator for a 2015 C300 and the depreciation for years 4 and 5, which I’d be owning during, is actually minimal.  Trying to figure out just how accurate it is. 

Thanks!

tbirdmarco

@breld nice S5 love the exterior color top choice of mine!

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

Question for our fearless mods. How does the Edmunds TCO calculate depreciation?  Is it calculated starting from MSRP or TMV?

My wife and I were discussing my propensity for flipping cars every 1.5-2 years and whether leasing actually made sense.  I was looking at the TCO calculator for a 2015 C300 and the depreciation for years 4 and 5, which I’d be owning during, is actually minimal.  Trying to figure out just how accurate it is. 

Thanks!

Well... it's like this: I don't know.

But, I'll look at it..

tbirdmarco

@corvette stick with the original dealer sounds like to me whair you got the car from or find an indapandent shop!

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

Question for our fearless mods. How does the Edmunds TCO calculate depreciation?  Is it calculated starting from MSRP or TMV?

My wife and I were discussing my propensity for flipping cars every 1.5-2 years and whether leasing actually made sense.  I was looking at the TCO calculator for a 2015 C300 and the depreciation for years 4 and 5, which I’d be owning during, is actually minimal.  Trying to figure out just how accurate it is. 

Thanks!

Looks to me.. like that's the actual depreciation, if you bought it used for $27,639.

So, depreciation for years 1-5, from buying it used, right now. Not depreciation from buying it new in 2005.

roadburner

corvette said:

Not super impressed with Oxmoor Ford. I got a text from them asking how my service visit went, and I responded with the following:


Hi, xxxxxxxx. Thank you for your text. I appreciate you reaching out to discuss my service visit. I dropped my car off before the service department opened last Tuesday. They called that day to provide a price for repairs, which I authorized. They thought the car would be completed later that day, and I advised I would not be able to pick it up until later in the week, so there was no rush.

I called twice on Thursday and a third time on Friday to see whether it was ready. Each time, the person answering the phone was not able to provide information about whether my car was ready, and sent me to the service advisor's voicemail. I finally got a call back from the advisor later Friday telling me the car was ready to be picked up. He apologized for not getting back to me, as he had been out of the office due to an illness. I do not fault him for being sick. I do fault Oxmoor for not having someone to cover for him or, apparently, anyone else in the building who could provide me with information about whether my repairs were complete, despite repeated phone calls. The lack of teamwork is disappointing.

I live in St. Matthews, but normally go to Byerly Ford, even though it is not the closest dealer, because I have received good service there and at their Nissan franchise. The only reason I gave Oxmoor a try was that my Mustang had a safety-related concern (seatbelt) and I do not have all-season tires installed, so I did not want to drive it a significant distance when there was the possibility of snow or ice due to the temperature outside.

On a more positive note, I did not notice any issues with the workmanship of the service and repair work I had performed. I hope that this provides some useful feedback for your team.

Best regards,
corvette

--------

No response. Today I got an email from them with the following: "Dear corvette [with my name spelled wrong], During your last visit, we recommended the following important service(s): • Tire tread is marginal. Tires may require replacement soon."

The tires they are referring to are the new Contis with about 1,000 miles on them. I think I will take it back to Byerly Ford next time. :@

The Oxmorons Dealer Group has never been known for the quality of their service departments. Calling them pathetic would be a compliment...

corvette

Oxmorons sounds about right. I guess that rules out their Mazda, Toyota, and Hyundai stores, as well. You'd think their Ford franchise would be decent since Ford has a plant here, but then again, the Chevrolet dealer in Bowling Green used to be bad enough that they sent Corvettes 35 miles up the road to be dealer prepped at a different dealer when a buyer ordered one for Museum Delivery.

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

Question for our fearless mods. How does the Edmunds TCO calculate depreciation?  Is it calculated starting from MSRP or TMV?

My wife and I were discussing my propensity for flipping cars every 1.5-2 years and whether leasing actually made sense.  I was looking at the TCO calculator for a 2015 C300 and the depreciation for years 4 and 5, which I’d be owning during, is actually minimal.  Trying to figure out just how accurate it is. 

Thanks!

Looks to me.. like that's the actual depreciation, if you bought it used for $27,639. So, depreciation for years 1-5, from buying it used, right now. Not depreciation from buying it new in 2005.

Ah. I see. That’s helpful!  Thanks. 

The math keeps telling me to find a cheaper hobby. 

breld

stickguy said:

breld said:

I wish my stepdaughter and wife were more open to the Hyundai brand, 'cause I'd love to have the Elantra Sport on the short list when the Jetta lease is up at the end of the year. Just seems to offer so much for the price, especially if I could find a slightly used one.

To be fair, they did let me go down that road for one of the cars a few years ago - I picked the Veloster over an Elantra GT. The lack of power and plethora of blind spots in that Veloster resulted in a quick trade. But we did get that brand new Veloster for about $16k, and traded it in at hardly any loss.

I know where you can get a super clean 2018 Sport. Only about 900 miles on it too!

With as few miles as you put on your cars, one of your lease returns would indeed be a good buy!

breld

corvette said:

breld said:

I'm surprised to see one of these on the used market so quickly. They sure are nice.

2018 S5 Sportback

They put a lot of miles on it for it to be a 2018! Fire engine red would not be my first color choice. You going to check it out today?

I was actually thinking of heading over to a newly opened Audi dealership nearby to browse around, but after a morning and afternoon of taking down all the Christmas stuff, taking a couple trips over to our storage unit, and cleaning/organizing our storage unit...I decided just to kick back and watch some football.

breld

qbrozen said:

breld said:

I'm surprised to see one of these on the used market so quickly. They sure are nice.

2018 S5 Sportback

Gee, what a bargain. A whole $2k below what a new one with nav, cold weather, and sport pack would cost me.

Good point. And this is at a no-haggle dealership, so that's really what they're hoping to get.

I wouldn't be opposed to a "regular" A5 either, since you can get a manual in those. As good as the Audi DSG is, it's kinda funny that they still offer a manual in the A4 and A5, but not the S4 and S5.

ab348

cdnpinhead said:

This is a perfect example of why I try to keep my vehicle(s) out of the "service departments" of the various manufacturers involved. If the vehicle never fails, even on a warranty item, I don't have to deal with these dolts.

Imagine.

It ll depends on the ownership of the dealer group.

The dealer where I bought my Intrigue in 2003 was a longstanding Chevy-Olds dealer with a good reputation, but it had been bought a few years before by another ownership group. I remember they replaced front control arm bushings in it 3 times, twice under warranty and a third time on my nickel. I found it odd because the car never showed any symptoms but I trusted them. Then I brought it in for an oil change and they told me that it needed a new steering rack when I picked it up. Again, no symptoms, so I challenged them because that would not be cheap. Turns out the tech saw some rustproofing spray on it and decided it was leaking. Never went back.

That dealer morphed into a Ford dealer in the same location with the same owner. He had a Ford store across town in an old building and moved it there during the GM dealer downsizing. My brother bought his '07 Ford Ranger at the old location and kept going to their service department. We have an every-2-years government-mandated roadworthiness inspection here and he took it there for that some years after he bought it. The last time he did that it passed with no issues. Two months later the spare tire fell off the frame mount under the bed. Inspection showed a frame that was totally rotted. He went back to the dealer that did the inspection and asked how could this have passed? It was just here 2 months ago and you found no issues. They had no answer for him. He stopped going there then too.

Just a very badly-run dealer group.

stickguy

well, my Sonata went back with about 20,500 miles on it in 3 years. Still smelled sorta new too. And never touched snow. So not a bad idea.

But I was channeling my inner you. You can have it right now, with 900 miles on it. Really good as new! largely the weather now coloring my mood. With the crappy roads thanks to the recent snow and cold, and poor conditions, it is just staying in the garage. And I have been driving the RDX a lot the last few weeks, so used to it now, and enjoying it. Especially with the new tires, which make a huge difference. And I don't live in fear of hitting every pothole!

So combine that with my wife feeling a little left out on the goody count (nav of some sort, BLIS, etc.), even though overall she likes her car, and I think that if we had a do-over (or had to replace it for some reason), we would go with one of the alternate plans and get a new CUV for her (CX5, CRV, maybe an X1 or XC60) for her, and to be the travel/go out together car (which for the past 3 years was the Sonata, unless we needed the cargo room). I would then just keep the RDX as the spare car I would use, for dog transport duty, etc.

Of course, that would also mean at some point when something caught my eye I could trade it in without worrying about taking away her car. Or even more likely, eventually finding a toy to be a garage queen/3rd car to have something fun for when conditions make it useful.

Would probably get killed (by the wife, if not $$) trading it in after 4 months or some such craziness, but selling it at a discount to the daughter as a graduation present would take care of that issue!

stickguy

I am curious, with the terrible weather here right now (high of 15 today, windy, lots of snow including some roads) how busy dealers were the last few days. Wonder if stopping in this afternoon would have been conducive to getting a killer deal? Maybe not since so early in the month, and no one at the dealer probably feels like going to dig a car out of the lot.

Michaell

stickguy said:

I am curious, with the terrible weather here right now (high of 15 today, windy, lots of snow including some roads) how busy dealers were the last few days. Wonder if stopping in this afternoon would have been conducive to getting a killer deal? Maybe not since so early in the month, and no one at the dealer probably feels like going to dig a car out of the lot.

I can't tell you if folks are shopping at the dealer, but the number of lease inquiries I'm getting today from the east coast doesn't seem to have diminished due to the weather.

stickguy

well, people stuck inside surfing the internet, makes sense!

suydam

stickguy said:

I am curious, with the terrible weather here right now (high of 15 today, windy, lots of snow including some roads) how busy dealers were the last few days. Wonder if stopping in this afternoon would have been conducive to getting a killer deal? Maybe not since so early in the month, and no one at the dealer probably feels like going to dig a car out of the lot.

It was mid February and 12 degrees when we bought the Buick. And we did get a very good deal. I also bought a used car for one of my sons some years ago in early January (during his college break) and also got a good deal. NOBODY was out shopping but us! In the Encore’s case my old car had chosen that day to die. Wasn’t strategy on my part either time but the results were good!

tjc78

Was talking to the wife last night while trolling Swap a Lease and she said for my car she doesn’t care what I do....
 
The more I look the more I like it.  The key (I guess) is finding something the owner put a pretty large cap cost reduction making for a lower payment than normal.

@stickguy
My Elantra hasn’t left the driveway since 12/22.   I started it yesterday for the first time.  It’s nice and clean compared to this... ugh

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

This is a perfect example of why I try to keep my vehicle(s) out of the "service departments" of the various manufacturers involved. If the vehicle never fails, even on a warranty item, I don't have to deal with these dolts. Imagine.

The three BMW dealers I have dealt with have all been excellent. Ditto for Kings Mazda in Cincy. 

tbirdmarco

@breld ging today to see that S5? lollol or any other cars?

tbirdmarco

@stickguy good idea to sell the car to the daughter than in the summer you can get sumthing elce!

tbirdmarco

@tjc78 man the stuff from the roads what it does to re dally driven cars! if was driving would be an fanatic and wash the car once an week!

tbirdmarco

@stickguy shore dealers have still plen inqueries! but yes might be able to get an good deal now! if my mom wants to go later on want her to start doing sum test drives!

breld

tbirdmarco said:

@breld ging today to see that S5? lollol or any other cars?

I just might.  Sunday is safe since the dealers are closed.  

pensfan83

@tjc78, our cars is right there with yours. They are filthy and I can't wait until our heat wave later in the week so I can give both. Yesterday I gave the interiors for both a solid cleaning..scrubbing the mats down and wiping down the dash, console, and doors.

rny421

I braved the elements yesterday to do some test driving. It was about 5 degrees here, and a bunch of snow. Nobody else was out shopping, so it was actually nice to not have to wait for a salesperson. Here are the vehicles I drove, even though I would be looking at used models (except for the Civic).

2018 Honda Civic EX-T - I like the looks of it, and really wanted to like it, but it's a no-go. The engine felt buzzy, and the road noise was not something I can tolerate. I liked the interior, infotainment, and general layout of the cabin. The price I was quoted from the dealer was a joke (MSRP), then he asked what he could do to get me in the vehicle today, when they didn't even have an EX-L, which is what I told him I wanted. I told him it's irrelevant what he can do, because there's nothing that I could take home today that I wanted. He said I had a good point and backed off.

2018 Mazda 3 Grand Touring - Drove nicely. Less road noise than the Civic, but more than the Jetta. It had a bunch of features like Homelink and a heated steering wheel that I believe the others don't offer. The seats had a little too much side bolstering for me (too tight), and I'm 6'-2", 180 lbs.

2018 Jetta SE - This drove the best in my opinion. Quiet and solid feeling. Quick, too. There are some features that the SE didn't have though that I forgot about - like automatic headlights (!!!), auto dimming rearview mirror, and automatic climate control. It's odd that it had stuff like BLIS, heated mirrors, and rear cross traffic alert, but not automatic headlights. GM used to have it on their Chevy Cobalts. But, for the prices I'm seeing that you can buy a 2-3 year old used Jetta for, I could probably get over it. My other gripe about the Jetta is that it is a little plain, both inside and outside.

2014 Acura TSX - Went to Carmax to check this one out. I was greeted by a man at the front desk, and told him I wanted to look at the Acura TSX they had in stock. He pointed outside at their lot and said "it should be over there. There's a sticker on the window that tells you everything about it, and it's unlocked." I went outside to where he pointed, and quickly realized he was wrong, as he pointed me to the SUVs. I was super soured by it, but a different guy who eventually went on the test drive with me was nice. The car itself was nice, but I realized I would want one with HIDs, meaning I have to get the Tech package. I also am a little particular, where I want a black or white exterior, with a black interior, which seems hard to find for a reasonable price. These seem to hold their value pretty well.

Right now it is a tie between the Jetta and TSX. I am also considering bumping up the budget and getting a TLX. I still need to drive one though. The 8-speed transmission in the 4 cylinder models doesn't have the problems that the 9 speed transmission does, right?

Here are some cars I have found thus far. At this point, I am leaning towards buying something else instead of keeping the Edge.

2015 VW Jetta, $12,200

2014 Acura TSX, $13,890 (No Xenons )

2015 Acura TLX $18,500

2013 Acura TSX $16,481 (Tech pkg)

stickguy

The Acura 8 speed should be fine.

For the Jetta, they changed equipment quite a bit year to year. And engine. The 2017 SE has a ton more stuff, and the better 1.4t engine. For not much price difference. But yeah, no auto lights. The one you linked looked nice.

I like the TLX more than TSX. New design. But again, whatever feels best to you.

All depends on which buttons are most important to you to be pushed.

stickguy

Ran my latest scheme past the wife’s. Her response was, “it’s your car”. Big help there! She cares not, as long as she gets a say in what her DD will be. And doesn’t matter if the Acura or a new CUV if we have both.

tbirdmarco

@breld so did you get to look no testdrives today nother day for that lollollol

tbirdmarco

@stickguy sounds like things will work out in your faver!

tbirdmarco

@rny421 glad you got to do an bunch of testdrives yesterday! now to see on the two you did nario it down to!

tbirdmarco

we did not go on any testdrives today hear! hoping next sunday!

stickguy

started thinking about a list of new family truckster options. Just in case...

off the cuff, I want to see the CRV, CX5, Volvo XC60, MB GLC, BMW X3, Tiguan and Sube Ascent (and yes, I know the last one is a lot bigger). None of which I have ever actually driven (I did drive an XC60 and X3, but not the new design). Maybe an X1 too, but that might be a tad small.

Looking forward to seeing all of them at the car show in a few weeks. Curious to know what the wife thinks too. If she falls in love with one of them, I know she would not put up a fight about making a move! Since there is something in it for her too.

sb55

Brief update. As reported here on CCBA, 
we bought a new 2018 Airstream and finally picked it up in late November. Since we are in northern Vermont, it came winterized and we never used it. 
We had planned a trip south in the month of January. What a crazy year to do this!
We left Wednesday between 2 snow events and the beginning of the frigid temps. 
First night was a hotel in Harrisburg, Pa. we had planned to switch east to 95, but the coastal storm changed that. We ended up staying on 81 to Radford, VA in another hotel. The next day we wanted to get to the coast, but no access east of I-95 was recommended.  So we decided to try to find a campground and ended up in Fort Mill, SC (just south of Charlotte, NC). 
The record cold has followed us, as it was 8 degrees this morning. But, we have now winter camped and nothing froze. 
Tomorrow we hit Myrtle Beach and the weather is supposed to warm up.  Then on to meet friends in mid-Georgia. At least we made it this far.
BTW it was 20 below zero at home this morning. 
After MLK weekend we have to plot how to get back home. Now that we know we can winter camp and be safe, it will be less stressful. 

Michaell

stickguy said:

started thinking about a list of new family truckster options. Just in case...

off the cuff, I want to see the CRV, CX5, Volvo XC60, MB GLC, BMW X3, Tiguan and Sube Ascent (and yes, I know the last one is a lot bigger). None of which I have ever actually driven (I did drive an XC60 and X3, but not the new design). Maybe an X1 too, but that might be a tad small.

Looking forward to seeing all of them at the car show in a few weeks. Curious to know what the wife thinks too. If she falls in love with one of them, I know she would not put up a fight about making a move! Since there is something in it for her too.

Make sure you drive the CX5 before any of the others, as it will feel noticeably slower than anything else on your list.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

started thinking about a list of new family truckster options. Just in case... off the cuff, I want to see the CRV, CX5, Volvo XC60, MB GLC, BMW X3, Tiguan and Sube Ascent (and yes, I know the last one is a lot bigger). None of which I have ever actually driven (I did drive an XC60 and X3, but not the new design). Maybe an X1 too, but that might be a tad small. Looking forward to seeing all of them at the car show in a few weeks. Curious to know what the wife thinks too. If she falls in love with one of them, I know she would not put up a fight about making a move! Since there is something in it for her too.

Make sure you drive the CX5 before any of the others, as it will feel noticeably slower than anything else on your list.

Seconded. The CX-5 and the Mazda6 are just begging for a turbo. 

tjc78

@stickguy .. you just reminded me I have to get with the wife and find out what day we are going to the car show!

stickguy

well, the CX5 is coming out with the diesel soon. That has a Turbo!

right now, if I had to replace the RDX tomorrow, it would probably be a buy on a CRV as a long term keeper. And very likely, would just get the FWD model. $1,800 cheaper, better MPG, and the wife would never notice the difference.

stickguy

oh, I forgot to put on the list 2019 RDX, which is being released in Detroit. Hopefully it is more attractive than the teaser pics.

I really want to drive the XC60. We drove a 90, and it was really nice. Fantastic interior. Just too big and bulky. the 60 should be a more sprightly, and manageable sized, version of that.

stickguy

tjc78 said:

@stickguy .. you just reminded me I have to get with the wife and find out what day we are going to the car show!

we are going on the 1st Saturday (26th?) My son and BIL are coming down from NY, and probably my SIL too. Plus my daughter will be visiting home from school, and wants to go with her BF. So going to be a crowd. I think the princess is more interested at the traditional post-show trip to Oscar's for cheesesteaks and 22 ounce beers.

Michaell

stickguy said:

oh, I forgot to put on the list 2019 RDX, which is being released in Detroit. Hopefully it is more attractive than the teaser pics.

I really want to drive the XC60. We drove a 90, and it was really nice. Fantastic interior. Just too big and bulky. the 60 should be a more sprightly, and manageable sized, version of that.

You should also look at the V60 CC

stickguy

the show this year should actually have a few interesting new releases. Hopefully they are all there (though some will be on the turntable you can't get to). New RDX, Ascent from Sube, 2019 Jetta. Probably a few more I am forgetting.

stickguy

I like the regular V60. that would certainly be on the list. I am fine with the FWD version. Cheaper, quicker and better MPG. One drawback though is that it is the older design, so not on the new platform or new interior.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

I like the regular V60. that would certainly be on the list. I am fine with the FWD version. Cheaper, quicker and better MPG. One drawback though is that it is the older design, so not on the new platform or new interior.

My mom has a V60 T5. She loves it. Dad thinks it’s slow. 

Dad also just bought his late-mid life crisis mobile - A used Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, so his opinion is now of no use. He’s tainted. 

tjc78

I just told the Wife I want to go on the first Sunday right when they open. Last year we when into the Reading Terminal Market after, what mob scene!!

tjc78

Here is an interesting one... 
How do you put a true value on it.  

https://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/13000-miles-toyota-corolla/6446376988.html

stickguy

tjc78 said:

I just told the Wife I want to go on the first Sunday right when they open. Last year we when into the Reading Terminal Market after, what mob scene!!

love the market, but you are correct. a zoo at that time, double so when a public event is happening at the center.