Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

corvette said:

That 2007 911 Turbo... $69k seems steep. What does a well-equipped new one go for, $180k or so? 40% residual on an eleven year old car seems a bit much. Maybe I'm way off.

911s don't depreciate as steeply as regular cars and 911 Turbos don't depreciate as steeply as "regular" 911s.

stickguy

nice looking 911. Go for it. What the heck!

stickguy

took the Elantra on the first long trip (had to run up to NY for a viewing). About 250 miles round trip. Largely highway, with a (typical for the garden state parkway) 15 minute stop and go delay. Some local running around at the end, and the usual down here local roads to get to the highway.

overall, according to the TC, got 40.3 MPG. And after about the first 80 miles (when I hit the traffic jam), it was sitting at 41.9! Pretty good IMO since it is also pretty quick, and has grippy tires.

not bad at all as a highway car either. wife commented that it was sometimes a little bouncy, but not uncomfortable at all. Price you pay for a smaller car with sporty suspension/tires.

Michaell

Regarding the Porsche that shifty found - wonder if he'll try his proven method of driving it flat out for 15-20 minutes to see if everything holds together.

Oh, wait - he'll either be in the next county or in jail if he does that.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

Regarding the Porsche that shifty found - wonder if he'll try his proven method of driving it flat out for 15-20 minutes to see if everything holds together. Oh, wait - he'll either be in the next county or in jail if he does that.

Or both. 

stickguy

I like this one. Favorite colors, and seems loaded. Miles not bad and looks clean.

No clue if price is realistic, but cheaper than a new one!

https://www.donilysautos.com/2010-bmw-x3

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I like this one. Favorite colors, and seems loaded. Miles not bad and looks clean.

No clue if price is realistic, but cheaper than a new one!

https://www.donilysautos.com/2010-bmw-x3

Last year of that body style.. Looks like the only missing option is HID headlights.
Has an awesome 255 HP inline-6, but we found the 6-speed automatic a little goofy.
Awesome engine gets so-so fuel mileage... figure around 18-19 in mixed driving.

Really low miles for a 2010. Otherwise, it's probably a $10K-11K vehicle at a dealer.

My wife's first X3... she is now on her 3rd. She loved that one.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

Regarding the Porsche that shifty found - wonder if he'll try his proven method of driving it flat out for 15-20 minutes to see if everything holds together.

Oh, wait - he'll either be in the next county or in jail if he does that.

Haha---I know this dealer quite well. They do a complete PPI which you can read, and also talk to the tech who did the work. So generally you go into that dealer with everything on the table.

The BIG PROBLEM for me? It's peculiar---but in a way this car is

TOO NICE FOR ME.

What I mean is: a) it has to live outside; b)probably birds will bomb it now and then; c) I use it for work, which means rain or shine, rough roads, potholes, city driving.

Sure, Porsches are tough, tough cars, but cosmetically this baby is bound to take something of a beating. My Mini has windshield stars, front chips, little marks from brush and twigs, wheels scraps. You get the idea. I take excellent mechanical care of my cars, but I don't fuss over cosmetics. For me, a Porsche is a fine tool, not a toy.

The only alternative is to use my truck more for work, but it's a gas hog, it's boring, it's old, and gas in CA is $$$.

I guess I really do need a Cayenne Turbo---LOL!

(I'm still gonna go look at this coupe, though)

I also found a Cayman S for sale at----of all places---a Ford dealer. Huh? CARFAX checks out fine. 1-owner car, locally serviced at Porsche dealer, traded to a Ford dealer. What did he buy I wonder? A Festiva? Probably one of those $80K Ford F-150s I betcha!

Downside? The Cayman S is black. I have a hard time with that car color. Given my situation, it'll look like crap in a week.

Car covers? What's worse than peeling off a wet car cover when you leave the house? Where do you put it? You're not going to put it back on wet when you come home.

First world problems!

More to come...

stickguy

Job 1, build a garage!

Got a link for that cayman?

Mr_Shiftright

I do, but there's not much info on it. Must have just come in.

The Last Temptation of Shiftright

kyfdx

That's not an actual picture, right?

I'll guess that it will turn out to be a non-S. Usually, when they mention Cayman S wheels, it's because it is an option on the base Cayman.

Hope I'm wrong.

Mr_Shiftright

Carfax says it's an "S". I'm going to call them up right now.

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Carfax says it's an "S". I'm going to call them up right now.

Oh.. if that's the case, then it probably is..

roadburner

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

I like this one. Favorite colors, and seems loaded. Miles not bad and looks clean.

No clue if price is realistic, but cheaper than a new one!

https://www.donilysautos.com/2010-bmw-x3

Last year of that body style.. Looks like the only missing option is HID headlights.
Has an awesome 255 HP inline-6, but we found the 6-speed automatic a little goofy.
Awesome engine gets so-so fuel mileage... figure around 18-19 in mixed driving.

Really low miles for a 2010. Otherwise, it's probably a $10K-11K vehicle at a dealer.

My wife's first X3... she is now on her 3rd. She loved that one.

My wife loved hers, I corrupted her so now that's the biggest SUV she will consider. When the i3 goes back she's looking at the X1, Renegade Trailhawk, CX-3, and CX-5

Mr_Shiftright

Trailhawk? Your wife does a lot of off-roading?

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

I do, but there's not much info on it. Must have just come in.

The Last Temptation of Shiftright

I like the white one next to it a lot more, better color and a lot fewer miles. Just a bit more $. Break the piggy bank open.

Mr_Shiftright

Well yeah, it has a lot fewer miles on it. Too bad I don't like white either! That's the dealer I originally bought my Mini from. Not my favorite place to do business, but....

Nope, my budget is my budget. I'm paying cash and propose to keep my track record of waking up each morning completely debt free. So no car loans. Besides, I'd probably be shoveling money into the Porsche soon enough.

Mr_Shiftright

Huh. LOTS of people are apparently already swarming over that 2004 Porsche 996. GEEZ, it's just a 996 people with 115K on it. I hate getting into a pack of dogs fighting over a hot dog. It makes people do silly things. Waiting to hear back on the Cayman S.

The Cayman is really more practical. You have two trunks and hatch space to throw things. There's not the "prestige" of a 911 body style I guess but I think the Cayman is a lot nicer looking--still looks good next to modern cars. The 996 is starting to look ordinary.

I have a friend who is very successful selling collectible cars. What he does is goes to all the auctions but he's there for the very first cars to roll through, and the very last ones. He doesn't score a lot of cars, but when he does, he gets some really buys. He tends to avoid bidding wars. It's not like house-hunting. Nobody NEEDS a Porsche.

28firefighter

Looks like my GTI sold. Almost exactly 4 weeks.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well yeah, it has a lot fewer miles on it. Too bad I don't like white either! That's the dealer I originally bought my Mini from. Not my favorite place to do business, but....

Nope, my budget is my budget. I'm paying cash and propose to keep my track record of waking up each morning completely debt free. So no car loans. Besides, I'd probably be shoveling money into the Porsche soon enough.

Well, I guess this is right out, then....

1997 Porsche Carrera S Coupe

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, last of the air-cooled 993s, and with ultra low miles--yeah, that'll bid up. It'll land somewhere between $75--$95K.

corvette

Mr_Shiftright said:

Trailhawk? Your wife does a lot of off-roading?

Prolly about as much as I do in my Tahoe Z71. 

stickguy

interesting oddball, that I would probably like. A 4 banger, RWD 5 series. Gotta be rare up here in the NE.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2012-bmw-5_series-528i-used-17369873.html

fintail

Speaking of cars selling, I had my eye on a couple specifically optioned G-Wagens (still out of my desired price range, but I liked their color combos) - I went to look at them again, both sold. Both were CPO sold by MB dealers - so there's demand out there.

Just made another lease payment, the clock is slowly ticking on this car.

stickguy

To me, something like the G-wagen just seems like something that sounds like a fun idea, but could get real old real fast. So better hope you can make it a short term relationship and bail without too big of a bath!

I wonder, in your case, how long you could go recommissioning the old car for daily/only car duty (or local stuff, and rent if you needed to take a longer trip)?

fintail

Too much rain for the old car to be a daily driver again (these cars are far from rust-resistant), and traffic here is monstrous. I think the car would last a couple months and then come down with a malady, just to prove a point. The car is enjoying retirement and sunny weekend drives. A real re-commissioning, like engine rebuild, suspension rebuild, paint and interior etc would cost a fortune.

I'd need to drive a G before I made any move, and that's a ways off, but it is on the list. Long term value is much more solid than an equally priced S, so someone likes them. Even the E, with its runflats and "sport" suspension, can be too harsh on the decaying roads around here, and I am getting tired of worrying about every pothole and idiotically designed manhole cover. On the highway the car is a gem though.

stickguy

I feel your pain on the roads. Considering the roads around here probably make your area look like SoCal freeways.

I drive like granny half the time, trying to spot the danger spots so I can weave around them. Which is a checkmark in the column to upgrade the family mobile (wife's car) and keep the Acura as the spare. Big honking sidewalls.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Trailhawk? Your wife does a lot of off-roading?

It's the only small SUV she likes that could also replace the Wrangler and give me another slot in the garage.

Mr_Shiftright

Not the best commuter though. Short trips would be fun.

corvette

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Trailhawk? Your wife does a lot of off-roading?

It's the only small SUV she likes that could also replace the Wrangler and give me another slot in the garage.

Just build another garage? [ducks and runs...]

stickguy

to me, the main reason to live out in the boonies on a lot of land to maintain, is to have space for spare garages.

fintail

Tall sidewalls will become more popular if infrastructure continues to decay. The fintail is on a cloud even compared to the E, and a Bluetec isn't exactly tuned like an E63. The roads here may be nicer than Detroit or Chicago, but they aren't pretty either, and a cold spell seems to make the potholes jump out.

28firefighter

fintail said:

Tall sidewalls will become more popular if infrastructure continues to decay. The fintail is on a cloud even compared to the E, and a Bluetec isn't exactly tuned like an E63. The roads here may be nicer than Detroit or Chicago, but they aren't pretty either, and a cold spell seems to make the potholes jump out.

Agreed. Had to make a run from Shoreline up to Lynnwood on Highway 99, and it was like playing a video game trying to keep the C's 19" high performance tires out of the potholes.

fintail

I hit a poorly designed manhole cover today - I don't think it did any damage, but it made a pretty harsh clonk, and irked me severely. I usually dodge these, but missed it in the dark. I probably look like a drunk weaving around avoiding these obstacles, and my car doesn't have sport tires or large wheels.

28firefighter said:

Agreed. Had to make a run from Shoreline up to Lynnwood on Highway 99, and it was like playing a video game trying to keep the C's 19" high performance tires out of the potholes.

ab348

stickguy said:

To me, something like the G-wagen just seems like something that sounds like a fun idea, but could get real old real fast. So better hope you can make it a short term relationship and bail without too big of a bath!

Yeah, I think it is the same as Jeep Wranglers in that respect. Lots of people buy them as daily drivers and quickly realize they are painful in that application. You see a steady supply of late models on used lots.

kyfdx

fintail said:

Tall sidewalls will become more popular if infrastructure continues to decay. The fintail is on a cloud even compared to the E, and a Bluetec isn't exactly tuned like an E63. The roads here may be nicer than Detroit or Chicago, but they aren't pretty either, and a cold spell seems to make the potholes jump out.

Have you looked at every single new car, lately? 18" is the new 16" wheel... I don't think we are going back..

fintail

I think people might be fooled into thinking those are cars, not trucks - especially as they have 4 doors.

Wranglers are another one with a high depreciation floor. A co-worker has been looking at a 2008 Wrangler 4 door, lowish miles, but they want over 20K for it. I told him to just buy a new one, he can afford it, and less worries about mistreatment.

qbrozen

Resale on Wranglers is insane.

example: new 2018 Unlimited Sport with automatic, trail package, and hardtop is just under $34k on truecar ($35.6k msrp). Auction value on a 2015 with 36k miles is a bit over $25k. ABout 71% residual.

au1994

stickguy said:

interesting oddball, that I would probably like. A 4 banger, RWD 5 series. Gotta be rare up here in the NE. http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2012-bmw-5_series-528i-used-17369873.html

I’m sure the lack of xdrive is unusual for your part of the country. For the previous gen 5 series, my dealer kept way more 4 cylinders than 6.

au1994

ab348 said:

To me, something like the G-wagen just seems like something that sounds like a fun idea, but could get real old real fast. So better hope you can make it a short term relationship and bail without too big of a bath!

Yeah, I think it is the same as Jeep Wranglers in that respect. Lots of people buy them as daily drivers and quickly realize they are painful in that application. You see a steady supply of late models on used lots.

A Wrangler as a DD requires a bit of preplanning.  I had an 07 soft top and did it for about a year and a half.  I enjoyed it. Fun to drive and mildly off road. But obviously its not a power top so while putting the top up wasn’t a huge deal, it wasn’t like hitting a button and if you were out, you’d need to bring your side panels and rear window.  Second is a lack of security. No trunk, everything out in the open for the world to see. There were a couple of times I had to tote my computer bag in a store with me if I had to stop on my way home from work.

a hardtop solves those issues but it requires help to take off and put on. Plus it takes away some of the Jeep -ness in my opinion.

i knew what I was getting when I bought it so the ride quality didn’t bother me.

roadburner

au1994 said:

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

To me, something like the G-wagen just seems like something that sounds like a fun idea, but could get real old real fast. So better hope you can make it a short term relationship and bail without too big of a bath!

Yeah, I think it is the same as Jeep Wranglers in that respect. Lots of people buy them as daily drivers and quickly realize they are painful in that application. You see a steady supply of late models on used lots.

A Wrangler as a DD requires a bit of preplanning.  I had an 07 soft top and did it for about a year and a half.  I enjoyed it. Fun to drive and mildly off road. But obviously its not a power top so while putting the top up wasn’t a huge deal, it wasn’t like hitting a button and if you were out, you’d need to bring your side panels and rear window.  Second is a lack of security. No trunk, everything out in the open for the world to see. There were a couple of times I had to tote my computer bag in a store with me if I had to stop on my way home from work.

a hardtop solves those issues but it requires help to take off and put on. Plus it takes away some of the Jeep -ness in my opinion.

i knew what I was getting when I bought it so the ride quality didn’t bother me.

I used my TJ as my DD from 2002 to 2007. I still think it's a lot of fun to drive; I drove it to a friend's campaign event last night.

au1994

roadburner said:

ab348 said:

To me, something like the G-wagen just seems like something that sounds like a fun idea, but could get real old real fast. So better hope you can make it a short term relationship and bail without too big of a bath!

Yeah, I think it is the same as Jeep Wranglers in that respect. Lots of people buy them as daily drivers and quickly realize they are painful in that application. You see a steady supply of late models on used lots.

A Wrangler as a DD requires a bit of preplanning.  I had an 07 soft top and did it for about a year and a half.  I enjoyed it. Fun to drive and mildly off road. But obviously its not a power top so while putting the top up wasn’t a huge deal, it wasn’t like hitting a button and if you were out, you’d need to bring your side panels and rear window.  Second is a lack of security. No trunk, everything out in the open for the world to see. There were a couple of times I had to tote my computer bag in a store with me if I had to stop on my way home from work.

a hardtop solves those issues but it requires help to take off and put on. Plus it takes away some of the Jeep -ness in my opinion.

i knew what I was getting when I bought it so the ride quality didn’t bother me.

I used my TJ as my DD from 2002 to 2007. I still think it's a lot of fun to drive; I drove it to a friend's campaign event last night.

It’s completely useable as a DD. It was my only car at the time. If I had something else more conventional in the stable, I’d have kept it as my fun car for a while.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

au1994 said:

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

To me, something like the G-wagen just seems like something that sounds like a fun idea, but could get real old real fast. So better hope you can make it a short term relationship and bail without too big of a bath!

Yeah, I think it is the same as Jeep Wranglers in that respect. Lots of people buy them as daily drivers and quickly realize they are painful in that application. You see a steady supply of late models on used lots.

A Wrangler as a DD requires a bit of preplanning.  I had an 07 soft top and did it for about a year and a half.  I enjoyed it. Fun to drive and mildly off road. But obviously its not a power top so while putting the top up wasn’t a huge deal, it wasn’t like hitting a button and if you were out, you’d need to bring your side panels and rear window.  Second is a lack of security. No trunk, everything out in the open for the world to see. There were a couple of times I had to tote my computer bag in a store with me if I had to stop on my way home from work.

a hardtop solves those issues but it requires help to take off and put on. Plus it takes away some of the Jeep -ness in my opinion.

i knew what I was getting when I bought it so the ride quality didn’t bother me.

I used my TJ as my DD from 2002 to 2007. I still think it's a lot of fun to drive; I drove it to a friend's campaign event last night.

The soft top Jeeps are incredibly noisy on the freeway. It reminded me of the sounds of sailing during a storm.

Michaell

When I lived in CA (early 90's), a co-worker bought a Wrangler. I rode with her once to a client site in LA, about 60-90 minutes away.

No way could I live with that on a daily basis, if I commuted.

Now, given that I work from home and drive about 6000 miles a year, I could likely live with just about anything.

Mr_Shiftright

The new ones are considerably more civilized. But prior years remind me of driving a British sports car from the 1960s. Personally, I'd prefer an older Jeep Cherokee--the boxy ones.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

The new ones are considerably more civilized. But prior years remind me of driving a British sports car from the 1960s. Personally, I'd prefer an older Jeep Cherokee--the boxy ones.

True enough. I haven't ridden in a Wrangler since then, so don't have any point of reference.

au1994

Michaell said:

The new ones are considerably more civilized. But prior years remind me of driving a British sports car from the 1960s. Personally, I'd prefer an older Jeep Cherokee--the boxy ones.

True enough. I haven't ridden in a Wrangler since then, so don't have any point of reference.

Take one for a test drive. Mine was a JK, the previous gen to the JL ol todayand it was like a Bentley compared to my neighbors TJ.

His had the 4 cylinder that sounded like a thousand angry bees trapped in a coke can.

kyfdx

I don't know.... for someone used to a crossover, the Wrangler will be a shock to the system. It's like jumping from a sedan to a pickup truck.

I hadn't been in one in years, until a friend of mine bought an Unlimited. It's no Grand Cherokee..

roadburner

au1994 said:

Michaell said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

The new ones are considerably more civilized. But prior years remind me of driving a British sports car from the 1960s. Personally, I'd prefer an older Jeep Cherokee--the boxy ones.

True enough. I haven't ridden in a Wrangler since then, so don't have any point of reference.

Take one for a test drive. Mine was a JK, the previous gen to the JL ol todayand it was like a Bentley compared to my neighbors TJ.

His had the 4 cylinder that sounded like a thousand angry bees trapped in a coke can.

I've never heard a TJ owner say that they wished they had gone with the 4 cylinder instead of the 6 cylinder.
I might have mentioned it before, but I've tried to make my Daimler Chrysler TJ even more German- adding Bilstein HDs, Hella E-Code headlamps, and MB Quart speakers. It has at least one more political campaign left in it...

nyccarguy

My best friend had a 2015 JKU Sahara for about 6 months. He leased it in May & took the hard top off about 2 weeks after he got it. We had a beautiful, not too humid, very dry summer that year & he drove around with the top down pretty much every day until mid-October. Once November hit & he put the hard top back on, he lasted about a week before he said: I can't believe what a cramped, & bumpy piece of garbage this thing is. He traded it in about 2 weeks later for the exact amount of his remaining payments plus residual.

Another friend of mine got a DWI a little more than a year ago. Luckily he didn't have an accident or hurt himself or anybody else. He has definitely learned his lesson. He couldn't have one of those "breathe to start and keep going every subsequent 30 minutes" installed in his Tesla Model S P85D. So he put that in his wife's name and bought himself a 2 Door Wrangler Rubicon "Hard Rock" with a 6 speed stick. He swears he likes it.

We rented a Wrangler JKU Sport in Puerto Rico for the day this past summer. It was noisy on the highway with the freedom top off. I think it would be cool as a 2nd car, but not sure how much top off time I would use it for.