Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

Hmm, I hope I can figure out a way to sneak out for a couple of hours Monday to check out an X3. I sat in one and liked it, but have never driven one.

As I said earlier, my wife's X3 2.5 has proven to be reliable and durable. It's a nice truck that drives -almost- like a BMW.

tifighter

My local dealer is advertising them from $22.9-$24.9.... CPO..

Here in Seattle, 04-05 X3 CPO's are advertising at 28K for 2.5's, and 30K for 3.0's. I'm clearly in the wrong part of the country when it comes to these things...

qbrozen

I would say so. Yikes!

my findings correlate with kyfdx's. ~$24-$25k for 2004 3.0s. I've seen SOME up around $28k, but those people obviously aren't checking their competitors. A particular Chevy dealer by me has an '04 3.0 and they've been sitting on it for several months now. The price started at $27k and is now down to $23k. They MIGHT find a buyer at that price, but when CPOs are being advertised for $1k-$2k more ....

kyfdx

Yeah... that was just 5-6 cars in a newspaper ad... If you go to the lot, all of those CPO cars will have asking prices of $27,900-$29,900 on the window sticker...

My local BMW dealers don't like to bargain on their CPO cars... you just have to wait until they come to their senses and cut the price, then be ready to grab it.

qbrozen

I didn't realize that was common with the bimmer dealers. I saw on the coupe I drove that was priced $26,900 online had a sticker on the showroom floor of $30,900. Guess they are hoping for the uneducated window shopper to give them a healthy bonus.

woodyww

How nice is the Chevy dealer's X3? "Could be" an opportunity there, if it's a really nice one.....& they came down some more on the price....

qbrozen

i stopped and looked on a sunday. Looked just fine to me. I'm not sure I'd go non-CPO, however.

stickguy

My wife actually made the comment today that maybe we should trade in the Odyssey and get a new one.

This was a response to me telling her that I made another appointment to take it in to have the steering looked at. We just had (a month ago) the PS pump replaced (a known issue), for the second time, and it is starting to make the same noise again.

It also just went out of warranty (and got paid off, a nice coincidence!) this month.

As much as the wife thinks there is never really a need to get a new car, and not making payments is nice, she has little tolerance for one that has frequent problems requiring trips to the dealer, especially when it is her car, and she gets inconvenienced.

There is also a 1 strike and you are out policy if it dies and leaves her stranded.

At this point, she won't do anything, but the Odyssey can consider itself to be on notice to behave, or watch out.

The acid test will be if she decides to come to the Phila. car show with me for the first time in years.

Now all I need to do is find a stylish cross-over, with all the goodies, that is more compact than the van, that I can get cheap.

Sounds like a heavily subsidized lease on a Tribeca or Veracruz to me! And the fact that I know people that work for Subaru and Hyundai corporate might mean an insider deal...

guss

to get er done today ?

It seems like all the year end specials end Jan. 2. I bet they will be just as good next month but the last day of the year you may score a real deal.

My personal favorite in the crossovers are the Mazda C7\C9 or Ford Edge.

woodyww

Well, everyone "want's what they want". All I'm sayin' is: given low-ish miles, service records, options you want, & maybe a price $2k less than a CPO, I'd start getting interested. Esp. if it was down the street from me.

CPO is good to have. I don't know that I'd pay $2k+ for 2 extra years of warranty tho. Then there's color, & options. A lot of cool options on a used bmw can mean a LOT.....

With a Jag, or a land rover, I'd be getting a lot more obsessed with the warranty months remaining.....than with most bmw's.....

michaellno

As much as the wife thinks there is never really a need to get a new car, and not making payments is nice, she has little tolerance for one that has frequent problems requiring trips to the dealer, especially when it is her car, and she gets inconvenienced.

There is also a 1 strike and you are out policy if it dies and leaves her stranded.

And that's exactly why we're driving an '08 VUE instead of the '04 VUE!

Good luck with the search! Keep us posted as to how things turn out.

All is well here in the land of Saturn.

I drove my L300 today for the first time since 12/24. Looks like it'll be my commuter car only ... we take the VUE everywhere else. At this rate, it will probably take 3-4 years to accumulate the 33,000+ miles to get to 100K.

Of course, if something really expensive to fix fails, it'll be gone. I'm hoping that doesn't happen.

The VUE is tremendous in the snow ... much more so than the '04 we had. However, on the really bad days, we tend to stay home.

mark156

Surely, Jolie has been looking at cars!!!! :P

Jolie, I have a question, a friend of mine is looking for an SUV where the seats need go all the way down and fold flat. He has a staging business where he needs to carry large furniture pieces. Do the seats in the Pilot fold all the way flat?

Thanks,
Mark

stickguy

be careful with the SUVs. Even though the seats might fold flat, a lot of them don't have the headroom required for something large.

Frankly, for someone with those needs, a minivan is a whole lot more practical usually.

corvette

Yes, or a full-size van. I think you can get a late-model used 15-passenger model under $20,000.

guss

We just bought a brand new '08 Chevy Venture at work for $19,700. It's basically a stripper with just 2 seats and air, but it will carry a construction gang box(4'x4'x6') with out any problem.

grandtotal

but it will carry a construction gang box(4'x4'x6') with out any problem.

It's not 4'x4'x6' - a minivan could not cope with a box that tall.

However, I agree with the point everyone is making that a minivan is a better bet than an SUV.

mark156

I guess I should clarify... My friend is not going to use the vehicle exclusively for hauling.... just for those extra pieces that may be needed on a job. There is a moving company that takes care of all the really big stuff for the initial set-up.

He has looked at the Lincoln Navigator, Infiniti Q56, Yukon, etc... some of the seats in these don't fold all the way flat or are awkward. Of these three, the Lincoln worked best.

He also looked at the Acura MDX but the back was too slanted. That's why I thought maybe the boxy-ness of the Honda Pilot might fit the bill. But, he has now zeroed in on the Ford Expedition (Lincoln's cheap sister). He currently has an '06 Lexus RX400 Hybrid that is getting too small for hauling so it will be used as a secondary vehicle.

Early in the search, I suggested that he take a look at the diesel Dodge Sprinter van but the purpose of his choice is to have a nice personal vehicle that is large enough for minor hauling.

Mark

tifighter

Used Expedition prices have plummeted with gas prices so high. I recently saw a ex-rental 07 Expedition 4x4 XLT with reasonable miles for $19K here in Seattle. Maybe your friend should consider used?

akangl

Surely, Jolie has been looking at cars!!!!

Jolie, I have a question, a friend of mine is looking for an SUV where the seats need go all the way down and fold flat. He has a staging business where he needs to carry large furniture pieces. Do the seats in the Pilot fold all the way flat?

Me? Look at cars?? Maybe in passing but I'm NOT interested in anything, LOVE my Pilot. Will be 6 months old in 5 days and just turned 14k today. Had the oil changed......come to think of it, changing the oil and putting gas in it is all I've had to do. Its the most trouble free car I've ever owned. The funky starting quirk went away after the auto start was installed, that was the only weird thing I can remember the Pilot doing.

As for the seats, yup the 2nd and 3rd row both fold flat. I had my Pilot crammed full of stuff including a full size mountain bike among other things a few days before Christmas. That thing can hold some STUFF!!! I'm always hauling around something, chainsaws, bikes, horse feed, haven't found something that won't fit yet, really happy with the Pilot.

Not to mention the thing is a tank on bad roads, never have I felt so safe and secure on nasty roads. Very impressive car, can't say enough good about it!!

I think I need to hand in my CCBA card..........

otto8

"Me? Look at cars?? Maybe in passing but I'm NOT interested in anything,"

We have heard THAT before !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anybody have any bets for the next date Jolie get the new car bug :P :confuse:

akangl

Anybody have any bets for the next date Jolie get the new car bug

Cute, lol. I'm nearly at the 6 month mark and still enjoy what I'm driving. That has got to be a record right there!! :P

nippononly

You can keep your CCBA card - with the number of miles you drive in a year, you will need to be buying new more frequently than most folks anyway...

guss

Yea, her car buying years are like dog years.

woodyww

Totally OT: I'm still house hunting. It's such a pressing issue I don't have time to go car shopping/looking. The last house I was really excited about--sold a few days before Christmas--(when NOTHING ever sells, according to agents, & my own experience)--& I was snowed in for 2 weeks.

The one I'm going to see next is:

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/west+newbury-ma-01985-1093914847/

No garage--bummer!--but I've decided not to make that a deal breaker. And with my luck, there will be a bidding war, or some other hang-up. It has an in-ground pool--which could be nice for the 5 minutes of Summer every year in New England.....I figure I could sit by the pool with my laptop (& Pina Coladas), & surf the used car listings.....

Hey, we all need fantasies, right?

kyfdx

I can't get it to pull up...

But.. no garage.. and a swimming pool... in the Northeast...

What's not to like? :surprise:

stickguy

no garage = no sale!

it has plenty of land, can you put up some kind of barn/carraige house that would blend in?

corvette

I like the fireplace. With an in-ground pool on a half acre, I'm not sure there would be much land left over on which to build a garage. Maybe fill in the pool and build a garage on top of it?

My boss has a covered, heated four-season pool here in Kentucky. From what I've heard from him, you'd have to really, really like swimming in order to keep up with the chemical levels, leaks, mechanical problems, repair bills, gas/electric to heat the water, etc... Not my cup of tea!

woodyww

Maybe fill in the pool and build a garage....

What you're saying doesn't surprise me; I need to do some fast learning re: pool maintenence. I might make a low enough bid to fill in the pool if need be--I doubt that would be cheap. The R.E. agent said to "live with the pool for a summer before filling in the pool".

no garage = no sale!

That's a tough one. When you've looked at probably 100's of houses over the years--there's always something wrong with all of them--& if you find the perfect one, it's way further away than you want to move. I'm near that point--like in used car shopping--where you're so frustrated, you buy the next nice car that has 80-90% of what you want. Also--because my current garage is rotting & collapsing--it might not seem like such a big loss.

Here's 2 more, both w/garages, but would mean a move of 120 miles, vs. 40 for the last one.......

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/cape+elizabeth-me-04107-1093197824/

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/cape+elizabeth-me-04107-1086370777/

KDYFX: maybe try a diff. browser, or cut & paste the URL?

stever

I need to do some fast learning re: pool maintenance

I went camping with my brother a couple of years ago. Number one on his cell phone speed dial was Mom. Number 2 was his pool guy. :P

Hot tubs aren't much better.

Your other link worked fine for me btw.

grandtotal

Hot tubs aren't much better.

Amen.

corvette

He only has one pool guy? I think my boss has gone through a handful. Oh, and when none of them can get the chemical levels right, you get to drain and refill the pool!

stever

Oh, and when none of them can get the chemical levels right, you get to drain and refill the pool!

In my brother's case, that gives him opportunity to replace the liner (ok, he's only gone through a couple of those in ~20 years).

Did I mention that he's building a new house right now? No pool. :shades:

Ok, anyone buying?

stickguy

You anywhere near Needham now? I have to go up there for a function in March. Not that I am planning to barge in on you, just curious!

As to the pool, we just put one in this past spring. New ones, at least, are simple to keep up. I learned how to be my own pool boy pretty quickly. Once I got the tricks figured out, I spent maybe an hour a week (2 tops) taking care of it.

Filters are on timers, and they have automatic chlorine dispensers. And most pool supply stores check the water for free, so every couple of weeks you stop in with a sample, and they tell you what to do.

I have friends that don't want to bother, and they have a service that comes out once a week to take care of everything. All they ever do is run the vacuum (also automatic) and clean the skimmer baskets (that you have to do yourself!).

Still, I wouldn't have spent the money (darned thing cost as much as a nice BMW, a new one!) if I didn't have kids. Although it did turn out that my wife and I used it more than they did sometimes!

stickguy

Kind of like a Nor'easter forming (Woody will know what that is!)

The title to the Odyssey came in the mail today (just made the last payment) so I am now TIH on both 2005 Hondas.

Combine that with the fact that the van ha sdeveloped a ridiculous amount of rattles and squeaks, and my patience may be getting tested.

THe wife might even want to make a move if I can get her to the car show to look at some nice cross-overs...

A couple more problems that require unscheduled trips to the dealers and she should be ready to go!

guss

I think I see two BMW's in you future. A sedan for you and a wagon or X for Mrs. stickguy(or is that stickgal?).

I know we are about 10 years away from getting out of the Mini-van stage, but I love the new cross overs. I know they are just tall wagons, but they seam much more useful than the old wagons.

woodyww

I totally get all the anti-pool comments (in northern climes, at least). With a single family house, you've got: 1. yard maintenence/work. 2. Snow blowing/shoveling 3. House maintenence/repairs 4. house cleaning, & then, 5. a pool????

I saw that house w/pool today. Nice house. In the country, relatively.

Then I saw: A 3rd floor 1400 sq. ft. condo unit, corner unit, acres of glass windows, some orig. brick walls, in one of the nicest waterfront towns in N. Mass. Underground heated garage. For about the same price as the country house with pool. And "walk to everything": restaurants, waterfront park, cool historic downtown district, etc.

I also got a $200 speeding ticket; for going 90 in a 65. In an e39 5-series, what do they expect?

I'm near Needham, look me up, I'm the guy with a collapsing garage, a bad back, etc.......

nippononly

"Ok, anyone buying?"

It's weird, I think my CCBS may be in remission! I don't see myself buying anything new for maybe 2 or 3 years. I'm actually kinda happy with what I've got! :confuse:

Now on the used side I am always on the look-out for a goody. The problem is when I buy used, I buy VERY used. And right now the "very used" cars are all late 80s/early 90s cars which was not an inspiring period: hatchbacks and great small car models were on the wane as we unwittingly made way for the decade of the SUV (yick!). And around 1990 half the cars I might want to buy had those intensely irritating motorized seatbelts. If I move up to the mid-90s, well that was an even worse time. Sure the motorized belts were gone, but so were most interesting sport models (ALL the Japanese GTs except the unreliable 3000GTs and the very rare and still enormously expensive Supras), ALL the hatchbacks pretty much, etc etc.

Sure, there are a few models from that time period I might be interested in (last of the pre-'96 Civic SIs, maybe Prelude, the first of the Imprezas with the 2.2, last of the 90s MR2s) but none that were built in any big numbers, and so are consequently hard to find in any sort of decent shape (ie running condition, LOL!).

michaellno

Ok, anyone buying?

I think I'm in the same boat you are. All is well with the Saturn fleet - in fact, the L goes to the dealer today for an oil change and the 2nd key fob needs to be reprogrammed. When I got the new BCM installed a few months ago, the fob stopped working.

So, if all goes well, I'm gonna hang on to the L for a few more years. I'm only using it to commute back and forth to work, which should keep the miles down to less than 10K per annum.

akangl

It's weird, I think my CCBS may be in remission! I don't see myself buying anything new for maybe 2 or 3 years. I'm actually kinda happy with what I've got!

Me too, the Pilot is 6 months old and I'm still very happy with it. Can't think of anything else I'd rather drive.

Speaking of which I'm sure its not a very happy Pilot this morning, its 45 below zero and I had to start it to take the kids to school. No bus today, the road is closed by an accident so the bus couldn't get through from the bus barn.

guss

You Alaskans sure are tough. Around here an accident would close school. They have closed schools before on the threat of snow(that never came).

lilengineerboy

Actually, I think I am going to become a CCBr myself shortly here. I need something to keep some commuting miles off the Accord and due to a job change, the Accord's days are even more numbered. I think I need to wait at least a year though, but I got the car in July. I am looking to get a Probe/Escort/323/similar to get though the winter months and then trade the Accord in on something this summer.
It seems like a lot fewer manual transmissions out there in new vehicles so we will have to wait and see. A MazdaSpeed6 leftover would be pretty enticing if they could get me out of the Accord painlessly enough.

corvette

I also got a $200 speeding ticket; for going 90 in a 65. In an e39 5-series, what do they expect?

I thought you had a Valentine One?

The condo sounds nice (especially the underground heated garage), but after an apartment neighbor from heck, I prefer single-family residences.

stickguy

local Infiniti dealer is advertising a G35 lease. Fairly basic cark but leather and moonroof.

$399/mo, but looks like nothing down (maybe 1st payment). basically tags to drive out.

SImilar deal on an S80 Volvo for ~379

Man, I really like the looks of the G35. Really need to get inside and try one out.

Hmm, something to do at lunchtime thursday!

michaellno

Tell me about it.

Had my L300 at the Saturn dealer on Monday. They have an '06 Impala SS for sale on the used car side.

Black with grey leather, chrome wheels, 27K. They started out asking $21,500 for it, but now it's got a $19,995 price tag. It's been on the lot for over a month now.

Research shows that it's worth between $20-21K retail.

I'm half tempted to offer them something like $17K and try to get $7K for my trade ... that would keep my payments under $350/mo for 36 months.

They also have a couple of other cars you wouldn't normally see on a Saturn lot ... a BMW 325xi sedan and a Ford Focus SVT 3-door. The Focus only has 30-something thousand miles on it, and they are asking $10K. The BMW has a $14,995 sticker on it .. can't remember the miles or the year, but it may be an '04.

nippononly

Oooohhhh, the Focus SVT, the one Focus I would ever consider buying! It was too bad they stopped making that model. $10K seems like a deal with only 30K miles, but then, you didn't mention the model year.

michaellno

The SVT is an '04 -- 33,100 miles on it.

The BMW is an '02 with 78K on the clock.

nippononly

I would give the BMW a miss without a second thought, but the SVT sounds like a good deal if it is in good shape and won't immediately need tires and brakes.

guss

I know michael did his Focus time, but that does seem like a pretty good deal on the SVT. I think '05 was the last model year for those.

tifighter

Some of the late SVTs had optional HIDs, nice wheels etc; pretty nicely equipped and off a lot of people's radar.

nippononly

That SVT was by design very un-American, in that it required the driver to rev it for power and had little low-end torque. For Hondaphiles and small car fans like me, it was just the ticket! :-)