Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

andres3

stickguy said:

Sandy, my take on this. First, yes, if they total your rental will be on the clock. 30 days is a lot to get anyway. Really can't expect more than that. And based on this update, you really want this to end up totaled out.

as to the car, to start, ignore the price (within reason). You know you are looking at options that are within reasonable budget range (meaning you can make any of them work). So that should actually come last, and maybe can be a tie breaker.

First step is to list out your requirements list, and make a column for "must have" and one for "nice to have". In your case, short enough to fit in garage sounds like a must. As should ease of entry/exit, and seat comfort, given your back/pain issues. After that, you got stereo sounds, XM, Carplay, moonroof, BLIS, autobraking, etc. Write them down, and think it through. Oh, and of course, body style and MPG, and speed.

that will narrow down your list to look at to start with. Then do what you are doing, and go try them all out.

The cars you mentioned are all nice. But one thing I will bet is that a few of them are too much on the pokey side for you. So take them all out if possible and merge onto the highway to make sure.

worse case, go get a new Golf. Comes with a 6 (7?) year warranty now too! And all the features you missed on your car.

And please, don't talk yourself into settling. Even if it means spending a few $k extra to get everything. otherwise you will be unhappy as soon as you drive home. regret is bad,

and if me, I would not tell the wife anything. If it gets totaled, get the money, and since you have to get a car, surprise it when you get it home. You go with the his/her money plan, and it is your money and your car, so frankly she should not have a say in it! Besides, she drives and Audi, so how could she complain that you got something above bare bones transportation?

Oh, the Elantra sport is all new for 2018. Don't get the 2017. The new one is vastly nicer.

My only bone of contention is on the rental car costs. Until the insurance company decides to total the car, they have been indecisive so the rental car clock (whatever that might be) can't logically be started yet.

I would think 14-days to be a reasonable time frame in which to acquire a new replacement car once the decision to total is made.

However, if you have to make a custom order, then 90 days would be reasonable. I don't see a strong argument against this, though I can see someone expecting you to show that custom ordering a car was "normal" for you, perhaps proof that you've done it before to show it is a requirement, and not simply taking advantage of a situation. I'd probably settle for 30 days of rental car coverage after the decision to total is made, and I bet that is most Insurance companies standard time frame limit, and rule to cover a rental after a total.

andres3

ronsteve said:

ab348 said:

kyfdx said:

I would think that most of those cars would suck, after owning a Golf.

I was trying to find a diplomatic way of saying the same thing, but you got me off the hook.

I know when I was shopping and tried a Golf years ago, all of the Asian makes that were in that same range just didn't measure up in terms of feel and driving dynamics.

The Golf Sportwagen/Alltrack might have been on my list at one point, pending how well stuff fits in it, but I'm just not sure I can get past VW's corporate ethics. I do like the way my better half's Jetta handles.

The V70 is definitely not as crisp, being a much different animal, but I'm a little spoiled by the Euro approach to turbocharging.

I'm shopping in a bit of a tricky niche, good thing I have a lot of time.

Corporate ethics is tough. I'm sure every automotive company has skeletons in their closets. Some, you just don't know about, or know about yet!

stickguy

need an update from Sandy. Seems like they should have decided on total or fix by now.

andres3

corvette said:

laurasdada said:

XF remains scarred, having some back/forth with Amica insurance. I don't see the grille as much as the side, so the side dent/scar is making me ever so sad.

Dang... Amica is supposed to be one of the better insurers. What's their beef?

Back and forth is OK with an insurance company. As long as they are not purposely delaying for the sole purpose of delaying and acting in bad faith. The worst is actually when you send correspondence that simply goes unanswered.

Sort of like how the East County Court has done to me lately (Gov't' Entity).

andres3

ab348 said:

tjc78 said:

They already have two don’t they?  Escalade and the Acadia clone (XT something or other too lazy to look it up). 

What is the 4 going to be based on?  Must be the Equinox / Terrian.   Guess Caddy needs something to compete with the Lincoln MKC

I don't consider the Escalade a SUV. I don't know how I'd classify it along with the Suburban and the Expedition - maybe a truck, maybe a bus, I dunno.

@ronsteve - aside from econoboxes and sporty cars like the Mustang, mainstream market manual transmission vehicles are pretty much sales-proof. I remember a dealer here had a previous-gen Caddy CTS with a manual on the lot - a pretty thing in Diamond White paint, tan interior, nice wheels & equipment - that sat there for almost the entire model year.

Is that uncommon for Cadillac? I mean seriously, it seems they are having some sales troubles.

andres3

laurasdada said:

corvette said:

laurasdada said:

XF remains scarred, having some back/forth with Amica insurance. I don't see the grille as much as the side, so the side dent/scar is making me ever so sad.

Dang... Amica is supposed to be one of the better insurers. What's their beef?

No beef. Adjuster only reviewed one of the two boo boos first time around. He had to come back and adjust estimate Good as of today.  

How long between the first incomplete estimate, and the second, more complete one?

venture

Mr_Shiftright said:

That's because Subaru finally hired a decent styling department. Prior to that I think their cars were designed in prison.

andres3

kyfdx said:

Yeah.. a Genesis is just a Hyundai, until you see a stand-alone Genesis dealership, with no Hyundai dealer in sight. (like Acura, Infiniti, Lexus)

You're supposed to just be happy it doesn't have that odd "H" symbol on the car!

andres3

au1994 said:

Car makers are a lot of things but stupid isn’t one of them. They make what we buy and protect their profits in doing so. It takes a lot of valuable R&D resources, production time and additional components to make models like wagons, hatchbacks and manuals that just don’t hit their internal payback thresholds.

I do agree that they “push” the market by trimming and expanding their model line at times.  I’d prefer a wagon but choices are limited thus why we have 2 S/CUVs.  The Volvo lineup will get a long look next time around. When we got the X6 they were iffy as to their future so that scared me a bit. Seems much more stable now. Plus if it’s a wagon it’ll be mine. Wife hates wagons but I’d rock a Polestar or a V70 CC.

Many of us here are odd ducks in the marketplace. We are that 1% that would love a manual wagon with no hole in the roof.

Some car-makers are either stupid, or criminally fraudulent hucksters. Has to be one of those options.

Just take the worst 3 models from the Big 3 leading up to the 3 bailouts in 2008/2009. What was the payback calculation on those models?

qbrozen

I wonder how long the CTS has. Only 10k sold in the US in 2017, and 2018 is not looking any better. About the same as the CT6.

ronsteve

au1994 said:

I’d prefer a wagon but choices are limited thus why we have 2 S/CUVs.  The Volvo lineup will get a long look next time around. When we got the X6 they were iffy as to their future so that scared me a bit. Seems much more stable now. Plus if it’s a wagon it’ll be mine. Wife hates wagons but I’d rock a Polestar or a V70 CC.

Many of us here are odd ducks in the marketplace. We are that 1% that would love a manual wagon with no hole in the roof.

I don't even care about the hole in the roof anymore (wife hates those), and I think the ship has even sailed on rowing my own (I'd either have to become a very patient driving instructor or plan on doing all the driving on road trips with my car)... hell, anymore, I just want a wagon at my price point. I think the closest I can get to that may end up being an Outback, which really hasn't been a wagon since the 2010 redesign.

Soooo... given that most of the true wagon options are out of my $$ league unless I start with more age and mileage than I want, and cargo footprint is key...

I know will fit and on my list: Subaru Outback, Nissan Murano (how did I manage 2 CVTs?)
I know will fit but crossed off the list: Ford Edge

Will it fit?: Volvo V60 (definite CPO), Ford Escape
Will it fit? Monkey approved?: VW Golf Sportwagen/Alltrack

So the question is what else SHOULD be on the list? Hyundai Santa Fe Sport has crossed my mind. Don't know how some of the Escape/CX-5/Forester class will do for the footprint.

ab348

qbrozen said:

I wonder how long the CTS has. Only 10k sold in the US in 2017, and 2018 is not looking any better. About the same as the CT6.

CTS and ATS are both departing after 2019, to be replaced with one new in-between model.

In other news, reports today that Lincoln will no longer have any sedans at all after 2020. Both the MKZ and Continental are going away.

I have yet to see a new Continental in the flesh locally. What a financial disaster that must have been for Ford.

@andres3 , that manual CTS was in 2011.

stickguy

what is your $ target here? Knowing that would help. I got some ideas!

and what exactly are your key requirements?

ronsteve

stickguy said:

what is your $ target here? Knowing that would help. I got some ideas!

and what exactly are your key requirements?

Target low (maybe mid) 30s new, or mid-upper 20s for lower-mileage 2015+ model... looking higher trim lines to get the leather and booty warmers.

Need similar cargo space to my V70 (can lay the road bike inside out of the elements and still have room to pack a weekend worth of triathlon gear around it).

stickguy

you mind a CC V60? Or is that too small inside? Not CPO but only a year old so plenty of factory warranty left.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2017-volvo-v60_cross_country-certified_v60_cross_country_t5_awd_camera_navi-used-16747608.html

so few wagons left, you really are mostly limited to CUVs to get much selection.

Sandman6472

Just called the adjuster and seems nice. She knows my rental situation and is going to the collision place this afternoon. Said she will have a decision by this afternoon and will call me. Just in case, went into my office and found my title for the VW. So am already know matter what.
Starting to think that a new Golf SEL might just be the way to go, that’s if they can locate such an animal. Has the upgrades I want and is what I should’ve bought back in 2014. The longer warranty is excellent and now that I absolutely love push button starting, seems like a no brainer.
Drove the Subaru Imprezza and brought it home for the garage test. At 175", just have enough room though would need to "be careful" pulling in, would just have to move the "X" on the passengers side wall of my garage. The CVT worked remarkably well and we even took it on the expressway I use to get to work and it passed my acceleration test with flying colors. On the downside, it's a bit expensive but has every option they offer. The availability of colors I could live with with the ivory interior are very limited. Add these to the size issue and not sure I can do an Imprezza but sure liked it...a lot!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Naturally, no call from the adjuster but expected that, folks like that tell you what you want to hear just to get off the phone. At this point, not sure which way she'll go but did tell her a decision needs to be made...and soon! Part of me thinks she'll total just to get me gone as I think it'll take more than 14 days to fix the Golf. And why should I be penalized for their lack of making the proper decision. They need to keep me in a rental until it's either fixed or I purchase something else. Send me a check and within 10 days, I'll have the new vehicle in my garage. Fix my Golf, then keep me in a rental till completed with no additional issues cropping up. Either way, don't screw me over!!

The Sandman

stickguy

sandy, you either have the tiniest garage ever made, or you seriously need to clean out the junk at the back of it to make more room. I just have a normal newer house garage, and even with a 20" deep shelf on the back wall, and 2 bikes side by side in front of it, I had plenty of room to pull in my 191" Sonata, and not have to be too precise in how far I pulled in. The Elantra is swimming in room!

ronsteve

stickguy said:

you mind a CC V60? Or is that too small inside? Not CPO but only a year old so plenty of factory warranty left.

http://www.eimports4less.com/detail-2017-volvo-v60_cross_country-certified_v60_cross_country_t5_awd_camera_navi-used-16747608.html

so few wagons left, you really are mostly limited to CUVs to get much selection.

V60 is on the list for a "will it fit?" look when the serious shopping starts.

Sandman6472

The issue on my side is the a/c air handler is in the garage so takes up the whole lip. Parking on the wife's side is no issue, the Ford Fusion just fit. The wife won't change sides which is the issue here. But yes, it's a normal size garage with no junk in it actually, everything is on the shelves, hung up from the ceiling or on the lip.

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Need to find the invoice figure of the top line Imprezza just to see what I could start at. The one I drove was just over $30K which is a lot of $ to spend but hoping i would have the check from the insurance company to help here. Hoping for a payout of $14,500 if they in fact total it. Depending on the finance rates, this one I might just finance about $10K since I don't want to take out so much from my savings, can pay the monthly nut without too much difficulty.
Still, am just not ready to buy quite yet but think that'll change once a decision is made.
Looks like tomorrow could be a very informative day and will decide how this all plays out!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

You should test drive a GTI

stickguy

you people and your GTI obsession. I really don't think that is a Sandy mobile. I try to tailor my recommendations to the buyer, not what I like!

laurasdada

andres3 said:

laurasdada said:

corvette said:

laurasdada said:

XF remains scarred, having some back/forth with Amica insurance. I don't see the grille as much as the side, so the side dent/scar is making me ever so sad.

Dang... Amica is supposed to be one of the better insurers. What's their beef?

No beef. Adjuster only reviewed one of the two boo boos first time around. He had to come back and adjust estimate Good as of today.  

How long between the first incomplete estimate, and the second, more complete one?

One day between updates, then about a week for the check to arrive. I've got a large deductible, will visit body shop this weekend. After first visit, it seemed that I could buy a new grille online cheaper than the shop! Unless, he was quoting an installed price. TBD.

qbrozen

Well of course the shop is marking it up. And they are probably buying from a dealer, so it is the most expensive way for you to get the grille.

somebody refresh my memory: when a car is totalled, they pay you replacement cost including taxes and tags, no?

corvette

stickguy said:

you people and your GTI obsession. I really don't think that is a Sandy mobile. I try to tailor my recommendations to the buyer, not what I like!

The GTI is a great car, but I agree it's not for him.

fintail

The friend of mine who somewhat impulse-bought a green MKZ after leasing one now dislikes the car and wants out of it. I've told him he needs to deal with it or face taking a bath, as ~5 months of depreciation on something like that (I forget if it is a 17 or 18) will be brutal. It is a nicely equipped model, MSRP was ~55K. I suspect 40K-ish is more like it now. He complains of some build quality issues, electronics glitches, and claims it is slower than the prior car. It's going to be fun seeing if he deals with it, or loses his shirt.

Also visited with a co-worker who just picked up a heavily optioned 15 S5 coupe, black on black. Just got a flat tire, decided to replace them all, over $1500 - nice. He's enjoying it though, and it does have style.

stickguy

saw my daughters BF's just purchased 2015 Silverado. Nice. Not a fan of the black wheels though, but that's personal preference. Does not seem so huge in person. Sat in it, and the drivers seat was very comfy (it has the bucket seat option instead of bench). And the interior was nicely done. Most importantly, he likes it (but did say it was hard getting used to a lousy turning radius!).

au1994

fintail said:

The friend of mine who somewhat impulse-bought a green MKZ after leasing one now dislikes the car and wants out of it. I've told him he needs to deal with it or face taking a bath, as ~5 months of depreciation on something like that (I forget if it is a 17 or 18) will be brutal. It is a nicely equipped model, MSRP was ~55K. I suspect 40K-ish is more like it now. He complains of some build quality issues, electronics glitches, and claims it is slower than the prior car. It's going to be fun seeing if he deals with it, or loses his shirt. Also visited with a co-worker who just picked up a heavily optioned 15 S5 coupe, black on black. Just got a flat tire, decided to replace them all, over $1500 - nice. He's enjoying it though, and it does have style.

Yep, any lease this early into it, he’s buried.  You might see the break even point or even a little positive equity on a Camcord lease in the last couple of months but that’s rare. Being a domestic he will be better off toughing it out unless he’s a fan of negative equity or writing big checks 

stickguy

even worse, I think he bought this one outright.

graphicguy

au1994 said:

fintail said:

The friend of mine who somewhat impulse-bought a green MKZ after leasing one now dislikes the car and wants out of it. I've told him he needs to deal with it or face taking a bath, as ~5 months of depreciation on something like that (I forget if it is a 17 or 18) will be brutal. It is a nicely equipped model, MSRP was ~55K. I suspect 40K-ish is more like it now. He complains of some build quality issues, electronics glitches, and claims it is slower than the prior car. It's going to be fun seeing if he deals with it, or loses his shirt.

Also visited with a co-worker who just picked up a heavily optioned 15 S5 coupe, black on black. Just got a flat tire, decided to replace them all, over $1500 - nice. He's enjoying it though, and it does have style.

Yep, any lease this early into it, he’s buried.  You might see the break even point or even a little positive equity on a Camcord lease in the last couple of months but that’s rare. Being a domestic he will be better off toughing it out unless he’s a fan of negative equity or writing big checks 

Well....I think I’d rather visit my proctologist first. Seeing the precipitous fall in value on that MKZ is going to be worse than that prostrate exam!

fintail

Yep, he bought it. I warned him about this, telling him he'd be in the red until he had maybe two years max on the term, so be sure you really love the car. He thought he did. I think he got it for around 10-15% off MSRP, and he'll lose that much again no doubt. At least leasing would give him a closer light at the end of the tunnel.

au1994

fintail said:

Yep, he bought it. I warned him about this, telling him he'd be in the red until he had maybe two years max on the term, so be sure you really love the car. He thought he did. I think he got it for around 10-15% off MSRP, and he'll lose that much again no doubt. At least leasing would give him a closer light at the end of the tunnel.

He’s going to have a hard time with this. With Lincoln getting away from cars in a couple of years, the value is going to take an even bigger hit.  I feel for him. Not a good feeling driving something you don’t like and owing a boatload of money on it.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

Well of course the shop is marking it up. And they are probably buying from a dealer, so it is the most expensive way for you to get the grille.

somebody refresh my memory: when a car is totalled, they pay you replacement cost including taxes and tags, no?

Yes... replacement plus tax.. Not sure about tags

28firefighter

fintail said:

Yep, he bought it. I warned him about this, telling him he'd be in the red until he had maybe two years max on the term, so be sure you really love the car. He thought he did. I think he got it for around 10-15% off MSRP, and he'll lose that much again no doubt. At least leasing would give him a closer light at the end of the tunnel.

Ooof. And it's that green color, too, right?

28firefighter

graphicguy said:

Well....I think I’d rather visit my proctologist first. Seeing the precipitous fall in value on that MKZ is going to be worse than that prostrate exam!

Please tell me this isn't a typo and is paying homage to Ronnie the Limo Driver from Howard Stern.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

graphicguy said:

Well....I think I’d rather visit my proctologist first. Seeing the precipitous fall in value on that MKZ is going to be worse than that prostrate exam!

Please tell me this isn't a typo and is paying homage to Ronnie the Limo Driver from Howard Stern.

I wouldn't take that, lying down..

fintail

In a way, I think it almost might be smarter to bail sooner than later, if he really has the itch. Long term resale is probably going to be catastrophic, and if he hates it anyway, just take your lumps and move on. Life is too short to drive something you hate.

au1994 said:

He’s going to have a hard time with this. With Lincoln getting away from cars in a couple of years, the value is going to take an even bigger hit.  I feel for him. Not a good feeling driving something you don’t like and owing a boatload of money on it.

fintail

Yep, inside and out. He wanted something unique, this is definitely that. Probably won't help resale.

Funny thing too - he is roughly my age (just turned 40), has a good job and can swing a 50K car, grew up in a Honda family, and has a thing for American cars. He mentioned he wants to replace the Lincoln with a Cadillac (he test drove a CT6 and loved it, but the dealer played games). I am going to tell him to drive a loaded new Accord. He thinks German cars are overpriced (yet a 50K+ MKZ was fine) and the Infinitis and Lexus he has tried didn't get him going.

28firefighter said:

Ooof. And it's that green color, too, right?

coldinohio

ronsteve said:

au1994 said:

I’d prefer a wagon but choices are limited thus why we have 2 S/CUVs.  The Volvo lineup will get a long look next time around. When we got the X6 they were iffy as to their future so that scared me a bit. Seems much more stable now. Plus if it’s a wagon it’ll be mine. Wife hates wagons but I’d rock a Polestar or a V70 CC.

Many of us here are odd ducks in the marketplace. We are that 1% that would love a manual wagon with no hole in the roof.

I don't even care about the hole in the roof anymore (wife hates those), and I think the ship has even sailed on rowing my own (I'd either have to become a very patient driving instructor or plan on doing all the driving on road trips with my car)... hell, anymore, I just want a wagon at my price point. I think the closest I can get to that may end up being an Outback, which really hasn't been a wagon since the 2010 redesign.

Soooo... given that most of the true wagon options are out of my $$ league unless I start with more age and mileage than I want, and cargo footprint is key...

I know will fit and on my list: Subaru Outback, Nissan Murano (how did I manage 2 CVTs?)
I know will fit but crossed off the list: Ford Edge

Will it fit?: Volvo V60 (definite CPO), Ford Escape
Will it fit? Monkey approved?: VW Golf Sportwagen/Alltrack

So the question is what else SHOULD be on the list? Hyundai Santa Fe Sport has crossed my mind. Don't know how some of the Escape/CX-5/Forester class will do for the footprint.

we went through same process; I like the honda civic hatch but also a CVT unless you row your own

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

graphicguy said:

Well....I think I’d rather visit my proctologist first. Seeing the precipitous fall in value on that MKZ is going to be worse than that prostrate exam!

Please tell me this isn't a typo and is paying homage to Ronnie the Limo Driver from Howard Stern.

I wouldn't take that, lying down..

I've been dying this week with his schtick. Drive-off-the-road funny.

kyfdx

I never listen to him... I bet it's been ten years, at least. It helps that we only have Sirius/XM in one vehicle, and that is my wife's car.

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

I never listen to him... I bet it's been ten years, at least. It helps that we only have Sirius/XM in one vehicle, and that is my wife's car.

Now that I work from home, I can listen without feeling guilty. I'm sure this says something about parenting, but I've been listening to him since I was 10.

stickguy

Fin, I agree. If you know it is inevitable, bail quick.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

kyfdx said:

I never listen to him... I bet it's been ten years, at least. It helps that we only have Sirius/XM in one vehicle, and that is my wife's car.

Now that I work from home, I can listen without feeling guilty. I'm sure this says something about parenting, but I've been listening to him since I was 10.

Well... it explains a lot.

ab348

fintail said:

In a way, I think it almost might be smarter to bail sooner than later, if he really has the itch. Long term resale is probably going to be catastrophic, and if he hates it anyway, just take your lumps and move on. Life is too short to drive something you hate.

I think he bought that around the same time I got my ATS. Fortunately I like my car a lot, but I'd hate to think what I might get offered for it on a trade right now.

tifighter

ronsteve said:

stickguy said:

what is your $ target here? Knowing that would help. I got some ideas!

and what exactly are your key requirements?

Target low (maybe mid) 30s new, or mid-upper 20s for lower-mileage 2015+ model... looking higher trim lines to get the leather and booty warmers.

Need similar cargo space to my V70 (can lay the road bike inside out of the elements and still have room to pack a weekend worth of triathlon gear around it).

Your post made me look at what a used 15 XC70 would go for. Here in the PNW, the lowest one listed on cargurus is $33k, so you aren't THAT far off with your range. As you know from having a V70, the XC70 has a lot more cargo space than a V60. It's nicer inside too.

carnaught

@fintail, agree with you. Think it’s bettter for your friend to take his hit sooner rather than later since he wants to get out of his MKZ. It’s not going to be pretty with any scenerio, but you warned him.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

you people and your GTI obsession. I really don't think that is a Sandy mobile. I try to tailor my recommendations to the buyer, not what I like!

Hey, you're supposed to manifest addictive behavior while you're in here!

thebean

graphicguy said:

fintail said:

The friend of mine who somewhat impulse-bought a green MKZ after leasing one now dislikes the car and wants out of it. I've told him he needs to deal with it or face taking a bath, as ~5 months of depreciation on something like that (I forget if it is a 17 or 18) will be brutal. It is a nicely equipped model, MSRP was ~55K. I suspect 40K-ish is more like it now. He complains of some build quality issues, electronics glitches, and claims it is slower than the prior car. It's going to be fun seeing if he deals with it, or loses his shirt. Also visited with a co-worker who just picked up a heavily optioned 15 S5 coupe, black on black. Just got a flat tire, decided to replace them all, over $1500 - nice. He's enjoying it though, and it does have style.

Yep, any lease this early into it, he’s buried.  You might see the break even point or even a little positive equity on a Camcord lease in the last couple of months but that’s rare. Being a domestic he will be better off toughing it out unless he’s a fan of negative equity or writing big checks 

Well....I think I’d rather visit my proctologist first. Seeing the precipitous fall in value on that MKZ is going to be worse than that prostrate exam!

The prostate exam is done by a urologist, not a proctologist.  Take it from someone with experience in these matters.