Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

Love your SAAB. Tasty. Good job.

Took my Elantra on the trip today. Some local, rest traffic and hauling up the NYS thruway at 75. Overall, pulled close to 38 MPG. I am not complaining about that! Rare car that significantly exceeds sticker MSRP estimates.

roadburner

@28firefighter: your Saab is beautiful. I've been tempted by a couple of 900 SPGs.

roadburner

I'm afraid my wife has become as extreme a cross-shopper as me; currently she is considering the following:
Wrangler(JK/JL two door)
Renegade Trailhawk
Clubman(F54)
CX-3
Mazda 3 Hatchback
Mercedes GLA250
It's her call, but I prefer either a nicely optioned Wrangler or a Mazda 3 Grand Touring...

28firefighter

Thanks guys!  It’s a blast. Plus the more competent I am getting driving a stick, the more fun it becomes. 

qbrozen

roadburner said:

I'm afraid my wife has become as extreme a cross-shopper as me; currently she is considering the following: Wrangler(JK/JL two door) Renegade Trailhawk Clubman(F54) CX-3 Mazda 3 Hatchback Mercedes GLA250 It's her call, but I prefer either a nicely optioned Wrangler or a Mazda 3 Grand Touring...

I'm seeing folks claiming actual good lease deals on the JL. 76% residual on a 36/10 lease. Not sure if the 2-door counts. 

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

I'm afraid my wife has become as extreme a cross-shopper as me; currently she is considering the following: Wrangler(JK/JL two door) Renegade Trailhawk Clubman(F54) CX-3 Mazda 3 Hatchback Mercedes GLA250 It's her call, but I prefer either a nicely optioned Wrangler or a Mazda 3 Grand Touring...

I'm seeing folks claiming actual good lease deals on the JL. 76% residual on a 36/10 lease. Not sure if the 2-door counts. 

Correct. Through US Bank. MF is high at .00175 but who cares with that residual?

Michaell

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

I'm afraid my wife has become as extreme a cross-shopper as me; currently she is considering the following:
Wrangler(JK/JL two door)
Renegade Trailhawk
Clubman(F54)
CX-3
Mazda 3 Hatchback
Mercedes GLA250
It's her call, but I prefer either a nicely optioned Wrangler or a Mazda 3 Grand Touring...

I'm seeing folks claiming actual good lease deals on the JL. 76% residual on a 36/10 lease. Not sure if the 2-door counts. 

Correct. Through US Bank. MF is high at .00175 but who cares with that residual?

2-door residual not nearly as good

qbrozen

I was just playing with the numbers. It still works out to over the 1% threshold if you get a $1500 discount (truecar price) on a Sport 6-speed with A/C and hardtop. $32k vehicle for $330/mo with just first month's DAS. Just need to get a bit more off the top (at least $500) to make it worthwhile. 

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

I was just playing with the numbers. It still works out to over the 1% threshold if you get a $1500 discount (truecar price) on a Sport 6-speed with A/C and hardtop. $32k vehicle for $330/mo with just first month's DAS. Just need to get a bit more off the top (at least $500) to make it worthwhile. 

If you really want a low payment, try the 42 or 48 month leases (I know... too long).

roadburner

An Alpina E36 just sold on BaT for just $27,000. My wife’s next car comes first- otherwise this puppy would be headed to my garage. 

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

@pensfan83 - I don't get good vibes from that RSX - the body work, the rust, the mileage. To make things worse, your car needs to pass the PA safety and emissions inspections, which are far more intense than anything I deal with now. The biggest Saab issues I've read about are on cars that grew up in the rust belt - I'd get that looked at very closely if you were serious. I didn't need to worry because my Viggen was PNW born and raised, so no salty roads to worry about.

Agreed, visually it's in rough shape.  I called the seller last night to inquire about it and he said he received an offer Tuesday night from someone in New York and the buyer is coming to town this weekend to complete the sale.  I asked to be made aware if the sale falls through but I'm not expecting any call back.

corvette

I would exercise veto power on the GLA250. You can do better than a Mercedes Tiguan. 

kyfdx

corvette said:

I would exercise veto power on the GLA250. You can do better than a Mercedes Tiguan. 

I think it's actually a Mercedes Rogue...

corvette

kyfdx said:

I would exercise veto power on the GLA250. You can do better than a Mercedes Tiguan. 

I think it's actually a Mercedes Rogue...

That makes sense.... Maybe I’ll start calling the CLA the Mercedes Sentra. I like other Mercedes models, just not a fan of the entry level offerings they have now. 

nyccarguy

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

I was just playing with the numbers. It still works out to over the 1% threshold if you get a $1500 discount (truecar price) on a Sport 6-speed with A/C and hardtop. $32k vehicle for $330/mo with just first month's DAS. Just need to get a bit more off the top (at least $500) to make it worthwhile. 

If you really want a low payment, try the 42 or 48 month leases (I know... too long).

I feel like with a Wrangler, you CAN get rid of it early by either lease swap or CarMax buy out, or trade in. They hold their value insanely well. So if you take a 42 or 48 month lease, then you'll probably be able to get out of it in 24 months. My best friend got out of his Wrangler Lease (Sahara Unlimited Automatic) after 6 months. He traded it in for the residual value plus remaining lease payments and didn't roll a dime into the next lease. He did well on that too, took a "lot queen" Red Tahoe LT with no sunroof & no navigation.

roadburner

corvette said:

I would exercise veto power on the GLA250. You can do better than a Mercedes Tiguan. 

I’m underwhelmed by the GLA250 as well- along with most other non-AMG Mercedes.   Luckily the Wrangler and Mazda 3 are her current front runners. 

tifighter

I had a admittedly well-equipped GLA as a loaner while the E Cab was in for service. No thanks. Even my car-blind wife said "This can't really be a Mercedes" when riding in it.

graphicguy

henryn said:

graphicguy said:

I like it, too. You’re right....13B is the one to get from this gen. Condition looks great and coincides with the low miles. A/C might be a gotcha. But, throw $500 at it and I bet that fixes it.

These are quirky but a giant smile to drive. As long as you know you aren’t going to win any stop light wars with one, and you understand they burn a little oil, and the MPG is not their strong suit, this one will give you plenty to like.

Might keep a very close eye on it.

Long ago, in a galaxy far far away … no, wait, wrong story.

Somewhere around 1975 or 1976 I owned a little Mazda station wagon with the rotary engine. It was, if I recall correctly, a 1973 year model. I was rather fond of it to begin with, but the bloom wore off the rose rather quickly. It was indeed a high revving pocket rocket, but you had to clean the spark plugs once a week to keep it in tune. And every now and then, it would just make all of the oil disappear. No oily spots where I was parked, it would just suddenly be 2, 3, 4 quarts low. And then there were problems with the A/C …

And since when did $500 ever fix any car A/C problem? In my experience, if you have an A/C problem in an automobile, $1,000 is getting off cheap.

I hear you! Rotary engines do not tolerate not being maintained very well. Early examples (like yours) were very susceptible to problems...particularly with worn seals. That’s where your oil burning came from. That said, all I f them (including my Lang lamented RX8) are designed to use some oil.

A business colleague of mine loves RXs. He had a couple of 80s exmaples (13a and 13b). He had an RX8. He still has an RX7 turbo from the 90s (which is still a wicked car). Clearly, he loves them.

The good news is, they’re relatively easy to work on. There’s not a lot of moving parts.

As far as the A/C, i could buy a whole new compressor for a couple hundred bucks and instal it myself in an hour or two. Plenty of room under the hood given how small the rotary motor is.

Bottom line, RXs need some care. While they need a bit more maintenance, they’re easy to work on and pretty bulletproof.

nyccarguy

tifighter said:

I had a admittedly well-equipped GLA as a loaner while the E Cab was in for service. No thanks. Even my car-blind wife said "This can't really be a Mercedes" when riding in it.

One of my son's friend's Dad's has a GLA45 AMG. It is nice (Black/Black) and sounds NASTY.

Michaell

The MINI is back home, and I returned the Maxima. $1481.87 total for the repairs.

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

fintail said:

Timeless style, solid underpinnings (just mind the body rust), insane depreciation floor.

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'm trying real hard to sense the appeal of these vehicles but it keeps slipping from my grasp.

I'm having a hard time believing anyone would enjoy using one of these as a DD enough to make the depreciation floor become a factor.

Well, once you've negotiated those big speed bumps in the Whole Foods parking lot there's not that much driving ahead of you.

pensfan83

8.5 months with the Acura and even hitting this milestone I'm well under my mileage so far. Still as happy now as the day I drove it off the lot.

laurasdada

Costco last night. Giant Volvo banner offering all kinds of discounts/rebates through Costco. For you Volvo/Costco fans...

28firefighter

Happy Father’s Day (weekend) to all my fellow Dad’s here!

Since we are meeting family tomorrow that’s in from Texas, my wife took Sam and the dog out to let me sleep. I went to the gym and then came home to find breakfast. Quite a nice day so far. 

corvette

Either I slept on my leg wrong, or the pain I'm feeling is a side effect of having driven the Mustang every day for the past week.

Michaell

Took the MINI in for service this morning, so @breld met me for breakfast. Quick stop at the BMW dealer to walk the used car side. Nothing terribly special jumped out at me.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there.

fintail

Who wants a rare high miles BMW Touring?

corvette

I’m digging the red seats. Given that the E90s aren’t known for their reliability, the miles scare me. 

nyccarguy

fintail said:

Who wants a rare high miles BMW Touring?

I KNOWZ WHAT I GOTZ! NO LO-BALLZ! TXTONL!

Good grief! 198K miles +? How much life is left in it? They are asking $8K for it?

qbrozen

I don't think they are red. Desc states brown, which would be far more appropriate with the green exterior.

fintail

The seller seems to focus on high mileage premium cars, not sure where they find this stuff:

https://www.mudarrimotorsports.com/2015_MercedesBenz_EClass_Kirkland_WA_271209693.veh

28firefighter

nyccarguy said:

fintail said:

Who wants a rare high miles BMW Touring?

I KNOWZ WHAT I GOTZ! NO LO-BALLZ! TXTONL!

Good grief! 198K miles +? How much life is left in it? They are asking $8K for it?

It's OK because it "only has 10k miles since being rebuilt" or something...

stickguy

Well I love it. Just needs to be RWD instead.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

Well I love it. Just needs to be RWD instead.

Not saying I don't love it, but I don't love the 198k miles. This coming from a guy who owns an orphaned high performance european sedan....

stickguy

For the 3-5k yearly I would put on, I would roll the dice on it. After a good PPI. And for a cheap enough price.

28firefighter

fintail said:

The seller seems to focus on high mileage premium cars, not sure where they find this stuff:

https://www.mudarrimotorsports.com/2015_MercedesBenz_EClass_Kirkland_WA_271209693.veh

I'm guessing it is coming from the local dealers who need to unload them - by selling to these local independents they save a bundle in transport cost.

I've seen their postings before and they seem really expensive for the types of vehicles they get.

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

Who wants a rare high miles BMW Touring?

Maybe for 1/3 that price. Maybe. CARFAX says "structural damage". Actually with that mileage and accident history, this is a car someone should give you for free.

28firefighter

Lease du jour in SoCal is the Volt. Depending on what kind of rebates you may qualify for (e.g. having any current lease in the house, a GM supplier pin etc.), can get a Volt LT with Leather and Bose for $8000 onepay - tax, tags, everything included on a 36/10. That is a lot of car for the money....

andres3

28firefighter said:

Lease du jour in SoCal is the Volt. Depending on what kind of rebates you may qualify for (e.g. having any current lease in the house, a GM supplier pin etc.), can get a Volt LT with Leather and Bose for $8000 onepay - tax, tags, everything included on a 36/10. That is a lot of car for the money....

So a 8000/36 payment plan takes the cake with no money down? Sounds good to me; would need to test drive.

28firefighter

andres3 said:

28firefighter said:

Lease du jour in SoCal is the Volt. Depending on what kind of rebates you may qualify for (e.g. having any current lease in the house, a GM supplier pin etc.), can get a Volt LT with Leather and Bose for $8000 onepay - tax, tags, everything included on a 36/10. That is a lot of car for the money....

So a 8000/36 payment plan takes the cake with no money down? Sounds good to me; would need to test drive.

Yes - though tax is based on a 7.75% tax rate. So if you're in a higher tax area, would be a bit more. Also if you don't have a GM Supplier PIN, then it is more expensive.

stickguy

I like volts. If I could get a nicely equipped one for less that $250/month, I would do it and dump the Elantra so fast it would make your head spin.

No clue what a provider pin requires though.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

I like volts. If I could get a nicely equipped one for less that $250/month, I would do it and dump the Elantra so fast it would make your head spin.

No clue what a provider pin requires though.

If your company has a supplier relationship with GM you can get it. I think you can check at https://www.gmsupplierdiscount.com

28firefighter

It would be a great car for my wife to use as a commuter into the city or to alternate using, because even though her commute is mostly highway, during rush hour it rarely is moving over 30 mph.

stickguy

I would use it for around town largely. And my wife’s 3 mile, many traffic light, commute. Way cheaper than an RDX getting 16 mpg in that duty!

stickguy

Well well. My company is one of them. And I have a current lease. So just run up to the dealer and get a loaded one for $225/month, sign and drive?

If nothing else, a test drive tomorrow could be fun!

What model trim is this? And does NJ qualify, or are these huge Cali only incentives?

28firefighter

I've only seen these deals in SoCal, so I can't tell you what to expect locally. In fact I've only seen them in SoCal and nowhere else.

stickguy

Excuse enough for me to go drive one.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

Excuse enough for me to go drive one.

Curious your thoughts. Also, I think @suydam has one too and really likes it.

stickguy

Specked one out. $40large, and manual seats and no moonroof? Dang.

suydam

Yep I did give those up reluctantly. But I have the Premier, which has every safety feature possible to make up for it. And I love not filling a gas tank even more.