Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

laurasdada

nyccarguy said:

Hello from Cape Cod, MA.  I’m having a wonderful vacation and really love it here.  I’m also thinking about how wonderful life would be if I could have a stable similar to @roadburner.  A Wrangler Unlimited & an ///M235i Coupe.  

Thanks for contributing to our economy!
And, of course, you can have a stable similar to roadburner, just click your heals together three times and say, "There's no place like cars.com, there's no place like BaT..."
Maybe stop by BMW of Cape Cod, make it truly a vacation to remember!

Sandman6472

My grandmother always told me a story and it does ring true. It was in Yiddish but I got the jist anyways. If everyone put their troubles into a hat...at the end of the day, they'd want their own back! And thinks she'd be right here. [non-permissible content removed] happens in life and it's all about how one rolls with them. I thought about her today when I was making up my mind what the next move would be. Waiting just didn't seem to be the right decision being the wife works from home for Turbo Tax three days a week now. I get to go but she's stuck and by around 2:00 in the afternoon, it can get to 85 degrees in the house. And even with fans moving the air around, it's still hot air being moved around. And sleeping sucks at night as who wants to sweat in bed, there's a time and a place for that!
So, it is cooler now and after tomorrow around noon, this issue will be gone!

The Sandman

qbrozen

corvette said:

Just browsing. Check out the “deals of the day.” 

you know there are more than just "deals of the day" on the app, right? ;b

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

48 month leases? That’s weird, Nissan lease programs suck for 48 months. Maybe, a credit union or US Bank lease?

the app seems to look for the lowest payment, regardless. So I have had it tell me 48 mos is the "best" but when I click to switch to 36, it might go up by $2, for example. I'll gladly pay $2/mo more for 1 year less of a lease

fintail

I hope that's a sign and drive where you can pocket the incentives.

qbrozen

Interesting. I show no Versas, but the Sentra for $40 less than those Versas, and a Rogue for $10 less.

Just a random statement: last night, I came across the Encore Preferred for $199/mo 24/10k with $200 due at signing. Was about to text my sister, but she still has a few months on her current Encore.

28firefighter

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy helping family with car stuff? My Dad went from "not caring" about options, color etc. for the Stelvio to wanting one that is going to run in the 52-53k MSRP arena which makes the really good sub-400 deals impossible, especially given that he needs 15k/year.

Not to mention, aged Stelvio Ti inventory with Sport, Nav, Harmon Kardon, and the safety nannies are few and far between.

I have found two - one in Jersey and one in Eastern PA. Hoping we can land somewhere decent on the numbers and I can lock this up.

corvette

kyfdx said:

48 month leases? That’s weird, Nissan lease programs suck for 48 months. Maybe, a credit union or US Bank lease?

Could be a Nissan lease. 224 for a Versa sounds extremely steep. And I did search for other brands and all I can find are Nissans. The Titan leases looked okay. I suspect there is only one local Nissan dealer signed up with them. 

benjaminh

corvette said:

Just browsing. Check out the “deals of the day.”....

For $199 a month you can lease an Acura ILX. That's a very nice engine and transmission combination for that price—and the car is a lot nicer than a Nissan Versa.

qbrozen

benjaminh said:

Just browsing. Check out the “deals of the day.”....

For $199 a month you can lease an Acura ILX. That's a very nice engine and transmission combination for that price—and the car is a lot nicer than a Nissan Versa.

I don't think a "true" $199 lease is happening on an ILX. Can't even get a Civic for that.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy helping family with car stuff? My Dad went from "not caring" about options, color etc. for the Stelvio to wanting one that is going to run in the 52-53k MSRP arena which makes the really good sub-400 deals impossible, especially given that he needs 15k/year. Not to mention, aged Stelvio Ti inventory with Sport, Nav, Harmon Kardon, and the safety nannies are few and far between. I have found two - one in Jersey and one in Eastern PA. Hoping we can land somewhere decent on the numbers and I can lock this up.

So the $399 deal was killed by dad?

roadburner

corvette said:

Just browsing. Check out the “deals of the day.” 

Be still my heart...

benjaminh

Because of lease incentives from Acura of c.$5k on the ILX, I think it is possible to lease the entry-level Acura for about the same price as leasing a Civic EX. I was able to lease a TLX Tech for about the same price as leasing an Accord EX. But yes, that $199 ILX lease asks for about $2500 down. But that's the official Acura national asking price. I think with negotiation most buyers will do better than that—sometimes maybe by quite a bit. My guess is yes.

https://www.acura.com/tools/current-luxury-car-suv-offers-leasing?zipcode=40205

ab348

Since almost nobody is buying the ILX, dealers may be desperate to move them.

nyccarguy

@breld

I notice that many of he dealer you frequent are “one price dealers.”  Is that the case for most dealers in CO or in your metro area?  

benjaminh

ab348 said:

Since almost nobody is buying the ILX, dealers may be desperate to move them.

Yes. I think this is true. A buyer who expresses interest in an Acura ILX, but is willing to walk away unless they can match the price of a lease on a Civic EX is likely to get the ILX for the price of the Civic EX. That's pretty much what happened to me with my new TLX Tech, which I really like much better than the Accord EX anyway. But the reality for me was that these two cars, TLX Tech and the Accord EX—with an msrp difference of c.10k—were actually same price to lease.

28firefighter

It was a 375 deal for a stelvio AWD sport with a bunch of stuff. 

And yes. So now wants to pay more for a stelvio Ti sport 

sda

A friend's son about 3 months ago bought a used '16 ILX base with the 2.4. He is around 25, the car black on black. It had around 25k and it was around $17k. Very nice shape, good service records, history. He read reviews about it, knew if he bought it new it might not measure up to the expectations of the category it competes in, but used, at a good price, he is delighted with it.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

It was a 375 deal for a stelvio AWD sport with a bunch of stuff. 

And yes. So now wants to pay more for a stelvio Ti sport 

375? Wow. What was the term?

qbrozen

So something interesting just popped up. It seems that maybe if you check often, a special deal could magically appear in Honcker, like this base model scat pack charger for about $90 less than the next nearest one. 

tjc78

ab348 said:

Since almost nobody is buying the ILX, dealers may be desperate to move them.

I just worked a deal for a friend on an ILX.  MSRP 31 and change $300, 36/12, 300 down all in. 

I think there may have been a few bucks in the deal but she was thrilled 

qbrozen

$300 is what honcker is showing me.

28firefighter

Okay. Have a deal, I think, for a 2018 Stelvio Ti Sport for my Dad. 53k MSRP, 24 months, 12k a year with 1,000 DAS looking at 448/month including tax. 

This is exhausting, but in my Dad’s defense, this car is MUCH nicer than what I had lined up at $375. That car was a $48k Stelvio Sport. 

corvette

sda said:

A friend's son about 3 months ago bought a used '16 ILX base with the 2.4. He is around 25, the car black on black. It had around 25k and it was around $17k. Very nice shape, good service records, history. He read reviews about it, knew if he bought it new it might not measure up to the expectations of the category it competes in, but used, at a good price, he is delighted with it.

Sounds like a great deal! The 2.4 seems to be a capable motor. I was disappointed that they sold it with a 2.0 liter initially, as well as with a hybrid powertrain. It did get me looking, but I'm not seeing many new or used ones with Acura Watch.

benjaminh

corvette said:

sda said:

A friend's son about 3 months ago bought a used '16 ILX base with the 2.4. He is around 25, the car black on black. It had around 25k and it was around $17k. Very nice shape, good service records, history. He read reviews about it, knew if he bought it new it might not measure up to the expectations of the category it competes in, but used, at a good price, he is delighted with it.

Sounds like a great deal! The 2.4 seems to be a capable motor. I was disappointed that they sold it with a 2.0 liter initially, as well as with a hybrid powertrain. It did get me looking, but I'm not seeing many new or used ones with Acura Watch.

Hmmm. I thought AcuraWatch was standard on the ILX now. AcuraWatch is standard on the TLX. If you can find a leftover 2018 TLX base that might be about the same price as an ILX with AcuraWatch.

nyccarguy

laurasdada said:

Hello from Cape Cod, MA.  I’m having a wonderful vacation and really love it here.  I’m also thinking about how wonderful life would be if I could have a stable similar to @roadburner.  A Wrangler Unlimited & an ///M235i Coupe.  

Thanks for contributing to our economy! And, of course, you can have a stable similar to roadburner, just click your heals together three times and say, "There's no place like cars.com, there's no place like BaT..." Maybe stop by BMW of Cape Cod, make it truly a vacation to remember!

You are welcome!  It’s beautiful here!  I’ve passed BMW of Cape Cod a number of times.  There is a GORGEOUS ///M4 Coupe outside.  It is dark blue (like a navy blue) that is so subtle.  Love it!

corvette

roadburner said:

Just browsing. Check out the “deals of the day.” 

Be still my heart...

If you think that’s good, just scroll down. You can get a Versa SV instead for only $248. So much better value than that Charger Scat Pack.  Edmunds really needs a heart emoji.

breld

nyccarguy said:

@breld

I notice that many of he dealer you frequent are “one price dealers.”  Is that the case for most dealers in CO or in your metro area?  

I don’t know if it’s unique to CO, but it certainly seems like more of a trend these days.  But other than the carmax dealers and others like them, there’s only one family of dealerships here I consider to be truly one price - they have a BMW, Honda and Mini store, and they’re making their way into a few other makes now too.  

I’ve found some of the other dealerships, like the Sonic ones, claim to be one price, but will negotiate at least a little when push comes to shove.  

breld

I did in fact do some business with one of the one price dealers this evening though.  

28firefighter

My experience with Sonic is they will negotiate within a certain number of days their final price drop. 

As in “the lowest this car will sell is X before we send it to auction. If I could do X today, could we wrap this up?”  Generally you need to be talking to the UCM or GM to get that though. 

28firefighter

breld said:

I did in fact do some business with one of the one price dealers this evening though.  

Oh?

Michaell

28firefighter said:

breld said:

I did in fact do some business with one of the one price dealers this evening though.  

Oh?

My lips are sealed.

Michaell

breld said:

nyccarguy said:

@breld

I notice that many of he dealer you frequent are “one price dealers.”  Is that the case for most dealers in CO or in your metro area?  

I don’t know if it’s unique to CO, but it certainly seems like more of a trend these days.  But other than the carmax dealers and others like them, there’s only one family of dealerships here I consider to be truly one price - they have a BMW, Honda and Mini store, and they’re making their way into a few other makes now too.  

I’ve found some of the other dealerships, like the Sonic ones, claim to be one price, but will negotiate at least a little when push comes to shove.  

For some reason, a fair number of transactions we've made in CO over the years have been at one price dealers.

4 Saturns
2 MINIs - from the dealer @breld referenced

breld

tifighter

Looks shiny. Remind me, was this an add or a replacement?

nyccarguy

Damn @breld!  Congrats!  Details PLEASE!  Sharp looking Golf R!

pensfan83

  

Was this an add for now?

au1994

@Breld...Congrats! The rest of us are truly amateurs!

RE: ILX...There’s a local dealer here that still has new 2017s on the ground. Probably wouldn’t lease worth a darn now but I bet the discount would be staggering.

rayainsw

@Breld - congrats - enjoy !
[ We are not worthy ]
- Ray
Looking forward to driving impressions...

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

My experience with Sonic is they will negotiate within a certain number of days their final price drop. 

As in “the lowest this car will sell is X before we send it to auction. If I could do X today, could we wrap this up?”  Generally you need to be talking to the UCM or GM to get that though. 

I've only dealt with one Sonic store in Ohio and they were a high volume Toyota dealer and were, in my opinion, fair with their pricing on new vehicles and even came down at least $500-$700 below what any Pittsburgh store would do.

corvette

Congrats, breld! What year and mileage? 

roadburner

breld said:

Very nice!

qbrozen

@breld
have you yet checked what carvana will give you for that Golf? ;b
how about the volvo, prius, and audi? you might want to open a standing account with them and have a flatbed on retainer.

corvette

They seem to run high on some of their trade values. I did actually poke around to try to see if I could find a “unicorn” like the Mustang that I could buy for a fair price at a local dealer, then “flip” to Carvana, but no dice so far. 

rayainsw

My 2016 BMW 340i mid lease update 18,000 miles & 18 months
Note: long.
Car = 340i 4DR sedan, 8 speed automatic - only diff. from stock = P7s Runflats replaced with
Michelin AS3+ non-runflats
Engine – rated [ very conservatively ] at 320 HP and 330 TQ – at 1,380 RPM.
This is absolute jewel. It is so responsive and so smooth. Just terrific.
And I have found the real world MPG to be excellent. Approx. 26 overall –
and 36+ on a typical highway run.
Trans. – This 8 speed auto. is outstanding in all conditions except the stop & slow slog
portion of my commute home. And there it is not quite perfect – but acceptable.
Generally, the shifts are very quick and very smooth, up or down. The rev-matching
on commanded downshifts is perfect. I can ‘stack’ upshift requests. The paddles
are always active – even in Drive. It will even skip gears when appropriate:
For example, approaching the sharp, uphill turn onto a road near my house,
I typically approach in 7th gear – and pull the downshift paddle 4 times in very
rapid succession. It will execute the 7 – 6 downshift immediately, while I am
pulling those next 3 times – and it will then skip 5th and 4th going directly to 3rd.
Again, with a perfectly executed rev-match. Very cool
Handling – Though I often entertain myself with WOT, I do not ever approach the
car’s handling limits on public roads. Driven at 6 – 8 tenths the cornering is smooth
and stable and the tires never protest. All good.
Ride – The non-runflat Michelins improved the ride somewhat. No complaints here now.
Steering – This is one area where many, many people criticize the current BMW 3s.
Having had a 2011 335is, my judgement here is that, for my driving, the steering
feel and weighting and accuracy and feedback are just fine. YMMV.
Brakes – Also never intentionally stressed, but solid and no issues, for me.
Noise – Road noise is well subdued except on very worn highway surfaces.
The exhaust note is an excellent compromise. Never loud, but I can hear it.
And it is a very pleasant note at all RPM and throttle openings.
Seats – The comfort & support & adjustability are superb. No complaints.
Dash - The displays & controls are all acceptable for the price point.
Materials – I find the interior fit & finish also acceptable.
HVAC – Just fine.

The only published quarter mile acceleration time I have seen for an automatic 340i
is from here on Edmunds – 1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 12.7 @ 108.3
This happened to be the AWD, likely helping 0-60 a bit, but not the quarter.
For a little context, that is very close to the 2007 C6 Corvette [ 6-speed automatic ] that I had.
And [ reaching waaaaay back ] actually very close to the C+D test of a 1965 Corvette
Sting Ray 427 4-speed [ 12.8 sec. ]

A couple of things I have had on previous cars that I miss:
HUD, heated steering wheel, digital MPH display, touch-screen.
Edit: cooled seats

Overall, I am quite pleased with my choice here – no buyer’s remorse for me.
- Ray
Still a year from looking seriously at my next vehicle . . .

graphicguy

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Scat Pack, with nearly same MSRP, is $177 more per month. I don't know why exactly, but the T/A Plus is the cheapest V8 Challenger (for me, on Honcker) by a wide margin.

Honestly, I'm digging that green, too. And, with the T/A, I believe that gives it a flat black hood, wheels, and spoiler. Also, as a T/A Plus, it has alacantara seats, navigation, etc. Really wish I could jump on it right now.

My wife might kill me, but I'm tempted as well...

RB, if you don’t mind a little bit of a commute, if you get the Challenger, bring it my way. The car and you can live here. I have 4 bedrooms but am only using one to sleep in.

In return, I get to drive the Challenger.

LOL!

graphicguy

@rayainsw ...nice update. Nothing like having a vehicle that you really like to drive every day. Fun car, as well.

@breld....damn dude, you get some of the coolest iron out there. Congrats. I’ve made it no secret how much I like the Golf R. Just keep your buddy, GG, in mind when you tire of it.

DSG? Manual?

pensfan83

When he goes to sell it maybe @kyfdx will go for the VW this time . Who says lighting doesn't strike twice?!

au1994

Ah, dealers...

So I’m perusing one of the area BMW dealers (not the one I usually use) inventory and lo and behold there’s a 2003 ///M3 convertible, sub $10k w/100k miles on the lot. Against better judgement, I filled out the online inquiry form asking some very specific questions about the maintenance history - connecting rods, VANOS, airbags etc. I specify that my preferred contact method is email. I don’t even input my phone number.

I get an email response telling me the car is still available and he has room for test drive appointments today. What time works best for me? Seriously?

I wrote back detailing my very specific maintenance questions and 5 min later I get a call from a number I don’t recognize and I foolishly answer. Yep, you guessed it, its the dealer. How he got my mobile number is beyond me. I bluntly told him, again, what I am looking for and that I had his contact info if I needed anything further. To his credit, he did email me some detailed service history BUT followed that up with 2 more phone calls back to back that I sent to voicemail.

28firefighter

Wow really nice, @breld!  Is this a DSG or 6spd?