Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ronsteve

sandman_6472 said:

That's my issue to, the turbo. Whenever I get into a 4 cylinder vehicle at work, always looking for that turbo boost I get from my Golf. As much as I do like the Hyundai/Kia vehicles, just wish they had more turbo's. My one choice would be the Elantra GT with the 1.6t engine.

The Sandman

This is what I am thinking will sway me to go for another Volvo rather than a Subaru Outback. But not about to punch yet, thinking we'll stay the course through the winter and see if we can get the V70 to 200K without it turning into a money pit.

qbrozen

au1994 said:

I like the Grand Cherokee and a Limited is probably the trim I’d go for. Sure would think you could get one for between 350 and 400 though.

Yes, the Limited is $297 with $2500 up front. Roughly $395 with first month at signing for 24/12; $380 for 36/12; and $370 for 39/12.

qbrozen

@Mr_Shiftright
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2003-porsche-911-carrera-17/

stickguy

Oh man. That’s nice. Wish I had money to spend on it. Sounds like a good one.

pensfan83

At that price the Limited definitely has the V6 and probably few other options though I think they come fairly well equipped from the factory relative to the Laredo trim. However after driving a GC with the V6 and V8 I don't think there's any way I could live with the V6 for 3 years, it felt very taxed driving around hilly Southwest PA.

28firefighter

Well - it took over 3 months but the Saab stranded me for the first time this morning. Likely a fuel pump failure. In fairness the shop warned me it'd go in the next 2 years and 24k miles.

My wife was home to witness it though, and she has been giving me endless crap for it.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

You do know that 2BA stands for Too Bad No Options

Bluetooth, cruise control, and AC are all I require.

that one is also carplay ready, whatever that means, and has steering wheel controls and paddle shifters. The lap of luxury, IMHO. ;b

I agree with you, but heated seats are a must for me.  Even my Legacy which had NO POWER, had heated seats.

Ive driven the Prelude a few times this week without BlueTooth.  It does have cruise control & VERY cold AC though.

My Club Sport doesn't even have cruise control.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve McQueen didn't have heated seats.

breld

We're considering doing the new Jetta lease for my stepdaughter before she heads back up to school next week, if we can strike a good deal. With the lease up in December, I wouldn't mind just getting it taken care of now.

The wife and I also discussed getting a used A3 - there are many 2015 models (presumably coming off lease) in the low $20k's. We particularly like this one:

2015 A3 2.0T

With it being CPO, having only 19k miles, and being relatively well-equipped, seems like a good buy. About the same price as a new 2019 Jetta SEL, but here's what stops us from going that route: the plan is for our daughter to take over the car when she graduates in 2-3 years with an affordable monthly payment. The thought of her taking over a car at that point that will already be 5-6 years old, and still paying it off, doesn't sit well with us. Even with the CPO, it will be well out of warranty, and guess who would pick up the bill for any repairs?

On the other hand, the 2019 Jetta would still be under VW's great new warranty for another 2-3 years.

So, given the lease terms @michaell and @kyfdx, if I can get around a $3k discount on the new SEL (which seems doable), I should be able to get to around a $260/month lease payment, which we're comfortable with (and then we'd finance a purchase of the car with the daughter when the time comes). Then we'd need them to get us out of the current Jetta lease at no or little cost. So we shall see.

stickguy

Imo, with 3 years left, lease one now and reevaluate at graduation, and decide what makes sense then. Most likely, a 6 YO Audi won’t be the answer.

xwesx

Well, crud! I was going to post a pic of hitting a milestone on the C20 this morning. The odometer rolled 75,000 miles; however, both of the photos I snapped failed to focus.

What a let down. One of those little moments in life that I'll never get back.

xwesx

I did manage to get this one in the Q7 last Saturday, though! Not bad for a 5,500# brick.



It eventually worked up to 34.1 on the read out before settling in at a 31.9 after navigating fifty miles of hills just before arriving at home.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Well - it took over 3 months but the Saab stranded me for the first time this morning. Likely a fuel pump failure. In fairness the shop warned me it'd go in the next 2 years and 24k miles.

My wife was home to witness it though, and she has been giving me endless crap for it.

Hey, first time after three months? That's not bad! And, you're likely to go a lot longer on the next run.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

Well - it took over 3 months but the Saab stranded me for the first time this morning. Likely a fuel pump failure. In fairness the shop warned me it'd go in the next 2 years and 24k miles.

My wife was home to witness it though, and she has been giving me endless crap for it.

I think it's obvious that you should start looking for another car!

28firefighter

Not likely. There is a potential we may be adding another vehicle to the fleet but is a ways off. 

tifighter

Yup. I'm thinking you need a recent S60 R-design. Scratches the Swedish itch (although you really should get a cream for that), nets the comfy seats you want and gives you something to poke at Stick about. Win, win, win.

stickguy

28, your wife made you get rid of your nice reliable under warranty car. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on!

28firefighter

Oh, she can complain as much as she wants. I’m keeping the Saab on principle. 

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Well - it took over 3 months but the Saab stranded me for the first time this morning. Likely a fuel pump failure. In fairness the shop warned me it'd go in the next 2 years and 24k miles.

My wife was home to witness it though, and she has been giving me endless crap for it.

whaaat?? Say it ain't so! Nobody could have possibly predicted being stranded by a miled-up Saab. Ah, well, I'm sure it is simply a glitch and it will be smooth sailing from now on.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

Well - it took over 3 months but the Saab stranded me for the first time this morning. Likely a fuel pump failure. In fairness the shop warned me it'd go in the next 2 years and 24k miles.

My wife was home to witness it though, and she has been giving me endless crap for it.

whaaat?? Say it ain't so! Nobody could have possibly predicted being stranded by a miled-up Saab. Ah, well, I'm sure it is simply a glitch and it will be smooth sailing from now on.

+1

28firefighter

Coffee right through the nose. I knew I could count on you guys. 

Anyone else want to jump on the told ya so wagon? Shifty?

kyfdx

I'm not saying that, at all.

I thought it was a perfectly reasonable purchase.

Michaell

@28firefighter - you should look at the repair costs of the Saab using the unit of measure CCP (C-Class Payment).

As long as your running costs are lower than the equivalent CCP, you should be good.

28firefighter

Well under running costs for the Mercedes especially given that it was coming due for Service B in October. 

Doesn’t bother me in the least. Might have something to do with the fact we are going out of town this afternoon. 

breld

It looks really nice though, even in that picture.

breld

So no go (at least for now) on the Jetta lease. They were about $1,200 higher on the cap cost, plus another $371 for the remaining payments on the current lease (they'd cover $500 of it, but that's it).

Even with those numbers I can't back into their lease payment, which was $333 w/taxes (versus my offer of $263). I suspect they were inflating the money rate a bit.

He stated they could get to that pricing on a finance, with incentives being stronger on a purchase versus lease. But we like the idea of deferring the cash outlay until closer to graduation.

tifighter

I’m just surprised Denver dealers don’t have a back VIP entrance for @breld at this point. Sorta like the private entrance at a Vegas casino.

ab348

28firefighter said:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-ford-taurus-sho/

And for this week's BaT temptation. My Dad had this car's twin when I was 4 years old and is what hooked me on cars for good.

Sold today for $5500. Seems low for BaT these days.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Coffee right through the nose. I knew I could count on you guys. 

Anyone else want to jump on the told ya so wagon? Shifty?

Hey, I'm giving you (manly) e-hugs here. I know this game well.

qbrozen

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I would not have bought the Saab. But you should get used to seeing it being towed.

Mr_Shiftright

28firefighter said:

Coffee right through the nose. I knew I could count on you guys. 

Anyone else want to jump on the told ya so wagon? Shifty?

No, not me. Unlike some people, when a man is down, I do not jump on him with both feet.

Besides, as a former owner of two Saab turbos, a Porsche 914 and 928, a BMW 7 Series, two Peugeots, two MGBs, an Alfa 164 and a Mini Cooper (among other automobilii fatali), I am hardly in a position to criticize beyond waving the first polite caution flag.

tommister2

Punch for me today. 2018 Tundra CrewMax Limited, magnetic grey with black leather. I’ve been missing my 2013 Tundra that I sold about 2 months ago. Didn’t think it would take this long to replace it. I pick up the new truck Saturday morning. 

roadburner

My wife and I took the 2 Series on a 215 mile round trip to her hometown and its County Fair. Traffic was light and I averaged about 75 mph overall. The car returned 31 mpg, which I think is pretty decent. I remain convinced that the only cars I could see replacing it are the M2 and the Giulia Quadrifoglio.

henryn

tommister2 said:

Punch for me today. 2018 Tundra CrewMax Limited, magnetic grey with black leather. I’ve been missing my 2013 Tundra that I sold about 2 months ago. Didn’t think it would take this long to replace it. I pick up the new truck Saturday morning. 

Very, very nice, I'm sure you're going to enjoy that!

stickguy

So, yesterday agreed in principal to a punch. For the kid. She will (assuming it goes through) be leasing a Jetta R line, in white silver most likely.

Couple days ago after more debate with myself, for a number of reasons, decided that was the best concept overall. She as fine wth it. So went back to dealer, pled poverty for a struggling graduate, and shot out a lowball. He ended up pretty much getting to it. Payment dropped about $13/month. Slightly less than honcker too. Not the killer deal from 2015, but decent. $267/mo, 36/12, with just 1st and the inception fee down. She can handle that. So, hopefully next week, as soon as she can get her Delaware license. No real rush, just need it before month end.

Of course, I am still looking. Just will have a trade involved!

qbrozen

stickguy said:

So, yesterday agreed in principal to a punch. For the kid. She will (assuming it goes through) be leasing a Jetta R line, in white silver most likely. Couple days ago after more debate with myself, for a number of reasons, decided that was the best concept overall. She as fine wth it. So went back to dealer, pled poverty for a struggling graduate, and shot out a lowball. He ended up pretty much getting to it. Payment dropped about $13/month. Slightly less than honcker too. Not the killer deal from 2015, but decent. $267/mo, 36/12, with just 1st and the inception fee down. She can handle that. So, hopefully next week, as soon as she can get her Delaware license. No real rush, just need it before month end. Of course, I am still looking. Just will have a trade involved!

What is the total due at signing?

kyfdx

roadburner said:

My wife and I took the 2 Series on a 215 mile round trip to her hometown and its County Fair. Traffic was light and I averaged about 75 mph overall. The car returned 31 mpg, which I think is pretty decent. I remain convinced that the only cars I could see replacing it are the M2 and the Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Love that fair.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

So, yesterday agreed in principal to a punch. For the kid. She will (assuming it goes through) be leasing a Jetta R line, in white silver most likely.

Couple days ago after more debate with myself, for a number of reasons, decided that was the best concept overall. She as fine wth it. So went back to dealer, pled poverty for a struggling graduate, and shot out a lowball. He ended up pretty much getting to it. Payment dropped about $13/month. Slightly less than honcker too. Not the killer deal from 2015, but decent. $267/mo, 36/12, with just 1st and the inception fee down. She can handle that. So, hopefully next week, as soon as she can get her Delaware license. No real rush, just need it before month end.

Of course, I am still looking. Just will have a trade involved!

What is the total due at signing?

Yeah. Inquiring minds want to know.

stickguy

$1,000

Sandman6472

How's it different than the SEL model? Assuming it's an auto tranny also. Just curious as I like the turbo engine I've got now and not sure I'd want to go back to a regular 4 cylinder engine when the time comes. The last couple of days, have driven a couple of Elantra's and Rio's among other vehicles like the Buick Encore. All drive nice and would fit the bill but, when I needed to merge on the expressway, just didn't get the passing power that my turbo gives. I put it in "S" mode and, whoosh...off I go. These other vehicles just didn't have that same power when I needed it, so doubt I'd be happy with any of them long term. It's not that I'm a speeder or anything, but since I use the expressways a lot while going to and coming home, plus at work, I just want to have adequate power when I hit the accelerator. I get that in my Golf and other VW products, those 4 cylinder vehicles with a turbo.
No sense fooling myself here as I guess I just realized I really want a turbo 4 that can get out of it's way when necessary! And suppose I could live with a new Jetta when the time comes, will just have to make sure I position it correctly on my side of the garage. And hopefully by that time, our moving plans will be done, or well under way.
With all the rains in the Orlando area last month, looks like the closing date has been pushed back till the end of September/early October which really is a better time for us.

The Sandman

qbrozen

stickguy said:

$1,000

Cool. So, yeah, about $600 less than honcker. More than 1% msrp, but if that is the car she wants, that's what ya gotta pay.

qbrozen

Stick, did she try the Civic Si? Almost exactly the same payment. Maybe $10 less or so if you can get the same $600 break over the honcker offer. 

If she wants an auto trans, the EX-T is right there, too. A little less than the Si.

roadburner

Well, my wife and I had a long discussion about her next vehicle and she decided that she wanted the Wrangler. So I went online to check and-you guessed it-it was gone- after sitting on the lot for almost six weeks. So the search continues; I can't imagine finding anything with similar equipment and miles for that price.

pensfan83

roadburner said:

Well, my wife and I had a long discussion about her next vehicle and she decided that she wanted the Wrangler. So I went online to check and-you guessed it-it was gone- after sitting on the lot for almost six weeks. So the search continues; I can't imagine finding anything with similar equipment and miles for that price.

Same experience albeit with the Prelude. Looked at it a month ago and my offer was declined. Earlier this week I discovered it was lowered to within $300 of my initial offer but when I went back it had sold that day. After sitting for a month.

henryn

Back a lot of years ago (around 2002?), my wife was looking at a used Cadillac DTS. We found a really nice one, 3 years old, one owner, still under new car warranty. Fresh trade in on a new Cadillac. They were asking $21, we offered $18, they came down to $19, we left to keep looking. The very next morning, the dealer had that car in their newspaper ad at $18. I called the salesman, he said I'll call you back. 10 minutes later, he calls me back, says, "I've got your name on it. I had to tell them you already placed a deposit, so can you get down here at lunch and give me a check?"

That was a nice car, my wife really enjoyed owning it. Once you've found the right car, you really need to stay on top of it.

roadburner

pensfan83 said:

roadburner said:

Well, my wife and I had a long discussion about her next vehicle and she decided that she wanted the Wrangler. So I went online to check and-you guessed it-it was gone- after sitting on the lot for almost six weeks. So the search continues; I can't imagine finding anything with similar equipment and miles for that price.

Same experience albeit with the Prelude. Looked at it a month ago and my offer was declined. Earlier this week I discovered it was lowered to within $300 of my initial offer but when I went back it had sold that day. After sitting for a month.


My other big miss was a nearly new Mustang GT with the CPO warranty; it too had sat for over a month. We drove it on a Monday, decided to buy it the following Friday- and it had sold Friday afternoon.

breld

Congrats @stickguy on the daughter's pending Jetta punch. I'm following in your footsteps - the Jetta Sport lease for our daughter is up in December. Your experience makes me feel better about my recent attempts at a Jetta lease. I was targeting about $260 before taxes on an SEL, with $0 down. Apparently I was a bit too aggressive - and the dealers agreed.

Since ours isn't up until December, I think we'll just wait until then - I think that's when VW markets one of their "Sign then Drive" events, so should have some better lease incentives. Like you pointed out, deals were much better a few years ago - our current payment on the Sport is $174 including taxes. That was with $0 down (though only 10k miles/year).

breld

So, my friend calls me this morning and says he's heading to Carmax to get a bid on his 2017 Tundra (I got confirmation of pricing from Q on the RWTIV thread). Says he'd like to downsize his payment and just get something economical, since he doesn't really need the truck.

He's thinking of everything from a used Accord/Camry to an Audi A4, and perhaps a Prius (he's the one who has switched every couple years between a Tundra and Prius - he's on his third Tundra and has had two Prius's in between).

He's always liked our Audis, so I strongly suggest he tries out a used A4. He does, and likes it a lot. But he's also thinking Prius.

So...my wife suggests he rent our Prius Prime from us for the next 6-12 months. He pays us for our car payment (which is really low at $245) and of course insures it himself - so we get our car payments taken care of and it relieves us of the insurance obligation on a car we don't drive all that much (particularly since we bought the Golf R).

He loves the plan. He can save money and get that A4 he wants next year - and scratch that semi-annual Prius itch he gets. The only thing I need to figure out is the logistics of him insuring a car that we own. Is that weird?

pensfan83

@qbrozen what's the difference between the 500 and your R/T

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-dodge-coronet-3/

qbrozen

pensfan83 said:

@qbrozen what's the difference between the 500 and your R/T

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-dodge-coronet-3/

R/T came with the 440ci High-po engine or optional 426ci hemi. Also sport suspension and, IIRC, bigger brakes. Has its own brightwork, too. Real PITA to find parts for since the '67 was a one-off year. 

ab348

I really like that Coronet. Great interior.