Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

kyfdx said:

A house I walk by frequently usually has some nice vechicles. I think they are snowbirds, as their cars all have Florida plates. For the last few years, a red GTI, a flat-orange Boxster and a couple of FJ Cruisers (why two?).

Anyway, the red GTI is for sale. 2016 with 2X,XXX miles, SE with Driver Assistance, Lighting and Performance packages.. and, a stick-shift! Stickered for $33K+ when new.

1.5 years left on factory warranty, plus another 3 year tranferable 3rd-party extended warranty on top of that.

The car looks basically new. The bad news: Asking $24,800...

GTIs seem to hold their value well (what does the auction say about this on @qbrozen?) and don't lease well. You are probably better off trying to find what you want new and take advantage of a healthy discount & cheap financing and their 7 year/72K warranty. Most of what I see on dealer's lots are either S or AutoBahn models.

Not enough info. Need at least the next digit on miles and need to know how many doors it has.

I actually think GTIs DON'T hold their value well. A 2016 4-door SE peformance that would now be approaching 3 years old and 30k miles is worth all of about $17k auction and $20k retail. If it was $33k sticker new, that's a 51.5% residual on a 36/12 lease. Figure 50% (or less) by the time we get to Fall when it really will be 3 years old. 

It’s 4–door. Wish I could remember the mileage. Seems like lower 20s, rather than upper. $3500 in options over the base SE model. The asking is extremely high, especially for private party. I wouldn’t assign any value to the 3rd party extended warranty. Maybe, someday it would save a little cash. It lives just a mile from my house, and had a lot of details on the For Sale sign. Otherwise, I’m probably not thinking about it.

I passed up a 2017 Sport model, just last year for $22K.. maybe, you heard about that?

benjaminh

My local dealer has a brand-new 2018 GTI on sale for $23.5k:

https://www.bachmanvolkswagen.com/inventory/new-2018-volkswagen-golf-gti-s-fwd-hatchback-3vw447au6jm287419

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well it definitely has a blower on it (not stock, of course). If the engineering were done properly, that would be a nice car to drive. TR6s are fairly civilized for a vintage British sports car, roomy cockpit and even a heater!

If you don't mind the dog-cart suspension, this could be a decent buy. I only hope the engine has been rebuilt and re-sealed to take the extra boost--hopefully with lower compression at least. I also don't know how they worked out compatibility with the carburetor. That can be tricky. Looks like a pretty tidy install.

These cars are easy to work on normally, although again we don't know what went into the customization (aside from lots of money).

I like the TR6; like most British cars of that vintage it has decent parts support and as you said, they are dead easy to work on. Most of the issues the cars suffer from can be easily rectified.

stickguy

Love the seats. Hate the wheels. And missing a pedal. Also, isn’t a base S like that kinda skimpy on options and features?

henryn

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well it definitely has a blower on it (not stock, of course). If the engineering were done properly, that would be a nice car to drive. TR6s are fairly civilized for a vintage British sports car, roomy cockpit and even a heater!

If you don't mind the dog-cart suspension, this could be a decent buy. I only hope the engine has been rebuilt and re-sealed to take the extra boost--hopefully with lower compression at least. I also don't know how they worked out compatibility with the carburetor. That can be tricky. Looks like a pretty tidy install.

These cars are easy to work on normally, although again we don't know what went into the customization (aside from lots of money).

I like the TR6; like most British cars of that vintage it has decent parts support and as you said, they are dead easy to work on. Most of the issues the cars suffer from can be easily rectified.

I think I mentioned before, I had a friend and co-worker who bought one of these new, back in the early to mid 70s. That thing fell apart faster than any mortal human could possibly glue it back together. Perhaps these days, with our more modern super glue and quick setting epoxy and other miracle chemicals, maybe, just maybe it might hold together for more than 30 minutes at a time. But I wouldn't bet any money on that.

xwesx

breld said:

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?

Not really that weird, @breld! That's sorta what I am doing with the 2008 Forester for a friend, but he's not paying me anything for it. Maybe I should rethink that....

However, it may be a little trickier than you think with regard to the insurance. In my state, my friend could not get his own insurance coverage because he did not "own" the car. In order to get around that, I had to go one of three ways:

1. I carry and pay the insurance, and just have him pay me back. Risk here is that it is your insurance should anything happen (plus, my insurance company didn't really love this option).
2. I sign the title over to him and set myself up as lienholder. I didn't really love this option, as it means I am signing over the title. Yeah, I have a lien, but still made me a bit squirrelly.
3. I mod the title to add his name on an "and" connector, so he is an "owner" but cannot sell/dispose of the car without my input. Once I had title in hand, I had him sign off his interest on the document, so that I can do any further title work (such as removing his name again or selling the car) without further input from him.

I took the third option, and I suspended my insurance coverage with only comprehensive active (e.g., acts of nature or theft) so that it stays on my policy for quick and easy reactivation when the time comes.

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

Man, that looks nice! Now I want one.

breld

@xwesx -

Thanks for the feedback - after a little research and each of us speaking to our insurance agents, we've landed on that third option you present as well.

We are close friends and I trust him completely. He's one of those people who will pay you for something well before it's really even expected or owed - he stayed with us for about 6 months while he was having a house built, and he made it a point to have a check for the rent we had agreed on every month without any prompting. In fact, we told him he didn't have to pay us at all, but he insisted on paying us a nominal rent. I brought the Prius to him last night and he had a check waiting for me.

xwesx

breld said:

@xwesx -

Thanks for the feedback - after a little research and each of us speaking to our insurance agents, we've landed on that third option you present as well.

We are close friends and I trust him completely. He's one of those people who will pay you for something well before it's really even expected or owed - he stayed with us for about 6 months while he was having a house built, and he made it a point to have a check for the rent we had agreed on every month without any prompting. In fact, we told him he didn't have to pay us at all, but he insisted on paying us a nominal rent. I brought the Prius to him last night and he had a check waiting for me.

Great!

I feel the same way about my friend. However, I've also been burned enough in life to keep a bit of an insurance policy. It's so common as to be unsurprising to have something crazy happen, then the person's family/friends say, "We never saw that coming." Hahahah

xwesx

So, my wife's verdict is in on my Q7. She says to me, "I do have to say that I think your luxury car is a less-safe vehicle than our family Subaru. Just the way it drives...a spongy bubble on wheels."

ab348

In @breld 's case, would not a policy similar to what happens when you lease a car work? Breld could execute a 6-month lease with his friend for $1.

qbrozen

benjaminh said:

My local dealer has a brand-new 2018 GTI on sale for $23.5k:

https://www.bachmanvolkswagen.com/inventory/new-2018-volkswagen-golf-gti-s-fwd-hatchback-3vw447au6jm287419

wonder how that would lease.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

benjaminh said:

My local dealer has a brand-new 2018 GTI on sale for $23.5k:

https://www.bachmanvolkswagen.com/inventory/new-2018-volkswagen-golf-gti-s-fwd-hatchback-3vw447au6jm287419

wonder how that would lease.

Not sure you would get the same discount from MSRP if you leased.

.00150 MF, this month.

28firefighter

Confirmed faulty fuel pump on the Saab. It'll be back tomorrow, my wallet $800 lighter. Half of that is just the part cost. They were hoping it was just a clogged fuel filter, but checked the power at the pump and it was very dead. I appreciated the effort.

Can't wait to get it back.

This post brought to you by AAA.

qbrozen

Michaell said:

My local dealer has a brand-new 2018 GTI on sale for $23.5k: https://www.bachmanvolkswagen.com/inventory/new-2018-volkswagen-golf-gti-s-fwd-hatchback-3vw447au6jm287419

wonder how that would lease.

Not sure you would get the same discount from MSRP if you leased. .00150 MF, this month.

What's the residual for 36/12? Wondering if it is close to the 50% I mentioned.

tifighter

28firefighter said:

Confirmed faulty fuel pump on the Saab. It'll be back tomorrow, my wallet $800 lighter. Half of that is just the part cost. They were hoping it was just a clogged fuel filter, but checked the power at the pump and it was very dead. I appreciated the effort.

Can't wait to get it back.

This post brought to you by AAA.

Scanwest by chance?

28firefighter

Of course! It's been serviced there for the last decade, so it seems prudent to continue taking it there. Also happens to be about 15 minutes from my house.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:

benjaminh said:

My local dealer has a brand-new 2018 GTI on sale for $23.5k:

https://www.bachmanvolkswagen.com/inventory/new-2018-volkswagen-golf-gti-s-fwd-hatchback-3vw447au6jm287419

wonder how that would lease.

Not sure you would get the same discount from MSRP if you leased.

.00150 MF, this month.

What's the residual for 36/12? Wondering if it is close to the 50% I mentioned.

53%, plus $2k in lease incentives.

andres3

breld said:

I have to admit, there are times when I think I’m skillfully avoiding a pothole and end up hitting it dead on  

Here's a tip trick....


Instead of avoiding, just turn sharply momentarily in the direction that'll shift all the weight of the car onto the two wheels not hitting the pothole. Will lighten the load on the ones that do, and will be a non factor most likely.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

A house I walk by frequently usually has some nice vechicles. I think they are snowbirds, as their cars all have Florida plates. For the last few years, a red GTI, a flat-orange Boxster and a couple of FJ Cruisers (why two?). Anyway, the red GTI is for sale. 2016 with 2X,XXX miles, SE with Driver Assistance, Lighting and Performance packages.. and, a stick-shift! Stickered for $33K+ when new. 1.5 years left on factory warranty, plus another 3 year tranferable 3rd-party extended warranty on top of that. The car looks basically new. The bad news: Asking $24,800...

GTIs seem to hold their value well (what does the auction say about this on @qbrozen?) and don't lease well. You are probably better off trying to find what you want new and take advantage of a healthy discount & cheap financing and their 7 year/72K warranty. Most of what I see on dealer's lots are either S or AutoBahn models.

Not enough info. Need at least the next digit on miles and need to know how many doors it has.

I actually think GTIs DON'T hold their value well. A 2016 4-door SE peformance that would now be approaching 3 years old and 30k miles is worth all of about $17k auction and $20k retail. If it was $33k sticker new, that's a 51.5% residual on a 36/12 lease. Figure 50% (or less) by the time we get to Fall when it really will be 3 years old. 




I won’t argue with you @qbrozen, especially since I know you’ve got the numbers right in front of you.  I guess the dealers just inflate their GTI asking prices a bit higher than usual.  I feel like you don’t see that many 2 (almost 3) year old GTIs with low $20K asking prices.

xwesx

andres3 said:

breld said:

I have to admit, there are times when I think I’m skillfully avoiding a pothole and end up hitting it dead on  

Here's a tip trick....


Instead of avoiding, just turn sharply momentarily in the direction that'll shift all the weight of the car onto the two wheels not hitting the pothole. Will lighten the load on the ones that do, and will be a non factor most likely.

Yikes! Will that really work? I mean, I see the theory, but then I think about the possibility of messing up the steering because I hit it with the wheels turned....

Funny enough, when I was fifteen, with a learning permit, I was taking my father to the hospital for a back surgery. Needless to say, he was in pretty severe pain at the time. Our little two-laner had a lot of potholes, and I kept trying to avoid them by driving around them, but also trying to stay in my lane. I probably hit a good dozen of them dead on one wheel or the other, and finally he says, "Are you TRYING to hit the potholes?! You would probably miss more of them if you just pretended they weren't there...." Hahaha. Ego? Crushed.

Then he told me about straddling them instead of trying to dodge them outright. That was like an epiphany.... much easier to manage afterward.

nyccarguy

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

andres3

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

breld said:

I have to admit, there are times when I think I’m skillfully avoiding a pothole and end up hitting it dead on  

Here's a tip trick....


Instead of avoiding, just turn sharply momentarily in the direction that'll shift all the weight of the car onto the two wheels not hitting the pothole. Will lighten the load on the ones that do, and will be a non factor most likely.

Yikes! Will that really work? I mean, I see the theory, but then I think about the possibility of messing up the steering because I hit it with the wheels turned....

Funny enough, when I was fifteen, with a learning permit, I was taking my father to the hospital for a back surgery. Needless to say, he was in pretty severe pain at the time. Our little two-laner had a lot of potholes, and I kept trying to avoid them by driving around them, but also trying to stay in my lane. I probably hit a good dozen of them dead on one wheel or the other, and finally he says, "Are you TRYING to hit the potholes?! You would probably miss more of them if you just pretended they weren't there...." Hahaha. Ego? Crushed.

Then he told me about straddling them instead of trying to dodge them outright. That was like an epiphany.... much easier to manage afterward.

Well, it works as far as keeping your wheels and tires in tact.

Of course, I did report my Kia alignment was off at an early age and mileage, so maybe hitting it while turned is contributing!!! LOL!

I do it naturally if avoiding a pothole is too difficult and/or dangerous. However, a lot of the potholes in Southern CA are tiny ones. The Audi's 255/35R19 tires can usually span the pothole. The Kia's skinny tires not so much.

nyccarguy

I’m seeing more and more Giulias out there.  This AM I saw a beautiful Black (Ti Sport, I think) with Yellow brake calipers.  Very sharp looking.  Last week I saw a (ShoulddaboughtanM3 Blue) Giulia Quadrifolio which I was not such a fan of.

tjc78

nyccarguy said:

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

What is the JGC lease?

stickguy

Hey lease experts. Anyone know the tax rules in Delaware on a lease? I know they have a 4.25% "usage fee" (no sales tax, but also no free lunch), but what is that charged on for a lease? I thought it was the total of payments, but can't quite figure it out.

28firefighter

You are literally the first person I’ve heard of try to register a lease in Delaware. In short, I have no clue. I can do some research later this evening. 

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

Then it will go back to regular price for like 48-72 hours and then go on "sale" again. All of mine are currently $12/mo off.

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

What is the JGC lease?

qbrozen

Found a deal for you bargain hunters. 

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Hey lease experts. Anyone know the tax rules in Delaware on a lease? I know they have a 4.25% "usage fee" (no sales tax, but also no free lunch), but what is that charged on for a lease? I thought it was the total of payments, but can't quite figure it out.

I think it’s like VA. Applied to the full price.

stickguy

that is dumb. should have kept it in Jersey in that case. Though at least some of the other fees are less, since when I got first numbers it was a few bucks cheaper to register it into DE.

breld

I received a response from another VW dealer on my own Jetta lease search - the best I've got so far is $293 ($305 w/tax) for 36/36k, $0 down, on an SEL.

Sounds fair, and comparable to @stickguy's pricing (taking into account the difference between the R-line and SEL as well as the $0 down), but given I do have until December before the lease is up, seems wise to just wait for better incentives which are sure to come.

She's already close to 32,000 miles on the current lease, which was a 30k mile lease, so I get anxious about the mileage overage, but I suppose that will get worked out okay with doing another VW lease.

Sandman6472

Guess that's a big reason I didn't lease the Golf, the mileage overage I'd suffer. Do about 1300/month, give or take so not sure I'd be over or not. But if I did lease, I would've been in something else by now. If I do get new, will look at VW first due to their killer warranty. Saw another Mini Cooper Countryman today, a four door in blue over blue with the nicer alloys and I was in love! Have to drive one again to see if the ride is that jarring but the one today was just beautiful!! I want one...NOW!!
I did get a new iPhone 8 Plus though today. $500 done. I lost the eBay auction on Saturday so started looking in NextUp again and found the one I saw a few weeks ago at $530 still there but now at $500 even. Met up after work and was in perfect condition, a very honest young mother, and she set me up. Took my case off and threw the sim card in and did the iCloud stuff when I got home. Did the software upgrade, the latest one, and then moved my contacts over. Finishing up with the apps right now and think we're done. It's the white over white, the combo I really wanted as the black front on the 6s Plus was just too dark with the black/silver case I've got and am re-using. Tomorrow will go over to the mall and get the screen protector installed at one of the many kiosks that do it there. Then I need to clean out my old one and either give it to the wife or sell it on NextUp. If the wife wants it, she can probably just have it but it's only 32 gigs. The 8 Plus is 64 gigs as I wanted more storage.

The Sandman

stickguy

the base price spread, SE to R to SEL, is not all that big now. I think about $2,500, max.

I worry a little about the miles too. if she runs it up either buys it out, or rolls into another lease. It is always a crapshoot, but I think she will be OK. though who knows what happens down the line. Hopefully she stays living where she is for at least the 2 years her development program goes for (will be in Delaware). After that, who knows. Just better not move back up here and switch to a monster commute again!

we went in tonight and she did a bunch of paperwork. Credit app, stuff related to college grad program, etc. they played with the numbers a bit and shaved the price down some more. A nice chunk if the salesguy had the correct DAS figure (I asked twice to make sure). But, I never trust anything until it is on the official finance office paper rolls you need to sign!

they did not have the color she wanted in stock (white silver, a late change from gray), so will take a few days at least to swap for one. They never did actually take a deposit from her like the initial guy said (we traded mid stream to work with the guy that showed us the car originally back in late June, after he finished with another sale)

Possibly Thursday. if not, next Tuesday. Not a huge rush, just means a few more miles on my car. Won't be getting many once I get it back anyway. Just to a few dealers for trade in quotes!

stickguy

I did get to drive it today. I do like it. Just wish it had the nice power seat so I could get some cushion tilt, and not need to drive with a pillow under my right thigh. But it does drive nice and is quick.

I hope to stop over at the Volvo dealer mid week to see if they are anxious to cheaply lease an S60. They have some service loaners, but not sure they qualify. If nothing else, I'll take one for a ride. Been a while so need to see how it compares.

tjc78

nyccarguy said:

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

What is the JGC lease?

And it’s 24 months.  Sweet deal.  

nyccarguy

@tjc78 - 24 months is THE BEST part!

corvette

Just returned from the UK. A great trip and also my first trip to Europe. To keep it car related, I was really awestruck with the number of ultra high end luxury vehicles seen on the street in certain parts of London. I saw three Bentley Bentaygas within about a twenty minute period. And there were very few "clunkers" and not many vehicles more than 10-15 years old. I'm assuming the MOT inspection tends to force aged vehicles off the road. 

I traveled to the countryside for a couple days at the end of the trip. As far as driving goes, I will say that I think it would have been easier had I been able to rent a left hand drive vehicle, since that's what I'm used to. Having the driving position flipped along with the blind spots and center mirror really threw me off. I tried Waze and the built-in satnav (with traffic awareness). Neither one made it clear which lane I should be in when approaching a multi-lane roundabout, which led to my backtracking on many occasions. Sometimes the pavement markings weren't clear, which made it even more difficult. I definitely made a lot of mistakes there. On the motorway, I really appreciated the lack of jerkwads constantly weaving from one lane to another. Drivers there seem more disciplined and attentive overall. 

I had booked a C-class through Sixt. I had expected the lowest spec crapbox model available in the UK. I was very pleasantly surprised to get a C220 CDI with only 2,000 miles on the clock which had satnav, a pano roof, driver and passenger memory seats, and a great stereo. The diesel engine performed extremely well in city driving due to the ample low end torque. Merging onto the motorway revealed the diesel's lack of horsepower. Also, the floorpan of the LHD and RHD cars appears to be the same, and the transmission intrudes into the right side further than the left. This made my leg uncomfortable but wouldn't be an issue with a LHD car. The car was otherwise superb. Smooth ride, responsive steering, good handling, excellent interior materials. The nine speed automatic was geared fairly tall and didn't get into ninth gear until you hit about 70 MPH. Those used C300s at Eimports4less are looking pretty good right now! 

au1994

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

What is the JGC lease?

And it’s 24 months.  Sweet deal.  

At 24 months, I’d be all over that provided it is not an absolute stripper model. I’ve had a small itch for a JGC for a while and a cheap 2yr lease would certainly do that.

nyccarguy

au1994 said:

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

tjc78 said:

nyccarguy said:

Looks like the base Grand Cherokee & Civic Si I put in my honcker “showroom” are both on special for the next 69 hours or so.

What is the JGC lease?

And it’s 24 months.  Sweet deal.  

At 24 months, I’d be all over that provided it is not an absolute stripper model. I’ve had a small itch for a JGC for a while and a cheap 2yr lease would certainly do that.

It is an absolute stripper model.

stickguy

I’m cheap. But still have some minimum required goodies.

qbrozen

We talked about this one before.
depends on your definition. Paddle shifters, power seat, bluetooth, carplay. Things I would not think I'd find on a "stripper."
Under $300 in NJ.

stickguy

Power seat a must have. CarPlay big plus.

You have to give me a crazy low price to give up my moonroof. And on a barge like that would really want BLIS.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

Power seat a must have. CarPlay big plus.

You have to give me a crazy low price to give up my moonroof. And on a barge like that would really want BLIS.

It isn't THAT big

qbrozen

I consider it moderate. I don't know for sure, but seems smaller than others like the Pilot and Atlas. Certainly smaller than my truck.

qbrozen

Oops! It is a manual seat.

stickguy

Checked Honcker. That jeepbstickers for over 34k. Ouch. Came up at $344 for me 39/39. And $371 24/10.

And it has manual seats.

qbrozen

$371? Huh. Wonder why. Mine is $308, and would likely be "on sale" for $296.

qbrozen

Narrowed my results to those having package 2BE (roof rails and power seats) and came up with this one-off deal. $36.7k msrp. Too bad its black/black.