Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

pensfan83

Very fun car to drive. What it lacks in power it makes up for with nimble and precise handling. Finding a 3rd gen in this condition is unheard of.

The one I drove had 4WS but even without this is still a fun car.

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

This '91 10K mile Prelude is already bringing insane money and still 6 days to run.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-honda-prelude-7/

Well you know the drill. When you have some ultra-low-miles time capsule, you can't expect a rational market projection. It's an outlier car and will command an outlier price, because the seller has the 4 Aces in his hand.

He can just answer your protestations of a high price with----"Fine. Go find another one".

And chances are, you can't.

Is this price the new standard for low mileage Preludes? Hard to say. To prove it, the buyer would have to turn around and duplicate the price, and THAT new buyer would have to do the same. If we got 5 similar high prices on the same car after 5 sales, we'd have to say that yes, this is now what they are worth.

At the risk of repeating myself and boring you like some of your high school teachers---it's the BUYER who sets the market value of a car. Not dealers, not owners, not price guides, not appraisers, not asking prices, not journalists' blogs.

BUYERS rule. And they seem to have voted on this Prelude.

graphicguy

breld said:

stickguy said:

I won't got back as far as 2015. 2017 is the earliest I think.

Sandy, our kids still like us. That is a nice thing. Our daughter seems to be home most weekends. Including this one. She is sitting next to us right now (after hustling a free meal of course!) playing songs from the old days and making fun of them. But she is happy to hang with us anyway.

That's awesome - my stepdaughter is in her 3rd year of college, and we still have to encourage her to stay up in Fort Collins some weekends (it's like a 45 minute drive). It seems if she had it her way, she'd be down most every weekend hanging with us, as well as her boyfriend who lives down this way too.

I have to remind my wife once in awhile that we should be flattered and enjoy it while it lasts (and truthfully, we hope it lasts a long time).

I never regret any minute I get to spend with my son. He’s grown and doing his own thing, but whenever we do get together, I cherish each and every moment.

Drivingfool

It's nice when they want to come home. Our son, well, not so much as he hates Florida for some reason. The girls just come and go as they please which works for them. I always make sure to have extra at mealtime just in case they want to eat with us. Think as parents, we've all learned how to be there for them when they need us but stay in the background when not. A simple text just to say hi is plenty and always makes my day. At this point, will leave Wednesday morning and she'll follow a bit later as she has to work till noon. The interview yesterday went o k but they didn't want to offer health care benefits. She said that if not, she'd need a larger salary to buy her own which I'm glad she did. Health insurance is a must have these days as I painfully found out. A stray bill still comes in every now and then and am still paying monthly on my part of the over $148K hospital bill. Orlando's a big city so I know she'll find the perfect job soon enough. And she's still working for the law firm remotely which pays the bills.
Luckily, there's a Hertz HLE office right near here so if things change, could always move up here. But really, I'm so ready to stop already!! Getting really sick at the hotel the other morning just made me think about stopping way before December of 2019. I scared my daughter and I felt bad about that but the day just got to be too much for me. She's watching me now more closely and makes me sit as much as possible. But I've got my meds and lie down when necessary so we're good. But I just know that my days with Hertz are numbered.

The Sandman/Driving Fool

benjaminh

stickguy said:

I won't got back as far as 2015. 2017 is the earliest I think....

A 2017 TLX is almost identical to a 2015 TLX. The significant upgrade came with the restyled 2018 TLX, which added CarPlay/AA + AcuraWatch and a few other things....

http://acuranews.com/acura-automobiles/channels/tlx-press-kit/releases/2018-acura-tlx-press-kit-interior

Imho if you're considering a 2017 you might as well save some significant money and get a 2015. But really a 2018 or 2019 would be better. With the lease incentives you can get a 2019 for not that much more than a certified 2018 with low miles.

benjaminh

pensfan83 said:

Very fun car to drive. What it lacks in power it makes up for with nimble and precise handling. Finding a 3rd gen in this condition is unheard of.

The one I drove had 4WS but even without this is still a fun car.

How was the 4WS on the Prelude? Have you tried the 4WS on the TLX?

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

breld said:

stickguy said:

I won't got back as far as 2015. 2017 is the earliest I think.

Sandy, our kids still like us. That is a nice thing. Our daughter seems to be home most weekends. Including this one. She is sitting next to us right now (after hustling a free meal of course!) playing songs from the old days and making fun of them. But she is happy to hang with us anyway.

That's awesome - my stepdaughter is in her 3rd year of college, and we still have to encourage her to stay up in Fort Collins some weekends (it's like a 45 minute drive). It seems if she had it her way, she'd be down most every weekend hanging with us, as well as her boyfriend who lives down this way too.

I have to remind my wife once in awhile that we should be flattered and enjoy it while it lasts (and truthfully, we hope it lasts a long time).

I never regret any minute I get to spend with my son. He’s grown and doing his own thing, but whenever we do get together, I cherish each and every moment.

Ditto... mostly. Sometimes, I'm not cherishing it, so much..

tbirdmarco

Family time is an good thinggg   Nice pray life  posted above

28firefighter

I’m taking @kyfdx advice from last year and flying home for the Philly auto show with my Dad. I’m pumped!

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well you know the drill. When you have some ultra-low-miles time capsule, you can't expect a rational market projection. It's an outlier car and will command an outlier price, because the seller has the 4 Aces in his hand.

He can just answer your protestations of a high price with----"Fine. Go find another one".

And chances are, you can't.

Is this price the new standard for low mileage Preludes? Hard to say. To prove it, the buyer would have to turn around and duplicate the price, and THAT new buyer would have to do the same. If we got 5 similar high prices on the same car after 5 sales, we'd have to say that yes, this is now what they are worth.

At the risk of repeating myself and boring you like some of your high school teachers---it's the BUYER who sets the market value of a car. Not dealers, not owners, not price guides, not appraisers, not asking prices, not journalists' blogs.

BUYERS rule. And they seem to have voted on this Prelude.

Never said this was a seller setting an insane price. it is the bidders who are nuts, no different than the liquored-up old dudes with oversized bank accounts or credit lines who buy stuff at Barrett-Jackson.

tbirdmarco

 28 fire fighter, when is the Philly auto show, yes glad you going to go fly home enjoy it with dad, sounds good. Got to try to get over there. Would be cool I wanna try to go to more than just the New York one but I always do every year.   Oh and I’m a big fan of the current generation Ford edge, I was even a fan of the prior first generation too. More so. Don’t know why there aren’t more them on the road. Trying to get my dad to get rid of his old Senada and go for one of these. So many leftovers at the dealer over here. Texting with a few refreshed 20191s. But I’d be happy with the pre-refresh possibly more, have to see them in person to decide though. For sure me and pictures no good, Ha ha ha as you all know. Maybe might get out to a few dealers leader  my cousins supposed to come over here later drives, so hoping to get out to some dealers. Long long long overdue. We can figure out another way, wouldn’t makes sense to take Uber to some dealers, and walk around. I don’t know I thought. 

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

I’m taking @kyfdx advice from last year and flying home for the Philly auto show with my Dad. I’m pumped!

I don't remember that... I might have been drinking.

roadburner

graphicguy said:

I never regret any minute I get to spend with my son. He’s grown and doing his own thing, but whenever we do get together, I cherish each and every moment.

Same here; I was blessed to have a job that allowed me to spend a lot of time with my son while he was growing up. He still texts me or my wife at least a couple of times each day- and the texts don't involve requests for money...

qbrozen

Stupid money on that Prelude, IMHO.

Even if the quarter million dollar bid is a digit too much. ;b

breld

Holy cow - I want that Prelude bad. Not sure how much I’d be willing to pay for it, but I do know the bidding is well beyond that point for me (with the correction of course).

I don’t know, I could see paying upwards of $15k for such a rare thing.

pensfan83

Wow, that escalated quickly. I would have tapped out long ago.

Drivingfool

The furniture finally came and looks real nice. Couch is comfy and my kid is happy. Still need bar stools for the island so we'll go look tomorrow. Then a few more lamps for each bedroom and she'll be in great shape. Going to pick out fans in about an hour which I'm gifting her as she's spent more than I think she even knows. But it's my pleasure to make her feel comfortable here. Something tells me that I'll be up here every month or so for a few days which is fine with me. Whatever she wants/needs, I'm there. But have told her that it's her call, you want me gone, just tell me and home I go. You need me for a few days here and there, just call me. I won't intrude on her life unless wanted.

The Sandman/Driving Fool

graphicguy

benjaminh said:

stickguy said:

I won't got back as far as 2015. 2017 is the earliest I think....

A 2017 TLX is almost identical to a 2015 TLX. The significant upgrade came with the restyled 2018 TLX, which added CarPlay/AA + AcuraWatch and a few other things....

http://acuranews.com/acura-automobiles/channels/tlx-press-kit/releases/2018-acura-tlx-press-kit-interior

Imho if you're considering a 2017 you might as well save some significant money and get a 2015. But really a 2018 or 2019 would be better. With the lease incentives you can get a 2019 for not that much more than a certified 2018 with low miles.

Yeah...the 18/19 TLXs are a pretty big upgrade over the 15/16/17 versions. Lot more content. Acura remapped the trans. Worth it I think!

tjc78

28firefighter said:

I’m taking @kyfdx advice from last year and flying home for the Philly auto show with my Dad. I’m pumped!

Awesome. I love the show. My nearly 5 year old son does too! He is starting to notice the car badges now. We walked past an older Lacrosse today and he said that symbol is the same as Mommy’s car.

28firefighter

That’s awesome, @tjc78! I think once Sam is a bit older, we will both start making the trip home to go. 

suydam

Check out the National Dog Show if you go there (in November). It is so much fun! Kids would love it.

corvette

Paging @roadburner ... My feeble mind seems to remember that, some years ago, you recommended Gilkey replacement windows. I lived out of their service area at the time, but am in Louisville now. How have yours held up?

The long story: When I moved into my current house in 2015, two of the vinyl replacement windows had broken seals and were starting to fog. I was able to track down the manufacturer in New Jersey (but not the local installer, who might be able to honor a warranty claim), and order two new sashes. I now have two more with busted seals. I never had any issues with the replacement windows I installed in my old house, so while I'm making other home improvements, I think I'd just like to replace at least the ones that are malfunctioning, and perhaps just all 12 windows in the house, so that I'm not constantly replacing sashes out of warranty--the replacements were inexpensive, but it's annoying to have the same problem over and over.

stickguy

my daughter went up to NYC for the weekend with some friends, so we dropped her at the train this AM. The Jetta is spending the weekend with us. I took pity on the poor thing and dragged out the shopvac to clean up the floors, and gave it a quickie wash job to get the nasty stuff off the outside. Looks much better now.

roadburner

corvette said:

Paging @roadburner ... My feeble mind seems to remember that, some years ago, you recommended Gilkey replacement windows. I lived out of their service area at the time, but am in Louisville now. How have yours held up?

The long story: When I moved into my current house in 2015, two of the vinyl replacement windows had broken seals and were starting to fog. I was able to track down the manufacturer in New Jersey (but not the local installer, who might be able to honor a warranty claim), and order two new sashes. I now have two more with busted seals. I never had any issues with the replacement windows I installed in my old house, so while I'm making other home improvements, I think I'd just like to replace at least the ones that are malfunctioning, and perhaps just all 12 windows in the house, so that I'm not constantly replacing sashes out of warranty--the replacements were inexpensive, but it's annoying to have the same problem over and over.

We've been very happy with Gilkey; when we bought ours you could choose between a 20 year transferable warranty or a lifetime non-transferable warranty. We went with the lifetime warranty. We've had a number replaced, but only in the past 5-6 years. The workers that they have sent out have always been very competent and easy going. One time the installer wasn't happy with the fit of the replacement pane and returned it in order to get a pane with the correct fit.

corvette

roadburner said:

We've been very happy with Gilkey...

Thanks! How old are yours? The "unknown brand" at my house seem to be eleven years old, and four have had seal failures in the past three years. I only have twelve windows!

roadburner

We installed them in 2000.

tbirdmarco

Nice nice sandy. Glad that your daughters got her new firnacher. And all is good

tbirdmarco

 Went to the local Levitown Ford dealer here with my sister yesterday went to test drive a red Ford Taurus not gonna work out at this time unfortunately but was so nice. The hold off I’m trading in her jeep for now. Such a nice dealership to deal with don’t know why such bad reviews online, can trust the reviews take him with a grain of salt, trying to get a job over there. Seems like a good automotive up. One of the better ones I’ve experienced in a long time have applied for jobs there recently and look for more. Do you want to go on a lengthy strive for over 20 

tbirdmarco

 20 minutes, without hassling us, it was awesome experience. 

qbrozen

@tbirdmarco
totally agree with you that dealerships who just toss you the keys and are laid back are great. Unfortunately, you can't please everyone. I have read complaints online from people who feel they are being neglected/ignored with that type of treatment. Dealerships just can't win 100% of the time with any type of treatment they decide to follow through with.

Mr_Shiftright

Shifty might have a punch here.

Went to look at a 2008 Volvo C30. Owned by a Ducati technician, so the man knows what he's doing. Pretty stock, but with Eibach springs, Koni adjustables, 18" tires and wheels from a Ford Focus ST, larger intercooler, Volvo V70 calipers and pads (larger sweep area). The ride isn't harsh at all.

All maintenance records, extra set of wheels, tires, headlights, 2 used (good) axles, extra MAF, Turbo sensor, added turbo boost gauge on dash, recent timing belt and tensioners, oil change, coolant and brake flush. Custom exhaust, not loud but not quiet.

Car is silver, has 112K on the clock, is utterly, totally spotless top, bottom and engine.

Asking $7500.

Drives nicely --lots more torque than the Mini, and perhaps a tad faster. Totally different application of power---more on the lower end, less boost on the high end. Deceptively quick. I thought I was doing 60 mph but it was actually 82. I noticed a very slight vibration in the 1000--2000 rpm range if I got on the pedal, but since one can "drive through" the vibration, I'm guessing wheel balance or wheel truing. Nothing I can't live with.

No sunroof, (which is fine with me) no cruise control, but has heated seats and AUX input for the phone, two things that might have been deal breakers, as neither is all that easy to implement. The cruise control is actually pre-wired by Volvo--just requires a switch and a software download if I care. (I don't much).

What's not to like? If he throws in all the parts, I just might pay him full price. Nice guy! We're going to negotiate in a little bit here.

Mr_Shiftright

I like the car's "stance" and would you look at that engine bay? No, really, you COULD eat off of it.

28firefighter

Looks great, Shifty. Let us know how it goes. 

Mr_Shiftright

Will do. It's time for a change. Poor Mini still runs great, but it's tired. I got a lot of use out of it.

Question is--what can I get for it? Edmunds (my own flesh and blood!) says $2,300.

GEEZ--that hurts.

Mr_Shiftright

See that little white sticker in the engine bay? That lists all the recent services done. Makes a car buyer's heart flutter, don't it?

qbrozen

damn, that looks super clean for 112k miles. Any interior pics?
Cold weather pack but no cruise seems really bizarre.

kyfdx

I'm not a big fan of cars with modified intake systems, especially on turbos. (see: any older Subaru).

Other than that, it looks fantastic!

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah that is strange--it has the heated seats and headlight washers, so it's the cold weather pack all right.

There's a dummy plug for cruise control in the steering wheel and it's even marked. I think you can upgrade at the dealer--it is allegedly all pre-wired for it.

INTERIOR:

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yeah that is strange--it has the heated seats and headlight washers, so it's the cold weather pack all right.

There's a dummy plug for cruise control in the steering wheel and it's even marked. I think you can upgrade at the dealer--it is allegedly all pre-wired for it.

INTERIOR:

It has the right number of pedals!

benjaminh

Mr_Shiftright said:

I like the car's "stance" and would you look at that engine bay? No, really, you COULD eat off of it.

Looks great!++

Mr_Shiftright

Oh yeah--that's why these are so hard to find---first you eliminate all the automatics, then you eliminate all the white and black ones (which are MOST of them), then you eliminate the rats, beaters, and boy-racer uber-modded crates, then shield your eyes from frightening, scary carfax reports......and ......well...when all that dust settles--it's slim pickin's.

benjaminh

Mr_Shiftright said:

Will do. It's time for a change. Poor Mini still runs great, but it's tired. I got a lot of use out of it.

Question is--what can I get for it? Edmunds (my own flesh and blood!) says $2,300.

GEEZ--that hurts.

You got several years of good use out of it. That's what matters.

Mr_Shiftright

8 years and 100,000 miles of use---and while Mini and I had our spats, she never did let me down on the side of the road.

benjaminh

Mr_Shiftright said:

8 years and 100,000 miles of use---and while Mini and I had our spats, she never did let me down on the side of the road.

That's a lot of service—both years and miles. You got your money's worth.

tbirdmarco

Brozen  agreed can’t  pleas  everyone, that is for shore. Lol lol 

tbirdmarco

Good  luck shifty   On the pendinggg pinch 

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

8 years and 100,000 miles of use---and while Mini and I had our spats, she never did let me down on the side of the road.

Can’t complain about that.

Good luck on the Volvo. Looks great and has all the right gear.

Michaell

I can't wait for @jpp5862 to weigh in on the C30.

nyccarguy

Hey guys.  I need everybody’s opinion on something.  I had a very minor accident this AM.

 There was a Nissan Rogue Sport sitting at a stop sign toward the middle of the road with no blinker on.  In front of me was an F150 which squeezed by on the right and turned after he stopped.  As I inch my way up, the driver of the Rogue Sport (in his 80s) decides to go right,  I blew he horn, but it was too late.  His wife gets out of the car and starts screaming at me.

We didn’t call the cops, but exchanged information. They clearly thought I was at fault.  If the F150 didn’t go through, I wouldn’t have tried.  My Pilot was stopped when he decided to make a right turn.  I really thought he was going to make a left.  He didn’t have a blinker on.  He called me tonight to tel me he’s going to take his car in for an estimate.  What do you guys think I should do?  Here are some pics.

I literally wiped the damage to my Pilot off with some water and speed shine.

28firefighter

See what the damage estimate is from them. If you want to cover it without insurance, have them sign a release that precludes them from going to your insurance or pursuing any other claims against you arising from this incident and not specifically placing fault. 

If they won’t do that, let insurance deal with it.