Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tbirdmarco

 Driving fool, glad you’re able to find in here with us all, sounds like you might get a divorce that you were very unhappy, yes I think the marriage should be 5050 with bills and compromising or something close to that maybe not 5050, and I’m not even married. I’ve never really had serious relationship either yet, but down the road do what you have to do for you if you’re that unhappy, like you said life‘s too short to be unhappy. And keep coming in here venting toss and talking with us all, all here for you driving fool. 

tbirdmarco

Man man New York guy sorry  to hear about this all good luck man fight

28firefighter

Saab goes in for an oil change tomorrow (it’s been 6 months since I bought it!). I’m going to have them drive it - steering is feeling a bit loose and chattery and the car is pulling left. I think at best it could use an alignment and possibly some suspension bits.  

I am also considering swapping the wheels out at some point because the Viggen OEMs are soft as warm butter and bend if you look at them the wrong way. 

roadburner

pensfan83 said:

@roadburner did any meaningful conversations happen with that X1 in Pittsburgh?

No; apparently it sold Monday.

boomchek

Drivingfool said:

And yes, something that big just might not be what will be needed going forward. But again, I'm open at this point to almost anything to be honest. I just know that I can't just pick up and act as if there's no problem right now. And now that our oldest is no longer living home, it's not going to get any better. But that's o k as I truly think the book is in the last chapter and within pages of going back to the library. And right now when it does go back, putting my library card away for awhile. I've never ever lived alone and it's always been a big regret of my life, always! Best to be alone if being together is no longer working and the candle has definitely burnt out for me. I just want to be alone right now to figure out what I want next, bottom line to put it bluntly!!
Funny part is, I'm not really sad at all! Luckily we've got three great kids who know there are problems, found that out when I got sick. But the younger two seem to think I need to put in more of the effort while I think the oldest thinks it's just over and wants us both to be happy and says we're both not. She's lived it so I agree with her. Think the younger two want to place blame on someone, and that's me while the older one thinks that's ridiculous. We've just both changed and need to change the current situation. The blame game is just stupid really, relationships sometimes don't last forever and I think at 37 years, the light has finally burned out.

The Sandman/Driving Fool

Hope whatever you do works out for you and makes YOU happy.

I always tell my wife that it's up to ourselves and no one else to make us happy. It's not up to me to make her happy, she has to find that in her or do what she needs to do to make herself happy, and I'll be there and support her at it. I can contribute to her happiness but I can't create happiness for her, she has to have the basis for happiness in her first. Likewise she can contribute to my happiness but I have to have it in me first.

We've been married 12 years and we are all in joint account, joint everything. I work, she doesn't, and a lot of times she feels guilty spending money on herself. I have to push her to do it sometimes. Not because she doesn't work, but because she wants to make sure everyone else around her is taken care of. I told her she needs to spoil herself from time to time too and stop feeling guilty about it.

Before my relationship with her I lived alone for few years and I liked it. Although I'm a social person I'm perfectly content spending time by myself. I never get bored as I always have interesting things to do or see or learn. Being alone is not a bad thing.

Few times a year I also do self planning and goal setting by myself, away from home (locally) without distractions. I'll drive an hour out find a quiet place to think and jot down what I want out of life. I've been doing it for almost 20 years and it does wonders for me.

My wife didn't understand it at first when she met me why I'd want to do goal setting on my own but once results started happening and goals became reality she realized how important it is for me and us as a family.

Either way some self reflection, goal setting, and planning, with a clear head and no distraction can be a wonderful thing. It helps us dig deep as to what we really want out of life.

qbrozen

Spoke with the wife briefly this evening. She was very much against this idea until I laid out the numbers. She says "I don't want a lease!" Ok, why? Why would you not want a new vehicle that is reliable, free of any repaur costs, gets better mileage, has more features, and will save us money? I think she sees the light now.

So, for some reason, I didn't notice the $3k certificate I received is also good for GMC. Now, if it is for real, I SHOULD be able to get this for well under $300. It is pretty well equipped with the dual moonroof and driver convenience package.

au1994

Do boats count as a punch? We signed papers on a 21ft Sea Ray yesterday. The X6 replacement punch is coming, probably right at the end of the year. We really like the Forester or Outback.

sda

The Terrain looks nice especially if you can get it for $300 or less. I haven't driven one but I understand the 1.5 is kind of taxed moving that thing, the 2.0 a lot better, more expensive of course. I doubt you'd sign the dotted line without a test drive, that would be against our CCBA nature.

au1994

I signed up for Honkr and unfortunately its not available in my area.

au1994

sda said:

The Terrain looks nice especially if you can get it for $300 or less. I haven't driven one but I understand the 1.5 is kind of taxed moving that thing, the 2.0 a lot better, more expensive of course. I doubt you'd sign the dotted line without a test drive, that would be against our CCBA nature.

Agree. I’ve seen several around and its a good looking little SUV. Problem is by the time I built one at the mid level trim with AWD and the bigger engine, there are just better competitions out there. My local dealer has Terrain Denali’s with a 6k discount which puts sticker just over 37k.

ab348

That GMC has the goofy pushbuttons on the center stack for gear selection rather than any kind of normal shifter. I dunno if I could live with that.

tbirdmarco

Agree with all above 

tbirdmarco

 Congratulations on the punch of the new book. 

anonymousposts1

It’s good to see so many of the regulars still here! I keep telling myself I will check in more regularly. Need to stick with it this time. Nice to see so many punches this year! 

anonymousposts1

We aren’t regulars any more but you can add three honorary punches for October from our household. Traded the 15 Prius and the 15 Sienna for a left over 18 Camry and 18 Highlander. Gee then picked up a 2008 Sienna that “spoke” to him. We are on a holiday road trip right now in the 08 Sienna. Drove up to Portland, ME from Atlanta. Will hang out here a few days with the kids and head back to Atlanta. 

nyccarguy

anonymousposts1 said:

We aren’t regulars any more but you can add three honorary punches for October from our household. Traded the 15 Prius and the 15 Sienna for a left over 18 Camry and 18 Highlander. Gee then picked up a 2008 Sienna that “spoke” to him. We are on a holiday road trip right now in the 08 Sienna. Drove up to Portland, ME from Atlanta. Will hang out here a few days with the kids and head back to Atlanta. 

YES! We will take those punches and add them to out total. Can we get some more information on your October punches? Color & Trim Level on the Camry & Highlander. Color, Trim Level, & Mileage on the Sienna. What kind of deal did you get on the Camry & Highlander? Not the actual price paid, but discount off sticker if you don't like to kiss & tell.

anonymousposts1

nyccarguy said:

We aren’t regulars any more but you can add three honorary punches for October from our household. Traded the 15 Prius and the 15 Sienna for a left over 18 Camry and 18 Highlander. Gee then picked up a 2008 Sienna that “spoke” to him. We are on a holiday road trip right now in the 08 Sienna. Drove up to Portland, ME from Atlanta. Will hang out here a few days with the kids and head back to Atlanta. 

YES! We will take those punches and add them to out total. Can we get some more information on your October punches? Color & Trim Level on the Camry & Highlander. Color, Trim Level, & Mileage on the Sienna. What kind of deal did you get on the Camry & Highlander? Not the actual price paid, but discount off sticker if you don't like to kiss & tell.

The Camry is a 18 XLE 4 cylinder. Wind Chill Pearl with black interior. It had the panoramic roof and JBL audio package. MSRP was $34,800 and we bought it for $27,900. 

Thr Highlander is a 18 SE 2WD. Silver with black interior. MSRP was $42,300 and we paid $35,200. Lease deals were a bargain on these right now. Did a 36 month/12k per year lease. $0 due at signing for $365 a month. 

The Sienna is a 2008 XLE. Silver with gray leather. 132,000 miles. 

graphicguy

@anonymousposts .....congrats on the punches and welcome back!

28firefighter

Congrats on the punches! That Highlander is definitely on our short list for replacing the X1 next year, especially if the lease rates remain this strong.

stickguy

That’s certainly a massive size upgrade. And much different driving experience.

28firefighter

Wife wants something a little bigger next go around and is becoming a deal shopper (I have taught her well). If I had my druthers I'd get her an XC90, but it just isn't in the cards right now.

suydam

From small to huge! Maybe something medium size would work? Remember, you won’t be dragging all that baby equipment around for much longer (unless you’re planning for another one).

henryn

qbrozen said:

Spoke with the wife briefly this evening. She was very much against this idea until I laid out the numbers. She says "I don't want a lease!" Ok, why? Why would you not want a new vehicle that is reliable, free of any repaur costs, gets better mileage, has more features, and will save us money? I think she sees the light now.

A woman I know had a round with that "free of any repair costs" on a leased BMW 3 series. She is a retired school principal, moved down here from the northeast to be close to her only son. She leased a 3 series BMW, which wasn't cheap, but she felt comfortable with no out-of-pocket other than gas for the next 3 years.

Fast forward to the first heavy rains here in Houston, and she flooded out her new BMW on a wet street. She called the dealership, they sent a wrecker, gave her a loaner, and then charged her $1,500. I never saw the actual bill, so don't know what was done. She threw a fit. An absolute fit.

"The water wasn't that deep! A car that expensive, supposedly that well built, should be able to drive through a few inches of water!"

I tried to explain to her that this was not a warranty issue, this was an insurance issue. She did not want to hear it, kept insisting the car should have been able to drive through a few inches of water. I told her, "Forget it, you're not going to win, call your insurance." Turns out she had a $1,000 deductible on her insurance, so that was out.

Her only real mistake was calling the BMW dealer.

henryn

sda said:

The Terrain looks nice especially if you can get it for $300 or less. I haven't driven one but I understand the 1.5 is kind of taxed moving that thing, the 2.0 a lot better, more expensive of course. I doubt you'd sign the dotted line without a test drive, that would be against our CCBA nature.

Yeah, I really doubt that @qbrozen will be happy with the 1.5 engine. I know I wouldn't.

Drivingfool

I like the new Toyota Camry, looks nice and drives great. Toyota's are known for thei gas mileage so no issue there. Wish they sold one 3/4 of the size as I'd buy one now. And no, the Corolla is not what I'm talking about here. But the length is a bit too big for me and my garage. We got the Versa into the garage up here in St. Cloud, my daughter bought some yellow wheel stoppers so she'll stop at the right spot each time. Prefer my "X" on the wall but hey, ain't my house. But both vehicles would fit nicely and since space is the same on each side, no outside lip or air handler to contend with, can fit most size vehicles.
She had that special speckled coating put on the floor so it looks like a professional garage. The builders mistake of putting the sink in the garage and not in the laundry room where it was supposed to go, is working out great! Getting rid of some large boxes last week, found a dumpster near, all new construction here, and threw them all in. It had rained the night before and the dirt had turned into mud. We both had on open shoes so of course, them and our feet got covered in mud. It was a quick, clean and painless to clean everything up without tracking the mud into her laundry room. Since it was their screw-up and we noticed it on our walk-thru before closing, the comped her the whole thing so she saved some money. To take it out an re-position it would've taken time, made a mess & would've been costly. But they left it up to her and would've done it. Sometimes in life, things do playout the right way!

The Sandman/Driving Fool

xwesx

Drivingfool said:

Sometimes in life, things do playout the right way!

The Sandman/Driving Fool

I'm telling you, Sandy, this is a recurring theme for you! While you like to complain about the challenges, I have yet to hear about one that hasn't worked out rather well for you.

Drivingfool

After we got the Versa positioned correctly in her garage last night, moved my Golf off the street and onto the driveway, leaving soon so easier to pack. My headlight icon came on right away on the dash. Turns out the right headlight is no longer working. Happened to the Versa last week also. Will make a stop at Pep Boys later and see if they can swap it out. Need to check if it's a VW specific part though. Guess I could just upgrade both headlights now to some with a better beam, one that gives off more light. Will have to see the cost of it all both ways as I've been spending like a drunken sailor all week getting her all moved in the new house.
Needed anew Interstate battery last Tuesday, now need a head lamp. Always something with a vehicle or a house I told her, so just take it all in stride. Just annoying as I was at Tires Plus yesterday morning getting a tire rotation. She used Pep Boys at home so will see where to go later this afternoon. But, the Florida Turnpike calls, it's time to go back "home" as it's not St. Cloud as of yet. In time, we shall see how it plays out and what plan G-d indeed has for me and us. But, I'm finally ready now...I really am. As Dorothy says, "there's no place like home", no matter where that home is. And at 64, am ready for a final change going forward. Am still healthy enough to do it, with some physical help.

The Sandman/Driving Fool

Drivingfool

Yes, am not a person that likes sudden changes. Give me some time to let it all sink in first, and I'll be fine. Some have no issue with change and quick ones at that but me, I complain a bit and then, it gets done. But, 2018 has been an event filled year for me I'd say. A lot has happened, some good but the majority...bad. So please, cut me some slack here. I just need to understand that not all change is bad, and go from there. And looks like I might end up doing some major changes in 2019 also, so best to hold on tight!
My wife has no issues with change, can adapt pretty quickly unlike myself. The kids are pretty good at it to. Takes me a bit longer.

The Sandman/Driving Fool

Drivingfool

And the challenges up here in St. Cloud aren't really mine. I'm just trying to help the daughter get through them as she's back at work, she works from home, and there's still workers doing things. They just came to work on the exposed pipe in the front lawn and will hopefully fill it in today after they rubber stamp the repair. It's the H2O folks and the builders involved and you know what happens when there's too many cooks in the kitchen!
Her first house so with new construction, things do happen. And she no longer wanted to pay someone else's mortgage, but have equity in her own property which I think is great. Not sure she thought about what could and does happen and the cost of everything. There are different costs associated between owning and renting, her eyes have been opened to that fact now. Too bad her fiance crapped out on her because if not, I wouldn't have taken on such a role here. It would've been their place and I would've stayed in the wings, available when wanted and needed.
This is not the case though. But I can leave now, knowing she's all set and in a few weeks or so, will come back and stay for a few days. Who knows once I give my notice at Hertz? Of course, more change huh Xwesx!!!

The Sandman/Driving Fool

nyccarguy

@xwesx - remember when I went to look at that Forester for you last year-ish, the place was 70 miles from where I work, and you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that it was going to take me over 2 hours to get there?

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx - remember when I went to look at that Forester for you last year-ish, the place was 70 miles from where I work, and you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that it was going to take me over 2 hours to get there?

/facepalm

Yes! I need to reframe.

nyccarguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx - remember when I went to look at that Forester for you last year-ish, the place was 70 miles from where I work, and you couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that it was going to take me over 2 hours to get there?

/facepalm

Yes! I need to reframe.

That was after I left work an hour earlier. (20 ish miles from where the screen shot was taken).

qbrozen

Re: Terrain. Its not my vehicle, so I don't care about the 1.5 vs 2.0. The price hike is $1800 for the bigger engine, BTW.

Had to explain the math to the wife AGAIN. Thing is, it only works with a payment of $285 or less (I think. jury still out on true LR value). But we hit a snag ... she is insisting on leather and a moonroof. Cheapest Terrain I could find within 50 miles with those options is $38k. Ouch. Nope, that ain't gonna work.

She gets a number of vehicle discounts through work. A-plan, X-plan, VPP, and so on. I've got A LOT more digging to do.

Her most recent comment? "Why don't I take the Alfa and you get something else?"

anonymousposts1

28firefighter said:

Congrats on the punches! That Highlander is definitely on our short list for replacing the X1 next year, especially if the lease rates remain this strong.

The Highlander works for us. Our oldest is now 14 and doesn’t ride with us as much. We liked the SE because of the LED headlights, tighter suspension, and it was hard to find the XLE with black interior and the captains chairs instead of the bench in the middle row. So far, we are happy. Then again, we came out of a Sienna . 

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Her most recent comment? "Why don't I take the Alfa and you get something else?"

And, that's when you say, "SOLD!"

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Re: Terrain. Its not my vehicle, so I don't care about the 1.5 vs 2.0. The price hike is $1800 for the bigger engine, BTW.

Had to explain the math to the wife AGAIN. Thing is, it only works with a payment of $285 or less (I think. jury still out on true LR value). But we hit a snag ... she is insisting on leather and a moonroof. Cheapest Terrain I could find within 50 miles with those options is $38k. Ouch. Nope, that ain't gonna work.

She gets a number of vehicle discounts through work. A-plan, X-plan, VPP, and so on. I've got A LOT more digging to do.

Her most recent comment? "Why don't I take the Alfa and you get something else?"

Now the fun is going to start!

28firefighter

Oh boy, @qbrozen. Thing is, do you hold yourself to the same sub-$300 budget?

What about snagging her one of the cheap Infiniti leases we see advertised in the NY/NJ/CT areas?

ab348

If she wants leather and a hole in the roof, QB, maybe check and see if there are any introductory leases on the new Caddy XT4. The ad they are running here makes it look like it's designed to be a woman thing.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

Congrats on the punches! That Highlander is definitely on our short list for replacing the X1 next year, especially if the lease rates remain this strong.

Wow do they lease those suckers out cheap! On Honcker (not necessarily the cheapest, but a good base line), I can lease an SE AWD for $478/month for 36/18K with 1st payment DAS.

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, revenge is sweet....

So the dealer who sold a C30 right out from under me, calls me back and says "oh, the other guys' financing fell through, so if you're still interested, give me a call!"

Of course, I did, so that I could tell him I found a nicer car for less money.

BWAAHAHAHAHA!

stickguy

Her most recent comment? "Why don't I take the Alfa and you get something else?"

Gee, where did I hear this idea yesterday?

stickguy

Lease payment creep, is a real thing. the old "well, it's just another $20/month..." and pretty soon, the budget is shot.

Leather is a non-issue for me, but the moonroof, that is, and it certainly takes a whole slew of options off the table.

stickguy

parked next to a new tiguan SEL today. Medium blue (I think the color Sandy has). Very nice looking, and classy interior. Just about the perfect size now. Minor issue is that the wife has VW (along with Ford and GM) on her "I don't want one for no valid reason" list. Moot point though, because they are IMO overpriced, and lease like crap. If I have to pay as much as for an RDX, I might as well get an RDX

benjaminh

stickguy said:

parked next to a new tiguon SEL today. Medium blue (I think the color Sandy has). Very nice looking, and classy interior. Just about the perfect size now. Minor issue is that the wife has VW (along with Ford and GM) on her "I don't want one for no valid reason" list. Moot point though, because they are IMO overpriced, and lease like crap. If I have to pay as much as for an RDX, I might as well get an RDX

TLX?

stickguy

My son (home for holiday) is spending some time this afternoon in the danger zone (aka the Audi dealer). He was out running errands after lunch, and found another pothole to ram. So in 2 years (2 weeks short) he has now trashed 2 tires on the A3. Good thing he bought the protection plan. Probably paid for itself by now.

lucky that it was today and they were open. Even luckier that even though he called them at 2, they said as long as he got there by 3 they would squeeze him in, even though they close at 4. Service is also closed Friday, so it was either today, or take his chances with a big bubble.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ah, revenge is sweet....

So the dealer who sold a C30 right out from under me, calls me back and says "oh, the other guys' financing fell through, so if you're still interested, give me a call!"

Of course, I did, so that I could tell him I found a nicer car for less money.

BWAAHAHAHAHA!

Karma strikes again!

On a completely unrelated note, I got the following email from my VW dealer yesterday....

My name is [name], I am the lease maturity manager here at McDonald Volkswagen. I noticed you are about 9 months out from the end of your lease and wanted to propose a new lease offer to you. This new lease covers your remaining payments.

Tempted, for sure. But for what?

benjaminh

Michaell said:

....

On a completely unrelated note, I got the following email from my VW dealer yesterday....

My name is [name], I am the lease maturity manager here at McDonald Volkswagen. I noticed you are about 9 months out from the end of your lease and wanted to propose a new lease offer to you. This new lease covers your remaining payments.

Tempted, for sure. But for what?

GTI?

qbrozen

Yes, the budget would have to hold. This won't work well for me. Haha. She says since I don't commute anymore, I should revisit the H3. That would be quite a shock to the system after driving the Alfa. I'm still digging into leases for her. Its exhausting. 

I thought about the QX60, but oncs you roll everything into it and bump it to 15k, it breaks the budget.

Michaell

benjaminh said:

Michaell said:

....

On a completely unrelated note, I got the following email from my VW dealer yesterday....

My name is [name], I am the lease maturity manager here at McDonald Volkswagen. I noticed you are about 9 months out from the end of your lease and wanted to propose a new lease offer to you. This new lease covers your remaining payments.

Tempted, for sure. But for what?

GTI?

Lease numbers on the GTI are lousy. I'm not even sure I could replicate my current lease deal with a new Jetta.

roadburner

Found a LeMans Blue 2015 X1. Checking right now to see how much CPO certification would cost.