Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

28firefighter

My question to you is this: does the repair actually increase the value of the car?  You priced it a certain way for a reason when it was working.

I ask because you’re the first to remind us that just because you put money into a car doesn’t mean you’ll get it back. 

corvette

There is no longer a meeting of the minds - you thought you were selling (and the buyer thought they were receiving) a car with no safety issues. I’d say the deal is off unless they agree to different terms. 

I’d think you could sell it in an unsafe condition to a different buyer, so long as that’s disclosed. 

28firefighter

I also agree with corvette. I think you can back out - my point was more do you think it actually makes it worth more?

Mr_Shiftright

No, I don't think the repair increases the value of the car at all.

Besides, the car was very fairly priced to begin with.

I'm pretty strict about the integrity of my handshake, but as corvette points out, the car in question is no longer the car in the contract.

And no, I'm not going to sell it "as is" because I'd take even a greater loss than I would if repairing it--although the legal liabilities are frightening.

As most of you know, rational or not, anybody can sue anybody for anything, and you have to respond to a lawsuit.

Remember, an individual cannot automatically sign away all his legal rights. It's not that simple.

sda

Have you determined what the issue is and what it will cost to repair? Are you able to repair it yourself?

ab348

Too bad the warning light lamp still works as intended.

Mr_Shiftright

sda said:

Have you determined what the issue is and what it will cost to repair? Are you able to repair it yourself?

Not sure yet. You know how these things go. First it's the "seat belt retractor". Well yeah, but it's a pre-tension system, and has a gas charge. So that goes under HazMat shipping, which can take a long time. Then of course these belts are triggered by a module, so that might be an issue.

And of course the triggering module is networked to the ABS module, so that's possibly involved.

I'm just digging into it now. I need to gear up and get more info. If it's not too expensive, I'd just rather pay someone.

In any event, the entire selling process has come to a grinding halt.

roadburner

corvette said:

I ordered the 235/55/17 Cooper Zeon RS3-G1s to replace the 225/55/17 Yokohama YK580s on the G37. The Continental ExtremeContact was also in the running. It's an excellent tire, but at a significant price discount, the Coopers appear to only give up some snow/ice traction and some tread life. Some people claim only 20,000 miles or so out of the Coopers--for me, on that car, that's probably four or more years down the road--if I still own it!

I put Coopers on my Mazdaspeed 3, X3, and '02; I was very pleased with them.

qbrozen

As you stated, no way I'd sell it as is. God forbid they are in an accident. Guess who is getting sued?

If the buyer still wants it after the repair, then I'd still sell it at the previously agreed price, AS LONG AS I can afford to repair it. If it is not safe and its too much to repair, well then it is a junker. I suppose you could sell it as a "nonrunning parts car."

corvette

Checked the tires on the Tahoe, just in case, and they're still at almost 9/32" all around, so should be good for a while. I did find one of the valve stem dust covers almost falling off, then realized they were all loose. Going to blame the oil change place on that, since tire pressure is one of the things they inspect.

tbirdmarco

M mister shift rite I would not sell it beeing like that my selfie. Hope it is not a lot  to fix. a

henryn

About a year ago, I helped a friend of mine, a retired nurse, sell her used truck. Dealers were offering around 10k on a trade, and she wound up getting $14,500 from a private buyer. About two weeks after she sold it, the A/C went out. The dealer wanted $1,800, the indy shop wanted $1,200. I advised her to split the difference, and refund half. Average of the two estimates, $1,500, half was $750.

She didn’t have to do anything, but the young man who bought it was a college student and he financed just about the whole amount with his father co-signing. And he really couldn’t afford the repair, and it made my friend feel better to help out. Plus which she was still way ahead of trading it in.

Bottom line: do what you feel is right. You’re the one who has to look at yourself in the mirror.

Mr_Shiftright

Well if he had bought it with no warning light and it blinked ON maybe 2 weeks later, he'd be stuck for the repairs, and probably more than I would spend to fix it--so really he shouldn't complain if I ask more for the car.

Try this: Put yourself in the position of the buyer---what would you expect?

stickguy

interesting. To me, I think the buyer certainly has the right to back out. But, you can offer to sell as is for a reduced amount. If he is not interested, deal should be off. I would not expect (as the buyer) that you would repair whatever it was, at whatever it cost, and sell to me at the same price.

flip side is, the car is worth the same, so if you have to fix it anyway, and it won't change the price, just give the buyer the option to wait and when problem is fixed, he can still get the car.

Drivingfool

Breld, I think you guys have done remarkably well with what life has thrown at y'all, you two seem like wonderful parents. I know it doesn't compare, but our boy was born with a bad heart, but that's anther story. Any parent whose child has some issues at birth makes it that much harder. All parents want a healthy child but things do happen. But thanks to your patience and a wonderful caregiver, your boy is getting what he needs to live as happy a life as he can, something you both should be very proud of. So you get a vehicle that he's fine with, as long as he's fine in it should be enough at this point. But there's a balance between keeping your son, your wife and the other children all happy. I know G-d is looking down on your family and will make sure everything works out well!

jpp75

@stickguy Congrats on the TLX! I really like that color and the A-Spec really is a great package. You'll be happy with it for sure.

jpp75

@tbirdmarco My thoughts on selling your Thunderbird, it's a very unique car and once it's gone it's gone. There aren't may of those around, so just be sure you really want to get rid of it.

Drivingfool

Wish they made an ILX with a hatch! I seem to prefer a hatchback mobile for the versatility it gives. And the only Acura I'd buy is the ILX.
Drove up to Orlando yesterday and am staying a few days, probably leaving Tuesday around noon. Hit Home Depot yesterday and Target and she got some stuff she needed. House is shaping up nicely and only needs a few more things. Today I rested all day as I had a pain episode so just stayed off my feet. Talked about how I'm just ready to stop working very soon and how I'd like to come up here a few weeks each month to make sure all is well. She gets that I'm ready to retire as she can see how bad I feel sometimes. Her mom just deosn't get it yet no matter how I explain it. As much as she'd like us both to stop working at the same time is just something that ain't gonna happen! So we'll see what happens. At this point, I'd be happy to stop working by the end of this year, something which just might happen!
Taking the Versa in for an oil change tomorrow at 1 PM at the local Tires Plus so all is good. Returning to South Florida on Tuesday at this point.

breld

Drivingfool said:

Breld, I think you guys have done remarkably well with what life has thrown at y'all, you two seem like wonderful parents. I know it doesn't compare, but our boy was born with a bad heart, but that's anther story. Any parent whose child has some issues at birth makes it that much harder. All parents want a healthy child but things do happen. But thanks to your patience and a wonderful caregiver, your boy is getting what he needs to live as happy a life as he can, something you both should be very proud of. So you get a vehicle that he's fine with, as long as he's fine in it should be enough at this point. But there's a balance between keeping your son, your wife and the other children all happy. I know G-d is looking down on your family and will make sure everything works out well!

Thanks Sandy - very kind words and appreciated!  

tifighter

breld said:

tifighter said:

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

Congrats! That makes 3 TLX's in the group.

Makes me think more and more that a CPO TLX could be in my future.

I think we move in cycles like that.

We also have two Tesla 3's in the group now. Who's next? Your choices are Tesla or Acura!

Yeah. And we meet up in alleys after dark and get all West Side Story on each other. It’s fun.

@breld if you do go the Tesla route, be sure to use a referral code. I can give you one, or use a friend’s, or whatever but it’s 6 months of free supercharging just for a copy and paste. And check out the white interior. Because why not.

Thanks @tifighter - will definitely do that if we go that route.  

Anything surprising or particularly disappointing about your Tesla ownership thus far?  

@breld Not much to report, aside from seeing more of them on the roads. The auto wiper setting is a little neurotic, and I heard a rattle once when it was colder here, but that’s about it. I just put winter tires on it so I can take it up Nordic skiing this season; the skis just barely fit inside with the seats down. Drove home from the airport in traffic the other day and let autopilot do most of the work. If you have any traffic on a commute, run, don’t walk towards the autopilot option.

What did you guys think of the test drive?

qbrozen

Drivingfool said:

Wish they made an ILX with a hatch! 

They do!



You're welcome!

Michaell

qbrozen said:

Drivingfool said:

Wish they made an ILX with a hatch! 

They do!



You're welcome!

Not quite.

The Civic comes with the 1.5T, while the ILX has the 2.4 NA engine.

stickguy

for now.

I wonder what Acura is doing in the next couple of years with Sedans. both have been around for a while. They might combine the 2. Or maybe make the TLX replacement a little fancier/bigger and dump the RLX, and also make the ILX a little bigger too. Basically scope creep!

the other thing they really need ASAP is a compact CUV, especially since the RDX grew a bit. It's a Q5/X3 class car, so they need a Q3/X1 competitor. Also would not surprise me to see a full size CUV to go up against the X5.

Another possibility is a real kick butt new TLX (based on the RDX platform?) about the same size, and smaller and bigger CUVs to replace the ILX and RLX?

28firefighter

I would not be upset if the X1/Q3 sized vehicles disappeared. They’re bigger than the X2 or XC40, but not usefully so. 

breld

tifighter said:

breld said:

tifighter said:

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

Congrats! That makes 3 TLX's in the group.

Makes me think more and more that a CPO TLX could be in my future.

I think we move in cycles like that.

We also have two Tesla 3's in the group now. Who's next? Your choices are Tesla or Acura!

Yeah. And we meet up in alleys after dark and get all West Side Story on each other. It’s fun.

@breld if you do go the Tesla route, be sure to use a referral code. I can give you one, or use a friend’s, or whatever but it’s 6 months of free supercharging just for a copy and paste. And check out the white interior. Because why not.

Thanks @tifighter - will definitely do that if we go that route.  

Anything surprising or particularly disappointing about your Tesla ownership thus far?  

@breld Not much to report, aside from seeing more of them on the roads. The auto wiper setting is a little neurotic, and I heard a rattle once when it was colder here, but that’s about it. I just put winter tires on it so I can take it up Nordic skiing this season; the skis just barely fit inside with the seats down. Drove home from the airport in traffic the other day and let autopilot do most of the work. If you have any traffic on a commute, run, don’t walk towards the autopilot option.

What did you guys think of the test drive?

My wife enjoyed the drive (I didn't drive it) - she liked the way the i3 drove, but of course, it didn't have much range. I think she would like the concept of never having to visit a gas station.

We're not necessarily enamored with the interior design. Understanding it is minimalistic by design, we prefer the look of, let's say, an Audi.

And while it may seem trivial, she really wants Apple CarPlay.

stickguy

I think the X1 is actually a pretty good design, if you want a fairly compact car but still a decent amount of space inside.

tifighter

breld said:

tifighter said:

breld said:

tifighter said:

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

Congrats! That makes 3 TLX's in the group.

Makes me think more and more that a CPO TLX could be in my future.

I think we move in cycles like that.

We also have two Tesla 3's in the group now. Who's next? Your choices are Tesla or Acura!

Yeah. And we meet up in alleys after dark and get all West Side Story on each other. It’s fun.

@breld if you do go the Tesla route, be sure to use a referral code. I can give you one, or use a friend’s, or whatever but it’s 6 months of free supercharging just for a copy and paste. And check out the white interior. Because why not.

Thanks @tifighter - will definitely do that if we go that route.  

Anything surprising or particularly disappointing about your Tesla ownership thus far?  

@breld Not much to report, aside from seeing more of them on the roads. The auto wiper setting is a little neurotic, and I heard a rattle once when it was colder here, but that’s about it. I just put winter tires on it so I can take it up Nordic skiing this season; the skis just barely fit inside with the seats down. Drove home from the airport in traffic the other day and let autopilot do most of the work. If you have any traffic on a commute, run, don’t walk towards the autopilot option.

What did you guys think of the test drive?

My wife enjoyed the drive (I didn't drive it) - she liked the way the i3 drove, but of course, it didn't have much range. I think she would like the concept of never having to visit a gas station.

We're not necessarily enamored with the interior design. Understanding it is minimalistic by design, we prefer the look of, let's say, an Audi.

And while it may seem trivial, she really wants Apple CarPlay.

Understood on the interior. I liked it immediately but many don’t. It’s not for everyone. You should drive one if you get a chance. The RWD car is a 5.1 sec 0-60 car, with the AWD doing 4.4 sec. They feel faster than that and are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. RWD owners are reporting 325+ miles range is pretty easy. Well, was easy before winter hit.

breld

@tifighter - Without even having driven one, I told her this morning that I thought the Model 3 was a good choice, but I certainly don't want to influence her too much. I can only imagine what the driving experience is like.

We went around this afternoon and looked at some A5 Sportbacks on the Audi lot and she's pretty set on one of those. We shall see

qbrozen

Michaell said:

Drivingfool said:

Wish they made an ILX with a hatch! 

They do!



You're welcome!

Not quite. The Civic comes with the 1.5T, while the ILX has the 2.4 NA engine.

@Drivingfool would never notice the difference. ;b

kyfdx

I think the 1.5T would be an upgrade

stickguy

got the pickup scheduled for my car for Wednesday. Going to be odd to see a truck show up to winch it on. WIll be the first time I ever saw that without being really ticked off about a busted car about to cost me money!

Still wish I managed to combine the dealer with the deal on the new car along with the good trade in value. That would have been much simpler (and cheaper), but you don't always get what you want in life.

Now just need a call on the new one to tell me when they will have it on the lot to deliver. Thursday is probably when I can do it anyway since I need a ride up to the place.

tjc78

I had one of my leased cars picked up at work at the end of the term.   I had about a dozen questions asking what happened to my car.  Naturally I was sarcastic and said it was repossessed...lol 

pensfan83

@stickguy belated congratulations on the purchase. I'm not entirely surprised on the car itself but was a little surprised you went with the A-Spec given the coal mine interior and your preference to avoid black guts. However it was apparent even in the short time I have been here you have always had a fondness for the TLX so it's great to see you end up with exactly what you want and I do think the A-Spec cosmetic and suspension upgrades are worth the extra $$$, even if it comes at the cost of having more selection on interior color.

stickguy

thanks. Yes, I have liked these since they came out. Always just felt "right" to me (and the wife loves Acuras). Just never worked out, usually because of $. So if nothing else, getting it out of my system.

Yes, another color (but not bright red) would have been nice, but we can live with it. The current car is black interior, and has not been too bad. And my Accord I have for 6 years was black interior.

The Alcantara center panels makes a big difference too. Cooler for sure (plus ventilated). But, I wanted the other upgrades on the A spec, so can live with it this way.

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

graphicguy said:

jpp5862 said:

I bet this is what he's looking at:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-amc-javelin-3/

That’s a very cool car. Yeah, it would be nice if it had the 390, but it’s still got the small block V8. Looks in great condition and appears to be all original. Everything works according to the video. And, it’s somewhere near where @kyfdx and I could get to. When he tunes the radio, that’s a local AM station that comes on.

Not sure what it’s worth. But, it’s current bid seems very reasonable.

I like it!

Looks like they have auctions on BAT, every month.

I've never heard of them.

Website is here:
http://www.cincyclassiccars.com/

Never heard of them. But, I don’t get down to Milford all that much, either.

I agree that you need to dump the side pipes on that Javelin. That should be easy. Swapping out the 3 speed for a 4 speed? That’s a lot more involved and I probably wouldn’t, if for no other reason than to keep it as original as possible.

Not a collectible, by any stretch. But, would be a fun car to show up in at local cars and coffee events. I think $6K would be a good number for a buy.

I see the dealer sold a ‘70 MGB GT. Think I mentioned in here before that I cut my teeth on car mechanicals (and electrical) on an all original ‘69 MGB GT that was almost identical to that one. Watched the video. Sounds like it has a timing issue and maybe an exhaust leak somewhere. They shouldn’t have taken out the stock radio, though.

Whoever bought it better have a really good mechanic who specializes in British classics. Or, would need to learn about them really quick. That’s a car that’s going to require a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of time in the garage.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

this is the winner.

Oh yeah, baby! Welcome to the family! You’re going to love it. Nice color, too!

graphicguy

@breld....a tip of the cap to you and your wife. Tough family situation, for certain. You guys are doing the best your know how, and that’s saying a lot.

stickguy

Thanks GG. I figured you would like it!

graphicguy

Shifty....maybe I’m wrong, but I thought airbag systems had a very long warranty on them. Are you saying that warranty has expired and the system is throwing a fault that the you have to cover?

28firefighter

I know at least in the cars I've owned, that SRS/Airbag lights very rarely actually indicate a problem with the the airbag and usually some other subsystem. The sensors are so tightly looped in to other safety systems like ABS, seat belts, seating sensors, etc. that it is likely a fault there and not with the actual bag.

That said, I've never heard of these extended airbag warranties?

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

Shifty....maybe I’m wrong, but I thought airbag systems had a very long warranty on them. Are you saying that warranty has expired and the system is throwing a fault that the you have to cover?

I think his MINI is over ten years old... though, I'm not certain.

benjaminh

kyfdx said:

I think the 1.5T would be an upgrade

The Acura 2.4 direct-injected engine with 8-speed DCT with torque converter is a more pleasing and sophisticated powertrain than Honda's 1.5 turbo with the CVT. Not even close.

In terms of 0-60 times, the ILX 2.4 (6.6) seems to be just slightly faster than the Civic Si (6.7)....

https://www.caranddriver.com/acura/ilx

https://www.caranddriver.com/honda/civic-si

Mr_Shiftright

graphicguy said:

Shifty....maybe I’m wrong, but I thought airbag systems had a very long warranty on them. Are you saying that warranty has expired and the system is throwing a fault that the you have to cover?

I think air bags just fall under the normal manufacturer's warranty limits.

Just bad timing on my part--it took a long time to find the "right" car to replace the Mini. Unicorns take a long time to find, right?

I'm finding the Volvo C30 to be a delightful little car, especially with the previous owner's carefully thought-out mods of slightly lowering the car, adding the 18" wheels and sticky tires, and increasing the intercooler and brake sizes.

I can't say I lost anything in the trade-off with the Mini.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

for now.

I wonder what Acura is doing in the next couple of years with Sedans. both have been around for a while. They might combine the 2. Or maybe make the TLX replacement a little fancier/bigger and dump the RLX, and also make the ILX a little bigger too. Basically scope creep!

the other thing they really need ASAP is a compact CUV, especially since the RDX grew a bit. It's a Q5/X3 class car, so they need a Q3/X1 competitor. Also would not surprise me to see a full size CUV to go up against the X5.

Another possibility is a real kick butt new TLX (based on the RDX platform?) about the same size, and smaller and bigger CUVs to replace the ILX and RLX?

I follow Acura pretty closely. They keep things close to the vest. But, my company does some business with the Honda facility up North of me, (where they also make the TLX). They don’t say a lot, but they do share some 1,000 foot info as we have to look a little into the future to help them do what they need.

Don’t know about drivetrains, but there will be a new TLX in 2021. If you look at the lifespan of their products, they’ll do a mid cycle refresh in 2024 and it will last until 2027 until there’s a new one (if a new one) is introduced. I know they’re pretty far along on the 2021. They aren’t going to scrap that.

Feel pretty confident of that. They don’t give model designations and only use platform guides in the roadmaps I’ve seen. So, that’s as far as I can go with what I’m seeing.

What I don’t know is what the drivetrains will be. We already know that the current gen S-Type, which will hit the dealers about this time next year, is going to have a turbo V6 with around 350-360 HP. Pretty strong evidence they’ll move away from the ZF trans and use the Honda sourced 10-speed trans.

Past that, one would surmise the new model in 2021 will have, as a base drivetrain, the Honda 2.0T 4 cyl. And, some iteration of the turbo 6 cyl in upper end models, or an offshoot of the RLX V6+electric motors as the SH AWD version.

RLX sells in such small numbers, who knows? But, it doesn’t take much to make it as it’s based on all existing technology and body panels that Acura already uses.

They are stubborn, though. Regardless of how well (or, how poorly) a model sells (like the RLX or the ILX), if they’re invested in it, they are making it.

Their cash cows are the MDX and the RDX, as they lead their respective segments (again, according to Honda). The TLX uses enough Accord tech, and Honda can spread the R&D over more than one model, I can’t seen them dumping the TLX.....at least, not until after the 2027 MY, if at all.

graphicguy

@Mr_Shiftright ....oh man. I dunno? You’re in a tough spot. On one hand, a deal is a deal. But, you also have a car that now has a problem that didn’t have that problem when hands were shook.

Me? I’d find out exactly what’s throwing the code. Fix it or disclose it, and go from there.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

@Mr_Shiftright ....oh man. I dunno? You’re in a tough spot. On one hand, a deal is a deal. But, you also have a car that now has a problem that didn’t have that problem when hands were shook.

Me? I’d find out exactly what’s throwing the code. Fix it or disclose it, and go from there.

I'm not sure what the issue is? If you can fix it, and he still wants it, won't it be for the same price?

If he doesn't want it any more, even after the fix, then that's that.

pensfan83

@graphicguy so in other words the release of the TLX Type S will mirror that of the last Type S on the 3G TL where it's done in the last year or two of that gen's body style? Guessing they would only do that to goose sales a bit and buy time to wrap up the 2G TLX.

If that's what they are going to do I don't know if just a new powertrain, and presumably some cosmetic and suspension updates, is enough to keep me in the fold. They need to update the infotainment and the interior, while quite functional, could use a refresh. If they follow the same schedule as they did for the mid cycle refresh and release the second gen TLX in June 2020 I would really hope it includes a Type S at that time and not later on or I'll have a decision to make.

benjaminh

The A-spec package on the TLX is a nice upgrade for $2900. Here's most of what it includes....

"EXTERIOR
Re-styled Front Bumper and Lower Intakes
Dark Chrome Grille and Trim
Side Sill Garnish
Matte Black Window Trim
Dark Chrome Headlight and Taillight Details
Exclusive 19" Shark Gray wheels
Exclusive A-Spec® Dual Oval Exhaust Finishers
Round LED Fog Lights
Gloss Black Rear Decklid Spoiler
Flush Front and Rear Parking Sensors
A-Spec Badging on Fenders and Trunk

INTERIOR
Ebony Alcantara® or Red Leather Seat and Door Inserts
Black Headliner
Metallic Footrest Pad
Metallic Trim
A-Spec Sport Seats with Contrast Stitching and Piping
Red Accent Lighting
Red on Black Gauges
Wireless Charger
6-Level Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
A-Spec Insignia Step Garnish"

The most significant performance upgrade comes with the tires. The TLX base and Tech 2.4 come with P225/55HR17 BSW All-Season Tires, while the A-spec gets P245/40VR19 BSW Performance All-Season Tires.

nyccarguy

I'm sure the V6 is a few ticks faster to 60, but what do you think of the 4cyl's performance thus far @stickguy? You've got a few miles under your 4cyl's belt too Ben. What are your thoughts?

According to Honcker, there's a $50 per month difference between 4cyl & 6cyl AWD TLX A SPEC models.

28firefighter

Doesn't it also add the ELS audio? Or does that come with the Tech add?