Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

I like this one at BaT:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-acura-rsx-4/

The facelift for those last two years of the RSX was a nice subtle touch. I'll be curious to see where this one ends up at - I don't get the sense an RSX catches the same attention as Preludes or Integras.

au1994

breld said:

I like this one at BaT:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-acura-rsx-4/

The facelift for those last two years of the RSX was a nice subtle touch. I'll be curious to see where this one ends up at - I don't get the sense an RSX catches the same attention as Preludes or Integras.

Yes, I’ve been watching that one for scientific purposes only of course

It’s a nice one! Too bad there is zero demand for something like this today. I’d love to see a new version.

pensfan83

Mr_Shiftright said:

I've had one before, as you know - ideally I get something that has 4 doors so the offspring can ride along, too. A rear facing seat is a huge pain in a 2 door car.

Ohhh, that's right. I forgot. OK, lemme think. Inexpensive, fun, 4-door car with manual transmission? Is that what we're lookin' for?

TSX, especially 1st gen

au1994

pensfan83 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

28firefighter said:

I've had one before, as you know - ideally I get something that has 4 doors so the offspring can ride along, too. A rear facing seat is a huge pain in a 2 door car.

Ohhh, that's right. I forgot. OK, lemme think.

Inexpensive, fun, 4-door car with manual transmission? Is that what we're lookin' for?

TSX, especially 1st gen

Other people’s money is fun to spend...E36 M3

Michaell

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of).

First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time.

We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles.

They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of).

First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time.

We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles.

They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

Honda made great cars back then. My best friend had a '92 Prelude Si (Automatic), and another good friend had a '92 Accord EX Coupe (Automatic), then after he totaled it, got a '93 Accord EX Coupe. I chose a 6cyl Powered Beretta GT. Those Hondas were simple, fun to drive, light on their feet, had excellent visibility, ran forever, and were completely trouble free.

@Michaell - Look at what your DX Accord had as far as equipment, then look at an LX Accord Today.

Mr_Shiftright

au1994 said:

pensfan83 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

28firefighter said:

I've had one before, as you know - ideally I get something that has 4 doors so the offspring can ride along, too. A rear facing seat is a huge pain in a 2 door car.

Ohhh, that's right. I forgot. OK, lemme think.

Inexpensive, fun, 4-door car with manual transmission? Is that what we're lookin' for?

TSX, especially 1st gen

Other people’s money is fun to spend...E36 M3

I don't think he would be M3-tolerant.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of).

First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time.

We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles.

They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

Honda made great cars back then. My best friend had a '92 Prelude Si (Automatic), and another good friend had a '92 Accord EX Coupe (Automatic), then after he totaled it, got a '93 Accord EX Coupe. I chose a 6cyl Powered Beretta GT. Those Hondas were simple, fun to drive, light on their feet, had excellent visibility, ran forever, and were completely trouble free.

@Michaell - Look at what your DX Accord had as far as equipment, then look at an LX Accord Today.

My DX had nothing - no AC, no power anything. A simple, honest car. Of course, at the time, I was pretty much just commuting to/from the office and the airport. I didn't know any better. And, my previous car didn't have any of those "luxury" items either.

28firefighter

Mr_Shiftright said:

au1994 said:

pensfan83 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

28firefighter said:

I've had one before, as you know - ideally I get something that has 4 doors so the offspring can ride along, too. A rear facing seat is a huge pain in a 2 door car.

Ohhh, that's right. I forgot. OK, lemme think.

Inexpensive, fun, 4-door car with manual transmission? Is that what we're lookin' for?

TSX, especially 1st gen

Other people’s money is fun to spend...E36 M3

I don't think he would be M3-tolerant.

Probably correct, though quite honestly, I think the problem there is finding one that hasn't been thrashed or modified beyond recognition.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of). First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time. We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles. They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

Honda made great cars back then. My best friend had a '92 Prelude Si (Automatic), and another good friend had a '92 Accord EX Coupe (Automatic), then after he totaled it, got a '93 Accord EX Coupe. I chose a 6cyl Powered Beretta GT. Those Hondas were simple, fun to drive, light on their feet, had excellent visibility, ran forever, and were completely trouble free. @Michaell - Look at what your DX Accord had as far as equipment, then look at an LX Accord Today.

My DX had nothing - no AC, no power anything. A simple, honest car. Of course, at the time, I was pretty much just commuting to/from the office and the airport. I didn't know any better. And, my previous car didn't have any of those "luxury" items either.

I remember the DX Accord didn’t even have painted mirrors.  Or body colored bumpers.

suydam

I had a ‘93 DX Civic. It was pretty basic, but I really loved it. My Dad had a ‘95 Accord that had more equipment and was also AT. it was a very nice vehicle, and got handed down to our youngest when he quit driving.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of).

First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time.

We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles.

They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

Honda made great cars back then. My best friend had a '92 Prelude Si (Automatic), and another good friend had a '92 Accord EX Coupe (Automatic), then after he totaled it, got a '93 Accord EX Coupe. I chose a 6cyl Powered Beretta GT. Those Hondas were simple, fun to drive, light on their feet, had excellent visibility, ran forever, and were completely trouble free.

@Michaell - Look at what your DX Accord had as far as equipment, then look at an LX Accord Today.

My DX had nothing - no AC, no power anything. A simple, honest car. Of course, at the time, I was pretty much just commuting to/from the office and the airport. I didn't know any better. And, my previous car didn't have any of those "luxury" items either.

I remember the DX Accord didn’t even have painted mirrors.  Or body colored bumpers.

Yes, black mirrors and bumpers on mine.

Mr_Shiftright

28firefighter said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

au1994 said:

pensfan83 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

28firefighter said:

I've had one before, as you know - ideally I get something that has 4 doors so the offspring can ride along, too. A rear facing seat is a huge pain in a 2 door car.

Ohhh, that's right. I forgot. OK, lemme think.

Inexpensive, fun, 4-door car with manual transmission? Is that what we're lookin' for?

TSX, especially 1st gen

Other people’s money is fun to spend...E36 M3

I don't think he would be M3-tolerant.

Probably correct, though quite honestly, I think the problem there is finding one that hasn't been thrashed or modified beyond recognition.

Most of the used ones I see are either beat to crap or astronomically over-valued (and over-modified, which is why they asking prices are so high) . It's hard to find a "Goldilocks" M3 unfortunately.

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of).

First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time.

We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles.

They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

Honda made great cars back then. My best friend had a '92 Prelude Si (Automatic), and another good friend had a '92 Accord EX Coupe (Automatic), then after he totaled it, got a '93 Accord EX Coupe. I chose a 6cyl Powered Beretta GT. Those Hondas were simple, fun to drive, light on their feet, had excellent visibility, ran forever, and were completely trouble free.

@Michaell - Look at what your DX Accord had as far as equipment, then look at an LX Accord Today.

My DX had nothing - no AC, no power anything. A simple, honest car. Of course, at the time, I was pretty much just commuting to/from the office and the airport. I didn't know any better. And, my previous car didn't have any of those "luxury" items either.

I remember the DX Accord didn’t even have painted mirrors.  Or body colored bumpers.

sounds like the 1985 Colt I bought when I got out of college (damn, I am old!). It was the GTS (I think) model. Basically the turbo package, without the turbo. Amazing seats (still some of the best I ever owned) and probably the best handling (certainly the most grip, running summer X=cross spec tires). But, features, it did not have. Manual steering, no AC, no radio, no passenger side mirror, no rear window defroster.

put that all together, and man, was that a bad car in winter! Like driving on 4 toboggans, and you couldn't see out of it (though I did buy a RH side mirror and put it on myself). But you never had to slow down for off ramps (a good thing, since it only had 68 HP). Looked sharp though!

Sandman6472

Drove a '19 GMC Terrain today and think it had a 4 under the hood as it took a lot of steady pressure on the accelerator to get it to speed and stay there. Nicely done interior but was shod with 19" rubber, ouch!! It was white with a black leather like interior and had a push button auto tranny. Not a bad rig but think I'd prefer the 6 under the hood as I'll bet it has plenty of get up and go!
Drove a '17 Kia Sportage with about 44K on it and within a mile of the maintenance area where we picked it up, the a/c started to blow warm air and then I hear a constant bell from the dash. Look down and the message said the vehicle was over heating and the gauge was almost in the red area. I knew my lead driver was behind me so I pulled over on 595 and called him but since he was a few cars behind me, he pulled over. Decided it needed to go back to maintenance, so we turn around and start to go. Within a minute or two, the needle is up at the top of the red area, so I pull over again. He stops and says, we need to get it back. I mention that I had read an article in Motor Trend awhile back about this same thing and the trick was to put on the heater to bring the engine temp down. It absolutely worked and we got the Sportage back to where it came to be fixed again.
Always a busy day.

Sandman6472

A co-worker drove a couple of us over to our sister location to pick up a couple of vehicles for rent tomorrow morning. He has a somewhat newish CPO Q50 and it was super comfortable in the back seat where I was. It was an ivory interior and was stunning really. I know from experience that these things accelerate briskly and are a hoot to drive. I mention that I'm lusting after a QX30. Saw a white over beige one today in Miami and it was also a stunning looking vehicle, probably my first choice in color for that car. They also have a blue/purple color which ain't too bad. Not a fan of black over black really but that Hertz rental floating around our area was very nice.
Just hate the fact that most Infiniti's are quite thirsty, and most require premium. But then I got into my Golf for the ride home. Weather is nice enough to open the sunroof which I do most days coming and going. Might as well use it as it's there to be used. The weather's been quite moderate for us and seems like more is on the way. Funny, my wife has never opened hers on her A3 though I have a couple of times when alone in it. Really makes the ride so much more fun for everyone.

28firefighter

There is a pristine 95 M3 near me. 80k miles. 2 owners. But the asking price is off the charts - $22k

qbrozen

Sandman6472 said:

Drove a '19 GMC Terrain today and think it had a 4 under the hood as it took a lot of steady pressure on the accelerator to get it to speed and stay there. Nicely done interior but was shod with 19" rubber, ouch!! It was white with a black leather like interior and had a push button auto tranny. Not a bad rig but think I'd prefer the 6 under the hood as I'll bet it has plenty of get up and go! Drove a '17 Kia Sportage with about 44K on it and within a mile of the maintenance area where we picked it up, the a/c started to blow warm air and then I hear a constant bell from the dash. Look down and the message said the vehicle was over heating and the gauge was almost in the red area. I knew my lead driver was behind me so I pulled over on 595 and called him but since he was a few cars behind me, he pulled over. Decided it needed to go back to maintenance, so we turn around and start to go. Within a minute or two, the needle is up at the top of the red area, so I pull over again. He stops and says, we need to get it back. I mention that I had read an article in Motor Trend awhile back about this same thing and the trick was to put on the heater to bring the engine temp down. It absolutely worked and we got the Sportage back to where it came to be fixed again. Always a busy day.

You can’t get a 6-cyl in the Terrain anymore. It is small or smaller 4-cyl turbos

suydam

stickguy said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

4th gen Accords. I had two (sort of).

First wife bought a '92 LX - blue over gray. The '92 had an airbag, so the motorized belts were gone at that time.

We then split up, and I moved to Colorado, where I got a '93 DX - burgundy over gray. Mine was a 5-speed, and I kept it for over 5 years and less than 60K miles.

They were great designs - great visibility, durable as all get out, and pretty fun to drive.

Honda made great cars back then. My best friend had a '92 Prelude Si (Automatic), and another good friend had a '92 Accord EX Coupe (Automatic), then after he totaled it, got a '93 Accord EX Coupe. I chose a 6cyl Powered Beretta GT. Those Hondas were simple, fun to drive, light on their feet, had excellent visibility, ran forever, and were completely trouble free.

@Michaell - Look at what your DX Accord had as far as equipment, then look at an LX Accord Today.

My DX had nothing - no AC, no power anything. A simple, honest car. Of course, at the time, I was pretty much just commuting to/from the office and the airport. I didn't know any better. And, my previous car didn't have any of those "luxury" items either.

I remember the DX Accord didn’t even have painted mirrors.  Or body colored bumpers.

sounds like the 1985 Colt I bought when I got out of college (damn, I am old!). It was the GTS (I think) model. Basically the turbo package, without the turbo. Amazing seats (still some of the best I ever owned) and probably the best handling (certainly the most grip, running summer X=cross spec tires). But, features, it did not have. Manual steering, no AC, no radio, no passenger side mirror, no rear window defroster.

put that all together, and man, was that a bad car in winter! Like driving on 4 toboggans, and you couldn't see out of it (though I did buy a RH side mirror and put it on myself). But you never had to slow down for off ramps (a good thing, since it only had 68 HP). Looked sharp though!

My Dad had an ‘86 Colt too. That thing was so hard to steer. We forget how awful manual steering was! That car got handed to our oldest son when Dad got the Accord. It lasted through the first year of college I think and then just died.

andres3

Am I the only one that thinks the new Supra looks like a FRS with a turbo crossed with an old Celica?

xwesx

andres3 said:

Am I the only one that thinks the new Supra looks like a FRS with a turbo crossed with an old Celica?

No. The FRS / BRZ is a beautiful car. This Supra is typical Toyota fugly.

corvette

Mr_Shiftright said:

Most of the used ones I see are either beat to crap or astronomically over-valued (and over-modified, which is why they asking prices are so high) . It's hard to find a "Goldilocks" M3 unfortunately.

I'm guessing EAG buys them all and resells them for about three times normal retail.

stickguy

I loved manual steering. Would be fine having it again. Such good feel of the road. Plus a good biceps workout in a parking lot!

suydam

Some were better than others.

stickguy said:

I loved manual steering. Would be fine having it again. Such good feel of the road. Plus a good biceps workout in a parking lot!

qbrozen

corvette said:

Most of the used ones I see are either beat to crap or astronomically over-valued (and over-modified, which is why they asking prices are so high) . It's hard to find a "Goldilocks" M3 unfortunately.

I'm guessing EAG buys them all and resells them for about three times normal retail.

I’d be curious to know what they actually do sell them for. Apparently, the absurd pricing model must be successful for them in getting people in the door, but I can’t imagine they find that many uneducated people to actually pay anywhere near their initial prices.

kyfdx

I had a long conversation with an E36 owner, that purchased it from EAG. That was before we bought ours. I’ll recap later.

qbrozen

I just noticed... all of their pics have the wrong web address in them. should be eagbmw.com, not eabmw.com

carnaught

Was supposed to go to Barrett-Jackson yesterday or today, son has press passes. Because of a sore throat and cold, decided to watch in the comfort of my family room. There sure are a lot of Mustangs, Shelby’s, Challengers and Camaros, maybe too many.

kyfdx

I'd love to attend, leaving my checkbook at home, of course.

stickguy

my BIL went with his wife a few years ago, and was texting from up front while I was watching on TV. I think it was when Carroll Shelby's Cobra Coupe ran through. Or one of those cars for huge money. They had a blast. He didn't buy anything at the auction, but actually met in the outside areas the dealer that he later bought his Kit cobra through.

au1994

The Terrain is kind of appealing. The 2.0 4 gives you 252hp which is nothing to sneeze at while the smaller one puts out 170. I’ve seen some decent deals on them too. I’d need to see the inside though. That’s where GM usually falls down in my book.

Mr_Shiftright

28firefighter said:

There is a pristine 95 M3 near me. 80k miles. 2 owners. But the asking price is off the charts - $22k

Well the owner, over the years, probably has way more than that in it.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

corvette said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Most of the used ones I see are either beat to crap or astronomically over-valued (and over-modified, which is why they asking prices are so high) . It's hard to find a "Goldilocks" M3 unfortunately.

I'm guessing EAG buys them all and resells them for about three times normal retail.

I’d be curious to know what they actually do sell them for. Apparently, the absurd pricing model must be successful for them in getting people in the door, but I can’t imagine they find that many uneducated people to actually pay anywhere near their initial prices.

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

All you need is one buyer. One uneducated buyer does not set the market for a particular car, but he does set the profit level for that one particular day!

stickguy

I just never liked the recent GM dash design. Especially the Chevy's. I did like the exterior design for the most part, but something about the insides just struck me wrong. As with anything stylistic, all personal taste of course!

ab348

My niece has a 2018 Equinox, essentially the same as a Terrain. She complains about the seat, saying she can't find a fully comfortable driving position.

I don't like the dash pushbutton gear selector in the Terrain.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

corvette said:

Most of the used ones I see are either beat to crap or astronomically over-valued (and over-modified, which is why they asking prices are so high) . It's hard to find a "Goldilocks" M3 unfortunately.

I'm guessing EAG buys them all and resells them for about three times normal retail.

I’d be curious to know what they actually do sell them for. Apparently, the absurd pricing model must be successful for them in getting people in the door, but I can’t imagine they find that many uneducated people to actually pay anywhere near their initial prices.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All you need is one buyer. One uneducated buyer does not set the market for a particular car, but he does set the profit level for that one particular day!

That place needs A LOT more than just 1 buyer!

Mr_Shiftright

Well you are either the sucker or the suckee. Boutique showrooms have it a big harder than auctions, in terms of getting those "home run prices", because they can't generate the emotional juice and the ego-battles that an auction can. I mean, if you are solidly drunk AND on TV while bidding, how can a dealership compete with THAT?

28firefighter

Sigh. I went to get the Viggen out for a few days. Misjudged pulling the Alfa into the spot and rubbed the front bumper of the Viggen. Minor rubbing on the Alfa that will buff out, but I’m so annoyed about it.

Viggen looks fine with no damage, of course. 

In other news, got to open it up a bit on the way home once I made it past the viadoom traffic. 3rd gear at 50 and punching it? What a rush. 

corvette

@kyfdx, I think I remember part of this story about the E36. Didn't the buyer think they were buying something that had been completely overhauled at that price (as it should have been), and then discover that it needed repairs?

mjfloyd1

carnaught said:

Was supposed to go to Barrett-Jackson yesterday or today, son has press passes. Because of a sore throat and cold, decided to watch in the comfort of my family room. There sure are a lot of Mustangs, Shelby’s, Challengers and Camaros, maybe too many.

My buddy Jeff Hayes just sold a Restomod 63  split window corvette for $350K at BJ Scottsdale (lot 1333)

Mr_Shiftright

Must have been quite the build, that one. I guess only a real Z06 would bring more money than that!

fintail

Got a fun email today (some parts redacted or changed to protect the innocent):

Hello Fintail,

This is Salesguy from Mercedes-Benz of Bellevue.

Our records indicate that you have just a few payments left on your Mercedes-benz E-class, is that correct?

We like to reach out to our customers whose lease will mature soon. Our store is in need of quality pre-owned vehicles, and we would like to have your E-class back before your lease is up!

The next step is to schedule an appointment for a purchase evaluation on your E-class. How quickly could you make it in for a quick, 20-minute appraisal? Would today work, or would tomorrow be better?

I look forward to hearing from you soon!


I'm way too busy to get into this right now, but I think I will actually reply and tell him what I am thinking. One of the last payments was charged today, only a few to go.

qbrozen

I be done seen bout everything.

a restomod ‘66 Chevy II crossed the block tonight at $200k! Yes, that is 5 zeroes! And, no, it was not a charity vehicle! 

mjfloyd1

Mr_Shiftright said:

Must have been quite the build, that one. I guess only a real Z06 would bring more money than that!

This says $385k but that includes 10% buyer commission
https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1963-CHEVROLET-CORVETTE-SPLIT-WINDOW-CUSTOM-COUPE-224653

stickguy

nice looking, but the wheels are just too big for it.

Sandman6472

Totally agree, wheels are a bit too big for the wheel wells. Would look better maybe at a Plus 1 but now, too big. Beautiful car though.
When I was like 4 or so, my grandparents were investors for the Broadway show "The Music Man" and remember they got new 1959 Corvette's for my dad and his two brothers from some of their profits. We had the red one, one uncle had the black one and the baby brother got one in white. Was cool when we went to my grandparents place and saw all three in a row in front of it. He had that car until the '63 Riviera from Buick came out. With four kids, the Corvette wasn't that practical but since it was a gift, he enjoyed it for a few years.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

I be done seen bout everything.

a restomod ‘66 Chevy II crossed-the block tonight at $200k! Yes, that is 5 zeroes! And, no, it was not a charity vehicle! 

Well there's a point at which these rods become works of Art. The level of craftsmanship, the enormous investment in tech and artistry--the sheer number of man hours---it's difficult to evaluate what something like that is worth. It really helps value if the car wins awards, gets a lot of press, or is constructed by a famous builder.

ab348

I'm having a hard time thinking of a '66 Chevy II restomod being a work of art. It's not like a Coddington custom.

corvette

I agree the wheels are too big. 

omarman

Maybe art like a rat fink poster brought to "life."