Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

graphicguy said:

28firefighter said:

I suspect that come the end of the year, the Ascent may start leasing a little better - not great, but better. If that does happen I'll take a look at it.

Regarding the Palisade I think it is going to be too big for our purposes, but will probably be something I drive because why not?

I love the Grand Cherokee, but the crash test ratings on it of late are enough to give me serious pause. If those turn around, I'd consider it.

I saw some Grand Cherokees at the recent car show. When did these things start knocking on the door of $60K-$70K?

Lots of very, very nice SUVs for that price and lower.

That's how I felt about the black on black Ram Limited I saw a couple weeks ago in the showroom …. $70K MSRP

Of course, Navigators and Escalades can be optioned to 6 figures, now.

28firefighter

Yes - they get expensive. My SIL has a 2018 Grand Cherokee Summit with the V6 and the list on it was $56k! I tried to explain she was in brand new Audi/BMW/Mercedes territory, but she wanted what she wanted. Thankfully in true CJDR fashion, the sale price was in the low 40s.

breld

@28firefighter - I like those SUV choices as well, although I still consider the Q7 the best 3-row offering out there, and really one of the best vehicles period. But I'm biased.

I find the Highlander attractive, but fear the driving experience would be too vanilla (not a shocking revelation of course). I'd love the dependability and resale though.

I love the XC90 - such a beautiful car inside and out. I prefer the dial control on the Audi over the virtually all-touchscreen approach Volvo has, but all in all, it was mostly a toss-up for me between the Audi and Volvo. The aesthetics of the Volvo offset what I consider the slightly superior drivetrain of the Audi (what with the supercharged V6).

And my straying eye gravitates toward the MDX too. Have you tried out a Sport Hybrid model? As much as I like the A-spec treatment, I enjoyed the driving experience of the Sport Hybrid setup and would go that way if I were to get one.

breld

@stickguy -

Your experience reminds me of when I returned from a vacation and my Land Rover Discovery was dead.

Except...it took forever and 4 attempts to get the right type of vehicle/charger out from roadside assistance. And the service adviser was not sympathetic at all.

Goes to show - things like a defective battery do happen, and it's annoying when they do. But how the dealership treats you shapes the entire experience.

28firefighter

breld said:

@28firefighter - I like those SUV choices as well, although I still consider the Q7 the best 3-row offering out there, and really one of the best vehicles period. But I'm biased.

I find the Highlander attractive, but fear the driving experience would be too vanilla (not a shocking revelation of course). I'd love the dependability and resale though.

I love the XC90 - such a beautiful car inside and out. I prefer the dial control on the Audi over the virtually all-touchscreen approach Volvo has, but all in all, it was mostly a toss-up for me between the Audi and Volvo. The aesthetics of the Volvo offset what I consider the slightly superior drivetrain of the Audi (what with the supercharged V6).

And my straying eye gravitates toward the MDX too. Have you tried out a Sport Hybrid model? As much as I like the A-spec treatment, I enjoyed the driving experience of the Sport Hybrid setup and would go that way if I were to get one.

It's a good point, the Q7 doesn't lease well so would be something I need to consider used.

As far as the MDX Sport Hybrid, I honestly forgot it existed until you just reminded me. I'll look into it.

28firefighter

Interestingly, the MDX Sport Hybrid has the same lease MF and residual. Assuming they're not holding onto them at higher sales prices, could make it a compelling option.

Sandman6472

My old co-worker came by yesterday to drop off his taxes for my wife. He just got a brand new 2019 Highlander after having Sienna's for the last 18 or so years. Beautiful vehicle but he misses his Sienna. They're about the same size I suspect. He got it in a pearlized white that looked very nice.
But, if I needed a cuv right now, I'd go with the new 2019 Rav4. Toyota did a first class job with the Rav, it looks just right now. We've gotten a few in at Hertz and am waiting for one to come to our office so I can drive it. Toyota seems to be getting it's groove back.
Taking the title up to Orlando on Saturday and will get to try the new addition to the family. She sent me some pics today of the exterior and it does look quite nice. Chevy did a great job refreshing the 2019 Cruze. Hopefully she'll have many good years of faithful worry free service. It's really her 2nd vehicle that she's bought for herself but this one has everything she could ask for plus all the current safety nannies. Guessing the "RS" version is a sportier model, hence the 18" alloys and low profile sport tires. Pretty blue color also.

marcogallo1986

 Love the top of all the cars posted above, Scotty Kilmer would not come in either if he did he be just a Toyota fan boy, been watching his videos a lot lately for pure entertainment and laughing at him, I really harassed the guy bust his chops big time, he doesn’t respond to my comments. I called him a Toyota fanboy. 

stickguy

Sienna is probably about 8-10" longer than a Highlander.

marcogallo1986

 Congratulations to your one daughter send man on the purchase of the new car, yes now you have to get working on the other daughter, then eventually your self, and your wife. 

marcogallo1986

 Stick guy, glad it was just a battery and you’re good to go. Type your comment

marcogallo1986

 My condolences to everyone in here who is lost someone in the past couple of months. That’s why I say enjoy life every day and live it to the fullest. And we all should get along and respect each other‘s opinions. 

tjc78

Sandman6472 said:

My old co-worker came by yesterday to drop off his taxes for my wife. He just got a brand new 2019 Highlander after having Sienna's for the last 18 or so years. Beautiful vehicle but he misses his Sienna. They're about the same size I suspect. He got it in a pearlized white that looked very nice. But, if I needed a cuv right now, I'd go with the new 2019 Rav4. Toyota did a first class job with the Rav, it looks just right now. We've gotten a few in at Hertz and am waiting for one to come to our office so I can drive it. Toyota seems to be getting it's groove back. Taking the title up to Orlando on Saturday and will get to try the new addition to the family. She sent me some pics today of the exterior and it does look quite nice. Chevy did a great job refreshing the 2019 Cruze. Hopefully she'll have many good years of faithful worry free service. It's really her 2nd vehicle that she's bought for herself but this one has everything she could ask for plus all the current safety nannies. Guessing the "RS" version is a sportier model, hence the 18" alloys and low profile sport tires. Pretty blue color also.

I used to be a big fan of Toyota.  I had three in a row (2000 Solara V6, 2003 Avalon, 2006 Avalon) but lately I feel like they have lost their way.  

My mom has a 17 RAV 4 and I really don’t like it that much.  It doesn’t really do anything wrong, but there is something about it I dislike without really being able to pinpoint it.   

Toyota’s sedan styling (along with the entire Lexus line) is really overdone with some ugly front ends.  

I glanced at the 2019 RAV at the car show and it seems like they copied the design of some of the newer Jeep CUVs.  I’m sure I’ll be checking one out more in depth as Mom’s lease is up at the end of the year.  She has told me she wants a Buick Envision but they start above 30k and may be more than she wants to spend. 

suydam

Buick MSRP prices look very expensive but they are heavily discounted so the actual price. Is usually thousands less. I have no idea why they do this but I suspect it keeps some people from even checking them out.

corvette

The last model of RAV4 had the worst interior of any small CUV in recent memory. 

kyfdx

suydam said:

Buick MSRP prices look very expensive but they are heavily discounted so the actual price. Is usually thousands less. I have no idea why they do this but I suspect it keeps some people from even checking them out.

No chance of leasing them, though. That hurts their sales.

We went to the car show, and the TourX and GS were both there. Nice cars. The TourX looks like you could put an 8 foot ladder in the rear! (maybe not, but the load area is really long).

kyfdx

corvette said:

The last model of RAV4 had the worst interior of any small CUV in recent memory. 

And, it will sell like crazy. Butching up a soft-roader usually helps.

tjc78

No chance of leasing them, though. That hurts their sales.

Exactly.... I just don't see a 1% lease happening on an Envision. I will certainly try. Her car is due back either 12/1 or 1/1 so at least the timing is perfect!

My plan is to work with the salesperson who did our Enclave deal and see at the time if a decent lease is available. If not, I'll take her on some test drives (RAV, Tucson, Terrain) and see what she likes.

Quite honestly she has had a Toyota since the late 90s and odds are there will be another RAV even though she said "No more Toyotas" Her last car that wasn't a Toyota was a 96 Thunderbird

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

suydam said:

Buick MSRP prices look very expensive but they are heavily discounted so the actual price. Is usually thousands less. I have no idea why they do this but I suspect it keeps some people from even checking them out.

No chance of leasing them, though. That hurts their sales.

We went to the car show, and the TourX and GS were both there. Nice cars. The TourX looks like you could put an 8 foot ladder in the rear! (maybe not, but the load area is really long).

I felt the same way. Those Buicks are nice. Yet, they can’t sell them. Perception is tough to shake.

28firefighter

I had the previous RAV4 as a rental car at least half a dozen times. It was not compelling in the slightest.

Mr_Shiftright

Okay, it's time to play: Guess the Bill!

Our first contestant is a 1999 Ferrari 355, with 10,000 total miles, which recently had the following work done:

New window regulator (1)
Oil and filter
gearbox and differential oils changed
brake fluid, coolant, and power steering fluid changed
engine cam-belt service performed
New water pump (rebuilt)
New battery.

And your guess is........?

corvette

$20,000. 

28firefighter

$14,750

Mr_Shiftright

Not bad, you guys, not bad at all. I'm impressed!

The bill was $12,747.14.

I guessed a little low because of the car's low mileage. I was figuring about $10K.

Actually $1 per mile would be really really good for a Ferrari. In reality, it often works out to about $3 a mile. (operating costs, not depreciation).

ab348

I'll take $4000.

Mr_Shiftright

Oops! Too late and too short! Sorry---answer is above.

stickguy

I still can’t see having a car like that, costing so much to own, and only putting 500 miles/year on it. What a waste.

Mr_Shiftright

Impulse buy perhaps? As in "I've always wanted a _______, and now I have enough money to do it".

Or, perhaps an embarrassment of riches? "Oh, yeah, that yellow Ferrari. Do we still own that? Let's service it and get rid of it. I never drive it".

28firefighter

With all the money in the world, I can't see owning supercars. They just don't do it for me.

kyfdx

Once you get past the upper $100s, no bang for the buck. If someone gave me a million dollars, I’d talk myself into how that was only $50K/yr in income, and I should just invest it.

(Okay, I might get a used Cayman)

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

Once you get past the upper $100s, no bang for the buck. If someone gave me a million dollars, I’d talk myself into how that was only $50K/yr in income, and I should just invest it.

(Okay, I might get a used Cayman)

^this

Mr_Shiftright

Not to get too grandiose about it---but in a way a supercar is a perfect example of the illusion of desire.

The purpose of the desirous object (car, house, man, woman, place, thing) is to distort your reality, at least long enough for you to do anything you have to do, to possess it.

Once you have it, then, somehow, the object re-adjusts the distortion, and brings reality back to....well....a $12,000 repair bill. Then, it's up to you to accept and work with what's real, or move onto the next object of desire (which will appear at a showroom near you next year).

fintail

The only supercars that can get to me are vintage ones.

Mr_Shiftright

What would you buy if you had the spare cash?

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Oops! Too late and too short! Sorry---answer is above.

Good thing I don't have a Ferrari! And the 355 isn't even particularly exotic in their range of cars. Yikes.

au1994

28firefighter said:

With all the money in the world, I can't see owning supercars. They just don't do it for me.

Me either. It’s kind of a ‘don’t meet your heros’ scenario.

Expensive, maintenance nightmares, heavy clutches that would kill me in Atlanta traffic. No thanks.

au1994

Mr_Shiftright said:

What would you buy if you had the spare cash?

Spare being a relative term, I’d look for a E46 M3 convertible or something similar that scratches the convertible, fast (relatively) and beautiful itch.

Wouldn’t daily it so maintenance issues wouldn’t bother me and while expensive since its an ///M, it wouldn’t kill you.

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

What would you buy if you had the spare cash?

I'd buy myself a new 911 C2 Coupe. Black/Black.

fintail

If I chose a 911, I'd have a Targa. I can't think of any new supercars/hypercars that get me going, they all seem too cold and electronic. I like some 70s and 80s era Ferraris along with older ones, some old Lamborghinis etc.

And then an original supercar, the 300SL, which has to be fun even if it has quirks.

28firefighter

Speaking of supercars (hahahaha) I got the Saab out of storage yesterday since we have a relatively clear (but cool) few days ahead of us. So much fun.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

Speaking of supercars (hahahaha) I got the Saab out of storage yesterday since we have a relatively clear (but cool) few days ahead of us. So much fun.

I wonder if they make a Quaife Mechanical Limited Slip Differential for that car.

au1994

28firefighter said:

Speaking of supercars (hahahaha) I got the Saab out of storage yesterday since we have a relatively clear (but cool) few days ahead of us. So much fun.

That’s the way I felt about my ZHP. It was a supercar to me! All 235 hp of it felt great.

The kiddo and I were having the ‘what would you do with a million” conversion the other day. He was all in on Lambos and Bugatti’s and I was trying to explain to him the beauty of driving a slow car fast.

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

What would you buy if you had the spare cash?

I'd buy myself a new 911 C2 Coupe. Black/Black.

993 air cooled coupe.. S model, hopefully. I really don't want much.

kyfdx

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

Speaking of supercars (hahahaha) I got the Saab out of storage yesterday since we have a relatively clear (but cool) few days ahead of us. So much fun.

That’s the way I felt about my ZHP. It was a supercar to me! All 235 hp of it felt great.

The kiddo and I were having the ‘what would you do with a million” conversion the other day. He was all in on Lambos and Bugatti’s and I was trying to explain to him the beauty of driving a slow car fast.

Guess I already have my supercar, then. Just turned over 120K miles.

ab348

If you had sufficient means I suspect there would be a fleet of different holy-grail cars for different purposes.

marcogallo1986

 I like the idea of a fleet of cars or four different purposes one day, have to hit the lottery and hire a driver or have friends or family drive with me. 

henryn

When I was a young man, it was Reggie Jackson (Mr October) who had the car collection that we all envied. These days, of course, that would be Jay Leno.

But if I had to pick one car, anything up to $100k, or $150k... And I had to live with that car, and drive it regularly ...

This requires more thought.

stickguy

I like the car barn idea. Some sort of DD/bad weather car, probably a compact CUV. Audi SQ5, BMW X3. something like that. And a nice weather DD, maybe a convertible, like a BMW 240i.

need a nice PU for hauling stuff. And a real sporty car, like a Cobra kit car, maybe a Monster Miata. Then 1-2 classic toy types. Maybe a 1970 Z-28 Camaro. A resto mod Volvo 242 GT, because I am weird. And some sort of Porsche.

that should probably do it for a start.

suydam

henryn said:

When I was a young man, it was Reggie Jackson (Mr October) who had the car collection that we all envied. These days, of course, that would be Jay Leno.

But if I had to pick one car, anything up to $100k, or $150k... And I had to live with that car, and drive it regularly ...

This requires more thought.

Tesla for me. Not remotely in my retirement budget!

stickguy

I had to stop at the local commuter station today (line that runs from Jersey into Philly). Walking across the lots from the far reaches (the free parking!) passed 3 Teslas that I noticed. All just lot parked, there are no plug ins there.