Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

Also, on the down side... vaunted Saab resale values..

Huh. A $42k car selling new for $30k and has bad resale. Surely you jest! ;P

corvette

With the Oil Life Monitor, in 36k, the only maintenance that's called for (and paid for) will probably be 2-3 oil changes and tire rotations. Too bad they don't still have the decent lease deals on the 9-7X.

Has anyone looked at the employee pricing on the 2009 Vibe? I think there may be a misprint. The GT model is the same price (or less) than the base. And they're not giving $4-5k off their other four-cylinder cars. Wonder what gives?

roadburner

It sounds like maybe you do your own wrenching? That makes a huge difference. Or, just being so dedicated to a 15-20 y.o. bmw/mb/porsche (& well funded)! that you're willing to spend whatever it takes.

I'd have to check my records, but I think that I spent less than $2500 on repairs and maintenance over the 3.5 years I owned it, and I sold it for just $500 less than I paid for it. I miss the sound of that S38 at full song- especially with the cat gone.

If I bought a 2nd car now, would I get another e24? No, life is too short, & too many cars I'd like to experience. Maybe a used Mini, or Z4, or some flavor of e46.

My next car is almost certainly going to be an M car of some sort. That 2005 Titanium/Imola M3 is still on the CPO lot and they've now knocked $4050 off the price(I think people want a hole in the roof as well as the added weight of power seats- unlike me). If I could get it for $31000 it would be in my garage tonight...

akangl

You're clearing out? FBX or ANC or ?

Closer to Anc for now after that not sure, hoping to leave AK at some point.

stever

It's 80°F at the Boise airport weather station right now, if you're looking for warmer weather.

Of course it's getting close to midnight too, lol.

I'm always amazed at the rust-free cars on the roads year round down here; more cream puffs to dream of owning in the high desert per square mile than just about anywhere. I need to drag my camera around more - saw a gorgeous example of a 60's Mustang today, and I don't even like 'stangs all that much.

guss

I used the GM employee pricing calculator also and noticed that on the Vibe GT. It also fooled me on the Saturn Aura Greenline saying $4k off.The Cobalt SS was had about a $5k discount, that can not be right.

So last night I stopped at the Saturn dealer that has a loaded one. The window sticker for Employee pricing was only $1700 off. Still not bad for a car they have not been discounting at all. Not bad , but for 2 mpg more I am not sure it is worth it still.

But, two of my neighbors just bought Aura's and the last thing I want to be is one of the Joneses.

I need to take another look at the G6, I looked at them a couple of years ago and they were ok, the interior was pretty typical GM and the option packages did not make sense to me.

corvette

They fixed the website today... The 2009 Vibe GT is now $18,635.00 after discounts.

michaellno

This includes the Corvette .. which takes $10K off the price of a Z06 (not that I have the money).

There are some screaming deals out there ... Saturn Aura XR (V6 / 6-speed auto) is priced at $21,500 after rebates but before options.

qbrozen

I got an interesting one.
What about the G8 GT?
Does the employee pricing mean dealers can't add the ADM??

guss

how long before Ford & Chrysler follow. When GM did this a few years ago they were right behind them.

michaellno

G8 GT is available.

MSRP: $29,995

Employee Price: $27,800.20

qbrozen

Oh, I know its listed.
Just wondering what the dealers would do about it.
Can they still add ADM?
they are independently owned, so I guess they can do whatever they want.

guss

I have not seen any ADM's on the G8's in my area. Even the 6 cylinders seem to be sitting for awhile.

michaellno

Sorry, missed that part of your post.

Since dealers are independent, I suppose they could do whatever they wanted.

Could they? Sure

Would they? Guess you'd have to check your local Pontiac dealer

Should they? No - if the intent of the sale (and it's only for 2 weeks) is to clear stock, the dealers should honor the employee price for everything on the lot

kyfdx

Is the G8 an '09 model? Doesn't this just apply to '08s?

michaellno

The G8 is a 2008 model.

Try this link, and click on the "Find Your Employee Price" button. Plug in the year, make, model and your zip code and it will show you the MSRP, employee price and any applicable rebates.

A few of the '09's qualify as well - the Vibe, for example.

obyone

GM employee pricing is optional on the dealers part especially on high demand vehicles. Does GM have any? A GM employee could walk into any dealership any time and be denied employee pricing. At that point he could either negotiate or try another until he finds one.

woodyww

What're they asking for the 2005 Titanium/Imola M3? That's it in the pic? Have you made them an offer? It looks gorgeous. It must have been, what, $58K new?

Maybe the diff. in our attitudes towards owning an e24 is, I owned mine for 10+ years. It's like that old joke: "I've had 5 wonderful years of marriage..(pause)..... 5 out of 10 isn't bad!".

roadburner

What're they asking for the 2005 Titanium/Imola M3? That's it in the pic? Have you made them an offer? It looks gorgeous. It must have been, what, $58K new?

Yes, that's it. They are asking $34,900. The only defect that I found was a tiny bit of curb rash on the RF wheel. The only options on it are the 19" wheels, Xenons, and the H-K sound upgrade. I haven't made an offer, but it's been on their lot since the middle of July.

Maybe the diff. in our attitudes towards owning an e24 is, I owned mine for 10+ years. It's like that old joke: "I've had 5 wonderful years of marriage..(pause)..... 5 out of 10 isn't bad!".

Good point! :P

woodyww

the 2005 Titanium/Imola M3?

Stick? No leather? Miles? CPO? (You might have said once before). I'm kind of hoping you buy it (or some M3), so I can live vicariously. :shades:

Personally, I'd want a S/R & maybe the pwr seats (because I'm a spoiled suburbanite, & wouldn't track it), but that could work in your favor of course. I wonder: are the economy, & gas prices, affecting prices of used high performance cars like Vette's or M3's or M5's, etc.?

One last thought: if it sits there until after snow falls.........you know.

corvette

I thought Xenons were standard on the M3? I don't care much about having power seats, but am in favor of sunroofs (and I'm short enough that they never create a headroom issue). Higher-end cars (I'm thinking of Cadillac) that don't come with them standard raise questions about their target market (still going for the 60-and-above crowd?).

lilengineerboy

Higher-end cars (I'm thinking of Cadillac) that don't come with them standard raise questions about their target market (still going for the 60-and-above crowd?).

Yeah the Lincoln MKS doesn't have it standard either. My $20k Accord EX did, but not a $40k Lincoln? I think the Eco-Boost thing might scare some of the 60+ crowd (think BMW 335 powertrain in a Lexus ES350). I digress, I agree, domestic luxury cars that lack standard equipment seem cheezy.

kyfdx

'06 BMW X3.. 24K miles.. CPO
Premium pkg, heated seats, leather, xenons..

2.9% financing for 36 months... plus, 1st two payments covered by BMW..

Sort of a light rust color (flamenco red) with beige interior.

Or.. same basic car in Silver-Gray with black leather.. but, with 29K miles..

Both cars have about 2 years on the original warranty, then two more on the CPO warranty.. up to 100K total miles.. (we do about 16K/yr).

Whaddaya think?

boomchek

What's the prices on the X3s?

I like the sound of extended warranty on ANY german car, and the low finance rate.

Myself personally when I took out a used X3 we had on our honda lot for a weekend of skiing, I found it a bit too small and stiff riding compared ot an X5 we had on the lot.

The X3s for some reason never appealed to me that much, at least when comparing premium small SUVs. I would have rather spent the extra dough and get a X5.

corvette

What year did they upgrade the engine to the same one in the current 3-series? That's the one I'd want, with the higher output. The rust color sounds interesting.

I've been looking at Rallye Motors' used car listings--they're located up your way, and I think you've mentioned them here before. Speaking of rust, they have a lovely "white with rust accents" 1993 Cavalier that I'm guessing they took on trade.

woodyww

Yeah, what're the prices? Are you a bmwcca member ($500 rebate on a used cpo bmw)?

FWIW, I looked for leasing deals on edmunds: RAV4 4 cyl. AWD, $199/mo. Forester AWD $219/mo. 'Course I'd much rather have an X3, but.....

fezo

While I generally agree on extended warranties for German cars if I were going to make an exception BMW would be it.

Walking in a parking lot today I see this black Passat. Man those things have gotten big. As much as I like a bunch of things VW makes my 1980 Rabbit has kept me forever away from their doorstep.

roadburner

Stick? No leather? Miles? CPO?

Yep, a stick- with Imola leather, 33K miles. New car warranty until 1/09 and CPO until 1/11

Personally, I'd want a S/R & maybe the pwr seats (because I'm a spoiled suburbanite, & wouldn't track it), but that could work in your favor of course. I wonder: are the economy, & gas prices, affecting prices of used high performance cars like Vette's or M3's or M5's, etc.?

I think it's a double whammy; it doesn't have the Premium Package AND it's a "gas guzzler".

roadburner

'06 BMW X3.. 24K miles.. CPO
Premium pkg, heated seats, leather, xenons..

2.9% financing for 36 months... plus, 1st two payments covered by BMW..

Sort of a light rust color (flamenco red) with beige interior.


My wife loves her Flamenco Red 2004. It's been stone cold reliable as well, the only problem being a bad passenger seat SRS sensor. Tires last until @50K, brakes to 60K. It's going to be my son's school car in @4 years.

roadburner

While I generally agree on extended warranties for German cars if I were going to make an exception BMW would be it.

I agree; the CPO warranty is nice to have but not essential- on the six cylinder BMWs, anyway.

kyfdx

The '07 got the new engine.... The '06 has the 3.0 litre, 225 hp engine from the E46 3-series.. Plenty of power.. but, I agree, the '07 is a nice upgrade (260hp?).

We drove by today... the wife has a definite bias against red.. and the flamenco red is about half-way between red and rust... so, she says that's out (I like it, but it will be her car).

The asking price on either car is $29,900, though I think I'll be able to make a deal around $28K.. I checked Manheim, and the low-mile units that are optioned up are going for $23K-$24K. Figuring CPO and transport, and some minor reconditioning, then $28K leaves them about $2K gross.. which seems about right.. If I finance it to make the payment right at $1000 per month, then the two free payments plus the $500 for being a CCA member, brings my actual cost to $25,500... (assuming I'm right about getting it for $28K). You can compare that to about $42K for a comparably equipped new one..

I drove by Rallye Motors yesterday... didn't stop, but I did see an XC90 sitting out front... they are good guys and straight shooters, there.. That Cavalier sounds really nice.. :surprise:

corvette

I saw a beautiful blue XC90 V8 on Rallye's website. Asking in the mid 20's, and judging from their prices, probably not much room for bargaining. A great deal (less than half what it cost new), just a little more than I want to spend right now.

kyfdx

Yeah..that's the one that was sitting out front..

And, to clarify on the X3s..

The '05 and '06 CPO units get two payments covered and the 2.9% financing for up to 36 months..

The '08 models get 0.9% financing for 60 months..

The '07 models get bupkus... Which is why we aren't looking at them.. financially, they just don't make sense, right now...

kyfdx

Wow.. I really shouldn't have checked out that ad... That is a lot of SUV for a $24,900 asking price... Plus, original warranty until June, 2010... Only 22K miles, also..

A few things give me pause, though..

4610 lb. curb weight

311 hp V-8?!

15 city, 21 highway mpg

To contrast with the X3:

4023 lb. curb weight

225 hp Inline-6

16 city, 23 highway mpg

Plus 10" shorter and 2" narrower (smaller is better, for us)

Dang.. that looks good, though!

woodyww

If I finance it to make the payment right at $1000 per month

The payments would be $1000 per month on a $28K vehicle??? Maybe I'm mis-reading it? If not, & you get 2 free payments, & put 0 down, that's $34K over the 36 months?

corvette

Well, whatever you do, don't take it for a test drive. :P The XC90 doesn't feel like a BMW, but it's very solid and has impressive handling. Gas mileage isn't that different between the two.

kyfdx

$28K + TTL = just under $30K..

Then finance for 31 months... so, that you get the most out of the two free payments.. I might have left that part out..

kyfdx

I'm not seeing heated seats on that option list... the lack of that feature has already killed one possible candidate..

corvette

Now, you're just looking for an excuse to chicken out... From the photos, it appears to have them. On the S60, S80, V70, XC70, and XC90, the heated seat buttons are on the climate control, at the upper right, below the defroster buttons.

lemmer

What is the world coming too when we are touting the 4000 lb curb weight of what is basically a 4 person passenger car?

Our Pilot seats 8 and weighs around 4400, I think. That is too heavy but at least it tows stuff and hauls lots of people.

How about a 5 series wagon?

qbrozen

Oh, hell, no contest, IMHO.

Unless you really like the compactness of the X3. But at such a small mileage penalty, that $3k+ savings will never be used up in the vehicle's lifetime.

And it is true the XC90 does not feel like the bimmer. According to my wife, the XC90 feels much more solid and luxurious (I didn't drive the X3, she did that on her own .... it was an '04, however).

You are doing yourself and your wife a disservice if you don't at least drive it.

kyfdx

first.. this is my wife, not me..

Wagons are out.. (I like them.. car isn't for me.. )

She wants an SUV... we don't have large needs, which is why the X3 works for us.. plus, we like BMWs.. The X3 has the same exact controls, etc. as her last two 3-series..

I called on the Volvo... It does have heated seats and HIDs... those are standard on that special edition... The only two options on that model were NAV and rear headrest DVDs, neither of which this one has (nor do we want). The asking price on this one is about $7K less than the CPO models at any Volvo dealer..

She wasn't in love with the colors available on the X3s we looked at yesterday, but she seems to like this Volvo... She may test drive it, today or tomorrow... She may find it's too large... I may find that I can't stomach the gas mileage from the V-8, but it seems to have similar numbers to the Pilot...

$24,900 is the asking price (22K low miles), and I doubt there is going to be much wiggle room, there.. But, that's not bad... Full warranty until June, 2010..

She just called me.. going to test drive it, in an hour.... :surprise:

lemmer

I can see going down that same path with my wife. She likes the Bimmers too. In this comparison, I'd take the Volvo.

kyfdx

I'm just wondering about real world gas mileage.. She'll do about 16K-17K miles/year... If we average 15 mpg, it will be a tough pill to swallow...

She gets 23.5 mpg on premium now.... I know we are heading down to the 18-20 mpg range with the X3.. any lower than that, and I might

qbrozen

People are claiming good mileage on the volvo boards. Just depends on what kind of driving.

Our '05 XC90 2.5T is rated at 17/22, so not far off the V8, surprisingly.
Anyway, my wife is consistently getting 21mpg on midgrade gas (20.9 to be exact) with ~70% highway driving. We've found a big penalty using regular gas (down around 18mpg) and little benefit with premium (about .3-.4 mpg better).

corvette

The turbo runs on midgrade?

kyfdx

Don't know about the turbo, but I looked up the V8...

91 octane recommended...
87 octane acceptable, with of course, possible decrease in performance..

Of course, we have 87, 89 and 93... Hmmm... maybe I'll mix them..

qbrozen

same with the turbo, AFAIK.

But we do our own testing.
As you can see, the premium is not always worth it to us. I figured out that anything under a 15 cent bump over midgrade is good. Anything more than that and its not worth the extra 0.4 mpg.

kyfdx

So... it turns out it's a little big for her ("this is more like the size of an X5").. yeah, that's what I told you, yesterday..

But, the real sticking point? She couldn't get past the color... Evidently, it's really blue.. I guess I should have never married a Hoosier... Where we live, blue is a good thing!

I swear, if we were buying a Model T, she would say she didn't like black.. :surprise:

It's probably for the best.. We don't need a car for three months.. there is some urgency on the BMWs, as there are expiring incentives.. but, that wouldn't be the case on the Volvo.. the only urgency was a nice car at a great price..

woodyww

Bummer--this was such a fun vicarious shopping exercise. I was gonna put in my vote for the low-mileage XC90. Are new CRV's, Foresters, or RAV's off the list? I know, might be a big let-down after driving X3's & XC90's.

OMG: I just read the part about how you married a Hoosier. Good luck with that! (I could tell you some stories, but.......)