Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

Punch guesses for 2019:
sda 28
stickguy 30
Michaell 32
suydam 35
henryn 35
laurasdada 35
pensfan83 37
carnaught 38
nyccarguy 38
xwesx 39
Drivingfool 39
roadburner 40
28firefighter 44
qbrozen 47
tjc78 48

corvette

Also, we had 45 punches for 2018. Nobody guessed that many. The closest was au1994 with 42.

28firefighter

Won’t count for our purposes here, but I believe my Dad has a punch today. 

tjc78

corvette said:

Punch guesses for 2019: sda 28 stickguy 30 Michaell 32 suydam 35 henryn 35 laurasdada 35 pensfan83 37 carnaught 38 nyccarguy 38 xwesx 39 Drivingfool 39 roadburner 40 28firefighter 44 qbrozen 47 tjc78 48

Wow .. I knew I went high... but not that high! 

Michaell

A little help for a poster trying to negotiate on a used car:
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/56034/hyundai/elantra/finalizing-a-deal-for-price#latest

28firefighter

My Dad’s Cayenne is gone. Was offered $43 on trade and picked up a low mile Audi S5 Prestige (4.2 V8) coupe that was shockingly well priced and in great shape.

He’s happy. 

corvette

Very nice!

Michaell

28firefighter said:

My Dad’s Cayenne is gone. Was offered $43 on trade and picked up a low mile Audi S5 Prestige (4.2 V8) coupe that was shockingly well priced and in great shape.

He’s happy. 

Seems like a reasonable swap

laurasdada

This would be mid-life crisis car redux. I mid-life crisis-ed back in '11 with my Jag XK. Life intervened, forcing me to get a more sensible pair of shoes, but there's always the itch.
Of course, also trying to set a good example of fiscal responsibility to the kids; being an adult sometimes stinks.

Michaell

laurasdada said:

This would be mid-life crisis car redux. I mid-life crisis-ed back in '11 with my Jag XK. Life intervened, forcing me to get a more sensible pair of shoes, but there's always the itch.
Of course, also trying to set a good example of fiscal responsibility to the kids; being an adult sometimes stinks.

Adulting is hard!

My days with the Jetta are winding down ... only 2 lease payments left, then probably 30 days to turn in.

I'm a little annoyed at myself today. While mowing the front lawn, I hit a rock and the mower threw it directly into the passenger side front door of the Jetta, which I park on the street. About a 1.5-2" long dent resulted, but I suspect it won't be big enough to be an issue at inspection.

28firefighter

Michaell said:

This would be mid-life crisis car redux. I mid-life crisis-ed back in '11 with my Jag XK. Life intervened, forcing me to get a more sensible pair of shoes, but there's always the itch. Of course, also trying to set a good example of fiscal responsibility to the kids; being an adult sometimes stinks.

Adulting is hard! My days with the Jetta are winding down ... only 2 lease payments left, then probably 30 days to turn in. I'm a little annoyed at myself today. While mowing the front lawn, I hit a rock and the mower threw it directly into the passenger side front door of the Jetta, which I park on the street. About a 1.5-2" long dent resulted, but I suspect it won't be big enough to be an issue at inspection.

That has to be a million to one shot. 

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Michaell said:

laurasdada said:

This would be mid-life crisis car redux. I mid-life crisis-ed back in '11 with my Jag XK. Life intervened, forcing me to get a more sensible pair of shoes, but there's always the itch.
Of course, also trying to set a good example of fiscal responsibility to the kids; being an adult sometimes stinks.

Adulting is hard!

My days with the Jetta are winding down ... only 2 lease payments left, then probably 30 days to turn in.

I'm a little annoyed at myself today. While mowing the front lawn, I hit a rock and the mower threw it directly into the passenger side front door of the Jetta, which I park on the street. About a 1.5-2" long dent resulted, but I suspect it won't be big enough to be an issue at inspection.

That has to be a million to one shot. 

That was my thought as I saw it shoot out of the mower.

Sigh.

28firefighter

Play the lotto?

Seriously though, that’s a major bummer. 

marcogallo1986

 Congratulations to your father 20 firefighter that’s awesome, I think we can make that punch count in here why not. 

marcogallo1986

 I haven’t guessed I need punches in here before, I’m going to say 30 for this year. 

marcogallo1986

 Well Michael but really stinks, and wow so it’s going back in August? 

Michaell

marcogallo1986 said:

 Well Michael but really stinks, and wow so it’s going back in August? 

Yep, just a few more months. I only have 15,000 miles on it.

sb55

I know that it won't count, but my son traded his 2004? Nissan Frontier for a 2008 Toyota Tacoma.

ab348

sb55 said:

I know that it won't count, but my son traded his 2004? Nissan Frontier for a 2008 Toyota Tacoma.

Did he check the Taco's frame for rust? Those were bad years for that. The last time I went out back behind the local Toyota dealer they had 17 new frames stacked up there for replacement. At least Toyota is replacing them proactively. There was some chatter locally about how it works. If you take you Tacoma to the dealer for work (typically an airbag recall) they put it on a lift to do an inspection as a matter of course, and if it is deemed in need of a new frame they put you in a rental on the spot until they can do the work required, which in some cases has taken months. I know it is a big job but why it takes so long I do not know.

Sandman6472

Welcome Bryan, nice Caddy there but understand that if there's already 4 vehicles in the fleet, why rush? Get exactly what you want, when you want on your terms. Again, something tells me they'll be calling you sooner than later.

Sandman6472

Fridge came about 6 Friday night. They never called my cell Thursday nite, they called the house and left a message on the machine...I specifically said, "call my cell"! Went to bed early, another story, and wife never woke me or left a message on the mirror. Got up at 7:15 and spoke with Lowe's manager, who explained the situation. Long story short, I'm already late for work and I'm never late. After showering and driving through crazy traffic, get to work at 8:46, missing my 7:30 meeting with the boss he finally agreed to.
Fridge was coming between 5 and 7 so had to leave at 4:30 which of course didn't happen. Got home at about 5:45, so just had enough time to clean up a bit. Luckily we didn't have a whole lot in the fridge/freezer and only lost a couple half empty ice cream containers. New unit is big, bigger than the old GE. It's a side by side Whirlpool unit with the ice maker in the door for added interior space. Comes out of the wall area a little bit but plenty of room between it and the peninsula across from it, the old unit was smaller and flush with the wall where the fridge goes. We're thrilled, Lowe's gave me a good price and got it there within 2 days...what's not to like!

Sandman6472

Now, onto the big issue. The VW Golf!! The Golf has been locking me out this past year but these last 2 months on a more regular basis. The drivers door has issues opening with the key fob, I'm usually going into the front passenger door and having to open it up from there. It's starting to happen at the worst possible times and is past annoying.
Went back to the body shop where it's guaranteed for as long as I own it and they say they won't touch it until VW looks at the electricals of the vehicle. It's not the electricals, it's because the rear door/front door needs to be tweaked. It never happened before the accident and just to be sure, swapped out both batteries in each key fob with new batteries on Thursday afternoon. After that, I was locked out completely for like 10 minutes but then it worked. Have found that if I slam the drivers door super hard, it usually works, but even that's not working 100% of the time.
VW can see me Tuesday at 10 but that's going to cost big bucks because there's nothing wrong on their end. Not sure if the insurance company will pay their cost for the look see even though the body shop said they would.
Basically, I've had enough. Told the wife, holiday weekend coming with the end of the month, I'm going car shopping! Weirdest part is I want to wait till the new Honda HR-V and the Hyundai Revue both come out as they're on the top of my list. Timing here really sucks. We both don't trust the Golf anymore so am only using it for work/must haves. Guess I could always just clean it out and not lock it but not sure if it won't lock by itself after a period of time. Also, someone might steal it to. So wish it had been totaled last year so I could be in something else. And I also have to stay with a similar size vehicle if I do buy. Checked out the Nissan Kicks and Toyota Corolla Hatch and both could work. The Kona is also a good choice, the inventory on the Elantra GT is lean at best, none at my local dealer. The Ionig could work. Sure, I could just go with a 2019 Honda HR-V but I'd be kicking myself once the new 2020 model comes out.
So, not sure what to do. Not sure going with a MB or BMW is me as they are pretty expensive. Going cpo is not something I want either. Looking for a loaner QX30, again not sure on an Infiniti. We don't lease as I like to usually keep a vehicle at least 5 years or more. Just not sure where to go here?? Seems 2018 and 2019 are just not going too well for me. Just want some quiet in my life now, as I'm also seriously considering retiring again sometime in the next few months. I'm physically tired and the constant chronic pain is getting to me. Last Monday, I got sick at work and everyone saw me at my worst. I could barely walk and just wasn't me, and it's happening on a more frequent basis. It's basically time for me to stop working altogether as I think I've earned it, never thought in 2013 when I went back to work that I'd still be doing it in 2019!

ab348

Sandy, if it was me I just wouldn't lock that door for now until it all gets checked out. So what if it gets stolen? That's why you have insurance. You have a reason because the lock is broken.

Sandman6472

Or maybe just not lock the drivers door and see what happens. No matter what, I'm going to be dinged in any trade situation due to the 2018 accident which is on the CarFax report. And I would also be upfront if asked about any accident history, why lie? It's probably time for my piece of mind to move on, into what is the question? Need a certain size, want the safety stuff and a decent sounding audio system with Sirius/XM. How hard can it be? Also don't want to go much over my vehicle and say $20K give or take?

sb55

ab348 said:

sb55 said:

I know that it won't count, but my son traded his 2004? Nissan Frontier for a 2008 Toyota Tacoma.

Did he check the Taco's frame for rust? Those were bad years for that. The last time I went out back behind the local Toyota dealer they had 17 new frames stacked up there for replacement. At least Toyota is replacing them proactively. There was some chatter locally about how it works. If you take you Tacoma to the dealer for work (typically an airbag recall) they put it on a lift to do an inspection as a matter of course, and if it is deemed in need of a new frame they put you in a rental on the spot until they can do the work required, which in some cases has taken months. I know it is a big job but why it takes so long I do not know.

It had the frame recall done, so at least that is new on the truck. They are very pricey, even that old and with 150K miles!

pensfan83

Panamera and a TLX

henryn

@sandman6472, What is the exact situation with your driver door?

1) Locks from the key fob but will not unlock from the key fob
2) Will not lock from the key fob
3) Locks when you press the button on the inside of the door
4) Unlocks when you press the button on the inside of the door?
5) The only way to unlock is to pull the door handle

suydam

Sandy, time to start test driving! This will get you out of your funk in a hurry. Don’t worry about vehicles that aren’t available yet. That’s always going to be the case especially if yours is giving you problems. Drive the ones you’re thinking about. You can probably eliminate a few pretty quickly and that will let you focus on what you want. Don’t worry over the trade that hasn’t happened yet. Just head out there! I’ll bet you’ll start to feel excited and have some fun.
Oh and leave the door unlocked. So what if it’s stolen? You’ve got insurance, and you’re done with it mentally anyway.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:

Michaell said:

laurasdada said:

This would be mid-life crisis car redux. I mid-life crisis-ed back in '11 with my Jag XK. Life intervened, forcing me to get a more sensible pair of shoes, but there's always the itch.
Of course, also trying to set a good example of fiscal responsibility to the kids; being an adult sometimes stinks.

Adulting is hard!

My days with the Jetta are winding down ... only 2 lease payments left, then probably 30 days to turn in.

I'm a little annoyed at myself today. While mowing the front lawn, I hit a rock and the mower threw it directly into the passenger side front door of the Jetta, which I park on the street. About a 1.5-2" long dent resulted, but I suspect it won't be big enough to be an issue at inspection.

That has to be a million to one shot. 

That was my thought as I saw it shoot out of the mower.

Sigh.

Couple years ago a guy ran over a rimfire .22 bullet with his power mower and it fired and hit him.

ab348

http://tiny.cc/x36x6y

Mr_Shiftright

Busted link, whatever it was. Try bitly if in fact the video is not actually offensive.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Busted link, whatever it was. Try bitly if in fact the video is not actually offensive.

The nanny filter caught a URL string that contained the letters "c", "U", and "m" consecutively in one section.

stickguy

Sandy, worth going to VW anyway. Might be easily identifiable, and at least then have something concrete to take to the body shop. If it does get fixed won't feel the same pressure.

at this point, the value is not all that high anyway, so the ding (in $ terms) will be less since the deduct is usually a %. Plus, you got a diminished value payout on the thing, so you have already been made whole on it (or at least close to it).

too bad the Elantra GT is hard to find (it was for me too) but the Kona is pretty much a bit higher riding version of that car, which should be good for you getting in and out. I think you would like it, and under BtoB warranty for 5 years.

henryn

ab348 said:

http://tiny.cc/x36x6y

worked okay here

tjc78

The Kona is a nice little Ute. It can be packed with features too, including HUD.

stickguy

and it comes with the 1.6T engine, so pretty much the same drivetrain the Elantra Sport has. So it scoots pretty good.

corvette

Sandman6472 said:

Or maybe just not lock the drivers door and see what happens. No matter what, I'm going to be dinged in any trade situation due to the 2018 accident which is on the CarFax report. And I would also be upfront if asked about any accident history, why lie? It's probably time for my piece of mind to move on, into what is the question? Need a certain size, want the safety stuff and a decent sounding audio system with Sirius/XM. How hard can it be? Also don't want to go much over my vehicle and say $20K give or take?

I think an extremely nasty letter to both the insurance carrier and the body shop is in order, but then again, I'm mean like that.

corvette

sb55 said:

It had the frame recall done, so at least that is new on the truck. They are very pricey, even that old and with 150K miles!

That's good - for some reason I thought the frame thing was an extended warranty instead of a TSB, and that the extended warranty had ended (for everyone) due to time.

stickguy

I would go to the dealer first to get the diagnosis, and assuming it is clearly related to the accident, use that as the ammo. And demand reimbursement for the dealer visit too.

corvette

Mr_Shiftright said:

Couple years ago a guy ran over a rimfire .22 bullet with his power mower and it fired and hit him.

Ouch. Hope he was okay.

corvette

tjc78 said:

The Kona is a nice little Ute. It can be packed with features too, including HUD.

I don't know much about the Kona. I think it's super weird that Hyundai's website appears to list the MPG ratings for every possible powertrain/option combination on the main page for the Kona, especially given that they're all pretty much the same. I get it! 27.5-ish city, 32.5-ish highway.

ab348

I don't mind the Kona, but with one caveat. I have seen several finished in white, and it looks awful in that color thanks to all the black lower body cladding sticking out like a sore thumb. Other colors do not seem so jarring to the eye.

stickguy

Correct on the color. Silver or something darker works better.

laurasdada

Driving home Sunday from NYC, Merritt Parkway, ~3pm Fairfield area; a Honda Pilot camped out in the left lane, doing ~45mph. Bradd???

stickguy

random oddity. actually getting onto the NY thruway. an older Civic (probably around a 2000 MY). Towing a UHaul trailer. You would think we were in Europe!

nyccarguy

laurasdada said:

Driving home Sunday from NYC, Merritt Parkway, ~3pm Fairfield area; a Honda Pilot camped out in the left lane, doing ~45mph. Bradd???

I've been accused of many things in my lifetime.  Left Lane Camping isn't 1 of them.  I have a solid alibi too.  I was digging. 

nyccarguy

Oh wait.  Sunday?  I was at the ball game

laurasdada

Very nice pix. Although it is a shame you're raising your children on the dark side of the force... Let's go Mets! Well, Red Sox, since ~'92...

I did see a dude in Alphabet City Saturday evening wearing a Pats cap, his life didn't appear to be in danger. Maybe it was Eli Manning.

qbrozen

I think the Mets gave up already this year. Just sayin.

Good to be a Phils fan for the moment. 

kyfdx

Bored, today..

Called SiriusXM - saved $13/mo. for the next year (our trial was up, and it was $20.XX/mo.

Called the local newspaper (yes, I still subscribe to the paper) - My rate went up by $12/mo. about 4 months ago, but I'd been dragging my feet. Got it knocked down by $9/mo.

It's tough living on a fixed income...