Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

Parking is also an issue at work.  I was damn good at parallel parking before backup cameras & sensors.  Backup cameras and sensors are like super powers to me now.  My Dad's Yukon is parked behind my Infiniti.  This AM for some reason, parking was easy and plentiful.  The HRV Squeezed into the spot in front of me (kudos to him for doing a good job too).  It looks like he's right on top of my front bumper, but there is actually about 5"- 6" of room.  The Infiniti is definitely "right sized" for me.  I can fit me for work every day.  My 3 kids (now especially since my 12 YO sits up front).  I can also fit 2 bags worth of hockey equipment (including my 10 year old & his goalie gear) in the trunk for when I need to carpool pick up for practice/games. 

The building on the left is our store.

stickguy

if I regularly had to city park I would definitely have a smaller car than I have now. Thankfully I don't have to!

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

In the process of selling dad's Legacy to carvana. The offer wasn't as strong as I hoped. It is right at auction value. But we really don't want to go through the trouble of trying to sell privately. 2015 3.6 Limited with just 10.5k miles. They are paying $18,562.

And, yes, I agree that even $20k for such a car with those miles would be a great buy for someone. But that someone ain't me because I really don't care for it. And it ain't my sis or bro because they can't afford it. Easier and less messy to just let them pick it up, hopefully this week.

How's that whole process going BTW? From what you tell us of your siblings, I assume you are doing all of the legwork.

28firefighter

@kyfdx - One for you to watch: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-24/

Beautiful color combo, but basically no preventative maintenance done to it.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

In the process of selling dad's Legacy to carvana. The offer wasn't as strong as I hoped. It is right at auction value. But we really don't want to go through the trouble of trying to sell privately. 2015 3.6 Limited with just 10.5k miles. They are paying $18,562. And, yes, I agree that even $20k for such a car with those miles would be a great buy for someone. But that someone ain't me because I really don't care for it. And it ain't my sis or bro because they can't afford it. Easier and less messy to just let them pick it up, hopefully this week.

How's that whole process going BTW? From what you tell us of your siblings, I assume you are doing all of the legwork.

Slow. Nothing has been easy. For example, DMV website has instructions that I needed to bring titles in and transfer them to his estate. Went over there today. Receptionist told me what to fill out and what line to get in. When I got to the window, it was explained to me that none of this was necessary and I could have simply singed over the titles to the buyers along with one of my estate surrogacy letters. But now since I had filled out the titles as first instructed, I’d need new copies for $120. SIGH. 

My bro and sis do what they can. They take care of my mom most of the time. Bro has been moving a lot of junk and making runs to the dump. Of course, I’m the only one with an actual full-time job on top of all of this.

breld

As modern 3-series go, this is pretty darn nice.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/772936596/overview/

28firefighter

Oh my. Other than it not being a CPO, I'd be all over that. Track handling + 6spd + great colors.

EDIT: Now I see it is CPO. Yeah - that's a keeper.

28firefighter

If you want to buy that now, @breld, I'd be in a place to buy it from you in about 12 months.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

If you want to buy that now, @breld, I'd be in a place to buy it from you in about 12 months.

then you'd be about 9 mos too late

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

In the process of selling dad's Legacy to carvana. The offer wasn't as strong as I hoped. It is right at auction value. But we really don't want to go through the trouble of trying to sell privately. 2015 3.6 Limited with just 10.5k miles. They are paying $18,562.

And, yes, I agree that even $20k for such a car with those miles would be a great buy for someone. But that someone ain't me because I really don't care for it. And it ain't my sis or bro because they can't afford it. Easier and less messy to just let them pick it up, hopefully this week.

How's that whole process going BTW? From what you tell us of your siblings, I assume you are doing all of the legwork.

Slow. Nothing has been easy. For example, DMV website has instructions that I needed to bring titles in and transfer them to his estate. Went over there today. Receptionist told me what to fill out and what line to get in. When I got to the window, it was explained to me that none of this was necessary and I could have simply singed over the titles to the buyers along with one of my estate surrogacy letters. But now since I had filled out the titles as first instructed, I’d need new copies for $120. SIGH. 

My bro and sis do what they can. They take care of my mom most of the time. Bro has been moving a lot of junk and making runs to the dump. Of course, I’m the only one with an actual full-time job on top of all of this.


Just keep plugging away. Make sure you keep track of ALL your expenses.

pensfan83

My short list of realistic options, some would be the wife's car. She likes the X3 and Passport though in the former I doubt she would care if it's the M40i haha.

-Dodge Charger SRT 392
-BMW X3 M40i
-E46 M3
-VW GLI
-Acura TLX Type S*
-Acura RDX A-Spec
-Honda Passport
-Genesis G70

*=pending release

breld

28firefighter said:

If you want to buy that now, @breld, I'd be in a place to buy it from you in about 12 months.

How about we flip that script - you buy it now and I'll buy it from you in 12 months?

By then all my house stuff should be settled.

28firefighter

Man I wish. Still have the Alfa for 12 more months and currently wife is still job hunting. So...the closest thing I get to a new car at the moment is window shopping.

stickguy

pretty BMW. I could live with it. but really don't need the bigger motor, though I guess I could suck it up if I had to.

wonder what is in the big Schnitzer box in the trunk? Must have some added goodies they don't mention. I assume those are the stock parts they took off?

stickguy

I went through the clean out nonsense after my mother died and my father decided to move to a retirement place, and sold the house before bothering to actually deal with all the stuff. And being 2 hours away and working, it was loads of fun running back and forth every week. But, it got done. at least now he is settled, and when it is finally his time to go, very little to deal with.

Me and one sister largely did stuff. The dysfunctional sister always seemed too busy to do anything but complain about what we were doing (other than popping in a few times to make sure she snagged the good stuff she wanted before we could do anything with it).

she died a couple years later, and I sadly was the executor. What a pain, and she did not even have a house at that point. Did have a car, that was paid off. her daughter took it home, and had a buyer lined up, but it was taking so long to get the estate paperwork processed that one day she just signed the title, took the money, and the car disappeared. Which was fine by me!

tjc78

Love the colors on that 2004 BMW. That alcantara steering wheel really took a beating. That can't be nice to hold anymore.

28firefighter

tjc78 said:

Love the colors on that 2004 BMW. That alcantara steering wheel really took a beating. That can't be nice to hold anymore.

A known failure point, unfortunately.

stickguy

now this is a nice looking BMW. to me, what they are supposed to be! i know it is unloved being a big bumper heavy smog car, but it seems pretty clean and is cheap enough. Someone with the ability to DIY the minor stuff can have a fun little around town toy. Or, do some real upgrades and have more fun romping on it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-bmw-2002-87/

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

@kyfdx - One for you to watch: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-bmw-330i-zhp-24/

Beautiful color combo, but basically no preventative maintenance done to it.

Nothing looks better in person than Natural Brown interior on an E46.

Nice low miles on that one.
Must have been passed down to a kid, with that cold air intake. A useless addition.
Also, not sure why you'd replace the exhaust. I listened to that start up video, and my car sounds much, much better. I was in the dealer's service department lounge on Saturday, when they fired mine up in the intake area. Man, it sounds good. ActiveAutowerkes makes some nice stuff, but it sounds like crap on that car.

Surprised they never had the alcantara wheel replaced by a leather wheel, under warranty.

I hope they get a boatload for it...

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

kyfdx said:

@nyccarguy If I had your commute, I would take the Wrangler and Tacoma off the list.

Due to ride comfort or fuel consumption?

Those are both negatives, for sure.

But, the main reason is they are both so tiring to drive. Constant attention to steering and lane placement. The Wrangler in particular is no substitute for a modern SUV. It is a Wrangler, even in the 4-door form. Also, both have less actual room and utility, than the "normal" pickup or CUV.

I'd pick a Grand Cherokee over either one. And, I don't even want one of those.

corvette

Tacomas have a loyal following. One of my friends posted on Facebook a day or two ago about how his dad had co-signed for him to buy his first Tacoma in 2007. He’d kept it a dozen years (his father has since passed), and he bought a new Tacoma this week. 

stickguy

right tool for the right application is the key. with my WFH lifestyle, for the 2nd (AKA "my" car) I could have just about anything. PU, wrangler, Miata (well, other than not fitting). But, if I went back to having a longer commute right through Philly (man, I hated that) no way would I be using any of those options for that duty.

sounds like the Infiniti is the perfect tool for the job. Got the speed, agility and reflexes for handling 95 (a God Awful road), compact enough to park, roomy enough, probably enough luxury quotient to make the commute pleasant when you don't need the 306 HP. Just, all around fits the needs.

if you really want to replace it, see if there is anything comparable that might be some sort of upgrade, or at least in the same price range as the Tacoma. Off top of my head options could be (and this is without looking into lease price) the Fusion sport, new S60, 3/4 series, TLX SH-AWD. Maybe a Caddy. X1.

and if you are just shopping lease prices, Honcker DOD today was a Forte LXS, 24/12,000, for $128/month!

andres3

Lemon Grove is a pretty ghetto area and the used car dealerships fit the bill there in that City.

I went to look at a low mile 111,000 midnight blue '06 A3 with the beige interior I always wanted but never got in that car.

Well, it was in pretty rough shape, but borderline for a 13 year old car. So I test drove it (they are asking close to $5K).

It drove pretty good under normal driving, but as soon as I put it under heavy load, something went wrong. I thought it was the DSG transmission, as it held the RPM's like a CVT and just didn't seem to find the gear. The salesmen said it wasn't the tranny, but probably the turbo. He might be right on second thought, as it was a lack of power and it basically stalled under heavy load (but didn't die). Could be the infamous coked up intake? Who knows, but it wasn't a good test drive due to that. The interior was a strong point, but how much elbow grease does it take to get the "dirty" wear off beige leather?

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

right tool for the right application is the key. with my WFH lifestyle, for the 2nd (AKA "my" car) I could have just about anything. PU, wrangler, Miata (well, other than not fitting). But, if I went back to having a longer commute right through Philly (man, I hated that) no way would I be using any of those options for that duty.

sounds like the Infiniti is the perfect tool for the job. Got the speed, agility and reflexes for handling 95 (a God Awful road), compact enough to park, roomy enough, probably enough luxury quotient to make the commute pleasant when you don't need the 306 328 HP. Just, all around fits the needs.

if you really want to replace it, see if there is anything comparable that might be some sort of upgrade, or at least in the same price range as the Tacoma. Off top of my head options could be (and this is without looking into lease price) the Fusion sport, new S60, 3/4 series, TLX SH-AWD. Maybe a Caddy. X1.

and if you are just shopping lease prices, Honcker DOD today was a Forte LXS, 24/12,000, for $128/month!

All kidding aside, I'm not going to go for something just because it is cheap monthly

stickguy

picky picky.

pensfan83

Sports sedans and low payments aren't mutually exclusive though if you're willing to be flexible on make/model/options. My list doesn't have a 3 series but I wouldn't necessarily turn one down for the right payment.

28firefighter

That 3er 6spd Wagon sold for $22k. Holy moly.

stickguy

from looking recently (shopping seriously and just browsing online) in general sedans are cheaper to lease than comparable CUVs, even at the same price point (though the sedans also tended to list cheaper). Popularity I guess.

Once day when I was at the Acura dealer I overheard a salesguy telling another customer something I already knew. You could lease a better equipped $50K MDX for less per month than a $40K RDX.

ab348

nyccarguy said:

and if you are just shopping lease prices, Honcker DOD today was a Forte LXS, 24/12,000, for $128/month!

All kidding aside, I'm not going to go for something just because it is cheap monthly

Yeah, you do that and end up imprisoned in a Sonata you hate for 36 months. But you got a great deal!

stickguy

at least a Sonata would be a well equipped and comfortable commuting car for getting back and forth to work for cheap.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

That 3er 6spd Wagon sold for $22k. Holy moly.

I don't want to say I was right... but, you can say it.

28firefighter

A broken clock is right twice in a day...

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

A broken clock is right twice in a day...

If the broken clock posts one hundred times, it does a little better than twice.

tjc78

All kidding aside, I'm not going to go for something just because it is cheap monthly

I can't say I blame you. Good thing is if it's sedan you want the deals are there. There are still great BMW deals, but not having loyalty really hurts in a 2 or 3 year lease (2,000 extra rebate)

Volvo seems to have Costco deals, and Infiniti continues to show strong lease support.

I wonder if there will be some killer deals on a Fusion sport come Sept / Oct. I could certainly live with one of those at the right payment even if it is slightly dated.

au1994

Good stuff coming in on y’alls lists. I can’t believe I forgot the GTI/GLI on mine, have to amend that.

When I pulled into the gym this afternoon a guy was cranking a Charger 392, wow, what a sound! Pretty metallic maroon color too.

breld

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

A broken clock is right twice in a day...

If the broken clock posts one hundred times, it does a little better than twice.

Ahem...my post regarding that wagon:

I wouldn’t be surprised if that 328 wagon gets to low $20k’s. If it were an M Sport, I would say it’d be more likely, but having the sport package is still attractive.

au1994

stickguy said:

now this is a nice looking BMW. to me, what they are supposed to be! i know it is unloved being a big bumper heavy smog car, but it seems pretty clean and is cheap enough. Someone with the ability to DIY the minor stuff can have a fun little around town toy. Or, do some real upgrades and have more fun romping on it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-bmw-2002-87/

I like that a lot. I’m a BMW guy but I never understood the hate for big bumpers or square taillights on the 2002. This looks like a great weekender for a decent price.

au1994

tjc78 said:

Love the colors on that 2004 BMW. That alcantara steering wheel really took a beating. That can't be nice to hold anymore.

Easy fix. Over on zhpmafia there’s a vendor that can fix that right up for you or you can always convert to leather. I miss mine so much it hurts. Everybody has that car you wish you never let go and my ZHP is mine.

28firefighter

@au1994 - I can imagine so. A ZHP Coupe or Convert seems like a great all-around fun car assuming you don't have kids in car seats.

kyfdx

If everyone keeps loving on the ZHP, I'll never be able to give mine up.. Had to pay property taxes on it, today. $70 for the ZHP. $530 for the X3.

That might keep me in it, for awhile. Especially since it's almost impossible to itemize, any more.

henryn

28firefighter said:

My friend’s S4 made it 24 hours before dying. Oxygen sensor failed.  Can’t. Stop. Laughing. 

"Dying"??? An oxygen sensor does not strand you beside the road on a dark stormy night, it just sets the "check engine light".

I had to replace an O2 sensor on my 2016 T&C, no big deal.

28firefighter

Hey. I don’t make the news. I just report it. Apparently it failed, put the whole car into limp mode, and would not drive. 

sda

28firefighter said:

Hey. I don’t make the news. I just report it. Apparently it failed, put the whole car into limp mode, and would not drive. 

Did he buy it at an Audi dealer? Are they telling him to pound sand? Hopefully they will take care of it.

henryn

I'm surprised no one else has addressed this. Basically, a failed O2 sensor will not put a car into "limp mode". This is "to the best of my knowledge", supplemented by a quick google search and 5 minutes of reading.

Certainly my T&C did not go into limp mode when the O2 sensor failed. And down through the years, I have helped quite a few with bad O2 sensors, and I do not recall any of them going into limp mode.

And "would not drive" does not compute. "Limp mode" is short hand for "limp home mode". The car will still drive, but you will have reduced power.

I suspect your "friend" misrepresented things.

roadburner

au1994 said:

stickguy said:

now this is a nice looking BMW. to me, what they are supposed to be! i know it is unloved being a big bumper heavy smog car, but it seems pretty clean and is cheap enough. Someone with the ability to DIY the minor stuff can have a fun little around town toy. Or, do some real upgrades and have more fun romping on it.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-bmw-2002-87/

I like that a lot. I’m a BMW guy but I never understood the hate for big bumpers or square taillights on the 2002. This looks like a great weekender for a decent price.

I loved my 1975.

28firefighter

henryn said:

I'm surprised no one else has addressed this. Basically, a failed O2 sensor will not put a car into "limp mode". This is "to the best of my knowledge", supplemented by a quick google search and 5 minutes of reading. Certainly my T&C did not go into limp mode when the O2 sensor failed. And down through the years, I have helped quite a few with bad O2 sensors, and I do not recall any of them going into limp mode. And "would not drive" does not compute. "Limp mode" is short hand for "limp home mode". The car will still drive, but you will have reduced power. I suspect your "friend" misrepresented things.

Not really looking to argue with you - he is a friend and given the pictures from the flatbed I don’t believe he was intentionally putting on a performance. Dealer replaced the O2 sensor and all was well. 

It was bought private party. 

qbrozen

I agree with what you guys are saying, but, at the same time .... Audi. Nuff said.

Sandman6472

So far, our 2015 A3 has been flawless. She owns it and has almost 48K on the clock. I usually don't drive it, just easier that way. If something happens, better I'm not the one at the wheel. It's been much more reliable than my Golf though!
Seriously, thinking of going back to "cheap to keep" come the end of the year. I like a warranty, so need to get something with a longish one and something that's under 175".

28firefighter

Punch for me. But it isn’t a car and doesn’t have a motor. 

Think I mentioned that I WFH full-time and when we bought our house 18 months ago, the plan was to use the “formal” dining room as my office. Only problem was it wasn’t enclosed and I’ve just had things in the open. 

3 months ago we custom ordered a set of French doors to enclose the office that would allow us to retain the natural light we get through the window in that room and match the house like it was from new. 

May not seem like much, but trying to find doors to fit a nearly 8x8 opening is harder than you’d think. 

Voila: 


*if you’re curious, the plastic zip tie on the bottom left is part of the baby gate system. 

henryn

28firefighter said:

henryn said:

I'm surprised no one else has addressed this. Basically, a failed O2 sensor will not put a car into "limp mode". This is "to the best of my knowledge", supplemented by a quick google search and 5 minutes of reading.

Certainly my T&C did not go into limp mode when the O2 sensor failed. And down through the years, I have helped quite a few with bad O2 sensors, and I do not recall any of them going into limp mode.

And "would not drive" does not compute. "Limp mode" is short hand for "limp home mode". The car will still drive, but you will have reduced power.

I suspect your "friend" misrepresented things.

Not really looking to argue with you - he is a friend and given the pictures from the flatbed I don’t believe he was intentionally putting on a performance. Dealer replaced the O2 sensor and all was well. 

It was bought private party. 

-==-=-=-=-=-=-=- end quoted material =-=-=-=-=-=-

It was not my intention to get into an argument, and if my statements appeared that way, then I apologize.