Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

graphicguy

ab348 said:

It is a good deal for a somewhat fast car that is probably great fun to drive, but the gloomy-looking black cloth interior would be a drag every time you drove it.

My first thought was “what a performance bargain”. Then, I looked through the pics of the interior and thought “now I know why it’s so cheap”.

I mean really Chrysler, you couldn’t do a better job than that?

fintail

Last time I checked, RLX was down to double digit monthly sales - and I am surprised it is that high.

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

Huh. For some reason I thought the XF was already out of your stable.

May I suggest a Maser Ghibli? Not that I have any idea why. Just because I want to suggest it to someone, I suppose. But lightly used ones are relatively cheap.

You guys were ready to banish me when I was thinking about a Massi. Now, you’re encouraging people? LOL!

graphicguy

@andres3 ....I like it. Congrats on the punch!

carnaught

@andres3, congrats on the punch. I like it.

andres3

suydam said:

Love the Tiguan, color is beautiful and it’s very good looking. Congrats! What’s the interior look like?

Looks good, typical VW (Golf-like, not Jetta "rental fodder" like). Sorry if that's too harsh for the Jetta owners/leasers here. Let me say I haven't seen the current generation Jetta interior in person yet.

It also looks superior with the gray leatherette interior. vs. the typical all black on black. I'll have to take some interior shots and post them soon. Being an SEL it's pretty fully loaded, including an HD cluster/gauge screen, memory driver's seat, navigation, and a host of safety features you'd expect in a '19 car. I'm cool with VW's leatherette; same as in the Alltrack basically.

Only thing it doesn't have that might be missed is the Fender Audio. The stock audio seems pretty good for a base system though; I wonder if the SEL "base audio" is superior to that in the S or SE models that are more stripped down. Fender audio requires the SEL Premium line, which costs a lot more because it has expensive leather, although not really a nice leather. If you want leather in a VW, get the Golf R or that new expensive VW sedan is even better.

28firefighter

Not what I am in the market for, but a nice value nonetheless:
https://www.carmax.com/car/17725424

I really like the color combo and options.

qbrozen

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

Huh. For some reason I thought the XF was already out of your stable.

May I suggest a Maser Ghibli? Not that I have any idea why. Just because I want to suggest it to someone, I suppose. But lightly used ones are relatively cheap.

You guys were ready to banish me when I was thinking about a Massi. Now, you’re encouraging people? LOL!

Hey, I’ve been posting qportes for years

28firefighter

Yeah, and you're crazy.

stickguy

Not bad looking. But I can’t bring myself to pay that much for a 4 (real time, about to be 5 model) YO Audi out of warranty.

au1994

Nice Tiguan @andres3 .

More pics when you can.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

Not bad looking. But I can’t bring myself to pay that much for a 4 (real time, about to be 5 model) YO Audi out of warranty.

I would do it from CarMax and get their extended warranty which is among the best in the business. I'm going to go drive it, for S&Gs.

au1994

was just tooling around on a local VW dealer site to see if I could find a color match to @andres3 . I did and its sharp but I also looked at an Arteon, Thats a sexy little beast. Poor mans A5 sportback.

ab348

The Tiguan posts prompted me to see what might be different with VW's Canadian models but aside from the trim level names there doesn't seem to be much. Instead of SE, SEL, etc here they go Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. All have the same 180HP engine. Sounds like it might be a bit pokey but I guess it has good low-end torque. Up here they are offering $2000 bonus cash on any trim or 0% financing on 72 months or less, but not both at the same time. One odd thing I didn't understand: the financing details page on any 0% rate has a footnote saying the effective rate is 12% (!) but when you stretch it to 84 months with a 2.99% rate the effective rate shows as 4.53%. I don't get that.

One interesting thing is that regardless of paint color chosen, you get a choice of black or grey interior, but no paint color has a beige interior option, which used to be VW's standard alternative to black inside.

breld

au1994 said:

was just tooling around on a local VW dealer site to see if I could find a color match to @andres3 . I did and its sharp but I also looked at an Areon, Thats a sexy little beast. Poor mans A5 sportbak.

I completely agree it's a sharp car and has a lot going for it. The value proposition gets a bit muddy when you consider we bought our A5 Sportback (Prestige trim) as a CPO loaner w/5k miles for $48k.

stickguy

Need to update your profile to get the GTI in there. Still showing Miata

au1994

breld said:

au1994 said:

was just tooling around on a local VW dealer site to see if I could find a color match to @andres3 . I did and its sharp but I also looked at an Areon, Thats a sexy little beast. Poor mans A5 sportbak.

I completely agree it's a sharp car and has a lot going for it. The value proposition gets a bit muddy when you consider we bought our A5 Sportback (Prestige trim) as a CPO loaner w/5k miles for $48k.

True, I think I pulled up a lower level one that was 37k.

breld

Some people simply like to buy new though - in which case the Arteon may make a lot of sense. But for those of us (like all of us here) who enjoy the shopping experience, you can almost always find a better value used.

breld

stickguy said:

Need to update your profile to get the GTI in there. Still showing Miata

Done. Thanks!

stickguy

the Arteon I just saw in the VW showroom IIRC stickered for a bit over $44k. Not paying that for a new VW.

breld

Only one week after taking delivery, but I am enjoying the GTI even more than I figured.

My overall driving life is going through some significant changes. Our move date is two weeks away, and we'll be living in the neighborhood of my boys' schools (and thus, their social and sports lives). My older son got his license this past summer - and anyone who has gone through that can attest to how much that changes things.

I've been living at the new house part-time (when my boys are staying with me) while my wife has been keeping up our current home for sale (we're finally under contract and scheduled to close in a few weeks). So I'm already experiencing the dramatic shift in my commute. Whereas I used to drive 35 miles to get my kids to school and then another 15 miles to work (and then repeat for the afternoon to get back home), I now have no school dropoff duties, and my commute is limited to just the 15 mile roundtrip to and from work. Baseball practice and workouts? My older son obviously drives himself, and is happy to take his younger brother to his events.

I put about 30,000 miles on the Q7 over the past 13 months.

For my current purposes, the GTI is a perfectly adequate commuting car.

Which leads me to...I'm not so sure I need something as grand as the Q7 anymore.

stickguy

what does your son drive?

breld

He has his mom's old MDX (2012, I think?).

rayainsw

28ff: 'BMW Ultimate Driving Event autocross '
If this is the same traveling BMW event I attended
south of Atlanta a couple of months ago, the autocross
is very tight [ keeps speeds down, obviously ] so if
that is of interest, their gas & tires = good deal.
The one here also included a raft of BMWs to drive
without anyone else in the right seat.
THAT made it worthwhile, for me.
- Ray
YMMV

au1994

breld said:

Only one week after taking delivery, but I am enjoying the GTI even more than I figured.

My overall driving life is going through some significant changes. Our move date is two weeks away, and we'll be living in the neighborhood of my boys' schools (and thus, their social and sports lives). My older son got his license this past summer - and anyone who has gone through that can attest to how much that changes things.

I've been living at the new house part-time (when my boys are staying with me) while my wife has been keeping up our current home for sale (we're finally under contract and scheduled to close in a few weeks). So I'm already experiencing the dramatic shift in my commute. Whereas I used to drive 35 miles to get my kids to school and then another 15 miles to work (and then repeat for the afternoon to get back home), I now have no school dropoff duties, and my commute is limited to just the 15 mile roundtrip to and from work. Baseball practice and workouts? My older son obviously drives himself, and is happy to take his younger brother to his events.

I put about 30,000 miles on the Q7 over the past 13 months.

For my current purposes, the GTI is a perfectly adequate commuting car.

Which leads me to...I'm not so sure I need something as grand as the Q7 anymore.

I look forward to those days. Three more years for us and the plan is for him to take the Crosstrek. Of course I’m already dreaming and scheming what the fleet can look like then.

I can see your dilemma. My opinion is that as long as they are living under your roof you need a family truckster for hauling and road trips. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be your DD.

Lots of ways to slice and dice the fleet and we’re always here to enable and help you spend money.

marcogallo1986

@breld. Nice glad the house. Will be sold. In an few weeks!!! Than just one house!

marcogallo1986

@breld we can help with the fleet. Changee now that your son is driving

marcogallo1986

@o1994 yes alwas thinking of the changes. To the fleet is good!

marcogallo1986

@ondrays3 congrads. On the punch for your wife! Is it An buy or lease?

breld

marcogallo1986 said:

@breld. Nice glad the house. Will be sold. In an few weeks!!! Than just one house!

Thanks Marco - fingers crossed that everything goes through, but it’s certainly a tremendous relief to be heading that way.

xwesx

andres3 said:

tjc78 said:

Tiguan might fly but the Golf will just be too small

Did the Tiguan get bigger? I saw one yesterday and it seemed much larger than I remembered.

Yes, very much so! In fact, it's big enough my wife got one, an SEL 4-Motion in Stone Blue with a Gray interior. I think they said it's nearly 11" longer than the previous Tiguan. It's also taller I think too, and of course, for 2019, comes with a 6 year 72,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.

PUNCH reported!

Really pretty color on the Tiguan. Congrats to your wife!

xwesx

@breld - Congrats on the upcoming closing! That's a little less stress in your life (or soon to be)! My suggestion would be to just hold on the Q7 for a while until things settle in at your new place, then make a decision once life gets to the "new normal." As others have noted, it is quite handy to have something like that around. Maybe, if you go into crazy man mode, you could do something like a pickup for your "truckster" and just use it when needed.

Rivian?

28firefighter

So I sat in the Q5 and am planning to go back and drive it on Sunday.

It is super clean inside and out - especially for a CarMax car. No real scratches, no dings, no obvious body work. Inside looks brand new with no smells.

It’s a pretty standard Audi interior of that era. Well equipped with Nav, Park Assist, BLIS, Bang & Olufsen stereo etc. What it reminded me of is that, frankly, the Audi interiors just feel a cut above. Even this particular car with 37k miles felt better appointed than our X1 which felt cheap and plasticky by comparison when we got back in.

Stay tuned for test drive results on sunday.

sda

We’ve had our 16 Q5 a month as of two days ago. We are both impressed by its quality and driving finesse. I showed my wife how to use the Sport mode as she felt the car a bit sluggish in bumper to bumper traffic as the transmission seeks the highest gear as soon as possible which sometimes makes the car lug a bit. She switches between Sport and Drive (normal) appropriately and is amazed how much she loves driving it. Happily, no regrets.

corvette

@28firefighter CarMax told me that one couldn’t be reserved when I clicked on your link. Hope it’s not sold already.

28firefighter

They told me it’s reserved for me on a Sunday. I’m not worried - plenty of Q5s around.

stickguy

I think my wife would really like the Q5 if she got to drive one. She just has a thing about VW and Audi. Not sure why. My son's A3 had a really nice, high quality interior. Loved those seats too.

stickguy

breld said:

He has his mom's old MDX (2012, I think?).

I remember this now. don't get old. You forget things.

wait, what were we talking about again?

andres3

qbrozen said:

They claim no special incentives. I got a response with a breakdown and they are saying over $5k dealer discount and the $4850 factory rebate. I could also qualify for an additional $500 conquest, it seems. BUT, in addition to the aforementioned $799 doc fee, they have listed the $1495 destination fee on top of the sticker price that already includes destination. I have run into this scam before, at another dodge dealer, interestingly enough. I emailed back to call them out on it. No response yet.

Unless a car is manufactured on Mars, 1,500 for destination is outrageous.

andres3

marcogallo1986 said:

@ondrays3 congrads. On the punch for your wife! Is it An buy or lease?

Purchase, and a helluva deal too. Some dealers are aggressively discounting more than others.

Sandman6472

Stick, I think your wife might come around once she drives an Audi or VW again. I really like both of ours and will look at the Q3 once I get serious about replacing my Golf. Just not at that point yet to be honest. But do think your wife is ready to replace her Acura, once she finds "her perfect vehicle", she'll be ready to flip them the keys from her RDX. Like my wife, she just needs the time to find, then drive it a bunch of times to make definitely sure it's the right one. That's why I leave her be while she's looking and just go with her when she's about to write the check and exchange keys. Want it to be totally her decision so I cannot be blamed later for anything!!!
I've learned after 38 years when "to put up and when to shut up"! I dislike any discord whatsoever in my life and strive for as much peace and harmony as I can get!!

aakanksha5

The Craze for cars started at an early age in me. Though I don't buy them rightaway I look at them anywhere and anytime.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

I think my wife would really like the Q5 if she got to drive one. She just has a thing about VW and Audi. Not sure why. My son's A3 had a really nice, high quality interior. Loved those seats too.

Would you ever consider joining Costco to see the discount they could get on a new Audi with a full warranty? The 8% off of msrp plus incentives might make for an ok lease if you could find a new one without too many options.

Car and Driver really likes the VW Tiguan overall, but says acceleration isn't ideal.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a28758732/2019-vw-tiguan-by-the-numbers/

"....the Tiguan does feel peppier on the road than its numbers suggest, especially with its Sport drive mode selected, which sharpens the engine's throttle response and somewhat tempers the eight-speed automatic transmission's tendency to rapidly upshift to top gear for maximum efficiency. The Tiguan also exhibits reasonably good body control and outright composure when driven spiritedly, as well as a decent 0.85 g of lateral grip around the skidpad. Just remember that getting up to highway speeds will test your patience, and that passing maneuvers on two-lane roads require some planning. Is the Tiguan a suitable alternative to VW's now-discontinued station wagons? Although it's slower—much slower—the Tiguan offers more passenger space, similar cargo capacity, and nearly identical EPA fuel economy estimates to the all-wheel-drive SportWagen and Alltrack. We'll miss those long-roofed cars for their sharper driving dynamics and their novelty in an ever-growing sea of SUVS, but the Tiguan's practicality and appeal are difficult to deny."

qbrozen

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:

They claim no special incentives. I got a response with a breakdown and they are saying over $5k dealer discount and the $4850 factory rebate. I could also qualify for an additional $500 conquest, it seems. BUT, in addition to the aforementioned $799 doc fee, they have listed the $1495 destination fee on top of the sticker price that already includes destination. I have run into this scam before, at another dodge dealer, interestingly enough. I emailed back to call them out on it. No response yet.

Unless a car is manufactured on Mars, 1,500 for destination is outrageous.

Yeah, I can’t really understand how/why Dodge charges more than a company shipping in cars from overseas.

But, then again, I never understood the fee at all. Just bake it into the price. Its not like the destination fee varies by region, so why pretend it means anything?

stickguy

it is something that has always been there, so people are used to it, but mostly it lets them advertise in big bold print a lower sticker price. With the * in fine print "plus destination".

stickguy

I have not driven a Tiguan so can't comment on the performance, but I suspect it would be more than fine for her. Probably all she would notice is if it felt snappy off the line compared to the RDX.

andres3

I know it doesn't make complete sense, but my wife says she felt the 4-Motion helped the Tiguan seem peppier, lighter, and quicker to move and accelerate. It might be in the engine, throttle and transmission tuning taking advantage of extra traction.

It's not going to win drag races, but it seems adequate for an SUV. This from a VW website:

Inside every 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan is a turbocharged, four-cylinder, 2.0-liter engine connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine generates 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque

It's also tuned for 87 fuel. The 2.0T is a gem so if you have a need for more speed, simply get it tuned to Stage 1 and 91 octane and I'm sure you'll see major gains.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

I have not driven a Tiguan so can't comment on the performance, but I suspect it would be more than fine for her. Probably all she would notice is if it felt snappy off the line compared to the RDX.

RDX 0-60 6.6 seconds

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/4011/general/x/chronic-car-buyers-anonymous#latest

Tiguan 0-60 9.7

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a28758732/2019-vw-tiguan-by-the-numbers/

For comparison, Motor Trend tested the TLX 2.4 at 7.2 seconds....

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/acura/tlx/2015/2015-acura-tlx-24-first-test/

sda

Is the 2.OT in the Tiguan the same but detuned engine as the A4, Q5? I was surprised the 2.0T in our 16 Q5 requires spark plug replacement at 35k and then 75k. Most engines don’t require the first replacement until 100k.

marcogallo1986

@ondrays3. Nice nice!