Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

I hit 75 mph in the Fit, yesterday!

Tires look a little dicey for any high speed tests.

Sandman6472

Saw that on Indeed.com, Enterprise is still looking for drivers where I'm possibly going to be working. But, the guy who interviewed me told me I was #5 of a group that was going to contain 10 drivers. See that Hertz in Ft. Lauderdale is also looking for drivers, but none have come to our office in over a year now.
Tomorrow I might find out something more about my new job at Enterprise. The hiring lady returns from her vacation and most likely, she'll hear my voicemail from a week ago. At this point, would be very happy to even start at the beginning of the year to be honest. We're having our drivers lunch this coming Wednesday and if history repeats itself, we should be getting some kind of gift with a $25 gift card inside from the head lady of Hertz in Estero Florida. Guess we had a very good year last year as that was the first time we drivers got anything at the holidays. Thought it was a nice gesture to be honest as I spent mine on a few nice lunches at work. Wouldn't turn down another one if it came this year.
So hoping to hear something tomorrow or Tuesday. I left a voicemail with the HR lady and the guy who interviewed me and think that's enough to be honest. I'll be unhappy if they rescind their offer, very unhappy, but I've still got the Hertz gig and will be happy to stay. Just the prospect of driving less miles eventually was looking very nice. Even if I have to work a fourth day near the house, the less driving each way would be a good thing. Working almost 40 hours last week just showed me how much I really do not want to do that every week! I can see doing it once or twice a month but not every week. The extra income does not make up for how tired I was by Friday and how draggy I was yesterday and today.

stickguy

Sandy, a lot of places like that leave postings up permanently, since they have regular turnover. They just ignore the applications when they don't actually have an opening.

stickguy

had a little bit of kismet today. was out with the wife (near home in Jersey) and ended up behind a nice blue Santa Fe 2.0t. Even had temp tags from a dealer in Maryland. Made me think it was the one I found a few days back, but a different dealer.

Of course, in that light (overcast still from the rain that had just stopped) she then decided she wasn't sure about the blue! I can't win.

mb_enthusiast

I bought a Cayenne S yesterday. I'm going to join a legitimate (not that all of you aren't wonderful ) support group for compulsive shopping. Everything with dad has me super stressed, but going on a shopping spree (I've also agreed to purchase a GL 63) is not the appropriate response. I got a good deal on both of these, that rush is so intense for me. I'm putting everything on Turo...

mjfloyd1

Nice looking red hot chili pepper!

I hope that your dad is doing well and improving.

breld

Congrats @mb_enthusiast!

And also best wishes for your father.

qbrozen

mb_enthusiast said:

I bought a Cayenne S yesterday. I'm going to join a legitimate (not that all of you aren't wonderful ) support group for compulsive shopping. Everything with dad has me super stressed, but going on a shopping spree (I've also agreed to purchase a GL 63) is not the appropriate response. I got a good deal on both of these, that rush is so intense for me. I'm putting everything on Turo...

Hey, you can always export them. Haha

mjfloyd1

Wonder why this one has not sold?? Not

https://www.foreignautoconnect.com/vdp/13002587/Used-2014-Porsche-Cayenne-GTS-for-sale-in-Bloomington-IN-47401

mjfloyd1

Are these fender flares hideous?

https://foreignautoconnect.com/vdp/13163886/Used-2016-Mazda-MX5-Miata-for-sale-in-Bloomington-IN-47401

stickguy

I can see why the Porsche color is rare. Not for me! And yes, the flares on the Mazda are nasty.

Michaell

mb_enthusiast said:

I bought a Cayenne S yesterday. I'm going to join a legitimate (not that all of you aren't wonderful ) support group for compulsive shopping. Everything with dad has me super stressed, but going on a shopping spree (I've also agreed to purchase a GL 63) is not the appropriate response. I got a good deal on both of these, that rush is so intense for me. I'm putting everything on Turo...

Congrats!

And, like the others, here's hoping your dad is improving.

carnaught

@mb_enthusiast, nice Cayenne. Hope your dad will be well and be able to take a spin in it with you real soon.

mb_enthusiast

mjfloyd1 said:

Wonder why this one has not sold?? Not

https://www.foreignautoconnect.com/vdp/13002587/Used-2014-Porsche-Cayenne-GTS-for-sale-in-Bloomington-IN-47401

There are a lot of ugly GTSes. I looked at one that was in that Peridot Green color. Just awful.

corvette

Congrats on the punch, @mb_enthusiast ! Hope your dad is able to ride in it soon.

mjfloyd1

In Disney. Holy humanity!

andres3

tjc78 said:

Here is a good one for you all...

Had a VM on my home phone from Hyundai Finance last night to call them about my 2017 Elantra.

I didn't call the number they gave but the number on the website this morning just in case it was a scam. I asked what the call was about, and she said Dispo fee.

I said, OK I'm prepared to pay it but you never sent a bill.

She confirms they never sent a bill. BUT ... Mr TJC78 you can pay it right now with a CC.

I said no, please send me the bill so I have a paper trail. I asked if I could pay online but they disable that once you turn your car in.

Yeah, Kia & Hyundai handle their final lease bills like a collection agency rather than a business you did business with.

I got two calls today, and another letter (must be like the 4th letter) saying I owe them $350 for the key the dealership lost

suydam

Probably doesn’t count as a punch but we bought out the Volt today. Very smooth process. Now I’ve got a loan instead of a lease payment. But the bottom line is that we have a vehicle we really enjoy driving. And we get $1000 back from our electric company too.

stickguy

here is an interesting one. Seemed too cheap, until saw it was a buyback. So probably needs to be cheaper.

but I liked the way they disclosed exactly what happened, and had all the paperwork to prove it, and that it still has full warranty. So most likely in terms of what you are getting, it is a perfectly fine car no different than any other one. For the right price to keep it for a long time, might be OK.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/794190460/overview/

corvette

Sounds sketchy. Why would they buy it back after fixing it? I would've gladly kept my lemon Pontiac G6 if they'd have replaced the entire defective transmission and slid me some money for my trouble.

stickguy

if the paperwork checks out, should be legit.

my guess is the buyer raised holy heck and had some sort of pull and they agreed to swap out the car instead. Then just fixed it and resold it.

or there could be more to the story, but if they are keeping the warranty in place, can't be too bad!

qbrozen

Possibly they didn’t properly fix it till after the buyback. First few tries while customer had it failed.

28firefighter

In case anyone is curious, BMW refunded our security deposits on the X1 without any issue. Took them about 4 weeks after the car was grounded and they deposited it straight into the linked checking account we had for auto-pay. The disposition fee waiver was credited just about immediately as was the $300 under-mileage credit to my i3 account. Not too shabby.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

In case anyone is curious, BMW refunded our security deposits on the X1 without any issue. Took them about 4 weeks after the car was grounded and they deposited it straight into the linked checking account we had for auto-pay. The disposition fee waiver was credited just about immediately as was the $300 under-mileage credit to my i3 account. Not too shabby.

That's great. I've never had issues with doing MSDs with BMW or Infiniti.

stickguy

The MSD is basically just loaning them money, right?

kyfdx

stickguy said:

The MSD is basically just loaning them money, right?

Yes... for a big decrease in the rate.

Terms aren't as generous as they used to be. But, since it lowers the payment, the returns are "after-tax".
Depending on the deal, the return could be 7%-15% APR on the amount of the deposit.

stickguy

I get that part. I just never understood why the finance company wants to do it (borrowing ST money at such a steep rate)

nyccarguy

MSD saves me $50 per month on my Tacoma Lease.

28firefighter

It saved us $29/month on the X1 lease.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I get that part. I just never understood why the finance company wants to do it (borrowing ST money at such a steep rate)

Maybe some people forget to get it back?
And they still make money on the interest you pay, so its not like they are LOSING money, they just aren't making as much off of certain individuals as they could.

graphicguy

Hearing you guys talk about leasing, I'm actually thinking of leasing my next vehicle. I only leased one car, and that was a long time ago.

How are they doing leases these days? My feeling is no out of pocket to do a lease. Is that still the way they do them?

I'm thinking the next car I get will get me to retirement, and I don't know what I'll want by then.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

Hearing you guys talk about leasing, I'm actually thinking of leasing my next vehicle. I only leased one car, and that was a long time ago.

How are they doing leases these days? My feeling is no out of pocket to do a lease. Is that still the way they do them?

I'm thinking the next car I get will get me to retirement, and I don't know what I'll want by then.

In OH, we recommend first payment and registration costs be paid at signing. Roll the taxes and fees into the lease payment.

It's funny you say that ... I've been leasing, off and on, for 20 years. Now that my cars are paid off, I can't get my mind around leasing again. Ideally, I'd like to find something relatively inexpensive for my next car, and pay cash.

But, I don't need a car of my own, at the moment. I've been driving the Outback since I turned in the Jetta in August, and I'm only putting a few hundred miles a month on it.

stickguy

I’m thinking I buy the next one too. The good/expensive car will be the wife’s, and that is certainly a buy unless there is Some amazing lease offer for a lease then buy.

Mine will be cheaper. So could be a ultra cheap lease, or keep the RDX. Or buy something. Might do that so I can amuse myself flipping cars at will! Just on a much cheaper scale than Breld.

xwesx

stickguy said:

here is an interesting one. Seemed too cheap, until saw it was a buyback. So probably needs to be cheaper.

but I liked the way they disclosed exactly what happened, and had all the paperwork to prove it, and that it still has full warranty. So most likely in terms of what you are getting, it is a perfectly fine car no different than any other one. For the right price to keep it for a long time, might be OK.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/794190460/overview/

I didn't read the details.... but I assume they bought it back because the new owner claimed (rightly) that the vehicle caused them severe depression?

I don't know if it was the surroundings or what, but that grey over black was just a total downer.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

I get that part. I just never understood why the finance company wants to do it (borrowing ST money at such a steep rate)

Maybe some people forget to get it back?
And they still make money on the interest you pay, so its not like they are LOSING money, they just aren't making as much off of certain individuals as they could.

I suspect they do just fine with it. After all, they get the money up front and make (and keep) interest on it during that time. For the lease, they don't get the money until you pay them. So, if they didn't get that extra $29 off @28firefighter until the last month of his lease, but instead got $3,000 from him up front, then they will likely earn more than $29 in interest or dividends, so they actually come out ahead.

It's a win for both parties.

stickguy

Well, it’s $29/month. So they lose $1,044 in payments, to invest $3000 for 3 years. Need a pretty high ROR to make that work out!

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Well, it’s $29/month. So they lose $1,044 in payments, to invest $3000 for 3 years. Need a pretty high ROR to make that work out!

Hey now... don't start using actual math to win arguments..

ab348

xwesx said:

I didn't read the details.... but I assume they bought it back because the new owner claimed (rightly) that the vehicle caused them severe depression?

I don't know if it was the surroundings or what, but that grey over black was just a total downer.

That color (?) combo represents perhaps 20% of what you find on dealer lots here. In fact the '09 Lacrosse I bought was silver, which I was OK with, but the reason I liked it at the time I first saw it was because it had a pleasant-looking light gray leather interior, when all of the other ones I had seen were afflicted with black inside.

stickguy

Not a combo I am buying.

nyccarguy

graphicguy said:

Hearing you guys talk about leasing, I'm actually thinking of leasing my next vehicle. I only leased one car, and that was a long time ago.

How are they doing leases these days? My feeling is no out of pocket to do a lease. Is that still the way they do them?

I'm thinking the next car I get will get me to retirement, and I don't know what I'll want by then.

Leasing is definitely great and you can make it work to your advantage. I like the 2 year lease I'm in now. It keeps me in the vehicle for 2 years for one. It also allows me to drive for 2 years without replacing consumables like tires and brakes. Next time around I might look to get into something like a Civic, Jetta, or Mazda 3 Sedan with a stick so I can teach my son to drive stick on someone else's clutch.

stickguy

I like the 3 year lease. that is fine by me, as long as you make sure you like the car. and don't have to be reupping as often.

if you don't do more than 10K/year it is especially good. still should not need tires, and the rates are good.

good point about the clutch. just be careful, if he kills it, could be on your dime. so time it to be the last month or 2 of the lease!

mb_enthusiast

I was finally able to find and buy a suitable doggy hauler. I've been very pleased with it over the past 24 hours. The Active Curve System allows it to handle damn near close to a car. It's fun, but sometimes it does feel a little overpowered and clumsy from a stoplight—especially in comfort and eco mode.




It was so hard to find an exclusionary extended warranty, but my dealer found a three year through Zurich. Amazing!

qbrozen

3 year lease would feel like a lifetime to me. LOL.

stickguy

maybe I should scale back. The TLX is about 4 weeks from the 1 year mark, and I feel ready! Only because I am ready to upgrade the other car and don't want 2 real payments.

Sandman6472

Enterprise is a go, start Tuesday. Monday, go in to get my shirts and do some paperwork. Only bummer, no sorts...have to be khacki or dark pants with cargo's being acceptable. Also, no more Hertz, a conflict of interest I was told. Really wanted to stay till years end but my current boss was very gracious and my last day is Friday. A bit apprehensive as I like most of my co-workers but, ready for a change actually. 3.3 miles door to door each way beats 29 and no more tolls, as won't be needing the Sawgrass Expressway no more. Petrol use should go down a good bit so, a win/win.
Going out of Hertz on a high note a what happens if I'm unhappy in a month or two? Need that flexibility to go back to Hertz if necessary. Doubt that'll be the case though.And that's that! Have the office lunch tomorrow so it'll be somewhat sad but, exciting to for some new adventure.
Also, did the paperwork for The Neptune Society. Not that bad and pretty much a steal when one passes on. I call the shots on that now, and though creeped out, the wife and oldest will be following my directives they've assured me.

roadburner

My son thinks I need to find a nice DB7; the supercharged sixes are relatively cheap and easy to maintain. I still regret passing on a $15k DBS in the '80s.
I might be going down the rabbit hole...

qbrozen

roadburner said:

My son thinks I need to find a nice DB7; the supercharged sixes are relatively cheap and easy to maintain. I still regret passing on a $15k DBS in the '80s.
I might be going down the rabbit hole...

I found a “cheap” DB7 once. It was a droptop, though.

roadburner

I should never have bought the Brooklands Ultimate Portfolio on Astons...

corvette

@mb_enthusiast Nice GL! One of my friends bought a used GL (non-AMG) as a daily driver to do occasional towing and they really seem to love it.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Hearing you guys talk about leasing, I'm actually thinking of leasing my next vehicle. I only leased one car, and that was a long time ago.

How are they doing leases these days? My feeling is no out of pocket to do a lease. Is that still the way they do them?

I'm thinking the next car I get will get me to retirement, and I don't know what I'll want by then.

In OH, we recommend first payment and registration costs be paid at signing. Roll the taxes and fees into the lease payment.

It's funny you say that ... I've been leasing, off and on, for 20 years. Now that my cars are paid off, I can't get my mind around leasing again. Ideally, I'd like to find something relatively inexpensive for my next car, and pay cash.

But, I don't need a car of my own, at the moment. I've been driving the Outback since I turned in the Jetta in August, and I'm only putting a few hundred miles a month on it.

Thanks, Michaell!

This was all triggered by meeting with my financial advisor last week. I saw my withdrawals for all the cars I’ve bought in the last 5 or so years, and was pretty shocked. I had a number in my mind that I had spent. The numbers on paper far exceeded the ones in my head.

I’m figuring a lease may mitigate some of that, especially if I don’t know what I really want (I don’t). Right now, I’m pretty stuck on just rolling up mileage on my TLX until something really floats my boat. If I do that, it will be the first car I’ve owned that was out of warranty (with the exception of the Cobra) in well over a decade.