Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

mb_enthusiast

corvette said:

@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.

I've had a hand-me-down 2010 GL450 from my dad. It has been very nice, but the technology started to seem old (no Bluetooth audio streaming built-in or adaptive cruise, for example). Contrary to what some reviewers said about the X166 being "a warmed-over version of the X164," I think this 2015 AMG version is lightyears ahead of where the 2010 GLs were. I am confident in it with the three-year VSC. What I'm not so enthusiastic about are the 15k mile brake job interval and the abnormally quick tire wear.

fintail

AMG = all money gone

I recall tire life on my E55 with staggered wheels was 20K, max. Brakes could be wincingly expensive, and other maintenance wasn't cheap. The price paid for a tuned model.

nyccarguy

fintail said:

AMG = all money gone

I recall tire life on my E55 with staggered wheels was 20K, max. Brakes could be wincingly expensive, and other maintenance wasn't cheap. The price paid for a tuned model.

One of the Dad's from hockey is really into cars. He likes his German Iron. 2 seasons ago, he had a gorgeous Macan GTS. Then I noticed he had an MB C63 AMG. Not too long after I saw he had a C43 AMG. I asked him if the C43 was his new winter beater. He said the rear tires on the C63 lasted him 8,000 miles.

nyccarguy

There is finally an end to my Mom's Porsche replacement saga. As it just crossed over the 80,000 mile mark (since July 2016), it is due (according to the owner's manual) for it's 3rd set of spark plugs. The 1st replacement (40K miles) was covered under the 50K maintenance package my parents purchased for ($2,800) when the bought it. The dealer wants over $4,000 for this service alone. SO Mom brought it in and had them change the oil & rotate the tires. Nothing else. She still LOVES the way it drives. IT is tight as a drum and still looks just as it did fresh from the showroom.

She's going to lease a 2020 Lexus RX350 AWD. 27 months/20K miles per year. 1st month & DMV DAS ($1,085ish). Payment comes to about $673/month including 8.375% tax & $795 Acq Fee Rolled into the payment.

We've never dealt with Lexus dealers before so I didn't know what to expect. I got the mf, rv, & incentives from here. Then checked out the going rate from a few brokers on LH which was 11% - 11.5% off MSRP. SO I set my sights on 10% off. I contacted a sales associate who got excellent google reviews at Ray Catena Lexus of White Plains which is the closest dealer to my parent's house.

She quoted about 5% off with $1,500 in lease cash and a bumped up money factor. She told me about $790 per month for 18K per year with 1st & DMV DAS. I sent her an email with the price I wanted to pay, base money factor, and the full amount of lease cash. Told her if she agreed, that I'd give her a deposit right away and would take delivery ASAP. She told me that the price I want to pay is $3,000 less than invoice and her manager won't sell a car that cheap. She told me to please call her with a legitimate offer from another dealer and she would match it.

I reached out to the Lexus Dealer in Manhattan just to get a price. He got back to me with a bumped up money factor and a selling price a little cheaper than the dealer in Larchmont. He came up with pretty much the same number. $790 per month with 1st month & DMV Due at signing.

I submitted a request on the Lexus of Mt Kisco website. I got a reply with everything I wanted. 10% of sticker. base money factor & all lease cash. They include maintenance for 24,000 miles. He got my business. $117 per month cheaper with 2,000 MORE miles per year.

fintail

Hockey dad in something other than a 4Runner or BOF truck/SUV? He must not be one of the shouty variety

C43 will no doubt be easier on tires. The x43 AMG cars still don't get me hot and bothered, unless they are the old 90s era models (I had an OG C43). I test drove a leftover/demo E43 before I jumped into the wagon, and it was cool, but didn't seem to offer *that* much over a normal E450 aside from fancier trim. I think the x53 cars, with their more advanced powertrain, have more appeal.

Back when I had the E55, I took it to a show about the time the tires had 20K on them. I was laughed at by a friend, who exclaimed "I can't believe you drove that here" - almost like racing slicks at rear (dry summer weather, I wasn't worried). With such short tire life and the price of the PS2s I liked to run on it, I wanted to get every mile out of those tires.

Heading for month 8 with the wagon, no complaints at all (other than cost), I am even OK with the fuel economy.

nyccarguy said:

One of the Dad's from hockey is really into cars. He likes his German Iron. 2 seasons ago, he had a gorgeous Macan GTS. Then I noticed he had an MB C63 AMG. Not too long after I saw he had a C43 AMG. I asked him if the C43 was his new winter beater. He said the rear tires on the C63 lasted him 8,000 miles.

qbrozen

interesting

stickguy

hey, I sold a car to them and did not get one of these!

qbrozen

Do you have cars saved to your account faves?

stickguy

no. I cruise through often though.

laurasdada

My Jag turned 60k miles on Sunday. I've owned it for ~70.5 months. It appears that I do not drive as much as I thought. Perhaps more regular trips to the discretionary income disposal organization (DIDO, for those in IT and only speak in acronyms; Mohegan Sun Casino) are in otder...

corvette

stickguy said:

hey, I sold a car to them and did not get one of these!

Same!

corvette

laurasdada said:

Perhaps more regular trips to the discretionary income disposal organization (DIDO, for those in IT and only speak in acronyms; Mohegan Sun Casino) are in otder...

LOL! I can do that at home playing Monopoly Slots on one of my tablets - they call it "simulated gambling," but I can't tell much difference, other than I assume that the regulations which apply to conventional gaming machines don't apply. I think I've bought maybe $10 worth of coins in over six months of playing it pretty frequently. Compared to a conventional slot machine, there is definitely a strategy involved in terms of what you need to do to get to the higher levels, and which quests are worthwhile vs. spending coins to replace the menu of quests with something different.

xwesx

kyfdx said:

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..

Not really. Compounded, 10% annual RoI beats it. Most individuals will never see that kind of RoI had they kept the money, but that's not a difficult number at all for a financial institution to beat. Like I said, it's a win-win, so what's not to like?

corvette

Just threw another chunk of cash at the G37 loan - I now owe less than $5,000. Hope to have it paid off by April of next year.

stickguy

that's what we are doing with the remnants of the HELOC that we used to fund some of the kids college, among other things. Putting 2K or so a month (if not more) helps that drop quick.

once that goes away, the wife is no longer worried about the extra payment!

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

I submitted a request on the Lexus of Mt Kisco website. I got a reply with everything I wanted. 10% of sticker. base money factor & all lease cash. They include maintenance for 24,000 miles. He got my business. $117 per month cheaper with 2,000 MORE miles per year.

Did you follow up with the first associate you contacted to share the "legitimate offer," followed by, "no need to match it - they got my business. Better luck next time!"

mb_enthusiast

fintail said:

AMG = all money gone

I recall tire life on my E55 with staggered wheels was 20K, max. Brakes could be wincingly expensive, and other maintenance wasn't cheap. The price paid for a tuned model.

Where were you getting it done? A salesman at the dealer tried to tell me that brakes on an AMG were going to be $6k (wanted to push me into an overpriced GLS550 CPO), but then there are people on MBWorld getting them done for $1-2k...

I have winter tires on mine. I think my tire life will be longer with the two sets.

mb_enthusiast

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

I submitted a request on the Lexus of Mt Kisco website. I got a reply with everything I wanted. 10% of sticker. base money factor & all lease cash. They include maintenance for 24,000 miles. He got my business. $117 per month cheaper with 2,000 MORE miles per year.

Did you follow up with the first associate you contacted to share the "legitimate offer," followed by, "no need to match it - they got my business. Better luck next time!"

I've done that, and it's hilarious. However, recently, a new salesman hung up on me—during a call he made to me—when I told him that I took delivery of a GL from another dealership the day before. That was all I said.

fintail

Indy shop. If a MB isn't under factory warranty, I see little reason to take it to a dealer. Around me anyway, there are at least a couple of well-regarded indy shops, who might not be a huge savings for routine maintenance, but for big jobs, the savings can be significant. I think a brake job on the E55 was in the middle of that 1-2K range, too.

Staggered wheels severely harm tire life, not sure if modern models have those.

mb_enthusiast said:

Where were you getting it done? A salesman at the dealer tried to tell me that brakes on an AMG were going to be $6k (wanted to push me into an overpriced GLS550 CPO), but then there are people on MBWorld getting them done for $1-2k...

I have winter tires on mine. I think my tire life will be longer with the two sets.

mb_enthusiast

fintail said:

Indy shop. If a MB isn't under factory warranty, I see little reason to take it to a dealer. Around me anyway, there are at least a couple of well-regarded indy shops, who might not be a huge savings for routine maintenance, but for big jobs, the savings can be significant. I think a brake job on the E55 was in the middle of that 1-2K range, too.

Staggered wheels severely harm tire life, not sure if modern models have those.

mb_enthusiast said:

Where were you getting it done? A salesman at the dealer tried to tell me that brakes on an AMG were going to be $6k (wanted to push me into an overpriced GLS550 CPO), but then there are people on MBWorld getting them done for $1-2k...

I have winter tires on mine. I think my tire life will be longer with the two sets.

Agree completely. If anyone is in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommend Telly Heotis and his boys at MBS Automotive in Northbrook.

stickguy

why exactly is the brake job on one of these so expensive? The price of pads and rotors being 10x normal? Or some reason it takes a lot longer to do?

28firefighter

Drove the 968 for a while today. Pushing 28 years old with 138k miles. Drives tight as can be, largely due to my Dad’s religious maintenance of it, I’m sure.

Planning to take it out tomorrow morning when everyone is sleeping to really open it up.

fintail

In the eastside Seattle suburbs, I've patronized "Mercedes Garage" for almost 15 years now. It is ran by one of the most honest mechanics I've met, and the service is excellent - they are not afraid of old cars either. Only drawback is that it isn't a secret anymore, and there can be a wait time (but the dealer isn't exactly drop-in either).

Regarding brake prices, I think it is parts prices, especially rotors. I don't think there's any special labor involved.

mb_enthusiast said:

Agree completely. If anyone is in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommend Telly Heotis and his boys at MBS Automotive in Northbrook.

Sandman6472

Starting to get a bit excited about Tuesday. And driving around Miami today was as bad as it's ever been! It's just not something I'm gonna miss to be honest. From what I recall at my interview a few weeks back, the guy said we'd be spending most of our time between Palm Beach and Broward counties, I'm familiar with both since I've lived in both. Just the shorter commute will be wonderful. Tonight for some reason, traffic was a bear coming home and I worked late until 7 pm. Starting to despise traffic. And no longer spending the $60/month on tolls will be great along with doing the same thing with unleaded regular. I go through a good 1/2 a tank or more each week, usually more, especially when I go in 4 days. I'll only be driving 21 miles for my regular work week, 28 if I'm called for an extra day. Sure beats the 160 or 240 I'm used to doing. So my overhead will definitely be going down. Be glad to see me using less miles on the Golf as I'm approaching 62K already. This way, might be able to keep it a bit longer than I was planning, a good thing! If I go with either the Kia or Hyundai, would rather not get the first year model to be honest.

Sandman6472

Gobble gobble folks. Enjoy the day but eat in moderation. Pace yourselves as the season kicks off tomorrow. Just take a deep breath and enjoy the good times this next month will bring. Be thankful for all the blessings we have. These are the good things in life and the reason we work so hard. Stop and smell the roses and everything else will fall in to place!

kyfdx

xwesx said:

kyfdx said:

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..

Not really. Compounded, 10% annual RoI beats it. Most individuals will never see that kind of RoI had they kept the money, but that's not a difficult number at all for a financial institution to beat. Like I said, it's a win-win, so what's not to like?

If banks could make 10%, my financial stocks would be through the roof.

And, the return isn't compounded. It's paid out monthly (in the form of a lower lease payment).

It is a really good deal for the customer, that is more about marketing and customer retention. The captive leasing banks are not making money on the MSD program.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

that's what we are doing with the remnants of the HELOC that we used to fund some of the kids college, among other things. Putting 2K or so a month (if not more) helps that drop quick.

once that goes away, the wife is no longer worried about the extra payment!

Just got notice that my HELOC is at the end of the draw period. (meaning, we can no longer borrow on it).
But, we haven't borrowed against it for years. We can always open a new line of credit, but doesn't appear we will ever have a need for it, now.

suydam

Still working to pay our HELOC down from our bath reno. Once we get that done, on to the kitchen! It will not be anywhere near as major.

corvette

My office has reached peak PC insanity - in the spirit of the holiday, I will post verbatim below the company-wide email that was sent out yesterday:

"Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!"

carnaught

Happy Thanksgiving to all us car nuts!

suydam

That sounds like an automated mistake. Kind of hilarious actually.

nyccarguy

It was very windy yesterday. At some point, the basketball hoop blew down and landed rim 1st onto the Pilot's hood. Since it height adjustable, it landed on the hood and made a few nice, long scrapes down to the bare metal.

corvette

Ugh, that stinks. Is it just paint damage, or is it dented up, too?

28firefighter

nyccarguy said:

It was very windy yesterday. At some point, the basketball hoop blew down and landed rim 1st onto the Pilot's hood. Since it height adjustable, it landed on the hood and made a few nice, long scrapes down to the bare metal.

Ugh. That sucks.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

It was very windy yesterday. At some point, the basketball hoop blew down and landed rim 1st onto the Pilot's hood. Since it height adjustable, it landed on the hood and made a few nice, long scrapes down to the bare metal.

oy!

tjc78

@nyccarguy
That really sucks.

Our damages happened in house yesterday.

We rearranged the living/dining room to add a folding table and chairs. One of the folding chairs lost the rubber bottom and when my wife put it out she didn’t notice.

Floor took a beating. I touched it up but you can still see it. 1/8” deep scratches.

First phone interview in about an hour. Wish me luck!

kyfdx

New tires on the Honda Fit, today.

Firestone's cheap house brand. $320 total, OTD.

stickguy

SIL that just got the new RDX is here for Thanksgiving. I got suckered into volunteered to help explain the car to her (she really needed to spend time at the dealer instead of wanting to just get out quick with the basics).

on the plus side, a Foster's oil can (T'day tradition) fits in the cup holder! On the down side, I think Acura made the infotech interface way too complicated. And it is quite a bit different than the TLX, which does all the same stuff, just much easier to use. She is befuddled by it all. But, I got carplay configured on her phone, and showed her how to use it, and use the bluetooth to make calls. so I think she can survive now. Still have not figured out how to add or access more radio presets. Did teach her about ACC.

I might deserve combat pay, but I got her in a better place. With just a few things to go home and research, or stop to have dealer help explain.

Good thing doing this, I confirmed that I should never, ever, get a new RDX for the wife. The Santa fe I think has all the same functionality and features, but is vastly simpler to use. Much more user friendly and intuitive.

stickguy

kyfdx said:

New tires on the Honda Fit, today.

Firestone's cheap house brand. $320 total, OTD.

pretty soon you are going to be into this buggy for the price of a new one!

corvette

How does Firestone’s house brand perform in the snow?

laurasdada

Ok, did some pretty painless Black Friday shopping, none at car dealers.
So, who bought a car today; Breld and/or QBrozen?
The boy is home with me for the Thanksgiving break, he drove down in his Mazda3. We went to a Tgiving buffet at a nice local restaurant (food better than I expected, large variety; I'm never eating again), but he wouldn't drive. What does he have in that car? I want a ride, don't make me play the you know who paid for this car card...

fintail

Good luck!

I've been contacted by a couple recruiters this week, but you know how that goes. However, one position a recruiter thinks might be up my alley (I am not convinced yet) has about a 10% raise compared to my prior position, so if it works out, that'd be something. I've also applied for something at a firm just a few blocks from where I live - I'd love that commute. Fingers crossed for the both of us

tjc78 said:

First phone interview in about an hour. Wish me luck!

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

It was very windy yesterday. At some point, the basketball hoop blew down and landed rim 1st onto the Pilot's hood. Since it height adjustable, it landed on the hood and made a few nice, long scrapes down to the bare metal.

I hate those kinds of accidents.

corvette

I almost never listen to music on the "home theater" in my living room. Ordered an ARC compatible soundbar with subwoofer to replace my non-ARC receiver, subwoofer, center channel, and surround speakers. Will lose the extra components I have to dust off, and also lose a remote (the TV remote volume and mute will control the soundbar).

Also grabbed the last bottle of Maker's 46 at my local liquor store - $10 off regular price. And got a 20% off gift card to my local pub, but that deal is good through the end of the year, and I'll pick up several between now and then.

corvette

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

It was very windy yesterday. At some point, the basketball hoop blew down and landed rim 1st onto the Pilot's hood. Since it height adjustable, it landed on the hood and made a few nice, long scrapes down to the bare metal.

I hate those kinds of accidents.

Me, too. Reminds me of when my former law partner had a windstorm blow his very large gas grill into the neighbor's yard. He pulled it back onto the patio and proudly informed his wife that the grill was undamaged. The wife later went outside to find that, on its journey, the grill had scraped her car all the way from the front fender to the rear quarter panel.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

It was very windy yesterday. At some point, the basketball hoop blew down and landed rim 1st onto the Pilot's hood. Since it height adjustable, it landed on the hood and made a few nice, long scrapes down to the bare metal.

I hate those kinds of accidents.

Me, too. Reminds me of when my former law partner had a windstorm blow his very large gas grill into the neighbor's yard. He pulled it back onto the patio and proudly informed his wife that the grill was undamaged. The wife later went outside to find that, on its journey, the grill had scraped her car all the way from the front fender to the rear quarter panel.

OUCH! I’ll take the hoop scraping the hood over that any day!

ab348

corvette said:

Also grabbed the last bottle of Maker's 46 at my local liquor store - $10 off regular price.

Never cared all that much for regular Makers Mark, but recently had Makers 46 for the first time and it was very different and quite good.

qbrozen

laurasdada said:

Ok, did some pretty painless Black Friday shopping, none at car dealers.
So, who bought a car today; Breld and/or QBrozen?
The boy is home with me for the Thanksgiving break, he drove down in his Mazda3. We went to a Tgiving buffet at a nice local restaurant (food better than I expected, large variety; I'm never eating again), but he wouldn't drive. What does he have in that car? I want a ride, don't make me play the you know who paid for this car card...

If it were up to me, I’d click the button to make a carvana swap. But I’m afraid to even mention such a thing to the wife.

Sandman6472

As of 6:01 tonight, I clocked out of Hertz for the last time. Kinda sad but my boss shook my hand and said the door is always open for you if you decide to come back which I thought was great. The bigger boss said almost the same thing on Wednesday when he saw me after hearing about my plans on Monday. Wrote a nice resignation letter as I did mean it when I aid it was a tough decision to leave. January would've been my fifth year anniversary there, never thought I'd stay that long really.
But super excited about what comes next. Hopefully, I won't have to drive down to Miami anymore. The idea of just staying in Palm Beach and Broward counties is great. And the close commute, 3.3 miles door to door, is a dream come true! With no traffic, it's about 8 minutes to work and even with going home traffic, it'll be maybe 15. And my favorite Chinese place is on the way home, so I'm good. Like any new gig, one just has to learn the ropes and deal with new co-workers. But since it's going to be a whole new group, should be easier to get comfortable because we're all going to be in the same situation. And learning where to go won't be that bad, after a couple of runs, I'll know where to go.
Have a short orientation on Monday at 10, getting our shirts. They have a somewhat more specific dress code and no shorts is something I'll need to deal with. Hate wearing long pants in our long summers. I do get the green polo's but I like a shirt pocket for my reading glasses. But they said cargo pants are o k so I'll have pockets. And I can always use my backpack again like I used to do especially useful if I bring a sandwich and soda for lunch. Just need to remember to bring it with me all the time. Tuesday at 7:30 I'll clock in for my first day.
And life goes on!

Sandman6472

Still have a gash on the passenger side top of the front fender when the folding chair I hang on the wall above the car on my side of the garage fell on the Golf. Left a 2" long gash that I've never had repaired. Happened the first year of ownership and must have knocked it when I passed on that side. Failed in my feeble attempt to catch it. The first gash is always the hardest to deal with. Since I had the accident in early 2018, tend not to think about it much. Until today, of course, after I read about NY's unfortunate incident.