Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

michaellno

I talked briefly with my sister last night .. here's the 411 on the Navigator:

Black exterior
22" rims (my sister the gangsta!)
40K miles
Completely loaded
CPO with warranty until 2011

The sticker price on it was $29.9K and they bought it for $24.9K.

The Pilot goes back in mid-April - at the moment, her in-laws have it parked in their garage. Sister has had the end-of-lease inspection done and they owe nothing to turn it in.

They were also looking at Escalade EXTs (the Suburban wanna-be).

anonymousposts

The difference in the IS250 and me wanting a 330/335 is that the IS only comes with a manual tranny if you get the 250. The 350 is auto only, of course the 350 has way more power than the 250 even with an automatic but if there is an option for the manual, I want it.

We are still going to look for that 'perfect' 2006 330. Silver, white, gray, or blue 2006 330 with NAV, premium package, cold weather package, and sport package topped of with a manual transmission. With a black interior.

So for now we will have the IS250 (the car is being brought down from VA) and the 04 Accord. When our perfect BMW comes along we will sell the Accord, or maybe keep it as a back-up since it will be paid for.

kyfdx

Local Audi dealer has a '99 BMW 540i with 6-speed..

Asking $4900!!

No mention of mileage... I'm guessing about 140K .. :surprise:

woodyww

"Interesting" choice, going from Pilot to Navigator, & instead of an XC90. (I'd have gone for an XC90 in a heartbeat, or maybe another Pilot). I shudder to think of the depreciation on even a used Navigator, but that's just a hunch.

At least Ford should be around (?) for service & parts; hope it works out for her.....

qbrozen

40k miles for $25k? Ouch!
Our XC90 came with 23k miles and I bought it for $22k. And that was 9 months ago before the extra large value plummet that followed. Its now worth, I believe, in the $15k range, and its still only 34k miles.

anonymousposts

I believe the IS we are looking at has the X-package. Seems like it makes a huge impact on the handling from what I have read.

Getting excited. Can't wait for it to get here. It will be a long week.

corvette

You can always upfit it with some of the parts from the IS-F--Lexus is offering some of the suspension/brake goodies as factory accessories now. They are not cheap, though.

corvette

Yes, you can get a good XC90 for under $20k now. Probably what I would have done if I didn't live 70 miles from the nearest Volvo dealer or independent shop specializing in Volvos. I haven't driven a Navigator, but dimensionally, the Pilot and XC90 are going to be easier to maneuver, and I would wager that they're both better to drive.

roadburner

Local Audi dealer has a '99 BMW 540i with 6-speed..

Asking $4900!!

No mention of mileage... I'm guessing about 140K ..

I'm currently bidding on a 2001 Aspen Silver 540i 6-speed with 111K on eBay. I'm high bidder, but it hasn't met reserve yet. It's in Erlanger, BTW...

lilengineerboy

I'm currently bidding on a 2001 Aspen Silver 540i 6-speed with 111K on eBay. I'm high bidder, but it hasn't met reserve yet. It's in Erlanger, BTW...

Wow looks nice, but I have to say it boggles my mind that people buy beautiful ultra-high performance sedans and put no-name house brand zippy the pinhead retread tires on it. I would try to budget a little extra for some more appropriate footwear. That's a 540i...some of the Ford Focuses come with Pirelli P6s.

corvette

Really clean looking, like the owner took care of it. But, it looks like it has three different brands of tires... Did you drive up to Erlanger to check for sludge underneath the oil cap? :P

roadburner

Wow looks nice, but I have to say it boggles my mind that people buy beautiful ultra-high performance sedans and put no-name house brand zippy the pinhead retread tires on it. I would try to budget a little extra for some more appropriate footwear. That's a 540i...some of the Ford Focuses come with Pirelli P6s.

I agree; that's one of the first things I noticed. If I win the thing it will get some Dunlop Direzza Star Specs immediately. Like you, I can't believe how people will cheap out when maintaining their BMWs/Mercedes/etc.
Idiots.

kyfdx

That's only about 10 miles from me... I'd go look at it for you, but that would be nothing short of useless... I'm terrible at assessing used cars.

I've never heard of that seller, though...

Are those stock wheels for a 540i? If you were an actual dealer, wouldn't you drop $500 on some close-out tires from a mainstream name? That just doesn't look like the normal staggered set-up for a 540i Sport.

NIce and clean for 110K, though.... but, it looks like they might be pros at detailing..

anonymousposts

and found a silver 03 540 6-speed wtih NAV and 104k. Looks like a very clean car. Not for me ... but if you are interested you can browse the Atlanta listings and find it listed yesterday. Ad says it has a newer NAV disc and new tires.

roadburner

Are those stock wheels for a 540i? If you were an actual dealer, wouldn't you drop $500 on some close-out tires from a mainstream name? That just doesn't look like the normal staggered set-up for a 540i Sport.

I believe those are the stock wheels for that year. I don't think that there is much chance that they will sell it for my high bid, but if they do I'll sell the MS3 to my dealer and I'll have @$9K to maintain/repair/upgrade the 540i.

woodyww

it looks like they might be pros at detailing..

Which could be good...... Or not......

Is that rust on the spare wheel/rim? And that orange color underneath the spare? Are there records, or a carfax, on this puppie?

nippononly

No clue on color or miles, but apparently the plan is for her to keep it 10 years, which is when her youngest will be close to obtaining his license.

Yup, that's what you want, a brand new 16-year-old driver in a 13-year-old SUV with the highest center of gravity and curb weight of any of the monster utes! ;-)

michaellno

Sorry, I think you misunderstood the plan ... or, more likely, I didn't do a good job of explaining it.

The plan (as I understand it) is for their oldest son (now 11) to inherit dad's 330i when he turns 16 and for dad to get another late model premium something-or-other. The next son (now 8) would get that car after a few years, and dad would presumably load up again and turn it over to the youngest son (now 5).

At that time, all the boys would all have cars and my sister would then be free to ditch the Navigator for something else. Though by that time she'll be in her early 50's and probably ready for a Buick or something.

However, the more I think about it, the more I really don't see that happening. Once the oldest gets his license in 4.5 years, he'll probably be forced to schlep the younger siblings around. Then, my sister could downsize.

We'll see.

woodyww

This is a very complicated system: to plan how the 11 y.o. would get which car, not only that, but then the 8 & 5 year olds (?).

A lot of us Adults have trouble figuring out which car to buy or sell (for ourselves) in the next 30 days......

michaellno

Oh, I don't disagree with you.

Of course, take all of the aboves with a grain (shaker?) of salt because when I talked with my sister on Friday evening she was out with the girls at happy hour, so she may not have had all her faculties.

About the only part I can see happening is that the oldest getting dad's 330i in a few years. He got the BMW only about a year and a half ago.

I am just the messenger here ....

woodyww

was out with the girls at happy hour, so she may not have had all her faculties

As we all know, that's one of the best times to think about/fantasize about cars. :P

I'm not really criticising, just enjoying reading about other's car adventures here; it's all fascinating, whatever happens. Altho I wish I had gotten anything approaching a used 330i when I was 16. (Heck, I'd take one now!).

cheers, woody

otto8

Did she finally spend herself into BK ???????????
Did she find the perfect vehicle?
Did her computer break? :confuse: :confuse: :confuse:

corvette

One of our secretaries decided to buy a new (to her) house on a whim... She backed out because the sellers kept changing the terms, but still... Is no one buying anything? :P

I wouldn't mind having a second vehicle, but have resolved (for now) to pay off the G6 before buying another one.

anonymousposts

I will be buying something. It was picked up by the carrier yesterday and is being brought here from VA. This waiting is killing me .....

tifighter

"As soon as my Lexus gets here I will be buying something"

Now that's the spirit...classic CCBA wordsmithing there.

anonymousposts

the Lexus came in and guess what? NO NAV!!!! As you can see I am a bit frustrated. Called my local Lexus dealer and there is one 6-speed manual NAV X-package IS250 in the country and it's a thousand miles away. SO now ..... I have to start from square one.

My choices are ...

1. Order a IS250 which might take 4 months
2. Break down and buy an IS350, which has way more power, but no manual.
3. Continue to wait and hope the magic IS250 or 330 become available used.
4. Buy nothing and turn into a bitter, angry, resentful person when I see an IS or a 330 drive by ......

stever

1,000 miles is like a long two day drive. Take three and break it in slowly. :shades:

corvette

One of my neighbors bought an automatic IS250, loaded including NAV (but I don't think it had the sport package), when they first came out. I'm sure all those options cost a wad of money, but she loves it.

Did you guys consider the G37? You can get that with a manual... And with a lot more power than an IS250. Heck, I still think a used G35 is one of the best values on the used market (sporty, quick, and dependable).

guss

I still think a used G35 is one of the best values on the used market (sporty, quick, and dependable).

I'll take one in the coupe flavor please.

Oops, I forgot I need room for five.

stickguy

considering how hard a stick IS250 with all the stuff on it is to find, wouldn't it make sense (and assuming this is a good deal), to get it and just suffer with a nice Garmin?

Besides, in 3 months when you sell the car, yo ucan keep the Nav system.

woodyww

4. Buy nothing and turn into a bitter, angry, resentful person when I see an IS or a 330 drive by

I vote for #4 (just kidding of course!). I was wondering how the distant used car purchase w/o seeing the car would work out.

Personally, I'd be beyond *issed off too. But maybe you've got your list of all the options, etc. you want in a used car so lengthy that you're making it way too difficult (?) I've almost always had to compromise with used cars: color, interior color, body style, miles, options of course, stick/auto, on & on & on......It can be crazy-making, but ultimately you have to think priorities, & compromise (some), unless you have unlimited time, or budget.....

anonymousposts

The car is great and it is beautiful. Just no NAV. They refunded my fee paid to transfer it down. I would still buy it but Gee is adamant about the NAV.

And then ................. I found a 06 330i 6-speed manual with NAV, premium, sport package and 44k. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one works out better.

Our "wish" list makes it hard to find what we want used or new. I contacted a Lexus dealer and they did a nationwide inventory search and found ONE IS250 with 6-speed manual, NAV, X-package in our color. It's 1000 miles away in Massachussetts. Special orders are taking 90 days+ right now.

woodyww

You can send the IS with no NAV back, & get a refund? If so, that's awesome. I'd love to have NAV in my next car, but I'd probably compromise on it if I really liked the car otherwise.

I'm starting the search for either a used X3, or 325xi wagon. I like this red '07 X3:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNum- - ber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfie- - ld=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-|E-|M-_5_|D-_7368_|N-N|R-30|I- - -1%2c7|P-PRICE+descending|Q-descending|Z-02421&aff=national&paId=305543206&recnu- - m=40&leadExists=true

The dealer has a really cool website, with a lot of nice recent used bmws, inc. many X3's. And a beautiful looking '06 325xiT, but it just sold of course.

http://alphacars.com/Showroom.aspx

anonymousposts

The BMW 330 is being brought in by the same dealer. We might be buying that leftover IS too.

Sandman6472

Still undecided about my co-workers '06 S40 with about 40k miles. She did have some electrical issues as I recall so unsure. My logical side says do nothing but my illogical side says go for it!. Black on black in South Florida is probably not the brighest idea actually. And my Civic has been flawless. The wife says "no way bud" and she's probably right. Just the worse mpg's and upkeep make it a dumb idea. But the seat is soooo perfect for my spinal issues while the Civic's seats are pretty hard requiring me to sit on a pillow.
But the S40 is so sweet looking and I have a guy at work who really wants it as does my oldest. Decisions...decisions.

The Sandman :shades: :confuse:

woodyww

Not to pour cold water, but: CR has the '06 S40 on it's "avoid" list (reliability). It's got highish miles, so not much warrenty left? Black interior in FL, youch!--I had that once in FL, I think my bum is still sore. What's she asking?

One thing I noticed in CR is, the S40/V40 has a lot worse reliability ratings than the S60 or XC70.....have you driven an S60?

Sandman6472

But would like to. Funny, sitting here I just looked out to see my paid for '06 Civic and thinking...be happy with what you've got. You want the S40...but you don't need it! I've already done the new car buying thing twice in the past few months and don't want to spend anymore $ for awhile. And anyways, the wife is gonna do something within the year probably so just do nothing. Which is exactly what I plan to do!

The Sandman :shades:

stickguy

I looked at a lot of Volvos recently. The S40 is nice to drive, but IMO the seats were a bit harder than I liked (and somewhat on the small side, and I am not particularly wide!)

But, the S60/V70 have classic Volvo thrones. have you at least test sat them?

ANd these days, you can get an S60 for around the same price, and they have actually shown to be more reliable (something to be said for keeping a design going a few extra years).

qbrozen

So, it seems I am now my sister's personal shopper. After helping them lease her husband's mazda and buy her caliber 2 years ago, it was time for another. The Mazda has 2 payments left but they only have 600 miles remaining.

What transpired was an absolute first for me. They test drove ONE vehicle. Found an internet ad for a base model '06 Pacifica with 35k miles for $10,677 (plus $695 "prep" fee... hahahahah!). Car was there, they took turns driving while I rode shotgun. Everything checked out OK and they drove it home 3 hours later. Wound up paying what we agreed beforehand would be top dollar, which I think was $500 too much, but they were being impatient and I didn't feel like getting blamed for losing the deal, so I just went with it. They are very happy and very appreciative, and that's all that matters.

anonymousposts

Found a leftover 08 Lexus IS250 6-speed manual with NAV, HIDS, premium package, and the X-package. MSRP is $38,800, dealer will sell it for $30,076. Think I should jump?

grandtotal

An 09 as described is around $36250 + delivery. TMV is around $3k less than that, so I think I'd pass.

nippononly

But if the car is THAT HARD to find with a stick and NAV, and anony will still save $3000 vs buying an '09 that may take months to find, shouldn't they go for it? I think I would.

woodyww

Buy it, buy it, buy it! But: you're sure it has all the goodies? Checked out whatever you need to see to verify? And did you send the used one back, or???

anonymousposts

We looked at the 09 IS250 and there are none... anywhere. This is the only IS in the country that is built with the options we want. To order one takes 4-6 months and the cheapest dealer wanted $1000 over invoice. They sent us pictures so we verified the X-package, premium package, and NAV along with the manual. We also have the options sheet from Lexus and the VIN. Car has 50 miles on it.

So ... gee is flying out to Boston tomorrow to pick it up and drive it home. The interest rate on the lease is 6.5 ... which could be better but it's still $200 per month cheaper than we were quoted for a 2009.

We did not buy the 07 IS250. But we are having a 2006 330i transferred in from the same dealer that had the 07 IS. Car should be here this weekend. Once it gets here, if we like it, we will trade our 04 Accord for the BMW. We were offered $8,000 for the Accord, which with tax savings is closer to $8300. We could probably get more selling it on our own but this is an easy way out.

qbrozen

Wait, I'm confused. Are you buying an IS and a bimmer at the same time??

Gee is flying to Boston to pick up the IS and you are having a bimmer transferred in FROM another dealer to ... ?? Your house?

michaellno

Not about car buying directly, but, we did get a pre-recorded message from our dealer.

Here's the deal:

8 oil changes and 4 tire rotations for the price of $99.95. No mention of an expiration date, nor any limits as to whether it's good for one car or several (remember, I've got 3 Saturns).

But, $12.50 each for an oil change isn't bad, on the surface.

oregonboy

The logical question is "what's the catch?"
You can just about bet that there is one. Call me cynical. :P

boomchek

The catch is they'll try to upsell you on other stuff once you're in for your oil change.

I spoke with service advisors that I know and in many cases people that do come in for "free" oil changes end up getting other maintenance work done since they're there already.

michaellno

The catch is they'll try to upsell you on other stuff once you're in for your oil change.

Exactly!

This happened to me the last time I had my L300 at the dealer. They'd been running a special - $9.99 for an oil change. Thursdays only.

Well, I walked out $120 poorer ... but, it was spent on things that needed to be done, so I was OK with the price.

It turned over 80K last week, and it's starting to feel a little bit like an old car.

boomchek

So it's not really a catch but people that are getting free or super low priced stuff done are more likely to spend the equivalent of what they would have spent on the service had it not been free, on other items that needed to be done. If that makes sense.

But had they not been in for the free or low priced promotion, chances are they would not have come in just to get the other needed stuff done. So it works out good for everyone!

The dealer gets some business, the owner gets soem work done at a discount.