Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

I miss my Passat. Such a comfortable cruiser, and 700+ miles per tank of fuel was icing on the cake.

corvette

I guess I was misinformed - it looked like PA was a liquor control state, so I stopped at the state-owned wine and spirits store and bought a pack of the single-serve mini-bottles of wine as soon as I left the dealership. When I checked into my hotel a few hours later, with my purchase in tow, after the state owned stores had closed, I discovered that the hotel had wine available for sale.

I did take the opportunity to make a quick lap of the store, as it seems that there are a lot of KY-produced bourbons that are hard to find in KY, but easy to find in other states, but didn't see anything interesting.

Sandman6472

Drove a 2019 Tacoma today with around 3K on it and really liked it. Only issue was I really had to step on the accelerator to get it going, not like any other gas pedal I've ever driven before. Am curious as to why it needed so much pressure on it to go? Besides this quirk, was an nice vehicle to sit in as I liked the interior, a lot. Ergonomics were damn near perfect though only had 4 speakers in the front. The sound was meh really, needed a bit more push out of the speakers and definitely needed an additional 2 speakers in the rear. A good audio system is a must for me in any vehicle I drive as it relaxes me and first thing I do after putting on my seat belt is adjust the audio sound and station so I can go. The Fender system I have now in my Golf is pretty decent but really wanting a Bose system in the next vehicle. And since my local stereo guy closed shop, would rather get a great system from the get go as after market stuff can get a bit pricey and if something goes wrong, can be an issue to get it put right.
And I've gotten quite used for a sun/moon roof to be honest. This time of year, I use mine daily when coming home and in the morning if the temps are below 65. And like the individual roof, not one of those longer ones which expose the whole roof, a bit of overkill for me. So those two must have's leave me no choice but to look at the higher end models of my short list. Have heard that VW now uses the Beats audio system, no more Fender set up. Sat in a Dodge Journey today and it had an Alpine unit which sounded better than expected. And of course, Bose, something I really want. Usually turn it on before I start any test drive just to hear how things sound. Turn it off the first half of any test drive as I listen to any unusual sounds the vehicle makes at different speeds. And then I listen to how it sounds as it accelerates just to hear for anything weird. Lastly, test the audio again to determine how much road noise gets into the cabin and how loud the volume will have to be to drowned it out. Maybe a bit unusual way to do things, but I need to be sure that it's a audio system I can truly live with.
My Tucson experience was very educational in that I know what I'll tolerate and what I won't either. Up to now, I've always bought my vehicles for the long run, hoping to keep it for 8 to 10 years if possible. And now since every new vehicle costs a bit more, need to "get it right" the first time. Once everything on my short list is out in the market place, will have to make a spreadsheet listing what every vehicle has option wise so I get it right. Once I find the few that meet all my criteria, I'll be better able to make that final decision. And this next purchase will be different in that leasing will be on the table for the first time I'm thinking. Might be a better way to get into a higher priced vehicle then I'd normally consider. I've already raised my cash budget from $20K to $30K, something I never thought I'd ever do. And will not consider only economy vehicles like I normally do, think I'm wanting a bit more lux going forward. But I'll know within a few minutes which vehicle will be the ultimate winner!
Lastly, miles/gallon will take a backseat this time around. Not that I'd get anything with truly awful figures but am going to be a bit less rigid when it comes to this variable. I want to make the best choice I can this time!

stickguy

I can't believe anyone car shops without doing a spreadsheet! That is a big part of the fun.

and I always do the test drive with the radio off, but at some point turn it on briefly and crank it up to see how it sounds. Then turn it back off.

corvette

stickguy said:

I can't believe anyone car shops without doing a spreadsheet! That is a big part of the fun.

Not for me! Spreadsheets are for tabulating business income and doing financial planning. For cars, I find something I think I'll like and will have a reasonable ownership cost, and try to get the best deal.

stickguy

got car shopping planned for Saturday. We have to volunteer at a craft fair in the AM, and will finish up before noon. so quick lunch, then go try and see everything on the short list in one trip. Though the CRV (still thinking it will get axed by the boss) won't be looked at if the dealers don't get some in by then.

so I think it will be a loop starting at Volvo, then Acura, then BMW. Maybe a stop at MB 1st but that will be time dependent. After the "premium" drives, CRV if they have one, and last stop a quick visit to the Hyundai dealer again, just to see how a mainstream brand model feels after driving the fancy stuff.

goal for the day is for the boss to make a decision about what she actually wants, so we can move on to part II. Finding one.

benjaminh

Is the regular gas CR-V EXL 2-wheel drive out of the running? Saves $2700 in msrp over the CR-V hybrid, and in the real world probably a lot more. Plus the gas model has a full-size spare, which is rare these days....



PS When you get to the Acura dealer you might ask about the loyalty incentive on leases. If you do go with the RDX it might make more sense to "lease to buy".

stickguy

she still recalls not liking the CRV last time she test drove one. That of course is always subject to change. The hybrid was more of the attraction here! But if we stop and there are no hybrids, will drive a regular model just to see. I doubt we would find a FWD EXL anywhere around here anyway.

Last I checked the RDX still did not lease well. Lease to buy is of course always an option. And has the benefit of creating a cash surplus now. with the downside of having to deal with it down the line, and I can almost guarantee that doing the math, it would be cheaper to buy up front. Considering a 2020 CPO unit too on the Acura. Which is the way we would get a BMW or Volvo. Trick is finding the right one.

just a sample of one that could work. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/798536173/overview/

benjaminh

I don't think any of the luxury SUVs lease particularly well, but Acura might better than most with your loyalty incentive. Here's the current offer on the SH-AWD model, which is similar in price to the 2-wheel drive RDX with the Tech pkg. And you could probably do better than this. Acura also has 0.9 financing for 5 years.

2020 RDX 10 Speed Automatic SH-AWD Featured Special Loyalty/Conquest Lease.
$399 Per month for 36 months. $2,999 Total due at signing.

Here's the current Volvo offer....

XC60 T5 Momentum
LEASE: $ 409 / 36 MO
$4,159 cash due at signing.
PURCHASE: 2.99 % APR Financing available up to 60 months

BMW X3
$449 first month's payment
$3,999 Due at Signing
Finance at 2.99% APR

2020 GLB 250 4MATIC SUV
Starting at $38,600*
$439 for 36 months
$3,733 due at lease signing
Finance Rate 1.99% APR

benjaminh

stickguy said:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/798536173/overview/

I like the red with the light interior. The fine print does say "MUST FINANCE WITH ACURA FINANCIAL @ 5.95 APR." It would be interesting to run the math on that vs. a new with discount at 0.9.

stickguy

cheap financing for 5 years is the option we would be looking at. And on the RDX I would pony up for the SH-AWD.

stickguy

benjaminh said:

stickguy said:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/798536173/overview/

I like the red with the light interior. The fine print does say "MUST FINANCE WITH ACURA FINANCIAL @ 5.95 APR." It would be interesting to run the math on that vs. a new with discount at 0.9.

I saw that. never quite know until you are sitting at the table what the take it home number is. Plus, can always take the crazy interest rate, and refi a month or 2 down the line.

benjaminh

That fine print is bogus....

https://www.acura.com/tools/current-luxury-car-suv-offers-leasing

ACURA LOYALTY APPRECIATION OFFER
Expires 03/31/20
2020 RDX $1,500 Loyalty Offer
Available to current owners of a 2010 or newer Acura vehicle. Toward Cap Cost Reduction or Down Payment Assistance with the lease or purchase of a new 2020 RDX.

SPECIAL APR Expires 03/31/20
Acura Certified Pre-Owned RDX Special A.P.R. Financing
0.99% for 24-60 months For well-qualified buyers.

stickguy

there is another CPO one (dark gray over espresso, a gorgeous combo IMO) at my local dealer. I think they have it listed at $38,500. combined with .99% APR makes it workable.

though a good discount on a new one, with 1,500 tossed on top, can make the delta pretty small, especially with cheaper financing and longer warranty.

something to consider.

stickguy

my wife really is resistant to CPO. "but it is used". Sigh.

but, truecar to the rescue again (that is where I got a killer deal on my short lived Elantra). As usual, dealers vary a bunch, but got 2 with the same 11%+ discount on a new one. basically took a 44K MSRP awd tech, down to $38,800ish. Which is pretty much where the CPOs are. I did look at the Acura site and as Benjamin so kindly found, there is a $1,500 loyalty too which best as I can tell should apply here. If that drops it down to $37,300 and the wife wants one, she might get it. Assuming of course they will come close to Carvana this time.

no clue what that sales price would convert to on a lease, but I know the wife doesn't want to do that anyway.

benjaminh

If you can get below $39k + TTL on a SH-AWD Tech RDX, plus get 0.9 financing, I'd say that's a good deal on an impressive machine. Why get CPO if you can get new for the same price? Plus it's what the boss wants! And maybe the dealer will match Carvana on the 2013 RDX?

And the RDX SH-AWD Tech does come with a spare tucked underneath. The video below tells how to lower it, which looks pretty easy. (But the spare tire is eliminated for some reason in the A-spec model.)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo22IEZszUg

kyfdx

There is an extra incentive the dealer gets for writing the loan at the standard rate. So, the price will definitely be higher, if you take the low rate finance.

benjaminh

You might want to ask for price quotes that work with Acura's 0.9.

benjaminh

nyccarguy said:

A couple of interesting CPO Hondas. Not sure about the price:

https://www.mtkiscohonda.com/inventory/certified-used-2016-honda-civic-sedan-ex-t-front-wheel-drive-4dr-car-19xfc1f34ge220638

https://www.mtkiscohonda.com/inventory/certified-used-2017-honda-accord-sedan-ex-l-v6-front-wheel-drive-4dr-car-1hgcr3f80ha000671

Both of those cars are from the somewhat infamous era when Honda decided to do away with the volume knob. Protests have brought the volume knob back for newer models. Would you consider a Hyundai or Kia? The Hyundai Ioniq hybrid might be a money saving option. The Honda Insight hybrid also gets c.50 mpg. If you consider a new Honda Civic, make sure you get above the base model, because the base model doesn't have CarPlay/Android Auto.

KIA has a small sedan called the Forte GT that's around $22k and has good bang for the buck if your wife likes a sporty drive. Unlike the Civic Si can be had with an automatic. A few pix....

benjaminh

The biggest bargain at my local KIA dealer is a new midsize 2020 Optima LX with lots of standard stuff priced at about the level of a used Civic. Good deal....

stickguy

that Forte is the Kia version of the of the Elantra sport I had, so probably a fun car, definitely on the sporty side so likely not what she is looking for. The Optima is the last year of the old style, so basically the same as my 2015 Sonata. That could be a really good option, since plenty of room to haul around the Kiddos too. Good price on that one.

For the RDX, I assume Truecar price includes incentives excluding the cheap financing. so it could be an either/or, but would work that out at the time. Not too concerned, because regular interest rates (what I could get at my bank, and the dealer can always match or beat) are pretty low, so would likely be ahead taking the cash incentive then financing and paying off early.

benjaminh

For a $28,000 loan over 60 months some calculations of monthly payments and total interest at various rates....

.9% $477 a month $645 total interest over 5 years

2.9% $502 a month $2113 interest

4.9% $527/$3627 (this is about the rate my local bank offers)

5.95% $541/$4440

So compared to commercial rates the Acura .9% would save almost $3000. My guess is that even with the Acura rate it might be possible to get c.$4k off of msrp, and then (if it's possible to stack incentives, and it doesn't say you can't) still get the $1500 Acura loyalty discount. If so a $44k msrp for RDX SH-AWD Tech -4k=40k-1.5k=38.5k+TTL c.$3k=$41.5 - trade in.

(And here is another calculation in case the CR-V EXL 2-wheel drive is still in the running. MSRP 31k-3k=28k+2kTTL=30k-13k trade in (??) = 17k financed at Honda's 1.9 over 3 years = $486 a month for 36 months paying $503 in interest. Wow, now I really need to get down to grading student papers lol!)

corvette

I kind of like the color on that Optima. 32 MPG highway is weak for a midsize sedan.

qbrozen

corvette said:

I kind of like the color on that Optima. 32 MPG highway is weak for a midsize sedan.

eh. Its not unreasonable. Even though not a turbo, it is in line with the 2.0 turbo versions of the Altima, Accord, Fusion, Passat, Regal, and Malibu, as well as the 2.5T Mazda6. There are better out there, but probably not for $19k.(?)

benjaminh

True. The new Sonata with the 2.5 gets 38 mpg highway, and the Accord gets the same.

stickguy

I would bet that optima can beat that on the highway

benjaminh

A short video about a Dodge and a Honda that both went over 500,000 miles on their original engines....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th1OUrFperE

ab348

CNET's Roadshow site posted a review of the CR-V today. Odd in that he loves it despite the many things he found fault with.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2020-honda-cr-v-touring-awd-review

kyfdx

GTI update.

Two quick trips. 400 mile r/t and 180 mile r/t. The car is a champ!

stickguy

Clutch holding up?

qbrozen

benjaminh said:

A short video about a Dodge and a Honda that both went over 500,000 miles on their original engines....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th1OUrFperE

where's the feelgood story of how Honda took that for their museum and gave them a new one free? What's that old story? Was it a Volvo?

Anyway... 1mill miles in a CRV? Ugh. One of the rings of hell right there.

omarman

And it doesn't lease well.

tjc78

Yeah, it doesn't lease well... but I bet that if you bought it smart and went to trade out of it in three years the total cost would similar to a good lease on another vehicle. They hold their value pretty well.

fintail

I think CRVs also have a loyal driver base. My 70-something aunt used to drive 4-Runners, but switched to CRVs a while back and now gets one each generation.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Clutch holding up?

Yeah... but, the Fit's clutch seems a little weak, at times.

The GTI has hill-holder.. if that matters.

qbrozen

My son and I were just behind a Trackhawk on the road. We were at a stop sign and he planted his right foot. My son’s jaw dropped and said “what the?! That’s a minivan doing that?!” So I had to explain. To which he replied “so get one!”

stickguy

well, it is spring so dump the fit and don't look back!

stickguy

CRVs when I looked leased lousy. Much better option to buy outright.

though back in January I think Rodo had some real good deals on leftover 2019s. Dealer still has a fair amount of those.

corvette

There is a Honda mechanic on one of the Reddit boards who regularly works on a Civic that’s about to hit 1,000,000 miles. The driver is a medical device rep or something. I think he’s been ready to replace it for a while, but now that he’s close to unlocking the seven figure achievement, wants to keep it.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

My son and I were just behind a Trackhawk on the road. We were at a stop sign and he planted his right foot. My son’s jaw dropped and said “what the?! That’s a minivan doing that?!” So I had to explain. To which he replied “so get one!”

My supervisor has one of these. I believe it is wasted on her, but she does enjoy having it.

28firefighter

Posted this over in cars and conversation, but probably better here.

In other news, a new gadget for the ZHP arrived today. The E46 3 series is one of the last models that has a battery that can be trickle charged via the cigarette lighter jack vs on the battery itself. I got an OEM BMW trickle charger (it was discontinued) new from a BMW dealer off eBay for $50. I’m testing it now and it’s pretty cool.

corvette

I love battery maintainers, although I haven't had great reliability with the Battery Tender brand (I think I'm on my third warranty replacement on their ten year warranty--I'd much rather pay more for something which actually has a chance of lasting that long). I bought a quick connect for the Tundra just so I can keep it topped off since I make a lot of short trips.

28firefighter

I bought it for the same reason - I’m expecting that some of my nice weather driving will be short jaunts around the metro area. Will be much easier on the car if it’s topped off.

mjfloyd1

I had a Griot’s garage battery maintainer that went kaput. Their “lifetime warranty” asks that you send it in and if they cannot repair it you have to pay the difference between what you paid originally and the price for the current model that they would ship to you. You have to pay shipping both ways.

Doesn’t seem to be a great deal

28firefighter

Seems like a lot of hassle and effort for not much savings, if any.

corvette

Battery Tender makes you ship back the defective one, which costs about $10 each time, so yeah, kind of a false economy, although at my old job, I got free postage as a fringe benefit, so it worked out pretty well there!

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

If you can get below $39k + TTL on a SH-AWD Tech RDX, plus get 0.9 financing, I'd say that's a good deal on an impressive machine. Why get CPO if you can get new for the same price? Plus it's what the boss wants! And maybe the dealer will match Carvana on the 2013 RDX?

And the RDX SH-AWD Tech does come with a spare tucked underneath. The video below tells how to lower it, which looks pretty easy. (But the spare tire is eliminated for some reason in the A-spec model.)




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo22IEZszUg

I’m not too impressed with the tire under the chassis arrangement. If you drive where it’s wet or salty the whole thing is rusted by the time you need it.

ronsteve

oldfarmer50 said:

I’m not too impressed with the tire under the chassis arrangement. If you drive where it’s wet or salty the whole thing is rusted by the time you need it.

That's old school truck based SUV stuff right there. Not what you expect in 2020 from Acura.

benjaminh

ronsteve said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I’m not too impressed with the tire under the chassis arrangement. If you drive where it’s wet or salty the whole thing is rusted by the time you need it.

That's old school truck based SUV stuff right there. Not what you expect in 2020 from Acura.

It might be better than the BMW X3, which according to this comment doesn't have a spare tire at all. I don't have a spare in my TLX and I'm fine with it, but this comment does show a worst case scenario. And it looks like the RDX has a full-size spare too.

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=917185

"06-13-2016, 06:36 AM Warning I'm about to rant!!! My wife's bmw x3, we leave for the weekend on a roughly 300 mile trip. Sunday rolls around and we pack up and leave for home, 5 miles down the road and we get a flat. She pulls over and I go to change her tire and notice no spare or Jack equipment. Call roadside assistance they offer to tow me to a dealership so it can be fixed tomorrow. Problem is both me and the wife have to work tomorrow 300 miles away. I use the run flats go back to the hotel and book another night.. First tire shop opens at 7am, can't wait for bmw service to open at 9. So total cost for me because of no spare tire rather than 5 minutes to put on a spare.
320 dollars for a pirelli non run flat tire which will have to be changed out for a run flat when I get back to town.
(only tire the right size they had). Went to 3 tire shops.
180 dollars extra night in hotel room.
120 dollars 2 meals ordered in for 4 people.
400 dollars wife's cancelled clients today.
400 dollars my average 1/2 daily salary I do still have to work today!
320 tire
300 hotel and meals
800 lost wages for myself and wife.
1420 dollars for a GD flat tire that I should have been able to change and carry on."

PS Just found this: "Does the 2019 BMW x3 have a spare tire?
The 2019 BMW X3 does not come with a spare tire because it is equipped with run flat tires."

benjaminh

A positive review of the RDX that says that it's c. $6k less than comparably equipped European SUVs of the same size....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN2rU34dy4s