Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

Way down the BAT rabbit hole today..

Here is an interesting one for sure.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-ford-explorer/

Just wondering why they used the 5.0L when by 1998 the 4.6L 4 valve Cobra was hitting it’s stride.

Michaell

pensfan83 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

tjc78 said:

Certainly don't need a BU cam or sensors with visibility like that Legend.

Nice car

I suspect that Legend will have a bidding war - when I first pulled up the link 30 minutes ago, it was at $5000. Just refreshed, and the bid is now $5800.

Yeah....frankly, if that was to go for anything around $6,000 (which it won’t), I would kick myself for not buying it, regardless if I had room for it.

Ends in 7 minutes and the bidding is at $7,700

Up to $8300 with a minute left....

Michaell

Michaell said:

pensfan83 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

tjc78 said:

Certainly don't need a BU cam or sensors with visibility like that Legend.

Nice car

I suspect that Legend will have a bidding war - when I first pulled up the link 30 minutes ago, it was at $5000. Just refreshed, and the bid is now $5800.

Yeah....frankly, if that was to go for anything around $6,000 (which it won’t), I would kick myself for not buying it, regardless if I had room for it.

Ends in 7 minutes and the bidding is at $7,700

Up to $8300 with a minute left....

Whoops, now $8700...

Michaell

Michaell said:

Michaell said:

pensfan83 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

tjc78 said:

Certainly don't need a BU cam or sensors with visibility like that Legend.

Nice car

I suspect that Legend will have a bidding war - when I first pulled up the link 30 minutes ago, it was at $5000. Just refreshed, and the bid is now $5800.

Yeah....frankly, if that was to go for anything around $6,000 (which it won’t), I would kick myself for not buying it, regardless if I had room for it.

Ends in 7 minutes and the bidding is at $7,700

Up to $8300 with a minute left....

Whoops, now $8700...

Wow, just closed at $9000.

Adjusting for inflation, that was a $58K car. Not bad depreciation for 31 years.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
Probably not enough room for a 4.6 in that Econoline.

abacomike

My car shopping/buying experiences over the past 3 weeks provided me with some tremendous insight regarding the car business and when to pull the trigger, so-to-speak, on pursuing/accepting a deal on a new car during the current business climate caused by this corona virus. Let me explain:

Even though there has been a drop in new car vehicle sales in the past 2 months of over 50%, new car inventories at dealerships are at quite low levels due to the shutting down of all factories as well as ports of entry where new cars are prepped for transport to dealerships. So a dealer that sold 50 cars in April had no incoming new vehicles to replace those that were sold.

Thus, a customer looking for a new car might have lots of difficulty acquiring a car to his/her liking (color, options, etc.). Dealerships were forced to significantly increase their dealer trading activities well beyond normal levels in order to acquire vehicles their customers were looking for.

Even with the above limitations, I determined that NOW was the best time to get a new car! Why NOW? Because dealerships are hungry for business and will bend over backwards to sell a car. With the factories already opening in Europe and Asia and with U.S. factories preparing for opening In North America, waiting a month or two to buy a new car will not only cost more (dealers will not be as eager to take marginal deals and manufacturers will begin withdrawing incentives and leasing and financing interest rates will rise) but the 2021 models will be produced in 4-5 weeks. Deals on 2021 vehicles will be few and far between, but deals RIGHT NOW on 2020 models are rampant - just look around on Edmunds or manufacturer web sites.

It was MBUSA's site where I found the 0% finance rate, 90 day first payment deferral, and up to $750 toward the first payment. Even Edmunds did not show the above incentives. But Edmunds did show the loyalty $1000 and the $2000 finance/lease rebate. This just proves that you must research many sites to get all the info on incentives. Even I had to check the USAA site for fleet pricing with a $2500 coupon.

To be quite frank, I had no intention of getting a new car until August/September. But when I completed my research without even test driving an E450, my mind was made up. They just had to find me a car equipped close to my needs - and they did - with only one available in the entire southern region. The clincher was the pull-ahead-program on my S450 lease.

Conclusion - if you are thinking about getting a 2020 new vehicle, NOW is the best time to nail down an unbelievable deal if you do your research here on Edmunds and several other sites.

tjc78

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:

Way down the BAT rabbit hole today..

Here is an interesting one for sure.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-ford-explorer/

Just wondering why they used the 5.0L when by 1998 the 4.6L 4 valve Cobra was hitting it’s stride.

That generation of Explorer never got the mod motor. The 2002 re-design did.

nyccarguy

So one thing I noticed on my trip out to Long Island last week is the plethora of Wranglers in all different permutations. I started looking into the interior dimensions. Turns out that with the rear seats folded, there is the same length as the bed of my pickup. It gives up a little bit width-wise, but would make up for it in height. Hmmm. And the roof comes off.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
Probably not enough room for a 4.6 in that Econoline.

Yeah, those heads were huge. Probably wouldn’t fit in that Explorer either.

stickguy

Mike, my answer now is the same as always, but even more so. The best time to buy is when you actually need one and can afford one! and are comfortable you can pay for it.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

So one thing I noticed on my trip out to Long Island last week is the plethora of Wranglers in all different permutations. I started looking into the interior dimensions. Turns out that with the rear seats folded, there is the same length as the bed of my pickup. It gives up a little bit width-wise, but would make up for it in height. Hmmm. And the roof comes off.

IMO, if you find the ride of a BMW with the sport package far too soft and cushy, a Wrangler might be for you!

corvette

Also, I've probably said this before in regard to leases, but to me it's way beyond odd that you can lease a $35-40k Tacoma for about the same as a base Camry, and you can lease a $50k Tundra for the price of a mid level Camry.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

Also, I've probably said this before in regard to leases, but to me it's way beyond odd that you can lease a $35-40k Tacoma for about the same as a base Camry, and you can lease a $50k Tundra for the price of a mid level Camry.

It all comes down to depreciation. If a $40,000 truck depreciates $15K over 3 years (just throwing numbers out there) and a $30,000 car depreciates $15K over 3 years, you are paying to use $15,000 worth of the vehicle over the same time period.

I know what you are saying though. Back in 2007, we leased a lightly optioned $42K X3 for about $472/month (36/15K $1,500 DAS) which comes out to $513 effective. My Tacoma has a similar $42K sticker price and before I put down MSD and a lease price of $375/month (24/15K).

stickguy

leasing is just another way to finance a new car. So no different than buying each one and selling them after 3 years, and comparing the total cost over that time (basically depreciation). Residual is king!

roadburner

As I mentioned elsewhere, I’m considering adding some major tweaks to my 2 Series rather than buying something else. Here’s the list of prospective modifications:
1. Dinan N55 flash tune- 93 octane map
2. M Performance Limited Slip Diff
3. M Performance Alcantara/Carbon Fiber interior trim
4. Bavsound Ghost Subwoofers

abacomike

stickguy said:

Mike, my answer now is the same as always, but even more so. The best time to buy is when you actually need one and can afford one! and are comfortable you can pay for it.

I can't disagree with you - but if all your qualifiers are met - one should not delay pulling the trigger now - so long as you are a little flexible in terms of color and/or options.

graphicguy

Y'all act like we need good any reasons to buy a car, regardless of the situation.

[Deleted User]

graphicguy said:

Y'all act like we need a good any reason to buy a car, regardless of the situation.

yeah, what happened to being supportive enablers???

qbrozen

What do y'all think of this? TT V8, but a few years newer than a comparable Cayenne. Where's @fintail? Does he come on this thread?

Michaell

qbrozen said:

What do y'all think of this? TT V8, but a few years newer than a comparable Cayenne. Where's @fintail? Does he come on this thread?

I like.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

What do y'all think of this? TT V8, but a few years newer than a comparable Cayenne. Where's @fintail? Does he come on this thread?

$5600 under market? That’s either a bargain or awfully suspicious. But who knows what the heck the market is these days.

fintail

Engine-wise anyway, I am not aware of any big issues. Maintenance will still be potentially dear, and I can't speak for the rest of the vehicle.

qbrozen said:

What do y'all think of this? TT V8, but a few years newer than a comparable Cayenne. Where's @fintail? Does he come on this thread?

qbrozen

oddly, they have it for sale to dealers through Manheim for $16995. They paid $16,000 for it on 3/17. Very weird.

stickguy

Market crashed, and just trying to get some cash out of it?

stickguy

Just saw listed price. Any fine print? Heavy depreciation but that is one complicated machine.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

oddly, they have it for sale to dealers through Manheim for $16995. They paid $16,000 for it on 3/17. Very weird.

Cash flow panic?

breld

I grew to really appreciate the ML and GLE through all my test drives last year. There's something honest and simple about them that I liked - of course I was only looking at V6 versions.

nyccarguy

breld said:

I grew to really appreciate the ML and GLE through all my test drives last year. There's something honest and simple about them that I liked - of course I was only looking at V6 versions.

@qbrozen isn't looking for "honest & simple." He's more of a "fast & complex" kind of guy.

28firefighter

Loaded up Tacomas (sport or off-road with advanced tech) are cheap this month. $300/including tax and tags for 24/10 with MSDs. Still a bit early for my Dad. But that is a lot of truck for the $$.

pensfan83

When I ran the #'s it was better to do a one pay at the standard rate versus MSDs. A one pay reduced the MF by 100 basis points versus 72 and you can take all rebates vesrus if the dealer used the subvented rate. Just a thought.

28firefighter

I'm so used to US Bank I didn't even know that was an option.

qbrozen

i need some help understanding why this exists.

And WTH is with the price? I did a little digging because I figure there has to be a story here. Not much. I did find it had a high bid price of $5k at Mecum in 2017, been around since at least 2009, and supposedly built for SEMA before then.

stickguy

pensfan83 said:

When I ran the #'s it was better to do a one pay at the standard rate versus MSDs. A one pay reduced the MF by 100 basis points versus 72 and you can take all rebates vesrus if the dealer used the subvented rate. Just a thought.

On a one pay, what happens if the car gets totaled early on? Does most/all get lost like a down payment?

kyfdx

stickguy said:

pensfan83 said:

When I ran the #'s it was better to do a one pay at the standard rate versus MSDs. A one pay reduced the MF by 100 basis points versus 72 and you can take all rebates vesrus if the dealer used the subvented rate. Just a thought.

On a one pay, what happens if the car gets totaled early on? Does most/all get lost like a down payment?

No, it’s treated as though you are making equal payments. Any payments not yet “made” are refunded.

pensfan83

Yep, standard MF was .00265 and with MSDs it was .00193 but with one pay it was reduced to .00165 and since I didn't take the subvented rate I could take an additional rebate. Total cost to drive a $39K truck is under $6K for 2 years.

Of course if anyone wants to avoid the upfront money MSDs or one pay leases require then you can't beat the deals through USB or Ally.

benjaminh

2005 Cadillac DeVille with 103k for $3150 asking price. A lot of car for the money? Was this getting close to the last year for the DeVille?

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/used-Louisville-2005-Cadillac-DeVille-Base-1G6KD54Y65U143855

explorerx4

More likely a lot of headaches for the money(Northstar).

stickguy

Is you are valuing by the sq ft, yes lot of car for money!

benjaminh

For about the price of a 2011 Accord V-6 with low miles you can step up to this freaky beak special, a 2011 Acura TL V-6 with the Tech package, a one owner car with 85,000 miles and an asking price of $10,900.

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/used-Louisville-2011-Acura-TL-35+wTechnology+Package-19UUA8F56BA000406

"White 2011 Acura TL 3.5 w/Technology Package FWD 5-Speed Automatic 3.5L V6 SOHC VTEC 24V ONE owner CLEAN history report !!!, Previously OWNED by someone who new how to TAKE CARE of a vehicle- IMMACULATE !!!, This isn’t an AUCTION car – this is a LOCAL trade!!!, 2 YEARS F-R-E-E maintenance !!!, 3 months of F-R-E-E warranty = PEACE of mind !!!, NAVIGATION, backup camera, MOONROOF, heated seats, LEATHER, push button starting with smart key, PREMIUM UPGRADED AUDIO, satellite radio, 2 YRS MAINTENANCE INCL !!!, local trade in !!!, NON SMOKER !!"

They sure like their exclamation marks.

qbrozen

explorerx4 said:

More likely a lot of headaches for the money(Northstar).

took the words right out of my brain

qbrozen

ah well. I gave it a shot. Thought I could trick BaT and tried resubmitting and asking for the professional photos. Took a little longer this time, but they still rejected it. Not sure what dad's truck doesn't have vs some others I see on there. Just seems random.

28firefighter

OK - so my friend. Western PA dealer (so $389 doc fee, $181 for tags, and 9% sales tax).

His wife wanted a 2020 CR-V EX-L AWD. MSRP was $32,670. Sale price was $29,570 before $500 conquest. All said and done, he did $1k DAS and it was $350/month including tax on a 36/12 lease. $1k DAS was first month, doc fee, tags, and tax on the conquest rebate.

Like I said, not earth shattering, but a very strong deal for Western PA on this particular car. They did not upsell him on anything, no nonsensical accessories etc. Said it was a great experience.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

OK - so my friend. Western PA dealer (so $389 doc fee, $181 for tags, and 9% doc fee).

His wife wanted a 2020 CR-V EX-L AWD. MSRP was $32,670. Sale price was $29,570 before $500 conquest. All said and done, he did $1k DAS and it was $350/month including tax on a 36/12 lease. $1k DAS was first month, doc fee, tags, and tax on the conquest rebate.

Like I said, not earth shattering, but a very strong deal for Western PA on this particular car. They did not upsell him on anything, no nonsensical accessories etc. Said it was a great experience.

Reasonable deal for that vehicle. Not every lease deal is a Tacoma or Ioniq.

28firefighter

Exactly. And it isn't like the Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru products were leasing dramatically better such that they would have switched.

stickguy

not a bad looking TL. I don't care too much for the nose on a white car, but I did see one with dark blue paint, and that actually looked quite sharp. Good cars.

stickguy

28firefighter said:

OK - so my friend. Western PA dealer (so $389 doc fee, $181 for tags, and 9% doc fee).

His wife wanted a 2020 CR-V EX-L AWD. MSRP was $32,670. Sale price was $29,570 before $500 conquest. All said and done, he did $1k DAS and it was $350/month including tax on a 36/12 lease. $1k DAS was first month, doc fee, tags, and tax on the conquest rebate.

Like I said, not earth shattering, but a very strong deal for Western PA on this particular car. They did not upsell him on anything, no nonsensical accessories etc. Said it was a great experience.

was that 9% supposed to be sales tax?

not a terrible deal. nice car for very low outlay. maybe $20-30 less would have been ideal, but if it is what she wanted and is happy with the car, no harm done.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

28firefighter said:

OK - so my friend. Western PA dealer (so $389 doc fee, $181 for tags, and 9% doc fee).

His wife wanted a 2020 CR-V EX-L AWD. MSRP was $32,670. Sale price was $29,570 before $500 conquest. All said and done, he did $1k DAS and it was $350/month including tax on a 36/12 lease. $1k DAS was first month, doc fee, tags, and tax on the conquest rebate.

Like I said, not earth shattering, but a very strong deal for Western PA on this particular car. They did not upsell him on anything, no nonsensical accessories etc. Said it was a great experience.

was that 9% supposed to be sales tax?

not a terrible deal. nice car for very low outlay. maybe $20-30 less would have been ideal, but if it is what she wanted and is happy with the car, no harm done.

Yes - sales tax. Fixed in the original post.

20-30 less would have been another $750-$1k off - wasn't doable in that market on a lease. We tried. Maybe in different times.

qbrozen

Just futzing with numbers here.

Base sr V6 taco is about $188-$190/mo all in for 24/10 this month. If I were interested and put down my $1300 hyundai profit, I’d be at about $135/mo. That’s insane.

Still not looking for another lease right now. Just like crunching numbers I guess.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

i need some help understanding why this exists.

And WTH is with the price? I did a little digging because I figure there has to be a story here. Not much. I did find it had a high bid price of $5k at Mecum in 2017, been around since at least 2009, and supposedly built for SEMA before then.

Comedy relief at SEMA?

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

2005 Cadillac DeVille with 103k for $3150 asking price. A lot of car for the money? Was this getting close to the last year for the DeVille?

https://www.acuraatoxmoor.com/used-Louisville-2005-Cadillac-DeVille-Base-1G6KD54Y65U143855

Now you’re in my wheelhouse. I always liked those last of the Devilles. You’d have to check the build date on a 2005 because, as I understand it, they didn’t fix the head bolt problem on the Northstar until the second half of the year. Don’t know if they ever fixed the oil leak situation.

I could go for the price but the miles are a little high. I’d rather pay a bit more for a lower mile example:

https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/d/spring-hill-2007-cadillac-dts-low-low/7116458929.html

Last year for the DeVille (renamed DTS) was 2011.