Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ab348

Another big Ford recall (or in this case, a re-recall): https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2020/06/10/ford-motor-company-issues-two-safety-recalls-in-north-america.html

Also, Nissan cannot seem to design a hood latch that works, as they are recalling a lot of Altimas yet again:
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2020/06/04/nissan-altima-recall-hood-latch/3144403001/

Finally, a much smaller recall from Honda/Acura about fuel pumps in 2018/19 model year vehicles: https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/08/honda-acura-fuel-pump-recall/

stickguy

Thankfully both my Acura’s missed this.

graphicguy

TESLA....I generally like the Teslas I’ve seen on the road. I’m mildly curious about them, just not enough to consider one (yet). But, as OC as I am about my cars, the poor build quality and materials would make me nuts on any car, let alone what that Model Y costs. This seems to be common with Teslas, though.

@benjaminh ....I think the RDX is the best in its segment. I’m not in the S/CUV market, but if I were, the RDX would be at the top of my list.

I’ve only sat in one. Very well made, very nice interior. As comfortable as my TLX seats were, the RDX’s were even better. Particularly like the A-Spec version of the RDX.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

Another big Ford recall (or in this case, a re-recall): https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2020/06/10/ford-motor-company-issues-two-safety-recalls-in-north-america.html

Also, Nissan cannot seem to design a hood latch that works, as they are recalling a lot of Altimas yet again:
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2020/06/04/nissan-altima-recall-hood-latch/3144403001/

Finally, a much smaller recall from Honda/Acura about fuel pumps in 2018/19 model year vehicles: https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/08/honda-acura-fuel-pump-recall/

Dodged the bullet on my Mustang. It was built in June 2015. The kid’s Fusion was built in 2010 when men were men and door latches were manly too.

28firefighter

corvette said:

This is arbitrage on the level of the Great 2016 VW TDI Caper! Buy it and flip it to Carvana!

If not for those pesky taxes.

roadburner

Michaell said:

Anyone want to take over a lease of an M340?

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/61642/general/x/anyone-found-a-good-resource-to-post-lease-takeover-deals#latest

It's a 340i Gran Turismo(F34)- the misshapen hatchback spun off the F35 long wheelbase 3er platform designed for the Chinese market. Another pointless exercise by Munich to fill every possible market segment.

fintail

Someone in my building has a 3er GT just like that. A wagon with the false pretense of dynamism, I suppose.

I've noticed a 5er GT at an independent high end used car lot on my jogging route, what a design.

benjaminh

pensfan83 said:

Agreed. Adding $16 for 12K still makes it a strong deal. And I can do 7500 miles because I anticipate carrying over between 12K and 13K.

The $3K loyalty really helps.

Being able to roll over your miles into a new Acura lease is a good benefit too. Do other companies allow that? Anyway, 7500 x 3 + 12,000 = 34,500 miles for a 3 years lease, which seems like a nice deal. Plus even after that Acura "forgives" up to 7500 miles more than your contract—as long as you lease yet another Acura 3 years from now in 2023....

The reviewer for Savage Geese (what is his name?) gave a mostly rave review for the RDX a year ago. The part I most like about his reviews is when he puts the car on a lift and looks at the engineering details underneath, which starts at c. 12:30 in this one. He does freak out about the touchpad, but @stickguy and others have said that once you get used to the true touch pad it works pretty well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra00fdMCnZA

qbrozen

Alright, it is "would you rather" time. Assuming you could pay $8k for either of these, which one would you rather have?

2008 Cayenne S

2008 ML550

The MB wins in a straight line, and I gotta be honest that I prefer the looks of it to the bloated Porsche. But there is still the nagging detail in my head that I have never owned a Porsche and now might be my chance. Yes, I was looking for a Turbo, but today's theme is "cheaper."

breld

I think that ML design has aged better than the Cayenne.

fintail

I'm less scared of the ML (but still a little scared). Both, while appearing to be well preserved, definitely warrant a good PPI.

tifighter

Are we sure that that any twelve year old German car is "cheaper"? How much does a FX45 go for these days?

tifighter

I see I missed this week's Tesla smack down. Well, I can't say I MISSED it...

[Deleted User]

I would agree with @breld, I've always liked the Cayenne and Macon for that matter, but the ML looks newer, maybe more classy to me.

tifighter

For today's random craigslist posting, you have to admit that this little guy looks pretty fun.

carnaught

“C”, none of the above.

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

For today's random craigslist posting, you have to admit that this little guy looks pretty fun.

I was going to say it looked like a Samurai. RHD? I guess you could deliver newspapers.

tifighter

The more I look at it, the more I like it. Good thing I already filled the garage spot this year.

28firefighter

ML550 no question. Cayenne in Turbo or bust.

fintail

Price on that JDM wonder looks pretty fair. When private imports get down to around 5K, that's the point where it'd be tempting to buy one already landed rather than do it yourself.

Michaell

I'll also go with the ML550, for reasons previously stated - it just looks better, after 12 years.

qbrozen

tifighter said:

For today's random craigslist posting, you have to admit that this little guy looks pretty fun.

Ah, for those who miss the Geo Trax.

I like the Pajeros, but the bigger older ones. Like this one.

qbrozen

If that 4-dr Pajero was an automatic, I'd probably go for it. $10k is pretty darned cheap. And I have yet to find a comparable Land Cruiser for less than the high teens.

andres3

https://audiclubna.org/find-of-the-day-2004-audi-rs-6-avant/?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Unfair_Advantage_Week24_2020&utm_medium=email

Canada has a 15 year rule whereas the US has a 25 year rule for imports! Maybe we should all move to Canada!

qbrozen

You'd think used car dealers would be anxious, but I'm not finding that. The boutique with the turbo ML550 has not responded to the website inquiry nor the "text" inquiry. I inquired about a turbo cayenne Monday, got a response Wed from someone saying they'd take a video for me and send it, then got an email today asking if they can answer anything else. So I responded saying "you didn't answer my first questions." He apologized and again said he'd send me a video. OK ...... waiting....

fintail

And guess who bought that rule (as in this system, so much legislation is bought and paid for by our corporate overlords who are people too)? MBUSA, as a reaction to the grey market industry flourishing because MB wouldn't import cars people wanted. Instead of doing more to placate customer demands, they simply bought an import ban with an arbitrary age limit. Before that, it was pretty much anything goes, with usually minimal federalization.

explorerx4

Can you turn the steering wheel in that Pajero without at least rubbing something?

graphicguy

I vote Cayenne...just because I've never owned nor driven a Porsche.

qbrozen

good god. I'm just going to start calling these results BaT-s#!t crazy. This turbo is already bid over fair retail, and the buyer still needs to pay the 5% buyer fee, fetch the vehicle, and fix the moonroof!

explorerx4

Air cooled 911's are the bomb!

tifighter

explorerx4 said:

Can you turn the steering wheel in that Pajero without at least rubbing something?

Good question. Also, he mentions it can cruise okay at 60mph. Was that before or after the upsize tire change?

28firefighter

This is going to be the most PNW statement ever, but the Outback is parked outside for a bit while I work on stuff in the garage and it actually looks even better/more at home in the pouring rain. The Meguiars hybrid ceramic wax undoubtedly helps that, too...

qbrozen

Turbo dealer got back to me with the video. Clean car. But silly price. They want $12k. Here is how that convo went:

ME: Thank you for the video. That looks very clean for being from the northeast. My issue just comes down to price. These aren't worth that much, Im afraid. The most recent comparable to go through Manheim was one in Feb with 67k miles and a good condition report that sold for just $3500. So, with all due respect, and this is way more markup than I normally like to pay, the best I could do on it would be $7500, and I'd handle the tax and titling on my end in NJ. I understand the dealership is asking far more, so if this offer doesn't work and you want to hold onto it longer, I understand that, too.

RESPONSE: Unfortunately we do not have that kind of room. Usually if we discount our vehicles its like our doc fee(495) not thousands.

ME: Understood. Thanks for your time.

I don't know. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Porsche owner because, if all of these asking prices are any indication, Porsches fetch HUGE profits for dealers.

fintail

Reminds me of the PEMCO "socks and sandals" commercial (IIRC, the car in the background was even an Outback). Had to be clean though, bonus points for a large ski rack with all attachments left on year round. Extra bonus points if you don't actually ski.

Reminds me of a very Bellevue thing I saw, a pristine old LR Defender with dry cleaned office/work shirts hanging in the window.

28firefighter

I think at a certain age on certain cars, the book goes out the window. For a car like that, a car with every maintenance record, the major problem areas addressed (with proof) etc is going to be worth more than one with nothing.

I'm not saying your wrong in this particular instance or on the BaT example, but just my take on these older euros.

qbrozen

If EVERYTHING worked on that BaT example, I could maybe, possibly think that folks got all excited about the maintenance history. But the dude didn't fix the moonroof, yet ... replaced the seatbacks? That gives me great pause. That screams "lipstick on a pig!" to me, personally.

And do I think a dealer threw out the book when they bought their Cayenne? HELL NO. Besides, even if they did and absolutely lost their minds and paid ... what? $5k? My $7500 is still good business. Oh well. I've gotten through the past nearly 20 years following my rule of not overpaying for a car, so I'm not hurting to make a deal.

nyccarguy

A customer of mine just acquired this 1988 911 Targa with 150K on the odometer.

fintail

Nice color combo, Targas are underappreciated IMO, I always liked them anyway.

Looking at that car reminds me that Porsches of that era have 3 different CHMSL treatments - low on the rear windshield for Targa, high on the rear windshield for normal 911, on a mount above the rear vent for cabrio.

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

If EVERYTHING worked on that BaT example, I could maybe, possibly think that folks got all excited about the maintenance history. But the dude didn't fix the moonroof, yet ... replaced the seatbacks? That gives me great pause. That screams "lipstick on a pig!" to me, personally.

And do I think a dealer threw out the book when they bought their Cayenne? HELL NO. Besides, even if they did and absolutely lost their minds and paid ... what? $5k? My $7500 is still good business. Oh well. I've gotten through the past nearly 20 years following my rule of not overpaying for a car, so I'm not hurting to make a deal.

Like I said, I can't speak for the BaT example and the other you sent. That seems whacky.

Also, you wrench your own cars so I think you have a higher tolerance for vehicles that might need some effort to make "right" in which case you certainly should not overpay. Have you checked out Rennlist or similar to see if you can find an enthusiast willing to part with theirs for a more reasonable number?

kyfdx

My 911 Targa was an '84. Pretty much identical to an '88, except for the CMHSL (which didn't start until '86). Mine had a tail, though.

Wish I still had it..

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

If EVERYTHING worked on that BaT example, I could maybe, possibly think that folks got all excited about the maintenance history. But the dude didn't fix the moonroof, yet ... replaced the seatbacks? That gives me great pause. That screams "lipstick on a pig!" to me, personally.

And do I think a dealer threw out the book when they bought their Cayenne? HELL NO. Besides, even if they did and absolutely lost their minds and paid ... what? $5k? My $7500 is still good business. Oh well. I've gotten through the past nearly 20 years following my rule of not overpaying for a car, so I'm not hurting to make a deal.

Like I said, I can't speak for the BaT example and the other you sent. That seems whacky.

Also, you wrench your own cars so I think you have a higher tolerance for vehicles that might need some effort to make "right" in which case you certainly should not overpay. Have you checked out Rennlist or similar to see if you can find an enthusiast willing to part with theirs for a more reasonable number?

I have not. good suggestion. although "reasonable" may not be in an enthusiast's vocab. ;b

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

A customer of mine just acquired this 1988 911 Targa with 150K on the odometer.

Hey, they have a Cayenne in the garage. Do they want to part with it now? lol.

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
Are you going to help him re roof?

28firefighter

I have found most sellers on forums to be (1) more transparent about condition, and (2) more reasonable on price. Of course there are outliers, but I think you'd be surprised.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

I have found most sellers on forums to be (1) more transparent about condition, and (2) more reasonable on price. Of course there are outliers, but I think you'd be surprised.

Watch out for the Edmunds members..

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

I have found most sellers on forums to be (1) more transparent about condition, and (2) more reasonable on price. Of course there are outliers, but I think you'd be surprised.

Watch out for the Edmunds members..

Hahaha.

28firefighter

The former @breld mobile is up for sale! https://www.grooveauto.com/used-Denver-2014-BMW-2+Series-228i-WBA1F5C5XEVW97997

EDIT: I think this is it?

breld

28firefighter said:

The former @breld mobile is up for sale! https://www.grooveauto.com/used-Denver-2014-BMW-2+Series-228i-WBA1F5C5XEVW97997

EDIT: I think this is it?

Yup - that’s it. I saw it yesterday. I’d say pretty typical $5k markup for starters.

Y’all had your chance at a bargain.

28firefighter

I happen to think it's a great car for the $$, even with the markup - really nicely optioned too with M, Nav, etc.

28firefighter

In case anyone is curious about my Mom's car, the piston ring repair did not appear on carfax - it just shows as vehicle serviced along with oil change, fluids etc.