Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

mark156

Hello tifighter,

The RV is doing great, but I'm not... I got a flu shot at the end of Sept. and about a week later, I became totally paralyzed from the neck down. With heavy steroids and plasma replacment, I'm on the mend.

I was in the hospital for 13 days and couldn't walk as I lost most of my muscle. Things are slowly getting back to normal but will take 3-6 months. I'm just able now to walk without a cane. I still have numbness in my hands, arms and legs but it's coming back slowly. My neurologist says I will make a 100% recovery.

Wow, your camping trip would have freaked me out. I have arachnophobia.

My goal is to get back in the front seat of the motorhome ASAP! I'm just now able to drive a little (the Bentley needed attention). LOL

Mark156

tifighter

Sounds like guillain-barre? Anyhow, hope you are recovering quickly...my best to you.

mark156

Guillain-Barre starts at the feet and moves up, mine started at the neck and went down which is 'Cervical Transverse Myelitis'. Basically, it's the swelling of the spinal cord. Very scary.

Mark

roadburner

Glad you are-slowly-on the mend!
Welcome back!

corvette

Wow, that is scary. Glad you are feeling better. Hope you're able to travel soon!

boomchek

I think the Vehicross is cool too. Like a life sized hotwheels toy.

boomchek

I like the GS300s too, that would be another choice for me, but they seem to be hard to find.

boomchek

Get better soon Mark. Nothing scarier than not having control over your body and not knowing what's going on. Glad to hear you'll make a full recovery!! :shades:

boomchek

Sounds like a crazy night. My wife hates spiders or any bugs for that matter. I'm not too keen of them either. If it was us, we would not be sleeping that night. :surprise:

pp2009pp

Well the sand box used to be the BMW X3 forum but....I agree completely.

:shades:

I remember a friend buying his kid a brand new car for $7500 maybe five years ago. They were looking at used cars since he was taking this off to school with him and was probably going to treat it badly but they couldn't believe they could get a whole new car with warranty for that kind of money.

guss

while paging thru the Autoshopper. In the 7500 price range I would probably get a Mazda Protege5. A good value and reliability along with usefulness.

A front wheel drive Escape would also be a good buy. There were so many made a cheap one with under 100k miles should be easy to find.

I like boomer's Axiom idea, they were neat when they came out, the only problem I had with them was that they were gas pigs.

tifighter

P5 was at the top of my list, or at least near the top. Hard to find a lower-mile one, and REALLY hard to find one with the optional ABS or side-airbags. I drove a 02 5-spd for a few years...a great drive.

As for Andre's post, the midsize sedan at this price is a tough one. First thought was Mazda6, since Mazdas don't usually hold value like the Toy-Hon-ssan group, but after a quick look, these seem to be holding their value well and not really falling to under $7500. No luck on a Malibu Maxx, either. I found a Ford Five Hundred with 74k miles @7995, but would be leery of that CVT, We all know Andre isn't a Ford guy anyhow :P

(Also while looking, I saw a 08 Kia Rondo V6 for $9500 with 40k miles. That could be a sweet deal for someone looking for a practical used car.)

corvette

My first choice would probably be some decent, middle-of-the-road 4-cyl sedan...
I'll also confess that I like the 2001-2006 Stratus/Sebring sedans, but I don't like the 4-cyl they use in them...

For $7500, you can almost get a current-generation Avenger/Sebring. I'm not sure they're more desirable than the previous-gen, and probably have the same 4-cylinder that you don't like.

guss

Sedan would be an easy choice, Oldsmobile Intriques are an excellent value and while not a sport sedan it will carry five in comfort. The 3.5l is bulletproof and will still get 25mpg. Many were bought by little old ladies, so one with under 50k miles would only be around $5k.

tifighter

Good call. How about a Regal GS with the supercharged 3800? $5k all day long, sleeper, good mpg and decent reliability.

roadburner

The Olds and Buick are pleasant and reliable cars, but I simply despise FWD.

oregonboy

"Despise?" Strong words, but I kinda agree. FWD is certainly less desirable in a car with sporting pretentions. I haven't owned a front-driver for a couple of decades now. :shades:

tifighter

I simply despise FWD

So you despise your MS3?

british_rover

After reading the past few posts he wrote about it he certainly seems too.

roadburner

So you despise your MS3?

Yes; I thought that the MS3 would be an entertaining change from my usual Bavarian RWD iron. Wrong. Annoying and boring are the best adjectives I can use to describe the MS3 driving experience...

anonymousposts

2002 GS430 70k Silver/Black It has some factory L-Tuned suspension and exhaust pieces. Fairly clean except for a minor accident where the rear bumper was replaced. He is asking $15,500. It does have the Mark Levinson, the NAV, and heated seats.

corvette

Sounds nice. The 430 should have more pep than the 300 or 400. Much cheaper than a new Hyundai Genesis!

woodyww

I don't know what the price should be, but the low-ish miles, the Mark Levinson, the NAV, etc. would sure have me interested. I've read the Mark Levinson stereo is amazing; & I loved the Nakamichi systems on older lexus cars.

jayrider

Driving a murano sl awd -- lease will be up in less than 2 years. Already researching what I will lease next. [pathetic, I know] List is now : 2011 sienna and 2011 quest --- Subaru outback and tribeca --- 2011 explorer.Will add a few more I'm sure.
Awd is nice but I have a jeep liberty for really bad weather. First thing to compare from my standpoint is the leather seating. Nothing makes the final 2-3 if gluteus ain't happy. That includes thigh support. Then test drives/interior space and best lease deal. May put the odyssey in there too. Both my wife and I are retired. Like lots of room for golf clubs and ALL the luggage we take on trips. Two grandkids as well. Gotta be sitting up higher than a sedan for looking ahead. Mpg not huge factor -- don't drive that much and most of these can get 20-25 highway. My murano can give 28-29 at 60mph.
Decided I'm going the lease route for the next decade or so. Like a new ride every 3 years so leasing makes better sense than buying. When I get too old to care -- just buyout the last lease and keep it until I can't drive anymore.

jayrider

Forgot the mazda cx-9 --- really like that as well.

qbrozen

Round about $12k on a trade (tough to pinpoint as my book shows 3 different packages that could include the options you list [luxury, ulimate, or individual options]). So I'd have a tough time paying more than $13,500 on a private deal, personally.

stickguy

I was thinking 14K should be more than enough to take it home (heck, I would probably do it if it was right by me, and I have no need for it!)

This is a car that, to me, you go more with condition and records. Probably worth the exta $500-$1000 if it was obsessively dealer maintained, has fresh brakes and sneaks, etc.

someitmes you gotta pony up for nice.

gouldn

Those don't come up very often. I kick myself for not buying a 05 I was looking at. Did he seem flexible at all?

roadburner

My local Subaru dealer has a one owner 2007 WRX STi with just 37000 miles for $24000. It's Subaru CPO car which means it has a 6 year/100000 mile powertrain warranty. A bit of a boy racer, but it is very fast- and with AWD and winter tires it would be just about unstoppable.

corvette

Sounds a lot like what you have (4-door, turbo four, stick shift), just with AWD. Not knowing how the previous owner took care of it is a big deal to me on a turbocharged car.

tifighter

What's the insurance like on one of those? I know the Evo is outrageous...

anonymousposts

The guy told Gee yesterday he was a "little negotiable" on price with the current wheels on it (19" HRE) and more negotiable with the stock wheels. He wanted $15,400 with the 17" Lexus wheels back on it so we said we would keep it as it and pay $16,000. At $16,000 it was well above private party but the extra add-on with Lexus performance parts was worth it to us. He wouldn't knock even $200 off so we walked.

I also went to a local Dodge dealer with a 2000 GS400 Platinum Edition with 77k. Silver over gray. It was a nice enough car. One owner, low miles, etc. But after sitting in the 02 with black interior and woodgrain steering wheel the gray interior of the 2000 just didn't compare. We got them down to $11,000 OTD with all taxes (6%) and their doc fee but that interior killed the deal for me.

roadburner

What's the insurance like on one of those? I know the Evo is outrageous...

I haven't checked yet. I was already planning to compare insurance costs for the M3 and the STi; who knows? A couple of my friends have owned STis and they loved them but warned me that they are pretty loud and raw. That's one thing I like about the BMW ///M cars- they are still very civilized considering their performance capabilities.

kyfdx

Since I pay more for the insurance on a base Impreza than I do a BMW X3, I'll say that the WRX STi insurance will be 50% higher than an M3..

Just my guess....

guss

This is one I would take to a mechanic that knows Subaru's. I would be a fair amount of Sti's have been chipped and had some other modifications done to them.

The biggest downside to them is that huge wing on the back, reminds me of the Roadrunners of the 70's.

tifighter

I like the STI and Evo; I think they are among the fastest point A to point B cars there is. I'd love to have one. That said, I'd guess you'd tire of the lack of refinement and basic interior within a year, based on your love of the Motoren Werke...

woodyww

Sounds like a lot of money for a 2-3 yo STI, & high-ish miles. There's a nice (sounding) low miles '03 M3 in the Roundel this month for $23.5K.....I'd go look at it myself, except it's in MN......(???)

gouldn

I've never understood why Subuaru insurance rates are so high. I paid almost exactly the same rate for my 2001 Forester vs my 07 BMW X3 until I dropped collision on the Forester.. The Accord cpe 6 was also quite high. Cheapest car I've ever had fully insured was a 94 Thunderbird V8 for $400 per year full coverage.

akangl

The Pilot is the first car I've EVER had to buy a second set of winter tires for, usually long before the first set is close to being worn out I've got a new car and need different tires. Not this time, I did 2 winters and bought new tires. Summer tires are almost new, I don't seem to drive much. Its taken me over a year to put 12k on my Pilot.

tifighter

What winter tires did you get?

mark156

Well, I'm thinking of trading the 2006 Land Rover LR3 for a 2010 vehicle. A couple of SUV's have popped on the radar screen. The reason why I want to get rid of the LR3 is that is getting ready to go out of warranty (4 yrs). I have 30,500 miles on it currently.

I use this vehicle for traveling across the country (when not in the motorhome) and use it when I need a nice vehicle with passenger room. The 7 passenger capability sure has come in handy.

These are the two vehicles I like.
1) 2010 Land Rover LR3
2) 2010 Audi Q7 diesel

Both have third seats but the diesel option sure has caught my attention.

I haven't researched the reliability on the Q7 yet and I sure have had good luck with the Land Rover.

Mark156

fezo

He must be feeling better - he's shopping again!

Hey, Mark, I was away when you dropped your health bomb shell. Sorry to hear it and very pleased you are expected to recover completely.

akangl

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1, they were just a better version of what I had the past 2 winters, but very much improved.

mark156

Thanks fezo, I'm doing a lot better and I'm able to drive now.......YEAH!

I'm sure a new car will make me feel even better!

Mark156

stickguy

not counting my 2 -$2,000 specials (spare car for my son when he got his license), it has been a long time since I bought a car (not counting my "consulting" business). Mid-December, the Odyssey will turn 5, and the Accord will turn 4.

Man, am I ready for a new set of wheels. Not that I "need" one, since the van has 54K andthe Accord 48K. But, I am kind of tired of them both. Mostly "my" car, since I can go a week at a time without driving the van, and it does serve its purpose.

I'm back on the used plan though if I do get one. Just can't decide how used. And unless I switch back to a 90mile/day commute (from the current 0/day), it probably could be very used.

minor detail of the college tuition and lack of available funds (hmmm, maybe they are connected!)

I do keep my eyes out, and if the right not too old car comes along (still want to luck into a nice V70), I might just say what the heck, and hope to sell the Accord to pay for it.

tifighter

The new LR4 got a gushing review from Car and Top Gear. Of course, they're British and biased...

grandtotal

The new LR4 got a gushing review from Car and Top Gear. Of course, they're British and biased...

I don't understand your comment. Car and Top Gear are both British, but Land Rover isn't, it's Indian.

fezo

I'm sure a new car will make me feel even better!

Absolutely! You've only got half a dozen or so. No wonder you're feeling less than spectacular!

If it will help I'll let you buy me a car while you're at it! Don't need a Rolls - a simple BMW would do.

Just trying to help...

jayrider

There is nothing like a new ride to lift your spirits which drop like a stone 2 weeks later when you realize your life hasn't really improved at all. the process though was a nice distraction from dealing with all the real issues you have been avoiding. I speak from experience but have yet to learn that lesson. Still shopping and buying. :confuse:

guss

I tend to go with the trade in plus 10-20% rule for my budget on used cars. If the Accord is worth $10k on trade, then I would set my budget at $11k to $12k. When I was trading every year or two it would limit my depreciation expense.

I am at a 16 months with a company car and so far the urge to get something new has not been too strong .....thank goodness.