Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

I did find an aftermarket relay through frugalmechanic.com for $50. So, not atrocious, but a bit pricey for what is essentially 2 fuses linked together.

rayainsw

"...V-8 G8 though, I'll probably be in for a shock when I get the insurance bill"

I was interested to see that my insurance for my G8 GT is
approx. the same as the same coverage was on my Grand Prix
almost 3 years ago.....
- Ray
And only a ** LITTLE BIT ** less than my Corvette Coupe was....

tifighter

There you go, Andre. Ray has empowered you, now get to it :P

fezo

If I'm gonna mess around with a Charger R/T or V-8 G8 though, I'll probably be in for a shock when I get the insurance bill.

Not to mention when you hit the gas pump!

andre1969

The claims adjuster looked over the car a couple hours ago, and unfortunately, it's borderline. She said she needed to do some more checking around, and won't have a definite answer on whether it's a total until Monday. So now I get to sweat it out all weekend! :mad:

On a brighter note though, I played around with some loose wires and got the headlights working again. And I think I found the wires that are making the check engine light and the battery light come on. Unfortunately, that harness is ripped right at the connection, but I could probably just start splicing wires back together until I get those idiot lights to go out.

So if I really put my mind to it, I probably can salvage the thing. Hell, the sheetmetal on these modern cars is so thin I can almost just grab on it with my hands and pull it back into more or less the shape it's supposed to be! :P

Oh, as for fuel economy? I think the G8 and Charger R/T were rated around 17/25 before the EPA made the ratings so low any chimp in the zoo could achieve them. My Intrepid was rated at 20/29...so it wouldn't be a HUGE hit in the fuel economy bill.

fezo

Ah, so patch it with a little Reynolds wrap....

That mileage isn't bad. Go for one of them!

qbrozen

Emailed someone a month or 2 ago about their 4-door 5-spd E30 on craigslist. Supposedly it has had alot of work done to it, etc. Looks decent enough in the pics. Anyway, I wound up not going to look at it.

Just received a message from the seller that they've dropped their price. I could now get it for less than $1k. I am very very tempted to take a drive to see it. It is about 90 minutes from me.

It's odd, but, to be perfectly honest, what gives me pause is how the seller writes. For example, this is the message I received today:
Hey how are you doin?. Im emailing u about da 325 bmw I just wanted 2 let u know I lowered da price .$500-$1000
:sick:

stickguy

well, drive up and buy it for me. I'm good for the $500. Heck, be generous, and split the diff at $750.

Shouldn't be too hard to undo some of the atrocities 9wheels, speakers) this guy did to it. Even if the dumb thing didn't run, you should be able to repair and flip or even part out and come out ahead.

Or just gut it and make it a track rat.

stickguy

bring some armed friends if you are going up with cash in hand! Just in case..

jayrider

You are buying the car not the owner. Only wants $500 -- if it runs and you clean up the interior can't see there is much risk. May have a salvage title or other issues.

british_rover

I don't know anything about sound systems but it seems to me that all the stereo equipment is worth more then 500 bucks alone.

woodyww

Even if there's really nothing wrong, and I didn't get those idiot lights fixed, I'd only be able to drive it until the next emissions test, which is less than a year away.

When my bmw M6 was rear-ended, it needed $12K in body work. It was borderline whether to declare it a total, but I was convinced I had to keep it, & spent a stressful year getting it repaired. Then I sold it a year later anyway......

My neighbor, when she 1st saw my wrecked M6, told me about her wrecked Accord wagon, & how she decided to just sell it wrecked, saying "you'll never feel the same way about the car again".

Wish I had listened to her......

qbrozen

You are buying the car not the owner.

You are not completely correct. No, I'm not buying the owner, but I am buying the owner's commitment to quality and care.

Honestly, at that price, if its a good running E30, I probably wouldn't care if its a bad title. Unless that prevents me from registering it.

british_rover

As long as they have it registered in the same state as you then you shouldn't have any problem getting it registered again.

jayrider

I should have said you are buying the car--not the owners ability to communicate. Having said that the price seems awfully low. My son got 750 for a 96 chev lumina sedan that didn't run 2 years ago.

qbrozen

bring some armed friends if you are going up with cash in hand! Just in case..

As much as I hate to admit it, I think you make a good point. I don't know if I want to go up there with my pregnant wife and 3-year-old in tow with a pocket full of cash. (For those unfamiliar, Jersey City has some less-than-picturesque areas.)

fezo

I was thinking that same thing. My guess is the guy with eth $500 BMW doesn't live in the gentrified section.

jayrider

Also, at that price, there would be no reason to advertise. A 4 sale sign in the window. Wouldn't last a couple of hours drive around town. Something ain't right. :confuse:

kyfdx

He didn't say anything about being a prince from Nigeria, did he?

tifighter

Meh, seems like a lot of work just to lure a guy over to grab his $500. I'd guess you'll be fine

jayrider

$500 + the car he drove + the Rolex + the satisfaction of delivering a first class beating. All before lunch.

kyfdx

I'm staying out of Jersey.. :surprise:

qbrozen has a Rolex?

jayrider

His posts sound like he's a rolex type of guy. :shades:

fezo

Probably one of those watches that say rolidex but at 5 minutes after 11 it looks like rolex...

An old girlfriend used to run into guys selling knockoffs the one that was supposed to be Omega was Somiqua and let's not forget the lovely Bolivia watch....

qbrozen

You folks crack me up.

I'm not a Rolex guy. I do have a knock-off (or possibly stolen) Movado, though.

Ok, so I emailed the seller again. This is a $2k price drop since I last asked about the car. I inquired if anyone has even come to look at it, what the title and carfax look like, and if something bad turned up about the car since she/he first listed it. The answer was "nothing is wrong with the car, I just want it gone and want to buy another car I've made a deal on."

I've now made yet another request for more pics and I've asked for the VIN, too.

Speaking of Rolexs, something very very expensive caught my eye in the autoshopper today. It seems like a nice car for the money, though. A '98 GS300 with 75k miles and Nakamichi stereo for $7800. It would be quite the step up from my '91 160k mile 190E. :P

qbrozen

You guys all take Sunday off or what? :P

So I received about a dozen more pics of that E30. I'm not bothering. It is a mess. Filthy interior, dirty ashtray with a pack of smokes in the center console, needs a paint job and some rust and dent repair. Looks to have been VERY poorly cared for. (hey, what was that I was saying about buying the person's care/maintenance habits?... )

jayrider

So it's unlikely to have a complete service history with receipts ? All things considered, I'm somewhat surprised.

fezo

I do not believe I am asking this question..... where's the GS300?

qbrozen

ah. sorry, fez. I'll have to try to remember to check for you tonight. Its in the autoshopper I have at home ... which should be the Northern Ocean 11/19 edition. It is a private seller. I remember that much. You could also search the autoshopperonline.com.

grandtotal

...what was that I was saying about buying the person's care/maintenance habits?

That's important. The last used car I bought, I was looking to buy from someone like me. In the end I found the seller/car I was looking for - ten year old car, one owner, 4 matching tires, all maintenance performed, all receipts. The type of car was (almost) immaterial.

boomchek

He's obviously in no rush to sell it, or he doesn't think that the small details are costing him potential buyers.

A 30 minute tidying and cleaning would earn him an extra $500 and a buyer probably. :lemon:

andre1969

today I'll find out whether my Intrepid is a total or not. I still have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I kinda hope it just gets fixed, as I still like the car, and it's been good to me. But on the other, it's a 10 year old car with 150,000 miles, and it's going to need a few things soon. I like to service the transaxle every 30,000, and haven't done that yet. It's also about time for a new serpentine belt. My mechanic replaced the secondary a/c belt when the compressor blew earlier this year, but the main belt has gone around 64,000 miles. The owner's manual calls for 60K intervals, but I stretched it the first time, to 86K. And, if the past is any indication, it's probably due for new rear brake pads anytime now, and new front pads around 160K. But then, any used car I buy might need some servicing done on it, too.

That 2002 Park Ave I had been eyeing at www.fitzmall.com isn't on their website anymore, so I guess it sold. I really have no idea what I want to get, if the Intrepid ends up being a total. I really don't have to rush into anything, as I have my '85 Silverado and '79 5th Ave to fall back on. And, when it feels like running, my other '79 NYer. And on nice days, my '76 LeMans or '67 Catalina. Probably not too many nice days though, with winter approaching.

The local Cadillac dealer has a couple of 2009 G8 GT's, with arount 10-13K miles, for around $28,000. Here's the link for one of them...unfortunately no pictures. They also have an '06 Lucerne CX with 32K miles for around $16K.

Maybe I'll just wait until Spring Carlisle, and see if I can find a nice Caprice or Roadhazzard or something else that catches my eye.

qbrozen

I am amazed at how many people seem to be that way, though. Once they decide they are done with a car, that's it. They don't want to be bothered.

I, on the other hand, HATE selling a car with needs. I want to sell my pickup at the moment, but I won't just put it out front. I want to replace the lifters, replace the brakes, and detail it first.

boomchek

I like those Park Avenues. I liked their well proportioned Buick looks, and you can get them cheap nowadays. I bet you most of the ones on the market will be low mileage ex-senior vehicles.

boomchek

I'm like that too. I'd like to clean and details it and make it presentable in showroom condition (if possible). I never had problems selleing my cars beofre as they were all clean and showed well. I don't like to leave money on the table if I don't have to.

andre1969

I liked their well proportioned Buick looks, and you can get them cheap nowadays. I bet you most of the ones on the market will be low mileage ex-senior vehicles.

Well the one I had found was a 2002 with 71,000 miles and an internet price of around $8000. Looked nice. I wonder if they'd negotiate much off that price? Even if not, it didn't sound TOO hideous.

Right now, their website is showing 3 other Park Aves, but they're not doing it for me. One of them is a supercharged 1998 with 88,000 miles for around $6500. Then there's a 1996 with 109,000 for $3788 and a pretty green 1999 for only $1888, but it has 195,000 miles on it. FWIW, the website I'm pulling this off of is www.fitzmall.com. They also have that green 2000 Intrepid ES with 78,000 miles that I'd been eyeing...although I'm not sure if I want to go with another Intrepid.

fezo

Found it! Morganville.

If that were maybe a year from now I'd be all set.... I keep saying that but the old Accord keeps rolling...

Actually the van, our newest vehicle, is the oen that needs work!

nippononly

C'mon andre, get the '09 G8, do it for all of us! :-D

qbrozen

Money is part of it, but also pride. I just can't take myself seriously as a "car guy" and not keep my cars in reasonable shape.

andre1969

I just got a phone call from the insurance company about my Intrepid. It's a total. They're offering me $2,000 for it. It would've been higher, but I got dinged for "prior damage" from when it took a slight hit on the passenger side and put a gentle crease in both door, right about at the B-pillar. Salvage value is $300. And if I want to hold onto it and fix it, turns out nowadays the state of Maryland makes you go through all sorts of hoops and crap, and I have to get it fixed and inspected within 90 days. And then you still get issued a salvage title, so the car's still basically worthless.

So, it looks like the hunt for a replacement is now officially on.

fintail

Aww, that's too bad. I think they do the same thing here...if you re-register a totaled car, you have you go through a mile of red tape. But, they don't do any inspections for normal heaps. Makes sense :sick:

You should offer something like $3500 or less for that loaded Intrepid if it checks out (and then buy back the old one as a parts car :shades: ), or start shopping for something more unusual like a G8.

guss

Here's a hint , Gee...I just ate.

Andre, you are living my dream. A nice car accident where no one gets hurt, and not your fault. It's shopping time, and the Pontiac is screaming your name.

michaellno

Andre - sorry to hear about the 'Trep. It was a faithful and reliable companion for all these years. I seem to remember the post when you bought it!

Regarding a replacement, I guess it's a matter of what you need it for ... reliable transportation to/from work? Longer road trips?

From what I can gather, you've got most of your wants covered by the GP, the Catalina and the De Soto. So, it then comes down to how much of a payment are you willing to take on?

G8?
Altima?
New? Used?
Sedan? Coupe? SUV?

At least you'll have fun during the search, then, like q, get tired of the whole thing and just buy something to be done.

Good luck, my friend.

woodyww

Trying to look at the bright side: It's lucky you still had collision coverage on an Intrepid with 150K--a lot of people would've dropped collision & comp. by now. And $2,000 does add a fair amount to your car buying funds. Good luck with the new hunt.....

jayrider

If you liked your trep expand your search for a chrysler concorde as well. Sold my 02 limited with 72k miles--beautiful condition - records- newish tires -- loaded with leather roof $4500 to a dealer because no one wanted chrysler products. Ran like new with a year of warranty left. They are out there -- just have to look a bit.

andre1969

Hmmm, too bad I didn't total my Intrepid earlier, that '02 Concorde of yours sounds like it was a nice car!

I did find this nice green 2000 Intrepid ES for sale, and am kinda tempted to go look at it. But I also have to admit, that this G8 GT has me a bit hot and bothered.

michaellno

Andre - if all you need to do is get reliable transportation, then the '00 green 'Trep would fill the bill nicely. You know what you're getting, since you've already owned one.

However, if you want to have some fun, then the G8 would be the way to go. Nothin' like a big honkin' V8 to annoy the neighbors with! But, on the flip side, you'll have a car payment and, likely, a higher insurance premium.

Drive both and let us know your thoughts. Can't hurt to look. And, you might be able to get some $$$ off that G8 - you never know.

corvette

I like the color of that G8... Big price difference between that and an older Intrepid, though. Big difference in being fun to drive, too.

andre1969

I think I might've found something that's right up my alley. Local dealer not even two miles away has a 1991 Caprice listed on his website. No pictures, and not much description other than being black, 74K miles, V-8 (most likely a 305...I think you could only get the 350 in copcars that year), power windows/locks/seat, ABS, asking $3995.

That might actually warrant a look-see. Only downside is that it's that fat "rolling suppository" style with the skirted rear wheels. But still has many of the characteristics I like in a car...simple, lo-tech, obsolete, body-on-frame, RWD, V-8, big and roomy.

fezo

Oh, this is going to be big fun watching you go through this. Almost worth hitting the Intrepid for....