Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

@stickguy,
Almost $1300 a month in taxes. I thought you trying to get away from that?

They are listed at $6500/year so about $550/mo. Sadly that is around 1/2 of what I pay now, so if I can move someplace where I am only paying that, will think I am in heaven!

I suspect though that if they house gets reappraised those taxes will jump,

kyfdx

ronsteve said:

fintail said:

WA maybe does it right - plates stay with car for life (unless you get a special plate). No dealing with returning anything.

Plates stay with the car in Kentucky as well. Whenever I traded anything in before the plate transferred to the new vehicle. And until I got to Kansas where we paid actual property tax on our vehicles, plates didn't have to be turned in. So my collection of plates includes IN, IL, MO, but not KS or NC or the vehicles traded in KY.

We sell out of state, a lot. Also, where we turn in our leases. So, we always grab the plates. Turning them in to the county clerk makes sure you don't get hit for property tax, the next year.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I recall at the time reading about the V6 RAVs being a bit of a "hot rod", but also having squirrely (almost dangerous) driving characteristics (I forget exactly what, but weird steering control maybe?). You know it is bad when the car magazines will call them out for it.

I don't think they sold very many either, since burning rubber was pretty low on the wish list for most RAV buyers.

We test drove a V-6 RAV4 in 2011, before we ended up with the Infiniti. Even with leather, the interior was Corolla cheap. And, the headliner was basically fuzzy cardboard.

Stupid quick, but my wife said no way..

tjc78

As much as I just bashed Toyota... the 3.5 2GR V6 is one heck of an engine. Introduced in 2005 I think it’s still up there in terms of refinement.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
I looked at the estimated payment section which has a line for taxes.

Speaking of the Rav4 Prime, I watched a video of the 'Moose Avoidance' test.
It did not have good results.

Michaell

Perusing cars.com the other day, I found a local Infiniti dealer that has this in stock.

I'm sure it's overpriced for being 9 years old, but it looks like something I could buy and keep for 10 years and still not have that many miles on it.

[Deleted User]

Michaell said:

Perusing cars.com the other day, I found a local Infiniti dealer that has this in stock.

I'm sure it's overpriced for being 9 years old, but it looks like something I could buy and keep for 10 years and still not have that many miles on it.

I like the blue, looks nice, I imagine the mileage is part of the pricing.

qbrozen

nice car, and would definitely last a long time, but, yes, overpriced. There was one at auction just a couple of weeks ago with 37k miles that sold for under $15k. I think $19k for this one would be the absolute end of the world. $17.5k would make more sense to me, personally.

28firefighter

Really nice car and color combo. My BIL has an 04 G35 Coupe with 139k miles - he is the second owner and bought it CPO. He'll never sell it.

roadburner

corvette said:

Anyone else notice that Toyota is making its lineup slower in the quest for hybridization?

2020 Toyota Sienna (3.5 liter V6)
296 HP
0-60 6.9 seconds

2021 Toyota Sienna (4 cyl. hybrid)
243 HP
0-60 7.9 seconds

2014 Toyota Venza (3.5 liter V6)
268 HP
0-60 6.7 seconds

2021 Toyota Venza (4 cyl. hybrid)
219 HP
0-60 7.6 seconds

This is progress?

V6 vehicles nearly a second slower than the 2.0 liter 4 in the X1- and only a tick quicker than my 1.6 liter Clubman?
I'll gladly pass...

28firefighter

Didn't know you were the target audience for a Sienna, @roadburner...

stickguy

not a bad looking Infiniti. love the color combo.

roadburner

28firefighter said:

Didn't know you were the target audience for a Sienna, @roadburner...

Well, there are two Toyotas I'd consider- the upcoming 86 and the Supra.

fintail

Yep, if you are patient, you can do almost anything. I remember a long while back. a MB salesman telling me about an older guy who ordered a CLK63 cabrio and decided against almost all options, apparently the residual hit was much costlier than the price of the extras.

stickguy said:

can you order to spec? Or does MB not allow that?

fintail

I probably bemoan the sycophant copycat design world more than most, but it might not be a new thing. From fins to plump brougham-ification to straight lines and right angles, to jellybeans, the pseudo-aggressive faces and overstyling of so many modern cars is just another chapter in the book of "borrowing".

cdnpinhead said:

I think you can Toyota for that, along with the lemming situation regarding styling these days.

fintail

I'd ditch the carpets, but leave a lot of the other finishes. I like the staircase with the little mural. No central HVAC? Even where I am, on that plot of land, in even a semi-decent area, it would be a bit more.

stickguy said:

clicked on this place (for the garage space and lot!) and man, talk about a time capsule to the late 60's. At least the preserved it like a museum. I can imagine the looks my wife would give me if I took her for a tour of this place. Could do a lot with the space I'm sure, but it is going to suck down a huge amount of money to do it.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/25-Valleyview-Dr_Albany_NY_12208_M32983-69301

Probably not too far from the farmer.

au1994

fintail said:

I'd ditch the carpets, but leave a lot of the other finishes. I like the staircase with the little mural. No central HVAC? Even where I am, on that plot of land, in even a semi-decent area, it would be a bit more.

stickguy said:

clicked on this place (for the garage space and lot!) and man, talk about a time capsule to the late 60's. At least the preserved it like a museum. I can imagine the looks my wife would give me if I took her for a tour of this place. Could do a lot with the space I'm sure, but it is going to suck down a huge amount of money to do it.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/25-Valleyview-Dr_Albany_NY_12208_M32983-69301

Probably not too far from the farmer.

Great bones and a good chunk of land. And yes, it had me at 4 car garage. But...$150k minimum to bring it into the current times. That might even be light.

stickguy

Nice area, all that land. Would be a good deal if you were all done for less than $500,000.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

Oh, wait, wait .... THIS is awesome! Love the color.
https://www.japaneseclassics.com/vehicle/1990-nissan-safari-panel-truck/

It’s a shame Nissan can’t do that kind of quality today.

Nissan is very pleased to be able to offer you this in 2021:

That’s an Altima, right? I actually like those. Pretty good ride. What I don’t like is the reputation Nissans are getting for build quality.

Nissan ads are claiming the Sentra is superior to the BMW 3 series which gives me a laugh every time I see them. I drove a 330i yesterday and other than being a bit easier to get into the Sentra doesn’t exactly compare.

stickguy

That’s the versa. Seems that Nissan is going all Audi. 3 sizes, all look the same.

ab348

I thought it was a Sentra.

stickguy

I did too. Until I read the license plate and badge! I’m guessing they are making the Sentra a little bigger and nicer, with the versa taking over the cheapskate model.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

clicked on this place (for the garage space and lot!) and man, talk about a time capsule to the late 60's. At least the preserved it like a museum. I can imagine the looks my wife would give me if I took her for a tour of this place. Could do a lot with the space I'm sure, but it is going to suck down a huge amount of money to do it.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/25-Valleyview-Dr_Albany_NY_12208_M32983-69301

Probably not too far from the farmer.

Slingerlands is a nice area and who can argue with a 4 car garage? The neighborhood is secluded with lots of rolling hills and ravines. Just be careful if the property borders the Normanskill creek as the ground is unstable and prone to slides. About a mile from that house a whole car wash ended up in the creek.

Here’s a geology tutorial that has some good drone footage of the golf course that borders that house’s property.

https://youtu.be/Eq44DWwz2wM

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

explorerx4 said:

@stickguy,
Almost $1300 a month in taxes. I thought you trying to get away from that?

They are listed at $6500/year so about $550/mo. Sadly that is around 1/2 of what I pay now, so if I can move someplace where I am only paying that, will think I am in heaven!

I suspect though that if they house gets reappraised those taxes will jump,

Oh yes indeedy. Your taxes will be based on the current sales price. I bought my 7+ acres as a subdivision of a larger 120 acre farm. The taxes on my vacant parcel were more than the seller’s 120 acres and house combined.

Welcome to NY. They make up for it by salting the roads until your teeth rust.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

nice car, and would definitely last a long time, but, yes, overpriced. There was one at auction just a couple of weeks ago with 37k miles that sold for under $15k. I think $19k for this one would be the absolute end of the world. $17.5k would make more sense to me, personally.

I’d probably get laughed out of the dealership if I offered $17,500

Michaell

28firefighter said:

Really nice car and color combo. My BIL has an 04 G35 Coupe with 139k miles - he is the second owner and bought it CPO. He'll never sell it.

My BIL also had a G35 coupe - he drove it until the motor siezed up on him with something north of 140,000 miles. Replaced it with a leased Q50.

au1994

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:

nice car, and would definitely last a long time, but, yes, overpriced. There was one at auction just a couple of weeks ago with 37k miles that sold for under $15k. I think $19k for this one would be the absolute end of the world. $17.5k would make more sense to me, personally.

I’d probably get laughed out of the dealership if I offered $17,500

One way to find out

Michaell

au1994 said:

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:

nice car, and would definitely last a long time, but, yes, overpriced. There was one at auction just a couple of weeks ago with 37k miles that sold for under $15k. I think $19k for this one would be the absolute end of the world. $17.5k would make more sense to me, personally.

I’d probably get laughed out of the dealership if I offered $17,500

One way to find out

Yeah, but I'm not so much worried about getting rejected, but having to explain to the wife what happened if the offer is accepted!

stickguy

Different story. But years ago I was playing with EBay motors and put in a lowball bid on a Volvo in Florida. Then 3 days later, minutes left in the auction, I was still winning and dodging emails from the seller. Someone swooped in late and bid to get me off the hook. Though as I recall, it was a good deal. Just sight unseen 1,200 miles away. Didn’t really want to explain that to the boss.

Point is, don’t make an offer if you don’t want them to accept it.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

explorerx4 said:

@stickguy,
Almost $1300 a month in taxes. I thought you trying to get away from that?

They are listed at $6500/year so about $550/mo. Sadly that is around 1/2 of what I pay now, so if I can move someplace where I am only paying that, will think I am in heaven!

I suspect though that if they house gets reappraised those taxes will jump,

Oh yes indeedy. Your taxes will be based on the current sales price. I bought my 7+ acres as a subdivision of a larger 120 acre farm. The taxes on my vacant parcel were more than the seller’s 120 acres and house combined.

Welcome to NY. They make up for it by salting the roads until your teeth rust.

If I do get sucked back into NY it pretty much needs to be Saratoga county. But even those people are going to get a tax surprise next year without all the track revenue.

mjfloyd1

M2 CS named EVO car of the year

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1780647

stickguy

Interesting video. I’ll make sure not to buy a house on the side of a hill!

au1994

stickguy said:

Different story. But years ago I was playing with EBay motors and put in a lowball bid on a Volvo in Florida. Then 3 days later, minutes left in the auction, I was still winning and dodging emails from the seller. Someone swooped in late and bid to get me off the hook. Though as I recall, it was a good deal. Just sight unseen 1,200 miles away. Didn’t really want to explain that to the boss.

Point is, don’t make an offer if you don’t want them to accept it.

I ended up with an 01 Accord SE that way. Tossed out a lowball lease number and it was accepted. It was fine. The lease on the Explorer was up. Almost. I think we had 3 cars for 2 months. But it was a smokin deal on the Accord.

au1994

stickguy said:

Different story. But years ago I was playing with EBay motors and put in a lowball bid on a Volvo in Florida. Then 3 days later, minutes left in the auction, I was still winning and dodging emails from the seller. Someone swooped in late and bid to get me off the hook. Though as I recall, it was a good deal. Just sight unseen 1,200 miles away. Didn’t really want to explain that to the boss.

Point is, don’t make an offer if you don’t want them to accept it.

I ended up with an 01 Accord SE that way. Tossed out a lowball lease number and it was accepted. It was fine. The lease on the Explorer was up. Almost.

fintail

A young woman relative of mine recently got a new car, a 2020 Altima. Fairly basic spec, but to her it feels like a new Rolls-Royce compared to her well-used old HHR, and it is her first new car. She's thrilled with it, and I am happy for her. I think she went for the "largest car for the money" strategy, as she told me she was amazed at the deal.

I've seen Altimas loaded up to well over 35K, which seems silly - but I bet you can get them well under MSRP. The CVT might worry me, if I was going to have it for a long time.

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s an Altima, right? I actually like those. Pretty good ride. What I don’t like is the reputation Nissans are getting for build quality.

Nissan ads are claiming the Sentra is superior to the BMW 3 series which gives me a laugh every time I see them. I drove a 330i yesterday and other than being a bit easier to get into the Sentra doesn’t exactly compare.

greg128

stickguy said:

corvette said:

Anyone else notice that Toyota is making its lineup slower in the quest for hybridization?

2020 Toyota Sienna (3.5 liter V6)
296 HP
0-60 6.9 seconds

2021 Toyota Sienna (4 cyl. hybrid)
243 HP
0-60 7.9 seconds

2014 Toyota Venza (3.5 liter V6)
268 HP
0-60 6.7 seconds

2021 Toyota Venza (4 cyl. hybrid)
219 HP
0-60 7.6 seconds

This is progress?

I will give up 1 second in those ranges to double the gas mileage. I won't notice the second, but I definitely will notice the $.

I estimated the savings between the 2 power trains with gas of $2 per gallon to be about $15 per month going 5000 miles a year or $30 per month going !0,000 miles. That is probably 1/10th the depreciation value of a new car and 1/5th the insurance cost per month. I would gladly pay the premium for the punchier engine. I know my wife's Lacrosse is a sweet ride with plenty of power and only requires about $10 a week in gas .Of course with Covid not many miles are being put on it but even with double the miles it would only be using $20 which compared to our overall expenses is insignificant .

xwesx

stickguy said:

clicked on this place (for the garage space and lot!) and man, talk about a time capsule to the late 60's. At least the preserved it like a museum. I can imagine the looks my wife would give me if I took her for a tour of this place. Could do a lot with the space I'm sure, but it is going to suck down a huge amount of money to do it.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/25-Valleyview-Dr_Albany_NY_12208_M32983-69301

Probably not too far from the farmer.

Wow; such a time capsule. I like it, for the most part.

ab348

Automotive News reporting that Ford has had to delay the launch of the Bronco until midsummer due to supplier issues they are attributing to COVID. Another launch stumble for that company. This one must be making a lot of people there very nervous.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

Just sight unseen 1,200 miles away.

What are you trying to say? ;b

corvette

ab348 said:

Automotive News reporting that Ford has had to delay the launch of the Bronco until midsummer due to supplier issues they are attributing to COVID. Another launch stumble for that company. This one must be making a lot of people there very nervous.

Hopefully, it won't have the teething issues of the Explorer.

Michaell

corvette said:

ab348 said:

Automotive News reporting that Ford has had to delay the launch of the Bronco until midsummer due to supplier issues they are attributing to COVID. Another launch stumble for that company. This one must be making a lot of people there very nervous.

Hopefully, it won't have the teething issues of the Explorer.

At the moment, I'm not optimistic. Gonna be an angry bunch of off-road bros if there are issues.

explorerx4

Chicago assembly has just about always had issues.
I will say though, that my Son in Law's 2017 Explorer seems to be well built.
Bronco variants won't be built there.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

A young woman relative of mine recently got a new car, a 2020 Altima. Fairly basic spec, but to her it feels like a new Rolls-Royce compared to her well-used old HHR, and it is her first new car. She's thrilled with it, and I am happy for her. I think she went for the "largest car for the money" strategy, as she told me she was amazed at the deal.

I've seen Altimas loaded up to well over 35K, which seems silly - but I bet you can get them well under MSRP. The CVT might worry me, if I was going to have it for a long time.

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s an Altima, right? I actually like those. Pretty good ride. What I don’t like is the reputation Nissans are getting for build quality.

Nissan ads are claiming the Sentra is superior to the BMW 3 series which gives me a laugh every time I see them. I drove a 330i yesterday and other than being a bit easier to get into the Sentra doesn’t exactly compare.

After spending an hour in the woods waiting for help in an Altima with a blown CVT at 35k miles, I’d be reluctant to buy one myself.

I can’t imagine they have a depreciation curve that makes for good lease either.

sda

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

A young woman relative of mine recently got a new car, a 2020 Altima. Fairly basic spec, but to her it feels like a new Rolls-Royce compared to her well-used old HHR, and it is her first new car. She's thrilled with it, and I am happy for her. I think she went for the "largest car for the money" strategy, as she told me she was amazed at the deal.

I've seen Altimas loaded up to well over 35K, which seems silly - but I bet you can get them well under MSRP. The CVT might worry me, if I was going to have it for a long time.

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s an Altima, right? I actually like those. Pretty good ride. What I don’t like is the reputation Nissans are getting for build quality.

Nissan ads are claiming the Sentra is superior to the BMW 3 series which gives me a laugh every time I see them. I drove a 330i yesterday and other than being a bit easier to get into the Sentra doesn’t exactly compare.

After spending an hour in the woods waiting for help in an Altima with a blown CVT at 35k miles, I’d be reluctant to buy one myself.

I can’t imagine they have a depreciation curve that makes for good lease either.

Do we dare ask what you were doing there? Careful with your reply..

corvette

sda said:

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

A young woman relative of mine recently got a new car, a 2020 Altima. Fairly basic spec, but to her it feels like a new Rolls-Royce compared to her well-used old HHR, and it is her first new car. She's thrilled with it, and I am happy for her. I think she went for the "largest car for the money" strategy, as she told me she was amazed at the deal.

I've seen Altimas loaded up to well over 35K, which seems silly - but I bet you can get them well under MSRP. The CVT might worry me, if I was going to have it for a long time.

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s an Altima, right? I actually like those. Pretty good ride. What I don’t like is the reputation Nissans are getting for build quality.

Nissan ads are claiming the Sentra is superior to the BMW 3 series which gives me a laugh every time I see them. I drove a 330i yesterday and other than being a bit easier to get into the Sentra doesn’t exactly compare.

After spending an hour in the woods waiting for help in an Altima with a blown CVT at 35k miles, I’d be reluctant to buy one myself.

I can’t imagine they have a depreciation curve that makes for good lease either.

Do we dare ask what you were doing there? Careful with your reply..

Maybe his plumbing was broken and he was doing the same thing bears do there?

qbrozen

Offroading in an Altima is a time I’d have to blame user error.

cdnpinhead

Michaell said:

At the moment, I'm not optimistic. Gonna be an angry bunch of off-road bros if there are issues.

Well, having: 1) taken a '04 Pathfinder over several serious 4WD trails in AZ and CO & 2) noting that nearly all of the shiny well-polished SUVs where I live have never been off the pavement, the term poseur comes to mind. The "off-road bros" are a distinct minority, but that's the deal, isn't it -- all show and no go.

This harkens back to the "I Hade SUVs, Why Don't You?" or some such on here that was a place where these sorts of discussions went on and on . . . and on . . . and on.

I'm a big fan of people buying (oh wait, leasing, mostly) vehicles to use them for their intended purpose.

Imagine.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

A young woman relative of mine recently got a new car, a 2020 Altima. Fairly basic spec, but to her it feels like a new Rolls-Royce compared to her well-used old HHR, and it is her first new car. She's thrilled with it, and I am happy for her. I think she went for the "largest car for the money" strategy, as she told me she was amazed at the deal.

I've seen Altimas loaded up to well over 35K, which seems silly - but I bet you can get them well under MSRP. The CVT might worry me, if I was going to have it for a long time.

oldfarmer50 said:

That’s an Altima, right? I actually like those. Pretty good ride. What I don’t like is the reputation Nissans are getting for build quality.

Nissan ads are claiming the Sentra is superior to the BMW 3 series which gives me a laugh every time I see them. I drove a 330i yesterday and other than being a bit easier to get into the Sentra doesn’t exactly compare.

After spending an hour in the woods waiting for help in an Altima with a blown CVT at 35k miles, I’d be reluctant to buy one myself.

I can’t imagine they have a depreciation curve that makes for good lease either.

Do we dare ask what you were doing there? Careful with your reply..

Driving a company car back from a rural office to our home base. We sometimes see some beautiful scenery but these are not places to break down since there are dead cell service areas.

We range from Burlington VT to Harrisburg PA and from Stratford CT to Buffalo. Lot of woods.

stickguy

that's a problem though. you can't really take your leased truck into the back country unless you want one heck of a large penalty when you turn it back in.

Sandman6472

OF, we usually go from Vero Beach south to Key West and as far west as Okeechobee City which is on the big lake. But a few weeks ago, we did go up to Sebastian to pick up a few vehicles. Yesterday, we went up to West Palm to pick up some sold vehicles. Then we had to drive them to South Miami near Coral Gables. Then it was back up to West Palm and then down to Boca Raton. Clocked in at our home base in Coconut Creek at 7:45 and finished the day at 5:30. Was a bit tired but wasn't a bad drive actually. Drove a Nissan Rogue down to Miami and it drove surprisingly well, think it had the second generation CVT tranny which shift without issue. Later, got to take a VW Atlas to Boca and really enjoyed it. A bit too large for my tastes, but the seats were comfortable and it drove nicely. I usually test out the back seats in anything I haven't driven before just to see how folks would fit. Was a bit thirsty to but it might have had a 6 cylinder under the hood. But it looked great with a dark gray over black set-up and a luggage rack up top. VW did a good job on these!