Haven't heard that one about the taxes in a long time. Could have a grain of truth in it in some states. As near as I can tell, only 15 states impose a tax on inventories, and Florida isn't one of them. Cars could be different though. And if there is a vehicle inventory tax, it's probably collected quarterly or monthly, not once for the whole year. link
I think we are all getting weak around here. Andre is still thinking, Stick is a little hesitant on this wagon. And this weekend, my wife agreed to look at car at a local dealer, and I put it off and didn't end up going at all.
Well, if it's any consolation, I maxed out my HELOC over the weekend, moving some money so I'll have a decent down payment. So, that's my way of at least forcing myself to move ahead on a new(er) car. And, don't worry, the limit on my HELOC isn't all that high, so "maxed out" isn't going to put me over the edge! Plus, right now my rate is only 3.5%!
As for the Intrepid, they were supposed to pick it up today, but it's still sitting in my driveway. I cleaned it out last night, and pulled the tags off of it this morning. I gotta admit, it does kinda hurt...I feel like I'm shooting Old Yeller before I know for a fact that he has the rabies! I think I'll feel better once the car is out of the driveway and out of my hair, and I don't have to be reminded of it every time I see it.
And yeah, things have been a bit hectic here. Weather was pretty nasty on Saturday. We ended up with about 3" of snow before it turned to rain and packed everything down, and turned icy. Sunday was nice but cold, so I didn't feel like going anywhere. But going out partying and not making it back home until around 3am didn't help things! It's nice to not be the designated driver for a change, though.
I'm probably not going to seriously start looking seriously until after Christmas. And then, I'm really not sure what I want. Biggest problem, I guess, is that if I boil it down to pure needs, I don't really need much. On the most basic level, a used current-gen Civic or Sentra would probably do it. But as little as I drive, I really don't NEED to be concerned with fuel economy, although I'd like to do as good as the Intrepid or better. And while I said earlier that I'd like to keep it around $6-7K down and no more than $400 per month, I could do more if I wanted.
One way I was able to justify the Intrepid when I bought it, is that if I did enough creative financing, the car was essentially free. I had just refinanced the mortage on my old condo, which saved me about $200-230 per month. Also, back then I delivered pizzas part time, but worked enough hours that I could easily pull 35K miles per year or more. At that time I was driving an '89 Gran Fury ex-copcar that guzzled like there was no tomorrow and had a preference for hi-test, and I figured the Trep would save me about $125-150 just in fuel costs. So, between that and what I saved refiancing the condo, I figured my monthly outlay was about the same, so the Trep was almost like a free car! Another way of looking at it was that I'd usually make that car's monthly payment in one week of delivering pizzas. But I still had 3 weeks of every month on top of that, plus a real job to throw into the mix, so in the overall scheme of things, that $347.66/mo I paid for the Trep didn't seem like much.
But, now that the Trep got paid off five years ago, and I haven't slung a pizza since October 2001, and I don't drive near as much as I used to, there's no way to mentally juggle the numbers. Any car I buy now is going to increase my monthly outlay. I think once I actually take the plunge into something though, and start budgeting for it, I'll be more comfortable.
you've got a pass until after Christmas ... which, I've heard, may be a great time to buy.
This year especially, with all the fabulous deals and incentives there are out there right now.
andre, think of it this way, all the older cars in your fleet are like collectibles - they are fun to drive once in a while and to keep shined up the rest of the time, but none of them would survive long as your daily driver, and who wants to make an '85 Silverado their daily driver?
Nope, you my friend need to go out there and get something new to keep the miles off the older models, and if you aren't sure what you want then there's probably little to no reason to stray far from what you had before, a medium-power midsize-to-large sedan. On which there are at least a half dozen amazing deals in the market right now, through 1/4/2010. ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Andre, you don't have an SUV... so, have you thought about adding one to the list?
The Ford Escapes are nice looking. I have the Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, that is excellent in the snow and is great on mileage (19 city, 30 hwy).
Mark
PS. Michaell, I think I did OK on the trade-in. The dealer only had one LR4 on the lot with one arriving on a big semi as I was driving up. It was exactly like the one that I bought. Thank goodness I liked/wanted Black because thats all they had. We agreed on a price in less than 5 minutes. They had good interest rates (1.9 for 36 and 3.9 for 48, I think). I'm a cash buyer so it didn't 'interest' me. :P
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
The Ford Escapes are nice looking. I have the Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, that is excellent in the snow and is great on mileage (19 city, 30 hwy).
I'm not really the SUV type, but if I was in the market for a new one, the Escape or CR-V would probably be tops on my list. The Escape seems roomy enough inside, and the CR-V has grown enough that it's really not a tiny "cute-ute" anymore.
My roommate has an '06 Xterra, and it's not a bad ride, although it's a bit of a guzzler. I think he's averaged 17-18 mpg in mixed driving, and the best I've ever seen it do is maybe 21 on the highway. Given the weight and the power of the thing though, maybe that's not too bad.
Andre, you don't have an SUV... so, have you thought about adding one to the list?
In the years I've been posting on Edmunds, I've gathered that neither andre nor lemko are SUV type guys.
I think that the issue - at least for andre - is legroom.
I know, at 5'11", that I'm not quite as comfortable when driving the VUE as I am behind the wheel of the L300. The seat cushions are just not long enough for my thighs. I drove the VUE the other day - had to take the wife to the airport - and noticed this. The upright driving position is great for visibility, not so great for comfort. Fortunately, when we take road trips, I can use the cruise control and move my legs around.
My roommate has an '06 Xterra, and it's not a bad ride, although it's a bit of a guzzler. I think he's averaged 17-18 mpg in mixed driving, and the best I've ever seen it do is maybe 21 on the highway. Given the weight and the power of the thing though, maybe that's not too bad.
The VUE does a little better than that, which is surprising given how heavy it is. When I filled it up on Sunday, we got about 20MPG on the tank, which is pretty much right in line with the EPA estimates (16 city, 22 hwy). When we go on longer trips, we've seen as much as 24MPG on a single tank.
I wonder if it's the 6-speed auto transmission that helps the mileage?
The one on Top Gear had a color TFT display (with pictures of gauges) in place of the physical spinning-dial gauges, but I think that's on the RR and not on the LR4:
and I found a 2000 Bonneville for sale. No pics yet, but it's a white SE model, 65,500 miles, leather seats, sunroof, for $4734. And Maryland inspected.
I thought the SE was a stripper model though, so I'm surprised it has leather and a sunroof, but back then you could order the options more a'la carte.
Probably a nicer car than that green 2000 Intrepid ES I found, which had about 77K miles, and they wanted $4988 for. That one's not on their website anymore, so I guess it sold.
I probably should concentrate on newer cars, but this one could have plenty of life left in it if it was taken care of decently. And that 3.8 should give fuel economy similar to my Intrepid...maybe even a bit better since they get so loafy out on the highway.
**Edit: so much for me putting this off till after Christmas, eh? :shades:
Sounds neat. Hope it has heated seats, you'll want that with the leather. The 3.8 of that vintage is known for gasket issues. I think there is an updated GM part as well as an aftermarket Fel-pro part that will supposedly fix it "for good."
I don't see that many of that vintage Bonneville on the road.
Given how much you seem to drive these days, and the need to keep your fleet exercised, that makes a ton of sense. Especially since you like this type of car.
Not my cup of tea, but look at it this way. Same cash outlay up front, but no $400-$500 payment every month!
Plus, if you get tired of it after a couple of years, next to no depreciation.
$6-7K down and no more than $400 per month I wonder, with as many used cars as you've bought, &, "as little as you drive", if you couldn't just buy a really good new-ish used car for $6-7, & save the $400 per month??
Oh, I just noticed, sounds like you may be doing that. I'm a "cash buyer", I hate car payments almost as much as I hate Root Canal. With a Root Canal, it's over in a couple of hours, & they give you Percoset. Car payments, seem like they last forever, & NO Percoset when you have to write the monthly check........
Oh, I just noticed, sounds like you may be doing that. I'm a "cash buyer", I hate car payments almost as much as I hate Root Canal.
Well, I've never had a root canal, but always hated going to the dentist in general. As for financing a car, the Intrepid was the only car I ever financed, and the APR was only 0.9%, so that helped ease the mental pain quite a bit, knowing I was essentially borrowing that money for free. Well, okay, I could've gotten another $1000 or $1500 off the price if I didn't take the low financing, but in those days car loans were around 6-7%.
In an offbeat way, I did try to finance two of my older cars...my '67 Catalina and an '89 Gran Fury I once had. What I did was take out a secured loan against a savings account at the bank. They took whatever the savings account was paying and added a couple points on top of that. I think my savings account was paying around 4.75% back when I bought the Catalina, and they made the loan for 6.75%. But then I got tired of making the monthly payment, figured hey, I have the cash anyway, so why not just pay for it? That was in 1994. By the time I got the Gran Fury in 1998, I had an account at the credit union that was paying 3%, and they made the loan for 6%. And after making payments for about 3 months, I just paid it off.
With this 2000 Bonneville I'm looking at, I should be able to just write a check for the whole things, and with any luck, they'll be able to transfer the Intrepid's tags...which just renewed in November! I think I got the new stickers in the mail a week or two before it got hit! :sick:
That's cool that you can transfer tags to the new car over there in Maryland. No such luck here in California as far as I know. :-(
You know what you should look for? A second-gen Aurora! Best-looking Oldsmobile probably ever, and it had updated engines from the standard-fare GM 3.8. Plus it still qualifies for the andre plan as it still belongs to an orphaned brand. :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
You know what you should look for? A second-gen Aurora! Best-looking Oldsmobile probably ever, and it had updated engines from the standard-fare GM 3.8. Plus it still qualifies for the andre plan as it still belongs to an orphaned brand.
Y'know, I actually like those cars alot. I also think the first-gen is really sexy, especially in a light blue. I've heard that those 3.5 and 4.0 Northstar-derived engines don't always age well though, and can be expensive to repair. I also did a quick search using www.autobytel.com, and they're kind few and far between. I found this one about 20 miles away. However, the description is vague, and I can't tell if it has a sunroof or not. Plus, it's $1200 more and has about 32,000 more miles on it than that Bonneville I want to check out. With my driving habits of late, that's about 5-6 years worth of driving!
The 3.8 in this Bonneville might take some getting used to. I don't like the way the 3.8 sounds in my Dad's '03 Regal, but at least it has enough sound insulation that inside, you barely hear it. I just realized though...it's probably going to have that same goofy exhaust note, that sounds like a late 80's Cavalier Z-24! Oh well, hopefully it has a good sound system! :P
Yeah, that's a Bonneville dash. I'm hoping this white one I found doesn't have a gray interior...that GM plastic tends to look much better in a beige/putty color!
When I was shopping for my L300, a co-worker had just bought a new 2nd-gen Aurora - white with the V8. I really, really liked it and stopped by the Olds dealer to check them out.
I was pretty impressed with it, but, like the Chrysler 300M I was also interested in, it was just a little too expensive for my budget.
The more you talk about going the cash route, I think that sounds like an excellent idea. It's not like the next 'newish' car is your only one!
In this day and time, why have a car note if you don't have to. For $6,000-$7,000, you could find a pretty good American car for you needs. I'm not a fan of car payments or any kind of payments for that matter. I gave that up 20 yrs ago and haven't fallen off the wagon yet.
Good luck on your search. Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
All of this has made me think what I would do if my current car got totaled...I really think I would look for a pristine old W126 or W124 that could be bought for maybe 7K at the most (maybe a little more for a SEC)...and just keep it going. No payments, no lease money out the door, solid old car with reasonable maintenance and reliability. Or maybe I would splurge and find the right 500E...but I am already tired of even thinking of financing another car. It really is painful, even for someone who likes cars.
the Intrepid is now gone. I came home from work to find my driveway the emptiest it's been in years. Nothing there except for that blue '79 NY'er of mine that tends to not start. So now I finally have closure. Just don't have the insurance check yet. :P
I'm probably going to go check out that 2000 Bonneville Thursday evening. It's supposed to be nasty tonite, and tomorrow, but Thursday's supposed to be nice. I hope the car ends up looking good in person. I've heard good things about that Fitzmall, though. I believe they're fairly honest. For car dealers. :P
I found this sexy 1996 Aurora. It's even that gorgeous pale blue I really like, although it's not showing up well in these pics. Dunno if I want to go this old, but it only has 61K miles, and still has a sunroof. Nicer, more luxurious car than that 2000 Bonneville, and about $800 less. But more complex with the 4.0 version of the northstar, so potentially more expensive to repair. But still tempting!
Here's an '01 Aurora for $4995. Similar price to that Bonneville, but one year newer, 13000 more miles on it. Has the 4.0 V-8. Again, nicer interior. I don't think this one has a sunroof though. I might be able to haggle with this dealer though, as this is an autotrader ad. With that Bonneville at Fitzmall, I doubt if they're gonna come off that price, as they list it as "no haggle".
Knock a little off the blue one, and keep the difference in an "engine repair fund". That one seems like a lot of car for the money, and I like that color too. Say 3500 or so...might be a deal.
Maybe do similar to the 01 as well...dicker on the price, and keep the difference for repairs.
How in the world did you not go to the dealer, specifically after you were able to get the wife to agree to go with you?
I wish I knew. We are going to need a second car soon, and down economy + winter = some pretty good deals some cars at the moment. Still, she's not a car person and not that excited by driving much less car shopping. Just makes the spending part a little less fun, y'know? We'll see; if this dealer has this car much longer/drops the price anymore, I may have no choice...
I also saw the '96 yesterday when I was looking. That's a nice-looking car for not a lot of money, but with only 61K miles in almost 14 years, it has done an awful lot of just sitting around, more than I would be comfortable with personally.
I will be so disappointed if you end up with a Bonneville with all these shapely Auroras sitting around for the same money. The Aurora is head and shoulders the better car vs the Bonneville.
Is the 4.0 the same engine across both generations?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I also saw the '96 yesterday when I was looking. That's a nice-looking car for not a lot of money, but with only 61K miles in almost 14 years, it has done an awful lot of just sitting around, more than I would be comfortable with personally.
Y'know, I've thought about that, too. I've had a couple of fairly low-mileage cars like that and they weren't particularly reliable. My '82 Cutlass Supreme only had 61K on it when I bought it in 1993. Only car I've ever owned where both the tranny AND the engine went out! It still ran when I sold it, but it wasn't long for this world. And my '79 New Yorker, the blue one I bought a couple years ago, only had 64K on it. I wanted to drive it more, but it's a crap shoot as to whether it'll start or not...and my mechanic can't find the problem!
I will be so disappointed if you end up with a Bonneville with all these shapely Auroras sitting around for the same money. The Aurora is head and shoulders the better car vs the Bonneville.
I actually like the looks of the Bonneville from the outside. It's the inside that I'm not so crazy about. The Aurora is definitely a much sexier car though. I guess I just worry more about the added complexity and potential for increased maintenance/repair costs. But, maybe I should go check out one of these Auroras before I go see that Bonneville. Maybe the Aurora will come off seeming so nice that it'll make the Bonneville look like crap once I go see it!
As for the 4.0 V-8, I don't know much about it, but as far as I know it's the same engine. I want to say it had 250 hp?
Instead of getting some generic old car (the Bonne) or paying a lot for a new import you will likely grow to hate (altima), how about a kind of "resto mod" on the old fleet?
You got a pretty clean '79 NYer (the blue one) that you like to drive, but that doesn't run all the time.
So, pull the engine, and drop in a mild crate motor (a 360), and while it is out, clean up the brakes, suspension, tranny, etc. Pretty much do a stage 0 on it, but upgrade to more modern suspension pieces and electronics, and other minor updates to make it a legit DD. And of course, a nice clean engine!
Heck, a crown Vic is pretty much 1979 technology updated anyway.
Note that I said a "mild" 360 (pretty much a modern tech version of what's in their). If you prefer, feel free to drp in a crate hemi!
Funny you'd mention hopping up one of those New Yorkers, as I've considered doing that! Dunno if I'd ever go the Hemi route, but a 440 could be kinda fun. And just about any mildly hopped-up 360 or even 318 would be an improvement. The boat-anchor that's in there now only has 150 hp!
Another idea; what about one of these? The review on it is surprisingly positive.
It seems like a good compromise. You get a newer car with low miles and that V8 kick, at half the price of the G8's and Charger's out there. A quick look locally for me turned this one up without trying very hard. Anyhow, just a thought.
I hadn't really thought about a Grand Prix GXP. I never really cared for the Grand Prix in general when they did the 2004 redesign, but that one does look like a lot of car for the money. Locally, the closest thing I pulled up was a 2008 GXP with around 48K miles for about $19K. However, I did stumble across its brother over at Chevrolet. This one seems like a good deal at that price. Practically brand-new too, with 11000 miles.
My main beef with the W-body in general has always been the cramped back seat. But, it's not like I ride back there! And it's not so often that I have back seat passengers these days.
Oh, I think I'm going to rule out those two Olds Auroras I posted earlier. One little detail I had forgotten about is that they're in Virginia, while I'm in Maryland. VA inspections tend to be more lax than MD, so if I bought a VA car, I'd have to make sure they'd guarantee it to pass in MD. Plus, in reading the details, I guess I just got a bad vibe with those dealers, the way they're slipping in "mandatory processing fees" and such. But, I guess everything's negotiable!
Or you can get a LaCrosse Super or an Impala SS ... same engine, different body styles.
I was able to get the wife to accompany me on a test drive of an Impala SS ... she was very impressed with the comfortable seats (up front) and the smooth ride. I was impressed with the 303HP, but thought that it needed more than 4 gears in the transmission.
The thing about the GXP is that its the only W-body that came with the unequal tire/rim combo to fix torque steer. And according to the reviews I've read (including the C/D one I linked to), it actually works. Always good on a 303hp car driving the front wheels...
I like the Lacrosse super the best of the 3, but the Pontiac seems to be the cheapest used, and is probably the best drive too.
What about a crown Vic? The crazy guy that bought my M6 also had a newish 2nd gen crown Vic, black/black. It looked kind of cool, in a retro kind of way. 'Course I know, talking Ford products to GM guys, or vice-versa, is not always productive....
Oh, I'm open to a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis, if I can find one that catches my eye and seems a good price. My only beef with them is that they're next to impossible to find with a sunroof.
Actually, one of the local dealerships had a really nice 2007 or 2008 Grand Marquis GS (the base model) earlier in the year. It only had something like 12,000 miles on it, and I think they only wanted $13-14K for it! Probably should've jumped on it at the time. But then, it might've been the Grand Marquis that got whacked instead of the Intrepid. The upshot, I guess, is that the GM would've had enough book value that it wouldn't have gotten totaled.
I "almost bought" a few different used W124 E-class cars--including a few wagons, & a 400E. I don't know if they "got to me", the way most bmw's do, but great cars, & I probably should have bought one (I'm going back maybe 12 years or so).
What do 500E's go for? I remember a C&D cover when they reviewed one & the caption: "Like a Drug"........
Was it this thread we were talking about those and how they were becoming harder to find?
The youngest salesman here may have just ended up with a free one. Some friend of his mom's drove one up from Texas a while ago and left it in the driveway. As long as he can get it out of there by tomorrow it is his. Don't know the year except that it is in the 80s somewhere and that it is a BMW coupe.
Comments
When to Buy Your Next Car
Mark. :P
Well, if it's any consolation, I maxed out my HELOC over the weekend, moving some money so I'll have a decent down payment. So, that's my way of at least forcing myself to move ahead on a new(er) car. And, don't worry, the limit on my HELOC isn't all that high, so "maxed out" isn't going to put me over the edge! Plus, right now my rate is only 3.5%!
As for the Intrepid, they were supposed to pick it up today, but it's still sitting in my driveway. I cleaned it out last night, and pulled the tags off of it this morning. I gotta admit, it does kinda hurt...I feel like I'm shooting Old Yeller before I know for a fact that he has the rabies! I think I'll feel better once the car is out of the driveway and out of my hair, and I don't have to be reminded of it every time I see it.
And yeah, things have been a bit hectic here. Weather was pretty nasty on Saturday. We ended up with about 3" of snow before it turned to rain and packed everything down, and turned icy. Sunday was nice but cold, so I didn't feel like going anywhere. But going out partying and not making it back home until around 3am didn't help things!
I'm probably not going to seriously start looking seriously until after Christmas. And then, I'm really not sure what I want. Biggest problem, I guess, is that if I boil it down to pure needs, I don't really need much. On the most basic level, a used current-gen Civic or Sentra would probably do it. But as little as I drive, I really don't NEED to be concerned with fuel economy, although I'd like to do as good as the Intrepid or better. And while I said earlier that I'd like to keep it around $6-7K down and no more than $400 per month, I could do more if I wanted.
One way I was able to justify the Intrepid when I bought it, is that if I did enough creative financing, the car was essentially free. I had just refinanced the mortage on my old condo, which saved me about $200-230 per month. Also, back then I delivered pizzas part time, but worked enough hours that I could easily pull 35K miles per year or more. At that time I was driving an '89 Gran Fury ex-copcar that guzzled like there was no tomorrow and had a preference for hi-test, and I figured the Trep would save me about $125-150 just in fuel costs. So, between that and what I saved refiancing the condo, I figured my monthly outlay was about the same, so the Trep was almost like a free car! Another way of looking at it was that I'd usually make that car's monthly payment in one week of delivering pizzas. But I still had 3 weeks of every month on top of that, plus a real job to throw into the mix, so in the overall scheme of things, that $347.66/mo I paid for the Trep didn't seem like much.
But, now that the Trep got paid off five years ago, and I haven't slung a pizza since October 2001, and I don't drive near as much as I used to, there's no way to mentally juggle the numbers. Any car I buy now is going to increase my monthly outlay. I think once I actually take the plunge into something though, and start budgeting for it, I'll be more comfortable.
Based on your statements, you've got a pass until after Christmas ... which, I've heard, may be a great time to buy.
mark, congrats on the new LR .. hope you got a decent trade value for your old one.
This year especially, with all the fabulous deals and incentives there are out there right now.
andre, think of it this way, all the older cars in your fleet are like collectibles - they are fun to drive once in a while and to keep shined up the rest of the time, but none of them would survive long as your daily driver, and who wants to make an '85 Silverado their daily driver?
Nope, you my friend need to go out there and get something new to keep the miles off the older models, and if you aren't sure what you want then there's probably little to no reason to stray far from what you had before, a medium-power midsize-to-large sedan. On which there are at least a half dozen amazing deals in the market right now, through 1/4/2010. ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The Ford Escapes are nice looking. I have the Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, that is excellent in the snow and is great on mileage (19 city, 30 hwy).
Mark
PS. Michaell, I think I did OK on the trade-in. The dealer only had one LR4 on the lot with one arriving on a big semi as I was driving up. It was exactly like the one that I bought. Thank goodness I liked/wanted Black because thats all they had. We agreed on a price in less than 5 minutes. They had good interest rates (1.9 for 36 and 3.9 for 48, I think). I'm a cash buyer so it didn't 'interest' me. :P
I'm not really the SUV type, but if I was in the market for a new one, the Escape or CR-V would probably be tops on my list. The Escape seems roomy enough inside, and the CR-V has grown enough that it's really not a tiny "cute-ute" anymore.
My roommate has an '06 Xterra, and it's not a bad ride, although it's a bit of a guzzler. I think he's averaged 17-18 mpg in mixed driving, and the best I've ever seen it do is maybe 21 on the highway. Given the weight and the power of the thing though, maybe that's not too bad.
In the years I've been posting on Edmunds, I've gathered that neither andre nor lemko are SUV type guys.
I think that the issue - at least for andre - is legroom.
I know, at 5'11", that I'm not quite as comfortable when driving the VUE as I am behind the wheel of the L300. The seat cushions are just not long enough for my thighs. I drove the VUE the other day - had to take the wife to the airport - and noticed this. The upright driving position is great for visibility, not so great for comfort. Fortunately, when we take road trips, I can use the cruise control and move my legs around.
The VUE does a little better than that, which is surprising given how heavy it is. When I filled it up on Sunday, we got about 20MPG on the tank, which is pretty much right in line with the EPA estimates (16 city, 22 hwy). When we go on longer trips, we've seen as much as 24MPG on a single tank.
I wonder if it's the 6-speed auto transmission that helps the mileage?
2010 RR gauges
I thought the SE was a stripper model though, so I'm surprised it has leather and a sunroof, but back then you could order the options more a'la carte.
Probably a nicer car than that green 2000 Intrepid ES I found, which had about 77K miles, and they wanted $4988 for. That one's not on their website anymore, so I guess it sold.
I probably should concentrate on newer cars, but this one could have plenty of life left in it if it was taken care of decently. And that 3.8 should give fuel economy similar to my Intrepid...maybe even a bit better since they get so loafy out on the highway.
**Edit: so much for me putting this off till after Christmas, eh? :shades:
I don't see that many of that vintage Bonneville on the road.
Given how much you seem to drive these days, and the need to keep your fleet exercised, that makes a ton of sense. Especially since you like this type of car.
Not my cup of tea, but look at it this way. Same cash outlay up front, but no $400-$500 payment every month!
Plus, if you get tired of it after a couple of years, next to no depreciation.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Oh, I just noticed, sounds like you may be doing that. I'm a "cash buyer", I hate car payments almost as much as I hate Root Canal. With a Root Canal, it's over in a couple of hours, & they give you Percoset. Car payments, seem like they last forever, & NO Percoset when you have to write the monthly check........
Last loan note I signed was in 2004 (man, the Odyssey turns 5 next week!) Haven't had one on any of my cars since a few years before that.
even when I had one, I could never get myself to go above about $300-350/month, and 3 years. Even then I always paid them off early.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Well, I've never had a root canal, but always hated going to the dentist in general. As for financing a car, the Intrepid was the only car I ever financed, and the APR was only 0.9%, so that helped ease the mental pain quite a bit, knowing I was essentially borrowing that money for free. Well, okay, I could've gotten another $1000 or $1500 off the price if I didn't take the low financing, but in those days car loans were around 6-7%.
In an offbeat way, I did try to finance two of my older cars...my '67 Catalina and an '89 Gran Fury I once had. What I did was take out a secured loan against a savings account at the bank. They took whatever the savings account was paying and added a couple points on top of that. I think my savings account was paying around 4.75% back when I bought the Catalina, and they made the loan for 6.75%. But then I got tired of making the monthly payment, figured hey, I have the cash anyway, so why not just pay for it? That was in 1994. By the time I got the Gran Fury in 1998, I had an account at the credit union that was paying 3%, and they made the loan for 6%. And after making payments for about 3 months, I just paid it off.
With this 2000 Bonneville I'm looking at, I should be able to just write a check for the whole things, and with any luck, they'll be able to transfer the Intrepid's tags...which just renewed in November! I think I got the new stickers in the mail a week or two before it got hit! :sick:
You know what you should look for? A second-gen Aurora! Best-looking Oldsmobile probably ever, and it had updated engines from the standard-fare GM 3.8. Plus it still qualifies for the andre plan as it still belongs to an orphaned brand. :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Y'know, I actually like those cars alot. I also think the first-gen is really sexy, especially in a light blue. I've heard that those 3.5 and 4.0 Northstar-derived engines don't always age well though, and can be expensive to repair. I also did a quick search using www.autobytel.com, and they're kind few and far between. I found this one about 20 miles away. However, the description is vague, and I can't tell if it has a sunroof or not. Plus, it's $1200 more and has about 32,000 more miles on it than that Bonneville I want to check out. With my driving habits of late, that's about 5-6 years worth of driving!
The 3.8 in this Bonneville might take some getting used to. I don't like the way the 3.8 sounds in my Dad's '03 Regal, but at least it has enough sound insulation that inside, you barely hear it. I just realized though...it's probably going to have that same goofy exhaust note, that sounds like a late 80's Cavalier Z-24! Oh well, hopefully it has a good sound system! :P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Here's a 2nd-gen Aurora dash...
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=270668662&dealer_id=6418443&ca- - r_year=2003&rdm=1260306387346&lastStartYear=1981&model=AURORA&num_records=25&sys- - time=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&- - engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=50&mar- - ketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=OLDS&keywords_display=&colo- - r=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=pric- - eDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=20769&- - advanced=&end_year=2010&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=35&standard=fals- - e
Such a nice-looking car, and being an orphan I am sure they would be very open to bargaining...
Edit: WHOA! Sorry about that link, it DOES work but boy does it look ugly. :-|
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I was pretty impressed with it, but, like the Chrysler 300M I was also interested in, it was just a little too expensive for my budget.
In this day and time, why have a car note if you don't have to. For $6,000-$7,000, you could find a pretty good American car for you needs. I'm not a fan of car payments or any kind of payments for that matter. I gave that up 20 yrs ago and haven't fallen off the wagon yet.
Good luck on your search.
Mark
Who told you that? What model do/did you have?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I'm probably going to go check out that 2000 Bonneville Thursday evening. It's supposed to be nasty tonite, and tomorrow, but Thursday's supposed to be nice. I hope the car ends up looking good in person. I've heard good things about that Fitzmall, though. I believe they're fairly honest. For car dealers. :P
Here's an '01 Aurora for $4995. Similar price to that Bonneville, but one year newer, 13000 more miles on it. Has the 4.0 V-8. Again, nicer interior. I don't think this one has a sunroof though. I might be able to haggle with this dealer though, as this is an autotrader ad. With that Bonneville at Fitzmall, I doubt if they're gonna come off that price, as they list it as "no haggle".
Maybe do similar to the 01 as well...dicker on the price, and keep the difference for repairs.
I wish I knew. We are going to need a second car soon, and down economy + winter = some pretty good deals some cars at the moment. Still, she's not a car person and not that excited by driving much less car shopping. Just makes the spending part a little less fun, y'know? We'll see; if this dealer has this car much longer/drops the price anymore, I may have no choice...
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
I will be so disappointed if you end up with a Bonneville with all these shapely Auroras sitting around for the same money. The Aurora is head and shoulders the better car vs the Bonneville.
Is the 4.0 the same engine across both generations?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Y'know, I've thought about that, too. I've had a couple of fairly low-mileage cars like that and they weren't particularly reliable. My '82 Cutlass Supreme only had 61K on it when I bought it in 1993. Only car I've ever owned where both the tranny AND the engine went out! It still ran when I sold it, but it wasn't long for this world. And my '79 New Yorker, the blue one I bought a couple years ago, only had 64K on it. I wanted to drive it more, but it's a crap shoot as to whether it'll start or not...and my mechanic can't find the problem!
I will be so disappointed if you end up with a Bonneville with all these shapely Auroras sitting around for the same money. The Aurora is head and shoulders the better car vs the Bonneville.
I actually like the looks of the Bonneville from the outside. It's the inside that I'm not so crazy about. The Aurora is definitely a much sexier car though. I guess I just worry more about the added complexity and potential for increased maintenance/repair costs. But, maybe I should go check out one of these Auroras before I go see that Bonneville. Maybe the Aurora will come off seeming so nice that it'll make the Bonneville look like crap once I go see it!
As for the 4.0 V-8, I don't know much about it, but as far as I know it's the same engine. I want to say it had 250 hp?
Instead of getting some generic old car (the Bonne) or paying a lot for a new import you will likely grow to hate (altima), how about a kind of "resto mod" on the old fleet?
You got a pretty clean '79 NYer (the blue one) that you like to drive, but that doesn't run all the time.
So, pull the engine, and drop in a mild crate motor (a 360), and while it is out, clean up the brakes, suspension, tranny, etc. Pretty much do a stage 0 on it, but upgrade to more modern suspension pieces and electronics, and other minor updates to make it a legit DD. And of course, a nice clean engine!
Heck, a crown Vic is pretty much 1979 technology updated anyway.
Note that I said a "mild" 360 (pretty much a modern tech version of what's in their). If you prefer, feel free to drp in a crate hemi!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Another idea; what about one of these? The review on it is surprisingly positive.
It seems like a good compromise. You get a newer car with low miles and that V8 kick, at half the price of the G8's and Charger's out there. A quick look locally for me turned this one up without trying very hard. Anyhow, just a thought.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
My main beef with the W-body in general has always been the cramped back seat. But, it's not like I ride back there! And it's not so often that I have back seat passengers these days.
Oh, I think I'm going to rule out those two Olds Auroras I posted earlier. One little detail I had forgotten about is that they're in Virginia, while I'm in Maryland. VA inspections tend to be more lax than MD, so if I bought a VA car, I'd have to make sure they'd guarantee it to pass in MD. Plus, in reading the details, I guess I just got a bad vibe with those dealers, the way they're slipping in "mandatory processing fees" and such. But, I guess everything's negotiable!
I was able to get the wife to accompany me on a test drive of an Impala SS ... she was very impressed with the comfortable seats (up front) and the smooth ride. I was impressed with the 303HP, but thought that it needed more than 4 gears in the transmission.
I like the Lacrosse super the best of the 3, but the Pontiac seems to be the cheapest used, and is probably the best drive too.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
2004 Pontiac Bonneville GXP - $10,900
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listin- gId=32534766&listingRecNum=4&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26alMdId%3D20709%26mkId%3D20- 035%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D20709%26rd%3D100%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId- -mdId%26zc%3D21117%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26s- f1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26alMkId%3D20035%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff- =national
They also have a 1993 Roadhazzard, but no pics.
Actually, one of the local dealerships had a really nice 2007 or 2008 Grand Marquis GS (the base model) earlier in the year. It only had something like 12,000 miles on it, and I think they only wanted $13-14K for it! Probably should've jumped on it at the time. But then, it might've been the Grand Marquis that got whacked instead of the Intrepid. The upshot, I guess, is that the GM would've had enough book value that it wouldn't have gotten totaled.
What do 500E's go for? I remember a C&D cover when they reviewed one & the caption: "Like a Drug"........
The youngest salesman here may have just ended up with a free one. Some friend of his mom's drove one up from Texas a while ago and left it in the driveway. As long as he can get it out of there by tomorrow it is his. Don't know the year except that it is in the 80s somewhere and that it is a BMW coupe.
Could be interesting.