Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

breld said:

I couldn’t resist stopping at the sister Honda shop next to BMW to check this out...



Subtle.

My 15-yr-old might like it

sda

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

haha. nobody guessed: Michigan.

Ah, winter in Michigan with a Camaro. Were the timing better, I'd co-pilot with you up there to get it! "Timing" meaning sometime this summer while I'm in NE Ohio visiting with my wife. Ah well. No extra road trip for me!

This time of year, you wouldn't want to drive it back from there anyway.

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

haha. nobody guessed: Michigan.

Ah, winter in Michigan with a Camaro. Were the timing better, I'd co-pilot with you up there to get it! "Timing" meaning sometime this summer while I'm in NE Ohio visiting with my wife. Ah well. No extra road trip for me!

This time of year, you wouldn't want to drive it back from there anyway.

Any seat time with the, uh.. Crosstrek? Impressions.

kyfdx

pensfan83 said:

That means 1 year and like 3 days ago you departed with the ZHP!

You departed... I parted. 😉

That was on the 15th.

Sandman6472

That's one gorgeous automobile dude!!! Go for it because once it's gone...it's gone and think you'll be kicking yourself. If the Mrs. has no objections, and I doubt she will, I'd jump on it without looking back! Just do it!!!
Hell, I wish I could just follow my advice and just do it here also. But I still need to see the new 2022 GTI and the 2022 Taos before I do anything. I really think I'm going to like the new Taos to be honest and if the dimensions work for my side of the garage, I just might finally pull the trigger! I know I've been looking for a long, long time but once I see my current Golf all cleaned up like it is right now, I fall in love all over again, crazy as that may sound. I still get that sh-t eating grin on my face and always give it one more glance whenever I go back into the house or the office. Once that last glance over the shoulder stops happening, I'll know I've found the right replacement vehicle, crazy as that may sound!

Sandman6472

That red BMW looks amazing!! That is some automobile, yikes!! If it has an auto tranny in it, think I would be ok to move on from my Golf. Think I'm sitting here in lust at this particular moment. Usually not much a red fan but it works on that vehicle, works very well. Wow, can't stop looking at those pics sir!

stickguy

Sandy, that one is a manual. But I will say flat out, given your issues with issues coming up on your car, and being cheap to keep, you do not under any circumstances want to get an older BMW. Great driving, but generally needy and not in a cheap way.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

I maybe might have a deal on a Camaro. Salesperson is very very slow to respond, but the last lease sheet looks good. About $308/mo. But she is missing NJ MVC on there, so I'm trying to find out what's up with that. 2nd problem is that it is 650 miles away. But I've failed at getting anybody closer to deal. They charge only a $75 doc fee, though, so that helps.

Welcome to NY. (Based on the doc fee) Buy a bucket to wash the salt off.

Can’t be NY. Too close. Based on 650 miles must be someplace like Myrtle Beach or Cincinnati.

I can’t keep track of you guys. If he’s in Ohio he could burn up 650 miles going up to the north near VT or if he’s in south Jersey it might be Buffalo.

stickguy

He's in S. Jersey. But Buffalo is not really that far. More like 350 miles.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I am 3 weeks short of 1 year with the RDX. I think we are sitting at 4,500 miles. Maybe pushing 4,9xx? Will have to check later.

I’m looking for excuses to drive the Kia so it will make 5000 miles since the last inspection and I can justify an oil change since last time.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

haha. nobody guessed: Michigan.

I gave her a deposit and sent my personal info. The business manager is out till Monday, so that person could very well come in and squash the whole thing with the ole "we don't do out of state."

It is dark grey, automatic, tech, and dual-mode exhaust. While I would have preferred a different color and black wheels, it is probably the best combo for swapping later. Dual-mode, tech, and auto were exactly the 3 things I figured would be must haves. Anything else just needlessly drives up the MSRP.

I did a naughty thing and, before committing to the deal, emailed the closest dealer who had one in blue and offered what amounted to $700 more to keep the deal local. He said he couldn't touch that. Surprising, but OK, so be it.

Any pictures?

stickguy

Checked the RDX tonight while running out to pick up dinner (got Greek tonight, was excellent!) Just a few under 4.600 miles. And I even tried the drive mode selector. Besides the comfort we usually leave it in, it has Sport, Sport+ and snow (at least, the light changed then and I stopped turning it).

fintail

About a month away from 2 years in the wagon, which means in about a year from now there will be time for a decisiom.

Michaell said:

I'm 9 days away from celebrating our 6th anniversary with the Outback. 41,xxx miles in that time.

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

haha. nobody guessed: Michigan.

Ah, winter in Michigan with a Camaro. Were the timing better, I'd co-pilot with you up there to get it! "Timing" meaning sometime this summer while I'm in NE Ohio visiting with my wife. Ah well. No extra road trip for me!

This time of year, you wouldn't want to drive it back from there anyway.

It has a snow/ice mode that will keep him safe but take all the fun away.

laurasdada

Closing in on month 86 with the XF, about to crest 68k miles.
New home process is supplanting new car process. My shame knows no bounds.

Sandman6472

Stick, I know there's no way I'd ever own or even think to own one like that but it's still a beautiful automobile, absolutely stunning to me. And that color only adds to the beauty of it. There really are so many nice vehicles out there and love looking at them and even driving some of them. Just wish my wallet was big enough to afford most of them. And I know, I hate any kind of drama in any vehicle which is getting worse as I grow older. I dislike any kind of drama in my life I'd guess to be honest, like things to be right all the time. Think I've always been this way but at this stage of life, just have zero or very low tolerance for any sort of drama. Like to have things in their place at home but having to deal with my chronic pain over these past many years, I've let a few things slide in my office and closet. Slowly, I've started to clean things out a bit and I know my vehicle is looking pretty good lately.
But yes, have to focus in on "cheap to keep" as I move forward in my quest for some new wheels for The Sandman.

xwesx

sda said:

Any seat time with the, uh.. Crosstrek? Impressions.

None. My wife has it in Ohio. I won't get a chance to try it until probably mid-July. I currently plan to travel down with the kids around 7/4, and it takes about a week to get there.

xwesx

kyfdx said:

pensfan83 said:

That means 1 year and like 3 days ago you departed with the ZHP!

You departed... I parted. 😉

That was on the 15th.

Are those tear stains on the garage floor? I think so....

stickguy

my son's lease ends around Christmas. I get texts about one car or another every few days. Today's diversion was a LR Evoque. Not sure that one is going to pan out.

sda

xwesx said:

sda said:

Any seat time with the, uh.. Crosstrek? Impressions.

None. My wife has it in Ohio. I won't get a chance to try it until probably mid-July. I currently plan to travel down with the kids around 7/4, and it takes about a week to get there.

Somehow I misunderstood, I thought you were visiting now.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

Sandy, that one is a manual. But I will say flat out, given your issues with issues coming up on your car, and being cheap to keep, you do not under any circumstances want to get an older BMW. Great driving, but generally needy and not in a cheap way.

+1. Not for the faint of heart or easily bothered by maintenance.

roadburner

Almost four years on the Mini, five on the 2er, two months shy of twenty years on the Wrangler, and twenty-five years on the Club Sport.
Oh yeah, thirteen years on the Speed Triple and forty-eight years on my Raleigh Grand Prix road bike...

corvette

Almost a year with the Tundra!

Michaell

Service light came on in the MINI, I was informed tonight. I’ll take it to the MINI palace, next to the BMW and Honda dealers @breld was at today.

Though, now that it’s out of warranty, I might try to find an independent shop to take it to.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

haha. nobody guessed: Michigan.

I gave her a deposit and sent my personal info. The business manager is out till Monday, so that person could very well come in and squash the whole thing with the ole "we don't do out of state."

It is dark grey, automatic, tech, and dual-mode exhaust. While I would have preferred a different color and black wheels, it is probably the best combo for swapping later. Dual-mode, tech, and auto were exactly the 3 things I figured would be must haves. Anything else just needlessly drives up the MSRP.

I did a naughty thing and, before committing to the deal, emailed the closest dealer who had one in blue and offered what amounted to $700 more to keep the deal local. He said he couldn't touch that. Surprising, but OK, so be it.

Any pictures?

Not yet

breld

Alright, for kicks I got an updated Carvana quote on the Supra - it actually went up to $45,700.

The kicker is I did the same for the M2 I’m looking at - $37,500.

I know going in that I’m taking a loss by doing a transaction, basically for trade vs retail, but no way I’m taking that $8k loss.

There are pros and cons for the Supra vs M2 going both ways, but it’s at best a push for me and all about getting back into a manual. But not worth it at that cost.

Waiting for more availability of M2 Comps and enjoying the Supra longer seems like a wise thing to do.

qbrozen

breld said:

Alright, for kicks I got an updated Carvana quote on the Supra - it actually went up to $45,700.

The kicker is I did the same for the M2 I’m looking at - $37,500.

I know going in that I’m taking a loss by doing a transaction, basically for trade vs retail, but no way I’m taking that $8k loss.

There are pros and cons for the Supra vs M2 going both ways, but it’s at best a push for me and all about getting back into a manual. But not worth it at that cost.

Waiting for more availability of M2 Comps and enjoying the Supra longer seems like a wise thing to do.

Someone obviously hacked breld’s account

28firefighter

breld said:

Alright, for kicks I got an updated Carvana quote on the Supra - it actually went up to $45,700.

The kicker is I did the same for the M2 I’m looking at - $37,500.

I know going in that I’m taking a loss by doing a transaction, basically for trade vs retail, but no way I’m taking that $8k loss.

There are pros and cons for the Supra vs M2 going both ways, but it’s at best a push for me and all about getting back into a manual. But not worth it at that cost.

Waiting for more availability of M2 Comps and enjoying the Supra longer seems like a wise thing to do.

This is the correct answer.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

my son's lease ends around Christmas. I get texts about one car or another every few days. Today's diversion was a LR Evoque. Not sure that one is going to pan out.

With the cars he’s interested in he must figure you’ll be good at fixing them.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Almost a year with the Tundra!

Mustang-5+ years
Cargo van-4+ years
Sebring-2+ years
Kia-2 years

In my defense I bought something for my son last summer and my wife gave me permission to dream about a Corvette.

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

I maybe might have a deal on a Camaro. Salesperson is very very slow to respond, but the last lease sheet looks good. About $308/mo. But she is missing NJ MVC on there, so I'm trying to find out what's up with that. 2nd problem is that it is 650 miles away. But I've failed at getting anybody closer to deal. They charge only a $75 doc fee, though, so that helps.

What a fun road trip that might be........!!!!! Hope it works out!

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Service light came on in the MINI, I was informed tonight. I’ll take it to the MINI palace, next to the BMW and Honda dealers @breld was at today.

Though, now that it’s out of warranty, I might try to find an independent shop to take it to.

If I owned a Mini I’d invest in a good code reader...or make friends with Johnny the car Ninja.

graphicguy

-14 mos on the Stinger
-49 mos on the electric snow blower
-30 months on the FLX electric bicycle

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

my son's lease ends around Christmas. I get texts about one car or another every few days. Today's diversion was a LR Evoque. Not sure that one is going to pan out.

With the cars he’s interested in he must figure you’ll be good at fixing them.

one of his concerns is the reputation of the LR dealer in Albany. That would have been a lease most likely, or a not very old CPO. But under warranty. There is nothing I could do for him on one of those, even if I wasn't 4 hours away!

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

stickguy said:

Sandy, that one is a manual. But I will say flat out, given your issues with issues coming up on your car, and being cheap to keep, you do not under any circumstances want to get an older BMW. Great driving, but generally needy and not in a cheap way.

+1. Not for the faint of heart or easily bothered by maintenance.

I found that if you really love the car, the maintenance costs don't really bother you. It's like being an audiophile, and dropping $300 on a turntable cartridge. It makes you happy.

qbrozen

I can’t remember when I got the Coronet.
Charger: 17 mos
ML: 6 mos
Van: 6y9m
X2: 2y3m
Fiat: 3 mos

kyfdx

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

my son's lease ends around Christmas. I get texts about one car or another every few days. Today's diversion was a LR Evoque. Not sure that one is going to pan out.

With the cars he’s interested in he must figure you’ll be good at fixing them.

one of his concerns is the reputation of the LR dealer in Albany. That would have been a lease most likely, or a not very old CPO. But under warranty. There is nothing I could do for him on one of those, even if I wasn't 4 hours away!

If you are worried about dealer reputation, you'll never get a Land Rover. Even the decent ones have to deal with a problematic vehicle. (not that I've heard of a decent one)

qbrozen

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

I maybe might have a deal on a Camaro. Salesperson is very very slow to respond, but the last lease sheet looks good. About $308/mo. But she is missing NJ MVC on there, so I'm trying to find out what's up with that. 2nd problem is that it is 650 miles away. But I've failed at getting anybody closer to deal. They charge only a $75 doc fee, though, so that helps.

What a fun road trip that might be........!!!!! Hope it works out!

Maybe not if snowing. Lol.
I thought about it but we’re talking 2 days. I think paying 600-650 to save 2 days is money well spent. And, really, after gas, tolls, and the trip there, I’d save what? Maybe 200?

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

I maybe might have a deal on a Camaro. Salesperson is very very slow to respond, but the last lease sheet looks good. About $308/mo. But she is missing NJ MVC on there, so I'm trying to find out what's up with that. 2nd problem is that it is 650 miles away. But I've failed at getting anybody closer to deal. They charge only a $75 doc fee, though, so that helps.

What a fun road trip that might be........!!!!! Hope it works out!

Maybe not if snowing. Lol.
I thought about it but we’re talking 2 days. I think paying 600-650 to save 2 days is money well spent. And, really, after gas, tolls, and the trip there, I’d save what? Maybe 200?

Yeah, you have to really enjoy that kind of drive, to make it worth it.

But, leasing long distance can be a crapshoot. I like to be there to iron out any issues. When I leased the Z4 in Maryland, I flew in around Noon, pulled out at 3 pm, and was home at 11 pm. But, I enjoyed it. And, not sure I would have pulled off the exact deal, if I hadn't been there.

venture

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

my son's lease ends around Christmas. I get texts about one car or another every few days. Today's diversion was a LR Evoque. Not sure that one is going to pan out.

With the cars he’s interested in he must figure you’ll be good at fixing them.

one of his concerns is the reputation of the LR dealer in Albany. That would have been a lease most likely, or a not very old CPO. But under warranty. There is nothing I could do for him on one of those, even if I wasn't 4 hours away!

If you are worried about dealer reputation, you'll never get a Land Rover. Even the decent ones have to deal with a problematic vehicle. (not that I've heard of a decent one)

My son's Land Rover has been OK so far. I asked him about it and he said that's why he leased it.

He got it when he lived in Maryland. Now that he lives in PA I don't know where he takes it. The closest dealer is about 70 miles away. I'm going out on a limb and saying he's only changing the oil now.

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

stickguy said:

Sandy, that one is a manual. But I will say flat out, given your issues with issues coming up on your car, and being cheap to keep, you do not under any circumstances want to get an older BMW. Great driving, but generally needy and not in a cheap way.

+1. Not for the faint of heart or easily bothered by maintenance.

I found that if you really love the car, the maintenance costs don't really bother you. It's like being an audiophile, and dropping $300 on a turntable cartridge. It makes you happy.

100%. Doesn’t bother me in the least. I don’t have any other vices so, I’m allowed to have a hobby.

roadburner

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

stickguy said:

Sandy, that one is a manual. But I will say flat out, given your issues with issues coming up on your car, and being cheap to keep, you do not under any circumstances want to get an older BMW. Great driving, but generally needy and not in a cheap way.

+1. Not for the faint of heart or easily bothered by maintenance.

I found that if you really love the car, the maintenance costs don't really bother you. It's like being an audiophile, and dropping $300 on a turntable cartridge. It makes you happy.

And to carry the analogy a bit further, if a guy thinks listening to music on Alexa is just fine, he’ll stroke out at the thought of paying $30 for a cartridge- never mind $300...

fintail

To get into longterm ownership, next month will be 26 years with the fintail.

roadburner

breld said:

Alright, for kicks I got an updated Carvana quote on the Supra - it actually went up to $45,700.

The kicker is I did the same for the M2 I’m looking at - $37,500.

I know going in that I’m taking a loss by doing a transaction, basically for trade vs retail, but no way I’m taking that $8k loss.

There are pros and cons for the Supra vs M2 going both ways, but it’s at best a push for me and all about getting back into a manual. But not worth it at that cost.

Waiting for more availability of M2 Comps and enjoying the Supra longer seems like a wise thing to do.

The 2016-2018 M2 is not a bad car, but I prefer the M2 Comp by a wide margin. Still going back and forth on the M2 Comp vs. the Supra 3.0.

tifighter

breld said:

Alright, for kicks I got an updated Carvana quote on the Supra - it actually went up to $45,700.

The kicker is I did the same for the M2 I’m looking at - $37,500.

I know going in that I’m taking a loss by doing a transaction, basically for trade vs retail, but no way I’m taking that $8k loss.

There are pros and cons for the Supra vs M2 going both ways, but it’s at best a push for me and all about getting back into a manual. But not worth it at that cost.

Waiting for more availability of M2 Comps and enjoying the Supra longer seems like a wise thing to do.

While I'm sure the M2 is the "driver's car" between these two, the Supra still seems a little more special IMO. Seattle area isn't small, but I almost never see a Supra on the road.

But when you have to scratch the itch...

roadburner

roadburner said:

CR gave an absolutely glowing review of the M235i.. I kind of felt like Jerry Seinfeld in the episode where he finds out that the girl he was dating had been dumped by Newman.

As an addendum to that:
Which Car Brands Make the Best Vehicles?

28firefighter

This is the exact spec I was looking for when I was GTI hunting.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9A4qAb8j/2019-volkswagen-golf-gti-se

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

I maybe might have a deal on a Camaro. Salesperson is very very slow to respond, but the last lease sheet looks good. About $308/mo. But she is missing NJ MVC on there, so I'm trying to find out what's up with that. 2nd problem is that it is 650 miles away. But I've failed at getting anybody closer to deal. They charge only a $75 doc fee, though, so that helps.

What a fun road trip that might be........!!!!! Hope it works out!

Maybe not if snowing. Lol.
I thought about it but we’re talking 2 days. I think paying 600-650 to save 2 days is money well spent. And, really, after gas, tolls, and the trip there, I’d save what? Maybe 200?

Yeah, you have to really enjoy that kind of drive, to make it worth it.

But, leasing long distance can be a crapshoot. I like to be there to iron out any issues. When I leased the Z4 in Maryland, I flew in around Noon, pulled out at 3 pm, and was home at 11 pm. But, I enjoyed it. And, not sure I would have pulled off the exact deal, if I hadn't been there.

Didn’t you have the deal done ahead of time?

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

I maybe might have a deal on a Camaro. Salesperson is very very slow to respond, but the last lease sheet looks good. About $308/mo. But she is missing NJ MVC on there, so I'm trying to find out what's up with that. 2nd problem is that it is 650 miles away. But I've failed at getting anybody closer to deal. They charge only a $75 doc fee, though, so that helps.

What a fun road trip that might be........!!!!! Hope it works out!

Maybe not if snowing. Lol.
I thought about it but we’re talking 2 days. I think paying 600-650 to save 2 days is money well spent. And, really, after gas, tolls, and the trip there, I’d save what? Maybe 200?

Yeah, you have to really enjoy that kind of drive, to make it worth it.

But, leasing long distance can be a crapshoot. I like to be there to iron out any issues. When I leased the Z4 in Maryland, I flew in around Noon, pulled out at 3 pm, and was home at 11 pm. But, I enjoyed it. And, not sure I would have pulled off the exact deal, if I hadn't been there.

Didn’t you have the deal done ahead of time?

Yes, and there were still issues in the F&I office. Which we got ironed out.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

my son's lease ends around Christmas. I get texts about one car or another every few days. Today's diversion was a LR Evoque. Not sure that one is going to pan out.

With the cars he’s interested in he must figure you’ll be good at fixing them.

one of his concerns is the reputation of the LR dealer in Albany. That would have been a lease most likely, or a not very old CPO. But under warranty. There is nothing I could do for him on one of those, even if I wasn't 4 hours away!

They also sell Jaguar at that store. Kind of snooty staff, at least when you pull up in a rental.

xwesx

fintail said:

To get into longterm ownership, next month will be 26 years with the fintail.

My dad gave me his van in 1990 when I was 13 years old. So, even though I didn't legitimately start driving that thing until around the time I graduated from high school, I'm calling my start of ownership 30 (+) years for the Econoline because that's when I first pulled it into the shop and started tearing into it.

I'm at:

24 on the '69 C20
14 on the '76 F250
4 each for the Q7 and Forester
1/6 Crosstrek

Now let's see.... 20 years for the 3-wheeler (and another 1.5 for the second one), 2.3 for the FLX ebike, and 37 for my little BMX bike, plus a bunch of years for various other instruments of transport, but I can't bring myself to continue this @graphicguy -like ruse.