Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
You must know about putting some sandbags in the bed during the winter.

stickguy

Farmer, sounds like a perfect plan to me. At least you will be driving a nice new car home, instead of a hooptie that hasn't been 10 miles away from the prior owners home in 20 years.

Depending on what I finally decide to get, I would consider doing the same thing. Something like a RWD BMW, that is never in stock up here.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
You must know about putting some sandbags in the bed during the winter.

I use bags of rock salt and various junk I plan on taking to the dump “someday”.

stickguy

here you go Farmer. A lot closer than Florida. Hop on SW to BWI, and drive home the same day!

You wanted stripped. This is basic.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/838565541/overview/

explorerx4

Rock salt? No wonder your vehicles rust away.

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

Regarding cars (for a change?), my wife seems to not want to part with her Crosstrek now. She's trying to convince me that it is better if I just fly down there this summer with the kids (leaving all my tools and whatnot behind), since we can "probably borrow what we need" when we're down there. This way, we only have one car to take home with us (she doesn't like the idea of just leaving that car in Ohio). /sigh

There's no way I'm going to Ohio to do a bunch of work on that house and leaving all my tools at home. That sounds like a nightmare to me!

Sounds like a job for the Econoline with a mattress in the back for the kids. They’ll have a ball “camping” with the tools.

stickguy

oh, speaking of crazy prices, update on the Jetta saga. Before accepting Carvana today, she decided to check Carmax again (their offer expired today). And not only did they not lower it, they upped it by $800! So now up to $16,800 (after incentives, I think she paid right about $19,000 +TTL in August 2018 and it has about 42,000 miles on it now.

counting everything, if she gets that payout, it works out to being equivalent to a 3 year lease for about $120/month on a sign and drive 15K/miles per year.

stickguy

xwesx said:

Regarding cars (for a change?), my wife seems to not want to part with her Crosstrek now. She's trying to convince me that it is better if I just fly down there this summer with the kids (leaving all my tools and whatnot behind), since we can "probably borrow what we need" when we're down there. This way, we only have one car to take home with us (she doesn't like the idea of just leaving that car in Ohio). /sigh

There's no way I'm going to Ohio to do a bunch of work on that house and leaving all my tools at home. That sounds like a nightmare to me!

If your timing was a little further out, seems like a great time to sell it to Carmax, and buy something else next time down. Turn it into a very long distance flipping business. Or buy something to use and bring back.

henryn

stickguy said:

here you go Farmer. A lot closer than Florida. Hop on SW to BWI, and drive home the same day!

You wanted stripped. This is basic.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/838565541/overview/

Now that looks like a VERY good deal, in the present madness. I'll bet it won't be there tomorrow.

henryn

Sandman6472 said:

And we'll look back at this past year one day and use it for a model of what not to do in a world crisis like we've had with this pandemic. We'll learn from our mistakes so we can make any kind of shortage just short term, be it chips or toilet paper!

If there's one thing I've learned in my 70 years on this planet, it's that most people learn nothing from their mistakes. That just keep doing the same stupid things.

Sandman6472

Surprised you just don't keep the Jetta as you say she'll be coming down to DE and needing a vehicle to use, why not just use your own vehicle sitting at my folks. It won't be driven much I'm betting and you can have a vehicle there for those times you need one. Se how this goes, and then sell it if it proves to not be needed. What's she going to do when she comes down to go to DE and your wife needs her RDX for work, rent something? Since this new wrinkle in her job has cropped up, why not keep it a bit longer and see if she really does come down & needs a vehicle other than the wife's.
Sure, it's not your dream vehicle, I get that, but it's not a bad d d for the time being. Y'all might find this a cheaper & better solution. Just throwing it out there as it seems like the decision to sell is already been made. Just another alternative to think about. Guess it's that logical side of me I can't seem to supress. That side of me that puts me into analysis paralysis every time I get to thinking about replacing the Golf. I tend to overthink too much when spending a lot of $!! And especially when there's not much for me to chose from with my size requirement. Hopefully that's going to change with a couple 2022 models on the horizon. And that's why I've stopped wasting my time looking anymore. Just easier to keep what I got and fix when an issue crops up.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

xwesx said:

Regarding cars (for a change?), my wife seems to not want to part with her Crosstrek now. She's trying to convince me that it is better if I just fly down there this summer with the kids (leaving all my tools and whatnot behind), since we can "probably borrow what we need" when we're down there. This way, we only have one car to take home with us (she doesn't like the idea of just leaving that car in Ohio). /sigh

There's no way I'm going to Ohio to do a bunch of work on that house and leaving all my tools at home. That sounds like a nightmare to me!

Sounds like a job for the Econoline with a mattress in the back for the kids. They’ll have a ball “camping” with the tools.

That's not a bad idea! Hahah.

It's made a few runs between Alaska and the rest of the US in its day (the most recent being 1996...). There's already a bed back there and lots of space. I might need to add another seat/belt, just in case the border agents raise a stink about that.

henryn

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

xwesx said:

Regarding cars (for a change?), my wife seems to not want to part with her Crosstrek now. She's trying to convince me that it is better if I just fly down there this summer with the kids (leaving all my tools and whatnot behind), since we can "probably borrow what we need" when we're down there. This way, we only have one car to take home with us (she doesn't like the idea of just leaving that car in Ohio). /sigh

There's no way I'm going to Ohio to do a bunch of work on that house and leaving all my tools at home. That sounds like a nightmare to me!

Sounds like a job for the Econoline with a mattress in the back for the kids. They’ll have a ball “camping” with the tools.

That's not a bad idea! Hahah.

It's made a few runs between Alaska and the rest of the US in its day (the most recent being 1996...). There's already a bed back there and lots of space. I might need to add another seat/belt, just in case the border agents raise a stink about that.

Didn't I just see this in a movie? Yeah, it even won several academy awards!

stickguy

henryn said:

stickguy said:

here you go Farmer. A lot closer than Florida. Hop on SW to BWI, and drive home the same day!

You wanted stripped. This is basic.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/838565541/overview/

Now that looks like a VERY good deal, in the present madness. I'll bet it won't be there tomorrow.

there were a bunch more listed at $25k or less on the list. Just gotta look!

stickguy

At the price being offered now, the kid wants the money and I am not paying anything close to that for one.

no guarantee that she will get down there much if at all, and can always just train in and stay there like normal business travelers!

If i really need a car I will find something. I was only keeping the Jetta when it was a good deal for me. and I am not planning to lowball her on it! Just probably need to get something with an Automatic!

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

. . . just in case the border agents raise a stink. . .

What's the current deal driving from AK to the lower 48, or the other way around?

Last I heard the borders were closed and, unless you were a Canadian citizen, you weren't getting in. Then if you were (as I am), you have to cool your heels for two weeks at astronomical expense to prove that you were worthy.

Gotta love the drama teacher. His dad wasn't so bad, but jeez. . .

breld

@stickguy - that is indeed crazy pricing on a 3 year old Jetta that is such a common vehicle. As long as you can get by without a vehicle for a little while, take the money and run!

cdnpinhead

henryn said:

Yeah, it even won several academy awards!

You must be among the dozen people who watched and/or paid attention.

breld

So I just signed the paperwork for my lease of the Polestar 2. I should take delivery of it in the next week or so.

If you don’t remember, I was the first customer to step into the Polestar Denver “space” to take a closer look. My interest was already at a high level, but being there and speaking with the salesman and manager convinced me to place their first order.

What was also motivating was the lease estimate the manager provided was way lower than I expected, as they included the $7,500 fed tax incentive as a rebate. I was skeptical of that, as my understanding was the tax incentive was baked into the residual - 63% for a 39 month lease. I asked the question, but the sales manager was certain that the incentive was a rebate off the cap cost.

So for weeks now I was just waiting for them to come back and tell me of the error, apologize profusely and then offer some reasonable incentive for me to keep the order (like $1-2k off).

First the sales manager provided me with a draft of the lease contract - $7,500 rebate included. Then Sunday I was provided with most of the sales documents in docusign form - the lease terms included the $7,500 rebate. And today I received via FedEx the final lease contract...$7,500 rebate included.

I called her to ask about some other questions, and she ended up confessing to me that she was told by Polestar (Volvo Finance I imagine?) the $7,500 was accounted for in the residual, and they were questioning why it was shown as a rebate. According to her, she insisted that is what she had promised the buyer all this time and they agreed to honor it.

Not gonna lie - I feel a little guilty like I got away with something. But I actually asked a few times about the $7,500 rebate, to the point that I was afraid I was insulting the manager and her firm belief that it was included as a rebate (she came from the dealership network’s Audi store, where that is how it was treated).

stickguy

breld said:

@stickguy - that is indeed crazy pricing on a 3 year old Jetta that is such a common vehicle. As long as you can get by without a vehicle for a little while, take the money and run!

oh, she is. Heck, if it was mine I might take it myself and hope for the best! I just can't believe that the used prices aren't going to tank at some point this year. If the car companies can finally ramp up production and flood the market that should take care of the shortage.

stickguy

that is nice of them to honor it Breld, since they technically didn't have to. Probably happy to get a car out in circulation to build up interest. Or maybe they looked you up and know you are an influencer!

on the bright side, think of how much easier it will make it to flip out of it 6 month from now!

breld

stickguy said:

that is nice of them to honor it Breld, since they technically didn't have to. Probably happy to get a car out in circulation to build up interest. Or maybe they looked you up and know you are an influencer!

on the bright side, think of how much easier it will make it to flip out of it 6 month from now!

Agreed - certainly no obligation on their part to honor a deal with such a significant error, particularly prior to delivery of the car.

They made a big deal out of me being their first order, and then I happened to mention this would be my 10th purchase from their dealership network in as many years. That all may have motivated them to just do the deal - they certainly won’t be making the same error going forward.

What’s funny is with 10 cars purchased from them in 10 years, I bet they think I must have bought all my cars from them! Little do they know...

henryn

cdnpinhead said:

henryn said:

Yeah, it even won several academy awards!

You must be among the dozen people who watched and/or paid attention.

I will admit that I did watch the movie. Can't say I was all that impressed, but it was watchable.

tifighter

breld said:

So I just signed the paperwork for my lease of the Polestar 2. I should take delivery of it in the next week or so.

If you don’t remember, I was the first customer to step into the Polestar Denver “space” to take a closer look. My interest was already at a high level, but being there and speaking with the salesman and manager convinced me to place their first order.

What was also motivating was the lease estimate the manager provided was way lower than I expected, as they included the $7,500 fed tax incentive as a rebate. I was skeptical of that, as my understanding was the tax incentive was baked into the residual - 63% for a 39 month lease. I asked the question, but the sales manager was certain that the incentive was a rebate off the cap cost.

So for weeks now I was just waiting for them to come back and tell me of the error, apologize profusely and then offer some reasonable incentive for me to keep the order (like $1-2k off).

First the sales manager provided me with a draft of the lease contract - $7,500 rebate included. Then Sunday I was provided with most of the sales documents in docusign form - the lease terms included the $7,500 rebate. And today I received via FedEx the final lease contract...$7,500 rebate included.

I called her to ask about some other questions, and she ended up confessing to me that she was told by Polestar (Volvo Finance I imagine?) the $7,500 was accounted for in the residual, and they were questioning why it was shown as a rebate. According to her, she insisted that is what she had promised the buyer all this time and they agreed to honor it.

Not gonna lie - I feel a little guilty like I got away with something. But I actually asked a few times about the $7,500 rebate, to the point that I was afraid I was insulting the manager and her firm belief that it was included as a rebate (she came from the dealership network’s Audi store, where that is how it was treated).

Translation - It's because you're an 'influencer'. Or it should be.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

here you go Farmer. A lot closer than Florida. Hop on SW to BWI, and drive home the same day!

You wanted stripped. This is basic.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/838565541/overview/

That’s fantastic, especially since that dealer only has a $500 doc fee as opposed to that Florida one who had 1000. I could fly into Baltimore or just drive down and back in one day.

Now you’re really tempting me.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Rock salt? No wonder your vehicles rust away.

Sealed bags. In upstate NY you can get all the rust you need from the outside.

oldfarmer50

breld said:

So I just signed the paperwork for my lease of the Polestar 2. I should take delivery of it in the next week or so.

If you don’t remember, I was the first customer to step into the Polestar Denver “space” to take a closer look. My interest was already at a high level, but being there and speaking with the salesman and manager convinced me to place their first order.

What was also motivating was the lease estimate the manager provided was way lower than I expected, as they included the $7,500 fed tax incentive as a rebate. I was skeptical of that, as my understanding was the tax incentive was baked into the residual - 63% for a 39 month lease. I asked the question, but the sales manager was certain that the incentive was a rebate off the cap cost.

So for weeks now I was just waiting for them to come back and tell me of the error, apologize profusely and then offer some reasonable incentive for me to keep the order (like $1-2k off).

First the sales manager provided me with a draft of the lease contract - $7,500 rebate included. Then Sunday I was provided with most of the sales documents in docusign form - the lease terms included the $7,500 rebate. And today I received via FedEx the final lease contract...$7,500 rebate included.

I called her to ask about some other questions, and she ended up confessing to me that she was told by Polestar (Volvo Finance I imagine?) the $7,500 was accounted for in the residual, and they were questioning why it was shown as a rebate. According to her, she insisted that is what she had promised the buyer all this time and they agreed to honor it.

Not gonna lie - I feel a little guilty like I got away with something. But I actually asked a few times about the $7,500 rebate, to the point that I was afraid I was insulting the manager and her firm belief that it was included as a rebate (she came from the dealership network’s Audi store, where that is how it was treated).

You feel guilty of taking advantage of a dealer? Who are you and what have you done with the real breld?

qbrozen

breld said:

So I just signed the paperwork for my lease of the Polestar 2. I should take delivery of it in the next week or so.

If you don’t remember, I was the first customer to step into the Polestar Denver “space” to take a closer look. My interest was already at a high level, but being there and speaking with the salesman and manager convinced me to place their first order.

What was also motivating was the lease estimate the manager provided was way lower than I expected, as they included the $7,500 fed tax incentive as a rebate. I was skeptical of that, as my understanding was the tax incentive was baked into the residual - 63% for a 39 month lease. I asked the question, but the sales manager was certain that the incentive was a rebate off the cap cost.

So for weeks now I was just waiting for them to come back and tell me of the error, apologize profusely and then offer some reasonable incentive for me to keep the order (like $1-2k off).

First the sales manager provided me with a draft of the lease contract - $7,500 rebate included. Then Sunday I was provided with most of the sales documents in docusign form - the lease terms included the $7,500 rebate. And today I received via FedEx the final lease contract...$7,500 rebate included.

I called her to ask about some other questions, and she ended up confessing to me that she was told by Polestar (Volvo Finance I imagine?) the $7,500 was accounted for in the residual, and they were questioning why it was shown as a rebate. According to her, she insisted that is what she had promised the buyer all this time and they agreed to honor it.

Not gonna lie - I feel a little guilty like I got away with something. But I actually asked a few times about the $7,500 rebate, to the point that I was afraid I was insulting the manager and her firm belief that it was included as a rebate (she came from the dealership network’s Audi store, where that is how it was treated).

So what is the lease deal you got?

graphicguy

@old farmer…I would jump all over the chance to do a road trip to buy a vehicle. So, my vote is go fly to the dealership and drive a new truck home. That would be fun!

@breld ….again, Congrats! This is a nutzo time in the car biz. I don’t know that anything makes sense, any more. Obviously, we’re going to need a review and pics. In the interim, I’ll offer a pre-congratulations, Congratulations. I liked the Volvo I test drove. You obviously did quite well.

tjc78

@breld
Congrats. I’m also interested in the details of the lease if you don’t mind posting.

breld

Polestar 2 lease terms...

MSRP $63,900
39 months
12k miles/year

First payment only due at signing, $563/month (before my 8% tax).

Yeah, yeah, 39 months is laughable for me. But not like I’ve ever ridden a lease all the way out, and the $7,500 error will most certainly help with the lease obligation vs value along the way. The residual was exactly the same between 36 and 39 months, and the money rate was lower for 39, so sort of a no brainer to go for that term.

They are offering 0% financing, and I was tempted to take them up on that, but with any EV not named Tesla, I’d rather have the guaranteed residual of a lease. The effective interest rate on the lease is 2.14% (.00089 money rate), so not bad.

I was planning on putting $1,500 down, which is the state tax credit I’ll receive next year (for a leased EV), but with the already low payment, I didn’t even do that. So I’ll get that $1,500 back a year from now.

breld

For anyone interested in the car itself, I ordered the Thunder (Thunder Gray in Volvo terms) exterior, charcoal interior, and the 20” wheel upgrade.

The “launch” edition (the only way you can get it for 2021) is pretty well loaded, but you can add the Performance Package and a leather interior.

I was certainly tempted by the Performance Package - that comes with unique 20” wheels, larger brakes and Ohlin dampers (manually adjustable), but no increase in power (not that you need it). It also comes with gold brake calipers and gold seatbelts (the color, not the material ). I actually like the 20” wheel upgrade I added more than the Performance Package wheels, and decided I probably wouldn’t notice enough of a difference in the suspension for the $5,000 package price.

And leather may have been nice - the standard interior on this launch model is some material they promote as vegan and is akin to a wetsuit. Probably wears well but not the prettiest interior. The leather seats are also ventilated. But all that comes at a cost of $4,000. Again, decided it wasn’t worth it to me.

28firefighter

breld said:

Polestar 2 lease terms...

MSRP $63,900
39 months
12k miles/year

First payment only due at signing, $563/month (before my 8% tax).

Yeah, yeah, 39 months is laughable for me. But not like I’ve ever ridden a lease all the way out, and the $7,500 error will most certainly help with the lease obligation vs value along the way. The residual was exactly the same between 36 and 39 months, and the money rate was lower for 39, so sort of a no brainer to go for that term.

They are offering 0% financing, and I was tempted to take them up on that, but with any EV not named Tesla, I’d rather have the guaranteed residual of a lease. The effective interest rate on the lease is 2.14% (.00089 money rate), so not bad.

I was planning on putting $1,500 down, which is the state tax credit I’ll receive next year (for a leased EV), but with the already low payment, I didn’t even do that. So I’ll get that $1,500 back a year from now.

That’s pretty strong for a new car!

stickguy

Excellent sounding deal. I assume without their error would be more like $763?

tjc78

Very solid deal! Can’t wait to see pictures!

qbrozen

I can't even fathom anybody paying what it would cost with the rebate taken away. That's about $225 on top. Yikes!!

henryn

stickguy said:

henryn said:

stickguy said:

here you go Farmer. A lot closer than Florida. Hop on SW to BWI, and drive home the same day!

You wanted stripped. This is basic.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/838565541/overview/

Now that looks like a VERY good deal, in the present madness. I'll bet it won't be there tomorrow.

there were a bunch more listed at $25k or less on the list. Just gotta look!

So I went and looked, checked out 3 of the biggest Ford dealers in Houston. Only one showed a Ranger for less than $28k, and that dealer had 2, at about the same price ($23k). Only ... looking closely, both showed "On Order" not "In Stock". So before buying that plane ticket, I would call the dealer, make sure it's in stock, and put down a deposit via credit card.

It's kind of sad, actually. The place where I bought my 2018 F150 usually keeps 100 to 150 new F150's in stock. Right now, they have 15 according to their website. And about half of them are "On Order".

America's best selling vehicle for several decades, and there aren't any. Which does explain why I could get $4.5k more than I originally paid for my 3 year old F150.

qbrozen

Advertised deal on their website:
$549/mo for 39/10k
**Offer available to qualified customers that meet Polestar Financial Services (PFS) credit standards at authorized Polestar Spaces. Not everyone will qualify. Advertised lease payment does not include taxes, title, registration, license, acquisition fee, insurance, maintenance, and other dealer fees. Lessee is responsible for excess wear and mileage over 10,000 miles/year at $0.25 / mile. All offers are subject to vehicle availability. Must take delivery of new vehicle by May 1st, 2021. All offers are subject to vehicle availability. Contact your Polestar Retailer for details.

@breld is at 12k, so that is a 1% difference in RV, which is $639 at his MSRP. His also has $4k higher MSRP. That's about $1520 more to pay off. So $2160 over 39 mos is about $60/mo with the rent charge. I have no idea what the acq and dealer fees are, but I'll just say $1200. In NJ, the title/reg would be $400. Figure that $1600 in fees is another $45/mo. So $100-$105 on top of the advertised deal is $650-$655. $563 is obviously very good, but I don't think someone is being completely honest about that $7500. Something is amiss.

breld

That $549/month advertised deal includes a $4,000 down payment from the lessor (I made no down payment).

breld

stickguy said:

Excellent sounding deal. I assume without their error would be more like $763?

About $730 all things being equal. But I would have put down $1,500 to account for the tax credit I would be receiving from the state which would have put me at $687/month (before tax). That's close enough to the 1% rule of thumb that I was already giving it strong consideration, but I was already thinking of backing out if the correction was made, as I wasn't sure if being an early adopter on a new EV was worth that. But with the "double dipping" on the tax incentive, the decision was clear.

stickguy

Just watched hoovie’s latest video. Had a great summary of the current insane market conditions. And definitely sounds like it will get worse before it gets better.

[Deleted User]

Good for them in honoring their deal, I'm sure Volvo will be just fine even if they end up eating it. It's probably an understatement to say that you're excited, I'll be watching for you out there!

breld

This is the only picture I could find of the Polestar 2 in the Thunder exterior and the 20" wheels. Hard to really see the wheels at this angle, but I test drove 3 different models and got to see the wheel options in person and definitely liked these ones the best. Enough to give up any additional comfort in ride quality over the standard 19" wheels (though I can't say there was much discernible difference in comfort on my limited test drive experiences).

corvette

@breld - given the bad experiences nearly all of us have had at one point, it sounds like a box of gourmet donuts or other goodies might be in order for the sales manager for taking care of her mistake without hassling you.

breld

corvette said:

@breld - given the bad experiences nearly all of us have had at one point, it sounds like a box of gourmet donuts or other goodies might be in order for the sales manager for taking care of her mistake without hassling you.

Agreed wholeheartedly.

I've started a habit of sending Starbucks gift cards to the salespeople after I complete a purchase (and around Christmas time, I even sent one to a salesperson who was great to work with, but I actually bought from a different dealer). But this deserves something a bit more special. I'm assuming the manager got some flak for the deal.

stickguy

I really hope I don’t need to shop until supply and demand settles out. This would be the time to have a spare old car or toy lying around!

qbrozen

breld said:

That $549/month advertised deal includes a $4,000 down payment from the lessor (I made no down payment).

Hmmm...mine doesn’t have that. I posted all the fine print. No DP. I wonder if NJ is that drastically different from CO.

Unless what you are looking at includes those fees I talked about and your taxes.

corvette

stickguy said:

Just watched hoovie’s latest video. Had a great summary of the current insane market conditions. And definitely sounds like it will get worse before it gets better.

Things will iron themselves out eventually. I'm not sure whether the sales figures bore this out, but after 9/11, there was a big push for people to spend money to keep the economy propped up. A lot of people who had no definite plans to buy a new vehicle did so. The thinking at the time was that automakers were borrowing or stealing sales that would have otherwise occurred in future years in order to make a sale in 2001-2002.

carnaught

breld said:

This is the only picture I could find of the Polestar 2 in the Thunder exterior and the 20" wheels. Hard to really see the wheels at this angle, but I test drove 3 different models and got to see the wheel options in person and definitely liked these ones the best. Enough to give up any additional comfort in ride quality over the standard 19" wheels (though I can't say there was much discernible difference in comfort on my limited test drive experiences).

Curious - where is the model made?

breld

qbrozen said:

breld said:

That $549/month advertised deal includes a $4,000 down payment from the lessor (I made no down payment).

Hmmm...mine doesn’t have that. I posted all the fine print. No DP. I wonder if NJ is that drastically different from CO.

Unless what you are looking at includes those fees I talked about and your taxes.