Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

lilengineerboy

This has got to be an odd duck.
A cloth seat, manual trans, 7-seat, dual-moonroof Disco???

Oh the cloth part might be weird, but manual trans Discos are populating the SF Bay Area CL.

mark156

I had to have the cam bolts installed on my 2000 Mercedes E-430 Sport (car sold in summer of '08). I was getting a little pull in the front and the alignment shop recommended the bolts and installed them. They were $60 for a pair if I remember correctly and it fixed the problem.

Mark

tifighter

A D1.

Run, Forest, run...

ghulet

I didn't even know LR sold manual-trans anything in the U.S., at least not within the last twenty years :confuse:

oregonboy

If that Disco was mine, I would immediately pull off the mondo-roof-rack-crap and grill guard with the skyward-aimed, idiot (fog) lights. :sick: Just my personal point of view.

ghulet

.....and drive around with them fully lit, all the time (imitating the Mammoth Car from 'Speed Racer', or at least a Hummer). :P

qbrozen

I didn't even know LR sold manual-trans anything in the U.S., at least not within the last twenty years

That was exactly my response.

Add to that, though, dual moonroofs and "3rd row." It is the oddest combination of options imaginable. I mean, someone actually thought, "hey, I gotta have 2 useless windows on the roof, but I'll be damned if I'm paying for leather!"

qbrozen

I'm a bit surprised at how long this has been sitting on this dealer's lot. It has caught my attention before, but forgot about it till I saw it in the new autoshopper.

According to the carfax, it has been there 3 months now. The asking price is very low. About $500-$1k over Galves. I'm really thinking I may go take a look tomorrow.

low miles V40.

tifighter

Go read V40 reviews on Edmunds. Or anywhere. Not pretty. I love the idea of this little wagon, but still think a Mazda P5 or 3 would be a better choice. IMHO.

qbrozen

?
I have read them before. Nothing ever really scared me off.
I mean, heck, if you just go by the numbers, the V40 has an Editor's rating of 7.9 and Consumer's rating of 8.2. I'd call that pretty good. Plus, volvomax thought it a pretty good car.

What I do find strange, however, is the rear seat measurement is on 32.7. That's odd because when we test drove one, we did put my son behind me and it seemed adequate.

stickguy

that seems like a good buy. I really like those for some reason. Great seats, perfect size. Of course, I never did drive one..

They did have some issues I think, but more so early on. That was the last year for them, so probably more of the bugs worked out? Still, not a horrible car reliablility wise.

Also, I never trust legroom numbers. Doesn't it really depend on how you position the front seat? Meaning, if the front has enough room to pull it up a bit, you get more in the back.

For that price, and those miles, if I was carless right now, I would be up taking a look at it.

fezo

I have read them before. Nothing ever really scared me off.

To be fair you don't scare off easily....

qbrozen

That is very true, fezo.

I'm going to be in Freehold in the morning and the Dodge dealer there has a low miles '03 Protege ES 5-spd. I may have to stop by ... although I really think I'll find it too slow for my taste.

At least I think its an ES. It has a moonroof.

tifighter

Yeah, I just looked. My bad. Almost all the consumer reviews on Edmunds were written in 2004 by people who had just bought them, which tells you nothing about the long term reliability of the car. I thought this used car review from Canada was pretty balanced.

qbrozen

Yeah, that sounds a bit more reasonable. And, like the reviewer said, it is a good used value.

The big bonus for me is that it will make the wife very happy to have an auto volvo wagon in the driveway.

ghulet

now, wait a minute.....you're tempted by a V40, ahem, automatic, but you're worried that a Protege ES (they all had the same engine that year) 5-speed will be 'too slow'? I don't know 0-60 numbers, but I'd take a bet that the Pro is faster.....even if not, it's a helluvalot more fun to drive, I gwar-un-tea. I know your requirements vary, but still.....
I had a very-first-year Protege LX (this became the ES--power everything including roof, 4-wheel discs, 5-speed, and the 1.816v 125hp engine). Dammit, I luhuhuhuved that car. Only downfall was the ~3500 RPM @ 70mph....lots of available power, but quite irritating (and surprisingly thirsty) as a highway cruiser.

anonymousposts

Many many cars ago we had a 2001 ES 5-speed with the 2.0L engine. It was great around town but the engine got pretty buzzy on the highway. Some of them also suffered from a "death rattle" in the mornings. Mine started with this trait around 5,000 miles. While the car was a hoot to drive around a corner, if the revs went above 3500, the only thing made was more noise and not more power. On the highway, passing power was a bit lacking but the ride was great. The only other thing I remember is weak AC, but that may be a product of a black on black car in Atlanta in the summer.

qbrozen

OK, went to check out the V40. I didn't even drive it. I was so horrified by the condition of the outside of this car that supposedly only had 55k miles, that I couldn't bring myself to even talk to a salesperson. How in the world does someone get scratches and dings on every damned body panel in only 55k miles??

I then went to check out the Protege. I am very very very close to pulling the trigger on that car. It is super duper clean. I think the ad said it had a few fewer miles, but it has 59k.

Yes, weak AC I noticed. Also the crazy high rpms at highway speeds. What also bothers me a bit is the cheapness of the body. Doors reverberating after closing them is never a good design move. And a good amount of wind/road noise, too. But it is an economy car, after all.

But, like I said, SO clean. And I was impressed with the comfort, room, and pleasantly surprised at the power. But it has to do with that short gearing. It is reasonably quick BECAUSE its a screamer on the highway. I mean, 2nd gear seemed to top out at, what? 45 mph?

Salesperson told me it just came in 2 days ago and they wouldn't have much room to negotiate yet. I'm thinking $6500 should kill it.

Ah... but... what about my wagon?! :confuse:
Do I sacrifice, yet again. Or do I hold out and hope that a Protege5 just as nice as this surfaces someday?

qbrozen

The auto V40 would still blow the doors off the protege 5spd. It only weighs 200 lbs more, yet sports about 40 more horses and 40-50 more lb-ft ... all at much lower rpms, too (peak torque is at 1800). The wonders of a turbo!

qbrozen

Yet another extreme oddball!

Funny thing is, this has WORSE trade value than the Protege! Gee, it was only... what? 3 times the cost when new?

tifighter

And at least 3 times the repairs...

qbrozen

What do you folks think is better? An automatic bimmer or the manual protege?

I'm thinkin maybe I should take a chance and drive the 1.5 hours to check this 323 bimmer out. (obviously not the automatic in the hypothetical above)

tifighter

Low mile 323 with a manual. Assuming it checks out, what's not to like? What do they want for the Protege?

stickguy

A Jag X type? Unless it is the 1 manual wagon they imported, I don't think so.

THe Protege you would get real tired of real quick, after an S70, benz and infiniti. Don't even bother.

I would still consider the V40, just haggle the price down to reflect the exterior condtion. A good dent and recon guy can fix a lot of that anyway. My TL has an assortment of dents, and a ton of scratches on the pass. side, thanks to tight parking from the original owner, and my son taking it to the HS parking lot. It also has been dealer maintained (whatever they said, was done) and runs like it has 1/2 the iles on it. So, you never know.

The BMW? Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Heck, I could have taken 476 home today, and been 5 miles from that (if not less). If you go, wave on the way past .

If that one had the sport package too, I would head over tomorrow! Or if it wasn't black, one or the other.

Still, if you want a wagon, that V40 could still be a really good buy.

qbrozen

nah. Remember, my philosophy is if the owner didn't take care of the cosmetics, they most likely didn't take care of the mechanics, either.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll drive out to see the bimmer. Yeah, not a wagon and no sport pack. But, heck 61k miles on an '00 (meaning back when they were still relatively light)? A rare find, methinks.

Tired of the protege? ehhh... well... probably. But, heck, what HAVEN'T I gotten tired of? Isn't that why we're on this board? At least at $6k, it would be a more inexpensive itch to scratch. When you think about it, the bimmer will be ~33% more $$.

ghulet

....Jag, Bimmer or Protege, weren't you looking for something with more rear seat room (sorry to be a [non-permissible content removed], I'm just sayin')? :P

roadburner

Every decent BMW I find has is optioned weird and/or has a slushbox. Roadfly, BMW CCA, chapter newsletters, Craigslist- no joy. The Mazda hasn't left the garage since I brought it home from the Carmax appraisal on 12/21.
Rats.

lilengineerboy

Every decent BMW I find has is optioned weird and/or has a slushbox. Roadfly, BMW CCA, chapter newsletters, Craigslist- no joy. The Mazda hasn't left the garage since I brought it home from the Carmax appraisal on 12/21.

Expand your search. Go South or go West. California is the BMW capital of the world and has no snow to speak of and even the coastal cars don't seem to rust. Texas is also a good place to pull from.

qbrozen

Yup. And all of those have it, believe it or not.

If you go by the numbers, my Benz has 31" of rear leg room. Bimmer 3-series has 34.5 and the mazdas have over 35.

Well, in any case, I've been mulling it over and I've decided I really really want to hold out for a wagon.

Hey, stickguy, check this out.
I gotta wonder what's up with it, though. Anyone have a carfax account?

stickguy

I like that one. Not a big beige guy, but it looks OK on this car. As a bonus, the carpet is the same color as my dog, which should cut down on the vacuuming needed (if you have a yellow lab, you know).

miles and price are OK. Certainly interesting enough. I almost bought that same car in 2001 (silver over black though), but a 25K mile corporate car. And for way more money! Drove really, really nice.

But, I thought Torchlight was not a place to buy?

8sparkplugs

I have come to the conclusion that I don't want to buy a car. I tend to keep them for a long time and enjoy thinking about and checking out cars to much to buy one. If I bought a car now I would be out of the new car game for 7-10 yrs, that wouldn't be fun. So I will spend my nights looking on ebay and reading the papers. Looking for a car is so much better than buying one.

tifighter

Looking for a car is so much better than buying one.

No kidding. I bought the Versa for my wife a week and a half ago now, and I still have the shakes

roadburner

My dealer now has two M3s- both of which won't work for me. One is a beautiful 2006 Sterling/Black. It lacks CWP/heated seats and H-K- even though it has every other option but Navigation. The other is a 2004 with only 39k, and it actually has more options than I want(I could easily do without the sunroof and the 19" wheels). In this case the deal breaker is the boring color combination; it's Black/Black. Ugh.

qbrozen

That's what I've been told, which is why I'm wondering if it has a bad carfax or not. I do know the one time we stopped there, we were told we couldn't test drive for insurance reasons.(????)
I can't believe he sells any cars without test drives. I wonder if that rule still holds true. Honestly, I think I could give that car a very good inspection myself if I could drive it. I know all the trouble spots and I've fixed them all before.

It is tempting at that price. It is $1800 over bottom wholesale, which I've found to be his typical pricing strategy.

qbrozen

Sterling is bright silver, right? If so, I'd prefer the black/black, personally. I hate silver. WAY too common. Not that I would WANT black, but given the 2, I'd go with that.

Could a color change inside change your mind? I mean, if the price is right, I would not hesitate taking it to an upholstery shop and having contrasting inserts put in the seats.

roadburner

Sterling is bright silver, right? If so, I'd prefer the black/black, personally. I hate silver. WAY too common. Not that I would WANT black, but given the 2, I'd go with that.

Sterling is a darker metallic gray; I actually like it quite a bit.

Could a color change inside change your mind? I mean, if the price is right, I would not hesitate taking it to an upholstery shop and having contrasting inserts put in the seats.

That's not an option; I'd want to spend any leftover funds on a set winter of winter wheels/tires and/or track preparation.

qbrozen

Sterling is a darker metallic gray; I actually like it quite a bit.

Ah, well, if that's the case, then yes, much better.

That's not an option; I'd want to spend any leftover funds on a set winter of winter wheels/tires and/or track preparation.

Well, what I meant was, in terms of comparing one to the other. You have an '06 vs '04. I assume the '04 is significantly cheaper. So, for example, you buy an '06 for $30k and spend $4k prepping it. Or you buy an '04 for $25k, spend $4k prepping it, and $2k changing the interior ... you still come out ahead.

corvette

A lot of cars sold in the south and out west probably won't have heated seats (which should be standard with leather or fake leather). BMW has the strongest heated seats I've ever experienced. Honda has the worst--the engine has warmed up and the heater is working by the time the seat starts to feel warm.

michaellno

...lots of posts here. Looks like q is ready to pull the trigger on something .. maybe, if he can find it. Same with roadburner.

Am spending this week in CA visiting family. Some automotive observations over the past few days:

My buddy picked me up from the airport in his '94 J30 with 174K on it. It's tighter, squeak and rattle wise, than my '03 L300 with 92K. I suspect he'll be keeping it for a good, long time ... or until he can find a newer used Infiniti.

Finally saw my son's Mustang. '97, with the 3.8L V6 and 4-speed auto (fez, is this similar to the windstall?). He got the car last year with 84K on it, it now has 98K. Kid loves to drive. It's not in bad shape, but there is an odd dent on the top of the right front fender - like someone did a karate chop on it. I'm hoping he'll get it cleaned up so I can get a picture of it to post.

The folks are still driving the '70 Chevy pickup (139K on the odometer) and the '03 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 (less than 24K after almost 7 years).

Alex and I wandered the car lots yesterday. Here's what he focused on:

- 2010 Mustang GT500 ... $50K. Nice.
- 2010 Nissan 370Z Nismo ... $40K. He had the salesman open the hood and he got a picture of the engine.
- 2010 Nissan GT-R .... $89K. This one had a chain around it in the showroom, so we couldn't even get near it. I thought Alex was going to die right there
- 2008 Mazda RX-8 ... $27K (marked down from $34K). This was the 40th anniversary edition, so it had the fancy leather interior and other bits and pieces.

We also looked at a used Mustang GT (blue '07 with a stick for $22K), 350Z (yellow stick for $21K) and a really nice Sentra SE-R Spec V with 2x,xxx miles on it for around $18K.

(can you tell that my son is a big fan of "Need for Speed" and similar games?)

Hope everyone finds what they want on their searches.

boomchek

I'd personally stay away from the new generation Sentras in general. At least when I sold them in 07 they felt poorly made and cheap feeling inside. I think a Civic Si is a much better alternative.

qbrozen

yeah, look back at a couple of recent pages and you'll see where we talked about the spec V a bit and the problems surrounding them. Not to mention that is WAAYY overpriced. You could have bought it brand new for less.

qbrozen

Uh-oh. I went and done did it. Took a trip up to Torchlight to check on that '01 V70 T5. I couldn't find much wrong to speak of. It is ridiculously fast. Very roomy. And hopefully as reliable as I imagine it is (I'd like to keep it long enough to utilize the built-in booster seats).

They are a no-haggle dealership, but the asking price, as stickguy and I discussed above, is very reasonable. As a matter of fact, given the condition, I would say it is more than reasonable. He probably has a grand profit packed on it, if I were to guess. It is very clean.

SOOO... I did pull the trigger. Left a deposit and just need to get the rest from the credit union and will probably pick it up by Friday. :shades:

Oh, and I did talk to the guy about his "rep." He was very easy to talk to and I think made exactly the points I was already thinking. I do believe he is pretty straight-up. I decided to let the car do the talking. And I gave that car a very thorough inspection and could find very little to complain about.

rayainsw

GOOD LUCK!

tifighter

All right, now we're getting somewhere... :shades:

gouldn

Nice! Should keep you entertained for a LONG time (maybe three months? :P )

corvette

Torchlight isn't very well loved on the Volvo boards. Although, their competition (JRL) is really fanatical about fixing up old Volvos, to the point of making them "like new" (which is a good thing, but expensive).

andre1969

what shade of green GM would have used on the Buick Park Ave in 2003? Reason I'm asking is because I found a green 58000 mile '03 Ultra for $9280 at a local dealer. Unfortunately, no pics. I know I shouldn't be entertaining this thought that's coming into my mind...but I am tempted to go see it. It's not far away, maybe 10 miles. I think it's the same dealer where my grandparents bought their '72 Impala and '82 Malibu.

gouldn

You want two of 'em?

andre1969

You want two of 'em?

nah, one Park ave is more than enough! But I've always been a sucker for green if it's a nice shade. So if I fell in love with this green 2003 and bought it, I'd sell the one I have.

fezo

shade. So if I fell in love with this green 2003 and bought it, I'd sell the one I have.

To lemko!