Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

henryn

@oldfarmer50, no one here can tell you what you should do, too many personal variables. All we can offer is advice on what we would do in your place. And you know what I would do, because I already did it. I had a 3 year old very nice F150, and sold it for $4,500 more than I paid originally. I do plan to buy another one, once sanity returns to the car market. I think the odds are really good that I will be able to buy a new replacement, similar or better, for about the same money, within 12 to 18 months. The warranty was about to expire on my truck, and already has on your Mustang. And the new models will most likely be even better than the one you have now. More features, more horsepower, better gas mileage, you name it.

In the meantime, I picked up an old work truck to use as a junk hauler. It took me a while, and several trips to look at losers, before I found a good buy on a solid truck. But I enjoyed the search, and I am enjoying fixing up the old truck. I expect to lose maybe $1k to $1.5k when I do resell the work truck, but that's a pretty small amount compared to the profit from selling my newer truck.

My worst case deal, I purchased a new F150 in 2015, a very nice loaded up XLT Supercrew. I kept it for 2 years, traded it in, and lost nearly $300 a month in depreciation. Ouch! But you know, this time circumstances are falling in my favor, and d___ if I'm not going to take advantage of those circumstances.

oldfarmer50

Thanks for all the input. I guess that offer got my head spinning. I can’t believe the market is so upside down.

In thinking about it, I concluded:

I don’t need the money.
Anything I would replace it with would be at least $40k and not much off sticker. (Mine was $34k MSRP and I talked them down to $31k)
I don’t want an Ecoboost. I’ve driven them at work and yeah.....no!
There’s nothing I currently want more than what I’ve got and since at the current milage I’m putting on it, I’ll be dead before it will, why bother?

The only reason I can think of to sell is my need to have bragging rights over a good deal.

kyfdx

oldfarmer50 said:

Thanks for all the input. I guess that offer got my head spinning. I can’t believe the market is so upside down.

In thinking about it, I concluded:

I don’t need the money.
Anything I would replace it with would be at least $40k and not much off sticker. (Mine was $34k MSRP and I talked them down to $31k)
I don’t want an Ecoboost. I’ve driven them at work and yeah.....no!
There’s nothing I currently want more than what I’ve got and since at the current milage I’m putting on it, I’ll be dead before it will, why bother?

The only reason I can think of to sell is my need to have bragging rights over a good deal.

Priceless!

mjfloyd1

Well crap, not an adjuster but just a fact finder to assign blame and she has not spoken to bus driver…. Seriously

qbrozen

@28firefighter , do you recall how long it took from your projected "delivery date" (which I'm told is actually the build date) and when it finally arrived?
Got my VIN today and the delivery date is 6/22. Salesperson was quick to point out that is NOT a real delivery date because it isn't even on the train at that point.

EDIT: never mind. I did some detective work and found your arrival at dealer was just about 1 month from the estimated ship date. yikes.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
This isn't the "I love my car and want to keep it forever thread", so I think you know what the answers will be.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Thanks for all the input. I guess that offer got my head spinning. I can’t believe the market is so upside down.

In thinking about it, I concluded:

I don’t need the money.
Anything I would replace it with would be at least $40k and not much off sticker. (Mine was $34k MSRP and I talked them down to $31k)
I don’t want an Ecoboost. I’ve driven them at work and yeah.....no!
There’s nothing I currently want more than what I’ve got and since at the current milage I’m putting on it, I’ll be dead before it will, why bother?

The only reason I can think of to sell is my need to have bragging rights over a good deal.

well, I'd look at it as having had a free car the past 6 years. It won't remain that way. You have only driven it 2k/yr, though, so not a heckuva lot of use. But, again, FREE. I'd punch out and wait for another deal. Buy low, sell high.

stickguy

Depends on if you will miss the car or not. And if the eventual replacement is going to be new, so still more expensive. Great time though if you are a bit bored of the same car, and ready for a change anyway!

breld

@oldfarmer50 - enjoying the Mustang for 6 years for free? Man, I thought having some fun with the Supra for 9 months for free was a good deal...I totally got ripped off!

I'm with @qbrozen - I'd take that ridiculous offer and sit and wait for things to normalize and get a new toy. But that's all up to you - whether you have enough of an itch to do the transaction.

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

@28firefighter , do you recall how long it took from your projected "delivery date" (which I'm told is actually the build date) and when it finally arrived?
Got my VIN today and the delivery date is 6/22. Salesperson was quick to point out that is NOT a real delivery date because it isn't even on the train at that point.

EDIT: never mind. I did some detective work and found your arrival at dealer was just about 1 month from the estimated ship date. yikes.

I need to do some sleuthing at my own posts - I want to say my original expected ship date was 4/25 but that shifted back about a week. Basically my timeline was:
Order: 4/12
VON: 4/12
VIN: 4/13
D1 Status: 4/15
Framing, Paint, to JB1: 4/23
JB1: 4/23-4/30
Shipping (no ETA): 4/30
Shipping (ETA 5/12 - 5/26): 5/3
Arrival at dealer: 5/21
Delivery: 5/23

Fun fact, I STILL do not have an online account from CCAP. Apparently dealer did not submit package until 6/3 and it is in "audit." Seems crazy the dealer wouldn't try harder to get this funded - I'm basically driving the truck for free.

breld

@mjfloyd1 - I've been out of town for a few days so am just catching up, but I'll echo everyone's sentiments...happy your family is okay and best of luck with this insurance process. That Q7 has to be worth $35-40k? Maybe a bit more? I sure hope it's totaled for your sake, but that is a high hurdle of repair costs.

nyccarguy

breld said:

@mjfloyd1 - I've been out of town for a few days so am just catching up, but I'll echo everyone's sentiments...happy your family is okay and best of luck with this insurance process. That Q7 has to be worth $35-40k? Maybe a bit more? I sure hope it's totaled for your sake, but that is a high hurdle of repair costs.

What did you buy?

breld

Just saw on C&D that Tesla raised their prices once again on the Model 3 and Y.

So I still have an outstanding sales order for a Model Y that is now at $3,500 less than the current selling price, and even if the tax incentives don't change, there's still a $2,500 state tax credit. Paying sales tax pretty much negates much of that "savings," but I am somewhat tempted to just fulfill the order, add the Y to the fleet and see how it goes.

breld

nyccarguy said:

breld said:

@mjfloyd1 - I've been out of town for a few days so am just catching up, but I'll echo everyone's sentiments...happy your family is okay and best of luck with this insurance process. That Q7 has to be worth $35-40k? Maybe a bit more? I sure hope it's totaled for your sake, but that is a high hurdle of repair costs.

What did you buy?

Quick 2 night trip to San Diego for work...didn't have enough time to shop.

au1994

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

@28firefighter , do you recall how long it took from your projected "delivery date" (which I'm told is actually the build date) and when it finally arrived?
Got my VIN today and the delivery date is 6/22. Salesperson was quick to point out that is NOT a real delivery date because it isn't even on the train at that point.

EDIT: never mind. I did some detective work and found your arrival at dealer was just about 1 month from the estimated ship date. yikes.

I need to do some sleuthing at my own posts - I want to say my original expected ship date was 4/25 but that shifted back about a week. Basically my timeline was:
Order: 4/12
VON: 4/12
VIN: 4/13
D1 Status: 4/15
Framing, Paint, to JB1: 4/23
JB1: 4/23-4/30
Shipping (no ETA): 4/30
Shipping (ETA 5/12 - 5/26): 5/3
Arrival at dealer: 5/21
Delivery: 5/23

Fun fact, I STILL do not have an online account from CCAP. Apparently dealer did not submit package until 6/3 and it is in "audit." Seems crazy the dealer wouldn't try harder to get this funded - I'm basically driving the truck for free.

How are you liking the Jeep?

henryn

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
This isn't the "I love my car and want to keep it forever thread", so I think you know what the answers will be.

No, that would be the "Go Green By Driving It 'Til The Wheels Fall Off" forum, which seems to be dead (last post 3 years ago).

oldfarmer50

mjfloyd1 said:

Well crap, not an adjuster but just a fact finder to assign blame and she has not spoken to bus driver…. Seriously

It sounds like they are going overboard to catch your wife in some contradictory statements in the event this goes to court. From what I’ve heard they recommend not talking to these goons because they will use every little discrepancy to screw you over. You may want to tell them to speak to your lawyer next time they call. Or maybe tell them you wife isn’t available because she’s busy getting treated for her injuries. I would not expect them to play fair with you. Just my opinion.

28firefighter

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

@28firefighter , do you recall how long it took from your projected "delivery date" (which I'm told is actually the build date) and when it finally arrived?
Got my VIN today and the delivery date is 6/22. Salesperson was quick to point out that is NOT a real delivery date because it isn't even on the train at that point.

EDIT: never mind. I did some detective work and found your arrival at dealer was just about 1 month from the estimated ship date. yikes.

I need to do some sleuthing at my own posts - I want to say my original expected ship date was 4/25 but that shifted back about a week. Basically my timeline was:
Order: 4/12
VON: 4/12
VIN: 4/13
D1 Status: 4/15
Framing, Paint, to JB1: 4/23
JB1: 4/23-4/30
Shipping (no ETA): 4/30
Shipping (ETA 5/12 - 5/26): 5/3
Arrival at dealer: 5/21
Delivery: 5/23

Fun fact, I STILL do not have an online account from CCAP. Apparently dealer did not submit package until 6/3 and it is in "audit." Seems crazy the dealer wouldn't try harder to get this funded - I'm basically driving the truck for free.

How are you liking the Jeep?

Really REALLY like it. I recognize I'm still in the honeymoon period, but quirks and all, I really like it. I think what I find most surprising is how comfortable it is (for me) in terms of seating, visibility, and ride height.

What is most strange is that it has a regular 8 speed automatic, so it actually shifts gears even in EV mode. That is a little weird, but it seems to work pretty well - definitely not as smooth as say, a CVT in EV application.

[Deleted User]

Growing up, our insurance agent lived across the street from us. His advice regarding talking to adjusters was have them send you any questions in writing, especially when they want to record the conversation!

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
This isn't the "I love my car and want to keep it forever thread", so I think you know what the answers will be.

Yes, I’m such a contrarian.

au1994

28firefighter said:

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

qbrozen said:

@28firefighter , do you recall how long it took from your projected "delivery date" (which I'm told is actually the build date) and when it finally arrived?
Got my VIN today and the delivery date is 6/22. Salesperson was quick to point out that is NOT a real delivery date because it isn't even on the train at that point.

EDIT: never mind. I did some detective work and found your arrival at dealer was just about 1 month from the estimated ship date. yikes.

I need to do some sleuthing at my own posts - I want to say my original expected ship date was 4/25 but that shifted back about a week. Basically my timeline was:
Order: 4/12
VON: 4/12
VIN: 4/13
D1 Status: 4/15
Framing, Paint, to JB1: 4/23
JB1: 4/23-4/30
Shipping (no ETA): 4/30
Shipping (ETA 5/12 - 5/26): 5/3
Arrival at dealer: 5/21
Delivery: 5/23

Fun fact, I STILL do not have an online account from CCAP. Apparently dealer did not submit package until 6/3 and it is in "audit." Seems crazy the dealer wouldn't try harder to get this funded - I'm basically driving the truck for free.

How are you liking the Jeep?

Really REALLY like it. I recognize I'm still in the honeymoon period, but quirks and all, I really like it. I think what I find most surprising is how comfortable it is (for me) in terms of seating, visibility, and ride height.

What is most strange is that it has a regular 8 speed automatic, so it actually shifts gears even in EV mode. That is a little weird, but it seems to work pretty well - definitely not as smooth as say, a CVT in EV application.

That’s great! I drove one Wednesday and was very impressed. Billet silver over black leather Sahara. Completely impressed with the interior. I thought it rode and drove just fine for what it is. Power train was really cool. Seamless transition between electric and gas. The 7500 rebate is very attractive on a lease especially but unfortunately it just doesn’t work for us cargo wise and I’m not sure how much benefit I would see from the hybrid back and forth to the lake. That’s 76 miles one way on a mix of highway and then 2 lane mountain roads.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

I’ve got a big problem. Carvana sent me an email suggesting I resubmit my Mustang for a new offer. A few months ago they offered $25.5k for my 6 year old car which I thought was unbelievable.

I paid $31k for this car in 2015.

What the heck do I do now?

Hold it for another month or two, get as much enjoyment out of it as you can for the summer, then sell while the market is still hot. Put the cash to work for you through the winter, then do what Bradd suggested: Buy another one when the market calms down!

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

The only reason I can think of to sell is my need to have bragging rights over a good deal.

That's as good a reason as any; better get that paperwork started!

stickguy

was chatting with the wife about cars while out walking tonight. Mentioned the great MPG numbers for the hybrid Maverick. And explained about they were taking orders now for fall delivery. She actually said I should put my name on the list. Shocked me. And she didn't even have a drink with dinner!

stickguy

I also mentioned wanting to see the Santa Cruz. Her response to that was "that's the ugly one. I don't like it"

might require seeing it in person.

corvette

I'd like to see the EPA numbers on the 2.0T Maverick with AWD and the tow package--that should be the opposite end of the spectrum from the hybrid. I'd also like to see interior dimensions--not sure I'd want a smaller interior than the Ranger.

Sandman6472

Have had Safeco for a few years now and we're quite happy. They took over when I had my accident in 2018 as the kid had Windstream insurance and their reputation wasn't very good. Even the body shop guy said they're the worst. Safeco took over but I still had to prod them to get the job done as they sat on it for a week and did nothing. They couldn't decide whether to total it or not and the body shop had me get involved to get them to make a decision. They finally decided to fix it and then spend about $8K to do just that. Their wasting a week meant I had to return the rental early but the other company paid for that extra week and gave me my deductible back, so I was pleased. They also paid me for my diminished value after I got a lawyer involved. All in all, things did work out in the end. But, still I hear road noise where they replaced the rear drivers door plus the area they had to put new metal in. It should've been totaled really but they denied it when I kept pressing for it.

Sandman6472

My lead driver at work is selling his base Nissan Versa to Carvana on Sunday. Going to make about $3K in the deal so he's syched about it. I haven't even tried mine yet but did get an email from Carfax yesterday saying that my 2015 VW Golf in "good" condition was worth $8100. Might just run it through Carvana and see what pops up as the accident is on the Carfax report already. Can't be that hard to do this!

Sandman6472

Just got three different offers for my VW Golf, 2015 SE 4-door. This is with having an accident on February 28th of 2018. It's on my Carfax report.
Carvana - $6402
Vroom - $8279
Carmax - $9500
Only problem is only the new VW Taos is out for me to test drive. The new 2022 Bolt isn't out yet and not sure what the federal rebate will be if at all, plus not sure what they plan to give to retro-fit our garage. Read that Chevy was going to pay for the conversion as if I get one, would need the quicker charger at home or why get one. I can live with the 300 mile range with no problem as I only drive maybe 50 or so miles each week, mostly around 40 or so. And we still have the Audi for longer trips.
Lastly, the vehicle that I think I really want is the new 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross which ain't out yet. I want to go back to "cheap to keep" to be honest. I do like that Toyota CV-R but not enough to get one at this time. A co-worker just leased a new 2022 Elantra Hybrid in blue over gray leather and it's a gorgeous vehicle. Said he's paying $265/month but not sure what he put down or if he put down anything as he already was leasing an Elantra. But it looks to be a bit too long for my garage. And I liked the Elantra GT hatch but they don't make them anymore, this was a vehicle I liked in the N-line Edition but I waited a bit too long. And not sure if I am going to purchase or lease to be honest.
The timing is off right now to be honest. And I won't settle for any vehicle as we've already done that with a bad outcome as y'all might recall. I've found in my life, timing is everything! So, I'll just wait a bit here. I did do the synthetic oil change yesterday anyways and they say I need a brake fluid swap and also recommended an induction service but I use top tier petrol so not necessary. An air filter is probably due but they didn't include that on their list. The brake fluid swap was last done at the 30K service so I can wait till I hit 70K I'm guessing.

stickguy

corvette said:

I'd like to see the EPA numbers on the 2.0T Maverick with AWD and the tow package--that should be the opposite end of the spectrum from the hybrid. I'd also like to see interior dimensions--not sure I'd want a smaller interior than the Ranger.

I watched one video (alex on autos maybe) where he showed the back seat and it had plenty of legroom. Narrower than a ranger, but that is fine if you want to get it in the garage.

corvette

stickguy said:

corvette said:

I'd like to see the EPA numbers on the 2.0T Maverick with AWD and the tow package--that should be the opposite end of the spectrum from the hybrid. I'd also like to see interior dimensions--not sure I'd want a smaller interior than the Ranger.

I watched one video (alex on autos maybe) where he showed the back seat and it had plenty of legroom. Narrower than a ranger, but that is fine if you want to get it in the garage.

I really like the interior width of a full size, until I have to park it.

henryn

corvette said:

stickguy said:

corvette said:

I'd like to see the EPA numbers on the 2.0T Maverick with AWD and the tow package--that should be the opposite end of the spectrum from the hybrid. I'd also like to see interior dimensions--not sure I'd want a smaller interior than the Ranger.

I watched one video (alex on autos maybe) where he showed the back seat and it had plenty of legroom. Narrower than a ranger, but that is fine if you want to get it in the garage.

I really like the interior width of a full size, until I have to park it.

Yeah, no kidding. I still haven't done a trial fit of the new model Ranger, something I keep intending to do but never got around to. It might be hard to find one on the showroom floor now.

When things get a little closer to normal, I plan to try on a Ranger and a Maverick, for size. I have nothing against a small truck. My brother owned a Nissan a long way back, and my son went off to college in a Ranger, the original one. Both had enough room that I could drive them comfortably. Well, they didn't feel claustrophobic, but there was nothing much comfortable about either one.

stickguy

one of the sites had a chart comparing the dimensions of the Maverick, Ranger and F150. I don't recall the exact ones, but the Maverick was longer than I expected. About 199" (Ranger 212 and F150 something like 230" to 245" depending on bed). But it was was narrower (73" vs. 82 and 89 or so). So basically it is a Bronco sport with 1.5' extra length out the back. Personally, I appreciate it being narrower than a big truck.

stickguy

From chatting with my wife, while she appreciates the money we saved (not that we really needed it) by going down to 1 car, I think she feels bad that I haven't had a car of my own for 9 months. Hasn't really bothered me though! At least I know she will be perfectly fine whenever I finally decide to go get something for myself.

oldfarmer50

OK, here’s something I might trade the old Mustang in to buy:
https://shop.ford.com/inventory/mustang/details/1FA6P8R09M5551288?fromPopularBuild=false&zipcode=12110&year=2021&fyear=2021&ownerPACode=03608&Radius=100&modeltrim=Mustang_F05-MACH1&Order=Distance

Not quite as good as the discontinued GT350 but with a lot of it’s steering gear and enough power to get me in trouble. Also $10K cheaper than the 350.

I don’t suppose there’s any wiggle room on price these days, if there ever was on these kind of cars.

mjfloyd1

Someone who identified as an adjuster (I wander what their pronouns are…) called at 430 this afternoon , unable to reach them on call back. This is gonna be painful…

stickguy

cool Mustang, but is it really going to give you $30,000 extra enjoyment?

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I also mentioned wanting to see the Santa Cruz. Her response to that was "that's the ugly one. I don't like it"

might require seeing it in person.

Interesting female perspective. I always thought that the Santa Cruz was the winner in the looks department.

Better than at my house though, where I get “do whatever you want, you will anyway. Just make sure it blue.”

oldfarmer50

mjfloyd1 said:

Someone who identified as an adjuster (I wander what their pronouns are…) called at 430 this afternoon , unable to reach them on call back. This is gonna be painful…

Time to get a lawyer.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

cool Mustang, but is it really going to give you $30,000 extra enjoyment?

Hush, do you want to get banned from here?

With that value for my car and my available play money, I can come up with $61-62k pretty easy. I estimate with tax that Mach 1 would be a little over $64k. Close.

Has anyone here had any success getting a dealer to match Carvana? That would make things simpler for me.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
That Mustang has some good features, active exhaust and magneride suspension.
When i bought my MKZ, the dealer matched my Carvana offer.

stickguy

The Acura dealer did on my RDX deal. He was not all that happy to do it, but hey, they were the ones that put a big "we match Carmax!" sign out front! Probably because the Acura dealer is right across the street from the Carmax location.

Go test drive the Mach 1. See if you even notice that much of a difference after you tuned and put an exhaust on yours.

mjfloyd1

Have a nice vacation @28firefighter

28firefighter

Thanks! Very excited. First true vacation in probably 2.5 years.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

Has anyone here had any success getting a dealer to match Carvana? That would make things simpler for me.

In my case, no. I had an offer from Carvana for $16.6k. The dealer (Hertz used car sales) offered me $12.5k on trade in. I showed them the Carvana offer, offered to take off the 6.25% sales tax advantage, and even offered to round down a couple of hundred, just for the sake of convenience. And to be honest, I was just a tad bit nervous about whether Carvana would really come through with that much money for a 5 year old T&C. No go, the Hertz sales manager was fixed on her evaluation of $12.5. She was nice enough about it, but no flexibility whatever.

That was on Saturday afternoon, and I noticed on Monday that they had raised the prices on their other 3 Pacifica's by an average of $2k.

breld

@oldfarmer50 - we saw one of the Mach 1’s on the lot a couple months back when we were looking at a Mach E. I thought it was striking.

Obviously I’m gonna say go for it...if the very generous trade value of your Mustang makes for a very palatable transaction, then do it. The value on your Mustang is crazy...and I doubt there will be significant discounts on the Mach 1 in any market. So good deal all around if you like it.

roadburner

The Mach 1 isn’t as fast as a GT PP2, but it can complete more than a couple of hot laps without the differential overheating. The biggest plus for me is that it gets a Tremec gearbox instead of the Chinese Getrag- otherwise it’s functionally equivalent to a Bullitt(although after six years Ford has finally figured out how to add seat heaters to the optional Recaros).
Dealers around here are ordering them with automatics and adding ADM stickers of up to $15k. It all reminds me of when I considered buying a new 2008 Mustang Bullitt; the local dealer laughed and scratched when I mentioned X-Plan(their Bullitt Mustang was wearing a $10K ADM sticker).
Ten months later that same Bullitt Mustang was nailed to the showroom floor and the dealer was frantically emailing me with offers of “employee pricing” and big rebates. I wished them a Very Merry Chapter 13 and told them to pound sand.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

The Acura dealer did on my RDX deal. He was not all that happy to do it, but hey, they were the ones that put a big "we match Carmax!" sign out front! Probably because the Acura dealer is right across the street from the Carmax location.

Go test drive the Mach 1. See if you even notice that much of a difference after you tuned and put an exhaust on yours.

Yeah that’s the thing, as it stands my car has 460hp vs 480 for the Mach 1. So not much difference there. What intrigues me is how much better it handles. They say they’ve put a lot of suspension bits from the GT350 on it so I assume it will corner on rails. Also, it comes with a 3:55 rear end which should be good off the line where I need the torque.

I’m not looking for screaming acceleration or I’d get a GT500. Funny, there’s only about a half dozen Mach 1s within 100 miles of me but there must be 20 GT500s. Maybe it’s the near $100k price tag that keeps them in the dealerships.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

The Acura dealer did on my RDX deal. He was not all that happy to do it, but hey, they were the ones that put a big "we match Carmax!" sign out front! Probably because the Acura dealer is right across the street from the Carmax location.

Go test drive the Mach 1. See if you even notice that much of a difference after you tuned and put an exhaust on yours.

Yeah that’s the thing, as it stands my car has 460hp vs 480 for the Mach 1. So not much difference there. What intrigues me is how much better it handles. They say they’ve put a lot of suspension bits from the GT350 on it so I assume it will corner on rails. Also, it comes with a 3:55 rear end which should be good off the line where I need the torque.

I’m not looking for screaming acceleration or I’d get a GT500. Funny, there’s only about a half dozen Mach 1s within 100 miles of me but there must be 20 GT500s. Maybe it’s the near $100k price tag that keeps them in the dealerships.

I suspect that the most noticeable handling upgrade is a result of ordering the $3500 handling package- which gets you the Sport Cup tires...

Michaell

@oldfarmer50 - I'll bet for a lot less than $30K you can add the aftermarket bits that will narrow the handling gap between your GT and the Mach 1.

I mean, I get the allure of a new car, but that seems like a lot of money for not a huge upgrade.