Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

au1994

xwesx said:

au1994 said:

Got a VIN!

Congrats! Now, hurry up and wait.

Not my strong suit. Just ask my wife, my son, anyone that’s ever worked for me…

28firefighter

In other news, it got so hot up here in North Seattle that several panels of I-5 buckled yesterday afternoon causing shut downs for emergency repairs.

Was wild to watch the temperature drop by like 40 degrees in a matter of hours though after the sun went down.

sda

28firefighter said:

In other news, it got so hot up here in North Seattle that several panels of I-5 buckled yesterday afternoon causing shut downs for emergency repairs.

Was wild to watch the temperature drop by like 40 degrees in a matter of hours though after the sun went down.

I understand a good percentage of homes there do not have a/c. I hope you're not one of them.

henryn

28firefighter said:

In other news, it got so hot up here in North Seattle that several panels of I-5 buckled yesterday afternoon causing shut downs for emergency repairs.

Was wild to watch the temperature drop by like 40 degrees in a matter of hours though after the sun went down.

A 40 degree drop in a matter of hours is pretty unusual, unless you're in the desert. Of course the temperatures you've been having up there are very unusual to start with. Here's hoping you get some relief soon.

From late May into early June, we had about 10 days of rain. Then it got rather warm (high 90's), temperatures we would expect a little later in the year. Now we're back in a rain pattern, rain for the last 2 days and predicted for another 7 or 8 days. Maybe we've got your weather, and you've got ours?

tifighter

28firefighter said:

In other news, it got so hot up here in North Seattle that several panels of I-5 buckled yesterday afternoon causing shut downs for emergency repairs.

Was wild to watch the temperature drop by like 40 degrees in a matter of hours though after the sun went down.

Our outdoor thermometer went from 108 around 4pm to 72 around midnight. Let's not do that again.

au1994

Y’all have to be miserable if you don’t have AC.

28firefighter

Roughly 56% of homes do not have AC, which is actually a vast improvement from ~5-10 years ago. I had central air installed when we moved in 4 years ago and my neighbors all thought I was nuts. I did it because I have bad seasonal allergies and can't keep the windows open all the time. Joke is on them! Kept up pretty well - when the ambient on my outside said 110 yesterday, I was holding steady at 73 inside.

@henryn everything about this experience was unusual. They called it a "heat dome" for the 72 hour period when we had the heat. Today it is very comfortable out (70s now, expected into mid-80s today) and expected to land in upper 70s/low 80s for next 10 days which is much more normal.

Michaell

The @breld saga continues .. I’m sure he will update us when he can…

au1994

Michaell said:

The @breld saga continues .. I’m sure he will update us when he can…

I’m guessing they made him a partner in the dealership.

tifighter

Been a while since I've posted some Craigslist oddities-
Who likes hatchbacks?

stickguy

Breld, this might be a silly comment, but shouldn’t you actually make sure you want an XC90 instead of a GLE before you buy one?

stickguy

tifighter said:

Been a while since I've posted some Craigslist oddities-
Who likes hatchbacks?

Loved the car. Until I saw the awful transmission. And the price.

xwesx

tifighter said:

Been a while since I've posted some Craigslist oddities-
Who likes hatchbacks?

There's so much irony there, not the least of which is the name of the dealership: "Logic Motors."

How many do we get at that price? I would expect no fewer than three.

stickguy

You’d be surprised what peak vintage Honda’s like that go for. Minor collectibles st this point, if not rotted out.

au1994

tifighter said:

Been a while since I've posted some Craigslist oddities-
Who likes hatchbacks?

Really cool. Those were very attractive and the hatch made them incredibly useful. Guy in HS used to get his drum kit in his. Price is coo-coo for coco puffs though.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

Breld, this might be a silly comment, but shouldn’t you actually make sure you want an XC90 instead of a GLE before you buy one?

Very silly comment.

au1994

stickguy said:

Breld, this might be a silly comment, but shouldn’t you actually make sure you want an XC90 instead of a GLE before you buy one?

Haven’t they had one before?

stickguy

I know. But I had to try!

I find it interesting. Some of us spend months analyzing, strategizing, test driving, back to analyzing before deciding what to work on buying. Others, have a free hour after lunch.

breld

So the manager did call me back and said they'd honor the original advertised pricing.

My wife and I head down to the dealership so she can take a closer look at it, only to find that another couple who had looked at it on Saturday arrived literally a few minutes before we did and were taking the car out on a drive.

So we just left and they'll call us if the other couple doesn't buy it. And they would likely give us a strong deal on another model if we're interested.

breld

stickguy said:

Breld, this might be a silly comment, but shouldn’t you actually make sure you want an XC90 instead of a GLE before you buy one?

We've gone back and forth enough to where it's sort of a toss up...so this particular R Design XC90 at a great deal is attractive. If it doesn't happen, we'll continue to consider both.

breld

au1994 said:

stickguy said:

Breld, this might be a silly comment, but shouldn’t you actually make sure you want an XC90 instead of a GLE before you buy one?

Haven’t they had one before?

Close - we had the V90 CC, so very similar other than ride height.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

tifighter said:

Been a while since I've posted some Craigslist oddities-
Who likes hatchbacks?

Loved the car. Until I saw the awful transmission. And the price.

LX-i was fuel injected, right?

Geez.. why would you save or restore an automatic model?

stickguy

I was injected, yup. No clue why that one survived.

qbrozen

@kyfdx said:
LX-i was fuel injected, right?

Geez.. why would you save or restore an automatic model?

Because nobody wanted to drive it

corvette

breld said:

The manager at Volvo just called me back to apologize again and offer another $500 off. I politely explained to him where I was coming from given I didn't just rely on the online pricing but confirmed it with the salesman prior to coming in. He said he didn't realize it was confirmed with them, and said he'd talk to his managers and call me back.

That poor salesman is probably about to be given his walking papers!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

I want to get a car. Don't really want to have to deal with the process now (still not used to normal shopping!), and definitely not the lack of supplies/deals! Oh, and paying for it. Really not ready for that now.

Tough times for someone with issues narrowing down the short list. Too many options that aren't even available at the moment. Hopefully better by Q4.

I guess I can't be in a hurry, since the top 4 options on the moment haven't even been released yet (Civic Hatch, GTI, Maverick and Santa Cruz). Yes, I get fixated on new releases.

Every month I don't have a car payment is a month where it becomes harder to take the plunge with something new (or, not so new).

same here. I still don't need one. Actually kind of surprised we made it this long with only one car without it becoming an inconvenience. Might happen soon if the wife goes back to the office once in a while. But I am enjoying not having a 2nd payment. Though I guess the solution to that, is pay cash instead. But I just took the extra and paid down a chunk of mortgage principal. Trying to get that all paid off in another 2 years max if possible.

though end of the year when my pension kicks in, all bets are off!

I know the feeling. It’s been a year since I bought a car and the itch is only sated by looking at new and used car prices.

[Deleted User]

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

I want to get a car. Don't really want to have to deal with the process now (still not used to normal shopping!), and definitely not the lack of supplies/deals! Oh, and paying for it. Really not ready for that now.

Tough times for someone with issues narrowing down the short list. Too many options that aren't even available at the moment. Hopefully better by Q4.

I guess I can't be in a hurry, since the top 4 options on the moment haven't even been released yet (Civic Hatch, GTI, Maverick and Santa Cruz). Yes, I get fixated on new releases.

Every month I don't have a car payment is a month where it becomes harder to take the plunge with something new (or, not so new).

same here. I still don't need one. Actually kind of surprised we made it this long with only one car without it becoming an inconvenience. Might happen soon if the wife goes back to the office once in a while. But I am enjoying not having a 2nd payment. Though I guess the solution to that, is pay cash instead. But I just took the extra and paid down a chunk of mortgage principal. Trying to get that all paid off in another 2 years max if possible.

though end of the year when my pension kicks in, all bets are off!

I know the feeling. It’s been a year since I bought a car and the itch is only sated by looking at new and used car prices.

We've been looking as well, but very much soured by the deal we got last year on the 4Runner. Looking to find something similar to it today would cost us twice as much...

stickguy

Prices are not good. And unfortunately I don’t have a used car to sell at an inflated price to raise the money for a new one!

28firefighter

My sister bought a car today - her first new car and did it largely on her own (I provided guidance on pricing and what the process was like). 2021 Jetta GLI Autobahn DSG - and did not pay sticker for it. Got around $2k off and 0% financing, which I thought was impressive given the market!

oldfarmer50

tifighter said:

Been a while since I've posted some Craigslist oddities-
Who likes hatchbacks?

Seems like everyone is emptying out the barn while the price iron is hot.

stickguy

Good deal. And nice car too.

greg128

tjc78 said:

@henryn said:

Even when the manufacturer does include an oil pressure gauge, it's more like an idiot light with a needle (Ford, I'm looking at you!)

I think GM still puts real oil pressure gauges in.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found the wife's Buick had not only a Coolant Temp and Voltmeter but also an Oil Temperature Gauge

carnaught

breld said:

So I find this XC90 on Autotrader earlier today. 2021 Denim Blue T6 R-Design with Blond leather. Well equipped with all the right packages and even the Polestar tune. It’s discounted almost $7k.

I call the dealership, speak to a salesman and confirm the pricing. He says it was driven a couple days by a manager and has 200 miles. No biggie to me, so I say I’ll come right down to take a look.

It’s in the showroom, so I take it all in and then ask to drive a similar XC90 T6 to reacquaint myself with it…didn’t want to bother them to pull this particular one out of the showroom.

Test drive was nice (@jpp75 joined me, as the dealership is close to his home)…reaffirms what I liked about my V90 CC.

I return to the dealership strongly considering putting a deposit on it…the salesperson tells the manager the pricing that’s in their system and that he confirmed with me. The manager appears surprised, goes away, and then comes back to state there’s an error and that the pricing hadn’t been updated. So basically it was priced with that $7k discount (including incentives) in recent history, but they adjusted their pricing based on current inventory but missed this particular R-Design. He offers a price about $1,700 higher.

I make it clear I’m ready to purchase if they honor the price I confirmed with the salesperson prior to visiting the dealership. No go. Unbelievable.

It’s not so much the extra $1,700…that’s actually still a pretty good deal. But it’s just disingenuous. I get an online source may not be updated, but when I call the dealership to confirm pricing, I expect them to honor that.

Picture of this beautiful example, FWIW…

Not a fan of the wrinkling wear showing on the bottom of the driver’s cushion after only 200 miles.

mjfloyd1

Punch to replace totaled 18 Q7

2021 Q7 prestige with 21 inch wheels and tow pkg and the ridiculous audi rings when you open the door
Samurai grey with the dreaded black leather.

Owner’s wife’s car with 7200 miles.

$76440 sticker for $67500

mjfloyd1

@qbrozen shipper of choice is picking it up tomorrow and it will be here tomorrow evening or the next day.

Maybe same Russian dude

Michaell

mjfloyd1 said:

Punch to replace totaled 18 Q7

2021 Q7 prestige with 21 inch wheels and tow pkg and the ridiculous audi rings when you open the door

Samurai grey with the dreaded black leather.

Owner’s wife’s car with 7200 miles.

$76440 sticker for $67500

Congrats!

Did you get the payout value of the '18 increased?

tjc78

I have a punch pending …..

With the body shop. Wife just called she clipped a bollard in the XC. She claims no dents but yellow paint and deep scratches all down the driver’s side.

Great

28firefighter

tjc78 said:

I have a punch pending …..

With the body shop. Wife just called she clipped a bollard in the XC. She claims no dents but yellow paint and deep scratches all down the driver’s side.

Great

I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. I have been there - most recently with my wife's Escape when she quite literally clipped a house...

breld

mjfloyd1 said:

Punch to replace totaled 18 Q7

2021 Q7 prestige with 21 inch wheels and tow pkg and the ridiculous audi rings when you open the door

Samurai grey with the dreaded black leather.

Owner’s wife’s car with 7200 miles.

$76440 sticker for $67500

Congrats! Sounds great - if I could find a deal like that, it'd be in the running.

xwesx

tjc78 said:

I have a punch pending …..

With the body shop. Wife just called she clipped a bollard in the XC. She claims no dents but yellow paint and deep scratches all down the driver’s side.

Great

OOOOUUUUUCH. Preview of the teen years.

mjfloyd1

@Michaell said:
Congrats!

Did you get the payout value of the '18 increased?

Sadly only $500 so far. I sent them the Manheim report and pointed out that they are not even offering auction value.

I only paid 49k tho…

mjfloyd1

@tjc78 said:
I have a punch pending …..

With the body shop. Wife just called she clipped a bollard in the XC. She claims no dents but yellow paint and deep scratches all down the driver’s side.

Great

Awkward silence is best

Michaell

mjfloyd1 said:

@Michaell said:

Congrats!

Did you get the payout value of the '18 increased?

Sadly only $500 so far. I sent them the Manheim report and pointed out that they are not even offering auction value.

I only paid 49k tho…

Doesn't matter what you paid; it matters what the replacement value is, in this crazy market.

mjfloyd1

@breld said:
Congrats! Sounds great - if I could find a deal like that, it'd be in the running.

It popped up in Iowa City last night and he emailed today. I got a whopping $495 off asking. Only $180 doc fees tho

stickguy

tjc78 said:

I have a punch pending …..

With the body shop. Wife just called she clipped a bollard in the XC. She claims no dents but yellow paint and deep scratches all down the driver’s side.

Great

good thing it is a lease. That would be a $10K deduct from Carvana! Maybe a detailer could take care of it? Probably not to like new. For keeping forever, maybe good enough.

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

Sadly only $500 so far. I sent them the Manheim report and pointed out that they are not even offering auction value.

I only paid 49k tho…

Still, it doesn't matter what you paid. It only matters what the fair market value is to replace the vehicle. Seriously; these guys should know this stuff. It's disgusting that they're even willing to play games on it when you're on the sidelines, as the customer, getting the short end of it.

stickguy

xwesx said:

tjc78 said:

I have a punch pending …..

With the body shop. Wife just called she clipped a bollard in the XC. She claims no dents but yellow paint and deep scratches all down the driver’s side.

Great

OOOOUUUUUCH. Preview of the teen years.

I had 2 teens. Both started out with cars that were very well pre-scratched. No way I was sending a decent car that I cared about to the HS parking lot. What a mess that was. Think, Italian traffic circle. But much less skilled drivers, most of whom weren't paying attention.

xwesx

@mjfloyd1 Are you working with your insurance company or theirs? If theirs, you should engage your own to see what they can do for you.

henryn

xwesx said:

@mjfloyd1 Are you working with your insurance company or theirs? If theirs, you should engage your own to see what they can do for you.

+1, a very good point. With their insurance company, you are automatically in an adversarial relationship. Your insurance company should be on your side. Note that I said "should be".

mjfloyd1

@xwesx said:
@mjfloyd1 Are you working with your insurance company or theirs? If theirs, you should engage your own to see what they can do for you.

Sadly mine. They have not taken responsibility as of yet