Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

abacomike

@xwesx:

My sincerest condolences on your loss. My fondest memories of when I was growing up are all about my Nana (grandmother on my mother’s side). She gave me so much unconditional love. Her smile always provided me with peace and serenity.

At least you have those memories to get you through this trying time.

28firefighter

@qbrozen said:
These new listings tickle my fancy. I’m sure the LC will go unreasonably high, though.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-toyota-land-cruiser-fj80-16/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-lincoln-mark-iv-tudor-5/

My family had two FJ80 LCs when I was growing up. A white 1993 - fairly base from what I can remember (cloth seats, manual climate control, etc) and then a green 1997 40th anniversary that was loaded up - two tone leather, upgraded audio, security system, auto climate control, two tone paint etc. Loved both of them.

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
My question for you is, If you got 'all the money' for your car, what would you do with it that would make your life better?

If he can't drive the car, what good is knowing it's in the garage for no particular reason?

When one gets to "a certain age" it becomes glaringly apparent that if we don't sort and discard things, we're only creating a bigger job for the younger generation that will pull a 40 yard dumpster up into the driveway and chuck it all in there once we've assumed room temperature.

Sad but true.

The Club Sport is going to my son; if he doesn't want it I'm leaving it to the BMW CCA Foundation.

fintail

My sister and I tell our mom, who has a multitude of collections, that she needs to start thinning the herd, as if we are tasked with a cleanout, it will be a big and cheap yard sale. This is not met with a smile. She gets some security from all of the trinkets, and she also might realize collectibles tastes have changed, and hot things from 30 years ago aren't as hot now.

I've told a younger enthusiast friend I am going to will him the fintail, not sure if he takes that as a threat or a promise.

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
My question for you is, If you got 'all the money' for your car, what would you do with it that would make your life better?

If he can't drive the car, what good is knowing it's in the garage for no particular reason?

When one gets to "a certain age" it becomes glaringly apparent that if we don't sort and discard things, we're only creating a bigger job for the younger generation that will pull a 40 yard dumpster up into the driveway and chuck it all in there once we've assumed room temperature.

Sad but true.

stickguy

spent some time cruising around Rodo. Man, prices are all over the board. not much inventory on a lot of models too, but some seem to be fine.

one of the better deals is probably the TLX. can get a FWD tech (sticker ~42K) for $440/month 1st only DAS. Out of curiosity I check the ILX. Not many left, and just about the same payment. That is an easy choice! An Accord EXL was just about the same too.

Forget trucks. they are mostly non-existent. Though there was a Frontier SV for 24 months @ $386. Could be a decent option. Though pretty stripped (no safety options, manual seats, etc.) But 4WD.

mostly stuff like $500 FWD Taos. $350 Elantras.

xwesx

stickguy said:

might need to hit the lots tomorrow (and probably should have swung the wife by the dealer today for a free hotdog and test drive!). Probably won't, but the princess is coming home next weekend for a week before our annual week at the shore vacation. Well, she apparently has many appointments and plans. And no way to get to them other than hijacking the only car in the house!

Curious how they seem to take that for granted, isn't it?

xwesx

ab348 said:

I considered BaT but dismissed it for a few reasons. There is no guarantee they will accept a submission and I understand that the whole process can take some time. The nitpickers and wannabe experts can ask lots of questions that have to be answered lest you be accused of hiding something, and a video is almost a requirement lately. Selling out of Canada to a foreign buyer requires a lot of additional effort. And there is no guarantee that the winning bidder will actually complete the sale. Dealing with all of that requires more energy than I can muster at the moment. If I was looking to get top dollar it might be feasible but I’m not.

There are a couple of local dealers who might be possibilities and I do intend to see if they have any interest.

You might consider working with a broker or friend who could do the heavy lifting for you. All you need to do is what you want to do (such as approving the details our outlining the overall parameters that are acceptable to you).

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Or, like so many others, taking advantage of the insane used car market.

Any time I see a hybrid or other electric for sale that's barely used, I think "tax credit."

xwesx

On the topic of crazy pricing, I decided to part ways with the play house that we built for our children back in 2010. My wife and I talked about it last summer, since ours are 17 and 13, they don't use it at all anymore (I don't think either have even set foot in it for the past two years). Well, a few weeks ago when I was performing the inaugural 2021 lawn mowing, I bumped into the fence that surrounded it and the whole thing basically gave way. I decided it was clearly time to act on our general consensus to move it along.

I ripped out the fence and gathered up (and disposed of) other random yard-based detritus at that time, but the play house continued to sit. Finally, yesterday, I spent a few hours raising it and loading it onto my little flatbed trailer (which, I might add, was quite a job to perform solo!). After loading it up, I posted it on Facebook Marketplace.

Here's the crazy part, though: In my head, I came to the decision that $300 was a reasonable price for this thing... just a simple little 6'x8' structure. Well-built, but still eleven years old and with a commensurate amount of wear and tear. I took a look at other structures, of similar size and/or type, just to see what asking prices were. It. Was. Insane. Seriously, most of it was just garbage, ALL of it was over $1000 asking, and some play houses (which were, admittedly, fancier than mine, but also not any larger) were many thousands in the asking. I took a chance and raised my asking to $400. Why not? It was still "cheap" on the scale, and about the same price as the materials cost me when we built it.

So, I loaded up the ad, went to get up from the computer, and BOOM! The messages began pouring in. I was juggling six inquiries at once, and within a few more minutes, I started getting more. I decided then to just click the "sold" button to stop the influx, and, after having some chat conversations and weeding out the chaff, I made arrangements with a guy about 25 miles away who has a quartet of little ones (oldest at 9).

I took the trailer over to his place this morning, we off-loaded it, and he gave me an extra $20 for my trouble (took about an hour to get it there because I had to drive slowly with the big/heavy/awkward load). His kids, though.... they were so pumped about this little house and were crawling all over it from the moment we got it off the trailer! The grin on that father's face was worth the price of entry, even if I hadn't driven away with $420 in my pocket!

xwesx

The play house, in situ back in 2010:

xwesx

The play house yesterday, ready to go to a new home:




Yes, I know, it looks rather precarious all tipped back like that. I actually did that on purpose to facilitate loading it up in the first place, but I later unhitched it and mounted my drop-hitch to the car before reconnecting the trailer. It sat nice and level this morning when I hauled it away, though it was still an awkward load because it was perfectly balanced on the trailer (in terms of the wheels as a pivot point), which is not ideal for actually towing it down the road over bumps and heaves and everything a road throws at you. I drove it at no more than 35-40 mph in order to minimize the chance of any mishaps.

explorerx4

@cdnpinhead,
Leaving a pile of stuff for the next generation to go through is a tradition.
I won't care at that point.

henryn

fintail said:

My sister and I tell our mom, who has a multitude of collections, that she needs to start thinning the herd, as if we are tasked with a cleanout, it will be a big and cheap yard sale. This is not met with a smile. She gets some security from all of the trinkets, and she also might realize collectibles tastes have changed, and hot things from 30 years ago aren't as hot now.

If she gets "some security from all of the trinkets", then I would advise leaving the situation alone. It's not hurting anything, and if it makes her feel better, then why not?

oldfarmer50

benjaminh said:

I'll correct my guess about the new Maverick hybrid taking more than 9 seconds to go 0-60. The base Maverick weighs about 3600 pounds, but so does the new Sonata Hybrid with similar power, and the Sonata hybrid gets from 0-60 in 8.1 seconds.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36830653/2021-hyundai-sonata-hybrid-limited-by-the-numbers/

That's a bit slow these days, but probably okay. If you go back about to a 1995 BMW 318i the 0-60 time on that was 8.7 seconds.

https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicle-make/bmw-0-60-mph-times/

Even back in the 1990s that was on the slow side, but the bottom line is that the bargain Maverick produced in Mexico should have performance that's good enough. And even at full msrp it seems like a really good deal. Production on the new Maverick is expected to begin in August, but it seems like every one of them is going to be pre-sold for probably a few months at least.

https://www.motor1.com/news/515446/ford-maverick-production-start-rumor/

The only comparable cars I have are the Sebring 3400lbs with 168hp=9.7 sec. 0-60 and the Kia Soul 3100lbs with 161hp=7.3sec. 0-60. Both of those seem reasonably quick for what they are so an 8 sec. 0-60 would be adequate for a non-sports car.

laurasdada

What a lovely Monday, although the LF was completely overwhelmed by the experience. The day, in order:

Mercedes GLC300
Audi Q5
Outdoor lunch, although our meal was delivered to a different table. But, quickly rectified and then delicious.
BMW X3e

Going in, the Q5 was the presumptive choice of LF; she was sure that was it from sitting in it. To her, it was luxury. But, oh what a difference a drive makes.

In what may be the greatest comeback since America's Team, the NE Patriots came back from a 25 point SuperBowl deficit to win, the leading contender is... the MB! The ride/handling, interior, peppy engine and tranny was, to me, the best overall package. As a passenger, the only negative I noted was a bit of wind noise courtesy of the side mirror (I'll believe).

In a non-apples comparison, the X3e was right on the MB's tail, both had great seats, but the X3e with the adjustable bolsters wins by a nose. Of course, the batteries took up a bit of what appeared to be an already smaller cargo area; but a larger back seat legroom area. She likes the idea of a plugin, the ride/handling were excellent (SUV, of course) although performance in battery only mode wasn't stirring. I did fiddle with the different drive settings, that confused her further, thinking it had to do with battery mode.

The Q5, to me, is a somewhat distant 3rd. Over my test drive course, which includes an intentionally rough road, the Q5 was less than smooth. It's not bad, but it just didn't seem to be at the level of the other two. We both agreed on the rougher ride, and since she wants luxury, ride is important.

But, she is deliberate. Personally, I would now drive the GLC and X3 back to back and then decide. But, she is so particular, she wants to do it all again. And, I noted that perhaps she should drive an non e X3 to do the apples to apples. I'm fine with another round of driving, no rush, her CX-5 is still fine!

This may take a while, more to come...

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

These new listings tickle my fancy. I’m sure the LC will go unreasonably high, though.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-toyota-land-cruiser-fj80-16/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-lincoln-mark-iv-tudor-5/

I’d take the Lincoln over the miled-up Toyota any day but considering the build quality of 1973 domestic cars they’d probably both need the same level of repairs.

stickguy

How about a Volvo XC60?

Not sure what the rush is. If she already has a crossover that fits her needs and she really likes, getting a different one does seem to add much value.

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
My question for you is, If you got 'all the money' for your car, what would you do with it that would make your life better?

If he can't drive the car, what good is knowing it's in the garage for no particular reason?

When one gets to "a certain age" it becomes glaringly apparent that if we don't sort and discard things, we're only creating a bigger job for the younger generation that will pull a 40 yard dumpster up into the driveway and chuck it all in there once we've assumed room temperature.

Sad but true.

Unless like me you can take it with you.

mjfloyd1

I thought the Cowboys were America’s team - and I am not a Cowboys fan

Michaell

mjfloyd1 said:

I thought the Cowboys were America’s team - and I am not a Cowboys fan

They will be featured (for the third time) on HBO's Hard Knocks. Their training camp is in my old hometown in CA.

explorerx4

Traditionally, the Cowboys are in the running for America's Most Overrated Team.
They have only been in the playoffs 7 times since and including 2000.

stickguy

Only the Cowboys think they are America’s team. A clever slogan beating reality.

28firefighter

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

au1994

28firefighter said:

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

Its all about allocation, allocation, allocation. Hope someone pulls the trigger soon. Its an intriguing package and would love to hear some real world feedback.

nyccarguy

I just ordered a new set of tires for my Tacoma. I went with a set of Michelin Defender LTX M/S. They were more expensive than the stock Toyo Open Country, but my Dad has them on his Yukon and has been impressed with them thus far. By purchasing tires, I just cemented my decision to extend my Tacoma's lease an additional 6 months.

stickguy

I saw a comment from some guy saying he ordered at 3% off, in the philly area.

Hey, $900 is real money!

Also watched a video comparing ranger to Maverick. Comparably equipped, Maverick was a food $9,000 cheaper. For about 7” shorter bed. Cab room was actually better. Payload comparable. Maverick should be quicker (much better power to weight ratio). Must likely rides and handles a lot better too.

Really the only notable difference was 7k vs 4K towing capacity. So if you don’t need that, the Maverick is a way better deal at least. If you can get past the obsession with “but real trucks are BOF!”

stickguy

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

Its all about allocation, allocation, allocation. Hope someone pulls the trigger soon. Its an intriguing package and would love to hear some real world feedback.

It’s interesting now. There are no dealer allocations. They can’t order anything from stock. Ford only taking individual customer orders off the website (which get sent to the dealer the buyer selects) and dealer has to have each unit tied to that buyer order.

Good business model though. Be the only guy around discounting, and get all the orders! No cost to the dealer either.

henryn

nyccarguy said:

I just ordered a new set of tires for my Tacoma. I went with a set of Michelin Defender LTX M/S. They were more expensive than the stock Toyo Open Country, but my Dad has them on his Yukon and has been impressed with them thus far. By purchasing tires, I just cemented my decision to extend my Tacoma's lease an additional 6 months.

You will not regret those tires, I have owned them, they're very good. Off hand, I don't remember anyone ever regretting their decision to spend the extra money for a set of Michelins.

henryn

28firefighter said:

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

4% below invoice, not 4% off MSRP? Then again, there is probably not much difference between MSRP and invoice on the Maverick.

So let me see, just how far is Pennsylvania from Texas? Too far, I guess. I was contemplating ordering an F150 from the Ford dealer in Iowa, once things get back to a more normal state. But Pennsylvania is a lot farther from me than Iowa.

sda

@henryn , Did you buy the wheels you showed pictures of for your truck?

28firefighter

Supposedly 4% off invoice.

henryn

sda said:

@henryn , Did you buy the wheels you showed pictures of for your truck?

Funny you should ask, I just got through posting about that over in Cars and Conversations. Here's a picture and all of the details.



I have the new (to me) aluminum wheels on the 2013 F150 XL. It wound up costing more than I expected, but what doesn’t these days?

I bought the 17 inch aluminum wheels from a gentleman on Craigslist for $250, which was a very fair price. He threw in the original lug nuts, but unfortunately I was not able to use them. Ford changed from a coarse thread to a fine thread on the lug nuts / studs in 2015. A new set of Gorilla lug nuts cost me $85 off Ebay ($100 on Amazon). And I did buy new TPMS sensors, about $39 on Amazon. There were a number of different sellers, and different brands, on Amazon and Ebay. I went with the best reviews for a reasonable price, and they do work. Then $120 to Discount Tire for mounting and balancing. That was a little more than I expected, but I’m not complaining. Not many places of business will welcome you when you walk in with your own parts, and Discount Tire never blinked an eye.

The used tire shop just down the street would have probably done the job for half that, but I feel better with Discount Tire. I knew the tires would be balanced properly, and they wouldn’t scuff up the new rims. I could have purchased very similar looking lug nuts for less than half the price, but from what I’ve read online the chrome will not last on the cheap lug nuts, and the Gorilla brand is highly rated.

These lug nuts are not an exact match, they are really intended for the chrome clad Ford wheels. They fit the seats on the wheels perfectly, but they stick out a little too far. No one seems to make a lug nut for these aluminum wheels in the older coarse thread, so this is as close as I could get.

Altogether, I’m pleased, and feel that it’s worth the $494.

laurasdada

The Pats being America's team was tongue-in-cheek; outside of NE, not so much love for the now Brady-less men in red, white and blue.

Stick, I suggested the XC40, and, coincidentally, we were right behind one also being test-driven yesterday. But, in an odd-world coincidence turn of events, the LF, just like the ex. a decade ago, wants German luxury. She was lamenting not being in a financial position to buy a luxury car (originally a convertible for the long, temperate New England summers; tongue in cheek again...). But, with a big birthday coming up, and my incredible lack of any kind of financial sense, I took her to look at that black/brown MB 450SL, which I thought she'd love, and said I would buy it for her.

Alas, she is most practical, so all roads lead to SUAVs... Not my choice, but it is hers. She can't wrap her head around a third, part-time car. So, an "upgrade" to the quite nice CX-5 it shall be. Eventually.

qbrozen

henryn said:

So let me see, just how far is Pennsylvania from Texas? Too far, I guess. I was contemplating ordering an F150 from the Ford dealer in Iowa, once things get back to a more normal state. But Pennsylvania is a lot farther from me than Iowa.

shipping is a piece of cake. well worth it. i'll soon be shipping a vehicle for the 5th time in the past few years.

stickguy

there is a dealer in Kansas that posts good videos on YouTube that says they are doing reservations at straight MSRP, no add-ons (just a pretty low doc fee), but they will ship anywhere for nothing (up to $1,000 shipping cost). So you would save having it shipped from there instead of a dealer elsewhere that might be slightly cheaper buy you pay shipping.

sda

henryn said:

sda said:

@henryn , Did you buy the wheels you showed pictures of for your truck?

Funny you should ask, I just got through posting about that over in Cars and Conversations. Here's a picture and all of the details.



I have the new (to me) aluminum wheels on the 2013 F150 XL. It wound up costing more than I expected, but what doesn’t these days?

I bought the 17 inch aluminum wheels from a gentleman on Craigslist for $250, which was a very fair price. He threw in the original lug nuts, but unfortunately I was not able to use them. Ford changed from a coarse thread to a fine thread on the lug nuts / studs in 2015. A new set of Gorilla lug nuts cost me $85 off Ebay ($100 on Amazon). And I did buy new TPMS sensors, about $39 on Amazon. There were a number of different sellers, and different brands, on Amazon and Ebay. I went with the best reviews for a reasonable price, and they do work. Then $120 to Discount Tire for mounting and balancing. That was a little more than I expected, but I’m not complaining. Not many places of business will welcome you when you walk in with your own parts, and Discount Tire never blinked an eye.

The used tire shop just down the street would have probably done the job for half that, but I feel better with Discount Tire. I knew the tires would be balanced properly, and they wouldn’t scuff up the new rims. I could have purchased very similar looking lug nuts for less than half the price, but from what I’ve read online the chrome will not last on the cheap lug nuts, and the Gorilla brand is highly rated.

These lug nuts are not an exact match, they are really intended for the chrome clad Ford wheels. They fit the seats on the wheels perfectly, but they stick out a little too far. No one seems to make a lug nut for these aluminum wheels in the older coarse thread, so this is as close as I could get.

Altogether, I’m pleased, and feel that it’s worth the $494.

That really improves the look without breaking the bank! I like.

28firefighter

Apparently it is a guy at Chapman Ford in Horsham - 4% under invoice + $394 PA doc fee

au1994

stickguy said:

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

Its all about allocation, allocation, allocation. Hope someone pulls the trigger soon. Its an intriguing package and would love to hear some real world feedback.

It’s interesting now. There are no dealer allocations. They can’t order anything from stock. Ford only taking individual customer orders off the website (which get sent to the dealer the buyer selects) and dealer has to have each unit tied to that buyer order.

Good business model though. Be the only guy around discounting, and get all the orders! No cost to the dealer either.

Doesn’t volume still impact future allocation? Or is everything just catywampus till this chip shortage is over?

kyfdx

@henryn Looks great!

tjc78

kyfdx said:

@henryn Looks great!

Yes. Big improvement!

28firefighter

au1994 said:

stickguy said:

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

Its all about allocation, allocation, allocation. Hope someone pulls the trigger soon. Its an intriguing package and would love to hear some real world feedback.

It’s interesting now. There are no dealer allocations. They can’t order anything from stock. Ford only taking individual customer orders off the website (which get sent to the dealer the buyer selects) and dealer has to have each unit tied to that buyer order.

Good business model though. Be the only guy around discounting, and get all the orders! No cost to the dealer either.

Doesn’t volume still impact future allocation? Or is everything just catywampus till this chip shortage is over?

Dunno, but I'm a big fan of the use of catywampus...

xwesx

qbrozen said:

henryn said:

So let me see, just how far is Pennsylvania from Texas? Too far, I guess. I was contemplating ordering an F150 from the Ford dealer in Iowa, once things get back to a more normal state. But Pennsylvania is a lot farther from me than Iowa.

shipping is a piece of cake. well worth it. i'll soon be shipping a vehicle for the 5th time in the past few years.

I agree.

However, I am my own shipper.

stickguy

I suppose that more reservations now will lead to bigger future allocations if based on prior sales.

Ford is going to sell a boatload of these if they don't (as they tend to do) botch the roll-out.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

au1994 said:

stickguy said:

au1994 said:

28firefighter said:

For those interested in the Maverick, apparently there is a dealer in PA (dunno which) that is offering 4% below invoice on 2022 Maverick orders.

Its all about allocation, allocation, allocation. Hope someone pulls the trigger soon. Its an intriguing package and would love to hear some real world feedback.

It’s interesting now. There are no dealer allocations. They can’t order anything from stock. Ford only taking individual customer orders off the website (which get sent to the dealer the buyer selects) and dealer has to have each unit tied to that buyer order.

Good business model though. Be the only guy around discounting, and get all the orders! No cost to the dealer either.

Doesn’t volume still impact future allocation? Or is everything just catywampus till this chip shortage is over?

Dunno, but I'm a big fan of the use of catywampus...

I thought there were 2 T's in cattywampus.

henryn

stickguy said:

there is a dealer in Kansas that posts good videos on YouTube that says they are doing reservations at straight MSRP, no add-ons (just a pretty low doc fee), but they will ship anywhere for nothing (up to $1,000 shipping cost). So you would save having it shipped from there instead of a dealer elsewhere that might be slightly cheaper buy you pay shipping.

Let’s do the numbers here. For a Maverick XL, with the 2.0L engine and the towing package, you wind up at $23,435 MSRP. If you can get 4% off that, the discount would be $937. If the other dealer sells at MSRP (no discount), but will ship for free, that gives him $937 to spend on the shipping.

The best of both worlds would be to find a dealer local to you who would give you the $900 discount off of MSRP. Nice dream.

stickguy

well sure. You are in Texas. Isn't there a giant Ford dealer every couple of blocks down there? I am sure if you want one you just need to cruise around a bit online and find one.

stickguy

I did figure out the sneaky trick Ford pulled. price it cheap for FWD, and wildly overcharge for AWD figuring that most people that wanted the bigger engine would pony up for the steep upcharge to add that.

Too bad they did not offer AWD with the hybrid. That would be a very interesting combo.

28firefighter

@henryn said:
Let’s do the numbers here. For a Maverick XL, with the 2.0L engine and the towing package, you wind up at $23,435 MSRP. If you can get 4% off that, the discount would be $937. If the other dealer sells at MSRP (no discount), but will ship for free, that gives him $937 to spend on the shipping.

The best of both worlds would be to find a dealer local to you who would give you the $900 discount off of MSRP. Nice dream.

What is invoice? Take invoice minus 4% and that’s the deal I found.

breld

@roadburner…you’ve waited this long, and you have connections at BMW dealerships. Why not just place an order for a new M240? (Although looks like they are X-drives only at intro).

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36933903/2022-bmw-2-series-coupe-specs-revealed/

mjfloyd1

@Michaell said:
I thought there were 2 T's in cattywampus.

I thought it was two D’s