Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

It's a lease. you are supposed to be!

I need to start keeping my eyes out for somebody selling a random old car. Could really drive my wife nuts bringing some hooptie home, then trying to convince her to ride in it! Might even give me an excuse to try and remember where my tools are, and how to use them. I found my spark plug wrench and gap setting tool not long ago!

Should have bid on that Celica GTS a few months back on cars and bids. At least it would have been a reliable fun car.

mjfloyd1

@stickguy said:
right number of pedals at least!

One of his preferred colors, three pedals, 15 k miles, one owner, m2 competition, executive pkg, closer to his price range, carbon fiber interior trim

Only downside I see is orange stitching on interior instead of blue

stickguy

thinking about these over inflated prices, seems like a better idea to buy new than used. If I got something used it would be as a shorter term option until supply/demand on new stuff evens out. But could take a serious bath if the market goes back to normal. at least if I get a new car, it would be to keep it a long time so the price becomes almost irrelevant. Or lease of course, which works out the same.

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lamborghini/diablo/2501750.html

Haha! The guy is asking $1.3M for a vehicle, and he cannot spell "brakes" correctly. Gotta wonder....

henryn

stickguy said:

Sandy, you can ceramic coat your alloys too if you want. That at least can make it much easier to clean them off with just water

I find that just waxing the wheels helps quite a bit. The brake dust still accumulates, but it washes off a lot easier. That and changing the brake pads to a really good ceramic material like Wagner ThermoQuiet.

Oh, wait, you weren't talking about a real coating, just the "ceramic coat" type of wax. Never mind.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

“She said a lot of people are going to wind up upside down on their car loans, and I can readily believe that.”

So how is that any different than before?

I think that most who are upside down on a car loan got that way by financing at the dealership, not at their bank or credit union. A good loan officer at a bank or credit union will try to discourage you from getting into such a deal in the first place, whereas the finance person at the car dealership is going to encourage irresponsible borrowing.

sda

Is Ceramic Coat all that it is hyped to be? I have never used it. For the last 10 years or so I’ve used Nu Finish as it was rated as long lasting by CR, a Best Buy and is not expensive, about $10 a bottle. The bottle is good for about 4 wax jobs so it goes a long way.

henryn

sda said:

Is Ceramic Coat all that it is hyped to be? I have never used it. For the last 10 years or so I’ve used Nu Finish as it was rated as long lasting by CR, a Best Buy and is not expensive, about $10 a bottle. The bottle is good for about 4 wax jobs so it goes a long way.

Nothing in my experience is ever as good as the "hype". Basically it's just another synthetic car wax. If you spend a little time looking at reviews on Youtube, there are a lot of people hyping the various products, and there are a few people pointing out that it works good for about 3 months, and then needs to be reapplied.

kyfdx

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“She said a lot of people are going to wind up upside down on their car loans, and I can readily believe that.”

So how is that any different than before?

I think that most who are upside down on a car loan got that way by financing at the dealership, not at their bank or credit union. A good loan officer at a bank or credit union will try to discourage you from getting into such a deal in the first place, whereas the finance person at the car dealership is going to encourage irresponsible borrowing.

The problem is, most local banks don't offer good rates, even to their regular customers. I bank at US Bank, which has a robust dealer financing operation, but they won't offer me anything close to what a dealer will.

stickguy

I have never tried it but a lot of the Youtubers tout Avalon King ceramic coating. Of course they are also probably being compensated so take it with a grain of salt. That stuff is not cheap either.

28firefighter

If only I had the garage and driveway space. A much better example than the one I had.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/seattle-2002-saab-3-viggen-door-101k/7341598030.html

henryn

kyfdx said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“She said a lot of people are going to wind up upside down on their car loans, and I can readily believe that.”

So how is that any different than before?

I think that most who are upside down on a car loan got that way by financing at the dealership, not at their bank or credit union. A good loan officer at a bank or credit union will try to discourage you from getting into such a deal in the first place, whereas the finance person at the car dealership is going to encourage irresponsible borrowing.

The problem is, most local banks don't offer good rates, even to their regular customers. I bank at US Bank, which has a robust dealer financing operation, but they won't offer me anything close to what a dealer will.

I actually wouldn't know about loan rates at banks, I have been a member of two different employer sponsored credit unions for several decades now. Their rates are very good as most of their overhead is covered by the company that I worked for. I have financed with the car manufacturer a number of times, but only for 90 days just to get the big kickback, often a thousand dollars.

I have an account with Chase bank these days just for the convenience. Up until the pandemic locked things down, there was a credit union office inside the building where I worked, the ultimate convenience. No more loans for me, being retired now. Except temporarily to get that kickback mentioned above.

I picked up a new credit card last month. Amazon was offering a $150 immediate credit to your account if you applied for their credit card, so I took them up on that. Which cost me a 30 point drop in my credit score. It's amazing how that works. I don't owe anything on that credit card, I never will, but it lowers my credit score. It doesn't really matter, I'm not going to borrow money anyway, it's just funny the way that works.

kyfdx

henryn said:

kyfdx said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“She said a lot of people are going to wind up upside down on their car loans, and I can readily believe that.”

So how is that any different than before?

I think that most who are upside down on a car loan got that way by financing at the dealership, not at their bank or credit union. A good loan officer at a bank or credit union will try to discourage you from getting into such a deal in the first place, whereas the finance person at the car dealership is going to encourage irresponsible borrowing.

The problem is, most local banks don't offer good rates, even to their regular customers. I bank at US Bank, which has a robust dealer financing operation, but they won't offer me anything close to what a dealer will.

I actually wouldn't know about loan rates at banks, I have been a member of two different employer sponsored credit unions for several decades now. Their rates are very good as most of their overhead is covered by the company that I worked for. I have financed with the car manufacturer a number of times, but only for 90 days just to get the big kickback, often a thousand dollars.

I have an account with Chase bank these days just for the convenience. Up until the pandemic locked things down, there was a credit union office inside the building where I worked, the ultimate convenience. No more loans for me, being retired now. Except temporarily to get that kickback mentioned above.

I picked up a new credit card last month. Amazon was offering a $150 immediate credit to your account if you applied for their credit card, so I took them up on that. Which cost me a 30 point drop in my credit score. It's amazing how that works. I don't owe anything on that credit card, I never will, but it lowers my credit score. It doesn't really matter, I'm not going to borrow money anyway, it's just funny the way that works.

You'd think the credit score thing would be very temporary. Let us know what it looks like 60 days later.

I notice if I put a large purchase on my credit card ($8K or so), it will knock my score down 10-20 points. But, when I pay it off the next month, it goes back up.

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner

https://www.bmwofschererville.com/inventory/used-2019-bmw-m2-competition-rwd-coupe-wbs2u7c54kvb09141

I've been considering that one...

breld

Back at baseball again today and that wrangler was there again. Chatted with the owner real quick…it is indeed a 4xE. I hadn’t noticed the badging yesterday.

breld

On the subject of loans, I’ve tried to work directly with my bank or credit union, but I’ve yet to use them. The dealerships are so much more efficient at securing loans, and usually with better rates.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

228hp in the 2 vs 255hp in the 3 makes that much difference? Anyway, if the 2.0L in the 3 seems that fast I’d like to drive one with the inline 6. (Or do they use that engine any more?)

The 240/340/440 is the 6-cyl variant. Advertised with 385 hp.

The 228i is the Gran Coupe, that is a FWD based model. It has a different 2.0L engine that is transverse. Even though it's the same size, it's not the same engine (or drivetrain)

228i vs. 330 is like X1 vs X3. Completely different, not just bigger size.

To confuse it even more, the 2-Series coupes and convertibles are RWD based, and use the same engines as the 3-Series.

I guess I need a language course to learn BMW.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

228hp in the 2 vs 255hp in the 3 makes that much difference? Anyway, if the 2.0L in the 3 seems that fast I’d like to drive one with the inline 6. (Or do they use that engine any more?)

The 240/340/440 is the 6-cyl variant. Advertised with 385 hp.

The 228i is the Gran Coupe, that is a FWD based model. It has a different 2.0L engine that is transverse. Even though it's the same size, it's not the same engine (or drivetrain)

228i vs. 330 is like X1 vs X3. Completely different, not just bigger size.

To confuse it even more, the 2-Series coupes and convertibles are RWD based, and use the same engines as the 3-Series.

I guess I need a language course to learn BMW.

=================end quoted material=================

Possibly one reason that I've never owned a BMW. Not that I haven't owned some off the wall cars, I mean 2 Peugeots for crying out loud.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“She said a lot of people are going to wind up upside down on their car loans, and I can readily believe that.”

So how is that any different than before?

I think that most who are upside down on a car loan got that way by financing at the dealership, not at their bank or credit union. A good loan officer at a bank or credit union will try to discourage you from getting into such a deal in the first place, whereas the finance person at the car dealership is going to encourage irresponsible borrowing.

Sometimes it’s not just the dealer. I watched a YT video from a small dealer whose customer committed bank fraud on a loan application and when he called her on it said she didn’t have enough money to buy the car but really wanted it.

I can’t understand someone like that but I realize they exist.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

“She said a lot of people are going to wind up upside down on their car loans, and I can readily believe that.”

So how is that any different than before?

I think that most who are upside down on a car loan got that way by financing at the dealership, not at their bank or credit union. A good loan officer at a bank or credit union will try to discourage you from getting into such a deal in the first place, whereas the finance person at the car dealership is going to encourage irresponsible borrowing.

The problem is, most local banks don't offer good rates, even to their regular customers. I bank at US Bank, which has a robust dealer financing operation, but they won't offer me anything close to what a dealer will.

On the last car I financed my credit union offered me 1.99% but the dealer found 1.89% at a local bank. Go figure.

The other day the credit union was offering 1.74% on new or used up to 3 years old.

rayainsw

"I guess I need a language course to learn BMW."
You will need a refresher every few years,
based on the changes I have seen.
- Ray
M340i here...

stickguy

I think I used my bank once many years ago. Seem to recall it was a pretty big hassle, running back and forth, waiting, etc.

since then if borrowing, I always used the dealer (and I think it has always been captive finance). Pretty sure they would match any valid rate but I never put in that much effort! The last purchase included the .9% special rate. If I go to buy again I will just double check what my bank, and AAA, are offering to compare to the dealer.

stickguy

another random observance from our Civic test drive. I know that a lot of people don't like the iPad on the dash style, but it worked well. easy to reach and use, and very large. Nice big buttons too. My wife commented that she preferred that over the touch pad on the RDX. In this case, might be right.

the biggest difference with that though is the screen has to be much closer to you (front edge of the dash). On the RDX it sits closer to the windshield, which is nice for seeing when you are driving (your maps, etc.) since it is more in line of sight instead of looking down.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

mjfloyd1 said:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lamborghini/diablo/2501750.html

Haha! The guy is asking $1.3M for a vehicle, and he cannot spell "brakes" correctly. Gotta wonder....

But he probably knows how they smell.

jmonroe

tifighter

Congrats @jpp75 on the D90. I'd be lying if I said I haven't configured a few D90 builds recently.

corvette

PenFed and a few others can beat most rates your local bank or CU will quote you. If I buy my next car, may just take a HELOC draw and pay it off as soon as I can.

I still use the OG Zaino. $10 or $20 per bottle, probably 20+ applications per bottle, and lasts a year or more.

28firefighter

I absolutely love the Defender. Congrats, @jpp75 !

au1994

Nice @jpp75! The 2 door is sharp!

mjfloyd1

No one is going to say the Defender is the most dreaded black on black?

I actually like how black looks for those fleeting two seconds after a car wash but I’ve had two black cars. After the first one I said never again. After the second time, I really meant it

mjfloyd1

@roadburner - I assume the thundernight metallic pays homage to techno violet? ( or is it “techno veeolay”🤣)

corvette

mjfloyd1 said:

No one is going to say the Defender is the most dreaded black on black?

It definitely has the Darth Vader look going on.

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner - I assume the thundernight metallic pays homage to techno violet? ( or is it “techno veeolay”🤣)

Yes- as well as Daytona Violet.

mjfloyd1

Oops I forgot about the third black vehicle. The MB GL350. That was sure fun to three step
polish and ceramic coat. I mean it for sure this time.

Sandman6472

Like black but don't want the upkeep. And here in South Florida, with all the rain, think there'd be lots of dried spots afterwards. No, my blue is as dark as I'd want to go unless I found a deep maroon colored vehicle...besides blue, a maroon is my next favorite exterior color. And next time, would sure love a pearl paint instead of a metallic, do love a metallic when it's clean and the sun shines on all those bright spots but nothing like a pearl paint to make it look beautiful!
Not a fan of white tough that 2018 ILX in the pearl white paint was stunning and can just imagine how it would pop after a fresh detail! Yep, think I could learn to love that 2018 Acura ILX in white pearl!

nyccarguy

Did I miss a punch while I was away for the day? Drove to pick my son up from camp. We went to the beach in Maine yesterday for a few hours. The Pilot did great. Hauled 4 of us and our beach gear to my cousin’s house in NH. Then drove from my cousin’s house in NH with him, his wife, & their daughter and our beach gear to ME. This AM we picked up my son from camp with our beach gear & his bags from 2 weeks of sleep away camp. I drove it close to 550 miles in 2 days.

mjfloyd1

2018 Acura ILX length is 181.9″

Sandman6472

Where in camp did he go? We used to go to Camp Hadar in Clinton Ct., only 90 minutes from our place in Westchester. Leave a week after school ended in June and came home a week before Labor Day. We were lucky as most of our friends stayed home all summer while we got to go play for ours at camp. Exit 63 on the Ct. Turnpike and on Carter Hill Rd. The camp is still there but in real rough condition. I went back in the fall of 2004 and walked the grounds for a bit. The caretaker was very cool about letting me walk the grounds and mentioned that every year, a dozen or so folks stop by just to walk around and re-live those memories by walking the grounds. I spent 9 summers there so my name is bond to be found in a bunch of the cubbies where we put our clothes. Spent the last 3 summers in the same Bunk "D" and sure enough, found my name in 3 different locations inside! A few of the buildings roofs are collapsing and the younger boys bunks had burned down a few years back. I know the owners were trying to sell the land to the city but as of now, nothings been done if I'm correct.
Yep, Clinton was a great place to spend all those summers as a kid and still have fond memories of the old place!

nyccarguy

He goes to a Jewish Science & Technology camp in Byfield, MA. It’s about 3 1/2 hours from our home. @Sandman6472

corvette

Looking through the Maverick specs: "Rotary gear shift dial" (standard feature) - why?

I stand corrected, it looks like LED headlamps are standard on all trim levels, it's just that the Lariat gets upgraded ones. I wish the radar cruise were available on XL and XLT (or any cruise on the XL). Given that it has auto emergency braking, it's one of those features where you are really only paying for software.

XLT is also missing one-touch power windows, which is something I'd expect in a mid-level spec.

Weirdly, you get all-terrain tires on the FWD model, and all-season tires on the AWD model, unless you opt for the optional wheels, in which case you get wider all-terrain tires on the AWD. I'm still intrigued by the XL. Bronco Sport gets 21/26 with the 2.0T and AWD, so I wouldn't expect much better on the Maverick.

nyccarguy

@jpp75

Congrats on the punch! Love the loook of the 2 Door Defender in Black! Enjoy!

tjc78

@Sandman6472 said:
Like black but don't want the upkeep. And here in South Florida, with all the rain, think there'd be lots of dried spots afterwards. No, my blue is as dark as I'd want to go unless I found a deep maroon colored vehicle...besides blue, a maroon is my next favorite exterior color. And next time, would sure love a pearl paint instead of a metallic, do love a metallic when it's clean and the sun shines on all those bright spots but nothing like a pearl paint to make it look beautiful!
Not a fan of white tough that 2018 ILX in the pearl white paint was stunning and can just imagine how it would pop after a fresh detail! Yep, think I could learn to love that 2018 Acura ILX in white pearl!

Having owned several burgundy/maroon cars I can tell you it’s every bit as bad as black to maintain. Same thing for navy blue, our 2015 Enclave was not easy to keep.

au1994

In my unscientific study, my silver TSX was probably the best color at ‘hiding’ dirt. Certainly noticed when it was clean but it didn’t look too bad between washings. I find white actually does a pretty good job as well and my 95 Tacoma was the very popular green of the day and that hid dirt pretty well surprisingly. It was an SR5 so it had some graphics on the sides that helped.

tjc78

White, silver and champagne are the best at hiding dirt.

My stepdad’s champagne Camry never looked dirty.

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

@Sandman6472 said:

Like black but don't want the upkeep. And here in South Florida, with all the rain, think there'd be lots of dried spots afterwards. No, my blue is as dark as I'd want to go unless I found a deep maroon colored vehicle...besides blue, a maroon is my next favorite exterior color. And next time, would sure love a pearl paint instead of a metallic, do love a metallic when it's clean and the sun shines on all those bright spots but nothing like a pearl paint to make it look beautiful!

Not a fan of white tough that 2018 ILX in the pearl white paint was stunning and can just imagine how it would pop after a fresh detail! Yep, think I could learn to love that 2018 Acura ILX in white pearl!

Having owned several burgundy/maroon cars I can tell you it’s every bit as bad as black to maintain. Same thing for navy blue, our 2015 Enclave was not easy to keep.

Agreed. Our Obsidian (Dark, but not Navy Blue) shows every bit as much as any Black car I've ever owned.

benjaminh

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/06/opinion-nissan-definitely-no-longer-cares-about-the-maxima/

"I can only conclude that Nissan no longer cares about its 4DSC. There’s no effort here in materials or build quality or any recollection of the end goal: an exciting sporty sedan. It’s slapdash and dated, and nobody should buy one. But perhaps that’s why they’re Enterprise fodder now."

kyfdx

benjaminh said:

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/06/opinion-nissan-definitely-no-longer-cares-about-the-maxima/

"I can only conclude that Nissan no longer cares about its 4DSC. There’s no effort here in materials or build quality or any recollection of the end goal: an exciting sporty sedan. It’s slapdash and dated, and nobody should buy one. But perhaps that’s why they’re Enterprise fodder now."

I'm pretty sure that happened 17 years ago for the Maxima

au1994

benjaminh said:

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/06/opinion-nissan-definitely-no-longer-cares-about-the-maxima/

"I can only conclude that Nissan no longer cares about its 4DSC. There’s no effort here in materials or build quality or any recollection of the end goal: an exciting sporty sedan. It’s slapdash and dated, and nobody should buy one. But perhaps that’s why they’re Enterprise fodder now."

Its a shame. That was always one of my favorites. Sort of a poor mans 5 series.

stickguy

The older ones were awesome.

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

benjaminh said:

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/06/opinion-nissan-definitely-no-longer-cares-about-the-maxima/

"I can only conclude that Nissan no longer cares about its 4DSC. There’s no effort here in materials or build quality or any recollection of the end goal: an exciting sporty sedan. It’s slapdash and dated, and nobody should buy one. But perhaps that’s why they’re Enterprise fodder now."

I'm pretty sure that happened 17 years ago for the Maxima

Sounds about right. They developed the '04 (start of 6th gen) with performance in mind, then that was it. They dropped the manual mid-cycle.

sda

The Champagne Frost Pearl on my 13 Accord was a very forgiving color that didn't look dirty unless red clay or dark road debris like tar was flung up the side. I have found the silver on the Passat more forgiving than the white on the Q5. I've had my share of black and dark colored cars. Love them. A frequent wash/wax is a must.