Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

Those Saturns seem over-priced... I like the idea of a Vibe, if you can find one a couple of years old, and stay at $10K or under..

Something else in the $10K range? I like the Mazda 3, or cheaper and older would be a nice Protege...

fezo

Turns out the insurance folks called this afternoon but called my house because the adjuster who knew to call me at work wasn't there..... so they have a number but I don't know what it is yet.

I'm more seriously thinking about maybe getting my wife a new car but not settled on that by any means. If I do go that route we'd be looking at another Accord, a CAmry, Mazda 6 or Outback probably. AN Altima or Fusion could be in the picture.

qbrozen

GREAT replacement car for your daughter.

corvette

A Grand Marqueasy? The ride is so wallowy, she won't know whether she's driving on land or water... Too bad it's not seaworthy.

fezo

She might drive that one right into the ocean and eliminate the middle man....

As I poke through on the new or newer a couple of quick observations. It strikes me that Fusions seem to be pricey for what they are stacked up next to a Camcord. Mazdas seem better and Subies worse. You can get a new 2010 Sonata really cheap but an 11 starts getting into Camcord territory.

There is absolutely no sense in buying a year or two old Accord. Hardly any savings vs new.

There seem to be good deals on 2 year old Mazda 6s with 20 - 30K on them. And loads of cheap used Sonatas.

By tomorrow I'll have at least a first offer on the money and likely a little hurry up pressure from the insurance company. I should have them call my brother. Every time his son totals a car (3 and he's only 20 - to be fair they haven't been his fault) he gets more from the insurance than he paid for the car!

kyfdx

... on the new '92 Acura Legend?

Full coverage... $214/yr..

Of course, full value of the car is only $3500 for insurance purposes.. It's probably worth more than that, but that's the top amount they'll do..

Once my son gets his license.... it'll be a bit more than that...

fezo

I gotta move. In NJ you couldn't insure a tricycle for that! Heck, I payed more for the insurance on my 69 Volvo - in 1973!

kyfdx

I was surprised it was that cheap..

But, insurance is pretty inexpensive here...
'08 BMW X3
'08 Subaru Impreza..

$1200/yr total, for both cars.. (plus now, $214 more for the Acura)

Of course, it helps that we're really old... :surprise:

fezo

I'm really old, too, but we are about twice that for two cars for my wife and myself. Of course each kid under 25 (two of them) go 2K apiece. The total bill is a bit under $6K a year but we do get a dividend check from them every year. Still it nets to the mid $5K range.

roadburner

My current obsession is with Miatas, but there's a long list of cars I'd like to take closer looks at (Nissan Z's, maybe an RX-8, G35/37 coupes, etc.). I still like the 3-series coupes (E90's), but I don't think I want to spend $30k on the "fun" car

I love Miatas; if they made a coupe I'd buy it in a heartbeat(the HPDEs I instruct at require fixed steel roofs). I like the RX8, but there have been some problems with the Renesis rotary. You definitely want a stick with the car, the engine doesn't like to be driven in a sedate manner. Have you considered an S2000? How about a Z4?

kyfdx

We'll see what happens in August... but, today, my agent said when my son gets his license, full coverage on the Acura only goes up to $800/yr, assuming drivers training, good student discount, etc...

I was assuming $1500/yr on a beater and $2400 on anything with full coverage.... so, I'm hoping he is correct..

breld

I have definitely considered the S2000 - I tend to gravitate toward Honda initially for most any car search. I sat in one recently and found the seating position to be less comfortable than the Miata, with the steering wheel low between my legs. I was surprised to find the seating in the Miata to be more comfortable (comfort being a relative term). I'll likely try the S2000 on again before making any decision.

And I have never driven a Z4, but have sat in one and found that to have loads more legroom than the Miata or S2000. I had always preferred the 3-series, but now that the Miata has caught my fancy, it only makes sense to take a look at the Z4. Seems as though nice, low mile examples are priced a bit more than $20k, but not by much.

And yes, the rotary in the RX-8 makes me a little nervous. I like that it offers a bit more room and comfort than the Miata, but the look, while I like it, is certainly less classic than the Miata. Great used deals on those RX-8's though - but that may tell the story.

stickguy

Saw your best option today. Passed a mercedes convertible. I am lousy with the nomenclature, but the mid size boxy one. This was a prior generation (best I can describe is it looks like an early 2000ish E class?)

4 seater, pretty big, certainly roomier than a 3 series.

And how about a volvo C70? Too small inside (back seat?)

stickguy

Man, you must like your kids more than we like ours! j/k there, but no chance in my house that the college kid would be getting better than the hand me down.

I can't imagine my wife signing off on our son getting a new car when she was driving an old one. it's bad enough that he is bopping around in the TL while I drive an Accord (to be fair, the TL has 3X the miles of either of our cars, and I actually prefer to drive the Accord).

michaellno

The local Auto Show is coming up in a couple of weeks

Yep, 7th through the 11th. Do you know what day you're planning to attend? Perhaps we can meet up.

fezo - good luck on the car search; it sounds like fun at first, getting all of our opinions, but I'm sure that at some point you'll just want to be done with it. Keep us posted.

Insurance - let's see, I just made some changes so that the coverage on all three vehicles is the same (100/300, $500 deductible for both comp & collision, rental car and uninsured motorist coverage).

The ION is the most expensive at just over $900 a year. The VUE is just over $800 a year and my L300 costs about $650 per year = under $2500 annually.

kplacer

Be careful of those 2 year old Mazda 6 and Sonata models. A lot of them got dumped into rental fleets and there is a good chance that is what you are seeing.

I saw national TV ads on the weekend for a new Accord (lease, I think) for $250/mo and a new Malibu for $199/mo. And of course Toyota will just about pay you to take anything on the recall list off their hands at the moment, if you're brave enough.

grandtotal

That car already has a couple of sails installed.

qbrozen

C70 would be my first choice, of course, but that leaves out one detail ... classic insurance. It is VERY important for a car that gets driven so little ...

speaking of insurance ... on a yearly basis, I pay ~$700 for each the volvo and mazda5 and ~$450 for the Benz. Those are through NJ Manufacturers (also a dividend check, but maybe $200?? I can't remember). Just renewed my Hagerty policy and that was a whopping $270 for the year for the Bimmer and Z together. So, all in all, for 5 cars in NJ, I'm paying ~$1900. I consider that pretty good for our fair state.

Grand Marquis ... what? no love? Man, its comfy, fits lots of bodies (both in cab and trunk), and is extremely reliable. With just 50k miles, that thing has a TON of life left in it. IMHO, that is one of the best cheap cars on the market.

qbrozen

I'm in completely unfamiliar territory.
What about this?
I have no idea how big the back seat is. Doesn't look very roomy in the pic.
Anyone know what this thing weighs? It is severely underpowered (112 hp and 175 lb-ft).

Also found this one.
Doesn't sound like a pleasant person in the ad and it is pretty far away. Again, though, I have no idea what the back seat is like. I just know they seem to fit 2 teenagers back there in every '80s movie.

fezo

Gee, I can't wait to meet Chuckles with the Cabriolet.

Well, here we go. Got a call from the insurance folks. They started out with $5K but there is a $500 deductible and there was damage from when a drunk hit and ran a year or two ago. Makes the offer $2,815. She did say I could put in a separate claim for the old drunk damage that likely wouldn't hurt my premiums. May well do that.

stickguy

well, the mustang is not overly roomy from what I remember. Migth be OK on legroom, but not a comfortable set up. And I highly doubt your wife will like this after the BMW. Also not a pleasant drive. If yo uare getting one of these, it needs to be a V8.

The cab? I actually like them. I seem to recall the back seat is not too bad. I can fit. It has the advantage of being very upright. Nothing passing for a trunk though (more like an oversized glove box out back).

Also, a 2.0 AT in that car is going to have glacial level acceleration.

I always thought the best seat up was an 80's model (lighter), beefed up with some GTI parts. And a stick of course!

qbrozen

Huh... that is not making any sense to me. I mean, I had no idea when a car is claimed a loss that they would start deducting for things. Where do they draw the line? They could give you a whole laundry list like, "Worn tires -$200, needs oil change - $30 ..."

And, at that point, what is to stop you from doing the opposite? "Well, Mr. Adjuster, I just put on new tires, a new stereo, had the 160k-mile service performed at a dealer ..."

I'm sure they won't care about your arguments, so for them to do it seems pretty wrong to me. And then to offer you place another claim makes even less sense. The car is totalled! What are they going to do? Repair the drunk driver damage and then pay you $5k for the totalled car? Yeah, I like that option. Makes all kind of sense. :confuse: :sick:

fezo

The theory was that they'd pay me a dollar amount on the damage from the drunk. Unfortunately, since it was a hit and run, they say it comes under collision which the Camry didn't have. Actually I have to look to make sure it didn't at the time of that accident.

At any rate I'm pretty sure I'm going the get my wife something route.

qbrozen

So they are basically saying, "Mr. Fezo, since you did not make a claim against your policy for this previous damage, we will now punish you."

Again, makes all kind of sense. :sick:

Remember, kids, make your insurance company pay up ever single time for even the slightest damage just so you don't get screwed in the end. Good lesson! That philosophy should do wonders for the high insurance costs.

ghulet

having owned several VWs of that era (and don't forget, despite its age, the '91 is actually a Rabbit, this essentially a mid-70s design), I'd probably demure in general, certainly not get an automatic (it's a 3-speed, and more than loud and annoying on the highway), but definitely not at $3500 in any case. You could probably find a decent 318i/325i the same age for the money.

As for the Mustang, the V-6s are not the most-loved nor reliable engine, you'd probably do a little better getting one newer (say, '87-92ish, which at look and feel a bit more modern, inside and out), even with the 4-cylinder, which probably has similar (lack of) power, probably for the same price. V-8 power is nice, but they're a hell of a lot more likely to have been abused.

fezo

OK, have at it. For starters - Certified 08 Mazda 6.

michaellno

Is there a reason why you're going with an automatic this time?

Other than that observation, I've got nothing bad to say. Seems like an OK price for a car with less than 15K miles.

And, it's not a CamCord.

fezo

Yeah, the reason for the automatic is my wife would prefer it. It kills me to get a Mazda of all things with an automatic but I think I can live with that.

What would really kill me would be if the Accord died. No doubt it would get replaced with an automatic (unless my daughter suddenly turns into a stick type - could be; I got that gene from my mother). If that happened I wouldn't have a stick in the stable.

stickguy

nice looking car. Shold probably be able to better that price too.

Even at my local Mazda dealer. Only one right around here too. I stop in whenever Mazda has something new out I want to peruse.

stickguy

Well, it would jsut give you an excuse to get another car (finally replace the Celica)

fezo

Well, I've only had the Celica for two years (yeah, I know - a lifetime in here!). The fact that the top comes down covers a multitude of sins.

Had I been faster on the Celica front back then I'd have landed a stick. There was one on a lot near Trenton but it was gone by the time I decided to go for it.

The certified thing could be OK. While there is not a Mazda dealer within 25 miles of me at the moment we're getting on in Toms River. There had been one there but the whole dealership went belly up. It was no great loss. At least I'd now have a local place for warranty service.

If I went for a Subaru it would be the same thing - and the same dealer.

ghulet

....but several other options of converibles under $4k:

Chrysler Sebrings (I know, not the most exciting nor reliable vert--budget for a transmission at some point, probably--but they're plentiful and cheap--I saw one as new as 2003 for under $4k).

Mistubishi Spyder--quite often abused, but the earlier versions are certainly available under $4k, and probably at least half are automatics, and half four seats.

Cavalier/Sunfire--nobody's favorite, but again, cheap, plentiful, almost invariably automatic, and four seats.

I saw quite a few '96-98-ish VWs, probably half are automatics (one here had 83k); certainly not the best era for VW, but at least you'd have a car designed in the '90s.

Also spotted on Autotrader, a '96 Cinnibar Audi cabrio, VERY pretty, low miles, automatic, though given Audi's reputation for both reliability at that time, and their general lack of parts and repair support, I'd be very wary.

Quite a few '95-00 SAAB 900 and 9-3s, and I'd be less wary of them than the above-mentioned Audi, though that's damning with faint praise, isn't it?

Saw a few other Mustangs, mostly newer at least than that '83.

Also, the usual assortment of old Miatas, a Capri and one DelSol.

The only BMW I saw was an '87, with a stick and duct-taped seats. Ugh.

fezo

This could be cute - 08 Legacy

corvette

If it's an "occasional use only" vehicle it's probably not rated like a daily driver. Almost makes me consider buying a second car.

carstryke

Get her a cheap slightly used Chev Impala......lol i know its bleh but you can get one with very low miles dirt cheap and you would need a hummer to take out that boat in a accident

IMO just give her the accord and make your wife/daughter happy. I know its a stick but alot of people like them after they learn them.

fezo

Oh, I think we're there on that. Looking at the Mazda and whatever for my wife.

jayrider

Just checked out a new 2010 impala ltz. Great seats - great drivers height and awsome fold down rear seats. My wife liked it as well. MSRP 31k. In 18 months cpo 15-16k.

jayrider

New 2010 auto sport Mazda 6 msrp 21170 selling for 17133. They have seriously over priced that 2008.

fezo

Equipped the way I'd like it it would be just over $21K. That ain't bad! Will discuss more with the wife.

I may still cheap out and buy used but if i do I'm leaning away from Mazda. Trying to find reasonably priced cars with standard stability control. I'm really annoyed that Toyota makes it an option. I have better things to do with my time than to look to see if this or that car has it.

I will grant you that currently zero of our cars has it but as we replace teh fleet I'd like that to change if i can do it.

roadburner

2004 330i ZHP
It would be a good deal for around $18K, methinks...

fezo

I'll be right over....

qbrozen

hmmm... I'm getting a bit confused between the advice for fezo and myself, but if this one is for me, you may have missed the fact that I already have an '87 325i vert. Wife is considering swapping it for something with more rear seat room. We'd also prefer it to be 1990 or older to take advantage of significantly cheaper insurance.

Although, a nearby VW dealer has a few '01/'02 Cabrios with less than 80k miles for $6k. Not a bad deal.

lilengineerboy

Hey is that the place by Cincy that does all the BMW stuff? They seem to do a lot of maintenance on their vehicles before they sell them and that is reflected in the price. I go back and forth on that; part of me thinks a totally gone through BMW is a good idea but part of me feels like I know what an E30-E46 3-series is going to break and I can fix most of it on my own. I am a fan of sweat equity at this point.

qbrozen

I'm surprised I didn't think of this earlier.
'91 M30.

In a pinch, I could swap parts between it and my Z.

kyfdx

Dang! They got another one?

They've had three since the first of the year..... all sold quickly... I keep thinking their prices are $2K-$3K too high, but they sell quickly, so I don't know if they are cutting price, or they are just that popular..

This one, though... no sale.. I'm not usually picky about color, but navy blue with gray leather? ugh....

roadburner

I like the color combo; most 3ers I see are either white, silver, or black

gouldn

I'm with roadburner .. I think they look great in blue. RB: You buying it?

ghulet

....I guess I didn't realize what you already had, or exactly what you were looking for. The pre-'90-for-insurance thing makes sense (unfortunately, in IL, vehicles don't qualify as 'antique', for any purpose--plates or insurance--til they're 25 years old).
I did see one M30 convertible here (no pictures, and I'm not crazy about black on black for a convertible--I've already had skin cancer, thankyouverymuch--but 104k and $2995 both sound good):
link title

A friend/former co-worker has a '90 M30 coupe she rarely drives (it has about 50k on it now) she bought new, keeps in the garage and apparently is quite nice. Needless to say, she gets offers to buy it constantly.

roadburner

RB: You buying it?

I'm thinking about it. The thing is, the Mazdaspeed has been on its best behavior recently, and the cheapskate in me tells me to stay out of debt and don't buy anything else...

fezo

Will be another day of poking through things and seeing what to locate at really a target of $15K. I've killed off teh new things and since I don't want to kill off stability control unless I have to a leading candidate is...... another Accord....