Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

The winds, overall, were not as bad as when I was in the Dakotas. You could forget exceeding the 80-85 MPH speed limits, because the crosswinds which were constantly trying to push you into the ditch got exponentially worse the faster you went.

xwesx

Oof. Those prairie winds can be brutal! Funny thing was that I didn't do all that much worse than that across the area, and I was pulling a trailer! Those Tundras get horrific fuel economy even on good days.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

man, you guys really are old farts!

I never actually owned an 8 track. My old cars (a 67 and a 73) both only had AM radios. I did add an FM converter to the Duster. That was hot stuff back then!

Pretty sure that @ab348 and I are close in age.

My mother's '72 Lincoln had an AM/8-track stereo. No FM.
My first new car was a '77, and it went straight to the stereo shop for a Pioneer Supertuner w/8-track. I didn't have a car with a cassette deck until 1990. And, never bought a cassette.
Straight from 8-track to CD.

tjc78

My 79 Continental had an 8-track. Grandpop’s 81 Mark VI did too.

I remember him getting the 85 Town Car and I was so happy it had a tape deck. I remember being 7 years old and I’d bring my mix tapes to play in the car wherever they took me. Front seat DJ lol. Now a 7 year old isn’t even legal in the front seat.

This was hi-tech in 79. They offered a cassette player in 79 but it was with an analog tuner.

kyfdx

"Quadrasonic"

corvette

corvette

Coworker with the totaled Sonic hatchback bought a used 2019 Fiesta sedan to replace it. It looks like the dealer had it listed for $19k and change. I hope he got it for significantly less than that, but didn't ask.

tjc78

@kyfdx said:
"Quadrasonic"

Googling the picture brought up EBay ads. I think they are getting more for that radio than I got for the whole car in 2001

qbrozen

@corvette said:
Coworker with the totaled Sonic hatchback bought a used 2019 Fiesta sedan to replace it. It looks like the dealer had it listed for $19k and change. I hope he got it for significantly less than that, but didn't ask.

Couldn’t those be had for low teens new?

qbrozen

Man, great color, great drivetrain combo, but no sport pack and not even a power seat. Oh, and grossly overpriced.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/364e7e5e-23a7-4af7-9c01-e63da16ec087?aff=share_other

tjc78

I didn’t know they even made them without a power seat. That is a stripper.

Michaell

Met up with @breld yesterday morning at the local BMW dealer - they were having a preview of the i4 and iX models.

One of each in the showroom - the i4 was the 40 model (RWD and 300 miles of range). White over tan interior. Looks a lot like the 4-series gran coupe.

Don't know what model the iX was, but it was a nice burgundy over burgundy color combo. The rear proportions are odd-looking, which makes one think there isn't much room behind the second seat. Not true.

Neither had a frunk, but I suppose that isn't a huge loss for many folks. The digital cockpit in them was nicely laid out.

Mid $50's to start for the i4, and mid to high $70's for the iX, before the expected options are included. Both should have deliveries starting next summer or fall.

stickguy

at that point, I think the power seat was part of the premium package. But that car has a moonroof, which was often part of it too. So either they configured different that year or it was added stand alone.

I like that car. I am fine without the sport package to get tires with some sidewall! The manual seat, I would have to try that one out. As long as the front cushion was adjustable enough to be comfortable, I don't care about the power. I would not be moving it once I had it set anyway, and nobody else would ever drive it!

still seems a bit pricey but these days, who knows? at least it has low miles.

jmonroe1

corvette said:

Coworker with the totaled Sonic hatchback bought a used 2019 Fiesta sedan to replace it. It looks like the dealer had it listed for $19k and change. I hope he got it for significantly less than that, but didn't ask.

Friends don’t ask questions like that.

Well, at least he went from bad to better but still not good.

jmonroe

roadburner

qbrozen said:

Man, great color, great drivetrain combo, but no sport pack and not even a power seat. Oh, and grossly overpriced.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/364e7e5e-23a7-4af7-9c01-e63da16ec087?aff=share_other

The 2009 328i we had was okay, but it was hardly exciting. I hated the base seats and the allegedly "Hi Fi" audio system. My wife suggested keeping it for my daily driver- but I said I'd rather drive the Clubman.
Or the Wrangler.

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

corvette said:

Coworker with the totaled Sonic hatchback bought a used 2019 Fiesta sedan to replace it. It looks like the dealer had it listed for $19k and change. I hope he got it for significantly less than that, but didn't ask.

Friends don’t ask questions like that.

Well, at least he went from bad to better but still not good.

jmonroe

I'd say he went from neck deep in sewage to waist deep...

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
at that point, I think the power seat was part of the premium package. But that car has a moonroof, which was often part of it too. So either they configured different that year or it was added stand alone.

I like that car. I am fine without the sport package to get tires with some sidewall! The manual seat, I would have to try that one out. As long as the front cushion was adjustable enough to be comfortable, I don't care about the power. I would not be moving it once I had it set anyway, and nobody else would ever drive it!

still seems a bit pricey but these days, who knows? at least it has low miles.

$12k would be the MOON, even at today’s prices.

qbrozen

These look good and ride good. I’m happy for $100/tire

ab348

tjc78 said:

I didn’t know they even made them without a power seat. That is a stripper.

Rubber steering wheel too. A BMW Biscayne.

nyccarguy

My best friend bought me this sweatshirt for Hanukkah, so I had to take a photo of THIS Porsche 911 Turbo S in the grocery store parking lot.

jmonroe1

Son #1 had his 2010 EX35 delivered to him on Saturday from the Jeep dealer in Niagara Falls.

The guy that drove it down wasn’t a retired guy like the dealer said they used. Instead he was a senior age guy that worked at the dealership in their business office. His wife followed him in a 2019 Jeep from the dealership. The dealer charged him 200 bucks for the delivery service which my Son thought was very fair.

When the guy was about an hour away he called my Son to tell him everything was OK and told him he really liked how the car drove. That didn’t surprise my Son because he had the the V6 3.5 engine in a 2002 Altima. Yes, I was wrong when I said it had the 3.6 engine. My Son said he told me 3.5 not 3.6 so I guess either my hearing is bad or he has bad diction. I’d rather blame my Son. OK, I’ll get back to the story. While the guy was on the phone with him he asked my Son if he’d mind if he hit it a little to see how quickly it could get up to 90 MPH from the 60 MPH he was cruising at. My Son told him OK but he knew it wouldn’t be straining to do that. The guy called him back and told him he was right.

When the guy got to his house he told my Son that he really liked that car and if his dealer could find another one like it with just under 39K miles he’d buy it for sure. In fact, when he got back he was going to tell the used car manager to find him one.

After all the paperwork was signed my Son tipped him 60 bucks and the guy seemed very surprised. So maybe that doesn’t always happen. I don’t know how much dealers pay these guys for delivering a car out of the $200 they charge but the guy at least keeps all of the tip which I’m sure comes in handy at this time of the year.

Does anyone in here know if the guy gets all of the $200 or just part of it and who pays for the gas? I’m sure the dealer pays for the gas for his chase car down and back but does the guy have to pay for the gas for the car he is delivering? Just curious.

jmonroe

stickguy

well, did he stop and fill up before delivering to your son, or did it just come with what was left in the tank?

That would be a good side hustle for me, but my wife would have zero interest I think in being the chase car! Though if it meant she could quit her job sooner, she might not complain too much.

Those are nice cars though. nice compact size, great seats, plenty quick. And of course a hatchback style.

28firefighter

Well. Market seems to be softening on the 4xE a bit. $52k from AutoNation, $54k from CarBuyer USA. Haven’t done CarMax yet. Little disappointing though, if I chose to sell, it’d still be clearing a check for $10k+ and profiting about $8000.

I’d happily do it and get another. But the wait time is brutal.

stickguy

that is why I am probably just getting the Maverick this month. at this point, the 2nd one might not arrive until May. Who knows if I can still turn a profit on the 1st one, but hopefully at least be able to trade for what I paid for it, assuming we decide we want the hybrid instead when the time comes. If not, I am still getting a really good deal (not just in today's inflated market, but a normal one) so if I keep it, no worries.

not thinking anybody is offering me $5k more than I paid right away, but you never know! Of course I will run it through the sites once it arrives.

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

Well. Market seems to be softening on the 4xE a bit. $52k from AutoNation, $54k from CarBuyer USA. Haven’t done CarMax yet. Little disappointing though, if I chose to sell, it’d still be clearing a check for $10k+ and profiting about $8000.

I’d happily do it and get another. But the wait time is brutal.

'22s are being built now, so I'm not surprised to see a dip on the '21s.

qbrozen

jmonroe1 said:

Does anyone in here know if the guy gets all of the $200 or just part of it

I could certainly be wrong, but I'd think, as an employee, he just gets paid his regular hourly rate. I don't know what the deal would be for his wife.

qbrozen

This is going to be tempting me for the next 6 days.

stickguy

I like that one. a lot. some needs but at least you are handy. I would be paying the guy , probably a lot.

his ad was a mess. Screwed up the miles, and listed it as right hand drive. I was wondering where they found an alfa to import with the wheel on the wrong side, but it is on the left where it belongs.

those seats look fabulous.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

This is going to be tempting me for the next 6 days.

That might be the one Alfa that I don't like..

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

This is going to be tempting me for the next 6 days.

That might be the one Alfa that I don't like..

how in the world....? you know they made FWD Alfas, right? Those need to take a back seat to this one. LOL.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I like that one. a lot. some needs but at least you are handy. I would be paying the guy , probably a lot.

his ad was a mess. Screwed up the miles, and listed it as right hand drive. I was wondering where they found an alfa to import with the wheel on the wrong side, but it is on the left where it belongs.

those seats look fabulous.

I messaged him earlier about the miles. He sent me a pic of the odometer confirming 42,9xx. I sent another message asking about the clutch condition and if the AC and heat work. I very well may pay good money for that car. Probably still wouldn't hit reserve, though.

qbrozen

Speaking of AWD Inifinitis, this looks to be in very nice condition, even though black/black is usually the bottom of my list.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Coworker with the totaled Sonic hatchback bought a used 2019 Fiesta sedan to replace it. It looks like the dealer had it listed for $19k and change. I hope he got it for significantly less than that, but didn't ask.

Was he aware of the dual clutch problems on that model or did he get a standard shift?

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

Son #1 had his 2010 EX35 delivered to him on Saturday from the Jeep dealer in Niagara Falls.

The guy that drove it down wasn’t a retired guy like the dealer said they used. Instead he was a senior age guy that worked at the dealership in their business office. His wife followed him in a 2019 Jeep from the dealership. The dealer charged him 200 bucks for the delivery service which my Son thought was very fair.

When the guy was about an hour away he called my Son to tell him everything was OK and told him he really liked how the car drove. That didn’t surprise my Son because he had the the V6 3.5 engine in a 2002 Altima. Yes, I was wrong when I said it had the 3.6 engine. My Son said he told me 3.5 not 3.6 so I guess either my hearing is bad or he has bad diction. I’d rather blame my Son. OK, I’ll get back to the story. While the guy was on the phone with him he asked my Son if he’d mind if he hit it a little to see how quickly it could get up to 90 MPH from the 60 MPH he was cruising at. My Son told him OK but he knew it wouldn’t be straining to do that. The guy called him back and told him he was right.

When the guy got to his house he told my Son that he really liked that car and if his dealer could find another one like it with just under 39K miles he’d buy it for sure. In fact, when he got back he was going to tell the used car manager to find him one.

After all the paperwork was signed my Son tipped him 60 bucks and the guy seemed very surprised. So maybe that doesn’t always happen. I don’t know how much dealers pay these guys for delivering a car out of the $200 they charge but the guy at least keeps all of the tip which I’m sure comes in handy at this time of the year.

Does anyone in here know if the guy gets all of the $200 or just part of it and who pays for the gas? I’m sure the dealer pays for the gas for his chase car down and back but does the guy have to pay for the gas for the car he is delivering? Just curious.

jmonroe

Most dealers pay those drivers about minimum wage. I sure he appreciated the tip.

stickguy

that G37 is nice looking. good cars. but I agree that the color combo is terrible.

on the Ford, I thought by 2019 they had mostly resolved the trans issues?

I had a Fiesta rental in Charleston a few years ago. It was fine for what I needed. Had carplay, and ran. Not the most comfy seats but I have sat in worse, and it drove well enough. Mostly I needed really small because the parking spot at the VRBO was very tight.

qbrozen

oh my. It is even my preferred color combo. Price is fair for the miles. I really don't think I could bring myself to spend this much right now.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

These look good and ride good. I’m happy for $100/tire

Great! I hope they wear well, too.


I will be getting a similar tire for the Q7 next spring due to the Pirelli Scorpions being unable to handle trailering.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

My best friend bought me this sweatshirt for Hanukkah, so I had to take a photo of THIS Porsche 911 Turbo S in the grocery store parking lot.

Well, the car is cool, but I can't get a good look at the screen printing on the sweatshirt!

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

Does anyone in here know if the guy gets all of the $200 or just part of it and who pays for the gas? I’m sure the dealer pays for the gas for his chase car down and back but does the guy have to pay for the gas for the car he is delivering? Just curious.

jmonroe

It was very generous of your son! However, it was also a good price on the transport. I think the Chevy dealer outside of Rochester charged me $300 for delivery of the Crosstrek a year ago. They had about 200 miles (one way). Again, I thought it was fair given the distance and the need for two employees to use a full day for the run.

However, I wasn't there to receive it, so no tip for those drivers. Hopefully there were no hard feelings (good thing I did it before your son's delivery! Haha).

xwesx

qbrozen said:

This is going to be tempting me for the next 6 days.

Dang; that's one nice-looking 80's car!

xwesx

stickguy said:

that G37 is nice looking. good cars. but I agree that the color combo is terrible.

on the Ford, I thought by 2019 they had mostly resolved the trans issues?

I had a Fiesta rental in Charleston a few years ago. It was fine for what I needed. Had carplay, and ran. Not the most comfy seats but I have sat in worse, and it drove well enough. Mostly I needed really small because the parking spot at the VRBO was very tight.

I don't know that they ever resolved the DCT issues. However, they can be very touch-and-go in terms of manifesting, so no sense in giving the guy heartburn about a purchase that's already raked him over the coals.

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

Was he aware of the dual clutch problems on that model or did he get a standard shift?

Powershift automatic. I'm sure he's not aware. It's a 2019, so it should have the most recent version of the software updates and anything else they did to try to fix them. He won't notice an issue with it unless it leaves him stranded.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

jmonroe1 said:

Does anyone in here know if the guy gets all of the $200 or just part of it and who pays for the gas? I’m sure the dealer pays for the gas for his chase car down and back but does the guy have to pay for the gas for the car he is delivering? Just curious.

jmonroe

It was very generous of your son! However, it was also a good price on the transport. I think the Chevy dealer outside of Rochester charged me $300 for delivery of the Crosstrek a year ago. They had about 200 miles (one way). Again, I thought it was fair given the distance and the need for two employees to use a full day for the run.

However, I wasn't there to receive it, so no tip for those drivers. Hopefully there were no hard feelings (good thing I did it before your son's delivery! Haha).

The next time I think I’ll tell my Son to be at the grocery store or somewhere, any where really, the next time he has a car delivered and let his wife sign the papers and stiff the guy. That way he could plead ignorance and not be thought of as ignorant.

jmonroe

ab348

I understood that the transmission problems were a lot less severe on the Fiesta due to its lighter weight and lower power output.

stickguy

the Panamera never really did much for me. And that kind of coin for an 11 year old one, really not my idea of a good time.

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

The next time I think I’ll tell my Son to be at the grocery store or somewhere, any where really, the next time he has a car delivered and let his wife sign the papers and stiff the guy. That way he could plead ignorance and not be thought of as ignorant.

jmonroe

There's some truth in that! We went full incognito with ours... not even my wife was there to meet them. They just dropped it off in the driveway of a friend and left her with the keys. Pretty simple, overall, though I'm glad there wasn't any transport damage or not-as-advertised issues with it, otherwise we may have had problems since we couldn't give it a once-over before it was fully our problem.

It took my wife a couple more days to make the trip over there to pick it up.

nyccarguy

@xwesx said:
Well, the car is cool, but I can't get a good look at the screen printing on the sweatshirt!

It’s a Doug DeMuro Sweatshirt that says: THIS! with a picture of Doug standing next to his old Defender.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
the Panamera never really did much for me. And that kind of coin for an 11 year old one, really not my idea of a good time.

I have been in love ever since I test drove one many years ago.

sda

stickguy said:

that is why I am probably just getting the Maverick this month. at this point, the 2nd one might not arrive until May. Who knows if I can still turn a profit on the 1st one, but hopefully at least be able to trade for what I paid for it, assuming we decide we want the hybrid instead when the time comes. If not, I am still getting a really good deal (not just in today's inflated market, but a normal one) so if I keep it, no worries.

not thinking anybody is offering me $5k more than I paid right away, but you never know! Of course I will run it through the sites once it arrives.

Heck, you might even like it and keep it.

stickguy

sda said:

stickguy said:

that is why I am probably just getting the Maverick this month. at this point, the 2nd one might not arrive until May. Who knows if I can still turn a profit on the 1st one, but hopefully at least be able to trade for what I paid for it, assuming we decide we want the hybrid instead when the time comes. If not, I am still getting a really good deal (not just in today's inflated market, but a normal one) so if I keep it, no worries.

not thinking anybody is offering me $5k more than I paid right away, but you never know! Of course I will run it through the sites once it arrives.

Heck, you might even like it and keep it.

I guess stranger things have happened!