Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

corvette said:

I see a couple of cars in my neighborhood with Colorado plates. Not sure whether they belong to students, or dual residents, or a plain old tax cheat, or what.

I'm thinking if my Maverick order gets converted to a 2023, I might give up AWD and switch the order to a hybrid. I do like having AWD the few days a year it snows here, though.

When I attended college in AZ, I kept my CA plates and registration.

stickguy

someone posted a video recently on YT of driving a hybrid Maverick in some pretty deep snow. It did just fine. I'm not at all concerned about mine.

jmonroe1

@corvette said:
I see a couple of cars in my neighborhood with Colorado plates. Not sure whether they belong to students, or dual residents, or a plain old tax cheat, or what.

I'm thinking if my Maverick order gets converted to a 2023, I might give up AWD and switch the order to a hybrid. I do like having AWD the few days a year it snows here, though.

HEY, I’ve never been to Colorado. Flown over it a few times but never walked on it’s soil. So knock it off.

jmonroe

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Yes I was honest when I filled out the online information. Disclosed the accident and the cost of repair.

Picked up the Highlander tonight. No drama. F&I guy tried to sell $995 GAP insurance, a $1,200 maintenance package, & a $2,600 Toyota Platinum Warranty. I respectfully declined.

It’s been 2 years, 5 months, & 1 week since my last punch. Pics or the punch didn’t happen, right?

My name is Bradd. I am a Chronic Car Buyer.

Very nice!

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Yes I was honest when I filled out the online information. Disclosed the accident and the cost of repair.

Picked up the Highlander tonight. No drama. F&I guy tried to sell $995 GAP insurance, a $1,200 maintenance package, & a $2,600 Toyota Platinum Warranty. I respectfully declined.

It’s been 2 years, 5 months, & 1 week since my last punch. Pics or the punch didn’t happen, right?

My name is Bradd. I am a Chronic Car Buyer.

Very nice!

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

Yes I was honest when I filled out the online information. Disclosed the accident and the cost of repair.

Picked up the Highlander tonight. No drama. F&I guy tried to sell $995 GAP insurance, a $1,200 maintenance package, & a $2,600 Toyota Platinum Warranty. I respectfully declined.

It’s been 2 years, 5 months, & 1 week since my last punch. Pics or the punch didn’t happen, right?

My name is Bradd. I am a Chronic Car Buyer.

Very nice!

You can say that again. Oh, never mind.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

So I had wife geared up to go check out the CX9 and Jeep GCL. She left the house, then came back with groceries.

“So I guess you didn’t go to any dealers.”

“No. I was looking at them on my phone and just don’t care. I’m not interested in paying good money on something. I’ll keep driving the Escape.”

Soooo… here’s my translation: “I just want to keep complaining to you about not having a car that doesn’t break.”

Of course, when her $70k Sprinter arrives, all bets are off.

That’s the thing about old beaters, you’re happy if it just gets you from A to B without breaking. On a fancy MB you want all the bells and whistles to work too. It’s all about expectations.

qbrozen

My thinking at the moment is to buy another not-so-beater. Like $10k. If such a thing exists in this market. I found something on ebay that grabbed my interest: a dealer on FL who apparently has a thing for flood cars. They list what they fixed on it and sell them somewhat cheap. I know, of course, flood cars can be a nightmare. Might also luck out, though. Big risk. Anyway, I reached out about a ‘16 QX50 with some questions. If the answers are satisfactory, I’m thinking about throwing a $10k offer at it. That’s half what it would retail for if clean, so a pretty appropriate salvage title price. If it lasts us just 2 years without major repairs, it will beat out the cost of a new lease.

kyfdx

You'd think the Mercedes would put you off things like that.

28firefighter

It’s a bold move, cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

You'd think the Mercedes would put you off things like that.

The mercedes is just overly complicated, not flooded. haha.

In any case, it occurs to me I should wait on a Jeep. It might solve all our problems

henryn

qbrozen said:

My thinking at the moment is to buy another not-so-beater. Like $10k. If such a thing exists in this market. I found something on ebay that grabbed my interest: a dealer on FL who apparently has a thing for flood cars. They list what they fixed on it and sell them somewhat cheap. I know, of course, flood cars can be a nightmare. Might also luck out, though. Big risk. Anyway, I reached out about a ‘16 QX50 with some questions. If the answers are satisfactory, I’m thinking about throwing a $10k offer at it. That’s half what it would retail for if clean, so a pretty appropriate salvage title price. If it lasts us just 2 years without major repairs, it will beat out the cost of a new lease.

A flood car is one thing I have avoided. I have purchased salvage titles, always due to a wreck. Most of the ones that show up around here, they have pictures of the damage so you can see how severe it was. This allows you to make an informed decision, and so far I have had very good luck with salvage titled vehicles.

I have read some bad things about insurance problems. Some insurance companies don't want to issue full coverage insurance for a salvage titled vehicle, and I have heard horror stories about the insurance company really low-balling the payout if it gets wrecked again.

And I've never seen a salvage titled vehicle drop to 50% of retail. In today's market, where retail is astronomical, maybe so. Or with the shortage of used cars, maybe not?

Good luck, either way.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
It’s a bold move, cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.

LMAO what a great place to use that quote.

stickguy

when is a Jeep due to arrive? If it is only a month or 2, just fake it with the current fleet. Sounds like the MB should be fixed reasonably soon and you have plenty of other options. Won't hurt her to use the Escape for a little while.

a flood car better be really cheap. And preferably not overly complicated. Not having expensive modules all under the front seat like a Volvo would be a good thing too. Maybe a couple generations old Corolla where you could just pull out the carpets, dry it up good, and put a new one in. A QX sounds like it might get expensive with all the electronics.

if it is something that doesn't need comp or collision insurance anyway, no worries about the insurance company!

roadburner

My dealer took a 2021 Sahara in trade- nicely equipped- CWP, LED Group, Alpine audio and a limited slip rear diff. My wife suggests trading the TJ and X1 for it. I hate to flip the X1 however, considering it just received new tires and the 3 year BMW oil change deal.
On top of that, the dealer I bought my 2 Series from has a new M240i xDrive; Thundenight/Tacora Red. As much as I don't want to be I'm kind of attracted to it...

Sandman6472

Enterprise is a much better company to work for than Hertz, trust me since I've been at both.
Think I've solved the leak issue in the garage. It has to be the windshield wiper fluid container. After seeing the blueish/green liquid on the floor & noticing it was the same color of what I put in the Audi last week, it came to me. Also, noticed a large amount of water under the windshield wiper fluid holder area the night she got home from the coolant leak repair. Thought it was weird seeing so much water on that front driver side as the a/c water drops from condensation are more towards the right front of the engine. Once the mechanic found nothing and what happened last week, it must be it. Plus, the icon only comes on every so often plus the leak doesn't happen every time she drives the vehicle.
Makes perfect sense so will call him Monday about replacing the fluid container and be done with it!

Sandman6472

Have been out driving once this week but finally feeling more like me today. Will take a drive later today as I volunteered for tomorrow. Don't have much PTO at work but will use what I've got for last week. Glad the vertigo has gone for now but just wish I knew what causes it? Very annoying and passing out has become painful! Since my incident with the gall bladder removal in 2018, I've passed out like 5 times now and always bump my head & gash something coming down. This time, hitting the battery in my butt added a lot more body pain so we'll need to get this looked into. Just glad to be keeping food in and able to shower now. Gotta fix the facial hair though as it's a bit scruffy again and want to look presentable tomorrow. Then, will have another couple of days to rest my old bones. So glad I quit the Toyota gig and just do my 3 days at Enterprise, who am I kidding trying to work so many days? Don't have to as we live pretty frugally so it's really about me getting out of the house a bit.
So, will stick with the 3 days/week with the occasional 4th day and leave things be. That seems to work nicely.
Also got a message from the Delray Toyota store. Seems the Corolla Cross with the moon roof & JBL audio system is due in the second week of March and want to know if I want to put a deposit down to hold it. Have decided to wait a bit longer. Think if I felt better, I'd just say what the h-ll and just do it but the Golf is working fine, hardly driving it at all and am just about to hit 70K, so why cut it loose yet. The color is perfect, their Windchill Pearl, but can do without the black interior, prefer a gray color or even ivory. The ivory pleather in the Golf has held up fairly well these past seven years so could do it again. And honestly, don't mind cloth so willing to wait. Also, they want around $30K right now which is a bit on the high side. So, waiting a bit longer seems the better thing to do. And if I must wait to get a 2023 model, well...so be it!

qbrozen

@roadburner said:
My dealer took a 2021 Sahara in trade- nicely equipped- CWP, LED Group, Alpine audio and a limited slip rear diff. My wife suggests trading the TJ and X1 for it. I hate to flip the X1 however, considering it just received new tires and the 3 year BMW oil change deal.
On top of that, the dealer I bought my 2 Series from has a new M240i xDrive; Thundenight/Tacora Red. As much as I don't want to be I'm kind of attracted to it...

You can order new for less

qbrozen

Terry would hit salvage cars at half value, so that’s what I go with. I have never seen one go for half so far, but that doesn’t mean I will pay more than half.

Geico will insure rebuilt but not full coverage. Liability only. I already got a quote for $400/yr. So cheap insurance is another advantage although, of course, if in an at-fault wreck, its a goner.

Jeep will be here any day. Next week or week after.

ab348

Sandman6472 said:

Also got a message from the Delray Toyota store. Seems the Corolla Cross with the moon roof & JBL audio system is due in the second week of March and want to know if I want to put a deposit down to hold it. Have decided to wait a bit longer. Think if I felt better, I'd just say what the h-ll and just do it but the Golf is working fine, hardly driving it at all and am just about to hit 70K, so why cut it loose yet. The color is perfect, their Windchill Pearl, but can do without the black interior, prefer a gray color or even ivory. The ivory pleather in the Golf has held up fairly well these past seven years so could do it again. And honestly, don't mind cloth so willing to wait. Also, they want around $30K right now which is a bit on the high side. So, waiting a bit longer seems the better thing to do. And if I must wait to get a 2023 model, well...so be it!

Sandy, I did some poking around on the Canadian Toyota site with the Corolla Cross. Up here the one with the JBL stereo and moonroof is the top line XSE model. You can’t order those things as stand-alone options on lower-line models, so if you want them you’re getting a XSE. Also, there are 2 interior colors, black or “Macadamia” which is a two-tone tan “Softex” which I guess is imitation leather. The Macadamia color looks infinitely better in pictures than the black. Paint choices outside are pretty limited but they have a medium to dark metallic green that sort of appealed to me. Don’t see many green vehicles these days.

jmonroe1

Sandman6472 said:

Enterprise is a much better company to work for than Hertz, trust me since I've been at both.
Think I've solved the leak issue in the garage. It has to be the windshield wiper fluid container. After seeing the blueish/green liquid on the floor & noticing it was the same color of what I put in the Audi last week, it came to me. Also, noticed a large amount of water under the windshield wiper fluid holder area the night she got home from the coolant leak repair. Thought it was weird seeing so much water on that front driver side as the a/c water drops from condensation are more towards the right front of the engine. Once the mechanic found nothing and what happened last week, it must be it. Plus, the icon only comes on every so often plus the leak doesn't happen every time she drives the vehicle.
Makes perfect sense so will call him Monday about replacing the fluid container and be done with it!

It sounds like you found the problem. If you don’t have to take the engine out to get at the container you might only need a screw driver to remove a couple peripheral parts. It that’s the case, welcome to the DIY club.

jmonroe

greg128

xwesx said:

henryn said:

Title to Lessee at the End of an Operating Lease Agreement
Motor vehicle tax is due from the lessee at the time of titling and registration on the purchase of the motor vehicle from the lessor, since a new taxable sale (second transaction) has occurred, whether the vehicle was leased in Texas or out of state. The tax is based on the amount (option) paid at the conclusion of the operating lease agreement and standard presumptive value (SPV) procedures may apply. The lessee cannot claim a credit for tax paid in the lessor’s name for the lessor’s Texas purchase of the leased vehicle.

Oh, damn. Those double-dipping poo-hats! That should be illegal. Someone's gotta challenge that, plain and simple. They say that another taxable sale has occurred, but that is not true since you entered into the purchase-option contract at the start of the lease.

Actually, now that I read it further, it is a matter of who gets hit with the cost. Essentially, the leasing company is responsible for the tax payment but is directly passing through the tax to the lessee rather than paying their pound of flesh. Either way, Texans need to push that with their legislators to get it fixed.



In NY a vehicle is taxed on its value whenever it is resold and re-titled. It is possible the total tax collected on one vehicle could exceed the original purchase price if it is sold multiple times. It seems logical to me to charge tax one time when buying anything but that doesn't apply to any titled vehicles, trailers, boats etc. as they attempt to suck as much money out of the tax paying populace as they possibly can (like red light cameras?). Remember with inflation if a product goes up 10% then their tax take also goes up 10%. They LOVE inflation. If and when your salary increases then their cut also increases. But we all know that no matter how much they collect it is never enough to pay for their over-bloated patronage and social programs.

However your vehicle is traded in dealers get a great deal by subtracting the trade in value of your old vehicle from the price of the new one and taxing that amount. That is why dealers generally offer less than what your trade is actually worth.

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

It sounds like you found the problem. If you don’t have to take the engine out to get at the container you might only need a screw driver to remove a couple peripheral parts. It that’s the case, welcome to the DIY club.

jmonroe

It's an Audi, so the tank is likely buried deep and you will need to take half of the front end off the car. I'd be more suspicious of a split hose than a failed tank. Perhaps all that is needed is a small hose clamp or some JB Weld.

nyccarguy

Since I signed the papers to sell my Tacoma to AlGo, I figured it is best to just let it sit in the driveway until they come to pick it up. So I took the Pilot to work this AM & she went out with the Highlander. “I really like it! It drives nice!”

Looks like a win for team Bradd so far;)-

stickguy

Sandy, might as well go take a look at it when it arrives anyway. No need to put a deposit down to reserve it. and even if it gets reserved before

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

Since I signed the papers to sell my Tacoma to AlGo, I figured it is best to just let it sit in the driveway until they come to pick it up. So I took the Pilot to work this AM & she went out with the Highlander. “I really like it! It drives nice!”

Looks like a win for team Bradd so far;)-

so that means you are getting a wrangler to commute in when she decides she would rather drive the Highlander?

stickguy

qbrozen said:

Terry would hit salvage cars at half value, so that’s what I go with. I have never seen one go for half so far, but that doesn’t mean I will pay more than half.

Geico will insure rebuilt but not full coverage. Liability only. I already got a quote for $400/yr. So cheap insurance is another advantage although, of course, if in an at-fault wreck, its a goner.

Jeep will be here any day. Next week or week after.

if the Jeep is that close I wouldn't buy anything else first. Wait until that arrives and see if the wife likes it and wants to drive it. Unless this was only supposed to be an immediate flip also? Can't keep track!

nyccarguy

@stickguy said:
so that means you are getting a wrangler to commute in when she decides she would rather drive the Highlander?

Seems that way for the moment.

stickguy

well, at least you are used to a rough, bouncy ride at this point!

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

@stickguy said:

so that means you are getting a wrangler to commute in when she decides she would rather drive the Highlander?

Seems that way for the moment.

Correction, more than likely forever. Get used to it.

jmonroe

stickguy

it's a lease, so forever is only 3 years, max. Or a lot less if he flips it like the rest of the 4xE crowd.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

it's a lease, so forever is only 3 years, max. Or a lot less if he flips it like the rest of the 4xE crowd.

3 years is twice the lifetime of car ownership for some in here. In fact, 3 months might be more the norm for those folks.

jmonroe

corvette

nyccarguy said:

Looks like a win for team Bradd so far;)-

Mazel tov!

xwesx

henryn said:

I have read some bad things about insurance problems. Some insurance companies don't want to issue full coverage insurance for a salvage titled vehicle, and I have heard horror stories about the insurance company really low-balling the payout if it gets wrecked again.

And I've never seen a salvage titled vehicle drop to 50% of retail. In today's market, where retail is astronomical, maybe so. Or with the shortage of used cars, maybe not?

Good luck, either way.

I thought that would be an issue with my 2008 Forester, but it was not. Heck, I even totalled it a second time while I owned it, and they valued it at market for a clean one retail. That said, I did take very good care of it, and, surprisingly, the appraiser looked it over, checking all of the fluids, tires, and even started it, before rating it against local comps. It's too bad the same guy didn't put as much effort into our 2010 Forester when it met its end, but I digress....

Overall, I bought the 2008 in May of 2015 for $3,500 (50% of market private party value at the time), got a total payout of $6,700, bought it back for $1,200, had the shop fix it for $3,300, and spent another $300 on paint supplies (I repainted the fender and bumper shell myself). After three years of letting friends, acquaintances, and total strangers borrow the car, and putting a new fuel pump ($450) in it, I sold it in September 2020 to the young gal who was using at that time for $2,800.

Let's see.....

That's a net positive of $750 or so, not counting insurance. I mean, that's not @qbrozen territory, but still not bad for over five years of ownership and about 40,000 miles on a twice-totalled hunk of Subie.

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Enterprise is a much better company to work for than Hertz, trust me since I've been at both.
Think I've solved the leak issue in the garage. It has to be the windshield wiper fluid container. After seeing the blueish/green liquid on the floor & noticing it was the same color of what I put in the Audi last week, it came to me. Also, noticed a large amount of water under the windshield wiper fluid holder area the night she got home from the coolant leak repair. Thought it was weird seeing so much water on that front driver side as the a/c water drops from condensation are more towards the right front of the engine. Once the mechanic found nothing and what happened last week, it must be it. Plus, the icon only comes on every so often plus the leak doesn't happen every time she drives the vehicle.
Makes perfect sense so will call him Monday about replacing the fluid container and be done with it!

It sounds like you found the problem. If you don’t have to take the engine out to get at the container you might only need a screw driver to remove a couple peripheral parts. It that’s the case, welcome to the DIY club.

jmonroe

Oh, I bet you're right!

I had that happen on the Q7, Sandy. It was the seal on the upper pump (front washer) that had sprung a small leak. Sort of a pain to get to it, but a very easy fix once the container was out of the car. If yours is like mine, it is located inside the fender skin, behind the front passenger wheel (basically between the passenger wheel and door).

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Since I signed the papers to sell my Tacoma to AlGo, I figured it is best to just let it sit in the driveway until they come to pick it up. So I took the Pilot to work this AM & she went out with the Highlander. “I really like it! It drives nice!”

Looks like a win for team Bradd so far;)-

Oh, yeah. From a driving perspective, the Pilot is far more "truckish" than the Highlander, which drives like a big sedan. I'm glad she likes it; the next question will be, buy it out or turn it in?

edit: ACK! My emotorcons are gone!

xwesx

@qbrozen I'm sorry, sir. I finally sorted out the Q7 today, so I'm going to start driving it again starting this afternoon. Please don't curse it (or me); I need this win. I NEED IT!

Quick recap:

I had an intake sensor issue after install of the alternator. The MAS was smoked when the alternator burned up, so I bought a new one. Afterward, it said I had an air leak on my intake. I had to pull the front wheel and liner off again, and I found that the lower intercooler hose that I had previously removed and reinstalled had popped apart. Turns out, the seal didn't seat properly; it was all stretched out and prevented the clip from retaining the hose properly. It came apart once the system was put under pressure by the turbos.

Sad thing is the rubber seal (just a big o-ring, basically), was not something I could get locally, so I would be looking at a long delay again for the part. Instead, I used a little DIY ingenuity to recondition the seal, reinstall the part, and get it all put back together. Runs like a champ now!

Turns out, a good heat treatment and a little silicon lube works wonders on an o-ring. I used a heat gun to heat it up to about 300F (maybe a little more), then applied a coating of Sil-Glyde to it and set it on the snow to cool down. Afterward, it was back down to its original size, slipped snuggly into place, and didn't have any issue at all with me reassembling the parts.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

My thinking at the moment is to buy another not-so-beater. Like $10k. If such a thing exists in this market. I found something on ebay that grabbed my interest: a dealer on FL who apparently has a thing for flood cars. They list what they fixed on it and sell them somewhat cheap. I know, of course, flood cars can be a nightmare. Might also luck out, though. Big risk. Anyway, I reached out about a ‘16 QX50 with some questions. If the answers are satisfactory, I’m thinking about throwing a $10k offer at it. That’s half what it would retail for if clean, so a pretty appropriate salvage title price. If it lasts us just 2 years without major repairs, it will beat out the cost of a new lease.

I’d look for a less heavily electronic dependent flood repair but I guess those flood rehab places aren’t investing their time into cheap cars with manual seats.

tjc78

@nyccarguy
I haven’t looked at Highlanders for awhile. Is yours the 3.5 2GR V6? I loved that engine in my Avalon.

stickguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

Since I signed the papers to sell my Tacoma to AlGo, I figured it is best to just let it sit in the driveway until they come to pick it up. So I took the Pilot to work this AM & she went out with the Highlander. “I really like it! It drives nice!”

Looks like a win for team Bradd so far;)-

Oh, yeah. From a driving perspective, the Pilot is far more "truckish" than the Highlander, which drives like a big sedan. I'm glad she likes it; the next question will be, buy it out or turn it in?

edit: ACK! My emotorcons are gone!

they already bought it. Leases are so bad on these it was more cost effective to buy it and finance a loan.

nyccarguy

@tjc78 said:
@nyccarguy
I haven’t looked at Highlanders for awhile. Is yours the 3.5 2GR V6? I loved that engine in my Avalon.

I’m not familiar with Toyota engine codes other than “the one.” But it is a 3.5L V6 mated to an 8 Speed Automatic. So far, so good. The engine is very smooth and seems to have plenty of power.

tjc78

@nyccarguy said:

@tjc78 said:
@nyccarguy
I haven’t looked at Highlanders for awhile. Is yours the 3.5 2GR V6? I loved that engine in my Avalon.

I’m not familiar with Toyota engine codes other than “the one.” But it is a 3.5L V6 mated to an 8 Speed Automatic. So far, so good. The engine is very smooth and seems to have plenty of power.

Yep same engine. So smooth. It was good with a 5 speed auto, I bet the 8 speed keeps it in the higher revs longer which is a good thing.

qbrozen

@xwesx said:
@qbrozen I'm sorry, sir. I finally sorted out the Q7 today, so I'm going to start driving it again starting this afternoon. Please don't curse it (or me); I need this win. I NEED IT!

Quick recap:

I had an intake sensor issue after install of the alternator. The MAS was smoked when the alternator burned up, so I bought a new one. Afterward, it said I had an air leak on my intake. I had to pull the front wheel and liner off again, and I found that the lower intercooler hose that I had previously removed and reinstalled had popped apart. Turns out, the seal didn't seat properly; it was all stretched out and prevented the clip from retaining the hose properly. It came apart once the system was put under pressure by the turbos.

Sad thing is the rubber seal (just a big o-ring, basically), was not something I could get locally, so I would be looking at a long delay again for the part. Instead, I used a little DIY ingenuity to recondition the seal, reinstall the part, and get it all put back together. Runs like a champ now!

Turns out, a good heat treatment and a little silicon lube works wonders on an o-ring. I used a heat gun to heat it up to about 300F (maybe a little more), then applied a coating of Sil-Glyde to it and set it on the snow to cool down. Afterward, it was back down to its original size, slipped snuggly into place, and didn't have any issue at all with me reassembling the parts.

What the heck ya apologizing to me for? Lol.
Nice work on the o ring!

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
if the Jeep is that close I wouldn't buy anything else first. Wait until that arrives and see if the wife likes it and wants to drive it. Unless this was only supposed to be an immediate flip also? Can't keep track!

Yes, I’ll wait and see.
I have 2 Jeeps coming, so one is going away quickly. The first is $62k sticker, $14.6k one-pay, and will “owe me” $49k. The other is $64k but the one-pay lease will be cheaper at about $13.9k. This is using Feb numbers so subject to change. Both are blue over brown with black hardtop. Both have cold weather, basic and advanced safety packs, and locking diff. The 2nd one adds trailer pack and off-road cam. So those adds plus the lower one-pay makes it the one to keep. If she decides she wants something else, I’ll wait till its in the driveway before selling the latter jeep.

jmonroe1

@greg128 said:
Oh, damn. Those double-dipping poo-hats! That should be illegal. Someone's gotta challenge that, plain and simple. They say that another taxable sale has occurred, but that is not true since you entered into the purchase-option contract at the start of the lease.

Actually, now that I read it further, it is a matter of who gets hit with the cost. Essentially, the leasing company is responsible for the tax payment but is directly passing through the tax to the lessee rather than paying their pound of flesh. Either way, Texans need to push that with their legislators to get it fixed.

In NY a vehicle is taxed on its value whenever it is resold and re-titled. It is possible the total tax collected on one vehicle could exceed the original purchase price if it is sold multiple times. It seems logical to me to charge tax one time when buying anything but that doesn't apply to any titled vehicles, trailers, boats etc. as they attempt to suck as much money out of the tax paying populace as they possibly can (like red light cameras?). Remember with inflation if a product goes up 10% then their tax take also goes up 10%. They LOVE inflation. If and when your salary increases then their cut also increases. But we all know that no matter how much they collect it is never enough to pay for their over-bloated patronage and social programs.

However your vehicle is traded in dealers get a great deal by subtracting the trade in value of your old vehicle from the price of the new one and taxing that amount. That is why dealers generally offer less than what your trade is actually worth.

As best as I know the dealer doesn’t make any money on the taxes collected on the sale of a vehicle. They have to pass all of the collected tax money onto the state.

The reason the dealer offers you less for your car is so they will make more money when they sell it. I do however agree with you about states taxing a vehicle from cradle to grave and making a good chunk of money doing it. You as a buyer have do your best not to contribute to their gouging but to do that the best way is to buy from a private party who will work with you about the taxes. A dealer is not going to stick their neck out and risk losing their dealership to save you tax money owed to the state. That WILL NOT happen.

Here is what I did when I bought my ‘75 Grand Prix from a private party in ‘77:

The guy selling the car wanted $4,200 for it but I told him I’d pay $4,000 for it but only if he said I paid $2,200 for it so I could save money on the taxes. He was reluctant to do that because he didn’t want to get into any trouble with the state. I told him, it’s done all the time and as long as he wasn’t saying he sold it for a ridiculously low price there wouldn’t be any problem with the state. All he had to do was say the car was in fair condition not the excellent condition that it was.

Fast forward to when I met him at the bank the following day to do the paperwork and because I was going to get a loan for $2,000. After the bank guy did my loan paperwork he pushed his chair away from the desk and said, “now it’s time for you two to agree to a price to give me so I can collect the tax money owed to the state. I won’t agree to a crazy low price but I’ll go along with something reasonable”. The seller looked at me with a very surprised look and said, “I guess this is done all the time”. That was it and I saved a nice chunk of money because of that. He was happy, I was happy and the bank guy was happy. Easy peasey.

FWIW, that wasn’t the only time I did that. I think this is a very low risk way of cheating on taxes and you guys know how much I like doing that.

jmonroe

kyfdx

@jmonroe1
I don’t want to say I’ve ever done that (multiple times), so I won’t. 😏

Michaell

kyfdx said:

@jmonroe1
I don’t want to say I’ve ever done that (multiple times), so I won’t. 😏

How much does the state of OH think you paid for the GTI?

jmonroe1

@kyfdx said:
@jmonroe1
I don’t want to say I’ve ever done that (multiple times), so I won’t. 😏

CHEATER.

jmonroe

corvette

kyfdx said:

@jmonroe1
I don’t want to say I’ve ever done that (multiple times), so I won’t. 😏

I actually paid less than the state's assessed value for the Prius. The clerk explained that the ad valorem tax going forward would be based on that and not what I actually paid. I'm not sure how they calculated sales tax, but I think I might have had to pay on the (slightly) higher figure for that, as well.

Michaell said:

How much does the state of OH think you paid for the GTI?

You're not going to believe this... He's done you one better. The state of OH has no idea he even owns a GTI!

28firefighter

Washington automatically requires justification if under blue book value and will audit those justifications periodically. Ask me how I know…(I have the worst luck ever…)