Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

Has anyone tried the Getupside app for cash back from buying gas at certain stations? One of my friends posted it on social media, and it looks like it could be worthwhile.

xwesx

Have not tried it. I have a hard enough time with just using the station-based discounts (e.g., put in your phone #, blah blah).

Diesel is now $4.70 here.

roadburner

I think I mentioned that I was aggravated with my BP Synchony Visa because of their penchant for arbitrarily flagging and denying recurring charges. I'm moving everything off that card to a new Mastercard I just opened. That will make three cards I use regularly. One-a Target Visa- I keep just for Target purchases as it nets me a 5% discount.

nyccarguy

Got a text from my broker on Saturday. The ‘21 4Xe magically appeared on the dealer’s lot. I told them to keep it as my 2022 should be here shortly.

stickguy

Target visa is great. We spend way too much there anyway. Lowes card also gives 5% off. Can come in handy on appliances.

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

Got a text from my broker on Saturday. The ‘21 4Xe magically appeared on the dealer’s lot. I told them to keep it as my 2022 should be here shortly.

I did not realize you ordered a 2nd one also. Hard to keep up around here.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Target visa is great. We spend way too much there anyway. Lowes card also gives 5% off. Can come in handy on appliances.

Become a veteran and you’ll get 10% off even sale prices.

jmonroe

stickguy

I think I am a little too old for boot camp.

corvette

@roadburner - I did the Target debit card (which also gives 5% off), since it didn't seem worth opening another line of credit, plus if I'm low on cash, I can get up to $40 at the register that way.

au1994

au1994 said:

Picked a bad time to buy my 3rd tank of gas for the year. $3.79 for reg.

Saw a station at 4.59 yesterday.

tjc78

@roadburner said:
I think I mentioned that I was aggravated with my BP Synchony Visa because of their penchant for arbitrarily flagging and denying recurring charges. I'm moving everything off that card to a new Mastercard I just opened. That will make three cards I use regularly. One-a Target Visa- I keep just for Target purchases as it nets me a 5% discount.

Citi was a real PiTA on our recent trip to Long Beach. Had to spend 20 minutes on the phone with them. They didn’t like that my wife had Uber charges in Houston TX and then a few hours later in CA. I accepted the fraud text for the one in TX but in CA I had to call them. I get it… but when you are sitting in a Uber on the phone with the fraud dept so your ride won’t be declined it’s a little awkward.

Even more awkward it would have been if I wasn’t with the wife since it’s my account and she is an authorized user. I get the texts/emails. It’s not like we don’t have a back up card but still.

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

@roadburner said:

I think I mentioned that I was aggravated with my BP Synchony Visa because of their penchant for arbitrarily flagging and denying recurring charges. I'm moving everything off that card to a new Mastercard I just opened. That will make three cards I use regularly. One-a Target Visa- I keep just for Target purchases as it nets me a 5% discount.

Citi was a real PiTA on our recent trip to Long Beach. Had to spend 20 minutes on the phone with them. They didn’t like that my wife had Uber charges in Houston TX and then a few hours later in CA. I accepted the fraud text for the one in TX but in CA I had to call them. I get it… but when you are sitting in a Uber on the phone with the fraud dept so your ride won’t be declined it’s a little awkward.

Even more awkward it would have been if I wasn’t with the wife since it’s my account and she is an authorized user. I get the texts/emails. It’s not like we don’t have a back up card but still.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but someone used my Discover Card to buy $78 worth of McDonald's on Grub Hub and then 2 Lyft Rides for $11 ish each.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

nyccarguy said:

Got a text from my broker on Saturday. The ‘21 4Xe magically appeared on the dealer’s lot. I told them to keep it as my 2022 should be here shortly.

I did not realize you ordered a 2nd one also. Hard to keep up around here.

Originally I ordered the 1st one. Then I saw that there was still some money to be made on the flipping market. So I figured I'd (or my wife) would drive the '21 for a month or 2ish until the '22 came in. Flip the '21. Drive the '22 for 2 years or so.

You guys will be proud of me. I did order the '22 slightly different from the '21. I got the Anti-Spin Differential (thank-you @qbrozen) and the saddle interior.

au1994

au1994 said:

Picked a bad time to buy my 3rd tank of gas for the year. $3.79 for reg.

Saw a station at 4.59 yesterday.

qbrozen

I'm not sure what I'm going to do given these orders have taken so long. I'm taking the one from the DC dealer, mostly because I put the deposit down. I'm on the fence about the one in PA. That was going to be a flip. I'm not sure the market supports that anymore? Tough call. That one will "owe me" a little over $51k. Gonna want at least 53 to make it worthwhile.

On the DC unit, which was going to be my keeper, I added gorilla glass. I didn't realize or remember that until I saw the window sticker. I don't recall requesting that, as I have read it is not worth it and lots of people are reporting them breaking more easily.

corvette

^ super strong glass breaks more easily

Sounds about right.

nyccarguy

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

sda

nyccarguy said:

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

Have you sold the Tacoma?

nyccarguy

sda said:

nyccarguy said:

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

Have you sold the Tacoma?

I have an agreement to sell it to ALGO. I'm still waiting for them to pick it up.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

Which holding lot? On the dealer side or factory side?

au1994

nyccarguy said:

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

Congrats. You are going to love the saddle interior. If its the dealer holding lot it could come quicker than you think. Thats what mine did.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

Got a text from my broker on Saturday. The ‘21 4Xe magically appeared on the dealer’s lot. I told them to keep it as my 2022 should be here shortly.

Delivered only one MY late? I guess that’s quick in this environment. Do you get any discount for having a 21’ delivered in 22’?

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

I think I am a little too old for boot camp.

Stop making excuses. It’s never too late to serve your country.

jmonroe

qbrozen

jmonroe1 said:

It’s never too late to serve your country.

no problem. Coffee or tea?

qbrozen

Wife put down a deposit on this one. Nice enough color combo. It is a metallic white that looks very pretty in person. It is missing a few features, but I'm not going to tell her that. It does have the upgraded stereo, so that's a plus. Things like no heated steering wheel nor rear seat climate controls she won't miss unless someone mentions it. I think it might be missing the power trunk, too, which would have been nice for her. Kind of odd to me they include heated seats standard, but steering wheel optional. And include something like adaptive cruise but not a remote trunk. Oh well.

stickguy

Power trunk lid? On a sedan? What is this world coming to.

stickguy

Nice looking car though. Probably very comfy.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

Power trunk lid? On a sedan? What is this world coming to.

makes sense when competing with the slew of suvs and their power gates. Takes away one excuse, anyway.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

Which holding lot? On the dealer side or factory side?

After it gets off the train, that's a factory holding lot correct?

stickguy

They unload in big regional parking lots where the trucks pick up to take to dealers. Eventually.

Many people had their mavericks sit there for a while waiting on trucks to show up for delivery to dealer.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Not sure if I mentioned this, but someone used my Discover Card to buy $78 worth of McDonald's on Grub Hub and then 2 Lyft Rides for $11 ish each.

I'm going out on a limb here and saying there's a problem.... I doubt that's with your permission.

I hope you're able to get it worked out quickly!

au1994

nyccarguy said:

tjc78 said:

@roadburner said:

I think I mentioned that I was aggravated with my BP Synchony Visa because of their penchant for arbitrarily flagging and denying recurring charges. I'm moving everything off that card to a new Mastercard I just opened. That will make three cards I use regularly. One-a Target Visa- I keep just for Target purchases as it nets me a 5% discount.

Citi was a real PiTA on our recent trip to Long Beach. Had to spend 20 minutes on the phone with them. They didn’t like that my wife had Uber charges in Houston TX and then a few hours later in CA. I accepted the fraud text for the one in TX but in CA I had to call them. I get it… but when you are sitting in a Uber on the phone with the fraud dept so your ride won’t be declined it’s a little awkward.

Even more awkward it would have been if I wasn’t with the wife since it’s my account and she is an authorized user. I get the texts/emails. It’s not like we don’t have a back up card but still.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but someone used my Discover Card to buy $78 worth of McDonald's on Grub Hub and then 2 Lyft Rides for $11 ish each.

Given the amount of sodium in $78 worth of McDonalds, they aren’t long for this world if that any consolation.

ab348

Speaking of credit cards, I have a Walmart CC for the once-a-month trip there to pick up cat food (though I did use them a bit more during the pandemic to order groceries online and have them dropped into my trunk a day later). The original card expires this month and I got the replacement in the mail today. Must be a new-generation card. No embossed name or number on it, no signature panel on the back. The only place the number appears is on the back side, just in print. The car is oriented in portrait mode too, a first, with just "Walmart Rewards" and my name printed on the front along with the Mastercard logo and a chip, very sleek. Brave new world.

xwesx

au1994 said:

Given the amount of sodium in $78 worth of McDonalds, they aren’t long for this world if that any consolation.

Shoot.... anymore, that's probably a single meal for four people. The last time I went to a fast food place (and, it was a while ago), I swear it cost me the same amount as it would to go to a considerably nicer "sit down" restaurant.

cdnpinhead

stickguy said:

Power trunk lid? On a sedan? What is this world coming to.

It's been there for awhile.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

jmonroe1 said:

It’s never too late to serve your country.

no problem. Coffee or tea?

Try it and see if that will get you veteran status so you can get a 10% discount at Lowe’s and Home Depot.

jmonroe

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

My '22 has safely arrived at the holding lot. It should be at the dealer in the next week or 2.

Which holding lot? On the dealer side or factory side?

After it gets off the train, that's a factory holding lot correct?

When it rolls off the assembly line, it goes into the factory holding lot(s). One of mine has been stuck there for about a month.

Then it gets on a train, gets to destination station, and is unloaded into another lot where, as stick said, it awaits transport to the dealer. Another stalling point.

Sandman6472

Back in the end of October, someone in California tried to join Walmart.com & buy almost $500 of merchandise. At about 3:30 am, I get a text asking if it was me. Once I texted back "NO", my card was closed & they said I'd be sent a whole new card with a different number. About 10 days later, I get a new card in the mail with the charges & balance I owe switched over, like nothing had happened. I must admit, my Chase Visa card has been very quick to get in touch on what they consider a "strange" charge, and have been since I started with them 1993. I do appreciate their diligence to be honest as it's happened a few times on this card. Discover has also been very good about the couple of bogus charges on their card over the years also. And of course, Chase couldn't seem to protect my checking account so they strongly suggested I find another bank that could. We did just that and have not had another problem since.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
Power trunk lid on a sedan goes back to the 50's(open and close).

henryn

Checking account problems, yes, indeed. When I went back to work contract in 2010, I was a self-employed contractor, and had to pay double social security and Medicare, something like 15.2% on top of Income Tax. All of which made for quite a chunk of change that I was sending in quarterly. I didn't realize I could do all of that online, so I was mailing in checks. About the second year, maybe the 5th or 6th quarterly payment, I get a notice from the IRA that my check had bounced. WTH?? No way! I was using the Chevron Credit Union for my checking at that time, and I immediately rushed over there and asked if they had refused a check. They assured me they had not. The IRS eventually sent me a scanned copy of the refused check. The back of the check had a date stamp on it. One of the very nice people at the credit union went through all of their records for that date and 2 weeks following, and finally found a refused check for that amount.

The scanning software used by the IRS had mis-read the account number on the front of the check, and when they tried to electronically cash the check, the credit union computer refused the check on the grounds "we ain't got no such account number here". Pretty much any ATM in the known universe can scan a check and deposit it for you, correctly, but the IRS can't?

The nice helpful guy at the credit union advised me that I could pay the IRS online, and from then on I did so. And so far, they haven't found any way to screw that up. But give 'em time and I'm sure they'll come up with a way.

jmonroe1

henryn said:

Checking account problems, yes, indeed. When I went back to work contract in 2010, I was a self-employed contractor, and had to pay double social security and Medicare, something like 15.2% on top of Income Tax. All of which made for quite a chunk of change that I was sending in quarterly. I didn't realize I could do all of that online, so I was mailing in checks. About the second year, maybe the 5th or 6th quarterly payment, I get a notice from the IRA that my check had bounced. WTH?? No way! I was using the Chevron Credit Union for my checking at that time, and I immediately rushed over there and asked if they had refused a check. They assured me they had not. The IRS eventually sent me a scanned copy of the refused check. The back of the check had a date stamp on it. One of the very nice people at the credit union went through all of their records for that date and 2 weeks following, and finally found a refused check for that amount.

The scanning software used by the IRS had mis-read the account number on the front of the check, and when they tried to electronically cash the check, the credit union computer refused the check on the grounds "we ain't got no such account number here". Pretty much any ATM in the known universe can scan a check and deposit it for you, correctly, but the IRS can't?

The nice helpful guy at the credit union advised me that I could pay the IRS online, and from then on I did so. And so far, they haven't found any way to screw that up. But give 'em time and I'm sure they'll come up with a way.

Why do you have such disdain for the IRS? Maybe it’s because they hammer the honest folks and let the cheaters slide. You otta change your ways of dealing with them.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

@xwesx said:
I'm going out on a limb here and saying there's a problem.... I doubt that's with your permission.

I hope you're able to get it worked out quickly!

I was able to call up and get the charges removed. Funny thing. I charge 3 things on that card. Netflix, Dollar Shave Club, & Heating Oil. It think Netflix or DSC was hacked and that’s how they got the info.

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

au1994 said:

Given the amount of sodium in $78 worth of McDonalds, they aren’t long for this world if that any consolation.

Shoot.... anymore, that's probably a single meal for four people. The last time I went to a fast food place (and, it was a while ago), I swear it cost me the same amount as it would to go to a considerably nicer "sit down" restaurant.

Wait until you go to that sit down restaurant. Mickey D’s will seem a bargain.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
Wife put down a deposit on this one. Nice enough color combo. It is a metallic white that looks very pretty in person. It is missing a few features, but I'm not going to tell her that. It does have the upgraded stereo, so that's a plus. Things like no heated steering wheel nor rear seat climate controls she won't miss unless someone mentions it. I think it might be missing the power trunk, too, which would have been nice for her. Kind of odd to me they include heated seats standard, but steering wheel optional. And include something like adaptive cruise but not a remote trunk. Oh well.

Gorgeous! Fine color choice as well (same as my S60). I’m pretty sure the 90 actually has pro-pilot standard too. Very convenient at times.

You’ll also be happy you got the T6. That extra 50HP is nice to have

stickguy

I am confused about the Volvo. I assume this is not replacing anything now? So when the JEEP shows up (x2) that is immediate flips and the Volvo sticks around long term? Even when the Sprinter arrives?

or does the Escape get kicked to the curb to make room for the S90?

it is really hard to keep up with this program the way the plot moves.

xwesx

stickguy said:

I am confused about the Volvo. I assume this is not replacing anything now? So when the JEEP shows up (x2) that is immediate flips and the Volvo sticks around long term? Even when the Sprinter arrives?

or does the Escape get kicked to the curb to make room for the S90?

it is really hard to keep up with this program the way the plot moves.

Think of it like Seinfeld : There are very few bits of plotline that survive longer than one episode....

ab348

stickguy said:

I am confused about the Volvo. I assume this is not replacing anything now? So when the JEEP shows up (x2) that is immediate flips and the Volvo sticks around long term? Even when the Sprinter arrives?

or does the Escape get kicked to the curb to make room for the S90?

it is really hard to keep up with this program the way the plot moves.

Doesn’t it replace the T&C that QB sold when he got a generous bid from one of the buying outfits? So the Volvo fills that gap until her shuttle bus arrives.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

I am confused about the Volvo. I assume this is not replacing anything now? So when the JEEP shows up (x2) that is immediate flips and the Volvo sticks around long term? Even when the Sprinter arrives?

or does the Escape get kicked to the curb to make room for the S90?

it is really hard to keep up with this program the way the plot moves.

Doesn’t it replace the T&C that QB sold when he got a generous bid from one of the buying outfits? So the Volvo fills that gap until her shuttle bus arrives.

It would be so much easier if someone took on the challenge of creating a score card for all of this. Maybe that should go to one of the 2 biggest participants. Hope he does as good a job at it as @corvette has done with the yearly total punch list.

All in favor say aye.

jmonroe

explorerx4

Isn't one of QB's kids getting ready to drive?

stickguy

the Escape seems like a perfect 1st car for that.