Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nippononly

knocked it down to 84 in a 65 and added 1 beautiful expired registration ticket to it, grand total.....$262

You are so lucky you aren't in California....that would have been $500 minimum down here.... :-(

Mini Coopers seem to have about the same resale as Civic SIs, and what with the higher problem rate with the Coopers, had me thinking of ignoring them in favor of SIs when I was looking for an older model.

However, the '08+ Coopers are supposed to be better? So now that I'm looking for a newer SI, I am looking for Minis as well. There are an awful lot of recent vintage cars of both models available, all high teens in asking price. If I could get either car with under 40K miles for around $15K, talking '07-'08s here, I would surely jump. But that's proving to be a very difficult task.

qbrozen

$13k should get it done.

anonymousposts

I wouldn't mind a newer Si but I don't think Gee would go for it. For the used price of a base Mini, I think he should just buy a new one and take advantage of the 1.9% and the free sport package Mini is offering right now.

rayainsw

My daughter bought a new MINI in late August of 2007.
Now at 40,000+ miles, hers [ sample size of one ] has been quite reliable. No issues.

Good luck!
- Ray
Not a MINI expert, exactly . . .

michaellno

My daughter bought her '10 MINI (base, auto, sport, winter, iPod/USB) in early April.

No idea how many miles - I haven't ridden in it since the test drive - but, no problems to speak of.

akangl

Not a chance. I'm thinking that you'll start obsessing that now that the Pilot is out of warranty you may get stuck with a large bill for replacing a failed seat back adjuster and just have to trade it for a much more reliable 5 year old Suburban.

Actually, I did plan ahead with the Pilot.....its covered by a 6 year/120k bumper to bumper Honda care warranty. I bought that when the Pilot had just 4k miles on it. Sad thing is the warranty will likely run out on time rather then miles.

On another note.......the "free" Explorer is sure turning out to not be free. So far $518 in repair, but still needs the driver's side door hinge replaced and the broken ignition fixed. Then to top it all off my best friend was at my house the other day and looked at the tires, she about smacked me for letting my 16 year old drive a car with huge cracks in the sidewalls. Truth is I hadn't looked, I glanced, noticed the tread was around 70% and called it good. Turns out the tires are 7 years old and with all the sitting the truck did the tires are shot. Going to let it sit until October and put winter tires on it, will worry about summer tires next year. So much for free. :sick:

michaellno

On another note.......the "free" Explorer is sure turning out to not be free. So far $518 in repair, but still needs the driver's side door hinge replaced and the broken ignition fixed. Then to top it all off my best friend was at my house the other day and looked at the tires, she about smacked me for letting my 16 year old drive a car with huge cracks in the sidewalls. Truth is I hadn't looked, I glanced, noticed the tread was around 70% and called it good. Turns out the tires are 7 years old and with all the sitting the truck did the tires are shot. Going to let it sit until October and put winter tires on it, will worry about summer tires next year. So much for free.

Well, you'd have had to put this money into the Explorer, regardless of the purchase price - $0, $500, $1500, whatever. Still and all, a decent set of tires ought not to cost that much money; is it possible to go with slightly used tires?

Speaking of winter tires, the daughter just took a job that will require her to be at work at 6AM on school mornings. Given that the "word on the street" is that MINI's are lousy in the snow, I'm starting to look at winter tires. Found these on TireRack for $67/ea.

Question - since the MINI has alloy wheels, should I look at getting some base steel wheels and have the winter tires permanently mounted, or should I swap the all season Conti's for the winter Pirelli's on the OEM alloys?

tifighter

Speaking of Pilots, mine comes off lease just after the end of the year. Its up to a whopping 20k miles after 2 1/2 years, and I'm trying to decide if I should buy it, or jump. Buying it is probably the sensible thing to do; average asking price here in the Bay Area is $24K CPO with more miles, but I don't know if they're getting that. My buyout is $16.5K, which seems like a deal. But you guys in this forum know how it is...when there's a chance to change, its hard not to get jumpy.

rayainsw

" Speaking of winter tires, the daughter just took a job that will require her to be at work at 6AM on school mornings. Given that the "word on the street" is that MINI's are lousy in the snow, I'm starting to look at winter tires. Found these on TireRack for $67/ea."

My daughter lives in Maine.
She has had no issues with snow in her MINI,
with the orig. equip. tires....
[ Replaced at ~ 35,000 miles - with the same brand & model. ]
- Ray
Again - only 1 data point...

michaellno

My daughter lives in Maine.
She has had no issues with snow in her MINI,
with the orig. equip. tires....
[ Replaced at ~ 35,000 miles - with the same brand & model. ]

Didn't realize that your daughter was up north - since you're in GA, I sorta figured she was close by as well.

Do you know if she's got the 15" or 16" wheels and tires? We've got the 15" on our MINI.

ti - hey, gives you a chance for something new, right? Or, are you still "in like" with your Pilot, since you use it for hauling bikes and camping gear and stuff. $16K seems like a pretty good deal for a 30 month old, 20K mile Pilot.

If nothing else, it gives you an excuse to look, kick tires and test drive. Perhaps the new Equinox?

grandtotal

Just out of curiousity, has your Saturn ever done that thing that caused your daughter to want to swap it while you have been driving it?

michaellno

Just out of curiousity, has your Saturn ever done that thing that caused your daughter to want to swap it while you have been driving it?

Oh, heck no. I've had the car for just over 3 months and over 4000 miles and not once has it stopped running for no reason. In fact, I drove it to Colorado Springs over the weekend - about 50 miles one way - and thought for sure I'd have an issue.

Nope.

I did do some research and we're not the only ION owners to have experienced this problem. No dealer has been able to replicate and/or fix the situation.

I'll continue to drive the ION; it just clicked over 39K last night and I'm averaging around 24-26 MPG in almost 100% city driving (EPA says I should see 24).

Yes, it's a crude little box - well, when I compare it to the BMW I test drove last weekend - but it does its job nicely. AC blows cold, the stereo works fine and I can crank open the sunroof when appropriate.

I figure that in 2 1/2 years, when I turn 50, it'll have about 75K on the clock and should still have quite a bit of life in it when I go out and get my weekend toy.

Unless, of course, I win the lottery, then all bets are off.

fezo

This should be a start. He could use it when he and lemko travel together.

corvette

It's listed as a Caprice Classic and has a column shift, but looks like an Impala SS. Didn't the Impala SS come with a floor shifter? Either way, 13k is way out of line, even for a dealer, even with the low miles.

fezo

Oh, the price is insane. Just having fun.

Heck, that dealership takes some figuring out. They're the local Chevy dealer but have 1 new car in the inventory. That's it. I think 38 used ones.

roadburner

It's listed as a Caprice Classic and has a column shift, but looks like an Impala SS. Didn't the Impala SS come with a floor shifter? Either way, 13k is way out of line, even for a dealer, even with the low miles.

The first year cars DID have a grandpa shifter, but later models got a proper floor shift.

lemmer

Well, I don't think you can go wrong buying at that price...unless you just really don't want to keep it.

Our Pilot seems to have broken my wife's biannual new car buying habit. It has 77K miles on it now. It needed tires at 50K, a new battery around 65K, and new front brake pads last week. It has held up really well, inside and out.

fintail

I think MY 1996 Impalas were the only floor shift models.

Those things still haven't became real collectibles...still depreciating.

qbrozen

Took the GTI to the dealer today and walked down the street to my credit union to close on the loan and get the check. Dealer discovered it had 4 open recalls. So they performed all of those (new coils, new fuel pressure sensor, some kind of headlight modification, and an ECU retune). After diagnostics and visual inspection, they said everything else looks good.

So all that is left is for me to get back to the dealer either Friday or Saturday and hand over the check and sign the paperwork.

rayainsw

15", I believe -
I will ask.....
Given the ride as it is now, I would not want anything
wider - or lower in profile....
- Ray
Daughter is currently v. busy & important...

michaellno

Given the ride as it is now, I would not want anything wider - or lower in profile....

I hear ya. Moving to the 16" wheels means that you have to get the RFT's, which I didn't want the daughter to have. Glad that the 15's came with her car.

Any opinions from the group as to whether I should rotate the winter tires (should we get them) onto the OEM alloy wheels or get a separate set of wheels?

grandtotal

Separate (steel) wheels.

michaellno

Separate (steel) wheels.

And why do you suggest that? I'm curious as to what your logic is behind that suggestion.

oregonboy

If you live in a moderate climate like I do, it's a no brainer. Separate mounted wheel/tire combos are easily switched back and forth. You can do it yourself in your garage if the need arises and you are so inclined.

It would also be handy if you get "tricked" by a late (or early) storm that catches you with the wrong tires on your car.

kyfdx

Look on craigslist or one of the dedicated MINI forums that has classifieds... Should be able to score some base alloys for the winter wheels pretty cheap...

But... you'll need TPMS sensors, unless you just want to stare at the light all winter...

stickguy

Tire rack can be a pretty good deal if you need the wheels too. and certainly simpler, since they come all mounted and balanced. You can also get TPMS sensors put on to avoid the light.

akangl

Tire rack can be a pretty good deal if you need the wheels too. and certainly simpler, since they come all mounted and balanced. You can also get TPMS sensors put on to avoid the light.

Tire rack is a great place to get a set of wheels, tires, and sensors. That's what I did the first winter I had the Pilot. Bought a set of very nice alloy wheels, TPMS sensors, and Blizzak tires, delivered to my door all mounted, balanced and ready to go was only around $1100. Not bad considering they are 16's and I live in Alaska! Still have the wheels and sensors, but am on my second set of Blizzaks.

We plan on buying a set of alloys, sensors, and winter tires for the Civic from tire rack this year since it needs new winter tires. The first set came with the car when we purchased it from the honda dealer......I insisted since it was the beginning of winter.

stickguy

So Q, how is the GTI doing? Likeing it?

just make sure to let me know before you go to sell it. This one, I like.

I came close to getting a slightly used one 2 years back (december 2008 I think). I believe it was a 2007?, with only 17K on the clock. 4 door DSG. Neat car, but I was doing the 90mile/day commute through philly, and did not want to deal with the 18" wheels/ 40 series tires with that.

but mostly, the Honda dealer wanted more than I was willing to kick in on top of my Accord to get it.

Looking back, I think it actually ended up being a good deal after all, but more than I wanted to spend at the time, and probably the wrong car at that point.

qbrozen

so far so good. Although i'm a bit disappointed in the gas mileage. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but 24mpg is quite a bit lower than I expected. I was figuring 28. Maybe it will go up as I get used to it. Took a couple of days, for instance, before I realized I could just shift 1-2-4-6, given the torque curve on this thing. Speaking of 6th, it is so much shorter than it needs to be. Do I really need 3k rpms at 80mph? Makes for fantastic passing power and absolutely no need to downshift when doing so, but doesn't do much for that mileage issue.

But I finally have that "lightness" I was looking for, and got it without sacrificing a comfortable, quiet cabin.

The tires are lower profile than I would like, too, but man these wheels are just gorgeous. Wish they made this style in 17". I'm sure someone would be more than willing to trade me straight up.

jayrider

If you are averaging 24mpg in mixed driving you are doing very well. That is a performance drive train. Those vw's aren't super eco drives.

Kirstie_H

A reporter seeks to interview a Chicago-area woman who recently bought her first car. Please send your daytime contact information and the year/make/model of your car to pr@edmunds.com no later than Monday, July 19, 2010 if you care to share your story.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

stickguy

hard to say without knowing your driving mix. Plus, I imagine you are utilizing the power on occasion?

But I agree about gearing them too short. If I buy a stick, I must be willing to shift on occasion. So yeah, dropping down a gear to pass is not a big dealMy Accord is not too bad (I think 3 K gets me about 76?) but it could be a tick shorter. 2500 RPM at 75 mph sounds about right, especially for a torquey motor. with a 6 speed, even sillier.

my tC was terrible. That dumb think was geared almost as low as my Miata, even with a big lump of a 2.4l 4. 3K on the tach only got you 66mph. And that car did not get particularly good mpg either for some reason!

Still, on a highway run, you should probably get 32ish if you can keep it in the 70s someplace.

qbrozen

I'll put it this way.... with my driving style and mix, I've averaged 25mpg in a 350Z, 27mpg in a V6 6-speed accord, and near 24mpg with the V70 T5 automatic. All of those were bigger engines with more power and in heavier cars than the VW.

rayainsw

175/65x15"
fwiw

michaellno

Yep, that is the same size we have on our MINI.

corvette

Your daughter can tell the size of tires she has on her car? I'm impressed.

rayainsw

"Your daughter can tell the size of tires she has on her car? I'm impressed. "

I trained her well?

akangl

That sending a certificate offering a $50 pre-paid mastercard in exchange for a test drive is dangerous for a CCBA'er?? :P

michaellno

That sending a certificate offering a $50 pre-paid mastercard in exchange for a test drive is dangerous for a CCBA'er??

Which manufacturer did this?

grandtotal

They know.

jimbres

My wife's car is an '07 Lexus ES 350. Twice since the beginning of 2009, Lexus has offered us $75 Visa gift cards in return for test drives - an RX 350 the 1st time and, most recently, a GS 350.

akangl

Which manufacturer did this?

Dodge......it was to test drive a new Ram heavy duty. I didn't test drive, just bugged a friend for the dealer code. Looked at the 2011 Grand Cherokee while I was there.........very very nice. I think if things work out then next summer I'll trade the Pilot for something, dont' know what yet, probably a truck or bigger suv.

akangl

Maybe I should just buy something that can't go over say, um, 25 mph....

I went 5 years with no speeding citations, now I have 2 in 3 weeks. Stupid Pilot.....70 feels like 60 and stupid me for assuming on the speedlimit. :sick:

michaellno

Maybe I should just buy something that can't go over say, um, 25 mph....

Can I interest you in a scooter? Luggage capacity sucks, but you won't ever get caught speeding unless it's a school zone.

Seriously, that sucks. I've gotten a couple of tickets in the past year:

1) Speeding on I-25 - 79 in a 65. Was in a hurry to get back home to attend a conference call. Sigh. $97, payable to the county (the deputy marked it down to, I think, 69 in a 65 since I was so polite).

2) Failure to stop at a stop sign. This one was a city violation and the cop was not nice about it. This one cost me $162 to the city - yikes!

Both were two points, so I've gotta be on my toes for a while.

roadburner

"Dodge......it was to test drive a new Ram heavy duty. I didn't test drive, just bugged a friend for the dealer code.

Back in the '90s I would go to a car maker's web site and sign up for more information about 50% of the time I'd get a promotion bribing me to take a test drive. Just off the top of my head I remember getting a $25 Borders gift car, $25 Visa card, a Swiss Army watch.
That said, I test drove a BMW 535i a couple of weeks ago and BMW North America sent me a voucher good for $1000 cash back on a new 2011 BMW. Combine that with a $500 BMW Car Club rebate and I'm $1500 ahead before I even start negotiations with the dealer. Too bad I place a higher priority on being debt free...

roadburner

You need to buy one of these or one of these.
I have the V1...

akangl

Can I interest you in a scooter? Luggage capacity sucks, but you won't ever get caught speeding unless it's a school zone.

Seriously, that sucks. I've gotten a couple of tickets in the past year:

1) Speeding on I-25 - 79 in a 65. Was in a hurry to get back home to attend a conference call. Sigh. $97, payable to the county (the deputy marked it down to, I think, 69 in a 65 since I was so polite).

2) Failure to stop at a stop sign. This one was a city violation and the cop was not nice about it. This one cost me $162 to the city - yikes!

Both were two points, so I've gotta be on my toes for a while.

Oh those are minor, the level of trouble I'm in right now is not pretty. I'm 2 pts away from a suspended license, so if I get ANY other ticket in the next year its bye bye driving. The min points on a speeding ticket is 2 pts.

The tickets I got July 10th were 87 in a 65, cut down to 84, $162 fine and 4 pts, and expired registration, $100 fine, no pts.

Last night I got caught in a 45 mph zone, I really thought it was 55, but that still wouldn't have excused my speed. He got me at 70 in a 45, $310 fine and 6 pts. He didn't cite me for the expired registration though........I'm going to take care of that on Monday.

So that's a grand total of 10 pts and $572 worth of fines in just 20 days.

Sad thing is I have a radar detector, but the first guy got me with a laser and it didn't pick it up until it was too late. The second guy, well, I was rocking out to some loud music and didn't notice my radar detector saying KA alert until I saw the cop. He was kind of a jerk to me too, but whatever, I can laugh at him, he had about as many teeth as a jack o' lantern.

michaellno

You need to buy one of these or one of these.
I have the V1...

Actually, I'm not much of a speeder .. of course, when you drive an ION, it takes a long time to get to a velocity where you're breaking the law.

The speeding ticket was totally my fault. I needed to run to the office and get some supplies and I wanted to get back to my town in time to have a bite of lunch before my con call. The deputy was parked in a dirt area under a major interchange and as soon as I went past him, he started to pull out and I knew I was busted. I found a safe spot to pull over and waited for him.

I think that is what prompted him to drop the speed on the citation.

jolie, OTOH, seems to have something heavier than lead in her foot. And, this is the same person that was looking at Challengers and Camaros not too long ago.

akangl

jolie, OTOH, seems to have something heavier than lead in her foot. And, this is the same person that was looking at Challengers and Camaros not too long ago.

I admit, I love to drive fast, the faster the better. However, I think that's going to have to change. I've always been this way and have been very lucky not to get into the situation I'm in now.

I'm going to buy a better radar detector in October and maybe see about getting my cruise control fixed. I've never really used the CC on the Pilot, from the time the car was around a year old its had a mind of its own. I set it and it will always speed up, its like the car has a sick obsession with 80 mph.

Hubby says no way, not going to happen on a new sports car, maybe he'll let me get a new Titan next year.......its not a sports car......

corvette

"...maybe he'll let me get a new Titan next year...."

Wasn't your last Titan problematic?