Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

jmonroe1

@tifighter said:
Here's another rabbit hole. Who knows what money this brings, but you'll always get the nods at your local Cars and Coffee.

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Anyone want to guess how many times that beast has seen 62K kilometers?

jmonroe

kyfdx

mlevine said:

it is my son that is attempting to get a new vehicle. It is about payment. Leaning towards preowned C class with 3 to 4 year warranty. Then sell it after warranty expires.

You can actually lease a Frontier for a decent payment

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

out of those choices, if I did not need a truck, I would get the C300 and treat myself!

Just make sure it has a factory backup camera. I hear those are hard to add via the aftermarket. 🤣

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Only if you’re afraid of hiding a wire or two.

jmonroe

corvette

@roadburner - LegitStreetCars on YouTube just posted a video of his 2011 C63 AMG, which he repaired back to functionality and drove from the Maryland area to Chicago. He really seemed to enjoy it, and I think it's something I'd have fun in. I'm sure yours is even better than that!

jmonroe1

corvette said:

mlevine said:

RAV 4 XLE AWD and safety package can get at MRSP but wait is 6 to 8 months. Tacoma with AWD and safety package 3 vehicle coming in over the next 90 days with 2 possible already spoken for and maybe MRSP. Now possible MC C300 2019 or 2020 is a possibility and all cheaper than above. C300 has 2 years of warranty and 3rd CPO warranty. Leaning towards C300 but open to suggestions. The car process is very challenging and annoying today.

Where is your son located and how far is he willing to travel to get a decent deal? There is a broker on Leasehackr who can easily get either of those Toyotas, and he works with a handful of dealers, mostly along the east coast. I'd probably spring for the hybrid on the RAV4, which is also widely available, last I checked, and I want to say it's only $1-2k more than the non-hybrid.

I also suspect you can get those other vehicles at a decent price, but he may have to do some calling around and travel in order to achieve that.

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Well, if his son is anything like mine he’d buy a car in Oregon if it hit all of the right buttons. However, I don’t think there are any more sons like mine. Where did I go wrong?

jmonroe

stickguy

went to the rabbit hole!

This is so quintessential 80's. I love it. would flip the Maverick for this one.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-nissan-hardbody-desert-runner/

this also caught my eye as a toy. This particular one has some choices I don't like, and some scary issues, but I always thought of something like this as a hobby project to get a fun car to enjoy. My idea was basically to take a clean body (assuming you can find a rust free example) cabriolet, and upgrade with a combo of GTI and aftermarket pieces. Basically a semi-clone of something never made, and a resto mod! There are plenty of parts available, and these seem to be very simple to work on. A nice dark red of blue with GTI plaid seats, a set of BBS wheels, and go from there!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-volkswagen-cabriolet-20/

roadburner

I love the AMG performance exhaust on the C43; I started the car in a parking lot today and tw

corvette said:

@roadburner - LegitStreetCars on YouTube just posted a video of his 2011 C63 AMG, which he repaired back to functionality and drove from the Maryland area to Chicago. He really seemed to enjoy it, and I think it's something I'd have fun in. I'm sure yours is even better than that!

A V8 would be nice, but the M276 biturbo V6 is no slug. Maybe next time!

roadburner

This is the video that sealed the deal for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2rDHzCfNM

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

You’re lucky somebody didn’t spring out of the shadows and take your car.

Haha; that's funny! But, a really good example of just how far society has decayed.

stickguy

That S4 looks just like my sons. Hard to miss it in that blue.

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

You’re lucky somebody didn’t spring out of the shadows and take your car.

Haha; that's funny! But, a really good example of just how far society has decayed.

That’s a natural assumption seeing that the car you stopped to assist turned out to be stolen. What’s a little carjacking when you’re on the run already.

explorerx4

Could be a bargain. Not sure if there is a reserve.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-jeep-wagoneer-2-2/#comments-anchor

au1994

explorerx4 said:

Could be a bargain. Not sure if there is a reserve.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-jeep-wagoneer-2-2/#comments-anchor

It make pick up closer to the end. I had never heard of this model before. I think the Waggy crew tends to favor the traditional wood grain clad model.

nyccarguy

mjfloyd1 said:

Those clown shoes are not the most attractive cars in any color (or lack of color)

I dig the clown shoe cars. No thank-you on those awful looking red roundels though. Style-wise, I think I like the regular, late model 3.0si models.

kyfdx

au1994 said:

explorerx4 said:

Could be a bargain. Not sure if there is a reserve.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-jeep-wagoneer-2-2/#comments-anchor

It make pick up closer to the end. I had never heard of this model before. I think the Waggy crew tends to favor the traditional wood grain clad model.

Wagoneer vs. Grand Wagoneer. The Grand got the paneling

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

mjfloyd1 said:

Those clown shoes are not the most attractive cars in any color (or lack of color)

I dig the clown shoe cars. No thank-you on those awful looking red roundels though. Style-wise, I think I like the regular, late model 3.0si models.

I get why he did the roundels, but it doesn't look good.

mlevine

Problem is son not able to travel due to school and work. Would also need me to cosign. Good news is no credit problem but bad news is he has no credit history.

qbrozen

explorerx4 said:

Could be a bargain. Not sure if there is a reserve.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-jeep-wagoneer-2-2/#comments-anchor

It will climb in the end, no doubt.
Would go even higher if the seller could answer the recent questions.

Michaell

mlevine said:

Problem is son not able to travel due to school and work. Would also need me to cosign. Good news is no credit problem but bad news is he has no credit history.

Sounds like my youngest nephew - he really wants a Civic Sport (sedan), but everything used that he's looking at is between $20-25K. I found a few other makes and models under $20K (and under 30,000 miles). He has a substantial down payment, but not much credit history.

I saw an article that stated the average used car note was at 12% interest - not sure I believe that, but with new car rates around 5-7%, I guess that's not too far off.

nyccarguy

mlevine said:

I wish leasing rates were better. I exclusively leased my cars in the past. The C250 was the first car in awhile that was a purchase. Next was lease buy out of a GLE. Next was off lease E class. I am tired of buying cars but 2 to 3 year old off lease vehicles make sense. New vehicles are MRSP +.

Leasing is not great right now, especially if you are set on a particular vehicle. There are deals out there. What are your son's "must haves?" Mileage restrictions? He's looking for something "right now?" used & cpo cars are as big of a gamble as ever right now. It is imperative you get a PPI done and even then. who knows? I think Hoovie brought a 911 to the local Porsche dealership for a PPI and they missed a bunch of stuff.

mlevine

Looking at CPO but prices a little high. Prior vehicle was CPO and I thought it would last longer as only 67,000 miles. Problem is engine starting to have problems which appear to be very common on the MB C250 sport 1.8 liter engine. CPO finance rate for MB C, E, and GLC 2.99 for 36 months and 3.99 for higher. Not that bad.

nyccarguy

mlevine said:

Looking at CPO but prices a little high. Prior vehicle was CPO and I thought it would last longer as only 67,000 miles. Problem is engine starting to have problems which appear to be very common on the MB C250 sport 1.8 liter engine. CPO finance rate for MB C, E, and GLC 2.99 for 36 months and 3.99 for higher. Not that bad.

I completely agree that the car should last A LOT longer than 67,000 miles. As others have said, you never know how the previous owner treated it. They could have said: "screw bringing it to MB for a $400 oil change. I can just bring it to Jiffy Lube for $39.95."

qbrozen

Pajero Minis are not up for sale yet, of course, but someone reached out who saw my comments in a facebook group about them. He has an '89 Wrangler Islander he is presenting as a trade for my automatic turbo. He claims the underside is clean because it was undercoated when new. I'd, of course, need to see that. But, assuming the rust is limited to what the ad claims, what do y'all think? It is concerning he has had it for sale for the better part of a year now. Seems to me it would have gone quick for the money. Maybe I'm crazy. A better advert with far more pics would certainly help the cause, as would a good cleaning, especially under the hood. Correct air cleaner, maybe some fender flares, maybe paint the wheels and recover the seats. I think it has potential to get bigger money than what he is asking, if done right.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1742389202763751

henryn

qbrozen said:

Pajero Minis are not up for sale yet, of course, but someone reached out who saw my comments in a facebook group about them. He has an '89 Wrangler Islander he is presenting as a trade for my automatic turbo. He claims the underside is clean because it was undercoated when new. I'd, of course, need to see that. But, assuming the rust is limited to what the ad claims, what do y'all think? It is concerning he has had it for sale for the better part of a year now. Seems to me it would have gone quick for the money. Maybe I'm crazy. A better advert with far more pics would certainly help the cause, as would a good cleaning, especially under the hood. Correct air cleaner, maybe some fender flares, maybe paint the wheels and recover the seats. I think it has potential to get bigger money than what he is asking, if done right.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1742389202763751

Those old Jeep Wrangler's tend to have a lot of interest and sell for an obscene amount of money. One block over from my house, next to an empty lot that I maintain, there is an older Wrangler sitting in the driveway. It obviously hasn't run in years, one tire is flat, but all of the pieces are there, and the owner says it was running when he stopped using it. He told me he gets people ringing his doorbell on a regular basis wanting to buy it.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

Pajero Minis are not up for sale yet, of course, but someone reached out who saw my comments in a facebook group about them. He has an '89 Wrangler Islander he is presenting as a trade for my automatic turbo. He claims the underside is clean because it was undercoated when new. I'd, of course, need to see that. But, assuming the rust is limited to what the ad claims, what do y'all think? It is concerning he has had it for sale for the better part of a year now. Seems to me it would have gone quick for the money. Maybe I'm crazy. A better advert with far more pics would certainly help the cause, as would a good cleaning, especially under the hood. Correct air cleaner, maybe some fender flares, maybe paint the wheels and recover the seats. I think it has potential to get bigger money than what he is asking, if done right.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1742389202763751

Looks like it is in my town. Let me know if you want me to take a look see.

stickguy

I mostly like that Jeep. I would take. Look if local since it comes with the hardtop. Only 2 issues. One, the automatic disqualifies it out the gate. And 2, if it was up here, almost guaranteed the chassis would be one big piece if rusty metal. They all are.

Sandman6472

When selling a vehicle, seems folks should make it look it's best before placing it for sale. For some reason, a clean vehicle goes a long way in sowing folks how the vehicle was cared for. Sure, probably makes no sense to lump those two things together but I'd rather purchase from someone who keeps up with the little things, like washing & waxing on a regular basis, something that shows pride of ownership. To this day, like last week, someone at work commented on how good my vehicle looks. All I could see was that it needed a wash & the alloys were a bit dirty. I just told him that I garage it every night and clean it on a regular basis. Of course, I do the maintenance as I need it to be in the best condition it can be in for a 8 year old vehicle.
Speaking of that, I should take it for a wash later today as I am off today. Try to get it washed at least once every 10 days or so.

xwesx

@qbrozen An automatic on one of those always makes me scratch my head. I mean, if it was twenty years newer, okay. But, on an 80s Jeep? Seems so wrong.

Otherwise, if you feel like having another project, then why not? Or, you could see if the owner of this gem wants to swap with you!

qbrozen

henryn said:

Those old Jeep Wrangler's tend to have a lot of interest and sell for an obscene amount of money. One block over from my house, next to an empty lot that I maintain, there is an older Wrangler sitting in the driveway. It obviously hasn't run in years, one tire is flat, but all of the pieces are there, and the owner says it was running when he stopped using it. He told me he gets people ringing his doorbell on a regular basis wanting to buy it.

Huh. Maybe you and I are just wrong?

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vJMxXRk/1993-jeep-wrangler-renegade-4x4
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/Kd1MVVGp/1989-jeep-wrangler-4x4

stickguy

I like both of those red ones. not bad price, though the '89 did not sell at that bid.

roadburner

mlevine said:

Looking at CPO but prices a little high. Prior vehicle was CPO and I thought it would last longer as only 67,000 miles. Problem is engine starting to have problems which appear to be very common on the MB C250 sport 1.8 liter engine. CPO finance rate for MB C, E, and GLC 2.99 for 36 months and 3.99 for higher. Not that bad.

But M-B conveniently excludes the AMG models from those rates...

au1994

qbrozen said:

Pajero Minis are not up for sale yet, of course, but someone reached out who saw my comments in a facebook group about them. He has an '89 Wrangler Islander he is presenting as a trade for my automatic turbo. He claims the underside is clean because it was undercoated when new. I'd, of course, need to see that. But, assuming the rust is limited to what the ad claims, what do y'all think? It is concerning he has had it for sale for the better part of a year now. Seems to me it would have gone quick for the money. Maybe I'm crazy. A better advert with far more pics would certainly help the cause, as would a good cleaning, especially under the hood. Correct air cleaner, maybe some fender flares, maybe paint the wheels and recover the seats. I think it has potential to get bigger money than what he is asking, if done right.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1742389202763751

“has some rust”. Is that like being a little bit pregnant? But yeah, even with some rust, there’s probably a path to a small profit.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I like both of those red ones. not bad price, though the '89 did not sell at that bid.

and they have far fewer miles than the one he wants to trade me. Guess I should stay away.

roadburner

I have at least 5 people waiting in line for my 1999 Sahara- and when when delivery trucks stop by the drivers often ask if it's for sale.
Nope.

explorerx4

What is that aluminum tape on the hood of the yellow Jeep for?
Square light generation are the least desirable from what I understand.
C&B on got $6100 for that square light. Where is the profit if you have to fix anything?

au1994

explorerx4 said:

What is that aluminum tape on the hood of the yellow Jeep for?
Square light generation are the least desirable from what I understand.
C&B on got $6100 for that square light. Where is the profit if you have to fi anything?

It wasn’t the most popular but like a lot of other models as it ages it appeals to a certain group. They weren’t altogether bad. It just replaced the CJ. Kinda like poor Ray Perkins who had to replace Bear Bryant. He could have beat the Steelers and it wouldn’t have mattered.

au1994

The Wagoneer sold for $25k btw…

stickguy

Then there was this.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-volkswagen-golf-gti-16v-7/

au1994

Just don’t know what to say about that.

mjfloyd1

@stickguy said:
Then there was this.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-volkswagen-golf-gti-16v-7/

Well, it had Ricardo seats😂

Michaell

Oh. Emm. Gee.

kyfdx

I'm running my GTI back through Carvana, to see it's worth $50K, now..

EDIT: I'm down to $21,600. Not bad for a 5 year old car, I guess..

ab348

There is a GTI cult that went ga-ga over that one from the moment it was listed. Apparently it was so original that nobody could believe it.

explorerx4

@au1994,
I was under the impression that those Wagoneers when for a lot more money.
When I looked at the completed auctions for them on C&B, 25k is a pretty good number.
Most of them were the woody type.

au1994

explorerx4 said:

@au1994,
I was under the impression that those Wagoneers when for a lot more money.
When I looked at the completed auctions for them on C&B, 25k is a pretty good number.
Most of them were the woody type.

Yes, the Grand is the one with the wood, as correctly clarified earlier. Those have the real cult following. BaT has had a few of those go over 100k. I think they are really cool but driving one daily is probably not pleasant.

explorerx4

The most expensive woody model sold on C&B was about 31K.
Pretty original, I think.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

mlevine said:

Looking at CPO but prices a little high. Prior vehicle was CPO and I thought it would last longer as only 67,000 miles. Problem is engine starting to have problems which appear to be very common on the MB C250 sport 1.8 liter engine. CPO finance rate for MB C, E, and GLC 2.99 for 36 months and 3.99 for higher. Not that bad.

But M-B conveniently excludes the AMG models from those rates...

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That’s more proof of the old sales law that says, “you don’t give away what you can sell”.

jmonroe

henryn

kyfdx said:

I'm running my GTI back through Carvana, to see it's worth $50K, now..

EDIT: I'm down to $21,600. Not bad for a 5 year old car, I guess..

My 2013 F150 XL, which I purchased in May of 2021, is now all the way down to $10,962 according to Carvana. When I purchased it, Carvana offered $13,250. At some point it peaked at just over $15k, I don't remember exactly when.

Vroom says they will send me an offer via email.

I am not unhappy, I paid $10,500 and spent about $1,000 on maintenance and upgrades (stereo, backup camera).

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

mlevine said:

Problem is son not able to travel due to school and work. Would also need me to cosign. Good news is no credit problem but bad news is he has no credit history.

Sounds like my youngest nephew - he really wants a Civic Sport (sedan), but everything used that he's looking at is between $20-25K. I found a few other makes and models under $20K (and under 30,000 miles). He has a substantial down payment, but not much credit history.

I saw an article that stated the average used car note was at 12% interest - not sure I believe that, but with new car rates around 5-7%, I guess that's not too far off.

That’s shocking since the car loans are being stretched out to 84 months these days. What would the interest payments be on a $20k loan for 84 months @ 12%?

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
Payment is $353 a month, so just under 10k in interest over the life of the loan.